In 2017 the Denver Broncos will rise or fall on Offense

I watched the Bears preseason game and was glad they pulled out a win all be in preseason.

I think the first series of the game showed the biggest strength of the team which is the secondary. 

Yes, overall the Broncos D will be good again this year but not without issues. They have to play better against the run. The DL and the LB's have to step up with a better pass rush as well. Von Miller can't do it all and you can bet he's likely to be the primary focus of offenses that face the Broncos. If he lines up on the DL expect him to be doubled teamed on every play. 

The Broncos offense however is the big question mark. We can only hope that Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy has a good game plan for the players available. McCoy must know that Siemian and Lynch are equally flawed. Siemian may have a better head for the game than Lynch but Lynch has better athletic ability.

Personally I don't see Siemian ever achieving superstar status at QB. I believe the Broncos should consider starting Lynch even though he hasn't looked good in camp or this first preseason game.

The only way the game between his ears will improve is by playing time. If the Broncos were actually considering bringing in another QB this season then that doesn't inspire confidence in either one. If that's the case I think Lynch should be the opening day starter despite his growing pains.

I know the Broncos have improved their OL but it remains to be seen if they can pass protect or run block better than last year when the games count. If they improve that helps whoever starts but Lynch has better scrambling ability than Siemian if they can't protect.

It is a team game after all and the teams fortunes can't rest solely on the QB position. The RB's have to get the ball to the second level once a hole is open. Hopefully CJ, Charles and Booker can elevate their game. Obviously if the Broncos can establish a decent running game it'll help take the pressure off whoever starts at QB.

At WR Thomas has to have more production and he has to reduce the number of dropped passes. He has to make the tough and easy catches. Hopefully Sanders continues to contribute. I'd argue he was the teams most valuable player on offense last year. At TE hopefully Green must make more of a contribution as well.

As it stands today I don't have high expectations for the Broncos this year because of their offense. The defense should play well enough but the big question is can the offense put up points on quality defenses? Today I'd say no but as a diehard I'm optimistic they can.

I believe it's the Raiders division to win this year. The Broncos aren't likely to make the playoffs as a wildcard. The Broncos have to find a way to beat the Raiders and win as many divisional games as possible or they'll be on the outside looking in come the postseason.

It could be a long season for fans if the Broncos get off to a bad start. My axiom is expect the worse hope for the best especially on offense.

GO BRONCOS!!

Super Bowl 50 was less about Manning and all about Defense

I'm so happy the Broncos get to put another Lombardi in the trophy case with the other 2. They earned it fair and square with grinding Defense as it happens so many times in Super Bowl games.

I didn't really want to write anything about the game on Sunday or Monday because I just wanted to enjoy the gleam. Victory in these games has been very difficult for the Broncos in the SB. They've made the trip 8 times and won it just 3 times.

In the 3 they've won each Broncos team had a great Defense with this year’s version being the best ever. I hope the NFL historians, the media and Broncos Fans understand that years from now.

So let's be blunt here and break the SB and the Broncos season down. If you’re a hard core Manning fan you should stop reading here.

Leader of the greatest D in franchise history.

Frankly I was a little upset after the clock hit triple zeros and every media person on the field immediately flocked to Manning. Von Miller and the entire Broncos D deserved the media mob far more than Manning did. Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips deserved it too.

Phillips deserved a ton of credit for returning to Denver after a being a failure as Head Coach for them back in mid-90's. His story alone is one of most amazing in franchise history. These should have been the main bullet points immediately after the game, not Manning riding off into retirement (he hasn't announced it yet but he must) as a SB winning QB.

This may hurt the Manning faithful but the Broncos won the SB despite Manning not because of him. Manning was a turnover waiting to happen for almost the entire game. It’s an amazing feat that the Broncos D was able to hold the league’s MVP to just to just one touchdown. Time after time the Broncos defense held the Panthers in check and never broke ranks.

Manning did make a few pass plays in the game but he and the Broncos offense had a dreadful performance. The Broncos offense set a record for 3 and outs in a Super Bowl. Manning had a horrible game and the running game did almost nothing.

The Super Bowl win just like the regular season, postseason and the AFC Championship wins rests solely in the Defense’s court.

A check of the stat sheet showed Manning was the lowest rated QB in league when he went out with injuries. When he came back he wasn't much better. The only game Manning can hang his hat on and say he played well in was the Packers game early in the season. The others were all won with stout defense and good special teams play. Pinch hitter Brock Osweiler did an outstanding job in his absence as well.

There’s a very good argument to be made that Oz could have stayed in the Chargers game and won it had Manning not been called into service. The Chargers win had less to do with Manning coming into play and his audible prowess than it was the entire offense unit being humiliated and embarrassed for not playing well up to that point.

Oz threw for 232 yards in the Chargers game, including a 72-yard TD pass to Thomas on the game's second play. But he was victimized by 5 turnovers, including 2 interceptions that weren't his fault and a fumble by Emmanuel Sanders at the 10-yard line after a 46-yard reception.

One of Oz's interceptions went off receiver Norwood’s hands. His arm was hit by a linebacker on the other, and his day was done after a fumble by Anderson on the second play after halftime.

Kube hit the panic button after that and Manning came in. The truth is we’ll never know if Oz could have closed the deal in the Chargers game. In my mind he could have and as I’ve said more than once he earned and deserved to be the starter the rest of the way.

Manning had the worst regular season stats in his career in 2015. In 10 regular season games he had 331 pass attempts and just 198 completions for 2,249 yards. He had just 9 TD’s passes and 17 interceptions which lead the league. He only averaged 6.8 yards per pass which indicates he wasn’t getting the ball deep. Worst yet 34 QB’s qualified in the passer rating sweepstakes and Manning finished dead last at 67.9%. Keep in mind QB’s like Nick Foles and Blaine Gabbert were ahead of him.

I know some of the apologist’s will say his injuries were a factor and blame the offensive line but it just doesn’t wash. Even if that were partly true that’s all the more reason Kube should have taken him out of the lineup and let Oz finish the season.

Manning’s career comes to a close now and in the future when honest Broncos Fans look back they’ll have to say his career with the team was a mixed bag. He was a great regular season QB, maybe the best ever of all the greats but in the post season (14 wins vs. 13 losses) he was one of the worst.

That said I have all the respect in the world for Manning as person and a player he’s had an amazing career. I’m also happy that despite being a non-factor during the playoffs and the Super Bowl this year, I’m glad he’s going out a winner if he retires which he surely must do.

He’s been a class act and conducted himself professionally and no one can take that away from him.

Thank you Football God’s for blessing my team with another Championship it was one hell of a ride. GO BRONCOS!!

On the Disabled List for the Jaguars Game

I didn’t get to see the Broncos game because it wasn’t nationally televised this weekend. I had planned to go to a Sports Bar in Astoria Sunday and watch it but I got my butt kicked so bad by a cold over the weekend and put myself on the disabled list. I couldn’t drag myself out of the house. Now, I really regret having such a knee jerk reaction to the Tim Tebow trade 2 years ago and cancelling my NFL Sunday Ticket. I’d had it since 1998. Next summer my contract with Dish runs out and I’ll drop it and go back to DirecTV. I’m still not over my mad the way the Tebow situation was handled but missing any game just is totally unacceptable.

It doesn’t sound like I missed much of a game though. The Broncos predictable won but from what I saw from the highlights the Jags gave them some trouble in the 1^st half. I knew the crazy point spread was going to motivate them. Even though the Jags have been down this season you had to believe their pride if nothing else was on the line and that they would give the Broncos a challenge.

I’m sure Peyton Manning and the whole team couldn’t help thinking about the matchup against the Colts this weekend in Indianapolis, I know I was. But after watching the Colts horrible performance against a lousy Chargers team last night now I wonder if the Jags probably gave the Broncos a better game than the Colts will.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Von Miller plays. Since now he knows he’ll be suspended for a year if he screws up again, I think he’ll be more than highly motivated to redeem himself to the team this week.

I’d say the same for Manning, if you take away the Cowboys once in a franchise offensive performance against him he’s breezed through these first 6 games. I still believe it’ll be a win but it will be a stressful game for him. Andrew Luck will be feeling it too but since the expectation is the Broncos will run them off the field he may rise up and surprise them. I doubt it though; the Colts D has some injuries to key players so it’ll be a football miracle if they hang with Manning and company.

I have to give some kudos to Knowshon Moreno again this week. If he continues to play as well as he has for the remainder of the season, he has to be considered for the NFL Comeback Player of Year award. Whoever that player was that couldn’t break a single tackle or get the tough yards up the middle is dead and in his place a warrior has emerged. We all know he can catch a pass but this power running surge he’s been on this season is unbelievable. My hat is off to you Knowshon.

The Cowboys have had the Bronze Boot in Laramie the last 4 years.

It’ll be an exciting weekend of football; the Wyoming Cowboys will be playing Colorado State in the Border War for the Bronze Boot in Laramie Saturday. Currently the Cowboys are place in 1^st place in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference and 1 game up on Boise State. The Rams are the only rival left in the conference. They’ve been playing against each other since 1899 with CSU holding the series lead with 55 wins to the Cowboys 44 with 5 ties.  

Starting with CSU each game from here to the end of the season will be a considerable test to see if they’re worthy of getting a respectable postseason bowl seeding. CSU, then San Jose State, then they play Fresno State Nov. 9th.  If they pull out wins against CSU then SJSU then the match up against Fresno becomes a very significant game. FSU is currently leading the West Division in the Mountain West Conference with a 5-0 record. If they can get a win against them then the biggest game of the season becomes the Boise State game the following week.

The Cowboys have one of best running and passing QB’s in the nation in Brett Smith and he should be a leading All-America candidate in 2013. Smith is a Junior this year and through 6 games he has a total of 2,247 yards of total offense and 18 TD’s. Since starting as a true freshman at UW he has a career total of 8,691 yards of total offense, with a total of 81 TD’s, 62 through the air and 19 on the ground. He’s an amazing athlete and one of the best QB’s I’ve ever seen play at UW. He also runs the hurry up offense as well as any QB in college football today.

Unfortunately for Smith he doesn’t play on the Cowboys Defense. They’ve given up a lot of points and yards this season, especially late in the 4^th quarter of games. My hope is they can play the bend not break type opportunist Defense they’ll need to for the them to achieve a successful record the rest of the way.

It’s so difficult for me take the Cowboys games one at a time like I do with the Broncos. Their program has been in a painfully long slum and they are so due for some success and meanful bowl game.

GO BRONCOS! GO COWBOYS!!

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.  

Denver Broncos Defense: The Unsung Heroes

Von Miller INT seals the deal for the Broncos.

It was awesome to see the Broncos clinch the AFC West Title. Peyton Manning deserves credit but the pick 6 by Von Miller was the nail in the coffin. I didn't expect the Broncos to win this many games so I have to eat my words on the early predictions I made. The AFC West may be the weakest division in football but as much as the media wants to crown Manning as MVP of the league to many overlook how well the Broncos Defense has played this season.

Some of you may or may not have noticed I haven't doled out much praise for the Broncos the 2nd half of the season. Today they do deserve it, Manning deserves it, and the D most certainly deserves it. I still feel in my gut and in my heart that until Manning hoists the Lombardi over his head the signing can't be called a success despite his great regular season comeback.

Maybe to some that's asking too much but since Manning cost the Broncos so much in so many ways and since his window of opportunity is so small nothing else will do. Call my expectations to high but that's how this armchair QB sees it.

The Broncos have to get one of their RB's to produce because without the threat of a running game I don't see them going deep in the playoffs. Thomas has made a big jump as a WR and the rest of the Receivers have done a serviceable job but it won't be enough.

Clinching early is great too but no guarantee of a championship. Manning's Colt teams did it many times and he only has one ring to show for it so the Broncos must not get complacent or take any games off the rest of the season. If they finish strong they could be the second highest seed in the AFC and get all their playoff games at home except the AFC Championship Game if the Texans get that far. So the remaining games matter and they must continue to improve in all phases of the game.

Congrats enjoy the win today Broncos Fans but they still have work to do, like taking the Oakland Raiders to the Slaughter House on Thursday. GO BRONCOS!'

The D is the Key, Manning is not...

Matt Schaub torched the Broncos D for 290 yards and 4 TD's.

I guess I'm not really shocked to see so many Broncos Fans go after the S's after the loss to the Houston Texans but don't leave out the CB's, the LB's and the DL too. I said before they signed Manning that the D wasn't going to be good enough and complained over and over that they needed help at Safety, Linebacker and DL position.

The only quality player we have on D as of Week 4 is Von Miller and all the rest should be subjected to sever criticism including Elvis Dumervil and Champ Bailey. Mike Adams and Rahim Moore won't get the job done for sure but neither will Justin Bannon and Kevin Vickerson who've not been a factor thus far. Since no pass rush exists it really exposes the weakness we have in the backfield and that includes Champ. This D is far from being good enough to be a playoff caliber team as it stands today. The tackling in the last 2 games reminds me of how the Broncos played early last year, it's beyond horrible.

I've noticed in the pointed attacks against the rest of the team that Peyton Manning is completely absolved of any blame for the Broncos last 2 losses when in fact he has just as much responsibility for them as the rest of the team. Blaming the play calling is BS; Manning is not playing well period. He's had a hard time throwing the deep ball with any consistently and in his excitement to run the hurry up offense, his expertise supposedly, he's not making the right calls at the line of scrimmage which he is responsible for in the hurry up. IMO it may be time to rethink the whole idea of running the hurry up and slow the game down because he and his minions are not executing it well enough to be a threat.

That said Manning has thrown horrible passes and into double coverage far too many times. Frankly he's very lucky he doesn't have more than the 3 INT's he's already put up. He's been sacked 8 times already and he's not getting rid of the ball quickly enough in the pocket. When he's been on target then the set of Receivers he's throwing to can't seem to catch a cold. Stokley seems to be the only player who doesn't drop many but he's no deep threat and can't stretch the field.

I don't want to be right in fact I hate it but thus far everything I predicted about the Manning signing and how the Broncos would perform has come to pass in the early going. Manning can't rescue a team who has a below average D and very small selection of skilled players on O to help him win.

The idea that Manning was going to the last piece of the puzzle for the Broncos to win a Super Bowl was ridiculous homeristic thinking. Hell, the Oakland Raiders are favored by 6.5 points and we're playing them at home for God Sakes. It's a little early to hit the panic button but to say this Raiders game is a must win for the Broncos might be dramatic but it is a must win. It doesn't get any easier with the New England Patriots on deck and the rest of schedule is no easier. I hope they can turn it around this week because if they lose the early hole they've dug for themselves may be too much from them to dig out of.

Broncos should go all D in 2012 Draft

In respond to the Woody Paige column in the Denver Post on 4/15/12 entitled:

Don't mock this Broncos draft of 6 sure starters 

 Woody may be right about not taking a Defense Lineman in the first round but it can’t be denied that it’s a big position of need. If the Broncos don’t go DL in the 1st round then Alabama LB Dont`a Hightower would be a nice pick up for the Broncos because after Von Miller you have an aging DJ Williams, Joe Mays and Wesley Woodyard none of whom may be the answer. I hope Mays improves, in spots he played well and in others he didn’t. DJ had a nice comeback season and like Mays played well early but late in the season disappeared at times as did Mays.

No matter what the Broncos should nab the best defensive player available in the first round. They need help at every position on D. They could use another good Corner and Safety so that shouldn’t be ruled out. In the later rounds the Broncos could use another WR, a good receiving TE and maybe a Guard if Chris Kuper isn’t at full strength by opening day. It’s good news he’s recovering nicely from the knee surgery but one never knows how well he’ll be able to play once he comes back.

As for the RB’s situation I’ve been one of the few who’s pointed out the real weakness the Broncos have at that position since the season ended. Knowshon Moreno is a bust, a goner and while Willis McGahee had an amazing year he’s now 30 years old with a banged up body and a knee that’s been a chronic problem. Can he last another full season with that knee at his age? I don’t question his desire to do so he’s a warrior but I think its wishful thinking to believe that he’ll put up the same numbers as last year.

If Manning’s offense has any hope of succeeding in Denver he must have at least one quality RB to execute it, one that can run between the tackles and be a reliable pass catcher for him if nothing is open down field. Without some threat of a running game Manning isn’t going to be as effective in the passing game.  

Personally I prefer RB’s with more size, strength and average to better than average speed than drafting speedy super smurf RB’s. More often than not they just end up being situational players.

Oregon running back LaMichael James is listed at 5’9” and 195. Both are probably inflated numbers. He’s more like 5’8” or 5’7” 180 or 185 pounds. James had a fine career at Oregon. He’s a great Receiver and a fantastic punt returner. But once he gets to the NFL I wonder if his little body can be effective as an every down RB or one who can run between the tackles. He won’t be facing the weak defenses he played against in the Pac 12.

Ronnie Hillman of San Diego State another Super Smurf at 5’10” and listed at 190. He is fleet of foot but no bigger than Yoda.

More than likely Hillman and probably James are both going to end up as role players and not starters sort of in the Reggie Bush mold. Of the 2 James would be the better pick because he does catch the ball well. James may suprize me and put up some big numbers but those numbers will probably be as Receiver and a Punt Returner and not a RB.

Utah State's Robert Turbin 5’10” 222 recently had a work out in Denver but you have to wonder he can make the jump from another weak and meek conference like the Western Athletic Conference to the much bigger and faster NFL. Of the 3 mentioned in Woody’s piece this guy seems to have more muscle mass. He may not have the speed of James and Hillman but has a body better suited to play inside the tackles.

RB Doug Martin may be the best RB in the draft.

RB Doug Martin of Boise State might be a better pick than all 3 of these guys if he’s available. He’s a smurf too but has that compact massive frame that can run with power inside the tackles.

I just think after Trent Richardson there’s a big drop off in the level of talent when it comes to an every down smash mouth runner in combination with being a good Receiver.

The draft isn’t far away, soon enough we’ll know. Hopefully they’ll be guys that can contribute immediately because we do have some big holes to fill.

Broncos Stumble into the Playoffs

McGahee's 145 yards wasn't enough.

It’s sad that the Broncos didn’t close out the season by beating the Chiefs.  Still, despite backing into the playoffs with Tebow playing his worst football game so far THEY DID make it to the playoffs and by the way THEY DID earn it based on a better common record. Tebow was a big part of why they made the playoffs with the help of a much improved D. Despite losing their last 3 games they had a remarkable season with basically the same group of players (with the exception of Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil) that they had last year and doubled their win total.

I had my doubts about the game yesterday. IMO it was more about the Broncos D going in than Tebow but I still liked the Broncos chances to win the game because the Chiefs are crappy football team. I can’t explain the win they had over the Packers. Maybe it was just an off day for a coasting Packers team who had nothing to play for and a Chiefs team playing their collective butts off for a new HC so maybe they could retain jobs next season. I just didn’t believe that this win was a paradigm shift that was going to launch the Chiefs into a new millennium of winning football.

So this was why I thought the Broncos would win yesterday despite how horrible Tebow had played, how awful the D and Special Teams has played and how predictable the offensive game plans have been over the previous 2 weeks.

I said before the game with the Chiefs that if the Broncos could play better D, tackle, cover and get pressure on Orton they would win the game. They did that and more held the lousy Orton led offense to 7 points. I also said the Broncos had to be less predictable on offense and throw the ball on 1st and 2nd down. They did that too. The dinged up Willis McGahee deserves some kudos for being a warrior and banging out 145 yards yesterday but even that wasn’t enough.

So what happened?

Tebow had an absolutely horrible game; I believe the worst of his young career. He threw ball to short, he threw them to long, he held onto the ball too long, he should have made a quicker decisions to throw the ball away rather than take sacks.  He threw the ball into good coverage too many times and had an INT; he also had a critical fumble. He had time on several passing plays but either couldn’t find an open Receiver or just didn’t have the confidence enough in his arm to attempt to thread the needle and make tight throws. I noticed on several passing plays he didn’t have his feet in a good position to make throws, he was off balance and leaving his feet when he threw balls on the run.

Tebow’s game clearly showed that he has a very long way to go when it comes to the passing game in many areas.

So you can look at it several different ways. I choose to look at this season as a big improvement and something to build unlike many fans that week to week are on and off the Broncos bandwagon.

So what happens next season?

I think the Broncos have to give Tebow at least the chance at one more season. They’ll need to draft QB in the later rounds or pick up one of the free agents that'll be available. Brady Quinn isn’t going to get it done and should be traded or released. If Tebow still hasn’t improved by mid-season of next year then by all means there will have to be some consideration in having him removed but he certainly has played well enough this season to deserve that much.

The Broncos need DB’s, LB’s, RB’s, WR’s, DL’s and now maybe another Guard since Kuper got hurt. Taking a QB in the first round isn’t going to make the Broncos a playoff team next year so I’d wait until 2013 to consider drafting a QB early if Tebow fails to improve next year.

I’ll be rooting for the Broncos to pull off a big upset next week but I don’t believe they can pull it out beat against the Steelers. Their D will overwhelm Tebow and shut down the running game.  It’s a bonus that the Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall will be out of the game but Ben Roethlisberger

will still be in and he has the skills and experience at QB, with the help of his talented Receivers can beat a team even without a running game. Please…let me be wrong about this, I’d love to be wrong. GO BRONCOS!!