McGinn: Blame for underachieving season falls on McCarthy, Thompson

[El Duderino]

We're in a tough spot. What do you do with a guy that finishes 95% of the job spectacularly, but leaves the last 5% unfinished?

We are now chronologically closer to the end of Rodgers' physical prime (optimistically) than we are to our Super Bowl.

We should've had at least one more by now, and we might have, had TT done anything to shore up that horrible 2011 defense, not relied on Walden/Mulumba/Moses against Kaepernick, and gave us more than the combo of Quarless/Rodgers at TE last year.

I'm going to look back on TT's legacy with disgust if we don't have another Super Bowl by 2021.

To play devils advocate does that mean you look back on Wolf's legacy with disgust then?

Ron Wolf took over a Packer franchise that was in shambles on multiple fronts. Things were so bad, coaches and GM's of other teams would threaten players to shape up or they'd trade those players to Green Bay. A lot of college players dreaded the thought of the Packers drafting them. The facilities were outdated and drab. Games were still being played in dumpy County Stadium until Wolf said this is going to end.

Wolf not only had to build better teams, he had to completely change the culture and image of the franchise. He's said multiple times that he deeply regrets only winning one title, but the situation he took over compared to the one Ted took over were night and day. By the time Ted was named GM, the Packers franchise was viewed as one of the elite ones again in the league.

[humanrefutation]

We're in a tough spot. What do you do with a guy that finishes 95% of the job spectacularly, but leaves the last 5% unfinished?

We are now chronologically closer to the end of Rodgers' physical prime (optimistically) than we are to our Super Bowl.

We should've had at least one more by now, and we might have, had TT done anything to shore up that horrible 2011 defense, not relied on Walden/Mulumba/Moses against Kaepernick, and gave us more than the combo of Quarless/Rodgers at TE last year.

I'm going to look back on TT's legacy with disgust if we don't have another Super Bowl by 2021.

To play devils advocate does that mean you look back on Wolf's legacy with disgust then?

Ron Wolf took over a Packer franchise that was in shambles on multiple fronts. Things were so bad, coaches and GM's of other teams would threaten players to shape up or they'd trade those players to Green Bay. A lot of college players dreaded the thought of the Packers drafting them. The facilities were outdated and drab. Games were still being played in dumpy County Stadium until Wolf said this is going to end.

Wolf not only had to build better teams, he had to completely change the culture and image of the franchise. He's said multiple times that he deeply regrets only winning one title, but the situation he took over compared to the one Ted took over were night and day. By the time Ted was named GM, the Packers franchise was viewed as one of the elite ones again in the league.

In terms of perception, you're right - Wolf had a much tougher job than Thompson did on that front.

But in terms of the franchise's ability to win - Ted's first year featured a 4-12 team that was aging and falling apart. He turned them into a team that was a play away from the Super Bowl in the span of two years. I would argue the teams were in similar positions.

[chuckleslove]

I think there should be disappointment if we end a run of Favre and Rodgers with only 1 Super Bowl each, that said it is really hard to win a Super Bowl even with one of the greatest of all time leading your team. Pending what happens in the Owl this year Manning only has 1 Super Bowl so far, Marino had none and there are plenty of other examples. Football is the ultimate team sport where an elite QB will make you a contender but isn't enough to win on their own.

Hopefully we can get another 1 or 2 before Rodgers retires and I will be disappointed if we don't but I won't look at the end result as a failure because as fans we have been very fortunate to have 25 years of being in the running to win it all on almost a yearly basis.

[thomchatt3rton]

Whenever he is asked tough questions or something that is critical he gets crazy defensive and basically bullies the person asking the question.

I'd have to find some examples, but he basically just becomes a giant **** whenever he doesn't like what he is hearing. There is probably an element that is accepting responsibility as well, as he typically will blame the players and not the scheme or game plan when things turn out ****.

I'm just curious, what do you guys see that makes you say MM is unable to accept criticism? And do you mean he doesn't accept responsibility?

Same ****. Whether you're accepting criticism or accepting responsibility, it goes back to the same point - acknowledging that you have failed.

