Author: SterlingMalloryArcher

Good morning, Broncos fans! With tomorrow’s game dominating our thoughts, I thought it would be nice to post a preview of the game to generate some discussion. We’ve heard plenty about what the national pundits have to say, but let’s try to come to our own conclusions with a little deeper dive into personnel, key matchups and schemes. I’m going to split this preview into two parts, beginning with the Broncos’ offense vs. the Panthers’ defense.

Continue reading Week 1 Preview: Panthers at Broncos

Hello, Broncos fans! With OTAs winding to a close and a month to go before training camp, I thought it would be fun to take a good look at the current roster and to make some guesses as to how the final 53-man roster and depth chart will shake out. Of course there will be some surprises in camp (good and bad), as well as some injuries, that will impact the roster between now and the start of the season. But since NFL news is a little slow and we’ve got some time to fill, let’s give it a shot anyway.

Continue reading Broncos Roster and Speculative Depth Chart

We’re not done yet!

Ever since the Draft switched to its current 3-day format, I’ve come to appreciate the second and third rounds almost as much as the first. With an overnight break in the action, teams and draft nerds alike have a chance to reset their boards and get ready to pick up some solid contributors, and maybe even a few immediate starters. Day 2 is really the meat and potatoes of the draft. Sure, the champagne and caviar of the first round is fancy and expensive, but tonight is where champions are made.

Continue reading Broncos Draft Preview, 2016: Part 4 – Rounds 2 and 3

Happy Draft Day, Broncos fans! As promised, here is your opportunity to enter a 1st round mock draft for the chance to win… well, nothing, actually. Maybe some message board bragging rights? Maybe if you win this, the next time someone tells you that you don’t know what you’re talking about, you can say “SCOREBOARD, JAMOKE!” Then again, I doubt that would gain you much credibility. It’s a cruel world, but I digress.

Continue reading 1st Annual Thin Air Mock Draft Challenge

Hello, Broncos fans! We’re just two days away from round one of the NFL Draft (my personal favorite day on the NFL calendar), and it’s time to talk about how the Broncos might plan to begin addressing their needs on Thursday night. So let’s get to it.

Continue reading Broncos Draft Preview, 2016: Part 3 – Round 1

As the NFL Draft inches ever closer, I’ll continue to post installments of the Broncos Draft Preview, 2016. Last week I dissected the offensive roster and identified which positions the Broncos need to improve through the draft, and I defined the three categories of needs. This week I’ll dive into the defensive side of the ball, and I’ll throw the specialists in for good measure as well. So let’s get to it.

Continue reading Broncos Draft Preview, 2016: Part 2 – Defensive Roster and Needs Analysis

It’s that time of year again, Broncos’ fans! The draft is on the horizon (April 28-30), and while there has already been ample discussion in the comment threads here at Thin Air, I’m excited to share with you several installments of my own draft preview. Please pardon the redundancy as Nick has already shared his thoughts on the Broncos’ needs, but I think you’ll find this to be a little deeper look. And while there will be similarities between the analyses, there are bound to be some interesting differences as well.

Continue reading Broncos Draft Preview, 2016: Part 1 – Offensive Roster and Needs Analysis

Draft season is heating up, and since there’s little else to discuss I’ve decided to share my Pre-Combine First Round Draft Board for the Broncos. I must emphasize it is VERY early in the draft preparation process, so many of the names I provide today will likely drop off the first round board by April 28th, and many new names will be added. In addition to the Scouting Combine there will be countless individual workouts and pre-draft visits that will impact prospects’ grades before the draft. Moreover, teams will use Free Agency to fill many of their immediate needs, which will also have a huge impact on their respective draft boards.  Continue reading Pre-Combine First Round Draft Board

With the Broncos turning to Brock Osweiler for his first NFL start on Sunday at Chicago (on his 25th birthday, no less), let’s take a look at what effect he will have on a struggling offense.  Continue reading The Osweiler Effect

You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone but Broncos’ fans, blinded by childlike enthusiasm for their team, who doesn’t believe that to be true.

As LaCanfora writes http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jason-la-canfora/25345119/inside-football-as-bad-as-peyton-is-now-its-only-going-to-get-worse:

But if you strip away the fact that this team is still winning games — I think most smart football fans long ago figured out that quarterback wins/losses is an absurd stat — and the fact that it says Manning on the back of his jersey and simply assess the body of work for a highly paid franchise quarterback on a team in Super Bowl-or-bust mode, the only conclusion would be this: The Broncos have a big quarterback problem.

There is no easy fix here. The idea that the shotgun would save Manning has been debunked. He’s one of the worst shotgun passers in the league. Even screen passes have the potential for great misadventure for Manning at this stage, and even with a plethora of gifted weapons he can rarely deliver the ball in a position to tap into much of what they can do.

He cannot make things happen on balls that travel more than 20 yards downfield. He leads the NFL with 10 interceptions and has become one of the more likely pick-six candidates from week to week, especially on anything thrown to the sideline. He’s looked every bit as bad as his quarterback rating of 72.5 would suggest.

Continue reading Jason LaCanfora: “It’s Only Going to Get Worse.”