I just want to tell you what happened
by Joe Medina on Oct 8, 2009 2:07 PM MDT
35 comments
Alright, so the title is very misleading. I don't want to tell you what already happened, I do want to try and explain a little bit about our awesome season so far. Here goes.
***DISCLAIMER*** this is all solely my opinion and my interpretation of the facts. By no means am I saying my opinions are facts. Hopefully this saves some pointless arguments in the thread.
1. Denver needs to get Hillis into the game plan, especially on red zone situations, and most importantly on third and short situations. We all know Hillis' talent, and we all know McD knows his talent too. He just needs to get back to playing his game. I think he's just over-thinking some things out there, especially on special teams situation. Also, I think McD is doing something with Hillis that no one will understand until week 12 or week 13. McDaniels knows you can't win later in the year when you show your whole hand early. If you share your entire game plan in the first 4 games, you are setting yourself up to be beaten bad in November and December. Hillis will break out, it just won't be as early as we all hope.
2. Eddie Royal needs to be more involved on the plays. Again, I think like Hillis, Royal's just standing by idly right now. I think more than anything, McD is making people sleep on Royal a little bit. He had a very explosive rookie year, and opposing coaches are taking notice. No better way to get his production up by making other coaches think he's a non-factor. Expect Eddie to be more involved around mid-way through the season. If you all remember correctly, Eddie was downright unstoppable the first half of last year. He gathered up 625 of his 980 total in the first 8 games of the season last year. He also got 4 of his first 5 TD's in the first 8 games as well. Then coaches took notice, and did a pretty decent job keeping him covered the rest of the year. That hasn't changed yet--but it will. If coaches start seeing Gaff and Stokes more often than Eddie, they will put him as a second priority. I promise. That's when we'll see him blow up.
3. Kyle Orton may not have a glove this week, but his numbers won't reflect it. Not yet, it's supposed to snow this weekend in Denver, so I would be surprised if he puts the ball up more than 20 times the whole game. Besides, the best way to beat Tom Brady is by not letting him on the field. Our run game will win or lose this game for us. All the stars are aligned for Knowshon/Jordan/Hillis to be integral in this game. New England's run defense is the weaker aspect of their defense. Don't kid yourself though, they are still stout against it.
4. We need better special teams. They've done a fabulous job so far this year on coverage, but our starting field position is not a reflection of the return unit, it's a reflection of the opposing teams punt unit. If they want to really get a good start against the Pats, they need to pound the field hard on returns. Our punting and kicking unit is solid so far, but like the return teams, they could be a little more solid overall. I don't know how much of this is OUR team, I think a lot of it is a result of the wedge rule. Just like someone said in the game day threads, you can't cry about the officiating and rules, you have to play above it.
That's all for my thoughts. Let's talk about it a wee bit.
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
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Hillis vs. NE
I see Hillis picking up the slack with Buckhalter out. He’s the secret weapon this week I bet.
by NYCBronx on Oct 8, 2009 2:19 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
I agree with this:
Our run game will win or lose this game for us.
Especially since NE has been giving up 4.7 per attempt on the ground.
As for our return game, let’s see more of McKinley – he’s shown some flashes.
Wrote Great in the sand a thousand times. Forgot about dying and went on home.
by bradley on Oct 8, 2009 2:20 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
+1. I like me some McKinley in the return game, be it punts or kick returns. I love Eddie, but I have been sorely disappointed in his kick returns this year. Granted, he hasn’t had a lot of room to operate on the punts he has received, so I’m probably just being too harsh.
by aLuffabo on Oct 8, 2009 9:29 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hillis needs to stop being a Liabaility
He has seemed to fumble his opportunities so far. He needs to be the guy he was last year again!
I would hope you would support who we are. Not, who we are not. Coach Norman Dale "Hoosiers"
by dmitchell624 on Oct 8, 2009 2:21 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
I think he will
like I said, he just needs to get back to doing what Hillis does best. I am willing to bet that we’ll see a whole lot of Hillis later on in the season. Personally, I want to see him be the number 2 behind Moreno this weekend. Jordan is the 4th quarter guy and kills clock. He’s not real fast, although he did break off a nice run last week against Dallas. There’s just too many plays where Jordan goes for 1 or 2 yards and that simply will not cut it—not against the Pats it won’t.
John Clayton is the head Dean at Fail University (known as F.U. in short)
by Joe Medina on Oct 8, 2009 2:26 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jordan
It will be interesting to see how McD uses him this week, since both were Patriots last year.
Wrote Great in the sand a thousand times. Forgot about dying and went on home.
by bradley on Oct 8, 2009 2:35 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
That's exactly why I hope he doesn't play.
If anyone knows his weaknesses, it’s BB…
John Clayton is the head Dean at Fail University (known as F.U. in short)
by Joe Medina on Oct 8, 2009 2:37 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well...
…if BB knows Jordan’s weaknesses, McD knows that BB knows Jordan’s weaknesses, and BB knows that McD knows that BB knows Jordan’s weaknesses and ……… In this chess battle, I think McD wins. But I get your point, and would also like to see Hillis break out – get him the ball out of the FB position, for example. I bet that happens, after a lot of Hillis and Moreno in the backfield at the same time.
