Broncos announce training camp schedule

July 9th, 2010, 11:55 am by Frank Schwab

Here’s the long-awaited camp schedule, from the Denver Broncos’ public relations staff:

DATE DAY MORNING PRACTICE AFTERNOON/EVENING PRACTICE

8/1 Sunday 8:45-10:30 a.m. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

8/2 Monday No Practice Scheduled 2:30-4:30 p.m.

8/3 Tuesday 8:45-10:30 a.m. 5:30-7:30 p.m. (Media Only)

8/4 Wednesday 8:45-10:30 a.m. (Media Only) 5:30-7:30 p.m.

8/5 Thursday No Practice Scheduled 2:30-4:30 p.m.

8/6 Friday 8:45-10:30 a.m. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

8/7 Saturday 8:45-10:30 a.m. (Media Only) 5:30-7:30 p.m.

8/8 Sunday No Practice Scheduled 2:30-4:30 p.m.

8/9 Monday No Practice Scheduled No Practice Scheduled

8/10 Tuesday No Practice Scheduled 2:30-4:30 p.m.

8/11 Wednesday 8:45-10:30 a.m. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

8/12 Thursday 8:45-10:30 a.m. (Media Only) 5:30-7:30 p.m.

8/13 Friday 8:45-10:30 a.m. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

8/14 Saturday No Practice Scheduled – Team Travels to Cincinnati

8/15 Sunday Denver at Cincinnati – 7 p.m. EDT

8/16 Monday No Practice Scheduled No Practice Scheduled

8/17 Tuesday No Practice Scheduled 2:30-4:30 p.m.

8/18 Wednesday 8:45-10:30 a.m. 5:30-7:30 p.m.

8/19 Thursday 8:45-10:30 a.m. (Media Only) 5:30-7:30 p.m.

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Why the LeBron fiasco (hopefully) couldn’t happen in the NFL

July 8th, 2010, 1:25 pm by Frank Schwab

I joked earlier on Twitter that had Brandon Marshall gotten to free agency, he probably would have been selling an hour-long special to announce his decision, as LeBron James is regrettably doing tonight. But really, I can’t see a circus like this happening in the NFL. Here’s why:

- One player doesn’t win in the NFL. Sure, Peyton Manning might be an exception, but there are too many moving parts in the NFL to overinflate the value of one guy. The closest we’ve seen in the NFL is Reggie White’s free agency, when he chose the Packers over a host of suitors. Still, White doesn’t win a Super Bowl in Green Bay without Brett Favre in place already.

The NBA is much different. A team has incredibly long odds of winning a title without a superstar (and we’re talking about a real superstar, as Bill Simmons of ESPN has pointed out this week, a guy like Chris Bosh is not a superstar. Neither is Amare Stoudemire, Knicks fans). Aside from the 2004 Pistons, every title team of the past three decades has had at least one surefire all-time great, whether it’s Jordan, Magic, Bird, Duncan, Hakeem, Shaq, Kobe … every championship team. In the NFL, winning a title raises a player’s profile to a higher status, but the past 10 years have been dotted with Super Bowl champions who do not have a Reggie White or Peyton Manning-type transcendent player. For example, the Steelers won two championships in the last five years without a player who most would consider an all-time great. Getting LeBron makes a NBA team an instant Finals contender. There’s very few NFL players throughout history who come with a similar guarantee.

- The NFL free agency period doesn’t allow for a dog and pony show. I really, truly hope the NFL looks down on what has happened in the NBA the past week instead of thinking that it could help get more attention to the league. The NBA has been in the headlines, no doubt about it. But the week to court free agents before any can actually sign has done only one thing, and that’s allow players to preen and teams to grovel. I don’t think that turns fans onto a sport, to see pampered stars get even more attention.

In the NFL, there’s usually not enough time for that. During the free agency period, the clock strikes midnight and teams are in a mad dash to sign the best guys – see Albert Haynesworth and Washington last year. The NBA opened itself up for a player like LeBron James to have an hour-long public party for himself by staggering the free agent process. It would be bad for the NFL to follow suit.

- It’s not in their culture. There are plenty of NFL players who are driven by ego, let’s not kid ourselves. But I’ve been around very few who would actually think it’s a good idea to have an hour-long television show to announce where they’re going (and yes, Brett Favre is certainly one of them). The culture of the NFL locker room is that one player can’t be above the team. The Broncos are certainly wary of that dynamic with rookie quarterback Tim Tebow. They can’t avoid the attention Tebow will get but are certainly trying to make sure he is not placed on a pedestal. That culture is also a reason Marshall is in Miami.

