should we just forget about the D?

[amirebram]

Reading this (http://forums.denverbroncos.com/showthread.php?t=106912) thread from Javalon made me think.

We have a good Offense. Do you guys think we should just make the O our priority and use late picks (3, 4, & 5th rounders) to fill needs on the D? It just makes sense. We only need one or two guys to send our offense over the top. Most of our guys are the same age as Cutler, so it makes sense to grab a couple more and make sure that this will be a unit to last us for years to come.

I think we should draft a Top notch WR in 08 or 09. I personaly love to get earl Bennett from Vandy. Another T will be good too.

Quick lists:

Pears, Kuper, Harris, Marshall, Scheffler, Yougn, & Hall all came to the NFL after Cutler.

Meyers, Holland, Graham, Jackson, Sapp are all younger guys with many years to go.

The only old guys on offense are Nalen, Lepsis, Stockly(31), Henry(29) and Walker(29). And we have been good without three of these guys for most of the season.

[Hoss]

I agree to an extent. I think there are some great early round offensive line prospects out there. I would like to see us grab one early. After that we probably need safely or OLB help. Lynch isn't getting younger but I do like Abdullah (spelling?). Or maybe a MLB and move D.J. back where he seems comfortable. Who knows, I'm far, very far from having a scouts mind.

But the rash part of my brain says to cut Travis Henry and trade what we need in order to get someone like McFadden. He's like Adrian Peterson without as much injury baggage. I know Young and Hall have been successful but I there's something to be said for stellar running backs in this league. If we can plug anyone in to get a 100 yard game or even a 1000 yard year think about what a top notch back would do in Denver.

[Geandily]

I think we should mold our team after the Colts, dominant passing offense and a defense that can hold a lead once it's built. IE good passrushing and coverage. I would just keep the defense how it is now, build it upon itself. Then build an unstoppable offense and a defense that holds the lead.

I mean our rookies on the defensive line are turning into great players, our cornerbacks are solid for a few more years and our linebackers are good in coverage. Only thing we really need on defense is maybe a bit more depth at DL and a new safety. Get some good offensive linemen, I dont really know what the draft has, but mostly I think we should keep the defense how it is, tweak our philosophy a bit and just grow the offense and hope the defense matures a bit.

[Gurada]

http://forums.denverbroncos.com/showthread.php?t=106907

Check out this topic I had made earlier today, it fits in with this and Jav's. Our offense is amazingly young and well gelled together.

[Gsam]

I personally think that is the philosophy of the colts and pats. Every time they touch the ball you know pretty damn well that they are going to put points on the board. I personally would take a stellar offense and a good defense over a stellar defense and medicore offense.

I also think having a good offense helps the defense by keeping them fresh and rested and giving them time to recover.

Offense > defense IMHO

[Hoserman117]

That's actually a really good thought... Problem is we can still put 34 points on a team with a terrible offense and still lose. That makes me think we should improve our defense. Why not keep the offense we have now, and emerge with a top 10 to top 5 defense? We'd be pretty much unstoppable. Or heck. Just draft 3 safeties with our first 3 picks, and put them on special teams :rolleyes:

[gobroncsnv]

We GOTTA build this D, because there are going to be games like the Monday night mud bath where NOBODY could score. Then what do you do? A great offense is just like the old golf axiom... Drive for show (offense), Putt for dough (defense). When you get to those winter snow games, EVERY offense no matter how good has been shut down, or slowed down. If we don't get to strike a balance between the 2 squads, we'll end up with the same frustration that Manning had earlier in his career. I want the defense to be more than just what the other team plays.
Our D has done fairly well (end of 4th qtr on Sunday the exception) since after the Detroit game. Bates can get this thing turned around if given time and players.

[Combo1985]

we dont need a WR

[Bronco Axe]

O.K. The Denver Broncos are currently:

#25 In Defense Total Yards Per Game.
#29 Rushing Yards Per Game
#31 Points Given Up Per Game. SECOND FROM LAST BABY!!!! Only the mighty Cleveland BROWNS are worse then Denver.

Its time to face FACTS. They are NOWHERESVILLE untill they can play defense. Period. Defense wins Championships. Dont know what else could make it more black and white, plain as day, cut and dry, need any more cliches????

[amirebram]

I think we should mold our team after the Colts ...

I basically agree. Before this season, I would have said that given our young QB we should build the Def. But I have no doubt that Cutler can be every bit as good as Manning or Brady. Give him every thing he needs, and use what's left on D. He can win it for us.

http://forums.denverbroncos.com/showthread.php?t=106907

Check out this topic I had made earlier today, it fits in with this and Jav's. Our offense is amazingly young and well gelled together.

I saw that, it is nice to know that the offense has a bright future, but you were talking personal and not general philosophy.

I personally think that is the philosophy of the colts and pats ...
Offense > defense IMHO

My thoughts exactly. Not to metion that the rules in the NFL have changed to give offenses an edge. It just doesn't make sense to put the D (which is at a disadvantage) ahead of the O.

we dont need a WR

Really? (POINT1) We may or may not have Stokley back next year. He is a FA. And he is 31 and injury prone.

(POINT2) Javon's knee might never recover. Remember, this is the ACL knee. The Docs wanted him to do a reconstructive surgury, and he chose not to. It is a little worse than Shanny is letting on. Remember T Davis? As good as he was, he couldn't get it done on bad knees.

We are left with Marshall, awsome player, but I want to see him go one year without getting arested. And Martinez; dude is ok for a number 3, but he isn't starting material.

O.K. The Denver Broncos are currently:

#25 In Defense Total Yards Per Game.
#29 Rushing Yards Per Game
#31 Points Given Up Per Game. SECOND FROM LAST BABY!!!! Only the mighty Cleveland BROWNS are worse then Denver.

Its time to face FACTS. They are NOWHERESVILLE untill they can play defense. Period. Defense wins Championships. Dont know what else could make it more black and white, plain as day, cut and dry, need any more cliches????

I think one or two Decent FA's can help for now. And I said we can spend all the late picks on D. Sift enough sand and find gold type of deal. The only way the D can go is up.

If our Offense got a little better, then it would keep the D off the field and take pressure off by scoring like crazy.

[Superchop7]

We have a great secondary, good linebackers, young talent on the d-line.

I have more problems with the scheme than the personell.

We need a stud DT or two and a stud safety.

Our offense is fine with the exception of RB.

We need talent on special teams, Brandon Browner could be a nice acquisition in that area.

The young d-line talent will have a much better year next year, but we have to think in terms of what if Dumerville gets hurt. Once our young guys learn the hand fighting techniques, watch out.

This team has talent, the offense continues to get better, if they stay with Bates the entire draft might well be in his hands.

We need to be balanced.

[rbk_bronco]

I kind of agree right now with our injuries we got our best offense in awhile, but there porbally the youngest too, so why not fill soe needs like at WR because Stoke isn't going to be around forever and we don't know anyhting on Walker's knee. Then we cna focus in on defense through draft and FA.

[rbk_bronco]

we dont need a WR
Yeah we actually do right now we got 3 good ones, but Walker hasn't been able to play because of his knee and Stokley ain't getting younger...

[bjoli198]

drafting a WR early may ot may not be a good idea.

Remember that guy Nash that we drafdted a few years ago?
or that guy lelie?

both where drafted in 1st round, but neither poicked up any good numbers

[amirebram]

Super, I know we have good talent on the ends, but without good play out of the DT position the whole D is screwed. Even a stud DT draft won't solve the problem since it takes time for development.

1. What I meant was, lets just fill the DT need with a good FA. That sovles a lot of problems.

2. Then we use the top of the draft to make sure we have everything we need on O. This unit can be with Cutler for years.

3. Use the rest of the draft (we have 6 picks in rounds 4, 5, and 7) to fill needs on D and special team. If we draft 2 DT, 2 S, and 2 LB, we will at least have good athletes on Special Team, and a chance for 1 maybe 2 future starters on D. So the Defense will get younger too, instead of all these re-threads we had in the past.

TO Bjoli198:: There is one WR i realy want. Earl Bennet. The dude has the same size and speed as Walker. He is a tough tought guy. And the guy has insane chemistry with Cutler.

He is a 1st round talent no doubt. The guys is the only weapon on Vandy's offense, and the SEC defenses still can't shut him down. He has been solid for 3 years now. I have seen him get crushed over the middle and hang on to the ball. There is no doubting this guy. He was good enough for the NFL last year as a sophmore.

