Mort Reports Von Miller is going to be suspended for at least 6 games

[JackBauer]

I wouldn’t sleep on KC either; Alex Smith is not a stud but he is an excellent game manager who is very efficient in the pass game, they have an all pro RB, a good WR, and their defense is loaded.

Charles – RB
Bowe – WR
Albert – LT
Fisher – RT

Berry – SS
Houston – OLB
Hali – OLB
Poe – DT
Jackson – DE
S. Smith – CB
Robinson – CB
Flowers – CB

I wouldn't cite Tyson Jackson as evidence of a defense being loaded, and I wonder what Poe has shown to make you believe he'll be anything worth writing home about?

 

[belichick010405]

Denver's defense is bad enough to lose to a team like Philadelphia.

Baltimore - Loss
@ New York Giants - Loss
Oakland - Win
Philadelphia - Loss
@ Dallas - Loss
Jacksonville - Win
@ Indianapolis - Loss
Washington - Loss
@ San Diego - Win
Kansas City - Win
@ New England - Loss
@ Kansas City - Loss
Tennessee - Win
San Diego - Win
@ Houston - Loss
@ Oakland - Win

I have them going at worst 7-9 because of that defense.

Their secondary is still going to have issues and is a year older (Champ Bailey). DRC does nothing to improve that secondary and their safeties are still not good. Fortunately, they have "adequate" linebacking depth with Phillips and Bradley.

The loss of Miller for 4-6 games compounded by the loss of Dumervil is what is going to hinder this team from being a legitimate playoff contender.

Further that with their issues at running back and this will be a team hard pressed to succeed against any good defense. My bet is that they will finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs as a karma shout out to 8-8 teams making the playoffs.

 

[belichick010405]

Kansas City Chiefs Schedule

@ Jacksonville - W
Dallas - W
@ Philly - L
New York Giants - L
@ Tennessee - L
Oakland - W
Houston - L
Cleveland - W
@ Buffalo - W
@ Denver - L
San Diego - W
Denver - W
@ Washington - L
@ Oakland - W
Indianapolis - W
@ San Diego - W

I have the Chiefs going 9-7 or 10-6.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Denver's defense is bad enough to lose to a team like Philadelphia.

Baltimore - Loss
@ New York Giants - Loss
Oakland - Win
Philadelphia - Loss
@ Dallas - Loss
Jacksonville - Win
@ Indianapolis - Loss
Washington - Loss
@ San Diego - Win
Kansas City - Win
@ New England - Loss
@ Kansas City - Loss
Tennessee - Win
San Diego - Win
@ Houston - Loss
@ Oakland - Win

I have them going at worst 7-9 because of that defense.

Their secondary is still going to have issues and is a year older (Champ Bailey). DRC does nothing to improve that secondary and their safeties are still not good. Fortunately, they have "adequate" linebacking depth with Phillips and Bradley.

The loss of Miller for 4-6 games compounded by the loss of Dumervil is what is going to hinder this team from being a legitimate playoff contender.

Further that with their issues at running back and this will be a team hard pressed to succeed against any good defense. My bet is that they will finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs as a karma shout out to 8-8 teams making the playoffs.

Wow, just wow! Are you kidding? The Patriots having a swiss cheese secondary for the last three seasons has not prevented them from going 39-9 during the regular season. How do you figure the Broncos will lose 7-9 games this year? They have a huge home field advantage and possibly the best offense in football. They have probably the best 1-2-3 punch at WR with Thomas, Decker, and Welker, a top-3 left tackle, and an MVP-candidate quarterback.

They were absolutely annihilating every team in football last year until that playoff loss, and their defense was ranked in the top-3 (I believe Football Outsiders had them #1, even adjusted to their opponents.) Yes, their defense takes a step back, but let's not act like they are going from #1 to #32 just like that.

This reminds me of fans from other teams that are constantly barking about how the Patriots are about to take a huge step back. Manning is not going 8-8 and is always a legitimate playoff contender. In terms of supporting cast, I'd still rank this overall Broncos roster as one of the top 5 teams he's had in his career.

 

[Kontradiction]

Denver's defense is bad enough to lose to a team like Philadelphia.

Baltimore - Loss
@ New York Giants - Loss
Oakland - Win
Philadelphia - Loss
@ Dallas - Loss
Jacksonville - Win
@ Indianapolis - Loss
Washington - Loss
@ San Diego - Win
Kansas City - Win
@ New England - Loss
@ Kansas City - Loss
Tennessee - Win
San Diego - Win
@ Houston - Loss
@ Oakland - Win

I have them going at worst 7-9 because of that defense.

Their secondary is still going to have issues and is a year older (Champ Bailey). DRC does nothing to improve that secondary and their safeties are still not good. Fortunately, they have "adequate" linebacking depth with Phillips and Bradley.

The loss of Miller for 4-6 games compounded by the loss of Dumervil is what is going to hinder this team from being a legitimate playoff contender.

Further that with their issues at running back and this will be a team hard pressed to succeed against any good defense. My bet is that they will finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs as a karma shout out to 8-8 teams making the playoffs.

Not sure they'll have the issues at RB that you believe they will. Montee Ball is an excellent fit for that offense. He does struggle a bit in pass protection though. The rest that you cited, as far as issues go, I am in agreement with. The Broncos will find themselves in quite a few shoot outs this season, starting in Week 1.

 

[belichick010405]

Wow, just wow! Are you kidding? The Patriots having a swiss cheese secondary for the last three seasons has not prevented them from going 39-9 during the regular season. How do you figure the Broncos will lose 7-9 games this year? They have a huge home field advantage and possibly the best offense in football. They have probably the best 1-2-3 punch at WR with Thomas, Decker, and Welker, a top-3 left tackle, and an MVP-candidate quarterback.

They were absolutely annihilating every team in football last year until that playoff loss, and their defense was ranked in the top-3 (I believe Football Outsiders had them #1, even adjusted to their opponents.) Yes, their defense takes a step back, but let's not act like they are going from #1 to #32 just like that.

This reminds me of fans from other teams that are constantly barking about how the Patriots are about to take a huge step back. Manning is not going 8-8 and is always a legitimate playoff contender. In terms of supporting cast, I'd still rank this overall Broncos roster as one of the top 5 teams he's had in his career.

Nice retort in your Wow. Just Wow theory. The Patriots had a top 10 pass defense after Talib was in New England so that is not "swiss cheese" and this Broncos is the same Broncos defense that was handled easily by the Ravens last year without Miller for 4-6 games and Dumervil.

Now, you may not think that is a big deal but when you lose your top two pass rushing guys, expect a drop off and that is something that Manning and the Colts always had when he was healthy.

I am really interested in how they are going to handle the NFC East this year as well while the Chiefs play a cupcake last place schedule to boot.

The Broncos are going to have problems regardless of Manning and his three top wide receiving options.

 

[Brady6]

Re: Re: OT: Mort Reports Von Miller is going to be suspended for at least 6 games

I wouldn't cite Tyson Jackson as evidence of a defense being loaded, and I wonder what Poe has shown to make you believe he'll be anything worth writing home about?

I don't follow the team that closely so I will take your word for it. Even so the team is talented and should not be overlooked.

 

[Rob0729]

Wow, just wow! Are you kidding? The Patriots having a swiss cheese secondary for the last three seasons has not prevented them from going 39-9 during the regular season. How do you figure the Broncos will lose 7-9 games this year? They have a huge home field advantage and possibly the best offense in football. They have probably the best 1-2-3 punch at WR with Thomas, Decker, and Welker, a top-3 left tackle, and an MVP-candidate quarterback.

They were absolutely annihilating every team in football last year until that playoff loss, and their defense was ranked in the top-3 (I believe Football Outsiders had them #1, even adjusted to their opponents.) Yes, their defense takes a step back, but let's not act like they are going from #1 to #32 just like that.

This reminds me of fans from other teams that are constantly barking about how the Patriots are about to take a huge step back. Manning is not going 8-8 and is always a legitimate playoff contender. In terms of supporting cast, I'd still rank this overall Broncos roster as one of the top 5 teams he's had in his career.

Not that I agree with the 7-9 prediction, but let me counter some of your points:

• As bad as the Pats' secondary was the last three years, the defense was still very good in several areas. They were always solid against the run. Two of the last three years, the Pats were in the top ten in fewest points allowed (they were 8th in 2010, 15th in 2011, and 9th last year). The Pats created a lot of turnovers.
• As for the 1-2-3 punch the Broncos have, if Saturday is any indication they will rarely be on the field together. The Broncos had a horrible time protecting Manning early and were forced to switch near exclusively to a two TE set to protect him.
• Last year, the Broncos went up against a bunch of tomato soup cans during the regular season. I think they were 2-3 in the regular season against teams with winning records and one of the wins was against a depleted Ravens team. They had the softest schedule imaginable. Unless the AFC West improves quite a bit, the schedule this year isn't worlds tougher, but it should be.
• You need to stop talking about the Patriots as a comparison to the Broncos. Because as I pointed out, it isn't just Brady vs. Manning when you look at it. Belichick plays a big role in covering up the Pats' deficiencies and he did get the Pats to 11 wins with Matt Cassel in 2008. I don't think John Fox is nearly as good. He didn't show it in Carolina.
• As for the Broncos roster, other than WR I don't think this is even close to some of his best teams in Indy. Wouldn't put them in the top 5. I don't know right now other than their WRs where they have elite talent. Indy for the longest time had elite TE, DEs, linemen, etc.

Again, the Broncos are likely to have 10 wins or more and win the AFC West, but I wouldn't be surprised of a disaster. Watching Manning on Saturday night, I wonder how good his accuracy is beyond 5-10 yards. He threw a lot of floaters to Thomas who used his athletic ability to reel in the catches. Manning is 37 now and not 27 and seems to never have regained all of his arm strength from before his surgery.

 

[Deus Irae]

Not sure they'll have the issues at RB that you believe they will. Montee Ball is an excellent fit for that offense. He does struggle a bit in pass protection though. The rest that you cited, as far as issues go, I am in agreement with. The Broncos will find themselves in quite a few shoot outs this season, starting in Week 1.

Denver was the #2 scoring offense in the league last season, and they've upgraded th eoffense. They should have plenty of firepower to counter some defensive losses.

Like the Patriots and Ravens, though, they've become an AFC 'power' with a lot of question marks entering the season.

 

[manxman2601]

Not that I agree with the 7-9 prediction, but let me counter some of your points:

• As bad as the Pats' secondary was the last three years, the defense was still very good in several areas. They were always solid against the run. Two of the last three years, the Pats were in the top ten in fewest points allowed (they were 8th in 2010, 15th in 2011, and 9th last year). The Pats created a lot of turnovers.
• As for the 1-2-3 punch the Broncos have, if Saturday is any indication they will rarely be on the field together. The Broncos had a horrible time protecting Manning early and were forced to switch near exclusively to a two TE set to protect him.
• Last year, the Broncos went up against a bunch of tomato soup cans during the regular season. I think they were 2-3 in the regular season against teams with winning records and one of the wins was against a depleted Ravens team. They had the softest schedule imaginable. Unless the AFC West improves quite a bit, the schedule this year isn't worlds tougher, but it should be.
• You need to stop talking about the Patriots as a comparison to the Broncos. Because as I pointed out, it isn't just Brady vs. Manning when you look at it. Belichick plays a big role in covering up the Pats' deficiencies and he did get the Pats to 11 wins with Matt Cassel in 2008. I don't think John Fox is nearly as good. He didn't show it in Carolina.
• As for the Broncos roster, other than WR I don't think this is even close to some of his best teams in Indy. Wouldn't put them in the top 5. I don't know right now other than their WRs where they have elite talent. Indy for the longest time had elite TE, DEs, linemen, etc.

Again, the Broncos are likely to have 10 wins or more and win the AFC West, but I wouldn't be surprised of a disaster. Watching Manning on Saturday night, I wonder how good his accuracy is beyond 5-10 yards. He threw a lot of floaters to Thomas who used his athletic ability to reel in the catches. Manning is 37 now and not 27 and seems to never have regained all of his arm strength from before his surgery.

The Broncos were -1 last year on turnover ratio whilst the Pats led the league. as you say, a potential difference maker.

 

[belichick010405]

Denver was the #2 scoring offense in the league last season, and they've upgraded th eoffense. They should have plenty of firepower to counter some defensive losses.

Like the Patriots and Ravens, though, they've become an AFC 'power' with a lot of question marks entering the season.

Obviously Deus ignores the salient facts as to why the Broncos offense could regress, nevermind its' defense.

We can start with the fact that they are asking Montee Ball and Ronny Hillman to replace both McGahee and Moreno from last year and the 1640 + yards of total offense and the 8 scores that they had.

 

[Froob]

Don't sleep on KC. I think they may have the best shot at competing for the division. They now at least have an ok QB and getting back several key pieces they lost early last year.

I'd put big money on that not happening. Noway they top 12+ wins. Peyton is as good of regular season QB as anyone who's ever played this game. Could KC win more playoff games? MAYBE. In the end I don't think either win one.

 

[BradyFTW!]

Denver was the #2 scoring offense in the league last season, and they've upgraded th eoffense. They should have plenty of firepower to counter some defensive losses.

Like the Patriots and Ravens, though, they've become an AFC 'power' with a lot of question marks entering the season.

Agreed. I think the defensive losses outweigh the offensive gains, personally--particularly if Bailey and DRC suffer lingering effects from their foot/leg injuries--but they could fall pretty far and still win the AFCW without much difficulty. I have a hard time envisioning a playoff picture where they don't get in. The Chargers and Raiders basically guarantee them four wins, for starters.

I also agree that the analysts who point to them as the 'loaded' team in the AFC that stands out ahead of the Pats, Texans, and Ravens is simply wrong. They have just as many (and just as big) question marks as the Pats and Ravens.

 

[belichick010405]

I almost forgot - Brandon Stokley's loss accounts for another 500 + yards and five scores.

So between McGahee, Moreno and Stokley, that is over 2,000 total yards and 13 scores to be replaced by Welker, Ball and Hillman.

Not going to be easy.....

 

[Kontradiction]

Denver was the #2 scoring offense in the league last season, and they've upgraded th eoffense. They should have plenty of firepower to counter some defensive losses.

Like the Patriots and Ravens, though, they've become an AFC 'power' with a lot of question marks entering the season.

I think they'll essentially be the 2011 Patriots with more downfield passing. Potent offense that can light up the scoreboard when needed, but a lacking pass defense (especially without Miller) that could prove to be their Achilles Heel. Most Broncos fans will probably take that, though, if it means getting into the Super Bowl.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

I dont think their D will be that great this year again. Champ is older and has a bad sprain and then miller missing 6 games. Brady will and can light them up still

 

[Coach42]

If he gets the 6 games:

Oakland
Philly
Jacksonville

That's still 3 locks.

Baltimore
Giants
Dallas

Even if they go 1-2 with that trio, they're 4-2 after the 6 games, should still win 10+ games and their division.


Much like the Patriots, it should be all about the playoffs for Denver.

Is Philly home or away? I think they could give Denver some trouble if they're at home. While Denver is most likely a playoff team this little boost certainly helps the Pats home field chances.

 

[Dingleberry]

I am a Patriot fanboy and would love for the Broncos to tank it this season too. However, projecting 7 to 9 losses for Denver is purely wishful thinking.

Brady and Manning win double digit games. It's just the way it is. They are that good.

The Broncos offense has no more questions marks than the Patriots' does. I know we are all high on Sudfeld, the 3 rookie WR's, and Amendola.....but 4 rookies and a Welker clone with a rough injury history does not erase the question marks only half way through the pre-season.

The AFCW is actually weaker than the AFCE. Think about that!

The Broncos floor is 10-6, and that will still win that division.

Someone just posted that the current Denver woes may be good news for potential home field advantage. THAT, I agree with.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Bronco's have the easiest schedule in the league. 13 wins minimum even without VM. He is NOT getting suspended 6-games. 2 MAX. I'll bet anyone here he does not do the 6-games.

It is in the league's best interest that Peyton plays his brother in NYC for the Super Bowl. I expect some questionable calls this season along with this "suspension" being cut from 6 to 2-games.

 

[JMC00]

Bronco's have the easiest schedule in the league. 13 wins minimum even without VM. He is NOT getting suspended 6-games. 2 MAX. I'll bet anyone here he does not do the 6-games.

I don't know about easiest. I count 7, maybe 8 potential losses.

Plus we need to wait until the season is over to find out who had the easiest schedules.

And Miller is definitely getting suspended for 6 games. The NFL might make an example and give him 8.