All of that has something to do with the questions that the Denver Broncos must answer as they ready themselves to make the best use of 10 draft selections. Mostly, the names that wear the jerseys- or the ones that select them for that matter- are part of an ever moving turnstile of people. Sooner or later, we will tire of Elway and we will hope that the organization is ready to find the next best name to replace him when that day comes along. His name and every name will always be insignificant compared to the name that's is emblazoned on the front of the jersey.
WHO ARE THE DENVER BRONCOS?!!
What perpetually haunts the Broncos, and every team working to fix the flaws that kept them from winning it all last year, is the reality that every single team in the NFL runs some variation of the EXACT SAME PLAYS, they just disguise the formation and name them something different so as to confuse the opposing defense each week.
In other words, unless you confuse, confound and overcome the opposing defense in an NFL game, defense still reigns supreme. The defense has reigned supreme since the day the game was created, and few teams without Tom Brady and/or some semblance of a defense have ever finished the season as the one on top. In fact, most teams will always be known for one side of the ball or the other, and usually, it is the team that makes the last defensive stop that will win the Superbowl.
When Manning first arrived in Denver, a team with a defense good enough to win a playoff game with Tim Tebow at the helm was suddenly scapegoated into being the problem as Manning lit up the skies trying to win it all from the wrong side of the ball. Not only did it not work, eventually the Broncos went back towards fortifying that Tebow flattering defense and climbed to the top of the mountain while simultaneously exhibiting some of the ugliest offense in team history.
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| There!! McCaffrey in a Broncos uniform. Now get the heck over it because he'll be gone Broncos fans. |
You simply can't keep a good defense good without keeping them rested as well. That calls for ball control, wise play calling and a willingness to punt the ball away instead of taking needless chances that result in turnovers, field-position and points for the other team.
As much as each of us Broncos fans would love to see Christian McCaffrey in a Denver Broncos uniform, he is a luxury pick that would ignore the needs at linebacker- needs that were exposed by Kyle Shanahan and the Atlanta Falcons and later exploited by every team that followed. Selecting McCaffrey potentially neglects the struggles of the offensive line as well, but I'm not sure I would reach into the first round to try and fix that flaw.
From my perspective, the issue at linebacker is real while the issues from the O-line are a little tainted by a few seasons of unspectacular play at quarterback caused by the desperate desire to be spectacular at quarterback as a compliment to our dominating on defense. In other words, the Broncos have pressed way too hard to not be normal on offense while missing the value of normal as it relates to ball control, Time Of Possession and the freshness of our Pro Bowl laden defense. If the Broncos had always shown a stronger commitment towards using the run game, they would already be well advanced at recognizing and beating teams that load up the box to stop the run.
Flashy or Gritty?
As it stands, we have two receivers fighting to be the leader of a team that doesn't really have one right now. Their mere ability to vie for team leadership speaks to the black hole at quarterback and the unwillingness to unequivocally hand that duty over to Von Miller, Aqib Talib and the defense. Any aggressive move to get McCaffrey (or an offensive lineman for that matter) is a sign that says the Broncos are hoping to increase point production and not simply lengthen TOP, Time Of Possession while minimizing turnovers, aka., normal offense.
Critics of the team fail to see that this current offensive line came one game and two inexperienced quarterbacks away from returning to the playoffs last year. Not that the team looked to be a threat even if they had made it in, but the defense is and always will be something that gives Denver a chance to win every game. Unless of course, we fail to draft quality players to compete against the current Pro Bowl players who eventually become too pricey to keep around.
If Denver drafts McCaffrey, he instantly becomes the luxury item that might get overly used simply to justify the reach they must make to draft him. McCaffrey would be marked by other teams as a result of the Broncos desire to justify their selection of him, and he will be instantly forced into a position of pressure not really fair to someone who's father did so much while wearing Orange and Blue.
While I am not that worried about Christian's ability to live up to the hype of his promise, I am concerned about unreasonable draft behavior and that the Broncos and fans might be abandoning the reason for our recent championship for the sake of one player, a player who would never be so desperately desired by Denver fans if his last name were Edwards or Jones.
Nearly every reason that folks in Denver want "The Name" McCaffrey in a Broncos uniform again is selfish and self-serving to the point of concern for me. Whether we look for "some more juice" to our offense as new head coach, Vance Joseph, promised, or we trust the juice we already have (C.J. Anderson and those receivers) to play in a juicier manner, this team needs to understand its identity, and ours is defense. Chasing for the juice has a real potential of getting messy quick.
