Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag every Tuesday during the 2007 NFL season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a Broncos- or NFL-related question into the Broncos Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
For all of us who have never set foot in a locker room, which means most of us gals out here, have a go at answering this. Most football players have played football since Hector was a pup (as my granny used to say), which means they have had as many as 10 to 15 coaches with 10 to 15 defensive schemes over their careers. Why is it so hard for them to adjust to the new scheme Jim Bates is using?
— Karen Gilbert, Avon
Karen – You have a fascinating train of thought. Must be all that clean, mountain air you’re breathing. The simple answer is Bates’ scheme takes time to master because it’s different. Which is not to say it’s complicated. The biggest difference is the box. Most teams put eight men up front. Bates’ ideal world employs just seven in the box, although because of the struggles in stopping the run, the Broncos in their past three games have been moving an eighth man, usually safety John Lynch, to the box.
Bates believes, rightly so, that the NFL is a quarterback’s league. Allowing rushing yards isn’t so bad because it’s difficult for any NFL team to score big points while pounding the ball. Look at the Patriots. They don’t even pretend to establish a running game. Tom Brady passes whether it’s 0-0 or 45-0. Bates doesn’t like the traditional Cover 2 – which means each safety has half the field – because today’s QBs pick that coverage apart. Thus the seven-man-box preference because it puts an extra guy in coverage.
The trick to his scheme is beef and technique at tackles, speed and technique at ends and gap assignments by the linebackers. And discipline throughout. It takes the players a few weeks, maybe even a year or two, to grasp it all, and it takes the coaches a few weeks, maybe even a year or two, to find the players who best fit the system.
The Broncos’ defense has shown dramatic improvement since the bye week. It remains vulnerable in spots, but it is getting better. We’ll know about its progress during the game against the Lions.
Glenn Martinez, who is this kid? He’s not making a lot of catches, but the ones he’s made have been at key times in the games! And his blocking reminds me a lot of Eddie Mac.
— Corey, Oregon
Corey – Anybody who notices how a receiver blocks knows his football. I’m not ready to compare him to Ed McCaffrey but Martinez has been a nice find for the Broncos.
Besides stepping in as the Broncos’ No. 3 receiver, Martinez has turned the team’s punt-return game, which had been a weakness, into above-average. He was born and raised in Auburndale, Fla., a town of about 11,000 people and a 50-minute drive west of Orlando. After a nice college career at tiny Saginaw Valley State in Michigan, Martinez went undrafted in 2004. He then bounced around the NFL transaction wires, going from Pittsburgh to Detroit to Denver. The Lions jerked him around, officially cutting him six times in 2005-06 before essentially cutting him again to free agency following last season.
Then again, cutting him that many times means Detroit was also re-signing him a bunch, and he did have one NFL catch for 11 yards before the Broncos grabbed him in January. Martinez missed most of training camp with a strained hamstring and was among the final roster cuts. However, the Broncos were able to re-sign him to their practice squad, where he stayed through the first three games. Opportunity came when Javon Walker’s knee gave out.
Can anyone tell me why Jay Cutler is supposedly better than Jake the Snake?
— Mike Lee, Santa Fe
Mike – I liked Jake better than most. He was a playmaker who did a nice job of executing Mike Shanahan’s offense that is centered on deception and timing. But I think Cutler is the better quarterback because he has the better arm. Cutler can throw it deeper down field than Jake, with more zip, and with better accuracy. A bigger arm means more upside, both for the future and present, because it allows the quarterback to make more plays. Cutler also moves well. He may not have “The Snake’s” escapability yet, but mobility isn’t a problem.
The Broncos are moving the ball considerably better than a year ago, and their passing game is considerably more formidable. The problem is points. Plummer got fired as the starting quarterback last year because the offense was averaging just 17.7 points through 11 games. The Broncos are averaging 17.0 points through seven games with Cutler.
This tells me the Broncos’ offensive problems the past two years go beyond the quarterback. I will say this: Whenever Plummer made a mistake during his final two years in Denver, the reaction tended to be, “There he goes, again.” Cutler’s mishaps are generally excused on youth, although if I’m reading the tone of your question correctly, all quarterbacks, even the kids, will have their critics until their team wins the Super Bowl.
I bleed blue and orange, Mike. Should I look for a playoff berth or hold on for the wild ride of a top-five-pick season?
— Ryan, Miami
Ryan – Based on what we’ve seen through seven games, your expectations should be somewhere in between. It’s early but the Broncos will have to win on the road if they are to reach the playoffs. Given the improvement they’ve shown the past two weeks on defense and special teams, plus the numerous beatable opponents left on their schedule, a 10-6 finish remains possible. It may not be likely, but it’s possible.
I’ll add this: 10-6 only becomes realistic if the Broncos beat the Lions this Sunday in Detroit. Because the Lions play in the mediocre NFC North, there’s a chance they’re not the strongest of 5-2 teams. The Broncos MUST win Sunday. Otherwise, it will be difficult for anyone to imagine, even those who bleed blue and orange, a 3-5 team going on to reach the playoffs.
In no way will the Broncos tumble to a bottom-five finish. Remember, the bottom four spots are already locked up by the Dolphins, Rams, Falcons and Jets. And there are five other teams worse off than the 3-4 Broncos.
A top-10 pick would be the worst-case scenario for the Broncos, although the season is much too young for Bronco bleeders to be thinking worst-case scenarios.
What should the NFL do to put a better product on the field? Parity and higher salaries have reduced the 2007 season to nothing more than a rash of injuries, players who play only with next year’s contract in mind, and a mediocre product filled with games that have the fans leaving before the fourth quarter.
— Mark, Greeley
Mark – An interesting take you have on the league. I understand your frustration, although my vantage point isn’t quite as critical. I see three excellent, highly entertaining teams – New England, Indianapolis and Dallas. The Patriots are sick. They appear unstoppable. Maybe the Colts can beat them this week in Indy. I’d be surprised, but maybe they can do it in The Dome.
If not, then the Pats will have a chance to replace the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the greatest single-season team ever. That would not be parity. That would be inequality, or an unbalanced league.
After the Pats, Colts and Cowboys, I see five good teams: the Chargers, Giants, Jaguars, Packers and Steelers. In fact, the Chargers might be ready to nudge the Cowboys as the best of the also-rans.
There’s also a group who might be good, but have more to prove. This group includes Tennessee and Detroit.
There are four atrocious, unwatchable teams: the Jets, Dolphins, Falcons and Rams.
Then there’s the On Any Given Sunday group, teams that can beat anybody (except the top three) and lose to anybody (except the bottom four). This group includes Denver, Kansas City, Seattle, Washington, New Orleans, Carolina and Tampa Bay.
As for the entertainment value of the games themselves, it seems like offenses move the ball. Three and outs are not commonplace. In terms of scoring, the NFL may be a long way from Sid Gillman but it’s come a long ways from George Halas.
Then again, I don’t intently watch much other than the Bronco games so I may not have proper perspective. Because of the offensive-favorable rule changes in recent years, it’s hard not to pick up a first down or two through the air with each possession.
Like never before, the NFL is a quarterbacks’ league. You can pretty much look at the quarterbacks of the haves and have-nots and figure out where teams belong in the power rankings.
Mike – As the Broncos left the locker room for the second half of their home game vs. San Diego, TV cameras showed Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler being patted down by an NFL referee. What was that about?
— Buddha, Hawaii
Buddha – All players get patted down before the start of every game, and again before the second half, to make sure they don’t have any substance on their uniforms. Roughly 10 years ago, Broncos linemen were among those who used to put Vaseline or silicon spray on their uniforms so defensive linemen would have a tougher time grabbing them. As Patriots coach Bill Belichick proved earlier this year, NFL teams stop at nothing when it comes to “gamesmanship.”
Mike – I read The Post every day online and enjoy your answers in the mailbag. That being said, with all the problems in the return game, has there been any talk of taking a look at Jeremy Bloom? I think he’s better than anybody we have tried there, and he just might (with some tutelage from Brandon Stokley) have the skills to play in the slot. I know he’s not the prototypical size, but Jeremy Bloom is a football player. What are your thoughts?
— Eddie Crowder, Providence Village, Texas
Eddie – Eddie Crowder. Eddie Crowder. THE Eddie Crowder, of CU fame? I’m going to assume you’re a different Eddie Crowder. You must have sent this letter prior to Monday, because as someone who reads The Post online each day, you were informed . If the Broncos decide to sign Bloom, there is a chance he could be returning kickoffs in a couple weeks. Martinez is plenty good enough on punt returns. But with the receiving corps thinned by Javon Walker’s injury, Bloom could be a fit.
Keep in mind, Bloom hasn’t played a meaningful football game since 2003. So the Bloom you and so many others loved to watch play for CU may not have the same instincts in 2007. That’s why the Broncos work them out, first. Keep reading The Post, Eddie. We’ll keep you updated.
Mike Klis is in his third season of covering the Broncos after previously covering the Rockies and Major League Baseball for 15 years. To drop a question into his Broncos Mailbag, or visit DenverPost.com’s .
