A team has leaders like Brian Dawkins and Champ bailey, you’re pretty much guaranteed not to have a let down. Dawkins will have them fired up for this game, and McD will have them prepared.

We will beat the Chargers, with their weak D, bad Rushing game and horrible coaching. Those are all strengths for us. They can’t beat us with just their passing game.

Let’s have our “let down” games happen against a team that out-coaches us, not against a team that is inferior in virtually every category.

Only has to remind them of what happened last year in San Diego. That should get their attention and get them to focus. This team truly seems to take things one step at a time and not get too far ahead of itself. I’m sure 52-21 has their attention.

San Diego does scare me because they have a potent passing attack. As much as I hate saying this. Phillip Rivers has become a top 5 quarterback.

But certainly their defense is ripe for the taking. This year they haven’t been able to pressure anyone and their corners has been exposed. Against Pittsburgh without J. Williams their run defense was bad too. Interesting how everyone thought they had elite corners with Cromartie and Jammer, but the truth is those corners benefited from an awesome pass rush that is no longer there.

I was crafting a similar post, I too am wary of the let down game, I could see the Chargers building a quick lead and forcing Denver into a track meet, which I doubt we would be able to handle at this stage. It will be interesting to see how they handle the emotion of the past two weeks.

I think what a lot of fans are not seeing is that the Chargers are streaky. We see their suspect defense and inconsistent offense and automatically chalk it up for a Denver W. The reality is, this is going to be a tough divisional football game that could go either way and the Bronco players and coaches had better be ready for a hungry Charger team. That’s just how I see it.

If for nothing else, I don’t believe there will be a letdown because this is the only hurdle between us and a division crown at this point.

But if and when we do, I do not believe it will be because of the dreaded “Let Down” that you speak of…Coach will have the guys prepared, and our Team leaders will keep all the heads straight…That said, sometimes the execution is a little off, or a bad call here or there, an untimely penalty against us instead of in our favor, you just never know how the ball is going to bounce…

But I totally believe that McD will have them ready to play, with all the needed information and tools to get the job done…And the Chargers will not be near as ready for us as we will be for them…Any let down will have to wait for at least another week…

I don’t see this team falling apart. I can see the buy-in on the faces of this team. We may lose vs San Diego, but it will be only if we are out-played by them. We aren’t going to shoot ourselves in the foot COUGH COUGH JAY CUTLER COUGH or fall apart COUGH COUGH LAST YEAR’S DEFENSE.

I think that I’m pretty comfortable in saying that the won’t let down for this — McD will remind them of the last time the teams met in SD and they’ll be ravening.

Just put the tape on of last years melt down in SD. If that doesn’t fire you up then you might need CPR. They will be fine. Go Broncos!!!!

The next week is a bye. I think the coaches will get them to focus one more week. Then they can have a let down on the Bye week.

on this big a stage no way. the chargers arent a cake walk either or a friendly foe… this is a hated divisional rival on monday night.

Sorry guys but knowledgeable football people know that the ‘letdown’ or ‘trap’ game comes when a team is to play a lesser opponent, not the DIVISION RIVAL.

Coach McDaniels will have the players ready. This is one aspect of the game that he is excellent at. Another poster mentioned Dawkins and Davis as veteran leaders that will be focused. I must throw in Vonnie Holliday and Ron Fields also.

On a side note: How is Lamont Jordan still on the roster?

I think it’s very smart to mention this as a potential “letdown” game. This happens a lot in sports, and specifically, to past Bronco teams. In fact, the very fact that I feel like we are going to pound the hell out of them makes me think in the back of my mind…if I feel this way…on no.

You are right in asserting that this will give us a good indication as to have different the 2009 Broncos are vs. previous teams. I think previous Bronco teams would get blown out in a game like this, but I simply can’t feel this way now with this defense.

Overall, nice post for keeping the Kool-Aid diluted just a tad, so I should at least rec you! And your right, the Chargers are super streaking. Who else plays both the Raiders and the Ravens so closely?

the chargers are pathetic

broncos 31
chargers 10

I started a post saying about the same thing—I’m glad I didn’t get too far.

When I did the rather ridiculous, “La La Land’s Forecast for 2009,” I had San Diego as our first loss.. My description of the game went as follows:

Mon. Oct. 19 at San Diego……L….

phyllis crushes us. We are ashamed. The ghost-monkey that was on Shanny’s back is seen perched on Josh’s shoulder. Horvil Tiki is pissed, blames an albino crab, and writes a very funny article.

.

Back to being serious, however, I couldn’t agree more. The struggles San Diego’s had (as they continue to get ‘Norved’) make them look vulnerable. It would be easy to think that after New England, San Diego will be easier. It would be easy for players to go in a little lax.

I hope I’m wrong—taking out San Diego now is a very good idea. I now, after the last two games, think I am wrong. One of the attributes of the original ‘Orange Crush’ was the way they stepped up to whatever had to be done. Nolan’s brought a lot of Joe Collier to this defense—great ajustments for the second half, and a never say ’can’t’ attitude.

One problem I have is if we beat San Diego—I’ll have to figure out how we’ll lose three games this year.

I’ve grown fond of 13-3……..

I posted a comment somewhere that this has all the makings of a classic letdown game. I still believe that. SD after a bye week, season on the line, being called out by their GM. And us coming off an emotional high, getting tons of press. It is worrying. Like you said we’ll see if McD and Nolan and Dawkins and Orton can motivate these guys to keep it up.

I’ll probably catch some flack for this next point but I just thought about it. I mean, if we are going to lose a game (and we will at some point) this game wouldn’t be the worst game to do so. I want us to win and I’ll be pissed if we lose but it wouldn’t be the worst thing if we lost this game as opposed to another. I say this because we have a bye week following the SD game and if your going to lose, why not make it right before you have 2 weeks to work on things. We lose this game and the media will forget about us by the time we play again and we can come out and continue this ride. So I’m hoping we win but let’s not go too crazy if we don’t (unless we get blown out)

McDaniels and the team know they can essentially put the division away with a win on Monday night. It would equate to a 4 game lead basically for us.
Our guys are not going to sleep on this one!
SD will be hungry though…but so will we. Just another statement game!

however I don’t think McDaniels will let that happen. If the first 5 games aren’t evidence enough, it is that McDaniels, Nolan, and the rest of the coaches will always have this team ready to play. I know we are going to lose sometime during the season, just hope it isn’t Monday. While the win over NE Sunday was a huge win, this Charger game is the biggest hurdle of the season.

Charger defense isn’t that good, however their offense can put up the numbers. We have never been able to get some pressure on Rivers over the last 3 seasons, so that is what I want to change. Also, we need to watch Sproles like a hawk because he is a game changer for sure.

I believe this game will be the Broncos’ offensive breakout.

Broncos 31, Chargers 17

Remember when the Pats beat the crap out of SD in the playoffs a few years ago….Who was apart of that….McD…….he knows how to beat these guys!!!!!

The best way to remedy that? Take it nice and slow on offense. Run it to the first down, get down. Repeat.

 Keep burning the clock. If you can limit their possessions to 4 or 5 in the whole game, while scoring on each of your 4 or 5 drives, then you just took the SD Dolts and made them look like fools in their own house. Besides, they don’t have an O line that’s worth a bag of firewood, so if you create a consistent 4 or 5 man pass rush on Rivers, he’s going to make mistakes. Rivers in the second half runs a pretty efficient hurry up offense. They can score quickly. However, I wouldn’t base that on the one game where they actually had to do it—against Pittsburgh. Pitt’s defense been falling asleep in the 4th quarter all year long.

Also, one word of notice, put someone on the LoS to block short screen passes. They will kill us with Darren Sproles on the receiving end. He’s a glass jaw, but it doesn’t matter when he can make you miss as much as he does.

You watched the game we did, right? Do you think it was coincidental that Tom Brady was off in the second half? No it wasn’t, he knew the pressure was coming and he knew his time would be shortened with the coverage the Broncos DB’s were putting on his receivers. He knew it was just a matter of time, since he lost his RT Wight (Sp?) and Dumervil was on his way. Things like that are not coincidental, it’s called a very fine defense that playplans each team to their weaknesses and adjusts when the time warrants it.

 Kyle has shown improvement every week with his check downs if you notticed and his receivers are running better routes to get open and catch the ball. That’s what it is all about, not making mistakes and leaving points on the field. We out played NE in second half after shooting ourselves in the foot in the first. They didn’t get down, they stayed focused. Man I don’t know what this team will do if they jump out with a 17 point lead.

Oh, and btw, I have been watching football before you were even born. That doesn’t make me any more knowledgable than you, but I have seen things with this team that can’t be explained with the naked eye. There is something very special happening in Denver and it is for a very special reason. We may lose Monday to the dolts…OK as long as they play hard and never give up. You can see why Dre Bly was shipped out of Denver now? Huh? Because he isn’t smart, he’s a smart ass, that’s all. McDaniels will have players that are smart, tough and versitle.

we are really vulnerable to a letdown. The opposite side is that SD is vulnerable to a choke….the pressure is high on them. Everyone, even players, are saying this is a MUST WIN. When its acknowledged like that and you have two weeks to prepare, it would seem the better off you will be; however, if the coaching can’t properly prepare and the chemistry on the team is bad, then the more time, the more the pressure grows. We’ll see how they come out early.

I expect SD to have a meltdown on their sideline as the poor coaching and preparation come out in emotional tirades….it may not come until after the loss though. With Rivers, anything is possible though……it will be great theater.

But not for the Broncos.

I see McD preaching discipline this whole week. He understands that all of the players know the stakes, and the prior history between these teams. That will be motivation enough. What he will be beating into their heads is discipline. Play YOUR game, dictate and let them react, and DO YOUR JOB.

On a head-to-head position basis, the only real advantage that I see for the chargers is Rivers over Orton. But Rivers will be seeing an entirely different secondary than last year, and an entirely different pressure package. His favorite toy is Jackson, and I see Jackson getting the Randy Moss treatment. If Rivers has to play the short game, I see him getting impatient, and that means mistakes. The better part of River’s cred has been gained at the expense of the Broncos. I see that ended spectacularly in this game, and I see the decline continuing at the game in Denver.

I’ll go out on a limb here. If Denver TAKES this game from SD, I see the Broncos sweeping the division.

When NE went 16-0 did they have a letdown game?

I ask that because I think it is more relevent than what previous Bronc teams have done.

I was wary, wary of the regime that seemed to lead us down that primrose lane only to be disappointed each and every time. Wary of the clowns who put us down and insulted us as being the lowiest team in the AFCW. Wary of the pundits slander and gile of beating their chest to the tune of disparaging words that they call professional journalism. Yes, I’ve wary. Now I’m weary, tired, exhausted and fed up with the lies that have been scribed upon this team, a team made up of washed up, step missing, mediocre players. A team who made no sense at all in getting rid of a “franchise” player because of their whims and not having to answer the experts (MSM) for it. Weary of people saying one thing and meaning another, just to be on someones bandwagon. I’m weary of folks who said this team will not win any more than 3 or 4 games and they have been made liars of themselves. Oh, they will say in one repect that this team is better off than they were, but let the Broncos lose 3 or 4 in a row and watch their lips more back to the direction they came from. Yes, I weary, wary and optimistic as well…13-3 Baby!!! Until we ain’t.

…a letdown in the 1st half, given that it’s the 1st Monday night game for this ‘new’ team, the Chargers will be fired up in the Q with what they see as the AFC West on the line, and given our pattern of slow starts this season. However, given the way this Broncos team has adjusted at the half and dominated teams in the 3rd & 4th Qtrs, I don’t see SD as having the kind of team character and certainly not the coaching ability (Norv is TERRIBLE) to out duel us in the end.

That’s the only way I see us not winning — Ed trying to make up for his blown call last year. LOL (just kidding Ed).

Seriously, like a lot of responses here:

I believe McD and his leaders (Nolan, McCoy, BDawk, Orton, Bailey) will all be stressing that the only important game is the next game.

I believe that McD will have this team prepared.

I believe that the players will be committed to doing their jobs.

I believe that the players will not overlook any opponent this year.

I believe that this team believes it will have to fight for every win.

I believe that this team believes that if they fight for the entire 60 minutes that they can win any game.

Put simply:

I believe in this team.