Broncos Winter Mailbag

It is mid-February and the Super Bowl was over two weeks ago, and there is still a few weeks until the Combine, and about a month away from Free Agency. It is a dead time for a NFL fan, so I like to fire up the mailbag and provide a little snapshot of some of the questions that remain as we head into the end of the winter and the beginning of the offseason in the NFL. Here we go....

What is the Broncos focus at QB? Are they getting Kirk Cousins?
It is obvious that the Broncos are going to make a run at Kirk Cousins. He is their #1 choice for their next QB. The problem is that Denver probably won't be able to give him the money that teams like the Jets, Browns, or even the Vikings can give him. So, Cousins has to decide about taking more money from two perennial losing franchises (Browns and Jets), taking less to go to a better organization, tradition of winning, and a team that is a QB away from getting back into the playoff mix (Denver), or taking a little less to take a very good team over the top (Vikings). I think Denver has about as good as a shot as any of those teams to get Cousins, and many people think they are the favorites, but I have a feeling they will fall short and have to settle for Plan B at QB.

So what the hell is Plan B if we don't get Cousins?
I can see a scenario where Cousins goes to Minnesota, and the Broncos settle for Case Keenum and they select a QB with the #5 pick overall. I could also see Tyrod Taylor coming to Denver and they also select a QB with the #5 pick.

What is the fate of Emmanuel Sanders, Aqib Talib, and C.J. Anderson?
I think all three are on the trading block, but I think I could see Sanders returning-especially if they land Cousins. I think Talib could be a restructure situation, but I have a feeling he is going to get traded or released. I think there is no doubt that Anderson will be let go, and the Broncos will look into free agency or the draft for another RB.

Who should get extended before free agency gets going?
The number one move I would make is to lock up Shaq Barrett to an extension and keep him her for a long time. I know he is a restricted free agent, but I wouldn't take the chance. I would get Barrett locked up as soon as they can.

Do you think the Broncos will make a move and trade up in the draft before free agency?
It is too early to tell. You have to wait to the combine to see what will happen, but if the Broncos get a sense that they can't get Cousins and they need to go get either Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, or Baker Mayfield, they might try to see if the Giants or Colts would trade down to #5 and see if they can get into the top 3.

Lastly, how accurate were your 2017 NFL predictions?
Back in August, I made my predictions for the season. I had Denver going 7-9 and they ended up worse at 5-11. In the AFC, I correctly predicted New England, Pittsburgh, and Tennessee to make the playoffs. I had Baltimore, Cincy, and Oakland as the other three teams, and I would have had Baltimore had they not blown that game at home to Cincy in Week 17. In the NFC, I correctly predicted Philly, Carolina, and Minnesota. I missed on Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers breaking his collarbone didn't help), Tampa Bay (Severely underachieved), and Seattle (No one saw that coming). In total, I had 6 out of the 12 teams in the playoffs with my predictions. I did have Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game, and I did pick New England to make the Super Bowl and lose, but that really isn't going out on a limb.

Super Bowl LII Recap and Reaction!

The Philadelphia Eagles finally broke through their championship drought and won their first Lombardi Trophy by defeating the New England Patriots in a wild 41-33 shootout in Super Bowl LII. The game set the record for most yards ever in a NFL game! Both defenses could not contain the other offense and in the end, the Eagles held off the Pats and are now hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. The game was a very good game and fun one-especially if you like offense. Nick Foles won the MVP after another masterful performance, and Tom Brady and Bill Belichick suffer their third defeat in a Super Bowl, but not after Brady passed for a Super Bowl record 505 yards. Here is my reaction and my takeaways from the game....

1) Both offenses couldn't be stopped but I was shocked at how easy the Eagles were able to convert first downs on third down. They moved the ball at will in taking the 9-3 lead on the Foles to Alshon Jeffrey 34 yard touchdown pass, and then LaGarrette Blount broke a 21 yard TD run to make it 15-3. I don't know why Doug Pederson went for two there but in the end it didn't matter. You could feel from the beginning that the Pats had no answer for the Eagles offense.

2) The key sequence in the game and in the first half was when on a 3rd and 5 at the Philly 35 in the 2nd quarter, the Pats ran a trick play and Dannly Amendola took a reverse and threw a pass to a wide open Tom Brady, but the ball just slipped off his fingers and it was incomplete. The Pats went for it on 4th down and Brady's pass was incomplete to Rob Gronkowski and the Pats turned the ball over on downs. The Eagles came down and Blount's TD run was on the ensuing drive to make it 15-3. I had a feeling there that the Eagles weren't going away in this one.

4) The Pats got back into the game when they got a FG on the next possession to make it 15-6, and they were lucky to benefit from a tipped interception in their own end on the next possession and then Brady took them 90 yards and a James White 26 yard TD run made it 15-12 after a missed extra point by Gostkowski. Now, you knew we were in for a treat of a game.

5) Philly answered with the play of the game. After driving down to the Pats 1 yard line, they were faced with a 4th and goal. Doug Pederson, who coached a great game, decided to go for it and they ran a direct snap to the RB who pitched it to Trey Burton on a reverse and he threw it to a wide open Foles for a touchdown. It was a great trick play, and it really stuck it to the Pats and it extended the lead to 22-12 going into halftime.

6) Once the second half started it was all offense and the shootout was on. The Patriots made their adjustments and scored TDs on their first three possessions of the second half. The Eagles went touchdown, field goal, touchdown, field goal in their four possessions. Both defenses couldn't do a thing to get off the field until the end. Brady went 28-48 for 505 yards with 3 TDs and 0 Int. Foles went 28-43 for 373 yards with 3 TDs and 1 fluky INT. The Pats had 613 total yards and the Eagles had 538 total yards for a combined 1,151 yards and a NFL record. It will go down as one of the greatest offensive games of all time.

7) It was like a tennis match and someone had to break serve to win. The Pats made it 22-19 on a Brady to Gronk 5 yard pass, Philly responded with a Foles to Corey Clement 22 yard bullet to make it 29-19, Brady hit Chris Hogan for a 26 yard TD on a post route to make it 29-26, Philly got a 42 yard field goal to make it 32-26, NE finally grabbed the lead on Brady to Gronk 4 yard pass to make it 33-32 with over 9 minutes left in the game. Philly came back and Foles hit Zack Ertz with a 11 yard TD pass to make it 38-33 with the two-point conversion failing. Then, finally the Eagles strip sacked Brady on the next drive on second down and they recovered and kicked the field goal to give them an eight point lead 41-33. It was remarkable the way the two teams traded scores in the second half-in the Super Bowl no less.

8) Here is the sequence that will forever live in the minds of Eagles fans and football fans everywhere when they talk about this Super Bowl. Philly is down 33-32 and they have the ball at their own 45 yard line facing a 4th and 1 with 5:39 seconds to go in the game. Normally, teams will punt the ball back to the Pats. Philly hadn't stopped Brady and NE the entire second half, so they Doug Pederson decides to go for it. Foles completes it to Ertz for 2 yards and a first down to keep the drive alive. Philly eventually goes down and scores the TD to Ertz and takes the lead 38-33. That was a ballsy call by Pederson and I give him credit because if that doesn't work out, then Brady has the ball at the Philly 45 up 33-32 and a touchdown there makes it a 40-32 game. Great, gutsy call by Pederson and his ability to decide to go for it won the Eagles the game.

9) When Brady got the ball back down 38-33 with 2:21 to play, I kept thinking about how this is going to be amazing. The Eagles are two minutes away from their first ever Super Bowl title, and they have to stop Tom Brady and the Pats in the closing moments to do it. That is what sports is all about. Sure enough it took only two plays, and Brandon Graham strip sacked Brady and Derek Barnett recovered and it essentially won them the game. Phenomenal moment and sequence there at the end of Super Bowl LII.

10) The one thing I will say about the final series is that although were down 41-33 with only 58 seconds left and they had to 91 yards to tie the game, the fact that the Pats go the ball to midfield to even try a Hail Mary at the end is absolutely remarkable. Even though it fell short and was deflected away, it just showed that you really have to cut the Pats heads to finally kill them in these games. It just showed you why the Pats are the Pats.

11) Nick Foles gets the MVP and he played unbelievable. He deserved it and he made great throw after great throw. It is amazing that he was able to play so well in the playoffs and his story is one of the most remarkable ones in Super Bowl history.

12) Doug Pederson could have been the game's MVP. He called a great game, was decisive in his decisions, and he made gutsy calls-something that a lot of coaches wouldn't do against the Pats on that stage. Pederson showed this year to be a top-flight coach, and he won a Super Bowl after losing his MVP QB in December, and he found a way to get the Eagles over the top.

13) The city of Philadelphia gets their first Super Bowl trophy and it is well deserved. They were underdogs in all three playoff games, including two at home. They slayed the Patriots and their fans can finally celebrate a Lombardi Trophy. At some point, everyone is bound to eventually win a title. Philly got their moment.

14) The Eagles are interesting case study for other struggling teams in the NFL. Two years ago, they were in disarray. They fired Chip Kelly before the end of the 2015 season, there was a power struggle in the front office, and they were ridiculed for signing Chase Daniel, Sam Bradford, and then moving up all those picks to select Carson Wentz in the draft that year. Last year, they go 7-9 and then all of a sudden this year, they go 13-3 and win the Super Bowl. Pretty amazing jump in just two years. Also, they have a very solid core of players signed through the next few years and they have an emerging star in Wentz with a solid backup in Foles, and the are coming off a Super Bowl title. They could be the next dynasty in the NFL.

15) Lastly, we get to the Pats. I don't think that this loss does anything to their legacy. 5-3 in Super Bowls is pretty impressive in the Brady and Belichick era. They got beat by a better team on this night. They have put together the greatest run and dynasty in NFL history going back to 2001. The only thing that could make this game sting long term is if this is the last Super Bowl and last shot for Brady and Belichick together. I think both are coming back next year, and I'm sure they will make a run again, but if they never get back to another Super Bowl or don't win another one together, then this could be a tough moment for Pats fans to realize how close they were to their sixth Super Bowl title.

Patriots-Eagles Super Bowl Preview!

The Eagles and Patriots will play in Super Bowl XLII in Minneapolis for the right to claim the Lombardi Trophy. The Patriots will be playing in their 10th Super Bowl, and they are looking for their sixth title in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. The Eagles are going for their first Super Bowl title in their third appearance. It is a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX when the Patriots won 24-21. I always like to look at the Super Bowl storylines before I get to the picks for the game. Here are the main storylines for Super Bowl XLII...

1) The chance for Brady and Belichick to win their 6th Super Bowl and put them into a higher level of immortality.

2) The opportunity for the Eagles and their fanbase to finally win the Super Bowl. They are 0-2 in Super Bowls and this is another chance to get it done. The Eagles fans have waited a long time for their team to win and this could be their moment.

3) The redemption story of Nick Foles and how he could actually win the Super Bowl for the Eagles after their MVP candidate, Carson Wentz, went down with an ACL injury in December.

4) That's really all I got at this point. If the Eagles win, it is about their city finally getting a Super Bowl title, and if the Pats win, then it is about Brady and Belichick. That is about it.....

Here is my preview of the game and picks....

Last Week's Record: 0-2
Overall Playoff Record: 2-6-2
Overall Regular Season Record: 131-110-15
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

A Case for the Eagles: The Eagles have a very good defense, and they can get pressure on Brady and disrupt him. They have a physical front seven, and it will be hard to run the ball on them. I like the way Jim Schwartz has coordinated his defense this year, and I think he will continue to do that in this game. How healthy will Rob Gronkowski be coming off a concussion? You have to like the hot-hand that Doug Pederson is riding as the head coach right now for this team. They can run the ball very effectively, and I could see them controlling the line of scrimmage over the Pats front seven. The way that Pederson has managed Foles gives you confidence he can do it again in this game. The Eagles have played up the underdog role all during the playoffs, and they can continue to do that here. They will use it as motivation once again, and I think they will feed off it. I would expect a lot of their fanbase to travel as well, and I think their fans will be more vocal and passionate in Minneapolis.

A Case for the Patriots: They are Patriots and they have Brady and Belichick. Did you doubt that they were going to lose that game against Jacksonville at home? Even if Gronk isn't 100%, you know Brady will be able to find someone else to get the ball to and someone else will step up and have a big game. Belichick will find a way to stifle Foles, and he will get the Pats defense to play well. The game is in a dome which I think helps Brady and that Patriots offense as well. It is hard to envision a scenario where Nick Foles outplays Tom Brady and the Patriots lose a Super Bowl to a backup quarterback.

Prediction: NEW ENGLAND (-4) over Philadelphia: This game will be close. I wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles are leading at halftime or at the end of three quarters, but in the end, the Patriots will win the game. Brady and Belichick will win their 6th Super Bowl together, and the Pats will go back-to-back for the first time since they did it in 2003-2004 when they beat........the Eagles.