Denver's Day One

[Morambar]

Pretty much agree with your logic here.

Not bad MindField, not at all...the problem you and other posters are having is the 'Shanahan' factor, I think any analytical sounded mind could tell you that Shanahan is outside the box when it comes to the draft. I am unsure even who he might go after, one thing is for sure it is usually the lesser of those that have been predicted...Cutler, Williams, Pryce, Nash, O'Neil, Lelie and the list goes on. Though in the past three years his picks have been far more sound in the 1st Round then his whole tenure, give linebackers...which for some reason he can pick the best of em'!

So that is the key, and I for one believe with all the safety, defensive line or end predictions that we will see a few no names signed in free agency and I believe our top two picks will be offense, I really do...not sure why, other than I feel Denver is not offensively sound. There defense to me is more scheme issues then just personnel...I think our top four picks will cover the four areas of concern: RB, DT, OG, DE and any other picks will be used to target talent to needed or depth areas: OT, S, ST and maybe WR...not an easy task considering that the keys are in place to build this team into a championship long-term team (Cutler, Sapp, Scheffler, Walker, Marshall, Pears, Hamilton, Dumervil, Warren, Williams, Wilson, Bailey, Foxworth and so on...we need a little more, not alot, but those few weak spots are glaring!)

I really think Shanahan may trade out (If Lynch is gone) still, but if not I like the pick of Carriker who will likely become a tackle in our system, but only if they do not get Lynch. I sincerely think he is their big target in the draft, there are 'gem' running backs in the draft they may shoot for...but according to some Shanahan is most displeased with the running game, far more then anything and his O-Line is up there as well. I still think there are some athletes on the bubble to be traded: Tatum, Darrent and George in my mind may all be gone, I would like to keep George Foster and see what he can do at Right Guard, but if not then Guard will be primary need, a top all else, also the Lepsis issue may be a factor...his status will determine the route which we take. If Lepsis does not return then I do believe Pears will remain on the left side we will draft an eventual replacement for Meadows (injury prone), unless Foster is given the nod to remain...at tackle it is very unlikely, so I believe that right guard and depth is a need, unless Myers is willing to eventually take over the position but he is so utility it makes him an option at all positions. So there is a chance we may have more picks then anyone has thought, my friends who are analysts as well believe Denver could walk into the Draft with two more 3rd round picks and two second day picks, and one of out thirds will be gone, if not two to move up for Lynch... and I agree.

I see the draft breaking down like this on the first day (Excluding Trades):

1st Round:
Marshawn Lynch (Halfback) California

2nd Round:
Baraka Atkins (Defensive End) Miami

3rd Round - Via Washington:
Manuel Ramirez (Offensive Guard) Texas Tech

3rd Round:
Turk McBride (Defensive Tackle) Tennessee

***I do believe Denver will have four third round picks, one if not both will be traded up to move higher in round one, or I believe so. More likely one and Denver's 2008' first round pick***

But unless we're confident they'll stick around I'd take a defensive tackle before a RB. To do the things I want to see in a RB it will take more than just getting a good draft pick; he has to be able to pass block and play all of each game, and I just don't see a back right of college doing those things. If Shanny's displeased with the running game, he should be; we have a back who can't block and another who doesn't block much better but can't move the pile, can't finish games, can't finish seasons and now he's started giving the bad guys make up TDs. I'd be very surprised and disappointed if Mike doesn't start Sunday, and the only reasons I can see why he wouldn't is his blocking and endurance.

And until we have a solid interior line we can draft or sign anyone we want at DE and there's still gonna be 3-4 blockers to shut 'em down.

But your thinking on our offensive line is directly in line with mine; my one concern if we go how you're thinking (and I think we should) is how quickly a rookie guard can learn our complicated zone blocking scheme. I'm hoping that's the only thing keeping Kuper and Myers from replacing Carlisle; if Nalen and Lepsis return it just might be possible to salvage Foster, playing him as 338 lbs. RG who won't let DTs do anything and gets a great push in short yardage, while Hamilton remains our pulling guard. If not though... well, we'll have problems, especially once Nalen is gone....

[lancane]

But unless we're confident they'll stick around I'd take a defensive tackle before a RB. To do the things I want to see in a RB it will take more than just getting a good draft pick; he has to be able to pass block and play all of each game, and I just don't see a back right of college doing those things. If Shanny's displeased with the running game, he should be; we have a back who can't block and another who doesn't block much better but can't move the pile, can't finish games, can't finish seasons and now he's started giving the bad guys make up TDs. I'd be very surprised and disappointed if Mike doesn't start Sunday, and the only reasons I can see why he wouldn't is his blocking and endurance.