- The NFL doesn’t promote itself that way. The NBA made a decision in the 1980s to market stars over teams. And it worked very well. But the NFL would much rather promote the game and teams. They’re not against a superstar driving the storyline for a game, but that rarely happens outside of a quarterback. Careers are too short, non-guaranteed contracts mean little continuity for the players and, as stated earlier, it has never been in the NFL’s culture.

So, for those reasons (and probably many others), I can’t see a NFL player – no matter how good he is – staging a television special that most fans find insulting, to announce his free-agent destination. At least, I hope it never comes to that.

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Denver’s July challenge: sign Tebow and Thomas on time

July 7th, 2010, 3:04 pm by Frank Schwab

Common sense says that three months would be enough time to work out a contract for a NFL first-round pick. Why teams and agents wait until the final week or so before camp to hammer out deals has always been beyond me. Yes, both sides say they want to let the market set itself first, but most of the rookies will get a contract that is pretty similar to what the guy selected in the same draft spot got last year. To risk a holdout over a relatively small amount of money is odd. While late-round picks are usually signed with plenty of time to spare, even the second round isn’t a lock anymore. Today the Jets became the first team to sign a second-round pick, signing guard Vladamir Ducasse. No first-rounders are signed.

While it makes little sense that the signings drag on through the summer, that’s the reality of the NFL. While Mike Shanahan’s regime had a pretty good record of getting picks into camp on time, Josh McDaniels’ first draft class lagged behind a bit. Linebacker Robert Ayers missed seven full-squad practices while holding out. Running back Knowshon Moreno missed 12 full-squad practices during his holdout. While it’s impossible to quantify how much missing those days hurt the rookies’ progress, it likely didn’t help.

One of the reasons the Broncos had some holdout issues last year is the team had never had two first-round picks before. First-round picks generally have more complicated contracts, and the Broncos have the same challenge again this year. Receiver Demaryius Thomas and quarterback Tim Tebow were both selected by Denver in the first round this April.

In Thomas’ case, Dallas receiver Dez Bryant’s contract situation will bear watching. Bryant was the 24th overall pick, two spots after Thomas, even though Bryant was widely predicted to be the first receiver off the board. Thomas’ representatives will probably be wary about signing a deal that could be trumped by Bryant’s deal. (Agents are loathe to have their clients sign a deal that is worse than one a lower draft pick received, because they feel that could hurt them in recruiting other players down the line.)

Tebow’s deal won’t be easy either, because he’s a quarterback and a likely starter for the Broncos in the next year or two.

But it’s important for the Broncos to get the two deals done as soon as they can, because both rookies are rather raw. Thomas is coming from a triple-option offense that had a simplistic passing attack. He needs time in the Broncos’ complicated passing offense, especially after missing so many offseason practices recovering from a foot injury. Tebow’s need for experience in a pro offense has been well documented.

The Broncos need to get both first-round picks in quickly so they don’t fall behind. That will be quite a challenge for the front office in the upcoming weeks.

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With Tebow, how much do mechanics matter?

July 4th, 2010, 1:46 am by Frank Schwab

For all the ink that has been spilled on Tim Tebow’s mechanics (including a whole bunch in today’s Gazette), two men who worked with Tebow this offseason want you to know something:

Mechanics don’t matter all that much for a quarterback.

Former NFL coach Sam Wyche and longtime NFL offensive coordinator and current CFL coach Marc Trestman aren’t saying mechanics are meaningless. Tebow has a better chance for success with the Denver Broncos without his long baseball-type windup. (Although, to repeat something from today’s story, Wyche said he didn’t think Randall Cunningham would make it in the NFL when he saw his long delivery coming out of college. Cunningham didn’t change much, and as Wyche pointed out in a deadpan, “Randall Cunningham did all right.”)

But both coaches started their interviews about quarterback mechanics by sharing the same sentiment.

“At the end of the day, mechanics are probably the last thing on the list or requirements to play quarterback at the highest level,” Trestman said.

“That’s very, very overdone,” Wyche said of attention paid to a quarterback’s mechanics.

Wyche said when he was in the NFL – and he was around many successful quarterback like Joe Montana, Ken Anderson, Drew Bledsoe, Vinny Testaverde and Boomer Esiason – he told scouts to look for intelligence and accuracy.

“The two most important components of a quarterback are those two things,” Wyche said. “You’ll always want to replace these two things if he doesn’t have them.”

For intelligence, a quarterback needs to know not just offensive concepts, but defensive concepts and theories too. Wyche saw that in Tebow when he worked with him this offseason. He said he quizzed Tebow relentlessly and Tebow passed all the tests.

“I tried to trick him at the blackboard every way I could think of,” Wyche said. “I couldn’t catch him.”

Wyche also said Tebow’s accuracy is good, especially on deep passes. So as Wyche was pointing out Tebow had the two things he looks for, he interrupted himself.

“By the way, if you’ve got a winner, that’s like putting a smiley face on his locker,” Wyche said.

Tebow was part of two national championship teams in his four years at Florida.

Although mechanics are not the most important thing Wyche or Trestman look for, that doesn’t mean someone like Tebow can’t be helped with some extra work.

“Mechanics can be overrated, but they can be improved,” Trestman said.

Tebow has put in the time to fix his motion, including slowing down his torso rotation and keeping his right non-throwing arm in tight to his body to make his motion more compact (which was described in a Sports Illustrated story in mid-June) and not dipping the ball before he throws, which was his habit in college.

An improved throwing motion will help, but based on the thoughts of two respected quarterback coaches, one ha to wonder if the teeth-gnashing about Tebow’s mechanics really has much bearing on whether he’ll be a successful NFL quarterback.

“The guy is a winner,” Wyche said. “I’ve been around too many that turned out good.”

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The unanswered questions: Special teams

July 2nd, 2010, 3:59 pm by Frank Schwab

Now that the Broncos offseason moves are mostly done, let’s take a look this week at some of the potential areas that might be of some concern – and are candidates to be addressed before the regular-season opener:

Last year, the Broncos’ special teams were a bit improved, but still inconsistent. There were some positive steps: Kicker Matt Prater had a fantastic season. Although the signing of long snapper Lonie Paxton was odd at the time (the Broncos already had a reliable snapper, Mike Leach), Paxton was as good as advertised. Eddie Royal had a classic game at San Diego, scoring two return touchdowns. A pair of 2009 draftees, David Bruton and Darcel McBath, stepped right onto the special teams and were both very good.

There were some inconsistent moments too – Denver allowed a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown last season, the coverage units were just average as a whole and punter Mitch Berger struggled mightily after Brett Kern was cut. Denver was 17th in the NFL in kickoff return average allowed. Only nine teams in the NFL allowed more than 10 yards per punt return, including the Broncos.

The Broncos took some hits on special teams in the offseason. Darrell Reid, their third leading tackler, had knee surgery and last month Josh McDaniels said he didn’t figure Reid would be ready for the start of camp. Peyton Hillis, eighth on the team in special teams tackles, was traded.

Denver did add defensive back Nate Jones, who was Miami’s leading tackler on special teams last year. And rookie cornerback Perrish Cox, a fifth-round pick, looks like he can contribute on special teams, perhaps as a returner. But the punting situation is still shaky. The Broncos didn’t acquire a veteran, allowing Britton Colquitt to go into camp uncontested. Colquitt hasn’t punted yet in a NFL game. And most of the draft class is unlikely to help in the kicking game right away, unlike Burton and McBath last year.

While Denver’s special teams aren’t as bad as they were in the last few years of Mike Shanahan’s tenure, there’s still a lot of improvement to make without significant acquisitions to help.

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The unanswered questions: Playmakers

July 1st, 2010, 3:10 pm by Frank Schwab

The Broncos weren’t so bad hitting big plays in the passing game last year, despite constant criticism over a lack of downfield throws. Their 43 20-yard passes ranked a respectable 15th in the NFL, and nine 40-yard passes ranked 13th. The big plays in the run game were lacking. Only four teams had fewer than their seven 20-yard runs and they had just one 40-yard run. Four teams had zero.

This will be a different Broncos team. Take Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler out of the offense, and there aren’t many exciting big-play candidates among the receivers and backs. Although Marshall’s yards per catch is significantly behind most elite NFL receivers, his presence underneath opened things up for others – and he was a candidate to catch a long ball here and there himself, with 11 20-yard catches last year. Five of Scheffler’s 31 catches were 20 yards or more, which is impressive for a tight end.

Since the Broncos are highly unlikely to add anyone between now and the season opener that can scare a defense, a playmaker or two has to emerge from the current crew of skill-position players. Eddie Royal didn’t have a catch longer than 20 yards last year and has a career average of 10.4 yards per catch. By comparison, noted blocking tight end Daniel Graham’s career average is 11.4. None of the tight ends are going to consistently stretch the field – although Marquez Branson has a chance. Perhaps another young reserve receiver – Matthew Willis or Kenny McKinley? – could prove during training camp they can stretch the field. And one has to figure Knowshon Moreno will be more explosive this season, with a year under his belt and better understanding of why he had only two 20-yard runs last year, will bring some pop to the running game.

