Denver Broncos Film Study: Offensive Identity Search Begins vs. Bengals

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Sunday’s game in Cincinnati had yet another miracle finish in the opener for the Denver Broncos.  Fans may recall the amazing finish the Broncos had in Buffalo in 2007 when Jason Elam and the kicking team had to run onto the field with time running out.

Elam made the kick as time expired and the Broncos beat the Buffalo Bills 15-14 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Sunday’s game in Cincinnati saw the 87-yard deflected pitch and catch to Brandon Stokley for the game-winning touchdown that won’t be forgotten in Denver anytime soon. It was an amazing finish to a game that really had the Denver Broncos searching for an identity on offense.

It’s not because they don’t have a viable scheme, because they do.  It’s not due to a lack of effort, because it’s there. It might be more about attention to detail, ironing out some more technical problem solving, and gelling as a team. 

Frankly, the Broncos’ coaching staff really needs to re-evaluate its play-calling from the preseason until now. There are some serious flaws being exposed in the offensive game plan and it takes momentum away from the team at crucial times in the game.

 

Offensive Film Summary

While Josh McDaniels has come from the New England Patriots and shaken things up in Broncos camp a great deal, he may be long remembered for what didn’t happen on offense. At least initially, he subtracted an arm that can hit any spot on the field in Jay Cutler and believed enough in Kyle Orton to help get his vision going in Denver.

Part of the way the Patriots do business offensively is that they spread the field and find ways to use the short pass game much in the way most teams use the run. Some may call it a dink-and-dunk philosophy, but it is about being a passing team first and a run team second.

This is at least contrary to the way coach Shanahan approached his system philosophy.  Much of the talent assembled offensively over the years was geared toward the zone run blocking scheme with a complementary pass game based on the quarterback’s abilities.

At this stage, given the renewed emphasis on defense, the Broncos have to find creative ways to make the run game matter. Currently, teams are more or less telling the Broncos to make Kyle Orton beat them while they cheat up to stop the run. 

This is sort of a complex, puzzled solution and one which requires a balanced attack.

 

What Actually Happened on the Field

The Broncos decided to start the game with two runs to Correll Buckhalter for which he gained eight and 14 yards, respectively. Not a bad start. What followed was a one-yard gain vs. seven defenders in the box. The Broncos then predictably went to their screen bubble package with a drop from Brandon Marshall. 

Regardless of the drop, the Bengal defense correctly read the play setup and rallied to shutdown the play. Had Marshall caught the ball, it would have been for a minimal gain.

On third down, Kyle Orton forced the ball into Brandon Stokley on a play that should have had illegal contact called against the Bengals. The ball wound up falling incomplete without a penalty against Cincinnati. 

The point here is that the Broncos cannot rely on the referees to give them the call and Orton therefore must find the open man. 

This is a primary criticism of the current offensive system. It requires the quarterback to be a supreme game manager and have a solid ability to keep from turning the ball over. 

To date, Kyle Orton has not proven that he is going to supremely protect the ball.  Moreover, he is not making good reads at this juncture. There were more than a few glaring miscues in this area on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

On the second series, Knowshon Moreno entered the game but lined up in the I-formation nine yards deep on the first play then eight yards deep on the second play from scrimmage. 

On the first play, he gained four yards but could have hit the hole sooner. On the second play, he was shut down near the line of scrimmage.

Conversely, when Buckhalter got his first two carries, he lined up seven-and-a-half yards deep and seven yards deep, respectively. This allowed Buckhalter, the veteran, to hit the hole faster and find his way up field.

While it will be nice at some point to see what Knowshon Moreno can do, immediately alternating series before seeing what the veteran can do is a bad idea. The results are immediate and the Broncos’ run game starts to fall by the wayside.  

This eventually sets the Broncos up in another third and long where yet again Kyle Orton telegraphs his pass to Brandon Stokley in double coverage. The ball gets deflected at the line of scrimmage; two more Bengals converge as the ball falls incomplete with Stokley surrounded by four Bengals.

The third drive finds the Broncos in another third and long situation where Kyle Orton gets sacked with a chop block called against the Broncos, adding salt to the wound.

The fourth series saw a well thrown deep ball to Brandon Marshall go right through his hands. This set up another third and long that saw Orton connect with Jabar Gaffney after his second deflected pass for a minimal gain.

The fifth series finds the bubble screen make another appearance on second down as Eddie Royal gains eight yards. The very next play, however, Orton telegraphs and Eddie Royal is hit by two defenders on his short hook route as the ball falls incomplete.

The net result out of these two drives is that the Broncos’ defense is left out on the field for a very long period of time covering most of the first quarter. This has to be alarming to the Broncos on offense that they are leaving the defense out to dry. It was a theme that continued throughout much of the game.

Prior to the final drive of the first half for the Broncos, they had netted 39 total yards on offense. This is unacceptable for a high-flying offense to struggle as much as the Broncos did, even in the early going. Kyle Orton has to assume the responsibility through his future actions as quarterback.

Fortunately, the final drive of the half resulted in three points. The highlight of the drive was a 20-yard out to Jabar Gaffney which setup the first long Matt Prater field goal on the day before the half. Just prior to that, Correll Buckhalter was the featured back again for the first time since the team’s first series and he helped the Broncos to finally start moving the ball.

The first series of the second half really encapsulated where the Broncos are now as a team under Kyle Orton. Knowshon Moreno started the second half instead of Buckhalter. Moreno tripped out of the backfield on one down. 

Finally, on 3rd-and-13, Orton almost immediately locks onto Brandon Marshall running a short eight to 10 yard out after lining up tight left. Marshall winds up being double covered while Brandon Stokley is wide open running the seam route. Stokley has about a ten yard buffer of space on each side of him as he runs the route. To not find him on a 3rd-and-long is inexcusable.

Orton has shown he is a system quarterback, but appears to be timid in the pocket. Kyle starts by locking on his usual primary without recognizing the coverage. It’s almost as if he’s too afraid to sit in the pocket longer to find the right read. This is very dangerous for Orton and the Broncos. There really is no excuse for these sorts of shallow reads. 

These types of poor reads occur because the quarterback is too focused on the play-calling and not what the defensive scheme is currently in or rolling to. Kyle needs to really read the defense pre-snap and go from there.

On the second series of the second half, Knowshon Moreno lines up seven-and-a-half yards deep while having his best run of the day. He gained seven yards and was introduced to the NFL by former Dallas safety Roy Williams, who put a serious hit on him. Moreno was dinged on the play and did not return to the game.

The next drive really went nowhere, but thanks to Matt Prater the Broncos were now up 6-0 in a game their offense had no business being in.

The highlight offensively clashed with the low lights on the fourth drive of the second half. The Broncos started to move the ball, but penalized themselves on a number of downs. On 3rd-and-16, Kyle Orton was sacked, nullifying all the good the team did to get into winning position.

The final drive is now headline news, but the thing that stands clear is the telegraphing of Kyle Orton and predictability of the offensive scheme. Both are to blame for what followed next. 

On first down, Orton throws a 10-yard out to Brandon Marshall near the sidelines with less than 40 seconds left in the game. The ball is nearly picked off by one of two Bengal DBs in the area. 

On the next play, the Broncos benefited from the triple team on Brandon Marshall when the ball was deflected to Brandon Stokley, who raced 87 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

 

Offensive Scheme:  C-/D+

Any time your play-calling is predictable, your play-calling is average at best. Only because the Broncos won did this score not get worse.

 

Play-Calling:  C- 

There is a clear need for improvement, however some of the improvement can come by Kyle Orton making the right reads and pre-snap adjustments. The Broncos should line up under center; their strength is not in the spread offense. 

Moreover, they should limit the bubble screen packages or use them sparingly. One of Orton’s bubble screen passes was almost intercepted. That should tell the staff that teams are catching on.

 

Third Down Conversions:  D-

The Broncos were pitiful on third down, going 3-for-12 (25 percent), which is just unacceptable.

 

The Red Zone:  F—

There was one?

 

Kyle Orton’s Grade: C

Give Kyle credit for having a gritty game, but he could have made his team’s day a whole lot easier by reading the defense pre-snap. Instead, he chose the easy check downs and it cost the Broncos in the long run. Kyle telegraphed a majority of his big passes. This also is unacceptable.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Brandstater Leads Broncos: Game Capsule and Film Study vs Cardinals

Game Capsule:  Broncos off the Schneid in Final Preseason Game

It’s real simple when you think about it. 

To win football games the offense needs to score points and the defense needs to keep the opponent from scoring.  With the Broncos 0-3 on the preseason, no better time than the present to get back to basics.  The Broncos scored multiple times while the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals did not.  The final score Broncos 19 Cardinals 0. 

In the game rookie quarterback Tom Brandstater made his debut as a starter due to injuries plaguing the other top two quarterbacks on the Broncos roster.  What came out of the game was a good showing by number three and a lot of respectability along the way.  He showed he can be a good game manager while still showing he has a little ways to go yet.

The Broncos ground game was sound and the Broncos overall did something they did not do until this point.  They took care of the ball for the most part giving up only one interception while forcing four Cardinals miscues leading to turnovers.

See, it’s that simple.

 

Broncos Film Study: Broncos Showcase Potential

Rookie Alphonso Smith returned the opening kick from five yards deep out to the twenty five yard line.  The potential he shows to be solid, along with his confidence to bring the ball out from five yards deep shows he will be a player to watch this season.

Starting with the good, facing the bad, and ending with the good of the opening drive.  Tom Brandstater had a good night overall. 

On the opening series, the Broncos found themselves in a tight situation on third and seven, Brandstater connected with Chad Jackson for a 43 yard gain on the pitch and catch.  Correll Buckhalter ran well early in creating more opportunity for the offense while feeding off the previous big play to Jackson.  The Broncos drive bogged down shortly after that and they had to settle for three points from the more reliable Matt Prader.

On the opening drive the Broncos defense seemed to have the Cardinals on the ropes when Kurt Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald for a big gain of 36 yards.  The Cardinals drive bogged down shortly after that.  With the Cardinals not scoring any points on the night, they appeared to be a team just going through the motions.  The Broncos defense however was playing like a team that wanted to win.

Brandon Lloyd is showing just how acrobatic and athletic he is.  The last two weeks he has caught balls thrown behind him near the end zone that eventually set up a touchdown.

Kenny McKinley would certainly be a great addition to the team, he is up against a numbers game and his route running needs improvement.  Hopefully they keep him around, I look for him on the practice squad if he’s not on the regular roster.

 

Areas of Improvement for Tom Brandstater

While Tom has demonstrated good composure and technique in the pocket, there are a few areas he should work on to improve his game. 

Early in the preseason Tom had a number of mental miscues from fumbled snaps to poor footwork coupled with poor handoff exchanges.  Those are unfortunately expectations of things that happen to rookie quarterbacks in the NFL.  Against Chicago, he showed some improvement, last night against Arizona he still had a snafu or two, but he was clearly in control as the leader of the Denver Broncos.

It is important to say on the surface Brandstater has shown great technique, composure, and accuracy overall.  From the placement of the ball, to his down field vision, you can see he has the potential for very good things sometime in the future. 

Compare that with Jay Cutler who is a coach’s worst nightmare when it comes to his technique, where he holds the ball and how he locks onto receivers.  It seems Tom Brandstater could have a very bright future in Denver.

Probably first and foremost due to the timing routes; Brandstater sets up quickly, however not always square to the line of scrimmage.  When quarterbacks aren’t square to the line of scrimmage it tips off the defense because he is showing that he is committed to his next set of actions. 

This is the key indicator that helps defensive backs key on receivers and routes that eventually lead to interceptions.  The common theme on what Tom needs to work on from the game last night is get squared up to the line of scrimmage first while making a read down field. 

Brandstater did show a weakness early on by telegraphing his short passes, by not looking down field first to freeze the defense.  Early on this resulted in two five yard outs that were knocked down by the Arizona cornerback on the opening drive.  One of the batted down balls led to a third and seven and the other prompted the opening drive to stall out.  This made the Broncos settle for three points instead of finishing the opening drive with a touchdown.  

This happened again after Darrel Reid’s interception of Curt Warner.  The Broncos had a second and nine and again the pass was knocked down to the ground as he tried to connect with Brandon Lloyd. 

This type of telegraphing would later result in Brandstater’s lone interception on the night and in the team going to the well once too often.  Again Tom was working to his right and was not squared up to the line of scrimmage.  His body language gave the defense the indicator it needed to jump the route and make the interception.

Another area that should be looked at is his center of gravity, right now it is very high.  That could be due to inexperience and being nervous in some regard.  So he looked a little stiff in the pocket. 

One of his tendencies however that should be worked on is in creating his physical stability in the pocket.  Quarterbacks that have a low center of gravity in the pocket have greater escape-ability and tend to avoid injuries from being sacked.

Currently there isn’t much bend in Tom’s knees while in his stance in the pocket.  He should have a slightly wider base with knees bent while using the whole body to throw the ball.  Because he has such a strong arm, and because he has naturally good vision of the field, these minor tweaks have probably been overlooked but could go a long way to making him a better quarterback.   

He threw a deep ball to Kenny McKinley that was underthrown and incomplete.  On the play he threw the ball slightly off his back foot with a slight twist to his follow through. 

If he had a lower center of gravity it would force him to step up into his throw and lead to better ball placement.  This is the type of ball however that can become an interception against first team defenses. 

Currently because he stands so high in the pocket, on deep balls his body spins after the throw instead of having a firm follow through.  This leads to taking something off the ball, and under throws are the net result many times. 

Additionally, as strong as his arm is he could have greater velocity on deeper balls and in some instances he will need that to be the case.

Finally, on the good side, besides his strong arm, Brandstater is incredibly accurate on his timing passes.  He also has a unique ability to change speeds by having the right touch on the ball for each variety of pass types. 

He has the tools to become something good and special, but he will have to focus on the adjustments to his technique to become a reliable starter.

For Tom Brandstater and the Broncos, the future might be very bright.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Broncos’ Film Study: Offense Spreads and Self-Destructs in San Fran

 

Against the San Francisco 49’ers in last Friday’s preseason opener, the Broncos started four wide receivers and came out, lining up in the shotgun formation for their first possession.  The New England offense has now officially arrived in Denver. 

 

First Series

The Broncos abruptly hit Eddie Royal in the slot for a seven-yard hitch, and then Correll Buckhalter ran for the Broncos’ first down.  A short hook up with Brandon Stokley and two more short runs from Buckhalter, and the Broncos had another first down.

Following a penalty, Kyle Orton hooked up on an outside hitch with Lamont Jordan.  Herein lies some of the genius of the New England attack implemented in Denver.  Jordan being in the game forces a linebacker to remain in the game; this forced Takeo Spikes to lineup outside like a cornerback playing off the receiver, and forcing a cushion of space to exist for Jordan to run a hook route and run for the first down. 

The goal is all about creating mismatches on the field through creative play calling. On the field, the players create and find the mismatches they want given the play and situation. The offensive advantage here is two-fold: One, the players beat the players across the line of scrimmage.  Two, the offense cracks the defensive scheme they are running against. 

What this does is force a myriad of zone defenses in an effort to minimize the damage being done by the offense. Meanwhile, the offense continues to move the ball down the field. Barring turnovers, it’s the perfect offensive philosophy to have on every play.

Regardless of what the defense does, they are wrong.

The very next play the Broncos stay in step. The play is originally called as a double tight end set on the left with two receivers to the right.  Eddie Royal is in the slot as Orton signals for Tony Scheffler to go in motion (waggle) to the other side of the line. As Scheffler reaches the end of the line, Orton calls the signal and the ball is snapped.

The tight end Scheffler now runs a quick out route forcing a change up in the coverage, which frees up Eddie Royal to gash the defense for a larger piece of real estate down the field. Royal being in the slot with all of his speed is in the middle of the pass coverage now as he runs a deep option hitch in space for about a 13-yard gain and a first down.

The first real error from quarterback Kyle Orton follows when the Broncos line up with split backs and one receiver wide on each side.  San Francisco, by this point, is catching onto the Broncos, and starts to force Orton to make the right read.

The 49’ers line up in a base 4-3 but quickly morph out of it at the snap of the ball on the right side to take away the short flat with three defenders covering one receiver as the ball is knocked down by Takeo Spikes 

The problem here is on the left side, though he was a little slow in getting open, Lamont Jordan is able to creep out of the backfield into open space on an out route.  Kyle Orton chose to force the ball instead of checking down due to the coverage.

The next play Orton hits Chad Jackson for a nine-yard gain on an out route.  On 3rd-and-1, Orton finds Eddie Royal on a seven-yard hitch that he turns up field to the four-yard line for a 1st-and-goal.

Lamont Jordan then takes the ball down to the three-yard line on a middle run.

On 2nd-and-goal from the three, the straw that broke the Broncos’ back.  The 49’ers correctly anticipate another short throw to the right side of the field.  The Broncos have two receivers on that side pre-snap with TE Daniel Graham and Eddie Royal on the outside.  At the snap, Royal starts back towards the line in motion as the snap occurs.  Peyton Hills slips out to the flat from the fullback position and Dan Graham is running a TE option in space in the middle of the end zone. 

Kyle Orton gets locked on Dan Graham, but fails to see the cornerback drifting over.  This is an error that really falls on both Orton and Dan Graham.  As the tight end runs the option route, he has to recognize the outside presence enough to stay tighter to the middle of the field, away from coverage.  Orton, however, leads Graham, and that is the fatal error as the interception is thrown.  Orton needs to be smart and throw the ball to the opposite shoulder, away from coverage to give his tight end a chance at the ball.

All three receivers are open briefly, Orton could have made a better throw to give Graham a chance and not throw the interception.

The net result is a minus seven points off the scoreboard and a turnover to the 49’ers.

 

Second Series

The Broncos decided to initially setup the left side as the strong side with one receiver wide.  Peyton Hillis came from the power position left to catch a play-fake pass as he ran across the line of scrimmage. The result was a 14-yard gain down the right side for a first down near midfield.

Orton misses the connection with Brandon Stokley, who lined up in the slot, then ran a three-yard out.  Stokley dropped the ball that was slightly behind him.

Then Broncos’ Country got the first glimpses of Knowshon Moreno.

The Broncos lined up with three receivers, sending the tight end Graham in motion into the power position as Orton handed the ball to Moreno out of the gun.   The play worked for a gain of eight as he cut up the middle of the defense.

The Broncos had a two-tight end set, then Moreno slashed again over the right side for a gain of five and a first down.  This may have been the play where Moreno was injured, as he got up limping.

The next play was similar to Moreno’s first with two receivers on the left, Dan Graham in motion from the left to right.  Knowshon gained four while churning his legs against a stiff defensive surge.

On the next play, Orton tried to force the ball into Brandon Stokley on a middle cross route as it was knocked down with a strip by the DB.

The very next play Orton was intercepted by Dre Bly, as he was on Stokley in man coverage.  Another forced ball by Kyle Orton.

The net result is yet another turnover after moving the ball well on offense.

 

Third Series

With 7:12 remaining in the first half, the score was still only 3-0 in favor of the 49’ers as the Broncos started from their own 10, the Broncos started on offense.

Lamont Jordan bashed on first and second down to put the Broncos into a 3rd-and-4 situation.  A penalty made it 3rd-and-9.

Out of trips left, the middle receiver waggles to a stack behind the nearest receiver.  Orton again tries to force the ball, this time into middle zone coverage; his eyes gave him away from the snap of the ball.

San Francisco now has a short field to work with to put the first touchdown on the board.

The net result is interception number three that sets up the first touchdown of the game, and a 9-0 San Francisco lead, after the failed PAT.

In the second half, Chris Simms threw two touchdown passes and set up a field goal.  The first TD was a short out route to Jeb Putzier, after a long drive fueled primarily by the ground game. 

Simms later hit Brandon Lloyd on a flag route to setup a field goal.

Late in the game Chris Simms connected on a third down 52-yard bomb with Kenny McKinley the rookie sensation out of South Carolina.  This made the score 16-17 in favor of San Francisco.  The Broncos decided to go for two, since it’s preseason, and Simms threw a pick in the back of the end zone.

 

The Conclusion of the Matter

The Broncos’ offense can move the ball, that’s both first and second-teamers. The unsung heroes (again) were the offensive line.  Pass protection was not an issue.  Running the ball well was not an issue.  Passing the ball became an issue only due to the four interceptions on the night. 

Kyle Orton showed he can be a good game manager; however, he threw three forced interception balls as well.  Chris Simms showed a great deal of promise with a valiant effort to put the Broncos back in the game.  He could have synched a quarterback controversy with a completed two-pointer instead of the interception.

 

Overall grade on the night:  F = Four Costly Turnovers

 

Broncos Preseason Film Study: Defense Gets a “B” Vs. San Fran

 

“It’s just the preseason” is the cry of every media outlet.  However, try as they might they can’t escape the reality that the preseason is the time to work out the kinks in the game plan and execution.  With that in mind, a new weekly segment called “Film Study” will recap a few plays that impact net results.  This week’s segment on the defense focuses on some of the errors made in the game against the San Francisco 49’ers on Friday night in California.

 

Correctable Errors

By and large, all of the following errors are correctable.  Some of it could be related to coaching and scheme however the greater void is in play anticipation and scheme execution.  These are all errors that led to big plays for San Francisco.  Ironically enough all of these errors are correctable.

 

 

Play #1

On the second play from scrimmage San Francisco QB Shaun Hill picked up on Darcel McBath lining up on the strong-side blitz.  He then calmly hit the tight end Vernon Davis for a twenty-three yard pick-up.   This wound up being a blown assignment as there was no Bronco defender directly picking up the TE as he worked to find a gap in space.  The replay showed Champ Bailey in between an outside receiver running a short out and the TE Davis with LB Andra Davis slow to the punch in coverage and missing the tackle.

 

Solution #1

This is a play that was flawed from the play call to the execution of the defensive scheme.  If the defense is going to send safety Darcel McBath on a blitz from the outside, they have to have better coverage over the vacated tight end.  That much is obvious.  What should happen is that the Broncos should not have linebacker Andra Davis trying to cover tight ends with receiver type abilities like Vernon Davis. 

 

The Broncos defense needs to compensate for the gap in space.  Utilizing a faster linebacker in coverage is one option, having the free-safety cover tighter is another option.

 

Broncos fans will probably see a great deal of Darcel McBath blitzing over the course of his career, however the team must shutdown the open alleys to ensure success. 

 

The problem really seems to be the play call related to the available personnel on the field.  Champ Bailey is caught in between two wide open receivers and can’t really use his abilities at all on the play.     

 

In this personnel set the Broncos are probably better off not blitzing the safety but rather a linebacker.

 

Play #2

After two solid displays of defensive strength in making a run stop and then a sack, the Broncos once again showed they have work to do.

On third and fourteen, the Broncos send four pass rushers as they sit back in the zone defense.  Vernon Davis again is able to find space.  This time he is lined-up on the left-side instead of the right, then worked his way across the middle of the field to find space behind Andra Davis for another first down with a gain of sixteen yards.

Solution #2

If the Broncos are going to hang back in space they need to force the receivers to go underneath and not over the coverage.  Andra Davis should have had a deeper drop to shut down the passing lane.  The Broncos could have also had a little more anticipation on the receiver routes given the down and distance to go for the first. 

 

Play #3

Kenny Peterson missed QB’s ankles as Hill worked to escape the pocket.  Ron Fields then abandoned the middle of the field to cover the running back, prematurely anticipating a screen dump-off.

Solution #3

The obvious errors here are on tackling and anticipation.  Admittedly, it is hard for D-Line players to always wrap up the QB in full let alone the shoe laces.  However a better job by the front seven could have force a short gain, incompletion, or possible interception.  Fields can’t abandon the middle early for the obvious result on the play.  The nose tackle has to plug the middle.  Fields should be applauded for have the anticipation; however he took himself right out of the play.

 

 

Play #4

The Broncos were then gashed a few plays later by an inside trap that crossed up the front seven with little support behind them.  The 49’ers rookie running back Glen Coffee was made to look like Roger Craig in open space carrying the rock for a first down.

 

Solution #4

 The two clear problems on this play are the Broncos not being ready for a trap call and being blocked entirely out of the play.  This a situation where the defensive front seven must take control physically and utilize technique to minimize the overall gain on the play by the 49’er ground game.

 

 

Play #5

On the third 49’er offensive series backup QB Alex Smith completes a seven yard hitch to Arnez Battle on second and eight with five Broncos pass rushers on the attack.

 

Solution #5

It goes back to anticipation.  The Broncos had the 49’ers in a second and long situation.  There should have been better foresight to see the routes that could either give the 49’ers a first down or put them close to it.  Hitches, slants, outs, and hooks, have to be given prober coverage considerations.

 

 

Play #6

On third down Glen Coffee runs a dive up the middle for a gain of three and a first down.

 

Solution #6

This is where the Broncos need to have a greater push up front along the front seven to stuff the run in key situations.

 

 

Play #7

Following the third Kyle Orton interception Alex Smith hooks up with TE Britt Miller on a short out route for the touchdown.

 

Solution #7

The real issue here is that the Broncos have had three turnovers to this point in the game and are on the verge of giving up a big score.  The thing the defensive unit needs to do is anticipate smash runs and quick out routes that are so common in goal line situations.

 

 

Overview

On the whole the Broncos defense did play well, in fact keeping the team in the game despite three early Kyle Orton interceptions.  The straw that was breaking the Broncos back however was the minor lapses in communication and scheme execution.  This all led to the defense giving up big plays in late down situations.  Fortunately none of the plays were too big to take the Broncos out of the game.  The Broncos had a number of short stops against the 49’er ground game and had good pressure resulting in sacks against San Francisco.  While not a perfect outing, the Broncos defense showed a lot of positives.

 

This week’s grade:  B

 

Denver Broncos Pre-Season 2009: Amped Up in Chemistry

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This just in!  The question could be the answer.  The answer could be the perfect conclusion and panacea to the matter of the question.  Before the thought patterns of too many mad scientists start seeping in, it’s time to get the focus just right.

 

In looking at the Denver Broncos 2009 season, the reviews are in, and they are mixed.  There is but one clear method for the team to rectify the madness of this offseason.  Obviously, it’s win football games.  More esthetically abstract, the lyrical excerpt of the following song seems to shed some light. 

It’s the year in review while looking at what to anticipate. 

It’s the thing that can take any team from pretender to contender.

It’s a one word answer.  So without further ado.

 

Signal transmitted
Message received
Reaction making impact
Invisibly

Elemental telepathy
Exchange of energy
Reaction making contact
Mysteriously

Eye to I
Reaction burning hotter
Two to one
Reflection on the water
H to O
No flow without the other
Oh but how
Do they make contact
With one another?

Electricity? Biology?
Seems to me it’s Chemistry

                ~ Chemistry (RUSH / Neil Peart)

 

Some questions still need to be asked and others answered about the 2009 Broncos.

What is it that has failed the Denver Broncos on the field the last few seasons? 

What is it that the front office has worked so hard to correct and sell this offseason?

What is the issue with discontented players and a highly determined head coach and his staff?

On the surface, for better or for worse, it’s a mad scientist favorite reactionary dream.

Chemistry

 

Signal transmitted

The Denver Broncos 2009 offseason will be one that will forever leave a mark in the sand of history for the professional football franchise.  There is no better time than the present with this being the 50th year the Broncos have played professional football.

With the dismissal of the team’s most successful coach in team history, something has permanently changed for the Broncos as an NFL franchise.  Stability and personnel alike are all left to question after the removal of Mike Shanahan with a young upstart, offensive-minded coach, who is a bit of a throwback in Josh McDaniels.

 

Message received!

Josh McDaniels was not afraid to rattle a number of cages upon his arrival.

 

Reaction making impact

Jay Cutler was the starting quarterback on the Denver Broncos last season. 

Oddly enough, Cutler disappeared from the Broncos’ radar, facility, and roster, along with a slew of other veterans in the offseason.

Invisibly!

 

Elemental telepathy

There’s a new philosophy in Dove Valley, courtesy of Josh McDaniels and his version of the New England Way.  No stone has gone unturned.  Every position in the organization has been looked at by owner Pat Bowlen, just as the positions on the field have become subject to the offseason Turk, Coach McDaniels. 

Great offseason pickups like Brian Dawkins, Correll Buckhalter, Ryan McBean, Renaldo Hill, and others have started to put a new face on the franchise.  They are all hopeful of making their mark.

New Coaches and new offensive and defensive schemes have been brought on board.

Exchange of energy!

Even better, a positive support system internally is echoing the highest expectation of the team on and off the field.  This is a challenging season for the Broncos to face no doubt, but it has been met with a positive attitude moving forward.

 

Reaction making contact mysteriously!

The offseason stir of trading Jay Cutler boiled over in the press to mixed reviews.  Jay Cutler himself seemed to flip out and decide to no longer communicate with the Broncos’ franchise directly, choosing instead the Chicago media to convey his private belief that Chicago fans are a nine while Broncos’ fans are a six.  The only contact from Jay was a few cryptic text messages. 

Eye to I:

A series of meetings that happened between Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels at the Broncos’ Dove Valley practice facility. 

Reaction burning hotter!

Then there were those that didn’t happen.

Think about the meetings that never occurred between the quarterback, owner, and the coach, but should have.  This all put Broncos’ Country in disarray and absolutely divided the fanbase.

 

Two to one

The trade of Cutler and a draft pick to get two No. 1s.

Reflection on the water

Jay Cutler later admitted he handled the whole situation poorly.

 

H to O
No flow without the other

It all has to become water beneath the bridge at some point for the team, the organization, and the fans.  So why not now?  Now is the time to move forward.

Oh but how
Do they make contact
with one another?

Electricity? Biology?

It might take superior sports medicine, physical training, technology, training, and cerebral football to improve the franchise.  It might also take a little more than that. In the wake are some serious head scratchers.

How will the 2009 Denver Broncos make their mark? 

What will be the greatest determining factor?

Is the change going to make this a better football franchise?

Regardless how you view the Denver Broncos approaching 2009 season, one thing stands clear.  Not many people know exactly what to expect out of the team this season.  In the face of a brutal and challenging schedule, the Denver Broncos are a rebuilding football franchise.  How soon those changes can take place is really the key.

Certainly there are doubters and prognosticators who find it hard to endorse these winds of change. 

 

Seems to me it’s Chemistry!

It’s the only thing that can heal this team.  It’s the only thing that silences the critics.  It’s the only thing that creates wins and Super Bowl Championships.

It’s the thing to look for this season.

It’s a message about team.

It seems pretty cut and dry.

It’s a necessity.

Seems to me it’s Chemistry!

 

Broncos Training Camp 2009: Front Office Sends Good Vibrations

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The most important angle that has come from camp this week may have snuck under most fans’ radars.

 

Maybe it never made print.

 

It wasn’t in the highlight reels from training camp.

 

What it was, is nothing short of special.

 

And it has meaning for the current state of the team as well as into the future for years to come.

 

What is it you ask?

 

It’s an openness we have not seen from the Denver Broncos front office without someone eventually losing their job.

 

Mr. Bowlen (Owner / CEO / Chairman), Mr. Ellis (COO), and Coach McDaniels should all be commended.

 

Give them credit for taking the fallout over the Jay Cutler debacle.

 

Maybe they needed the time out of the spotlight to get things in the right direction.  It’s possible they didn’t want the media circus or the rumors to bloom into something greater. 

 

Whatever the motivation, the net result is working, and it shows.

 

This week, for the very first time since Mike Shanahan was terminated, owner Pat Bowlen opened up along with Joe Ellis along a unified front on the local radio waves.  The great thing is that there were no questions that were off limits and in jest the responses were candid, mindful, with a definite enthusiasm that training camp brings.

 

Perhaps by virtue of a new regime being given a chance to succeed, the opportunity has been seized to have the default attitude be optimistic in nature.  

 

It’s not that the Broncos are glad that Mike Shanahan is gone, they’re not.  

 

It’s not that they are so happy to have Josh McDaniels running things; after all he did get rid of a franchise quarterback.

 

Still there are things about Josh McDaniels that still clearly impress Joe Ellis and Pat Bowlen that they are behind him 100 percent in order to give him the opportunity to succeed. With Coach McD, it really is more about the fact that his approach is bringing something the Broncos haven’t seen recently.

 

Certainly the thing that stands out about this camp is that it is run more like a high school or college practice.  That is to say it is very physical in nature, so much so that starting free agent safety Brian Dawkins already has a broken hand and the preseason hasn’t even started yet.

 

Bowlen and Ellis both gave incredibly candid, unified radio interviews about the Broncos’ new approach as an organization. 

 

The Broncos haven’t always been considered a physical football team, in part due to the altitude. This is not to say the Broncos haven’t been physical, they just haven’t usually been the biggest, or the strongest. This season, don’t expect the Broncos to be the biggest or strongest kid on the block either, but they are taking a definite turn in that direction. 

 

The Broncos noticed something in the way the New England Patriots went about their business.  Additionally, this year’s Super Bowl Champion, Pittsburgh Steelers may have one of the most traditional physical attacks on offense, with a balance of speed and a physical presence on defense.  In that combination the Broncos saw something they haven’t seen since  they repeated as champions at the end of the last century.

 

Therein is the endorsement of Josh McDaniels.

 

Joe Ellis had a great take on AM 1510 Mile High Sports radio when he mentioned that Josh started his interview process by talking about the defensive side. This went on for the better part of an hour according to Ellis. Obviously Josh knew offense, but the fact that he was able to get so in depth on the defensive side of the ball impressed the Broncos.

 

Coach McDaniels noted in interviews after the Cutler debacle and NFL Draft, that the choices made were because of a number of holes the Broncos roster needed to fill besides the defensive line. 

 

The fact that the Broncos current leadership has been methodical about every detail was also noteworthy.

 

Probably the most noteworthy mention came from Mr. Bowlen in an interview on Monday with Scott Hastings and Alfred Williams on 104.3 FM The Fan.  The interview itself is nearly twenty minutes in length, but it is a gem at that.

 

Things have changed for the Broncos and they are turning a new leaf in August by opening a unified front.  It also brings the franchise back to a previous decade  when talk of winning was constant. 

 

During the interview Mr. Bowlen said that Josh McDaniels brought new things that even Pat Bowlen hadn’t thought about previously.

 

Pat clearly stated that how the Broncos do is directly tied to his own personal legacy and how he will be viewed.  Ultimately change was made to improve the future of the franchise. Coach McDaniels obviously made a solid impression on Bowlen and was solidly endorsed during the interview.

 

When Bowlen was questioned about the Jay Cutler debacle and eventual trade, Mr. Bowlen humbly gave his best insights on the situation.

 

“Well, first of all, it was a tough decision, and it wasn’t made without a tremendous amount of conversation and analysis and everything else.

 

I think Jay sort of…it bothered me, when we were in the middle of this and I wanted to get his input, I wanted to talk to him face to face.  He didn’t want to do that for obvious reasons that I don’t know, because he never returned my calls and he never came to see me.”

 

“I’m still a big fan of Jay Cutler I hope he does well in Chicago, but that was one of the biggest disappointments that I think I’ve had as an owner, where I can’t get a key player, especially a key quarterback in to sit down in front of me and talk about the future.”

 

Have they talked since the trade?

 

“No, I mean there’s no reason too at this point, he’s a Chicago Bear now.”

 

Scott Hastings asked a question about Cutler’s lack of maturity from his perspective.  Mr. Bowlen kept pace and gave the following insight.

 

“Well that’s what happened, we had I feel, a good relationship between us.  He had his reasons too.  He was prepared to move on for a reason.  I don’t know what that reason was.  I’m certainly not being negative on him about it; I mean I hope he has a good career in Chicago.  I hope we beat them when we play them and beyond that the rest is football.”

 

Regarding Brandon Marshall’s current status with the team Bowlen remained firm.

 

“Yeah I sat down with Brandon for about an hour and we talked about various things.  It’s clear he wants a new contract but there’s another 40 guys out there that would like to have a new contract too.

 

My theory has been, play out your contract, if you’re as good as you think you are. Guess what?  You’re going to get a big contract on your next negotiation.  That’s sort of the way you’ve got to work it. You can’t have people lining up outside your door for new contracts when they have two or three years left or even a year left.

 

If I do something outside the box for Brandon, then why am I not going to do it for the next guy?  You just can’t run a football organization like that.

 

On the importance of winning, the emphasis remained clear how he’s conveyed things to Coach McDaniels

 

“Make sure you do the right thing because in this community 8-8 isn’t going to get it. That’s not going to get it with the owner either.  So what I always want to do is have a coach I have a significant amount of confidence in, can have conversations with and that I like.  That’s the way it was with Mike and that’s the way it is with Josh.”

 

Alfred Williams immediately jumps in jubilantly.

 

“Wow!  I love that!  I love the fact that you just said it.  You know what I’m saying.  I love the fact that you just said that 8-8 just ain’t good enough!”

 

Mr. Bowlen in a nutshell closed out by saying that the Broncos have to be competitive enough to get into the playoffs.  Once they make the playoffs anything is possible, even in the face of the most challenging schedule.

 

Finally, Mr. Bowlen promised the fans an exciting football team to watch this season.

 

That is something that hasn’t been talked about by the owner so openly, in public for sometime. 

 

Moreover, during the interview Mr. Bowlen was staying on top of negotiations with holdouts Robert Ayers and Knowshon Moreno.  Ayers signed by Tuesday and Moreno should be signed by the end of the weekend.

 

That Broncos fans are special. 

 

Sure it’s rooted in fundamental sales to communicate with your audience, but Mr. Bowlen is very well aware that there is a strong expectation of this football franchise. 

 

Why else would he have made the difficult decision of releasing his good friend Coach Shanahan?

 

Why would he have let Jay Cutler go?

 

It’s because he cares about this business of football.  He loves his job, being the owner of the Denver Broncos and he cares about how he will be remembered.

 

That should encourage fans to push the Broncos back to new heights.

 

Other Notes Worthy of Mention

—

High honors go to Mr. Bowlen for staying on the high road about Jay Cutler.  That interview was on Monday.

 

Yesterday (8/6) Jay Cutler popped off on Chicago radio when he rated the Bears fans a nine and Broncos fans a six with regards to their passion for their team.  The Bears regularly are having around 10,000 fans at each practice session where Dove Valley can only hold about 1,500.  The Broncos did however get about 10,000 at the stadium last night. 

 

So what does this all mean?  

 

Jay Cutler said what he said in the face of fans, reporters, and former teammates who looked past all his faults on and off the field.

 

Somehow I have a hunch that week three of the preseason is more than just a preseason game.  It will be interesting to see how much or how little Jay Cutler plays in that game.

 

—

While Orton was booed at last night’s practice, he does show a myriad of positives and negatives.  Here are comments I previously posted on articles by Seth and Sayre.

Just my quick take in breaking down what I see in Kyle Orton thus far:

1) He has good pocket presence and pretty good technique in the pocket.

2) He lacks zip on the ball. He really should work with coach Tuten on strengthening the ligaments in his throwing shoulder. The stronger and tighter they are, the more zip he will be able to put on the ball. You can tell by how loose he is in the pocket that he needs to tighten up a bit as well. That will work itself out with live action to some extent.

3) Orton needs to work mentally on having greater anticipation skills. I notice when he’s checking down or going with his read he gets locked up. Every QB deals with this on some level, but he has a lot of that going on right now. His decisions to check down or check off a receiver needs to be immediate and anticipated. He’s still uncertain where he’s going. He is also trying to force the ball in some situations where he just needs to checkout, find the next receiver or throw the ball away.

4) On the deep routes he has to have the strength and zip, otherwise it’s easy picks for the DB’s.

5) With Orton, only time will tell, but he appears to have good leadership, but just needs to push himself harder to be a force on the field. QB’s should be THE force to recon with. So the shy part of Kyle needs to become aggressive, and open up enough to be a play maker.

—

The Broncos closed Wednesday morning practice to the general public so presumably business partners of the team could privately enjoy the practice.

 

Thursday’s boring walk through was open to the public.

 

I guess if you’re hanging with your infant son rolling around in the sun, it’s not a bad gig if you can get it.

 

—

The Broncos start the preseason a week from tonight in San Francisco against the 49’ers at 8pm Denver time on CBS 4 KCNC.

 

Denver Broncos’ Scheme Overview For 2009

It’s been said that schemes in football are cyclic. It’s also a fact that the NFL is a copycat professional sports league of sorts. As soon as one team finds a way to put a leg up on the competition, other teams immediately try to imitate the type of success the winning team has. 

In order to pull off wholesale changes in philosophy, a team has to be loaded with a versatile talent pool. 

In the NFL it can be hard to teach old dogs new tricks, so any team that implements changes in philosophy usually winds up being a younger team.  Such is the case with the 2009 Denver Broncos as they strive to overcome the shortfalls of the last decade.

Under Josh McDaniels the Denver Broncos have already seen wholesale changes across the board. The Broncos are expected to have a new philosophy on offense and defense, in part due to Josh McDaniels and his version of The New England Way.

 

On Offense

The strength of the Broncos passing game was Jay Cutler’s rocket arm the last two seasons. Jay has poor technique in where he positions the ball and how he would go about making his reads from time to time. 

This costs the Broncos dearly and more than likely cost Mike Shanahan his stay in Dove Valley and caused a rift between McDaniels and Cutler.  This of course lead to the eventual trade of Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Kyle Orton and a few high draft picks. 

Jay Cutler wanted more say in what happens on the offensive side of the ball and Josh McDaniels played the power card as he wasn’t having any of it. However, it’s important to understand what the Broncos had, what they lost, and where they are going in 2009.

Jay Cutler could hit any spot on the field on a dime. Translated that means the deep passing game, which was slightly under utilized, has now taken a severe hit. Unless the Broncos new scheme has a counter, defenses will make the adjustments.

Jay Cutler connected on 28 passes over 20 yards at home and 27 over 20 yards on the road for a total of 55 passes completed over 20 yards.  That works out to nearly 3½ deep completions per game. 

Kyle Orton is not quite that strong as a quarterback and neither is Chris Simms.  While in Chicago last season as the starter Orton completed 18 passes over 20 yards at home (in cold and humid Chicago), and 16 passes over 20 yards on the road. 

That totals to 34 passes completed over 20 yards per game.  That works out to just over two a game.  Chris Simms had 21 in 11 games in 2005 in Tampa.  That is just under two completions over 20 yards per game.

So with the New England influence in Denver what should the Broncos fans expect? 

Consider Matt Cassel, a first time starter last year in the New England offense threw for a total of 19 completions over 20 yards at home and 18 on the road for a total of 37 catches over 20 yards. 

Those numbers are just a touch above what Kyle Orton put up in Chicago. Taking a deeper look at the line on Cassel he certainly posted some respectable numbers in New England, and that was part of why McDaniels considered trading Cutler. 

 

Matt Cassel’s stats in New England 2008

G  Comp Att   Comp Pct   Att/G    Yds     Avg   Yds/G     TD   Int    Sck    Rate 2008

6   327    516     63.4      32.2       3,693    7.2     230.8    21    11       47      89.4

 

The one figure that has a positive is that Cassel connected on 63.4 percent of his passes under Josh McDaniels last season.  On the down side, Cassel was sacked 47 times for an average nearing three sacks per game.

Look for a more balanced passing attack coming from the Broncos as each and every receiver will fill a vital role.  This could test Brandon Marshall’s character as he’s presumably going to miss at least one or two games early or possibly more related to the off season incident and the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. 

Once he returns he will be a piece of the puzzle, but won’t have to be the focal point.  Eddie Royal could become the best slot receiver in football this season. The Broncos will move him around to create mismatches. 

Eddie was known last year for how hard he worked during training camp to become the other starting wide out, and made a phenomenal debut in Oakland. Look for the depth of this position to become the best asset and perfect complement to whomever the Broncos put behind center.

In 2008 the Patriots ran for 2,278 yards as a team last season, with their top rusher Sammy Morris gaining 727 yards. The Broncos totaled 1,862 with a backfield that saw seven starting tailbacks go down. 

No doubt the Broncos rushing attack had to get better since they really lacked power in hitting the hole. Six of the top seven rushers from 2008 have already been released or traded. Gone are Michael Pittman, Selvin Young, Jay Cutler, Tatum Bell, Andre Hall, and P.J. Pope.

The Broncos new regime saw the lack of a starting tailback, the lack of power runners, and tried to address the anemic red-zone problems the Broncos have had. 

This years’ top draft pick Knowshown Moreno is projected to be the starting tailback and is complemented by three bangers who can carry the rock inside in Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan, and Peyton Hillis who will primarily be a fullback. 

Versatility comes in the way of J.J. Arrington who will fit the bill on third down situations.

With the talent of this group at the running back position, it does two things for the Broncos attack. One it makes the Broncos a more physical team to the punch enabling them to hit the holes on the line of scrimmage with force. 

Secondly, it does balance the Broncos out to where they can open up the passing game through their run game. 

There is certainly a gamble in starting a rookie tailback, Moreno however appears to be a strong vertical runner who can dish out punishment and fake would be tacklers.  He should be up to the task.

The Broncos offense will only be as strong as the numbers this group puts up however.  Kyle Orton and the receivers can balance out the short pass game and make the run game better by being efficient, something McDaniels has coached up in New England.

The key to winning for the 2009 Denver Broncos is ball control. Long drives seasoned by opportunistic scores off the back of defensive turnovers.

The fatal flaw of this offense will revolve around not stretching the defense enough in order to open up the running game and the underneath routes.

 

On Defense

Say what you will about the defense under Coach Shanahan, the need to either get bigger or faster or both is really the reason has needed to switch schemes.

The benefit running the 3-4 over the 4-3 is that if your defense is undersized (which the Broncos are upfront) it gives your team an opportunity to be more competitive than they could be otherwise. 

Additionally the 3-4 opens avenues for an attaching defense to be affective because of the presumed team speed it takes to run the scheme. Further benefits include the lack of man on man accountability which can cross up offensive lines during pass protection and quarterbacks in making the proper reads. 

All of this can lead to turnovers, which the Broncos blend of speed and experience seem set up to take advantage of.

The things we know about the Denver Broncos defense right now is that they are undersized. 

They have good athletes up front that give them decent team speed. 

The addition of Brian Dawkins to the defensive backfield has brought an instant attitude to the defense and a welcomed addition in helping Champ Bailey lead the DB’s. 

The Broncos are also somewhat deeper now than they were at the end of the 2008 season at nearly every position. It is a clear benefit to the Broncos chances in making them more competitive. 

The team speed and overall health of the defense will have to payoff for the Broncos defense to keep them competitive.

Realistically the Broncos are still small up front.  The defensive line was porous all of last season and it eventually cost them a trip to the playoffs. This year not much has changed at the position itself. The new defensive scheme however could make them more competitive. 

Additionally, this is the year the Broncos need previous picks like Tim Crowder and Jarvis Moss to rise up and start playing up to their full potential.

The keys to winning on defense are bending and not breaking. Finding ways to stop the run, apply pressure, and create timely turnovers.

The fatal flaw of this defense rest in the D-line and linebackers, if they are unable to stop the run or put pressure on opposing quarterbacks it will be a long season in Denver.

Best Denver Sports Media Old School Personalities

The Prelude

A few weeks back I was asked along with other writers in the area to tackle the subject of the best and worst Denver media personalities. I couldn’t help but think about the days of old when I couldn’t wait to see the next sports cast, read the sports page, or listen to the radio. I’d revel in the video clips from the Broncos training camp in the heat of a late Colorado summer. I always cherished the numerous game reports and highlights. It’s that spark, that vital flame of fire and passion that made the local reports something special in those days.

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