reidfischer Blog Posts

Another Broncos Disaster

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:01:17 PDT

Tell me this isn’t happening again. Another soap opera at Broncos headquarters. Once again a key player is at the center of it, a player who has loads of talent. Heck, this player can certainly be described as a very unique talent. The player in question is unhappy, and has reportedly demanded a trade. Sound familiar? This did not work out as the Broncos hoped with Jay Cutler. How will it work with Brandon Marshall? Unfortunately, the Broncos might be about to find out. Mr. Marshall did not show for the team’s mandatory minicamp over the weekend.

Marshall is unquestionably the Broncos top receiver. He has caught 100 balls each of the past two seasons. He has breakaway speed, and an ability to make plays after the catch. He has certainly made a statement in Denver after being selected in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. Marshall is due to make $1.2 million this season, which sounds good but ranks 58th among wide receivers in the league. Marshall is also reportedly upset with the team’s medical staff for failing to accurately diagnose his hip injury last season. Marshall had surgery on the hip in the offseason, but played through the injury in the second half of last season. Our friend Adam Schefter, who will be joining ESPN in August, told us this afternoon on KOA that Marshall demanded a trade last weekend when he met with owner Pat Bowlen.

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Broncos Draft Thoughts

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:55:32 PDT

I waited a few days after the NFL draft to post my thoughts on how the Broncos did because I needed time to digest their selections and determine whether or not I truly liked the moves the team made. The truth is, like with every draft, it will be a minimum two seasons and probably three before we can really assign a grade to this or any team’s draft, so any opinion expressed now is really a shot in the dark. For example, it looks like the Broncos’ draft of 2008 is good for the time being, as Ryan Clady and Eddie Royal both had outstanding rookie seasons. We still need to wait another year or two however before we can truly evaluate that draft as a whole. That said, I have a few thoughts on the Broncos’ selections from last weekend:

The Good:

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Thoughts on the Broncos Schedule

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:14:56 PDT

It says something about the popularity of the NFL that the release of the schedule is now a two hour prime time event. I somehow feel less stupid knowing I can’t possibly be the only one who eagerly anticipates the release of the schedule. If nothing else, it’s nice to know what it is so I can plan around it. For instance, I know that the Broncos will be playing on Thanksgiving night, so my family will know they shouldn’t plan to see me, things like that. At any rate, my initial thoughts on the Broncos’ 2009 slate:

- Somehow it seems ridiculous that the Broncos will be opening on the road for the fifth straight year and the seventh season in the past eight. That being said, the reason for this is actually relatively simple. CBS always has the final round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament during week one of the NFL season, and they always air the men’s final in the late afternoon slot where the second wave of games normally takes place. Since the Broncos will never be required to have an 11 a.m. home kickoff, the only way they could open at home would be if they host an NFC team on Fox (which was actually thought to be taking place this year, since sources had speculated the Broncos would host Dallas in week one), or if they hosted a Sunday or Monday night game. Since the Broncos aren’t an elite team these days, the latter option is clearly out, and since the league put Cowboys-Broncos in week four, you’ve got Denver on the road in an early game again. But hey, at least it’s in Cincinnati against the hapless Bengals.

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Good Riddance Cutler

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:54:46 PDT

The deal is done. Jay Cutler is now a Chicago Bear, traded for two first round picks, a third round pick and Kyle Orton. While a large part of me is still disappointed that the Broncos are trading away a 25 year old franchise quarterback with a rocket arm, the other, increasingly larger part is surprisingly ecstatic with the haul the Broncos have gotten in return for Cutler. The two first round picks alone are a hefty price to pay, but throwing in a third, and an established starting QB (albeit one who is not a Pro Bowler and one who does not have the raw talent of Cutler) means the Broncos might have actually gotten away with highway robbery. Consider that the Chiefs only surrendered a second round choice for Matt Cassel (and got Mike Vrabel in the deal as well) and it really seems the Broncos might have made out like bandits here.

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Two Words For Jay Cutler GROW UP

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:33:47 PDT

So apparently Josh McDaniels and Jay Cutler finally met face to face this weekend. They did not follow my advice of having the meeting be just the two of them, but rather were joined by Cutler’s agent Bus Cook and general manager Brian Xanders. As usual we have two different interpretations of how the meeting went down. Now, I have not trusted Chris Mortensen as of late because of his tendency to jump the gun (especially when he was convinced Mike Shanahan was going to Kansas City when everyone knew that would never happen), but in this case it seems he tracked down both Cutler and McDaniels, so we are able to draw our own conclusions without need for his analysis.

Basically, Cutler will not show up for team’s “voluntary” meeting tomorrow meeting. In fact it seems as he has once again left Denver altogether. I use voluntary in quotes because while the start of any team’s offseason program is technically voluntary according to the collective bargaining agreement, every player knows these types of things are anything but voluntary if they actually want to make the team and be on good terms with teammates and coaches. In Cutler’s case, any time at the team’s facility should be absolutely necessary for him because he is learning a new offense that is radically different from Mike Shanahan’s system. Furthermore, it is clear that Cutler and his agent have requested a trade. Now, this does not mean the team is required to grant the request, and based on statements made by the team they haven’t and don’t plan to.

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ENOUGH Shut Up and Play

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:32:18 PDT

This is an open letter to Jay Cutler. I know the odds of him actually reading this are as good as Kansas suffering a 60 point loss to a 15 seed in next week’s NCAA tournament (please? please?), but it seems like he is getting really bad advice from someone or multiple someones, so here we go:

Dear Mr. Cutler:

First let me say that you are an amazing talent. Your arm strength alone makes you one of the top quarterbacks in the National Football League. You’ve shown a great deal of ability in your young career, throwing for a Broncos record 4,526 yards last season and 25 touchdowns. You’re not afraid to try and make a play, which I greatly admire in a quarterback. I know your will to win rivals that of any player in the league. Simply put, the Broncos would have been crazy to trade you for Matt Cassel. That would be such a downgrade in the quarterback position that there would have been a riot outside Josh McDaniels’ house if he actually pulled the trigger on such a ridiculous deal. McDaniels knows this, that’s one reason of many why

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An Active Denver offseason Will it Make a Difference

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:29:40 PDT

The Denver Broncos have certainly been active this offseason, there’s no question about that. The question is: are they a better team? I think in many ways they could be, but being active isn’t always the best move. The truth is we won’t know for sure until the first game kicks off in September what kind of impact all these moves will have. Still, you can’t say that new coach Josh McDaniels isn’t putting his stamp on things. Here are some of my thoughts on the Broncos’ offseason so far.

Best signing: Brian Dawkins I don’t care if he’s on the wrong side of 35, Dawkins can still play. He made the Pro Bowl last season and basically carried the Eagles defense through December and to the NFC championship game. Most importantly, he is a tremendous veteran leader that was sorely missing in the Broncos locker room. To hear Eagles fans say how upset and disappointed they are that Dawkins is leaving tells me all I need to know. Dawkins was the heart and soul of the Eagles defense, and the Broncos haven’t had a leader like him since Al Wilson’s departure. Dawkins will make everyone around him better, and that alone makes this a great signing. The fact that he joined the Broncos also means he believes they are capable of winning. That is a very encouraging indicator.

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