Broncos Offseason Mailbag

After the NFL Draft concludes in late April, there is a lot of downtime around the league. Sure, you have minicamps, OTAs, and other random events to talk about, but the league takes a backseat to the NBA and NHL playoffs and Major League Baseball, so the real Earth shattering news around the Broncos and the NFL is simply not there. It is fun to hear about the Broncos convening for OTAs, but there is a lot of time before we get to the beginning of the season with training camps in late July and early August. I figured this was a good time to dip the toe in the water, and get a little feel of what is going on with the Broncos as they wrap up their mandatory minicamp this week before they head home for the summer and gear up for training camp and the official start of the 2013 season.

How do you feel about where Peyton Manning is heading into his second year as the Broncos QB?
When you look back at Manning's 2012 season, it is amazing to see what he did last year. Think about it: Peyton had to deal with a brand new city, new team, new players around him, new offense, new coaching staff, new expectations, and a tremendous amount of uncertainty coming off four neck surgeries. My feeling was that throughout the 2012 season, Manning was probably at 80-85% of the player he was when he was in Indy. At that level, he still passed for over 4,600 yards, completed 68.6% of his passes, threw 37 touchdowns, and finished with a passer rating of 105.8 and a QBR of 84.1. He also took an 8-8 team, and led them to 13 wins and a division title. This past offseason, all you heard was how comfortable Manning feels in year number two in Denver. He keeps talking about how much better his arms feels, and the receivers feel more zip on the ball this year from him. Even at 37, you have to feel pretty confident in Manning's ability to play at a high level, and if he feels more comfortable this year, then that is a scary thing for the rest of the NFL.

Do you really think the Broncos can replace Elvis Dumervil as a pass rushing threat?
The Broncos didn't want to get rid of Dumervil. A stupid fax issue led to that whole debacle. They won't be able to adequately replace him as a pass rushing force, but getting a guy like Shaun Phillips could help them. If Phillips can add seven or eight sacks this year, and you get a four or five sacks from Robert Ayers, and then add a surprise player (Malik Jackson, Derek Wolfe, and Quantreus Smith) to add a few sacks, then maybe it can alleviate the loss of Dumervil to a certain degree. Dumervil wasn't the same player he was in the run game, but his pass rushing ability is still top notch. It will be the number one aspect to look at when the Broncos hit training camp and start playing preseason games.

Are you worried about Ryan Clady's contract situation?
This past week Clady didn't appear at the Broncos minicamp because of his contract situation, but that is something that is common with players involved in negotiations. Sources also have confirmed that Denver started communicating with Clady's representatives about getting a long-term deal done. I'm not too worried about it because the Broncos know that Left Tackle is a premium position, and you have to get those deals taken care of. By getting Clady to sign a long-term deal, it could actually help them figure out a way to sign some of their top free agents that are coming up in the next two years (Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas.) I think the outlook is good that they will get something done before the season starts in September.

Is there any doubt that the Wes Welker signing will be a great offseason move?
When you read reports out of OTAs and minicamp that Welker and Manning are already on the same page, then you know that this could be a really good thing heading into the season. Unless Welker has some underlying medical concerns-concussions/head injury-then Welker should fit perfectly into the offense and contribute at a really high level.

Who might emerge as the best player of the most recent draft class?
After OTAs and minicamp, it is apparent that Montee Ball will have a real chance to get a lot of significant playing time when the season gets going. He has been getting a lot of reps and it seems like the coaching staff is putting a lot on his plate. Ball could be a big factor come training camp, and he might end up carrying the load in the crowded backfield.

How does it feel that the Broncos are the overwhelming favorite in the AFC heading into the 2013 campaign?
The word you keep hearing about the Broncos is "Overdog." They are the clearcut choice for many to represent the AFC in next year's Super Bowl. That is a scary thing because you just don't know how things can turn out in the NFL. A lot of teams head into the season as favorites, and they end up falling flat on their face, and they have a disappointing season. The one aspect that helps the Broncos is Manning. Every year, the Colts were Super Bowl favorites, and Manning delivered 12-13 wins every single time and gave his team a chance to get to the Super Bowl. Manning is so good that he can handle the expectations and give your team a chance to win it all every season. The AFC is still riddled with really good teams. The Patriots are always favorites to get to the Super Bowl, the Ravens have done a nice job of retooling their roster, the Steelers are always tough, the Texans are a team that is very close, and the Colts are definitely on their way with Andrew Luck. The bottom line is that the Broncos are in that mix, and they have two of the best 10 players in the entire league on their roster (Manning and Von Miller.)  One is their quarterback which you have to have, and the other is a dominating player on the defensive side of the ball which is something else that you need to have. With Manning and Miller, the Broncos should have high expectations and that might be the way they like it.

Are you over the loss to Ravens in the Divisional Playoffs yet?
No shot. I think about it everyday. I still can't believe they lost that game the way they did. I can't talk about still. Thanks for bringing it up again.