I admit that I tend to look on the optomistic side, but with a strong dose of realism. I think you have some great points, but as with many cases involving human beings two people can look at the same event and walk away with totally different understandings of what just occurred.

I think the basis for most of the disagreements I’ve read today have had more to do with our perception of the past than our understanding of why Coach McD is doing what’s he’s doing.

A couple of examples of places where we disagree. I think Mike Shanahan is a great coach. I’m not sure I can agree with the designation of him as the greatest offensive mind in football. Averaging 9 wins a seaon for the last 10 years, with only 4 post season appearances and 1 play-off win, don’t do much to support that image. The fact that we scored on less than 50% of our drives last year also creates problems for me in giving him that accolade. Being the only the 16th team in scoring and one of the worst offenses in turning the ball over also gives me fits when it comes to saying we had a killer offense. We marched up and down the field but didn’t score the majority of the time.

Unlike many, I believe that we did draft for need this year, just not the needs that everyone thought we would. Our running game was terrible last year so bolstering it with running backs and another blocking tight end makes sense. Do we need to pursue a quarterback? Not necessarily, we have two on the roster who have led their teams to the playoffs with far fewer weapons than Denver already has in place.

Should we have addressed the d-line. Sure we should have, and the beauty of it is that we still can since we have multiple picks in the last 5 rounds. Plus we started to address it by bringing in a NT who’s already had experience working with DC Nolan. Yet, we also needed to address the fact that our secondary ranked dead last in take aways last season. We’ve addressed that.

Ultimately though, there is no way that we can say that we had a successful or a disastrous draft until we see how the players come together, how they’re used, and finally until we’ve played out the 2009 season.

about a lot of it. A couple of things I’ll respond to, since responding to everything would take me a long time and Day Two starts in just a few hours.

 I hated the McDaniels hiring because it seemed like Bowlen was trying to find Shanahan 2.0. So much of it didn’t make sense, but I figured I was just biased because Shanny is “My guy”.

I think you mentioning Hillis and Torain as viable options would be a stretch. Neither stayed healthy last year and we certainly don’t want that revolving door at RB happening again. They are talented players, but I don’t see either of them as being a stud. Solid depth and varying styles to add some versatility, but I think the Moreno pick was a good one as it solidified the position. The guys we brought in as FAs will duke it out for roster spots and the cream will rise.

I think it said a lot to me that Orakpo dropped past a number of 3-4 teams and was eventually picked up by Washington. Sometimes, that conversion from 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB/DE isn’t a pretty one, and it seems to me that teams were seeing him as a guy who wasn’t going to project positively in that kind of system and went with other players. I think he’s going to be solid in Washington, but not a star.

I think you’ve been far too hard on Ayers. Yes, he is small but it came out BEFORE we even drafted him that McDaniels wanted him to increase his playing weight from 270 range up to 285-290 area, which I think would shore up most of the size concerns. I think you calling him for being a one-year wonder is somewhat unfair because he was a solid rotational player for the Vols his junior season, who actually posted very similar numbers in his final two years in college.

I love the selection of Alphonso Smith, but I think giving up a first straight up for a second seems kind of crazy. That said, I think we might be okay getting away with it because we already have a first locked in for next year, so I don’t thinks it’s as large of a loss as it would be for a team with only one first to play with. From the sounds of it, the Broncos had given Smith a first round grade and they essentially used a first round pick on him but will pay him second round money. If he becomes an absolute stud for us, I doubt the frustration of this move will be around long.

You and I are in complete agreement about McBath and Quinn. I liked both players, but they were definite reaches imo and represented poor value. I like the Quinn pick more than the McBath pick because I think Quinn immediately becomes a red zone weapon and McBath at better players at his position still in front of him. Hopefully, McBath over William Moore turns out like Eddie Royal over DeSean Jackson did for us last season, but I’d really be surprised.

I think today was a solid day for the Broncos, but I think there are some very puzzling decisions that were made and I can only hope things turn out okay. If we just make the playoffs next season, I think the Smith trade turns out well. If it ends up being the 5th pick, well, oops.

All these posts dripping with pessimism.. Let it all out people!

Hopefully the front office will set up a 1-800# soon so we can all call in and tell them how they should be running their organization.

“I was stunned at first, but as more info came out and I considered the past, it made sense.”

I get the feeling that people that feel as you do right now wil be singing this same tune about the entire offseason soon enough. As I’ve said elsewhere before, our offense was middle of the pack last season. Forget the yards mark; games are won with points. And the defense, well, until we know who will play where and see them perform on the field, how do you know what we have and don’t have? Perhaps, as has been suggested before, many guys will blossom in the 3-4 where they struggled in the 4-3. McDaniels and Company have had the opportunity to put their guys through the paces and they obviously determined a few things: 1) they thought the guys the chose where better for the team than Orakpo at #12, Matthews at #18 and Maualuga/Brace/Gilbert/etc. in the 2nd round. You, in your infinite wisdom and experience in pro football might not agree because the scouting reports you read online or the video clips you saw on TV convinced you otherwise, but that’s why we’re fans and they’re running a professional football franchise. I’m not telling you to be psyched, but to be angry or disappointed is foolish. If you’d like, be dubious. Hell, I was about Eddie Royal, Ryan Harris and many others over the years. But I’ve learned my lesson: the NFL Draft is not an exact science and the people calling the shots often times have better information than I do. Personally, I like the prospects we got even if some think we reached to varying degrees for them. Actually, it appears that almost everyone likes the prospects we got and management feels they will all make an impact as rookies. Give it time, think about it some more and you’ll come around. I know you will. We all do, sooner or later.

please do rec this post — even if you don’t agree with me even a little, I think this is a great discussion that should be continued and read by all.

Doc, great well reasoned and rational take. I felt like writing something similar last night but I finished watching at around midnight (I DVRed the draft and watched it after the family was in bed) and probably couldn’t have matched your post anyway.

For what it is worth, I agree on all fronts. I obviously hope everything turns up roses with these picks (hard for me to imagine we’ll see value trading away our #1, but here’s hoping), but the trend we’ve seen this offseason is unmistakable.

I challenge ANYONE to make a legitimate argument that we are better off as a team (read: our immediate and long-term prospects are better) than we were following the chargers loss. All I ever hear in that vein is “McD has a plan” and “Mr. Bowlen knows what he’s doing” and “McD is a great offensive mind”. But nobody ever points to HOW we’ve improved other than to say we got rid of a recently unproductive (Super Bowl winning) coach and an immature (Pro Bowl) QB.

Honestly, at the end of last season I think most anyone would have been a "buyer" of the Broncos – great short and long-term prospects with its best years in front of it. How about now? Total flipping question mark. It is not out of the realm of possibility that we could be good, but I find it hard to believe any outsider would say that we’ve improved.

I swear that sometimes I feel like I’m in Jamestown watching in horror as Jim Jones passes out the Kool Aid.

You claim that your concerns revolve around near sighted decisions but I see the opposite. Most of your concerns stem from last year. We had an explosive offense, we had a bad front seven, so you are looking for fixes to that team. This is no longer that team. This is a team being built for a different plan and a different scheme for the future. These picks play to that plan not fixing what we saw last year.

We can’t say the front 7 will be as bad as they were last year because it isn’t the same front seven. The scheme is new, the players are new, and the players that aren’t new are being used in a new way. I think it is going to be very different from what we have seen.

Aside from that most of your offseason analysis has been addressed and rehashed numerous times on this website. I suggest you read back over the posts of Bear and HT and Styg and others to find the answers to those questions. Assuming that you want to know the answers.

Thanks fro your passion, and first and foremost, I believe that we are all passionate fans and want the Broncos to succeed.
I am not going to get into a debate, as we CLEARLY see things WAY differently.
I LOCE our off season, I am STOKED on our draft, and I think the hiring of McDaniels was a master stroke.
In the last 5 years (bar last years draft) I was SICK TO DEATH of Shanahan flushing the draft down the toilet, making CRAPPY decisons on FA and Draft picks.
His caoching ws uninspired as was his hiring of staff.
This year, it is refreshing having a definitive plan, and that our team has chosen guys that the fit the mold of what they are looking for.
We will agree to disagree, but discourse provides great discussion.
Thanks for the opinions, and lets remember to ALL support the team first and foremsot!

I just couldn’t force myself to sit down and revisit the traumatic events. I have a terrible feeling we’re going to draft John Parker Wilson in the next round.

I love the Moreno pick I feel in the last few years teams had no respect for our running game in the red zone. I would have loved to see what Cutler could have done with a RB like Moreno behind him.

I was very impressed with Ayers in the Senior Bowl. I thought he was clearly the best DL in that game. What worries me is that he only has 8 career sacks and if the plan is to play him inside he needs to get stronger 18 reps at 225 shows he needs to get into the weight room.

McDaniels has me scratching my head on his decision making. He’s going to have to earn my respect. Going into this season there are tons of question marks. I’m sure McDaniel’s has a plan but there are 31 other coaches that have a plan as well an who’s to say his is better than anyone else’s. The bottom line is that he must win and win now.

Is now really the time to be reasonable? Since when has the immediate aftermath of the draft been the time when reasonable assessment can be made about any team and its picks?

What I read here is you all getting emotional (depressed, angry, etc.) about your supposed “reasonable” analysis. The truth is, no matter how much insight you think you have about the players we drafted, or didn’t draft, history has shown that the strong majority of players drafted are not sure-fire anything. Any extreme response right now is not really called for — provisionalism is the only warranted response.

And I think this applies to early evaluations of McD & Xanders also. What’s clear here is that McD has his own interpretation of players’ values — including first and foremost QBs values. It’s not hard to connect the dots here and see how his experience with a no-name QB at the time — Cassel — and turning him into a highly valued QB, could reinforce McD’s idea that sheer talent is not the only factor in a QB’s success. What I mean is, McD saw something in Cassel when the rest of the NFL didn’t, and then proved that whatever he saw could in fact be developed into success.

McD’s unorthodox vision of talent and system is certainly on the line, and will eventually lead to his success or failure (or mediocrity). But regardless, to say that we all are in position to judge that vision without a game under his belt is pretty damn trigger-fingery. Calm down.

Y’all are trying to be “reasonable” without accurate premises to begin with. We cannot see what McD is working with right now, as far as what he sees. I’m certain that no analysis right now will prove accurate in the long run. The info we have is incomplete enough that “reason” is a hokey-pokey process. Truly reasonable people will conclude that they don’t have enough info.

I very much appreciate the well-reasoned positions you have, as well as the lack of name calling.

Thanks Dr.

thanks for the post, and letting me know i’m not the only one who is concerned about this offseason, as you summarized perfectly. put your hardhat on, it’s going to be a rough ride.

I clicked onto this post and almost didn’t read it after your disclaimer. I rolled my eyes that your post was going to be another doom and gloom, hate-filled rant. It was not, and I appreciate that.

I tend to trust the guys who are close to the situation, like the head coach. Regardless of what you think of him or his actions, none of us has the first-hand knowledge he does. That goes for the entire team working on this draft. They are the paid experts. And they have the information. I admit, I was beside myself, screaming at the TV when I saw Knowshon Moreno drafted. My biggest fear was that the Broncos would ignore the front 7. I was satisfied with Ayers. But what do I know? Just what I’ve read, and everyone has a different take. I trust the guys who have worked out the players, interviewed them, and get paid to analyze film about them.

That being said, I am glad I read your post. It was intelligent, well-stated, and your point-by-point support of your thesis makes a strong case. You may be right. We all hope you are not, but the fact is we will have to wait and see, because none of this can be proven until at LEAST after this season, and more likely after a few years.

In politics, it’s a good idea to question your government at times. In football, what can it hurt to question the regime? Who’s responsible to the fans anyway? All we can do is stop going to games, and McD is NOT the broncos, so no matter how bad or poorly coached, most of us will still be rooting for the orange and blue. When presented with the choice of being depressed for 6 months more, or being excited, I prefer excitement.

I thank you for your discourse, but I will not join you in doubt, just cautious optimism.

We can agree on one thing: GO BRONCOS!!!

at least the guy gives a pretty good interview. pretty well spoken and a good attitude. team first but not to a robotic extent. i like him.

What I’m seeing come out of all of this is well-reasoned statements from two sides who are in absolute agreement on where the problems lie, but have radically different perceptions of what the solutions to those problems should be.

Like many of you, I’ve gotten to live through years where the Broncos were down at the bottom of the heap. And through years where we were the best of the best. Now we stand on a brink where we could go either way.

I’m hoping for a rise while fearing a decline. Either way it’s going to be a wild, exciting ride as we all continue to discuss and debate.

Looks like we’ve added depth at a position Denver struggled with last year, OG, looks like we got a soldier in Seth Olsen just not sure about the scouting report on him

Lacks the deep kick-step and elite lateral quickness to handle the left tackle position, though he has experience there. May struggle on the outside at right tackle.

So where would he play best?

First and formost a great player. Second, and this seems to be lost on a lot of people, the FA secondary help are all 30 or over and were necessary to make the unit servicable now, so depth and a future for the unit are pretty important…especially if you want to keep your job for more than a couple of years. Primarily, though, Smith is a financial move, and it is very unrealistic to expect a team to have four unproven prospects getting first round guarantees on your roster (i.e. Four first rounders in two years). McX saw a player they love— a guy with a first round grade— filled a legitimate hole and did it for about half the money. I can respect the organization’s desire to be financially prudent.

Finally, as an aside, how can you bemoan future building in the same post that you predict that the Broncos gave up a Top 10 Pick? Maybe its time to acknowledge that outside of Broncofandome, there aren’t a lot of people predicting a deep playoff run for the 2010 Broncos no matter what they do/did in the 2009 draft. Unfortunately, the Broncos are not a player or two away from contention, and I’m glad to see a draft strategy that reflects that.

Can I just shout it out once more for a young, already hyper-criticized coach who has the guts to build a long term football team despite constant pressure to find ways to fit a square peg in a round hole. Even if this draft ultimately flops, Josh McDaniels has earned this fan’s respect the last two days.

I just made this comment at swg’s post—maybe it will answer some of your fears. I may be totally wrong—but maybe not.
.

I have a thought on our front seven. Maybe we have the players already—maybe the problems with the last two years was not players—maybe it was bad schemes and lack of direction.
.
I know I’ve said this before and it may be getting old but I think Carlton Powell may end up being a great NT. Lined up with Marcus Thomas we have two really great atheletes. Jarvis Moss gets a shot at LB with DJ, Woodyard, and Ayers That only leaves us one player short of a really great front seven.
.

.
If McDaniels and Nolan bring in a good scheme—our defense could really surprise us this year….Keep the faith brother.

.

Lots of people say fixing the front seven is a glaring need…or us ut fixing the play of the front seven at a price we can afford?

but I disagree.

we did somethings that needed to be done. sure we have a need in other areas but we spent a lot of money in FA to fill holes. this draft with filled need. do think Bailey is going to take a contract like moss did in two years? I doubt it Champ is worth every dollar he gets paid but he is gonna be expensive.