And until we have a solid interior line we can draft or sign anyone we want at DE and there's still gonna be 3-4 blockers to shut 'em down.

But your thinking on our offensive line is directly in line with mine; my one concern if we go how you're thinking (and I think we should) is how quickly a rookie guard can learn our complicated zone blocking scheme. I'm hoping that's the only thing keeping Kuper and Myers from replacing Carlisle; if Nalen and Lepsis return it just might be possible to salvage Foster, playing him as 338 lbs. RG who won't let DTs do anything and gets a great push in short yardage, while Hamilton remains our pulling guard. If not though... well, we'll have problems, especially once Nalen is gone....

Problem is we may be at those crossroads already, there is a large chance Nalen will not return and Lepsis is a possibility to follow, Carlisle will not be resigned and Foster will more then likely be traded because of many issues. There is a large need, for Depth and Starters, I for one am not sold on Kuper or Meadows. I think our line may look like this next year: LT - Lepsis, LG - Myers, C - Hamilton, RG - Martinez and RT - Pears, if Lepsis does not return...I think the O-Line will look like this: LT - Pears, LG - Myers, C - Hamilton, RG - Martinez and RT - Meadows...either way there is a chance for major change on the line. And there is a big possibility of two or three O-Lineman to be drafted this year.

And our run game while it may look good on the stat board, is really pathetic. I would not sign over half of Denver's backs for even depth. Mike Bell is about it, Tatum would be in that position...but his trade value is at it's best and is still shallow. A premier back is warranted and a solid need here and I think it will be a big deal to the organization as well, no matter what the fans want...more then half were sold on Plummer till Cutler came, now look at those fans!

The thing I laugh at most is the pathetic claims we need to stock up on D-Linemen, sincerely...we have Dumervil, Lang, Ekuban, Warren and Veal...if Denver signs one or two free agents then they will draft two to three in the draft at most, likely two.

We also know the safety area is a concern, but we have a lot of youth, they will add few if any, the key is to upgrade and the best chance is a big name free agent like Lewis or Hamilton, other then that they would need to go and draft one in the 1st Round, I think they would go with Lynch and Fergy before they would do that.

The only other needs may be receiver and special teams, but Denver will not focus on those areas till they are satisfied they have secured the other needs.

[MindField]

Not bad MindField, not at all...the problem you and other posters are having is the 'Shanahan' factor, I think any analytical sounded mind could tell you that Shanahan is outside the box when it comes to the draft. I am unsure even who he might go after, one thing is for sure it is usually the lesser of those that have been predicted...Cutler, Williams, Pryce, Nash, O'Neil, Lelie and the list goes on. Though in the past three years his picks have been far more sound in the 1st Round then his whole tenure, give linebackers...which for some reason he can pick the best of em'!

So that is the key, and I for one believe with all the safety, defensive line or end predictions that we will see a few no names signed in free agency and I believe our top two picks will be offense, I really do...not sure why, other than I feel Denver is not offensively sound. There defense to me is more scheme issues then just personnel...I think our top four picks will cover the four areas of concern: RB, DT, OG, DE and any other picks will be used to target talent to needed or depth areas: OT, S, ST and maybe WR...not an easy task considering that the keys are in place to build this team into a championship long-term team (Cutler, Sapp, Scheffler, Walker, Marshall, Pears, Hamilton, Dumervil, Warren, Williams, Wilson, Bailey, Foxworth and so on...we need a little more, not alot, but those few weak spots are glaring!)

I really think Shanahan may trade out (If Lynch is gone) still, but if not I like the pick of Carriker who will likely become a tackle in our system, but only if they do not get Lynch. I sincerely think he is their big target in the draft, there are 'gem' running backs in the draft they may shoot for...but according to some Shanahan is most displeased with the running game, far more then anything and his O-Line is up there as well. I still think there are some athletes on the bubble to be traded: Tatum, Darrent and George in my mind may all be gone, I would like to keep George Foster and see what he can do at Right Guard, but if not then Guard will be primary need, a top all else, also the Lepsis issue may be a factor...his status will determine the route which we take. If Lepsis does not return then I do believe Pears will remain on the left side we will draft an eventual replacement for Meadows (injury prone), unless Foster is given the nod to remain...at tackle it is very unlikely, so I believe that right guard and depth is a need, unless Myers is willing to eventually take over the position but he is so utility it makes him an option at all positions. So there is a chance we may have more picks then anyone has thought, my friends who are analysts as well believe Denver could walk into the Draft with two more 3rd round picks and two second day picks, and one of out thirds will be gone, if not two to move up for Lynch... and I agree.