[Broncosinindy]

Reading this (http://forums.denverbroncos.com/showthread.php?t=106912) thread from Javalon made me think.

We have a good Offense. Do you guys think we should just make the O our priority and use late picks (3, 4, & 5th rounders) to fill needs on the D? It just makes sense. We only need one or two guys to send our offense over the top. Most of our guys are the same age as Cutler, so it makes sense to grab a couple more and make sure that this will be a unit to last us for years to come.

I think we should draft a Top notch WR in 08 or 09. I personaly love to get earl Bennett from Vandy. Another T will be good too.

Quick lists:

Pears, Kuper, Harris, Marshall, Scheffler, Yougn, & Hall all came to the NFL after Cutler.

Meyers, Holland, Graham, Jackson, Sapp are all younger guys with many years to go.

The only old guys on offense are Nalen, Lepsis, Stockly(31), Henry(29) and Walker(29). And we have been good without three of these guys for most of the season.

To be honest i think we have the talent on offense to be dominant. We have had a slew of injuries this year on O this year. and it is my opinion that we just need to let them jell especially our o-line. I think with walker back we wouldn't be having as many scoring issues that we are seeing.

D is a must need. i read a article on the man that the broncos are looking to keep jim bates and focus heavily on Defense this upcoming year. i'm out of here in a bit but if you wanna check the article its on PFW and or on the mane.

[hardcorebronco]

To be honest i think we have the talent on offense to be dominant. We have had a slew of injuries this year on O this year. and it is my opinion that we just need to let them jell especially our o-line. I think with walker back we wouldn't be having as many scoring issues that we are seeing.

D is a must need. i read a article on the man that the broncos are looking to keep jim bates and focus heavily on Defense this upcoming year. i'm out of here in a bit but if you wanna check the article its on PFW and or on the mane.

Offense first has always been shanahan's philosophy. If we can consistently score 30 and we hold our opponents to 20 then we win! That's his goal. And really... our defense has been doing that as of late! Our offense is also starting to click and mesh as a unit. This is a good sign. So what do we address with the most urgency next offseason? Looking at all the needs, I have to think the offense is more pressing to fit Shanahan's ideal team. But that does NOT mean we will abandon or neglect the defense. We have been so defensively heavy these past three drafts, that i think people may be shocked to see how many picks we spend on offense. Here's what i see as our needs.

I think our defense is only a couple pieces away from being a top ten defense. A DT, OLB, and a Safety to replace Lynch soon, and i think we are in great position.

Sure DT is a need, but with steller play on the ends with THREE very young and very talented DE's and a DT in Thomas who appears to be getting better weekly... A serviceable DT would do just fine here. In reality, we could end up with three pro-bowlers on the D-Line ALONE. (Dumerville, Crowder, Thomas) Not bad i think!

OLB. Gold is likely here to stay. Better play up front really frees him up to do his thing. Games like Chicago prove this... better play up front, and more coaching from Bates and i think Gold will still be a serviceable LB. Is he ideal? Not really, but he is good enough. The real need here is the strong side. Webster is a fine back up, but a below par starter. Replacing him should be a top priority.

Safety. I used to think we needed two new safeties! Abdullah, to my relief, proved me wrong. Lynch is still a strong safety and very valueable. I like using him on obvious run situations. But it is time to start looking for that young guy to bring in and groom under him. immediate starters at this position rarely do well. The Ed Reeves and Troy Palawhatever (stealers) are typically out of our reach. So drafting a guy with potential and a strong upside to groom (similar to abdullah's situation) will be nice. But not necessarily a first day need.

As for offense, depth at Center / Guard, a full load carrying RB and a Wr away from being set for the next decade!

Nalen may not be able to come back, and with Hamilton moving from guard to center and promoting kuper to starting guard, i think we need another tweener there that could play either or position. Depth issue.

RB? Well Henry when not injured wasn't all that steller, and seemed to fall short in goal line situations. Also, with his injuries one questions whether he can be the full time back. Young? Hall? Well i like them both, but honestly, neither one looks to be able to take the full load and run with it. I do think Young would be a nice change of pace back, like what tatum was. Better than Tatum even, albeit not as fast.

