Tag: Denver Broncos (Page 9 of 56)

Broncos to take Marcell Dareus?

March 29, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The Denver Post is reporting that the Broncos are leaning towards Alabama DT Marcell Dareus with the No. 2 overall pick.

• The Broncos will draft a dominant defensive tackle — Marcell Dareus is the leader in the clubhouse — or trade the pick if they can get Patrick Peterson or Von Miller several picks later. Perhaps they can persuade the 49ers, at No. 7 (yes), the Titans (8), Washington’s Mike Shanahan (10th; he grabbed Jay Cutler at 11) or the Vikings (12) to trade up with additional draft choices for the Broncos’ pick.

With teams being unable to trade 2012, 2013 and 2014 picks, it’s going to be difficult for the Broncos to move down. They’ll either have to take less value than a team holding the No. 2 pick would, or stay put and take whichever player is on the top of their board. I would imagine that the latter is the more likely scenario.

In my latest mock draft (which I compiled earlier this month), I have the Broncos taking Dareus at No. 2:

No. 2 Denver Broncos: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
I had the Broncos taking Da’Quan Bowers with this pick in my second mock, but since then they’ve released Jamal Williams and, in a rather surprising move, Justin Bannan. Those moves open up a huge need at defensive tackle and Dareus’ stock continues to soar. The question is, will the Broncos look to trade this pick knowing that QB-needy teams draft behind them? They may lose the opportunity to take Dareus, but maybe they can trade back and still land Nick Fairley (a nice consolation prize).
Combine Comparisons: Marcus Thomas; Corvey Irvin; Red Bryant.

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Report: Tim Tebow doesn’t have full support of new Denver staff

February 22, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

If NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi’s latest report on Tim Tebow is true, don’t rule out the Broncos selecting a quarterback with the second overall pick in this year’s draft.

Tim Tebow, a first-round pick last year, was not selected by new coach John Fox. Most members of the Broncos who were there when the Tebow pick was made are looking to distance themselves from the choice, which is a classic way for things to operate in the NFL.
Last year, no one associated with the Broncos complained about the Tebow pick, thinking they were being loyal to the head coach, when in reality, not voicing an opinion or pretending you like a player is the highest form of disloyalty and disservice.
So Tebow is a man without much support in Denver, making quarterback a huge need. Can the Broncos be so focused on defense that they ignore an NFL team’s most essential position? Or will they feel like Kyle Orton can manage the game well enough to allow them to replenish the defense, something near and dear to Fox’s heart?

This isn’t surprising. It’s customary for a new coaching staff to want nothing to do with a young quarterback when they didn’t have a hand in drafting him. But I find it hard to believe that John Fox and Co. have already soured on Tebow when they haven’t seen him take a snap in practice, let alone a live game.

But Lombardi is a reliable source, so maybe the report has legs. There were many teams willing to pass on Tebow last April because of the project he represented at the next level. He was a great college quarterback because the offense that Urban Meyer ran at Florida was the perfect blend of single wing running and spread passing. Unfortunately for Tebow, nobody runs that offense on a consistent basis in the NFL.

It would be unfortunate if Fox gave up on Tebow before giving him a fair shake, especially considering he stuck with Jake Delhomme in Carolina for so long. (Delhomme was absolutely brutal in the final years under Fox.) But I can’t fault Fox for wanting to develop his own quarterback. After all, he didn’t draft Tebow – Josh McDaniels did.

If Denver does rid itself of him, here’s hoping Tebow winds up in New England. At least then Bill Belichick will figure out a way to get him on the field. Whether or not he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL is up for debate, but the kid is a football player through and through and deserves to play.

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Bailey puts his Colorado home up for sale

February 16, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Ready for a good news/bad news scenario, Bronco fans?

The good news is that Champ Bailey and your team are talking contract again.

The bad news is that according to Inside the NFL’s Josina Anderson, the 10-time Pro Bowler just put his Colorado home up for sale. If Bailey thought the Broncos were willing to offer him more than a one-year deal, then it seems unlikely that he’d stick a for sale sign in his front yard.

