Broncos on the Eve of Something
Ready or not, the new NFL season is here. Broncos Country is about to find out if the most recent overhaul of the roster will be enough to return the team to winning ways.
Led by the cast-away quarterback, Case Keenum and a fascinating draft class, Denver will face off against former AFC West division rivals and their Super Bowl XLVIII oppressors, the Seattle Seahawks.
Most fans and local media members are attempting to temper their excitement as no one really knows if all of the changes made in the off-season can move the Broncos in a more competitive direction. Even the Vegas oddsmakers are shrugging their collective shoulders for the opening contest. The line opened with both teams as even, save for a slight home field advantage with game hosted here in Denver.
I made the trek to Dove Valley during training camp and I learned a few things by watching from the grassy knoll overlooking the team practicing under the summer sun. The first thing I noticed was that a number of grumpy old NFL veterans are right -- training camp ain't nothing like it used to be. Gone are the grinding hours of two-a-days in full pads, endless banging on blocking sleds, slamming into each other and running sprints until people lose their proverbial lunches.
Players had a full week or so before pads, and then not quite full pads, and then not quite full contact for another week where "no one goes to ground" in order to keep the crew healthy for the fall. No wonder the first NFL Thursday contest of the season was an absolute snooze fest, buried in penalty flags and missed opportunities.
Of course, with concerns with concussions and player safety, it does make sense. They do need to find ways to protect the players. But it is changing the game. Maybe flag football will find a way to be entertaining too.
Another thing I learned was the wide receiver position is as deep as I've ever seen it. Tim Patrick, listed third on the depth chart looked like Jerry Rice, with several jaw dropping efforts to get open and catch the ball. Of course, with the lack of contact, everyone looked like a Hall of Fame pass catcher at some point. And yes, the rookie wide outs look great. Courtland Sutton and DaeShawn Hamilton look sharp already and are great complements to veterans who have had to wait two years for someone with some swagger to throw them the football.
That's not a purposeful slam against the young quarterbacks who vacated the city over the last year. The fact is, they were overwhelmed and tossed into deep waters before they were ready. To say Trevor Siemian is the next Gary Kubiak is actually a very nice way to go in a crowded field of signal callers. There is no shame in being a smart back-up who can jump in with some competence. Trevor didn't look that weird in purple, as he went to school at Northwestern. I wish him well backing up the overrated Kirk Cousins, who is in the unfortunate Super Bowl or bust spot up in Minnesota.
Which brings us back to the current leader of the Broncos, one Case Keenum.
Keenum lines up with his fourth team since entering the NFL in 2013 as an un-drafted free agent out of the University of Houston. He remains the all-time FBS passing leader in all time yards, nearly 20,000 of them in his collegiate career. And yet he was un-drafted. Last year, he led the Vikings to the NFC title game. And yet, he was cast-away into free agency once again.
Can Case be the guy to turn this ship around after only five wins a year ago?
Maybe.
The two-year contract is telling.
It is telling us Elway sure hopes that Keenum proves him right about being able to stop the bleeding at the most important position on the team.
The eye test is telling as well.
Keenum is smart, fearless and relentless, and yet, he doesn't have the patented rocket arm. Timing, accuracy and grit can win some games. He has plenty of quality targets to throw to, keep an extra eye on our tight ends this season -- he finds them a lot in his career. The horrible offensive line looks mildy improved, but not quite ready for the big stage. There will be breakdowns, and Case isn't a big guy. Fans may see the untested but fun to watch Chad Kelly and the newest kid in town, Kevin Hogan. He's a former Stanford quarterback, and likely very happy to have escaped Cleveland, a unique NFL quarterback purgatory all its own.
Keenum could be the guy that helps Denver get back on track. And yet, no one can say for sure until we see him action in regular season, with all the pressure that is part of being a leader in this football crazy city.
Best case for Case and the orange and blue in 2018 is a 9-7 record. Perhaps a wild card spot.
New QB lines up with lots of young talent, who will experience lots of growing pains along the way. And yet, there are chances to see some fun offense for a change. We could just as easily witness an 8-8 season and if the year takes a losing turn, I think that result would spell an early end of the Vance Joseph era.
The Broncos are on the eve of something. I'm just not sure what.
And yet, we're about to find out.
Led by the cast-away quarterback, Case Keenum and a fascinating draft class, Denver will face off against former AFC West division rivals and their Super Bowl XLVIII oppressors, the Seattle Seahawks.
Most fans and local media members are attempting to temper their excitement as no one really knows if all of the changes made in the off-season can move the Broncos in a more competitive direction. Even the Vegas oddsmakers are shrugging their collective shoulders for the opening contest. The line opened with both teams as even, save for a slight home field advantage with game hosted here in Denver.
I made the trek to Dove Valley during training camp and I learned a few things by watching from the grassy knoll overlooking the team practicing under the summer sun. The first thing I noticed was that a number of grumpy old NFL veterans are right -- training camp ain't nothing like it used to be. Gone are the grinding hours of two-a-days in full pads, endless banging on blocking sleds, slamming into each other and running sprints until people lose their proverbial lunches.
Players had a full week or so before pads, and then not quite full pads, and then not quite full contact for another week where "no one goes to ground" in order to keep the crew healthy for the fall. No wonder the first NFL Thursday contest of the season was an absolute snooze fest, buried in penalty flags and missed opportunities.
Of course, with concerns with concussions and player safety, it does make sense. They do need to find ways to protect the players. But it is changing the game. Maybe flag football will find a way to be entertaining too.
Another thing I learned was the wide receiver position is as deep as I've ever seen it. Tim Patrick, listed third on the depth chart looked like Jerry Rice, with several jaw dropping efforts to get open and catch the ball. Of course, with the lack of contact, everyone looked like a Hall of Fame pass catcher at some point. And yes, the rookie wide outs look great. Courtland Sutton and DaeShawn Hamilton look sharp already and are great complements to veterans who have had to wait two years for someone with some swagger to throw them the football.
That's not a purposeful slam against the young quarterbacks who vacated the city over the last year. The fact is, they were overwhelmed and tossed into deep waters before they were ready. To say Trevor Siemian is the next Gary Kubiak is actually a very nice way to go in a crowded field of signal callers. There is no shame in being a smart back-up who can jump in with some competence. Trevor didn't look that weird in purple, as he went to school at Northwestern. I wish him well backing up the overrated Kirk Cousins, who is in the unfortunate Super Bowl or bust spot up in Minnesota.
Which brings us back to the current leader of the Broncos, one Case Keenum.
Keenum lines up with his fourth team since entering the NFL in 2013 as an un-drafted free agent out of the University of Houston. He remains the all-time FBS passing leader in all time yards, nearly 20,000 of them in his collegiate career. And yet he was un-drafted. Last year, he led the Vikings to the NFC title game. And yet, he was cast-away into free agency once again.
Can Case be the guy to turn this ship around after only five wins a year ago?
Maybe.
The two-year contract is telling.
It is telling us Elway sure hopes that Keenum proves him right about being able to stop the bleeding at the most important position on the team.
The eye test is telling as well.
Keenum is smart, fearless and relentless, and yet, he doesn't have the patented rocket arm. Timing, accuracy and grit can win some games. He has plenty of quality targets to throw to, keep an extra eye on our tight ends this season -- he finds them a lot in his career. The horrible offensive line looks mildy improved, but not quite ready for the big stage. There will be breakdowns, and Case isn't a big guy. Fans may see the untested but fun to watch Chad Kelly and the newest kid in town, Kevin Hogan. He's a former Stanford quarterback, and likely very happy to have escaped Cleveland, a unique NFL quarterback purgatory all its own.
Keenum could be the guy that helps Denver get back on track. And yet, no one can say for sure until we see him action in regular season, with all the pressure that is part of being a leader in this football crazy city.
Best case for Case and the orange and blue in 2018 is a 9-7 record. Perhaps a wild card spot.
New QB lines up with lots of young talent, who will experience lots of growing pains along the way. And yet, there are chances to see some fun offense for a change. We could just as easily witness an 8-8 season and if the year takes a losing turn, I think that result would spell an early end of the Vance Joseph era.
The Broncos are on the eve of something. I'm just not sure what.
And yet, we're about to find out.
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