No topic is off limits to the creative think tank that is 9NEWS Broncos mailbaggers.
It’s not just which quarterback the Broncos will take – although the obvious is not overlooked – but how tall will he be?
Rahim Moore was not -- repeat, NOT – taken off the hook by Marcus Williams.
We look at New England and the other three remaining in the NFL postseason. A new stadium name suggestion fell from Mars. Eric Studesville, Tom Green, Bakersfield are all mentioned in this version of the Broncos Mailbag.
I write you because I know your good about answering back. A Bronco statement: Could both Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler be too tall to be quality NFL QB's?
When I look at top QB's they are 6-5 (Peyton Manning) and less. Maybe those extra two inches are too much. This is not meant as a cut, but those long legs physically could be a downgrade to running, etc.
Elway WAS 6-3. Same for Terry Bradshaw. Tom Brady is 6-4. Dan Marino was 6'4." Joe Montana was 6-2. None over 6-5. Does anyone think of this?
Ed Stoeckel
Ed—You’re on to something. Josh McDaniels once told me the ideal height window for NFL quarterbacks is 6-foot-3 to 6-5. Yes, the 6-foot Drew Brees, who has a high, overhand release point, and 5-11 Russell Wilson, who often throws from a rolling pocket, are exceptions.
Steve Young and Montana were a tad short at 6-2, but like Wilson, they could throw on the move. Aaron Rodgers is 6-2 and arguably the best pure passer, ever.
It’s not that a quarterback 6-6 or taller can’t play. Joe Flacco is 6-6 and he threw 11 touchdown passes (one of which will be addressed by the following mailbagger) with 0 interceptions in his four-game postseason run to win Super Bowl 47.
But as a general rule, taller quarterbacks are a little stiff in the hips and simple physics suggest their longer arms make for a longer delivery and therefore they must fight the battle with consistent accuracy.
Why do you want to cover for Rahim Moore? What he did was a selfish mistake. He even said that he wanted to be a hero and get an interception. He should have understood the situation and played it accordingly. Not a professional or team player.
Bobby Karuzas
Bobby—I’m not saying Moore didn’t commit the most egregious gaffe in Broncos history. The Rahim Stumble against the Flacco Fling will live in infamy.
I’m just saying his blunder wasn’t as bad as Marcus Williams’ nosedive against Stephon Diggs to turn Saints’ victory into defeat.
Jack Del Rio’s defense was positioned against a first-down pass, not a touchdown heave. Moore had to retreat to his spot, then misjudged Flacco’s high fly. Williams was already behind Diggs. All he had to do was stand there and wrap.
Moore’s mistake turned a 35-28 win into a 35-35 tie. The Broncos kneeled away the final 31 seconds in overtime, then didn’t score as much as a field goal with their two overtime possessions.
The Williams Whiff was ballgame.
Take the emotional resentment away from Moore and a goof to tie is not as awful as a flub to lose. But they were both awful.
I would love to hear YOUR opinion about the Vikings and their potential to win. Unfortunately, Tom Green keeps interrupting YOU, the expert, with his opinions, when we want YOURS. That Vikings’ win was amazing Sunday and would love to hear YOUR opinions on who might win, other than the Patriots!
Love your blunt and honest opinions always! Stay warm and go Vikings!
Dee Getzinger
Dee—Tom didn’t interrupt me. He noticed I was stammering through a thought and he saved me from dead air. Tom dropped a “Tony Carter” on me, by the way, during an off-camera conversation about the Rahim Moore gaffe. Carter didn’t do Rahim any favors.
The point is, Tom Green has still got it as a sports guy. They tell me he’s also doing a fine job as a newscaster, too.
I think the only team from the “other three” that has a real chance to beat the New England Patriots is the Minnesota Vikings.
Should Minnesota get past Philly and the Pats beat the Jaguars, the Vikings would have two advantages: One, they have a great defense. Two, they would be playing the Pats at home in Super Bowl LII.
You need both to beat the Pats. Jacksonville actually has a better pass defense than the Vikings – the Jags had 55 sacks and 21 interceptions this year; Minnesota had 37 sacks and 14 picks.
So Jacksonville can knock Tom Brady off his game. And the combination of Blake Bortles and Leonard Fournette should be able to run the ball against the New England defense.
But I can’t see the Jags winning in Foxborough, even if it will be a balmy 45 degrees at kickoff. The Jags do have a better chance than most people expect because on paper, they match up well. The two teams practiced against each other the week of their first preseason game. So the Jags won’t be in awe.
As Jimmy the Greek on a Saturday Night Live spoof would have said: That has to be a factor! I give them 40 percent chance.
As I type this now, I’d give the Vikings a 47 percent chance to beat New England in Super Bowl 52.
Hi Mike, do you think the Broncos will sign Kirk Cousins and draft young QB like Josh Allen or Bakersfield to develop or who do you see Broncos draft at #5?
Dave Chung
Dave—I like the “Bakersfield,” nickname. A buddy recently asked me, why is it always both Baker and Mayfield when saying Baker Mayfield’s name? No one ever says Mayfield. Or just Baker. It’s always Baker Mayfield.
“Bakersfield” might have a chance to catch on.
Providing Washington allows Cousins to become an unrestricted free agent, I anticipate the Broncos going hard to sign him.
I’m not sure Washington lets him go with no strings attached, though. It could also franchise tag him for a $34.5 million salary, transition tag him for $28.8 million and the right of first refusal, or finally agree to a long-term deal with him.
If Cousins does reach free agency, I expect a bidding war for his services with the Broncos receiving competition from Arizona, the New York Jets, Buffalo and possibly Jacksonville, the New York Giants and Cleveland.
Should the Broncos get Cousins, they would not take a quarterback with the No. 5 overall draft pick. If they wind up with Alex Smith, maybe. If they wind up with Eli Manning, then they have to take a QB at No. 5.
Cousins, who will play at the still prime age of 30 next season, would allow general manager John Elway to take either an offensive lineman, pass rusher, cornerback or running back with the No. 5 pick. Cousins would give the Broncos a chance to upgrade two positions with elite players where an older quarterback like Smith or Manning would force the Broncos to double-down at one position.
People can say what they want about Elway but he's my GM for life. QB is the biggest crap shoot in sports. Maybe a half-dozen teams have the right one that can take them to the promised land. Once we see Brady retire we'll realize even the “greatest coach of all time” will struggle and flounder without a great QB.
So the worst part of Elway's personality can be his overconfidence but his best part is his ability to learn from his mistakes (i.e. best offense to best defense in a little over a year).
I have no doubt that he goes all in for Cousins because he realizes three things. The first is a QB of his caliber rarely has a franchise let him go into free agency (hopefully Cousins realizes by now the Redskins are a Mickey Mouse organization).
The second is that his defense is still elite with the best defensive player in the league, in his prime, leading that unit.
The third reason is when he sees this playoff field he realizes just how weak it is. The Titans and the Bills made the freaking playoffs. The Chiefs lost to one of them. That Pats team is all Brady and we have proven that when we have a legit QB and a harassing defense we can more than handle him and them.
With Cousins we're an INSTANT Super Bowl contender and ahead of the curve when it comes to our only real rival, the Patriots. Elway also knows that we're the gatekeepers of the AFC and he let down the entire NFL by giving the Pats another free pass to the Super Bowl.
Our job is to defeat 'sports evil' and we've shanked our responsibility two years in a row. Our Excalibur pass rush/coverage can't even be unsheathed because Elway screwed up something he was supposed to be the master of, recognizing QB talent. He won't make that mistake again.
Art Mensing, San Antonio
Art—Everyone has a take on the state of the Broncos. You, Art, have one of the most compelling.
You included several points of discussion. I, too, have been struck by how mediocre the playoff contestants have been this season relative to years past.
I agree the Broncos will make a strong push for Cousins providing he is free,and the Vikings tag and/or retain Case Keenum, and the Kansas City Chiefs refuse to deal Alex Smith within the division.
I was amused by your premise the Broncos are the league’s designated slayers of the Patriots Way. I know defense was the primary reason the Broncos defeated the Patriots in the 2015 AFC Championship but ask Bill Belichick if he thinks Denver wins that game without Peyton Manning.
Your assumption Cousins makes the Broncos an instant Super Bowl contender brought pause. Cousins could have improved the Broncos’ current roster from their 5-11 record in 2017 to maybe 8-8, 9-7.
But the leap from 5-11 to Super Bowl contender only starts with Cousins. It doesn’t end there.
He is a top 8 to 12 quarterback in the league. But I don’t think the Broncos outside the quarterback position have a top 12 roster.
And I find it difficult reconciling the Denver defense’s high statistical marks with the defense that got destroyed for 51 points at Philadelphia.
Where the Denver D has really fallen off the past two years is with their pass rush. Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Shaq Barrett, Shane Ray, Malik Jackson and Derek Wolfe rushed the quarterback in waves in 2015 when they led the league with 52 sacks.
With Ware retired, Jackson in Jacksonville, Ray and Wolfe banged up, and Miller double-teamed, the Broncos only got to the quarterbacks in spurts in 2017, ranking 22nd with 33 sacks.
I thought Eric Studesville was one of the untouchables on the coaching staff. From the insider view, what can/will you tell me why he got fired?
Doug Newton, Parker
Doug—There are no untouchables in the NFL. Vince Lombardi and Chuck Noll, maybe. But if Tom Landry, Don Shula and Mike Mularkey can be fired, any coach can.
Studesville did survive the exit of three previous head coaches: Josh McDaniels, John Fox and Gary Kubiak. That almost never happens.
The biggest reason Studesville was let go was for the simplest of reasons: John Elway and Vance Joseph wanted a change. A new voice to lead their group of running backs.
The Broncos’ offense has pretty much stunk the second half of the 2014 season. Every offensive coach from that team is now gone. So is every defensive and special teams coach, for that matter, with the exception of Chris Beake.
Studesville and receivers coach Tyke Tolbert lasted longer than most offensive assistant coaches. They were good enough to help the Broncos win a Super Bowl two years ago so they don’t have to apologize to anyone.
I've been following you since the Denver Post. You have written some great columns and you're very knowledgeable. I hope this doesn't happen but if it goes down like this I want to know. It's clear that John has been calling the shots since he got Dan Reeves fired but if John Elway fails as a GM then which member of the Bowlen family would have to make a decision on replacing him and how would that whole situation unfold? BTW, John is still my favorite quarterback of all time.
Roger Chand, Bogota, N.J.
Roger—From afar, it didn’t seem Elway was calling the shots during his final four seasons with Shanahan as head coach. He may have had more pull than any other player but that period was the Mastermind era.
The Duke of Elway then had 13 Missing Years, but he is the man in charge now.
Elway does answer to one boss, and it’s Joe Ellis, who is the Broncos’ chief executive officer, president and one of three trustees to the Pat Bowlen Trust.
None of the Bowlen children have authority to make such decisions. Maybe one will be granted control in another four or five years.
Let’s make it happen - the best name of a stadium in the world: SpaceX Mile High Stadium, Home of the Denver Broncos.
Tom Rohrbach, Denver
Tom—From what I’ve read in business magazines, SpaceX founder Elon Mask could fork over more than $10 million a year for naming rights.
I think the Broncos are hoping their new naming rights partner has deeper Colorado ties. But at this stage, expanding the candidate pool to a global rocket-ship company cannot be discounted.
The Broncos can even come up with a catchy, new slogan: Elon is from Mars, Elway is from Denver. Or something.
