Brandon Lloyd reaches for an overthrown ball earlier in the year. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

The Brandon Lloyd trade deal was much like a rainstorm. You knew it was coming, but you didn’t know exactly when it would hit. Lloyd packed his bags for St. Louis and didn’t even bother going to Dove Valley for Monday’s practice, the first practice since last Wednesday.

Lloyd was traded to the St. Louis Rams for either a 5th or 6th round draft pick in 2012. If Lloyd has 30 receptions over the course of the Rams’ next 11 games, the Broncos will get a 5th round pick. If he has anything less, they will get a 6th round pick.

Lloyd will try to help the winless Rams last place scoring offense by being a deep threat for promising QB Sam Bradford.

The Broncos have lost one great receiver, but who’s to say that someone else won’t step up and fill his shoes.

People were up in arms when Brandon Marshall was shipped to the Dolphins before the 2010 season. Who was going to going to be the “next man up?” Turns out that Brandon Lloyd emerged in his 8th year to not only lead the Broncos, but lead the entire NFL in receiving yards. It didn’t matter that Marshall was gone. Lloyd was more productive than him and not creating problems on or off the field.
(more…)

Tim Tebow fires a pass in front of Kyle Orton at training camp. (Ed Andrieski/AP)

Quick, can you name the top 10 cornerbacks currently playing in the NFL? How about the 10 best offensive tackles of 2010?

How about this: can you name the top 10 quarterbacks playing now? A much easier task, right? Names like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Michael Vick, and Eli Manning jump to mind in no particular order. If you want more names, try Josh Freeman, Matt Schaub, Joe Flacco, Matt Cassel and even Sam Bradford, who looked good in his rookie season.

The quarterback is the face of a franchise, not only to its own fans, but to the entire NFL.
(more…)

McDaniels will work with Sam Bradford to give the Rams a boost. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

The Saint Louis Rams are on the fast track for improvement. In 2009, the team went 1-15 securing the top spot in the draft, and Sam Bradford in the process. The 2010 Rams went 7-9 and narrowly missed a playoff appearance as the top seed in the NFC West.

What will 2011 bring? It’s already slated to bring Josh McDaniels in as the new offensive coordinator. McDaniels was hired on Tuesday as the mastermind of the Rams offense.

“We are happy to announce that Josh will be a part of our staff,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said in a statement. “I’ve always recognized that he is one of the top offensive minds in the NFL. We think he is a great addition to our organization.” – Yahoo Sports

He already led two quarterbacks from the Patriots to greatness. He took Ordinary Orton and made him Outstanding Orton. Let’s see what McKid can do with McKid Jr. – Sam Bradford.

In his rookie season, Bradford was sandwiched between Joe Flacco and Josh Freeman in passing yards, and he threw 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The kid needs work and since the Rams shelled out $60 million for him, they figure why not bring one of the best offensive minds to town to work out the kinks.

McDaniels will go to the same state where the hated Chiefs sit atop the state’s football throne, and he goes looking to scrub the dirt off and polish up his name.

I’ve always thought that McDaniels made a better coordinator than head coach. His “My way or the highway” approach is curbed a bit when he’s working under the head coach and only has one side of the ball to focus on.

There was no doubt that he would find work again, but it will be a very long time before he’s hired as a head coach.  

Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook.