Rumors...

[orinjkrush]

http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2012/0...ppen-to-start/

he Denver Broncos signed former New England Patriots center, Dan Koppen on Tuesday. On the surface this appears to be a move to add depth to the interior of the offensive line. However if I was JD Walton, the Broncos current center, I’d be looking over my shoulder. It’s my opinion that Koppen is being in here to eventually replace Walton as the starting center, and there are a number of reasons why.
Since John Elway and John Fox took over, they haven’t been thrilled with Walton as the center. The Broncos went hard after former Indianapolis Colts center, Jeff Saturday who worked with Peyton Manning for years. The two parties could not come to an agreement but it was very apparent that the front office has been looking to upgrade that position. In April, the team drafted Phillip Blake with the hope that he would eventually be the guy to take over. The Broncos have not seen the progress they were hoping for from Blake to this point, and there was some thought he might not even make the team. It also needs to be mentioned that it is not just the Broncos, Walton is considered by those who follow the NFL as one of the five worst centers in the league. Some of those people are scouts!
In Koppen, the Broncos are getting a guy that has played with another franchise quarterback in Tom Brady and has played in Super Bowls. Koppen has also had extensive experience in the no huddle offense, the Patriots don’t run it all the time but when they do it’s always effective. He knows how to check off on the fly, he has seen more than Walton has and is a better run blocker than Walton. To be fair, Koppen was released by the Patriots because of his ineffective play so it remains to be seen if he can regain his form. Make no mistake, though, if Koppen is right then Walton is in trouble.
At the very least, the Denver Broncos have added some much needed depth to the interior of the offensive line. The question now who is providing the depth, Koppen or Walton?

http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2012/0...-d-j-williams/

If drugs, giving away secrets, court convictions and parties are the way to measure an eventful summer, then linebacker D.J. Williams’ offseason could garner a book deal. With a six-game suspension from the NFL and more days off pending in the commissioner’s office, he will have plenty of time to relish in his glory days. On a Denver Broncos team hoping to be in Super Bowl contention, keeping Williams around as a possible distraction seems unwise. That is, until you consider that he will not get paid during the suspension.
The Denver Broncos owe Williams five million dollars for the season. However, every game missed not only keeps the Broncos from having to pay the check, it also does not count against their salary cap. This could help a Broncos’ team that is struggling with linebacker depth. Denver will likely want to pick up veterans once they are cut from other teams’ rosters. Because of his second DWI conviction, Williams could also be suspended for up to four more games or fined two more games worth of pay.
Williams’ summer was action packed. He was served a six-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs and Williams lost the appeal case he brought against the league. D.J. not only tweeted out a picture of the Broncos playbook during minicamp, but also announced that he was learning a new position. Williams used social media for its desired purpose of flaunting a partying lifestyle on Twitter. Finally, last week he was convicted of his second DWI during his career.
With all of this evidence, it would be easy for the Broncos to simply cut their losses with Williams and focus on finishing Peyton Manning’s drives with touchdowns rather than interceptions. However, Williams has been a productive member of training camp and not served as a distraction. When he is excluded from drills, he runs on the sidelines and stays out of trouble on the field. Williams is a talented player and the Broncos will not be able to replace his skills on the open market. Whether it’s Week 8 or Week 12, a boost from Williams could be huge for this inexperienced Broncos defense.

http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2012/0...eyton-manning/

he Denver Broncos, specifically John Elway and John Fox, deserve a ton of credit for going after and getting Peyton Manning to sign with them. Everyone has talked about anything and everything when looking ahead to what Manning and the Broncos would look like. It’s was only one game but the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers tells us a lot of things but there is one thing screaming us, Manning is back and he looks like Manning. Now Fox and the other coaches have to make one more smart move, GET OUT OF HIS WAY!
In their first three possessions on Sunday night, the Broncos tried to run a conventional offense that included huddling between every play. Those possessions ended with two punts and a turnover, and that was the last we saw of that offense for the night. It’s almost as if Manning went back to the sideline and told the coaches, “Ok enough of that garbage, I’m taking over.” From that point on, the Broncos offense was never stopped again. Scoring 25 points in four drives, imagine if the offense had the ball more. The Steelers, a great defense, never came close to stopping Manning and the Broncos.
This is not a shot at the coaches for the Broncos at all; it’s just a statement of fact. When Manning gets into the flow of the game and starts reading the defense, he starts picking it apart. Manning is the best, maybe of all time, at finding the weakness of any defense and then exploiting it. When he is in the hurry up and the defense is trying to adjust, he just gets better and better. By the time the fourth quarter came along on Sunday night, Manning knew the Steelers defense better than they did. Receivers were wide-open and when the Steelers thought they had that solved, Manning checked to a running play and picked up ten yards.
The Denver Broncos are back in the conversation with the other great teams in the NFL and Manning is the reason why. There is a lot of other talent as we saw on Sunday but if a team does not have an elite quarterback, then they cannot be taken all that seriously. The Broncos now have one of those guys in Manning, and all they have to do now is get out of his way!

[Requiem]

Rant Sports. WTF?

[SonOfLe-loLang]

Not for nothing, but if we went "hard" after Saturday, we would have signed him.

[TonyR]

Re Koppen I tend to agree with this "rumor".

[TonyR]

Originally Posted by SonOfLe-loLang

Not for nothing, but if we went "hard" after Saturday, we would have signed him.

Oh I think they did. He chose the Packers over the Broncos for whatever reason.

[menonite]

How is Saturday doing in Green Bay? I didn't get to watch the 49ers game. I really was surprised he didn't come to Denver.

[SonOfLe-loLang]

Originally Posted by TonyR

Oh I think they did. He chose the Packers over the Broncos for whatever reason.

yeah, money. again, if we went HARD after him, im sure we would have gotten him

[ludo21]

Not sure who "rantsports" is... but i agree with them on Koppen

[menonite]

So if the front office was that disappointed in Walton wouldn't they have worked harder to pick up Saturday? I can't remember what he signed for but it wasn't a monster contract I don't think.

If Peyton wanted him and Walton truly does suck i can't imagine them not making it happen.

Who knows?

[Lestat]

i agree om Koppen and Walton. hopefully Koppen can stay healthy though. Warren hasn't worked out so well for us. he was the last injured pat we signed.

[Kaylore]

Rant Sports: We spread rumors we hear from rant sports.

[razorwire77]

One game into the season, and I don't see any reason to replace Walton (and I was one of his most vocal critics last year.) Certainly he hasn't be bad enough through one game to replace him with Koppen (a guy that doesn't know the lines calls, offense etc.) If anything I think this is a commentary on Blake's suckyness and the fact that if Walton gets hurt they don't have any confidence in him to step in.

[R8R H8R]

Originally Posted by orinjkrush

http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2012/0...ppen-to-start/


Since John Elway and John Fox took over, they haven’t been thrilled with Walton as the center. The Broncos went hard after former Indianapolis Colts center, Jeff Saturday who worked with Peyton Manning for years. The two parties could not come to an agreement but it was very apparent that the front office has been looking to upgrade that position. In April, the team drafted Phillip Blake with the hope that he would eventually be the guy to take over. The Broncos have not seen the progress they were hoping f

Stopped reading here. Saturday himself refutes this notion that they went hard after him. It was Manning that lobbied for Saturday, not the Broncos FO. Saturday even hints that the FO is happy with the development of Walton and just wasn't willing to throw the money at him that GB did.

http://www.nflgridirongab.com/2012/0...e-he-inked-it/


“Peyton is a close friend and I loved playing with him,” Saturday told the newspaper. “I loved the time we spent together. It was the most difficult call I’ve ever made. I told him before anyone else that I was going to Green Bay.

“I told him I don’t think the Broncos wanted me as much as he did. They’ve got things going on that they’re happy with and are moving forward with and I didn’t think it was an exact fit. I always felt like in Green Bay I was their very first choice.”

[cmhargrove]

It doesn't make sense to get a replacement for Walton at this point, but if that is what happens, you can be sure that it came 100% from Manning and i'm just fine with that.

Let's just give him everything he wants, add in our own run game + defense. He's the man right now, and our coaches (plus Elway) should do their best to fill Peyton's Christmas list.

[lonestar]

Originally Posted by razorwire77

One game into the season, and I don't see any reason to replace Walton (and I was one of his most vocal critics last year.) Certainly he hasn't be bad enough through one game to replace him with Koppen (a guy that doesn't know the lines calls, offense etc.) If anything I think this is a commentary on Blake's suckyness and the fact that if Walton gets hurt they don't have any confidence in him to step in.

I can understand this commentary based on last years info.

But PM is in town the whole OL looked like all pros this week. JK.

But bringing in a new part to the OL at this point IMO is counter productive to the team work they have been working on

Not even to say that bb @NE cut the guy for a reason. He is not a guy to get rid of beta unless they are asking for a huge contract or are washed up by his standards.

I really believe that unless JD FUBARS it in a game that Koppen is a really nice security blanket to have that came cheap.

If they make a move it wil be after the bye after KUPE is back running amooth when that happens maybe. But clearly he is not the long term solution @ OC.

I'd be surprised at any change unless there is an injury.

Now has this been Saturday. There is zero doubt they would not make the move.
If for no other reason than he knows PM and. VIce versa

[Crushaholic]

Originally Posted by menonite

How is Saturday doing in Green Bay? I didn't get to watch the 49ers game. I really was surprised he didn't come to Denver.

For what it's worth, Rodgers had a bad game. Was that due to Saturday? I'm not sure. I need to see the game, again...

[TonyR]

Originally Posted by R8R H8R

Stopped reading here. Saturday himself refutes this notion that they went hard after him. It was Manning that lobbied for Saturday, not the Broncos FO. Saturday even hints that the FO is happy with the development of Walton and just wasn't willing to throw the money at him that GB did.

http://www.nflgridirongab.com/2012/0...e-he-inked-it/


“Peyton is a close friend and I loved playing with him,” Saturday told the newspaper. “I loved the time we spent together. It was the most difficult call I’ve ever made. I told him before anyone else that I was going to Green Bay.

“I told him I don’t think the Broncos wanted me as much as he did. They’ve got things going on that they’re happy with and are moving forward with and I didn’t think it was an exact fit. I always felt like in Green Bay I was their very first choice.”

Good post, I must admit that this prompts me to amend my stance somewhat. But, at the same time, one could argue that Saturday is just being diplomatic and saying that Green Bay went after him harder than Denver did, and thus his choice (or at least part of it). That doesn't mean that Denver didn't go after him.

[lonestar]

Originally Posted by R8R H8R

Stopped reading here. Saturday himself refutes this notion that they went hard after him. It was Manning that lobbied for Saturday, not the Broncos FO. Saturday even hints that the FO is happy with the development of Walton and just wasn't willing to throw the money at him that GB did.

http://www.nflgridirongab.com/2012/0...e-he-inked-it/


“Peyton is a close friend and I loved playing with him,” Saturday told the newspaper. “I loved the time we spent together. It was the most difficult call I’ve ever made. I told him before anyone else that I was going to Green Bay.

“I told him I don’t think the Broncos wanted me as much as he did. They’ve got things going on that they’re happy with and are moving forward with and I didn’t think it was an exact fit. I always felt like in Green Bay I was their very first choice.”

Let's See go to a for sure contender that most of is depth is better than DEN a
Starters or got to den that has PM and a bunch of kiddies around him.

What should I do?

Go to work for the team that actually wants me more who gives me more money and I get to snap the ball for one of the top rate QBa that is upcoming.


Real hard decision. Folks.

If JE wanted this guy he would have been here.

More bullshat hate about Joshes draft choices than common sense.

BTW Koopen is from NE. how long will be be before the Haters come out of th closet after him.

[menonite]

DAMN YOU SHANAHAN!

Glad to see you back after the Broncos "certain" defeat at the hands of the Steelers.

[Stan]

I am pretty sure that Denver never even brought Saturday in for a visit before he signed with Green Bay and it wasn't like he signed immediately once the signing period started. I know Doug at IAOFM keeps harping on how Denver was outbid by Green Bay but I don't think they were ever really that serious in going after him. I think bringing in Koppen is more of a reflection on what they think of Blake being ready to backup Walton than wanting to replace Walton himself.

[Bacchus]

Originally Posted by cmhargrove

It doesn't make sense to get a replacement for Walton at this point, but if that is what happens, you can be sure that it came 100% from Manning and i'm just fine with that.

Let's just give him everything he wants, add in our own run game + defense. He's the man right now, and our coaches (plus Elway) should do their best to fill Peyton's Christmas list.

Yeah, I agree. Walton is a very young player and maybe Manning needs someone with more experience running the no huddle offense.

You know it would not be a horrible thing for Walton to go to the bench and just learn. I would love for Oz and Walton and the Broncos to continue Peyton's offense after he leaves, but they will have to study hard and Oz will have to learn a hell of a lot more than what he knows now.

[Lestat]

Originally Posted by Crushaholic

For what it's worth, Rodgers had a bad game. Was that due to Saturday? I'm not sure. I need to see the game, again...

that was due to the 49ers D(which is sick) and that fact that everyone knew GB wasn't going to run it well.

[BroncsCheer]

Originally Posted by lonestar

I can understand this commentary based on last years info.

But PM is in town the whole OL looked like all pros this week. JK.

But bringing in a new part to the OL at this point IMO is counter productive to the team work they have been working on

Not even to say that bb @NE cut the guy for a reason. He is not a guy to get rid of beta unless they are asking for a huge contract or are washed up by his standards.

I really believe that unless JD FUBARS it in a game that Koppen is a really nice security blanket to have that came cheap.

If they make a move it wil be after the bye after KUPE is back running amooth when that happens maybe. But clearly he is not the long term solution @ OC.

I'd be surprised at any change unless there is an injury.

Now has this been Saturday. There is zero doubt they would not make the move.
If for no other reason than he knows PM and. VIce versa

Dude, your takes are OK but i'm having to work way too hard to decipher your poorly edited posts - take it up a notch will ya?

[menonite]

Originally Posted by Lestat

that was due to the 49ers D(which is sick) and that fact that everyone knew GB wasn't going to run it well.

I'm curious to see if they can do a better job against the Bears. They have a solid D too, but maybe Cedric Benson will play with a chip on his shoulder.

[lonestar]

Originally Posted by menonite

DAMN YOU SHANAHAN!

Glad to see you back after the Broncos "certain" defeat at the hands of the Steelers.

I've never called you a dirty name. Not sure why you Felt the need to do so for me.

That said iirc I never said certain loss just that PIT would be motivated after the PO loss on a fluke play. And that the mind meld that PM has with his skill Players would probably not be in full force until after the bye if then.

After all it took years to get to the level he was in INDY with his skill players.

I've said several times I was glad for the win. But empires it with beating PIT that did not have many of their starters left me less than thrilled with what is in store for the Broncos this year.

The OL played very well not one hold on Clady.
The D played very well on 1-2 downs but sucked it up on 3rd. But that is pretty normal for us. So was not totally surprised either.

Any win is good. But Lets not get carried away and act like PIT was at full strength starter wise and therefore we are a super bowl contender.

If we continue to get lucky breaks facing teams without there starters in then we just get our asses kicked in the playoffs. AGAIN.

Again an extraodinary game by PM a so-so game for the D.