For example, instead of acknowledging the myriad of issues present on the offensive side of the ball, Mac chose to deride the criticism his team was facing because they had 10 wins. He stuck with that theme even after losing to Arizona and Minnesota.

That isn't to say that he isn't a man of integrity - McCarthy has always struck me as a good leader of men. But I also think he's stubborn, and it shows when he's feeling the heat.

I guess if I felt that MM actually was unresponsive to criticism, or that he actually did refuse to take responsibility for things, then I'd be troubled by press-conference comments that could be construed as such. But I don't see it.

For example, if MM were totally unresponsive to criticism, it's unlikely he gives up play-calling duties last summer. I took that as a direct response to some of the criticisms leveled at him after the NFCCG. I also took it as an attempt to take on even more responsibility.

I'd also argue that his refusal to change, his insistence that it's execution, not scheme, is somewhat belied by the fact that he DID institute some changes to the offense this season- just very slowly.

My main point is: I don't see him as refusing change outright, I see him as extremely slow and conservative in instituting changes. It's a fine line distinction but I bring it up because MM's reluctance to change is part of his overall philosophy. This is only worth noting because his philosophy (and his dedication to it) undoubtedly has a great many positive features to it as well- not just flaws.

For example: If his philosophy says "Don't feature Janis too much until he gets his routes down in practice"- then he's going to adhere to that (until he has no choice). Its very likely that this kind of decision (and a variety of others similar to it) has been made before many times, and probably usually to the greater good of the team.
There's no denying this way of thinking really hurt us this year, but I think it's important to remember that overall MM's philosophy also has it's upsides.

I'm not at all excusing MM's failures this year- who the hell would? But I do think my argument changes the nature of some of the complaints made against him- his way of doing things has overall been more successful than not and I'm hopeful that this season was just a perfect storm of futility, and will prove to be the exception to the rule.

[crkone]

#BatteryGate
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/367666281.html

Typically, Cobb said, a fractured rib will cause a puncture, but he said he did not suffer a rib injury and one theory he and the medical staff came up with is that a small battery back that was powering a microphone he was wearing caused the injury.

"It was really abnormal what happened," Cobb told Michaels. "I punctured a lung. I didn’t break a rib and I didn’t fracture a rib. It’s really abnormal for that to happen. But I was mic’d up for the game. I landed flush on my back. The battery pack was on my shoulder pads and I landed flush on my back and we think that possibly could be it but there’s no way of proving it."

Cobb made an acrobatic one-handed catch for a 51-yard gain that would have given the Packers the ball at the 3-yard line with 10 seconds left in the first quarter, but off-setting penalties were called and the play was nullified.

After Cobb got up from the catch, he felt normal but suddenly stopped in his tracks and went down to one knee.

"I felt fine, I got up from the catch and started walking back to the huddle and it got harder and harder for me to breathe," he said. "Then it felt like I was going to throw up. I was choking. I was choking on something and then next thing I know I was spitting up blood."

Superb Owl chances diminished by a ******* battery pack.

[HKPackFan]

So much for player safety. Let's put a device on them that could puncture a lung. Makes good TV.

[MickeyDavis]

McGinn on the importance of getting a quality TE

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/super-bowl-teams-demonstrate-how-packers-need-help-at-tight-end-b99664370z1-367767831.html

[th87]

I think there should be disappointment if we end a run of Favre and Rodgers with only 1 Super Bowl each, that said it is really hard to win a Super Bowl even with one of the greatest of all time leading your team. Pending what happens in the Owl this year Manning only has 1 Super Bowl so far, Marino had none and there are plenty of other examples. Football is the ultimate team sport where an elite QB will make you a contender but isn't enough to win on their own.

Hopefully we can get another 1 or 2 before Rodgers retires and I will be disappointed if we don't but I won't look at the end result as a failure because as fans we have been very fortunate to have 25 years of being in the running to win it all on almost a yearly basis.

I disagree with this view. Let's look at the QBs considered some of the best in their respective eras, and some of the best of all time.

