We are what we are and we just gotta deal with it until next season.

Despite the loss to the Chiefs the AFC is still wide open and the Broncos have an opportunity to exceed expectations to an extent this year without it. They will then still be in position to make some big strides defensively in the offseason with the draft picks they will have at their disposal. To me making a midseason move to make a run is more of a baseball move not a football move. In baseball people are more willing to mortgage the future for the present and vice versa but in football I just don’t see the Broncos getting the kind of player mid season that is going to make that big of an impact.

We are not one player away from having a good defense. We’re stuck with our current group of guys and we need to play smarter football. IMO, I just hope our scouting department is doing their homework as they scout college guys. We need to draft smart and acquire rising talent.

Might not be a bad idea in Free Agency next year. But I’m not sure how his attitude is, he seems to be getting straightened out and is a heck of a player. I think we should consider one top shelf free agent for the d-line next year along with a good draft that is defensive minded. I think the offensive bad day was an anomally yesterday, and Bates found out he still has some things to learn as a play caller, but it is clear we need help on D. I don’t think it is worth mortgaging our future though.

One dominating DL is what we need to get the front 4 back on track. I for one took Trev Pryce for granted in this respect – he played on most downs at both DT and DE and glued the whole thing together even though the guys around him weren’t necessarily the greatest players in that respect. If he’s got the leadership skills as well, then the whole line should perform better and it’d lessen the chances of Messrs Moss and Crowder heading to Bustville (they’re behind at the moment, but hopefully we’ll see more from them in the future). Ideally Marcus Thomas would become that guy, and I hope he does, but I wouldn’t put money on it. We’ve not really had an every-down lineman since Pryce, and it’s time we got one. I think we missed Robertson more than we thought we would yesterday. Peterson did a pretty good job in his absence, but he’s a different type of player.

However, who’s going to give us one at this point in time.

Trade for Shaun Rogers on the Browns, pay them what they paid, basically a 3rd rounder, and put him in the DT rotation, Cleveland is going no where this year and they may be willing to get rid of some salary for next year and get some draft picks. Otherwise, I can’t see another player we could get that would have that much of an impact at this point.

nobody’s going to change that now. I believe that games are won and lost in the trenches and our DLine has been the suspect all along. We’ve tried different coordinators/schemes and nothing works because the players on the DLine just aren’t good enough.

I would be tempted to pick all Defensive Linemen in next years draft and hope one of them sticks. :)

There is very little that can be done with outside personnel to improve the defense right now. It’s not like baseball where there are buyers and sellers, because the deadline is so early. The only significant trade I can see happening is Roy Williams going somewhere (Dallas or Philly, in all likelihood) for what would likely end up being a late 1st rounder, because Detroit isn’t going to sign him after this season, and they’re going nowhere right now.

3 reasons.

1)We have more than one significant hole, so we won’t get over the top with one player anyways.

2)There isn’t anybody worth getting at DT or SAF. These are rare players with lots of value and teams aren’t parting with them.

3)We still have to see our own plan through. We have Carlton Powell on the PUP, and he is a runstopper who needs less time to develop than a penetrating pass rush DT. Marcus Thomas needs one more year, according to the median for DT contributions. Some take more some take less, but the median is 3 years. Josh Barrett is a 1st round safety talent with major questionmarks upstairs. Denver, under Shanahan, has never valued a SAF without experience, so Barrett needs to get it done in practice, OTA’s, and everywhere else, but the practice field. i think trial by fire would do him good, but there is probably a 1% chance that he gets that opportunity. He is just going to have to find other ways to get smart.

Our answers all lie in the draft, past, present and future. It means being patient, which the kneejerk writers for the MSM can’t count among their virtues.

That can make a substantial impact this season?

0%

Just looking at the FAs here. I don’t a clue on most of them, but I recall looking into the Packer’s situation around the time of our matchup in the preseason.

Here’s the kind of FA help I was thinking of: Colin Cole. He’s on a tender this year as a RFA. An acquisition of this type would only be a move to shore up the DL, not necessarily provide an impact player or even a starter.

There really isn’t that much difference between Webster, Winborn or K-2, so moving one for a pick while we have depth at LB and making the move they get any older could have a good payoff. Surely there must be a team out there that needs LBs just like Seattle needed WRs.

Green probably doens’t have any trade value, and Woodyard and Larsen have too much potential to be dealt. Plus, they are doing a good job on ST.