Manny Must Go!

Last night's game provided few answers about this year's edition of the Denver Broncos. But, as the game progressed, one thing became clear: Backup center Manny Ramirez should have been cut before he showered. Fox should have asked him to strip down to his jock strap (hopefully, off camera) and turn in his playbook right there on the sideline.

I've admitted elsewhere that I don't know how to grade offensive line talent. But it was plain to me that Manny Ramirez shouldn't be playing center. Several of his snaps disrupted the timing of plays, forcing Tim Tebow to adjust immediately. Another - and maybe this one came from Jeff Byers - literally rolled back to Brady Quinn.

The poor play of the second-string offensive line has been discussed elsewhere, so I won't belabor it here. However, having watched their ineptitude for the first time, I have to wonder how fair this quarterback competition truly is. I think most of us remember how lousy Houston's offensive line play was during David Carr's development. And how that translated into him having the happiest feet north of Antarctica. It ruined him.

I hope Tebow's reps behind the second-team offensive line don't stunt his growth.

A few other random thoughts:

Am I the only one who was disappointed with Von Miller's performance? Sure, he was always around the ball, but so was Hamza Abdullah back in the day. Didn't mean he could play safety worth squat. Several people have said they saw Von fast and flying. But I guess I was hoping he would make a play. Just one play. The truth is, I was hoping to see a few Romo sandwiches.

I'm not a fan of Knowshon Moreno. I thought he was overrated coming out of college. I thought we never should have drafted him. And until last night, my assessment seemed on point. But last night, he looked good. And so did McGahee. McGahee looked slow and plodding. But he did show good toughness and vision. Having said that, I was most impressed by Jeremiah Johnson.

We have a ton of depth at wideout. It's going to be tough to choose. Why is Decker so high on the depth chart? I haven't seen anything from him that makes me believe he's better than Matthew Willis.

I was hoping to be wowed by Julius Thomas, but wasn't. In his stellar game-one summary, Jeremy said that Julius Thomas had a hard time separating. I didn't notice that, but I'm not very observant of such things. But I believe Jeremy. I did see Thomas' missed blocks. Maybe my hopes were too high. Does anyone know where Antonio Gates was at this stage of his career? Could he separate? Could he block?

Finally, what's happened to Wesley Woodyard? During his rookie year, I thought he showed Pro Bowl potential. What happened to that guy? I swear he's regressed.

If you haven't had a chance to see the game, let me bottom-line it for you: We'll be better than last year. If you're hoping the Broncos land Andrew Luck, you need to start praying he blows out a knee or something.