I see the draft breaking down like this on the first day (Excluding Trades):

1st Round:
Marshawn Lynch (Halfback) California

2nd Round:
Baraka Atkins (Defensive End) Miami

3rd Round - Via Washington:
Manuel Ramirez (Offensive Guard) Texas Tech

3rd Round:
Turk McBride (Defensive Tackle) Tennessee

***I do believe Denver will have four third round picks, one if not both will be traded up to move higher in round one, or I believe so. More likely one and Denver's 2008' first round pick***

Well, this is what we all struggle with. Of course we are trying to predict what someone else thinks (Shanahan and Co.), and we are just trying to look at team needs and go from there. What shape the Broncos take for 2007 depends on alot of things...

Will Nalen, Lynch or Hot Rod retire? Will all of them? None of them??

You look at the so-called postions of need, and to me the No. 1 glaring need is the D-Line. Myers is a Free Agent as we know, and to me, we have no legit starting DE's.....Kenard Lang and Ebeneezer Ekuban have reached the point in their career where they should not be starting. Same with John Engleberger and Elvis Dumervil. To me, these are all ratational backups that are not what you want as starters.

Same with the O-Line. How serious is Lepsis' injury? Will he be ready to begin off season workouts and mini-camps? If not, are the Broncos satisfied with Erik Pears? If the Broncos lose Nalen, they have a ready made replacement in Ben Hamilton, but with Cooper Carlisle a Free Agent, we could be looking at two new starters at Guard. How do the Broncos feel about Chris Myers? I know they have stated they are exited about Chris Kuper, but you could be looking at three new starters on the O-line minimum if Myers and Kuper start at Guard and Pears is moved to RT. This is not exactly desireable to re-configure almost the entire O-Line in one offseason. My prediction is Pears will move to RT and another player will be inserted at RG, but Nalen will return for one more year, leaving Hamilton at LG for continuity's sake. The O-Line will almost be completely reconfigured, however, by 2008.

Same with the Safeties. How much promise do the Broncos believe Curome Cox has? Do they think he can be the next Nick Ferguson? They are cut from pretty much the same cloth, and Cox has played prettty well when he has been given a chance. Same for strong safety. Is Hamza Abdullah a legit prospect? John Lynch will likely be back and Sam Brandon and Abdullah are likely to make the team; same with Ferguson and Cox. That makes five Safeties, so who is the odd man out and where do you add a rookie??

I like the idea of adding Marshawn Lynch, but I don't know that he will be available at No. 25. Beyond him, there is a big dropoff for tailback prospects.
I like the idea of moving Cecil Sapp back to RB next year. He has shown good burst when he has gotten his rare carries, and is familiar with the teams system, is a good blocker and a good special teams player. At 225-230lbs, he could replace alot of what Ruben Droughns and Mike Anderson where in our Offense. Sapp was a 1500 yard rusher his Sr. year at Colorado St. So with Sapp and Mike Bell as building blocks, if a runner is not available in the early rounds of the Draft,
you could add say a Chris Brown with a one-year contract, and another mid-round pick like BYU's Curtis Brown. This would not be ideal, but it would buy us another year to find a true franchise back.

I also like the idea of adding another big-time WR, so I will closely watch the progress of South Carolina's Sidney Rice and Tennessee's Robert Meachem if they declare as expected. Both are tentatively considered late first round prospects at this point. Rice in particular intriuges me.

I believe Mike Shanahan is at his best when his Offense dictates the pace of the game, and to maximize that, the more weapons you can add, the better. Hot Rod is now year to year at best, and Brandon Marshall looks promising, but I would not want to rely on just Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall with David Kircus if Rod has in fact hit the proverbial wall and his production will be the same or even look to decline next season.

Also, don't be sprised to see a Michael Strahan or Simeon Rice in a Bronco uni next year if they become cap casulaties with their current teams.

BTW, I am a Miami Hurricane fan, and Baraka Atkins can't play a lick. I wonder if the guy will even be Drafted, but he is definitely NOT a first day pick.

[lancane]

Well, this is what we all struggle with. Of course we are trying to predict what someone else thinks (Shanahan and Co.), and we are just trying to look at team needs and go from there. What shape the Broncos take for 2007 depends on alot of things...

Will Nalen, Lynch or Hot Rod retire? Will all of them? None of them??

You look at the so-called postions of need, and to me the No. 1 glaring need is the D-Line. Myers is a Free Agent as we know, and to me, we have no legit starting DE's.....Kenard Lang and Ebeneezer Ekuban have reached the point in their career where they should not be starting. Same with John Engleberger and Elvis Dumervil. To me, these are all ratational backups that are not what you want as starters.

Same with the O-Line. How serious is Lepsis' injury? Will he be ready to begin off season workouts and mini-camps? If not, are the Broncos satisfied with Erik Pears? If the Broncos lose Nalen, they have a ready made replacement in Ben Hamilton, but with Cooper Carlisle a Free Agent, we could be looking at two new starters at Guard. How do the Broncos feel about Chris Myers? I know they have stated they are exited about Chris Kuper, but you could be looking at three new starters on the O-line minimum if Myers and Kuper start at Guard and Pears is moved to RT. This is not exactly desireable to re-configure almost the entire O-Line in one offseason. My prediction is Pears will move to RT and another player will be inserted at RG, but Nalen will return for one more year, leaving Hamilton at LG for continuity's sake. The O-Line will almost be completely reconfigured, however, by 2008.

Same with the Safeties. How much promise do the Broncos believe Curome Cox has? Do they think he can be the next Nick Ferguson? They are cut from pretty much the same cloth, and Cox has played prettty well when he has been given a chance. Same for strong safety. Is Hamza Abdullah a legit prospect? John Lynch will likely be back and Sam Brandon and Abdullah are likely to make the team; same with Ferguson and Cox. That makes five Safeties, so who is the odd man out and where do you add a rookie??

I like the idea of adding Marshawn Lynch, but I don't know that he will be available at No. 25. Beyond him, there is a big dropoff for tailback prospects.
I like the idea of moving Cecil Sapp back to RB next year. He has shown good burst when he has gotten his rare carries, and is familiar with the teams system, is a good blocker and a good special teams player. At 225-230lbs, he could replace alot of what Ruben Droughns and Mike Anderson where in our Offense. Sapp was a 1500 yard rusher his Sr. year at Colorado St. So with Sapp and Mike Bell as building blocks, if a runner is not available in the early rounds of the Draft,
you could add say a Chris Brown with a one-year contract, and another mid-round pick like BYU's Curtis Brown. This would not be ideal, but it would buy us another year to find a true franchise back.

I also like the idea of adding another big-time WR, so I will closely watch the progress of South Carolina's Sidney Rice and Tennessee's Robert Meachem if they declare as expected. Both are tentatively considered late first round prospects at this point. Rice in particular intriuges me.

I believe Mike Shanahan is at his best when his Offense dictates the pace of the game, and to maximize that, the more weapons you can add, the better. Hot Rod is now year to year at best, and Brandon Marshall looks promising, but I would not want to rely on just Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall with David Kircus if Rod has in fact hit the proverbial wall and his production will be the same or even look to decline next season.

Also, don't be sprised to see a Michael Strahan or Simeon Rice in a Bronco uni next year if they become cap casulaties with their current teams.

BTW, I am a Miami Hurricane fan, and Baraka Atkins can't play a lick. I wonder if the guy will even be Drafted, but he is definitely NOT a first day pick.

I agree with much of your assesment, but overall I was pointing the (X-Factor) of course will be usually different then what anyone believes. Personally my draft wants do not matter, it is how I think Shanahan will go and that is why the Atkins pick, I believe he will be a first day pick, but a let down pick...there has to be one bust in the first day, I would rather it be him. Then the others...lol.

If I was the General Manager, now this is me...I would trade George Foster to a team in dire need of a right tackle who is big and not good at the same system as Denver...Cleveland or Washington would both be better fits, we already have Washington's 3rd Round Pick and their 4th Round Pick next year, so I would try Cleveland, if not then I would try and salvage maybe a 4th Round and 5th Round pick for him, I think we will get a 3rd. Also I would trade Darrent Williams, yes...I know he is young, but his attitude I truly disslike, it would be different if he had massive skills, but at best he is a good, not great corner and the same is said for Fox, who in my mind is a better fit on this team...Denver could get a 3rd Round pick for him as well, that maybe the key to Lynch! -- I would trade Tatum (4th Round Value) and Williams (3rd Round Value) to the Texans, maybe even Plummer and our 1st Round pick this year and a 2nd next all to get their top pick and I would take Lynch.

