I am taking a "glass half-full" approach to the defense, but what about the coach?  Let's find out in his transcript from his weekly Monday meeting with the press -- 

On the defense

“We have talked about it from day one. You have to be able to stop the run to have a chance to have a good defense, and we did that holding them to 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. That is where you start. We will get better with our pass defense as time goes on. We are doing a number of things that are new in comparison to a year ago. It just takes some time. If we have the effort that we had overall, offense, defense and special teams, good things will happen for our football team.”

 

On if he is alarmed at the defense giving up so many points

“I am not alarmed at all because if you get that kind of effort overall, good things are going to happen. You have to be alarmed because you gave up so many passing yards but that is something you can work on and get better at. You have drops and different zones. You get different things that different offenses do that you have to adjust to. You get different scheming and different quarterbacks that can sometimes give you different opportunities to come up with big plays. We have to get better on third downs. They were 8-14 on third downs, and they had a third down and 12 and a third down and 7 when it was 21-3 and that game was almost over. You just have to be on with your zone drops and you have to make a tackle here and there. It is something we can work on, especially with that type of effort. That was as hard as we have played in a long time.”

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SERIES STUFF

**With the win, the Broncos improve to 7-2 (.778) all-time against the Saints, including 4-1 (.800) at home.

**The New Orleans Saints played their first regular-season game at INVESCO Filed at Mile High. The Saints played the Broncos in the very first game played at INVESCO Field at Mile High, a preseason game in 2001(31-24 Broncos win). The last time the Saints played a regular season game in Denver was on 12/24/94, a 30-28 New Orleans victory at Mile High Stadium.

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  For all your San Diego Chargers News, check out Bolts From The Blue 

2008 OFFENSE

2008 DEFENSE

Week 2, and Broncos fans are riding high after dominating the Raiders.  Can they do it again, and at the same time take a two-game divisional lead over the Poweder Blue???  Let's find out...

It's Broncos/Chargers. Who has "The Edge"?

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I''' be talking about the Broncos and their fantasy prospects for this weekend.  Check it out!

DENVER BRONCOS COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

"Defensively, I believe we did a good job stopping the run. We improved from a year ago. We didn't tackle as well as I would have liked us to. We had some penalties, but I thought the effort was there. We have to tackle much better than we did. Special teams overall had a good game. Right now, I'm not really sure about the injuries. Manuel broke his thumb, I know that. Elvis Dumervil dislocated his finger. Right now with Patrick Ramsey I'm not really sure. I'm not really sure on how his shoulder or elbow is right now."

On S Marquand Manuel Possibly Playing With a Broken Thumb --
"We'll have to see if he needs to have surgery."

On Playing His First Unit in the Second Half --
"No, like I said during the press conference, we just want them to play a half. We had a lot of plays playing against Dallas. I felt pretty good about our football team. We're trying to prevent injuries, obviously. Marquand got hurt in the special teams which was a setback."

On Giving WR Brandon Marshall Playing Time, Despite His Regular Season Suspension --
"I'm just going to treat it like he sprained his ankle. Obviously when we have people go down, we need to have people step up and take the opportunity. WR Darrell Jackson did not play today because of a sprained ankle, hopefully he'll be in full speed and ready to go. We want to get some of those other players some playing time."

On the Possibility of WR Brandon Marshall Playing Against the Arizona Cardinals --
"I'm not going to go into playing time, but from looking at the past history, it's going to be pretty obvious what we're going to do."

On C Tom Nalen's Recent Knee Surgery --
"He had a pretty good surgery. They had to get some bodies out of there. They said that the results were very positive. We just have to see how long it takes."

On DT Ebenezer Ekuban's Status --
"I really don't know. I haven't talked to Greek (Head Athletic Trainer Steve Antonopulos) yet. I think I'll find out in the next half hour or so."

On the Play of TE Nate Jackson --
"I'm very pleased with Nate, and [TE] Tony [Scheffler] has stepped up. [TE] Daniel Graham is obviously out today with a hamstring; he'll be full speed and ready to go next week. Like I said we had little bumps and bruises, I'll find out the status of them in the next hour."

On RB Michael Pittman's Play Tonight --
"Michael played a lot in the second half and did a good job. He got tired and we had to put [RB] Andre [Hall] back in. Hopefully we'll stay healthy at that position. I thought [FB] Peyton Hillis did a good job making a big play to give us that first down, when we were backed up. He made a nice run and nice catch. [FB] Cecil Sapp and Peyton alternated during the first half. Overall I'm very pleased. I'm very pleased with the offense thus far."

On P Brett Kern's Taking Lead in Punting Position --
"Very close, very close."

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Brandon Marshall Reigns In a TD

PHOTO CREDIT

I am not a prisoner to the present.  I say it all the time.  For those of you that don't listen to MHR Radio, it simply means I like to let things sink in before I react.  There are some things, however, that I do think need discussed after tonight's loss.  In no particular order --

1.  Injury Situation Becoming A Concern -- The Broncos held several players out of teh game with injuries, and suffered more during the contest.  most notably, DE Elvis Dumervil left the game with a finger/hand injury.  He will be evaluated on Sunday, but he did return to the sidelines in street clothes with a large splint protecting the top of his hand, over the middle finger.  Let's hope it is nothing too serious and Dumervil can be ready in two weeks. 

The same goes for newly anointed starting Safety Marquand Manuel, who appeared to injure his thumb.  Mike Shanahan said after the game that his thumb was broken which would be a huge setback for the defense and Manuel.  Hamza Abdullah had already lost the starting job after re-injuring his groin, and now Manuel looks to be out.  That leaves Roderick Rogers.

Patrick Ramsey seemed to tweak his throwing arm on the big play of the game, an interception deep in Broncos' territory that led to the Packers go-ahead TD.  Ramsey had the arm wrapped on the sidelines, though he appeared to be OK.

DE Paul Carrington suffered a strained quad and DE Larry Birdine appeared to have his bell rung.  More on all the injuries later on Saturday.

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First, my apologies for the tardiness of this report.  With the Broncos taking the afternoon off to celebrate Gary Zimmerman's induction into the Hall of Fame, I was fortunate enough to get an early flight back home Saturday afternoon/evening.  Then, of course, I had to get involved with being a dad again, something all fathers know whenever they are away for a few days.  That left little time to get this out and for that I apologize.

That said, I want to take a moment to thank the Denver Broncos Media Relations staff, including Patrick Smythe and his folks for making me feel welcome and giving me anything and everything I needed to make my job easier.  I also want to thank the Broncos internal Media staff, including Kyle Sonneman, Dave Gaylinn and others for making sure I didn't feel the wrath of Fred, the resident bad-ass security guy for the Broncos.  We have talked many times about the CLASSY type of organization the Broncos are, and it doesn't stop on the field.  These guys and gals are all class off the field as well, and it starts at the top with Mr. Bowlen and goes all the way down to the interns in the media room.  Thanks to all of you again!

With all the Thank You's out of the way, let's break down what I saw on my final day of seeing practice up close and in person.....

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Live Reports Begin 7/31

Rumors have been swirling for awhile now, so let this be the official announcement that I will be heading out to Denver to take in 3 days of Broncos Training Camp.  I couldn't be more excited, being a Broncos fan that has to do all of this "fan stuff" from afar.  While watching on TV is nice and all, I want to see some of these Training Camp battles with my own eyes.  I arrive in Denver on 7/30 and will take in both workouts on 7/31, 8/1 and 8/2.

First, the important stuff.  If any of you will be taking in Training Camp while I am there, let me know!  I would love to meet some of you, and better yet, many of you have offered up drinks.  Never one to turn down a cold brew I'd be happy to oblige!  I'll have on the latest and greatest MHR T-Shirt on so I'll be easy to spot!

Next, there are a couple of Training Camp stories that are intriguing to me and I'll be keeping my eyes on: (in no particuler order)

1.  O-Line Battle - I want to see Chris Kuper and Eric Pears up close and personal.  I want to see if Tom Nalen is still a factor, and, of course, how Ryan Clady looks in pads going up against NFL defensive talent.

2.  WR Battle - Can Brandon Marshall take contact on his (still recovering) injured arm?  Who is going to step up and win the #2 WR battle.  Just how good of a receiver is Eddie Royal right now?

3.  Intriguing Undrafted Free Agents - I will be watching a couple of these guys very closely, starting with Wesley Woodyard and Tyler Polumbus

4.  The LB Corps - Is Niko Koutouvides the type of leader in the middle the Broncos need?  Can Boss Bailey stay healthy and step up his play?

5.  Quarterback - It is the Denver Broncos, right?  Gotta watch how #6 looks in his first real football work since being diagnosed with Diabetes.

6.  Running Back - If Selvin Young is going to run for 2000 yards it will start in Training Camp.  Specifically I will be watching for his ability to run inside and in short yardage.  I want to see Ryan Torain as well.  Of course, Peyton Hillis is on my watch list as well.

7.  Sense of Urgency - The biggest hing I am looking for is a sense of urgency.  I want to see inspired practices with alot of energy and some bloody noses.  A few shoves and punches would be refreshing as well.  If the Broncos are going to get back to being a tough, hardnosed football team, it needs to start Day 1.  Since camp will be a week old when I get there things should definitely be heating up.

So what have I missed?  Let me know and I will give my thoughts on what I see in those areas as well.  Want me to ask specific questions to specific players?  Let me know.  Make sure they aren't out of line.

Lastly, if you are going to Training Camp at a different time(FirstFan, for instance) let me know.  I'd love to get your impressions as well.  I want to make this a community effort!!! 

Strap it on, MHR, football is back and Your Source for the Denver Broncos is ready!!!

Can Young be "The Man"?

In an earlier breakdown focused on the Offensive Line I talked about the Broncos needing to get back to what they do best, to what they are -- a running football team.  While the line is obviously an important part of that, you had better have someone carrying the rock that can get the job done, consistently, game after game.  The Broncos had that when they were winning Super Bowls, and while you simply can't plug someone in to replace a player like Davis(if you could he would in no way be a Hall of Famer), the Broncos have swung and missed and at times relied too much on what I call T.D. Syndrome, thinking you can grab another diamond in the rough at running back simply becuase you did it  with Davis.

What do I mean?  Let's take a look at the past 9 seasons since the Broncos won their two Super Bowl titles and who led the team in rushing each year, as well as the team's record  --

1999 - Olandis Gary             -  1159 yds -  7 tds     -  6-10
2000 - Mike Anderson          -  1487 yds - 15 tds  - 11-5
2001 - Terrell Davis              -    701 yds  -   0 tds  -    8-8
2002 - Clinton Portis            -  1508 yds -  15 tds  -    9-7
2003 - Clinton Portis            -  1591 yds -  14 tds  - 10-6
2004 - Reuben Droughns  -   1240 yds -    6 tds   - 10-6
2005 - Mike Anderson         -   1014 yds -  12 tds - 13-3
2006 - Tatum Bell                -    1025 yds -   2 tds  -    9-7
2007 - Selvin Young            -      729 yds -   1 tds  -    7-9

A couple of things pop out immediately to me.  First, over the past 9 seasons, 7 different running backs have led the team in rushing.  In 5 of those years, the elading rusher had fewer than 10 TDs, and only once, when Clinton Portis was toting the rock, did the same player lead the team in rushing back to back.  It also struck me that, other than Portis and Mike Anderson, the running back getting the majority of the carries could not consistently get into the end zone.  That affects the offense, folks, and if your premier back can't punch it into the end zone you are probably going to struggle in the red zone.

Heading into 2008, the Broncos look to be committing to Selvin Young.  I am a big fan of Young, always have been.  That said, he still needs to prove he can be an every down back.  He still needs to prove that he can have a big run, a big quarter, a big half, a big game and come back and do it the next play, quarter, half, game and week.  Game after game, month after month.  The proof is in the pudding.   If the Broncos are going to snif the playoffs, Young, or whoever is the feature back, needs to be the guy to carry the load.  I think Young has the ability, he needs to prove it.  There are other candidates as well.  Let's look at them.

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Hat tip to SirSam and his FanPost with the news.  Here is the official release --

The Denver Broncos on Wednesday signed fullback Peyton Hillis, whom they selected in the seventh round (227th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft from the University of Arkansas. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hillis (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) totaled 2,624 career all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns as a three-year starter at Arkansas, where he helped clear the way for two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden. Hillis played 44 career games (29 starts) at Arkansas, posting school records for running backs in career receptions (118), receiving yards (1,195) and receiving touchdowns (11).

He also registered 203 career rushes for 959 yards (4.7 avg.) with 12 touchdowns while adding 257 career punt return yards and 213 career kickoff return yards.
In 2007, Hillis played 13 games (9 starts) for the Razorbacks and led his team in receptions (49) and receiving yards (537). He blocked for two individual 1,000-yard rushers (McFadden and Felix Jones) for the second consecutive season and totaled 886 all-purpose yards.

A SuperPrep All-American who was rated by that publication as the best fullback in the nation at Conway High School in Conway, Ark., Hillis was born on Jan. 21, 1986.
With Hillis' signing, the Broncos have signed five of their nine selections from the 2008 NFL Draft.