Denver's WR Depth - Scary Good!
by Steve Nichols on Jun 11, 2008 4:08 PM MDT
Email
PrintThere is a lot of talk about where we are good as a team, and where we are excellent. Some talk is about being cautious (Styg50's excellent piece on Boss Bailey and the depth behind him at SAM).
But I want to focus on a few tidbits about our WRs that should make us pretty darned confident for '08. Consider this post another preview to the excellent series upcoming from MHR leader Guru, where he'll look in his crystal ball and tell us how the roster shakes out, position by position. We'll sure need his help on this one!
Consider the following:
via www2.gazette.com
Marshall. We know how good he is. He is powerful enough to fight for the ball, has great hands, and has the power to pick up yards after the reception. He is hard to bring down. He isn't the fastest WR, but how many CBs can bring this guy down on the first contact?
via d.yimg.com
Colbert. Not convinced about how good this guy really is? Read this! Shanahan sounds like he is ready to start the guy opposite Marshall today! Shanahan makes references to both McCaffrey and Smith when discussing Colbert, and praises him even higher than Jackson (a favorite of a lot of the MHR faithful).
Jackson. The article that propelled Jackson into the hearts of MHR readers was written by Super7. There we read that Jackson is better than Javon Walker, and the article is convincing!
via d.yimg.com
Stokley. Now we all know that Colbert and Jackson are fighting for the #2 spot. Stokley is considered one of the best slot receivers in the game, and more than held his own filling in for oft injured Walker at #1. There is only a tiny segment of the NFL that features nickel CBs that can match up with Stokley, and none of them outperform him. Frightening!
via d.yimg.com
Royal. 2nd round draft pick. Not on the radar of many MHR fans before the draft, and when he was taken he was considered a PR or possibly a KR specialist. Not for long. There are several good fanposts and stories that mention how Royal has surprised the coaching staff, and is getting a closer look. He has more speed than the other WRs we're talking about here, and is the youngest. The only question is, is he built to take the punishment of every down (not in my humble opinion), or is he the long term answer when Stokley moves on? EIther way, this kid looks like he has a safe future with Denver, and may be part of a very special, very elite WR group of three.
Martinez. Looks ordinary compared to the list above. But he can return punts or kicks if needed, and filled in for Stokley (while Stokley filled in for Walker), so he has experience. Has decent speed, but average hands and moves.
Now here's the tough part. How many of these guys do you keep on the roster? We have six names, and that's too many. The practice squad won't protect any of these guys from being taken by another team. Odds are we keep five, and Martinez is out. That leaves us with a potential #2 (if you believe some of the hype) at #5!
Marshall is our number one. He's safe. Whether you like Colbert or Jackson, how do you get rid of either? At worst, one of them has to be an awesome back-up. Stokley isn't going anywhere. Now we already have four WRs! You must, must, must keep Royal! He's our STs' hope in the return game! At worst you have to consider him the back-up and heir to Stokley (and some at MHR want him to start as a #2!).
Martinez is likely out then, but if Royal somehow doesn't work out as a returner (and returners often don't work out, even after looking incredible in drafts), then you've lost the other player that could likely do the job. I still say Martinez goes, but consider how much depth we have when we would really like to keep our #6!
Not too long ago I wrote a piece where I gave the Broncos a "moderate improvement" score for upgrading the WRs. But the way it looks now from what we see at camp, the score should be "Legendary Improvement"!
Cutler's improved OL, his elite team of TEs, his RB group, and even his new possibilities at FB look great. But with this many top notch WRs, and with his diabetes now diagnosed and under control, the offense is cleared for takeoff.
Bronco haters? Be afraid. Be very afraid!
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
38 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Here's a good picture of Glenn Martinez
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
It isn't showing up on my screen. (?)
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jun 11, 2008 4:26 PM MDT up reply actions
It shows up on mine....
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
That's strange!
I click your link, and I get an “image not found” notification. I wonder what’s up with my system?
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jun 11, 2008 4:43 PM MDT up reply actions
I don't know...let me upload it onto MHR and then give you the link. ;)
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
Try this link.
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/10026/Glenn_Martinez.jpg
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
Now this is very strange.
That link works, and now the picture shows up in your first comment. Odd.
I’ll add it to my post. Thanks!
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jun 11, 2008 5:02 PM MDT up reply actions
lol. You're computer is just messing with your head. ;)
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
Mine too
I had the same experience as HT, using two different browsers, except that seeing the picture after clicking the second link didn’t make it show up in your first comment, as it did for HT.
"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
I could see keeping 6
With the injury histories of Jackson, Stokely as well as Marshall’s arm scare and Royal’s injury potential (an unknown, but presumably high due to size) taking 6 out of camp might not be completely unreasonable…. We’d be down to 5 sooner or later anyway.
OTOH there will be a lot of competition for that last spot and if a young guy seizes it, they could just push him to the PS.
