(DEN-Sider Forums)

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Heads were scratched with a recent Trade, where we sent Veteran DT Russell Smith and WLB Emmett Daniels, both who were very good players for us for a long time but also both on their last legs and talking about Retirement, along with our 2024 1st and 2nd Round Picks go across Division to Kansas City for DT Jake Powell and a 2023 3rd, with a 5th and 6th in 2025.

Well, we have some inside news about this confusing move.

We were already deep at DT, with Russell Smith being backed up by Gabriel Sexton and Donald Klinger... but an idea was hatched.

With Smith being ready to Retire at any time, and Emmett Daniels as well, the idea to form an amazing but Young DL came up. DT Jake Powell is in his 5th Season, and only 26 Years Old. He'll at least be here until he's 30, if not longer, so 4+ Seasons of Excellent DT Play is what is expected, where this could have been Smith's last run.

But add to that the conversion of both Gabriel Sexton and Donald Klinger to LDE and RDE, as both are 23, and you have the makings of a Young but Talented 3-4 Front.

With current Starting (but Injured) LDE Elmer Baker being on the Trade Block, it seems the Youth Movement is real in Denver, through acquiring Young Players from other teams and moving some of their own around to positions they can make an Impact at.

With Defensive Coordinator Patrick Lebouef being a Run Stopping 3-4 kind of guy, these moves to impact the DL with across the board Youth and Talent makes sense, and allows for the targeting of LB's in the upcoming Draft, instead of Defense Ends. While DE contain value even in a 34, when the Focus is Run Stopping you'd like to spend High Resources on the Line Backers instead of people you'll be asking to eat blocks so the LBs can make plays.

The cost may have been high, but the strategy is sound. It's a bit to soon, but with innovative moves like this, I'm already ready for the 2023 Draft!

Again, an admirable job!

Well done Brrexl!!

(DEN-Sider Forums)

BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!

If I were Bill, or Ted, I'd be leading with "Strange things are afoot", but this isn't the 90's and we aren't at a Circle K.

Yet never in my life have I seen anything such as this. Denver Owner Bradley Kell has BOUGHT the Denver Post, and has stated that no Denver Professional Football articles will be written for the remainder of the Season.

Things have gotten very strange here, but I was allowed to visit Mr. Kell and get some statements.

The first one, likely the biggest one, is this. QB Benny Worrell is available for Trade after the Season. The starting price will be a 1st Rounder in the upcoming Draft. Benny has been known as a QB with great potential and excellent attributes, but new ownership has butted heads with him this Season and Mr. Kell wants him gone.

Some major shits have been made within the Roster as well. Nothing as drastic as Cuts, but many Players have been moved to new positions to better fit the Vision that Mr. Kell has of this Franchise.

He stated he is unsure if this will have a positive immediate impact, but that this IS the course (what ever course that may be... perhaps the next game will give some indication?) that will be stayed over the next 3-5 Years to try to bring this Vision to bear fruit.

What does he have in store? Denver is locked tight with no details escaping HQ, but strange things ARE afoot!

Get your Tin Foil Hats, conspiracies are certain to flourish!

(DEN-sider Forums)

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics.

Great news!

We have converted 25 Interceptions (1.79), 33 Sacks (2.36), 73 Knock Downs of Passes (5.21), Recovered 8 Fumbles (0.57) and Forced 16 Fumbles (1.14) over our 14 Games so far this Season.

We have been Thrown At 583 (41.64) times, while giving up 223 (15.93) Catches Allowed and knocking down 73 (5.21) of these while picking off 23 (1.79). This is a Defensive Catch Allowed Rate of 38.25%, with a Knock Down Rate of 12.52% and an Interception Rate of 4.29%.

Of note are Back Up SLB J. Earnest, who has knocked down 6 of the 16 Targets to him for an impressive 37.5% of all Targets. SS John Haynes is at 18.99% Knock Down Rate. CB Henry Bradley has been Targeted 96 Times in 14 Games, 2nd on the Team, and has 12 Knock Downs for 12.5%.

On the Catch Allowed front we have some stand outs keeping things under 33% in SS John Haynes, rocking a steady 30.38%, SLB Edward Powell at 29.63 (not to be outdone, J. Earnest sports a 25.00%).

To give our much beloved Back Up SLB Jacob Earnest even more print we'll showcase his 12.50% INT Rate (yes, he benefits from only 16 Thrown At, small sample size doing him very well). While Nickel Back C. Herera sports a 10.53% Interception Rate, and SS John Haynes shows in at 5.06%, with FS E. Cromwell at 6.00%.

We have to like our odds when only 38.25% of Targets are completed, when we are harassing 16.81 of all Targets with either Knock Downs or INTs, and when we find ourselves taking down QBs 2.36 times Per Game.

If only this Defense wasn't bleeding points and losing.

On paper, things look great. But on the field the matter is something entirely different.

(DEN-sider)

Upcoming MFN Draft. Week 14, Current Draft Projections.

If the MFN Season were to end today, this is where the teams (sans tie-breakers) would select, or at least their Pick (which may or may not belong to another Team via Trade).

1. Houston.
2-3. Buffalo, Dallas.
4-5. Denver, Chicago.
6-7. New York, Los Angeles.
8-10. Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit.
11-16. Kansas City, Miami, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Atlanta.
17. Washington.
18-22. New Jersey, Baltimore, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Arizona.
23-27. Oakland, New England, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Carolina.
28-30. Tennessee, Jacksonville, New Orleans.
31. Seattle.
32. San Diego.

With 2 Games left the land scape can change, with Buffalo and Dallas only One Win over Houston, and with Denver and Chicago 2 Games over Buffalo and Dallas the Top Five COULD change, but it's unlikely that 4 and 5 climb. The Top 3 however could shift.

However, in the Draft World, Denver and Chicago could put themselves in the company of NY and LA, or with Winning Out even put themselves into that 5 Win Range with GB, MINN and DET. So picks 4 through10 could see a lot of shifting.

(DEN-sider)

Week 14, and I was looking at the Team Stats for the Season.

Despite the obvious failures, I see we are 2nd in the NFL in Interceptions per Game, at 1.8, just behind Seattle and their 2.0.

Our 2.4 Sacks per Game only gets us to T-26, we need more Pass Rush to help our Secondary.

But our Turn Over Margin is surprising, at a +15 on the Season, good enough to be T-2.

Here's to hoping we get some Quality OL, an amazing LB and some Secondary Help in this 2023 FA/Draft Season coming up.