Mediator12
05-05-2006, 10:49 AM
Not my favorite guy, and they of course neglect the 2003 draft massacre in his accomplishments but he addresses a lot of the recent questions the Mane has asked from a Front office perspective
Link: http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=5576
1. I'm curious as to why the Broncos decided not to draft a running back this year. Were there no players in the later rounds that you felt would help the football team or is there just no need for one this year?
Charles
Miami, Fla.
Obviously, our re-signing of Ron Dayne showed our faith in his ability to get the job done. Of course, Tatum Bell had over 900 yards last year. We need to to keep aware of Cedric Cobbs, who we had highly, highly rated coming out as a third-rounder in 2004. Cecil Sapp has the flexibility to play both fullback and running back. We had focused on Laurence Maroney and felt like he was an impact guy, but the opportunity to move up in the first round and get a guy like Jay Cutler was too much to pass up, and the need factor was there at other positions.
2. I was surprised not to see a safety drafted by the team. Can you share your thoughts on this, please?
Daniel Lam
Alpharetta, Ga.
There were a number of safeties we had targeted, but there were needs on the offensive side of the football that warranted going in that direction first. We were very high on Donte Whitner. Had he been available at the 15th pick, we probably would have thought long and hard about selecting him. However, we have a great deal of confidence in some of the guys we have behind our starters. Sam Brandon has started before, and his level of play was very good last year. Curome Cox played quite a bit at safety and corner; he's capable at the position. We like what we see in Hamza Abdullah and Brandon Browner as young prospects at that spot, and we feel like Tyler Everett was a sleeper that went undrafted and we were able to sign him as a college free agent. He was in a situation where he was stuck behind Mike Doss and was lost in the shuffle alongside Whitner.
3. As a Broncos fan in Louisville, I am happy to see the acquisition of Elvis Dumervil; I have seen the wreak havoc on the offensive line of more than a few football teams. What would you say was the biggest factor in deciding to draft him and do you see him making an immediate impact at his position with the likes of Kenard Lang, Ebenezer Ekuban and Courtney Brown who already are established players?
Aaron Bluel
Lousiville, Ky.
The biggest factor is his ability to make and create plays. If he is not making the tackle, he's forcing the quarterback into somebody else. He's been productive at a Division I level that is competitive. He had 20 sacks and 11 forced fumbles as a senior, and he's done it over a consistent period of time. He's also a good person as far as being a team player and for a guy who most people critiqued as being too short for the position, he plays the run extremely well. We drafted him at that spot with the thought of him being a pass-rush specialist, and we'll just have to see if he makes an immediate impact.
4. With the drafting of Cutler and the trade for Javon Walker, we Denver fans have seen a lot of division amongst ourselves. There are those of us whom want Cutler over Plummer or vice versa and others want Ashley Lelie here over Walker and vice versa. How is it you will handle all of this in what seems to be moves that can divide fellow fans and maybe even the locker room?
Tony
Fort Collins, Colo.
This football team is a veteran football team. It will not divide the locker room. Jake Plummer won 14 football games last year. Jay Cutler has yet to step onto an NFL field. There's a tremendous amount of potential with Jay as a quarterback, but potential is only as good as the paper on which it's printed; he's got to go out and prove it. With regards to Lelie and Walker -- both guys are outstanding receivers. Javon brings a dynamic to the position that we felt like we needed. Ashley certainly has the ability to create the big play in his own right, but I don't foresee conflict. You're always wanting to improve your football team; a football team is made of 53 men, not 11. The idea is to get as many good players and create as much competition at each position as you can so you can put the best team on the field on Sunday.
5. After our season was over, I really felt we had two main needs: explosive wide receive pash rush from our D-line. While I think we solved our wide receiver problem with Walker and the draft, I am not so sure about the pash rush. Is Kenard Lang and Elvis Dumervil the answer, or is there something I am missing?
John Robins
Highland, Calif.
My question would be, "What's more important: turnovers or sacks?" Sacks are the glamour play. Turnovers change football games. It's tougher to recover from a turnover. That, coupled with how much pressure we put on the quarterback to force those turnovers -- you can't necessarily say that we didn't get to the quarterback. That was discussed last season: that we were getting to the quarterback; we were pressuring the quarterback. It's not that we don't have individuals who aren't capable of getting to the quarterback; it's that the scheme predicated playing the run first and rushing the passer second. Thus, we were one of the top run-defense teams in the National Football League. That being said, I think some adjustments will be made in the overall scheme of things that will loosen up some guys that are good enough and athletic enough to get to the quarterback.
Link: http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=5576
1. I'm curious as to why the Broncos decided not to draft a running back this year. Were there no players in the later rounds that you felt would help the football team or is there just no need for one this year?
Charles
Miami, Fla.
Obviously, our re-signing of Ron Dayne showed our faith in his ability to get the job done. Of course, Tatum Bell had over 900 yards last year. We need to to keep aware of Cedric Cobbs, who we had highly, highly rated coming out as a third-rounder in 2004. Cecil Sapp has the flexibility to play both fullback and running back. We had focused on Laurence Maroney and felt like he was an impact guy, but the opportunity to move up in the first round and get a guy like Jay Cutler was too much to pass up, and the need factor was there at other positions.
2. I was surprised not to see a safety drafted by the team. Can you share your thoughts on this, please?
Daniel Lam
Alpharetta, Ga.
There were a number of safeties we had targeted, but there were needs on the offensive side of the football that warranted going in that direction first. We were very high on Donte Whitner. Had he been available at the 15th pick, we probably would have thought long and hard about selecting him. However, we have a great deal of confidence in some of the guys we have behind our starters. Sam Brandon has started before, and his level of play was very good last year. Curome Cox played quite a bit at safety and corner; he's capable at the position. We like what we see in Hamza Abdullah and Brandon Browner as young prospects at that spot, and we feel like Tyler Everett was a sleeper that went undrafted and we were able to sign him as a college free agent. He was in a situation where he was stuck behind Mike Doss and was lost in the shuffle alongside Whitner.
3. As a Broncos fan in Louisville, I am happy to see the acquisition of Elvis Dumervil; I have seen the wreak havoc on the offensive line of more than a few football teams. What would you say was the biggest factor in deciding to draft him and do you see him making an immediate impact at his position with the likes of Kenard Lang, Ebenezer Ekuban and Courtney Brown who already are established players?
Aaron Bluel
Lousiville, Ky.
The biggest factor is his ability to make and create plays. If he is not making the tackle, he's forcing the quarterback into somebody else. He's been productive at a Division I level that is competitive. He had 20 sacks and 11 forced fumbles as a senior, and he's done it over a consistent period of time. He's also a good person as far as being a team player and for a guy who most people critiqued as being too short for the position, he plays the run extremely well. We drafted him at that spot with the thought of him being a pass-rush specialist, and we'll just have to see if he makes an immediate impact.
4. With the drafting of Cutler and the trade for Javon Walker, we Denver fans have seen a lot of division amongst ourselves. There are those of us whom want Cutler over Plummer or vice versa and others want Ashley Lelie here over Walker and vice versa. How is it you will handle all of this in what seems to be moves that can divide fellow fans and maybe even the locker room?
Tony
Fort Collins, Colo.
This football team is a veteran football team. It will not divide the locker room. Jake Plummer won 14 football games last year. Jay Cutler has yet to step onto an NFL field. There's a tremendous amount of potential with Jay as a quarterback, but potential is only as good as the paper on which it's printed; he's got to go out and prove it. With regards to Lelie and Walker -- both guys are outstanding receivers. Javon brings a dynamic to the position that we felt like we needed. Ashley certainly has the ability to create the big play in his own right, but I don't foresee conflict. You're always wanting to improve your football team; a football team is made of 53 men, not 11. The idea is to get as many good players and create as much competition at each position as you can so you can put the best team on the field on Sunday.
5. After our season was over, I really felt we had two main needs: explosive wide receive pash rush from our D-line. While I think we solved our wide receiver problem with Walker and the draft, I am not so sure about the pash rush. Is Kenard Lang and Elvis Dumervil the answer, or is there something I am missing?
John Robins
Highland, Calif.
My question would be, "What's more important: turnovers or sacks?" Sacks are the glamour play. Turnovers change football games. It's tougher to recover from a turnover. That, coupled with how much pressure we put on the quarterback to force those turnovers -- you can't necessarily say that we didn't get to the quarterback. That was discussed last season: that we were getting to the quarterback; we were pressuring the quarterback. It's not that we don't have individuals who aren't capable of getting to the quarterback; it's that the scheme predicated playing the run first and rushing the passer second. Thus, we were one of the top run-defense teams in the National Football League. That being said, I think some adjustments will be made in the overall scheme of things that will loosen up some guys that are good enough and athletic enough to get to the quarterback.