The Broncos won a game, a preseason game but it was still a win and it was a shutout and it came over a team that should be competitive in 2009. Beating Arizona is the bright light that new coach Josh McDaniels needed. It was some kind of confidence confirmation for the players too.
Rookie quarterback Tom Brandstater showed he can play. In a preseason game. He's got a long ways to go but he does look coachable and with hard work he could develop. Just hope that starter Kyle Orton and backup Chris Simms don't get hurt at the same time during the regular season.
The defense gets a solid grade in this one.
The season opener is next and the Broncos will have to run the ball better, play the same kind of defense and hope the quarterbacking doesn't doom it's chances of competing well and having a chance to win.
Hold on as it promises to be a rough go in 2009 in year 1 of the McDaniels regime.
Notes
The Broncos running game looks like a weakness unless the line gets healthy and unless Knowshown Moreno has a smash debut.
Rookie Kenny McKinley looks like a real find as a third or fourth receiver. He won't be a star but he could be a productive part of the offense.
I think, but I'm not sure, there was a Jarvis Moss sighting. Will it be enough for him to make the roster, I'm not sure.
Rookie DB David Bruton looks like a contributor to be and the secondary and special teams needs some rambunctious youth.
Showing posts with label Denver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Denver. Show all posts
Friday, September 4, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Orton improvement must show quickly
Kyle Orton must accept the responsibility of being a starting quarterback in Denver. His performance against San Francisco in the Broncos' first exhibition game was rated R. He must get a passing grade the second time around.
As strong as Chris Simms looked in relief he's not a starting quarterback in the National Football League. Orton has to be the guy or the Broncos could struggle to win 4 games. It's Orton and a prayer. The former Purdue slinger can play but only if he's a part of the machine, not the engine.
Orton knows what's expected of him, especially in Denver.
Coach Josh McDaniels knows he must win with Orton or look the part of the fool after the mutually embarrassing and costly Jay Cutler business blowup. This promises to be a rocky ride but the Broncos' quarterback and his head coach will be committed to proving doubters wrong.
As strong as Chris Simms looked in relief he's not a starting quarterback in the National Football League. Orton has to be the guy or the Broncos could struggle to win 4 games. It's Orton and a prayer. The former Purdue slinger can play but only if he's a part of the machine, not the engine.
Orton knows what's expected of him, especially in Denver.
Coach Josh McDaniels knows he must win with Orton or look the part of the fool after the mutually embarrassing and costly Jay Cutler business blowup. This promises to be a rocky ride but the Broncos' quarterback and his head coach will be committed to proving doubters wrong.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Colorado will always be Broncos first
Colorado is a good baseball state, Denver a good baseball town, by any measuring stick, but football, Mark Kiszla (see Denver Post), is where most Coloradans hearts have been, are and will be for as far as we can see in the future.
The Rockies are a nice story but they have minimal winning tradition while the Broncos have a long history of playoff appearances, Super Bowls and a pair of championships. The Rockies have been in two playoffs, made one World Series, where they, like the Broncos before them, laid an egg.
Brandon Marshall is becoming the Brett Favre of the Rocky Mountain region in that his name is becoming like fingernails on the chalkboard -- much ado not about football. Soap opera. School-age drama. It's only a matter of time before Marshall is wearing another uniform in what has to be the strangest offseason in Broncos' history. Maybe he'd man up for a coach like Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin, or Mike Smith. Maybe he'd toe the line for Tony Sparano in Miami with Bill Parcells in management.
Ever confident quarterback Jay Cutler, he formerly of Denver and now a Chicago employee, feels his one Pro Bowl is deserving of assistant general manager privilege in the Windy City, where Cutler should wants a strong say in personnel matters. The Bears found themselves a prima donna who just happens to have some playing ability too. Only time will tell if the increasingly bold quarterback can successfully juggle his desire to coach, have personnel decision-making duties and play the actual game.
Cutler's replacement Kyle Orton is a guy who could manage a quality team to the playoffs. One problem though, the Broncos are no longer a good team. Not even ego maniacal new coach Josh McDaniels will be able to make chicken salad out of an offense lacking an uber-talented quarterback, a big-target, highly-productive wide receiver (Marshall will be jettisoned before the season opener) and a new system, a new culture.
The Broncos' defense might surprisingly be the story of 2010. Players to watch outside of the Hall of Fame cornerback on the roster include Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers and according to coaches and the media, one Ronald Fields. A sleeper could be D.J. Williams. Maybe this coaching staff will find a way to get the most out of the playmaking-lacking linebacker with high-level athleticism.
The Rockies are a nice story but they have minimal winning tradition while the Broncos have a long history of playoff appearances, Super Bowls and a pair of championships. The Rockies have been in two playoffs, made one World Series, where they, like the Broncos before them, laid an egg.
Brandon Marshall is becoming the Brett Favre of the Rocky Mountain region in that his name is becoming like fingernails on the chalkboard -- much ado not about football. Soap opera. School-age drama. It's only a matter of time before Marshall is wearing another uniform in what has to be the strangest offseason in Broncos' history. Maybe he'd man up for a coach like Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin, or Mike Smith. Maybe he'd toe the line for Tony Sparano in Miami with Bill Parcells in management.
Ever confident quarterback Jay Cutler, he formerly of Denver and now a Chicago employee, feels his one Pro Bowl is deserving of assistant general manager privilege in the Windy City, where Cutler should wants a strong say in personnel matters. The Bears found themselves a prima donna who just happens to have some playing ability too. Only time will tell if the increasingly bold quarterback can successfully juggle his desire to coach, have personnel decision-making duties and play the actual game.
Cutler's replacement Kyle Orton is a guy who could manage a quality team to the playoffs. One problem though, the Broncos are no longer a good team. Not even ego maniacal new coach Josh McDaniels will be able to make chicken salad out of an offense lacking an uber-talented quarterback, a big-target, highly-productive wide receiver (Marshall will be jettisoned before the season opener) and a new system, a new culture.
The Broncos' defense might surprisingly be the story of 2010. Players to watch outside of the Hall of Fame cornerback on the roster include Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers and according to coaches and the media, one Ronald Fields. A sleeper could be D.J. Williams. Maybe this coaching staff will find a way to get the most out of the playmaking-lacking linebacker with high-level athleticism.
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