Brady - 4 SBs, 2 appearances
Montana - 4 SBs
Manning - 1 SB (as of now), 3 appearances
Elway - 2 SBs, 3 appearances
Favre - 1 SB, 1 appearance
Rodgers - 1 SB
Young - 1 SB
Marino - 1 appearance
Aikman - 3 SBs
Unitas - 2 Championships
Tarkenton - 3 appearances
Starr - 2 SBs, 5 Championships
Staubach - 2 SBs
Kelly - 4 appearances
Graham - 7 Championships
Bradshaw - 4 SBs

Of this list, Rodgers is on the low end of appearances. Only Young and Marino have 1 as well, and Young started playing very late. I don't know what happened in the Tarkenton games, but Kelly could easily have 2 if his kicker doesn't miss by a few inches, and if Thurman Thomas doesn't fumble.

There aren't plenty of other examples. Rodgers' success rate is low compared to the other legends, as he hasn't even appeared in as many SBs as them. You have to get there to win, and he only has more SBs than Kelly and Marino because 3 times they faced total juggernauts, and twice their teammates dropped the ball.

Also notable that Rodgers SB came with a 1 (or 2?) ranked scoring defense. This proves my point then that TT needs to improve the team around him, and if we don't get another 1-2 wins in the Rodgers era, TT will have failed hard (relative to the other greats).

I'm not saying this is Rodgers fault at all - it's not. But his body of success is atypical compared to the other greats.

[chuckleslove]

I think there should be disappointment if we end a run of Favre and Rodgers with only 1 Super Bowl each, that said it is really hard to win a Super Bowl even with one of the greatest of all time leading your team. Pending what happens in the Owl this year Manning only has 1 Super Bowl so far, Marino had none and there are plenty of other examples. Football is the ultimate team sport where an elite QB will make you a contender but isn't enough to win on their own.

Hopefully we can get another 1 or 2 before Rodgers retires and I will be disappointed if we don't but I won't look at the end result as a failure because as fans we have been very fortunate to have 25 years of being in the running to win it all on almost a yearly basis.

I disagree with this view. Let's look at the QBs considered some of the best in their respective eras, and some of the best of all time.

Brady - 4 SBs, 2 appearances
Montana - 4 SBs
Manning - 1 SB (as of now), 3 appearances
Elway - 2 SBs, 3 appearances
Favre - 1 SB, 1 appearance
Rodgers - 1 SB
Young - 1 SB
Marino - 1 appearance
Aikman - 3 SBs
Unitas - 2 Championships
Tarkenton - 3 appearances
Starr - 2 SBs, 5 Championships
Staubach - 2 SBs
Kelly - 4 appearances
Graham - 7 Championships
Bradshaw - 4 SBs

Of this list, Rodgers is on the low end of appearances. Only Young and Marino have 1 as well, and Young started playing very late. I don't know what happened in the Tarkenton games, but Kelly could easily have 2 if his kicker doesn't miss by a few inches, and if Thurman Thomas doesn't fumble.

There aren't plenty of other examples. Rodgers' success rate is low compared to the other legends, as he hasn't even appeared in as many SBs as them. You have to get there to win, and he only has more SBs than Kelly and Marino because 3 times they faced total juggernauts, and twice their teammates dropped the ball.

Also notable that Rodgers SB came with a 1 (or 2?) ranked scoring defense. This proves my point then that TT needs to improve the team around him, and if we don't get another 1-2 wins in the Rodgers era, TT will have failed hard (relative to the other greats).

I'm not saying this is Rodgers fault at all - it's not. But his body of success is atypical compared to the other greats.

Sure but Rodgers career is far from over, if you looked at Elway's numbers at this point in his career it would have looked worse too. Like I said if in the end it will be disappointing if this is what we end up with and yes we need to improve as a team. Elway didn't win his 2 Super Bowls until the end when they had a dominant defense and run game and some of those others on your list don't even have a win. I think you are blowing it out of proportion and when all is said and done if we don't get to and hopefully win another Owl or two I will probably change my tune but it is a hard league to win in and its far too early to call this a failure and I won't ever go that far.

[th87]

I think there should be disappointment if we end a run of Favre and Rodgers with only 1 Super Bowl each, that said it is really hard to win a Super Bowl even with one of the greatest of all time leading your team. Pending what happens in the Owl this year Manning only has 1 Super Bowl so far, Marino had none and there are plenty of other examples. Football is the ultimate team sport where an elite QB will make you a contender but isn't enough to win on their own.

