Robert Ayers

An earlier comment to the effect of ‘the Broncos have nobody to make up for the loss of Dumerville’ had me perplexed. Ayers is capable and had a great start week 1. I thought he was miscast as a 3-4 OLB and looked like a great fit for a 4-3 DE. Denver thought otherwise, I guess, but I think he’s going to continue to have a very good season.

But if he’s not better than Willis, I’m not that worried. The overall pressure of the line on the other hand…I sort of am worried about.

Also, is Orton what Whitehurst can hope to be?

Kyle Orton has a decent deep ball and very good accuracy. He can throw a pretty pass, that’s for sure. He doesn’t have great zip and can throw some really stupid passes underneath into double coverage. Orton can be almost too calm in the pocket sometimes. Like, oblivious.

Coming from a Bronco fan here I appreciated it, seems pretty fair all around with the pluses and the minuses. I do think Ayers is indeed going to come in to his own this year, which would be a good thing given Doom’s absence. I’ll add that Knowshon Moreno is a lot more talented than you may give him credit for. He’s been uneven due to injuries, a late start in his rookie year last year, a late start this year (due to injury in camp) and an often makeshift line due to, yes, injuries. When he and the OL are healthy he’s really dangerous. But would be nice if he’d stay consistent. Anyway, thanks, and good luck tomorrow! this season! ;-)

I started lurking when Pete was hired, but I keep reading because of pieces like this. It’s as solid and honest of an analysis I’ve seen yet for Ayers and the rest of your notes on the Broncos.

Tebow’s package isn’t “exactly” the Wild Horse in at least the sense when they ran the wild horse last year. It’s the wild horse when there’s a back slated to take the direct snap with the QB lined up as a wideout. Depending on the QB’s read of the defense, he’ll come back under center or let the back take the direct snap. Tebow’s “package” is a set designed with options just for Tebow. (this innuendo was sponsored by Jockey’s, official underwear of Tim Tebow)

Just thought I would supplement some of your notes quickly:

RE: Ayers
 — You mention that Ayers is a mean tackler, and that is a two-edged sword, no doubt. He was very close to drawing a roughing the passer penalty last week for a late pile driving takedown, and he always seems to be on the edge when it comes to keeping himself under control. Frustrate him early, max protect or whatever, and he could lose it…
 — He is 10X the player he was last year, and has stepped up admirably to fill the Doom void, but he is alone in that endeavor: we have no pass rush outside of him.
— Keep an eye on Ayers in the STs coverage units too. He and Perrish Cox (5th round CB 2010) were the only things between Underwood and the endzone, on two separate occasions.

RE: Other
 — That Jax gametime temp was apparently the hottest game in Jaguars’ history… but it dropped 12 degrees in 4 minutes at the start of the 4th quarter, coinciding w/ a 30 minute rain and lighting delay…
 — This year, 90% of Orton’s improvement has come down to his knowledge of the offense. He rarely even uses a progression, as he knows before the snap which matchup he is going to. The passing offense is really clicking.
 — Not only are Orton and Lloyd on the same page, but Lloyd seems to have turned a page in his career. It used to be he could make the miracle catch and drop the routine ones, but he is playing like a complete receiver right now. His concentration levels are truly outstanding.
 — I think you have accurately described Lloyd and Moreno, and in this case, “good” may be in the eye of the beholder. Mopreno still has a ways to go in order establish himself as a bell-cow back, but his strength so far has been his consistency, which is never a sexy prospect. At his best, Moreno would be described as “elusive…”
 — Actually, it is everyone else that calls the Tebow package the “Wild Horse” (the Broncos did run a “Wild Horse” last year in the Patriots game, with Moreno and Buckhalter taking the snap. McDaniels was quick to point out that the Tebow packages were not “WH” because it was a QB lined up at QB. they ran it three times, and once Tebow was lined up as a WR. It was a non-factor play all three times, used to probe the Jags for adjustments and screw up forward scouting. I wouldn’t think twice about it…
 — Kampman v. Beadles clearly had Kampman on top, as should be expected. beadles was a 50/50 player, half good half bad, playing at an unknown position (1 year RG, 3yrs LT at Utah). He has a ceiling at RT (at OT in general) but with Ryan Harris out for the game, he can’t move over to LG yet (his ideal spot right now. Speaking of guards, Kuper, our RG has yet to practice this week, and may be out as well. And last week Clady rotated out of several drives due to his knee. This. Could. Get. Ugly.
 — Eddie Royal is awesome. His energy level, matched with his execution right now reminds me of Welker. He was moved to the slot, which helps explain his progression from last year (which was a regression from 2008), but overall he is just much more physical and intense.
 — McD is catching a lot of flak from the fanbase for said body language, and especially for the way he is chewing out players. i think he needs to get his mouth under control, especially on camera, but if that is how he wants to do it, I am sure it is water off a duck’s back as far as the player’s are concerned. Plus, what would you say if one player got back to back face mask penalties on a critical drive at the end of a game that is within a score? He could have subjected the guy to oh-kee-pah and it would have seemed justified…