Like I said -- if it was me, if it was my draft would look like this:

1st Round:
Marshawn Lynch (Halfback) California

2nd Round:
Turk McBride (Defensive Tackle) Tennessee

3rd Round:
Manuel Ramirez (Offensive Guard) Texas Tech

Marquies Gunn (Defensive End) Auburn

Aundrae Allison (Wide Receiver) East Carolina

5th Round:
Melila Purcell (Defensive End) Hawaii

6th Round:
Chase Johnson (Offensive Tackle) Wyoming

7th Round:
James Ihedigbo (Strong Safety) UMass

Something like that...I hope we get some of those I like, but you never know! What I think is best for the team, others may not agree with, and so on. But if we do not get Lynch, I will be fine...cause if we traded all of those players and possibly (Plummer) as well, I think we could still have an awesome draft!

[Morambar]

You may well be right.

Problem is we may be at those crossroads already, there is a large chance Nalen will not return and Lepsis is a possibility to follow, Carlisle will not be resigned and Foster will more then likely be traded because of many issues. There is a large need, for Depth and Starters, I for one am not sold on Kuper or Meadows. I think our line may look like this next year: LT - Lepsis, LG - Myers, C - Hamilton, RG - Martinez and RT - Pears, if Lepsis does not return...I think the O-Line will look like this: LT - Pears, LG - Myers, C - Hamilton, RG - Martinez and RT - Meadows...either way there is a chance for major change on the line. And there is a big possibility of two or three O-Lineman to be drafted this year.

I hope you're wrong about Martinez being our starting RG next year though. From the little I've heard he sounds nice, but I'm not confident in our ability to successfully integrate a rookie guard in one offseason. By all accounts, if we could do that Kuper would likely be a ready made backup and Myers would already have replaced Carlisle. Even if Martinez is the greatest lineman since Stepnoski and Dierdorf I wouldn't start him overnight unless I had to start him, and if we're in that boat things are going to get worse before they get better. I'm hoping we get Nalen and Lepsis back (though I'm really more concerned about the former than the latter, at least for the next couple years) and we can start Myers at RG unless Foster really blows peoples minds at RG in training camp. The issue will be the looming retirement of Nalen and finding quality backups; Kuper might could back up our guards, Eslinger Nalen and whichever of Meadows and Pears isn't starting backup Lepsis and the RT as long as we only have one starter hurt at once, but in a couple years at least one of those backups will be starting, and we'll need someone good who knows the system to step up. I like the idea of going after Martinez early if he's as good as you say, and pursuing a steady if unspectacular tackle late, someone who can reliably protect Cutler in a few years even if he can't spring [your back here] for a 40 yd TD off tackle.

I honestly think our best bet is to shop Foster and Carlisle around, and my first stop would be Gary Kubiak and the Texans, who have a desperate need for linemen to protect Carr as well as those who know zone blocking. Assuming of course there's nothing to a rumor I heard over Christmas in Houston: that Carr was told he had to win his last three or leave town, and he didn't do the former. In that case I'd DEFINITELY be talking to Kubiak in the offseason, because we need a quality backup for Cutler, and Kubiak needs linemen badly. I doubt Carr's going anywhere though, so my choices for Cutlers backup would be (depending on cap room) Garcia, Brunell and Huard, in that order.

And our run game while it may look good on the stat board, is really pathetic. I would not sign over half of Denver's backs for even depth. Mike Bell is about it, Tatum would be in that position...but his trade value is at it's best and is still shallow. A premier back is warranted and a solid need here and I think it will be a big deal to the organization as well, no matter what the fans want...more then half were sold on Plummer till Cutler came, now look at those fans!

Yeah, I think Tatum could make a very good trade if he finishes >1000 after the 49ers game, and I wouldn't keep him except as a change of pace back. If I had to name a starter from the guys we've got I'd go with Mike Bell and hope his pass blocking and, to a lesser extent, receiving is a lot better next year. Pass blocking for Cutler so we don't have to telegraph our play calling based on whether we have the blocker or the runner is the only thing I really want that Mike can't do, and Tatum's not much better, plus there's issues with short yardage, durability, endurance and now fumbling.

The thing I laugh at most is the pathetic claims we need to stock up on D-Linemen, sincerely...we have Dumervil, Lang, Ekuban, Warren and Veal...if Denver signs one or two free agents then they will draft two to three in the draft at most, likely two.

I'm actually not too impressed with Veal, at least not yet, and I think the weakness at DT is why everyone's so underwhelmed by our ends: they have to do the job by themselves, and two guys can't win the pass rush battle outnumbered 2 or 3:1.