But if a big-time playmaker is to emerge, Jabar Gaffney and Demaryius Thomas appear to be the most likely candidates (other than Moreno).

Gaffney has one “big-play” season in his career. In 2004 he had 12 20-yard catches on his 41 receptions and averaged 15.4 yards per catch. That looks like an outlier, however. Gaffney had 24 20-yard catches in his other six NFL seasons before coming to the Broncos, and never averaged more than 13 yards per catch. Depending on his role – someone needs to be a possession-type receiver with Marshall gone – Gaffney showed last year that he’s still capable of going deep. He averaged 13.6 yards per catch and had tied a career best with 12 20-yard catches last season. With more opportunities, perhaps he could build on those numbers in 2010.

Thomas is probably the player to watch, however. Although he is a big receiver and on first glimpse looks like a possession receiver, he averaged 25.1 yards per catch last year with Georgia Tech. The first-round pick showed good athleticism once he got on the field in offseason practices and should get plenty of opporutnities to stretch the field. The concern with Thomas is how quickly he acclimates to the NFL and picks up the offense. If he’s up to speed by the season opener, he could be the playmaker the Broncos need.

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The unanswered questions: Tight end

June 29th, 2010, 12:20 pm by Frank Schwab

The good news for the Broncos is they have a player, Daniel Graham, who is perfect for what they want out of a tight end. As Tony Scheffler’s 2009 season tells us, Josh McDaniels is never going to have a major role for a player of Scheffler’s skill set in his offense. Every once in a while someone like Scheffler could have a big game, like he did at San Diego, but mostly Scheffler was absent. In nine of the 15 games he played, Scheffler had only one catch, and only two catches in one other game. And the Broncos don’t have anyone on the roster who’s as good as Scheffler at catching the ball.

But Graham fits the offense. He is a great blocker who can get out a catch a short pass a couple times every game. He’s also durable, missing just one game in his first three Broncos seasons. That might be the best news for the Broncos, because if Graham gets hurt that position becomes problematic.

The Broncos need Richard Quinn to be ready. The 2009 second-round pick didn’t catch a pass last season and spent most of the offseason practices dropping the ball. Still, his strength is as a blocker, so he needs to show he can do that. If Quinn is not able to at least be an above average blocker, the Broncos will be undermanned at tight end this year and have to start worrying about the future of the position, considering Graham will turn 32 this year.

Marquez Branson is an interesting player in the mix. He might end up as more of an H-back, because he fits the Scheffler mold of a pass-catching tight end and the Broncos might need him to be ready to play some fullback just in case. But even though the coaches have complimented Branson’s progress, he’s still a player who has never appeared in a NFL game.

Denver has a couple of undrafted rookies on the roster, including former CU standout Riar Geer, but there simply isn’t much proven talent after Graham. Because of that, Quinn’s progress will be an important issue for the Broncos in training camp. If Quinn falters, Denver might have to sort through the available players for a veteran tight end.

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The unanswered questions: Pass rush

June 23rd, 2010, 2:22 pm by Frank Schwab

The Broncos pass rush was fine last year, but that was because of one guy. Elvis Dumervil had 17 sacks; the rest of the team had 22. Only one team in the NFL had fewer than 22 sacks last year (Jacksonville, with a pathetic 14). While that’s not a fair stat – had Dumervil never played a game last year his replacement wouldn’t have gotten zero sacks, and his teammates surely would have gotten more than 22 without Dumervil pressuring the quarterback consistently – it helps show the Broncos’ pass rush isn’t that deep. Those issues are exacerbated by the departures of Vonnie Holliday (5 sacks, second on team) and Andra Davis (3.5 sacks, tied for fourth) and the serious knee injury of Darrell Reid (4 sacks, third on team). Reid is not expected to be ready for the start of training camp.

The good news for the Broncos is Dumervil returns, having signed his tender. We’ll leave the well-worn debate about a potential long-term deal for him alone today. While the Broncos did a great job last year moving Dumervil around and putting him in positions to make it difficult for opponents to double team him, teams will be even more determined to take him out of the game. Slow down Dumervil, and see what the others can do.

