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**Official 2024 Denver Bronco thread** (1 Viewer)

Courtjester

Courtjester

The Town Drunk
If there is another official thread, sorry I missed it because the search function is well.....the search function.

I liked the draft. Checked off all boxes I saw as needs with the exception of more OL help.

Now that seems like it could bite the Broncos----JaWuan James out for the year with torn Achilles

The good thing is the Broncos are not on the hook for the 10 million owed him this year
 
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Courtjester said:
If there is another official thread, sorry I missed it because the search function is well.....the search function.

I liked the draft. Checked off all boxes I saw as needs with the exception of more OL help.

Now that seems like it could bite the Broncos----JaWuan James out for the year with torn Achilles

The good thing is the Broncos are not on the hook for the 10 million owed him this year
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Interesting point. Is this up to the organization if they decide to pay or not? Or could they negotiate a settlement?

 
This will be the third year James has missed.  First from injury, second he opted out, and now this.  He has got a lot of money for not doing much on the field.  It will be interesting to see what they do.  Rough injury for the team too; had to happen the day AFTER the draft.

 
King of the Jungle said:
Interesting point. Is this up to the organization if they decide to pay or not? Or could they negotiate a settlement?
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they do not have to give him a dime....if the exact thing happened at the facility under the supervision of Landow (their strength and conditioning coach) and his staff, he would have gotten every penny of his contract....(I actually heard in all it was going to be 20+ million).......all players knew this was the risk if they worked out on their own because of the "boycott".....he was the first casualty......there will be a lot more players showing up to work out at the facilities now.....

think I saw he has made like 27 mill and has played a total of 63 snaps for the Broncos....and now no guarantee that he will be able to come back and play, so DEN has very little reason to give him anything....not sure he has enough street cred for the Broncos to play nice in the sandbox and give him something out of the kindness of their heart....if he was an elite player and had been giving them solid production and they could count on him coming back and producing then they may try to play nice....but he hasn't given them any reason too.....injured now twice and the other year he opted out when most of the team chose to stick together and play....this really sucks for him, and a huge blow to the NFLPA....but ultimately it was his decision to boycott....

 
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This season obviously comes down to Lock.

On paper, Broncos have one of, if not the best defenses in the league - pro-bowl safeties in KJax & Simmons, former all-pro in Fuller @ CB plus Darby, Callahan & Surtain II.  Von and Chubb on the edge, and an above average IDL.  Only weak spot is mlb but Alexander Johnson has been more than adequate.

It's a young and loaded offense at the skill positions, a pro-bowl LT, good guards.  Cushenberry struggled last year, if he doesn't improve, Meinerz will be the guy.

The only thing holding this team back from a deep playoff run is QB play and I suppose depth.

Everything is set up for Lock to be the guy.  If he struggles like he did last year, Teddy comes in and Broncos go 8-9 or something like that.

Rodgers, of course, makes the Broncos an instant contender but I think that's a distraction at this point.

 
moleculo said:
This season obviously comes down to Lock.

On paper, Broncos have one of, if not the best defenses in the league - pro-bowl safeties in KJax & Simmons, former all-pro in Fuller @ CB plus Darby, Callahan & Surtain II.  Von and Chubb on the edge, and an above average IDL.  Only weak spot is mlb but Alexander Johnson has been more than adequate.

It's a young and loaded offense at the skill positions, a pro-bowl LT, good guards.  Cushenberry struggled last year, if he doesn't improve, Meinerz will be the guy.

The only thing holding this team back from a deep playoff run is QB play and I suppose depth.

Everything is set up for Lock to be the guy.  If he struggles like he did last year, Teddy comes in and Broncos go 8-9 or something like that.

Rodgers, of course, makes the Broncos an instant contender but I think that's a distraction at this point.
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Predicted record based on starting QB:

Lock:  7-10
Bridgewater:  9-8
Rypien: 11-6
Rodgers: 13-4

 
So this has been a busy off-season so far. The specter of Rodgers possibly coming to town. The James lawsuit. Drew Lock getting his first chest hairs. Now the news Watson wants to be a Bronco. Very exciting off-season here..... 

 
Looking hard at the Broncos over 8 1/2 wins and wanted to hear some thoughts.

I have no dog in this fight but I did see where Bridgewater is 35-25 lifetime and on some pretty bad teams.  I was surprised by that and quite honestly, haven't watched nearly enough of him to form an opinion.  I assume FFer's will have few good things to say but if we could put that aside for a minute...

He is inheriting the best team he's had around him, no?  I mean they certainly have the weapons and that D will be quite good.

Vegas has your typical highly rated teams premium-priced, of course, but this one seems like they might be slipping under the radar with the huge QB question mark(s).  And I don't see non-Broncos fans lining up to bet that team with those QBs, so that line smells like some value to me.

Thoughts (on Bridgewater) getting them a game over .500?  I mean, with the D and what I expect to be an improved running game, along with the weapons, they should be right there.  On top of of it, they get two of their better players back in Sutton and Von (yes, in the line but still, takes pressure of Bridgewater).  All they need is a game manager to be a pretty competitive (ehem, over .500) team.

 
Broncos are legit.  Good team all around, with depth.  And most importantly, they handed the keys to the car (offensively) to someone that knows offense and analytics, while leaving Fangio to do what he does best (coach D).  

They went for it on 4th down 3 times…in the first half!  Vic never would’ve done that.  He would’ve punted and hoped his D could stop ####.  Same stuff over and over from that old, predictable dog.  And the opposing coaches, who all know his tendencies, would’ve taken advantage of it.  

He always falls back on D and hopes that will get them there.  Not these days, Vic.  Paton — the new GM — took care of that weakness and it’s evident already.  You gotta take educated risks.  Whoever was calling the shots, knows the numbers.  Finally.  Big improvement, without having to fire a good DC.  Almost like when they brought Wade Phillips back to set the D straight in Denver.  Which worked.

Still have a ways to go, but at least Paton found someone that is gonna take risks and not do the oft-proven sit, kick and hope not to lose final quarter of football.  Instead, they brought it.  Paton is turning the tide and you could see it in game 1. 👍. This may not be a great team (unless Rodgers hops aboard), but they are gonna be a tough out and win a lot of games.

 
Harry Frogfish said:
Broncos are legit.  Good team all around, with depth.  And most importantly, they handed the keys to the car (offensively) to someone that knows offense and analytics, while leaving Fangio to do what he does best (coach D).  

They went for it on 4th down 3 times…in the first half!  Vic never would’ve done that.  He would’ve punted and hoped his D could stop ####.  Same stuff over and over from that old, predictable dog.  And the opposing coaches, who all know his tendencies, would’ve taken advantage of it.  

He always falls back on D and hopes that will get them there.  Not these days, Vic.  Paton — the new GM — took care of that weakness and it’s evident already.  You gotta take educated risks.  Whoever was calling the shots, knows the numbers.  Finally.  Big improvement, without having to fire a good DC.  Almost like when they brought Wade Phillips back to set the D straight in Denver.  Which worked.

Still have a ways to go, but at least Paton found someone that is gonna take risks and not do the oft-proven sit, kick and hope not to lose final quarter of football.  Instead, they brought it.  Paton is turning the tide and you could see it in game 1. 👍. This may not be a great team (unless Rodgers hops aboard), but they are gonna be a tough out and win a lot of games.
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Or, maybe it was Vic after all.

The second attempt was the most daring of them all, as Head Coach Vic Fangio decided the Broncos would attempt to convert a fourth-and-2 from the Giants' 49-yard line.

"That was just my gut," Fangio said after the game. "When I brought it up, I didn't have a lot of backing by anybody. It was kind of cricket-like. … But I said we're doing it. I just felt like we I had confidence in the offense, number one. And obviously, number two … I knew if we got the first down we could go get some points — didn't know if it would be three or seven. I thought it was important."

...

"Yeah, we really appreciate Coach showing that confidence in us," Bridgewater said. "You talk about coaches believing in players, players wanting coaches to believe in them. That was the ultimate sign of belief right there. I think we had one fourth down where we were [near] our side of the 50 and coach decided to go for it. I'm over on the sideline like, 'Yeah, let's do it.' Because I have nothing but confidence in those guys that take the field for us. It was good to just see Coach trust us, and we delivered."

The Broncos weren't perfect on third down, but their 46.7 percent success rate was far better than the 36.7 percent clip they converted third downs at in 2020. That success rate ranked 26th in the league, and it led Fangio to stray from attempting many fourth downs. With improved short-yardage play, it's possible the more aggressive Fangio could be here to stay.

