"a few players away", "the plan", and the negativity from the fans - The Orange Mane

orange 4 life · 05-20-2005, 08:48 AM

once again, im pretty mystified.

i listened to mike and sandy again last night (i must be a massochist), and about broke my radio.
these two smug morons are doing their typical routine where they bash everything broncos and try to encourage everyone else to join their anti bronco crusade.
sure, they disguise it by saying "its not being a bad fan to criticize your team", but its a bash session none the less.
its not being a bad fan to criticize your team when your team is the arizona cardinals or new orleans saints.
its not a bad fan to criticize the broncos when they clearly deserve it, but to bash a team that went 10-6 the last two years and improved in the offseason is one of two things
1) a bad fan, and/or
2) an idiot

we were told by shanahan that we were "a few players away".
many here and in the media scoffed at this.
it made no sense at the time, and to STILL shrug that off is jaw dropping.
for the umpteenth time, we were two PLAYS away from 12-4 a year ago.
yes, we were only a few players away.
we were a red zone threat away on offense.
we were a couple defensive linemen short on defense,
and we were short a couple players on special teams.
by and large, our team was pretty damn solid.
so, what did "the plan" have for us in the offseason?
semantics aside (a "couple" or a "few" players), we WERE only a "few" players away.
question is: did we get those players in this offseason?
answer: it is sure starting to look that way. why the collective voice is one of skepticism if not flat out criticism i dont understand.
how spoiled have we become?

we were weak on the defensive line. that was clearly our BIGGEST area of need.
we got brown, warren, ekuban, and myers. again, if TWO of these players make any impact, we won that deal.
also, not many choose to mention this, but we get BACK trevor pryce and luther ellis.
thats SIX linemen we didnt have last year. i'd say that qualifies as improvement considering all we gave up is one overhyped and overpaid player in reggie hayward.
we needed more playmakers (though pressure in of itself makes plays), and so we brought back ian gold. like him or not, he improves an already strong group.

we were weak in the red zone. well, we didnt make huge waves on offense, but we did retain putz who goes into his second full season as starter, and we get BACK mike anderson, which is another fact no one seems to mention. also, we brought in clarett and dayne, both of which have some upside around the goaline. if ONE of these three guys make an impact, we are improved.
lelie goes into his third year, and bell and watts goes into their second. if rice comes in and EARNS a spot, great. just one more guy that may make a play here and there. if he's signed, rest assured he'll EARN his roster spot. you should be HAPPY about this prospective signing. it shows that we ARE in fact looking at NOW as our time to win.
further, you must concede that alot of our struggles in the scoring department are a result of our poor field position, which brings us to special teams.

we brought back keith burns, who is not only a good PLAYER on special teams but is a LEADER on that team.
ian golds return adds another probowl caliber special teams player.
drafting darrent williams brings in the return threat we've deperately needed.
signing todd sauerbrun brings in a 3 time probowler to punt.
VAST improvement in special teams, which carries over to offense and defense.

that leaves the defensive backfield as the only spot not improved from a year ago.
kennedy and herndon are out, and fergy and walls are in.
pretty much a wash in my opinion, but remember that the special teams and defensive line will take ALOT of pressure off the backs.
another defensive back would be nice, but if thats the ONLY piece of the puzzle not in place, i think we have to acknowledge that everything has ended up pretty much according to the "plan".

we were two PLAYS away from 10-6 last year, and we have improved on all THREE teams this offseason.
why anyone would be overly critical is beyond me.
it might be a bit early to make hotel reservations for the superbowl...

...but you might at least want to pencil in the time off work.
stop the negativity, and lets get back the collective confidence we havent had since elway retired.

jake

Mile High Shack · 05-20-2005, 08:52 AM

God love ya Jake, we need more homers like you

keep the faith

me, myself, I can't do it, but you help keep everyone strong

RhymesayersDU · 05-20-2005, 08:56 AM

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to orange 4 life again.

sirhcyennek81 · 05-20-2005, 08:58 AM

Broncos did improve where they needed to. I dont exactly understand why fans of this team are so negative. How can you not like what shanahan has done? Warren and Brown are basically in for extended tryouts, if they do not succeed, they are gone. simple. Myers and Ekuban are good rotational players, and you could have a decent third down rush line of Pryce, Brown, Ekuban and Palepoi. Someone will get there. Secondary gained youth and speed, and instead of two strong safeties in our defensive backfield, we now have a true free safety in ferguson. Gold is an upgrade over spragan, we lose size, but gain speed, and he changes how offenses view our defense. you have pryce and gold coming for the qb on the same side of the field, potentially pulling three blockers away from warren, brown and pope. i like this offseason, i liked this draft. Broncos are the most consistent team int he afc west, standing wise, time to make the jump, win the division and get a home playoff game at Mile High.

bronco militia · 05-20-2005, 08:59 AM

O4L...you make solid points, but for the first time since I've been a fan (1985) I can't remember the media and so many fans down on the Broncos at this point of the season.

I'll admit we're spoiled, but the Broncos and Mike Shanahan have set the bar very high as far as expectations go in Colorado.

I don't think this team is going to the superbowl, but it doesn't mean I'm not a fan of the team anymore.

-Slap- · 05-20-2005, 09:00 AM

We are a few players away. Unfortunately those players happen to be Walter Payton, Johnny Unitas and Deacon Jones.

sirhcyennek81 · 05-20-2005, 09:04 AM

in 1995 when denver went 8-8, did anyone see them going 13-3 the following year? So why is it unfeasible for them to go from 10-6 to 12-4?

orange 4 life · 05-20-2005, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bronco militia

O4L...you make solid points, but for the first time since I've been a fan (1985) I can't remember the media and so many fans down on the Broncos at this point of the season.

I'll admit we're spoiled, but the Broncos and Mike Shanahan have set the bar very high as far as expectations go in Colorado.

I don't think this team is going to the superbowl, but it doesn't mean I'm not a fan of the team anymore.

i cant remember the media and fans so down either, and i go back to the 70's.

again, we were two plays away from 12-4, and we're improved in all three phases of the game.

yes, the bar is set high, and that DOES NOT mean that idiots like sandy clough should hammer everything the broncos do.
yes, we havent won a playoff game post elway, but we HAVE been consistently competitive, and we HAVE improved dramatically this offseason.
improvement equals more wins, more wins equals division title, division title equals home playoff game(s), home playoff games equal playoff wins.

seems to me that "logic" and not the ugly word "homerism".

-Slap- · 05-20-2005, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange 4 life

we were weak in the red zone. well, we didnt make huge waves on offense, but we did retain putz who goes into his second full season as starter, and we get BACK mike anderson, which is another fact no one seems to mention. also, we brought in clarett and dayne, both of which have some upside around the goaline. if ONE of these three guys make an impact, we are improved.

We were as bad as anybody in the NFL in the red zone last year (except maybe Jacksonville) and we did nothing to address that.

Ron Dayne the goalline back. I love it. Ever seen him play?

orange 4 life · 05-20-2005, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Slap-

We were as bad as anybody in the NFL in the red zone last year (except maybe Jacksonville) and we did nothing to address that.

Ron Dayne the goalline back. I love it. Ever seen him play?

mike anderson the goalline back.

ever seen him play?

i have

orange 4 life · 05-20-2005, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Slap-

We are a few players away. Unfortunately those players happen to be Walter Payton, Johnny Unitas and Deacon Jones.

well thats the kind of negative idiocy so prevalent lately.

pathetic

-Slap- · 05-20-2005, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange 4 life

mike anderson the goalline back.

ever seen him play?

i have

I've seen him fumble a lot, too. That's why Shanahan would rather loan Mock his credit card in front of an adult book store than give Sarge the rock anywhere near the goalline.

You been puffing on MA's supply this morning, Jakey?

Beantown Bronco · 05-20-2005, 09:09 AM

I'd beg to differ on the negativity thing. During and after the '99 season were about as negative as I can remember.

