Shock of Shocks (an MSM writer speaks highly of Denver Players)

by Brian Shrout on Jun 25, 2009 11:32 AM MDT

Here's an interesting link to an article by Vic Carucci @ NFL.com who ranks his 10 ten rookies most likely to make an impact for their team this season.

Here's the link:

Top 10 rookies who should have an impact in 2009

What's surprising to me is that on this list, Carruci has not one, but two Denver rookies: Robert Ayers (#1) and Knowshon Moreno (#5).

He included a nice quote from Ayers:

"I feel like I'm ready to play wherever they ask me to play," defensive end Robert Ayers said shortly after the Denver Broncos made him the second of their two first-round picks.

and included these two comments about Ayers:

Most talent evaluators considered him the best outside linebacker prospect in the draft, even though he was only a one-year starter and had only nine career sacks at Tennessee. But Ayers is a remarkably talented and versatile athlete who can rush the passer, play the run, and drop into coverage.

Of Moreno, Carucci had this to say:

He looks to be an ideal fit for the scheme being installed by new coach Josh McDaniels. Although McDaniels runs a spread offense that utilizes short passes as an extension of the running game, he does seek balance from a strong ground attack. And he wants runners who are well versed in all aspects of the scheme. At Georgia, Moreno displayed excellent instincts when it came to picking the best openings created by the zone blocking the Bulldogs employed. Moreno also did a nice job of running routes and in pass protection, two other qualities that should help ensure he'll have a significant role as a rookie.

I'm not sure I can take the concept of respectful comments about Denver and it's players from an M(B)SM source. Just kidding, I know there are a few sources out there that have looked upon us kindly.

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

Carucci's consistently been an exception

Vic Carucci wasn’t one to pile on with the rest of the MSM yahoos who freaked out after the Cutler trade or whenever Denver made a move in the draft. He seems to have taken more than the usual 17 seconds of research to study the moves and provide some measurable analysis.

Unfortunately he has to share the set with the likes of Dukes, Deion, Waddle, Wilcotts, etc., so his voice never gets a chance to be heard.

by pshin8670 on Jun 25, 2009 12:10 PM MDT reply actions

thanks for providing a better perspective

I’ve not seen much of Carucci other than his occasional webpost. I was just really impressed that two of his top 10 were from Denver and that his #1 was Ayers. It was a welcome change.

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.

Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It

by Brian Shrout on Jun 25, 2009 12:14 PM MDT up reply actions

Yeah, Carucci had the Broncos as...

…one of three potential surprise teams in his last chat.

I am an idiot walking a tightrope of fortune and fame
I am an acrobat swinging trapezes through circles of flame
If you've never stared off in the distance, then your life is a shame
and though I'll never forget your face,
sometimes i can't remember my name.
--Counting Crows, "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby"

by PredominantlyOrange on Jun 25, 2009 1:13 PM MDT reply actions

cool, missed that one entirely

more power to carucci

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.

Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It

by Brian Shrout on Jun 25, 2009 1:17 PM MDT up reply actions

I put it up as a fan shot at the time.. ;-P

As Pshin says it seems he takes a bit more time over his research than some of his colleagues.. cough Wilcots cough

I tried to get a question answered on his fan chat about why his perspective differs from his colleagues on the broncos and why they are all so negative about them.. He didn’t reply.

by HorseStance on Jun 26, 2009 2:15 AM MDT up reply actions

Coincidence or Planning?

At Georgia, Moreno displayed excellent instincts when it came to picking the best openings created by the zone blocking the Bulldogs employed. Moreno also did a nice job of running routes and in pass protection,

I know this has been mentioned before – but, is it coincidence, or planning that McDaniels (or Bobby Turner) saw the immediate fit of Moreno into the Bronco’s Zone Blocking scheme? I don’t think Moreno will be down the RB depth chart for long.

Is it coincidence or Planning that Orton ran a Spread offense at Purdue – similar to McDaniels?

Broncos Training Camp First Practice July 30th – 35 DAYS TO GO – LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN :-)

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also DREAM; not only plan, but also BELIEVE.

by Broncobh on Jun 25, 2009 1:35 PM MDT reply actions

can we please speed time up?

LOL

I feel like we’re all like that lady in the Mervyn’s commercial standing outside the store saying “Open, Open, Open”

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.

Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It

by Brian Shrout on Jun 25, 2009 1:38 PM MDT up reply actions

Where did you see the training camp date :) ?

Bleeding Orange & Blue in The Netherlands

by BroncosNL on Jun 25, 2009 1:47 PM MDT up reply actions

ESPN (horrors)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4199251

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also DREAM; not only plan, but also BELIEVE.

by Broncobh on Jun 25, 2009 1:54 PM MDT up reply actions

I don't know how exact Georgia's versino of the ZB is

But it was pretty obvious that Turner must have been happy with getting Knowshon. Frankly, that was all I needed to know about the draft pick – SWG noted several reasons that few 1st round picks suit our specific scheme (and yes, it will change some this year, but the Turner/Dennison connections remains intact), so to have a talent like Moreno’s fit well enough to use a #12 pick has me as giddy as when I’m chomping down on a fermented bee hive. Having 2 of the top 5 ‘surprises’ wouldn’t even surprise me – I’ve forgotten the author, but another writer suggested Alphonso Smith for another of the top ten rookies last week. The Crucible will arrive next month and I’m as eager as you get to watch the process of purification of the team.

The Purdue version of the spread was fairly different in several respects from what we’ve seen so far of the McDaniels (which, aside from Ne England, isn’t much). I’m mostly thinking in regards to the use of the horizontal spread being added to the (predominantly) vertical spread that was being used by Purdue, but there was another strength to that offense that Orton brings to Denver. He was frequently called on to audible and to dissect the defense. He was very good at it in college, at Chicago over the past two years and should have it as a strength this season.

Hillis/Moreno in '09

by Doc Bear on Jun 25, 2009 2:14 PM MDT up reply actions

PLANNING...and you can bet the house on it!

Those that cant coach, compete!
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
All I want is 53 Rod Smiths. Is that asking too much????
"Peyton Hillis didn’t rip the sleeves off his jersey, they flew off out of fear."
Calijoefornia.

by boydy2669 on Jun 25, 2009 8:29 PM MDT up reply actions

Thanks for the extrapolation

I will be real happy if Orton can just make good on field decisions!!

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also DREAM; not only plan, but also BELIEVE.

by Broncobh on Jun 25, 2009 2:37 PM MDT reply actions

totally

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.

Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It

by Brian Shrout on Jun 25, 2009 3:03 PM MDT up reply actions

It looks like

Vic is trying to start a trend. Since their sources of negative reporting are getting anorexic, now they will try reporting good news. Ya Think?…… NOT!

"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left." – Yogi Berra

by KaptainKirk on Jun 26, 2009 7:45 AM MDT reply actions

As mentioned Vic

is one the better MSM sports writers out there. While I don’t always agree with him, I do respect that he is trying to be fair and unbiased. His plus is his thoughts are his own as I don’t think I’ve ever seen him follow what others are saying in his writings. Seems to be a man of integrity.

by bchiper on Jun 26, 2009 8:45 AM MDT reply actions

Call me Don Quixoti..

…because I may be chasing windmills here, but I think I’m seeing a trend that supports my general idea that the flavor of the ‘MSM’ is managment driven and not entirely the fault of the individual writers or pundits. The best local evidence I have is this mailbag entry from Mike Klis. Note his logical, fair and rational response to Walter Friend’s desire to burn his tickets. Compare that to all his strident reporting between February and that Mail Bag response. They don’t match up. It could be an isolated epiphany by Klis. It could be coincidence, or it could be that the Mail Bag is hands off to anybody other than copy editors and thus we get to see what he really thinks. I don’t know.

Carruci, in the above referenced chat, again displays at least an awareness that good things are possible in Denver. Again, it happens in a spontaneous medium away from the influence and eyes of a producer. I don’t have the time to research everything Curruci has said in the last few weeks, but my memory and gut tells me that anything positive about the Broncos is a new development with him. I could be wrong, off course, but again: why are some of these guys all over the place on the Broncos issue?

I know I’ve exchanged Emails with Krieger and he seems like a decent, nice, thoughtful guy. Klis strikes me the same way. I’ve met Paige a couple of times in non-sports settings. He is truly a good guy. Most of them are.

I just think the individual reporter is working under condition different than what we and they are accustomed to. Paige, interestingly, disputed this emphatically to me via an Email…but what is going to say?

I think the days of Woodward and Bernstein are largely over, and the autonomy of the individual reporter isn’t what it should be. My jones is more against the industry than the guys on the front line….

by PredominantlyOrange on Jun 26, 2009 9:17 AM MDT reply actions

I am a fan of Klis

the cutler saga notwithstanding. Also go look at his writing before this offseason. I think he is relatively fair and objective, but he is generally new to the Broncos beat, having covered the rockies for something like 15 years.

I used to think people had Klis and Kiszla confused when they were bashing Klis. BUt the Cutler saga really seemed to be out of character for him, and some of the criticism semed warranted.

There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.

by Jeremy Bolander on Jun 26, 2009 12:00 PM MDT up reply actions