September 2, 2008 3:27 PM

Broncos Inbox for Sept. 3

Welcome, the Broncos Inbox is open and leading off a rather light week from the inquisitors we go with a couple speaking for a group of 10 or so which wanted to know about the trade of Domonique Foxworth . . .

Q: What's the real scoop on Domonique Foxworth being traded earlier this week? We heard he had a great offseason and might even challenge Dre Bly for a starting position, but then he seemed to get picked on by opposing quarterbacks in the preseason. Did the Broncos trade him due to this poor performance, or did the team finally get tired of him constantly lobbying in the media for more money and a starting job?

A: First as far as positioning, part of the reason the trade was made was Foxworth was set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and it was pretty clear he had no intention of staying unless the Broncos paid him like a starter as well as giving him an opportunity as a starter.

However, on the field Foxworth basically got phased out of the nickel - five defensive back - package as the preseason wore on. He had been the nickel corner, but Karl Paymah now comes in as the fifth defensive back and moves to the outside right cornerback position.

And that pushes Dre' Bly, the usual starter on the right side into the slot or wherever the slot receiver lines up.

Rookie Jack Williams will likely line up as the dime defensive back now. If a player were injured, the Broncos would likely go with a three safety look in the dime if they did not add a corner they believed was ready to play to cover for an injury.

Overall the deal was made largely because the Broncos liked Williams' progress, especially down the stretch of the preseason. He played aggressive and was around the ball.

And for a cornerback who has designs on a starting spot at some point in his career, he simply has to get his hands on the ball. Tip it, knock it away or intercept it.

Though he played against reserves, Williams got his hands on the ball when he was on the field. He made big plays - he had two interceptions in the preseason, turned those into 123 return yards and scored on an 89-yard return.

The general feeling around the Broncos, as well as several personnel executives around the league, is that Foxworth is a good pro player. That he has plenty of speed, plays with intelligence and a willing tackler most of the time.

But the main criticism of his play is that for the amount of defensive snaps he played, often over 50 percent in many games, he didn't get his hands on the ball nearly enough. He had one interception in the last two seasons combined, playing in 32 games over that span, starting 11.

Some scouts didn't think he was aggressive enough, that he surrendered too much ground off the snap, played too far off the receiver.

Couple all that with the fact the Broncos liked Paymah's physical play - still too many penalties here and there - and that Williams had played well enough in the preseason and you have the genesis of the trade.

Also, Foxworth never really pushed Bly in the offseason as some had said. There was a point Bly was dealing with a hamstring injury in offseason workouts and Foxworth was working with the starters, but to say Bly was being pushed at that point would have been too strong.

Overall, Foxworth wanted to be a starter, sure, and was vocal about it. That's natural. Players should want to start, it's a competitive business that requires competitive people.

So I don't think that had much to do with the Broncos making the deal other than they knew the chances of re-signing him weren't going to be that good. So they got a draft pick and moved on.

Foxworth's chances of playing more, or even starting, go up almost exponentially in Atlanta. He'll have a chance to play himself into a contract if he performs well.

Jeremiah Franks in Arvada wondered . . .

Q: It is no secret that the Broncos' defense has lost its luster. Even though Elvis Dumervil showed flashes of greatness, it does not appear than any one person is stepping up to make the opposition shudder (pressure the quarterback). Why does it seem that the Broncos are hesitating to bring in a player to make an impact?

A: I don't think they've hesitated - they used three of their four picks in the 2007 draft on defensive linemen, including trading up in the first round to select Jarvis Moss with their first selection that year.

The Broncos do have two starters from that draft already - it's just they are the third-round pick (Ryan Harris) and the fourth-round pick (Marcus Thomas) and not Moss or Tim Crowder, who were the first two picks by the team that year.

That was a significant draft commitment for one position in one year, however, and it just hasn't panned out overall. Moss is a largely a situational player and appears, unless he adds more strength to his game, he may always be that.

He plays at around 250 pounds and it's difficult for a defensive end to be an every-down player at that weight in a 4-3 look unless he plays with exception leverage and with a variety of moves he can throw at an opposing offensive lineman.

That year was an odd year in terms of prospects because the fastest defensive ends in that draft - the "speed'' guys - were all in the 4.6 range in their 40-yard dashes. And many years that speed would have put them in the second tier.

I think that's why you haven't seen a lot of those guys burst on to the scene yet. They have to adapt to the pro game, learn to work to the inside more than they're used to because suddenly their speed alone isn't enough for them to consistently get to the outside shoulder of the tackles.

Until opposing tackles expect more than simply an outside rush, it's hard to fool them there without dominant speed. Moss has shown some quickness off the ball at times and has a nice reach to give himself some separation.

But he has not shown that kind of elite speed of some of the premier ends in the league or outside linebackers from the 3-4.

So he's going to have to adapt, use his hands better and work to the inside shoulder of the tackle at times to simply give him more to think about.

And with great and humble apologies to Scott Letz in Washington D.C. -- I neglected this one and liked the question . . .

Q: (Rookie defensive tackle) Carlton Powell was placed on the PUP list prior to camp. This list typically would indicate a possibility of returning at some point during the year -- but he obviously is out for the year. So why wouldn't the Broncos simply place Powell on injured reserve to begin with vs. the PUP?

A: It has to do when Powell was injured. Because he was injured in an offseason workout, before training camp opened, he is designated as "physically unable to perform'' when the team opens training camp.

Players who were not able to take the practice field when training camp opened, including Peyton Manning, are also designated as PUP. Once the player is able to pass a physical and return to the field, he is then formally designated as passing his physical and moved to the active roster.

Powell will be moved to injured reserve later in the season when the window for players to return from PUP to practice runs out.

Players that have practiced and are then injured are not eligible for PUP because they were physically able to perform and then were hurt. Those like Powell who are still on PUP around the league did not appear in a practice once training camp opened.

That's it and thanks.

Posted by at 3:27 PM | Comments (6)