John Bowlen, one of Pat Bowlen’s sons and a candidate to take over the ownership reigns, was arrested on domestic violence charges.
Per Lindsay Jones on Twitter, Bowlen has been placed on indefinite leave of absence by the Broncos, and would be subject to the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
As I wrote the other day, I am cautiously optimistic about Ty Sambrailo’s ability to handle left tackle for the Broncos this season. The other offensive line positions (except for right guard, in which Louis Vasquez is proven), however, are where I find far more legitimate concerns.
The biggest issue with center, left guard, and right tackle is that you have players who are either inexperienced or haven’t stood out elsewhere. There is some hope among the younger players, but it’s going to take time for some of them to get to that point.
Looking at each position, let’s go over where my concerns lie, and how they tie into what I believe to be legitimate concerns from Bronco fans.
Continue reading A Closer Look At the Rest of the O-Line
Last week, the Denver Broncos received some bad news as starting left tackle Ryan Clady was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Ty Sambrailo, the Broncos’ 2015 second-round pick, now finds himself likely starting at left tackle.
Given how much the offensive line struggled last year, it’s understandable that Broncos fans are worried about what will happen this year with Clady out of the lineup. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
Continue reading Looking Closer at Ty Sambrailo
The Pro Football Writers Association nominated Broncos CB Chris Harris for the George Halas award, given to an NFL player or coach who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.
Nearly eight months after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament in a divisional playoff game, Chris Harris started in the Broncos’ 2014 season opener and went on to have, arguably, the finest season of any cornerback in the league.
It’s great to see Harris get recognized, but he’s got some tough competition. It will be hard not to give the award to either Steve Gleason or Devon Still.
The recent revelation that Denver Broncos defensive end Antonio Smith is the subject of a child abuse investigation, and that NFL defensive end Ray McDonald has been arrested for domestic violence for the second time in a year’s span, begs the question as to what the NFL’s role should be in disciplining players for off-field incidents.
I will start by saying that I appreciate Nick generating some discussion about what should be done to discipline players, and I understand where he is coming from when he talks about how the wheels turn slowly in the judicial system, and it doesn’t always get the most satisfactory outcome.
Continue reading Consistency Key to NFL Disciplinary Policies
Seattle Seahawks fans are attempting to crowdfund a contract extension for Russell Wilson.
Think about this, if every Seahawks fan donated $1 to this campaign, they’d easily reach the goal and, potentially, provide themselves with much more enjoyment as there will be more money to spend on other players, thus their team will be better. Sounds like a pretty simple investment, just use the money that you would have spent on a beer or two during the season.
Certainly there could be salary cap issues as far as what the NFL considers an appropriate source of revenue, although it’s not going to change much as far as how the Seahawks could structure a deal for Wilson.
With that said, the time it’s taking for Wilson and the Seahawks to agree to an extension likely has more to do with contract details such as contract length, how much money is fully guaranteed, etc. For example: If Wilson wants three years of full guarantees and Seattle won’t give him more than two, only continued negotiations will lead to a new contract, no matter how much is raised through GoFundMe.
Antonio Smith, who signed with the Broncos as a street free agent this offseason, is being investigated for child abuse. Here is TMZ’s report.
Sources connected to the case tell us … the accuser claims there are multiple incidents dating back to 2010.
We’re told the case was first reported to officials in Colorado back in November — but the case was forwarded to Texas, because that’s where the accuser says the alleged incidents took place.
FYI — Smith played for the Houston Texans from 2009 to 2013.
Mike Klis has a little more information.
Regarding why a case was first reported in Colorado last November, when Smith was with the Raiders last season, that’s hard to say. The Raiders and Broncos did play each other in early November, but that game was in Oakland.
Regardless, this case bears watching.
Chris Harris and Von Miller ranked in the top 10 of Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players of 2015:
Coming so quickly off the back of a torn ACL, Harris’ season was scarcely believable. A positive grade in every single game, a season passer rating allowed below 50, no touchdowns allowed and less than 400 yards conceded on more than 700 coverage snaps. Throw in that he covered the slot for more than 250 snaps and Harris’ season is all the more remarkable.
PFF has more about what a great find Harris has been for the Broncos.
As for Miller, well…
Just another season of excellence as we have come to expect from Miller. Back on a full 16-game schedule, Miller recorded 74 total pressures, the second-best season of his short career in that regard. More than just a pure pass rusher, Miller continues to put his immense physical talents to good use in run defense, earning a grade above +20.0 in that area for the fourth straight season.
Here is more from PFF about Miller’s 2014 season.
I keep my own blog and recently did two separate posts, one about how I evaluate draft picks, and the other in which I used that criteria to evaluate the Broncos 2011 and 2012 draft classes.
Thought it would be good to discuss what people here thought of the draft classes. Specific questions for everyone:
1. How would you grade the overall 2011 draft class?
2. How would you grade the overall 2012 draft class?
3. Which draft pick in those classes do you consider the best value pick?
4. How would you currently evaluate the selection of Brock Osweiler? How would you change your evaluation depending on what he does in the future?
Deadspin’s Tom Ley wants us to remember some running backs we’ve forgotten about, including a few who Bronco fans might find familiar.
His list is incomplete, though, because he forgot about one dude Bronco fans shall always remember.
I just wonder how Tommy forgot the guy who got the Madden cover.