Broncos Thoughts and Musings - Indy Week
by Doc Bear on Dec 10, 2009 9:38 AM MST
in Strictly My Opinion
74 comments
There's nothing quite like back-to-back wins to put a shine into the work in the film room. The glow of the past two wins hasn't faded at all, but the upcoming contest against the Indianapolis Colts is starting to loom large. Before we get into our matchups and needs against the next foe, let's take some time to look back over what we've accomplished. Special teams, the nose tackle position and even raiderology are on today's menu. Let the feasting begin!
The Film Room I - KC Autopsy
A moment of silence for a team that has passed away, out of contention for the season and fighting for respect. It's a tough time to be a Chiefs fans, and I want to thank them for a week of intelligent football talk and good-spirited fun. Nice guys, over at Arrowhead Pride. But the nice guy's team, in this case, is finishing near last (if they don't awaken right now. You couldn't miss that on the tape.
I had mentioned that the game this past weekend, like most games, would come down to how Denver played in the trenches. The Broncos responded with a solid performance by the O-Line, prying open gaping holes more than large enough to pass a running back through. When Ryan Harris stepped out in the early second quarter and Tyler Polumbus replaced him, I wondered for a brief moment if we were seeing a very bad thing but there was no dropoff that I saw. Polumbus seems to have stepped up his game, as has Russ Hochstein. Both improvements are timely - and much needed.
Mistakes - Orton had an uncharacteristically bad red-zone play on the first drive, but he moved them well on the next drive. He was blindsided twice and lost the ball, but let's be real - if the defensive player hits the arm right, every QB loses those. Over his career Orton hasn't tended to that issue, so I'm not worried. I want to see those blindside hits stop, though. Orton was 'burping the baby again, an old and bad habit, but the O-Line doesn't get off scot-free, either. They bear some responsibility for the sacks and the one fumble. They really stepped up when they had to though, and that was the name of the game. They let KC get to the one and held them to a FG. INTs, negative plays, pressure and domination go a long way. They took us to an eighth win.
I've wondered about the progress of Richard Quinn of late mostly because I hadn't had the time to break down the ST work as well as I should. That's being fixed, and the guys on Upon Further Review have been kind enough to help me out. As I result, I've been seeing a lot of good things with Quinn and I'm pleased that he singlehandedly made a huge play on the faked punt. KC must have assumed that since others have caught the Broncos with those kind of plays, it would work again. Here's what Josh McDaniels had to say,
They went to a gadget-type formation and I know that there was a guy leaking out the other way and they had an opportunity to get that ball out there but TE Richard (Quinn) made a heck of a play. I don't know what happens if the ball gets thrown but it probably wouldn't have been too good for us. Whenever you break the formation and have a gadget-type play, we were prepared and we split out with them but you are never sure who they are trying to pick for or who they are trying to spring free. That was a big play in the game because we obviously took possession of the football in their territory.
It wasn't the only big play, either. The Broncos were unstoppable in the running game and despite some errors, still used the pass to score 2 TDs, which would have been enough by itself. The game was over when Cassel's QB rating hit 3.1. There isn't a mercy rule. Perhaps there should be. This was a good reminder of that fact.
The Broncos won despite some sloppy play that won't work in the upcoming weeks. In the final analysis, the Broncos committed too many errors and they can't win against the best if they do. But still, you get a sense of how the team can play, and there is a heck of a team in here. You have to balance the bad with the fact that we're seeing a lot of things getting fixed in the new systems the team has learned. When I go back to what I wanted to see from the team this year, that was at the top of the list. Nice work, guys.
Film Room II - The Special Teams
The emphasis on this week's review was the play of the Broncos' special teams this season. Everyone is in agreement that the STs can play better than they did in the first 10-12 weeks of the season. While there are now some obvious bright spots (David Bruton, Spencer Larsen, Darrell Reid, Darcel McBath), I felt that a major review might be in order. It was a great week to feel that way - wow, what a performance on special teams the Broncos put in place. Huge kudos to MHR favorite Spencer Larsen, who notched a huge 4 special teams tackles and to Darrell Reid, who trailed him with 3. Great job on ST! Eddie Royal looked comfortable and Mitch Berger was a monster - again. I don't know how he avoided the block on that one punt, but I was impressed. Berger has no history of frequently blocked punts; so despite his slower motion, he hasn't let it hurt the team.
How was our kicking game against KC? Take a look:
Extra Points Made-Attempts 5-5
Field Goals Made-Attempts 3-3
Red Zone Efficiency 4-6-67%
Goal-to-go efficiency 2-2-100%
That's the kind of efficient red-zone and ST play that wins games.
Some things are obvious. Royal hasn't had enough room to run on punt returns, mostly due to our tendency to let the offenses get into the 40/40 yard-line range, which lets the teams either punt into the coffin corner or just create a touchback, nullifying Eddie's chances of getting in a good runback. They got over that pattern during the past two games and had two wins. Are they connected? You decide. I'm going to vote yes.
Two names that I wanted to look more closely at this week were Richard Quinn and Russ Hochstein. I recalled Hochstein making a couple of serious errors on ST while we were losing and while I'd heard good things about Quinn's ST work, I hadn't caught him on film enough to develop an opinion one way or the other. that obviously changed in KC - his play on the fake punt was perfect and his blocking on kick returns was excellent as well. Nice to see!
The balance of veterans like Mario Haggan, Champ Bailey, Darrell Reid and Andre' Goodman with younger players such as Bruton, Larsen and McBath seems to have found an area of comfort. Lanes are being filled, discipline has improved, tackling is much better and, just as importantly, we haven't been pinning Royal back in coffin country. This is the first time I've seen us playing the way we need to on special teams in a long time. I can only hope it continues.
Safety in Numbers: It's also obvious that David Bruton was a heck of a 4th-round pickup and that Darcel McBath was a great investment. Over the next 5 years, with those two and Josh Barrett, we're in good shape at safety. There was pre-draft talk of moving McBath to CB if certain teams drafted him - McBath can cover very well and can tackle, too. Denver will keep him at safety, though, and for good reason. He won't replace Renaldo Hill anytime soon, but I love that our chances are that good at when we're covering folks.
The response to the recent rise in short-passing offenses (much like our own) has been a switch to fast, coverage safeties. I believe that McBath can be smoothly moved into the slot currently well-occupied by Renaldo Hill when Hill finally slows. Keep in mind that Hill, too, was a CB/S tweener who played CB during his first 4 years in the NFL. McBath seems to be very much in the same mold - he's also bright, like Hill, and was a team leader in college.
We can also go with two smart, effective covering safeties, and although I will miss Dawk's aggression and leadership when the time comes, Hill is an excellent leader and as mentioned, McBath was also a captain in his own right. I believe that David Bruton has the power to later fill many of B-Dawk's roles, although few will ever do so as well. Bruton was also a defensive captain, a pattern in McDaniels' pickups. Finally, Barrett's ability to cover the best TEs one-on-one and to interchange with Wesley Woodyard when needed is a nickel option that few teams can match. Although everyone, myself included, would love to see an Eric Berry on our team, we can establish safety as a lower-cost, high-return group at any point. The fact that all three have done good things on ST makes me even happier - that's a seventh of the game that we need to win, week in and week out. We're finally starting to win at it with a good mix of veterans and younger players. No surprise, then, that we're back to winning.
By the way, we've scored exactly 70 points in the past two games. Things have changed, and for the better. We still need to improve on our mistakes, but I like the direction things are going in.
raiderology
If I'm Al Davis, which is unlikely in the extreme, I'm having a contract meeting with Bruce Gradkowski's agent tomorrow. Gradkowski is on a one-year (2009) contract for $535,000, and in 2010 becomes a restricted free agent. That is one tough, talented guy and the raiders should get a clue: He's a good option right now and a good backup in the future. When's the last time they had a guy come on and win them games? It's ironic that he's the polar opposite of JaMarcus Russell - smaller and lighter, only 6'1" and 220 lbs, but he's smart, tenacious and can play this game. You don't need to waste a pick in the 1st round - you've got your QB in-house for this year and even next year if you want to make the effort to rebuild the team. The young man earned it. Consider his game against PITT:
Att/Comp Yds YPA TD INT QB Rating
20/33 308 9.3 3 0 121.8
Those are numbers that work for me. He has accuracy issues, no question, and his arm strength isn't what the team would like. I don't think that he's a long-term answer - he's just a heck of a lot better answer than Russell and they can keep him on as a backup when they find someone better. The Raiders love the vertical game too much to have a starting QB that doesn't have the arm for the long ball, but they still need one that has some common sense and drive. Mark Twain mentioned that the problem with common sense is that it ain't. That's been Problem 1 in raiderville for a long time and Russell is a perfect example of why. Right now, Gradkowski is a step up.
The raiders have some good running backs in Justin Fargas and Michael Bush. Darren McFadden fumbles too much, has always had issues with his upright style and injuries; he may mature well, but hasn't shown that consistently yet - so I don't count him. They have a fine young TE in Zach Miller, too. Their receiving corp will be mediocre or worse until they catch onto the fact that running fast is of no use if you can't catch the danged ball. They need a couple of possession receivers badly, preferably veterans who don't need to be bottle-fed. They also need to patch a couple of holes in the O-Line, as in much of it. If they can put together a couple of drafts that actually match their team needs, fine, then they can drop big dollars on a QB. Until then? Gradkowski is fine.
This is one example of how a person's feelings on the theory of team building color their approach to decision-making. I personally believe that you need an offensive line more than any other single factor in football. To me, there's no point in arguing about how to win a Super Bowl until you at least have a team that can contend for their division and I think that you start that with the O-Line and move on from there. The raiders seem to do everything backwards, so this is no shock, but they can buy a few wins for relatively few bucks with Gradkowski and they need to develop a longterm plan for a change.
Speaking of the dead, I found it interesting last week when Nnamdi Asomugha went on record as being against the moribund system that Al Davis has in place of not making defensive adjustments for other teams' systems. Davis stills lives and refuses to die on the theory that you play your own system come drought or flood and you ignore what other teams are doing. We all know how that's been working for Oakland. Since this is a team that we play again soon, I'm content to watch them ignore reality with aplomb, but it's interesting when your best player calls out your system in the media. In other cases, I think that kind of thing smacks of ego, but in this case, it smacks of a legitimate cry for help. One that will be ignored, though, like all the rest.
Concussions (briefly) Continued
The NFL is considering a rule change that involves the running back position. The idea behind it is to prevent the RB from using his head as a battering ram, a style of running that has become increasingly common. Running backs like this maneuver because it permits them to deliver a blow rather than just take them.
I'm torn on this. I'm greatly encouraged by the new guidelines for dealing with concussions, and I support rule changes that will reduce the number of head injuries and simply 'blows to the head', which we now understand to be equally bad or even worse, over the course of time. I recognize the the running backs have a legitimate point regarding this approach - they take so much punishment that it seems harsh to take away one of their few options in return.
However -- running in that fashion is going to increase the number of blows to the head that the athlete experiences. It's really that simple. Research has shown a link between frequent blows to the head, even if they do not induce a concussion per se, and increased brain damage. That's a huge problem - the cumulative effects of those blows are increasing the number of retired players who are experiencing loss of their cognitive faculties. What number of yards makes up for that?
From my admittedly-biased position as a retired doc, I'm in favor of this rule change. Using your head to hit people isn't, well, using your head. I'd like to see alternative techniques taught and coached. I'd like to see an end to the kind of problems that hits like Adrian Peterson's created when he used his head to smash into Detroit safety Louis Delmas. By bending down to where his head was only a foot or so from the ground, Peterson smashed his helmet into Delmas' helmet as Delmas came in to tackle him. It was deliberate, and damaging to both men, if more so to Delmas; the hit left Delmas on the ground. I also would like to see it prohibited to use the head to deliver any kind of hit by any player and would support considering a change in the way that tackling is taught. These changes will not greatly change the way the game is played - just how the players are taught.
I understand that many fans will think that if you change the way the game is taught, it's "not really football" anymore. I'm sympathetic, but let's be real here - no amount of money is worth becoming a walking vegetable in your later years. Demanding that players be willing to trade their own abilities in consciousness for the experience of the NFL is, frankly, barbaric. Yes, it's a tough sport. Yes, it's impossible to prevent all injuries and you shouldn't try. However - dropping some of the gladiatorial fervor in the name of living a normal life beyond football isn't an unreasonable approach. We shouldn't ask anyone to be willing to increase their chances of living with brain trauma just for the chance to be a professional football player -- or for any other sport's sake. I hope that we, as a culture, are willing to move beyond that kind of lower-consciousness belief.
QBs and Ratings
While we're considering the media, consider this from Kerry Byrne at si.com:
16.13 yards per attempt -- This is the number that truly leaps off the stat sheet to those who understand the Cold, Hard Football Facts.
Passing yards per attempt is probably the single greatest individual statistical indicator of success in football, and maybe in all of sports. Teams that win the passing yards per attempt battle win nearly 75 percent of the time and the great quarterbacks almost always have high averages per attempt, from Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas to the greatest winner of all, Otto Graham, whose career average of 8.63 YPA is the best in history. to
So, when you see a number like 16.1 YPA, it pays to investigate a little further. Turns out Brees is just the fifth player since 1960 to average more than 16 yards per pass attempt in a game (min. 20 attempts).
It brings up an interesting point: Many teams - most, in fact - have moved to a NE-style offense with an emphasis on the short pass. That doesn't exclude throwing deep, but it does mean that teams will see more of the short passing game, which will tend to skew that number in the statistics. Since many of the offenses that emphasize the short pass use it much as teams used to use the ground game -- picking up 2-8 years at a time, keeping the clock moving and controlling the ball -- you will see the numbers on yards per attempt lessening. It's still true, however, that yards per attempt can be increased by yards after the catch, and that's an area where the Saints have excelled.
The Broncos are starting to throw deeper passes more often, and experience and comfort level between Brandon Marshall and Kyle Orton is a big factor there. It paid off again, and was that Brandon throwing his TD ball to McDaniels? Nice...so much for Brandon leaving. He likes to talk, but they will open the checkbook to keep him (and Doom).
How many more longer passes? It isn't a vertical game onslaught, but this is from the list of the Broncos top-10 long plays each week:
49 4 3-6-DEN 24 (14:08) K.Orton pass short left to B.Marshall pushed ob at KC 27 for 49 yards (J.McGraw).
19 4 1-10-KC 41 (11:26) K.Orton pass deep left to T.Scheffler to KC 22 for 19 yards (C.Mays).
18 1 1-10-DEN 33 (14:55) K.Orton pass short left to E.Royal to KC 49 for 18 yards (B.Flowers).
17 2 2-6-50 (10:18) C.Buckhalter left tackle to KC 33 for 17 yards (M.Vrabel).
Orton added three plays for 14 yards, two to Marshall, one to Royal. The mid-range game is starting to work better and the running game was money all day long. Then there's the kind of rushing dominance that I hadn't seen in too long. The combination gives us a puncher's chance against anyone, if we can control the line of scrimmage.
Final Note: NTs come Full Circle
Pat Kirwan of NFL.com posted this last week:
3-4 nose tackles are scarce
Any team that plays a 3-4 defense knows that success starts up front with a massive nose tackle that plays over the center's head and forces double teams. In the NFL, 3-4 nose tackles are an endangered species. The Chargers lost Jamal Williams and somehow keep winning. The Jets have dropped three of four games since Kris Jenkins went down. Jason Ferguson of the Dolphins just found he is heading to IR, which leaves Paul Soliai to replace him. All three teams have playoff aspirations, but the lack of a quality nose tackle hurts their chances. So far, the Chargers have adjusted best.
He brings up an interesting point. Increasingly, we are seeing smaller NTs coming in and being effective through leverage and athletic ability -- as well as getting penetration. While it is essential that the NT be able to take up 2 or more blockers, it's not really important that he weight 365 lbs. when doing so. The ability to move other people, great technique and an explosive first step are even more important than size.
Since we are now at 12 teams using the 3-4 in some form full-time and many others that use some hybrid variation at least part of the time, we're not going to necessarily see every team moving to the traditional kind of huge player at NT. Players with skill, stamina and unusual strength and/or leverage as well as a scale-tipping 340 lbs will probably continue to be relatively rare. But as Marcus Thomas (314) has shown in Denver when playing behind Ron Fields (314), as the combination of Travis Johnson (311) and Ogemdi Nwagbuo (303) have shown in San Diego since their massive NT, Jamal Williams (348), went on IR and as Jay Ratliff (304) has shown in Dallas, there is more to the NT position than sheer size. Jason Ferguson comes in at 305, no larger than many 40-front defensive tackles. There's a pattern here.
One of the advantages that Denver has shown this season is that Ron Fields is obviously as good as the commentators who called him a steal believed. Even better, Marcus has shown considerable ability in coming in and handling the NT duties when Fields sits down. Thomas is a serious penetrator who obviously plays by relishing of the chance to compete at this level. If Chris Baker (329) develops this off-season, we may get to see Baker or Thomas showing us their skills at DE - personally, I'd love to see Marcus handling that position, but right now he's the second-best option at NT and a very close second at that. He is also said to really enjoy the position, so perhaps he stays there. An eventual flexible rotation that uses Fields, Thomas and Baker at NT, with Baker or Thomas rotating at DE at times isn't beyond possibility, either. That would be flexible and versatile, hallmarks of the amoeba approach.
Regardless of which one slides over (or whether they do - I'm suggesting an option, not predicting that we'll use it), the fact that we have some solid options in the pipeline at DL speaks well to the way the team will play next season. It also frees up a position in the draft, which always is a comfort. What I'm seeing is that we don't need a NT, thanks to good player evaluation last offseason.
Taming the Colts?
How will we handle Indy? Tough question, since they look like the cream of the league to me right now. If we do, we will do it much as we did against KC, even though Indy is so much better. We need for the running game to keep Peyton Manning off the field. It's the only real way to limit him - he's just too good. We need our coverage to be what it's been the past two weeks - or even better. I don't know if even Champ and Goodman can shut down Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and friends, but for us to have a good chance, they will have to. It will be up to Ryan Clady and the offensive line to handle Dwight Feeney. Giving Orton time to throw and the right holes to our newly-empowered running game gives us the best chance. We will be mixing the zone blocking and gap blocking again - over the past two games, that has really begun to gel, right on time for a run at the wild-card slot.
We can't keep committing unforced errors. I suspect that our game will hinge on that -- too many players have contributed cognitive flatulence by taking stupid penalties this season. If we beat ourselves, we're toast. We need to show that we can play like a playoff team and make them beat us. Indy is a predator - always ready to pounce on the weaknesses a team manifests. We're moving two time zones and Indy is murder at home.
It's our toughest game of the year. I look forward to seeing where we measure up.
Go Broncos!
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I have tickets....
I can’t wait to see this game!
got an extra one? haha just kidding
If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
Girl, you don't need to be a 10, as long as you have a good smile and smell like bacon.
by kentuckybronco on Dec 10, 2009 10:47 AM MST up reply actions
Sorry, no extras.....
but the good news is that there will be four less Colts fans in attendance so the crowd noise won’t be quite as bad. I will ask the fans in my section to be considerate while Denver has the ball if I have to.
hahaha, I'm sure that will go over very well....
If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
Girl, you don't need to be a 10, as long as you have a good smile and smell like bacon.
by kentuckybronco on Dec 10, 2009 10:59 AM MST up reply actions
We're moving two time zones and Indy is murder at home.
I know, no one’s even beaten them there yet,
Hat Tip on the Punt Return Observation
I’ve been noticing this a lot. The bend-but-don’t-break style of defense has meant that punts are received in awkward places. At the same time, the other team usually starts in good field position (especially after the still-too-common three-and-out drives), so giving up just one first down usually means Eddie is getting the ball close to the goal line.
Caught that too...Priceless!
-Richee
-"If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will." - Abraham Lincoln
-Measure your performance against your best competitors and consider how you can use it to beat them the next time!
by BroncoSense72 on Dec 11, 2009 7:15 AM MST up reply actions
Rec'd as always
Doc, I understand your position on the RB head use rule, but I am always curious to know what the alternative is. It seems that often when people are eager to make new rules, in any area, not just football, there’s not a lot of consideration for what happens next. Does this mean that a RB will be required to run more upright? Does he have to turn sideways to use the shoulder? Is he required to avoid contact? I’m not trying to be a pain, just trying to understand. I agree with the need to address concussions, I’m just not seeing the alternative to occasionally lowering the head and delivering a blow.
Hang on folks, road's a little bumpy in these spots.
Great questions, pub
No, it doesn’t mean that you have to run upright, just that you don’t use your dome as a battering ram. This is a very specific behavior. There’s no need to avoid contract and the shoulder works fine, hammering with a forearm, stiff arming, etc are all perfectly normal. The only change is the need to get away from using the top of the head/helmet as a way to bludgeon people. In this case, it’s equally dangerous for both parties.
The thing that is coming up in more and more research is the increase in cognitive loss via a long series of blows to and/or with the head. What has changed this discussion is the recognition that you don’t have to incur a concussion to have a loss of brain function over time – you just need to have repeated impacts to the head. This is changing our thinking on a lot of thing.
I’m sensitive to the problem of trying to avoid changing the game too much and I wouldn’t want that to happen. At the same time, no matter how much money they do or don’t make, I don’t want to be paying people to entertain me at the expense of their ability to think normally in a few years. It’s going to be a fine line, but this change, in many ways, simply brings the running back position into compliance with the other players on the field. No one should be leading with their head, whether running the ball or tackling. Blows to the head need to be avoided for all parties sake.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
Absolutely
I completely agree that head trauma needs to be addressed. I followed Ban Hamilton’s saga pretty close (he’s a U of MN alum and was there about the time I was) and remember reading the article about the impact his concussion issues had on his relationships with his wife and kids. Nothing’s worth that, IMO.
I think it would be wise for whoever (competition committee?) is involved in the decision-making process to make the effort to be very specific about alternatives, etc. This would be a pretty significant change to the way the game is played and the alternatives wouldn’t be as easy to come up with. For example, forearm and stiff-arming in a head-to-head situation are already strongly discouraged by many coaches from Pop Warner up, they can lead to broken arms. We had a coach who would make guys who pulled that run. Those moves are more for running somewhat parallel to the defender.
Anyway, I still think it’s long overdue for the league to address this issue. Better late than never.
Now where did that Kool-Aid vendor go?
I agree
By the way, last week I posted an article that covered the specific solutions that are currently being suggested and gave the dates when various committees will come forth with their suggestions. There is a lot of movement in this area, finally, and I’m encouraged by that.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
Yep
Read that. I gotta say I am disappointed that more players don’t take to the new helmets available. I don’t know how much better they are, they claim to make a difference, but hearing that many players don’t like them because of the way they look makes me think maybe they’ve already taken too many blows to the head.
Now where did that Kool-Aid vendor go?
Good call
I think he was the last driver to wear an open face helmet. The helmet didn’t kill him though, the seatbelt did. Again, his own fault for making his own adjustments outside of standards.
Opinions are like......, Well anyway, this is mine.
Well, that's a long story.
NASCAR didn’t require head restraints at that point in time. The HANS device, as it’s called, was an “add-on” at that point in the sport, designed to keep the drivers’ helmet from moving forward or side to side past a certain point. Dale said that he didn’t want it because he couldn’t turn his head and see the cars around him, as well as he would like. So, since it was optional, he didn’t feel that he needed it. The seatbelt, itself, worked perfectly. The problem was, since he hit the wall head on, his head snapped forward and killed him. If he would have hit at any angle, the side of the seat would have stopped his head from snapping to the right. Or, he could have worn the Hans
Anyways, it’s mandatory, now. Sorry for ranting about nascar. I’ve loved the sport for a long time.
That had nothing to do with the broncos or the nfl. I can change that, though. Currently, the concussion rules are up to the doctors and players. Fortunately, the NFL is going to step in to make sure that playing with concussions isn’t an option. Even if the players think they feel fine, there may be more damage in there than they realize. The NFL should stay on the side of caution.
So, there you go. NASCAR and the NFL, hand in hand. lol
If Taylor Swift were to try and tackle me, I'd let her.
Girl, you don't need to be a 10, as long as you have a good smile and smell like bacon.
by kentuckybronco on Dec 10, 2009 4:47 PM MST up reply actions
KB...You are correct re: the reason for Dale's unfortunate demise.
The NFL needs to just make safer helmets mandatory, plain and simple…Don’t like the way they look? Too Bad!
-Richee
-"If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will." - Abraham Lincoln
-Measure your performance against your best competitors and consider how you can use it to beat them the next time!
by BroncoSense72 on Dec 11, 2009 7:26 AM MST up reply actions
When driving a motorcycle
the best chance of avoiding head injury in a crash is to wear the most protective helmet available. That may not necessarily be the case in football. Some who wouldn’t get within ten feet of a ten foot drop-off, have no problem jumping from a 100 foot tower if they have a bungee chord tied to their angles. Someone who might never enter the deep end of a swimming pool may happily go white water rafting if wearing a life west and someone who would cross the street rather than pass by a bully might call him out if he knew there was a policeman watching. Maybe the problem is that the protection is too good.
People are willing to take increasingly greater chances proportionally to increasingly better protection. Perhaps if football players wore the same gear as soccer players, injuries would drastically drop. "Not likely," you say? Well, consider rugby. That is a sport in which the players are essentially equipped like soccer players while playing like football players. I don’t know the stats but I am completely unaware of rugby having produced the kind of injuries common to football. Why don’t basketball players ever bump heads after a score the way you see football players do all the time? Could it be because basketball players don’t wear helmets?
Good point, but..
My only quibble would be that I don’t think we’re seeing many players “holding up” these days as it is. So, if they’re already bringing it as hard as they can, any equipment advances at this point will not result in players bringing it harder, bu can only help. Also, you could add in the fact that today’s athletes are bigger, faster and much better conditioned in the past, but they’ve just about reached a peak there as well. The rate at which all of those factors will increase/improve is also going to be slower than the past 20 years. Again, therefore, equipment advances will help.
Now where did that Kool-Aid vendor go?
And no new records will be set, too?
History has always defied predictions of “the limit has been reached, it is not possible to run any faster”
Anticipated
If you read my post carefully, you’ll see I made no such statement. I said “rate at which all of those factors will increase/improve is also going to be slower than the past 20 years.”
Of course there will be improvements, etc. but if you look at what a typical NFL player did 30 years ago compared to today, there is no comparison. Many of them held separate off-season jobs, for example, and weight-training was barely implemented at all. Now, everyone knows the NFL is year-round. There’s hardly any MORE time for them to train and it’s also pretty common knowledge that not only do you reach a point of diminishing returns, but can easily over-train, setting yourself back. Also, will there be new and improved supplements, etc. that will increase size and speed beyond where we’re at now? Undoubtedly. But, again, you reach the point of diminishing returns pretty quickly now. In a nutshell, answer this: could Randy Gradishar have made himself into a better Randy Gradishar? Absolutely, he was far from maxed out. What about Brian Dawkins? Maybe, but the distance between BDawk now and “ultimate” BDawk is far less than it would be with Gradishar.
The point is, it’s not that the limit has been reached, but the incremental increases will not be as great as they have been in the past 20-30 years.
Now where did that Kool-Aid vendor go?
fyi:
As many as 1 in 4 rugby players will be injured during the season. On average each player performs 20-40 tackles per match. Rugby injury rates are reported to be nearly three times higher than soccer. -South Wales Osteopathic Society
A statistical survey found that 20% of all rugby injuries result in concussions. Although higher numbers of injuries were reported at the amateur and intermediate levels, the most serious injuries were sustained at higher levels of the game.-Department of Psychology at Rhodes University, S.A.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
Philip K. Dick
Poor technique
Most rugby injuries that occur to the head/neck area are because of poor technique in the tackle.
Usually the tackler does not get their head out of the way of the opponents legs or ends up spearing (head first) into the opponents torso trying to “blow them up”.
Every time this comes up
I get a picture (video) in my head of Muhammed Ali in his later years. I loved watching him Box!! “Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee”. I would not have wanted him to end up the way he did, even though we all shook our heads at the beating he would intentionally take.
Opinions are like......, Well anyway, this is mine.
The statement
“simply brings the running back position into compliance with the other players on the field” is key here. Spearing by the defense is illegal. Helmet to helmet hits (at least on the QB and a “defenseless receiver”, perhaps always?) are illegal. Why must the defense always be wary of leading with their helmet to tackle while a running back may commit the same behavior, perfectly legally? It irks me in the same way it irks me that an offensive player may grab and twist the facemask of defender simply because he is stiff arming. Does the fact that he is stiff arming mean he isn’t going to injure?
I have to cringe far too often when I see a defender coming in for a perfectly sound tackle, only to have the RB lower his head into the defenders helmet. It’s not about protecting “just” the defender, both players here are likely to be injured. Then you juxtapose this with plays like last night’s game where Roethlisberger is fleeing the pocket and gets tackled from behind and the side with the player initiating the tackle at the hip/thigh region, and a flag comes down. It’s really getting frustrating how coddled the QBs are while the runner holds on to the last bastion of head-as-ram usage.
Jason
The Hanging Curve
by poorboywilly on Dec 11, 2009 11:34 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
It is truly a pleasure Doc, I always enjoy the read...
You know all that off season talk about not addressing the DL?
You don’t here much about that anymore.
McDaniels and his Team of coaches are a class act, and should
be recognized for teaching a system that elevates team production.
Talented Athlete > Athletic Talent
Go Broncos
Rec’d
Real Power, comes with the realization that One cannot change the Moment;
only ones perception of it: Atitude! JQM
That's a great point
I think it was a Chiefs fan who commented that we’d ignored the position, but after reading what we’d done, he recanted. What the pundits meant to say was “They didn’t do what we wanted them to do with the DL”. That’s a very different animal – thanks for the comment, UB3!
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
agreed
the DL received perhaps the most attention of any on the team: holdovers Peterson and McBean have started all year (barring two injury games for McBean) and been extremely positive forces at DE. Vonnie Holliday and LeKevin Smith contributions have been probably as unheralded as McBean’s excellent play, yet I think they have been a direct factor in many of Doom’s near-record 3rd down sacks. Fields I have at least heard some acclaim about, and as you have said he has been better than advertised at NT. The last holdover, Thomas, is right behind Fields in terms of depth and level of play. Finally, we brought in Baker as a CFA, who has been pure depth so far (a good thing, means good line play and few injuries).
So in other words, we kept three players which all turned out to be as good or better than advertised from our previous D’s (I thought pretty well of Peterson and especially Thomas in years past, and McBean was just one of those diamonds in the rough no one found yet). Then we went out and got three new players, one starter and two who play a lot of downs rotationally, and then a fourth guy who has been nice insurance as depth so far with an eye to the future.
Yeah. We did all right. :)
Jason
The Hanging Curve
by poorboywilly on Dec 11, 2009 11:53 AM MST up reply actions
Nice work!!!
The time and detail on this is great! Thanks for your work and making it interresting to read. Rec’d
go back to the leather helmets and see if people are eager to drop their head down to tackle / avoid a tackle
A truth can only be expressed and enveloped in words if it is one-sided. Everything that is thought and expressed in words is one-sided, only half the truth; it all lacks totality, completeness, unity.
Some of these knuckleheads
might not notice until it’s too late. :)
by BroncosBassist on Dec 10, 2009 11:16 AM MST up reply actions
NT
I agree that we don’t appear to need a NT in the draft this year. I wouldn’t mind seeing a beast at DE taken early, but if we can get Fields, Baker, Thomas, McBean, and Peterson in rotation on the front 3, I think we might be in good shape without it. Add in another year of Holliday (who doesn’t seem to be slowing down much, to me), and we almost have too much depth… Well, not really. :)
by BroncosBassist on Dec 10, 2009 11:18 AM MST reply actions
The team generally has good depth
I think they’re in a great position for the draft because the goal is: Draft some difference-makers. There really isn’t a position on the field, apart from RB, where I’d be unwilling to spend a high pick to get a very good player. Joe Haden? Great. Rolando McClain? Great. Some awesome 5-technique? Good. A deep threat. Excellent. It’s been a long time since we could look around and decide that no one position on the field was killing the team.
by Chibronx on Dec 10, 2009 11:24 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
Isn't that the truth?
It’s been a long time since we could look around and decide that no one position on the field was killing the team.
That’s such a great point. This is especially impressive because of the mess that McD and Co. inherited when he took over the team last offseason. It’s amazing what good decision-making can do in a single year, isn’t it?
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
This is absolutely crucial to the best player available argument.
I might be in the minority, but I still would like a premium talent in the interior of the line. Everything we’ve done has worked masterfully, but wouldn’t it be amazing to find a guy that can consistently penetrate or take up not two, but three players? This year’s draft is stacked at DL, and I can easily see that working out for us. Rolando McClain is my money guy right now— he seems to be right around our current first rounder and he’s the best LB on the board, and I’d LOVE to see him in blue and orange.
Still, I agree completely that there isn’t a specific weak spot that needs to be addressed early, allowing us to get a playmaker in the first two rounds. Offensive line needs a shift in talent to the new paradigm, but I don’t see any guards worth taking early other than one of the Pouncey bros. from Florida. I think a possible candidate for the offense would be Dez Bryant. Gotta love the position McD put us in, with (slightly) negligible impact from the rookie class, as they mature, we’ll be in even better shape.
Best available for the win!
by legendarywalton on Dec 10, 2009 12:59 PM MST up reply actions
Iupati! Iupati! Iupati!
The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind-- Pearl Jam, "I am Mine"
by PredominantlyOrange on Dec 10, 2009 1:12 PM MST up reply actions
as always Em, love your weekly column.
Verbose in style, dispersion of thought, procrastination in life.
The guy formerly known as ZAPPA
Question
Is Freeny as DE like Doom last year? Where if Denver ran at him he’d be a liability. So would it be wise for Denver to pass on first and second and run on third? I guess thats 2 questions. District 11 didn’t teach usa to count.
... if you have a belief, you will tend to find things that support it. But if you have a prejudice, you’ll move heaven and earth to maintain it. BroncoBear
I love Eddie Royal on returns, but,
I don’t think he has the initiial burst of speed to get him to the edge, even though he did have a couple of nice returns. The one where he received the ball at about the 15 lost his shoe and just about got killed trying to get back to the 5 isn’t exactly what I would call a smart decision. Leaving Orton and crew in the hole that ultimately lead to a fumble? Umm, Eddie does a lot better moving forward around blocks as the holes are created, everytime he starts laterally it scares the heck out of me. If he continues to do this it is going to eventually hurt us bad. I have also noticed (or maybe it’s just me) that he waits for the ball to bounce in front of him (indecisive) where he could of made a fair catch at the 15-20 ending up on the 10. Precious as yards are sometimes these little things are very important. But, otherwise the ST has stepped up in the last two weeks.
I believe McD/Nolan saw something in Baker that lead them to think he will be their DT of the future, even though he is still raw, he gets valuable practice time with the defense. I hope he does well next year, that would be a great story considering all the clamoring for Raji to be so great.
Draft needs
I second the CB, ILB, and OL plan for the draft next year! It’s great to look at mock drafts and note that the top CB and ILB in the draft are projected to BOTH still be on the board when we pick (and at least one of ‘em will be). Don’t know much about Mclain or Haden off the field, do those that do know think they’d fit with the McD model of smart, team-first guys who love the game?
Man, I love how the draft never stops…and thanks to Seattle for that brilliant vote of no confidence so that we get the Bears pick :)
Any chance that Kenny McKinley is going to turn into a legit deep threat at wideout? I know WRs usually take a little longer to develop, but it WOULD be nice to have a WR in the deep threat mold…dunno if Kenny is going to be that guy or not.
What’s the % chance that we take a quarterback in the first couple of rounds?
Thanks to Em and all the other real football brains who can break it down to equally loyal, but football-IQ-lacking lifetime bronco fans like myself :)
Thanks for chiming in, Montana
Any chance that Kenny McKinley is going to turn into a legit deep threat at wideout? I know WRs usually take a little longer to develop, but it WOULD be nice to have a WR in the deep threat mold…dunno if Kenny is going to be that guy or not.
What’s the % chance that we take a quarterback in the first couple of rounds?
I haven’t heard anything on Kenny so far, so I can’t really say. We’re deep at WR, but could use his speed, no doubt. He’s got some good players to pass.
QB: You can start some pretty enjoyable arguments by coming out on either side of this. Personally, I don’t expect to see Simms back next year. Whether we pick up a free agent backup or draft one, we’ll probably find a third QB for insurance. I just don’t see the arguments that we should pick up Tebow (shudder) or McCoy in the 1st round — I admire them as college QBs but I don’t see either as a starter in the NFL anytime soon. I do suspect that other, lesser known names will be good pickups and I am hopeful that Tom B will step into the backup role next season.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
QB
I agree that Simms won’t be back next year (maybe for training camp) but I think he’s done. He’s a nice guy and I hope he made enough money to start a business or something, but I’d rather go with Brandstater and another draft pick. Orton surely doesn’t need a “mentor”.
We will now discuss in a little more detail the Struggle for Existence.
Charles Darwin. (The Origin Of Species)
I really like our chances in this game
1. We’ve proven we can play well in another stadium, we won’t be intimidated.
2. Our OL matches up well
3. Our secondary is smart, talented, and matches up with anyone
4.We might be a little more motivated because we’re fighting for the wild card. Indy is in, and one win out of 4 will clinch home field.
4a. We got BDawk
5. Our running game can keep Peyton’s on-field time to a minimum
6. Coach McD will have a smart game plan in place
7. Mars is aligned with Jupiter (or Venus, or one of them….)
Thanks for a great post once again Doc, always enjoy your insight and wordsmithing (see "cognitive flatulence:. lol)
Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime.
"Losing stinks" - Josh McDaniels
Great stuff as usual, Emmett
Two names that I wanted to look more closely at this week were Richard Quinn and Russ Hochstein. I recalled Hochstein making a couple of serious errors on ST while we were losing…
What did you discover about Russ’s recent play?
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."
Philip K. Dick
Mostly - that it improved
Without question, the best news that I found was that Tyler Polumbus and Russ Hochstein have played head and shoulders above their earlier efforts. I don’t think that either wasn’t putting in 100% – I’m sure that they were. But nothing is a substitute for quality play, and they’ve stepped up and provided that. With Indy’s speed and schemes they’re going to be a tremendous challenge. Since those two (and Quinn, btw) stepped up, our odds are at least much better.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
Orton turnovers....
While it is never good to see, I chalk up the fumbles to Orton being extremely confident against KC AND the desire for Denver to get some deep throws on film as the season winds down. He held the ball a beat to long in attempt of making a big play. The INT was just a split second too late and a good tip by the LB. If we have notice anything in this season it is that Orton is a diligent student and learns from his mistakes.
I think
early in the season he was rushing his throws. Now he seems to be holding onto the ball too long. maybe now he’ll find his comfort zone.
... if you have a belief, you will tend to find things that support it. But if you have a prejudice, you’ll move heaven and earth to maintain it. BroncoBear
NT
NIce to see you give the big guys in the middle some run today. My thinking is playing the Colts is one of the ultimate tests for the NT. Seems like the best way to contain Manning, other than keeping him off the field with your own running game as you point out, is to apply pressure up the middle. Let’s see if the Broncs can pull that off without leaving the middle too wide open for the short pass and center screens? If the NT can get some push and keep it up for the whole game that will be huge!
A Colts Let Down
Let’s be honest here: Even with all the bravado talk about not succumbing to a “let down” the Colts are primed to do just that. They’ve pretty much got home field wrapped up, and will need to keep their players healthy for playoff bound teams that are coming into January hot right now. Teams like…dare I say, the Bolts, who are still in a tight divisional race with our Broncos, can’t afford a let down at all, and will probably be visiting Indy sometime in January. So might our Broncos. What I’m getting at is this: The best Bronco football of the year needs to played in the coming four weeks, and this week Denver has an excellent opportunity to knock off the Colts, and keep the AFC West race tight. And let’s face it friends, we’re not out of this horse race by a mile high mile.
Yards Per Attempt
Great work putting the column together. As always, thanks.
One question on the YPA analysis:
>>> Since many of the offenses that emphasize the short pass use it much as teams used to use the ground game — picking up 2-8 years at a time, keeping the clock moving and controlling the ball — you will see the numbers on yards per attempt lessening.
Do we know this to be true? If shorter passes result in a higher completion percentage than longer passes (I believe this to be a safe assumption, but admittedly have not researched it), a shift to an offense that emphasizes the short pass has a positive and negative effect on YPA. The higher completion percentage results in fewer incompletions the affect the average per attempt (the positive effect) and lower yardage totals per completion (the negative effect). The overall effect may, in fact, be negative, but I’m not sure that we have demonstrated that here.
Hit the one in the middle.
Nice argument
Do we know this to be true? If shorter passes result in a higher completion percentage than longer passes (I believe this to be a safe assumption, but admittedly have not researched it), a shift to an offense that emphasizes the short pass has a positive and negative effect on YPA. The higher completion percentage results in fewer incompletions the affect the average per attempt (the positive effect) and lower yardage totals per completion (the negative effect). The overall effect may, in fact, be negative, but I’m not sure that we have demonstrated that here.
My statements are based on a study of the work of Bill Walsh. Walsh discussed his theory about this at considerable length. Over time, it’s been tested empirically many times and the upshot was that yes, there was a substantial basis for making a couple of assumptions: First, that the longer passes did have a higher rate of both completion and a higher rate of INT and second that you could use the short passing game, which he based in the stand-by of modern NFL passing, the timing pattern, and to use that specific set of attacks exactly as you would the running game to keep the clock running and to wear out the defense.
It never hurts to examine such things and we often do find out that our assumptions are wrong, but in this case, they’ve been tested many times and at length. That has led to both his and the opposite system, the Coryell, which used the vertical game and accepts those trade-off as worthwhile, given the greater opportunity for long-strike plays, being the two dominant approaches in the NFL today. I’d like to note that they are far from the only two and there are many other systems in use. However, in general, it’s often useful to look at the basis for a particular team’s system. These two are usually referred to, sometimes simplistically, when doing so. Great question, by the way, and thank you.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
Oh yeah
Air Coryell, I spent my Navy years in San Diego watching Dan Fouts and Charlie Joyner. Talk about an arm, my family hated me cause they had just moved to Denver and were on the Orange Crush bandwagon. Got to see Denver play San Diego at Mile High and my father refused to allow me to cheer for SD cause we were using my uncle’s tickets. I don’t even remember who one anymore but It was fun. Course I was converted soon after leaving San Diego and just in time to see the beginning of the Elway era.
Opinions are like......, Well anyway, this is mine.
Thanks for the Post emmett
CentSports free 10 cents to bet with Better than Fantasy Football, pick'em!!
Fe fi fo fum, Philly here we come
Cognitive flatulence
Now that sounds like something my friend Richard cranium would say.
Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
Good post, Bear!
Cold Hard Facts has Indy averaging 10th in the league according to the Offensive Hog Index, while Denver is 13.33th. (San Diego’s 16th.)
We swap places by far, to indicate an interesting average, according to the Defensive Hog Index. After 13 weeks, Denver’s D is 8.7th, while Indy’s is 22.7th.
The dude should enjoy some of these stats. I like the fact that the Bengals’ defense is league-best at stopping 3rd down conversions: 67.1%. If the Colts, who are #1 on 3rd down conversions at around 50%, could only play the Bengals, that would be a key game within the game I’d love to see.
I wonder if you are stumped as I, when it comes to prediciting an outcome against Indy. Despite being somewhat close on offense (with the exception of 3rd down conversion %) and clearly more effective on defense, P. Manning still nullifies our advantages, in my mind. This upcoming game is scary and exciting at the same time.
"All credibility, all good conscience, all evidence of truth come only from the senses." Friedrich Nietzsche
Thanks Emmett...Great read and comments
-Richee
-"If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will." - Abraham Lincoln
-Measure your performance against your best competitors and consider how you can use it to beat them the next time!
I always look forward to your stuff Bear
And as per usual, may more salmon be in your future. A few comments:
- Orton needs to play better. He made some good throws in that KC game, but that kind of performance won’t get it done against Indy or any other top flight team. The EZ interception on the first drive was potentially disastrous and poor judgement. Credit to him and the team for “bouncing back”. He failed to effectively “feel the heat” on the fumbles and while I was a little down on him earlier in the year for bailing too early, in this game, he demonstrated the other extreme. It should also be mentioned that Clady got schooled a few times on Sunday – hopefully it was a demonstration of how high the bar will be this week versus Freeney and friends.
- While Reid has been a force on STs, it’s also true that he’s been flagged a few times for personal fouls on ST plays – your take on this based on your film study? Whether it’s Hillis earlier in the year, Reid a few weeks ago or the Phonz last week, our special teams would be and are much more special when they’re not taking bonehead penalties. As long as we’re getting called for those, whatever Royal does is negated if it’s positive and amplified if it’s negative. One other thing: it may just be me, but I’m amazed that we don’t have anyone else on the team that can both play special teams and tackle better than Goodman. I like Goodman as a cover guy, but tackling is not his strong point.
- Good for Quinn on the fake punt attempt, but I can’t believe how poorly that was defended AGAIN by the punt return team. The learning curve here seems flat and is not indicative to attention to detail and sound situational football.
- Your comments on the safety position are well taken. Personally, I feel the position (particulary FS, but FS and SS can be such a hybrid these days that it can be tough to separate) is at least equivalent in importance to the defense as QB is to the offense. For example, look at the Broncos without Atwater or without Lynch or currently without Dawkins. Or the Steelers without Polamalu, or Indy without Sanders or Baltimore without Reed or the Giants without Phillips. It makes an enormous difference as to how the overall defense plays and at least one of those two guys has to be a stud to play elite NFL defense. Dawk is there, but I’m uncertain regarding the young guys.
- It’s going to be a tough judgement call for refs regarding the RB using the weapon helmet penalty, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try. I like even better your ideas regarding education. In my playing days, we were taught to tackle by putting your forehead into the numbers of the opponent, then wrap and lift and drive him backward. But what was really stressed was that it had to be the forehead or face that led and not the top of the head and that paralysis was a distinct possibility if you got it wrong. As with other human behaviors, gradual cumulative damage is much harder to teach than immediate impact.
- The key for the Indy game is the play of Hochstein, Polumbus and Orton. If the first two continue their progress and Orton plays better than the KC game, we’ve got a chance.
Thanks again!
Go Broncs!
It's "just" football
Great comments, DonK
1. Agreed on Orton – it was probably his worst game. I haven’t seen that tendency to hold the ball in a while and hadn’t missed it. You’re right on Clady, too – he did get schooled a bit, and not for the firs t time this year. People are gunning for him and scheming for him. It’s having an effect, but overall he’s still aces, of course.
2. STs – Reid has been whistled for dump penalties, one of those whose cognitive flatulence I was referring to. He generally makes up for it, though, with excellent overall play. Goodman’s tackling is troubling at times, but his coverage is so good that we’ve taken that trade, too.
3. Time will tell on the young guys. I think that in part, some of this goes to the Just A Guy aspect of McD’;s team-building approach, but I can’t disagree regarding the identity it gives a team when someone back there is a great hitter.
4. The ‘battering ram’ thing is, as a few mentioned above, about leveling the field as far as helmet hits go. I recall when pro hockey wouldn’t wear helmets – they didn’t like it when the rule was implemented and claimed that it ‘ruined’ the sport. But it saved a lot of folks’ functional lives, and that’s a trade I can live with
Again – thanks. I always appreciate your comments.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
point 4
Interesting to me about the head into the numbers.
In Rugby you are specifically told to get your head to the side of the persons body and put your shoulder into the abdomen and drive up under the numbers (as your wrap up).
I suppose this has a lot to do with the attacker (offense) in rugby having the ability to pass the ball.
You wouldn’t want to plant your head into his hip as he turned sideways to offload.
Something else i’d like to know is are the concussions mostly head blows or are there a lot of spinal types (and what sort of technique / bad technique is most likely to cause which).
It's usually head blows, AC
While there is a compression whiplash injury, in which a blow to the top of the head creates damage to the cervical spine, I’m not aware of a corresponding injury to the cranium from an indirect source. Great question, though.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
re: NTs & the Kirwan article
Something I just found on the topic.
He brings up an interesting point. Increasingly, we are seeing smaller NTs coming in and being effective through leverage and athletic ability — as well as getting penetration. While it is essential that the NT be able to take up 2 or more blockers, it’s not really important that he weight 365 lbs. when doing so. The ability to move other people, great technique and an explosive first step are even more important than size. – Emmett Smith
Scott Wright’s weekly “Ask Scott” column states that this is a very good year for NTs — “this is a great year to be in the market for a nose tackle”. Besides Cody and a rapidly rising Dan Williams, Wright also lists Kade Weston and Torrell Troup. Both are big but not necessarily huge. Troup comes in at 6’3, 214 lbs. and Weston is 6’5, 325 lbs. Moreover, there are some others who may or may not declare that Wright isn’t considering. We won’t know for another month but I’ve previously mentioned Jerrell Powe and Kendrick Ellis as possible junior declarees, but neither has stated that he will come out — that I know of.
it has been a while since I’ve seen so many good 3-4 nose tackle prospects in a single draft. Usually you’re lucky to see a couple of true nose tackles in a class but I believe there could be as many as four selected in the top five rounds this year. (12-11-09).."
Size is evident with some of these prospects but the selection isn’t limited to the ‘merely big.’ I’ve also been keeping track (loosely) of the DTs since some of them are capable of playing either DT or DE34.
Like you, Emmett, I’ve considered the possibility of using some of our current NTs (Thomas, Baker) as DE34s, and high number of DL prospects makes a very real possibility that we could draft yet another NT this year.
Previously, I written about the DE34s, which is where I’ve focused my attention, but the NT group offers some real possibilities. And I’ve been reluctant to talk about this, partly because I see value in Thomas and Baker, but I was always aware of the fact that most of the DLs can play more than one position.
I see this entire situation in a positive light since I’d like to see us add to the DL, and having more options available makes it more likely that we’ll do this. I’ll even consider one of the sumo wrestlers if the price is right.
no goats, no glory.
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