The New England Patriots found out what the Denver Broncos have known for a year….John Lynch is a liability on the field.

The Broncos knew last year that Lynch needed to go but because of his popularity and his leadership they couldn’t cut the ties like they should have. The Broncos offered him less money to come back and he accepted, but like so many older players Lynch is delusional and still thinks he can play at a high level. No you can’t John.

We said right  here on this site that we were glad to see him go, he was holding the Broncos back. His play last year was mediocre at best and shows how messed up the Pro Bowl voting is. Here is a guy that is NOT injured and he gets turned down by two teams seven months after he is in the Pro Bowl. My goodness, what a joke! 

The Patriots might bring him back, at least that is the rumor, and we hope they do before they play the Broncos. Denver knows Lynch as good as any team knows him and if Lynch is on the field for the Patriots that is only good news for the Broncos. Even if Lynch tells the Patriots what the Broncos try to do it won’t matter. Lynch is a liability on the field on whatever team he plays. 

We are just happy Lynch is no longer a Bronco.

The Denver Broncos and Brandon Marshall got the news they were hoping for today….Marshall win only be suspended for one game, not three. Earlier this week Marshall and his agent flew to New York to make their case that the suspension should be reduced and they got what they wanted.

Marshall’s suspension will begin on Saturday and run through the first week of the NFL season, meaning he will only miss the opener against the Oakland Raiders. Jay Cutler and the rest of the Broncos have to be pretty happy about this.

Tomorrow we will have our analysis of how we think Marshall will do in fantasy football this year. Today’s news just makes drafting Marshall a little easier.

Here is a good fantasy article on rookie RB’s we ran across. Forte of the Bears is somone we really like. You’ll also notice that Ryan Torain is mentioned. Lots of fantasy players, especially in keeper leagues, looking out for the return of Torain.

Q&A QB: Which Rookie Running Backs Are Worth Drafting?

That means he’ll be worth something in fantasy. He’s barely worth a RB3 spot right now, but taking him as a backup RB could end up being a smart move when Detroit faces weak run defenses. R…   Read more…

A guy we like ourselves is Forte from the Bears. He is a very talented runner and receiver. Do not be surprised if he ends up being the leading rusher out of all the rookie RB’s.

This is our first article on the Denver Bronco players we think will have a big impact on fantasy football this year.

Last year Cutler actually had a decent year as a fantasy player but this year he looks as though he could be a top five fantasty QB.

In any fantasy draft you have to look at the BIG TWO when drafting a QB and that is no different this year. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are usually the top two QB’s you are going to look at, but this year there are a number of QB’s that could put up really big numbers. Since this site is about the Denver Broncos we will focus on our QB, Jay Cutler.

Last year Cutler threw for 20 TD’s, had one rushing TD, 3497 passing yards, and had 14 interceptions. Not a bad season, especially for a first year starter. And when you consider the injuries the Broncos had, Cutler’s season was even more impressive. But what is really amazing is that he played most, if not all, of the season with Type 1 Diabetes, which was NOT diagnosed. The fact that he could even play football without treatment is incredible.

So why do we think he has a chance to be a top five fantasy QB? Well first of all it is NOT because we are Bronco fans. It is because he has the talent, he has the talent around him, and the Broncos look like they are going to be much more aggressive in the passing game this year.

Let’s take a look at the talent Cutler has. He has a tremendous arm and can make EVERY throw. He is very accurate. He is tough and reads defenses well. On top of that he is very mobile so you can expect two to four rushing TD’s by Cutler this year.

Now let’s look at the talent around him. It starts first with Brandon Marshall, one of the top young receivers in football. Marshall is almost impossible to cover. He has exceptional hands, he runs GREAT after the catch, and he is determined to prove he is one of the NFL’s best. He will not play for at least the first two games… unless the NFL reduces his suspension. With Marshall in the game the Broncos have someone that defenses have no answer for.

But having one good WR is not the key. You need more than that. The Broncos have a number of playmakers. One of them being the young rookie Eddie Royal. He is going to cause defenses a lot of problems this year. Besides Royal Denver also has Stokely at the slot and two terrific receiving TE’s. Both Nate Jackson and Tony Scheffler are going to be difficult matchups for defenses this year. Look for Denver to throw a lot out of their two TE formation.

And maybe the biggest reason Cutler is set to have a great year is because Denver is going to throw the ball. When you have the talent that Cutler has, weapons to throw to like Marshall, Royal, Stokely, Nate Jackson, and Scheffler you have some serious receiving talent. Mike Shanahan will run the ball, but look for Denver to be extremely aggressive with the passing attack.

If Cutler stays healthy look for 25 to 30 TD passes, 3800 to 4200 passing yards, two to four rushing TD’s, and around 12 to 15 interceptions. Those numbers should be enough to put Cutler in the top five or close to it at the QB position.

The most important preseason game of the 2008 season did not exactly go the way the Denver Broncos wanted it to go. And, no, we are not talking about them losing the game.

The biggest area of concern coming out of the loss to the Packers is the Denver defense.

The Broncos were awfu when it counted the most…the first half when the starters were in the game. Denver had no pass rush and the DB’s looked as though they couldn’t cover a statue. Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packer offense did whatever they wanted to, when they wanted to do it. Needless to say, but the Broncos are going to need a much better performance from their defense if a wild card run is in the making.

Jay Cutler started out slow but got hot towards the end of the fist half and finished most of his preseason work with the look of a QB ready to become a star. His first touchdown pass to Nate Jackson was a thing of beauty. A laser shot between two Packer players that looked like they thought they were going to make the play. Jackson also made a nice catch.

Cutler later hooked up with Brandon Marshall on a 49 yard pass-catch TD that ended with Marshall bobbling the ball a few times but eventually hauling it in. Marshall looks almost unstoppable on the field at times. Looks like the only thing that is going to stop him this year, for at least two games, is the suspension he has received. Bronco fans and the team can only hope and pray that he wins his appeal.

As for the RB competition…both Selvin Young and Andre Hall played well. Without Hall totally dominating it looks as though Young will be the starter, but Hall will get plenty of carries.

The offensive line continued to play well, at least when Cutler was in the game. Through three preseason games, when Cutler has been playing, they have not allowed a sack and have consistently opened up running lanes.  This is shaping up as a very good offensive line.

Now the problem areas…and they seem like they could be a real big problem. Denver’s defense was miserable in the first half. The Packers did whatever they wanted to do. They ran the ball, but mostly they threw the ball all over the place. Rodgers was exceptional and sure looks like he can be a reall good NFL QB.

The issue with Denver was two things. First of all they could not generate any type of consistent pass rush. Rodgers had all day to throw. And second, they could not cover anyone. My goodness the Packer receivers were running free all over the field. And this was NOT the case of guys being open just because the QB had a lot of time to throw, this was a case of DB’s simply not being able to cover anyone.

Matt Prater made his only FG attempt and the return and coverage teams were pretty average.

So all in all the Broncos have to be happy with their first string offense. Denver should be able to put up a lot of points this year and, after seeing the defense last night, they will need to. The Broncos have a look of a team that is going to be exciting and fun to watch…but expecting a serious playoff run might be expecting too much. The defense needs some MAJOR work upfront.

Denver is probably going to be a lot better team in the latter half of the season if they can stay healthy. The young defensive linemen are going to be the key to this season…and so far they have a long ways to go.

The Denver Bronco’s main dress rehearsal for the regular season is tonight against the Green Bay Packers. The third preseaon game is usually where you will see the starters play the most and even some game planning going on.

Here are our five things to look for in tonights game.

1. Can Jay Cutler, under more regular season like conditions, continue to light it up? Cutler has been phenomenal so far in the preseason and looks like he has fulll control over the Denver offense. The third year of a QB’s career is usually when they start showing if they really belong and so far Cutler looks like he is on track to have a sensational year and join the ranks of the NFL QB elite.

2. Who is going to be the starting Denver RB when they open against the Oakland Raiders? Right now it looks like the starter is going to be Selvin Young, although Andre Hall still has a decent shot if he plays really well tonight. Either way the Broncos are in good shape with this duo of RB’s as long as they stay healthy and continue to improve. The main question about Young is his ability to carry a significant load….but only time will really tell about that. Both Young and Hall should see plenty of carries no matter who wins the starting job.

 3. Can the Denver offensive line continue to play well without Tom Nalen? Having Nalen in the lineup is only a good thing for the Broncos. When healthy enough to play Nalen is by all accounts a top five center. The young tackles, Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris, need to continue to improve. If these two guys continue to improve, Nalen comes back, and the group stays healthy….Denver has a chance to have a really good offensive liine.

4. Who will step up at WR? This has to be a concern for the Denver coaching staff. Denver will be without Brandon Marshall for the first two games of the regular season and possibly for game three as well. It looks like Eddie Royal will be the number two guy when Marshall is back and Stokely is the number three guy. But who steps into number one when Marshall is gone? Right now it looks like Darrell Jackson, but not much has been seen of him so far because of some minor injuries. Denver desperately needs one or two of the "other guys" to step up. Maybe it will be Kerry Colbert.

5. The secondary and the linebacking group should be solid to really good, so that leaves the defensive line. It all starts there on defense. Will the young guys step up? Denver needs Crowder and Moss to start producing. Marcus Thomas is already a starter and looks like a good pick in round four of last years draft. Dwayne Robertson should be a real good defensive tackle if he can stay healthy.

Elvis Dumervil looks solid at one end but Denver needs consistent pressure from the other side. If the Denver defensive line does not play well this year you can forget a playoff run. Denver plays too many good QB’s this year….without consistent pressure from their front four they are going to have a big problem being a good defense.

A few other notes….Matt Prater needs to be a bit more consistent with his early FG attempts. He has missed both of his first kicks in each preseason game. We will most likely see Champ Bailey play tonight, but really the main thing with him is just making sure the hammy is ok. We know what he can do. And will Denver continue with its agressive passing attack?

There is no question that Denver will try to run the ball like they do every year. But is this the year, in about the last six years, that Denver starts to get real aggressive in the passing game? They have the talent at every position to really hurt teams with the pass. It would be nice to see Shanahan lengthen the leash a bit.

Win or lose tonight it won’t tell us all we want to know about this years version of the Denver Broncos, but we will sure get some clues.

 Is anyone going to emerge this preseaon as the clear cut favorite to start at RB for the Denver Broncos? Well so far it does not look that way. At least the Broncos are not letting on if there is an obvious favorite.

Let’s take a  look at the two main canidates. First you have Selvin Young who played really well last year once he took over for the injured Travis Henry.

Young has good speed, is quick, and elusive. The question with Selvin Young is his durability. Can he carry the ball 20 to 25 times a game? The jury is still out on that one, but why couldn’t he?

There is this common belief that you need to be 230 to 240 pounds to be an every down RB. That is hogwash. The same was said about Brian Westbrook of the Eagles. The same was said about Priest Holmes of the Chiefs. It simply is not true. Young is 5-11 and goes about 215 pounds. He is not small.

Now we are not saying that Young is as talented as those guys, but just because a guy is not huge does not mean he can’t be an every down back. Our concerns with Young is that he just doesn’t have the "look" of an every down high quality back. That might be completely unfair to him, just like saying he is not big enough is unfair to him. There is just something about his runnig style that makes us believe he is not the "guy" for the Denver Broncos in the long term.

When you take a look at Young’s production, it is impressive. He ran for 749 yards last year and averaged 5.2 a carry. He also caught 35 passes for another 231 yards, and he did that playing only half the season.

The other guy that is in contention to start the season as a starter is Andre Hall.

Hall played well for Denver last year. He had stats that closely matched Selvin Young and he appears to be a tough runner that the Broncos really like. Hall, who is 5-10 and weighs 212 pounds, is a more compact runner and seems like a better runner between the tackles. He is also explosive. And his receiving skills out of the backfield are as good as Young’s are.

So who is going to win the starting job? Does it really matter? Well it probably does. Because whoever wins the job is going to get most of the carries. It is doubtful if one of these guys rise to the occasion that they will just split carries. One thing Shanahan has shown is that if a guy can carry the load he is going to give him the ball.

Our choice right now would be Andre Hall. He appears to be a bit tougher between the tackles and he can also break the long run. Having to rely on Selvin Young though is not a bad deal. If the Broncos do not put Ryan Torain on the shelf for the season it might be Torain that finishes the year as the Denver starter, because Torain looks like a possible star in the making.