No BS Take on the future of the Broncos

O line players are not ready until the second year at best (Clady excepted). So the solution must be in house now on the practice squad, or come in from free agency.

He might fail the eyeball test, but all this talk about him being unable to put a team on his shoulders….didn’t he pretty much put that to rest against NE?

Even # 7 came up short from time to time….

Yes, there are better QBs in the league but which ones will actually be available for us to pick up? And if we draft one early, I think it would still be best to keep Orton, if not as the starter for 1-2 more years, then as an experienced back-up with experience in this offensive system for a young guy to learn from.

I think everyone will openly accept that Orton was never the long term answer. For one, he came over via a trade that he wasn’t the primary player involved. If McD had gone out and actively looked for Orton above all else then I could see him being a long term solution. Given the circumstances of his becoming a Bronco, I think it’s fair to say he was never intended to be a long term solution, but instead a 1 to 2 year band-aid as he’s being portrayed this year.

If his play rises above and beyond in 2010, then perhaps he becomes that guy. I love Kyle Orton and think he’s got a real good opportunity to make a name for himself here but the ball is entirely in his court. If he comes out and plays average again in 2010, then I would say he’s probably hit his ceiling in terms of playing in this offensive scheme. To say he’s not a legitimate NFL starting quarterback is a little much though. I’m willing to see how 2010 plays out with him and let the cards play out before making an assessment on his future with this team.

Dude, you’re living inside my head. Love the avatar, too. I did some work at University hospital, and I saw way more than I wanted to posted up inside jars. Wicked wierd stuff.

I’m not really into drama. I much prefer action and comedy. That said, the Broncs have been my favorite drama for the last two years. As long as the drama includes the ongoing improvement of the team, then I’m all in.

I’ve been beefing for seriously good ILB competition all year. Davis has been a good stop gap pickup. DJ has talent and skills, but too many of his tackles come too far downfield. McNabb simply outran him on that third and 25. Not to beat a dead horse, but the team needs someone dominant in the middle.

Champ still has some game left, but yes, he’s lost some speed. He’s still a better CB than most, but his tackling is textbook. He’s still a ballhawk, and would make an excellent free safety.

Fields is solid, but relief for the occasional breather is necessary. That’s where they’ve put Thomas, but I would still love to see him at DE. Maybe I’m just over-enamoured with the concept of a 300lb. man being able to do a standing backflip, but someone with his size and athleticism should make a great 3-4 DE. We still need at least one more DE, and more rotational players for the middle.

For WR, someone big and athletic and a serious longball threat are in order. They can come in the same package, but one of each would be nice. Over time, Royal should pan out to be the next slot machine, given the chance.

On the O line, you make a good point. If you want to be good now, experience is a must. One FA to man the LG, another at center, and the 4th to 6th rounds should be able to provide balance for back up roles, and future consideration.

Ah, the Ortmeister paradox looms next. I love the guy. He’s got way more onions than most. I have no beef with arm strength, either. There’s a great head perched upon those shoulders. The neck beard doesn’t even interfere with a chinstrap. With him, it’s all about pocket presence and big feet. Sunday, his pocket presence and awareness were great. He was very decisive, and put great snap on the ball. The INTs and two KC TD passes, however, made his overall performance somewhat huckdort…ish. There are times when he looks great, but the jumping up in the air with both feet, followed by one step and falling down have got to go. Elvis’ trouble chasing down Flacco made me jealous. He doesn’t need Mike Vick mobility, but some sidestepping would be nice. He sometimes reminds me of Drew Bledsoe. Could Tom B. be like….never mind. I won’t go there, but I can hope.

The head coach is good, and will only get better. He’ll probably lose a couple of good assistants, but he’ll manage to replace them. He’s smart, and I love his passion. I’ll be happy to give him a few years. I expect to see good things.

Good post, man. I don’t see anywhere where I disagree.

As someone who was early commenting that his problems with press were a concern, I’m equally perplexed at the number of people who don’t realize that such problems can be overcome, too. He’s a 2nd year player who had a tough year. McD is dedicated to getting him the ball more (see today’s quotes) and he’s very bright as well as hard working. Are you sure that you’re not jumping the gun? I apologize if I’m seeing this too harshly, but you sort of left him an ‘out’ only if he picks up immediately and provides what you see as needed; so what if it takes a little longer? Royal is very talented – winning teams take a little time and develop those players.

Why is McDaniel’s using his players in areas they’re not suited? I thought that was one of his main tenets heading into this season? If anything, that is my biggest criticism of the entire year— our ability to consistently place a square peg in a round hole.

To be honest, I’m not sure that this is an accurate question. Which ones? Exactly how should have he used them? I tried to believe that somehow, Eddie’s issues are McD’s fault, both other than a post hoc ergo proctor hoc fallacy (That’s: Eddie was good before McD, isn’t now, therefore it’s McD’s fault. That’s a very obvious logical fallacy – we just don’t know that McD did or didn’t do anything that might have helped), I don’t have much info that leads me to this conclusion.

I noted early on that Eddie was having issues with press coverage. It didn’t really improve, overall, although there were good games. It seemed to me that more recently that McD was actually using Eddie when Gaffney may have been a better choice (that came out in some data-mining in the past few weeks – look to TJ for that one, I believe). While we often believe that over one single season that a problem will improve, that’s not always the case. It can be a confidence issue, a ‘tell’ he hasn’t discovered, a technique problem that hasn’t been overcome or a problem with how he’s used, but all I really know is that Eddie has problems with press coverage, didn’t have a great year and McD is dedicated to doing better with him next year, in some way.

If you could give me some additional personnel to consider (please, not Hillis – I wouldn’t play him either, much as I like him), I’d be glad to talk about anyone else. As far as Eddie, as I say – I think that he’s got a sophomore issue that he’ll get over. I don’t blame McD because Eddie had problems with press in college (although it was done less) and last season, so I can’t put this one on McD as it was pre-existing. It become more of an issue later in the year as more film was available.

By the way, I’m also not clear as to where the ‘round pegs into square holes’ thing started – not that I disagree, just that I’m not sure of the exact argument. McD has made plenty of mistakes – I’m not sure which you’re referring to. McD’s strength is in matchups, coaching the entire team (not the offense, as so many like to pretend) and creating an organized structure where players are heavily trained over time. And yes, it can take a couple of years and almost certainly was going to. What IS the round/square issue(s), specifically? I’m a bit confused on this one. Would you help me out? It’s an interesting thought.