The Broncos didn’t do much to add to the outside linebacker spots that rush the quarterback in the 3-4 scheme. Their best hope is that the new defensive linemen are better at occupying blockers – and get a little bit of pass rush themselves, although that’s not their primary responsibility in the defense – and either Robert Ayers or Jarvis Moss takes a big step, or Reid is healthy and back at his old form.

Ayers is under a big microscope, but that’s not news following an odd minicamp in the doghouse. The curious case is Moss, a former first-round pick who has said this offseason that he has started showing up to offseason workouts and is finally working hard. Whatever that says about Moss’ first three wasted seasons, it at least gives Broncos fans some hope that his talent will finally result in an on-field impact. If Moss can come in and get a pass rush on third downs this season, taking pressure off Dumervil, that would be huge for Denver.

Whatever improvements the Broncos will make to the pass rush past Dumervil will probably come from within, because impact pass rushers aren’t available on the street in June and July.

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The unanswered questions: Running back depth

June 21st, 2010, 8:59 am by Frank Schwab

Let’s start by looking at the Broncos’ depth at running back. Denver did try to bolster depth by showing interest in free agent Brian Westbrook and signing fullback Kyle Eckel, who was waived/injured last week.

Westbrook still hasn’t made up his mind and the Broncos’ interest has waned, and I don’t think that is ultimately bad for the team. As I stated before, Westbrook isn’t a durable, reliable injury replacement if he was needed in that role, and no team is going to pay him to get just a handful of plays per game, which would have impeded Knowshon Moreno’s progress in his second year.

Still, unless there’s a last-minute change of heart, not landing Westbrook leaves a bit of a gap. The Broncos claimed Kolby Smith off waivers from Kansas City, but he has 133 yards over the last two years combined and has averaged less than 3 yards per carry. He has shown signs of life in his NFL career, but he has a lot of questions too.

Moreno has looked good in offseason camps, and the Broncos’ hope is that he is ready to carry the load and stays healthy for a full season. That’s not a given for any running back, and that’s when things might get dicey for the Broncos. Correll Buckhalter has his own injury history and he will turn 32 years old in October. He’s not a great candidate to hold up getting 20-plus carries per game if Moreno misses extended time.

That leaves J.J. Arrington – who missed msot of the offseason and all of last season with knee issues and has plenty to prove in training camp – Smith and youngsters Lance Ball and Bruce Hall. Both Ball and Hall have drawn praise from McDaniels and perhaps they could contribute if given the chance, but Hall has never played in the NFL and Ball has only one game experience, with Indianapolis two years ago. The Broncos will feel much better if a couple backs among Arrington, Smith, Ball and Hall show in training camp that they can play at a high level if needed.

Fullback is even thinner than tailback after Eckel’s injury and release. The Broncos want to use more two-back sets this season, but might not be able to if Spencer Larsen goes down. Marquez Branson, who is primarily a pass-catching tight end who can play some H-back and is not a natural fullback, would be the next fullback on the depth chart – and there’s nothing after him.

With the attrition rate for running backs in the NFL, the Broncos will likely be on the lookout for tailbacks and fullbacks in August, and hoping this group of backs remains relatively healthy.

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Britton Colquitt looks like Denver’s punter

June 15th, 2010, 5:47 pm by Frank Schwab

There hasn’t been too much said about the Broncos’ punting situation, which is probably a mistake. As Mitch Berger’s poor performance last year showed, the punter can be a pretty important figure on a football team. And now the Broncos appear set to go with one who, although he had a good college career and has good bloodlines as well, hasn’t punted in a NFL game.

Britton Colquitt doesn’t have to worry about a competition with A.J. Trapasso anymore, because Trapasso was cut today. That move was foreshadowed Sunday by coach Josh McDaniels, who praised Colquitt after saying the two punters’ kicks had been charted through preseason practices.

“I’d say that Britton has kind of pulled ahead,” McDaniels said.

Colquitt has no guarantees. The Broncos showed a rather surprising lack of patience with a young punter last year, Brett Kern. Kern was cut after six games and replaced with Berger, who really struggled for most of the rest of the season. The reason given at the time of the change was that Denver wanted a veteran who could handle the multiple things it wants out of its punter, including a lot of directional kicking.

So the possibility of the Broncos looking for a veteran can’t be ruled out, but for now it’s Colquitt’s job to lose. He looked solid before last season, although Kern beat him out. His brother Dustin is one of the best punters in the NFL for Kansas City and his father Craig punted in the NFL as well. But Britton Colquitt’s first punt of this season will be his first in the NFL, and that could cause some anxious moments.

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