Broncos Brain Goulash

Been awhile since I posted much of anything, but I gotta download some thoughts. Most of this will be Broncos, though the occasional general NFL thought might slip in. As always, I apologize for my long-winded writing style :)

Rule Change

I am not huge on monkeying with the rules of the game overall. In fact, I'm downright annoyed with a lot of the rules about "protecting the players" that are nearly impossible for players to control. Can a player really control where his helmet contacts another moving player when both are in the air and adjusting to a football? Hmmmm... Anyway, not the point I wanted to make. I believe it's time for the NFL to adopt the college pass interference penalty. Any infraction occurring further than fifteen yards from the LOS should be a fifteen yard penalty and automatic first down. While I've thought this for awhile, I'll admit that two calls against the Broncos in the final three games really has me wanting this change. And yes, I know calls even out, but it doesn't matter if you need to wait 'til next year to get yours back. The call on Goodman on the Raiders' winning drive at Invesco was ticky-tack at best but ended up being a forty yard penalty when Oakland was in a nearly impossible situation. Also, the penalty against Champ in the first half against the Eagles was pretty iffy. I'm not sure he ever touched the receiver, face-guarding is not illegal in the NFL, and there is no requirement to look for the ball. This was another monster penalty in terms of yardage. Both penalties ended up as TDs for the opposition in contests decided by 1 and 3 points. My point isn't really that those were bad calls. My point is that they were very close judgment calls that had a huge effect on the games' outcomes, not least because the yardage mark-off was so severe. Is it really in the best interest of the NFL to have games and eventual playoff spots determined by an officials' judgment on one of the most difficult penalties to call consistently? Is it really a good idea to have 40 and 50 yard changes in field position based on what one person thinks he sees? Should pass interference really be punished two or three times more severely than the worst roughing penalites? Besides, just as an aesthetic aside, should 40 or 50 yard gains be reserved for something that is done spectacularly right rather than something done marginally (okay, sometimes spectacularly) wrong? Fifteen yards max and an automatic first down. Change it.

Brandon Marshall

The Beast frustrates me immensely, and the main reasons are not his mercurial mood swings. Brandon frustrates me because his ceiling is so much higher than his actual play has been. Part of it might be attitude. Part of it might be that he is a johnny-come-lately to the WR position so his instincts don't match his physical gifts. Whatever the case, Brandon is not the elite receiver that the MSM, many Broncos fans, and Brandon himself thinks he is.

What Brandon Does Well:

1. YAC. This is what everyone sees with BM and its how he's earned the nickname "The Beast". He's fast and he's huge. He is physically the equal of any receiver in the NFL. He has great vision in the open field and the agility to take advantage of it. He's a pain in the backside to tackle. No receiver in the league can force positive yards out of negative situations like BM. Watching BM pick up yards with the ball in his hands is like reading a great writer. You know a masterpiece is likely just around the corner. This part of his game is why we as Broncos fans so want him to get his act together. It's beautiful.

2. He uses his size and athleticism well when he plays facing the QB. What I mean by that is he uses his physicality to both screen defenders and extend the target area for the QB. He's very good on slants. comebacks, and short to medium outs. If you throw the ball to BM in those positions you have a good chance for a completion and very little chance to give up and interception just because Brandon is likely to get some flesh on the football. It's this part of his game that lets him catch 100+ balls a year and create the illusion of being an elite receiver.

3. Score. Until this year, this was a deficit in Marshall's game, but 10 TDs is a respectable number and is the minimum for receivers that aspire to elite status. He can still improve here, but after 2009 catching TDs can be viewed as a positive for The Beast.

What Brandon Does Not Do Well:

1. Catch the ball consistently. Basically, he doesn't have great hands. While he does make some spectacular catches, too many balls hit his hands and then hit the ground. This part of his game is actually the most appropriate for his "Baby T.O." moniker. This is probably something that the Broncos (or another NFL team) will likely just have to deal with.

2. Situational and field awareness. This problem in BM's game shows up most often when he goes backwards to try and make a big play when he's already done the job that needed doing. While it's laudable that a big-time player is thinking about scoring on every play, I don't want him to give up a first down in hand for the possibility of more yards or even a TD. Often his athleticism lets him overcome this mistake and get back a first down he's given up, but not always. Brandon, when it's third down and your past the sticks, STAY THERE!!!

3. The Beast is not a deep threat. It irritates me too. It mostly bothers me because he doesn't approach catching the bomb in a way that best suits his talents. When you watch BM go deep, he mostly tries to get behind the DB and run under the ball. Bad idea. With his size and athleticism Brandon needs to stop and go get the ball. The highest point where BM can touch the ball is almost always out of reach of the DB covering him. Go to that spot Brandon! You'll either get your hands on it or draw a penalty when the little dude runs into you. This is where Brandon could make the improvements that would make him the elite receiver he thinks he is. I'm not that hopeful though. I can't imagine that the coaches (both in the Shanny regime and under McD) haven't tried working on this. That it isn't taking suggests it's an instinct thing.

