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February 2nd, 2011 with
 ORTON: ... not out of the mix. DENVER – Five reasons why John Elway’s statements to the NFL Network about Kyle Orton being the Broncos’ starting quarterback (if they played today) and the potential for competition between Orton and second-year quarterback Tim Tebow aren’t a surprise:
1. The expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the potential for a lockout next month means that the team can do little with its veteran players other than circle around and wait. There can be no trades of players currently under contract until there is an agreement. So why rush to conclusions or any kind of statement?
2. A potential lockout could mean no offseason. That would mean no workouts at the team facility for Tebow and no chances for extended teaching sessions with offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and quarterbacks coach Adam Gase. Those sessions are at least as important to his development — if not more — than his offseason workouts.
Even though Tebow showed some promising flashes in his three games as starter, he wouldn’t be truly ready to be the full-time starter without another full offseason of teaching and tape study based upon the strengths and shortcomings that were evident last December in January. This isn’t something Tebow can accomplish on his own; he needs the coaching.
This is just one potentially damaging consequence of a lockout on the Broncos — the effect on the cerebral aspects of Tebow’s development. This might make it unwise to give Tebow the reins for good without a quality veteran option on hand — whether it’s Orton or, if they trade him, another seasoned veteran currently playing elsewhere.
3. If the Broncos want to trade Orton in the future, the last thing the Broncos want to do is depress his value — which is precisely what would happen if they declared Tebow the starting quarterback now.
Even if they have made a decision on the quarterbacks — which they haven’t — don’t expect anyone at Dove Valley to tip their hand. Whether it’s in this year’s draft or next, if the Broncos do trade Orton, they shouldn’t accept anything less than a second-round pick.
4. The Broncos don’t want to give the impression that Tebow is being handed anything. They’re still in the learning process with their second-year quarterback, and part of what they need to learn comes in how he would handle a competition.
Also remember that John Fox, in his second offseason with the Panthers, added Jake Delhomme as an unrestricted free agent — with two career starts at that time, one less than Tebow right now — but opened the season with incumbent Rodney Peete as the starter. That lasted one half; Peete struggled and Delhomme supplanted him in the second half of a season-opening comeback win over Jacksonville that helped launch the Panthers to a 5-0 start and an NFC championship.
Even if there is an offseason and training-camp competition between Orton and Tebow — and Tebow loses it — it doesn’t mean the long-range competition is over.
5. Finally, one must consider the Fox factor and its impact on the organization. Fox doesn’t dismiss even the most remote of possibilities, which was evident during training camp with the Panthers in 2009, when Michael Vick was free to sign with any team. One by one, coaches and general managers around the league publicly denied interest in Vick.
Conversely, Fox remained non-committal.
“As I’ve said before, you always keep all options open,” Fox told media on Aug. 12, 2009. “I can’t that say that’s something we’re heavily involved in this point. I hate ruling out really anything.”
Anyone with a cursory understanding of the Panthers’ organization and owner Jerry Richardson’s post-Rae Carruth reticence about adding troubled players knew that there was almost no chance the team would sign Vick.
Don’t expect Fox and the Broncos to publicly close the door on Orton until he’s in someone else’s uniform.
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January 28th, 2011 with
DENVER – In the eyes of some who care about the Broncos, the team would have been better served waiting on ex-Titans coach Jeff Fisher to become available rather than hiring ex-Panthers coach John Fox.
Yet by tangible measurements, Fox is at least the equal of Fisher, and by some measurements has had the better career, with as much playoff success in only nine seasons as Fisher had in 16 full years at the helm of the Oilers/Titans franchise.
Fisher has a sterling national reputation; Fox tends to operate under the radar. And while Fisher has a slightly better winning percentage, Fox has won divisions and playoff games at a higher rate, and also has done a better job avoiding disastrous seasons with 10 or more losses.
A comparison follows below:
| STATISTIC |
FOX |
FISHER |
| WINNING PERCENTAGE |
.507 |
.542 |
| WINS PER SEASON |
8.1 |
8.7 |
| CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS |
1 |
1 |
| PCT. OF SEASONS IN SUPER BOWL |
11.1 |
6.3 |
| DIVISION TITLES |
2 |
3 |
| PCT. SEASONS W/ DIV TITLES |
22.2 |
18.7 |
| PLAYOFF BIDS |
3 |
6 |
PCT. SEASONS W/ PLAYOFFS
|
33.3 |
37.5 |
| PLAYOFF WINS |
5 |
5 |
| PLAYOFF WINS/YEAR |
0.56 |
0.31 |
| PLAYOFF WIN PCT. |
.625 |
.455 |
| 10+ LOSS SEASONS |
1 |
3 |
| PCT. YEARS W/ 10+ LOSSES |
11.1 |
18.7 |
So tell me again — why do many fans Fisher is so much better than Fox?
