WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.520 Going on they can't make comments fair health hotline, bringing on the only Ryan 2 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:09.279 we stand on the show, Ryan Michael, Right, how you doing doing 3 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:12.720 well? Ben Nick? How are you guys doing pretty well? Man having 4 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:15.320 a good time? And I get a little loopy here. I think the 5 00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:20.359 free agency has has broken us all. One of the things that we wanted 6 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:24.120 to do is we start delving in on this kind of doing inside the number 7 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:28.679 segment, talk with you a little bit our unofficial official statistician here at Brocos 8 00:00:28.679 --> 00:00:31.239 Countries, and I always bring the good data. So even Mike Cliff went 9 00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:34.560 out there and gave you the old euro great researcher comment the other day. 10 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:38.079 Good for yeah, good for getting that went in there, getting Mike Mike 11 00:00:38.119 --> 00:00:40.520 to give the compliment. He's kind of like getting Vic Fangio to give a 12 00:00:40.520 --> 00:00:43.200 compliment. You know, it's squeeze and juice from the stone. But uh, 13 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:45.479 you know, first of all, I wanted to get a chance. 14 00:00:45.479 --> 00:00:47.759 We've had you on a couple times. I give a chance to introduce yourself 15 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:50.399 to the audience. What exactly do you do for the Pro Football Hall of 16 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:55.640 Fame? I write a quarterback retrospective series for the Pro Football Hall of Same 17 00:00:55.679 --> 00:01:00.719 and that's really a historical and statistical dive into excellence of the quarterback position throughout 18 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:07.120 pro football history. So I try to take that same mentality in terms of 19 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:10.640 the Pro Football Hall of Fames mission statement, which is to honor the greatest 20 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:14.959 of the game, preserve its history, promote its values, and celebrate excellence 21 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:19.040 together and bring that over here to BCT. So as all of us are 22 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:23.480 kind of feeling the effects of this, whether you call it rebuilding or retooling, 23 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:26.040 I think we all be in agreement that this week has been a little 24 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:29.959 bit rougher than it's been even in recent years. So you know, I 25 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:33.879 connected with you last week thinking that this might be a good opportunity for us 26 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:38.040 when I'm popping in on Tuesday nights, to take a dive into excellence that, 27 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:42.319 again for Broncos have had historically. Because my mindset is is that if 28 00:01:42.359 --> 00:01:47.239 we don't fully appreciate our past success, what's the sense in getting excited for 29 00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:52.000 the future success that we're expecting, hoping, praying to have. So it 30 00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:55.359 gives us a little bit of something positive to reflect upon during a week that's 31 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:59.319 otherwise been a little bit rough around the edges. Well, speaking of rough 32 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:06.239 round is that Broncos quarterback room is definitely need some smoothing out. So with 33 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:09.039 that being said, I mean, I know there's a lot of hypotheticals as 34 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:13.199 far as the direction that the Broncos could go in. I mean, Ben 35 00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:17.400 talked a lot about Jimmy Garoppolo, his guy, George GMG, bobblehead over 36 00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:22.120 there, not mine. Well, I brought this in especially for you. 37 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:24.319 You own one. I don't, yes, I do, but the idea 38 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:29.439 that Ben was high on Jimmy, he was high on Sam, Sam Darnell. 39 00:02:29.719 --> 00:02:31.479 And then you look Jamis Winston, who I thought would have been a 40 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:36.240 great fit because he's playing in Sean Payton's offense. He's off to Cleveland. 41 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:44.240 So where does that leave Broncos Country. As far as the hypothetical quarterback carousel, 42 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:46.439 Stayden Manning still works Sundays. I mean it's tough. You know, 43 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:50.840 I'd love to go back in time to twenty twelve, and you know I 44 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:55.520 pitched the idea earlier this afternoon. I think the most practical fantasy situation. 45 00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:59.879 I don't even like to use the word fantasy because I'm not particularly excited about 46 00:02:59.879 --> 00:03:02.280 it, but I would say to go Jimmy g if we can get him 47 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:07.719 cheap because he does somewhat fit the style of Sean Payton's offense. He's going 48 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:10.680 to be facing a two game suspension, so give Jared said him a chance 49 00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:14.319 during those first two weeks, and if he plays well, allow him to 50 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:19.319 continue to ride it out. But I think drafting a quarterback bo Nicks would 51 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:22.840 be that archetype. As Men has mentioned, you know more than once. 52 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:25.639 Is he the right choice at number twelve? I don't know if I would 53 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:29.520 draft him that high, but we are running out of options, So I 54 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:31.439 think that's the one that we get Broncos Country a little bit excited. But 55 00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:36.000 I don't know if there's any perfect scenario coming our way with here. Yeah, 56 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:38.439 it's going to be a rebuild. Here's going to be in some tough 57 00:03:38.439 --> 00:03:39.800 times in the middle of a rebuild, and I'm just trying to get everybody 58 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:43.759 buckled in for that. But we've you know, the Broncos have been through 59 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:46.439 glory years. You've got some stuff back two thousand and three, two thousand 60 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:50.319 and five where the Broncos were racking up wins over Tom Brady, Peyton, 61 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:54.439 Manning, Drew Brees. They sure were, and the Broncos of two thousand 62 00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:59.120 and three to two thousand and five remind me a little bit of the Buffalo 63 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:02.199 Bills team from the nineteen nineties. Obviously, the Bill standalone is the only 64 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:05.919 team to ever go to four consecutive Super Bowls. But people have to realize 65 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:10.520 that the AFC was stacked during our two thousand and three to two thousand and 66 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:13.840 five run. You had Peyton Manning at the peak of his power. You 67 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:17.160 had Tom Brady during the first wave of the Patriots dynasty. You had Drew 68 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:20.959 Brees stepping into his own as a Pro Bowl quarterback in San Diego, Kansas 69 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:26.040 City was a perennial Pro Bowl team. And so when I look back to 70 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:29.360 that run, one of the things that gets me the most excited is the 71 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:32.560 balance that the Broncos had on both offense and defense. So you're looking at 72 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:39.800 three double digit win seasons, three seasons where both the offense and the defense 73 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:43.360 finished in the top ten in scoring. So in two thousand and three we 74 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:46.680 went ten and six, ty four, ten and six, and in two 75 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:49.879 thousand and five, thirteen and three, there was balance on the offensive side 76 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:54.439 of the ball. Jake Plumber and we'll touch on that in a few minutes. 77 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:58.319 But we had what Mike Shanahan was a staple of his offenses throughout the 78 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:00.759 year, a dominant ground game. In two thousand and three, we ran 79 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.759 for two thousand, six hundred and twenty nine yards, so that was forty 80 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:08.879 five yards short of Baltimore for first place, but we had thirteen fewer fumbles. 81 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:12.319 In two thousand and four, we finished fourth with twenty three hundred and 82 00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:15.360 thirty three rushing yards. And in two thousand and five we ran for two 83 00:05:15.399 --> 00:05:18.560 thousand, five hundred and thirty nine yards, which was just seven below Atlanta 84 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:21.639 at number one, and we had seven fewer fumbles. So the balance that 85 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:26.439 we had on offense, the dominance on both offense and defense, and like 86 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.879 you said, Ben, we picked up some pretty big wins along the way. 87 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.879 We had four wins over Drew Brees, two wins over Peyton Manning, 88 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:36.360 two wins over Tom Brady, and if you want to expand the window into 89 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:40.319 the beginning of the first half of the two thousand and sixties, and we 90 00:05:40.360 --> 00:05:44.920 actually had three in a row. So that's a pretty dominant run of professional 91 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:47.399 football for team that. Yeah, sure we fell short of winning a Super 92 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:51.199 Bowl, we picked up some really really big wins against some great teams. 93 00:05:51.720 --> 00:05:57.920 Well, oftentimes, when I have conversations with you know, Broncos fan fans 94 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:01.800 living here in Denver, obviously the two quarterback names that come up consistently, 95 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:08.560 that's Peyton Manning and as John Elway. But right between those two guys, 96 00:06:09.560 --> 00:06:15.680 it's Jake Plumber, and we don't traditionally hear a lot about Jake and what 97 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:18.079 he was able to do with the Denver Broncos team at that time, and 98 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:23.000 you bring up something that's very interesting. I mean, on that five six 99 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:26.480 season, we had a great team. I think we went twelve and three, 100 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:29.079 but we didn't win. We didn't finish the deal, we didn't win 101 00:06:29.079 --> 00:06:33.000 the Super Bowl. But when you look at Jake's performance statistically and you put 102 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:38.040 him against some of the other top quarterbacks either during that time, how does 103 00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:42.920 he stack up statistically? He stacks up very favorably. I mean, adjusted 104 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:46.519 that yards per attempt is one of my favorite statistics. That accounts three yards 105 00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:49.879 per passing attempt, touchdown passes, and interceptions. So during that two thousand 106 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:54.439 and three to two thousand and five run, he averaged six point seven to 107 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:58.199 seven and that was higher than Brady at six point five sixth, higher than 108 00:06:58.279 --> 00:07:00.759 McNabb at six point four seven, higher than Steve mcmare, who was co 109 00:07:00.959 --> 00:07:03.959 MVP in two thousand and three, at six point twenty four, and higher 110 00:07:03.959 --> 00:07:08.959 than Drew Brees at five point ninety seven. His winning percentage, as we 111 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:13.000 had mentioned on Twitter a few days ago, was seventy one point nine percent, 112 00:07:13.519 --> 00:07:16.279 and so he went thirty nine and fifteen during his entire run with the 113 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:21.519 Broncos. But that seventy one point nine percent winning percentage is higher than Peyton 114 00:07:21.519 --> 00:07:25.560 Mannings was with the Colts. He was at sixty seven point eight percent. 115 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:29.800 That even higher than Joe Montana is with the forty nine ers seventy one point 116 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:31.879 nine ers. I'm sorry, I misspooked that was Montana's. Plumber was at 117 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:36.120 seventy two point two percent. So I'm not trying to say that Jake Plumber 118 00:07:36.279 --> 00:07:40.720 was Joe Montana. I'm not trying to imply that if the sample size were 119 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:44.040 expanded a bit more that that number wouldn't have come down a little bit. 120 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.079 But Joe Montana was with the Niners from nineteen seventy nine to nineteen ninety two. 121 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:51.079 He won exactly one hundred games. Jake Plumber won thirty nine games in 122 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:55.360 about three and a half seasons. It's a discussion that we need to have 123 00:07:55.399 --> 00:07:58.800 more often because I agree with you, Jig. Jake Plumber's name gets lost 124 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:03.079 in the discussion of great quarterbacks from the two thousands. Yeah, I've always 125 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:07.120 been been a fan of Plumbers. In fact, I mistakenly thought I was 126 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:09.600 gonna get a Bucks Plumber jersey when when Gruton came out to record him before 127 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:13.120 he decided to go hand handball and just hang it up. And it's funny 128 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:16.920 because I think everybody at that time he'll he'll totally come out of it. 129 00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:20.600 Never did. Stuck to his guns, and it's you know, one of 130 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:22.120 the things about Jake is, you know, you ever talked to him, 131 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:26.199 he's he's a person of conviction. You'll unless you come around on that, 132 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:28.920 you know. I I've talked Nick and I talked earlier in the show, 133 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:31.079 and I said, you know, if the Broncos are doing this rebuild thing, 134 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:33.360 let's let's rebuild the idea. Let's build a bully, you know, 135 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:37.200 let's let's do that. And you go back and you look, the Broncos 136 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:39.720 traditionally have been a dominant defensive team going all the way back to the to 137 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:43.600 the Orange Crush, and you go through those years. I mean even the 138 00:08:43.679 --> 00:08:46.200 nineties said good defenses, and you get to you know, like two thousand 139 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:48.879 and five, they had a suffocating defense, and I one member of this 140 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:52.799 show. I can't put a finger on which one was on that defense, 141 00:08:54.960 --> 00:08:58.159 you know, in all of his gate ray flipping glory. Uh and and 142 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:03.360 you know, I think that he should be appreciative and should be on board 143 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:07.639 with the Broncos building a bully. He should be And I'll actually say I 144 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:13.720 hold Nick Ferguson partially responsible for that two thousand and three playoff loss to Peyton 145 00:09:13.720 --> 00:09:16.919 Manning and the Colts, but not for the reason that you would think, 146 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:18.600 because if you go back a year before, Nick, you were part of 147 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:22.840 that Jets secondary that shut out Manning and the Colts forty one to zero, 148 00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:26.120 completed forty five percent of his passes through for a buck thirty seven, no 149 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:31.399 touchdowns, two kicks, a thirty one point two passer rating, the lowest 150 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:35.519 of his postseason career. You pissed that man off and he came back, 151 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:39.320 and I don't know if Peyton Manning becomes the quarterback that he becomes if he 152 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:43.799 didn't suffer that humiliation against the Jets in two thousand and two, and so 153 00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:48.360 wrapping it back into what you guys were able to do in two thousand and 154 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:52.080 five, he gave Tom Brady similar trouble. That the Broncos cass defense ranked 155 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:56.240 number one in the AFC and passer rating surrendered that year at seventy two point 156 00:09:56.240 --> 00:10:01.279 two. You rank number one in the AFC and completion percentage surrendered at fifty 157 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:05.559 six point one, So nearly half of all of your opponents' passes were hitting 158 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:09.480 the ground. And so that season, champ Bailey had a picks. Nick 159 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.919 had five picks, and that's not even accounting for the safety blitz that forced 160 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:18.120 the one hundred yard interception return against Brady in the postseason. So I guess 161 00:10:18.200 --> 00:10:20.960 disrupting Hall of Fame quarterback is kind of your thing. Well, you know 162 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:26.039 what's interesting that you mentioned the fact of maybe that Jets team probably pissed Peyton 163 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:31.039 off. I can attest to that because he was pretty upset. Because if 164 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:35.799 I go back and think about it, that had to be Peyton's worst loss 165 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:43.360 in his entire career. And every player needs a little motivation. So yeah, 166 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:48.639 I guess that Jets team kind of led to that, which is which 167 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:52.960 is crazy. But you bring up once again that played with Champ Bailey, 168 00:10:54.320 --> 00:11:00.200 and I think about the Broncos team now and having impact players, and now 169 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.440 we're talking about this a little off air when you look at where the Broncos 170 00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:07.879 are now and I know the draft is not hasn't taken place, and we're 171 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:13.320 still the second day in the free agency, do you think that the Broncos 172 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:18.279 will have enough of what it takes to add more impact players to their roster. 173 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:26.320 It's going to be a tremendous challenge troubleshooting the salary cap situation, and 174 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:30.840 so I've always been a big believer in hoping for the best but preparing for 175 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:35.480 the worst. It's going to be a tough season, as you and Ben 176 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:39.000 had alluded to before I hoped on the show. But I think as we 177 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:43.879 lower the expectations and as the spotlight kind of removes itself from Denver, it 178 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.480 will give us an opportunity to perhaps be a little bit more competitive than anybody 179 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:50.320 sees coming. It's really the best that we can hope for, And I 180 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:54.360 don't want to focus too much on who we can sign until we actually get 181 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:56.360 some names signed and we get some new guys in the building, because right 182 00:11:56.399 --> 00:12:01.519 now what we're seeing is the development of a Sean I'm Peyton roster. He's 183 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:05.080 re signing his guys. Now what that's going to mean for our future, 184 00:12:05.080 --> 00:12:09.279 which means to be seen. I don't want to say I'm pessimistic. I 185 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:13.759 don't want to be a contributor to the pessimistic show DCT. I'll just leave 186 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:16.720 it as I'm hopeful for seeing what Sean Payton's able to put together this year. 187 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.320 That's truly where I'm at with this. Like Sean Payton had not been 188 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:22.559 my choice for head coach, but I'm not one of these people that sits 189 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:26.879 there and just begrudges that forever afterwards. Like I'm going to be the same. 190 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:31.200 I'm going to levy the same criticism on anybody for everything. The lipmus 191 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:33.600 test would apply. If Dan Quinn were here, I'd be critical of what, 192 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:35.000 you know, what the mess was, if if it was a mess. 193 00:12:35.399 --> 00:12:39.080 So I I you know, in that regard, I think it's good 194 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:43.799 to be equitable across the board. I think the next thing that I want 195 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:46.399 to do, like when we do this segment next week. The thing that 196 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:50.279 I'm interested in is that. And I don't know if you're able to do 197 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.720 this or not, but I'm interested in rebuilds. How long it takes. 198 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:56.519 You look at Miami, you look at Cleveland, they could strip it down, 199 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:58.679 rebuilds, how long? How bad they were for how long? And 200 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:01.639 how long get took to turn it all the way around. You look at 201 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:07.240 the Niners, the Browns, the Lions, the uh, the Dolphins. 202 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:11.519 I'm just trying to think of recent examples. We can definitely do that. 203 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:15.480 Let's let's do that next week. I'm genuinely curious to see you know how 204 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:20.559 how lengthy the rebuilds are on things like that, and how how successful teams 205 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:24.519 are when we know they're stripping it down and doing that. I'm right on 206 00:13:24.519 --> 00:13:26.720 board with you. Let's do it. Sweet. Well, now we got 207 00:13:26.759 --> 00:13:28.639 something to look forward to with the inside. The numbers say, we'll get 208 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:31.080 a little We're gonna a little headliner. We'll get downroach to do a little 209 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:35.120 liner for this for this segment. Everything we've we've we've been build this thing 210 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.279 on the flight, Ryan. We we always appreciate you, Uh. The 211 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:39.960 time always goes too fast. We love that you're able to bring some data 212 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.840 to contextualize everything here and looking forward to this discussion next week by Rebuilds. 213 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:46.600 All Right, sounds good man, Nick, appreciate your time as always, 214 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:48.399 you guys have a great night. Absolutely take care. Ryan Michael d Ryan 215 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:50.200 Michael on Twitter