Pat Bowlen Should Pull the Plug on the Broncos’ Poor Decision Making

When the pages of football history reflect back on the 2009 Denver Broncos, perhaps they still won’t have a definitive pulse on the team other than they missed the playoffs.  This is premature speculation, however, when your team goes from the driver’s seat and controlling their own destiny all season long to life support, there is much doubt about the Broncos’ ability to make the playoffs.

In fact, following the loss at Philadelphia on Sunday, Denver is now officially on the outside looking in at any playoff possibilities.  Currently the Broncos sit at 8-7 and are probable to reach 9-7. 

The Broncos knew since midseason, when they lost to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, that they would probably need 10 wins to make the playoffs. The team was 6-0 at the bye and has since lost seven out of nine games. For an undefeated team to go in the tank so quickly is nothing short of pathetic and ridiculous.

To quote Broncos owner Pat Bowlen from this preseason, “Eight and eight isn’t going to get the job done.”

To second that motion, neither does 9-7, and sometimes 10-6 and 11-5 won’t get it done either.

Herein stands the reason to look at the mish mash of poor decisions, a poor trade, poor use of the draft, poor offensive scheming, poor use of talent available, and poor coaching at the head coaching position.

 

Poor Decision Making

With full application, here are some of the Broncos’ biggest and most obvious blunders in their decision making this season. At Baltimore why didn’t they try to stretch the field?  At home against Pittsburgh, why did they force the physical run game against a more physical offensive line? In Washington, why couldn’t Chris Simms finish the job? At home against San Diego, why was Chris Simms the starter? After two wins against the Giants and the Chiefs, the Broncos knew they would need a full effort against the Colts. So why did they spot the most dangerous team in football 21 points before showing signs of life? How could they have lost at home to the Raiders for the second year in a row?  Why another slow start in Philadelphia?

Say what you will, all of those questions are net results of bigger problems in Dove Valley that owner Pat Bowlen needs to take into further consideration.  Yes it’s true, the franchise is somewhat cash strapped by currently paying two head coaches.

Understandably, the Broncos are now in a precarious position without a franchise quarterback. They also appear at this juncture to be without a competent head coach as well.

When looking at the base of work this season, it’s no small wonder that the Broncos have hit the skids after a stellar start. What made this team dangerous early on was the defense. What has proven to be their undoing in the end will be the lack of offensive production and a worn down defense at times down the stretch.

 

The Jay Cutler Trade

It is still too early to say the Jay Cutler trade was a good thing for either Chicago or Denver. What’s not too early to say is that this trade made two mediocre teams less potent than they were the year previously on the offensive side of the ball.

For all the Jay Cutler haters, he has thrown for a league leading 26 interceptions and has been poor in his performance most of the season. However, don’t sell that situation short. Jay Cutler has possibly the worst offensive line in football and only one real offensive weapon at the tight end position to speak of.

That was not the case in Denver. Broncos fans know Jay had a multitude of weapons to choose from, though he locked on Brandon Marshall far too much. Kyle Orton set an NFL record with Brandon Marshall for total completions to one receiver in a game against the Colts recently. It doesn’t get more locked on than that and the Broncos still lost that game.

For the Jay Cutler supporters, he just out-dueled Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football in a game that seemed almost destined to be another fantastic finish by Favre. Cutler threw for 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in Denver in 2008 where Kyle Orton has thrown for 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Now much has been made of the fact that Orton has not thrown a large number of interceptions, which is certainly commendable, however Peyton Manning, the best quarterback in football, has 18 picks because of his willingness to take chances.

Now, those five touchdowns might not seem like a whole lot, but consider the Broncos of 2008 and 2009 and the fact that both teams have had short yardage and red zone issues. Give the Broncos Jay Cutler and those five TDs this year and you are probably looking at a team that beats Washington, Oakland, and Philadelphia, and possibly the Colts. 

People can make the case either way with Jay Cutler at this point. He is a bust or he will be good once he gets the talent he needs in Chicago.

Ironically enough, the name of Jay Cutler probably was what drew Brian Dawkins to Denver shortly before Jay was traded. Brian Dawkins has become the spiritual leader of the Broncos this season and really set the tone for this football team. It’s an area usually reserved for quarterbacks to make their mark, and that is also a large reason why Jay Cutler was traded.

Two things that will be inescapable from the trade however, is the lack of point production by the Broncos this season and the draft picks used from the Jay Cutler trade. 

 

Poor Draft Day Decision Making

Running back Knowshon Moreno has proven he belongs in the NFL, but he has not proven he was worthy of a first round pick. Additionally, linebacker Robert Ayers has yet to emerge and prove he’s worth the first round money as well.

The Broncos could have had any number of defensive players that are making their mark this season in the first round.

Josh McDaniels correctly diagnosed the multitude of issues plaguing the Broncos, most notably in the defensive backfield, yet the odd trade of a first round pick to get Alphonso Smith in the second round is still baffling when looking at the lack of production from the rookie this season.

The Broncos do have some talent from the draft in house, but as with most draft classes, it’s still far too early to make the call on how last year’s draft will shape the franchise over the long run. The fact that is clear this season is that the 2009 draft class by and large has not helped this football team this season.

The Broncos have had full draft classes make immediate impact before, dating back to the John Ralston and Dan Reeves era. So while it’s a rarity to have a full class make instant impact, it’s not acceptable to have a full draft of underachievers in their first season either.

 

Poor Offensive Scheming

This almost goes without saying. If the Broncos did not have as good of a defense as they do this season, they probably would have less touchdowns than they already do on the season, in which they have clearly under-produced on the scoreboard.

The reality is that there is a myriad of predictable playcalling, poor situational playcalling, and pathetic short yardage calls that have killed the Broncos during all of their losses this season.

The predictability of the bubble screen makes most of the fan base nauseated, so why not Coach McDaniels?

Poor situational play calling, in particular on third down, almost goes hand in hand with the lack of creativity and not using their talent base properly to their advantage. Not using Dan Graham, Tony Scheffler, the slot receivers, and Peyton Hillis more is inexcusable.

 

Speaking of the Poor Use of Talent… 

This is possibly the deepest scar on this team. When the Broncos were winning, every player was making a contribution because they were getting the opportunities to do so.  Somewhere along the way Josh McDaniels discombobulated his football team. It probably happened when he traded Jay Cutler but he solidified his paralysis by analysis shortly after his fist pumping antiques.

Without being too redundant, Josh did not stretch the Ravens defense, tried power running instead of zone blocking against the Steelers, and lacked a good evaluation of Chris Simms as a backup quarterback. Moreover, Ben Hamilton was replaced on the offensive line about the same time coach McD started warming up to using zone rushing schemes more. Hamilton has had concussion issues in the past but those have not shown themselves to be the case this season. Go figure.

 

Speaking of Poor Coaching…

This applies most particularly to Josh McDaniels and his abilities as a head coach. His tirade and trade of Jay Cutler put him on the hot seat. The fast start cooled the temperature quite a bit, but missing the playoffs this season is still inexcusable.

For someone who preaches team yet goes out of his way to rub Jay Cutler’s nose in it during press conferences while his own team hasn’t made the playoffs is inexcusable.

For a team that was finally starting to live up to expectations to suddenly go into the tank is all the more inexcusable, and it happened on Josh McDaniels’ watch.

 

What Mr. Bowlen Should Consider In the Very Near Future 

The reality is there are two coaches being paid by the franchise right now and the better one hasn’t coached a down this season. Additionally, the likes of Bill Cowher are also making themselves available now as head coaching candidates.

Josh McDaniels showed he was open to every possible option by trading Jay Cutler and trading first round picks for second to third round talent. With that in mind, if the Broncos don’t make the playoffs and make a run, despite signing Josh to a high dollar amount, he should consider new options at this position sooner rather than later.

The errors on the field are obvious and painful to watch, not to mention atrocious in nature. At the very least Josh McDaniels has proven he is not a fully competent offensive coordinator. 

With that in mind, Pat Bowlen might consider bringing in a hand picked offensive coordinator. It’s a radical concept, but Mike Leach is about to be axed from Texas Tech as the head coach and he has a solid offensive mind especially when considering the spread offense. 

On a more radical edge, and probably the better decision, is the idea of hiring a new head coach now while a good one can be attained. An even more radical thought is to kiss and make up with Mike Shanahan and find a way of bringing about reconciliation.

The defense is in place to contend now, but the offense needs fine tuning and direction from a coordinator who is aware of the pitfalls of formations and play calls.

The bottom line is that this problem isn’t going to get better; in fact, the problem has been getting worse and costing the franchise victories. So the questions to Mr. Bowlen are how many more first round selections and talent will the Broncos be trading under Josh McDaniels only to fall short? How many more losses will be enough for this franchise to pull the plug on the boy wonder?

The only thing Broncos fans should take to heart is that until the franchise finds a quarterback they can rally around with a supporting cast, it’s only going to get worse, and this season is proving that out.

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Josh McDaniels: It Is Time To Pull Your Head Out Of The Sand

A not so funny thing happened on the Denver Broncos way to dreaming of an orange, blue, and white Crushmas—just like the ones they used to know.

They lost to the Oakland Raiders at home…again!

No these aren’t your daddy’s Raiders, these guys are horrible having won only four games prior to their upset of the Broncos in Denver. It is the now the second year in a row that the silver and black have become a stumbling block to the orange and blue.  Kyle Orton looked at least as powerless as Jay Cutler as did Coach McDaniels to his predecessor Coach Shanahan.

Perhaps the Broncos kryptonite can be officially labeled as such. Successful franchises have one thing in common that the also ran’s do not. The Denver Broncos used to define success, but lately they have been settling for the latter. Back inside the confines of INVESCO Field at Mile High, the Denver Broncos have clearly forgotten the meaning of finishing. The Broncos as team are not finishing off teams on offense, defense, on the play calls, or in the standings.

This tough loss spells out the difficult challenge to the franchise very clearly. The message is the Josh McDaniels experiment has not improved the franchise. It’s fair to say not just yet, but this may be a glimpse into a future that spells out not at all.

Draw whatever conclusion you will out of the facts, but the bottom line is the Denver Broncos are not performing at the level they should be. Since Coach McDaniels nearly got himself a free pass this season by starting 6-0, his Broncos team has gone 2-6 since that time. Talk about not finishing, the Broncos have two games remaining and that trend tells any fan, analyst, or football expert to stick a fork in them because they’re done.

The Broncos are technically in the playoff picture, but be realistic for a minute. This team must beat a surging Eagles team in a very cold Philadelphia next Sunday. Should the Broncos fail to beat the Eagles they open the door to a lot of teams in the AFC playoff picture. So yes it’s a must win, as is the season finale at home against the Chiefs.

Pull Your Head Out of the Sand Coach!

Get real, be honest with yourself and say it is so. Josh McDaniels makes a lot of ignorant calls on the offensive side of the ball, all in the name of selfish pride and arrogance. You don’t believe it still? Tackle-eligible plays as rare as they are usually run on very short yardage situations because of the vulnerability of an offensive lineman handling the ball.  So explain the reasoning to yourself why Josh McDaniels calls a tackle-eligible play to Ryan Clady on the Raider 10 yard line that fails and is penalized. Go ahead, explain that one.

Much was made last week about the lack of playing time for Peyton Hillis, even after starting running back Correll Buckhalter went down with an injury against the Colts. Given the number of short yardage situations the Broncos found themselves in last week and this week, the under bet in Vegas won on this one. Hillis was not used last week or this week even after the Broncos failed countless times on short yardage with a lack of imagination in the play calling and execution.

Perhaps the most damaging indictment against Coach McDaniels was when one of his New England kids, LaMont Jordan, gained a first down and emotionally got up doing a similar gesture to the Gator clap, but he was pounding his fist repeatedly telling his coaches to pound the ball into the end zone from the five with the running game. So true to form the Broncos threw an incompletion through the back of the end zone on the very next play. That forced them into a passing situation on third down which thankfully produced a Brandon Marshall touchdown by the slimmest of margins. The point however is the Broncos are not running well right now.

The Broncos collectively ran for 80 yards against the Raiders. Possibly just as disturbing is the fact that the Broncos were only 26 perent on third down efficiency. That shows a clear lack of aptitude when it matters most against a team they should beat in a game the Broncos had to have. Just as horrific, the Broncos were only 25 percent inside the red zone. That just doesn’t get the job done.

The most surprising fact is that Coach McDaniels has failed to realize what most already know about his play calling. It’s very predictable, not to mention boring, inefficient, and lacks basic common sense in key situations.

So what happened to the imaginative play calling McDaniels was hired for or his understanding of the New England way?

One thing stands clear; it’s now long past time to panic. It’s time for a new direction and a new theme if the Broncos are going to find a win in Philadelphia and find their way into the playoffs.

Coach McDaniels hasn’t played Peyton Hillis probably out of selfish pride at this point, he now needs to consider every option available to him that he has overlooked because his team’s back is against the wall and failure to reach the playoffs will eventually count against him.

It’s time for Coach McDaniels to pull his head out of the sand before it’s too late.

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The Denver Broncos Panicked Attitude Switch Is Paying Off

Two weeks ago, the Denver Broncos had the opportunity to get back on track and take the edge away from the San Diego Chargers.

Somehow the Broncos let the opportunity slip away in a game that put the Chargers at the top of the AFC West.

It also had Denver on a four-game skid with no answers in sight.

On the horizon, a short week with a game on Thanksgiving night against the New York Giants about to hit front and center.

It was at that time the Broncos needed a wake-up call.

It was time to panic, if the 2009 Denver Broncos were going to reach the AFC Playoffs.

It wasn’t that the Broncos lost to the San Diego Chargers in Denver when they could have owned the inside track to the division themselves.

It’s more the way in which they lost to San Diego.

They showed a lack of focus and the lack of a team pulse.

That was when enough became enough.

A players-only meeting was called for by Brian Dawkins.

He is a veteran who has shown that, in him, the Broncos have a gem of a player and a leader they have lacked the last few seasons.

Moreover, it’s helped to change the team’s identity on the defensive side of the ball and fueled a fire not seen there in quite some time.

It’s been debated whether or not player-only meetings are productive or helpful to the future growth of football teams.

The argument against them is they are a waste of time and really are only reserved for teams that are in trouble. 

The argument for having a meeting like that is that it’s an opportunity to air out any differences and make sure the entire team has an elevated sense of what needs to happen for the remainder of the season.

In Denver’s case, both the arguments for and against a players-only meeting probably applied to the state of the team at that point.

There was a need for a meeting, and the team has since proven there is no sense in dwelling on the issues, but certainly a solid response was required.

The Broncos say they weren’t panicking, and you have to believe them, nonetheless the need for urgency was there and the panicked attitude switch absolutely came into play.

What’s encouraging to see—since the Broncos lost to San Diego—are the decisive efforts they have had as a team against the Giants and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Broncos got back to their early season style—finding ways to win.

But more than that, they found ways to dominate. 

Against the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos rushed for 138 yards against one of the best front-sevens in football.

Against Kansas City, the Broncos exploded for 245 yards on the ground.

Defensively, the Broncos yielded only 57 yards on the ground to the Giants and 98 to the Chiefs.

Neither team was able to establish control against the Broncos.

This happened in part due to the offensive output and the mitigating performance by the Broncos defense.

It seems these types of efforts could not have come at a better time for a team that was hot, then got irreversibly cold.

The Denver Broncos have more than just a win against the Giants and a key win in Kansas City over the weekend.

Believe it or not, the Broncos have a two-game edge over two teams that could knock them out of the wild-card playoff slot. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Oakland Raiders at home on Sunday, and the Baltimore Ravens lost at Green Bay on Monday Night Football.

Two weeks ago, the Broncos were on the outside looking in; now they have a two-game edge over the teams that could oust them from a postseason slot with four games remaining in the regular season.

Herein lays the Broncos payoff to their current rally cry.

They chose to hit the panic switch in the nick of time, and it’s paying off huge dividends to put them back into the playoff hunt.

Even more so, should the Broncos beat the Indianapolis Colts on their home field, it will knock the Colts from the ranks of the unbeaten while sending a message.

It will be the Broncos way of essentially serving notice to the rest of the league, that they will be ready for the postseason once it hits. 

A win at Indy could prove that the Broncos are real contenders for the ultimate prize. 

Additionally, and most importantly, it could put pressure on San Diego and give Denver a leg up on the division should the Chargers falter along the way.

Call them streaky.

Call them beatable.

But call them a team that is on the verge of solidifying a playoff berth.

As things currently set, the general thought is 10 wins makes a wild-card team in the AFC this year.

That means Denver needs two wins, Jacksonville three, and Pittsburgh and Baltimore must win out to reach 10 wins. 

Provided the Broncos stay on edge and can win at least two games, they have a solid shot at making the playoffs.

The Ravens and Steelers play each other once more, meaning one of those teams is almost certainly out of contention—we just don’t know which one as of yet.

Jacksonville holds a slim one-game lead over those two teams but has a challenging schedule down the stretch.

 

Key Broncos’ Stats

The Denver Broncos had their challenges over a four-game stretch, but somehow still have the third-best defense overall and the third-best scoring defense behind the Bengals and the Colts.

The Broncos have given up an average of 16.8 points per game.

This just reinforces the idea that the defense is a solid core, despite the four losses by large margins.

The Broncos also boast the ninth-best rushing attack in the NFL.

It might not seem all that amazing until you consider that there are only two teams in the top 10 that are probable playoff teams.

The Broncos could prove to have one of the more potent rushing attacks in the playoffs, should they make it.

Currently, Broncos rookie running back Knowshon Moreno leads all NFL rookies with a 64.5 per game average rushing.

Moreno may reach the 1,000-yard mark by the end of the season, since he currently sits on 774 yards accumulated. 

That is 244 yards better than the next closest rookie running back.

So while Moreno has only been over the century mark once, his contributions to the one-two punch with veteran Correll Buckhalter appear to be a solid change of pace. 

This tandem is keeping the Broncos in games and starting to establish a window of dominance the team can exploit down the stretch and into the playoffs. 

Moreno is currently ranked 15th and Buckhalter 29th among all NFL rushers.

It’s a different NFL nowadays, as well, with only six rushers over the 1,000 yard mark through 12 games. 

The Broncos’ tandem appears to be in good shape with 1,337 total yards, which would rank them second behind Tennessee Titans’ RB Chris Johnson’s 1,509 yards.

No other tandem is currently in that realm.

Defensively, the Broncos’ D-end Elvis Dumervil leads the NFL in sacks with 15—a full 2.5 sacks ahead of the next closest pass rusher, the Minnesota Vikings’ Jared Allen. 

Elvis has an outside shot at the all-time NFL record.

He would require two sacks per game for the remaining four games.

Given his speed, leverage, and technique, anything seems possible for a guy who once lead the NCAA in sacks.

Probably the most important stat is the final score.

While the Broncos now seem to be hitting their stride, they have to find more ways to create points. 

Denver is a sub-par 21st in the NFL in average points per game at 20.

Consider the top five scoring teams: undefeated New Orleans (36.7 pts/game); Minnesota (29.9 pts/game); San Diego (28.5 pts/game); Indianapolis (27.6 pts/game); and New England (27.3 pts/game)

 

The Final Note

Who is the 22nd offensive team behind the Denver Broncos, you might ask?

That would be Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears.

That telling stat shows one very clear thing about the Broncos and Jay Cutler: They were both far better together than they have been apart.

It seems that if there is one thing that has plagued the Broncos this season, it’s the lack of a legitimate threat at the quarterback position.

Whether you were a fan of the Cutler trade or not, the Broncos are 21st in scoring, when they underachieved at 16th last season.

In fact, the Broncos’ total output in 2008 finished the season second only to New Orleans in total yards.

In 2009, the team won’t even reach the top 10.

So what does all this really mean?

Well, it’s hard to break down entirely, but the Broncos have not improved on offense under Josh McDaniels.

The Broncos are still showing some deficiencies in the red zone and are not scoring as much as they did a year ago.

The Broncos had issues in the red zone last season and were supposed to correct those this season.

Ironically enough, the team appears to be working on those red zone situations in some regard against the Giants and Chiefs

and it may be possible that the best is yet to come.

 

Contact Chaz at sportsmangement@gmail.com

 

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Denver Broncos Get a Giant Win On Thanksgiving

Call it a big win.

A must have.

A must win situation.

Call it what you will, just call it what was: it was a giant win for the Denver Broncos.

Not even the likes of the FOX pre-game show prognosticators saw this one coming.  

Granted the Denver Broncos have been down for a solid month, but even the professionals missed big time when it came to picking this game.

Not even Howie Long from the AFC West picked Denver.  Then again he always was a Raider.

Hopefully you and yours were able to stuff enough Thanksgiving food in your faces that you were feeling rather large by the time the kickoff rolled around on the NFL Network.  A feeling is sublime, as you’re content in life’s emotional here and now.

The Denver Broncos played host to the New York Giants on a Thanksgiving evening in what was supposed to be the night they wrapped up the AFC West Division title.

At least that was how it appeared a month ago with the Broncos 6-0 and the struggling Chargers at 3-3.  That would have happened had the Broncos not gone on a four game skid and the San Diego Chargers not gotten so hot to make the division race drastically flip-flop in less than a month.

For their part the Broncos decided before it was too late that it was high time to air out things in a player’s only meeting on Tuesday night.  It was called for by their team’s new found stalwart and spiritual leader Brian Dawkins.

No one outside of the team really knows what was said or done, and no one needs too.  The end result was a full team effort akin to the effort of the first six weeks of the season. 

The team did struggle from time to time on offense but did start producing points on the majority of their drives.  It is something that has not been seen out of the Broncos since the Mike Shanahan era. 

Something else not really seen and in severe neglect since the Mike Shanahan era in Denver was the running game.  In particular the zone running scheme reared its head and turned into a huge problem for the New York Giants defense.

Offensively the Broncos showed a lack of composure at times to the point of being reamed by their youthful head coach Josh McDaniels.  So much so that his verbiage bomb nuked more than a few front-range households to the tune of an NFL Network full apology in real time as the recorded tirade was replayed still intact.  No bleeps but plenty of blunder to go around at the NFL Network offices.

This all came about after three penalties caused a Broncos drive to stall and the team had to settle for a Matt Prater field goal. 

In spite of the minor discombobulated offense, the Broncos were productive and the zone running scheme against the Giants front was lethal. 

The Giants front line has been battling the injury bug and their lateral pursuit and contain did not make the trip to Denver for Thanksgiving.  The Broncos used and abused this advantage in a dominating performance in a game they had to have.

Meanwhile, the Broncos’ defense rose from the dead.

This happened because the offense was moving the ball, make no mistake about it.  The offense and the defense are joined at the hip.  When one succeeds, the other prevails; when both are bad things are terrible.

Additionally the Denver Broncos are very hard to figure out this season. 

At the moment, there is only one description that fits them best.

They are a streaky football team: hot or cold, never both.

 

 

Bright Stats on the Sheet

 

The most important number right now is one.

The Broncos got the one victory they needed so desperately to build the rest of their season and playoff hopes on, and it is far from over for this team.

If the Broncos are able to retain the momentum they will reel off more wins and more stats to be sure and they might possibly win the division if they can play solid like they did on Thanksgiving night.

Statistics from the game bear the fact that they dominated on both sides of the ball. 

Denver had 23 first downs to the Giants’ 15.  The Giants only attained two of their first downs rushing the ball, which shows that their bread and butter on the ground was taken away from them by Denver’s tenacious defense. 

The Broncos offense racked up 373 total yards to the Giants 267.  Keep in mind the Giants faced a prevent defense much of the second half of the football game.

Denver controlled the tempo and the clock at 35:30 to the Giants 24:30 in the telling statistic, time of possession.

On the ground Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter combined for 139 yards.  This combination still only has one rusher over a hundred yards for the season, but provided a much needed shot in the arm.  The Broncos remained committed to the run game and Moreno did eventually score one touchdown.

Kicker Matt Prater has matured a great deal this season and went 4-4 on field goals, with two extra points on the night.

The Broncos scored 26 points on the night, their fifth highest output this season, but it solidified the template they must have for their success.

The Broncos must stay on the field offensively, own the clock, score points in any way they can.  The fact that the Broncos went with the zone blocking scheme was a pure concession from head coach Josh McDaniels that his version of the run game was not playing to his teams’ strengths. 

The Broncos dominated the edge of the line of scrimmage and opened up endless opportunities for Moreno and Buckhalter to run downhill, something that was not seen much in the first ten games of the season. 

This offensive control allowed the defense to be unpredictable and as hard hitting as they were in the first six games of this season.   The Broncos took care of the ball on offense and created turnovers on defense.  Both teams had one interception, but the Broncos forced three Giant fumbles, two of which were recovered by the Broncos with the third rolling out of bounds after a vicious hit by Dawkins.

Furthermore, to add to the Broncos determination came a few shining examples with Brandon Marshall hauling in a pair of spectacular one hand grabs.  Kyle Orton also distributed the ball well to tight end Tony Scheffler on a few keys while Brandon Stokley and Daniel Graham hauled in one big catch each to help the team. 

Defensively the Broncos kept pressure on Eli Manning all night long and turned in three sacks for a loss of 20 yards.

 

 

For the Record

 

The Broncos are now 7-4 and have more than a fighting chance to make the playoffs.  The team will however have to stay on track if they are to secure their playoff slot.

Going to Kansas City in the past has never been automatic by any stretch for the Broncos.  But, if the Broncos are indeed elite in the AFC, look for them to dominate in Kansas City in a very winnable game.

The Broncos are 1-2 in the early games this season, winning in Cincinnati and losing in Baltimore and Washington.  Ironically enough the Broncos have three more early games remaining on the schedule at Kansas City, at Indianapolis, and at Philadelphia.

The Broncos are also 2-1 against the NFC East this season with the remaining game at Philadelphia two days after Christmas in the second to last game of the season.

 

 

Final Note

 

For the Broncos the theme really should be to win out at all cost.  If Denver does win out, they will more than likely surpass San Diego again and win the division.  That would guarantee them one or two home playoff games and anything is possible at that point.

The Broncos had a much better effort out of Orton on Thanksgiving, sprained ankle and all, and again appear headed in the right direction.

Yes it is late in the season; however, it is not too late for the Broncos to look at signing a veteran backup quarterback over the upcoming extended week. 

Should Kyle Orton go down again he is probably done for some time.  The idea of signing a Jeff Garcia makes a great deal of sense when you consider the fact that he is a gamer, not just a game manager.  There is more creativity and more possibilities to bringing in a veteran of his caliber to help the Broncos solidify the position overall.  Without a doubt Chris Simms has proven that he’s not ready and can’t be trusted at this juncture.

Finally they say winning cures a number of ills, in the Broncos case this could not be truer as they are sticking together as a team and grinding it out again to win games.  To Coach McDaniels’ credit, he’s not afraid to get in his players’ grills to help them realize what’s at stake.

 

contact Chaz at sportsmanagement@gmail.com

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Broncos Identity Hurt and Left Soul Searching

 

The Denver Broncos are now officially facing adversity for the first time during the 2009 season.

For a moment pause and think about how they got here, but please don’t hit the panic button yet.

Many people didn’t exactly pick them to be 6-2 at this point in the season, yet they some how mustered a 6-0 start with the leagues best scoring defense.  With the last two losses the Broncos ranking slipped from first to third with the Colts and Patriots currently on top. 

So now the bottom has fallen out of the stellar team success for now; and in one word, it keeps recurring under Kyle Orton’s watch.

Turnovers!

Turnovers!

Turnovers!

Orton has gone from replacing the boy wonder in Jay Cutler, to creating a wonder of his own by not turning the ball over in six games. 

In the two subsequent games since the 6-0 start he and the Broncos have now more than made up for all of it.

This is now officially the thing that is keeping Kyle Orton and the Denver Broncos from being considered among the elite teams for at least the time being.

While there are areas of the team that need work, it really is time for the Broncos organization to take time out to consider what sort of team they want to become.

Most of the pieces for the Broncos success are already in place.  So don’t be fooled, even after the most recent two losses these Denver Broncos are built to win now, but they have to get back on track soon, and with a vengeance.

The pieces that need tinkering became self evident against the Steelers and the Ravens. 

The Broncos need a running game, they need a more sophisticated passing attack, and they need to quit putting their defense in bad spots. 

Consider the fact that the turnovers the last two games have given the opposition more than enough points to help them win.  Additionally, if the Broncos could have all of those plays back their defense would still lead the league in points against by a long shot.

There were moments last night where the defense gave up too much too fast to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the reality is these things happen when your offense isn’t scoring and is turning the ball over.

The primary criticism of the Broncos offense at this point is that they have to get determined to move the ball consistently.

Denver needs to at the very least have the ability to move the ball on the ground as needed.  It’s not like they haven’t don it, they did do it this season against the Raiders with two rushers near 100 yards apiece against a good defensive front seven.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a power running game that helped them take control of last nights game when it mattered most.  That power run game opened up the skies for the Broncos All-Pro defensive backfield to be lit up as the team had to worry about the run and the pass.  That power run and precision passing took a tight ball game and turned it into a blowout complements of the Steelers defense and Kyle Orton’s poor showing. 

It’s rare that a 28-10 blowout can be called a tight ball game, but this one was, minus the Broncos turnovers it’s as tight a game as you can ask for.

The only thing that kept this a tight game was the Broncos defense.

Now that really is what the Broncos organization should be pondering at this juncture.  The defense is pulling the load, but how can the Broncos assure themselves that the offense will week in and week out?

Yes it has opened up the door to the Josh McDaniels haters and the Jay Cutler fans to have more of their war of words.

That’s not what this is about, things are what they are at this point; it should be about moving forward.

The Broncos must address the offense more intently than they have since the season began.

For now the Broncos must capitalize on the things done well with what they have available.

For the future, the question is what type of a football team do the Denver Broncos want to be?

It’s clear the game plan has moved away from the running game of old.

It’s a time for the Broncos to pause and reflect and do a little soul searching. 

Josh McDaniels came to Denver from New England, with that he brought part of that same philosophy on offense.  The Patriots use the pass to set up the run.  The Broncos have failed to set up the run for success the last two weeks.  That’s not the type of team this was historically and that’s not part of the New England template for getting the job done. 

The Broncos have to dissect all of the short comings of the offense the last two games.  It’s a time for learning and a time of reflection.

The Broncos must make a commitment to get back on track.

It would seem for a conservative offensive approach, the run game is the perfect complement.  Certainly some of the current approach could be related to personnel decisions, but the Broncos have to control the ball and the tempo.  That is when the opposition is on it’s heels and not dictating.

So it’s about decision making at this point.  The Broncos do need to advance the ball.  Certainly Kyle Orton needs to be able to stretch the field on a regular basis as well. 

It would seem however the best method for Kyle Orton to have more success deeper and in the short game is through the run game.  It’s something the Broncos haven’t fully committed to as of late and it appears to have clearly hurt them.

For the future the Broncos may need to consider help at the quarterback position, along the offensive line, and even in the backfield

For now the Broncos identity and ego have taken a hit on offense. 

It’s a talented team looking for answers.

It seems like they can find the answers they seek in the run game and in solving a myriad of breakdowns that lead to the two game skid.

 

 

 

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Mandatory Reading for MNF: Steelers vs Broncos by the Numbers

Hopefully you’ve already read about the rich history between the Broncos, and the Steelers in the slide show I recently put together. Here are some even more convincing proofs of how tight, significant, and dynamic this match-up really is.

Regular Season

The Denver Broncos lead the all-time series with the Pittsburgh Steelers at 16-9-1.

All-time regular season the Broncos have scored 448 points (22.4 points per game) to the Steelers 407 (20.35 points per game).

At home the Broncos are 7-2-1 against the Steelers in Denver.

The Broncos have only lost to the Steelers four times since 1983, putting the record during that stretch at 11-4.

The Broncos are 3-1 versus the Steelers since John Elway retired.

 

Post-season 

The Broncos, and Steelers have played each other twice in the same season four times (1977, ’78, ’89, and ’97). Each of those seasons wound up with a decisive game in the playoffs. 

The Broncos swept the Steelers in 1977, and 1989, and went to the Super Bowl, but lost both of those seasons.

The Steelers swept the Broncos in 1978, and won their third Super Bowl.

The two teams split in 1997 when Denver won their first Super Bowl.

All-time post season, the Broncos have scored 126 points (21 points per game) to the Steelers 156 points (26 points per game).

It should be a very close, very good football game with both teams looking forward to their own probable playoff run.

 

The only question left to answer is, “Are you ready for some football?”

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The Denver Broncos Vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers: Anecdotes from a Rich Rivalry

It’s an interesting history, and in many ways these two franchises have paralleled each other throughout.

The overall record in the match-up between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers currently belongs to the orange and blue.

This is a rags-to-riches story for both franchises however, and one of the NFL’s richer and less glorified rivalries.

Begin Slideshow

Ravens Out-Hustle, Out-Scheme Streaky Broncos

 

Defense-defense was the theme of the day in the game between the 6-0 Denver Broncos and the 3-3 Baltimore Ravens.  So just for good measure, any way you say it or spell it, you knew it would be prevalent in Sunday’s NFL contest.

 

D-Fence!

 

So now knowing that, the first huge mistake of the Josh McDaniels era in the regular season is that the Broncos did not choose to defer until the second half.  Instead the Broncos chose to get the opening kickoff and go on offense.  They then promptly went three and out with a very poor first series and suddenly the battle of field position was predictably a bigger issue than the credit being given to it.

 

Knowing that field position was going to be an issue in this game going into it, why the Broncos chose to go on offense immediately left a few fans a little baffled at the decision.

 

So maybe you’re surprised, maybe you’re not, but trust this.

 

The game was much closer than the final score indicated, but the team with the better scheme, mental preparedness, and coaching won this game on Sunday.

 

This could have been a statement game for the Broncos, instead the Ravens made the statement and the Broncos organization has to digest a few painful lessons that came out of this game Sunday.

 

The Denver Broncos now have to address how to better complement their short pass game by taking deeper shots down field.

 

The Broncos also learned that they should make a commitment to the run game when it is working, especially against a physical football team.

 

Finally, the Broncos should have learned that if they don’t address what they learned on Sunday they should expect their defense to eventually not be able to cover the shortfalls of the offense.

 

The Ravens Showed Up Ready to Play

Credit the Baltimore Ravens for coming ready to play on Sunday against the Broncos.  From the very first snap to the end, the Baltimore Ravens showed they wanted to desperately win their seventh game of the season against the Denver Broncos.

 

After the opening kickoff the Broncos went on offense and the Ravens sent a message from their defense along with two outside linebackers blitzing from their 3-4 set.  Raven backer Jared Johnson was locked on Brandon Marshall and failed to deliver the ball to him or even look for the safety valve.  The Broncos tried a couple of small screens and that was that on offense until they got their first drive going in the second half.

 

The Baltimore defense was punishing in more than one way and ready for the Broncos short passing game.  Herein lies the fault of the Broncos offensive attack and it will come under future attack as well.  Without the implementation of a deep passing game, defenses like the Ravens can easily and more readily rally from zone coverage to snuff out any short and mid-range plays.  This was the case on Sunday.

 

From the start the Ravens had an intensity that was missing on the Broncos offensive side of the ball, and eventually over time, the Broncos defense couldn’t match their production.

 

While both teams were coming off of byes it looked like the Broncos offense was still on vacation or in serious need of another one.  That sort of effort coming from an undefeated team was pathetic; it showed a group of guys believing more in the press clippings about them than the need to work harder to get the job done right.

 

The Ravens were also able to inflict pain and punishment on the Broncos in forcing the only turnover of the game.  Near the end of the first quarter Knowshon Moreno nullified all the good that was starting to be produced in the ground game.  On a 2nd-and-9, Kyle Orton made a horrible choice on a double pump to Knowshon Moreno.  This gave the play less time to develop and less time for Moreno to control the ball.  Moreno briefly had the ball in his hands with two feet on the ground as his shoulders turned up field; almost as quickly he was lit up like an early holiday greeting and immediately fumbled the ball.  The Ravens All-Pro safety Ed Reed showed his metal on the hit that dislodged the ball from the Broncos rookie running back.  The turnover led to an early 3-0 lead for the Ravens but credit the Broncos defense for being tough in the early going and holding the Ravens to only six points in the first half.

 

Couple the bad field position and the only turnover of the game against the Broncos with poor punting from new arrival, veteran punter Mitch Berger, the Ravens won the battle of field position almost by default alone.

 

Broncos Offensive Line

The Broncos have a very athletic offensive line, but it came under fire on Sunday and a big injury occurred early at right tackle when Ryan Harris went down.  It appears that the injury could be a broken big toe and possibly affecting two of his toes.  On the afternoon the Broncos offensive line had problems mitigating the pass rush of the Ravens especially versus a strong front four and a 3-4 blitz scheme.  This is something that has to be corrected immediately if the Broncos are to have success on offense the rest of this season. 

 

Certainly it’s not a time to panic but a time to give a full evaluation across the board. When one of the stronger offensive lines in football has problems the whole game plan needs some further review.  The Broncos should have had greater anticipation about the Ravens defensive attack and due to the lack of a crisp game plan and proper adjustments along the way the offensive line was made to look as poor as they have been in some time.   

 

Kyle Orton’s Poor Performance

Kyle Orton entered Sunday’s contest with nearly a 64% completion percentage, nine touchdowns, and one interception.  Orton saw his completion percentage fall only two points while his game average in yardage was nearly 110 yards under par. 

 

What this statistic really reinforces is that if the team does not address mixing up the play calling more the overall production will go down.

 

Essentially if you complete 62% of your passes but aren’t moving the ball consistently or causing headaches for the defense then this statistic is irrelevant.

 

The one time the Broncos really did challenge the Ravens was on their first scoring drive of the second half when they opened up the offense and wound up with a touchdown.

 

The overall lack of production from the Broncos clearly stemmed from the lack of a consistent attack to put pressure on a Baltimore defense that was dictating the outcome of the game.

 

Sure the Broncos had 17 first downs to Baltimore’s 16 however the game is about consistency and dictating play.  The Broncos earned the majority of first downs in an inconsistent manner rendering the output useless.

 

Again, the Ravens were able to control the game because they were not being challenged enough on defense to stop the Broncos offense. 

 

Poor Special Teams Play

With the opening kickoff of the second half Ravens cornerback turned kick returner Lardarius Webb went 95 yards after hitting the seam just right and went untouched for a touchdown.  That play put the Ravens in control of the football game with the score 13-0.

Conversely, Eddie Royal returned two punts for two yards and six kickoffs for an average of 18 yards a return.

To add more salt to the wound, the Broncos constantly lost the battle of field position in the kicking game.  Newly aquired punter Mitch Berger could only muster a 36.3 net and an average of 38.4 yards on eight punts.

In a nutshell it was the sort of effort that just isn’t going to get the job done.

 

Broncos Defense Worn Down by Ravens

Don’t misconstrue this point as a problem with the Broncos defense, overall the Broncos still have their MOJO cranking on defense.  The problem here is the failure of the offense to cover the defense.  The utter failure to control the tempo on offense and the clock led to the eventual demise of the Broncos defense.

 

It would be wrong to pin the loss on the Broncos defense entirely.  There is one issue that this team wound up losing down the stretch of the football game.  The Broncos defense began to lose some composure in a mild form as they were eventually losing the battle against the Ravens rushing attack late in the game.

 

The Ravens were more intense on defense than the Broncos were when it came to shutting down the opposition.  This is also a key mental note to make as the team will not be afforded those sorts of opportunities to bounce back from down the stretch.

 

Overall, the Broncos held the Ravens in check with a short field, but they needed to find better ways to disrupt the deeper penetration by Joe Flacco and company.

 

The Final Summary:  Denver’s Schemes Failed Where Baltimore’s Did Not

It all goes back to a good offense being a team’s best defense.  On Sunday the Broncos offense and their play calling were poor at best.

 

The most important point here, however, is that the offense needs to mix up the play calling more.  The offensive scheme should have been more robust and daring in finding a willingness to go deeper with some of the pass routes.  Additionally, the Broncos started to have some good spurts of running the ball but failed to keep the momentum going.  This all happened because the Broncos were forcing short passes when they weren’t really open inside the Ravens short zone coverage.  Additionally the routes the Broncos chose to use had to struggle for first down yardage.

 

In essence that is not the way to attack a team like the Ravens.  Because the Ravens are so intense on defense you have to make a commitment to out physical them and out smart them in the pass game.  The way the Ravens played is the way they always play; there was nothing new under the sun there.  The Broncos needed to be creative in how they schemed for this game and they fell very short of their goal.  Very good defenses like the Ravens will force the other teams’ hand.  Unless there is an adequate response the team is in trouble on offense.

 

The reason the Ravens offense had success was because they weren’t afraid to challenge the defense of the Broncos.  That was the clear difference in the football game.  The Ravens offense decided to get physical in the running game and stretch the Broncos secondary.  The Denver Broncos failed on offense because they failed to execute in a similar fashion to the way the Baltimore Ravens did on offense.

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Six Reasons to Believe in the Denver Broncos’ Amazing Run

The Reality Check

Oh, how have the Denver Broncos utterly shocked a nation of fans and football media? 

Let us count the ways.

From the get go, whether you are or aren’t a fan of the Denver Broncos you’re reading this article. Why that’s happening probably has something to do with what the team accomplished in the first six weeks of the 2009 season.

The fact of the matter is this team is a force to be reckoned with the rest of the 2009 football season.

In effect, these aren’t your daddy’s Broncos, and they aren’t what most would expect from the Denver Broncos at this stage in time under this new regime.

Still a record of 6-0 is a great start and somewhat impressive in any NFL season for any team.

To match the six wins the Broncos attained before the bye week, here are six reasons why you can virtually bank on Denver continuing on their special run. 

This direct thought is the reasoning behind what can still be considered an early season projection that will most likely land the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.  This team is almost destined to land the number one seed in the AFC playoffs for the Lombardi Trophy.

It’s intriguing. Every year there are teams that surprise everyone in every sport.  So stop, take a minute, and evaluate the data and the factual arguments that support the amazing run of this 2009 Denver Broncos team, one which appears to be heading deep into the post season.

 

1. The Broncos Have the League’s Best Scoring Defense

Much like a quarterback within the grasp of Elvis Dumervil, there is simply no escaping it. The Denver Broncos have the best scoring defense in the NFL.

There is a reason the old saying, “Defense wins championships” was coined.  It really has to do with a sense of Las Vegas type odds and a general philosophy.  If you are capable of shutting down your opponent in any sport, you are winning half of the battle right then and there.

In football, if that becomes a team’s advantage, it is huge. 

Defense can create opportunity where there appeared to be none.

That is exactly how the Denver Broncos’ new 3-4 defense has been working to accomplish its goals, game in and game out. 

Consider the fact that through six weeks of the season the Denver Broncos have only given up 66 points for an average of 11 points per game.

Looking at Sunday’s most recent NFL games, Jay Cutler’s new team the Chicago Bears, who are known for their defense, gave up 45 points on the road in Cincinnati against the Bengals.

Yes, the same Bengals that were said to not be very good and easily discredited after the Broncos won on the Immaculate Deflection play to start the season with a win.  Those same Bengals are currently 5-2 and tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North division.

The point is, even good defenses get scored on.  The fact that the number of points the Broncos have given up is under the century mark at this juncture is nothing short of stellar.

Look a little deeper though at the talent level that is assembled by the Broncos on defense and you quickly see it’s not entirely a group of no-name players. 

It might however be a group of veterans who have never completely been given their personal due in their own right. Sure the likes of Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins are career Pro Bowlers and have reached one Super Bowl and a number of conference championship games.

The fact remains, the talent on this Broncos defensive team is greater than meets the eye.

The Broncos have something this season they did not have last season—a stable defensive backfield with depth, experience, and players. 

One of the primary criticisms of the Broncos defensive backfield last season was that they tackled poorly, showed their inexperience, failed to create turnovers, and had a lack of chemistry, especially once Champ Bailey went down with an injury at New England.   

This season’s defensive backfield has Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey, along with the best part of the Miami Dolphins defensive backfield the previous few seasons in Andre Goodman and Renaldo Hill. 

Combined the starters have 42 years of NFL experience in the defensive backfield and none of them appear to have lost much. 

Philadelphia believed Brian Dawkins had lost a step and some have said he may have, however his play on the field hasn’t shown any sign of letting up or being a step behind.  Brian Dawkins’ fire is intense and reminds old Broncos fans of former linebacker and current ESPN personality Tom Jackson, who was a fiery competitor in his own right.

In the linebacking corps is Elvis Dumervil who converted to an outside linebacker from being a defensive end, and it seems to have boosted an already promising career. 

Additionally, D.J. Williams has 46 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery at his new position on the inside of the Broncos attacking 3-4. 

Cleveland cast-off Andra Davis has 38 tackles on the inside along with one sack.

The Broncos’ front three of Kenny Peterson, Ron Fields, and rookie Ryan McBean have done an exceptional job of gap control and funneling the play to the linebacking crew. 

Additionally while the group has not logged a sack, they have played a key role in the Broncos being tied for the league lead in sacks with a total of 21 heading into the bye.

 

 

2. This Team Is Healthy and Very Well Coached

Without a doubt, for a team to win a number of games and have a chance of getting deep into the playoffs they have to stay healthy. 

For the most part the Broncos have done that up through their bye week. It seems the most important injury happened to Brian Dawkins against San Diego where it appeared he may have had a slight hamstring pull in the first half. 

Dawkins eventually returned and helped to lock it down on defense while leading the Broncos to the victory in a hotly contested football game.

If the Broncos can stay healthy expect them to play in the AFC Championship Game.

Just as important as staying healthy, the Broncos are a well coached football team.  From the schemes being run on both sides of the ball, this football team very much reminds people of the New England Patriots. 

With Josh McDaniels formerly under Bill Belichick’s tutelage it’s obvious the Broncos organization’s approach to the game is now radically different than it has been in the past.

Perhaps the greatest of all the moves Josh McDaniels made in coming to the Denver Broncos was in landing the coaching staff he now has in place.  Moreover, Josh puts the trust in his coaches to get the job done right.

From the start the focus was on changing the culture, and it is different because of the coaching. 

Josh in his own right has been hard on Kyle Orton when he has needed to be, but he has also celebrated the successes and a mutual respect has been forged because of it.  Orton’s growth is obvious, his play is probably the most noticeable of any player, and he has proven the system is working for him.

There are more however.  Where is the criticism of the defensive line and the Broncos front seven now?  The fact is there isn’t any. 

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely, linebackers coach Don Martindale, and defensive backs coach Ed Donatell have revamped the defense and forged a nucleolus of high expectations.

The depths to which the Broncos defense fell last season aren’t even viewable on the radar now.

Champ Bailey recently made some comments that said how important coaching is at the NFL level because the talent level is so close. Sometimes it’s just weird how things work out.

Right now it seems like a perfect storm in Denver much in the way one is brewing in New Orleans.

It’s not that the Broncos had poor defenders last season on the whole. There were talented guys there that remain on the roster now.  Perhaps the Broncos defense wasn’t running the right scheme for the talent base a year ago.

These Broncos have made a relatively smooth transition to an attacking 3-4 scheme.  Right now it’s showing in the stat sheet, but it also shows up on film. 

The Denver Broncos are fundamentally sound, where they aren’t second guessing the gap coverage like they were a year ago or even the pass coverages for that matter. 

 

 

3. The Broncos Are Winning the Turnover Battle

On the statistical side, the Denver Broncos are causing forced errors from the opposition, and they are taking care of the football. 

Currently the top team in the NFL is the Green Bay Packers at a plus-10 in the turnover battle. The Denver Broncos aren’t far behind at a plus-7 that basically is working out to one key turnover per game. 

Looking back at each game, those turnovers are playing a vital role in beating teams and setting the tone on defense.

The Broncos took Oakland out of the game when Brian Dawkins recovered a fumble deep in Broncos territory, ending the Raiders’ hopes of getting back in that game.

Last week in San Diego, the Broncos D-line forced a Phillip Rivers fumble that iced the game for the Broncos.

When they aren’t getting the turnovers, they are shutting teams down at key moments throughout the game and keeping them out of the end zone.

Think about the work the Broncos did in keeping the Bengals drives between the 20’s. 

Think about Tony Romo throwing at Champ Bailey all day with little success that resulted in a pick near the end zone and last second knockdowns by the Broncos cover corner. 

Then think about how poor Tom Brady looked against the Broncos defense at times and the fact that Randy Moss was a non factor in the game.

Because of the differential, the Broncos have allowed themselves the opportunity to have late game winning drives against Dallas and New England while being able to put the Chargers out of their misery.

The bottom line is these turnovers are making a difference.  If the Broncos are going to start dominating teams they should create more of these sorts of opportunities for themselves.

 

 

4. The Challenging Schedule Now Favors the Broncos

If you want to know how good these Broncos are and you are still not convinced, there are three games remaining on their schedule that will be the true barometer on how close this team can be to winning the AFC. 

Sunday the Broncos will play in Baltimore, a place where the franchise has traditionally had a number of problems against both the Colts and the Ravens. 

The Baltimore Ravens will be starving for a win as they are also coming off a bye week to face a Broncos team that wants to send a deliberate message to the rest of the NFL.

Following the game against the Ravens, the Broncos play a home game against the reigning world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The Broncos have always historically matched up well with the Steelers.

An historical average score between the two franchises gives Pittsburgh a slight edge at around a 24-22 margin.

Should the Broncos lose both those games, they have a great deal more work to do to raise the bar to a championship level.  However if they win those two games the only other obstacle in the AFC would be the Indianapolis Colts. 

Denver will visit the Colts on December 13 in a game that could determine which team has the home field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs.

Outside of those games you can virtually bank on the Broncos at least splitting five of their next 10 games.  The Broncos will win at Washington, at Philadelphia, against Kansas City twice, and versus the San Diego Chargers in Denver in a tough rematch. 

 

 

5. The Broncos Have Attitude and Something to Prove

It’s been said attitude is everything. Think about it. Perhaps at some point in time you worked for a losing organization or a loser of a boss. How well did that go over? 

Sometimes you can only scratch your head as to how they got their position in the first place.  Now contrast that with working for a young upstart and putting it all on the line where success is the only acceptable answer. 

The offseason brought a slew of questions about the Broncos organization and the hiring of Josh McDaniels as the new leader, supplanting future Hall of Fame coach Mike Shanahan.  To say the least there were a lot of unanswered questions about the direction of the franchise.

There were also holdover questions from last season about the defensive talent and what it would take to put this team back into a good place. 

Things seemed to be going in the right direction when Brian Dawkins was signed; in fact fans started dreaming of the Super Bowl. 

Just moments following the press conference to introduce Dawkins, the Jay Cutler debacle started to unfold.  Now it’s looking like everything the Broncos did in handling the Jay Cutler ordeal seems to be the right moves now. 

Additionally this team is not hindered by the loss of Cutler. In some areas it was a surprisingly welcomed change of pace.    

Kyle Orton has found the perfect match for his talents, and the Broncos have found a perfect match in the locker room.  Orton has not put up the numbers that would blow away Dan Fouts’ place in history anytime soon, but he has been very consistent and has avoided interceptions. 

Certainly Kyle probably should have about six INT’s on his resume at this point, but he has been fortunate to limit that number to one, which most believe really shouldn’t count since it came on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half against the Patriots.

These Broncos see only one acceptable answer and much of that has come directly from the way Josh McDaniels has handled the approach to this football team. 

Truly this is a football team working hard at its craft.  Perhaps the igniter to the whole equation is that when guys look around their locker room they see talent and experience.  When they saw the media attention locally and nationally they saw disrespect. 

The end result here is that these Denver Broncos have a fiery attitude sparked by Brian Dawkins, but they have much to prove and they are enjoying that portion of the ride.

If you think the Broncos didn’t enjoy beating the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers in succession, think again.

This team has a championship swagger about them.

 

 

6. The Broncos Are Undefeated

Considering the fact that the 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only NFL franchise to go undefeated in the Super Bowl era, fans shouldn’t necessarily expect this group to go undefeated. 

The fact that the team is 6-0 at a third of the way through the 2009 season says a great deal about this team’s ability to win. They have a goal for each game to find a way to win and they are meeting their goal. 

More importantly when teams are undefeated they find ways to stay in ball games and find ways to win. That is the greater and more important test of their character.  It’s sort of like solving a puzzle on the fly, and the Denver Broncos are doing incredibly well in this area so far.

So like them or hate them, the Denver Broncos are undefeated and worthy of every team’s respect at this point.

 

The Conclusion

The real conclusion won’t be known until the postseason starts and ends.  The Broncos appear to be headed on the way to being one of the top two seeds in the AFC.  Should they win the homefield advantage, history has shown that teams with the advantage wind up in the Super Bowl more often than not.

At the end of the day this Broncos team is showing the signs of a team that will be playing for an AFC Championship and possibly a Lombardi Trophy into the late winter months.

Contact Chaz at sportsmanagement@gmail.com

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Six Reasons to Believe in the Denver Broncos’ Amazing Run

The Reality Check

Oh, how have the Denver Broncos utterly shocked a nation of fans and football media? 

Let us count the ways.

From the get go, whether you are or aren’t a fan of the Denver Broncos you’re reading this article. Why that’s happening probably has something to do with what the team accomplished in the first six weeks of the 2009 season.

The fact of the matter is this team is a force to be reckoned with the rest of the 2009 football season.

In effect, these aren’t your daddy’s Broncos, and they aren’t what most would expect from the Denver Broncos at this stage in time under this new regime.

Still a record of 6-0 is a great start and somewhat impressive in any NFL season for any team.

To match the six wins the Broncos attained before the bye week, here are six reasons why you can virtually bank on Denver continuing on their special run. 

This direct thought is the reasoning behind what can still be considered an early season projection that will most likely land the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.  This team is almost destined to land the number one seed in the AFC playoffs for the Lombardi Trophy.

It’s intriguing. Every year there are teams that surprise everyone in every sport.  So stop, take a minute, and evaluate the data and the factual arguments that support the amazing run of this 2009 Denver Broncos team, one which appears to be heading deep into the post season.

 

1. The Broncos Have the League’s Best Scoring Defense

Much like a quarterback within the grasp of Elvis Dumervil, there is simply no escaping it. The Denver Broncos have the best scoring defense in the NFL.

There is a reason the old saying, “Defense wins championships” was coined.  It really has to do with a sense of Las Vegas type odds and a general philosophy.  If you are capable of shutting down your opponent in any sport, you are winning half of the battle right then and there.

In football, if that becomes a team’s advantage, it is huge. 

Defense can create opportunity where there appeared to be none.

That is exactly how the Denver Broncos’ new 3-4 defense has been working to accomplish its goals, game in and game out. 

Consider the fact that through six weeks of the season the Denver Broncos have only given up 66 points for an average of 11 points per game.

Looking at Sunday’s most recent NFL games, Jay Cutler’s new team the Chicago Bears, who are known for their defense, gave up 45 points on the road in Cincinnati against the Bengals.

Yes, the same Bengals that were said to not be very good and easily discredited after the Broncos won on the Immaculate Deflection play to start the season with a win.  Those same Bengals are currently 5-2 and tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North division.

The point is, even good defenses get scored on.  The fact that the number of points the Broncos have given up is under the century mark at this juncture is nothing short of stellar.

Look a little deeper though at the talent level that is assembled by the Broncos on defense and you quickly see it’s not entirely a group of no-name players. 

It might however be a group of veterans who have never completely been given their personal due in their own right. Sure the likes of Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins are career Pro Bowlers and have reached one Super Bowl and a number of conference championship games.

The fact remains, the talent on this Broncos defensive team is greater than meets the eye.

The Broncos have something this season they did not have last season—a stable defensive backfield with depth, experience, and players. 

One of the primary criticisms of the Broncos defensive backfield last season was that they tackled poorly, showed their inexperience, failed to create turnovers, and had a lack of chemistry, especially once Champ Bailey went down with an injury at New England.   

This season’s defensive backfield has Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey, along with the best part of the Miami Dolphins defensive backfield the previous few seasons in Andre Goodman and Renaldo Hill. 

Combined the starters have 42 years of NFL experience in the defensive backfield and none of them appear to have lost much. 

Philadelphia believed Brian Dawkins had lost a step and some have said he may have, however his play on the field hasn’t shown any sign of letting up or being a step behind.  Brian Dawkins’ fire is intense and reminds old Broncos fans of former linebacker and current ESPN personality Tom Jackson, who was a fiery competitor in his own right.

In the linebacking corps is Elvis Dumervil who converted to an outside linebacker from being a defensive end, and it seems to have boosted an already promising career. 

Additionally, D.J. Williams has 46 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery at his new position on the inside of the Broncos attacking 3-4. 

Cleveland cast-off Andra Davis has 38 tackles on the inside along with one sack.

The Broncos’ front three of Kenny Peterson, Ron Fields, and rookie Ryan McBean have done an exceptional job of gap control and funneling the play to the linebacking crew. 

Additionally while the group has not logged a sack, they have played a key role in the Broncos being tied for the league lead in sacks with a total of 21 heading into the bye.

 

 

2. This Team Is Healthy and Very Well Coached

Without a doubt, for a team to win a number of games and have a chance of getting deep into the playoffs they have to stay healthy. 

For the most part the Broncos have done that up through their bye week. It seems the most important injury happened to Brian Dawkins against San Diego where it appeared he may have had a slight hamstring pull in the first half. 

Dawkins eventually returned and helped to lock it down on defense while leading the Broncos to the victory in a hotly contested football game.

If the Broncos can stay healthy expect them to play in the AFC Championship Game.

Just as important as staying healthy, the Broncos are a well coached football team.  From the schemes being run on both sides of the ball, this football team very much reminds people of the New England Patriots. 

With Josh McDaniels formerly under Bill Belichick’s tutelage it’s obvious the Broncos organization’s approach to the game is now radically different than it has been in the past.

Perhaps the greatest of all the moves Josh McDaniels made in coming to the Denver Broncos was in landing the coaching staff he now has in place.  Moreover, Josh puts the trust in his coaches to get the job done right.

From the start the focus was on changing the culture, and it is different because of the coaching. 

Josh in his own right has been hard on Kyle Orton when he has needed to be, but he has also celebrated the successes and a mutual respect has been forged because of it.  Orton’s growth is obvious, his play is probably the most noticeable of any player, and he has proven the system is working for him.

There are more however.  Where is the criticism of the defensive line and the Broncos front seven now?  The fact is there isn’t any. 

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely, linebackers coach Don Martindale, and defensive backs coach Ed Donatell have revamped the defense and forged a nucleolus of high expectations.

The depths to which the Broncos defense fell last season aren’t even viewable on the radar now.

Champ Bailey recently made some comments that said how important coaching is at the NFL level because the talent level is so close. Sometimes it’s just weird how things work out.

Right now it seems like a perfect storm in Denver much in the way one is brewing in New Orleans.

It’s not that the Broncos had poor defenders last season on the whole. There were talented guys there that remain on the roster now.  Perhaps the Broncos defense wasn’t running the right scheme for the talent base a year ago.

These Broncos have made a relatively smooth transition to an attacking 3-4 scheme.  Right now it’s showing in the stat sheet, but it also shows up on film. 

The Denver Broncos are fundamentally sound, where they aren’t second guessing the gap coverage like they were a year ago or even the pass coverages for that matter. 

 

 

3. The Broncos Are Winning the Turnover Battle

On the statistical side, the Denver Broncos are causing forced errors from the opposition, and they are taking care of the football. 

Currently the top team in the NFL is the Green Bay Packers at a plus-10 in the turnover battle. The Denver Broncos aren’t far behind at a plus-7 that basically is working out to one key turnover per game. 

Looking back at each game, those turnovers are playing a vital role in beating teams and setting the tone on defense.

The Broncos took Oakland out of the game when Brian Dawkins recovered a fumble deep in Broncos territory, ending the Raiders’ hopes of getting back in that game.

Last week in San Diego, the Broncos D-line forced a Phillip Rivers fumble that iced the game for the Broncos.

When they aren’t getting the turnovers, they are shutting teams down at key moments throughout the game and keeping them out of the end zone.

Think about the work the Broncos did in keeping the Bengals drives between the 20’s. 

Think about Tony Romo throwing at Champ Bailey all day with little success that resulted in a pick near the end zone and last second knockdowns by the Broncos cover corner. 

Then think about how poor Tom Brady looked against the Broncos defense at times and the fact that Randy Moss was a non factor in the game.

Because of the differential, the Broncos have allowed themselves the opportunity to have late game winning drives against Dallas and New England while being able to put the Chargers out of their misery.

The bottom line is these turnovers are making a difference.  If the Broncos are going to start dominating teams they should create more of these sorts of opportunities for themselves.

 

 

4. The Challenging Schedule Now Favors the Broncos

If you want to know how good these Broncos are and you are still not convinced, there are three games remaining on their schedule that will be the true barometer on how close this team can be to winning the AFC. 

Sunday the Broncos will play in Baltimore, a place where the franchise has traditionally had a number of problems against both the Colts and the Ravens. 

The Baltimore Ravens will be starving for a win as they are also coming off a bye week to face a Broncos team that wants to send a deliberate message to the rest of the NFL.

Following the game against the Ravens, the Broncos play a home game against the reigning world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The Broncos have always historically matched up well with the Steelers.

An historical average score between the two franchises gives Pittsburgh a slight edge at around a 24-22 margin.

Should the Broncos lose both those games, they have a great deal more work to do to raise the bar to a championship level.  However if they win those two games the only other obstacle in the AFC would be the Indianapolis Colts. 

Denver will visit the Colts on December 13 in a game that could determine which team has the home field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs.

Outside of those games you can virtually bank on the Broncos at least splitting five of their next 10 games.  The Broncos will win at Washington, at Philadelphia, against Kansas City twice, and versus the San Diego Chargers in Denver in a tough rematch. 

 

 

5. The Broncos Have Attitude and Something to Prove

It’s been said attitude is everything. Think about it. Perhaps at some point in time you worked for a losing organization or a loser of a boss. How well did that go over? 

Sometimes you can only scratch your head as to how they got their position in the first place.  Now contrast that with working for a young upstart and putting it all on the line where success is the only acceptable answer. 

The offseason brought a slew of questions about the Broncos organization and the hiring of Josh McDaniels as the new leader, supplanting future Hall of Fame coach Mike Shanahan.  To say the least there were a lot of unanswered questions about the direction of the franchise.

There were also holdover questions from last season about the defensive talent and what it would take to put this team back into a good place. 

Things seemed to be going in the right direction when Brian Dawkins was signed; in fact fans started dreaming of the Super Bowl. 

Just moments following the press conference to introduce Dawkins, the Jay Cutler debacle started to unfold.  Now it’s looking like everything the Broncos did in handling the Jay Cutler ordeal seems to be the right moves now. 

Additionally this team is not hindered by the loss of Cutler. In some areas it was a surprisingly welcomed change of pace.    

Kyle Orton has found the perfect match for his talents, and the Broncos have found a perfect match in the locker room.  Orton has not put up the numbers that would blow away Dan Fouts’ place in history anytime soon, but he has been very consistent and has avoided interceptions. 

Certainly Kyle probably should have about six INT’s on his resume at this point, but he has been fortunate to limit that number to one, which most believe really shouldn’t count since it came on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half against the Patriots.

These Broncos see only one acceptable answer and much of that has come directly from the way Josh McDaniels has handled the approach to this football team. 

Truly this is a football team working hard at its craft.  Perhaps the igniter to the whole equation is that when guys look around their locker room they see talent and experience.  When they saw the media attention locally and nationally they saw disrespect. 

The end result here is that these Denver Broncos have a fiery attitude sparked by Brian Dawkins, but they have much to prove and they are enjoying that portion of the ride.

If you think the Broncos didn’t enjoy beating the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers in succession, think again.

This team has a championship swagger about them.

 

 

6. The Broncos Are Undefeated

Considering the fact that the 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only NFL franchise to go undefeated in the Super Bowl era, fans shouldn’t necessarily expect this group to go undefeated. 

The fact that the team is 6-0 at a third of the way through the 2009 season says a great deal about this team’s ability to win. They have a goal for each game to find a way to win and they are meeting their goal. 

More importantly when teams are undefeated they find ways to stay in ball games and find ways to win. That is the greater and more important test of their character.  It’s sort of like solving a puzzle on the fly, and the Denver Broncos are doing incredibly well in this area so far.

So like them or hate them, the Denver Broncos are undefeated and worthy of every team’s respect at this point.

 

The Conclusion

The real conclusion won’t be known until the postseason starts and ends.  The Broncos appear to be headed on the way to being one of the top two seeds in the AFC.  Should they win the homefield advantage, history has shown that teams with the advantage wind up in the Super Bowl more often than not.

At the end of the day this Broncos team is showing the signs of a team that will be playing for an AFC Championship and possibly a Lombardi Trophy into the late winter months.

Contact Chaz at sportsmanagement@gmail.com

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