Horse Tracks 10/25/09 - Broncos' last day off before turning attention to the Ravens

by Douglas A. Lee on Oct 25, 2009 8:00 AM MDT in Horse Tracks Comment 27 comments

DPP - Draft snub: fuel for Woodyard fire - Lindsay Jones
"On our Tuesday, the rookie class that I came in with, if we're not doing a community service event, we're always going out to eat, every Tuesday night, just to make sure we always continue to hold that bond we came in with and make sure we stay focused." I'm glad to hear these guys are so tight. I know not everyone sees value in fraternities, but this sounds a lot like a pledge class; with all the time you spend and all the ridiculous things you do together, you have a bond forever.

PJ - Buccaneers’ Morris seeks his first win at Patriots’ expense - Shalise Manza Young
Comparing Raheem Morris to Josh McDaniels. It's just not fair, frankly. McDaniels is a rare example and coaches do not step in at such a young age, into their first job and successfully remold a franchise. Doesn't happen, and there will be plenty of articles next offseason about owners trying to capture the same lightning in a bottle that Pat Bowlen did. The next Josh McDaniels may not be on any NFL sideline, not even as a quality control coach. Josh McDaniels is not a fair barometer for fellow and future first-time coaches.

AP - Orton leads surprising Broncos - Arnie Stapleton

GJS - Jussel: The road isn't easy, but Denver should keep improving

DPP - Rapid rise, or fall, not unprecedented in NFL - Jim Armstrong
"Don't get me wrong, I think Shanahan is a great coach," Bailey said. "I just think we had people . . . whether it was in the locker room or on the staff, we had a lot of doubters within the building. You can't win like that."

Onion - Knowshon Moreno Asks Broncos If There's Anything Else To Drink Besides Gatorade

CO - Kyle, McCoy land with unbeaten teams - Charles Chandler

OT - NFL insider: Broncos are no fluke - Jerry McDonald

PC - Holliday playing big on Broncos' defense - Andrew Miller

DP - Broncos, Saints mine solid gold from Purdue - Mark Kiszla

Ravens News

AP - Ravens' defense has work to do - David Ginsburg

PFW - Issues abound for Ravens' defense - Mike Wilkening

BS - Ravens need to win 7 of last 10 - Jamison Hensley

BS - Ravens of preseason and today's team are birds of a feather - Peter Schmuck

AFC West News

SDUT - Basically, Chargers have lost their way - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Chargers-Chiefs: Five things to watch - Jay Posner

KCS - Haley’s desire to find right players keeps Chiefs on their toes - Kent Babb

KCS - Chiefs release rookie WR Lawrence, promote Long off practice squad - Kent Babb

KCS - Chiefs-Chargers scouting report - Adam Teicher

SFC - In short, Oakland must stop run - David White

OT - Piercing words inspire Raiders - Monte Poole

OT - Only wins can avoid fade to blackout - Jerry McDonald

NFL News

PFW - AFC Whispers

PFW - NFC Whispers

USAT - Ex-NFL QB Sean Salisbury sues Deadspin alleging defamation - Sean Leahy

NFL - Haynesworth questionable, Portis expected to play for Redskins

NYT - World Catching On as N.F.L. Returns to London - Pete Thamel

FH - Patriots May Own Sunday, but Saturday Belongs to Bucs' UK Fans - David Whitley

NFL Opinion

WSJ - Is It Time for the NFL to Ban Domes? - Darren Everson & David Biderman

NFP - Sunday at the Post - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Weekend Notes: The Steelers defense is back - Matt Bowen

DPP - Moss approaching receiving milestone - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Klis: NFC teams on power trip

USAT - Down at the bottom: Can NFL's have-nots get back to the top? - Tom Pedulla

SN - Remote Access: A Viewer's Guide to Week 7 - Vinnie Iyer

ESPN - Sunday Countdown online: Your weekly NFL guide

SN - Week 7: Ten Bold Predictions - RealScouts

FOX - Countdown: Favre, Big Ben take aim in Pittsburgh - John Czarnecki

NYT - In Dreary Loss to the Saints, the Giants Discover a Bright Spot in Hixon - Joe Lapointe

Picks

USAT - USA TODAY's weekly NFL picks for 2009 season

FH - The Once-Over: Week 7 - Knox Bardeen

ESPN - Sunday Countdown online: Your weekly NFL guide

SN - Week 7: Ten Bold Predictions - RealScouts

FOX - Countdown: Favre, Big Ben take aim in Pittsburgh - John Czarnecki

NYT - In Dreary Loss to the Saints, the Giants Discover a Bright Spot in Hixon - Joe Lapointe

Picks

USAT - USA TODAY's weekly NFL picks for 2009 season

FH - The Once-Over: Week 7 - Knox Bardeen

Poll

What are you most looking forward to watching today?

Bengals @ Bears

72 votes

Dolts @ Chefs

23 votes

Vikings @ Steelers

108 votes

Cardinals @ Giants

12 votes

Angels @ Yankees

21 votes

None of the above

24 votes

260 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 27 comments | Add comment | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Good Morning nyc, Thanks for Tracks...

I voted for Bears Game.

Real Power, comes with the realization that One cannot change the Moment;
only ones perception of it: Atitude! JQM

by UB3 on Oct 25, 2009 8:14 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the tracks Doug!

John Clayton is the head Dean at Fail University (known as F.U. in short)

by Joe Medina on Oct 25, 2009 8:15 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks Doug

I will watch as many as I can, But I mostly want the Angels to win today.

Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks

by KaptainKirk on Oct 25, 2009 8:22 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

All of em! I have Sunday Ticket :)

But the PIT/MIN and NYG/ARI games should be great TV.

I actually have to root for the Chefs today!!!

