Gridiron Experts has had great feedback from our Writers Wanted page. Many die hard fans are looking forward to contributing articles for the upcoming season, none better than David East, writer for Broncotalk.net, a hardcore fan site for the Denver Broncos. Seeing how this Cutler/McDaniel’s nightmare is the talk of the off-season, Gridiron Experts figured who better to get an opinion from than a guy who not only follows the Broncos but also writes about them.

Through The Eyes Of A Bronco Fan


Question 1: Do Bronco fans really believe the rift between McDaniel’s and Cutler can be mended? Or is it now a matter of trying to figure out who to get in to replace him?
- The “McJayGate” strife going on in Denver done nothing short but confuse the minds of bronco fans. From what I’ve seen and been told the main consensus is starting to form around the battle coming to a peaceful end. The recent NFLN interview with Josh McDaniels has brought a lot of hope and clarity. Before the interview there was a lot of blame to be passed around but bronco fans were in two different camps, either defending McDaniels or Cutler. Now it’s clear the ball is in Cutler’s court, he has to begin working with McDaniels, who was adamant in the interview about Cutler being “our quarterback.”

If Cutler really wants nothing to do with Denver anymore and continues to pout with the intention of a massive payday there seems to be only one popular option. The Jets, Browns, and Broncos will collaborate to land Cutler in New York, Brady Quinn and draft picks in Denver, and draft picks in Cleveland. The Jets have already expressed interest and Eric Mangini has expressed no interest in Quinn.


Question 2:
With Rumors of Tony Scheffler also on the way out, and with the Broncos signing more players than any other team in free agency, is this team quietly being re-rebuilt and in for a long season?

- Honestly, I will be surprised if Tony Scheffler is a Bronco come this fall. Scheffler really has no defined role in the spread offense. If history means anything the offense will draw strong comparisons to New England’s. Brandon Marshall will play the Randy Moss role, Eddie Royal will play the Wes Welker slot spot, and Jabar Gaffney will be Jabar Gaffney. The run game isn’t much different either.

Peyton Hillis will find himself with 100 yard receiving more than rushing much like Kevin Faulk. Lamont Jordan, Correll Buckhaulter, and the slew of Denver backs will be like the randoms in New England’s backfield that generated the 6th best run game in the NFL.

Denver has one of the hardest schedules if not the hardest schedule next season. Playing recent Super Bowl winning teams such as the Giants, Patriots, and Steelers will be no easy task. Denver is also up against the whole NFC East, the Colts, and Ravens. However if the switch to the 3-4 moves smoothly and quarterback isn’t a problem things should look bright for Denver. For a playoff run the defensive line will have to be shored up. Denver has fine 3-4 defensive ends in Marcus Thomas, Kenny Peterson (who played on the same high school team as McDaniels), and super rookie Carlton Powell has shown a lot of promise.


Nose Tackle and rush linebacker is the real concern. There is no prominent NT or experienced rush linebacker on the roster. Elvis Dumervil has always had a knack at getting to the passer but he hasn’t played outside linebacker. Jarvis Moss could prove he’s not a bust in this system, with his speed and size he could finally live up to his 17th overall pick. If these players can put pressure on the passer Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, and Andre Goodman will be able to do what their good at… generate turnovers. This team will only benefit from the leadership and fire of Brian Dawkins as well. Denver also contains an abundance of draft picks so expect a lot to be done in late April.

There’s still a laundry list of needs in Denver, so it will be a great accomplishment if McDaniels can lift this declining franchise to the playoffs.


Question 3:
Who is the one player on the Broncos squad that no one talks about, but should? In other words, who’s your sleeper player?

- I could be ballsy and say Jarvis Moss, but I’m going to bank on his college teammate Marcus Thomas. Thomas has always been a great prospect, if it wasn’t for his dismissal from Florida he would have possibly been a top 10 pick. Every year Thomas goes underutilized and this is mainly due to the systems he’s played in. Jim Bates and Bob Slowik’s schemes were just terrible. Mike Nolan has had great success with his schemes as a defensive coordinator and Thomas would have a Chris Canty effect on this schemes three man front. It will be Thomas’ job to eat up blockers to cause provide the rush for Dumervil, Moss, and occasionally Brian Dawkins. Thomas is 6’3 and 305 pounds and can do a backflip, and at 23 his future looks bright.

Check out more of David East’s articles at Broncotalk.net. If you would like to be a writer for Gridiron Experts, click on Writers Wanted