McCree and McDainel Added To Bolster Secondary

by John Bena on Mar 9, 2008 8:39 AM MST in Roster Moves Comment 8 comments

Great job by the crew to get these signing posted on Saturday. This is a follow up to those posts...

The Denver Broncos on Saturday signed unrestricted free-agent safety Marquand Manuel and free-agent safety Marlon McCree, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced. As per club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Manuel (6-foot-0, 209 pounds) is a seventh-year player who joins the Broncos after playing for Carolina (2007), Green Bay (2006), Seattle (2004-05) and Cincinnati (2002-03). He was selected by the Bengals in the sixth round (181st overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft from the University of Florida.

In 91 career regular-season games (38 starts), Manuel has totaled 215 tackles (168 solo), two interceptions (33 yds.) and 10 pass breakups. He also owns one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 33 special-teams tackles for his career.

Manuel has appeared in four career postseason games (3 starts), including his start in Super Bowl XL with Seattle in 2005. He has posted eight tackles (6 solo), one interception, five pass breakups and three special-teams stops for his playoff career.

During the 2007 season, Manuel saw time in 16 games (2 starts) for the Panthers and recorded 13 tackles, one interception, one sack, two pass breakups and five special-teams stops. He joined Carolina as a free agent on Sept. 3 after competing in the Packers' training camp.

Manuel started all 16 games for the Packers in 2006 and ranked fifth on the club with a career-high 80 tackles (61 solo) while adding one interception, which he returned 29 yards for a touchdown. He spent two seasons (2004-05) with Seattle, starting all 19 games (16 regular season, 3 postseason) for the club in 2005 when it advanced to Super Bowl XL.

The safety began his career with the Bengals, appearing in 28 games (9 starts) for Cincinnati from 2002-03.

A three-year starter at Florida, Manuel finished his collegiate career with 308 tackles and appeared in 46 games. He was a member of the Gators' Southeastern Conference Championship team in 2000.

Manuel earned All-America honors at Miami Senior High School in Miami. He was born on July 11, 1979.

McCree (5-foot-11, 202 pounds) is an eighth-year player who joins the Broncos after playing the last two seasons with San Diego, where he was a 16-game starter in 2007. The veteran also has played for Carolina (2005), Houston (2003-04) and Jacksonville (2001-03), which selected him in the seventh round (233rd overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft from the University of Kentucky.

In 106 career regular-season games (84 starts), McCree has totaled 404 tackles (309 solo), 16 interceptions (351 yds.), three sacks (12 yds.), 42 pass breakups, five fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. He also owns 17 career stops on special teams.

McCree was a starter on clubs that reached the playoffs in each of the past three seasons as a member of the Chargers (2006-07) and Panthers (2005), and those teams had a 34-12 (.739) regular-season record in games in which he played during that time. He has registered starts in all seven of his playoff appearances, including conference championship games with Carolina in 2005 and San Diego in `07, and owns 30 tackles (22 solo), three interceptions and five pass breakups for his postseason career.

During the 2007 season with San Diego, McCree started all 16 games for the second time in his career and registered 65 tackles (48 solo), three interceptions (20 yds.) and six pass breakups. The safety helped the Chargers lead the NFL in opponent passer rating (70.0), win their second consecutive AFC West title and advance to the AFC Championship Game that season.

He posted a career-best 87 tackles (73 solo) along with three interceptions (73 yds.) and 10 pass breakups in 16 games (15 starts) with the Panthers in 2005, a year in which Carolina played in the NFC Championship Game. He joined the Panthers after spending the greater part of two seasons with Houston from 2003-04.

McCree began his NFL career on Jacksonville's roster from 2001-03, posting career bests in interceptions (6) and pass breakups (11) for the club as a 16-game starter in 2002.

A three-year starter at Kentucky, McCree finished his collegiate career with 219 tackles and 14.5 sacks. He earned all-state honors as a safety and linebacker at Atlantic High School in Dayton Beach , Fla.

McCree was born on March 17, 1977.

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Mixed Bag

McCree really helped improve the Charger secondary, he brings a great work ethic and good leadership skills. For all that he makes a number of mental mistakes (including not batting down a fourth down ball that the Pats took away from him in the playoffs in 06). He also takes some really bad angles on running plays. McCree will occasionally make ferocious hits that can cause turnovers or incompletes, but again not consistently. It will be interesting to see how he does with the Broncos.

by Brian on Mar 10, 2008 7:52 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

My thoughts....

The sum of the whole are greater than the value of each of the parts...

Noe of the players the Broncos have signed are great individually, but the team is a lot better today as a group...

-TSG

www.milehighreport.com

by John Bena on Mar 10, 2008 8:07 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

McCree and Manuel will both

be fighting for the "heavy nickel" package, which will probably feature Lynch coming out. I give McCree the edge here.

Brian, I have read that McCree is an asset in TE coverage...Thoughts? This is the most significant lack we feature on defense right now, behind run-stopping DTs. Boss Bailey is part of the solution, but we need our rotating strong safety to contribute as well on this front.

Hey, this means that McCree will be covering Gates...

I wish my sig was as cool as mdierks!

by Jeremy Bolander on Mar 10, 2008 2:21 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

McCree on TEs

I would think on TEs he should be fine, except for Gates or Winslow. His range seems to be more limited now, if you saw the Indianapolis playoff game that has the good, the bad and the ugly on him. He is a ball hawk that came up with a fumble, he sometimes breaks down on coverage, he let Gonzales get by him for 50+ yd td, and he is a big hitter, he laid out R. Wayne on the final play that hurt just to watch.

He is a student of the game and will be able to tell the Broncos everything about the Chargers 'defense. He is awfully bright and a good citizen, I doubt you will ever see him on the police blotter. With Safeties supposedly thin in both FA and the draft, I think he is a good pickup for the Broncos. I would have like to see him stay with the Chargers, but he had a big salary increase and last years draft pick, Weddle may have the tools to be a pro-bowl caliber player.

by Brian on Mar 11, 2008 8:57 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks!

I wish my sig was as cool as mdierks!

by Jeremy Bolander on Mar 11, 2008 3:08 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do we now focus on a DT now?

Robertson from the Jets trade to Cinci fell through. Does that mean that the Broncos will take a shot at him now? or do we wait until he is cut?

fader nation is a conquered nation

by mdierk on Mar 10, 2008 4:50 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

2 Cents

We wait. Robertson is kind of a question mark to me. On the one hand he is a NT. On the other hand he doesn't fit the Jets 3-4...

I think he is primarily a two gapper, whereas The Roye (Orpheus Roye, that is) is a one-gap stuffing pile o pile. Patterson has wanted him for a while now, so I expect the majority of our push to be thattaway...

I wish my sig was as cool as mdierks!

by Jeremy Bolander on Mar 10, 2008 5:16 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Experienced Safeties should be able to help the

special teams. That area of the team probably needs as much improvement as the run defense. I think picking up these two will significantly help the Broncos.

by Arctic Bronco on Mar 10, 2008 6:59 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs