Dwight Freeney and Nate Clements are UFA's next season

[The MVPlaya]

Imagine if we could pick up one of these guys...that would be a GIFT.

[FloridaResident]

nate clements and champ bailey together... holy crap!!

[Clockwork Orange]

I could go along with Freeney, but it makes zero sense to throw big money at another corner while continuing to ignore the pass rush.

[-Slap-]

I want no part of Dwight Freeney. He's going to want to be the highest paid defensive player in football and he's coming off a terrible season. At six foot nothing and showing some injury issues, I think its possible he's already played the best football of his career. I just can't see this guy having a long peak.

I would much rather give that money to Justin Smith. He's bigger, he's a better run defender and he's got an all out motor that won't stop after he signs a big contract.

[cutthemdown]

I'd say you just try and find good players no matter what position they play. You really just don't get to sign whoever you want without overpaying. Players have certian places they want to go play. Broncos probably won't dive for stars in FA but instead look for some bargains like always. Players like Freeny and Clement will probably get more then what Denver is willing to spend.

[WABronco]

Clements isn't that good...

[Ratboy]

I agree with Slap. Justin Smith would be great to have.

[ward63]

Jared Allen or Justin Smith PLEASE!

[OrangeShadow]

Id like justin smith because hes going to cost less than freeney and he plays the run extremely well. allen also wouldnt be a bad choice but i think hes a RFA

[SoDak Bronco]

who cares..tough to care right now..

[Kaylore]

Let the skins have Freeney (if he isn't franchised) for 70 million dollars.

[Garcia Bronco]

We should go after Tony G, Larry Johnson, and Jared Allen...KC can't franchise them both.

[Garcia Bronco]

We should go after Tony G, Larry Johnson, and Jared Allen...KC can't franchise them all.

[eddie mac]

Freeney will be well over-priced and we all know how Denver baulk at defensive linemen pricetags well apart from Warren.

In the last 2-3 years we've been outpriced for Berry, Hayward, Okeafor, Carter and Abraham.

[ward63]

Id like justin smith because hes going to cost less than freeney and he plays the run extremely well. allen also wouldnt be a bad choice but i think hes a RFA

Offer him a good sized contract(not too much) and force KC to pay up.

[eddie mac]

Offer him a good sized contract(not too much) and force KC to pay up.

Allen??? At what compensation though. They may give him the 1st and 3rd rounder deal.

[-Slap-]

Id like justin smith because hes going to cost less than freeney and he plays the run extremely well. allen also wouldnt be a bad choice but i think hes a RFA

81 tackles from Justin Smith this year, to go along with 7.5 sacks. He's led the defensive linemen on the Bengals in tackles each of the last five years.

[eddie mac]

Allen is definitely an RFA, he's only been in the league for 3 years.

[eddie mac]

We should go after Tony G, Larry Johnson, and Jared Allen...KC can't franchise them all.

Allen is the only one there that's a free agent and a restricted one to boot. Both Gonzalez and Johnson are contracted through 2008 onwards.

Apologies Gonzalez is a FA, last 2 years must have been voided.

[listopencil]

I believe it was reported that Gonzales has already signed a contract extension that will keep him @KC for the long run.

[kappys]

Justin Smith will be pricey, but I like the pickup for sure. Defintely a better choice than Dwight Freeney.

I'd like to see Vonnie Holliday and Terdell Sands come to Denver. Holliday is a solid run defender, who is getting on the older side and shouldn't have a huge price tag. He's a guy that could team up with Warren to provide a semblance of run defense, and hopefully let us use Dumervil in more situations. Sands is a big DT with decent run stopping ability, but he has languished as all players do on the Raiders. Not sure if he could be a starter, but might be a good rotation guy.

I also like these other guys -
1) Eric Steinbach to replace Cooper - would fit our system well
2)Marcell Shipp at RB(who can be expected to run behind Arizona's line? He's shown some real talent when given the opportunity)
3) Daniel Graham to replace Alexander if the price is reasonable(hard to gauge how much interest he will get on the free market)
4)Adalius Thomas for SLB, cut Gold, move DJ back. - More of a dream than anything else, Adalius will probably get a fat paycheck from somebody else.
5)Deon Grant - I'm actually not as worried about safety. I think Fergy played pretty well this year prior to his injury, and while his run support was poor he did a good job dropping back and letting Lynch creep up to the line. Still, this would be a nice move IMO.

[DBroncos4life]

Rod Coleman......He's the pass rushing DT that we need. 6 sacks last year, the same as our DTs combined.

[cutthemdown]

The Broncos have enough holes where they could use alot. On offense they could use a starting OT, OG, RB, and blocking TE to go with Scheffler. A servicable WR also wouldn't be a bad idea to pair with Marshall and Walker for next yr. On defense they could use 2 defensive ends, a DT, FS, CB. Now some of these spots are more worrisome then others. RB, DE, DT to me stick out as weak spots.

[elsid13]

Skins have already began restructuring contracts so they can go after Nate Clements. Greg Williams was in Buffalo when he was drafted.

I don't see any major FA for the offensive line, and as bad as it played Lepsis coming back will help and I expect either Myers or Kuper to step up at guard and Pears to be the right tackle. I know folks are down on Pears but an inexperience rookie he play pretty good at LT, and will benefit from year expereince. Remember how bad Lepsis was when he started???

[defenseman]

I could go along with Freeney, but it makes zero sense to throw big money at another corner while continuing to ignore the pass rush.

Sound thought process here. If they have all day, even the best corners will eventually give it up...dman

[Arkansas Bronco]

Let the skins have Freeney (if he isn't franchised) for 70 million dollars.

Id bet they will have to franchise him. He is their pass rush.

[fontaine]

1. Justin Smith or Shaun Philips. Oh yeah and draft DL as well.

2. Ken Hamlin or Deon Grant. Altho we should wait here. Darren Sharper/Adam Archuletta will likely spring lose and dilute the market.

3. Sourbrains: Have him compete with Ernster. We need competition here with someone who could actually beat Ernster instead of just a dummy like Knorr.

4. Michael Turner for a fifth? Hmm . . .

5. Daniel Graham at TE. Cut Alexander.

6. Veteran CB who can compete for nickel spot.

[DarkHorse]

Blast Freeney all you want but everyone here knows that ANYONE is better than what we already have here now.

[Elway 4 Life]

Blast Freeney all you want but everyone here knows that ANYONE is better than what we already have here now.

So true. SAD but so true.

[BroncoBen]

Signing Freeney is just a pipe dream, the Broncos need to address the DE and DT position in the draft.

[-Slap-]

Blast Freeney all you want but everyone here knows that ANYONE is better than what we already have here now.

I will blast him. He played like horse**** this season.

More than half his sacks this year came in one game against a backup OT.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

The biggest weakness of the current Bronco DEs is that only Brown and Engleberger can defend the run. Why go to cap hell to sign another DE, Freeney, who can't play the run.

[DarkHorse]

I will blast him. He played like horse**** this season.

More than half his sacks this year came in one game against a backup OT.

Slap, that may be true but bottom line is that he is above and beyond better than the group that we currently have - regardless of how he got his sacks he got them. Period.

Sacks aren't the only thing that a DE or DT brings to the table you know - pressure on a QB can cause quite a bit of confusion for an offense. We can't generate pressure let alone sacks.

[DarkHorse]

The biggest weakness of the current Bronco DEs is that only Brown and Engleberger can defend the run. Why go to cap hell to sign another DE, Freeney, who can't play the run.



Well, because our LB's stop the run.


We need a pass rush not run stopping D-linemen. We were ran on so much because we couldn't play close to the line of scrimmage when the going got tough. We had to play off to defend against the pass because we can't generate a rush so we have to concede that we're already defeated at the point of attack - back off and hope we can make the tackle on the receiver. We basically "gave up" in the defensive passing game and that hurt us against the run when it counted.

[sirhcyennek81]

Justin Smith would probably be a better fit, our dline got beat up at the end of the season because of a lack of size up front.

:Broncos:

[-Slap-]

Slap, that may be true but bottom line is that he is above and beyond better than the group that we currently have - regardless of how he got his sacks he got them. Period.

Sacks aren't the only thing that a DE or DT brings to the table you know - pressure on a QB can cause quite a bit of confusion for an offense. We can't generate pressure let alone sacks.

Above and beyond our group by what standard?

Our defense outplayed Indy's this year and Ekuban outplayed Freeney.

Ebenezer beat him in sacks 7 to 5.5 and he had more than twice as many tackles 63 to 29.

[-Slap-]

Well, because our LB's stop the run.



Our linebackers are the single most overrated unit in football. They're an undersized, overpaid joke.

[Rascal]

On the defense we need to do the following:

1) Find a stud DT. Ekuban and Dumerville are serviceable at the very least if we can't upgrade DE, but we have to upgrade DT.

2) Get a DE. Not Freeney.

3) Get rid of Gold and put DJ back at weakside and get a legit SLB.

4) Get a legit ball-hawk safety.

5) This one sucks, but we need a new CB with D-will gone.

[TheChamp24]

I don't think we need to get another elite CB, but a solid veteran. I'm trying to find a good list of all the CB's available, haven't come across much, but here are some guys I feel we should look at:
Nick Harper
Randall Gay
David Macklin
Jason David

For DE, I think we should go after Justin Smith hard. Then go after DE, DT, S and OT in the draft. Maybe try to get Steinbach.
If we get rid of Tatum Bell, then look for a RB. I personally feel we need to give Mike Bell a shot at the starting job and see what happens. He looked better than Tatum at times last year, especially at the end of the season.

[400HZ]

I heard that Washington is already restructering contracts so they can go after Freeney. After what they gave Archuleta, it will probably be mind boggling what they offer Freeney.

To me, Freeney is a completely one dimensional player who should be nothing more than a situational pass rusher. He's pretty much worthless when asked to play a gap assignment because he's too small. No matter, I'd be willing to bet that Snyder does whatever it takes to sign him and grinds his team further into the ground.

It should be funny.

[NaptownChief]

Speaking of Jared Allen, last night on ESPN Ron Jaws named him as his NFL DPOY. Ditka went with Merriman. Allen had a great year but I was surprised to see him get that much respect.

Before you guys get too fired up over it not being Champ, Jaws said up front that a player has to help his team get in the playoffs to get that award from him.

Champ would certainly get my vote as the top defensive player in the NFL this year with Merriman a real close second. Pretty tough division however when you are talking about the DPOY and three of the names being seriously mentioned all come from the same division.

[Rascal]

Thinking it over here is my ideal offseason:

1) Sign Justin Smith, and then rotate Ekuban and Dumerville at the other DE position.

2) Sign Ken Hamlin or Deon Grant at FS.

3) Draft a stud DT in the first, a good RB in the second, and then for depth the rest of the way. I wouldn't mind getting Holliday either at DT or Terdell Sands in FA.

4) Pray that Lepsis can come back 100% at LT, and Pears and Meadows can compete enough at RT.

5) Get Daniel Graham.

[PLOWHORSE]

I think Pat Kerney is available this offseason...A high motor guy much like Justin Smith.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Thinking it over here is my ideal offseason:

1) Sign Justin Smith, and then rotate Ekuban and Dumerville at the other DE position.

2) Sign Ken Hamlin or Deon Grant at FS.

3) Draft a stud DT in the first, a good RB in the second, and then for depth the rest of the way. I wouldn't mind getting Holliday either at DT or Terdell Sands in FA.

4) Pray that Lepsis can come back 100% at LT, and Pears and Meadows can compete enough at RT.

5) Get Daniel Graham.

And pray Hixon can come through as the returner and speed wide receiver

[OrangeShadow]

you would think that the skins would have learned, thankful for us they havent! LOL

[DarkHorse]

Our linebackers are the single most overrated unit in football. They're an undersized, overpaid joke.



And to think we could have had Steven Jackson.

Had we not moved DJ out of position I think we would have been better off. I don't agree that our linebacking corp are a joke tho.

As for Freeney - he had an off year - I would still take the pressure that he brings.

As you can see - I would take your statement and apply it to our entire D-line, minus Dumerville.

[elsid13]

Unlike some I not worried about the pass rush. I think that Elvis, Lang, EE can take care of that role on passing downs. The problem has been inability to stop the run, especial at the end of the season.

It harder to defend the pass when your defense let teams get into short make able yardage. If kept team in 3 and long, it easier for the DE to pin thier ears back and go get the QB.

[OrangeShadow]

Our linebackers are the single most overrated unit in football. They're an undersized, overpaid joke.

thats funny, they played pretty well when they had pryce and warren occupying blocks. your statement is the joke here.

[The MVPlaya]

The top leaders in the NFL with Passes Defended had 24..22...21..and 20.

Clements fell into the 20 category so I don't see how he can "suck".

Clements is only 27 so you can consider him a near Vet. I guess we can the DB position in the draft...but again Clements wouldn't be a bad choice @ all if we could get a bargain for him.

Hopefully there is someone willing to help out not for the money in Denver due to our recent tragedy.

[-Slap-]

I heard that Washington is already restructering contracts so they can go after Freeney. After what they gave Archuleta, it will probably be mind boggling what they offer Freeney.

To me, Freeney is a completely one dimensional player who should be nothing more than a situational pass rusher. He's pretty much worthless when asked to play a gap assignment because he's too small. No matter, I'd be willing to bet that Snyder does whatever it takes to sign him and grinds his team further into the ground.

It should be funny.

High priced free agents are like crack for Danny Snyder.

[-Slap-]

thats funny, they played pretty well when they had pryce and warren occupying blocks. your statement is the joke here.

Get serious. They can't stack up anything at the LOS and they don't make any big plays.

Those three clowns combined for ZERO interceptions, ZERO fumble recoveries and two (2) sacks all year.

They're pussies at the point of attack and they don't make ANY big plays.

Between the three of these jokers, they couldn't flip the field with an interception or a fumble the whole goddamn season?

The best linebackers in football.

You people are out of your brainwashed little minds.

[The MVPlaya]

They are good, and quick and they haven't played up to their ability.

Having a gamebreaking, play making LB would be great...I hate to say it but if we could move one of our LB's and get top tier one, I'd be all in for it.

[Kaylore]

Get serious. They can't stack up anything at the LOS and they don't make any big plays.

Those three clowns combined for ZERO interceptions, ZERO fumble recoveries and two (2) sacks all year.

They're pussies at the point of attack and they don't make ANY big plays.

Between the three of these jokers, they couldn't flip the field with an interception or a fumble the whole goddamn season?

The best linebackers in football.

You people are out of your brainwashed little minds.

Al Wilson isn't a pussy or a joker, and damn you for suggesting it. If a third of our team put forth the kind of effort and toughness he's showed we'd probably be in the super bowl.

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Clements is only 27 so you can consider him a near Vet. I guess we can the DB position in the draft...but again Clements wouldn't be a bad choice @ all if we could get a bargain for him.


What do you consider a bargin? He'll be one of the top handful of free agents. He's going to get a deal around what Champ got, maybe higher with all the cap room that teams have this year.

[yavoon]

The top leaders in the NFL with Passes Defended had 24..22...21..and 20.

Clements fell into the 20 category so I don't see how he can "suck".

Clements is only 27 so you can consider him a near Vet. I guess we can the DB position in the draft...but again Clements wouldn't be a bad choice @ all if we could get a bargain for him.

Hopefully there is someone willing to help out not for the money in Denver due to our recent tragedy.

90% of the league is good if u get a bargain. talking constantly about bargains is just a bad way to think about free agency. free agency is based off the premise that the person offering THE MOST MONEY gets the player.

and at any rate, a 27 year old elite corner will not be a 'bargain.'

[elsid13]

What do you consider a bargin? He'll be one of the top handful of free agents. He's going to get a deal around what Champ got, maybe higher with all the cap room that teams have this year.

He going to get insane money, he is the #1 target for the Skins this offseason. It widely reported that Redskin 1[danny boy's airplane] is gassed and ready to find him. Does anyone want to get in bidding war with those dumb ass??

[Killericon]

My ideal off season:

A True Starting RB: Dominick Davis? A 2nd round guy? Micheal Turner? I don't care who, just so long as we get someone who takes 3/4 or more of the snaps. Tatum Bell can not leave fast enough.

A Half-Way Good DE: You guys are starting to sell me on Justin Smith(Especially you, -Slap-)...He could be the Anchor, and have rotation at the other spot.

A Great DT: IMO, this is our number one priority. I disagree with -Slap-'s assertion that our Linebackers are a joke, but I think they are severely under performing. A lack of strength, size and skill(Or Motivation...I'm looking at you, #61) in the middle is a main factor in this. Free agency, 1st round, SOMETHING! If Shaun Rogers becomes available, we should get him on a 1-Year with a long-term option for the following season. Warren is under performing, but Myers is not a good enough Starter. Warren could be a fantastic #2, but he's just not a good #1.

A Cover FS: Something about Nick Ferguson...I just don't want him starting on my team. Move Lynch back to SS and get Ken Hamlin, Deon Grant, or even Darren Sharper(If he's cut and cheap, both of which are unlikely). A 2nd round pick here would be good.

Patriots' Free Agents: Daniel Graham and Randall Gay.

Offensive Line: Losing Lepsis made our line look worse than it is. Bring Carlislie back for a 1-year contract, and move Pears to RT. Get Foster to try out RG in Training Camp. Unless we get really close to the cap, I see no reason to cut Foster when we can just bench him. Maybe picking up Roman Oben(Chargers going to cut him after finding Franchise Tackle in McNeill?) for Depth and Competition.

FB: Kyle Johnson is good, but we can do better.

[-Slap-]

Al Wilson isn't a p***Y or a joker, and damn you for suggesting it. If a third of our team put forth the kind of effort and toughness he's showed we'd probably be in the super bowl.

No, he just completely disappears for long stretches. Starting with the Indy game, his performance was very pedestrian this year. Name a game where Al really excelled this season and I'll rewatch it and apologize.

The depth is a joke, too. Nate Webster takes the worst tackling angles I've ever seen.

[Barry Ramey]

Clements will command a lot of money and the Broncos already have Champ making big money at CB. I don't see them with two big money CB's.

[Dudeskey]

Clements will definitely command high dollar, and we don't really need 2 #1 corners... We just need a solid guy who isn't going to ask for a huge contract... Randall Gay will be available, and he'd probably be a good value pickup.

I like the idea of getting Freeney, but I like the idea of an underrated pickup like Justin Smith better.

[OrangeShadow]

You guys think with jason taylor contemplating retirement we could deal for him maybe a first round pick?

[Dudeskey]

You guys think with jason taylor contemplating retirement we could deal for him maybe a first round pick?

I'd rather try to snatch Peppers from the Panthers for a #1, but that'll never happen

[Killericon]

You guys think with jason taylor contemplating retirement we could deal for him maybe a first round pick?

Nope, and I think if we was dealt, he'd definitely want to retire.

[Clockwork Orange]

You guys think with jason taylor contemplating retirement we could deal for him maybe a first round pick?

Not at this point. A couple of years ago, sure. No sense in flipping a 1st rounder to rent Taylor for a year.

[want2bAbronco2]

I want Justin Smith and Grahm. I like our younger DEs, what we really need is a huge run stuffing/pocket crushing DT. 350 lbs 6'5" or so! Then draft a FS and SS to groom.

Draft:
1: DT (Texas or NC State or Louisville)
2: FS or SS
3: FS or SS
4 WR (PR/speed) or RT/LT.

[BigBad]

I live in Bengal land so I see ALOT of their games. Justin Smith is a good run stopper but he is NOT a good pass rusher. I really dont think he would help your teams need for a pass rush.

[mattob14]

No, he just completely disappears for long stretches. Starting with the Indy game, his performance was very pedestrian this year. Name a game where Al really excelled this season and I'll rewatch it and apologize.

The depth is a joke, too. Nate Webster takes the worst tackling angles I've ever seen.

I hate to admit it, but Al did seem to slow down this year. He's still got some good football in him, though. Gold and DJ are too small and get pushed around. We need to cut Gold, move DJ to the weak side and pick up a decent backer with some size to replace DJ. I think DJ's size alone would make him an improvement over Gold and there won't be much of a drop-off on the other side. The play may not improve significantly, but it'd be a bigger, more physical group, and at least we'd save the money on Gold's contract.

[mattob14]

I want Justin Smith and Grahm. I like our younger DEs, what we really need is a huge run stuffing/pocket crushing DT. 350 lbs 6'5" or so! Then draft a FS and SS to groom.

Draft:
1: DT (Texas or NC State or Louisville)
2: FS or SS
3: FS or SS
4 WR (PR/speed) or RT/LT.

Smith and Graham would be perfect! I also like the looks of that draft, Okoye and Tyler would be great additions, but we really only need one safety this year. Then, we'd be able to pick-up a WR and an OT on the first day.

[eddie mac]

The top leaders in the NFL with Passes Defended had 24..22...21..and 20.

Clements fell into the 20 category so I don't see how he can "suck".

Clements is only 27 so you can consider him a near Vet. I guess we can the DB position in the draft...but again Clements wouldn't be a bad choice @ all if we could get a bargain for him.

Hopefully there is someone willing to help out not for the money in Denver due to our recent tragedy.

Catch yourself on bro. This player just like every other on the market in 3 months will be looking to get paid as much as they can regardless of where they end up. The days of the Broncos landing free-agents for less money than they would've got elsewhere are long gone.

[Rascal]

Adalius Thomas is a FA, I wouldn't mind trying to get him at SLB (or DE even) and moving DJ back to weak side.

[-Slap-]

Adalius Thomas is a FA, I wouldn't mind trying to get him at SLB (or DE even) and moving DJ back to weak side.

He was on the market a few years ago and we completely ignored him. That was when he was a 270 special teams demon. The only 270 pound gunner in the NFL. We had no use for him because we like pumped up 200 pounders at linebacker.

[fontaine]

Get serious. They can't stack up anything at the LOS and they don't make any big plays.

Those three clowns combined for ZERO interceptions, ZERO fumble recoveries and two (2) sacks all year.

They're pussies at the point of attack and they don't make ANY big plays.

Between the three of these jokers, they couldn't flip the field with an interception or a fumble the whole goddamn season?

The best linebackers in football.

You people are out of your brainwashed little minds.


To be fair Wilson couldn't force fumbles, get ints or shed because he was playing with a cast on his hand off a broken thumb for much of the season. Combine that with a near paralyzing neck injury and I don't fault him. Don't know how you're expected to get an int or strip the ball with a cast on your hand.

Gold? I agree. For as much hype as there is around his speed and coverage I don't see him making plays in coverage, like ints etc. He does pop here and there and makes nice tackles on pursuit but we need players making plays at the LOS or in the back field more often. Ditto with DJ Williams who is the most athletically gifted LB but I don't see him making enough plays in the box, on the edges etc ESPECIALLY down the stretch in the 2nd half of the season.

I could be wrong about DJ but I just don't see what he's doing that registers are solid play or marks him out above other OLBs. Can anyone else?

[-Slap-]

The whole scheme is based upon these fast LBs running around wreaking havoc and they combined for zero interceptions and zero fumble recoveries.

It blows my mind these guys couldn't flip the field one time between them all season.

I'm not questioning Al's heart, but how hard is it to fall on a fumble?

These LBs are talked up about their coverage ability and they can't record one interception all season?

Do you realize the Broncos only had 17 picks all year and ten of them came from the guy "nobody throws at"?

[fontaine]

The whole scheme is based upon these fast LBs running around wreaking havoc and they combined for zero interceptions and zero fumble recoveries.

It blows my mind these guys couldn't flip the field one time between them all season.

I'm not questioning Al's heart, but how hard is it to fall on a fumble?

These LBs are talked up about their coverage ability and they can't record one interception all season?

Do you realize the Broncos only had 17 picks all year and ten of them came from the guy "nobody throws at"?

Well like I said, I don't see how Wilson is supposed to intercept the ball with a cast on his hand. Gold and DJ certainly have no excuse. Especially Gold who's supposed to be a great LB in coverage.

As far as fumbles are concerned, I don't expect a whole lot of fumbles when guys like Gold/Dumervil/Lang etc are undersized and we're playing a 175 lb safety in foxworth. It takes raw strength among other things to strip the ball. And ofcourse a lot of front 7's cause fumbles when they blitz/sack the QB successfully and we just don't do that enough.

[BroncoBuff]

I could go along with Freeney, but it makes zero sense to throw big money at another corner while continuing to ignore the pass rush.

Bingo.


Freeney would be a cap-buster, though. Everybody wants Freeney, everybody wants sacks. The only way to affordably get DE sack-masters is to go home-grown. You know, like Reggie Hayward and Trevor Pryce.

And remember, Freney didn't get his first sack until week 6 this year - and last year's "freeney," John Abraham, was lost for the year early on.

I want the Jag's Deon Grant. Is he restricted or unrestricted?

[BroncoBuff]

Get serious. They can't stack up anything at the LOS and they don't make any big plays.

Those three clowns combined for ZERO interceptions, ZERO fumble recoveries and two (2) sacks all year.

They're pussies at the point of attack and they don't make ANY big plays.

Between the three of these jokers, they couldn't flip the field with an interception or a fumble the whole goddamn season?

The best linebackers in football.

You people are out of your brainwashed little minds.

Slap, have I ever mentioned how much I admire your gift for subtle digs?

Al Wilson is the most overrated Bronco (next to Lynch). He is a very good MLB, perhaps deserving of a Pro-Bowl reserve spot in a lean year. But he rarely if ever makes big plays. And the other two? To begin, I am SO disappointed in the state of science journalism in this country, because I never saw anywhere on CNN or MSNBC where modern metallurgists and alchemists succeeded in making Gold an invisible substance. You'd think a scientific breakthrough like that wouldda been written up somewhere other than on the OM.

And I am sick to death of never hearing the words 'Wilson,' 'Williams' or 'Gold' anywhere near the words 'sacked,' 'picked off,' or 'the ball is knocked loose.'

I don't know if it's SoCal's infuence, or if I just loathe giving up on 1st rounders, but I think DJ might deserve another shot at the Will LB spot. One season - as a rookie - is not enough. Trade Gold and get somebody else at Sam.

[BroncoBen]

Wilson is suppose to have surgery on that hand (thumb), so he was playing with injuries all season, hand, back, neck and he still makes the pro-bowl. Beside Wilson is the heart of the defense.

Gold is the speed of the group of LBs, and DJ has the most potential he is just playing out of position. If the Broncos are not careful they are going to lose DJ after his contract runs out, he could go somewhere else and play his natural position (the one Gold is playing) and get paid the big bucks (potential pro-bowler).

The problem is not the LBs, its the scheme. Coyer used to coach that position, but now that he is the DC he wants to use them as his security blanket, and not as an attacking group they could be.

To be fair Wilson couldn't force fumbles, get ints or shed because he was playing with a cast on his hand off a broken thumb for much of the season. Combine that with a near paralyzing neck injury and I don't fault him. Don't know how you're expected to get an int or strip the ball with a cast on your hand.

Gold? I agree. For as much hype as there is around his speed and coverage I don't see him making plays in coverage, like ints etc. He does pop here and there and makes nice tackles on pursuit but we need players making plays at the LOS or in the back field more often. Ditto with DJ Williams who is the most athletically gifted LB but I don't see him making enough plays in the box, on the edges etc ESPECIALLY down the stretch in the 2nd half of the season.

I could be wrong about DJ but I just don't see what he's doing that registers are solid play or marks him out above other OLBs. Can anyone else?

[DarkHorse]

DJ Williams was a wasted 1st round pick in which we could have had Steven Jackson.

The pick was not initially wasted on draft day - or year 1 for that matter - it seems that the coaches felt a need to waste the pick so they moved him out of position. Had they not moved DJ I think he would have excelled as a WLB for us.

As it stands now - he's a joke and the pick was severly wasted.

[BroncoBuff]

The sad part is, they only skipped Jackson and took DJ because Ian Gold was going sideways on his deal. A year later, Gold was back.

I say we trade him NOW.

[-Slap-]

Well like I said, I don't see how Wilson is supposed to intercept the ball with a cast on his hand. Gold and DJ certainly have no excuse. Especially Gold who's supposed to be a great LB in coverage.

As far as fumbles are concerned, I don't expect a whole lot of fumbles when guys like Gold/Dumervil/Lang etc are undersized and we're playing a 175 lb safety in foxworth. It takes raw strength among other things to strip the ball. And ofcourse a lot of front 7's cause fumbles when they blitz/sack the QB successfully and we just don't do that enough.

Elvis forced one fumble and recovered three more, while playing significantly fewer snaps than any of the backers.

These are the sum total of big plays from the three starting LBs this year:

Sacks: 2 (1 from Wilson, 1 from Williams)

Forced fumbles: 3 (1 from each)

Fumble recoveries: Zero

Interceptions: Zero

Touchdowns: Zero

That is absolutely deplorable when you consider none of them are even big run stuffers and they're all ineffective as blitzers. We might as well be playing five safeties.

[DarkHorse]

Elvis forced one fumble and recovered three more, while playing significantly fewer snaps than any of the backers.

These are the sum total of big plays from the three starting LBs this year:

Sacks: 2 (1 from Wilson, 1 from Williams)

Forced fumbles: 3 (1 from each)

Fumble recoveries: Zero

Interceptions: Zero

Touchdowns: Zero

That is absolutely deplorable when you consider none of them are even big run stuffers and they're all ineffective as blitzers. We might as well be playing five safeties.

So what is your opinion on the LB corp? Dump all of them and address that area instead of the others? I just don't see what you see as far as holes I guess. I'm thinking D-line is our weak spot and I get from you that our LB's are the worst in the league - I just don't see that as being true. They may be playing bad but I certainly wouldn't dump them all and start over while leaving holes elsewhere.

Your thoughts? Do we have enough money/cap room/draft picks/confidence to slash all of our LB's and start over?

On a side note - I really enjoy reading your posts but you seem really bitter the past couple of days - is it just because of all that we've been through or.... everything ok?

Just asking Slap - if you're PO'd and bite my head off then you can go screw yourself ;D

[DivineLegion]

No, he just completely disappears for long stretches. Starting with the Indy game, his performance was very pedestrian this year. Name a game where Al really excelled this season and I'll rewatch it and apologize.

The depth is a joke, too. Nate Webster takes the worst tackling angles I've ever seen.

To add to this it realy seemed at times this season Al forgot how to wrap up and allowed some Big time plays missing tackles trying to blow people up.

[-Slap-]

So what is your opinion on the LB corp? Dump all of them and address that area instead of the others? I just don't see what you see as far as holes I guess. I'm thinking D-line is our weak spot and I get from you that our LB's are the worst in the league - I just don't see that as being true. They may be playing bad but I certainly wouldn't dump them all and start over while leaving holes elsewhere.

Your thoughts? Do we have enough money/cap room/draft picks/confidence to slash all of our LB's and start over?

On a side note - I really enjoy reading your posts but you seem really bitter the past couple of days - is it just because of all that we've been through or.... everything ok?

Just asking Slap - if you're PO'd and bite my head off then you can go screw yourself ;D

No, I don't think they're the worst linebackers in the League. I know they're a middle of the pack unit. Its just laughable that people think they're upper echelon when they're a one dimensional finesse squad.

I'm kind of pissed off in general, but mainly I'm just venting about the direction of the team. I try to keep fairly positive during the season, but there are a few things I wanted to get off my chest.

We're a small, soft, finesse team, Darkhorse. On defense, we're literally undersized at almost every position. The offensive line is small and unathletic, we don't have anything remotely resembling a power back. Its depressing to field such a wimpy outfit.

We fade in the second half of the season, we fade in the second half of games.

When is enough going to be enough?

[OrangeShadow]

DJ is hardly on the field. Maybe if he was playing weakside,his natural position hed have more chances and take advantage of them.

[DarkHorse]

We're a small, soft, finesse team, Darkhorse. On defense, we're literally undersized at almost every position. The offensive line is small and unathletic, we don't have anything remotely resembling a power back. Its depressing to field such a wimpy outfit.

Can't argue this. For a while the smaller, faster D worked for us but it's now old technology.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

We're a small, soft, finesse team, Darkhorse. On defense, we're literally undersized at almost every position. The offensive line is small and unathletic, we don't have anything remotely resembling a power back. Its depressing to field such a wimpy outfit.

?

The trouble is that other teams have caught up in terms of athleticism and finesse with bigger guys. Their 320 pounders are as fast and athletic as the Broncs 290 pounders

[DBroncos4life]

Maybe just MAYBE Coyer sucks and can't figure out how to use our players.

[Killericon]

Maybe just MAYBE Coyer sucks and can't figure out how to use our players.

:thumbsup:

We could make this unit work. It's happened before, and for sustained stretches.

[fontaine]

That is absolutely deplorable when you consider none of them are even big run stuffers and they're all ineffective as blitzers. We might as well be playing five safeties.

That's my point.

We are playing, essentially, four/five safeties in our nickel and 3rd down packages.

Because of injuries to his neck/thumb Wilson couldn't be the enforcer he's used to being. That leaves Gold/DJ splitting time as the other LB in our nickel package. It doesn't matter who's back there because those guys are getting crack blocked by OL breaking through our weak a$$ DL.

Our nickel/pass rushing DL has three DEs in it: Dumervil/Ekuban/Lang. Two guys at 260 LBs outside. If Lang/Dumervil/Ekuban don't beat their guys initially with speed then that's it, no pass rush which allows FBs, TEs, or OL to move through and destroy out LBs. It wouldn't be a problem if those three DEs could consistently beat one on one matchups and get pass rush because it would neutralize the QB or force him into mistakes and it would allow LBs to blitz behind those DEs. Quite often blitzes work when LBs shoot from behind the best pass rusher. Or in the least force the OL to stay at home for pass protection and leave the LBs free to attack the ball carriers or blitz.

But as it is, those DEs can be single blocked allowing an extra OL/FB/TE to get to the 2nd level and block out Gold or Wilson. TEs especially had free shots at our LBs because a 300+ lb Tackle had absolutely no problem sealing off the edge by himself against a 260 lb Lang or 250 Lb rookie in Dumervil.

If you're going to have smaller LBs with speed then you absolutely need a strong front four to shield them and rush the QB. We can do neither and it makes our LBs/DBs look a lot worse.

[OrangeShadow]

i think a big part of our linebackers not being able to make more plays was the loss of both fergy and brandon. Our 2 best safties coverage wise so the LBs had to be responsible for more coverage than usual.