A few (less negative) thoughts
Over the past four games reality has decided to encroach into my previously perfect world. For six weeks I lived high on the hog in LaLaland where the economy was great and the Broncos did not lose. Yuck! I hate this reality crap!
In the haze of LaLa Land induced delirium some of the great things about this years team were lost, or at least greatly minimized. Some of the bad things were gloss over, or even made to seem a great asset. Now with a full dose of reality and a good nights sleep I think I can see this team a little bit more clearly.
First observation, life is clearly unfair. Chris Simms is a good quarterback that is capable of starting for many NFL teams. Due to an unfortunate accident and poor performance in the last 2 games he will most likely never be given the chance to show what he can still do. He was not mentally prepared for either game. Much of this has to do with the complexity of the offense and, I suppose, the amount of time that the staff spent preparing our starter to the exclusion of the back ups. Simms will collect the rest of his contract from Bowlen, but will most likely never see the feild again.
On a related note: The is an old saying that if you don't like your home just go away for awhile ... but keep the key. I was very content with Kyle Orton, based mostly on the won loss record and protecting the football. After watching Simms for three quarters I was estatic to see Kyle return! I saw things in Orton that I had come to expect and therefore did not appriciate. WE HAVE A GREAT QUARTERBACK!!! Crisp clean passes, great placement, good velocity when needed, and an ability to see and read the whole feild. Oh yeah, he is a tough guy also ... maybe not as tough as Simms or McMahn or a couple others, but still a tough guy. After his first drive they showed him on the bench just cringing in pain - come back from commercial and there is Kyle up and staying loose. QB controversy settled!!!!
Moreno, not there yet - but if this is as close as he ever gets then he is still a keeper! 8 yards per carry against a very good and very hot SD team. Tough up the middle and willing to take a hit - explosive on the corners - elusive in the open feild. He reached for and got that touchdown. It is just very hard to ignore a ball popping up in the air, and there was no film to definatively show the goal line. Moreno has figured out the speed of the game. Now, with more carries, he will develope the vision and anticipation that makes backs great in this leauge.
Brian Dawkins - just got to love him. Unfortunately we will be seeing less and less of him. While on the feild he brings it, each and every play, and is the core of the defense. But he cannot rewrite the basic rules of physiology. As you get older you get hurt more easily and it takes longer to recover. He will either need to hold back on his play (which is not his personality) or accept that he will continue to collect these minor injuries.
Where to from here? The schedual starts to turn in our favor. We have a tough game in just three days. A tough physical game. The big question for the Broncos in this game is can they put aside the mental errors - penalties - and sustain long drives to keep the defense off of the feild. If they can do this one thing then our aged secondary can play all out for the whole game. If we cannot dominate the time of possession then I fear lose number 5 is coming our way. We must avoid the drive killers - penalties, low percentage passes, and traps behind the line. We won in the first 6 weeks by taking small chunks at a time and letting our defense rest. We lost by going three and out and putting the defense back on the feild. I will accept a feild goal after an 80 yard drive - having watched the last 4 games that is about the same as depriving the opposition one complete scoring drive so it is a +6 to a +10 drive by itself. I have fears for this game because we have not been prepared for the last 4. Here is hoping I am proven wrong.
I do not see us playing up to the level of the Colts. They simply know how to win, they are hot, when a team is hot it seems as though all the ball bounce their way - and that is exactly where Indy is right now. OH, but lady luck is a fickle lady. She can leave you lonely and not even give you a kiss goodbye. Here's hoping!
Right now. We my guess is we finish 11-5 or 10-6. A very special thanks goes out to the Bengals and KC for keeping the Steelers within reach - we may be competing against them for a wild card spot.
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
1 recs |
13 comments
Comments
All we'll do is 9-7
But that’s OK. When we were 6-0 we all thought that coach McD had miraculously taken 1 or 2 years off of our expected time of rebuilding. Now I believe he had simply done tremendous things with little talent on defense. At this point I don’t think I want to go 10-6 or 11-5. I know that sounds heretical, but in the long run I think it better to win less now and set us up for a better draft come spring time, than to over achieve so soon and slow down the process of accumulating necessary talent. Hopefully we have another great draft (with a little help from the Bears) and sign some top notch free agents. Since the Broncos lead the league with $29 million in dead money, most of which should be available next year, and being about $9 million under the cap, we should be able to do a little spending next year.
by VABroncos on Nov 23, 2009 8:07 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
Never one to believe in the concept of rebuilding
Every year, every team, the goal is to make it to the play off so you can then win your way to the championship. It is a one game at a time process. Any team REALLY can beat any other team on any given Sunday – just ask the Cheifs or the Raiders (or the Redskins). Just about every game contains the chance for either team to win or lose. The question is how well prepared are you when that oportuntiy presents itself. Weeks one through six we seemed to grab those moments – since then those moments have grabbed us and thrown us to the turf. The difference between winning and losing is razor thin.
by Flunkie on Nov 23, 2009 11:09 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
It may be POSSIBLE for
any one team to beat another on a given Sunday. But it ain’t as PROBABLE unless you have more talent than your opponent. When there is no margin for error, your chances of making the playoffs become slim. Think of it in terms of probabilities. Look at the difference between Simms and Orton. Could we win with Simms at QB? Perhaps but we’d have to have EVERYTHING go perfectly and you know that’s not going to happen. Much rather have a talented Brady at QB.
by VABroncos on Nov 23, 2009 2:39 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
If the schemes are equal, talent and emotion are the variables
If one scheme predominates, the talent and emotion issues can still tilt the scales. We aren’t playing well enough to succeed with Simms – at least, the Simms that has played so far.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
by Emmett Smith on Nov 23, 2009 9:10 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't know if it's possible
but I’ve been thinking about the team and I realized that we beat ourselves quite a bit rather than the other team beating us. I would love to know what percentage of our drives end in mistakes or are snakebitten by penalties. It would be an interesting project for somebody to take on. I have a feeling that our biggest enemy is ourselves this year.
by T.Dot_Bronco on Nov 23, 2009 9:11 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
You bet your dad-gummed, ever-loving blue-eyed thing, Pogo.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
by Emmett Smith on Nov 23, 2009 10:52 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Excellent points, T.Dot and Jenna
Jimmie Johnson once pointed out that you don’t have to beat most teams – they beat themselves if you just offer them the chance. We’ve been illustrating that point with skill and alacrity…This is the same bunch of guys that did win 6, but for some reason, we’ve fallen into bad habits quickly. I expected the leadership to do a better job of righting the ship, but that just hasn’t happened. To me, seeing the lack of ability to return to form is the most disappointing thing of all.
Moreno/Buckhalter in '09
by Emmett Smith on Nov 23, 2009 10:51 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
One Change I noticed
Sacks seem to be way down. I don’t have TEVO so I must rely upon memory alone, but the last few games we seem to be relying on a 3 or 4 man rush. In the first six weeks we seemed to use 5 guys in the rush and still had the ability to maintain coverage down field. I had hoped Ty Law was going to contribute a bit more and would allow more creative blitzes – instead it seems we are rushing less and hoping for the best in coverage. The lack of up front pressure has directly resulted in fewer turn overs – a quarterback that has all day is not likely to mis judge a coverage even if he cannot find an open reciever.
by Flunkie on Nov 23, 2009 12:41 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Chris Simms is a good quarterback that is capable of starting for many NFL teams.
No. Lord no.
And with the 32nd pick in the 2009 NHL draft, the Red Wings select: Someone other than Ryan O'Reilly. LOL@Detoilet.
by Bob in Boulder on Nov 23, 2009 1:11 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
I really think he is
He is not the quarterback for the Broncos. If he had gone somewhere with an established starting QB he might have been given the coaching and the snaps to bring himself back to playing level. The preseason injury hurt him pretty bad in the preparation department as well. The point is not tha Simms is a good QB, rather that everything has worked against him …. in other words ‘life is not fare’.
by Flunkie on Nov 23, 2009 1:27 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
I have to disagree
The guy has some physical tools, but I’ve watched him since he played at UT and he’s always been and in my opinion, will always be, inconsistent. I applauded his signing this past spring as I thought he’d be a decent enough backup and I couldn’t stand another snap of Ramsey. But I was wrong – and his defects, such as very poor pocket presence, I’m not sure are fixable.
It's "just" football
by Donkhead on Nov 23, 2009 3:16 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

by 






















