Game Day, Broncos fans!  Sure, it is a motly meaningless pre-season game in which the starters will likely not play, but that doesn't mean there aren't things to talk about!  Here's your Friday Morning Orange and Blue coffee!!

Big Story #1 yesterday was the trade of Montrae Holland to Dallas.  See more Here, Here and Here

Big Story #2 was the announcement that Brandon Marshall's suspension had been reduced to 1 game.  More on that Here, Here and Here.

Darrell Jackson tells us what the Broncos will do without Marshall in Oakland - "Just Win Baby!"

Woody Paige talks about the prospects of lengthening the regular season, as soon as next year.

For players waiting for "the call", the wait won't be long after the game ends tonight.

ESPN previews the Broncos

That's all!  Have a great Friday and see you at the game thread tonight!

The Denver Broncos on Thursday traded guard Montrae Holland to Dallas in exchange for a fifth-round choice in the 2010 NFL Draft, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Holland, a sixth-year player, joined the Broncos as an unrestricted free agent on March 5, 2007, after spending his first four NFL seasons (2003-06) with New Orleans

The door to the Shanahan Dog House is a small one and like I said last night during MHR Radio, I wouldn't be surprised if Holland were to be cut.  Well, he wasn't cut, but the Broncos surely sent a message by trading him away.

A 5th Rounder?  Is that enough for you??

Oh, and, I do have to mention that I said during last night's MHR Radio that Holland would be the surprise cut of this Training Camp.  Shanahan is nothing f not consistent, and this is another example.  He'll pay you for your production, but you better keep up the hard work or you'll be gone.

via extras.mnginteractive.com

Moving forward, this move has to be considered an indictment on how impressive Ryan Harris has been this Training Camp.  After a rough start, Harris surely has been solid.  It also proves Chris Kuper is ready for prime time, despite playing all of pre-season with a cast on his hand.  Kudos to Kuper as well!

I look for the Broncos to take a serious look at guys like Kory Lichtensteiger and Mitch Erickson tomorrow night, and don't be surprised if they comb the cut lists this weekend.

To Follow The Week From The Packers Perspective, Check Out AcmePackingCompany!

There just can't be enough corny catch-phrases on one site, so here's another one.  Five Point Stance will be my list of 5 things I'll be focused on each game.  Plus, it sounds better than "5 Things I'll Be Focused On Against The Packers".  

This new feature gets welcomed to the site as the Packers come to town for Pre-Season Game #3.  We all know the starters will play most of the first 45 minutes so this is going to be our best chance yet to see where the Broncos stack up on both sides of the ball.   Here's my 5 Point Stance for tonight's game --

Continue reading this post »

       @       

  Dallas Cowboys      @          Denver Broncos

August 16th, 2008 - 7:00pm MST
Invesco Field @ Mile High
Denver, CO

   To Follow The Week From The Cowboy's Perpective, Check Out Blogging The Boys! 

Welcome to an exhibition version of MHR Game Prep! How does this work? Simple. I'll be providing the game preps for you this year, but the pre-season will be a little different.

In the pre-season, it is hard to gauge what will happen. Neither team plays for the win, but instead calls in plays and substitutions designed to test out potential starters. Because the game is competitive on an individual level (but not so much at the team level), it is very difficult to provide a match up for the game. There's no telling who will play and for how long, nor what kind of program will be run under coaches wanting to call "vanilla" plays.

So what we will do is provide a game prep based on the concept that the game counts, is a part of the regular season, and that the starters are playing four quarters. Call it a preseason practice for the "game prep" author to get up to speed if you will. By reading the articles in the preseason as if they were regular games, the predictive value is worthless, but the value in gauging the strengths and weaknesses of our players and system should provide some good insight on what to expect this year.

The big treat (I hope) is that students of the reloading season series "MHR University" will be able to recognize the terms and concepts in the game preps, and watch the game of football with a trained and discerning eye. If you missed the series, no worries mate! Just click the links in the story to read up on the terms.

Read on...

Continue reading this post »

BRONCOS HEAD COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

On LB Boss Bailey's absence from practice --
"His knee was a little inflamed today so we kept him off."

On his confidence in this year's team --
"What I said is you have to be a little bit lucky, fortunate and healthy. Like I said, in the two Super Bowl years we lost 10 starters (games) one year and we lost 15 starters (games) the next year. Last year we lost 72. I've got some high expectations for this team and hopefully we will get there."

On S Hamza Abdullah's health --
"Same thing, a little tight; his groin was a little sore. We kept him off the last two periods. He practiced everything except the last two."

On Gary Zimmerman being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame --
"It's a great tribute to Gary and this organization. Obviously the first Super Bowl we won he was a big part of that. Like I said, he's a guy we never had to worry about making a play. You don't say that very often in the National Football League, especially at that left tackle position. I gave an illustration of this one where his shoulders popped and he refused to come out until John (Elway) did. That gives you an idea of how tough he was as well. We will be down there (in Canton, Ohio) with about nine or 10 coaches that were with Gary. We are looking forward to it."

On status of C Tom Nalen's return to practice --
"I don't know. Tom is such a tough guy. When he's feels like he's ready to go, he'll go. When that will be, I really don't know. He's smart; when you get older, you understand what you can do and what you can't do. There is a difference between being injured and being hurt. Tom knows the difference. So when he can play he'll be back in the lineup."

On the importance of signing C Casey Wiegmann --
"That's the reason we signed him. Not only was he a veteran player, (but) we thought he was kind of the nuts and bolts of the offensive line at Kansas City all these years. I don't how many snaps he made in a row. He was a guy that held that offensive line together a lot of years. He did a very respectable job at Kansas City. Having him on our football team and playing the way he has is a plus for us."

On his impressions one week into training camp --
"Obviously we talk about a lot of things. The main thing is we just want to get better every day. There is not just one thing in training camp. What we are trying to do is get better every day as a team and focus on the now. Don't worry about what happened in the past and just worry about what's happening in the future. If guys go out there with that mindset, then you have a chance to play a little football."

On G Montrae Holland's return --
"I don't know. I'll tell you when his weight is down. His weight is not down right now. When his weight does go down to the weight that we wanted, then he'll be out there practicing."

On how Holland will fit in the lineup --
"Anytime you give guys an opportunity to get in front of you, it's never good. I'll answer that question when he comes back."

On T Ryan Harris and G Chris Kuper's performance --
"They are doing a good job. Not much experience there, but playing very well. I'm hoping we have one of the better offensive lines we've had in a long time."

On the Canadian Football League scouts at practice --

"What they do is evaluate our players, just like we evaluate college players. If somebody is cut at the end, they have a pecking order too, just like we do through free agency and what we do in college. If the guy is not picked up, and they think he might help their football team, we want them out here. We feel like all these guys are working their rear ends off. If for some reason they don't make it with us, they have an opportunity in Canada to play as well."

Here's a Tuesday morning edition of Horse Tracks.  Enjoy!

Jim Armstrong fantasizing about the Broncos trading for Favre.  See here

Here are some notes from yesterdays team camp, the news on Jarvis Moss is disheartening.  See here

Brandon Marshall picking up right where he left off in 2007.  See here

Reggie Rivers gives his take on our troubled star wide receiver.  See here

Montrae Holland struggling to get to his target weight, but he appears to be working hard at it.  See here

Tony Scheffler is apparently going to be a stud in 2008.  See here

Dumervil wants to be the anchor at DE.  See here

DeWayne Robertson came to play hard for the Broncos.  See here

Jason Elam still a Bronco in my heart, but I'll be hexing him when Atlanta comes to town.  See here

Here's a report on the AFC West's rising stars.  See here

Here is an NFL Power Poll: Brett Favre style?  In any case, the Broncos are ranked 18th which ticked me off, but still better than other power polls I have seen thus far.  See here

Add-ons:

Klis Mailbag, I don't agree that Elway was bigger than the Denver Broncos.  See here

Kiszla demanding a ruling from Goodell now.  See here

Speculation that Abdullah may be the starter.  See here

Take care and have a great Tuesday!!

Day 2 of workouts for the Broncos is underway.  Following from afar, I have to rely on various sources that are live at the practice facility.  I will rotate around based on the information I find.

Here is what I have found out about the AM session --

Another Player Done For 2008 -- First it was Carlton Powell.  Now WR Edell Sheppard is done for the year after teearing his ACL and hamstring during workouts yesterday.  While Sheppard wasn't a name most people were looking to make an impact in 2008, it is never a good thing when you lose some for the year, especially when rosters are already thin becuase of the 80-man limit.

Continue reading this post »

The first day of Training Camp 2008 is in the books and has already left us with more questions.  Each day I'll give my thoughts on the previous day's work and try to sum up what we saw, what we heard, and what we read. 

1.  Call The Exterminator -- The injury bug is back, that is, if you thought it had left in the first place.  Before the first ball was snapped we found out the DT Carlton Powell would likely miss the season with a torn Achilles tendon.  Then, reserve WR Edell Sheppard injured his knee and missed the afternoon session.  If one reason could be targeted for the team's play in 2007 it would be injuries.  Even Jay Cutler's diabetes is injury related in some ways.  While the team does possess depth in several areas, I wouldn't term depth as a team strength.  Every team tries to avoid getting hurt in Training Camp, for the Broncos it is even more important.

2.  A Couple of Starters Out of Shape -- Brandon Marshall has been in the news most of the off-season for all the wrong reasons.  We'll likely find out early next week his status for the early part of the season.  On the field, Marshall is also making news looking "gassed" after every pass route.  Sure, Marhsall's arm injury inhibited his off-season training, but he was cleared to run in April.  Despite not being able to catch a football, there is no excuse for Marshall to come into camp out of shape. 

Starting RT Montrae Holland is even worse off than Marshall.  Coming to camp heavier than the team's required reporting weight, Holland will have to work out on his own until he gets the weight off.  With the O-Line one of the big questions coming into the season the fact that one of the known starters will not be working with the group early in camp should not be overlooked.  Holland played great last year, was rewarded with a contract extension, and talked during the off-season how he was as strong as ever.  Hopefully this is just a hiccup for Holland and not an indictment of his work ethic.  The Shanahan Doghouse is not a place you want to spend any time and it appeared Holland might be the first to take residence.

3.  Diabetes Be Damned -- Sure, I was confident that Jay Cutler would be able to come into camp and play well despite being diagnosed with Diabetes, but until he actually puts the pads on and get to work you never can be sure.  After 1 day of Cutler firing passes all over the practice field.  It goes without saying that any success the Broncos have in 2008 is directly related to how Cutler and the doctors handle is medical condition and the results after Day 1 are, I'm happy to say, positive.

4.  Playing Through Pain -- It has been reported that OL Chris Kuper suffered a broken hand during the morning practice and missed the afternoon workout.  The hand, when fitted with a cast, should not keep Chris from practicing.  Kuper is battling for a starting job along the offensive line and needs to be on the field.  There is no questioning this kid's toughness and I hope the injury doesn't slow him down.

4.  Ex-Bronco Sighting -- Former Broncos RB Mike Bell will receive a try-out with the New England Patriots.

Nalen's health will be a huge question in '08

Under Mike Shanahan, the Denver Broncos have been known for a couple things. A strong running game and a solid, if a bit too quiet, offensive line. A group that has been synonymous with imposing their will, despite their lack of pure beef up front, the Broncos' O-Line was an area of the football team that fans could hang their hat on. Over the past several years, however, injuries and age have started to take their toll. Let's look at two different areas that are an indication of O-Line performance. Are these hardened rules when it comes to evaluating an O-Line? Of course not, but I like to keep it simple and let you guys and gals decide.

First, we'll look at sacks allowed, and where the team ranked from 2003 through 2007 --

Sacks Allowed --

2003 -- 25 Sacks -- #6
2004 -- 15 Sacks -- #3
2005 -- 23 Sacks -- #3

2006 -- 31 Sacks -- #13
2007 -- 32 Sacks -- #16

The space between 2005 and 2006 indicates the entrance of Jay Cutler at quarterback, and there is no doubt the combination of youth, and Cutler's style as more of a pocket passer than Jake Plummer had a negative effect on the O-Line.  Need proof?  Cutler was sacked 13 times in the 5 games he started in 2006.  Plummer had been sacked 18 times in his 11 starts.  On average that is a sack a game more with Cutler.  In 2007, that number got even worse, though in my opinion this was more attributed to injuries and youth on the O-line as much as it was to Cutler's "never say die" attitude in the pocket.

How about the running game?  The Broncos have seen a dip that that area, too, during the past 5 years --

Rushing Yards --

2003 -- 2629 yards - 164.3 ypg - #2
2004 -- 2333 yards - 145.8 ypg - #4
2005 -- 2539 yards - 158.7 ypg - #2

2006 -- 2152 yards - 134.5 ypg - #8
2007 -- 1957 yards - 122.3 ypg - #9

Again, there was a lot of consistentcy until 2006.  There are a lot of reason for that, but for the sake of keeping it simple other teams simply stacked the line of scrimmage and forced, at first Jake Plummer, then the rookie Jay Cutler, to beat them.  The Broncos defense wasn't very good either, thus the Broncos were forced to play from behind.  But anyone who watched the games will also admit something was definitely missing from the Broncos running game.  While functional, it wasn't dominant.  Make no mistake, while Mike Shanahan likes to create shock and awe with the passing game early, he wants to smash it down a team's throat late.  Unable to do that, the Broncos offense has sputtered, especially in the red zone and short yardage.  The O-line, with age and injury, has been part of the cause. 

The winds of change are blowing through Dove Valley, however, and the Broncos are addressing their O-Line.  High draft picks(Clady and Harris) along with solid free agent acquisitions(Holland) have injected youth and talent.  Will it be enough to make a difference in '08?  Let's take a look at who will need to move the pile....

Continue reading this post »

Rod Smith makes an appearance, Ebenezar Ekuban is getting frustrated and #20 was barely off the back of Travis Henry before another player laid claim. All that and more in today's Team Camp update!

No one knows exactly what the future is for Rod Smith but one thing's for sure, it will involve helping the Denver Broncos in some way, shape or form. Smith showed up on the practice field yesterday to help out with the receivers and expressed his love for the Orange and Blue -

I love the Denver Broncos, I love the organization, so there ain’t nothing that I wouldn’t do to help. Whether it is on the field or off the field, anything I can do, even just sitting there and talking to some of the guys who are playing receiver now, just giving them little tips and stuff like that. I enjoy that because I know it is going to help them, therefore it helps the organization. There isn’t anything that I wouldn’t do to get us back to where I feel we belong.

Smith already has the attention of one of the Broncos' newcomers, WR Keary Colbert -

Anytime you have a player with the experience like him and the career he has had, you want to listen and take good notes and try to implement them into your game.

He has had a career that has been remarkable. I’m really trying to put in a career and a season like he has done in the past. That’s the start of it really, getting to know how to do it through him. He has the blueprint, and I just have to follow it.

It is impressive that Smith is open to helping the younger guys, and even better that one of those guys is open to listen. Colbert can learn alot from a guy like Smith, and it seems he is willing to be taught.

So what advice has Smith given to Colbert?

Just trusting my speed, trusting the technique in certain routes. I have to come out here the next couple of days and practice it, perfect it.

I’m ready to get it going.

Continue reading this post »