Murphy's Law 2007

by HBBeough on May 18, 2008 6:43 PM MDT Comment 32 comments

A first year starter QB in the NFL has enough to deal with without the added weight put on Jay Cutler in 2007. It is amazing the team was only one game under .500 considering whatever could have gone wrong did. It all started at the end of the prior season when Denver's energetic young cornerback Darrent Williams got gunned down and died in the arms of Cutler's #1 air option Javon Walker. Then before the season even got started, Travis Henry, the team's big offensive free agent acquisition RB was distracted by child support problems and in minicamp Tony Scheffler (Cutler's comfort zone TE) broke his foot. By the end of training camp the team found itself down key veterans like Broncos legend Rod Smith, DE Ebeneser Ekuban and offensive guard Ben Hamilton. Hamilton's injury, along with Montrea Holland replacing Cooper Carlisle and Matt Lepsis returning from his 2007 injury (in which he was never the same) left Cutler with only 40% of the personnel providing protection from the previous year.

The first part of the 2007 season the offense ground out a lot of yards but didn't put up points. On the other side of the ball, before the season was a quarter of the way in, it was becoming obvious the run defense (under new D-coordinator Jim Bates) was pathetic. Then, after a humiliating defeat to the Chargers the injuries started to pile up. Durable icon center Tom Nalen was done for the year with his first pro injury and Javon Walker's knee started to have problems again that all but ended his season. By this time the only member of the 2007 O-line Cutler played behind remaining was Eric Pears (a first year starter in 2007 who had to switch sides in 2008). As the season wore on the inept D-line had to be overhauled. Veteran free agent signings Simeon Rice and Sam Adams were let go leaving the defensive front to a bunch of rookies and 2nd year man Elvis Dumervil. By week 9 first round pick DE Jarvis Moss broke his leg in practice just as the run game looked like it was starting to turn the corner. Before then Travis Henry was back in the news for failing a drug test just as he himself was in and out of the lineup due to injury. Now we find out that Cutler was experiencing signs of diabetes for most of the 2007 campaign and had lost 30 lbs. before the end of the season.

Call me an optimist but I just can't see this much adversity in 2008. The team looks deeper everywhere (especially at WR and O-line) and I think the defense will bounce back similar to the year after Ray Rhodes was in mile high. I think Cutler is the real deal and am looking forward to Shanahan opening up the playbook and giving him more audible options. Cutler is better because of 2007, but he'll have to take this team where fans will know the rebuilding process is over to get the rest of the fanbase crazy again.

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

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I have to agree..........

I just can’t see us having that kind of adversity 2 years in a row. It should get better to because of the added character. I think the offield problems will be less. I’m not sure it would be possible to have that many injuries again. I think the biggie will be Cutler, now that he knows what the prollem is and that it can be managed, I think he really will have a breakout year this year.

by Broncofan on May 18, 2008 9:03 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

The exciting thing

about Cutler is that for a lot of young QBs the year he had last year would be considered a breakout year, but for him it’s just a springboard.

"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 May 18, 2008 11:10 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Obviously, there will be adversity in 2008.

But I agree: 2007 was a freakish year, looking back. So many things just went haywire, I’m amazed that the team won 7 games.

Really, thinking about it…that gives me a boost for next year! Thanks for the reminder, and I really mean it!

~Uffdah

by Disco_Stu on May 18, 2008 9:39 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

adversity already...

With B Marshall sticking his hand through the TV. Let’s just hope this thing has finally run its course.

by HBBeough on May 18, 2008 10:11 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

not this time

the defense cannot be worse than last year, so expect middle-of-the-pack immediately. perhaps top 10 by season’s end, depending on the d-line play, the new ‘backers, and jarvis moss, in that order. a system better-suited for our players, and depth at lb, de, and safety should help avoid any disaster scenarios on d.
offensively, as long as marshall, stokley, and scheff are there, we should have a hell of a passing game. with any 5 healthy bodies on the line, cutler will have more time than he had last year, and he doesn’t need that much. the running game may take a little longer to hit it’s stride, i’m thinking 6 games or so, there appears to be some shuffling on the o-line coming up this season. if we go clady-hamilton-nalen-holland-pears, then we should be running smooth game 1. but it’s very possible we are going to have a new rt and rg, and this may put us back a few games in the short run, to be better in the long run. we now have excellent, versatile depth there. injuries on the ol won’t kill us this time(except maybe clady). te, wr, hb, and fb will be fine, even with an injury.
i believe we can’t have a season like last, because of our additions in depth, and some of our starters becoming quality backups, now. there’s only a few spots we really can’t afford injuries-qb, lt, and dt. other than that, worst-case scenario, we should be able to field a very competitive team at every other position, regardless. if we’re very healthy, look out