We also know the safety area is a concern, but we have a lot of youth, they will add few if any, the key is to upgrade and the best chance is a big name free agent like Lewis or Hamilton, other then that they would need to go and draft one in the 1st Round, I think they would go with Lynch and Fergy before they would do that.

We actually find ourselves in an unaccustomed position of having a lot of depth at CB, good coverage, speed and tackling, so a number of them could sub or even start at FS; if we move Lynch back to SS we could have one of our CBs backup Brandon at FS and be set with Lynch and Fergie at SS, but they're not getting younger. The way we've seen the rotation lately I'd not be surprised to see us go after a SS, and if we do that I think we'll be OK. We don't have the depth there, but our FS looks worse than it is because we insist on playing a HoF SS there even as he's slowing down toward the end of his career. With Paymah, possibly Foxy and Cox all in position to compete for a spot backing up Brandon I'm not really concerned about FS if we have the sense to put the right ability there, but with Lynch and Fergie at SS we'll need someone there in a couple years even if Abdullah continues to impress on STs until he's named the backup or starter following the retirement of Lynch and Fergie.

The only other needs may be receiver and special teams, but Denver will not focus on those areas till they are satisfied they have secured the other needs.

Agreed; we have good depth at WR IMHO. Even if Rod retires (and I honestly don't think he will for at least a couple years, and likely more) we still have Walker, Marshall, a proven performer in Morgan and a promising prospect in Kircus. Since I expect to have Schefler in on our "4 WR" sets I'm not too concerned about WR in the next couple years even if Rod leaves.

[Morambar]

IMy theory is simple...go young, trim the fat, and draft your future.

FA's I would like to have next year.....qb-wright, rb-priest holmes(one year incentive contract), wr-wilford, dt-sands

Trades for draft picks plummer, t.bell, foster, brown

Retirees smith and maybe nalen

Not resigned or Notable cuts might be carlisle, morgan, engleberger, myers, burns, ferguson

My draft would go hopefully like this...

1 S (if landry still around)
2 DT/DE best avail
3a RB
3b DE/DT best avail
5 WR/KR
6 T
7 G

if Landry is gone I would go
1 DE/DT (hopefully Moses)
2 RB or S depending on who's on the board
3 RB or S whatever wasn't taken in 2nd
3b DE/DT
5,6,7 same as above.

Certainly I'll be glad to bid farewell to Courtney Browns unearned pay check (can you believe this guy was a #1 overall pick?) but I have some issues with your releases:

Morgan: A good kick returner, and perhaps more importantly he put up good numbers receiving in Cleveland, so we know he can play with the big boys; he's still a good returner and a nice bit of depth, or potential #3 if Rod retires.

Engleberger: I honestly haven't seen enough of him to say, but I really like Ekuban and Lang as our starting ends, and Elvis as backup/situational; we just need to get some more tackles besides Warren so they're not out there alone, with Warren shut down from doubles/injuries and our ends facing two blockers trying to play a 3-4 line without the extra LB. Chucky's not bad from the little I've seen, so we may well be able to do without Engleberger.

Myers: The gaping hole in our defensive interior, just as Carlisle is in our offensive one. No brainer.

Burns: He'll be 35 in May; he'll cut himself in a few years, but in the mean time, unless you're really impressed with Louis Green we have Webster as backup MLB and then NO ONE. Going from one of or the best 4-3 LB group to hoping Chucky still remembers how to play OLB is a BAD idea; I'd like to see us pick up one of the many highly touted OLB prospects to play MLB behind Al and, in a couple years, OLB in a Bronco 3-4. Regardless, our depth at LB isn't great, and if you drop Burns (whom, as I say, we'll be gone in a couple years regardless) it's almost non-existent in terms of proven quality. I wouldn't cut Burns, but he'll probably be gone in a couple years, and it's the guys who'll leave in a couple years for whom we should draft now, so they're ready to go when we need them.

Ferguson: Also not young, but also critical at SS. If you don't believe it look at the "Musical DBs" we've played since his injury. IMHO we should be doing that with backups for Brandon at FS, while Lynch goes back to SS where he belongs. Lynchs hard hitting play sniffing style and punishing D is ideally suited for the SS position where he was a Pro Bowler for a decade, but not as good for the kind of speedy coverage needed in a FS who keeps WRs in front of him and out of the end zone, especially as he slows down. Asking him to play like that while asking someone like D-Will (who plays EXACTLY like that) to play SS is a waste of talent, IMHO. But neither he nor Ferguson is young and we do need to look for a replacement now, while we can.

[Morambar]

Well, this is what we all struggle with. Of course we are trying to predict what someone else thinks (Shanahan and Co.), and we are just trying to look at team needs and go from there. What shape the Broncos take for 2007 depends on alot of things...

Will Nalen, Lynch or Hot Rod retire? Will all of them? None of them??

Maybe, no and no. True, it's speculation, but we only have so many picks, and many of them won't be able to start right out of college anyway, so at some point you have to roll the dice and hope your rapport is good enough with your starters that they're not holding out on you. I'll say this though, if I was Lynch I'd be p--sed to hear all the fans complaining about my deep coverage skills when I've always been a standout SS who's only playing FS because asked.

You look at the so-called postions of need, and to me the No. 1 glaring need is the D-Line. Myers is a Free Agent as we know, and to me, we have no legit starting DE's.....Kenard Lang and Ebeneezer Ekuban have reached the point in their career where they should not be starting. Same with John Engleberger and Elvis Dumervil. To me, these are all ratational backups that are not what you want as starters.

I agree that's our number one need, but for differente reasons; Lang and Ekuban have always been starters, and with good reason; Myers is a FA and we should trade him for the best pick or release him, because he shouldn't be starting on our defensive line. I still maintain to exhaustion that it's the absence of anyone besides Warren on our defensive interior that prevent Ekuban and Lang from being seen as the the excellent ends they've always been. When Warren't healthy he's doubled; when that leaves him injured he's not, and either way there's a couple guys free for Lang AND Ekuban. We change that part of the equation and their sack totals go up, along with the terror quotient of our D. We need defensive tackles no matter what, and I hope to see two early picks spent here, both because we don't really have a backup and because the draft is a lottery and buying two tickets doubles your chances of winning big.[/QUOTE]
Same with the O-Line. How serious is Lepsis' injury? Will he be ready to begin off season workouts and mini-camps? If not, are the Broncos satisfied with Erik Pears? If the Broncos lose Nalen, they have a ready made replacement in Ben Hamilton, but with Cooper Carlisle a Free Agent, we could be looking at two new starters at Guard. How do the Broncos feel about Chris Myers? I know they have stated they are exited about Chris Kuper, but you could be looking at three new starters on the O-line minimum if Myers and Kuper start at Guard and Pears is moved to RT. This is not exactly desireable to re-configure almost the entire O-Line in one offseason. My prediction is Pears will move to RT and another player will be inserted at RG, but Nalen will return for one more year, leaving Hamilton at LG for continuity's sake. The O-Line will almost be completely reconfigured, however, by 2008.[/QUOTE]
If Lepsis misses camp for rehab he'll still be ready to go on opening day. Yes, the surgery's a beast, and yes it's probably ended the careers of Brown and TD, but TD had a degenerative disease of his knees that would have required that same surgery every year, while Brown's had the surgery twice, so it's not the same scenario. I think we're looking at a new RG alright, and not because Carlisle's a FA (though I won't miss paying him $1 million+ for little return; ) hopefully it's Chris Myers. Lepsis-Hamilton-Nalen-Myers-Pears is the way I'd bet, with Meadows backing both tackles (but possibly the reverse; Pears has experience at LT now and was drafted as a RT, so can play both) and I would expect a reconfigure in the wake of Nalens retirement in the next year or two. There's really no way to predict how many years Lepsis has left until next year, but if he's on his way out we'll need to pickup a tackle as well as a guard, because we called Meadows out of retirement. We're talking backups, but potentially a starting tackle and guard down the road.

Same with the Safeties. How much promise do the Broncos believe Curome Cox has? Do they think he can be the next Nick Ferguson? They are cut from pretty much the same cloth, and Cox has played prettty well when he has been given a chance. Same for strong safety. Is Hamza Abdullah a legit prospect? John Lynch will likely be back and Sam Brandon and Abdullah are likely to make the team; same with Ferguson and Cox. That makes five Safeties, so who is the odd man out and where do you add a rookie??

I have reservations yet about Cox, who didn't look great in his first couple starts. And by the way, he and Ferguson ARE strong safeties, though it's admittedly confusing the way we insist on playing our best SS at FS; moving Lynch back where he belongs would solve a lot of problems at SS, and leave us with Brandon at FS backed up by Paymah, Cox or maybe D-Will (I still think the way he's being asked to play is textbook FS: keep 'em in front of you, keep 'em out of the endzone, and if you see a chance to jump a route take it. ) Problem solved, until Lynch/Ferguson retires, but then we'll need SSs. I like what I've seen of Abdullah on STs, he's a good tackler, but it's hard to be sure of his coverage ability from that.

FS: Brandon and D-Will or Paymah, with the other playing nickel while Foxy starts at #2 CB.

SS: Lynch and Ferguson, with Abdullah and Cox ready to step up when one of them leaves. With the age of the first two, we should probably draft a SS to be ready when they leave.

I like the idea of adding Marshawn Lynch, but I don't know that he will be available at No. 25. Beyond him, there is a big dropoff for tailback prospects.
I like the idea of moving Cecil Sapp back to RB next year. He has shown good burst when he has gotten his rare carries, and is familiar with the teams system, is a good blocker and a good special teams player. At 225-230lbs, he could replace alot of what Ruben Droughns and Mike Anderson where in our Offense. Sapp was a 1500 yard rusher his Sr. year at Colorado St. So with Sapp and Mike Bell as building blocks, if a runner is not available in the early rounds of the Draft,
you could add say a Chris Brown with a one-year contract, and another mid-round pick like BYU's Curtis Brown. This would not be ideal, but it would buy us another year to find a true franchise back.

I suppose I could live with that; as long as we have a durable blocker who can get tough yards I'm happy, because our line will get him 1000 yards, and likely a great deal more. I'd like to see more of Damien Nash though, too, who's looked good in his few appearances, and has the same bulk as Mike Bell, but on a frame two inches shorter (and an inch shorter than Tatum, who's also lighter. ) If he can block he could become a solid member of the team. If he AND Mike Bell can learn to block we would be in good shape; we might not have a Pro Bowler, but we'd have a pair of versatile backs who can get tough yards and help protect Cutler.

I also like the idea of adding another big-time WR, so I will closely watch the progress of South Carolina's Sidney Rice and Tennessee's Robert Meachem if they declare as expected. Both are tentatively considered late first round prospects at this point. Rice in particular intriuges me.

I don't really see much need for us here; Quincy Morgan has proven ability as a receiver, while Kircus is a promising talent, and we still have Javon and Marshall even if Rod retires. At most we might need one more, and if he's still testing clean I'd rather see us go after Justin Gatlin (AKA The Fastest Man Alive) as a kick returner who could also be a lethal deep threat if his hands are as good as Kubiak says. More importantly, the risk involved would mean we could offer him a minimum contract loaded with incentives we'll be happy to pay if he makes them. Something like:

$100,000 for each of 10+ TDs, 100+ catches and/or 1000+ yards receiving.

$100,000 for each kick returned for a TD, averaging 20+ on kick/punt returns.

As I said, if we gave him a minimum contract with those incentives and wound up paying out $1 million I think we'd be very happy to do it.

I believe Mike Shanahan is at his best when his Offense dictates the pace of the game, and to maximize that, the more weapons you can add, the better. Hot Rod is now year to year at best, and Brandon Marshall looks promising, but I would not want to rely on just Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall with David Kircus if Rod has in fact hit the proverbial wall and his production will be the same or even look to decline next season.

I think we'll see Rod come roaring back next year, but even if we don't Quincy Morgan is a proven receiver in the NFL.

Also, don't be sprised to see a Michael Strahan or Simeon Rice in a Bronco uni next year if they become cap casulaties with their current teams.

BTW, I am a Miami Hurricane fan, and Baraka Atkins can't play a lick. I wonder if the guy will even be Drafted, but he is definitely NOT a first day pick.

Tackles are welcome, but spending big money/picks for ends would be a horrible waste of a limited opportunity, IMHO.

[Morambar]

Again, don't follow the NCAA...

I don't dislike Carriker, but it seems to me that a power end like him is the lowest of our priorities on the defensive line. Our ex-Browns are generally poor pass-rushers but somewhat better run-stoppers, so I'd take a primarily pass-rushing end or a good tackle over another plugger at end. Do we have a shot at Amobi Okoye?

but everything I've heard on this guy sounds like he'd be ideal. Someone earlier objected that "most of the guys in this draft are under 300. " Okoye's 298 and he's 19. Does anyone think he won't be well over 300 in five years? And he's obviously bright if he's a college senior when most people are college freshman. Which in turn means he's got a lot of years ahead of him in the NFL; how long can a 20 year old rookie play...?

Plus, of course, he's a DT, the one thing we DESPERATELY need to make our whole D in general and our front four in particular better by an order of magnitude (yes, I mean it, from 20something against the pass and ~10th against the run to number two and one. )