Clady and Harris....WOW!!! Kudos to Broncos for great drafts!

by boydy2669 on Nov 20, 2008 7:18 AM MST Comment 19 comments

Hey Guys,

I was just reading an article from a link Guru posted on Football Outsiders about Ryan Clady's dominating performance against the Atlanta D Line, and his dominance of John Abraham. Add to this the way he made Joey Porter look like a clueless rookie, you would have to say we probably have the best LT in the business....or soon to be. The guys at Football Outsiders are actually ranking Clady above Joe Thomas and as the best LT taken this year. Clady pans out as terrific value. He is out performing the no 1 pick as a number 12, and is being ranked as high as the no 3 pick the year before.

But here is something we might all be over looking. In the Atlanta game, with no luck against Clady, they switched Abraham and put him against our RE Ryan Harris. Ryan Harris was just as dominating, and has only given away only 0.5 of a sack this season. Clady gets the raps (deservedly so) as a first round pick, and a pick that we got at a steal at number 12.

But check Ryan Harris out. We get him as a 3rd rounder, who played the grand total of 1 snap until this year. Effectively, we have 2 first round quality picks at RE and LE, for terrific value.

Add to this that Spencer Larsen who may pan out at MLB, then all of a sudden we have probably had in the last 3 years the drafts to end all drafts. Great players, at minimal cost with great value to our salary cap.

You can feel the Broncos loading up on picks, and retooling this team into a juggernaut. We have some good cap room, and plenty of wiggle room in the draft. A great defensive draft and a direct hit on on FA and this team could arrive as a contender a year earlier than everyone of us thought, and a LOT earlier than the rest of the NFL thought possible.

Kudos to the Broncos, Shanny and the Goodmans. Yep, there is always some luck, but just like in golf, good players make their own luck.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

0 recs | Comment 19 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I've been saying this all season...

and it’s worth repeating. Ryan Clady is the best Left Tackle in the NFL. Ryan Harris is the best pass-blocker in the NFL at Right Tackle, and is improving quickly as a run-blocker. This is a duo which can star together for the next decade.

"I am not one of those who think that coming in second or third is winning." -- Robert F. Kennedy

by TedBartlett905 on Nov 20, 2008 9:08 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

AMEN BROTHER!

by metalman5050 on Nov 20, 2008 5:42 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Haven't heard much about the Wonderlic lately :)

"In the empty spaces - lacunae, vacuums, pauses, voids, black holes - new things begin. We are born anew from the unexplored space, the badlands, the outlaw territory." - Sam Keen

by spock on Nov 20, 2008 7:58 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Cheers to the big boys up front!

Without the O-line we would be similar to the Bengals – Great QB (Carson when healthly) Great receivers and not a lot of anything else.

With the outstanding play of our O-line everything is better. Now if we can get just a little more from our improving D-Line… It will make everything a little better on that side of the ball.

My image is the Circa 1960-’61 Broncos home uniform sock. Some what folk lore to me ... but referred to as the clown sock by my Dad.

by YellowStoneBronco on Nov 20, 2008 9:33 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

I have been impressed with both of them

For Clady to step in and start right away is amazing and how dominate he has been is truly special. I admit I was not on the band wagon about the Harris pick last year, but it looks like Denver has truly found a set of bookends and he has had a dramatic jump from last year to this year. It is something I think that Shanahan has finally admitted that when Denver was a dominate team, we had pro-bowl tackles in Zimmerman and Jones, I think we have two guys now that can match that talent level and are at the begining of their careers, so kudos to the personnel staff who got these guys.

"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum

by Broncoman on Nov 20, 2008 9:40 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

This last draft was great!

and there harris pick was great also. i hope to see another draft like this one next year. Especially since ol’ GM Ted is gone. Shanny knows wut he wants

"You play to win the game!"- Herm Edwards

by broncoboy on Nov 20, 2008 10:05 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

we've been thrashing the draft around here

but really, it has been pretty good (lately at least).
2006 – if anyone claims this was a poor draft, I’m not even wasting time arguing with you. Cutler, Marshall, Scheffler, Kuper, Dumervil. Five starters, as well as Hixon making (a bit of) a name for himself elsewhere.

2007 brought Harris (after back injury last year, he’s showing his true colors this year), Moss (again, injury last year) whom the jury is still out for (but at least is is making some impact), Marcus Thomas (oh I wish we had another young Thomas right next to him), and then Crowder who performed well last year but has been strangely nonexistent this year. I’ll say B- on that draft, if only because we had so few picks and one of them might have busted, but we also managed Selvin as a UFA.

