Off Season Thread

[cdumler7]

Just heard on sportscenter that the allegation is sexual in nature. That does not bode well and I would be surprised if Denver does`nt release him just on that accusation regardless.

It definitely doesn't sound good. I just read up more on it though and this investigation has been going on for a long time. Heck it has been with the district attorney since February. I think if it was a black and white case they would have already charged him so the fact that nothing has come of this yet after months of investigations does show this is not a very clear case. Now that could mean things could go either way.

 

[Southieinnc]

Just heard on sportscenter that the allegation is sexual in nature. That does not bode well and I would be surprised if Denver does`nt release him just on that accusation regardless.

Quote I read from DA:
"We're trying to discern the truth from the untruthfulness of the claim to decide what charges, if any, will be filed."
This sounds like due diligence not so much guilt. Wait and see.....

 

[cdumler7]

Here is a great article on Peyton and how he is looking this off season...

David Cutcliffe says Peyton Manning looks good as ever - Mile High Report

This is from the person who knows him probably better than anybody that is not his own family. Good to hear that physically he is in some of the best shape of his life at 39.

 

[cdumler7]

Some in the media are starting to think that D. Thomas will not get signed before the July 15th date. This could possibly put the Broncos in a huge bind next year with both D. Thomas and Von Miller unsigned. You can only tag one of course so could get interesting.

 

[randymon]

Some in the media are starting to think that D. Thomas will not get signed before the July 15th date. This could possibly put the Broncos in a huge bind next year with both D. Thomas and Von Miller unsigned. You can only tag one of course so could get interesting.

I wouldn`t be surprised if they sign Miller before season and then tag DT next yr. My logic is you have a more difficult time finding pass rushers like Miller and if Denver does go with the run first mentality and great D, they can find wrs to fit that system esp if Latimore emerges this yr. That would give Denver more leweigh with Thomas. if in a. Thomas is great, but in Kubiak system he is replaceable IMO of course

 

[cdumler7]

Yeah I honestly wouldn't mind seeing what Latimer has and if he shows he can really be a star in this league then DT being signed doesn't seem like as big of a deal. Kubiak runs mostly with only 2 receivers on the field at a time so that would mean we are going to have a top player on the bench if Latimer truly is worth a 2nd round pick. Thankfully with DT off God knows where Latimer is getting lots of reps and getting the chance to really show what he brings to the table.

As for Von it doesn't seem like the team is ready to enter into negotiations with him. I wouldn't mind getting him signed now as I do think he will have a great season in Phillip's system so that means his price only goes up. I do understand though Von is a risky signing considering he is one strike away from being suspended for an entire season. Hard to invest maybe the biggest contract on the team in that type of player before you have to. At this point the team essentially could have Von signed for the next 2 years on just 1-year type contracts at a reasonable price for the position and make sure that he has 3 straight years of being clean before signing him to the big contract.

Thankfully today sounded like the Broncos are closer than some think on getting DT signed. Kubiak spoke after Mandatory Mini-Camp today and talked about how he has been in constant contact with DT through all of this and that he is very confident something will get done very soon before camp starts. It actually sounds like the team and DT have settled on how much per year he will make but the major hang up is in the guaranteed money side of it and when it will be in the contract. So at least it sounds like they have reached a point of agreeing how much per year he is worth. That is a good first step.

 

[randymon]

Yeah I honestly wouldn't mind seeing what Latimer has and if he shows he can really be a star in this league then DT being signed doesn't seem like as big of a deal. Kubiak runs mostly with only 2 receivers on the field at a time so that would mean we are going to have a top player on the bench if Latimer truly is worth a 2nd round pick. Thankfully with DT off God knows where Latimer is getting lots of reps and getting the chance to really show what he brings to the table.

As for Von it doesn't seem like the team is ready to enter into negotiations with him. I wouldn't mind getting him signed now as I do think he will have a great season in Phillip's system so that means his price only goes up. I do understand though Von is a risky signing considering he is one strike away from being suspended for an entire season. Hard to invest maybe the biggest contract on the team in that type of player before you have to. At this point the team essentially could have Von signed for the next 2 years on just 1-year type contracts at a reasonable price for the position and make sure that he has 3 straight years of being clean before signing him to the big contract.

Thankfully today sounded like the Broncos are closer than some think on getting DT signed. Kubiak spoke after Mandatory Mini-Camp today and talked about how he has been in constant contact with DT through all of this and that he is very confident something will get done very soon before camp starts. It actually sounds like the team and DT have settled on how much per year he will make but the major hang up is in the guaranteed money side of it and when it will be in the contract. So at least it sounds like they have reached a point of agreeing how much per year he is worth. That is a good first step.

Yep that`s always the deal breaker. Don`t blame the players cause that`s their retirement money. If they sign him before season I`ll go on limb and say they go 4yrs, around 70 million with 30 mil guaranteed.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Here is a write up of yesterday at minicamp:

Takeaways from the first day of Broncos minicamp

I had been hoping that Bennie Fowler might shine in order to win a spot to return punts and kick, but perhaps Solomon Patton, a waiver acquisition from Tampa Bay, will do that. Here is a blurb about him from the article linked above:

"
5. PATTON-TED CATCHES.

On the reception from Siemian -- his second in a three-play stretch -- Patton reached back and to his side for the pass, tucked it away and didn't lose much speed, quickly accelerating back into the open field.

4.28 speed and quick acceleration make Patton impossible to miss, even though it would be easy for the 5-foot-9, 177-pounder to blend into the crowd. Only cornerback Tony Carter (175 pounds) is lighter among current Broncos. But his measurables and skill set -- with the potential and experience to handle punt and kickoff returns -- set him apart.

A May waiver claim from the Bucs, Patton has the chance to make the 53-man roster because he occupies a unique niche: he has prior NFL experience on punts and kickoffs, and the speed to be a change-of-pace offensive weapon on end-arounds and in space.

"I come out here every day, I make sure I catch all my punts, I do everything that the special-teams coach (Joe DeCamillis) asks me to do," he said. "Anything he needs me to do, if that's field-goal block, whatever, I'll do anything to make this team, help this team."

But he didn't catch everything.

"Well, today, it was a crazy kick, and it dropped so fast, and really, everybody, all of them were dropping so fast, and we weren't expecting it," Patton said. "It was just one today, But I made up for it. I didn't drop any more.""

 

[TDs3nOut]

Also think that this a pretty good piece by Cecil Lammey about our RBs: Denver Broncos: Full Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at Running Back | Bleacher Report

Certainly hope that Lammey is right about just how productive CJ might be in the new offense. Seems to me that we have some pretty outstanding depth at RB too.

 

[cdumler7]

Also think that this a pretty good piece by Cecil Lammey about our RBs: Denver Broncos: Full Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at Running Back | Bleacher Report

Certainly hope that Lammey is right about just how productive CJ might be in the new offense. Seems to me that we have some pretty outstanding depth at RB too.

I read this the other day and can't remember if it was in this article or not but they talked about that the Broncos might have the deepest group of RB's in the league now with 3 guys that have shown the ability to go over 100 yards a game and my guess is JuWann Thompson if put in the starter role could do that as well. This should be a great camp battle and it sounds like all 4 of them spent the off season wanting to fight for that spot. Montee Ball last year from the sound of it knew he had the job locked up so during the off season didn't work as hard as some thought he could of and then had the bad luck with his appendix that set him back even further. Same with CJ Anderson in he showed up this time last year overweight and from the sound of it the coaches were not very happy with his off season work.

This year however Ball sounds like he really committed to the off season and Anderson showed up in the best shape he has been since he got to Denver. With maybe some decent run blocking this year we could see a running game we haven't seen since the Good ol Days of Denver being known as the best rushing team in the league year in and year out.

 

[Broncosr0k]

Good ol Days of Denver being known as the best rushing team in the league year in and year out.

Part of the reason I became a fan of the broncos. Did not matter who was running, they always did well.

I think we will have a very productive RB group this year and if/when the injury bug bites I don't think it will slow this group down. Sounds like we have several guys desperate to make plays.

 

[TDs3nOut]

In the Lammey piece he compares CJ to Arian Foster, who rushed for over 1,600 yards and caught over 60 balls for another 600+ yards in Kubiak's offense a few years ago. Lammey also compares Anderson's ability to make defenders miss to that of MJD, another back who I think was pretty effective catching the ball throughout his younger days.

Definitely agree with you guys that Ball or Hillman could have big years, but I agree with Lammey that Ball needs to run less tentatively than he often has in the past.

Would also love to see whether Thompson can be effective as a FB. He looks to me as if he could really be a good player.

 

[cdumler7]

Part of the reason I became a fan of the broncos. Did not matter who was running, they always did well.

I think we will have a very productive RB group this year and if/when the injury bug bites I don't think it will slow this group down. Sounds like we have several guys desperate to make plays.

I honestly would not be surprised to see us make a trade. I'm actually surprised that Dallas with how much depth they have on the OL right now haven't called the Broncos (and maybe they have or we have called them). We need depth on the OL and they need depth at the RB position. Seems like a perfect pairing but then again could just be waiting to see cuts once training camp happens.

 

[cdumler7]

In the Lammey piece he compares CJ to Arian Foster, who rushed for over 1,600 yards and caught over 60 balls for another 600+ yards in Kubiak's offense a few years ago. Lammey also compares Anderson's ability to make defenders miss to that of MJD, another back who I think was pretty effective catching the ball throughout his younger days.

Definitely agree with you guys that Ball or Hillman could have big years, but I agree with Lammey that Ball needs to run less tentatively than he often has in the past.

Would also love to see whether Thompson can be effective as a FB. He looks to me as if he could really be a good player.

I'm thinking last year with Ball was more about his injuries than anything else. I do think he doesn't have the greatest vision which is why I think Anderson wins this battle between the two for the starters role but Ball in his rookie year towards the 2nd half of the season ran with purpose and was averaging something close to 6 yards per carry during that stretch. Last year it just looked like since he didn't get the reps in practice that he just wasn't sure what he was seeing and was really hesitant to make a decision. Throw in with the OL being so terrible in run blocking to start the year he just never got going. In reality it was just a lost year. Us switching now to the type of blocking he is used to and hopefully being fully healthy now should help him improve on his being hesitant. Like I said I still see him losing to Anderson and Anderson just looks like a man with a mission but I could see Ball still having like his rookie year with that 150 carries or so and get that 600-800 yards with maybe 5-7 touchdowns.

 

[TDs3nOut]

I'm thinking last year with Ball was more about his injuries than anything else. I do think he doesn't have the greatest vision which is why I think Anderson wins this battle between the two for the starters role but Ball in his rookie year towards the 2nd half of the season ran with purpose and was averaging something close to 6 yards per carry during that stretch. Last year it just looked like since he didn't get the reps in practice that he just wasn't sure what he was seeing and was really hesitant to make a decision. Throw in with the OL being so terrible in run blocking to start the year he just never got going. In reality it was just a lost year. Us switching now to the type of blocking he is used to and hopefully being fully healthy now should help him improve on his being hesitant. Like I said I still see him losing to Anderson and Anderson just looks like a man with a mission but I could see Ball still having like his rookie year with that 150 carries or so and get that 600-800 yards with maybe 5-7 touchdowns.

Good points about Ball.

 

[randymon]

I `am def rooting for Ball but am not optimistic as some that he makes huge stride from last yr, injury or not. From what I`ve been hearing and reading, he`s still struggling in the react/read/ decisive running so far. Yes I am partial to Bibbs but I think he emerges as the #2 back behind CJ. He`s got strong lower body and is very quick to react to holes. Been hearing that he has impressed even last yr but as we know Fox and Co were very reluctant to let these young guys get opportunity including CJ. This yr, looks like all will get fair shot to impress and I believe Bibbs will take advantage and secure spot on first team with CJ and Hilman. We shall see gents

 

[cdumler7]

I `am def rooting for Ball but am not optimistic as some that he makes huge stride from last yr, injury or not. From what I`ve been hearing and reading, he`s still struggling in the react/read/ decisive running so far. Yes I am partial to Bibbs but I think he emerges as the #2 back behind CJ. He`s got strong lower body and is very quick to react to holes. Been hearing that he has impressed even last yr but as we know Fox and Co were very reluctant to let these young guys get opportunity including CJ. This yr, looks like all will get fair shot to impress and I believe Bibbs will take advantage and secure spot on first team with CJ and Hilman. We shall see gents

I have been hearing really good things about Bibbs. He definitely had some flashes last year but I did actually agree with the coaches in he just wasn't quite ready. Have to remember that last year's system was probably one of the most complicated in all of football. So a rookie making an impact in year one in our offense was just about impossible. From what I understand they are simplifying some things this year with knowing they will have so many young players being relied on. I really like that thought process if that is what they are doing. Like you said though Bibbs has been impressing a lot of people with his quick decisions, great hands, and I even read he has impressed in the blocking drills. Wouldn't mind one bit to see him take that #2 spot. He actually reminds me a bit of Anderson in no real flashy skills but just good down hill runner that has a nose for the end zone. Honestly that RB position is just looking ridiculously crowded this year. it is why I brought up the idea of trading as I have 5 guys on my list that could easily make the squad and probably only 4 spots available. So unless there are some injuries might as well try to get some value. We shall see though.

 

[randymon]

Very true and I feel bad for Thompson as I think he can be a good starter for many teams. He reminds me actually of TD in his physique and in the way he seems to glide when he runs like TD did. Smooth movements.

 

[cdumler7]

Very true and I feel bad for Thompson as I think he can be a good starter for many teams. He reminds me actually of TD in his physique and in the way he seems to glide when he runs like TD did. Smooth movements.

Which again is why I could see the Broncos making a trade. Unfortunately the only one with value is Anderson right now and would rather not trade the guy I think could be a huge star for us this year.

 

[randymon]

Yeah CD if some teams suffer some injuries in rb dept and don't have quality depth there, I could see all Denver backs looking fairly attractive if they perform decently in preseason. There's quite a few teams out there that if they lost their # 1, would be in a world of hurt esp with vet experience. I think Denver would definitely be one team they looked to if in a. Here's to hoping all Denver rbs kick butt in preseason and bring their stock up a bunch if the trade scenario comes to light