Month: July 2015

Greetings, Broncos fans. The following 2012 Football Outsiders piece by Andy Benoit provides excellent insight and visual analysis as to some of what we can expect from Denver’s 2015 defensive and offensive schemes and units. Film Room: Texans-Broncos.

As has been discussed all offseason, Denver’s offense will be a melded version of what Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison have implemented previously in Denver, Houston and Baltimore, coupled with what the Broncos have done offensively during the Peyton Manning Era.

Benoit wrote this piece to preview a 2012 matchup between the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans. Ironically, Benoit began this preview as follows:

Longtime Broncos fans may feel hints of déjà vu when they watch their team square off against the Texans this Sunday. Gary Kubiak has molded Houston’s offense into his modern version of the zone-oriented scheme that he helped oversee as Denver’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator from 1995 to 2005. Wade Phillips has molded Houston’s defense into a more modern version of the one-gap hybrid scheme that he orchestrated as Denver’s defensive coordinator/head coach from 1989 to 1994.

Additionally, Andrew Mason pointed out that Kubiak has placed added emphasis on special teams play, as Denver’s unit left much to be desired in 2014. Training Camp Preview: Special teams.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. What intrigues you most about the Broncos’ forthcoming defensive, offensive, and special teams schemes and units?

 

NFL Network’s Albert Breer shared a link to his 2012 story about the circumstances that surrounded Calvin Johnson’s extension when he signed it. It’s worth reading so everyone understands why the Broncos see Demaryius Thomas’ situation differently (and the same with the Cowboys and Dez Bryant).

Breer also tweeted this reminder:

Here's the bottom line: You can talk about what a player is worth til you're blue in the face. Leverage is what matters. CJ had tons in '12.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) July 14, 2015

While it would be nice to see Thomas remain a Bronco for the foreseeable future, the chances of him (or Bryant) getting Johnson-type money can be summed up in one word: None.

Per the White House:

Katrina Stuckey Smith – Montrose, GA
Offense:  Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base (Middle District of Georgia)
Sentence:  292 months’ imprisonment; 10 years’ supervised release (July 20, 2000); amended to 240 months’ imprisonment (Apr. 2, 2008).
Commutation Grant:  Prison sentence commuted to expire on November 10, 2015.

In case you’re curious, the first Broncos game that Smith will be able to watch outside of prison will be the Week 10 game on Nov. 15 at home against the Chiefs.  In case you’re still curious, it’s also the very last game Thomas could miss while still getting credit for an accrued season, should his contract battle take the most acrimonious path possible.  Clearly, that’s not a scenario that anyone will want to see happen.

I imagine most of you are aware of the buzz about Dez Bryant notifying the Dallas Cowboys that, if he and the team don’t reach agreement on a long-term deal by Wednesday (the deadline for franchised players to agree to new deals with their teams), he’ll skip training camp and may continue his holdout into the regular season.

No doubt this will make some Broncos fans wonder if Demaryius Thomas will do the same thing. However, let’s take a look at what Dez can realistically expect to gain from any holdout that goes into the regular season.
Continue reading Bryant Threatening Holdout; What Will Thomas Do?

Per Adam Schefter:

NFLPA is reviewing information to determine whether there was collusion between the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys on the unsettled contractual situations of franchise WRS Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant, per an NFLPA official. The NFLPA believes the Broncos and Cowboys had contact about each players’ contract when the collective bargaining agreement prohibits such contact. The NFLPA now is trying to determine if collusion did occur and when to possibly file a claim. The deadline for the WRs to sign long-term deals is Wednesday of next week.

In a pure game theory sense, there’s certainly some natural fear that whoever signs the first contract will be the trendsetter for other comparable players.  This includes not only Thomas and Bryant, but also Julio Jones of the Falcons and AJ Green of the Bengals.  Furthermore, this concept works not only for teams but for players as well.  I wouldn’t be surprised if agents and the NFLPA itself have had their own wires crossed to try to gauge the high level wide receiver market.  But the question is now whether the Broncos and Cowboys practiced proper discretion, and with this news going public it certainly could throw another wrench in negotiations.

Former Clemson OT Isaiah Battle goes in 5th round of NFL Supplemental draft to…St. Louis Rams.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 9, 2015

What does this mean from the Broncos’ point of view?  For 2016, they did not have their own 5th (traded to Detroit) or 4th (swapped with Baltimore for their 5th), and Baltimore, like Denver, was a playoff team, so their 5th would have also had lower priority that the six-win Rams.  Thus, in order to beat the Rams, they would have needed to wager their 3rd round pick.  Apparently, that’s not a price the Broncos were willing to pay, and will decide to keep rolling with their offensive line in its current state.

Last week, I talked about the players under rookie deals who will become unrestricted free agents next season and how the Broncos might approach them.

This week, I want to look at other players who will hit free agency of some type, and what the Broncos may do with them. I had planned to discuss veterans who were to become free agents, but that’s a short list, and I’ll get to the reasons why.

Along with veterans, I will discuss a few players who are set to become either restricted free agents or exclusive rights free agents and what the Broncos may do there. Although the 2015 season hasn’t started, it’s a good idea for any team to plan ahead for what might need to be done, then adjust accordingly based on how players perform.
Continue reading Midweek Musings: The Pursuit of Player Extensions, Part Two

Hi everybody, sorry for another post on this, but this is just a quick update since I used the wrong info in the earlier post on this.

Go to: This Link

Enter the League ID: 3220316

Password: Elway2Sharpe

This will be my last post on this because I know fantasy footballs not everyone’s favorite thing, but good luck to those who participate!

I’m sure that IAOFM alums will be pleased to know that the Patron Saint has been bestowed with this honor by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Suffice to say, this is an award well deserved, as few former players have had the longevity and success in television on Jackson’s level.  It will also make this year’s ceremonies a bit easier for Broncos fans to digest, given that Jerome Bettis will be enshrined before Terrell Davis, as well as a Chief, Charger, and Raider all getting enshrined as well.

Here’s to many more years of excellence from Jackson, which we all hope includes more of his regular placements of the Raiders on C’mon Man!

Hi all,

For those of you who are into fantasy football, I’ve created an In-thinair Nfl.com 10 team league. You can find it here, and since it’s only ten teams it’s first come first serve. The password is Elway2Sharpe, and the draft will be the Sunday before the regular season at 5 ET. Thanks!

Important Edit: In order to join the league you actually have to go here, and just put the password into the form box. Also, keep in mind, I can change the size of the league so even if you think the league is full, I can expand it to 12 man so apply anyway.