Conclusion:

While I enjoy watching The Beast play, and he is certainly worthy of his pro-bowl selection, I'd rather not keep Marshall at the cost of an elite receiver salary. Between the flaws in his game and his diva tendency, I don't think he's worth the risk.

The Coach

Before I go off here, I want to emphasize that I am not a McD hater. I was fine with his hiring (if not necessarily fine with canning Shanny). McD did as well or better than all the other coaches we might have hired in his first year, with the exception of Rex Ryan though really they had similar seasons. I believe that McD has a chance to be a very good coach in the NFL. I'm not convinced that he will be a very good coach in his stint with the Denver Broncos. This might be his learning job.

The thing I like best about the coach is I believe he has a clear vision of what he wants to see on the field and a pretty good idea about how he wants to get there. I like that he tries to emphasize the fundamentals of playing sound football (something Shanny wasn't as good at). He understands that if talent and preparation come together in NFL players doing their jobs on each play through each series through each period of each game, the outcomes are likely to be good. That said, too many mental errors by the team lets me know that coach is still a ways from turning vision and understanding into reality. Especially bothersome were the penalties in critical situations that plagued us all season. If there's ever been a team that missed the playoffs because of false starts, its got to be the 2009 Denver Broncos.

There are a couple of things that concern me about McD at this point as well. First, he is one stubborn SOB when it comes to certain types of playcalls. I was especially annoyed with the lack of creativity in short yardage and goal situations. You gotta find a way to pick up 3rd and 1 or 2. Hammering the ball at the same spot time after time with the same result is an issue. Now, I am going to give the coach the benefit of the doubt and assume that what he's doing is running a play he feels is necessary for us to get right not just now but also in the future, so he's gonna run it 'til that happens. At the same time, a couple naked boots or play-action passes here and there might have earned us a playoff spot. I was also annoyed in that the power game he wants to run in that situation was not best suited for our goals given the weaknesses of our offensive line. The right side was significantly weakened with the loss of Ryan Harris. Polumbus is a servicable tackle but nowhere near the same class as Harris. Weigmann is exposed as not having enough lead in his pants when we have to get a push in short yardage. One the left side, Ben Hamilton was just this side of useless and Hochstein is adequate but not anything to write home about. I wish the coach would have found a way to mask these weaknesses better with creative play-calling.

My other concern with McD is whether or not he has a good feel for his locker room. I do believe that the players, for the most part, respect him. I believe that they want to work hard for him and that they believe they can win with him. Given that, I don't think some of his "team-first" and/or motivational shennanigans are necessary or even useful. The final week was a glaring example. McD's choice to make an example of BM and Scheffler at that point was iffy. Now I know if we win that game it looks like a genius, but we didn't and we looked as bad as we have in any game this season. If BM says he's too hurt to play, then don't play him. Don't make a big deal out of it and say, "Well, since you aren't tough enough to play you can't play." Leave well enough alone. And with Sheffler, trying to give him an attitude adjustment prior to what could be his last game seems pretty silly. Look, NFL players are generally regular old people like anyone else. They know when somebody like Tony Scheffler is being an ass. Early in the season, when it matters to chemisty, do something about it. When it's the last game of the season and the chemisty is what it is, you know the guy can make plays, and the players who are doing things right are dependent on Mr. Selfish to get his job done the coach should just leave it be. Deal with the attitude adjustment during the offseason. Maybe McD was trying to get a one-for-all and all-for-one vibe going in the locker room before the big game. Instead, I think he got his team wondering if it was a good idea to bench playmakers when plays must be made. I do think this is something McD will get better at. Just might be with some other team in 2016 or so.

Team Needs

Well, one of the best things about sports is the story never really ends. One season flows from the last and there is always something to look forward too. So where do we need to improve to set ourselves up for a happy chapter in the novel that is the Denver Broncos?

1. Offensive guard is the number one priority in my opinion. Ben Hamilton was absolutely useless this year. If he wasn't failing to get a push in the run game or getting rag-dolled in the passing game, he was being called for holding in a critical situation. He deservedly lost his job to Hochstein who was better, but is by no means a dominating player. He's the kind of guy you want for depth, not to start week in and week out. I'm especially annoyed with this problem in that I thought we had a great chance to address it in the draft and didn't. We had a chance to take Max Unger out of Oregon in the second round and didn't do it. It doesn't help that our top second-rounder is our largest draft disappointment early in his career in Alphonso. We should take a careful look at guys like Mankins in FA and if I had my druthers, we'd take one of the two or three best guard prospects in the draft with a first or second rounder.

2. If OG is 1a than punter has got to be 1b. I thought it was sort of ironic that McD continued the long-time Shanny tradition of canning the opening day punter mid-season. He got about the same results. It is true that Kern was outkicking his coverage and having trouble with placement so getting rid of him wasn't a huge stretch. Unfortunately Mitch Berger wasn't any better. I'm still not convinced that his awful punting in his first appearance with the Broncos didn't cost us the game against the Ravens. And while he improved, he never was consistently good for us. Field position matters, and we need to take care of the punting situation big time.

3. Defensive Line. While Fields, Peterson, and McBean were decent this year, we could definitely use an upgrade at all three positions. I (along with others on MHR I believe) still think that Marcus Thomas could actually be best suited for DE. We still need a monster in the middle to hold the point of attack consistently. Baker may fill this need, but I wouldn't mind seeing a bona fide, experienced NT come in for a couple years. Oh Viiiiiiiiiiiiiince!!!!!!

4. Wide Receiver. I don't think BM is a Bronco next year. That definitely leaves a gap in the starting line-up. I am okay with starting Gaffney on one side. I think it's time to start shifting Eddie into the slot receiver role. Stokely is still viable but is getting old. I'd rather have him ready for big situations where we need him. Brandon Lloyd has talent but until he gains consistency I don't think he's a starter. We need to find another consistent, starting-caliber player for the receiving corps. We don't need a stud number one necessarily, just someone who will get the job done. The kind of player we need is more likely to come out of FA than the draft.

5. Tight End. Graham is a good all around tight end. He is great in the run game and holds his own in pass protection. He is decent as a pass catcher, though he drops some balls he should catch. Overall, he'll do nicely as the starter next year. Quinn flashed as a blocker at times, and he had the big punt block as well. He looks to have a long way to go in the passing game though. Much work to do to justify his second round draft slot. Scheffler won't be back. I'd like to find a veteran with a decent all around game here for depth.

6. Cornerback. Champ and Goodman were fine this year. They should be fine next year. I am not happy with Alphonso Smith. While he flashed a couple times in the first half of the season, he was much more noticable for mistakes later in the season. Yes, there is a learning curve at CB like any other position, and it is too way way way too early to throw in the towel. With that said, Alphonso frequently looks physically outmatched on the NFL playing field. You can see that his exceptional instincts get him close to where he is supposed to be but his limitations keep him a step-or two behind or and inch or two away. Maybe as his instincts synch with the pro game he'll turn into something. I'm not terribly optimistic though. That leaves us with a depth issue at CB. We'll see what happens. Meanwhile, I think Darcel McBath might be a good solution for the nickle spot next year, and it might help him when it comes time for him to take the starting FS job.

7. OT depth. I'd like to upgrade from Polumbus if possible. It was obvious how important Ryan Harris is to the offense when he was out.

8. For the most part, I'm okay with the rest of the team.

The running back situation isn't my favorite but I don't think we can know what we have in Moreno until we put a better interior offensive line in front of him. I still think we should have traded the #12 pick for more picks.

I'm willing to give the LB corps another season to learn and gel. Haggan was actually the best overall player of the four. Doom needs to improve in the run game or his sack production won't offset what is a weak spot in the defense. I like Andra Davis though he gets burned in the pass game sometimes, and for some reason can't tackle a QB when he gets there on a blitz. DJ is DJ. A very good, if somewhat overrated player. His biggest problems are discipline and consistency. Maybe another year away from Nate Webster and Jamie Winborn will make next year a better one for him.

Prater showed improvement in his consistency this year. He made big kicks more often than not when we needed them, and he was consistently good on kickoffs. I expect he'll be our kicker for a long time to come.

Safety might be the strongest spot on the team. The starters were more than adequate. Actually, Dawkins is the best safety the Broncos have ever had back there. Sorry Steve Atwater. If it's any consolation, you're not that far behind. Both McBath and Bruton look to be developing well and both could develop into good starters.

If we go with Orton at QB I'll be okay with it. He's got a lot of room to improve. Hopefully he has the talent to do it. I would like to see him be more aggressive now and again. For the most part, I'm okay with throwing the ball away, but once in awhile you gotta take a chance. The other thing he could do more of is run with the ball. 2nd and 7 is better than 2nd and 10. I don't think we'll be keeping Simms, but if we do I'll trust it's because the coaching staff believe he is viable. Honestly though, I think we might be best served to cut his cost and elevate Brandstater. Gotta see what the kid's got sometime.

Random

-Anybody else wonder if Clady was nursing an injury the second half of the year? He seemed to have a little difficulty cutting of the edge sometimes. He also seemed like he wasn't getting as low as he has in the past. While he was good the second half of the year, he wasn't his normal dominant self.

-Isn't it ironic that the season just past under McD looked almost exactly like Mike Shanahan's last three years in terms of the overall flow of the season? While the details of how it happened were completely different, we still got our usual fast start followed by a maddening slide that ends with the Broncos just outside the post-season. Gotta laugh so you don't cry, huh?

-I loved the throwback unis this year. Helps that we played well in'em. Hope we wear'em again soon. I'd like to see the D helmets again soon too.

-I love Peyton Hillis. It's obvious that his skill set doesn't match what McD wants to do. Then again, maybe McD might want to do something now and again that fits Peyton's skill set? Just saying. On the coaches side in the Hillis debate is that Spencer Larsen is a better blocker than Hillis at fullback. How's Owen Smith looking in Seattle? :)

Um...okay, I think I've probably babbled long enough.