6 seems like the right number...it appears Shanny is going light on D
and heavy on the O. It might be the right decision considering how hampered the Offense was by injuries last year.
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
If so
Who gets bumped? I keep looking at Styg’s “Nods post” (wish there was some way to mark it as a “favorite” for easy reference) and am not sure I see a lot of dead weight there.
Maybe cut down the number of safeties? Lynch could presumably play more snaps if needed and Foxy has the experience to step in if everyone else goes down in a game.
Potentially I could see going with 5 LB’s, but that seems dangerous with Niko an unknown quantity, and Boss an injury risk.
I think we cut back on FB myself.
But I could also see Abdullah Hamza losing his spot on the team. I just don’t think Shanny is all that interested in him. I’d love to keep him, so dont get me wrong there.
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
We have carried
several FB’s into the season before – Shanny likes those guys on special teams…. So I could see a few sticking, especially since Hillis and Larsen have some other positions they could backup. But I could also see one getting the bump, since Pittman is clearly a viable FB.
I agree that Shanny has never seemed high on Hamza. I love the guy, and the way he plays the game. If he could just wrap more guys up after contact, he would be a sure-fire starter. But there is really minimal young SAF depth – and Hamza could get another year around Lynch, which has got to be good for any young safety.. For those reasons, if nothing else, I see Hamza on the squad (and will smile because of it!!)
If not FB or SAF, I guess my next bet would be RB, especially since it would mean we had some legitimate runners pulling FB duty that coudl slide over in a pinch. I guess that would mean no more Andre Hall, most likely, which makes me sad. I like that guy too.
RB of course...say bye bye to Mike Bell
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
I'll be very surprised if Mike makes the team this year.
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jun 16, 2008 12:57 PM MDT up reply actions
Gee, HT
And I thought you only did D. Fine article!
It’s hard not to get excited about our offense, and tabout hese guys and Cutler in particular. The running game should be better both via RB talent and via a much better line that should improve further as the year goes on.
I love the quality of our recievers. It’s true – we have never had a receiver with the skill-set of Marshall – top fine talent IMO. Stokely is probably the best slot man in the business and Royal should get to learn from a true master of his craft. I love the overview, but I do wonder if Sammie Parker won’t nudge out Martinez. Glenn is getting better, but I have a lot of respect for Parker.
I notice as well that we have 2 slot guys as noted, Marshall, his back-up, and a steel cage grudge match for the two ‘2’ slots. Great overlap on the skills, not a truly weak link in the chain, although as much as I think of Martinez, he’ll need to find a new level to his game to survive. Best of luck to Lorne Sam and Edell Shepherd, much less Clifford Russell.
Cutler seems awfully happy about this. Hillis, Torain and Pittman are all talented receivers as well. Oh, Lord. Tough bunch of match-ups for the opposing D’s. Should be such fun to watch – and better still as the season rolls on. I can’t wait to see these men after the bye. I’ve been adjusting my projected win totals up. I know they call it drinking the kool-aid, but it’s hard not to respect where this is going :)!
O'Brien's Law states that Murphy was an optimist.
Our Offense should be in the TOP 5 in just about ever meaningful category this season...
injuries are my only concern…
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
Even imjuries are not scaring me too much
as I look at the potential practice squad (been working on my next Why He Will Make the Team) and feel like there are a bunch of raw talents that could step in later in the season if needed – we have at least one potential player at each of WR, RB and OT.
Broncos O should definitely produce this year – hard to see how it could be anything less than top of the heap. A lot of running and receiving talent, a recovered QB and a pretty solid line…
The injuries will come no matter what – the real question is who is waiting in the wings. I am more worried about the depth on D.
I agree, I am not as worried about injuries this year as I was duirng the season last year.
But injuries are always a concern aren’t they?
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
They are
But last year I found myself scared *&#%less when someone went down. Right now, I feel like I will be excited to see what some of the rooks/cagey vets can step up and do…
My gosh Bear!
I didn’t even mention Parker! What an oversight!
He’s not on the level of Jackson or Colbert. On the other hand, he’s probably better than Martinez, but older. I also don’t see him edging Royal.
He would be awsome for depth, but we can’t have six or seven WRs now, can we?
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jun 11, 2008 6:30 PM MDT up reply actions
lol
I just got around to reading it now and was just going to say that myself. I think the guy’s got a shot. But that just ADDS to your point about depth. OUCH.
I agree
We have a lot of depth at WR, but my concern is that it is eerily similar to last year and the linebacker position.
Heading into 2007, we had Nate Webster, D.D. Lewis, and Warrick Holdman all competing for the Sam spot. There were arguments for each guy, and most fans, including myself, believed that competition would help breed a warrior on that side and leave us very happy.
No offense to Webster, but that wasn’t the case, so I’m not as confident at WR as I’d like to be.
-kmonty
-BroncoTalk.net
Excellent observation
To extend it a little, some might get thrown by the greater name recognition of the WR crop as opposed to the LBs you listed but I think that you make a good point and that the name recognition could be associated with the fact that receivers in general stand out more because they have easier to identify stats and roles. For example who here is excited about Angelo Crowell, a LB for Buffalo? It probably doesn’t do anything for anyone, but he is the third best SAM in the league right now, and was the tenth rated tackler at LB in the league last year. He will also be available as a free agent unless his contract gets extended before next february. But few people outside of Buffalo have heard of him.
I can’t wait to see even a little video footage of camp this year, and I will be ALL OVER the preseason tape (I so wish that I was going to camp this year :( ). I really want to see what these guys do well right now, and to seperate the “wheat from the chaff”.
Bottom line is they were all available as free agents, and outside of Colbert (who we snagged early along with Niko) none of them were very highly sought after.
That being said, we are talking about 7 guys! I’m with HT that we HAVE to be able to cull our starters from this group. (And for the record, I think that Sam Lorne is an enigma wrapped up in a mystery stuffed into the barrel of riddle…)
Mountains, forest, sea: these render man fierce, but yet do not destroy the man.
by Jeremy Bolander on Jun 11, 2008 9:41 PM MDT up reply actions
obviously
royal, and our 2007 guys were not available as free agents. i didn’t intend to imply otherwise. :)
Mountains, forest, sea: these render man fierce, but yet do not destroy the man.
by Jeremy Bolander on Jun 11, 2008 9:43 PM MDT up reply actions
I'm hoping I'm not falling into the name recognition trap too much.
Frankly, none of the three FA names on our roster impressed me coming in. What I do like about these guys is that they (one) were sought after by Denver’s elite talent scouting crew, and (two, but more importantly) seem to be doing very well in camp (including the rookie, Royal).
It may be premature, but it seems to me that of the 7 WRs we’re talking about, 3 or 4 are #2 WR capable, and all are slot or better.
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jun 12, 2008 3:06 AM MDT up reply actions
WR Depth
Bottom line is they were all available as free agents, and outside of Colbert (who we snagged early along with Niko) none of them were very highly sought after.
Could that be in part because Shanahan, once he learned his lesson, learned it thoroughly and was more willing than many to go hard after less than superstar talent in free agency? What excites me about this group is there’s not such a steep dropoff in talent after the top one or two players. Matinez got significant playing time at WR last year. I don’t see how he can get on the field this year. I’ll be surprised if he makes the team. He’s outclassed by Colbert, Jackson, Royal and Parker, and it’s not clear that all four of those guys make the team unless we keep six. Also, Shanahan was shrewd this year in choosing players, both in the draft and in free agency, who might have been overlooked due to situations rather than talent. Not to say that either Colbert or Jackson is an elite talent, but Jackson in particular seems solid. As for Colbert I’m still not sold, although I’m intrigued by Shanahan’s apparent confidence in him.
Thanks for the interesting info on Crowell, by the way. I’d never heard of the guy, which of course is exactly your point.
"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
Sorry; my oversight. I mentioned it above...
My gosh Bear! I didn’t even mention Parker! What an oversight!He’s not on the level of Jackson or Colbert. On the other hand, he’s probably better than Martinez, but older. I also don’t see him edging Royal.
He would be awsome for depth, but we can’t have six or seven WRs now, can we?
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jun 12, 2008 2:20 PM MDT up reply actions
If Lorne Sam
(as he was called in 1/2 the news media) was Russian, he’d fit right in….
O'Brien's Law states that Murphy was an optimist.
Matt Jones
Jacksonville “appears to be ready to cut ties” with Matt Jones, according to beat writer Michael C. Wright.
Jones is low on the depth chart and has missed some practices with his typical nagging injuries. He would be an intriguing waiver claim because Jones’ base salaries are only $625,000 and $565,000 in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The Cowboys, Dolphins, and Browns might have some interest.
Source: sportingnews.com
Matt Jones intrigues me if for no other reason that his career is either going to take off or dwindle
into nothingness.
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
Eddie Mac was looked at in much the same way when he came to the Broncos...
Matt Jones is similarly built… ;)
If God is not a Bronco fan, then WHY are sunsets Blue and Orange? - Jon Tollerud 5/22/08
The Quest ~ TSG 5/19/08
Wide Recievers
I hope Martinez is not out. He is a character guy that worked his butt off last year. When much of the team was doing nothing more than drawing a paycheck-Glen was giving his all-where-ever we asked him to be.
You may be right but I hope not. The fun of this is that we want to keep everyone. What a pleasant change from mid-season last year.
Cutler and his guys
Nice little interview with Jay on denverbroncos.com. He was talking about guys who have stepped up and impressed with BMarsh out and named Eddie Royal first. Gave me shivers. That guy is impressing the heck out of everyone.
O'Brien's Law states that Murphy was an optimist.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Getting Social With MHR
Web Stuff
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
