Broncos offseason problems and 2 cents worth of solution

by TennesseeBronco on Jan 26, 2012 12:27 AM MST

Just an opinion of the biggest weaknesses in order of the current Broncos in terms of personnel. I'll offer my ideas of how to address each problem and I welcome any ideas you all have on how to address each position that we are lacking in.

Problem #1) Wide Receiver:

The Problem... To me this is the Broncos biggest weakness heading into the offseason. Look at the elite QB's in this league and you don't have to look far to find an elite receiver.

Brady had Branch in his prime, now has Gronkowski

P. Manning had Harrison and then Wayne

Rogers has Greg Jennings (not to mention a full stable of pass catchers)

E. Manning got the best of Burress and now has Cruz

Vick with a willing DeSean Jackson = elite. Vick with a grumpy D. Jackson well...

Big Ben got the best of Hines Ward and now has a very underrated Mike Wallace

Brees has redzone nightmare Marques Colston

Perhaps this is a chicken in the egg argument, but if EFX does want Tebow to improve they need to surround the guy with some weapons. Full disclosure: I am a huge fan of Optimus Prime and thought his catch against the Steelers might be the kind of milestone that launches a career into the elite category of receiver. But the guy has an injury history, and so does Decker. Consider this, at one point this season the Broncos were so short handed at the receiver position that Fox lined up Tebow in the slot... BEFORE Brandon Lloyd was traded. I think Willis is a great guy but he hasn't shown that he can separate consistently. Royal has completely regressed from his rookie season, he should at this point be a punt returner and 4th receiver. Decker and Thomas had a hard time catching the ball when Tebow did hit them in the hands. If we want Tebow to continue to develop EFX should pursue a Receiver.

The Solution... The Broncos should use the #25 overall pick on Alshon Jeffrey, the WR out of South Carolina. I'll get to why him momentarily, but first why not a big name free agent. If you look at recent history, big name free agents don't usually pan out in new locations. Anquan Boldin is not the same receiver in Baltimore that he was in Arizona. Deion Branch did a whopping nada in Seattle. Randy Moss had the every other team rule in effect, great in Minnesota but nada in Oakland and suddenly great again in NE (QB play had quite a bit to do with this particular example). There are exceptions of course, Derrick Mason had success in Baltimore. On the other side of the coin, Tebow's reputation does precede him and free agent receivers are looking for a place to catch passes, and sometimes reputation is more prevalent than truth. The current situation will probably mean that a receiver would take less years and less money to go somewhere with a QB that has a better reputation as a passer. So the likes of Vincent Jackson and DeSean Jackson will probably be looking for another team.

Now to why I like Alshon Jeffrey... He's got size, 6'4" 233lbs. He played against the NFL lite, I mean the SEC defenses, and had a huge game against Alfonzo Dennard. Reports are that he has a good work ethic and solid hands. He would probably be a lock as a top 15 pick if it weren't for the poor play of his QB's. As of right now Walterfootball has him going at pick 26 and if he does fall that far The Broncos should not hesitate to pick him.

Problem #2) Middle Linebacker:

The Problem... Simply put, the problem is Joe Mays. I, like most other Bronco fans get revved up when I see this guy thump a running back at the line of scrimmage. Its exciting and makes for great TV. However, that's the only aspect of the game he does well. He consistently gets beat when he drops into a cover 3 zone and God forbid he get manned up against a Tight End. He's just very limited as a player. I'm not advocating that Mays be cut, he can be effective when deployed in running situations, On the other side of the spectrum we have fan favorite Woodyard. Although very effective in zone and man against TE's (Gronkowski and Hernandez excluded) Woodyard is very limited in the run support he can provide and for that matter more of a natural weak side backer anyway, he is ineffective at the line of scrimmage when needing to shed a blocker. I know many have suggested ditching DJ Williams in favor of starting Woodyard, but I am not in that camp. Woodyards limitations are strikingly opposite of the limitations of Joe Mays.

The Solution... Ok, stay with me here. We have Joe Mays and Wesley Woodyard line up at opposite end zones and run as fast as they can at each other until they fuse together creating one super linebacker. Ok, barring a fission reaction I see three viable options.

The first is that we apply a linebacker by committee approach and hope that the development of Nate Irving works out. The Broncos seemingly have a stable of linebackers; Miller, Williams, Mays, Woodyard, Irving, Mohammed, and a careful deployment could be the right answer. Fox has a history of developing linebackers and putting them in the best places to succeed, so I wouldn't hate this approach.

The second option and my preference is to pursue Dan Connor from Carolina. Connor seems like a natural fit, he's played for Fox before, he's young, and he's in a deep FA class of Interior linebackers in an offseason with 2-3 rookie interior backers grading out as first round picks, meaning he could be cheaper than the average primo free agent. Connor is almost certain to bolt from Carolina given that he's stuck behind Jon Beason, a legitimately elite interior linebacker, on the depth chart.

The third option I could see working out is going back to that first round draft choice. It seems likely that Donta Hightower (in my opinion the best MLB of the class due to my SEC bias) or Luke Kuechly will be available to us if we sit tight at pick 25. Either could be a good fit for the Broncos.

My vote as I've said is to use our first round pick on Alshon Jeffrey and pursue Dan Connor. That probably means admitting Irving was a bust, but if our only busts from last draft are Moore (severe underachievement) and Irving (did he ever see the field... I'm serious, I don't recall a snap that he was on the field for, did he cover kicks?) I think we can count ourselves lucky.

Problem #3) Cornerback

The Problem... Champ Bailey is still an elite corner, and he can be for another three years. That being said, when you have an elite corner on one side of the field opposing QB's will throw at the other corners a dispropotionate amount of times. Andre Goodman has handled the added pressure of being Bailey's counterpart commendably over the last few seasons (how about that timely interception in Minnesota). However age has seemingly caught up with him. His veteran presence is welcome on a young team for sure, but he needs to be a reserve. I'm a fan of Chris Harris but Idon't see his ceiling being any higher than a nickel back. The great hope is that Squid comes off his injury and is the quality #2 corner that we hope he is. Still, even Champ won't be around forever and we need to inject more youth into the secondary.

The Solution... Richard Marshall makes the most sense, not sure why the Cardinals didn't sign him to A multiyear deal. Tracy porter is also available as a free agent, and William Middleton could come over from Jacksonville if Jack Del Rio does in fact get the DC position. All of these guys are a step below elite status but are under 30 next season.

I know some people are goind to say that Running Back, Tight End, Offensive Guard, and Defensive Tackle but I think the players we have will either get better (Beadles is improving, Moreno was looking better before the injury) or get healthy (oh look Moreno's name again, and I'd like to see what Ty Warren and Julius Thomas can do).

Go Broncos!

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

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Comments

Wide Receiver is way down the list of needs for me

Thomas is a better receiver in my mind than Jeffrey and has just finished a season where he has proven that he could become an elite or very good player in this league though the addition of a veteran receiver would be useful.
I think the need which needs addressing the most is the pass rush. The team needs better secondary play to help this but also another D lineman who can rush the passer.

"The Holy Writ of Gloucester Rugby Club demands: first, that the forwards shall win the ball; second, that the forwards shall keep the ball; and third, the backs shall buy the beer." - Doug Ibbotson

by SteveUK on Jan 26, 2012 1:12 AM MST reply actions 1 recs

Theme of Denver's off season

I think a big theme of this off season will be faith in the current players on the roster to develop to their potential. Can our young Tight Ends, Wide Receivers, Safeties and Linebackers continue to progress to their potential? Because those positions have drawn the bulk of our draft picks from the past two years.

If our staff, decide that they can have faith in the development of these players then it will definitely free the team up to spend prudently during free agency, and to also direct their attention in the draft to the Defensive Line, Corner Backs and Running Backs which haven’t had decent picks paid on them since 2009.

So can Nate Irving, Rahim Moore, Julius Thomas, Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker develop? Should we waste valuable draft picks as insurance to their development? Or should we focus the draft on the areas that don’t have youth with high upside potential already on the roster?

Nice post – Recommended.

"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."

"It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes" Douglas Adams

by orange&blue_aussie on Jan 26, 2012 1:31 AM MST reply actions 7 recs

Nicely said. I hope it goes green.

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
John Wooden

Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt

by Digger24 on Jan 26, 2012 8:41 AM MST up reply actions

Agreed - mostly

I think if we have a chance say in round 2 to grab a guy like Burfect (or however you spell his name) I think we pull that trigger. Too much gamble in round 1, we have to get a starting caliber guy there, but round two for what that guy might could do? Well that is worth the risk.

At receiver I think we just need more balls getting to the open receivers. We had, and will always have, drop issues. Every team deals with that. I agree that S and WR and TE will get a chance to step up this year.

by brettden on Jan 26, 2012 7:40 PM MST up reply actions

Fair points and I agree

The best example of that is the way teams like the Steelers, Pats and Packers sometimes throw need out the window and draft a guy because they can’t believe they’ve dropped to them. I’m sure if we see someone like that land at 25, they won’t hesitate. I do think that at 25 they’ll have their pick of some pretty good Defensive Line players and Cornerbacks which is a luxury that may even encourage them to trade back and see who keeps falling to them. Burfict would certainly be a great grab in the early second as his upside is tremendous and he needs a little coaching to manage his aggression. Mays and Irving can man that fort while it happens.

As for receiver, there were certainly times when our corp were well covered, but equally there were many times when they were open and Tebow didn’t pull the trigger fast enough. It’s a two way street and I think there’s enough potential in both Decker and DT to let them hold the 1 and 2 roles and see what happens. And sure, bring in a mid-round prospect but i think someone in the first two rounds is overkill. It’s too early to be drafting over the top of those guys. If they haven’t stepped up by the next draft then sure. But these were second year guys earning their first significant playing time and with a new quarterback. IMHO it’s too early to put early round draft resources towards that position again.

"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."

"It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes" Douglas Adams

by orange&blue_aussie on Jan 26, 2012 10:34 PM MST up reply actions

I like these two cents worth: Connor for MLB and Marshall CB2

This would free us up to draft DT, WR, RB and another S. This strategy makes a lot of sense to me. But I would really like to draft a DT at 25 to continue to improve the D. We can get a speedy WR later.

by Marvel Man on Jan 26, 2012 7:05 AM MST reply actions

Put on the double steal sign.

Both Fox’s players from Carolina. Nice.

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
John Wooden

Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt

by Digger24 on Jan 26, 2012 8:43 AM MST up reply actions

Disagree, but good post.

I think the Broncos could benefit from another capable receiver, but not in the first round.

I think wideout is one of those positions where you can find tremendous value deep in the draft – particularly in this draft.

I’d be happy taking Marvin Jones or T.J. Graham in the third or later.

Consider your examples of elite receivers. Only Wayne, Harrison and Burress were drafted in the first round. The rest were drafted later. Heck, Cruz was UFA and Colston was drafted in the seventh round.

In my view, we don’t need another big body. Decker and Thomas suffice. We need a different type of receiver to give defenses a different look. Maybe a short, fat one who’s missing his thumbs.

There's no way Khloe's a Kardashian. No frickin' way.

by Agent Jerry Fletcher on Jan 26, 2012 8:42 AM MST reply actions 1 recs

Would be a slight surprise if we didn't grab one

But our PS guys plus UDFA guys will be competing too, so you never know.

by brettden on Jan 26, 2012 7:41 PM MST up reply actions

Nice post, but problem #1 is not a problem.

BayBay came back from injuries nicely at the end of the year. Decker was said to have great hands and lately hasn’t. I trust that will change. Willis is only slightly worse than Royal if he doesn’t re-sign. We have good guys on PS too. We all said WR was a strength last year and didn’t want to cut anybody we had. Well that did take a turn. We traded Gaffney and got something for him rather than have to cut him and his salary. Enron Riley got stolen away off our PS. Lloyd and, for a while, Royal wanted out of the “Great Tebow Adventure” ride. Now Royal seems glad he stayed on. We’re fine at WR. I could see us drafting one though.
You want to know the easiest way to solve problem #2. Hire a DC who will switch us back to a 3-4. Von and Doom as OLBs would be awesome. DJ and Mays/Irving in the middle. All our DTs are FAs. Ayers could be trade bait for a good NT. Pick up Sammy Lee Hill also. Draft Poe, Ta’amu, Fangupo, Hicks or Baptiste. Fox would never do it though.
Problem 3 needs a veteran CB. For me not so much to replace Goodman, but rather as insurance in case him or Champ go down. If whoever we get beats out Goodman great.

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
John Wooden

Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt

by Digger24 on Jan 26, 2012 9:02 AM MST reply actions

Chigbo Annunooby or Damon Harrison are good small school NT's

Just having the option to run both a 4-3 or 3-4 with the talent on our roster is a huge benefit. But you’re right that we won’t do that.

by yibberat on Jan 26, 2012 3:37 PM MST up reply actions

I like the 4-3

I hope we stay with it. Maybe we get a MLB this year, maybe not who knows. I expect Nate will have every opportunity to take the spot, and I hope he steps up. An early pick these should be a clue on how the team feels about his progress this year.

I think we are good at WR too. We are not going to be playing 4 and 5 wide like we did under the last regime, so we don’t need to be 6 deep there. I think Royal will resign, and we will bring in a low level FA plus late draft/UDFA. Can’t wait for camp!!

by brettden on Jan 26, 2012 7:44 PM MST up reply actions

Good post.

I would say keep the WRs the broncos have now in DT/Decker, let them develope into that Harrison/Wayne combination that was deadly for Manning. DT showed he can be a monster once he is healthy. If anything, bring in a veteran WR because the broncos WRs lack that. That’s why I was upset when Gaffney got traded. He was a whitty veteran that always found a way to get open. Also he hardly dropped any passes. However one guy broncos should make a play for is Pierre Garcon. That would give Tebow essentially three deep threats—DT and Decker being the other ones. At the same time, the ones who are going to determine the passing game are the TEs. The games the broncos won, usually the TE was invloved—mostly Fells. Whenever the broncos lost or got man handled, the TEs were no where to be found. The offense will become more deadly once the TEs get their act togeather. Also Tebow showed in college that he likes to use TEs as well.

For MLB, I see Fox going after Connor. Fox was close to signing two of his own players last year. I see no reason why he doesn’t do the same with Connor. Also I’m sure Connor would like to hook back up with Fox again.

For CB, I would like the broncos to draft Jenkins from Northern AL. I would debate taking him in the first round. The guy shutdown AJ Green and Blackman in the same year. He’s showing at the Senior Bowl that he is still the same player. I realize people want that 6’1/6’2 CB in the first round, but the best CB in the NFL is 5’11—Revis. Jenkins is 5’10/11 and if he can bump and run with the the best of them, then he deserves to be taken in the first round. I know his off the field situation, but he is a guy worth taking a chance on. Ask yourself, if you had a chance to take Revis in the first round, you’d take that in a heartbeat. You might have that in Jenkins.

by tiderfootball09 on Jan 26, 2012 9:07 AM MST reply actions

If I had all the solutions to life's problems I'd be rich, but since I'm just a average joe, my problems never cease...

If there was one thing in life that I did learn though, it usually came from an elder. But, there’s not too many people here older than me, so I have to go digging for the information to satisfy my curiousity. It’s interesting what one might find when they dig deep enough, but most are preoccupied with other chores of life and depend on others to feed them. That’s okay if the information they’re getting is viable and true, but most of the time second hand information can be misleading and the path ends up going nowhere. Great post and appreciate the information. Rec’d.

I agree with most of what said, and with the infusion of youth at certain positions without help of an offseason, it severely challenged our team to high limits with familiar results, some good, some not so good. I see a team building from the draft and infusing veterans to shore up the leaky bulkheads until the youth learn and develop. Building with youth is a better solution in the long, but the challenges of making the right choices and the time needed to develop them is arduous and time taking. Tennessee, I doubt we’ll see EFX draft a wide receiver in the first round. If anything, there are 4 positions that get looked at the most by this regime…DE, LB, CB and RB.

In 2011 EFX was content with finding veteran players at defensive tackle and I have my reasons why they did that, even though pundits and analyst everywhere were screaming for them to take a DT in the first. EFX didn’t take one period. Why? Because of the experience factor they wanted to start out this new regime, plus, they took the BPA on the board which in our case happen to be OLB/DE Von Miller. In my humble opinion, it was the best choice. This year’s draft brings many new and exciting possiblitiies and to be honest, I can’t wait to see who we get in both pools (FA/Draft). I have a hunch we will pick a defensive prospect (DT, DE, LB or CB in the first, and the rest of the pick will be the BPA at the time of pick. Good luck with Jefferies…

Win, lose or draw, we are the Denver Broncos! 13-3 Baby!!! Until we ain't!

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by bfree2bronc on Jan 26, 2012 9:21 AM MST reply actions

Good post.

I don’t think WR is our #1 problem. I think it is a problem but not our biggest. Our biggest IMO is by far our pass rush. We need a pocket collapsing DT to get pressure up the middle and another DE opposite Doom to get consistent pressure on the other side. That is why I think our #1 pick will be a DE or a DT.

DT was the 2nd leading receiver in December behind only Calvin Johnson. I think we have our #1 of the future. Plus he has developed a great chemistry with Tebow.

Decker will develop into a solid #2 possession receiver IMO. He does have great hands and for whatever reason he dropped a lot of passes. I think an offseason with Tim will help all our WRs.

I do think we need to draft a WR but not in round 1. There are quite a few big WR in this draft and I’d love to grab Brian Quick in round 2 or 3. There are also some big guys who might be had later like Marvin McNutt and Dwight Jones.

I think we’ll also draft a RB early. Fox likes drafting RBs and I would love nothing more than to grab Doug Martin in round 2. This guy could easily be the next MJD or Ray Rice. He is small but stout and will be a bear to tackle. He allegedly has soft hands too.

As far as MLB. I love the idea of getting Dan Connor. I don’t think we’ll draft a MLB early unless it is for a Zach Brown conversion. I think this is a big need too but we’ll see if EFX see it that way. I just don’t see too many MLB prospects in this draft that we would take in rd 1. Hightower seems more a fit for the 3-4 and Kuechly may not be athletic enough and Burfict is a huge red flag.

At CB I love the Richard Marshall idea but didn’t we have a shot at him last year and didn’t pursue him? Maybe I’m mistaken. I think we’ll draft one this year as well. I’d love to get Johnson out of Montona, Josh Norman out of Coastal Carolina or even Stephen Gilmore.

Tim Tebow wears 3WM and drinks Tuscan whole milk.

by BroncoMath101 on Jan 26, 2012 9:36 AM MST reply actions

Yes Marshall was available last year too.

Fox didn’t even kick his tires.
I think if we trade down out of the first for more picks, or even if we don’t, and WR Kendall Wright happened to still be on the board at like #40ish we may make a move for him.

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
John Wooden

Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt

by Digger24 on Jan 26, 2012 9:48 AM MST up reply actions

I would not be opposed to trading down into the early rd 2 and picking up another 3rd as well.

late 1st and early 2nd are pretty much the same talent wise as we’ve seen in the past. Patriots are great at this.

Tim Tebow wears 3WM and drinks Tuscan whole milk.

by BroncoMath101 on Jan 26, 2012 11:57 AM MST up reply actions

Patriots are good at it

because their draft board is filled to the gills. They scout – and hence rank against each other – all sorts of players at every position. They don’t have any problem drafting into positional strength (the only true indicator of a BPA team). And they have already “aged” their roster (veterans starting and upside rookies on the bench learning) so they can let solid starter FA’s go.

For a team like that accumulating lower round and future year picks on draft day by trading down a bit at the top is perfect.

Unfortunately what that process would mean for teams like us is a huge ramp up in our scouting dept since we would need to scout many times more players than teams with fewer holes and more depth. IOW – before a team can take advantage of draft day trades it has to develop a scouting system that provides all the info to easily adapt to whatever happens on draft day itself.

A good article from a few years ago re how Patriots scout
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23354449/

My guess is we don’t do anywhere near this sort of scouting work

by yibberat on Jan 26, 2012 4:52 PM MST up reply actions

IN part because of money

Which is not as much of a factor now with the change in salary structure, but yes they are the masters of cornering the market on top 150 players each year. Depending on how it shakes out, I think I would prefer to stay where we are and get us a pash rusher . . .

by brettden on Jan 26, 2012 7:46 PM MST up reply actions

Scouting doesn't cost money

And if it does, then let’s be honest and call the owner a cheapskate.

Pats, Ravens, Steelers, Giants, Packers don’t just scout college players for their own draft picks. They know they won’t get 97% of the players they scout. Other teams will. But all the info they gather during the draft feeds their pro scout and practice system. So they have info on an opposing players weaknesses, tendencies, strengths before they even review NFL game tape. That is probably a bigger benefit even than the draft scouting itself.

by yibberat on Jan 26, 2012 10:07 PM MST up reply actions

Disagree on what you think are our major needs (WR as #1 especially)

However I like your post and your solutions. Good stuff to think about…

This signature was sacked by Von Miller.
I bleed Orange & Blue. GB².

by Fabio Broncos on Jan 26, 2012 11:40 AM MST reply actions

I disagree about the linebackers

but im pretty much alone in my thoughts that the best Linebacker coming out in the draft is Vontaze. I think with John Fox as the HC and Dawkins the defense’s leader we can reel in Vontaze a bit and teach him to channel that rage he has in him. Think about the front seven for a minute here(assuming a few things)

Dumervil, Warren, Bunkley, Ayers
Miller, Vontaze, Williams

I mean that scares the shit out of me if im on the offensive side of the ball

by Nelliott34 on Jan 26, 2012 7:25 PM MST reply actions

I really hope Vontaze falls to us in round 2

I think that will depend in large part on how he does at the combine. But MLB does not generally get as much love as pash rusher QB and CB, so maybe there is a chance with his off field issues, and some on field issues, that he slips to us in the second.

by brettden on Jan 26, 2012 7:48 PM MST up reply actions

You have Doom and Von on the same side.

Is that right?

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.
John Wooden

Believe you can and you're halfway there.
Theodore Roosevelt

by Digger24 on Jan 26, 2012 7:58 PM MST up reply actions

Your post does not

mention my #1 issue, well it does sort of with an MLB but push up the middle of the line on passing downs is a HUGE factor in our downfall to good passing teams. We have to get bigger/faster/stronger up the middle of the field.

by kimbertr on Jan 26, 2012 7:54 PM MST reply actions

I personally like Knowshon

but betting on the FO keeping him isn’t wise. So, I do see the need for a RB (preferably in the draft). Wouldn’t it be gravy if somehow Trent “the Beast” Richardson fell to us. I’ve seen crazier things happen on draft day (Aaron Rodgers). Lamar Miller, Chris Polk… EFX will target someone early, if I know John Fox well.

I like Bunkley, and I really think Ty Warren will be retained and show us why they spent so much on him (veteran presence on the line? Get outta here!!!). Having said that… how many more freakin’ years are we going to wait on Marcus Thomas to become that UT we so desperately need? All QB’s have to do is step up into the pocket… Doom and Miller are then negated. Kendal Reyes, Devon Still, someone young is needed to pair with Bunk. Marcus Thomas and Ryan McBean should walk.

The Safety problem: we are young there. That doesn’t mean, however, that the young guys in place have to automatically turn into beast starters. Quinton Carter looked respectable enough at times to start again next year. Rahim Moore…. not so much. The dude seriously looks like a b…u…s…t!!! This is another off year for Safeties in the draft, so unless EFX deems Mark Barron the BPA when we’re on the clock, we’re prolly rolling with who we got. Free Agency could bring us a capable Safety. Something has to happen here in a hurry, or we’re going to continue getting gashed.

MLB: Joe Mays is not… and I repeat… IS NOT… a starting NFL Mike Backer. He’s just not. You can spin it anyway you want if he’s one of your faves… but he would seriously struggle to even be depth on some teams. Joe Mays does have some of the qualities one looks for at that position (toughness, team mentality, hard worker, big hitter), but he has just as many, and more, that are missing (instincts, lateral movement, quickness, burst, smarts). Kuechly? Burfict? Hightower? I cannot say… I just know something has to be done for this D to come to full fruition.

To me, WR is the least of our worries until we fix all this other stuff. We can stay put at TE, OL (at least the starters, unless DeCastro or a freak falls to us). That leaves RB as a focal point.

CB: Champ is still top 3…. Goodie is good depth regardless…. Syd’Quan will be back…. Chris Harris is the Nickel moving forward (don’t fix it if it ain’t broke). If Janoris Jenkins, or Kirkpatrick is available when we pick, we almost can’t refuse. It would complete our CB core (wish I could say the same for Safety).

"If you went to the Fair with this guy and you played that game where you have to throw the ball through the hole..... he may never get it through the hole, but he's still gonna be walking away with all the stuffed animals!" Prime's commentary on our very own Tim Tebow!!!

"As iron sharpens iron, so will one man sharpen another." The Bible, by way of Tim Tebow.

"If I had to choose between an abundance of football intelligence, or football wisdom, I'd choose wisdom every single time...... John Fox has enough football wisdom to be carried in a dump truck." Me!

by PaleHorse78 on Jan 27, 2012 9:35 AM MST reply actions