Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag on Tuesdays during the 2009 NFL season.
for the Broncos Mailbag.
Matt Cassel. Matt Cassel! Two New England guys (Scott Pioli at Kansas City and Josh McDaniels in Denver) thought so highly of him, one gave him millions and one wanted to trade his starting QB for him. This one guy is the fulcrum upon which two franchises will rise or fall. Is he worth it? Are their evaluations correct?
— Dave Brown, Lenexa, Kan.
Dave – I have a brother living in Lenexa. I wouldn’t have answered this question otherwise, because it required me to look up “fulcrum.” (The pivot about which a lever turns.)
It looks to me like Cassel is a better QB two starts into this season than he was two starts into last season. The problem is, he’s the type of QB who does a good job of managing games, not winning them. And the Chiefs don’t have a good surrounding cast for him to manage.
As for Cassel’s impact on how the Broncos’ quarterback situation played out — that made for interesting offseason and preseason fodder, but the regular season is up and going. The Broncos without Cassel, and without Jay Cutler, are 3-0. They are 3-0 with Kyle Orton.
Cassel was yesterday. The Cowboys are today.
Have the sports writers lost perspective? What is the combined record of the teams Denver has played so far? Why all the ballyhoo? Denver had a good offense last year, just not a good defense. Wouldn’t it be better to reserve the praise until they are tested and are 6-0?
— Dan, Michigan
Dan – The Broncos cannot reach 6-0 for at least three more weeks. That’s 21 newspaper editions. We got to fill ’em up, Dan, with what a large percentage of readers want. And here in Colorado, the Broncos are just as interesting, if not as significant, as an alleged terrorist living in our suburbs.
As they might say in Lenexa, the Broncos are the fulcrum of The Denver Post readership base. Besides, none of us sportswriters has lost perspective. We’ve repeatedly reported the Broncos’ first three games were against teams who were terrible in 2008. We’ve repeatedly reported the Broncos needed to build a cushion before they entered the daunting portion of their schedule, which begins this week against Dallas.
All we’ve done to date is report on what’s happened to date. And it’s hardly ballyhoo to say the Broncos have played well. They can’t control who they play. They can only control how they play. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must move on to address the much-ballyhooed Denver defense.
How much of this REMARKABLE defense do you attribute to either a) Mike Nolan, b) McGenius, c) the switch to 3-4 or d) the fact that the Broncos have just played crappy teams so far? All I know is, this is not the same defense from last year.
— Jesse, New York
Jesse – All of the above. When a defense essentially goes from worst to first, it’s never about one reason but many reasons. Mostly, I think it’s about the 3-4 and the players, coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Brian Xanders and Nolan, the defensive coordinator, brought in to play the 3-4 system.
Nolan should be credited for Ronnie Fields, who went from his backup nose tackler in San Francisco, to fulcrum of the Broncos’ 3-4. Most impressively, though, has been the remarkable play of four new 30-somethings — inside linebacker Andra Davis, cornerback Andre’ Goodman and safeties Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill.
It’s ridiculous how much better those four defenders are compared to the players they replaced — Nate Webster, Dre’ Bly, Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree.
Although I have been pleasantly surprised with Kyle Orton’s performance so far, I am still sure he’s not the answer at QB. What do you see the Broncos doing in the future to upgrade?
— Steve K., Columbia, S.C.
Steve – So far, Orton has been plenty good enough. He has not thrown an interception. He ranks 10th among quarterbacks. He is 3-0. And he appears to be playing better each week.
As for the future, the issue eventually will have to be addressed because Orton is in the final year of his contract. If the owners and players union don’t reach a settlement on the re-opened collective bargaining agreement by season’s end — and I don’t see that happening — then the Broncos could retain Orton on a one-year contract as a restricted free agent. If a new CBA deal is reached, Orton would be eligible for free agency.
I’m guessing Orton’s agent, David Dunn, has already called the Broncos about a contract extension. And I’m guessing the Broncos didn’t hang up the phone. But it’s too early for negotiations to get serious because Orton’s market value becomes considerably greater if the Broncos go deep in the playoffs than if they don’t make it.
Hey, Klis, what’s with these so-called Broncos “fans” booing Matt Prater? Sure he’s missed a few FGs, but unfortunately there’s only so much talent in the NFL at kicker and he’s not going to be as good as the top five. A true Broncomaniac should realize positions such as K thrive on confidence; and at the very least, he’s shown he’s got a bit of a leg on him. Broncos fans, get behind the kid and give him a chance!
— Andrew Kinross, Melbourne, Australia
Andrew – Your greeting from Down Under reminds me of The Sick Man Awards night in my senior year in college. A large gang of guys gathered ’round a keg for an all-inclusive roast. I received “The Klis Award, for the guy most likely to be called by his last name.”
I think the fans’ confidence in Prater is jittery because of his shaky performance in the second half of last season. And remember, Bronco fans are spoiled after 15 years of Jason Elam.
Because accuracy will always trump leg strength for kickers, Prater’s leg strength is underappreciated. His ability to reach the end zone on kickoffs — at home in the altitude and on the road at sea level — is more significant to special teams play than quarterback play is to the offense.
After missing two field goals in Game 2 because he didn’t properly compensate for a stiff crosswind, Prater bounced back nicely in Game 3 against the Raiders, making all three of his field goals. That showed he’s growing mentally.
By the way, Prater is a top-five kicker in terms of talent. But a kicker is not ultimately judged until he faces a 35- to 47-yard field goal where making it means victory and missing it means defeat. Prater has not yet confronted that test.
What is the deal with Eddie Royal? I had him predicted as a top-15 WR this year, especially after I saw what he did in the third preseason game vs. the Bears. Why are things so different just a few weeks after that performance?
— Kyle, St. Louis
Kyle – The answer to this question matters to fantasy leagues but not so far to the 3-0 Broncos. The Broncos’ top three receivers from last year — Brandon Marshall, Royal and Tony Scheffler — have not been as busy this year, but Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Stokley have caught their share.
So far, it appears the Broncos’ passing game is primarily designed for the drag pattern across the middle. It’s an easy pass to complete, and it seems like those underneath receivers are frequently open. Royal has been playing mostly on the outside. And at least against the Raiders, Royal essentially spent the game running clear-out patterns. It may not be fun, but somebody has to do it and it is necessary to help create space for the underneath receiver.
Eventually, maybe as soon as next season, I see Royal playing the slot role where he can use his quickness to average five to six catches a game, as he did last year.
Mike, after reading about Rick Upchurch last week, it got me thinking about another Bronco who seems to be the greatest snub from the Ring of Fame — Simon Fletcher. Any idea why he’s not in the Ring?
— Christian M., Bountiful, Utah
Christian – Simon Fletcher, the Broncos’ all-time leader by a substantial margin with 97.5 sacks, is not in the Ring of Fame? It didn’t occur to me until you brought it up.
Here’s one problem: As I look out on game day and see the “Ring” fill up with names on the Level 5 façade at Invesco Field, it’s clear the voting committee was a little too yielding with the honor in the early years. Some of those players — I won’t name names — in hindsight aren’t worthy of Broncos’ immortality. Fletcher is deserving but it’s clear the standards have been raised as the Ring fills up.
Mike – With Shannon Sharpe being inducted into the Ring of Fame, it gets me to thinking: “What about Terrell Davis?” David Bruton is wearing his number this year. And for a guy that carried the Broncos through two Super Bowls, it seems odd to me that the No. 30 was available.
— Nico, San Diego
Nico – Look at it this way: The Broncos should be around for another 100 years. Maybe, 200. Perhaps until kingdom comes. During that time, they should win four or five more Super Bowls. Maybe, eight or nine. There will be heroes on those future Super Bowl teams, too.
I’m not saying the Broncos can’t afford to retire another number or two or three, but they have to be careful. Otherwise, a team like the New York Yankees could be confronting a period in the 23rd century when they have no choice but to un-retire a few numbers. (I nominate Billy Martin’s No. 1 and Roger Maris’ No. 9 as the first of the givebacks.)
Mike Klis is in his fifth season of covering the Broncos for The Denver Post. He previously covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball for 15 years. for the Broncos Mailbag.
