Denver Broncos: 4 Issues Bigger Than Tim Tebow

ACT I

SCENE I. Denver. A dark corner in Jackson's sports bar.

"Fox at his post. Enter TEBOW"

This article really has nothing to do with Tim Tebow.

"Exit TEBOW, GAINESVILLE TRANSPLANT FANS"

It seemed like just days ago that a big ol' chunk of these upcoming slides would be jam-packed with suggestions on how to hem a 55-man roster in order to fit the needs of player number 56. 

We now find ourselves in mid-late December, and we have discovered that this one player has actually played quite well. 

It is time to admit that the Broncos have issues far greater than dearest Timothy Richard.

And Then There Was Quan

Try to forget about Quan Cosby's most recent performance against New England that included included two fumbles and a horrible decision to return a kick 8 yards deep in the Broncos endzone.

As unreasonable as that request may be, it only takes a casual fan to see that the surprisingly old Cosby hasn't been getting the job done.

The Texas native, who was drafted at the age of 26 by the Cincinnati Bengals, turns 29 Friday, Dec. 23. The biological clock is ticking on a player who just started his professional career.

Adding insult to a pair of aging knees, one can see that Cosby is currently ranked 21st in the NFL in average yards per kick return, with 26.9 yards per attempt.

This mediocrity transforms into a flat-out eyesore when considering the environment Quan is performing in. 

Due to Mile-High air and new rules moving kickoffs five yards forward, practically every kickoff at home is going five yards deep or more into the end zone. With Cosby choosing to return so many kicks, he would need a 25-yard return to get his team to the 20.

Every non-25-yard return in Denver results in field position inside their own 20-yard line, instead of an automatic 20 yards that would result from a touchback.

If Denver wants to get his problem fixed, they will need to sign a return man who doesn't need to make a living returning kicks. The return man would ideally be a starter or a top-quality backup at another position as well, so he would not feel pressured to earn a paycheck on a huge, risky kick return.

The more job security the Broncos' return man has, the less likely he will feel the urge to make a big play returning a ball that is threatening to go through the uprights in order to impress a coach.

Willis McGahee and the Stable

This is, by no means, an indictment on the stellar 2011 play of Willis McGahee.

The last time Willis McGahee had a 1,000-yard season, gas was still expensive, "Dubya" was President, I didn't have to worry about Justin Bieber, and Willis McGahee was still considered injury-prone.

Heck, McGahee has been injury prone ever since Will Allen turned his knee into Laffy Taffy™ in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

Willis now lies 10 yards away from the illusive goal so many running backs pursue, and he could very well reach it within the first five minutes of next week's game against the team that took a chance on him in the 2003 NFL Draft, Buffalo.

In his nine-year career, McGahee has never started a full 16 games and has started 13 games or more just three times. Things do not appear to have changed much this season, as McGahee has had to come out of multiple games with every injury in the trainer's guide.

Say what you want about the acceptable play of Lance Ball and Jeremiah Johnson, but they are not the viable replacements for a team that wants to win a Super Bowl just as bad as the other 31 do.

Denver needs a more-than-just-reliable back who can take the bulk of the load once McGahee finds himself injured again; they need someone who can take over once he retires.

Willis is 30, the dreaded age for NFL runners. No other position sees as much of a rapid decline at 30 than running backs. While it may appear that Willis has dodged a bullet, consider that his current play is only temporary, and Father Time will have the last laugh quite soon.

Head coach John Fox drafted three running backs in the first two rounds of the NFL draft while at Carolina, proving that he values a top-quality back and has no problem finding one. Expect him to draft his fourth first-day running back this April.

Help on the Interior O-Line

How about a little help for that running back John Fox could draft this April?

While Fox has elected to run the ball approximately 80 more times than the average team (464 carries on the year), there is no excuse why the Broncos currently rank last in plays resulting in negative yardage running up the middle, with 18.

To put things in perspective, 30 of 31 other teams have 11 or less of this type of play on the season.

Chris Kuper, whose formidable play over the last six seasons has kept the interior line afloat, is not the problem whatsoever. Kuper is stout at the point of attack, holds his ground and is rarely caught off guard.

The problem lies in two of Josh McDaniels' 2010 draft picks, Zane Beadles and JD Walton. Both have struggled in their short NFL careers.

According to Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe, Walton is having issues with containing powerful defensive tackles this year.

Bedard also believes that Beadles' poor technique has been exposed this year, and he "can get caught bending at the waist, thus lunging."

Stats are stats, and if these two young players don't significantly step it up during Weeks 16 and 17, they will have to battle for their starting spots in 2012.

Andre Goodman

The Coloradoan, The Washington Post and Sports Illustrated recently ran an Associated Press story about Broncos cornerback Andre Goodman's supposed "career year."

Not only do I vehemently disagree, but I believe that the team would be better off starting Chris Harris across from Champ Bailey.

Nowhere in the story, entitled "Goodman peaking along with Broncos," does the author divulge any information that supports the idea that Goodman is having a career year.

The writer didn't choose to talk about the fact that Goodman has routinely found himself on the wrong end of touchdowns or getting burnt by opposing wide-outs on intermediate and short routes.

The ultimate evidence came last Sunday when Goodman was fooled and torched by a washed-up Chad Ochocinco for a touchdown.

Ochocinco fooled Goodman with a double move and reeled in a Tom Brady pass for an easy touchdown. Not only did Ochocinco completely humiliate Goodman on the play, but the catch was his first touchdown of the entire year.

Most of the world believes that Chad Ochocinco is currently nowhere near his former Pro-Bowl level, and still, Goodman became the trash-talker's first victim of the season.

Part of the reason why Goodman is receiving such positive press is because he intercepted key passes in wins over the Jets and the Vikings.

In the Jets game, Goodman stepped in front of an atrocious Mark Sanchez pass, almost dropped the pass, and returned it uncontested for a touchdown. Any NFL player on any roster could have made that play, along with the play Goodman made against Minnesota when Christian Ponder rifled a pass straight to him with under two minutes to go.

For many people, these two plays have given Goodman a temporary pass. 

However, Goodman has otherwise played poorly. With Bailey still playing at a near-elite level, he has been picked on by nearly every quarterback he has faced this year.

Denver should consider adding a corner in the first four rounds of this year's draft or pursue a second-tier corner in free agency. Ironically, the Broncos thought thought they were getting a second-tier corner in free agency when they signed Goodman in 2009. Hopefully, their next acquisition will pay off more.