Jabar Gaffney getting the big nod in your poll. ;-)

Great stepping off point for discussion. Just read today the Torain ran windsprints with the team yesterday. Yet another RB in the mix.

Just to clarify, are you suggesting that Marcus Thomas is going to be an NT or bust? I’d like to hear your insights on whether competing for starting NT would preclude him moving to DE if someone else is the starter.

It is fun to speculate, no? The biggest questions for me are around the front 7. I’m rather hopeful that we’ll feed a good group and love the competition we have there, but I am very unclear who will win out. I suspect Fields at NT and the two ILBs you identified above make a lot of sense, but outside of those I struggle. Like Chibronx above, I wonder what will happen to Thomas and Powell if Fields wins the starting NT job. And Ayers is a question, of course. Tough to figure out! : )

I wonder if Marcus Thomas would be better suited or more effective not playing the nose. He seems to have all the athletic ability in the world. I feel it would be wasted playing in the nose spot. Correct me if I’m wrong but, doesn’t the NT just plug the middle and take up 2 guys (ideally)?

i hate to bring this up AGAIN, but DE still looks weak. i like ayers’ potential, but he seems small for a 3-4 end. (could be wrong on that—i’m just going on eyeballing). i like peterson too, but he’s not what i what i’d call “premier”, and other than that there’s not much exciting there. are we in big trouble here?

btw thanks HT! recd.

so maybe the depth chart doesn’t matter quite as much there.

I don’t know much about him other than he’s not a good Fantasy pick and has a funny name. He does have more seniority and experience with McD. I’m really waiting on Chad to step up his game and crack the rotation. My only concern with McKinley is his injury history. Thanks for the starting point for discussion HT.
Your choices look about right for this point in the year. I AM concerned about the recent speculation of Casey Weigman (sp?) wanting a new contract extension. Yes, he should get a pay raise after filling in admirably after Nalen retired. How many more years does he have after 14 seasons? It does not look like he would hold out, but I’m hoping that the issues get resolved. If not, the question becomes; is K Lich ready to start?
I really like the quality depth that is developing on our team as it bodes well for long term success.

He’s already proven himself a number of times on the field. I’ll take a proven talent over an unproven talent anyday (unless it’s a top flight sure thing pick). Also, when I say “proven” I mean it in the sense of the role Gaffney would play as a number four receiver. Come on, 438 yards a season and maybe two TDs here or there? That’s number four numbers. Besides, the more acclimated and experienced people the new QBs have to start out with, the better (I know they’re not “new” QBs in a rookie sense, but I’m sure you can get the point).

Nice post as always HT. Not only do you know how to inform readers in expert fashion, you can also stir up the debate and speculation.

Our offense is going to be deadly!!!!!!!

We have to wait and see, here, I am afraid. Casey has said that he wants a new deal. He could potentially retire. In the event that this does happen, we would have to go with Kory.

Good read:

I would have liked to see the author make a few guesses as to some of the final cut downs. Is Crowder or Moss or Jack Williams or Barrett likely to be cut? Any surprise vet cuts?

Would we carry six WRs or six RB/FBs

How many D-linemen does he think we’ll have on the roster?

How many LBs?

Any rookie FAs making the team?

Side note: Denver is loaded at WR, TE, has a top pass blocking O-line, Hillis and a blue chip RB. We even have depth at all the skill positions on offense. Even if Orton is just decent, this offense better be a Top 10 unit throughout the season.

With McD planning on 3 TE formations, you’ve got to have a spare. If that means just 5 wide receivers, so be it, with either McKinley or Jackson hopefully making it past waivers to the PS.

I thinkwe will likely sign another WR after the final cuts or someone else will emerge, just a hunch. As for Ayers, I see him being a rush LB primarily and maybe getting moved around the defense like Mecklenberg did early in his career. I could see him playing NT on passing downs where they try to exploit him one on one against a center like the Cardinals did with Dockett in the Super Bowl. Unless Schef gets injured, I don’t see Putzier making this team, I can’t see them cutting or putting a second round draft choice on the PS, and I don’t see them keeping more than three TE on the active roster. I m not sure Olsen will make the active roster, I could see him being on the PS for a year.

HoosierTeacher, like you said ‘let the debate start’
I really think the O is set so my energy is spent on D.
My first issue is that you did not include ANY CFA’s. They are not that good in your opinion? Maybe since you left out many players, you excluded the practice squad on purpose.
IMO they keep 6 DL and Coach Nunnely rotates them all; McBean, Fields, Peterson, Powell, Thomas, and Baker/Pedescleaux loser to the PS.
IMO they keep 8 LB’ers; Dumervil, DJWilliams, ADavis, Ayers, Larsen, Woodyard, Reid, Moss/RDavis. Lee Robinson to PS. Boss to IR or cut.
IMO they keep 5 CB and safeties; Bailey, Goodman, Phonze, JWilliams and Bell. Carter and Johnson to PS. Dawkins, Hill, Barrett, McBath, Bruton.

Greg Ellis is a ‘rush’ OLB. Denver already has two VERY promising players at that position, Doom and Ayers.

This got me very excited for AUG. It’s gaffney at the number 4. Coach loves him and he already understands the system.

Some interesting cuts are going to be needed at the WR position. Look for a shake up, I wouldn’t be suprised if we see a lot of -

Marshall and Gafney with Royal in the slot…

I love Stokely, love what he brings, his 3rd down awareness, etc…but it’s a numbers game and he is probably not in the long term plans due to his age and concussion history so…I’m not making a bold prediction but wouldn’t be suprised is Stokely is a surpise cut.

QB – Orton, Simms. I think TB might have to cool it on the PS
RB – Moreno, Buckhalter/Jordan, Torain. By the end of training camp, either Buck or Jordan will be cut.
FB – Hillis, possibly Jordan. We might even stash Quinn as a FB/TE, like KC used to have.
WR – Marshall, Royal, Stokley, Gaffney, Jackson, and McKinley. There’s enough room, and if not, McKinley goes to PS.
TE – Graham, Scheffler, and Quinn. Putzier gets the axe at the first roster cuts.
OT – Clady, Harris, and Polumbus. Gorin is also a “maybe”
OG – Hamilton, Kuper, Olsen, and Erickson. Might have KLich as a BU
C – Weigmann, and KLich. I think Schleuter goes to PS
DE – Ayers, Thomas, Peterson, Crowder/McBean, Pedescleaux, and Powell. Thats a man-sized rotation! Rulon Davis to PS
NT – Fields, Baker, and Parker. Thomas and Powell slide in on passing downs
OLB – Dumervil, Bailey/Moss, Reid, Barrett, and Crowder. I still have faith in Crowder
ILB – DJ, A. Davis, WW, Larsen, and Robinson. Haggan might make it as well

When I look at our defensive talent… I sure hope Nolan gets them playing well together, they’re not going to scare anybody individually.
Our OLBs scare me. They could be really good or really bad! Anybody got a feel for how they’ve looked in camp? Boss’s health?
I’d like to see how we’re using Champ this year. Hopefully he used as the shut down corner he is, not the half cover, half cheat run stopper he’s been the last few years! I don’t care how well he sniffs out and stops the run (really well!), he’s been burnt far too many times in that mode.

Wow, gotta be excited about our offense! If we can get smart production out of the QB position and our line learns to run block? …An average defense has us competing for the division.

Oh yeah, special teams were horrible last year, it could be argued that they cost us two games. I like our new coach there but the kicker… he better be working hard this off season!

It’s also worth noting that for 08, we have:

Cutler :INT% – 2.92, Sack% 1.75

Orton: INT% 2.58, Sack% 5.79

With a lousy O line a poor overall receivers Orton still had less INTs by percentage. With a very good O line and excellent receivers, Cutler throws more. Then there are red zone and 2 minute drill numbers and Cutler looks even worse. He’s got a lot of natural talent, but he needs to learn to become an NFL quarterback. Orton has had a bad rap.

As far as kickers go – very few ever move from college to the pros without having problems with fatigue and injury later in their first year. Read Fatsis’ book on kicking and you’ll find that what most folks believe is simply wrong. The repetitive nature of the kicker’s job is hell on the human body. What am I, some kind of doctor? Yes

Figuring out who will be where on the depth chart will quite interesting and entertaining as well. I think the fact that we have a new HC and DC who will implement a whole new system along with going to a 3-4, will definatly help the players for the better. Competition always brings out the best in everyone. Not a lot of players are locks for their postition so this will show us what we have and how bad they want it.

Nice topic. I have no idea what’ll happen on the d-line. Too many bodies about whom I know nothing. But I’m not going to let that stop me. I see Fields at NT with Powell backing him up, Thomas and Peterson at RDE, Powell and Ayers at LDE. Clemons is gone, Crowder and McBean are on the bubble, but I think Crowder beats him out for second or third string LDE.

I see DJ at RILB and WW at LILB, with Andra Davis and Larsen the backups. At LOLB Reid and Ayers, with Boss on the bubble, at ROLB Dumervil and Moss, maybe also Barrett. I think lots of players on the front 7 will see the field as part of a regular rotation and/or in various situational packages. I think the coaches will try to keep Bailey, Dawkins, DJ and WW on the field as much as possible, especially in critical situations, as they’re all playmakers. Ayers will probably gain that status as he gains experience. With the emergence of WW, the acquisition of Dawkins and the drafting of Ayers the defense suddenly has a lot of big play guys, and with Nolan’s coaching this unit might turn out to be opportunistic and surprisingly effective.

The secondary is more settled, with Dawkins and Hill the starters at FS and SS and McBath and Barrett, respectively, as the backups. I think Fox is gone and that Bruton will likely end up on the practice squad. At CB Champ and Goodman, with Smith as the nickle back and Bell as the dime.

At RB pencil in Moreno, Hillis, Buckhalter, Torain, Larsen and maybe Jordan, depending on whether we go with five or six backs. Larsen is the starting FB with Hillis the backup, Moreno is the starting RB. As with the d-line I think the terms starter and backup are nominal, as all will see significant playing time. I think Moreno and Hillis might often be on the field together on third downs, and I think we’ll see a lot of Hillis in the fourth quarter when we’re protecting leads. We might see more of Moreno if we’re trying to come from behind. I think Buckhalter and Torain will get snaps but will mainly provide depth, giving guys who get dinged up a chance to heal without the offense missing a beat. Jordan might beat out Torain if McDaniels wants a backup power back in addition to having Buckhalter as the backup speed back.

I expect Orton to be the QB after a surprisingly stern challenge from Simms. The o-line and receiver corps are pretty unproblematic, so I don’t have anything to add except that, like most, I expect Gaffney to be number 4.

I just shot coffee through my nose…LOL

So sad but true. :(

I just wish I could watch all team activities and see these guys fight for the job.

It really seems to be the key to being more than just an average defensive team.

Thanks for the post, and as always, I have expanded my X’s and O’s awareness from one of your articles!