One option for Denver is to assign Bailey the franchise tag and lock him in for one year. But the Broncos don’t want to pay a 32-year-old corner $15 million for one season, even if he is Champ Bailey.

The other problem is that the Broncos shouldn’t be playing for 2011. I understand that in today’s NFL, turnarounds can happen quickly but this team needs an upgrade at every level defensively. Even if they were to re-sign Bailey, nothing says that the Broncos won’t take someone like LSU’s Patrick Peterson with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. They need to build for the future.

As hard as it would be, maybe the Broncos would be better off allowing Bailey to go to a contender that will shell out big money for 2-3 years. No team wants to let talent walk out the door and Bailey is the consummate professional. But teams aren’t created equal. Some need one or two pieces to make a Super Bowl run, while others are starting over. The Broncos are in rebuilding mode and unless they seriously believe they can build a winner in the next two years, why pay Bailey to hang around?

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The bad luck continues for Broncos’ receiver Demaryius Thomas

February 11, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

After spending nearly his entire rookie year dealing with foot and ankle injuries, CBS 4 in Denver is reporting that Broncos’ receiver Demaryius Thomas suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon while working out on Wednesday.

CBS4 Sports has learned, Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has suffered a torn achilles tendon. While the extent of the injury, either a partial or full tear, has not been revealed, the Broncos tweeted late Thursday that Thomas’ recovery would take 6 to 8 months.

As CBS 4 points out, this injury is yet another blow to Denver’s receiving corps. After having surgery on his hip, Eddie Royal could be sidelined for up to six months and now Thomas’ health is in question. Chances are this injury could set up yet another lost season for Thomas, who has loads of talent but simply can’t catch a break when it comes to injuries.

The Broncos have too many holes to fill on both sides of the ball to take another receiver in the first round. But who is Kyle Orton or Tim Tebow going to throw to? If Tebow winds up being the full-time starter, he’ll need more than Knowshon Moreno (who is also injury-prone) around him to succeed. It’s only February and things already look bleak in Denver.

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Broncos go with safe choice, hire John Fox

January 13, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

While Rick Dennison was initially favored to land the gig, the Broncos were swept away by John Fox’s interview on Wednesday and have decided to make him their 14th head coach in team history.

This hire makes sense on many levels. The Broncos finished dead last in yards allowed this season and Fox is a defensive-minded coach. After the Josh McDaniels debacle, they didn’t want to take another risk and you couldn’t get less risky than John Fox. He was the Panthers’ head coach since 2002 and during that span, Carolina finished with fewer than seven wins only once (which was this season, when they went 2-14).

But could the Broncos have gotten more blasé with this hire? Fox has already led a team to the Super Bowl and it certainly wasn’t his fault that the front office left him with practically zero talent to work with last season. But his teams were always the models of inconsistency under his guidance, making the playoffs one year only to finish 7-9 or 8-8 the next. He also stuck with Jake Delhomme as his starter for way too long, even though a blind puppet could see that Delhomme was done years ago.

He also isn’t a very good schemer. Giant fans loved him when he was the defensive coordinator in New York before he was hired in Carolina, but the Panthers always seemed to have secondary issues over the years. While pundits love to say how he “always gets the most out of his players,” I’ve never heard anyone wax poetically about one of Fox’s game plans.

What I’ve written doesn’t make Fox a bad coach obviously, but again – he’s the epitome of “meh.” It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Tim Tebow now and if the Broncos plan on going into next season with him as their starter. Fox has had zero success and limited experience developing young quarterbacks, so again, I question the Broncos’ choice here.

That said, maybe he was the right choice for the Broncos at this particular time. And regardless of my personal feelings about him, the majority of people seem to like him.

Hey, he can’t be any worse than McDaniels was, right?

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Tag: Denver Broncos (Page 9 of 56)

Broncos to take Marcell Dareus?

Report: Tim Tebow doesn’t have full support of new Denver staff

Bailey puts his Colorado home up for sale

The bad luck continues for Broncos’ receiver Demaryius Thomas

Broncos go with safe choice, hire John Fox

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