FanPost

A man can dream... [aka, a somewhat ridiculous hope for the offseason]




Well. I have lurked here for ages. Time to post, I think.

This is my first post. I was planning on doing it on the bye, then I saw us play against KC, and decided I'd hold out, and see what happened the rest of the way. After watching 3 plus quarters against SD, I can say that this team is inconsistent, and needs a lot of help in key areas.

What do the Broncos need? Well... Let's start with help in the trenches. After looking solid against KC on offense and sorta on defense, or O and Dlines were outclassed, and pushed around. I am of the opinion that the biggest need in the trenches is NT, DE, and OG/OT [depending on Ryan Harris]. I feel like we should slap a franchise tag on Harris, see if he can stay healthy for once [because when he can, he's bookend RT], and make Beadles the backup to replace Hochstein. Who fills in at guard? Well, I'm hoping either Marcus Cannon from TCU [that school does nothing but produce solid football players], or some stud of a free agent guard. Kuper seems to be a weak link as well to me, but I doubt he goes anywhere after just getting paid...

On the D-line, I like Vickerson and Bannan and Thomas, but... Jamal seems to not be able to hold the nose anymore. I feel like we need a Kendrick Ellis or a Shaun Rogers [trade straight up, Champ for Rogers maybe? :P] And then draft me an Adrian Clayborn, Nick Fairley, Marcell Dareus, or the one no one seems to talk about, Christian Ballard, and we'd have a solid D-end rotation [McBean needs to go]. I feel like in the draft, if we can get Ballard in round two, I'll be happy.

Problem is, we also have some woes in the next two levels of our defense as well.

We need a stud MLB to play next to DJ. I love the intensity Joe Mays plays with, but he's not an every down guy [yet]. We need a David Harris or Chad Greenway. Kelvin Sheppard would be a great draft choice, if we can nab him in the second or third round. Next season we'll also have Elvis back, and Robert Ayers is back soon, which will make a world of difference. I like Jason Hunter a LOT on the outside as a back up for those dudes, and Mario Haggan a solid STer, who may be able to fill in in a pinch wherever we need him. Kevin Alexander looked good today too, from what I noticed. Woodyard, sadly, seems too small/left out to dry, even though I like him.

And then, there's the area that is the most troubling to me. The secondary. Honestly, I think both Renaldo Hill and B-Dawk need to be replaced. Both have been beat deep like clockwork this season. We need a playmaker like Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu back there. Mark Barron in round 3, anyone? I think McBath looks solid when he's out there, but he's injured a lot... I wonder why we don't let Bruton play more back there; he's definitely one of the fastest dudes on the team, and a stud on ST...

Then on the edges, Champ is getting old, and often injured. Cox is a good Nickel, Squid seems like a solid Nickel, and Goody is... well, old and often injured. Solid at times though. I think we'll keep either Champ or Goody for next year, but I dunno. We need a playmaker here too. Patrick Peterson or Prince Amukamara would be good in the draft. Or, Eric Wright if he hits the free agent market. Regardless, we need help here.

It may be a bit crazy, but I also have been having this thought/idea of late. Why don't we move Squid over to one of the Safety spots? He seems like he'd have the skills to excel there. Fast, but not quite corner fast. However, on his interception, and on the plays I see him out there, he routinely seems like one of the quickest dudes on the field. Maybe try him at free and Bruton at strong at some point? It seems worth trying... He seems to be a playmaker when out there.

Course, on offense, Buckhalter NEEDS to be replaced. He drops everything. Darren Sproles would be good, but I doubt we pick him up, if he escapes SD. I'd love a really fast back to complement Knowshon though, especially on third downs. A Jerious Norwood type guy. LaMichael James, if he comes out, or Quizz Rogers, someone. I seem in the minority, but I actually really really like Knowshon. He runs HARD when healthy. And I like Spencer Larsen in short yardage, and LenDale White next year for that. We need a home run threat though.

So, I guess what I'm saying is the Bronco's have a lot of needs. McD needs some time to fill them. My idealistic roster next year would look something like this:

QB: Orton, Tebow, Quinn

RB: Moreno, White, Rogers [or some fast late rounder], Ball

WR: Lloyd, Royal, Thomas, Decker, Gaff [or the dude from Duke on the practice squad who's supposed to be really big/fast]

TE: Graham, Quinn, Gronk

T: Clady, Harris, Beadles

G: Cannon, Kuper, Beadles, Daniels, Hochstein

C: Walton, Olsen

DE: Vickerson, Ballard, Bannan, Thomas

NT: Williams, Ellis

OLB: Ayers, Doom, Veikune, Hunter, Haggan

MLB: Williams, Sheppard, Haggan, Mays, Woodyard

CB: Champ, Wright, Cox, Squid, Prince

S: Bruton, McBath, McCarthy, Barron, Dawk

P: Colquitt

K: Prater

LS: Paxton

Will this happen? Doubtful, if only cause of the cost it would take, and all the draft heroics it would take. But a man can dream, right? Who knows, maybe we cut the cord with Orton and trade him in the offseason to the highest bidder for some draft picks or role pieces... I'm sure Carolina or someone would take him. [Honestly, with how inconsistent and just not great he's been lately, I would not be opposed to that at all]

I think McD is a fine offensive mind/coach, as most players have attested. I think Wink needs to work on his playcalling, but I also think he's been handicapped by injuries which have severely hampered our pass rush. To fire him after this year would just repeat the lack of consistency that happened under Shanny. He needs time. Let him get back his bookend pass rusher in Doom and his solid run defender in Ayers [who showed flashes of power pass rushing skill too].

*note: some guys are listed twice, like Haggan. And I don't know who our backup linemen are, really, aside from Olsen/Hoch/Daniels, or where they play. Same for NT. [well, Fields... but he's not very good]

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR.