2009 Denver Broncos -- Breaking Down The Roster -- Offensive Tackles
by Ted Bartlett on Jul 24, 2009 11:30 AM MDT
in 2009 Denver Broncos Season Preview
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PrintI commented last week on my breakdown of the Cornerback position that I was lucky to have drawn a position that Broncos fans can clearly feel very positive about. The offensive tackle position is in even better shape, and actually, is the strength of the team. Expect more great offensive-line play in 2009, and it will start from the outside.
During last year's reloading season, I spent a fair bit of effort in writing about the offensive line, which, at the end of 2007, was pretty lousy. Here and here I talked about my concerns, and why I advocated the selection of a Tackle in the first round in 2008 (which ultimately came to fruition with the selection of Ryan Clady.)
In 2008, the Broncos line was terrific, and it was the OT position which led the way. After the jump, we'll discuss the individual players at the position, and the prospects for further improvement in 2009.
Ryan Clady
#78 / Left Offensive Tackle / Denver Broncos
6-6
325
Sep 06, 1986
Boise State
Contract: 7/25/2008: Signed a six-year, $14.75 million contract. The deal includes $11.415 million guaranteed. Another $2.55 million is available through incentives. 2009: $2,141,250, 2010: $2,569,500, 2011: $2,997,750, 2012: $1.994 million (Voidable Year), 2013: Free Agent
You have to love it when the team gets it right, even if you personally had it wrong. I am hoping that is the case with Knowshon Moreno this season, as I didn't personally advocate for that choice, or love it when it happened. if you think back to March and April 2008, people on this site were HOT for Chris Williams and Earl Bennett from Vanderbilt. Both were drafted by Chicago, and both did absolutely nothing as rookies. The Broncos got Ryan Clady and Eddie Royal, who were two of the top 5 rookies in the NFL.
The best rookie in the NFL last season, to be clear, was Ryan Clady. He was the best offensive lineman in the NFL at age 22, and there is every reason to expect that he will continue to improve. Just to be clear, though, the degree of success which Ryan had in his first season, as a Left Tackle on a right-handed team, was essentially unprecedented. Joe Thomas was good the year before, and Jake Long and Jeff Otah were also good in 2008 (Otah on the right side), but none approached the two-way dominance of Clady.
At 6-6, 325 pounds, Clady has the foot quickness of a man who is 100 pounds lighter. He also has very long arms. He allowed one half of a sack in more than 600 drop-backs, which is incredible. The one stumble he did have was against the outstanding Richard Seymour, and he just got his feet tangled up on the play. You'll take that happening one in 600 times.
The thing that really sets Ryan apart from other good pass-blocking LTs is that he is also an elite run-blocker. Broncos fans will remember how devastating those runs around left end were last season, with Brandon Marshall cracking back on a DE, and Clady out in front hitting a CB. Offensive linemen don't consistently hit CBs (only Anthony Munoz ever did), and Ryan Clady did it all the time in 2008.
For this season, expect improvement from Ryan Clady, and expect him to get a lot of media attention when he dominates DeMarcus Ware in Week 4 on FOX, which will almost certainly be nationally televised, and called by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Well, on second thought, neither of them would notice Ryan, so I may be reconsidering this. In any case, don't expect Ryan to be snubbed from the Pro Bowl again, or from first-team All-Pro recognition. He's on his way to Canton in about 15-18 years, if he can have a healthy career, because he has the greatest natural skill set the NFL has ever seen in a LT.
Ryan Harris
#74 / Right Offensive Tackle / Denver Broncos
6-5
300
Mar 11, 1985
Notre Dame
Contract: 7/25/2007: Signed a four-year, $2.75 million contract. The deal included an $805,000 signing bonus. 2009: $460,000, 2010: $550,000, 2011: Free Agent
I linked to something I wrote in April 2008, where I expressed that I wasn't too encouraged about Ryan Harris's prospects to become a starter. I was basing that on an absence of praise from Mike Shanahan, rather than anything I saw on the field, since he didn't play any offense in his rookie season in 2007.
It turns out, Harris was one of the best RTs in the NFL, and was certainly the best in pass protection. He was charged with giving up 2.5 sacks, which was tied for 6th in the NFL. If you take away the Cutler fumble/non-fumble against San Diego, which had absolutely nothing to do with Harris, he's tied for first with Ryan Diem, Jon Stinchcomb, and Ray Willis. He was named All-Pro by SI.com, with only Peter King voting, and based upon a recommendation from Mike Shanahan.
Harris is very cost-effective right now, but he's going to cost a bunch of money in an extension a year from now. He is definitely good enough to play LT somewhere else, and the Broncos will have to pay for that quality. In 2009, expect Ryan to deserve to go to the Pro Bowl, but not to get there, as RTs tend to struggle to make it. He'll always suffer for recognition with Clady on the left side, but he deserves to be known for how outstanding he is.
Tyler Polumbus
#76 / Offensive Tackle / Denver Broncos
6-8
310
Apr 10, 1985
Colorado
Contract: 4/29/2008: Signed a three-year, $1.177 million contract. The deal included a $22,000 signing bonus. 2009: $385,000, 2010: $475,000, 2011: Restricted Free Agent
Tyler Polumbus is a local guy from Colorado University, who acquitted himself well on offense in the preseason, and on special teams during the regular season. He is also very cost-effective, and I feel pretty comfortable with him as the primary backup to both Tackle positions. It remains to be seen if he could handle the best pass-rushers in the NFL one-on-one, but I think he could handle the job with a reasonable amount of help.
Brandon Gorin
#77 / Offensive Tackle / Denver Broncos
6-6
308
Jul 17, 1978
Purdue
Contract: Undisclosed
The Broncos signed Brandon Gorin in April to compete for a backup job. Gorin is a decent veteran role player, and could make the team, given his time with New England, and familiarity with Josh McDaniels. He has been a backup on some bad teams in San Diego, Arizona and St. Louis, and you clearly wouldn't want Gorin starting a lot of games.
Others
Stanley Bryant signed as a college free agent from East Carolina, and will probably compete for a spot on the practice squad. Clint Oldenburg is a third-year player from Colorado State, who was originally drafted by New England and saw action in two games for the Jets in 2007. Don't expect either to make a big impact on the field in 2009.
Position Outlook
The Broncos should field the best set of OTs in the NFL in 2009, a fair bit ahead of Tennessee (Roos/Stewart) and Miami (Long/Carey). Really, anything less than that would be disappointing. Michael Lombardi has said that he believes staying healthy is a skill for O-linemen, and if Ryan and Ryan can show that skill, the quality at the Tackle position will be a major factor in the Broncos' over-performance of 2009 media expectations.
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Denver has the best starting OTs in the NFL and they are 23 and 24 years old. Heck, Clady may be the next Walter Jones. We went from starting a drugged out junkie (Matt Lepsis) to the best young OT in football. I’d say the 2008 draft was pretty good to Denver.
Our O-line should be a dominate unit for the next decade.
If nothing goes wrong with our O-Line,
we should be in position to compete for several Super Bowls the next 8-10 years! Our QB has every time he needs and our RBs will run all over every opponent!
Great write-up Ted, thanks and (as always) rec’d!
I agree with McGeorge that we have the two best OTs in the NFL.
I will also agree that their youth makes our OL a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
Some folks may be bored at the prospect of taking an OLman so high in a draft, but Clady’s the proof that it is a good move. Orton will have the protection he needs, and Moreno will be able to see daylight when he runs. These OLmen make our running and passing games better, and they deserve a lot more notice than they get.
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
Truth be told, while Clady and Harris vastly exceeded all expectations for pass blocking in 2008, they both have a ways to go in the run blocking department. Fortunately, both possess the talent and upside to get significantly better, which is scary (scary good for us).
There is NO better reason to like Denver’s chances moving forward (not even our great young WRs) than what we have for starting OTs.
I'm interested to hear the arguments...
Ted calls Clady “an elite run blocker,” while McGeorge insists he was something significantly less.
What’s the metric? Who is correct? Why?
I am not in the arguing business, I am in the "saying what I think" business
And, I get my information from my eyes, which is pretty much my mantra as a football analyst. That being said, this is from ESPN’s Football Outsiders list of the top 10 most indispensable players (Clady was ranked 5th)
5. Ryan Clady, LT, Broncos
Like Roos, Clady also allowed only a single sack despite playing left tackle all season. Unlike Roos, though, Clady was an elite run-blocker. Denver was the best team in the league running to left end and fifth-best running at left tackle. While Marcus McNeill and Joe Thomas have both impressed as rookies before struggling as sophomores, Clady was better than either as a rookie. Backup Brandon Gorin is strictly for show.
While I am not that much of a stats guy, those are metrics which support what I am saying. Really, though, seeing what I see is enough.
"I am not one of those who think that coming in second or third is winning." -- Robert F. Kennedy
by Ted Bartlett on Jul 25, 2009 7:35 AM MDT up reply actions
All I know...
…is that I saw a lot of evidence that he is a very effective run blocker. Of course he’s going to lose some battles over the course of a game, but his oppoenent is usually paid for a reason too.
The thing about Clady that is amazing is this: In most of the preseason publications before his Jr year at Boise State he was regarded as either the best or second best prospect in all of college football. He was talked about in a way that predicted his rookie season. He was rare. But then the scrutiny and his alma mater caught up with him and over the course of that final season he all the sudden become weak, soft and a bad run blocker. Despite all evidence to the contrary, some people insist on keeping him in that box. The guy is absolutely devestating on the move, and I have never seen a OLine men play with such violence and precision in space. Winning all the mauling, man up battles will come with experience, confidence, and improved technique.