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January 27th, 2011 with
 BAILEY: ... Honolulu-bound. (PHOTO: MAXDENVER.COM) MOBILE, Ala. – The Pro Bowl game itself may lack significance, but the addition of Champ Bailey to the AFC All-Star roster does not.
Bailey was added to the roster to replace injured Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha on Thursday afternoon, giving him his 10th career appearance, all of which have come in the last 11 seasons. That sets an NFL record for cornerbacks, surpassing the nine racked up by New England and Los Angeles Raiders cornerback Mike Haynes in the 1970′s and 1980′s.
The appearance will also make him the 34th member of an exclusive club: players who were selected to at least 10 Pro Bowls in their career. All 23 of those players who are eligible for Pro Football Hall of Fame induction are enshrined. If ex-Saints and Chiefs offensive tackle Willie Roaf is selected to the Hall of Fame in nine days, that will make 24 of 24.
There are four other players active in 2010 with at least 10 Pro Bowl appearances: Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis, Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre, Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning and Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez. All are considered locks for eventual induction.
The same can be said of Bailey. With this honor, it appears that it is no longer a question of whether Bailey makes the Hall of Fame, but when.
Now the only question is whether Sunday’s Pro Bowl will be his last game in a Broncos helmet. It’s not the biggest question of Denver’s offseason — that would be the one regarding a potential work stoppage — but it’s massive nonetheless.
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January 26th, 2011 with
 Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller could be the highest-drafted player in Mobile. (PHOTO: MAXDENVER.COM) MOBILE, Ala. – Notes from the South team’s practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium here on Wednesday:
- Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller will, barring unforeseen calamity, be the highest pick taken from the South team, although he appears to be strictly a 3-4 player at this stage. This appears to be the case even more after Wednesday’s practice, when he was dominant working from the edge in a pass-rush drill after being called away from linebackers to join the defensive linemen.
- Working against Mississippi State’s Derek Sherrod at right tackle, Miller sprinted past him both times, first going outside and running around Sherrod and directly to the tackling dummy serving as the quarterback, and then again outside after taking a step inside and absorbing an upper-body shove from Sherrod. This was no small feat for Miller, considering that Sherrod can be expected to become a starting right tackle in the NFL within two years at the latest. The duel was so one-sided that Sherrod’s position coach thought it wise for him to get another chance; given that against Miami defensive lineman Allen Bailey, he forced Bailey off balance and keep the pocket pristine.
- But it wasn’t all smiles and sunshine for Miller, who was dominated by running backs during a back-on-linebacker blocking drill. LSU’s Kelvin Sheppard was much more effective against the running backs; the 250-pound Sheppard is 13 pounds heavier than Miller and was able to use that extra mass to bull through the backs.
- Even Derrick Locke was able to block Miller, which is telling because he struggled in the running back blocking drills more than anyone else at his position. While he displayed some nice vision and decisive cuts when he carried the football during the team period, he struggled to keep linebackers away from the quarterback, including one play where Sheppard bounced off him in the snap of a finger. Sheppard has a 64-pound edge on the 186-pound Locke.
- “My problem as a smaller guy is that I like to come out and get you,” Locke said. “I don’t want to sit back and overdo it, but I don’t want to underdo it, because I feel like he’ll overpower me. … I’ve just got to be patient and strike at the right velocity. I’ll continue to get better at it. I’ve got a lot of film that shows I can pass-block. That’s a very hard drill, but I’m going to try to get better.”
- West Virginia running back Noel Devine was held out from the blocking drills — and perhaps with good reason; if he had faced Sheppard, he would have been at a 90-pound disadvantage.
- The only pure fullback for the South team is Charles Clay, but he appears to need a lot of work. He has struggled to identify the blockers to attack on the run and in a one-on-one pass-blocking drill, was quickly brushed aside on consecutive plays by Miller and Sheppard. Unlike North team fullback Owen Marecic, Clay doesn’t seem as willing to attack defenders.
- Fullbacks are worth watching this year because it would come as no surprise if the Broncos use a pick at the position. John Fox’s offenses have always worked best with an effective fullback (as Brad Hoover was from 2002-09 under Fox, which included three years in a Patriots-based scheme similar to the one the Broncos will run). That being said, fullback is a position that typically requires a two- to three-year learning curve at the NFL level, so look for the Broncos to augment the position with a veteran to compete with converted linebacker Spencer Larsen.
- Florida State interior offensive lineman Rodney Hudson didn’t look the part Monday, frequently getting pushed backward in one-on-one drills. That has changed in the last few days, and he battled to stalemates or better in most of his one-on-one work. Hudson came into the week with a good chance to go no later than the mid-third-round; he appears to have solidified that after a shaky first day.
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January 26th, 2011 with
 Kendall Hunter (right) gave up 30 or more pounds to the linebackers he faced, but nevertheless mostly held his ground during drills Wednesday. (PHOTO: MAXDENVER.COM) MOBILE, Ala. – Notes from the North team’s practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium here on Wednesday:
- Boise State wide receiver Titus Young was the most explosive wide receiver on the field Wednesday, but admitted there was some work to do in refining his route-running and fundamentals, which Young said his position coaches had pointed out to him this week. “Keeping my eyes up out of breaks, running crisp routes, keeping my arms in, getting my legs up coming out of my breaks,” Young said. “It’s just little details. … I feel a lot more fluid (now).”
- Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter is the most dynamic runner on either team. I watched him from field level today and was impressed with how well he read his blockers and how decisively he went upfield, making his one cut and committing to it. But perhaps the most impressive aspect of Hunter’s play was his blocking against linebackers. During a one-on-one drill, he regularly held his ground, getting good leverage against defenders 30 to 35 pounds heavier. “At Oklahoma State, the backs have to block,” Hunter said. “If you don’t block, you don’t play.”
- By comparison, Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray — who is four and three-fourths inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than Hunter — was overpowered in one-one-one work, being bull-rushed and beaten by tweener 4-3 end/3-4 linebacker-types. Murray compensated for this with some solid runs; he was quick to the hole and didn’t dance. But if he wants to be an every-down back in the league, he’ll have to prove he can block well and pick up a blitz.
- Stanford’s Owen Marecic played linebacker and fullback for the Cardinal last year, but is concentrating on offense this week. Marecic had some ups and downs in the one-on-one work, getting beaten by a spin move from Ohio State linebacker Ross Homan and later being overpowered by Michigan State’s Greg Jones.
- Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich struggled in one-on-one passing drills, generally having trouble keeping up with running backs out of the backfield. Herzlich did intercept a pass during a linebacker-on-running back drill, but that was more out of luck than anything else; Hunter blew by him up the left sideline but couldn’t handle the pass, which bounced off Hunter’s hand in the end zone and into Herzlich’s grasp. Herzlich looked better in the team period, which allowed him to better display his strengths.
- Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder is the tallest player at the Senior Bowl, and sometimes is weakened by being upright, especially when he can’t drop into a wide stance quickly enough to win one-on-one duels with defensive ends. He’s among the best run blockers on either team in Mobile, but his pass-blocking technique needs to be refined and quickened.
-
 Cameron Jordan gets held up by Wisconsin's John Moffitt. (PHOTO: MAXDENVER.COM) Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo, on the other hand, did a nice job getting into his stance quickly, allowing him to do well in one-on-one work. Castonzo might have made himself a solid first-rounder this week.
- California defensive end Cameron Jordan wasn’t as dominant as he was on Tuesday, but I liked one play that showed discipline and savvy, when he didn’t bite on misdirection and stayed with Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, stalking him and forcing him to the outside, effectively destroying the play. Jordan worked at end and defensive tackle Wednesday.
- Stanford defensive tackle Sione Fua admits his pass-rush technique needs some additional refinement, but his bull rush is down pat; he had his way with Michigan offensive lineman Stephen Schilling, sending him backward into the pocket as though he was on skates during one-on-one work.
- Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews couldn’t make anything happen in a one-on-one pass-rush drill against Slippery Rock interior lineman Brandon Fusco and got knocked off balance in pass rush/pass block drills with running backs. Matthews still has potential, but it’s starting to look like his best fit would be as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 — or a strongside linebacker in the 4-3, since he has fared better covering tight ends.
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