Status Check is FanHouse's conversation with fans from the rest of the blogosphere. Every week during the NFL season we'll be focusing on a big rivalry. Today, it's the Broncos, who face the Super Bowl Champ Colts this weekend. The Sports Guru, the guy behind Mile High Report, answers a few questions.
FanHouse: Jay Cutler enters his first full season as Denver's starting quarterback. For the most part, he's played well, but has had a few "what the... ?" moments. Did you have any reservations about Mike Shanahan giving him the reins as a rookie? Any part of his game concern you now?
MHR: Absolutely not!! No doubt he has made some throws that make me want to pull my hair out but you can tell the kid has IT. All young quarterbacks go through the growing pains of becoming a starting quarterback in the NFL and one need look no further than across the field this Sunday for proof. The Broncos were not going anywhere last season, even at 7-4 under Jake Plummer. Jake simply didn't love the game as much as you have to be in the upper echelon.
I think Shanahan realized after the AFC Championship game loss to Pittsburgh that he needed to go another direction because Jake was just aloof enough to up and retire at any moment. Jay, on the other hand, lives and breathes football. He is a student of the game and football is the #1 thing in his life. That just wasn't the case for Plummer, and while that may work in Arizona, It doesn't in the building that Elway built. While there have been growing pains, Cutler has started 8 games and already lead 5 come-from-behind drives in the 4th quarter to win or tie a game. I'll take that kind of success anytime.
FanHouse: Hardcore football fans (and now, fantasy geeks) know Brandon Marshall, but casual observers (outside of Denver, anyway) have probably never heard of him. Which little-known Broncos player should people look for Sunday?
MHR: Marshall is a good bet. They call him 'Baby T.O' and for good reason. The guy is a physical specimen and has the softest hands I have seen. What's so exciting about Marshall is his incredible up-side. Right now the kid is doing it all with physical ability. Once he gets the nuances of playing receiver in the NFL down he might be close to unstoppable. Maybe better yet, the kid loves to block downfield, a must in a Mike Shanahan offense, and seems to enjoy laying the wood on someone almost as much as making a big catch.
If you are looking for someone else, remember the name Selvin Young. Young was undrafted out of the University of Texas yet made the team as the #2 back behind Travis Henry. His style fits the Broncos perfectly and Shanny has made sure to get him touches during the game. He will be someone to keep an eye on.
FanHouse: Denver has long been known for their zone-blocking scheme. It's allowed just about everybody -- from Terrell Davis to Olandis Gary to Reuben Droughns -- to rush for 1,000 yards. Through three games, Travis Henry is averaging 5.0 per rush. Do you think the Broncos should've doled out all that cash for Henry, or could that money have been better spent elsewhere?
MHR: The Broncos tried the two-back system, and while they had some success the team needed to find a guy to give the ball to 25 times per game and be done with it. Henry fits that mold and should easily rush for 1500+ yards. That is really what the Broncos were missing. After the Portis trade the Broncos looked valiantly to find that "elite" running back but could not. We both know 1000 yards isn't nearly what it used to be. For me, 1400 yards is the standard by which to judge the success of a season. If Henry can stay healthy he should be able to hit that number and then some.
FanHouse: Putting aside this rivalry for a moment, if you could have one Colts player on the Broncos, who would it be?
MHR:The easy answer would be to pick someone from the offense, but I'll go a different direction. Bob Sanders, in my opinion, is what makes that defense tick, and might be the main reason the Colts won the Super Bowl last season. Sanders is a wrecking ball and always seems to make a big play, get a big hit, force a key turnover, right at the perfect time to save the Colts. What Peyton Manning means to that offense, Sanders means to the defense. I really believe he is that important. Like Mike Brown in Chicago, when Sanders is out of the lineup the Colts' D isn't nearly as formidable and they don't seem to play with the same level of confidence. Sanders would look awesome with a horse on his helmet!
FanHouse: What do the Broncos have to do win this game?
MHR: Control the clock, plain and simple. A few years ago, the Broncos went to Indy on a Sunday Night and held the ball for over 40 minutes. That's the way to beat Manning. It is also important for the Broncos to somehow get a lead. That, in and of itself, won't guarantee you anything as the Broncos led by double-digits last season only to see the Colts come back and win. The running game needs to be at its best and the defense needs to force a couple turnovers. The Broncos have yet to play a solid 60 minutes and I am looking forward to how they come out in this one, that's for.
Many thanks to Sports Guru for the insight.