Wrote Great in the sand a thousand times. Forgot about dying and went on home.
by bradley on Oct 8, 2009 2:44 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
I Doubt BB is gameplanning against LaMont Jordan
Here’s to hoping they spend a lot of time doing so.
by SkinnyPB on Oct 8, 2009 2:44 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'd actually like to see Hillis
being used for his hands. Get him out in the flat on some bootleg’s or screen passes. Let him get some yards, not take such big hits and regain his confidence and ball protection.
Then, like you say, later in the season he can come in as a between the tackles pounder and 3rd/4th down threat.
Nice post, CJ.
by jonahsilas on Oct 8, 2009 4:03 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
hillis averaged 5.0 yds a carry last year
denver was on a win streak with him and some of the players said if he was healthy, they would have been in the playoffs…remember.
yes it’s a new year, but why would someone not put this guy in for at least 8-9 carries and 4-5 catches a game along with everyone else. It should have started off with his tailback position to lose just what cincinnati did with cedric benson…he turned it on the last few games in 2008 for the bengals.
so far denver is no different than the razorbacks…maybe if they used him too much he might be too successful and we sure don’t want that do we.
trade him so he can use his talent somewhere else, and it won’t go to waste.
also eddie royal do not re-up your talent will go to waste as weell, they don’t throw the ball enough to make all u guys happy…denver has more talented players that can catch the ball than any other team around.
by leo-little on Oct 8, 2009 4:08 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm a little confused with your angle here, but as I said before
Peyton Hillis and Eddie Royal WILL have production, but it’s probably not going to happen this early in the season. If you show your whole hand, you’re setting yourself up to get beat later on. We all know what Hillis and Royal can do. If they weren’t any good or weren’t going to fit in the new system, they would have been cut/traded this offseason. Simple as that. They will produce, but I think both of them are OK with sacrificing personal stats for the better of the team.
John Clayton is the head Dean at Fail University (known as F.U. in short)
by Joe Medina on Oct 8, 2009 4:20 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Poker face
I’ve wondered about the use of Hillis and Royal as well. Some of the play calls have been so obvious and straightforward, particularly in short distance situations, that I wondered if McD is not all that creative. But I don’t think that’s true….and so there must be a reason for the play calling in these situations.
My hope is that McD is building up a reputation for straight ahead play calling so he can use misdirection later on in the season. It’s sort of like poker where you show your beaten hand and later on use that information to your advantage. I don’t know if that’s what is going on, but I sure hope so.
by Linmoo on Oct 8, 2009 2:26 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
I think our D-line will be key also
If the Giants and Pats super bowl taught us anything, it’s that the key to shutting down the Patriots is to get pressure on Brady, get their passing game out of rythm, and play ball control offense.
Also, make at least one circus catch off your helmet with Rodney Harrison draped all over you. That is the exact formula for beating the Patriots. Got it? Great.
by Bronco Nut on Oct 8, 2009 2:31 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs
JUST STOP ALREADY
hillis has blown every opportunity he has been given. he has more penalties than production
i’m sure he’ll get more opportunities this week given buck’s injury, but this entitlement crap has got to stop
by lolcopter on Oct 8, 2009 2:31 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
what entitlement crap?
John Clayton is the head Dean at Fail University (known as F.U. in short)
by Joe Medina on Oct 8, 2009 2:38 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
that hillis is entitled to more touches because he is hillis mantra. if he wants to be more involved, he will step up his game. until then, i’m not in the “denver needs hillis in the gameplan” camp. we’ve done well enough so far without him, and if he keeps playing the way he did last week, i’d rather leave those penalties on the bench
by lolcopter on Oct 8, 2009 2:52 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
(i don’t want to dog on the guy, and i hope he steps up this week — but he is probably leading the team in individual penalties)
by lolcopter on Oct 8, 2009 2:53 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe I could have chosen better words for it.
I agree. Hillis won’t play until Hillis proves he won’t make stupid choices on the field. Until that happens, he’ll ride pine. I don’t think he’s entitled to anything. No one is, ask Brandon Marshall. I just think he needs to get back to what McD originally saw in him and keep going with that. Just like McD says: “Do your job”. As long as Hillis doesn’t try and make every single play a circus play, he’ll be fine. He just needs to pound away at his fundamentals.
John Clayton is the head Dean at Fail University (known as F.U. in short)
by Joe Medina on Oct 8, 2009 2:54 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agree With Stop
Love Hillis. The guy can be a beast. But, he has continually shot himself in the foot this year. I think at this point he is just trying too hard.
In short, until he stops being a liability on the field he doesn’t deserve to be moved up the depth chart.
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race" Calvin Coolidge
by SSMT on Oct 8, 2009 2:44 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Is this angle underplayed?
I love Hillis and, like you guys, expect him to be a bigger abd bigger part of our offense particuarly in shot yardage situations (remember those catches he was making in the preseason?) as the season goes on
A lot of us, including myself, have blamed the line, Hillis, Moreno, Ross Hochstein, McDaniels, and virtually every other member of the offense and defense (Darrell Reid) for our struggles in goal line and short yardage situations (likely my biggest qualm with our team thus far) What happened to the power running we saw in the preseason? What’s missing? Spencer Larsen. While certainly not as big as Hochstein and Reid, his acceleration and style make him a brutal short yardage blocker. Hopefully we see him again soon.
by Vortex7 on Oct 8, 2009 2:49 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
you got it vortex.
Precision in thought, concision in style, decision in life.
by Jeremy Bolander on Oct 9, 2009 12:56 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
im iffy on this
for recievers. get the ball to the guy who is open. I will say i like to have my guys get good stats. but wins arent even measurable to stats. so royal…i love ya…. but if teams are focusing on u im not gonna force it.
as for hillis i think it is completely different. I think he is possibly the best bronco back in the open field in space. i love the guy, great special teamer, really a very valuable guy. i would love to feed him the rock this week….he did well in pre season but buck and moreno have been good. we’ll see
"Respect is not given it is earned"
"it aint no doggone tomorrow fellas, what you gonna bring to the doggone game, you gonna bust somebody in their mouth, are you gonna do youre doggone job, are u gonna play from your doggone fist, are you gonna play from you're heart, and give everything you doggone got, cuz im a do that."
"ITS PARTAAY TIME BAABY"
-who else
by BDAWKisaBRONC on Oct 8, 2009 2:51 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
I see your point, Calijoe
I agree with your “down the road” assessment. There is the possibility that he’s focusing on guys who may not be available later in the season due to injury, let’s face it, Stoke and CBuck have not exactly been ironmen the past several years. While at the same time, he’s counting on others to emerge later in the season. Maybe this is too conspiratorial because I also think you play the people that give you the best shot right now, but we’ll see. Seeing guys like Eddie and Marshall not getting the ball as much or standing on the sideline would seem to enforce that.
Richard Seymour is a girl.
by pubkeeper on Oct 8, 2009 3:07 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
I noticed
That royal is still not comfortable with the offense. During one possession, I noticed that royal went to line up strong side but marsh was already there, then he went toward weakside then Gaffney had to tell him where to line up.
"Pleased? We are excited about the proposition of going forward from where we are right now. Pleased? I don't know if you want to say pleased. You may want to hang your hat on pleased. I don't want to hang my hat on nothing right now."
-Brian Dawkins, on the play of the defense
Once he gets his hands on you, there's not much you're going to do. Then you can't outrun him, you can't run around him, you can't really run him over -- so you've just got to deal with it."
Elvis Dumerville, on Ryan Clady
by milehighnation on Oct 8, 2009 3:16 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Smoke and mirrors? Eddie is smarter than that.
Coaches as do fans pick up on little things like that and scheme around them for purposes of trying to make their defenses successful. This might come back to bite some teams in the back side.
by bfree2bronc on Oct 8, 2009 3:35 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
My gut feeling with nothing to base it on..
I think were going to see alot of both of those two guys this game as so far theres not a lot of film tendencys on them in this offense… so McD will use that to his advantage, he will also not want to challenge the NE safetys deep, which plays to Royals & Hillis strength for their route running.
by Scotto on Oct 8, 2009 4:21 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
On Hillis overthinking
Peyton had issues with this last season too. It took a while before he got comfortable, and he dropped a pas or two, and missed some assignments. Once he moved past that, he was a very good back. He’s going to do the same this year, I suspect.
Joe – I’ve got an ‘assignment’ for you, if you’re interested. Mind dropping me a note at mhrtales@gmail.com? Thanks! Oh, and Rec’d – but that’s unrelated (grin).
Hillis/Moreno in '09
by Emmett Smith on Oct 8, 2009 6:49 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
First of all, I think
That Hillis will get his touches, don’t worry. I have a feeling that there is something bothering him because he has lost some focus and I wonder if he has a concussion. Second, Royal will get receptions when he gets open. Nothing else. If he’s being double-teamed, Orton is not going to throw the ball his way. Kyle’s favorite receiver is the one who is open. It is entirely possible that his position has not been the impetus of attack against the opponents thus far. and Lastly, he hasn’t had much of a chance to return many punts, because he has fair caught most of them (inside the 20, long hang time, ground balls going out of bounds). He has only had 3 or 4 return chances so far this season. Believe me, I know. He is on my Fantasy team, and I have been watching him closely.
"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left." – Yogi Berra
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing." -- George Bernard Shaw
Breaking jaws or the NFL in Oakland who cares? Fall on your pirate’s sword - Ponderosa
by KaptainKirk on Oct 8, 2009 9:45 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Hillis
First – With Larson out and no backup fullback, Hillis is not going to get a bulk of the carrys. The team cannot afford to lose him right now. It would limit much of McDanial’s play book.They do not want a situation where they will be using Jordan as the lead block in certain situations.
Second – Two weeks ago he suffered a concussion. McDanial’s is smart enough to not over work Hillis this early to lose him for the rest of the year.
by hhammer8man on Oct 9, 2009 1:57 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
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