I say let the kid’s phenomenal play speak for its self. Any improvement in any aspect in his game at this point is gravy.
There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-- that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
-- Herbert Spencer
by PredominantlyOrange on Jul 25, 2009 7:53 AM MDT up reply actions
Teams that dominate
Although often overlooked, games are often won by the team that controls the line of scrimmage offensively and defensively. Possessing a dominant offensive line is a huge factor on whether a game is won or lost. We have that advantage on the offensive side and hopefully we can be at least average on the defensive side and we will win games. I foresee an 8 and 8 finish with mostly positives taken from this season and a playoff birth in 2010. We must stay healthy in the trenches of course.
by T.Dot_Bronco on Jul 24, 2009 2:16 PM MDT up reply actions
We agree there.
I think we finish around 8-8, and see a massive improvement going into ’10.
My goal this year for the team is improved play, regardless of record. I’m very excited about seeing better scheming, motivation, and effort this year.
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jul 25, 2009 9:58 PM MDT up reply actions
Thanks
As I watched Clady repeatedly kick out and devastate on sweeps and generally maul people in the running game all last year, I got to thinking that it must be my imagination. All these people keep talking about how he isn’t a good run blocker, I thought. Everybody, it seems— including other Bronco fans— keeps saying he has a lot of work to do on his run blocking. I eventually concluded that their must be something I don’t get, because all you ever hear about Clady…great pass protection, needs a lot of work as a run blocker.
Thank you for making me feel less crazy. I knew the actual footage couldn’t lie. But I wondered….
There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-- that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
-- Herbert Spencer
by PredominantlyOrange on Jul 24, 2009 1:53 PM MDT reply actions
No, he's better at that than anybody
You aren’t crazy. This whole “he needs work on run blocking” thing is left over from a misevaluation of him as a draft prospect. When he put on the pads and lined up, he was outstanding in the running game every week.
"I am not one of those who think that coming in second or third is winning." -- Robert F. Kennedy
by Ted Bartlett on Jul 24, 2009 1:56 PM MDT up reply actions
I disagree. While Clady is a good run blocker, which is expected from a player rated among the best LTs in the NFL, he got pushed/shifted into the RB or his running lanes on several occasions. He was also nailed for a few holding calls on running plays. I don’t remember many holding calls on passing downs. He has all the tools to be a great run blocker, but you guys are either forgetting or failing to notice some of his running game miscues from 2008. Our O-line’s play in the red zone was no small factor in our inability to put up more red zone TDs in 2008.
I image with a little more experience, he’ll be among the best run blocking OTs in the NFL. IMO, he is already the best pass blocking LT (0.5 sacks allowed as a rookie on a team that threw the ball a million times helps prove that out).
you must be thinking of someone else
Clady had 3 penalties called against him all season, and only one of those was a holding call, and it was on a passing play. His other peanlty was a false start in week 1, and I am loathe to consider his illegal formation penalty his fault (Eddie Royal lined up one step off the line on Clady’s hip in week 2, but because the player on the end of the line is required to be in position it was Clady that called, even though Eddie made the mistake that time.
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on Jul 24, 2009 3:06 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Clady as a run blocker
Clady is not as dominant as a run blocker as he is a pass blocker, but that is speaking more to his unbelievable pass blocking skills, rather than a knock on his run blocking. I agree with you in that I think he will improve in this area but even in his rookie year, Clady was devestating as a run blocker. I was a LT in high school and I often key on that position (for as long as the camera will allow anyway).
I also think that the play calling was much more of a detriment in the red zone than our o line play. We simply abandoned the run once we got in the red zone and many of JC’s INT’s came in that area of the field. Most likely b/c teams had watched our film and knew we would go pass only once we hit the red zone. Bates was predictable as a play-caller IMO.
People can use statistics to prove anything, 87% of all people know that.
Great news for us
Well Done Ted. That must have been exciting, watching video of Clady making “pancakes” on those CB’s.
13-3 Baby!
"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
"No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."
Great piece & rec'd
You definately did draw well Ted! Thanks for breaking down these parts of the roster for us.
People can use statistics to prove anything, 87% of all people know that.
Having spent my school-years in Boise...I knew about Clady and loved the pick...and very happy that I was right.
Now that I’ve researched Moreno I hope I am even more wrong as to what I thought when we went RB instead of defense.
Our offensive line, at least in my opinion, is set for years.
I’m really more excited about going 3-4 on defense and can hardly waite for news from camp. Its just a few days away.
Guardian of the Gate to La La Land!
Gonsoulin, Taylor, Little, Wright, Gradishar, Atwater, Davis, and Sharpe...
Why are they not in the Hall...I just don't understand.
Hey mike, you went to school in Boise?
Wow, me too. That’s one of the reasons I have a picture of Clady’s hulking self on my posts. It’s been privilege to watch a BSU kid become one of the most dominating forces in the NFL. Through all the scouting reports I’ve read for the upcoming season, it’s amazing how many people already list Clady as one of the top RT’s in the league, and how many more are predicting for him to be one of the best all time. The snubs for the Pro Bowl were egregious, no question, but there are a lot of people in the MSM who are on his side. Can’t wait to see more from him.
lots of bigblue fans here at MHR
I didn’t go to school in Boise exactly (caldwell), bu we were just down the road and didnt really have a team to root for, so BSU it was!!
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on Jul 24, 2009 9:52 PM MDT up reply actions
Just a thought
Wasn’t it a (much) younger, (much) wiser al davis (notice the lack of capitals indicating the level of respect) who used to talk about bookend tackles and cornerbacks as the best foundation for building a winning team?
The Broncos Priestess doesn’t know if there is a scientific formula to creating a good team, but it seems like we could be a whole lot worse off.
Let the season begin!
"People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society." - Vince Lombardi
by broncospriestess on Jul 24, 2009 3:29 PM MDT reply actions
Amen
"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
"No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."
Awesome bookends for and offensive line
The thing going into last season was that I knew a lot about Clady because of all the draft stuff on TV and never really know anything about Harris. The both of them really played outstanding last year combining for 3 sack allowed. Nice to have those guys protecting the outside rushers.
The NFL world, whether they like it or not and this means all you guys over at ESPN, are going to have to talk about Ryan & Ryan.
GO BRONCOS IN 2009 AND BEYOND!!
2009 NBA Champions L.A Lakers
2009 NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant
I'm going to be a bit controversial here...
I think Ryan/Ryan are great young tackles and their overall play will be even better this year after a year’s experience. However, I think the sack totals are going to increase this year.
I’m not a Cutler apologists, but I think his play had a lot to do with the low number of sacks last year.
First, Cutler has great mobility to be able to avoid sacks. Orton won’t be able to match that. (He’s going to need this in Chicago… but that’s another story).
Second, much as Cutler frustrated us with his bad decisions, he is decisive. He gets the ball out quickly. He doesn’t doddle in the pocket like a Brian Griese would. How many sacks would the line give up if BG had been the QB?
Third, we know Cutler would rather throw into coverage than dump the ball or take a sack. I think Orton will have better sense and will eat the ball when necessary.
So, while the line will be better, I don’t think that will be reflected in the most obvious stat: sacks.
by BuckarooBanzai on Jul 24, 2009 11:23 PM MDT reply actions
very much agreed
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on Jul 25, 2009 12:20 AM MDT up reply actions
The argument could be made that a better decision maker at qb will also help in sack totals.
When Cutler was locked so often on his target pressure knew where to come from forcing him out. If Orton has the ability to manage the pocket provided by our aweseome line and the quickness to move deciseively to the better target I have to believe he’s got as good a chance at staying clean as Cutler did rolling out with the target advertised to anybody willing to take a look.
Life happens as it does to facilitate connection to your greatest potential.
by azmilehiheart on Jul 25, 2009 1:04 AM MDT up reply actions
A reasonable assumption
The question is, how many more sacks? Cutler was able to see and avoid rushers because he wasn’t so totally focussed on going through his progressions and finding the open man. Tracking one receiver and deciding when to pull the trigger demands a less exclusive focus than jumping from receiver to receiver to see if anyone’s open. All too often for Orton in Chicago nobody was, resulting in a checkdown or sack. With McDaniels’ training Orton will make quicker decisions, with Denver’s line he’ll have more time to make them, and with Denver’s receivers he’ll more often have an open man to throw to. Having more than one skilled receiver on the field at a time was a wasted advantage for Cutler, who saw only his primary, but one that Orton will take full advantage of. I think you’re right that Orton will take more sacks, because he’s more willing to take a sack in lieu of a risky throw, but McDaniels’ coaching and Denver’s offensive talent will minimize the increase. Given the extra time Orton might do a better job of simply throwing the ball away to avoid a sack. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that Denver will give up 18 sacks in 2009.
"Surprised to see you, Captain, though pleased." — from Star Trek episode Space Seed.
Good question
Even if we double the number to 24, it would still be in the top 10, according to last year’s stats.
A mitigating factor I forgot to mention is that there will likely be fewer passing attempts, so that’ll decrease the risk of sacks.
by BuckarooBanzai on Jul 25, 2009 9:50 AM MDT up reply actions
Run Blocking
Seems to me like we have a pretty good run blocking unit.
Awesome T's
Definitely best in the league. They WILL give up more sacks this year though, but even with different QB’s and RB’s they will prove that they are still the best combo around.
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