Numbers show Williams is worthy to keep

By Ryan Ebert | Ryan@nflen.com

Is D.J. Williams really worth it to have him be released?  Sure he has been arrested for multiple issues he's had and tweeted a photo of the team's playbook, but according to stats shown by Pro Football Focus he's been one of the most productive linebackers since 2009.  

 From 2009 to 2011 he's had 304 tackles (tenth most in the NFL) and is the eleventh best tackling linebacker throughout the entire NFL.  When pass rushing Williams has a total of 43 total pressure (eighth best among linebackers) on the quarterback (total pressure includes hits, hurries, and sacks).

According to a recent poll Bronco fans would rather have a lineup at linebacker that would include Miller/Mays/Woodyard and have Williams off the team.  I think fans are overreacting to what Williams has done and are forgetting how much impact he makes on the defense.  The Denver Broncos organization is sure to look at the videos and numbers Williams has notched and will value what he's done for the franchise and keep him.

Personally I'd keep him as long as he wants to play.  Williams is a veteran that is savvy and can play every linebacker spot.  It's hard to replace some of his talents especially with someone not as experienced as the nine veteran.  I hope the former first round draft pick continues to play well in Denver and (being optimistic) stay out of trouble.

Fox shrugs off Williams tweet of playbook

by Ryan Ebert

Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams is not facing much criticism for his tweeting of six plays from the Broncos defensive playbook.

Head coach John Fox shrugs it off as if it was a mistake.

"Yeah, we've addressed that," the coach said. "You know, I think our players do a terrific job with the social media. You know, you're not going to get through a whole season, I think, unscathed, but the world has gotten smaller. But I think, all in all, our guys do a great job."

Fox would keep saying that this sort of thing is always going to happen...when in reality they really aren't.

"All in all, I think our guys do a great job keeping our fans informed, and you know, you're going to have a couple mishaps, and we just move on."

The six plays Williams revealed were from "Pro Near I", Z Motion to Far I", and U3 to Trips Slot".  Fax was asked if if Williams' revealing of the plays will take the defense back a bit.

"Not that much," Fox said with a laugh.

While fans may not like at all what D.J. Williams has done, and some even wanting him gone, this case shouldn't be used against him.

5 things Broncos need to do to stay competitive for the future

by Ryan Ebert

Peyton Manning (if healthy) does give Denver security for the duration he's signed, but what about the time he retires and leaves the Broncos?  What do the Broncos need to be successful in the future?  Here's a list of five positions that the team needs to address in order to have a successful franchise in the next few decades or so.

#1 Quarterback

The Broncos have Peyton Manning signed up for five years, yet he may not play that long.  Second-round draft pick Brock Osweiler is intelligent about the game and had a good year his junior season at Arizona St., but there is a big transition between college and the NFL.  He is 6'7", and quarterbacks with the height of 6'6" and taller don't have a good history in the NFL.  Only two quarterbacks at the height of 6'6" has had success and they are Joe Flacco and Cam Newton.

Caleb Hanie is a career backup after what he has shown the football world last season when he couldn't bring Chicago a win and into the playoffs until it was too late in Week 17 in a 17-13 win over the Vikings at Minnesota.  Adam Weber from Minnesota hasn't shown much and likely won't get on the field with Osweiler ,Denver's hope for the future, stepping in the way.

 I think the Broncos need to draft someone who had consistent success in college (Osweiler only had one year of brilliance at Arizona St.) and a quarterback that looks promising.

#2 Cornerback

Champ Bailey only has three years left on his current extension, and Tracy Porter has only signed on for one year.  Some people say Champ should play safety in his later years, but he doesn't want to play there.  No telling if Bailey will sign on again after the extension is over, but he does want to stay in Denver and get a ring in Denver.

The other cornerbacks on the Broncos roster I don't see as future starters in the league.  Chris Harris (undrafted out of Kansas) is improving, but so far he looks like a nickel corner.  Syd'Quan Thompson ,entering his third year from Cal, can pack a punch, but I think he can be a #2 corner at best.  Newly signed Drayton Florence is a ten year vet.

Rookie Omar Bolden can make noise in the return game.  In addition, he may have been a steal in the fourth round since he was rated as high as the second-round, but hurt his value with a knee injury.  Bolden is not as fast as Bailey, but does run a 4.5 40 yard dash and has great agility.  He may be Denver's best chance to replace Bailey in the long run, but we still need to see him play and hope he progresses fast.

#3 Safety

The Broncos secondary always has done better with a solid starter at safety.  In the years as of recent, John Lynch and Brian Dawkins have commanded and aligned the players from their position helping Champ lead the defense on the outside.  For a short time Mike Adams ,going into his ninth season coming over from Cleveland, will do his best to lead the group of young safeties including second-year players Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter and fourth-year player David Bruton.  There needs to be leadership from this position to keep the Broncos defense intact and on the same page.

Rahim Moore ,from UCLA, was the highest ranked safety in the 2011 draft, but failed to live up to expectations.  With this offseason he has a chance to get better acquainted with the Broncos playbook and be the ball-hawking safety he is expected to be.  Quinton Carter, out of Oklahoma,  replaced Moore and performed better and even had two interceptions in the playoffs.  Moore has been put back as the starting safety in OTAs and camp, and here's hoping he turns into that leader the Broncos will need in the future.

#4 Defensive Tackle

This year the Broncos have a solid unit with Ty Warren, Kevin Vickerson, Justin Bannan, Mitch Unrein, and rookie Derek Wolfe from Cincinnati.  Yet the problem is that Warren, Vickerson, and Bannan are all twenty-nine years of age and older.

Derek Wolfe, Ben Garland, and fifth-rounder Malik Jackson out of Tennessee bring youth to the line, but we have yet to see them play and need to know if they will be stud or bust.  Both Wolfe and Jackson are versatile in that they can play defensive end, bringing more value to their name.  Wolfe will sometimes be moved to the outside of the line in Denver's nickel package with Robert Ayers on the inside to create more pressure on the quarterback.

But the Broncos need to improve their run defense which has been sad in recent years.  In 2010 the run defense was ranked thirty-first in the league allowing 154.6 yards per game, and in 2011 the Broncos run defense allowed 126.3 yards per game and was ranked at twenty-second in the league.  For quite some time now the Broncos have been a team that opposing teams have been able to run over controlling the tempo of the game, and taking time off the clock preventing Denver's offense from scoring any points.

Fans got what they wanted when Denver drafted a defensive tackle in Derek Wolfe with their first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, but I believe Denver will be needing to draft a few more defensive tackles in the early rounds in the coming years.

#5 Linebacker

Not all that important, but the Broncos do not have good depth behind their starters.  Von Miller is mainly going after the quarterback all the time, so he's basically another defensive end.  Joe Mays is a solid player, but knocks I have on him is that he is short for a linebacker at 5'11" and is not all that fast. Though Mays is their is their strongest linebacker.  They really only have one quality backup in Wesley Woodyard.

D.J. Williams is the one Bronco facing the most problems just about every year.  With all he's done in his eight years as a Bronco, the savvy veteran has been charged with DUI, violated the NFL's policy of performance-enhancing substances, and most recently he has tweeted pics that were of the Broncos playbook.  Williams may file a lawsuit, and he may do well considering the success baseball star Ryan Braun had.  He has gotten many Bronco fans upset and wanting to see him be cut by the team.  Plus he is facing a six-game suspension for taking the performance-enhancing drugs, leaving Denver even thinner at linebacker during that time.  Wesley Woodyard will be replacing Williams at the weak side linebacker spot, and if seventh-round pick Danny Trevathan (Kentucky) makes the 53-man roster, he doesn't have experience in the NFL.  Williams needs to stay out of trouble.  He is a good linebacker that contributes well on the field and makes an impact.

In the coming years I would like to see the Broncos draft a few linebackers that can give Denver depth like Mario Haggan was for the team in his few seasons with the team.  Bringing Jason Hunter back to linebacker would create more depth.  Other than Miller, Mays, and Williams the Broncos need to find players to help them out at the position.


The Broncos I believe addressed many of their problems on the offensive side drafting center Philip Blake from Baylor, signing tight ends Joel Dreessen and Jacob Tamme, and signing wide receivers Andre Caldwell and Jason Hill.  Could still use some help on the interior of the offensive line, but I believe they are happy with who they have right now.


What do you think?   Do the Broncos need help in other areas?  Leave a comment and state your opinion!

Broncos acquire good talent late in draft

by Ryan Ebert

The Broncos looked to have done well in the Draft bringing in players to give depth and versatility to many positions.  Denver may have also gotten a few steals in this year's Draft.

The first player taken on Saturday in the fourth round 101 overall was Arizona State's Omar Bolden.  A cornerback that stands at 5'10" and 202 lbs.  He brings good speed running a 4.5 40 and has great agility.  He also brings value as a kick returner along with his great coverage skills, he brought two kicks for touchdowns in his career at ASU.  He will most likely be replacing Eddie Royal who left in the offseason to the Chargers.  He was rated as high as the second round, but had an injury to his knee that kept him out of 2011 season which hurt his value.  Many are hoping that he can be the successor to Champ Bailey.  He will rejoin quarterback Brock Osweiler in Denver who was also from Arizona State.

At No. 108 in the fourth round in the Draft Denver selected Baylor's center Philip Blake  Blake brings versatility to the offensive line as before he played center he was a guard when his teammate J.D. Walton was playing center.  He also has a little experience at playing right tackle.  Blake was an All-American selection in 2011 and a first-team All-Big 12 choice.  In 2010 he was an honorable mention All-Big 12 choice.  Blake is 6'3" and weighs in at 311 lbs. and benched 22 times at the NFL Combine.

In the fifth round at No. 137 the Broncos picked up defensive end Malik Jackson from Tennessee.  Jackson , a transfer from USC, posted 104 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 1 pick, 6 deflections, and a fumble recovery in two years with the Volunteers.  He's a player that can play inside and outside on the defensive line, and adds youth to the defensive line.  He stands at 6'5", 270 lbs.  He will join former Volunteers Britton Colquitt and Peyton Manning. In 2010 Jackson earned 2010 AP All-SEC second team honoree, and in 2011 earned All-SEC First-Team by the media and All-SEC Second-Team by the coaches.

The final player drafted by Denver in the sixth round at No. 188 is linebacker Danny Trevathan from Kentucky.  In 2011 Trevathan led the Wildcats in tackles with 143 along with 11.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 4 interceptions, 9 pass deflections, and 5 forced fumbles in his senior season.  He is a 6'1", 232 lbs. linebacker that was an AP First-Team All-SEC player in 2011.  He will bring depth to the linebacker corps of Denver that has D.J. Williams facing a six-game suspension, and doesn't have much talent behind their starters.  Trevathan will join his former teammate Wesley Woodyard that plays the same position as Williams.

Overall, this draft class for the Broncos filled many needs.  They get a cornerback who can take the responsibility of returning kicks.  A versatile offensive lineman who plays all three inside positions well.  They get a defensive lineman who can play either defensive tackle or defensive end, and can bring pressure on the quarterback.  Then last but not least Denver has a linebacker that could play early and often with D.J. Williams facing his suspension.  John Elway, John Fox, and Brian Xanders did a nice job in their second draft together.