-Slap- · 05-20-2005, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange 4 life

well thats the kind of negative idiocy so prevalent lately.

pathetic

You're the pathetic idiot.

orange 4 life · 05-20-2005, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mile High Shack

God love ya Jake, we need more homers like you

keep the faith

me, myself, I can't do it, but you help keep everyone strong

okay, and WHY exactly cant you do it?

were we not 10-6 the last two years?
were we not two plays away from 12-4?
did we not improve?

its not "homerism", its simple logic.

Beantown Bronco · 05-20-2005, 09:12 AM

But to play devil's advocate, out division rivals also improved on paper. That logic only works when all else stays the same.

orange 4 life · 05-20-2005, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Slap-

You're the pathetic idiot.

yeah i know slappy.

i should be a solid fan like yourself and hammer every move the team makes.
i should predict a 6-10 season because we signed a linebacker you dont like.
i should ignore the positive and focus on the bad...what little of it there is.

whatever pal.

bronco militia · 05-20-2005, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange 4 life

we HAVE improved dramatically this offseason.

saying so, doesn't make it true.....there are more question marks about this roster than there were before the 2005 offseason began, hence the pessimism about Shanny's "one or two players away" comment.

orange 4 life · 05-20-2005, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beantown Bronco

But to play devil's advocate, out division rivals also improved on paper. That logic only works when all else stays the same.

the chiefs didnt make enough improvement, the chargers were a fluke, and the raiders....

...well, the raiders are better, but shanahan hasnt had a good nights sleep since we lost that snow game, and the raiders dont have the qb to beat us.

-Slap- · 05-20-2005, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange 4 life

yeah i know slappy.

i should be a solid fan like yourself and hammer every move the team makes.
i should ignore the positive and focus on the bad...what little of it there is.

whatever pal.

Nah, you should get on here and tell all these young people that used car dealers are to be trusted implicitly, because they're just there to help you. That was the most glaring example of message board malpractice I've ever witnessed on this forum.

Hey, look up in the sky, Jake. The clouds are made of cotton candy.

Wheeeeeeeeee!

Mile High Shack · 05-20-2005, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange 4 life

okay, and WHY exactly cant you do it?

were we not 10-6 the last two years?
were we not two plays away from 12-4?
did we not improve?

its not "homerism", its simple logic.

The logic is

I have very little faith that our pass rush will improve. I still don’t believe Trevor is fully healed nor will he ever be, when he starts getting hit, I expect his back to twinge up again.

I have no faith in the Browns that came upon us.

I have lost some faith in Jake and his high INT total.

I have lost faith in our interior line, the ability to push back in the red zone.

I have lost faith in our secondary, Champ is great, but I always thought Walls was over-rated. Middlebust is always hurt.

And lastly, I have lost faith in Mike Shanahan to really address the true problems, w/o letting his hubris get in the way of true growth in our football team.

Kaylore · 05-20-2005, 09:21 AM

I'm going to wait and see how the season pans out. Our schedule is tough. If all the areas that we tried to address with the draft and free agency aren't executing and costing us games, then I think the criticism is well placed. However I don't think anyone can really say until they play a few games and we see how they look.

orange 4 life · 05-20-2005, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -Slap-

Nah, you should get on here and tell all these young people that used car dealers are to be trusted implicitly, because they're just there to help you. That was the most glaring example of message board malpractice I've ever witnessed on this forum.

Hey, look up in the sky, Jake. The clouds are made of cotton candy.

Wheeeeeeeeee!

here we go again.
at least tell the truth pal.

i stand by my statements, and you run from them.

i said not ALL car salesmen are bad. i said that there are ALOT of them who DO want to take care of their customers.
see, if a salesman takes care of his customers, then those customers return.
is this a tough concept for you?

there's rotten salesmen, just like there's rotten lawyers, doctors, cops, and football fans.

i stand by my statements.

for the tenth time, you wanna stand by your 6-10 statement?

bronco militia · 05-20-2005, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beantown Bronco

I'd beg to differ on the negativity thing. During and after the '99 season were about as negative as I can remember.

that was during the season after SOB and Blister took turns sucking and TD blew out a knee....

Good lord, we haven't even made it to training camp yet.

-Slap- · 05-20-2005, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orange 4 life

here we go again.
at least tell the truth pal.

i stand by my statements, and you run from them.

i said not ALL car salesmen are bad. i said that there are ALOT of them who DO want to take care of their customers.
see, if a salesman takes care of his customers, then those customers return.
is this a tough concept for you?

there's rotten salesmen, just like there's rotten lawyers, doctors, cops, and football fans.

i stand by my statements.

for the tenth time, you wanna stand by your 6-10 statement?

6-10 or 10-6, I'll still be here next year and you'll still be living in fantasy land.

Your old employers were good guys, right? That's what you seemed to be telling everybody at the time. I think I'll go looking for that old thread tonight. That was some entertaining reading the first time around.

05-20-2005, 08:48 AM	#1
orange 4 life Old School Orange Home team qb homer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Anywhere, CO. Posts: 8,642	"a few players away", "the plan", and the negativity from the fans once again, im pretty mystified. i listened to mike and sandy again last night (i must be a massochist), and about broke my radio. these two smug morons are doing their typical routine where they bash everything broncos and try to encourage everyone else to join their anti bronco crusade. sure, they disguise it by saying "its not being a bad fan to criticize your team", but its a bash session none the less. its not being a bad fan to criticize your team when your team is the arizona cardinals or new orleans saints. its not a bad fan to criticize the broncos when they clearly deserve it, but to bash a team that went 10-6 the last two years and improved in the offseason is one of two things 1) a bad fan, and/or 2) an idiot we were told by shanahan that we were "a few players away". many here and in the media scoffed at this. it made no sense at the time, and to STILL shrug that off is jaw dropping. for the umpteenth time, we were two PLAYS away from 12-4 a year ago. yes, we were only a few players away. we were a red zone threat away on offense. we were a couple defensive linemen short on defense, and we were short a couple players on special teams. by and large, our team was pretty damn solid. so, what did "the plan" have for us in the offseason? semantics aside (a "couple" or a "few" players), we WERE only a "few" players away. question is: did we get those players in this offseason? answer: it is sure starting to look that way. why the collective voice is one of skepticism if not flat out criticism i dont understand. how spoiled have we become? we were weak on the defensive line. that was clearly our BIGGEST area of need. we got brown, warren, ekuban, and myers. again, if TWO of these players make any impact, we won that deal. also, not many choose to mention this, but we get BACK trevor pryce and luther ellis. thats SIX linemen we didnt have last year. i'd say that qualifies as improvement considering all we gave up is one overhyped and overpaid player in reggie hayward. we needed more playmakers (though pressure in of itself makes plays), and so we brought back ian gold. like him or not, he improves an already strong group. we were weak in the red zone. well, we didnt make huge waves on offense, but we did retain putz who goes into his second full season as starter, and we get BACK mike anderson, which is another fact no one seems to mention. also, we brought in clarett and dayne, both of which have some upside around the goaline. if ONE of these three guys make an impact, we are improved. lelie goes into his third year, and bell and watts goes into their second. if rice comes in and EARNS a spot, great. just one more guy that may make a play here and there. if he's signed, rest assured he'll EARN his roster spot. you should be HAPPY about this prospective signing. it shows that we ARE in fact looking at NOW as our time to win. further, you must concede that alot of our struggles in the scoring department are a result of our poor field position, which brings us to special teams. we brought back keith burns, who is not only a good PLAYER on special teams but is a LEADER on that team. ian golds return adds another probowl caliber special teams player. drafting darrent williams brings in the return threat we've deperately needed. signing todd sauerbrun brings in a 3 time probowler to punt. VAST improvement in special teams, which carries over to offense and defense. that leaves the defensive backfield as the only spot not improved from a year ago. kennedy and herndon are out, and fergy and walls are in. pretty much a wash in my opinion, but remember that the special teams and defensive line will take ALOT of pressure off the backs. another defensive back would be nice, but if thats the ONLY piece of the puzzle not in place, i think we have to acknowledge that everything has ended up pretty much according to the "plan". we were two PLAYS away from 10-6 last year, and we have improved on all THREE teams this offseason. why anyone would be overly critical is beyond me. it might be a bit early to make hotel reservations for the superbowl... ...but you might at least want to pencil in the time off work. stop the negativity, and lets get back the collective confidence we havent had since elway retired. jake

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05-20-2005, 08:52 AM	#2
Mile High Shack Ring of Famer Cock-a-doodle-do Join Date: May 2001 Location: Somewhere Posts: 17,010	God love ya Jake, we need more homers like you keep the faith me, myself, I can't do it, but you help keep everyone strong

05-20-2005, 08:56 AM	#3
RhymesayersDU Go Broncos, Nuggets, Rox GANGNAM STYLE Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Back In The 303! Posts: 14,812 Adopt-a-Bronco: Ty Lawson	You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to orange 4 life again.

05-20-2005, 08:58 AM	#4
sirhcyennek81 Yes...swooping is bad... Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florence, Colorado Posts: 20,674 Adopt-a-Bronco: All of them.	Broncos did improve where they needed to. I dont exactly understand why fans of this team are so negative. How can you not like what shanahan has done? Warren and Brown are basically in for extended tryouts, if they do not succeed, they are gone. simple. Myers and Ekuban are good rotational players, and you could have a decent third down rush line of Pryce, Brown, Ekuban and Palepoi. Someone will get there. Secondary gained youth and speed, and instead of two strong safeties in our defensive backfield, we now have a true free safety in ferguson. Gold is an upgrade over spragan, we lose size, but gain speed, and he changes how offenses view our defense. you have pryce and gold coming for the qb on the same side of the field, potentially pulling three blockers away from warren, brown and pope. i like this offseason, i liked this draft. Broncos are the most consistent team int he afc west, standing wise, time to make the jump, win the division and get a home playoff game at Mile High.

05-20-2005, 08:59 AM	#5
bronco militia Ring of Famer THE GREATEST Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: colorado springs, co Posts: 22,590	O4L...you make solid points, but for the first time since I've been a fan (1985) I can't remember the media and so many fans down on the Broncos at this point of the season. I'll admit we're spoiled, but the Broncos and Mike Shanahan have set the bar very high as far as expectations go in Colorado. I don't think this team is going to the superbowl, but it doesn't mean I'm not a fan of the team anymore.

05-20-2005, 09:00 AM	#6
-Slap- Ring of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 31,895	We are a few players away. Unfortunately those players happen to be Walter Payton, Johnny Unitas and Deacon Jones.

05-20-2005, 09:04 AM	#7
sirhcyennek81 Yes...swooping is bad... Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Florence, Colorado Posts: 20,674 Adopt-a-Bronco: All of them.	in 1995 when denver went 8-8, did anyone see them going 13-3 the following year? So why is it unfeasible for them to go from 10-6 to 12-4?

05-20-2005, 09:09 AM	#13
Beantown Bronco Athletic Supporter Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mass Posts: 19,042 Adopt-a-Bronco: Matt Prater	I'd beg to differ on the negativity thing. During and after the '99 season were about as negative as I can remember.

05-20-2005, 09:12 AM	#16
Beantown Bronco Athletic Supporter Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mass Posts: 19,042 Adopt-a-Bronco: Matt Prater	But to play devil's advocate, out division rivals also improved on paper. That logic only works when all else stays the same.

05-20-2005, 09:21 AM	#22
Kaylore 6-37, Raider fans. Yummy birds and snow! Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ceti Alpha V Posts: 41,050 Adopt-a-Bronco: Wesley Duke	I'm going to wait and see how the season pans out. Our schedule is tough. If all the areas that we tried to address with the draft and free agency aren't executing and costing us games, then I think the criticism is well placed. However I don't think anyone can really say until they play a few games and we see how they look.