Manning pays back the Ravens with 7 TD's

Revenge was sweet for Manning in season opener.

The Broncos Fans waited 33 minutes for the game to start due to some severe weather. Then they waited another 30 minutes for Manning and company to get into a groove in the 1^st half.

But come the 3^rd Quarter Manning finally unloaded a spectacular barrage of payback on the Ravens scoring 3 TD’s. 7 TD’s total (Tied an NFL Record) against the Super Bowl Champs is no small accomplishment. No, the Ravens are not the same team defensively they were a year ago still… Offensively the Ravens have Ray Rice, Torrey Smith, Dallas Clark and the $120 million dollar QB Joe Flacco as weapons.

The first 3 Broncos offensive series of the game produced nothing and if not for that slow start in the first half Manning could have thrown 10 TD’s. In the second half he was like Darth Vader ripping and shredding the Ravens secondary apart like a man possessed wanting some payback for last year's playoff loss.

His accuracy, his arm strength, his perfect timing, his spot on throws and his wizard like mastery of the hurry up offense was an absolute marvel to behold. It was one of those backside spankings that went well beyond a run of the mill rout. He completely embarrassed them. It was the kind of game that Manning surely said to himself afterwards, “How can I possibly play any better than I did today?” 

Broncos Fans expect great players like Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker to be on the receiving end of Manning TD’s (2 each) but it’s doubtful they could have imagined the explosive debut of TE Julius Thomas. He caught 2 as well and helped keep the Broncos close in the first half. After watching him in the preseason he impressed me more than any player and if he can clear himself of the legal trouble he’s in and mentally mature he has the potential to be as great a young TE playing for any team in the NFL.

The Broncos running game never really got on track but it didn’t matter because what they lacked in running prowess they made up for in an unstoppable aerial shootout that Manning made look like child’s play. 65 yards rushing isn’t going to be good enough on any other Sunday however and obviously must improve.

The Broncos D shut down Ray Rice and forced Flacco to throw. Most of the time the Broncos went with 4 man lines to pass rush.  They blitzed more in the second half and pressured Flacco. Shaun Phillips had 2 ½ sacks and new Safety Duke Ihenacho led the team with 11 tackles. That’s never a good stat. If your Safety is leading the team in tackles it’s generally because the front 7 were letting running and passing plays break through the first level. Granted some of Ihenacho’s tackles come up at the line of scrimmage but that won’t do against better offensive teams. Ihenacho was all over the field and when he hit someone he’d bring the wood with him.

It was good to see Chris Harris (He had 1 INT) fill in nicely for the injured Champ Bailey. Even better still the Broncos winning a game without the services of Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil is a real confidence builder. The Broncos secondary still needs improvement and is still a big question mark because they played in a rout but in game 1 they did a serviceable job.

The Broncos didn’t play a perfect game. The Welker drop that was clearly a fumble wasn’t called and the Danny Trevathan fumble at the goal line in any other game might of made a big difference but not in this one.  

Manning was not going to be stopped in this game. The mistakes didn’t matter because I’m convinced it was just one of those days where he was in control of the game and would have run up more scores to cover them.

I give Manning all the credit he deserves for having such a great start. I just hope that he can produce games like this in the playoffs and in a Super Bowl for the Broncos because his record isn’t as good in those games. Manning the regular season QB and Manning the playoff QB are 2 different guys.

The running game and the Broncos D must keep improving week to week because they’ll need them come playoff time and I don’t see them going far if they depend on a passing game offense only to win. Great win Manning, no one will deny that your game is there, it’s all there you were incredible.  

Ravens Game Will Speak Volumes About 2013 Broncos Team

I watched both the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals Preseason Games but nothing that happened in them inspired me to write anything. The 3 most notable performances in the 4 games were turned in by Julius Thomas, Duke Ihenacho and Brock Osweiler. So if I could sum up the Broncos 2013 Preseason campaign and predict the outcome of the Baltimore Ravens Game and the early strengths and weaknesses of the team I’d say this.

ON OFFENSE

I think almost everyone would agree the Broncos are going to be very adept at airing the ball out. As long as Peyton Manning doesn’t get injured and the Offense Line can protect him, the Broncos should be able to move the ball up and down between the 20’s. On paper he has some of the best Receivers in the game to chuck the ball to in Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker. Julius Thomas at Tight End is an exciting prospect; he was one of the few new players on offense in the preseason that stood out and he’s won the starting job.

The challenge will be how well Manning and the offense can score consistently in the Red Zone. If it can be done through the air great but if it must be done on the ground can they punch the ball in the end zone inside the 20 or inside the 5 yard line?

LT Ryan Clady, LG Zane Beadles and RT Orlando Franklin the 3 strongest OL for the Broncos should be fine to block in the running and passing game. The question will be will new Center Manny Ramirez and RG Louis Vasquez come together and make them a line that can play smash mouth or an aerial circus type of game?

With Willis McGahee no longer in the backfield I’m just not convinced they’ve found a suitable replacement for him. He run with power between the tackles and could steamroll defenders in short yardage situations. In the preseason the only runner that exhibited any tackle breaking ability was C.J. Anderson in the first game and he’s out with a knee injury.

Montee Ball didn’t get a lot of carries in the preseason and didn’t really prove if he’s that kind of a bruising runner or not. At Wisconsin he put up some big numbers but sometimes RB’s who’ve had success in college don’t translate that success to the NFL. The reason is simple, the defenders in the NFL are stronger, faster and better tacklers than the ones they faced at the college level.

I’m not down on Ball at all and this doesn’t mean I’ve written him off before the season even starts. I think it’s possible that John Fox used him sparingly on purpose to save him for the regular season. Let’s hope that is the case and once he gets his start against the Ravens he’ll showcase his skill set and be the primary RB for the Broncos.

As for Ronnie Hillman and Knowshon Moreno they can be nothing more than role players. I’ve written in pass blogs why I believe this is to be the case so I won’t elaborate on these 2. 

ON DEFENSE

It can’t be overstated enough how bad the 6 game suspension of Von Miller will hurt the Broncos. If you combine this with the off season loss of Elvis Dumervil, the Broncos best pass rushing defensive lineman, it’s almost a back breaker.

In Miller’s place Nate Irving and the long in the tooth Shaun Phillips will back up Irving in attempt to hold down the fort at the Strongside Linebacker position in his absence. Neither are as remotely as talented as Miller as pass rushers or pass coverage guys. Wesley Woodyard starts at MLB and Danny Trevathan plays the WLB. Woodyard is good tackler but Trevathan had a few misses in the preseason games I watched.

On the Defensive Line if the Broncos play the straight 4/3 Defense it’s Derek Wolfe at LDE, Kevin Vickerson at DT, Terrance Knighton at NT and Robert Ayers at RDE. Wolfe is recovering from his neck injury in the preseason and that’s good news because at this moment he’s the best pass rusher in this group. 2013 1st round draft choice NT Sylvester Williams hasn’t cracked the starting line up yet. Shaun Phillips will back up Ayers at RDE.

The Broncos defensive backfield may be the single biggest roadblock to a Super Bowl. Champ Bailey, one of the best to ever play the game and a certain Hall of Famer is now in his 15^th NFL Season. While he still has football in him he doesn’t have the speed and cover skills he once had in his prime. Its unfortunate the Broncos couldn’t move him to Safety but since they don’t really have a CB that can perform better he keeps his spot on the left side. In the last 2 years Champ has been beaten for more big plays and Touchdowns than at any other time in his career. He’s backed up by Chris Harris and newly signed free agent Quentin Jammer from the Chargers.

Former Philadelphia Eagles CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was signed as a free agent this off season and starts at the other Corner. He’s an improvement but his last 2 years were relatively unproductive in Philly. In that time frame he had only 3 INT’s and the Eagles D as a whole was near the bottom of the league in every category. His backup is Tony Carter.  

Rahim Moore returns at Free Safety after having one of the worse games a player could ever have in the Ravens game last year. Let’s hope he’s regained his confidence. One of the big surprises of the preseason was how well Strong Safety Duke Ihenacho played in the preseason, so well in fact he displaced Mike Adams. This is good news because he can’t play any worst than Adams did in many key situations last year.

History has proven this time and again.

Summary:

I believe the Broncos should be able to walk away with the AFC West Title based on their offensive passing capabilities alone. Going in I’m very concerned about the RB situation and who will emerge as the go to guy. Montee Ball has to be the guy and come playoff time he’ll have to have established himself and have the game in his toolbox needed to take them to the next level. I just don’t see Hillman or Moreno being the guys they can count on in crunch time. They’ll have to score a lot of points to win games because the Broncos D isn’t as good as the one they had last year.

More concerning is how well the Defense plays early. Wolfe is the best Pass Rusher and Woodyard is the best Tackler after that you have to wonder just how well the Broncos can play against the run or pass. The Broncos secondary came apart in the Ravens game last year and it’s uncertain they’ve really improved their personnel all that much this season.

The X Factor is they have John Fox and Jack Del Rio as HC and DC respectively. With their coaching skills hopefully they’ll out scheme opponents and coach up the weaker players on D. It’ll be the key to whether or not they get out of the first round of the playoffs and make a Super Bowl run.

Thankfully we’re only 3 days away from the first step to the beginning of the journey. GO BRONCOS!!    

Media Frenzy not good for the Broncos

First let’s begin with this important point. I'm thrilled the Broncos clinched the AFC West. It's been an amazing season for Manning, the Broncos and the fans thus far.

Still... I don't like the media hype surrounding them right now; I think it could be a hex or a curse. Never count your chickens before they've hatched. The Broncos haven't won anything yet.

We've won the AFC West several times, we've won playoff games and we've won AFC Championship games. None of that is new right? Let’s say they advance that far is it good enough?

Personally, no it isn't enough. Winning it all is the only thing; it's the only way you can call the season a total success. Being a "good" team and falling short like the 29 others may be good for some teams and fans, even for some Broncos fans but not for me. We've been second best before and that stinks. 12 years is a long enough wait for an organization that should expect nothing less than a win in the final game.

The bar must be set high winning the whole thing has to be an obsessive hunger that the owner, the coaches, players and the fans have burning in their guts. We have 2 Super Bowl wins we must have another one nothing less will do.

The team I see still has a very tough road ahead to win that war. Without Willis McGahee I think the odds drop for the Broncos.

Moreno has shown signs of life but his past history as the lead RB has not been the answer. I don't see Knowshon Moreno running for a 100 yards against a good team like the Ravens even without their studs on D. He'll probably hit the wall this week and in the playoffs if he's our guy, the outlook diminishes considerably.

Maybe Manning and the improve D can carry the Broncos but without the legitimate threat of a running game and play action Manning's dink and dunk passing game becomes less effective.

This is far from being in the bag my friends. There are plenty of great teams that could kick the Broncos ass in a shoot out in the playoffs. A good balance of passing and ball control smash mouth football and great D wins Super Bowls. Ask Manning, he's been there twice, once with a great running game and once without. He's 1-1 after a long career and all the bulky stats, the yards, the completions and the TD passes.

So guys, be optimistic but realistic. We need to keep playing them one at a time and when the first playoff game comes we must expect the best in all 3 areas of the game to win and advance. Staying healthy and luck plays into but it to be the team that wins it all a team must create its own luck.

Worse offensive and defensive teams than the Broncos have won the SB. Let's hope it's our turn because we're the best, let’s not settle for second.

The 3rd ring is the thing.