"Livin' on the Edge"

The tight end position is one of the toughest positions to play on offense because they have several different things to do, and they must perform them all well to be successful. TE's must be good blockers when LB's, S and CB's try to sneak in to make a sack on the quarterback. They have to hold their ground and make a solid hit on the oncoming defender and if the quarterback gets under pressure he slides out, turns around to become the receiver. TE's should have good hands to make the catches, turning them into multi-faceted players used in various situations to gain yardage. The TE must be a fast runner. Many times the TE will be the lead blocker for running backs providing open lanes for them to run up the field.  And he's got to be a tough guy who can deliver a big hit on an oncoming defender. The tight end will often be sent out to catch passes in the middle of the field, where he will be covered by a couple of linebackers instead of cornerbacks. Linebackers are big guys with bad attitudes and they can expect a big hit from them and still be able to make the play.

Instructions on how to be a successful TE as stated in eHOW;

     Step 1

     Understand how to run effective pass routes over the middle of the football field. The middle of the field is  primary area where a tight end catches the passes from the quarterback. The middle is the most congested area,  which requires excellent body control to catch the passes and run the pass routes.

The Denver Broncos have a couple players who meet those criteria stated above in Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham.

Scheffler ranked 8th in the NFL last year with 40 receptions and 645 yards in 13 games. Tony may have cracked the top 5 if he had played all 16 games. Look for his stats to elevate this season if he stays healthy. Inthe new system of head coach Josh McDaniels offense, Scheffler has a good chance to be the top TE in the league. He will be protecting Kyle Orton's blind side as well as blocking out in front for running backs Buckhalter, Moreno, Hillis and Jordan. Look for 2000+ yards out of this group during the year. 

Daniel Grahamhad 32 receptions, 389 yards and 4 touch downs playing 16 games and primarily used as a blocking tight end. An eighth-year tight end who enters his third year with the Broncos after spending his first five seasons in New England, where he helped the Patriots to victories in Super Bowl XXXVIII (2003 season) and Super Bowl XXXIX (2004 season). Graham is no stranger to playoff games as he has eleven in his career with New England. Graham is considered one of the best blockers in the NFL. He brings a special talent to the "Amoeba" offense McDaniels intends to institute.

Richard Quinna 2nd round draft pick out of North Carolina is known for his blocking ability and has been improving on his pass catching in training camp. Projected to make the team as the 3rd string TE and may be used in a 3 tight end scheme that coach McDaniels has used in New England. Richard will be interesting to watch in his NFL debut against the 49ers.

Jeb Putzier in his 8th NFL season out of Boise St was drafted by the Broncos in the 6th rd (191th overall) of the 2002 draft. Jeb spent time in Houston and Seattle before being resigned by the Broncos on 12/08/08. Jeb signed as a unrestricted free agent on 3/16/09. His role with the Broncos is undetermined and probably will be cut before the season starts.

Which brings us to the 8th and final institution of Meet The New Coaches;

Coaching tight ends in the NFL can be a challenging job considering that TE's have to be on the same page as the offensive line, know the playbook as well as the quarterback, be able to take on blocking assignments and be a receiver wrapped up in one package. One guy who has that talent is Clancy Barone.

Clancy Barone was born on July 26, 1963, in San Andreas, Calif. Clancy was an offensive linemen in college at the University of Nevada before he started his coaching career. His coaching career spans 22 years with 17 of those at the college level. From 1997-2003 Clancy was offensive coordinator for 3 different colleges (Texas State (2003), University of Houston (2000-02) and the University of Wyoming (1997-99). While he was at Wyoming his offensive line gave up just 35 sacks in those 3 years. University of Houston under Barone's direction, the offense ranked seventh in the country in yards per game (443.4) en route to setting numerous school offensive records. In Clancy's last year at Houston he was voted Division-I Offensive Line Coach of the Year by the National Offensive Line Coaches Association.

In 2004 Clancy Barone began his NFL coaching career with the Atlanta Falcons as assistant offensive line coach helping them lead the league in rushing average yards (5.1 per carry). From 2005-06 as the Falcons tight end coach Clancy was instrumental is guiding Alge Crumpler's already blossoming career, helping him achieve his 4th consecutive Pro Bowl appearance. From 2005-06 Crumpler  totaled the third-most receiving yards (1,657) among NFL tight ends in that two-year period. He also tied for third in touchdown catches (13) and ranked eighth in receptions (121) at his position in two years under Barone.

In 2007 Barone was hired by the San Diego Chargers as their tight end's coach where he guided Antonio Gates to his 4th and 5th selection to the Pro Bowl. During those 2 years Barone's instruction helped the Charger tie for first among NFL tight ends in touchdown catches (17), rank third in receiving yards (1,688) and tie for fourth in receptions (135) over that span.

Under Clancy Barone's college offensive line instruction 27 players sign Pro contracts, 5 players were semi-finalist for the Outland Awards, and 3 Rimington Award semifinalists. Clancy Barone's contribution to the game football is a sounding board around the NFL.

Clancy Barone doesn't come to Denver without any challeges facing him, he will have plenty of work to do if he is going to turn this tight end unit into a top TE corp:

#1  Scheffler is a very good pass receiver that needs to hone his blocking skills especially if he is to play on Kyle Orton's blind side. Those preparations are being addressed as we speak and will be brought to light tomorrow night in San Francisco. Tony Scheffler can be one of the top TE's in the league this year. Look for at a stadium near you.

#2  Daniel Graham on the other hand is a prolific pass blocker and will have to work on his hands getting softer and on his passing routes, usually over the middle in the face of ferocious line backers who want nothing better to do than tear your head and spit in it. Daniel knows Coach McDaniels' offense so transition should be fairly smooth for this 8 year veteran.

#3 Richard Quinn has the blocking skills, is ferocious, tough and has a little mean streak. Richard will need some work on catching as Graham. Quinn was used mostly as a blocking TE in college. Barone can teach him if he will listen.

All in all the tight end corp should be an exciting group to watch this season. They are the hinges to this door the offense will be opening up.Good Luck guys, and Clancy, if you have to put your foot on them buddy. Are these tight ends tops in the NFL?