"I believe that we can do it," Fangio said. "I don't think it's far-fetched, like maybe it has been in the past. So when I feel good about it, or my gut's telling me to do it, I'm going to do it."
Click to expand...

 
moleculo said:
Or, maybe it was Vic after all.
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Good catch.  A friend had since pointed that out to me as well, but I'm not so sure I buy it.  Not everything they say is factual and why open up that box to the press and public if there's no need to (or also if you've been told let's not go down that road).  None the less, the comments are duly noted and we will see if this brand of football really is a new Fangio.  The situation will rise again, for sure.

So yeah, I guess I'll say I'll believe it when I see it, consistently.  A first time head coach at his age (63), especially from what I've seen before from him, time and again, doesn't all of a sudden do an about face.  And on multiple plays to boot.  He's gone from a librarian to a gunslinger and his flippant explanation is that it just came to him in that moment?  And in the first half of the first game???  On multiple occasions?

He can say they were crickets but I tend to believe that cricket was hired and Vic's not going to get into who did it or why.  No need.  Not yet anyway.

As for the players comments, of course they loved it, that's to be expected.  Whatever the case me be on that end, good for them. 

Interested to see how this plays out.  Pete Carroll is one of the few coaches that comes to mind whose philosophy changed to a more aggressive-minded approach on Offense. And at an advanced age as well.  Did this epiphany by Vic really happen in the first half of this first game, out of nowhere?  Or was it addressed by the new GM, who had nothing to do with the hire in the first place.  I mean, in the months leading up to Vic's pivotal second season, I would think it more likely that those kind of details were addressed, no?  The issue was a glaring one, for sure.

Regardless, we will see down the line.

 
Harry Frogfish said:
Good catch.  A friend had since pointed that out to me as well, but I'm not so sure I buy it.  Not everything they say is factual and why open up that box to the press and public if there's no need to (or also if you've been told let's not go down that road).  None the less, the comments are duly noted and we will see if this brand of football really is a new Fangio.  The situation will rise again, for sure.

So yeah, I guess I'll say I'll believe it when I see it, consistently.  A first time head coach at his age (63), especially from what I've seen before from him, time and again, doesn't all of a sudden do an about face.  And on multiple plays to boot.  He's gone from a librarian to a gunslinger and his flippant explanation is that it just came to him in that moment?  And in the first half of the first game???  On multiple occasions?

He can say they were crickets but I tend to believe that cricket was hired and Vic's not going to get into who did it or why.  No need.  Not yet anyway.

As for the players comments, of course they loved it, that's to be expected.  Whatever the case me be on that end, good for them. 

Interested to see how this plays out.  Pete Carroll is one of the few coaches that comes to mind whose philosophy changed to a more aggressive-minded approach on Offense. And at an advanced age as well.  Did this epiphany by Vic really happen in the first half of this first game, out of nowhere?  Or was it addressed by the new GM, who had nothing to do with the hire in the first place.  I mean, in the months leading up to Vic's pivotal second season, I would think it more likely that those kind of details were addressed, no?  The issue was a glaring one, for sure.

Regardless, we will see down the line.
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Oh, I agree.  Your take was mine until I saw that article. 

One thing I would note: Broncos did go for it on 4th 2 or 3 times in the Minn pre-season game.   I speculated he was being a bit more cavalier because it was pre-season and to get more evaluation of the QB position but IIRC, the situations in terms of game, field position, and down/distance were similar.

Maybe there's something to it, maybe not.  I welcome the aggressiveness, as long as it isn't reckless. The spots where I thing going for it on 4th and short are almost always warranted are inside the opponents 5 (Broncos only went for it once out of two opportunities) and between the opponents 38 and 50 - too close for a punt to be meaningful, too far for a FG (Broncos went for it twice out of two opportunities).

 
So 3-0 is a nice start, but now the schedule starts. 
Denver was so deep at WR and now it is scary how thin they are at that position. Lots of speculation about which FA will be brought in to replace Hamler. Including some suggesting Josh Gordon. 
The o-line took some hits this week as well and I cringed when Tesdy took some of those sacks. 
This next game will be telling 

 
Courtjester said:
So 3-0 is a nice start, but now the schedule starts. 
Denver was so deep at WR and now it is scary how thin they are at that position. Lots of speculation about which FA will be brought in to replace Hamler. Including some suggesting Josh Gordon. 
The o-line took some hits this week as well and I cringed when Tesdy took some of those sacks. 
This next game will be telling 
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The Ravens are running on fumes. They have 15 guys on IR and 4 more in COVID protocol. Only thing keeping them upright is their coaching/QB/PK group.

I haven't seen the line for the game yet, but bet the under.

 
Paton with the upper hand on his critics. Not drafting Fields looking very, very savvy.

Teddy and Surtain playing awesome. Fields not so much (6/20/69 with 9 sacks. Oof).

 
I'm not saying the Broncos are the best team in the league, but if the best team in the league played the Giants, Jags, and Jets, the results would probably be about the same.  >10:00 TOP advantage in all three games, 2 turnovers vs 5 takeways, 2 non-garbage time TD's allowed over three games, and a league leading point differential.

 
If the Broncos lose to WTF this week...then Paton absolutely needs to blow this team up before the trade deadline and start from scratch (once again).

That means firing Fangio, benching Bridgewater to see what Lock has before the draft, trading Von, and trading all marketable veteran CB's (other than PS II of course). Maybe Patrick as well.

 
Stoneworker said:
If the Broncos lose to WTF this week...then Paton absolutely needs to blow this team up before the trade deadline and start from scratch (once again).

That means firing Fangio, benching Bridgewater to see what Lock has before the draft, trading Von, and trading all marketable veteran CB's (other than PS II of course). Maybe Patrick as well.
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If the Bronco D is healthy, they should beat WFT easily.  Don’t follow the Broncos closely but believe they have been thin at LB.  

 
Von Miller to LA Rams for 2 2nd day picks and DEN picking up $9 million of his $9.7 million contract...according to Schefter.

 
BroncoFreak_2K3 said:
Von Miller to LA Rams for 2 2nd day picks and DEN picking up $9 million of his $9.7 million contract...according to Schefter.
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not 100% sure but Von was scheduled to make $18 mil this year give or take.....so the Broncos have already paid half of that.....are you saying they are also going to pay part of the approximate $9 mil that is left...?

 
Smart move by Denver. I still think they make a deep playoff run if they can get a solid qb and there will be options in the offseason (Aaron Rodgers, DeShaun Watson, Russell Wilson). 
 

 
Stinkin Ref said:
not 100% sure but Von was scheduled to make $18 mil this year give or take.....so the Broncos have already paid half of that.....are you saying they are also going to pay part of the approximate $9 mil that is left...?
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yea, according to what I've heard on the radio, they're paying $9 million of his remaining salary ($9.7 million).

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

As part of the trade, the Broncos are paying $9 million of Von Miller’s remaining $9.7 million salary, per sources.

 
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BroncoFreak_2K3 said:
yea, according to what I've heard on the radio, they're paying $9 million of his remaining salary ($9.7 million).

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

As part of the trade, the Broncos are paying $9 million of Von Miller’s remaining $9.7 million salary, per sources.
Click to expand...
oh my....I knew some eye brows were raised when they agreed to pay him his entire salary this year.....now not only are they doing that but they are paying him to play for somebody else....probably wasn't a great decision as it urns out....but maybe the two picks will be worth it in the long run....

 
Stinkin Ref said:
oh my....I knew some eye brows were raised when they agreed to pay him his entire salary this year.....now not only are they doing that but they are paying him to play for somebody else....probably wasn't a great decision as it urns out....but maybe the two picks will be worth it in the long run....
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Yup.  $18 mil in cap space for one season is no biggie.  Adding multiple day 2 draft picks is very nice.

Von Miller is a future Hall of Famer and will go down in Broncos history.  It was a no brainer to bring him back.

 
Stoneworker said:
If the Broncos lose to WTF this week...then Paton absolutely needs to blow this team up before the trade deadline and start from scratch (once again).

That means firing Fangio, benching Bridgewater to see what Lock has before the draft, trading Von, and trading all marketable veteran CB's (other than PS II of course). Maybe Patrick as well.
Click to expand...
Broncos didn't lose but they didn't play well enough to keep the rebuild from starting, IMO.  Had they blown the doors off of WFT, I think they keep Von.

 
As sad as it makes me to see him go, this team isn't going anywhere--with or without Miller. Denver will be lucky to win 1 maybe 2 more games this year. The defense has potential, but the injuries are just killing them. The offense is a train wreck and a lot of that blame lands squarely on the shoulders of Shurmur. 

I am glad Denver got something in return for Von. Additionally,  I am happy he is going to a good team with hopefully another shot at a ring. 

 
moleculo said:
Broncos didn't lose but they didn't play well enough to keep the rebuild from starting, IMO.  Had they blown the doors off of WFT, I think they keep Von.
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Yep. Makes all the sense in the world now to also deal Gordon and maybe 1-2 CB's. Fangio a dead man walking.

 
Well, I figured Denver was going to lose this game big time--I am shocked.

The run game was amazing. Teddy got the long ball going. Defense played out of their minds. Special teams stunk as usual. This was an impressive win. I have not seen an update on Tim Patrick yet--it looked like some kind of high ankle sprain. 

Now with two home games upcoming--who knows where this team ends up?

 
Bridgewater needs to be cut immediately. This team isn't going anywhere this year with that coach or that QB, so might as cut bait on the quitter (QB) now and move on.  

 
Ghost Rider said:
Bridgewater needs to be cut immediately. This team isn't going anywhere this year with that coach or that QB, so might as cut bait on the quitter (QB) now and move on.  
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Teddy's business decision not to even attempt to tackle Slay on the fumble return was interesting to say the least.

 
Ghost Rider said:
Bridgewater needs to be cut immediately. This team isn't going anywhere this year with that coach or that QB, so might as cut bait on the quitter (QB) now and move on.  
Click to expand...


Or benched at the very least. This is a problem with a stick figure QB... he knew if he tried to make a tackle he's getting injured... but at least get in the dude's way enroute to the end zone to give the football players a chance to tackle him.

 
Dizzy said:
Or benched at the very least. This is a problem with a stick figure QB... he knew if he tried to make a tackle he's getting injured... but at least get in the dude's way enroute to the end zone to give the football players a chance to tackle him.
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Exactly.  His "apology" yesterday to the media was embarrassing for two reasons.  1) it took the coaches and his teammates to call him out for him to realize he had blown it, and 2) he almost smiled/laughed several times when explaining himself, which I took as if he thinks the whole thing is a joke and he doesn't think he did anything wrong.  Can't win consistently with a guy like that at QB.  This organization should be embarrassed with itself for not cutting ties with him. Amazing how far the Denver Broncos brand has fallen since winning the Super Bowl six years ago.  

 
Did anyone really believe Teddy was the long term answer? I mean this is disappointing, but a small wrinkle in what will be this off season at QB in Denver. There will be another vet in the huddle, the question is who. 

 
bro1ncos said:
Did anyone really believe Teddy was the long term answer? I mean this is disappointing, but a small wrinkle in what will be this off season at QB in Denver. There will be another vet in the huddle, the question is who. 
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I imagine Rodgers or Wilson are under center next year. Elway is tired of the carousel. 

 
Ghost Rider said:
Bridgewater needs to be cut immediately. This team isn't going anywhere this year with that coach or that QB, so might as cut bait on the quitter (QB) now and move on.  
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I can’t imagine that lack of effort in such a critical situation went over well in the locker room. While we’re at it get rid of George Payton for not taking Justin Fields.

 
bro1ncos said:
Did anyone really believe Teddy was the long term answer? I mean this is disappointing, but a small wrinkle in what will be this off season at QB in Denver. There will be another vet in the huddle, the question is who. 
Click to expand...
No!
 

This season has gone exactly how I expected with Teddy. Very average and boring. Imagine how much more exiting things would be with Fields. Now we may or may not get Rodgers and we are going to have to pay dearly for him if we do. He may decide to quit after year one. 
 

 
Mongidig said:
No!
 

This season has gone exactly how I expected with Teddy. Very average and boring. Imagine how much more exiting things would be with Fields. Now we may or may not get Rodgers and we are going to have to pay dearly for him if we do. He may decide to quit after year one. 
 
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I'm still not a Fields fan so I am glad we passed. Especially with our current coaching staff. No way Shurmur has the adaptability for a QB like that. 

 
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