Hopefully we can get another 1 or 2 before Rodgers retires and I will be disappointed if we don't but I won't look at the end result as a failure because as fans we have been very fortunate to have 25 years of being in the running to win it all on almost a yearly basis.

I disagree with this view. Let's look at the QBs considered some of the best in their respective eras, and some of the best of all time.

Brady - 4 SBs, 2 appearances
Montana - 4 SBs
Manning - 1 SB (as of now), 3 appearances
Elway - 2 SBs, 3 appearances
Favre - 1 SB, 1 appearance
Rodgers - 1 SB
Young - 1 SB
Marino - 1 appearance
Aikman - 3 SBs
Unitas - 2 Championships
Tarkenton - 3 appearances
Starr - 2 SBs, 5 Championships
Staubach - 2 SBs
Kelly - 4 appearances
Graham - 7 Championships
Bradshaw - 4 SBs

Of this list, Rodgers is on the low end of appearances. Only Young and Marino have 1 as well, and Young started playing very late. I don't know what happened in the Tarkenton games, but Kelly could easily have 2 if his kicker doesn't miss by a few inches, and if Thurman Thomas doesn't fumble.

There aren't plenty of other examples. Rodgers' success rate is low compared to the other legends, as he hasn't even appeared in as many SBs as them. You have to get there to win, and he only has more SBs than Kelly and Marino because 3 times they faced total juggernauts, and twice their teammates dropped the ball.

Also notable that Rodgers SB came with a 1 (or 2?) ranked scoring defense. This proves my point then that TT needs to improve the team around him, and if we don't get another 1-2 wins in the Rodgers era, TT will have failed hard (relative to the other greats).

I'm not saying this is Rodgers fault at all - it's not. But his body of success is atypical compared to the other greats.

Sure but Rodgers career is far from over, if you looked at Elway's numbers at this point in his career it would have looked worse too. Like I said if in the end it will be disappointing if this is what we end up with and yes we need to improve as a team. Elway didn't win his 2 Super Bowls until the end when they had a dominant defense and run game and some of those others on your list don't even have a win. I think you are blowing it out of proportion and when all is said and done if we don't get to and hopefully win another Owl or two I will probably change my tune but it is a hard league to win in and its far too early to call this a failure and I won't ever go that far.

Elway still made it there semi-regularly, but had the crappy luck of being outgunned by far, far better teams. Rodgers hasn't even made it again, and has he even faced teams as good as the 80s/90s 49ers in his attempts to get there?

Only Marino, Kelly, and Tarkenton don't have any. Marino faced a loaded 49ers team, and Kelly faced the loaded Cowboys twice, and the loaded Redskins. Again, crappy luck. And that's only 3 of the other 15.

Rodgers is chronologically closer to the end of his physical prime than he is to his SB win. We don't have a lot of time.

[RRyder823]

I disagree with this view. Let's look at the QBs considered some of the best in their respective eras, and some of the best of all time.

Brady - 4 SBs, 2 appearances
Montana - 4 SBs
Manning - 1 SB (as of now), 3 appearances
Elway - 2 SBs, 3 appearances
Favre - 1 SB, 1 appearance
Rodgers - 1 SB
Young - 1 SB
Marino - 1 appearance
Aikman - 3 SBs
Unitas - 2 Championships
Tarkenton - 3 appearances
Starr - 2 SBs, 5 Championships
Staubach - 2 SBs
Kelly - 4 appearances
Graham - 7 Championships
Bradshaw - 4 SBs

Of this list, Rodgers is on the low end of appearances. Only Young and Marino have 1 as well, and Young started playing very late. I don't know what happened in the Tarkenton games, but Kelly could easily have 2 if his kicker doesn't miss by a few inches, and if Thurman Thomas doesn't fumble.

There aren't plenty of other examples. Rodgers' success rate is low compared to the other legends, as he hasn't even appeared in as many SBs as them. You have to get there to win, and he only has more SBs than Kelly and Marino because 3 times they faced total juggernauts, and twice their teammates dropped the ball.

Also notable that Rodgers SB came with a 1 (or 2?) ranked scoring defense. This proves my point then that TT needs to improve the team around him, and if we don't get another 1-2 wins in the Rodgers era, TT will have failed hard (relative to the other greats).

I'm not saying this is Rodgers fault at all - it's not. But his body of success is atypical compared to the other greats.

Sure but Rodgers career is far from over, if you looked at Elway's numbers at this point in his career it would have looked worse too. Like I said if in the end it will be disappointing if this is what we end up with and yes we need to improve as a team. Elway didn't win his 2 Super Bowls until the end when they had a dominant defense and run game and some of those others on your list don't even have a win. I think you are blowing it out of proportion and when all is said and done if we don't get to and hopefully win another Owl or two I will probably change my tune but it is a hard league to win in and its far too early to call this a failure and I won't ever go that far.

Elway still made it there semi-regularly, but had the crappy luck of being outgunned by far, far better teams. Rodgers hasn't even made it again, and has he even faced teams as good as the 80s/90s 49ers in his attempts to get there?

Only Marino, Kelly, and Tarkenton don't have any. Marino faced a loaded 49ers team, and Kelly faced the loaded Cowboys twice, and the loaded Redskins. Again, crappy luck. And that's only 3 of the other 15.

Rodgers is chronologically closer to the end of his physical prime than he is to his SB win. We don't have a lot of time.

Elway didn't make it to the SB regularly in any way. He made it 3 times when he was freshly minted in the league and then didn't make it back and win untill his last two seasons. It doesn't get less regular than that.

As for the last yes Rodgers is on the low end of spectrum no doubt but these lists should also be defined with players and championships in the SB era imo otherwise anyone that doesn't put Otto as the greatest ever is a fool if all things are being considered equal.

There's still plenty of time left. No point on defining Rodgers career or TTs success with him at this point. Alot of these same arguments could've been used to argue how BB was wasting Brady and his career in NE after such a hot start during their decade long drought. Any guesses on their road PO record lately? If that was happening to the Packers they'd be getting crucified.... Wait.

The point is winning a SB is tough and while having Rodgers for only another 5 years makes it seem to everybody that every season is boom or bust but in reality 5 years is a LONG time in the NFL world

[th87]

Sure but Rodgers career is far from over, if you looked at Elway's numbers at this point in his career it would have looked worse too. Like I said if in the end it will be disappointing if this is what we end up with and yes we need to improve as a team. Elway didn't win his 2 Super Bowls until the end when they had a dominant defense and run game and some of those others on your list don't even have a win. I think you are blowing it out of proportion and when all is said and done if we don't get to and hopefully win another Owl or two I will probably change my tune but it is a hard league to win in and its far too early to call this a failure and I won't ever go that far.

Elway still made it there semi-regularly, but had the crappy luck of being outgunned by far, far better teams. Rodgers hasn't even made it again, and has he even faced teams as good as the 80s/90s 49ers in his attempts to get there?

Only Marino, Kelly, and Tarkenton don't have any. Marino faced a loaded 49ers team, and Kelly faced the loaded Cowboys twice, and the loaded Redskins. Again, crappy luck. And that's only 3 of the other 15.

Rodgers is chronologically closer to the end of his physical prime than he is to his SB win. We don't have a lot of time.

Elway didn't make it to the SB regularly in any way. He made it 3 times when he was freshly minted in the league and then didn't make it back and win untill his last two seasons. It doesn't get less regular than that.

As for the last yes Rodgers is on the low end of spectrum no doubt but these lists should also be defined with players and championships in the SB era imo otherwise anyone that doesn't put Otto as the greatest ever is a fool if all things are being considered equal.

There's still plenty of time left. No point on defining Rodgers career or TTs success with him at this point. Alot of these same arguments could've been used to argue how BB was wasting Brady and his career in NE after such a hot start during their decade long drought. Any guesses on their road PO record lately? If that was happening to the Packers they'd be getting crucified.... Wait.

The point is winning a SB is tough and while having Rodgers for only another 5 years makes it seem to everybody that every season is boom or bust but in reality 5 years is a LONG time in the NFL world

Elway made it to the SB on his 4th, 5th, and 7th year, and an AFCCG on his 9th. Six years later, he got his SB victory, and another the following year. So semi-regularly mid-career, a hiatus later that was only two years longer than Rodgers' appearance between championship games (2010 to 2014), and a strong finish. That's a generally strong body of work.

Even if we take Otto and Unitas out, Rodgers is still on the low end.

Wasting Brady? The Patriots had just won 3 out of 4 championships. Only two years later, they made it to the AFCCG. The following year they went undefeated and lost the SB on a fluke helmet catch. The following year, Brady was lost for the entire season, and only three years after that (one during which Brady was attempting to regain his form after the ACL tear), they lost the SB on a drop and another fluke catch. They followed up with consecutive championship game appearances, and then finally won the SB. Anyone who might use these same arguments during their 10 year "hiatus" would be a certifiable moron (as they are nowhere near equal), because one or two of these years were lost with Brady's injury and return to form, and the remainder was littered with 3 AFCCG appearances, and 2 SB appearances. This utterly DESTROYS the Packers' achievements, and the Rodgers era barely even belongs in the same sentence of even the Brady era's "lean" years.

And I think this is entirely on TT's over-reliance on MD Jennings-level players that end up doing us in. Five years is not a long time when you've seen five years of early playoff exits because we have no safeties or ILBs (2011), liabilities at OLB (2012), same liabilities at OLB (2013), liabilities at TE (2014), and liabilities at TE and ILB (2015). TT has been slow to fix these things, so what makes us believe that when more holes start to appear, that TT won't rely on MD Jennings level players to try to fill them?

[paulpressey25]

Might be instructive to look at what Elway and Denver did the past two years with roster construction knowing they had Manning and a window......

[crkone]

Might be instructive to look at what Elway and Denver did the past two years with roster construction knowing they had Manning and a window......

Draft Von Miller?

[paulpressey25]

Draft Von Miller?

Heh. Or have a GM who uses all avenues.....

MEN AT THE TOP
Following the disastrous Josh McDaniels era, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen added Elway to the front office in 2011. The move was met with skepticism as some saw the hire as a public relations move for the fans. However, it became clear very quickly that Elway was more than just a spokesman or token figure head, the Broncos were going to be built with a blueprint designed by the quarterback who won the franchise its only two Super Bowls.
Once Elway took over the day-to-day, he didn’t insist on a complete overhaul of the player personnel department. Instead, he kept most of the football operations staff intact, adding several experienced decision-makers from the outside, including Tom Heckert, former general manager of the Cleveland Browns.

FIVE MOVES THAT GOT THEM HERE
Two years ago, the Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl with a record-breaking offense led by Manning, but it was no match for the Seahawks No. 1-ranked defense as Seattle dominated Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII, 43-8. Having a future Hall of Fame quarterback at the helm was obviously important, but, as the old adage says, defense wins championships. A few weeks after that loss, Elway committed over $100 million in free agency to Talib, Ware and T.J. Ward and continued to focus on defensive prospects in the draft.
Yes, Elway is a former quarterback and offensive thinker by trade, but since he was hired as a member of the Broncos’ front office in 2011, Denver has drafted a defensive player with their first pick in the draft each of the last five years and eight defensive players on the roster are former top-40 draft picks. Elway and his staff have also found several late round or undrafted gems, including cornerback Chris Harris, who has made the Pro Bowl the last two years.
And the final piece to the puzzle was Wade Phillips, who was hired as defensive coordinator prior to the 2015 season. The year the Broncos lost to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, the Denver defense finished 19th in the NFL. But that ranking improved to third in 2014 and No. 1 in 2015 under Phillips, leading the league in total yards allowed (283.1), sacks (52), forced fumbles (25) and defensive scores (four).

CORE PLAYERS
The core of the Broncos roster is a balance of home-grown draft picks, wise free agent signings and a few undrafted discoveries.
Manning, Ware and Talib were all signed to lucrative free agent deals on Elway’s watch, along with several other important yet under-the-radar additions like linebacker Brandon Marshall and guard Louis Vasquez (both chosen as Pro Bowl alternates in 2015). Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and offensive tackle Ryan Clady are the two core players who were on the roster prior to Elway, although Clady missed all of the 2015 seasons due to a torn ACL.
Through the draft, the Broncos have used high draft picks to find core players, including Miller (No. 2 overall, 2011), Derek Wolfe (No. 36 overall, 2012) and Sylvester Williams (No. 28, 2013) in the defensive front-seven. And the franchise has hit on several late round or undrafted players in the bargain bin like Harris (undrafted), Malik Jackson (No. 137 overall, 2012) and Danny Trevathan (No. 188 overall, 2012).
DEPTH FINDS
A player who may or may not be the future of the franchise at quarterback, Brock Osweiler proved to be a valuable member of the Broncos this season, recording a 5-2 record as a starter while Manning was out with injuries. Osweiler was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft and will be a free agent after the Super Bowl.
Denver ranked middle of the pack in rushing this season, but are getting bang for their buck with undrafted running back C.J. Anderson (2013), who has rushed for 1,500-plus yards combined the last two seasons. Although neither Anderson nor Ronnie Hillman (No. 67 overall, 2012) are core players, they create a tandem backfield that gets the job done more times than not.
Several other members of the Broncos’ roster aren’t household names, but have been contributors on the path to the Super Bowl. Players like pass rusher Shaquil Barrett (undrafted), cornerback Kayvon Webster (No. 90 overall, 2013) and safety David Bruton (No. 114 overall, 2009) and free agent finds like defensive tackle Vance Walker.

GRADING THE DRAFT
While free agent additions might be the backbone to the Broncos’ roster, the team’s success on draft weekend has been equally as important to Denver playing in Super Bowl 50.
Dating back to 2010, the Broncos have drafted very well with their first pick in the draft: wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (2010), linebacker Von Miller (2011), defensive tackle Derek Wolfe (2012), defensive tackle Sylvester Williams (2013), cornerback Bradley Roby (2014) and defensive end Shane Ray (2015).
With the exception of Ray, who was a nickel rusher as a rookie in 2015, the Broncos’ first pick in the draft since 2010 have each been key starters on the current squad. Roby technically started only four games this past season, but his playing time is near equal to a starter due to the amount of nickel packages.
The Broncos have been far from perfect on draft weekend. They swung and missed on running back Montee Ball (No. 58 overall, 2013) and wide receiver Cody Latimer (No. 56, 2014) has taken longer than expected to develop. But Elway and his staff deserve credit for their work through the draft, especially considering they haven’t drafted in the top-20 picks since 2011.

FRONT OFFICE VIEW
Elway was a Super Bowl-winning quarterback on the field and he might be a Super Bowl-winning executive off the field if the Broncos can pull the upset over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50. And if that happens, his accomplishments as a general manager will have been earned through hard work, preparation and talent — just like his accomplishments as a quarterback.
“Really, what I was drawing off and have been drawing off, is my experience in my career,” Elway said. “When we won those two Super Bowls, what was the formula? The formula was to play good defense, and offensively, it was about running the ball.”
Some will say that it doesn’t take talent to open a checkbook and write down numbers and that would be correct. However, Elway has been more than an ATM or figure head — he has had a plan since the day he took office. And while it hasn’t always been pretty, that plan has the Broncos planning for the ultimate prize on Super Bowl Sunday.
–Dane Brugler is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed in partnership with The Sports Xchange and CBSSports.com.

[Kerb Hohl]

They still probably are not even in the Super Bowl without Von. Talib, Ware were Pro Bowl caliber guys...Ward was good. Regardless, it still comes down to drafting a DPOY if Watt isn't playing type guy making $5 million with the #2 pick. That isn't to discount the idea of using other avenues to pick up players...I hope we do that more.

[Ron Swanson]

Might be instructive to look at what Elway and Denver did the past two years with roster construction knowing they had Manning and a window......

Signing Julius Peppers was pretty much akin to Denver acquiring Ware. And it took arguably the greatest pure pass rushing performance since prime Lawrence Taylor to go all the way. Other than that, are you suggesting we wreck our salary cap with FA signings for a 2-3 year window?

That's exactly what Denver did, and yes it got them a Super Bowl, but look at their cap situation for the next 3 years. They've already been forced to let guys like Erick Decker, Julius Thomas, and Rodgers-Cromartie leave. And that's not even going into the possibility of them not having enough money to keep Miller if he signs some monster offer sheet.

I can understand this approach if you had a 37 year old Rodgers on his last legs, but I can't disagree more that that's the approach you should take this offseason. The Steelers were in a similar situation in 2010 (huge money tied up in old players and FA's) when they reached the Super Bowl. They didn't win, and haven't even made it to the conference championship since because they had to suffer some down years fixing their cap and rebuilding their talent base.

[Kerb Hohl]

The Packers were basically Denver-lite on defense, looking at things. Denver executed much better.

Drafted OLB: Von > Clay
Old, HOF-ish OLB: Ware > Peppers at this point

ILBs: Both teams relied on late-round draft picks, some being scrap-heap practice squad guys. Denver was way better here, but they went the unheralded route, just as we have.

DE: Wolfe/Daniels...don't know enough but probably Wolfe >

CBs: Talib/Harris and Randall/Shields - Harris and Shields are UDFAs that both are very good. Talib was a FA signing, but Randall is a good 1st round pick. We also had Tramon and House that we simply couldn't sign/keep.

S: Signed Ward and have Stewart. I don't think anyone is really complaining about HHCD and Burnett with Hyde as the wild card.

DT: Sylvester Williams (1st rounder) again, at this point slightly better than Raji, but Raji has been pretty good early and late in his career.

Other DE: Malik Jackson - We have a nice stable of other DEs, but again, this is where Denver might have one-upped us with a scrap heap signing.




Summary: The construction of both defenses is very similar. Denver paid $ to bring in Talib instead of our money to keep Shields. They brought in Ward. Outside of that, the difference is that at every position, they have a similarly acquired player, but they're just better than the guy we have. And the biggest difference is Von, really.

[paulpressey25]

They still probably are not even in the Super Bowl without Von. Talib, Ware were Pro Bowl caliber guys...Ward was good. Regardless, it still comes down to drafting a DPOY if Watt isn't playing type guy making $5 million with the #2 pick. That isn't to discount the idea of using other avenues to pick up players...I hope we do that more.

I think that proves you need to do both, which is all many of us are asking TT to consider. Draft Von (i.e our Clay) and get your FA's.

Ron--I just can't trust Rodgers to be the same player at age 37. We may or may not have seen the start of the decline last year. Frankly I'm fine blowing the cap. The time is now.

[Kerb Hohl]

They still probably are not even in the Super Bowl without Von. Talib, Ware were Pro Bowl caliber guys...Ward was good. Regardless, it still comes down to drafting a DPOY if Watt isn't playing type guy making $5 million with the #2 pick. That isn't to discount the idea of using other avenues to pick up players...I hope we do that more.

I think that proves you need to do both, which is all many of us are asking TT to consider. Draft Von (i.e our Clay) and get your FA's.

Ron--I just can't trust Rodgers to be the same player at age 37. We may or may not have seen the start of the decline last year. Frankly I'm fine blowing the cap. The time is now.

See my post above. We have blown up the cap. Of course we chose to stick with internal options, but we still paid about just as many defenders.

Talib = Shields (external/internal)
Wolfe = Daniels
Von = Clay - Key here being Von hasn't gotten PAID yet.
Ware = Peppers
Ward = Burnett (external/internal)
Williams = Raji - Again, Williams hasn't been paid yet.
Harris Jr. might be the only difference. He got paid and we don't have a similarly paid corner 2nd CB.

ILBs are all unheralded/cheap.

Basically, the difference is that Denver has an extra stud CB getting paid while we have Randall opposite him. Von and Sylvester Williams were still on rookie deals while Raji and Clay were not. Everything else was a mirror image.

I get that we need to construct our roster differently, but don't just give the wave of a hand and go "do something, Ted. Go spend."

"Ted wouldn't have a Super Bowl without 2010 Godgers in the playoffs - and Rodgers fell into his lap in the draft"

"Elway (the GM) wouldn't have a Super Bowl without 2015 Von in the playoffs - and Von fell into his lap in the draft"

Both did a nice job with supporting cast roster around Rodgers/Von.