A proud prognostication of 10-6 in 2009!!! (April 2009 prediction)

Revised to 12-4 due to reality!

"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
John Adams

by Broncotodd on Oct 25, 2009 8:39 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

hmmm, so Knowshon is a pepsi guy. Interesting.

If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.

by kentuckybronco on Oct 25, 2009 8:54 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

hahaha that article caught my eye as well.. pretty funny!

Voted the Bengals-Bears game, but also Dallas-Atlanta…
Man Bye weeks suck :P

Bleeding Orange & Blue in The Netherlands

by BroncosNL on Oct 25, 2009 9:26 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

funny stuff.

Please notice that was an article from The Onion. That is a massively..hugely..gigantic satirical site. most of the stuff there is made up for purposes of fun+meaning. Doubt this really happened, it is just an exercise in absurdity.

The Onion rules.

by Mhantra on Oct 25, 2009 9:50 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

like this one, for example:

Television, Processed Foods Couldn’t Be More Proud Of Child They Raised

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/television_processed_foods_couldnt

by Mhantra on Oct 25, 2009 9:51 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I think a Broncos player

being in a piece of Onion satire is a good sign, a sign the team has “made it.” ;-)

The commenter formerly known as "Dashiell".

by underdog on Oct 25, 2009 10:11 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Indeed

I love the Onion

John Clayton is the head Dean at Fail University (known as F.U. in short)

by Joe Medina on Oct 25, 2009 10:13 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't go that far

Not every time you get mentioned is for something good…

by BTS on Oct 25, 2009 6:45 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

“Hey… where’d you get that ginger ale?” Next MHR guy that gets to interview Knowshon has to give him a hard time about this ;-)

Classic.

by cjfarls on Oct 25, 2009 10:18 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Raheem Morris

To be fair to him, too, the Broncos made quite a few positive personnel changes this off-season which has also helped McDaniels make progress faster than a lotof first year coaches would. Morris’ Bucs are really rebuilding with youth, didn’t really bring in much help in free agency this off-season. He really doesn’t have much to work with and has a rookie QB starting. So it’s hard to judge him.

Hope they give the Pats a game at least today in London.

And thanks nycdoug!

The commenter formerly known as "Dashiell".

by underdog on Oct 25, 2009 10:13 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

One thing underdog is,

some “coordinators” make good head coaches and some don’t. Case in point is Mike Nolan. He was the head coach of the 49ers for 4 years with not much to show for it but, he comes to Denver as DC and turns a defense around in one offseason. Spagnuolo and Morris may be in the same boat, being good coordinators and not good HC’s. Time will tell with these two, and again, I am so happy with the decisions Pat Bowlen made for our team.

by bfree2bronc on Oct 25, 2009 10:33 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Absolutely

I’m just saying it’s way too early to judge Morris fairly since he wasn’t given a lot to work with. He could indeed be in the Nolan boat but I’m reserving judgment for now.

The commenter formerly known as "Dashiell".

by underdog on Oct 25, 2009 10:50 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sure organizational situations have a lot to do with a head coaches success.

Another example is Dick LeBeau the defensive coordinator for the Steelers. He was Cincy’s HC from 2000-2002. He is the best DC in the NFL and author of the “zone-blitz”.

Also, LeBeau was the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals for three seasons, from 2000 through 2002.

" It was a thought process kind of born out of necessity. It was basically an outcropping of the run-and-shoot [offense] that was becoming pretty prevalent in the league back then. We were in the same division as Houston, and they were tremendous at it with Moon and Co. Then the West Coast offense was spreading throughout the league. Those were all quick-rhythm, get-the-ball-out-of-your-hands-and-cut-up-the-defense types of passing games. We were just looking for ways to get pressure without exposing our defensive backs to have to cover the whole field all of the time. "
—Dick LeBeau, on the origin of the ‘zone blitz’

by bfree2bronc on Oct 25, 2009 11:14 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actually...

Morris wasn’t even a coordinator himself. He was promoted to DC this winter when Kiffin left, then to HC when Gruden was fired. So Morris is incredibly raw, and not in the same category as someone like Spags or Wade Phillips or Nolan.

formerly known around these parts as nycbroncosfan

by Douglas A. Lee on Oct 25, 2009 3:46 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Woodyard interview

Great interview with Woodyard too. Shows the kind of character, similar to Rod Smith, that he has that translates into such great success for a young player that was “too small”, etc. and thus undrafted, etc.

Woodyard is a great asset in the nickel package… fast, flows to the ball well, good coverage. A great compliment to DJ and Davis.

He’d be a solid starting Weakside LB in a 4-3 scheme, meaning I think it will be really tough for Denver to keep him when his rookie deal expires. It’ll be hard to see him go, as he’s a fabulous guy… but I wish him the best. The alternative is letting DJ go, but I think he’s locked up longer and his size means he’s better in the base 3-4 set.

by cjfarls on Oct 25, 2009 10:24 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Well,

he is a special teams captain and stud, so it’s possible he’ll be kept around.

by JeffG on Oct 25, 2009 10:55 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

This leaves no doubt that Shanahan was way over his head in his responsibilities, or

It isn’t just the hirings and signings, though. McDaniels has done an amazing job of instilling a new attitude at Dove Valley, where several insiders, Bowlen and Rod Smith among them, have admitted there was a sour mood around the locker room in the latter stages of the Mike Shanahan regime.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think Shanahan is a great coach,” Bailey said. “I just think we had people . . . whether it was in the locker room or on the staff, we had a lot of doubters within the building. You can’t win like that.”

his desire to win had waned over the last few years. I personally don’t think that was the case, I believe he had to much responsibilities to control and it over whelmed him. Too bad because he is a brilliant coach and wasted some good talent that otherwise might be great. Example; Dumervil.

by bfree2bronc on Oct 25, 2009 10:27 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs