Tight end Nate Jackson was released along with Marquand Manuel, John Engelberger and Jamie Winborn. These are guys that had significant playing time last season. Josh McDaniels and new general manager Brian Xanders mean serious business, and I’m sure more surprising roster moves will be made over the next few months. The only jerseys I would be buying this time of year are Cutler, Marshall, and Bailey jerseys. Turns out the job loss in Bronco land may resemble that of the city of Detroit. 

As for what moves the Broncos should make in the off season, many of you have chimed in. Roger says,

“First they have to get solid players for a 3-4 defense.  I believe Doom and Moss can play OLB and Marcus thomas, tim croweder (gain 10-25lbs) and Kenny Peterson can play DE in the 3-4 alignment.  Pick up Dwan Edward and Gabe Watson for the NT, their not superstars but could fill in for the transition year.  I would also sign Chaning crowder for one of the MLB spots and have DJ williams for the other ILB.  I would move Champ Bailey to FS and play him in the mold of Ed Reed.  I know this seems crazy but teams just play one side when he is at CB, this way they couldn’t identify where he would be, plus he is great tackler and last line of defense and Josh Barret could be the big hitting FS.  Then I would sign the CB just cut from detroit, he looked good before going to detroit which can make anyone look bad.  I believe these moves would allow us to put a respectable 3-4 defense on the field and would allow us to draft the best defense of player available in the draft in every round to obtain further improvements.”

Jimmy says,

 ”Love the idea of moving Champ to Safety.  I definitely think he would change the passing game against the Broncos, and he would make the saving tackle at least 75% of those long TD runs that we have given up the last few years.  I wish we could have drafted Taylor Mays (hopefully we won’t be bad enough to draft him next year), but I hope we get his teammate in the first round.  Did you see Fred Taylor got cut today (2/16)?  He would be a sweeeet fit in the Broncos running attack.  A lot in the same style as “I AM” Clinton Portis, but he has a few years on Clinton.”

What do you think about what Roger and Jimmy have to say? Do you agree that the Broncos would be better off in the 3-4?

Raider haters are out in full force this week. Here in Denver, we don’t throw welcome parties for Al Davis and Co. We quickly grab all our blue and orange gear and head out to Invesco thanking our lucky stars that Mike Shanahan was fired by Davis 20 years ago. The Broncos already beat the Raiders (2-8) in their first meeting of the season. It was a Monday night game in Oakland that saw the Broncos rack up 41 points to the Raiders’ 14. A great way to start off the season! Since then, each team has it’s highs and lows. Okay, well Oakland hasn’t seen many highs unless you consider Lane Kiffin’s departure a genius move. The Raiders have lost the last 4 games while the Broncos hope to build on their 2 game winning streak. The Broncos are 40-52-2 against the Raiders all-time in the regular season, but they’ve won their last 6 of 7 against the them. A Mike Shanahan coached Broncos team holds a 21-6 record against them. Who says Shanahan got over his release? My Prediction: Broncos 31 Raiders 13. 

Offense

Broncos - The Broncos should go off against this defense again. Jay Cutler has cut down on his turnovers in the last couple of weeks, and he’s not forcing the ball into Brandon Marshall as much. Lately, the offense has had trouble getting started as they’ve had to pull off 2nd half comebacks in the past two games. With the home crowd behind them, that should not happen against the Raiders. Getting Peyton Hillis and Tony Scheffler involved early will open things up for big plays down the field later in the game. The offensive line continues to do an amazing job protecting Cutler. Rookie Ryan Clady and 2nd year man Ryan Harris have not allowed a full sack this season. They are Pro Bowl candidates for sure. That helps explain why the Broncos are 3rd in the league in passing offense. Give Cutler enough time, and he is sure to spot a receiver down field. This offense can score in a hurry when the game is on the line. Now, let’s see if they can do with a big lead.                

Raiders- A Raiders touchdown might just send this team into a joyous celebration. The offense has not seen the end zone in 13 quarters of play, and they may have forgotten what it looks like. During the season, they have failed to score a TD in the first quarter, they have scored just 1TD in the first half, and they have scored 9 TDs in 10 games. What were JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, and Javon Walker supposed to do for this team anyway? Right now, Russell is day-to-day, Walker is out for the season, and McFadden starts the game on the bench. What is an Al Davis owned team to do? Why get rid of DeAngelo Hall of course??? Anyway, back to the offense, or lack thereof. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they scored one touchdown against the Broncos on Sunday. There are obvious gaps in the Broncos defense, and the Raiders are in desperate search of the full 7 points.   

Defense

Broncos - It has gone from good to ugly to descent, back to ugly and now the defense is descent. Who knows what kind of team will show up on Sunday. Lately, the defense has made big fourth quarter stops to give the offense a chance to get back on the field and win the game. Jamie Winborn has been playing incredibly well, and Spencer Larsen and Wesley Woodyard are playing better than the players they replaced. Karl Paymah continues to improve, but Champ Bailey may be back in the lineup against the Raiders. Since all of the defensive injuries, the secondary has racked up some interceptions, and the team is stopping the run on a more consistent basis. They’re never going to be as good as the Steelers defense, but as long as they’re not giving up big plays, I’m a happy camper. The Raiders do have a strong running attack, so the Broncos will need to focus more on that aspect of the Raiders gloomy offense.   

Raiders - The Raiders defense (25th) is actually ranked a bit higher than the Broncos defense (29th). They held Carolina to 17 points, and they held the N.Y. Jets to 13 points in a win. DeAngelo Hall was released a couple of weeks ago, which leaves Nnamdi Asomugha to step up in the secondary. Chris Johnson replaces Hall and many have identified him as the fastest guy on the team. Both Johnson and Asomugha have their hands full with an entire fleet of talented wide receivers. Shanahan has said that Asomugha “is the most underrated player in the history of the game.” Damn! What a compliment! Kirk Morrison is 3rd in the league in tackles and Kalimba Edwards is in the top 25 in sacks. The Raiders do have some talent to be able to stop the Broncos’ passing offense, so their running game must get off to an early start.     

Special Teams  

Broncos - I get very excited every time Eddie Royal has the chance to return a kick. Last week, he tallied 159 yards in kick returns. He is #5 in the league in all purpose yards, and he is #1 in kick return average. The guy does all this on special teams, and then makes big catches on offense. No wonder he’s many people’s favorite player. Matt Prater missed another field goal last week showing that he is human after all.

Raiders- The Raiders return game is not too shabby either. They have Johnnie Lee Higgins running it back for them, and he’s got 1 TD on a punt return. However, the Raiders are not too good at covering kicks. Sebastian Janikowski is 18 for 24 on field goals which ranks among the bottom in the league.  

Coaching

Broncos - We can always expect big things from Shanahan when he faces his former team. He holds a grudge against Al Davis as Davis still owes him money. You might think beating this team over and over again would get old, but it never does for Shanahan.  

Raiders - Tom Cable comes into Denver for the first time as a head coach. He’s bound to see how pumped up this city gets when the Raiders Faders come to town. Let’s face it. Al Davis is really the coach of this team. Cable is just better looking, so he takes to the sidelines.

If you knew where I lived, I’m sure I’d get eggs thrown at my window for what I’m about to say. Maybe even a nice little bag of dog poo lit in flames sitting on my doorstep. I’m going to say it anyway. I don’t think the Broncos will win in Atlanta. I hope I’m wrong, and I hope you, my readers, get the chance to leave comments saying what a dumb ass I am. I really do hope that happens, but I don’t think my beloved Broncos can win in Atlanta. If the game was in Denver and there were a few less injuries, I’d be singing a different tune. The Broncos visit a team that went 4-12 last season, saw Michael Vick get arrested, and had their coach, Bobby Petrino, quit on them in the middle of the season to take a job at Arkansas. Look at them now standing 6-3 with Matty “Ice” Ryan staying as cool as can be leading the offense to victory. This team is not the joke of the south anymore. Last week, the Falcons beat the Saints by 14 points. They have won their last four of five games and they are 4-0 at home this year. The Broncos are 7-4 all time against the Falcons which includes a Super Bowl victory in 98′. I hope I’m wrong, but My Prediction: Falcons 28 Broncos 23. 

Offense

Broncos - It’s funny what a sense of urgency will do to the Broncos offense. Lose three in a row, and then fire off 564 yards of offensive firepower on the road against the Browns. We know you guys like to toy with our hearts. We’ve seen your potential at the beginning of the season and then again last week. Just give it to us on a consistent basis. Eddie Royal has been Jay Cutler’s favorite target as of late, and Brandon Marshall is still racking up some big numbers. The running game is obviously hurting, but signing Tatum Bell should help that area a bit. The team just needs to show sparks of a running game anyway to open up the field for Cutler and crew. I cannot brag enough about what a tremendous job our offensive line is doing. They’ve allowed just 5 sacks all year, and that includes a game against league sack leader, Joey Porter. The line will face another challenge this week as they try to stop John Abraham (3rd in sacks). He’s got 11 sacks on the year, and the rest of the team has just 6. So, you stop him, you stop the Falcons.               

Falcons- Remind me who Michael Vick is again. Oh, that dog hating dude who once made the Birds a compitative team. Forget about him. The team’s got Matt Ryan dishing the ball to Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. White is 2nd in the league in receiving yards and Jenkins is 12th in receiving average. Throw in Michael Turner making this team 2nd in rushing production, and that’s how you convert a 4-12 team to a 6-3 team. This offense can create some real problems for a team like the Broncos who has had trouble stopping the run all year. With dual threats in the air and on the ground, the Falcons will look to a balance their offense. This team is known for a big air game as they have 6 pass plays of 40 yards or more. The Broncos secondary will have their hands full on Sunday. 

Defense

Broncos - It’s ugly anyway you want to look at it. They’re in the bottom ten teams in pass and run defense. However, they did come up with some big plays in the fourth quarter against Cleveland. Last week they made Brady Quinn look like a seasoned vet, but if they can apply more pressure to Ryan, then this defense can throw the Birds for a loop. The team’s three starting linebackers (Boss Bailey, D.J. Williams, Nate Webster) are out so someone needs to take a leadership role on defense. Last week Jamie Winborn played an excellent game making almost every tackle in the first half. He seemed to be the one getting other guys fired up. It would help is guys in the secondary could get an interception. Karl Paymah is the only active guy back there that has one this season (Champ also has one). If this unit can get three and outs, and give the offense plenty of chances to get on the field, then the Broncos do have a shot.  

Falcons - The defense did its job last week causing Drew Brees to throw three interceptions and knocking down 15 passes. Atlanta’s defense is 9th in the league because of guys like John Abraham and Erik Coleman (3 INTs, 44 tackles). When you’ve got guys making big plays to stop the run and air game, then success seems to find you. Hmmm…what a concept. Jay Cutler will definitely need to watch the turnovers here. Again, if he throws more than 1 INT, the Broncos don’t have a chance. The Falcons offense is just too good to give the ball back to. Former Broncos cornerback Domonique Foxworth will look to pick off his old teammates and could provide some good tips to the rest of his teammates as far as coverage goes. This team is scary because of its defense.  

Special Teams  

Broncos - It’s a head to head contest. Matt Prater vs. Jason Elam. Prater is 16 for 19 on the season and he misses a field goal last week. The return game has the potential to be a threat with Eddie Royal back there, but it was just average last week. Kickoff coverage has got to be more than average against the Falcons as they are 6th in the league in returns. 

Falcons- Jason Elam will probably hit all of his field goals and if the game comes down to the wire with Elam’s foot in the spotlight, the Broncos could feel what other teams have felt for the 15 years that he was a Bronco. Defeat by the 3 point play.

Coaching

Broncos - Mike Shanahan has his team back on track, but keeping them there could be another story. He goes up against a rookie coach, so look for Shanahan to have a few tricks up his sleeve. He should favor the passing game from the start with a lot of short drop off passes to Peyton Hillis.  

Falcons - Mike Smith is exceeding expectation. He’s dispelling the myth that a rebuilding team is supposed to take time. He’s leading a rookie QB in a city that was so down on their team last year, that Hot-lanta suddenly became Fault-lanta. They make it to the playoffs, and he’s a good candidate for coach of the year.