Next on the chopping block ... Dre' Bly:

by Holden Caulfield on Feb 17, 2009 6:10 PM MST

... per a brief story from DenverBroncos.com.

And really, is this any kind of surprise?

To reiterate a point, anything different is good. As was shown throughout the last couple of years, Bly had lost a step ... or two. Even when Champ Bailey was injured last season, he was still the second-best cornerback on Denver's defense, with his defining image being the one of him on the sidelines at Carolina, getting chewed out by Shanahan after the Panthers' first touchdown. (Yes, I know, the below shot is from San Diego.)

via extras.mnginteractive.com

Off the field, Bly is a decent guy who was community-minded. -- particularly with an "adoption" of a local middle school.

On it, though, the Broncos can do better -- perhaps even with what they have remaining at cornerback aside from Bailey. Bly seemed to always be in the crosshairs of an opposing passing game -- just take a look back at the Packers game in 2007, and how he was left grasping in overtime as Greg Jennings torched him for the 82-yard game-winner on Monday Night Football.

Even when Bly was in his prime in St. Louis and his early years in Detroit (where he was a Pro Bowler), his was a high-wire act, often with high risk. The rewards in big plays were once high, but by the time he came to Denver, they had dropped. The Broncos played up his acquisition two years ago as the pickup of a Pro Bowler, but those days had long since passed. (Although you can't argue with the deal ... especially since Tatum Bell ended up coming back and George Foster was a non-factor in Honolulu blue.)

Thus continues the theme of the early offseason ... the purge. The Broncos might not be better in 2009, but they will be different, not unlike the Patriots in Belichick's first season as head coach in 2000. And even if the changes mean inexperience and a few more defeats, it already seems as if the Broncos are going somewhere ... with a little less dead wood.

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

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Comments

This is not a cap space saving move...

This move leads me to believe the Broncos have decided to use their cap space to clean house for the future. It’s a gutsy move.

by SlowWhiteGuy on Feb 17, 2009 6:19 PM MST reply actions

It shows that there is a plan ...

… and it might not be for 2009. It might be longer-term, and any success this year could be a bonus.

But for the first time in many years, I see a Broncos team clearly building for the future rather than repairing fist-size flesh wounds with Band-Aids and Neosporin.

by Holden Caulfield on Feb 17, 2009 6:23 PM MST up reply actions

I agree...

it looks as if they are looking at who fits with their plan two or three years from now, not just who fills a gap right now. If they are looking for corners who can go man to man without safety help over the top that definitely isn’t Bly. I just wonder why they didn’t trade him instead of cutting him.

by SlowWhiteGuy on Feb 17, 2009 6:31 PM MST up reply actions

or just

KEEP HIM
and play him nickel…or dime…
You are losing (cap) money by cutting him. Who shall it be next? DJ? Lets just cut Hillis because I don’t think he is a real RB. Maybe we should “send a message” by cutting Champ.

I think this is a stupid move.

Jason
The Hanging Curve

by poorboywilly on Feb 17, 2009 6:49 PM MST up reply actions

I agree...

It wouldn’t have hurt to keep him, especially if we don’t plan on blowing all our cap space this summer. I mean now we need three new corners. We can’t expect all three of them to be better than Dre bly

Yes, I'm a Diamondback and Suns fan. So you may be wondering, "Why does this fool like the Broncos so much?"

A: The Cardinals are too hard of a pill to swallow. Oh yeah and that Elway dude....

by Elway4Prez on Feb 17, 2009 6:52 PM MST up reply actions

Or any of them

I mean now we need three new corners. We can’t expect all three of them to be better than Dre bly

Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for my eyes to behold the sun.

Ecclesiastes

by bradley on Feb 17, 2009 7:07 PM MST up reply actions

This isn't about salary cap...

It’s about salary. Bly and Robertson both had long term deals that would have cost for the next four years. It looks like they are clearing out anyone who isn’t performing commensurate with their pay.

by SlowWhiteGuy on Feb 17, 2009 8:28 PM MST up reply actions

Might as well get someone younger and cheaper ...

… if they’re going to get beat anyway. At least then there’s some potential and upside. Bly has been sliding down the mountain of his career for about three years now..

by Holden Caulfield on Feb 17, 2009 8:38 PM MST up reply actions

I tend to agree with you on the surface.

Bly never had a scheme while in Denver. It’s like expecting a QB to be effective without an O Line. They put him out there alone and said, “OK do your magic, magic boy.” A train car can only haul its load with an effective engine and smooth track. Expecting Bly to perform well under the scheme Denver gave him seems a bit like asking a firefighter to put out a fire by virtue of being a firefighter, with no help from gear, a hose, a truck, or even a Dalmatian. I really think we should have given him another shot.

However, I trust the guys who get paid the big bucks to make the tough decisions. Once again, let’s see what Bly is replaced with before we complain to much. Change is good, even if it looks scary.

-Harvey J. Neptune

"Practice doesn't make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect." - Vince Lombardi

by HarvJNep2n on Feb 17, 2009 10:26 PM MST up reply actions

I wonder

If the Broncos had brought in a decent safety and played him appropriately, would we be doing this today? Perhaps – but only perhaps. Of course if they also brought in a pass rush and a scheme

We’d be Arizona ;-)

Hillis in '09

by Doc Bear on Feb 17, 2009 6:40 PM MST reply actions

+1

Pass rush? What the hell is a pass rush? I think I saw a comment about that in another post. Crazy what these kids are dreaming up nowadays.

-Harvey J. Neptune

"Practice doesn't make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect." - Vince Lombardi

by HarvJNep2n on Feb 17, 2009 10:27 PM MST up reply actions

Bye Bye Bly

It must be a move to free up cash $$$ for free agent signings. It doesn’t help (actually hurts) against the cap, but probably allows the new GM and Coach to afford more groceries in the free agent cart.

I don’t think in a Pat style 3-4 that you necessarily need 2 great cover corners…

Current Prediction For The Broncos 2009 Season: 3-13

by MTBroncoFan on Feb 17, 2009 8:29 PM MST reply actions

And cash is as important a consideration as anything ...

… for the Broncos and numerous teams around the league, as evidenced by the layoffs. A negative on the cap because of the acceleration of a signing bonus could still be a positive on cash because the base salary is purged from the books going forward.

by Holden Caulfield on Feb 17, 2009 8:36 PM MST up reply actions

Well I have sat and thought for a while

Cutting Bly sends two messages, one to the fans and one to the players.

Players:
We are going to build this team to be a continual threat year in and year out. This transition starts by creating a system and having players that FIT that system. Measurables are nice a guy can look like a certain position but the Denver Broncos are going to be about football SMARTS now not just talent and potential. If you don’t fit the system and have no football smarts → there is the door! We don’t care who you are or how much you have made in the past. Shape up and learn our scheme or meet mr pink slip.

Fans:
We will compete year in and year out but we have to start at the janitor and rebuild this franchise!

"We should have kept Seattle and dumped San Diego from the Division"
Davis and Sharpe to the Hall!

by Jon Tollerud on Feb 17, 2009 10:18 PM MST reply actions