RAY TRAINS IN UNUSUAL WAYS
Second-year outside linebacker Shane Ray has been hard at work during the offseason in his bid to make a difference and gain more playing time.
Radio provides a platform for my blabbering. I enjoy talking sports. And I love arguing. Sitting across from college friend Charles Johnson last week created an ideal intersection to discuss the Broncos.
Johnson, guest hosting on 104.3 The Fan, introduced the topic: Do the Broncos have more questions than they did this time last year?
He said yes. I said no. Next topic. OK, not exactly.
Johnson mentioned the uncertainties on offense and the challenges of replacing linebacker Danny Trevathan and defensive end Malik Jackson. Johnson didn’t predict doom, as some have forecasted, but expressed concern.
My response: The Broncos face fewer questions, but one overriding issue hangs over them like an Acme anvil in a Roadrunner cartoon: Who is the quarterback? Not knowing who or how the quarterback will play overwhelms any discussion about the Broncos.
The Broncos mocked conventional wisdom last season, winning the Super Bowl with an abysmal passing game (23 interceptions, 19 touchdown passes). A historically great defense with sticky hands and playmakers functioned as Adobe photoshop for blemishes, scoring six touchdowns. I have no doubt the Denver defense will be terrific again, but it’s unfair to expect the group to reach the end zone on a regular basis. The Broncos were 6-0 when the Orange Rush scored, tied for tops in the NFL. The average record of playoff teams when the defense scored? Try 3-1. This points to a regression to the mean from worse luck if nothing else.
Which brings us back to the questions: They start with the starting quarterback. They were there last year, of course. But it was whether Peyton Manning could fit in coach Gary Kubiak’s offense (in hindsight, no). Manning’s résumé inspired confidence. The back of Mark Sanchez’s football card invites skepticism.
Can Sanchez throw 24 touchdown passes with 12 to 14 interceptions, experiencing a career-best season in an offense he first ran at USC? Will rookie Paxton Lynch beat him out or replace him during the season? If that happens, something has gone wrong. It means Sanchez has endured an awful preseason — that’s hard to do, given the vanilla defenses faced — and Lynch is a star burst (my humble suggestion is that Lynch could help microwave his learning curve by attending the Manning Passing Academy).
A worse scenario for the Broncos? Lynch supplants Sanchez during the season as Jay Cutler did with Jake Plummer with the Broncos in danger of missing the postseason.
The Broncos won a Super Bowl title using two quarterbacks last season. History screams they should not repeat this blueprint if they want to repeat.
Unlike Charles Johnson, I have zero concerns about the defense. The Broncos will miss Jackson. They need Derek Wolfe to play like a star for 16 games, something entirely possible, and for defensive end Jared Crick to be serviceable. Todd Davis has the skills to take over for Trevathan, who was a two-down player until late in the season. Davis won’t be Trevathan, but he should be solid.
The Broncos’ questions are on offense. Will the rebuilt line, better on paper, mesh with tackles Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson? Can wide receiver Demaryius Thomas return to stardom without the distraction of the franchise tag? Is tailback C.J. Anderson ready to be a bell cow? Will any of the tight ends — Jeff Heuerman, Virgil Green or Garrett Graham — become a red-zone weapon?
The Broncos forged an identity as grinders last season. They excelled at winning close games. They possess a fang-bearing, nasty defense. The questions about this team are fewer but still no less real. Can the offense pull its weight, creating a championship-caliber team built on brute and balance?
C.J., my man, that is the question. Singular. Not plural.