I tried to post this as a comment to Dukes most recent blog entry regarding McDaniels, but it was too long so I'm posting it here.

Oh well, would have fallen on deaf ears anyway.

Mr. Dukes,

What is your vendetta against the Broncos? I have been keeping up with nearly all commentary regarding Denver and you seem to really have it out for McDaniels and the Broncos organization as a whole.

This off season has been hard for us Bronco fans and its almost as if you want to rub our faces in it. Losing Shanahan wasn't fun. Losing Cutler wasn't fun. The Marshall saga isn't fun. But most of us are optimistic - if only in a die hard fan kind of way - about the coming season.

But everything you say is negative. Literally everything. And I'm not saying losing a pro bowl QB and possibly a pro bowl WR is a good thing. It isn't. But lets really take a look at what happened this offseason:

1. We brought in Brian Dawkins.

Any person who watched a single Denver game more than likely saw some pretty terrible play at the safety position. This was partially due to a weak front seven and and passive defensive scheme, but we didn't have any true standouts at either FS or SS either.  Dawkins is a standout. He instantly brings a ferocity to our secondary and a leadership to the defense as a whole. He isn't a spring chicken, but he has a couple of good years left in him and what his presence means to our young safeties is immeasurable. I'd say this was a pretty solid move.

2. Hired Mike Nolan.

After the merry-go-round of Defensive Coordinators Denver has had over the last few years I firmly believe Nolan will be a mainstay for years to come. He's proven himself to be a tenacious leader and will continue to do so in Denver. He's also a pretty snappy dresser. But our flaccid defenses of the post 2006 era are over. With his scheme Denver will improve tremendously in a crucial stat: turnovers. Don't believe me? Look at the defensive players selected in the 2009 NFL Draft who will be wearing orange and blue this year - see if you can find a common theme.

3. Signed Buckhalter, Jordan, and Moreno.

9 RBs on the IR last season. Our run game still did well behind our amazing line. These guys are role players and will move the chains. While we might not be able to get by solely on Cutlers arm a balanced(!) offensive attack will score us more points.

4. Traded for Orton. And 1st round picks. And a third.

Orton is the big question mark for Denver this season. But you should REALLY give him the benefit of the doubt and I will tell you why. He played extremely well at Purdue in a spread offense (not unlike the system he's going into). He's playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. And yeah Cutlers mobility made the line better, but it didn't make the line. He is also surrounded by a much stronger receiving core - especially if Marshall stays. He doesn't have a cannon arm but just the elevation in Denver will make him a better QB. Not throwing into that Chicago wind is also a plus.

Is that enough reasons for you to at least give Orton a single snap before you write him off, Mr. Dukes?

5. Drafted McBath and Smith. Signed Hill, Davis, and Goodman.

It's pretty clear to me what the strategy for Denver's new look D is going to be - turnovers. We drafted ball hawks and we signed ball hawks. Our front seven may still be a gigantic question mark, but turnovers win games and the great part about them is that they can happen anywhere on the field. Granted this doesn't matter if teams are going to run all over us, but a more aggressive scheme and some new faces may take us from terrible to OK. And with an OK run D and a solid secondary last year we wouldn't be having this conversation.

You can still argue that these moves aren't great ones or that they weren't done right, but you can at least see my perspective and maybe, if only a very tiny bit, understand why I am optimistic about this season. And if you can at least give me that you can maybe even give McDaniels a tiny bit of credit too.Because, after all, McDaniels has put all this in motion. You can speculate as much as you want about the supposed disaster season awaiting us, but all I ask is for an even hand when covering teams, players, and coaches. You may be dead on, but then again you might not.

Thanks,
Christian L