Wr... Stokely needs to be resigned obviously, but as it is he is verrry old and won't be here too long. Smith looks not to be back as a player... :sad: And now Walker is also up there in age and is struggling still with his acl knee. Marshall will be a stud, but we still need one dependable guy to line up with him. Remember the Smith / Eddy Mac combo? Marshall looks to be the next Eddy Mac, but a true speedster / stretch the field guy would be nice to acquire sometime soon. Problem? Can Shanahan draft a successful wr? Marshall was a nice pick, but flashbacks of Lelie and Nash still pain my memory.

In all reality, there isn't too many needs that we have to address. The most pressing to me, seem to be on offense. Shanahan would just love to surround Cutler with an all-star cast. (as would I lol) And remember, some of these needs can be shored up with the FA; obviously others of them to be addressed in the draft... who knows. But no matter what, the future looks bright in Dove Valley. :salute:

[Mat'hir Uth Gan]

We need 2 Nose Tackles, Sam Adams won't be with us much longer. And Nose Tackle generally takes a year or so to develop.

Marcus Thomas is a pretty well-rounded DT, he's not a true Nose, but he's also not limited to being a pure 3. He is likely an answer at one DT spot. Alvin McKinley is the same type of player as Thomas, so I do like those two combining at one DT spot. The problem is that we need better Nose Tackle play and it's very very hard to find a good NT, especially two.

This draft, for example, appears at first glance to only have one, Frank Okam. Free Agency, will likely have 1-2, and none that really impress, since the top DTs will be franchised.


The DT is even more important because the type of DEs we have are largely one dimensional pass rushers. Teams can blow them off the ball by running at them in most circumstances. If Ekuban can come back healthy, he could really help in this regard. But Dumervil is one dimensional and needs a stud DT next to him. And we'll have to see how Moss and Crowder develop. Engleberger needs to go though.

Finally, a good Nose Tackle will allow us to play our safeties back, helping shore up our coverage, and it will free our LBs to make more plays on the ball without being consumed by blockers.


If a good Nose Tackle in available, that has to be our focus because a good Nose Tackle makes the entire defense improve, layer by layer. A good LB or good Safety helps, but it doesn't improve the entire defense to the sheer degree a DT would. That's our #1 need.



On offense, we are fine. We could probably use a true blocking FB for endzone runs and we could definitely use a return specialist/developmental slot guy. I don't see a lot of holes on offense, just a developing juggernaut.

[hardcorebronco]

We need 2 Nose Tackles, Sam Adams won't be with us much longer. And Nose Tackle generally takes a year or so to develop.

Marcus Thomas is a pretty well-rounded DT, he's not a true Nose, but he's also not limited to being a pure 3. He is likely an answer at one DT spot. Alvin McKinley is the same type of player as Thomas, so I do like those two combining at one DT spot. The problem is that we need better Nose Tackle play and it's very very hard to find a good NT, especially two.

This draft, for example, appears at first glance to only have one, Frank Okam. Free Agency, will likely have 1-2, and none that really impress, since the top DTs will be franchised.


The DT is even more important because the type of DEs we have are largely one dimensional pass rushers. Teams can blow them off the ball by running at them in most circumstances. If Ekuban can come back healthy, he could really help in this regard. But Dumervil is one dimensional and needs a stud DT next to him. And we'll have to see how Moss and Crowder develop. Engleberger needs to go though.

Finally, a good Nose Tackle will allow us to play our safeties back, helping shore up our coverage, and it will free our LBs to make more plays on the ball without being consumed by blockers.


If a good Nose Tackle in available, that has to be our focus because a good Nose Tackle makes the entire defense improve, layer by layer. A good LB or good Safety helps, but it doesn't improve the entire defense to the sheer degree a DT would. That's our #1 need.



On offense, we are fine. We could probably use a true blocking FB for endzone runs and we could definitely use a return specialist/developmental slot guy. I don't see a lot of holes on offense, just a developing juggernaut.

Very good points mug. DT's are truly the unheralded heroes. And yes, big NT's are very rare. I would have no qualms with taking one in the first round. My only point is that i think we will see Shanahan go with the offense on the rest or atleast most of the draft. I am pretty sure that a FA or two can fill in or help shore needs in the other defensive areas.

Cp for your detailed analysis! :D:salute: