Draft Day Cynic

I'll be blunt: The Broncos' upcoming draft contains no excitement for me whatsoever. Here's why: it takes the majority of players, including high profile QB's, RB's, and WR's, several seasons to make any significant impact for their club. I love Jay Cutler's enthusiasm, leadership, and the fact that he can damn well throw the ball a mile at high speeds. But his stats since he's been a starter aren't all that significant. Really, he's very average. His QB rating [which, as a measuring tool, still contains elements of mystery] is 12th in the league. I'm glad he's in the top half, but that's not saying very much.

Now, I know what you're thinking. What about Brandon Marshall? And to be fair, he put up pretty stellar numbers in only his second season. But his team went a dismal 7-9, and it's not like Cutler had anyone else on his radar. Adrian Peterson went ballistic for Minnesota in his rookie year, but the Vikings went 8-8 and also missed the playoffs. And for every Brandon Marshall and Adrian Peterson, there's ten guys like Reggie Bush who had mediocre years but will likely become full-fledged stars down the road once they get some seasoning. More importantly, as great as Brandon Marshall was this last season, his success didn't help the team. When he gets 1,000 yards and the Broncos win 10+, then I'll admit that he's had an impact.

I'm all about potential, but as a sportsfan I have a hard time getting excited about someone who may or may not help my team get into the playoffs in 2011. So you'll have to excuse me if the upcoming draft and my lack of excitement make me the Debbie Downer of Broncos blogwriters.

Which is not to say that the draft isn't important. We've seen what happens when management successfully blow several drafts - their teams suck and get referred to as cesspools by fans and critics alike. . . .among other things. But Shanahan did well for himself in 2007, and hopefully he'll have another successful draft. Just don't expect me to salivate.