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And just who will lug the rock?
William Christensen, a regular, leads it off on a short week. . .
Q: Now that we've had a chance to see the skills of Selvin Young in action, I'm wondering what you think the odds are for Travis Henry to still be a Bronco next year? And while we're at it, do you think Javon Walker will be a salary cap cut?
A: After his work in this past Sunday's game and the fact Young is second in the league in yards per carry right now – behind only Minnesota's Adrian Peterson – among running backs with at least 100 carries, this is certainly worth a look.
In his tenure Mike Shanahan has always been clear that the best players – meaning those who practice the best during the week, work out the best in the offseason and do the best in the team's meetings – will play.
And nowhere is that more true than at running back, where he has consistently flip-flopped players on the depth chart even week to week in some seasons because of how they did during the week. So the fact Henry signed a large deal in free agency before this season won't have bearing on who carries the ball as the team moves forward into '08.
They are indeed happy with Young's output and like his quickness, his shiftiness even as he moves up the field – he doesn't waste time with his moves, he plants a foot and makes forward progress – and the fact they have played him on third down for most of the season is an indication they like his intelligence as well.
The backs who play on third down are routinely the ones who make the best choices in pass protection, which takes some study time during the week and good instincts. For most teams, the backs who can't pick up the right guy in pass protection on third down won't play because the chances of getting the quarterback injured go up significantly if the back can't handle the blitz.
The concern: At a little more than 200 pounds, Young is not really built for the down-to-down, week-to-week work as a 25- to 30-carry a game back. That said, though, not many guys are anymore.
Defenders are so big, so strong and so quick to the hole now that running backs take more of a pounding week to week than their contemporaries did even a decade or two ago. The impacts are greater at the line of scrimmage now, even on routine plays.
So it may be unreasonable to ask one back to be the guy season after season. And they don't want Young to get much bigger anyway.
He can get stronger and more flexible as he works in an NFL strength program, but Shanahan said he doesn't want Young to add much bulk. They like his quickness and want him to maintain that.
He's also had some injury problems in college, including a screw and several pins in his ankle to repair a fracture so they don't want him to carry too much unnecessary weight. But Shanahan believes Young can be a starter in the league, including with the Broncos.
And when the team comes to training camp next summer, I think Young's approach, just from watching him and listening to what he has said, will be to arrive with the intention of winning the starting spot.
As far as Henry, their intention when they signed him 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 as well as three games with a left knee injury.
So that has fueled Shanahan saying this past week "you can never have enough backs'' because I think he fully expects to need two or three in every season now. As I've said, the game is changing continually in terms of speed and quickness of defenders.
The big guys up front can run now and general managers around the league say this is the biggest change in the game. Speed, which used to be funneled routinely to offense, is now just as prevalently on defense.
So tackles have far more pop at the point of attack now, even on plays that may not look like much on a broadcast. The sound of the game on the field now is eye-opening and far different than even in the '80s when I started covering the league.
The Broncos still like Henry's potential and quickly point to the fact he was leading the league in rushing over the first month of the season before his rib injury.
But his injuries have also made them take pause as well as the fact he is still, as a result of his finalized appeal, one failed drug test from a suspension. He was not suspended this time because his representatives discovered a discrepancy in his testing pattern and the available results from those tests that the league had to admit was wrong.
But he remains in the league's program and can be tested up to 10 times a month.
So all of that really points to a platoon system, the go-with-the-hot-hand approach that will no doubt continually frustrate fantasy football players everywhere.
Shanahan has always maintained he would like to have one back, if possible, who can carry the load through the whole season, but I think after talking about this with him several times he's coming to the conclusion that kind of player may be more difficult to find than ever before.
It's why the Chargers have been so intent to hang onto a player like backup running back Michael Turner and why the Vikings, having signed Chester Taylor in free agency, still selected Peterson in this past April's draft.
Also there are cap considerations. Most teams wonder what to do when a running back hits free agency after his fourth season because many personnel executives believe giving a running back a huge deal after he's been a primary back for four or five seasons is a risk.
All of those things are at work and again it points to many teams, including the Broncos, using more than one back in their system and trying to get some kind of power/speed combination in that mix as well.
Injuries will always dictate who can play in some way and determine the division of carries as well. After all, the Broncos had all three of their top backs struggling with injuries when they played in Chicago – Andre Hall played on a severely sprained ankle he suffered on the game's first play.
As far as Walker, his contract will almost certainly get a look, especially if the Broncos believe his right knee isn't responding in the offseason. The team has an option bonus to make a decision about before the start of the '08 season that bumps up his cap number significantly.
The bonus adds 2011 to Walker's deal and is currently scheduled for two payments if exercised, one before the '08 season, one late in the '08 season. Currently, his salary cap figure for '08 is scheduled to be just over $7 million -- $7.05 million – which puts him at No. 2 behind only Champ Bailey in that regard for the Broncos next season.
Walker compared his situation this week to Chiefs running back Larry Johnson, wondering if the Chiefs would ask Johnson to renegotiate next season simply because he had been hurt.
So it's tough to tell what his reaction would be if the team approaches him about redoing his deal. They have to decide early in the year, however, because if they don't engage the option bonus, the cap hit isn't too big given Walker's original signing bonus was $4 million on a four-year deal with the fifth-year option.
If the Broncos engage that option bonus, Walker's cap figures jump to $7 million for '08, more than $8 million in both '09 and '10 and more than $9 million in '11.
So, again, yes, they'll take a look at that.
Orrin Davis, of Springdale, Ark., another regular of regulars, follows with a look up front . . .
Q: Last Sunday's performance was absolutely dominating. But I think most fans are reflecting on the play of our young talent. Along those lines, how is the offensive line performing? The zone-blocking scheme has always taken time to be good at. With only one starter from the line last year playing (Matt Lepsis), how are Chris Kuper, Chris Myers, Montrae Holland and Erik Pears doing?
A: Indications are the Broncos are far happier with the group's play of late than they were immediately following center Tom Nalen's season-ending injury against the Chargers, which forced some changes up front when Myers moved to center from guard and Kuper entered the lineup.
Kuper and Myers, especially, have improved significantly as the season has gone along. Both have positioned themselves to compete for starting jobs, most likely at guard at this point, next season even after everybody returns.
Both have made better choices about whom to block – the Broncos work the principle of finding the "most dangerous'' defender in each blocker's area – and the run game is back among the league leaders despite their injuries.
After being dominated in the middle of the line in Detroit, the Broncos have been fairly consistent running the ball since when they've kept themselves in games enough to keep pounding the ball.
Most personnel guys believe Pears has been solid in the run with his reach and power, but when he does make mistakes they come in pass protection when he often can't get his feet reset once a rusher starts to get the corner.
Holland has been the player the Broncos saw on video before they signed him with his chief blip being a few too many penalties at times. Lepsis is still savvy and quick and despite the criticism he gets from some fans, is still playing, in the eyes of opposing defensive coordinators, pretty well.
He is barely a year out from reconstructive knee surgery so it won't be until next training camp until anyone can see if he will regain all of his pre-surgery quickness. But the fact he hasn't missed a game this season after the surgery he had is exceptional.
Personally, I could see a scenario where he would move back to right tackle at some point if they saw enough in rookie Ryan Harris in the offseason or saw someone in free agency they liked for the left side.
But few quality left tackles, because they are so hard to find, hit free agency. Most teams are quick to re-sign those guys.
The obstacle Lepsis would face in any move is he would face bigger power rushers on the right side so there would be some adjustment. But he played that side a long time and knows the way it works.
And as a service to many who requested it this week, here are, for one last time, the Broncos' prospective free agents . . .
Again, the Broncos begin making their offseason plan almost as soon as their season ends. They have a couple weeks' worth of meetings immediately following the season when the position coaches are asked to evaluate each player in their position group and those evaluations are then reviewed by Shanahan.
Then they have organizational meetings with the personnel department as well and make their offseason plan as far as available cap space, cash on hand for signing bonuses and looking at the players they believe that might be available.
Right now their list is . . .
Unrestricted:
P Todd Sauerbrun
DE Ebenezer Ekuban
K Jason Elam
RB Cecil Sapp
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.
The restricted free agents 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.
And Pears, a two-year starter, 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.
