Aubrayo Franklin?

[Joshecalpoly]

Word out here in the bay area is Franklin is trying to resign with the 49ers.

According to online reports the 9ers either arent interested or waiting to see if they can drive the price down. Chances are Sopoaga is going to be the new anchor.

[Snarfalicious]

based on the conversation i just had, me likes the broncos chances of signing ty warren.

From Vic Lombardi.

I'm not ecstatic but if he's healthy he's our best DT.

[JayJack]

From Vic Lombardi.

I'm not ecstatic but if he's healthy he's our best DT.

Snarf, this thing seems so simple to me. Sign Ty, re-sign Thomas, move Vickerson back to DE, and sign Jamaal Anderson to play DE, and sign Franklin and J. Wall to anchor the middle, and lets move back to the 3-4. But I know it's not going to happen. It would be nice though.

[Joshecalpoly]

Snarf, this thing seems so simple to me. Sign Ty, re-sign Thomas, move Vickerson back to DE, and sign Jamaal Anderson to play DE, and sign Franklin and J. Wall to anchor the middle, and lets move back to the 3-4. But I know it's not going to happen. It would be nice though.

We can only dream

[Snarfalicious]

Snarf, this thing seems so simple to me. Sign Ty, re-sign Thomas, move Vickerson back to DE, and sign Jamaal Anderson to play DE, and sign Franklin and J. Wall to anchor the middle, and lets move back to the 3-4. But I know it's not going to happen. It would be nice though.

It makes sense, but that's also a lot more money. Franklin won't be very cheap, Ty Warren said he would play for veteran minimum for a contender (which we aren't), and Thomas/Anderson seem to be of similar value. Too much money to spread out. I think we're out on Franklin, and I believe we will get Warren and Thomas, with Anderson being very touch and go based on the salary he expects to get.

[JayJack]

We can only dream

I have to dream to keep my sanity! Reality around here is suicidal.

[THEdraftnik]

Snarf, this thing seems so simple to me. Sign Ty, re-sign Thomas, move Vickerson back to DE, and sign Jamaal Anderson to play DE, and sign Franklin and J. Wall to anchor the middle, and lets move back to the 3-4. But I know it's not going to happen. It would be nice though.

Marcus Thomas wasn't too bad at nose, and with Vickerson and Ty next to him we might have a solid front line. Have Ayers play some DE on passing downs with Von and Doom coming off the edge. Joe Mays and DJ in the middle. Looks like a solid lineup. But it would make actual sense. Which EFX don't seem to possess. Definitely what I will do on madden

[Joshecalpoly]

I have to dream to keep my sanity! Reality around here is suicidal.

I think ild rather take Franklin then Warren though despite the fact Warren if healthy is better, him coming off a hip injury to having hamstring issues is not a good sign. Still the McGahee signing despite being underwhelming renewed some optimism since it was better then I expected. Yet that may change if we dont get a FB. I didnt know what to expect for us in FA since we are not an attractive team right now I was expecting the best we could do is 2 star athletes who have no where else to go.

[johnlimburg]

True and Franklin is at a point where he is essentially going to be at his last stop. Chances are he wants to be on a contender and since it looks like he wont he may charge a lot and take a small contract so he can in the future.

We dont want to be like the Raiders and there obsession with completely overpaying there aging D-lineman.

You mean the Broncos ?

[Bernie24]

I have to dream to keep my sanity! Reality around here is suicidal.

Then what do we do with Von

Replace Ayers for him? Than Ayers is wasted. As much hate as he gets he's really not that bad excellent vs the run.

[johnlimburg]

Then what do we do with Von

Replace Ayers for him? Than Ayers is wasted. As much hate as he gets he's really not that bad excellent vs the run.

Ayers looked decent at DE in 3-4 on 3rd downs last year and could probably play there full time if he bulked up a little.

I really have no problem having Ayers as a backup.

[shawinkerpoppin]

Ayers looked decent at DE in 3-4 on 3rd downs last year and could probably play there full time if he bulked up a little.

I really have no problem having Ayers as a backup.

I have a feeling ayers will justify being a first round pick this season. He won't put up dumervil numbers but I think he will get it in.

[broncosdude88]

tommie harris?? injury proned= yes. but he's had a longer offseason to recover lol. i think we should take a shot @ signing him.

[Cugel]

It's my opinion that this team needs run-stopping focused DTs more so then penetrating ones. We are going to have the playmakers at DE and OLB to apply pressure. We desperately need guys who can simply hold ground, clog up running lanes, and if they apply pressure sparingly that's icing on the cake. It's my view of things, and I think it's reasonable.

I'm becoming really worried with this ownership. This would have been the perfect FA period to really turn the tide on defense. According to Clayton, the salary cap floor doesn't kick in until 2013. I'm not sure if there is some sort of part to that statement that is off or he his alluding to some different aspect (perhaps percentage of salary cap - he mentioned 89, I've heard 99 this year). But either way, if that's the case that there is no salary cap floor, it leads me to believe that the Broncos ownership is in as much financial dire straights as we have been led to believe.

If we could have landed 2 starting-quality DTs, this defense would have instantly been transformed. Instead, we face the possibility of going into the season with what I think will end up being some combination of Hatcher, Landri, Vickerson, and maybe Thomas. All of which have their question marks. If Nate Irving is expected to start, he's not going to be able to use his best tools, his instincts and elite lane filling ability, to his advantage when he's consistently swallowed up by Guards/Centers that are able to get downfield and quick.

I guess you could say I'm extremely worried.

We've been through this for a decade now. The Broncos NEVER actually go out and get an elite FA DT and they NEVER draft one!

I had hope when they went to the 3-4 because you don't NEED two elite DTs in that defense. You can just get ONE elite NT and find great 3-4 DEs in almost any round. Pittsburgh pro-bowl DE Keisel I think was drafted in round 4 or something.

But, shifting back to the 4-3 means they had to go out and start acquiring elite DL. THEN and only THEN get a great LB corps.

They already Have Doom so they had the most difficult ingredient of all to find -- an elite outside pass-rushing LB.

I'm not insisting that Fox stick with a 3-4 when he doesn't want to. But, having decided to switch to the 4-3 they should have started with Job #1 -- which is getting some ELITE DTs to stuff the run and get pressure up the middle.

Then they'd have the makings of a good defense. LBs you can always get in any draft. I just don't see Miller having the kind of impact that the homers over there in General Discussions insist he will have. I don't see the logic of using the #2 pick of the draft on a SLB for a 4-3 defense -- no matter how good he is or how they plan on "moving him around." Especially when that guy was a top 5 pick because he was the best 3-4 OLB in the draft.

[Cugel]

tommie harris?? injury proned= yes. but he's had a longer offseason to recover lol. i think we should take a shot @ signing him.

He's really struggled with the Bears and lost his starting job. DTs do wear down from all the pounding they take and can suddenly look very old.

I think Tommie Harris is just done the way Jamal Williams was done and bringing him here just means bringing in a guy who USED to be great - 5 years ago.

I remember years ago when Shanahan cut DT Michael Dean Perry during the middle of the season. He just wore out -- seemingly suddenly running out of gas like a car and not doing his job. And one of his teammates said: "at any other position you're a player, but at DT you're just a man." The body can only take so much abuse and can wear out on a guy.