Javon Walker

So at this point I think everyone agrees that the Broncos need to do something to fix the franchise. Although they remained in the playoff hunt longer than some teams, this is the first time under Mike Shanahan that the Broncos have missed the playoffs two years in a row. Their typical strength, a solid defense, disappeared this season. What was supposed to be a rebuilding year for their primary weakness, a weak Defensive Line (the Brown-cos, for those in the know), was a complete failure. Although I would question the original wisdom of bringing in Sam Adams, since he could have only been a two or three year fix, he was released before seasons end. Elvis Dumervil is quietly filling in where so many other 4th round draft picks have succeeded (Jared Allen, Alex Brown, Mark Anderson), as a monster pass rusher (39 TCKL, 12.5 SCK). Marcus Thomas, their supposed impact rookie (despite being drafted late, a fall they attributed to personality issues) managed 19 tackles and an interception over 16 games. More promisingly, Tim Crowder, a rookie DE, had 16 tackles and 4 sacks over 13 games, but once again, run stopping is the priority.

This team is hemorrhaging O-Linemen at an alarming rate. It is, with the exception of that position, one of the youngest teams in football. However, they just lost franchise LT Matt Lepsis to retirement and I can't imagine that Tom Nalen is far behind (maybe one more season). The O-Line's ability to make a running game out of anyone (Selvin Young, Mike Anderson, Reuben Droughns) is, in my opinion, diminishing a little. I also question how many veterans you can lose before you also lose the ability to just plug guys in and get monster performances from them. Montrae Holland and Ben Hamilton spring to mind. Despite this, they're a remarkably solid team, certainly capable of making a playoff push next year. Address the O-Line in the draft and Free Agency, and address the D-Line by getting rid of your disgruntled WR.

Javon Walker wants to be THE guy for a franchise. With the emergence of Brandon Marshall, he feels like Denver is no longer the place for him. He was injured this season and had very poor numbers, however he had a 1000 yard 8 TD season in 2006. Looking at his stats he is, remarkably for someone with such a high apparent ego, somewhat injury prone and lacklustre. Nonetheless, I think that he has potential. There is a team, and their name is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who desperately need an impact WR. This team also has a superfluous number of talented D-Line players. For anyone who saw the Jacksonville-Pittsburgh wildcard game, I think you may have noticed a certain rookie DT named Derek Landri. The duo of John Henderson and Marcus Stroud is getting older and they're no longer worth really keeping together in my opinion. They are still excellent players, just not as dominant as they used to be. Nonetheless, a guy like Stroud or Henderson has at least 5 or 6 productive, but not All-Pro, seasons left in him. Although I am not paid to make these decisions and I'm sure there are people much smarter than me who know why this is not a good idea... both franchises are flush with cap room and can take the hit, and it addresses two positions that two young and building teams need. The players on both sides were once big, but now aging, and each team has younger replacements. Let each depart to be the number 1 guy for another franchise and thus fix the position for at least 2 or 3 more seasons so that more pressing needs can be dealt with, all the while regularly making the playoffs and keeping the fanbase happy.