2008 – Clady, Eddie Royal, Hillis, Larsen (two sixth rounders!!) have all shown their stuff. Torain has, if only briefly. Powell was injured before camp even started, so can’t tell. Lichtenstieger and Jack Williams have both made their contributions.

And if you didn’t notice, Eslinger, another 2006er is back on the practice squad. Expect K-Lich to step up to starting center (or guard if Hamilton moves over, which is possible) and Eslinger to fill K-Lich’s role when Wiegs (and Nalen) is done.

Jason
The Hanging Curve

by poorboywilly on Nov 20, 2008 10:43 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

One could say it's about time

There has been so much gushing over Clady (but he deserves it) that Harris often seems the forgotten man on the other side. What those two have in store for the future after a couple years’ experience . . . now, that is scary . . .

Never argue with a fool, lest you take on his appearance. - my daddy

by AZDynamics on Nov 20, 2008 10:46 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Clady and Harris are doing well but...

in our zone blocking scheme it is really much more of a team effort than just one or two players standing out. Kudos need to go to the entire front line, incliuding TE. Against Atlanta Hamilton did allow the sack on Cutler, but he faced Abraham nearly as much as Clady and while Kuper had the holding call, it was his first of the year and looked pretty bogus to me. We also can’t neglect Wiegmann who has stepped up for Nalen and done a damn fine job. Yes, Clady and Harris are playing very well, but so are the other four men. Kudos to the entire front line!

It all starts in the trenches HT 11/11/08

by firstfan on Nov 20, 2008 12:32 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I agree--our entire line has been phenominal pass blocking--and is looking much better with the zone-block scheme.

It will be nice to concentrate on defense next draft—our offense is set.

The best defense is a good defense!
And last week's young players. Yes!

by Mike Clark on Nov 20, 2008 2:21 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Opps the bold got away from me!

It all starts in the trenches HT 11/11/08

by firstfan on Nov 20, 2008 12:32 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

TOOOO funny.......

It happens to me now and then too. Hang tough big guy.

by metalman5050 on Nov 20, 2008 5:45 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

To the Tune of Styx: Lady

Clady, when youre with me I’m smiling
Give me all your love
Your hands build me up when I’m sinking
Just touch me and my troubles all fade
Clady, from the moment I saw you
Standing all alone
You gave all the love that I needed
So shy, like a child who has grown

Youre my Clady of the morning
Love shines in your eyes
Sparkling, clear, and lovely
Youre my Clady

Clady, turns me on when Im lonely
Show me all your charm
Evenings when she lays down beside me
Just take me gently into your arms

Your my Clady of the morning
Love shines in your eyes
Sparkling, clear, and lovely
Youre my Clady

Clady of the morning
Love shines in your eyes
Sparkling, clear, and lovely
Youre my … Clady

by Jezru on Nov 20, 2008 3:09 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

The link for reference...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fPQC4eRJuk

by Jezru on Nov 20, 2008 3:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

It only takes 30 min, to vote ten times. Make your probowl selections count! 10 votes per day is seventy per week!

by metalman5050 on Nov 20, 2008 5:48 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I've been voting two or three times each morning for about a month. I'm still trying to figure out where you can find the votes as they come in.

The best defense is a good defense!
And last week's young players. Yes!

by Mike Clark on Nov 20, 2008 9:57 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

To my knowledge

it is tallied internally by the NFL and they realease the data on set dates, first releasing it to the clubs, then to the public.

We may not get an updated tally until DEC 10th, as voting ends on the 9th…

Mountains, forest, sea: these render man fierce, but yet do not destroy the man.

by styg50 on Nov 21, 2008 1:17 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks styg

The best defense is a good defense!
And last week's young players. Yes!

by Mike Clark on Nov 21, 2008 4:48 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

wiegmann

has been our best fa pickup this season. nalen is done, unfortunately, and we should be able to squeeze another year out of casey, at least. kuper has adjusted very well to the right side, but hamilton is beginning to worry me a little. i’ve seen him literally getting blown off the ball too many times this season. it will be interesting to see how k-litch develops, and if they plan to use him at center, or slide hamilton over. but for now, i think you are looking at the starting offensive line for at least 2009.

hear me, perpetrators of bread crime, your punishment is at hand.
taste my blintzkrieg!

by davecheffy on Nov 20, 2008 10:01 PM MST reply actions 0 recs