December 5, 2007 12:50 AM

Again, they go, into the trenches

Clay Anderson leads things off, starting a double dip that includes the Broncos defensive line . . .

Q: What are we supposed to read into the release of Sam Adams? He seemed slow and out of shape all year, and made very few plays, yet he continued to start every game. Then all of a sudden he was cut Tuesday. Is this a sign Mike Shanahan is taking more control of the defense away from Jim Bates, or was there an incident involving Adams that we have not heard about?

A: The Broncos have already shown this season they are more than willing to keep on rotating players through as long as their struggles continue on defense, especially up front. They had already released Amon Gordon, a starter at the beginning of the season, Simeon Rice and Antwon Burton before Adams' release.

Burton was re-signed to the Broncos practice squad shortly after his release. But overall the Broncos are 12 games into the season and continue to talk about gap control problems on the defense.

They have surrendered too many rushing yards and haven't consistently gotten to opposing quarterbacks. Adams had started 11 games this season and had 17 tackles thus far, but eight of those tackles had come in the Broncos' first three games.

Adams had two or fewer tackles in each of his last eight games, including a no-tackle performance against Green Bay. His knee – he had arthroscopic surgery before the season – never appeared to be right.

He was held out of practice each Wednesday because of the knee and practiced Thursdays and Fridays only during a normal week.

The Broncos were also limiting his plays a great deal on game day as well, rotating Adams out of the lineup plenty.

Overall, there will certainly be some turnover on the roster in the defensive line in the offseason and likely at linebacker as well.

As far as the numbers the Broncos won't even decide that until their end-of-the-season meetings, but the three draft picks from this past April (Moss, Crowder and Thomas) and Dumervil will likely be the nucleus.

Moss has begun to work out at least some as he tries to return from ligament damage as well as a fractured lower leg.

I don't know that Adams' release means Shanahan is taking more control of the defense. He does routinely get more involved with certain facets on defense when he is unhappy, but Adams is a player Shanahan has long coveted after facing him so many times over the years.

Adams' health just prevented him from having the kind of explosion and quickness off the ball he had at his best in his career. He didn't dominate one game this season, and there is probably some validity to the fact Shanahan has made it clear he is playing the last four games to win, not to develop players.

This will certainly get the attention of the locker room, much like Rice's release earlier this season.

The Broncos did work out six defensive linemen Tuesday, including former Chiefs No. 2 pick Junior Siavii. Siavii was Kansas City's second-round pick, the 36th player taken overall, in 2004. Also in were NFL veterans Joe Salave'a, a former Titans and Redskins defensive tackle, and defensive end Dave Ball. Ends Nic Clemons, Julian Jenkins and defensive tackle Keyonta Marshall were also given a workout.

As far as the eight in the box, some of the best defenses in the league's history have played eight in the box. Some like the Ravens defense in 2000 did just fine with seven up front on most run downs and a minimum of blitzes.

The Broncos have played better with eight in the box on run downs, but they haven't walked the safety down much in passing situations. In fact, John Lynch is coming off the field on the some of the team's nickel packages.

To get it done with seven in this day and age, you need a big-time middle linebacker or weak-side linebacker to chase the ball, a big-time defensive tackle and an up-the-field end to force the issue.

Not many teams have that combination to consistently shut down two-back or two-tight end sets in the run game around the league. I like a defense that plays eight down near the line of scrimmage, and it can be done with quality cornerbacks with a minimum of big-play damage if the corners maintain their technique.

Mitch Boehm wades in on the running back. . .

Q: In my opinion, Travis Henry is not the answer at running back, suspension or no suspension. I have not been impressed with Travis Henry when he's been on the field. Not only is he not durable, but he has not shown great speed, moves or power to break tackles. Selvin Young shows speed and Andre Hall shows power, but do you think that either of them are durable enough to be the starting running back for the Broncos for 16-plus games a season moving forward? Do you see the Broncos making a move in the draft or in free agency this off-season for a more durable/talented back or will they try a running back by committee with Selvin Young and Andre Hall?

A: Their intention when they signed Henry to a deal that could run through 2011 was that he be the primary back over the long haul. In the past he has had some injuries from time to time and has certainly had some this season, having missed a game with a rib problem and three games with a left knee injury.

He also had a knee injury in training camp that caused him to miss time. But the Broncos like his power/quickness combination. At his best, he is one of the better backs in the league breaking tackles, but it's hard to do that when your legs aren't healthy.

And his knee has a partially torn ligament so he isn't going to explode into the hole as he would healthy. Durability is becoming a bigger issue league-wide for running backs with most teams now treating the position like quarterback, where the assumption is often that you need two who do the job to make it through the season.

Both Young and Hall, at 207 and 212 pounds, respectively, aren't considered big enough to be every-down, lug-it-30-times backs, but the Broncos do like their ability to come into the game and make something happen.

Young, in particular, has shown nice work in the cutback game and has run away from defenders in the open field. But they are also both hurt at the moment with Young playing on a sore knee to go with an upper right arm injury while Hall has a severely sprained ankle.

Given Henry will not be suspended, I think he is still their long-term option at running back. Shanahan made a point to show that when healthy this season Henry was leading the league in rushing over the first month of the season.

The question is really whether these injuries are an aberration to this season or is this how it will be for Henry for the remainder of the year, given he is a high-contact runner. He isn't eluding very often, he's pounding his way through traffic with that low center of gravity, so he takes significant punishment even if things are going well.

But that question likely gets answered next season if he misses as much time as he did this year with injuries.

John Koswan in Las Vegas is looking for change . . .

Q: Isn't it time for Mike (Shanahan) to resign and hit the road? The Broncos have gone from mediocrity to pathetic. Jim Bates' defense makes us long for Larry Coyer's pathetic defense. Mike has made too many bad decisions, and the game has passed him by.

A: Unless there is a significant change in the relationship between Shanahan and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, Shanahan will coach the Broncos as long as he believes he can do the job the way he wants to.

Bowlen has publicly said he believes Shanahan is the best person for the job, and there is no indication he will change his mind about that any time soon.

Shanahan may not have won as much as folks here want and expect, but he still wins more than most guys on most sidelines. There are plenty of coaches, Chuck Noll, Paul Brown, Jimmy Johnson, Bill Walsh and George Seifert among them who did not win a Super Bowl after the Hall of Fame quarterback exited the lineup.

So Shanahan has plenty of company there. That is the history of the league for the most part. You win as many games as you can with the Hall of Famer behind center and then hope you find another one someday.

It is frustrating for people who have watched this team for a long time to see the defense struggle this way. But another offseason is needed for this roster.

And there is always a chance Shanahan decides to shuffle things some on defense again in the offseason, but if they're going to play Bates' scheme, they are likely looking at another offseason's worth of moves to find players who can play it.

If anything this year, the Broncos organization may have misjudged how long it would take for them to find defensive linemen who play Bates' scheme the way they want it played.

Their continued turnover at the position throughout the season, especially at defensive tackle, bears this out.

Dr. M. Warren wondered . . .

Q: Please remind me if the NFL did anything similar to what it did for Sean Taylor -- a moment of silence before each game -- for Darrent Williams. If not, why?

A: My understanding is it was a timing issue. Williams was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in January, nine months before the start of the season, while Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in February, eight months before the start of the season.

So from the league standpoint it was the passage of time. League officials attended the two funerals of the Broncos players.

Michael Wanecek in Firestone had a thought on the Hall of Fame . . .

Q: I think if Terrell Davis retired and did not join the media, his chances of entering the Hall of Fame would have been zero. Now that Terrell Davis works for the NFL Network and is hanging with many of the media types who vote, do you think he has improved his chances of entering the Hall of Fame?

A: In reality, the NFL Network has no representatives on the Hall of Fame Board of Selectors.

But Davis is among the final 25 that will be whittled to 15 over the next month for the Class of '08. The voters who support him see the 7-0 record in the postseason for the Broncos in playoff games where Davis ran for at least 100 yards. They also note that he was the league's Most Valuable Player in 1998 and Super Bowl MVP after the 1997 season.

The issue working against him is 69.6 percent of his career rushing yardage in the regular season came in just three seasons – 1996, '97 and '98. That is not the kind of longevity, because of Davis' injuries, the voters are usually looking for.

Gale Sayers is often used a comparison for Sayers' election in the Hall after an injury-shortened career, but Sayers was also the dominant kick returner of his time as well as being one of the best gamebreaking backs ever.

If Davis does get more support in the coming years, it will be his postseason performances that fuel that.

And finally, at the request of many, here is a repeat of the Broncos' prospective free agents . . .

The Broncos are not to the point where they are even close to deciding whom they want to keep overall. Those meetings are held immediately following the season when the position coaches are asked to evaluate each player in their position group and those evaluations are reviewed by Shanahan.

Then they have organizational meetings with the personnel department as well and make their offseason plan.

But right now the list is . . .

Unrestricted:
P Todd Sauerbrun
DE Ebenezer Ekuban
K Jason Elam
RB Cecil Sapp
DT Sam Adams, now released
WR Brandon Stokley
S Nick Ferguson
TE Stephen Alexander
LB Jamie Winborn
TE Nate Jackson

Restricted:
CB Karl Paymah
CB Domonique Foxworth
S Hamza Abdullah
C Chris Myers

Among the unrestricted, Ekuban is a Shanahan favorite, but he's also coming back from one of the most difficult injuries to bounce back from in a torn Achilles tendon. Alexander is considering retirement if he can't re-sign in Denver.

Stokley is likely in line for an extension, but his agent may want to take him into the market given how well he has played. A lot of teams would be interested because of what he has shown coming back from an injury-marred 2006 season.

He also showed, with Javon Walker injured, he could play outside in an offense and be effective in a time when many teams had already pigeon-holed him as a slot receiver only. So he has certainly made himself some money this year.

The restricted will all likely be tendered by the Broncos – they'd like them all back at this point – especially since Abdullah and Myers are starters right now with Foxworth and Paymah also getting playing time.

Right tackle Erik Pears will be an exclusive rights free agent, meaning he can't negotiate with anyone else unless he is released by the Broncos, but he will be at the end of his current contract at the end of the season

That's it, and thanks.

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