I will introduce this diary by pointing out that the purpose of the NPLB is not to assess the overall effectiveness of the Denver Broncos, nor the overall effectiveness of the offense even, but the overall effectiveness of our scoring opportunities.

What is the difference you might ask?

Well, any given game has a different feel to it, and it is the opinion of the NPLB that an offensive possession is not always equal to a scoring opportunity.  For example a game where two teams trade punts trying to win the field position battle.  The subject of offensive efficacy is another subject entirely, and the NPLB chooses to focus merely on points left on the field.  Our criteria for analysis are that a drive must A)gather momentum; a 3 and out does not qualify as a scoring opportunity unless...B)enter or begin within enemy territory; for our purposes "enemy territory" is an adjustable quantity that depends on the overall effectiveness of the opponents defense.  For example the faders have an above average defense, therefore the OAK 40 and closer would be considered "enemy territory."  This is a relatively standard designation.  In contrast, the CLE defense is especially porous and prone to mistake, so any possession that penetrates the 50 should be considered a scoring opportunity.  Finally, C)redzone work is always quantified as 7 possible points, therefore FGs once in the redzone are also a no-no.  Hopefully as time goes on, all of these qualifications will become clearer to the supporters of the NPLB campaign.  This is a young offense, and learning to focus on the task at hand is its primary hurdle right now.  To that end, hopefully analysis of scoring opportunities will provide crucial insight into this young teams development in terms of focus and concentration.

We'll lead the discussion off with an overview of some stats:

DEN v. OAK
Denver had 13 total drives in this game.  4 scoring drives, 9 non-scoring drives.  The nine non-scoring drives break down as follows:

drive     result
2nd        punt
3rd        punt
4th        to
5th        half
6th        to
7th        to
11th       to
12th       downs
13th       half

By the criteria of the NPLB, none of these drives is considered to be ineffective in terms of scoring.  Obviously the offense needs to address critical turnovers, and 3rd down conversions, but much of the above can also be attributed to the OAK defense and its play.  Again, the NPLB's primary concern is the offense's ability to focus when achieving a scoring opportunity.  The 9 non-scoring drives were never in danger of threatening to score, as they were averaging 3 plays, 5 yds and TOP of 54 seconds on those drives.  At that level, scoring is the least of their concerns.

However, the NPLB does take issue with two of the Broncos scoring drives:

drive     result
1st        TD
8th        FG
9th        FG
10th       TD
  The two TD drives were, obviously, acceptable.  The first was an ideal combination of outside running by Young, and power interior running by Henry, a few short passes from Cutler and a great set of tough runs up the middle to get a TD to finish it off.  Perfect.  The 10th drive, also a TD, was not nearly as beautiful, being extended after a poor start by a penalty on the faders, and being relatively ineffective in the running game.  However, for when the drive occurred (end of third, beginning fourth quarters), and the circumstances under which it occurred (down 24-13) it was certainly acceptable.  Of note was a Cutler scramble for 2 yds on 3rd and 1, and a Cutler completion of 11 yds to Stokely on 3rd and 11 to maintain the drive.  

However, the NPLB takes issue with drives 8 and 9, which both ended prematurely in FGs.

Drive 8:  Score 24-7  After taking possession at the DEN 26, Denver began the drive by handing off to Henry, a questionable call after he botched the exchange on the previous drive resulting in a fumble.  However, Cutler was also out of rythm since early in the second quarter, so a run call is ultimately found to be acceptable.  3yds on first down, not great but not a turnover either.  Immediately Denver goes to the air, and Cutler connects with Stokely for 58yds, setting Denver up at the OAK 13.  NPLB fully supports this aggressive playcalling.  Two power runs to Henry are called, both for 3 yds, and both calls are considered acceptable, though the NPLB would have supported playaction on the second play.  Ahh, but then the backbreaker.  After getting this iota of momentum established, the opportunity was squandered when Lepsis was called for holding, and the result of the jumpstart was a shortcircuit and a FG.  Lepsis is officially blamed for the failure of the drive.  
4 POINTS LEFT BEHIND

Drive 9:  Score 24-10  After starting on the DEN 25, Denver came out firing, immediately gaining 33 and 17 yds on completions to Stokely and Scheffler, thus setting Denver up at the OAK 25.  A nice run by Henry moves Denver to the 20 and into the red zone.  But on 3rd down, a sack of Cutler ends the drive and limits Denver to a FG.  The Bronco Pass Protection is officially found to be the failure of the drive.
4 POINTS LEFT BEHIND

In total 8 points were left behind, and at that point int he game, those 8 points would have been the difference between a one score game and the two score game that it was.  Going into Denver's final TD scoring drive they were the difference between starting that drive at 24-13, as we did, or starting the drive at 24-21.  The ensuing TD would have put us ahead going into the final ten minutes of the game.

Official Ruling
A lot of opportunities were lost before and after these two drives, but nothing is so important as points that should have been scored.  The NPLB officially rules that Denver's offensive line and pass protection failed to focus at the most critical of times in this game, and they are at fault for leaving 8 very significant points on the field.  To move forward in the coming games, Denver is expected to address fundamental mental errors in the pass protection game, and they will be assessed accordingly on their progress in this area.  However the NPLB also finds that Cutler is well along in his development as a QB, and he is credited with critical 3rd down conversions on both TD drives in this game,using both his legs and his arm.  Denver playcalling is also recognized as hitting its stride, pending further review.

The NPLB is not primarily interested in assigning a blame after a loss, and hopefully this can be clarified by a post-win analysis in the coming games.  We are primarily concerned with analysis of key errors and critical execution when the opportunity to score is at its highest.  The hope is that this analysis will lead to a greater understanding of this offenses fundamental strengths and weaknesses, including areas that need addressed and areas that should be our building blocks.

Further analysis by the faithful here at MHR is encouraged on both this and future reports.