(Promoted to the front page by Hoosierteacher and Styg50.  Hey, Guru's out of town, so we figured we'd have some fun trying out the reigns of power.  Besides [and much more importantly], the good doctor, BroncoBear, did a heck of a job with this post.  Congrats!)

#51 / Linebacker / Denver Broncos. Height: 5-11  Weight: 230

Like a lot of Broncos people, I first noticed Jamie Winborn when the Broncos acquired him last September – we needed help at LB and he was an interesting pickup. The word potential was used a lot. With seven years of experience behind him, I hoped that he could help bolster our corps. He played well in a few games, made a lot of good tackles on ST and this off-season I rooted for him to catch on to the squad.

Then, on a whim I began to Google him. A few articles widened my eyes, and after several hours I decided to share a little of what I found. The Broncos are going heavily after players who have character and IMHO Jamie Winborn has it in spades.

Read more...

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Sammy Winder

As I reminiscent the days of Elway and Montana, suddenly I have this, ’ come from somewhere', memory of a half-back named Sammy Winder. For some reason I love Sammy and hate the stories about Montana vs Elway. Those of us that saw Elway carry, team after team, of average tallent, know that no other QB could have done this. Elway is the best ever, and I thank him for staying in Denver his entire NFL life.

But what about Sammy! He started, “The Drive,” he helped the Elway legend.

Some have told me not to---but I just can’t help it.

I’m going back into the la-la-land-of-pre-season-feel-goods.

Ahhh!  It is so nice to be back in la-la-land. In this land Cutler is only ‘just-as-good’ as Elway and its only his third year..

Selvin is faster and stronger than the Sammy of old, and as good as Davis at running away.

Sammy Winder is remembered by Bronco Fans because of his style and ‘The Drive’. There is a love of him because there is no illusion. “Get Ball Run Forward” From the Two he took the ball, ran forward, and started the drive.

Sammy and Selvin are, and were, in the same spot. Montana and Elway….there is no contest. Montana played with a team. Elway carried a team, a franchise, an entire city, and many of us fans on his shoulders. This is la-la land and comes at you like a dream.

In this dream Selvin doesn’t see Davis holding up a trophy. He sees Sammy, putting his head down,plowing forward, getting a first down. The drive begins!

Thankyou Mr. Winder

Us somewhat funny Bronco fans are funny….don’t you think?

Yes, hoosierteacher is having a slow day.  Four stories in under two hours.  Some of the staff is out of town on vacation, and I got an e-mail from Guru himself encouraging the staff to keep things moving.  Funny thing is, I got the mail in my "bulk mail", which I almost never check.  AHRGGGGGG!  It was a few days after Guru left.

Most of my work is original, so it's hard to come up with material on the spur of the moment.  So I decided to check other sites for ideas.  I couldn't write an original post and take credit for it if I took the idea from somewhere else.  My original stuff (that's long enough or good enough) goes to the front page, but the rest I put in posts.  I should have known there was a staff shortage when my story on Al Davis got promoted by Guru to the front.  So I'm sorry about the lack of original ideas, but here's some stuff at any rate.

So to make a long story short, I'm going to work on a front pager.  But for now, I'm getting a lot of good ideas from different sites and writing up a few posts so nothing goes to waste.  The latest?

How about WR rankings?  It's nice when the mainstream media (MSM) gets it right and gives the Broncos a little credit.  I think the 6th place ranking given here (Sporting News) is fair.  Still, I think that we have incredible depth, and a player with starting talent is going to get cut.  The article lists Jackson (an MHR favorite) as the starter opposite Marshall, but a lot has been written on just how great Colbert looks.  Either one could be the number two.  Marshall looks solid at #1, and Stokely is one of the best in the League (if not the best ) at slot.  Add in Parker and Martinez, and you've got a great corps.

If Marshall doesn't get in off field trouble, he is considered a top ten reciever by Rocky Mountain News, who reports:

"On the field, things are looking up. Marshall reportedly was catching passes one-handed with his surgically repaired arm and caught any variety of passes. The nerve damage doesn't appear to be lasting. Off the field, it's still a mystery if Marshall will be suspended. But when he plays, he's a top 10 wideout."

WR is one of a few positions that Denver fans have nothing to worry about (along with DE, TE, and CB.  HB is probably safe in depth as well).

At any rate, read the rankings from my link, and tell me what you think.

Ryan Harris

There's been a lot of talk about Harris at MHR.  He's the OT that we took 3rd in the draft that hasn't played for us.

After back surgery last year (and missing the season) I was reading great things about Harris.  I thought he was a shoo in to return to the team and be a starter.  But at the end of last year I realized things had changed.  Clady was brought in to play LT (the position that Harris would have had), and Kuper (an OG) was announced as the projected starter at RT.  Pears (who has started both sides) is a strong favorite to back up at OT.  So where does this leave Harris?

Some folks, like me, think it looks like Harris missed his window.  He looked good, but now he's behind the curve.  Others still think that we can't possibly move beyond a third roud pick.

Here's the latest I've read.  (From The Sporting News)

It's a big off-season for OT Ryan Harris, a third-round pick in 2007. Once projected to be a potential left-side starter, Harris has now been supplanted by top-draftee Ryan Clady. Harris not only is serving as Clady's backup, but is also getting a chance at right tackle, a position that is currently held by Chris Kuper but is essentially open. Harris is extremely smart and athletic but he's in danger of being typecast as a backup. Harris has the quickness and feet to succeed but his biggest obstacle has been his health. He had back surgery at Notre Dame and again last summer. He's participated only briefly outside of special teams. At 300 pounds, he may not have the bulk necessary to handle strong-side run-blocking duties. Training camp will be a proving ground.

Typical TSN reporting.  Nothing new, nothing newsworthy, but still thought and discussion provoking none the less.

The new defensive system

I have written that I expect the Broncos to move to the "Show Blitz" system on defense.  Further proof (again, from TSN) is found here:

The Broncos move away from Jim Bates' system to the one espoused by new defensive boss Bob Slowik is evidenced by the physical transformation by DT Alvin McKinley. In order to handle the demands necessary in Bates' scheme, McKinley was at 310 pounds in 2007 which called for massive interior players to keep blockers off the middle linebacker. Slowik's scheme will include a more aggressive, penetrating front. McKinley has tapered down 20 pounds for the challenges presented by more stunts and twists. McKinley is a high effort player and one of the team's veteran leaders on the defensive line. While Dewayne Robertson, health permitting, will be one of the starters at defensive tackle, McKinley will have to hold off Marcus Thomas in order to run with the starters. Regardless, McKinley figures to be part of an extensive rotation but he'll likely be replaced on obvious passing downs.

It looks like Denver is moving towards a more 1 gap leaning system that has a heavy rotation.  It's ironic that our run defense may be predicated on moving away from using calssic run stopping DT schemes and going back to a more pass defense oriented system.  But Denver tried the big, 2 gap types of DTs in '07 and it was a disaster trying to stop the run.  By moving to what Denver knows best (simpler and lighter one gap plugging), Denver will probably have better success by not  focusing on the run.  Odd, but sound.

Poll

Ryan Harris

• Will start for the team
• Will be a back-up, but start later on
• Will be a back-up
• Is in danger of not making the cut behind Clady, Kuper, and Pears

  47 votes | Results

Is this an instructive post about the Broncos?  Maybe not.

Is it instructive about pro football?  Maybe not.

But I get a real kick (no pun) out of a Wall Street Journal writer getting to go to Broncos Camp (the first time a writer had suited up with an NFL team since 1963).  Yes, as a kicker.  It was back in 1996, but the book is out now ("A Few Seconds of Panic" by Stefan Fatsis. Copyright 2008 by Stefan Fatsis. Published by The Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc).

You can get a sneak peak here.  It's a tension filled moment where the writer has to kick a FG to get his fellow payers out of practice early.  A different excerpt (inside the mind of Coach Shanahan) can be found here.  It's the best, most in depth look at Coach Shanahan I've ever read, and it's only an excerpt!

I'm not one to advertise on MHR (it's an ugly practice for any writer to do so), but a book about the inside workings of the Broncos would be priceless for any Broncos fan.  Christmas is too far away, and Independence Day is a couple of days away (at the time of this writing).  So I'm going to ask my wife for this book for, oh, I don't know, Labor Day maybe?  It looks like a terrific read.

His rankings (courtesy of ESPN) don't mean a thing.  But for what it's worth, the good news is that (in the AFC West), the Chiefs are 32nd, and the raiders are 29th.  On the other hand, SD gets a whopping 6th, while Denver is only 16th.

Perhaps Williamson is only going based on his assesment of last year's O-Lines.  But Denver's OL bought our RBs 4.6 YPC, so that can't be right, can it?

Here's the write up that MW gives Denver:

16. Denver Broncos
The Broncos are well known for the zone scheme they have run so well for so long under Mike Shanahan. They look for mobile, tenacious blockers over mauling, heavy-footed big men. Despite being riddled with injuries in 2007, Denver's line paved the way for its running backs to average a very impressive 4.6 yards per carry. The pass protection wasn't as impressive, but the Broncos added LT Ryan Clady in the first round of the draft to protect Jay Cutler's blind side. Clady will have his growing pains like any other rookie lineman, but he is extremely athletic and has the great, long build coaches look for at this position. He has a chance to become an excellent left tackle. Maybe more importantly, C Tom Nalen will return to lead the line, but age and durability certainly are concerns with him. There is some versatility with the other positions on the line, which gives Shanahan some nice flexibility while creating competition for playing time. Pile-mover Montrae Holland is set at right guard, but left guard and right tackle will be decided in camp. Expect this group to be improved this upcoming season, particularly in pass protection.

Here's the thoughts of Williamson on the other three AFC West teams:

6. San Diego Chargers
This group struggled to start the 2007 season without C Nick Hardwick in the lineup. Unfortunately for San Diego, it will start the 2008 season without Hardwick, who is coming off foot surgery. However, this is a very good group overall. LT Marcus McNeill started slowly last season, but rebounded quickly. At 6-foot-7, 336 pounds, he has tremendous size, long arms and good athletic ability. McNeill and LG Kris Dielman make up one of the best left sides in the league, and this duo can be dominant at times. There are some concerns on the right side, however, as RG Mike Goff is starting to slow down with age and RT Jeromey Clary, who was a pleasant surprise last year, still needs to further prove himself. This group is better at pass blocking than run blocking, and the Chargers might look to throw more next season.

29. Oakland Raiders
This isn't the most talented line around and it really lacks star power, but it adapted extremely well to its zone blocking scheme in 2007 and consistently opened holes for the running backs. Line coach Tom Cable deserves kudos for his effort with sub-standard talent. It was a different story in pass protection, though, and this group often was physically outmanned while trying to keep its quarterback upright. This doesn't bode well for JaMarcus Russell, who is a huge target in the pocket and not the most fleet of foot. Russell also needs work on his pocket presence and feel for the pass rush. The Raiders did add Kwame Harris to start at left tackle. While Harris has not yet lived up to being a first-round pick, a change of scenery might do him a world of good. He often makes the game look easy but too often fails to come through. His inconsistencies are maddening. Speaking of underachieving tackles, Robert Gallery clearly fits that description, but he actually is an above-average guard and finally found his niche. Shockingly, the Raiders did not address their offensive line in the draft, and depth is a legitimate concern. While this group showed progress last year, it also wouldn't be surprising if the wheels fell off in 2008.

32. Kansas City Chiefs
Many commended the Chiefs for their selection of Branden Albert with the first-round pick they received in the Jared Allen deal. This isn't meant to condemn that selection one bit, since Albert will fit in somewhere on this line and should help out immediately, but it is amazing that Kansas City didn't bring in more young O-line talent besides Albert in this past draft. Instead, the Chiefs made luxury selections to back up their present offensive stars. The thing to remember is those offensive stars can't realize their potential if the big boys up front are not doing their jobs, and asking an inexperienced quarterback to develop into a legitimate starter without adequate blocking is foolish. This is an offensive line that is going to really struggle to do its job in 2008. There just isn't much talent here, and at this point, the aging Brian Waters is the only lineman who can be considered an above-average football player at this level. If Albert can make it at left tackle, Damion McIntosh should be adequate at right tackle. He doesn't belong on the left side, where he played last year. Optimistically, that adds up to three acceptable starters, but obviously, more are needed.

I'm sure the MHR faithful have thoughts, if not on Williamson, then on the state of our OL, our AFC West rival teams, or the other teams BW writes on.  Anyone?

As for me, I wouldn't rate the Broncos OL as high as in past years.  But I wouldn't drop them to 16 either.  At the very least (considering both pass and run blocking), I would have this team top ten.

Hey Gang:

I just wanted to add to the Greatest Elway moment. I know it's a wee bit late but since I just joined I hope all will overlook my tardiness.  For me the greatest Elway moments are all the passes he completed running on one side of the field and flicking the ball across his body to the other side of the field 60 yards away and the defenses gasping with awe.

The debate as to who the greatest QB was, usually centers around Montana...I say bunk. Put Montana on those Bronco teams that Duke carried on his back to the early SB's and Ol Joe wouldn't survive a season. Joe had Craig, Rathman, Rice, Clark, Soloman, Taylor, and Brent Jones and a fantastic O-line throughout his career. Who did John have really? The Three Amigos? Cmon. Also Bronco fans did you know that Denver is the only team to appear in 3 SB's exactly 10 years apart (SB XII, XXII, XXXIII)? 30 years of greatness. 

.....and I bleed orange and blue allday everyday....I cant get enough when it comes to talking about our Broncos....but I just had to stray off topic for a brief second to say that.....

BARRY SANDERS was SSSIIIIICCCKKKKK!!!!!!

I was just watching NFL films today and thought i would share that with the rest of the community. He was ridiculous...everyday was halloween for him cuz he was a MONSTER...

what I love best are all the comments and quotes his opponents would have during games about him. Will there ever be another Barry Sanders? I think we came close with Quinten Griffin (in size def not in moves or overall ability) but I would love to see another Barry Sanders in the NFL....

I will always remember the day when our own John Lynch (with the Bucs at the time) was standing in the running lane on the LOS with nothing but him there and Barry right in front of him and he missed him COMPLETELY...didnt even graze him...ridiculous.

They showed a clip of Barry popping Rod Woodsons ACL without Rod even touching him...ridiculous moves...

Sorry about taking up this time with randomness.....now I digress :)

As a one time "Broncos writer" Bill Williamson had an article on the best owners in the NFL. In a survery of Head coaches was cinducted and Mr. Bowlen received 4.5 votes. 2nd to Dan Rooney of the Steelers. I think he is the best. www.sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=williamson_bill&id=3424282 I find it amusing that Denver gets no love from the media but is seemingly well respected where it counts. Plsu how are those zero votes tasting Alice?

An article i found on foxsports.com nfl page.

 

It's around this time every year when a list comes out with NFL coaches on the hot seat. With competitive balance, parity and the pressure to win, it seems like more and more coaches are coming under fire.

Let's separate fact from fiction.

Here's Schein's list of coaches who shouldn't fret about their job security, regardless of how 2008 turns out.

 

Mike Shanahan: — Shanahan won a recent power struggle with ousted general manager Ted Sundquist. It's a pressure-packed year in Denver, but even if the Broncos win eight games or less, Shanahan's head won't roll.

Whenever you are debating whether or not to fire a coach, an owner always asks if the club can do better. Fact is, it is impossible to do better than Shanahan. He's 130-78 in 13 seasons. Shanahan has the two Super Bowl championships. That's what you call a Hall of Fame-type resume. And I don't want to hear that he had John Elway back then and it was Elway who delivered Shanahan his rings. Shanahan got Elway to realize the team went through Terrell Davis. And I don't want to hear people question what he's done since Elway. Shanahan has chalked up four of his seven double-digit win seasons since No. 7 retired. Shanahan is one of the brightest minds in all of football.

While Denver owner Pat Bowlen talked about how important 2008 was when the club axed Sundquist, Shanahan recently told me he feels no extra pressure. And he shouldn't. Shanahan will be the coach as long as Bowlen owns the team.

It isn't Shanahan's fault that Brandon Marshall continues to show immaturity. And while you can question some of his moves as the head of personnel (Maurice Clarett was a terrible idea, as was the entire Browns defensive line), make sure to also give Shanahan credit for the trades that equaled Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, plus the golden 2006 draft of franchise quarterback Jay Cutler, Elvis Dumervil, Tony Scheffler, and Marshall, who despite his off-field issues has the makings of a future Pro Bowl receiver.

Andy Reid: — Whenever I get e-mails (video style) here on FOXSports.com or phone calls on my Sirius NFL Radio show from Eagles fans who want to fire Reid, I shake my head and laugh.

Do you remember how gruesome your franchise was before Reid?

Do you honestly believe you can find someone better than this top-10 NFL coach?

I don't want to hear about Reid being distracted when his kids had personal problems. Were you in the house? You have absolutely no idea.

 

I don't want to hear about his play selection/time management in the Super Bowl vs. the Patriots. It wasn't great, I grant you, but let's look big picture.

Every single year you know that if the club stays healthy, you are going to be in the mix for the Super Bowl. You don't trash something like that.

He's a whopping 86-56 in his Eagles career, and that includes a 5-11 1999 season when he had to clean up a mess from a prior regime.

In his next eight seasons, he won double-digit games six times, making the NFC title game four times.

Andy Reid doesn't deserve hot-seat status. He deserves a statue erected outside the stadium.

Marvin Lewis: Surprised to see Lewis on the 'totally safe' list? Here's the deal — Marvin Lewis is an excellent football coach. You can make the case that he helped create the Chad Johnson situation by having a set of rules for Chad and another for everyone else. However, everyone in Cincy is applauding how he has drawn a proverbial line in the sand this offseason when dealing with Johnson.

The Bengals won't fire Lewis. The only question is whether Lewis, who is so well respected across the league, will look to leave for a place with more sanity.

Eric Mangini: — In 2006, he was "Man-genius," expertly guiding the Jets on a stunning and unpredictable march to the playoffs in his first year in New York. In 2007, well, let's just say he wasn't "Man-genius" as the Jets slumped to an underachieving four-win season.

But Mangini is a good, solid football coach who has the respect of owner Woody Johnson and general manager Mike Tannenbaum. Now, the stakes are most certainly raised in New York with Tannenbaum spending Mr. Johnson's money wisely and actively this offseason. However, unless there is a complete player revolt, Mangini won't lose his job after three seasons, even if the Jets finish behind the Patriots and the Bills in the AFC East.

 

ItBs going to be a long season in Kansas City, but Herm Edwards gets a pass because the Chiefs are in rebuilding mode. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

Herm Edwards: — If I did a power ranking for the upcoming season, my biggest debate would be whether or not to make the Chiefs the No. 31 or 32 team. It's going to be a long season in Kansas City.

While Edwards has his faults, like his inability to properly manage a clock despite the presence of time-management guru Dick Curl, his players play incredibly hard for him. And his results as a coach speak for themselves.

Kansas City — the clear cut winner of the 2008 NFL draft — is in full-fledged rebuilding mode. Chiefs president Carl Peterson hand-picked Edwards. Even when the Chiefs struggle to win four games, Edwards gets a free pass as this club looks to 2009 and 2010. And Herm will be around for those years, too.

Brad Childress: — Hide the women, children, and Sports Illustrated writer Dr. Z. When the good doctor picks your team to make the Super Bowl it is considered the ultimate jinx. And that's exactly what has happened to Minnesota. Expectations are rightly sky high with the Vikings this year after a sensational offseason, highlighted by the pickups of Jared Allen and Bernard Berrian. And Childress is tied directly to his young gunslinger Tarvaris Jackson, who I believe will thrive this season being coached up by the offensive master. You have to give the quarterback and coach time to grow together. There is also a thought that Brad Childress must deliver on the preseason hype to stay around past this season.

Look — Childress is a very savvy coach. As Darren Sharper has told me twice over the last few weeks, he's grown as a leader of men. Childress, like Mangini, is a task master. That can rub some players the wrong way. But even if the Vikings turn out to be the 7th best team in the NFC this year and fall short of the postseason, cooler heads will prevail.

Schein's hot seat list

The hot seat list is relatively easy — Scott Linehan, Mike Nolan, and John Fox are obvious (for the record, I think the world of Fox as a coach and I think Nolan will survive if Alex Smith shows progress). Wade Phillips is in a Super Bowl or bust season. That officially became a fact when Jerry Jones paid Jason Garrett a king's ransom to run his offense. Jim Zorn was originally hired to run the offense. Dan Snyder fired Marty Schottenheimer after one season. Zorn's seat, fair or unfair, is very warm.

Reminder: The always popular Schein-box (video-style) is back this week with a slew of reader e-mails, so keep sending them in!