by davecheffy on May 18, 2008 11:15 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't know why...

maybe I’m just a Broncos homer, but I really think we’ll surprise a lot of people this year. Moving DJ back to Will, Koutouvides is better against the run in the middle, and hopefully a ymore experienced, young DL with Robertson will really help our defense. The secondary was never an issue. We just never got to the QB in time and even Champ can’t cover someone forever, especiall if we’re depending on him to help out with the run. DJ moving outside to Will is a huge improvement to Gold in terms of covering receivers and everything else. I’m really excited about Carlton Powell and think he can be a force for years to come.

Offensively, Cutler is more experienced and has more depth at WR. We have three RBs that played well when they started despite running behind a patched-up OL, which should be healthy. I don’t believe we are better than San Diego right now, but I think we really closed the gap over the past two years and should be competitive in the playoffs.

by Bronco Billy on May 18, 2008 11:35 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Moving DJ to Will

is the most significant move that we will make on defense this year, and it will reap phenomenal rewards. So many new players (36!!) and in the middle of the hubbub will be a simple move of our most athletically gifted defensive player to his “home” position.

DJ was able to “grind” out the stats last year, but this year he will be in a position to have an IMPACT on defensive plays.

And on offense, is anything more important than our O-line? Maybe Cutler’s consistency (he needs to cut down on his mistakes, or he could single-handedly lose a game or two next year) but even in that area it seems like o-line is the primary—more time for better decisions….

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

by Jeremy Bolander on May 21, 2008 12:37 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

O line

On offense I do not believe anything is more important than the line. The offense cannot rise ex nihilo, but rather must succeed on the strength of the line.

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind. - Emerson

by firstfan on May 21, 2008 12:55 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting perspective on D.J.

DJ was able to "grind" out the stats last year, but this year he will be in a position to have an IMPACT on defensive plays.

I like the thought that he’ll make impact plays, not just pile up stats, at his natural position. So you think he won’t be just good, but a big difference maker? I’ve been thinking he might be the best Will in the league this year.

With the addition of Clady, the return of Nalen and maybe Hamilton, the maturation of Kuper, Pears, and Harris and some shrewd FA acquisitions, we’re suddenly looking really deep at o-line. We’re only one position away, OC, from having our line of the future. I say that because that’s the only position in which we don’t have a young guy who can step in right now. Hamilton, even if he’s okay, is going to be pushed pretty hard. Improved line play will no doubt help Cutler, but I think it’ll help the running game even more. I think Cutler will cut down on mistakes just because it’s his third year, although better pass-blocking won’t hurt.

"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 May 21, 2008 1:49 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

K-Lich

or Lichtensteiger has everything going for him, from strength to attitude and character to work ethic to blocking at the second level. BUT he has a major injury to recover from (he claims he is right on track and there should be reports on him soon. The second best center in the draft and the #1 center in the draft for zoneblock is a fine addition and I can’t wait to see if he can bring everything together to follow Nalen and possibly Weigmann as the next Broncos center.

I agree about Cutler going into his third year. An often overlooked asset that he has is his immediate training environment: Shanahan isn’t just any coach for him, and his family lives with him, which keeps him grounded, focused and comfortable, and I think that we can count on Cutler being just ahead of the curve due to this and his talents.

