November 14, 2007 12:10 AM

Young at heart and in the backfield . . .

Bruce Peotter in Irvine, Calif., leads things off as part of a double dip that spoke for many who were inquiring about Selvin Young . . .

Q: Given Selvin's Young's impressive play it seems to me that (Travis) Henry may not be that much better for the money (the Broncos) are paying him. Given the large contract we signed him to, might it be best for the Broncos that he be suspended?

A: When Young, largely because of injury troubles at the University of Texas, went undrafted he was one of the more popular players teams were trying to sign as an undrafted rookie free agent this past April.

And he has said he wanted to come to the Broncos because he believed running backs coach Bobby Turner and head coach Mike Shanahan would give him a legitimate chance to compete for a roster spot despite his draft status.

The Broncos have proven over the years performance on the practice field counts and they have moved players into the lineup – Mike Bell, for example, was an undrafted rookie in 2006 training camp and was named the starter at running back a week into that camp, ahead of Ron Dayne and Tatum Bell – many times before.

Young led the team in rushing in the preaseason with 167 yards, 140 of those coming in his two starts. The Broncos liked his speed and explosiveness, two things that looked better than some scouts had believed before the April draft.

He also carries plenty of potential on special teams -- he was the first player in Longhorns history to return a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the same game during his college career – and if he were not getting so much time in the backfield, he would certainly be in the mix at returner.

Some of the best scouts around the league who routinely cover the Big 12 believed Young had the potential to be a productive pro. They liked his attitude and his work ethic and believed he would show better athleticism than he was timed with in pre-draft workouts.

Some teams were turned off by injuries at Texas, including a fractured ankle in '04 that took a plate and 11 screws to heal. There were also the 40-yard dash times of 4.58 and 4.61 seconds Young ran in his campus workout before the draft.

However, some of those same scouts always have taken a hard look at 40 times run at Texas over the years, because there is a wall close to where the players end their runs. And often some of them slow as they finish, costing them an important tick or two on the stopwatches.

A few have said that was the case in Young's run, a belief that has played out as Young has run away from several defensive backs in the open field this season, even a few who had the angle on him.

So there is little question that he prepares well, has enough speed to be the regular in the backfield and uses the cutback well – an imperative in the Broncos offense. But, at a little over 200 pounds, and with the history of injuries, there will always be a little concern about the prospect of injury with too many carries.

I think that's the different between he and Davis at the moment. Davis was bigger and had more strength. He quickly went to the 30-carry thresh-hold once the Broncos committed to him as the starter.

I would think right now they would keep Young in the 20-25 carry range if he was starting. And even if Henry is healthy enough to play in the coming couple games – before any decision is made after his appeal hearing with the league Friday – Young figures to be sprinkled in the mix a little more on some early downs.

He was already the Broncos pick as the third-down back, playing in the backfield in three wide receiver looks when the Broncos went that route. He has been reliable in pass protection – a must to play in that formation – also a testament to his maturity.

So the team certainly likes him as a long-term prospect at the moment, with his football savvy and preparation skills only a bonus to what he has also shown on the field.

In regards to Henry, the team envisioned him as the front-line back when they signed him to a lucrative deal. They do not want him suspended and Shanahan went as far as to say Monday that if he believed Henry had actually tested positive because he had smoked marijuana, he would have cut the running back already.

With Henry's history, however – a four-game suspension in 2005 -- they did build some safeguards in the contract.

He agreed in the deal to forfeit a $6 million signing bonus - it was split into five payments he was to receive between March 2007 and March 2008. He has received four of the payment so far.

Also the Broncos would likely consider releasing Henry if he is suspended for a year. And if he were released, he also would not receive a $6 million option bonus in March that would add the 2010 season to the deal. He also has another option bonus available in 2011 for $3.9 million if the Broncos were to add that year to the deal before free agency opens that year.

So financially Henry has a lot at stake in Friday's appeal hearing. The Broncos should know the outcome either following Monday night's game against the Titans or just after the Nov. 25 game in Chicago if the league decides it needs more time.

Jeffrey Dallet had some thoughts on Dre' Bly . . .

Q: Where does Dre' Bly get of saying its time to single out players by name when he himself was the one torched for the 82-yard bomb in overtime against Green Bay?

A: Bly was like many of the team's veteran players in the days leading up to the Chiefs game this past Sunday. Many of them had expressed to their mostly younger teammates the importance of accountability to each other.

Part of that is admitting to a mistake and committing to fixing the error.

Bly was very forthcoming following the loss to the Packers. He said he thought he had good enough coverage on Greg Jennings on the game's final play, but in reality did not given he surrendered a touchdown.

He didn't hide, he didn't blame somebody else, he said what happened on the play and moved on. He's aggressive in coverage – too aggressive according to come personnel executives around the league – but hasn't shied away this far from explaining when things don't work out.

I don't think his teammates were offended or anything, Most of them said they liked hearing Bly and others on the defense say it publicly because they had already said it behind closed doors.

Jerry Martinez opens a hat trick about the defense . . .

Q: I know that injuries have been the major problem for the Broncos. I also think that safety is a major concern. My question is why haven't the Broncos used Ian Gold at safety?

A: Up front the Broncos have tinkered with the lineup most of the season, trying to find a combination that works to their liking. The tinkering continued Tuesday when defensive end Kenny Peterson was re-signed.

To make room for Peterson, the Broncos released Antwon Burton, who had played in six games this season. It also meant the Broncos have gotten a little lighter in recent weeks again, appearing to now look for quickness.

Two 300-pounders – Amon Gordon and Burton – have now been released while Peterson, at 285 pounds, and Josh Mallard, at 259 pounds, have been added and will take some snaps at tackle in some situations. It also means, after emphasizing power all through training camp, the Broncos now have just two 300-pound defensive linemen on the roster – Sam Adams and rookie Marcus Thomas.

So that would seem to indicate a little philosophical shift, at least on the surface, has taken place in recent weeks. And their run defense has actually been better over the last month as well. Can't tell yet if they will continue the trend into the offseason, but at the moment they, by their actions, look to be asking for more quickness up front and searching for more players who can give it to them.

They did not control the line of scrimmage in most of their first six games or so and the defensive tackles were not anchoring the way Jim Bates needed them to. So most of those tackles are now gone as well.

As far as going to a 3-4 full time – they have used some look with three down linemen and a stand-up rusher as the fourth this year, most notably against Indianapolis – it would require some serious roster shuffling. That would take some time, probably one full offseason and probably a couple drafts to get outside linebackers and a nose tackle to play it full time.

That's not an easy transition and they seem to be committed to their 4-3 right now. They would need a full-time nose tackle, a couple bigger 3-4 type ends – they usually push 300-310 pounds – and some outside linebackers.

So that's probably more change than they want to deal with at the moment for the entire scheme.

As far as moving Gold to safety, at 223 pounds he would be one of the biggest in the league. He's got good range for a linebacker, but that range would be limited the more downfield he gets.

Gold's matchup – brief as it was – earlier this season with Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson showed it would be tough to put him consistently on wide receivers in space. He's best suited for the Broncos defense where he is, on the weak side and at linebacker.

Some offensive coordinators believe he has some trouble with the quicker tight ends as well 1-on-1, so it would be a difficult transition for him, like it would for any linebacker used to playing down near the line of scrimmage, to play in coverage at safety when he had to.

Steve Oliver, from across the big pond in London, takes a look at the offensive front . . .

Q: I can't help thinking that if (the Broncos) are ever going to compete with the Pats and Colts they need to invest in some first- and second-round offensive linemen. Or do you think (the Broncos) can do it on the cheap? Do you think low-end picks like (Chris) Myers and (Chris) Kuper can develop into good to great linemen capable of taking over for (Tom) Nalen and (Ben) Hamilton?

A: Right now the Broncos have four homegrown players starting in the offensive line, but none of them are first-round picks. Guard Montrae Holland, the fifth starter, is in his first year with the team after signing in free agency.

But using early first-day draft picks has not been their usual operating procedure in Shanahan's tenure. Some of that may be it has often taken a few years to have the linemen on the roster before there are ready to play in Denver's scheme and it's easier to keep a middle- or late-round pick into the second contract after they hit restricted free agency after their third season and unrestricted free agency after their fourth season.

So, overall in Shanahan's tenure he has taken on offensive lineman in the second round of the draft -- Lennie Friedman in '99 – and one offensive lineman in the first round of the draft -- George Foster in 2003. Neither is still with the team.

Left tackle Matt Lepsis was an undrafted free agent, Tom Nalen was seventh-round pick, Ben Hamilton was a fourth rounder ('01), Chris Myers was a sixth rounder ('05), Chris Kuper a fifth rounder ('06) and Erik Pears was an undrafted rookie free agent ('05).

Most personnel guys believe you go early in the draft for tackles, especially left tackles, so when the Broncos are on the hunt for the player to groom behind Lepsis they may have to take the plunge in the first day of the draft at some point, perhaps even the first round, depending what the class looks like.

Also some GMs believe it's OK to take a guard in the opening round, but usually down near the bottom of the round. But the guard would have to be clearly dominant over his brethren in the class for most teams to jump in the first to take him.

Those same GMs are usually not in favor of jumping at a center in the opening round as well, except in cases where the center is clearly rated well beyond the other players behind him in that class.

Again the feeling among most teams is at a position that can take time to develop – especially a zone run scheme like the Broncos that requires decisions to be made by the linemen on every snap – they just don't want to pay a guy first round money for two years while he sits on the bench.

So at the top of the round, teams will take the plunge because those players are rated highly enough to have shown enough athleticism and good footwork to play right away. After that teams, the Broncos included, are more inclined to wait.

But if the Broncos decide they need Lepsis' successor on the roster at some point and want to develop that player from the start, that's when they would give a long look at a first day pick for a left tackle.

Kaleb Harvey wants to turn back the clock a little . . .

Q: Many of the Broncos' offseason moves have confused me. Why would they sign a tight end mostly known, and used, for his blocking to a $6 million a year contract instead of signing a tackle that would be a good enough blocker that the Broncos wouldn’t be forced to leave the tight end to block? Erik Pears is a nice story but the kid gets mauled out there. Also, I never understood why (fullback) Kyle Johnson was cut. The way they did it was harsh and they converted Mike Bell to a fullback position that he is not good with to replace him and is not the strong special teams player that Johnson was.

A: Graham signed with the Broncos because he believed he would be more involved in the passing game in Denver than he was in New England. But when they saw him block in practice they quickly decided to keep him on the field as a blocker at times and make that Job 1 on early downs and for the most part put him in the pass pattern most often on third down.

He has simply manhandled linebackers and safeties as a blocker thus far. Given how tough it can be for blockers to consistently do just that, I don't think they are going to ask Graham to block less because of the way he has performed. He, simply put, has done it too well for the Broncos to think about him not doing it.

If the offensive line were not so young, with two starters already replacing injured players, they wouldn't have to line up in the two tight end look to protect the passer as much as they have and Graham could do other things.

At fullback Johnson didn't win the spot when the decision was made about how he played at the point of attack. They feeling was his blocking wasn't consistently good enough and with the other players on the roster – Cecil Sapp, Paul Smith and Mike Bell – there wasn't room for Johnson to overcome that belief.

Sapp is the starter at fullback and Smith the backup. Smith, a free agency signee is also a key player on special teams, one the Broncos pursued in free agency, so Johnson got caught in the crunch.

And finally, Russell Dillard, a regular, in Richmond, Va., wondered about an injury situation.

Q: A quick question about Javon Walker. Is it true micro fracture surgery is needed in the offseason if his knee does not improve? Say it ain't so. Broncos fans are all too familiar (Terrell Davis) with that surgery.

A: He is still coming back from the initial arthroscopic surgery to repair some cartilage and clean out some loose pieces that were causing some swelling.

He's started running and the Broncos are hoping he can return to the lineup in the coming weeks. However, if he still struggles with swelling and pain in the knee beyond that he would likely have to consider some additional surgery at season's end.

A lot depends on how big a hole is to be repaired in the cartilage area as to the seriousness of microfracture procedure to fix that hole.

For smaller holes, the advances in the surgery in recent years have made the success rate very good and not all that worrisome. However, for the bigger problems, the comeback success is still not as great.

The Broncos don't know where Walker falls on the scale at the moment. They'll wait and see how he does when he comes back from the scope he had this year and go from there.

That's it and thanks

Posted by at 12:10 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack