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 .
I would like to hope that Todd Sauerbrun will not be with this team for the upcoming game. He single-handedly lost . More importantly, he ran his mouth during the week about .
— Chad Ruzick, Beaumont, Texas
Chad – Sauerbrun had a tough game. But if you ran players every time they had a bad game, you’d run out of next games. As for Sauerbrun’s midweek comments, I didn’t hear anything derogatory about them. All he said was the Broncos weren’t going to be chickens and not kick to Hester. I wouldn’t have said it, just because of the jinx factor. But one problem with these he said/she said stories is Sauerbrun’s comment about not being afraid was twisted in Chicago to, “Hey, Devin, did you hear what Sauerbrun said about you?”
Whatever. The words were irrelevant. Sauerbrun’s kicks – a tad low on the punt, short on the kickoff – and the slippery field, which made it difficult for the other 10 guys to cover, were the primary factors in Hester’s two touchdowns. That and Hester’s remarkable instinct and talent for returning.
By the way, I had no problem with the decision to kick to Hester – until he scored the first touchdown. The Broncos covered him well in the first half, and based on that, they should have continued kicking to him in the second half. Teams that don’t kick to Hester – and he’s the only one back, so it’s not like there’s an option of kicking to someone else – give the Bears great starting field position. He makes a difference, whether he touches the ball or not. But because the Bears’ offense was not moving the ball against the Broncos’ defense until the final drive, Hester should not have had a chance to return his second chance. I mean, Mike Shanahan knows that now. But keep in mind, when it comes to Hester, it’s about choosing between the lesser of two evils.
Plain and simple: Is the special-teams coach going to get fired first thing Monday morning?
— Scott Jacobs, Silverdale, Wash.
Scott – Oh, how those letter-writing pens sharpen following defeats. Monday morning has come and gone, and Scott O’Brien is still around. But I don’t think it’s unfair to wonder if his office chair is getting warm. Thing is, Broncos special teams showed the most dramatic improvement among the three units since the bye week – until it met Hester, the NFL’s ultimate special-teams exception. Maybe if Broncos’ special teams play well in the final five games, the ultimate judgment on O’Brien will be he did well other than against Hester. Considering Hester rivals Deion Sanders as the best returner in NFL history, O’Brien’s job may be saved.
Shanahan will make his final evaluations on all assistant coaches – after the season.
It sure seems that our two shutdown corners are only batting about .500. How the defense could choke like that at Chicago is indefensible. Your thoughts?
— Loris Becker, Marion, S.D.
Loris – Dre’ Bly and Champ Bailey are batting better than .500. Cornerbacks are better when watching in person than on TV. TV viewers never see the plays when they have great coverage because the ball doesn’t come their way. That’s the problem with corners – the TV picture only picks up those times when they get beat. It might only happen once a game from the 30 or so passes thrown by the opposing quarterback. But that one time is indelible to viewers.
The gist of your point, though, Loris, is not off-base. Champ has not been Champ-like this year. I think he’s playing hurt. Remember, he missed the game against Pittsburgh with a leg injury, and that came after the bye week. So he must have torqued his leg pretty good.
And while Bly is a terrific playmaker and has the quickness to hang with receivers on the short and intermediate routes, he was never considered a deep-cover corner because he’s not a burner.
Is Mike Bell in the coach’s doghouse?
— Jake, Kansas City
Jake – Is the Pope Catholic? Actually, it would appear Bell has been transferred from the doghouse to the outhouse. He got in the doghouse during the offseason mini-camps and never really got out. When Shanahan finally showed some faith by promoting Bell to backup tailback this week, only to have his faith immediately betrayed by Bell’s first-carry fumble, forgiveness was not possible.
The plan was for Bell to get some carries in the Bears’ game. Instead, Cecil Sapp got them after he was moved during the game from fullback to backup tailback. I feel bad for Bell. He didn’t try to fumble. In fact, he may have fumbled because he tried so hard not to. But at this point, even with all the tailback injuries, it would be a mild upset if he ever carried the ball again for the Broncos.
Mike – Do you think the defense is getting better?
— Chris Spencer, Fayetteville, Ga.
Chris – It clearly has gotten better since the bye week. I’d even say it’s been playing playoff-caliber defense since the bye week. By playoff-caliber, I’m thinking 9-7, squeak in during the final week. The Broncos’ defense is better, but the question is whether it’s good enough. And by good enough, is it capable of stopping the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys or Green Bay Packers? The answer there would be no.
But there’s no doubt the defense has dramatically improved. They are far tougher against the run and much better in forcing turnovers. The Broncos have an impressive 11 takeaways in their last three games. The defense gave up one touchdown drive to the Bears. One. Special teams gave up the other three. And the defense would have stopped the Bears’ final drive had the ref not got in the way of a fourth-down incompletion.
With all the debate and analysis about the Broncos’ running “system,” I wonder how coach Bobby Turner is viewed around the league, especially by defensive coordinators. Have other teams tried to lure him away from Denver?
— David Brown, Lenexa, Kan.
David – This past offseason, Turner was interviewed for the Dolphins’ offensive-coordinator position by new head coach Cam Cameron. While it would have been a promotion in title and money, it was probably best Turner didn’t get the job because Cameron, who had just come off a successful run as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator, made it clear he was going to take charge of the offense.
Still, I’m going to say the first mistake in the Dolphins’ 0-11 season was not hiring Turner. His resume of 1,000-yard rushers earns him a shot. He better be on the short list of candidates for all offensive-coordinator openings this offseason.
Mike – What is the status of Brandon Stokley at the end of the season? Are the Broncos looking to extend his contract?
— Dennis M., Indiana
Dennis – Stokley is playing on a one-year contract so the Broncos would have to extend him to keep him. I think it will happen. Shanahan and quarterback Jay Cutler love him. Stokley and his family seem to like it here. The guy can still get open. He catches everything and he’s been able to stay healthy this year. My guess is Stokley returns but Javon Walker leaves, unless Walker agrees to a major pay cut.
I have been wondering for a while, Mike. Will we be seeing Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler and some of the other second-year players in a Broncos jersey 10 years down the road? The reason why I been thinking about this is because I don’t want to see these guys leave in 10 years. But do you see them leaving?
— Stasiu, Monument
Stasiu – There’s no such thing as projecting 10 years down the road in the NFL. I don’t see them leaving either. Together, Cutler and Marshall have a chance to become one of the NFL’s top combos in 2008. But that’s as far as I’ll go.
By the way, while the Broncos deserve guff for their poor draft run from 2001-04, it’s difficult to imagine how they could have done much better in 2006. Cutler, Tony Scheffler, Elvis Dumervil, Marshall and Chris Kuper. It’s already the Broncos’ best draft since 2000 and could rival 1973 (Armstrong, Chavous, Howard, Jackson), 1975 (Wright, Carter, Upchurch, Foley) and 1983 (counting the trade for John Elway and including Karl Mecklenburg with their 12th-round pick) as the best in franchise history.
Mike – I have noticed that Jay telegraphs run vs. pass when he approaches the line of scrimmage. If it is a pass, he comes up and spends a lot of time scanning the defense. If it is a run, he comes right up and does not look around a lot at all. I would assume the opposing defenses can tell this? You may want to alert Shanny.
— Darrin Quick, Atlanta
Darrin – Any chance you once held a video camera for Bill Belichick? It never ceases to amaze me how well you mailbaggers pay attention. Your observation, if correct, is impressive. If only my brain was so focused. I had not noticed Cutler tipping his pitches so I cannot confirm your observation, and it’s not my place to initiate communication of such concern. But this mailbag is a matter of public record.
Do Peyton Manning and Tom Brady bark out protection audibles on every play, not just the running plays? My problem is, when I’m watching the game in the first half, I’m usually thinking, “Are the halftime hotdogs at least going to be lukewarm this week?” And in the second half, I will inevitably wonder why nobody serves postgame pizza in the press box, anymore. And then come Monday, when I open my mailbag, I am made aware all that really matters in life, darn it, is Broncos football.
Until next week, when I open those e-mailed letters in Oakland.
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 .