I love that you can deliver a line like DJ being the best WILL in the league while remaining totally objective. I agree 100%, but here is a thought that will help to foster caution:

When I read your sig, it actually makes me think of DJ; how many times has he moved from one unknown to the next, continually being born anew? To maintain this team’s competitiveness, especially at its lowest of lows, did not come at a cost, and DJ’s growth was what was sacrificed on the altar of possibility. To me that is a heavy price to pay, and I do not doubt that regardless of DJ’s great attitude towards the building of this team, it is something which weighs like a ball and chain in the place where his wings should have grown. And let us not make the mistake of thinking that his troubador’s travels have resulted in a growth of a different kind: they may very well have, but it correlates poorly to football, and the saying”a jack of many trades, master of none,” would apply in spades. DJ’s once lethal skills have been reduced in potency over the past few years, fusing into a mongrel mass of unfit, half-learned, and fully consuming lessons, which leave a bitter taste even as one utters of the productiveness that has come during that same time. This is not necessarily a bad thing,and for many types of players, I think perhaps that it would be a very good thing: versatility is smiled upon in this league.

But DJ is the razor sharp dirk in the hands of an assassin, the critical passkey that springs the international superspy. He isn’t built to grind out a professional football career, not in body and not in mind: his is an epic ability and an epic story. I only hope that the infliction of self-doubt upon DJ won’t write a premature end to it…

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

by Jeremy Bolander on May 21, 2008 11:06 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Developing Players

I didn’t mention K-Lich only because I was considering how our o-line will perform this year. I don’t think he’ll contribute as a rookie, and it’s good that the steps we’ve taken (Weigman, for one) insure that he won’t have to. But when I spoke of us being only one position, OC, away from our line of the future, I was thinking in terms of K-Lich being that final link in 2009 or 2010. By that time Kuper, in my guesstimation, will already have taken over for Hamilton.

I’ve empathized with D.J. over the last several years, and have sometimes wondered if he’s wondered if he wouldn’t have been better off having been drafted by a team that didn’t jack him around so much at the expense of his development. He’s been a true team player in his willingness, without complaint, to do what was best for the team. I sense palpable relief in his being able to return to Will, and I think it’s a mark of his graciousness that he seems to appreciate what the team has done
to make it possible and isn’t dwelling on what might have been. Obviously, it would have been better if he’d been at Will all along, but I don’t think his sojourn has hurt his upside. It won’t be like learning Mike. I think his instincts for the position will come back in a rush and he’ll explode onto the scene as a big-play game changer. I’m especially excited, as I mentioned to HT recently, at the thought of him, a third-year Dumervil, and D-Rob or a second-year Thomas putting pressure on blindside QB protection on pass plays, and I think he’ll also be exceptionally effective in pursuit on running plays. I don’t see any growing pains in his switching back to Will, just a sudden releasing of his enormous potential.

"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 May 21, 2008 12:06 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Last year, DJ just got eaten up in the middle. He eventually learned the position well enough to play better, but he seemed to have a hard time getting off the blocks quick enough to be effective. I really think he will be a ProBowl caliber WIll LB and definitely better against the pass than Gold.

The one mistake that I noticed Cutler make multiple times last year was throwing INTs to LBs dropping back into coverage. I really hope he learns to make that read a lot quicker this year. Hopefully, with a better O-line he’ll have more time for his reads.

by Bronco Billy on May 21, 2008 4:04 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's Not Forget...

the death of Dameion Nash as well. 2007 went about as poorly as conceivably possible. That’s the main reason I give alot of credit to Mike Shanahan and his coaching job in ‘07.

I am trying to look at 2008 from a pure talent and schedule standpoint. Anything worse than 9-7 would be a big disappointment.

-TSG

www.milehighreport.com

by John Bena on May 19, 2008 5:02 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

After the NE game next year...

They have a long stretch of very winable games. If they can come out of the first seven games over .500 (or just under) they will be set up to make a playoff run. If davecheffy is right and the D can turn it around quick it will be a fun season.

by HBBeough on May 19, 2008 4:47 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

A lot to be positive about.

Everything that could go wrong did. Now we have a better team on the field, we’re healthy, and we have an easier schedule. I don’t think we’re SB bound yet, but I think we will surprise a lot of people. I agree with Guru, that 9-7 is the worst we can do. I see us at around 10 wins, and borderline for a wildcard spot.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on May 19, 2008 6:57 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

That's what I've been saying!!!

This year will we go 13-3 and lose in the playoffs…next year Super Bowl baby! it IS 1996 again! lol

MHR's Bronco History

by Tim Lynch on May 19, 2008 9:04 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

The big difference in ‘96 and ‘08 is that we arguably should have made the SB in ‘96. I still can’t believe we lost to Jacksonville at home. If freakin’ Michael Dean Perry didn’t walk off the field and get the penalty to give Jax the first down we could have won. Not that I’m bitter or anything!

by Bronco Billy on May 19, 2008 4:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Denver wins vs Jax in 96

Does TD get his 2000 yds in 98? Or does Elway retire after winning his second Super Bowl in 97?

by MattR on May 19, 2008 4:55 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think we actually lose in the AFC Championship game or to Green Bay in the SB...

Our team was not mature enough to win the Super Bowl in 96…see comment below. ;)

MHR's Bronco History

by Tim Lynch on May 19, 2008 5:16 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't disagree

I was just trying to help Bronco Billy get over his bitterness by reminding him of some good things that may not have happened without that loss.

by MattR on May 19, 2008 5:39 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, though it didn’t help!!! : )

It is an interesting question to ponder, though. On the flip side, why couldn’t we have been the first team to three-peat? I know one can say GB was a better team than us in ‘96, but they were 14 point favorites in ‘97 when we won. So who really knows?

I definitely agree that losing the game to Jax really left a bad taste in the Broncos organization and really focused their energy for the other Super Bowl runs. All I really know is what John Elway said afterwards, that he doesn’t think he would have wanted his career to happen any other way.

by Bronco Billy on May 19, 2008 9:58 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Neither would I.

Two is better than zero. :) 0-4 looks really bad, while 2-4 just looks like a slow start.

MHR's Bronco History

by Tim Lynch on May 19, 2008 10:35 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am bitter too, but was that 96 team really "that" good?

They were 8-8 the year before with one of the worst defenses in the league. They played above and beyond their means in 96. It is my belief that the team did not become a Super Bowl Champion team until the week after the 49er game in 97(the spitting incident).

Well to be fair, it took the loss to the Jags in the playoffs and that incident in the 49er game to galvanize that team into a Super Bowl Champion.

But ya, there are far more disimilarities between the 96 and 08 teams than their are similarities. I am just focused on the similarities. ;)

MHR's Bronco History

by Tim Lynch on May 19, 2008 5:15 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Then there was the nose bandaid.

When TD had the headaches the offense struggled. I actually think the nasal strip may have been post superbowl but the technology did keep Davis on the field and resulted in a 2000 yd season.

by HBBeough on May 19, 2008 10:10 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think he got braces after the first Super Bowl and that sort of

cured his headaches. Impacted teeth can really screw you up…

MHR's Bronco History

by Tim Lynch on May 19, 2008 10:36 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

My wife is a registered dental assistant and TD has the same underbite

that I have, except his was worse. He needed the braces to realign his jaw which eased the pressure in certain areas(dont ask me the specific dental terms cause they just go in one ear out the other when my wife says ‘em) and the headaches go away. :)

MHR's Bronco History

by Tim Lynch on May 19, 2008 10:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Schedule

HBB talked about a winnable stretch of games. I also note that after we get back from KC Sunday night the 28th of Sept. we leave Colorado ONCE (yes, to NE) until we go to Cleveland on Nov, 6th. We essentially spend October at home.

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind. - Emerson

by firstfan on May 20, 2008 12:47 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes, and after Cleveland we finish the last seven games of the season against teams with a combined 2007 record 0f 41-71 (.366) – San Diego being the only team with a winning record. Though I suspect Carolina will be a tough team this year.

by Bronco Billy on May 21, 2008 4:11 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

So

If we get off to a decent start, say 3-1 or even 2-2, a 10-6 is not inconceivable at all. Zappa’s 13-3 is not impossible.

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind. - Emerson

by firstfan on May 21, 2008 4:50 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

You will see my friend. 12-4 at the very least.

Remember this is provided all of our key players stay healthy. This does not include Travis Henry…I expect him to play no more than 10-12 games this season.

MHR's Bronco History

by Tim Lynch on May 21, 2008 5:45 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs