had to do it. I have heard a few too many “IF’s” on the site.

I stole your graphic I’ll take it down if you want bro!

The only “If” I’m unsure on is special teams. No matter how great a returner looks in college, it is hrd to tell if they’ll do anything at the pro level. But even if Royal is average or worse as a return guy, I think he gives us solid depth as a WR (probably at slot).

It’s the kickers and punters I’m worried about. I have no idea how they’re going to do.

At DT I’m also unsure. But we’ve made some attempt (we’ll have to see how DRob and Powell work out, and see if Thomas continues to improve).

Like you, I voted “Yes”. I don’t think we are filled with superstars, but we did something as good. We gave ourselves depth everywhere. I think it is better to have a team with no weaknesses than a team with a few superstars.

Again, good job!

is the biggest IF. They are in the same situation that they were last year:

1) New coordinator
2) New players

The only difference from last year is that we THINK we might have gotten rid of dead weight and replaced it with high character/high motor guys.

All “IFs” should come with the following asterik:

*Only time will tell.

that is the biggest question mark i have, with the “if” applying to the health of: ben hamilton, tom nalen, ryan harris, brandon marshall, brandon stokely, nate jackson, travis henry, darrell jackson, ebeneezer ekuban, jarvis moss, dewayne robertson, james winborn, john lynch, and pretty much 1/2 of the draft class and fa’s we picked up. THAT is the big if. some of these guys will not be playing much, and others are going to get hurt, it’s going to happen. this will determine how good we are this year more than anything else, but i do like our depth situation now(except dt and kickers).

p.s. i read on another site that eddie royal has “compartment syndrome”, a swelling of the ankle when your hearet rates accelerates. it is supposed to be serious and untreatable. does anyone know anything about this? it would be informative to see a medical breakdown of our new players, and if there are any potential trouble spots now, or down the road. is there a doctor in the house?

we can look at both sides of the coin. Can we get a post on “IF” everything works out? ;) lol, even though I think that was the trap many of us fell into before last season began. I remember most of us thinking 2007 was going to be a huge year, Top 5 defense, Top 5 Offense, yada yada. Guru did his “if” scenarios last year too, but I recall even he thought we were going to have a great season. So because of that, I have come to dislike “if” scenarios…I’d rather be Saint-like in my delusion…at least until the season begins. That is when reality kicks in. ;)

ask chef fans or fader fans…when your team is “rebuilding” the offseason is the only time you can really get excited. The difference between those teams and the Broncos is that we’re closer to turning everything around than they are. We are either breaking out this year or next year at the very latest!

One thing about the offseason, it is the time when all the “if” scenarios are thrown out there and beat around until we are sick of them. That being said, I am one of the worst out there when it comes to the “ifs.” I like to contemplate the Broncos and what their chances are each year, it’s about all thats left to us until minicamps start. To me, thats what makes this thing called Broncos Football fun and exciting. I am thankful that we have ownership and staff in place that will not sit on their hands, they are always striving to improve the team. That in and of itself makes it worth watching in the offseason. I’m not naieve enough to think we can go from 7-9 to the Super Bowl in one year, but it’s the growing process that is fun to watch. I wouldn’t mind if the Broncos just dominated for the next 20 years, but something tells me I’d get bored with that too. It’s the getting to the top and trying to stay there that makes this game so exciting. This league has a lot of parity and that is what makes it so fun. You never know from one year to the next who is going to be on top. Hopefully it will be our Broncos before too much longer. Anyway, I’ll quit rambling on. In short, I just wanted to say that I think we addressed all of our ifs this offseason, however, we won’t know how well we addressed them until the season gets going.

PS: Can we start the season tomorrow? LOL

Compartment syndrome is an acute medical problem following injury, surgery or in most cases repetitive and extensive muscle use in which increased pressure (usually caused by inflammation) within a confined space (fascial compartment) in the body impairs blood supply, without prompt treatment, may lead to nerve damage and muscle death. This condition is most commonly seen in the anterior compartment of the leg and posterior compartment of the leg.

The full information is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compartment_syndrome

i read that eddie royal has this condition over at rocky mountain fever, under the “royal shock” post. i hope the broncos have weighed this carefully, considering the investment they have now put into this guy. it appears to be a problem for someone who does what royal does, but i guess he has been playing with it so far. i just hope it doesn’t cut his career short down the road, or greatly hinder his play. time will tell

According to the Wikipedia article, it is an acute problem. But according to this site (by doctors, for doctors)Compartment Syndrome can be acute or chronic. I don’t know about Royal’s diagnosis (I don’t have a link to the story about his condition). But I am not concerned. Here’s why.

First, if he had the “acute” problem, it would be an emergency, he would be treated, and the situation (barring complications) would be fixed. Thus, it is reasonable to assume he does not have the acute version.

The chronic problem is treatable. The article discusses issues with athletes in particular, and is positive.

Bear in mind as well that Denver has physicians and trainers that look these guys (and their medical histories) over with a fine toothed comb. The media may think it’s a big deal, but I’ll trust the Broncos and their medical folks.