Broncos Make Significant Improvements in 31-14 Win Over Seahawks
by Sayre Bedinger on Sep 19, 2010 8:47 PM MDT
in Strictly My Opinion
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Week one killed the hopes of many Broncos fans when they travelled to Jacksonville and lost a messy game to the Jaguars, but week two was a completely different story.
Playing in their second straight week of record breaking heat, the Denver Broncos came home to a pumped up crowd and handled the Seattle Seahawks, winning their 11th straight home opener 31-14.
Seattle was not expected to be anything special this season, but they came out and dominated the San Francisco 49ers in week one with a 31-6 blowout. Whatever they did well in week one, though, they did poorly in week two when they came to Denver. The Broncos forced four turnovers, and played almost mistake-free football against Seattle on the way to their first victory of the 2010 campaign.
Compared to their week one performances, these two teams looked like polar opposites.
There is a lot to be excited about if you are a Broncos fan, and first and foremost, enjoy the win tonight. Tuesday morning begins the next week of preparation, so soak it in for now, but you can bet some if not most of the team is already thinking about Indianapolis, probably even scouting them as they play their Sunday night game.
Before we start getting into Indianapolis, let's take a look at what the Broncos did well in their impressive week two performance.
Quick Stats
- 5 more plays of 20+ yards this weekend from the passing game
- In his last three games, Kyle Orton leads the NFL in both passing yards (1,033) and 25-yd passes (12).
- The Broncos' 70% success rate on 3rd dwn. vs. Seattle tied for the 4th-best mark in the NFL in the last 20 years (min. 20 att.)
- Broncos had rookies with a fumble recovery, interception, receiving touchdown, and two who allowed no sacks in pass protection. As much is being talked about Kansas City's rookie class...
- With a +4 turnover ratio vs. Seattle, Broncos won turnover battle for 10th time in Coach McDaniels' 18 games (T-4th most in NFL)
- Every team in the AFC West won their game on Sunday. The NFC West was not so lucky, going 0-3 with the 49ers hosting the Saints tomorrow night.
Top Performers
Kyle Orton, QB
I think you saw the fruits of Orton's offseason labor on Sunday. He was precise, confident, and despite a shaky offensive line once again, he was able to put together a fantastic game which inlcluded 306 yards on 25 completions and two touchdowns. The most important stat? No interceptions.
Orton found seven different receivers, but seemed to really enjoy his new toy, rookie receiver Demaryius Thomas. Orton threw at Thomas nine times, and they connected on eight for 97 yards and a 21 yard score that put the Broncos ahead by 24 points.
Right now, Orton is playing lights out football. The Broncos are going to need that heading into the Colts game next week. Orton made a lot of good plays on Sunday, and looked much more sharp than he did against the Jaguars. A fantastic performance by the Broncos' starting quarterback.
Demaryius Thomas, WR
Despite the skeptics, the foot injury, and the lack of pure experience, Thomas was able to put together a very, very impressive professional debut. Thomas finished the game with eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown, and definitely provided a boost to an already strong point of Denver's passing attack.
Thomas' foot injury didn't seem to have any effect on his play, but you could tell the coaching staff was cautious about playing him too much, as he probably could have had even more of an impact than he ended up having.
Still, this peformance was extremely encouraging from Thomas, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds in regards to him. Perhaps the Broncos will also figure out a way to incorporate Eric Decker and Matthew Willis into this offense, strengthening even further a unit that seems to be one of the better ones in all of football.
Secondary/Coverage
After their performance in week one against the Jaguars, many of us thought this unit was way off track. It appears as though we might have jumped on them too quickly there. The Broncos forced no turnovers in week one, and on Sunday, they picked off Matt Hasselbeck three times.
The Seahawks' opening drive went down to the one yard line, and two penalties later, they were forced to throw. Champ Bailey made Hasselbeck pay, picking off a pass near the goal line and giving the ball back to the Broncos.
On another promising drive from the Seahawks, Brian Dawkins stepped in front of a long pass intended for John Carlson and picked it off.
Late in the game, Perrish Cox beatifully read a short route and intercepted a Hasselbeck to cap off a fantastic day by this unit. No Seattle receiver went over 53 yards, and Hasselbeck was held to 233 yards overall. There was also a critical 4th and short when the Broncos led by 17, and Hasselbeck tested Champ Bailey in the back of the end zone. Despite a massive overthrow on the play, testing Bailey in one-on-one coverage on fourth down is a terrible idea no matter what.
There were also some very fine plays in coverage by our linebackers, who kept John Carlson relatively in check.
Not a great game running from Moreno, who had his second touchdown in as many games, but another very solid output overall. Moreno had 118 total yards of offense, and showed how valuable he can be in the passing game when he turned a broken screen play into the longest play of the day for the Broncos, showing good balance and elusiveness on the way to a 45 yard gain.
Moreno averaged a very poor 2.1 yards per carry, which in my opinion is unacceptable. That has as much to do with our poor run blocking as it does with Moreno, but the Broncos don't really seem to have a big play threat from the RB position because they are unable to really establish anything in that regard. Obviously, this will need to improve.
Even so, the running game and Moreno were able to punch the ball in for six from a yard out twice, putting six points on the board rather than three, which is something we saw a lot last year.
Moreno's first two weeks are encouraging signs of promise to me, but that blocking up front needs to get better.
Rookies
Because they were on a national stage, the Kansas City Cheifs' rookie class got a ton of recognition for their Monday night performance a week ago. Today's performance by Denver's rookies blew that performance out of the water.
We already touched on Demaryius Thomas, who looked great in his professional debut.
Perrish Cox had a late game interception, but he didn't look quite as explosive as a return man. Hopefully that comes with some more experience, but to be fair, he wasn't given many opportunities on kick returns.
Cassius Vaughn had a huge fumble recovery early in the game, and displayed his fantastic speed to cover a great punt by Britton Colquitt. Vaughn also held his own in coverage.
J.D. Walton and Zane Beadles improved greatly from their week one performance, where the offensive line allowed three sacks. This week, Beadles and Walton both held their own, not allowing a single sack. The one recorded sack came when Kyle Orton took a dive behind the line of scrimmage unnecessarily when he should have simply thrown the ball away. I'm not going to peg that one on any guy on the line. A nice improvement from both players in pass protection, but still work to be done in the running game, undoubtedly.
Also, no penalties from either player.
A solid performance from Denver's rookie class on Sunday.
Matt Prater, K
Matt Prater, simply put, is money in the bank. He nailed an easy field goal, all of his extra point attempts, and the only kickoff return by the Seahawks went for 13 yards. Keep it up, Matt.
Needs Improvement
Buckhalter stood out to me on Sunday as a weakness on this team. Week one, he hurt this team by fumbling. On Sunday, he dropped three passes in a row, and was ineffective as a runner aside from his one yard touchdown score, a play which the Broncos could have driven the team bus through the hole it was so big.
Correll needs to step it up if he doesn't want to lose carries to newcomer Laurence Maroney, who is not a bad back. Maroney was dumped by the Patriots, but it wasn't for lack of production. He had nine touchdowns last season in a running back by committee in New England with three other guys.
One play I noticed that Buckhalter was effective was in pass protection when he prevented a sack and allowed Orton to make a nice throw. Other than that, he was ineffective in the worst way, averaging less than two yards per carry. It was sickening, to tell the truth, and despite our blocking not being great, he really didn't make the most of his limited opportunities. I think by the end of the season, he might be having the same impact LaMont Jordan did last year, though I won't call him that ineffective just yet.
Pass Rush
This one will probably be on the list every week, I have come to realize. We couldn't put pressure on Hasselbeck, mainly because he was throwing the ball really quickly on any and every pass play. Still, we applied little/no pressure on the day, and our lone sack came from Jarvis Moss, so kudos to Jarvis.
I realize this unit is going to struggle without Dumervil, so Wink Martindale is going to need to get creative with his blitz packaging. We simply cannot afford a weak pass rush week in and week out. If guys like Peyton Manning have all day to throw, not even our top notch secondary are going to be able to stop him.
Run Blocking
This has been touched on, and I already know two remedies. How about picking up two All-Pro caliber players in Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris for the right side of our line?
That will be nice.
We averaged less than three yards a carry, which is absolutely dreadful. It's sad when Moreno's top run of the day went for nine yards.
This needs to get better if we're going to be a playoff team.
Special Teams
the Still pretty sketchy this week. We allowed another big return this week, this time to rookie Golden Tate who set up the first touchdown drive of the day for Seattle. Colquitt is booming punts for us, and Prater rarely kicks anything but touchbacks when we're in Denver. Our coverage units are over pursuing and missing tackles.
As I said last week, losing the field position battle is deadly to your chances of winning. Luckily this week, we made improvements, but it's still not tight enough.
Overall, this was a good game for the Broncos to get back on track and gain some confidence heading into a tough four game stretch here. Next week's game against the Colts will likely be our toughest test defensively, so we will need to continue to build off of these first two performances. If we can force turnovers next week like we did on Sunday, we should have a good chance of beating Peyton Manning next week, something we have not been able to do since I can remember.
Quick Look Ahead
Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the league in my opinion. He has a good offensive line once again, and the key to beating him is going to be simply forcing him off the field. As long as Manning is on the field, he will strike fear into your opponents, and he will always find open receivers.
Rarely does he ever make mistakes, and when he does, he often bounces back. The Texans were able to beat the Colts in a shootout, but we don't want to get in a shootout with the Colts, because that's not our game.
Joseph Addai and Donald Brown do not go down easily. We are going to need to do a good job of tackling in order to stop the Colts' running game.
The Indianapolis defense is anchored by Dwight Freeney, who is a fantastic pass rusher. They do not have huge names defensively, but they always seem to play good in their scheme. We should have a good matchup with their defensive backs, and it will be a good game in Denver next week.
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we may just go Patriot style and not really blitz that much
as in at all. just cover people. with the personnel that we have, it makes a lot of sense (this year at least)
definitely agree with everything you said, rec’d.
by black_knight101 on Sep 19, 2010 8:51 PM MDT reply actions
Seattle's O-line did well today.
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 9:34 PM MDT up reply actions
It really blows my mind when I stop and consider
all those years Shanahan spent looking for a viable third WR option… and now we have SIX? And they’re all CLASS GUYS?
I’m feeling like one very fortunate fan right now.
In good times and bad times, I'm a Bronco fan. Sucka.
by broncosmontana on Sep 19, 2010 8:59 PM MDT reply actions 3 recs
well to be devils advocate
Decker and Willis haven’t shown themselves to be viable WR options yet.
a lot of people were saying Decker would adjust to the pro game much faster than Thomas, so much for that.
by black_knight101 on Sep 19, 2010 9:12 PM MDT up reply actions
true point
but even FOUR at this point is a huge blessing. To know that we have those other two in the wings is pretty encouraging. Knowing McD, he’ll find a way to get them involved, depending on the opponent. But I sure am happy with the starting four.
In good times and bad times, I'm a Bronco fan. Sucka.
by broncosmontana on Sep 19, 2010 9:22 PM MDT up reply actions
As far as a backup can prove himself
Decker and Willis have done a lot with what they have had to work with: I think its just Royal > Decker and Gaffney > Willis – but neither is >>
That is, we have exciting (not just solid) backups for both slot and wide receivers.
Now DT is kind of a different class: three or four teams in the league have a bona-fide “beast” receiver, so how do you back him up? Nice problem to have.
"Aggression, discipline, accountability, effort" Brian Dawkins 9/29/2009
"Life is a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller
"He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little" Horace
by PositivIntegral on Sep 20, 2010 11:43 AM MDT up reply actions
Unreal how good we are at WR as DT became officially the SH!T today.
Remember the three amigos?
I wonder if any of them would make this team!!
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 9:35 PM MDT up reply actions 3 recs
You also have to add in
Moreno out of the backfield and Graham from TE.
Our receivers will be giving the opposing teams fits.
Gaffney, Royal, Lloyd, Thomas, Moreno, Graham — who do you focus on?
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by Brian Shrout on Sep 19, 2010 10:55 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Excellent points B
I think Graham has been fairly underrated during his entire tenure here.
- Nick
"Know the enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles."
- Sun Tzu
"if you look close, there’s a hoodie lurking in the background of picture 4. similar to the classic sasquatch shot and equally stunning, as the denver temperature today is relatively fair."
-oxmouth
+1
Word
"Aggression, discipline, accountability, effort" Brian Dawkins 9/29/2009
"Life is a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller
"He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little" Horace
by PositivIntegral on Sep 20, 2010 11:44 AM MDT up reply actions
Yeah we're not ready for them yet.
Give me a good fight and I’ll be happy.
All Praise to Kubiak tho, right?
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 9:36 PM MDT up reply actions
With Kuper, Harris and Bailey, we’d have a good shot next week.
But we won’t be able to be real NFL teams with guys like Hoch and Daniels getting nothing done in the running game. We really need some good health news this week.
Denver: 32-33 until we're not.
sounded to me like Kuper would be back next week
Harris making progress
Bailey…who knows, may just be the fact that we have such constant news updates now that we are hearing about “injuries” that aren’t actually significant all the time.
we could also really use McBath on special teams. badly.
by black_knight101 on Sep 19, 2010 9:10 PM MDT up reply actions
Tim Tebow
Kyle Orton is playing lights-out right now and I can envision him getting better. I will however ask why Josh did not toss us fans a bone and put Tebow in when there was less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter. I think McDaniels is a hell of a football coach and is most certainly leading the Denver Broncos to greatness, but I feel the need to question him on not putting Tebow in late in the game. Thoughts?
by Auz on Sep 19, 2010 9:03 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs
He was playing to win the game. Besides, you don’t want to throw in another quaterback when Orton was doing so well. Orton has a great game and you go putting in the “future franchise quaterback” at the end of the game? I don’t know about you, but I was pretty excited with how Kyle played.
by FearTheDonkey on Sep 19, 2010 9:06 PM MDT up reply actions
I didn't like seeing Kyle take hits in 'garbage time,' but...
…he had a great game. Maybe there was a little bit of “He earned the right to close it out”? Dunno if that carries much weight, but just a thought.
- Nick
"Know the enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles."
- Sun Tzu
"if you look close, there’s a hoodie lurking in the background of picture 4. similar to the classic sasquatch shot and equally stunning, as the denver temperature today is relatively fair."
-oxmouth
fair question
While I definitely see the benefit of getting TT some experience out there in real games, I would tend to think it’s mainly because Josh didn’t want to consider anything a lock until the team earned its first W, as lopsided as it ended up being. Can’t really think of any other reason than he felt like the O was really clicking in the passing game and wanted to keep it going for awhile.
In good times and bad times, I'm a Bronco fan. Sucka.
by broncosmontana on Sep 19, 2010 9:06 PM MDT up reply actions
I’m fairly certain that, were McDaniels to take Orton out late in the game, it would have been Quinn, not Tebow. I just couldn’t find a way to rationalize putting Tebow in to salt the game away in a blowout. If a QB goes in to turn and hand it off, I think it’d have to be Quinn. Also, I wouldn’t want to risk the injury to Tebow. Put Quinn in. If he gets injured, well, he’s not nearly as valuable to the team as Tebow is.
There's a place out west where the Powder River rolls off the Bighorn Mountains. It's a land of red walls, blue sky, and clean air, where the eagle glides high above the canyons and makes its nest in the rocks that overlook the valleys where the sagebrush and cottonwoods grow. This is ranch country - has been for more than a hundred years.
Well things have changed some since the early days, but there's still a thread of character and tradition that runs true from one generation to the next. You can see it in the way folks out here set a horse; you can hear it in the way they talk. And when the work's all done, there's nothing they like better than to get together at the one room schoolhouse under the red wall for another down home, homegrown, Western Saturday night.
Quinn wouldn't play unless Orton and Tebow injured.
Quinn was the emergency/#3 QB
by charlesnelsonreilly on Sep 19, 2010 9:12 PM MDT up reply actions
That doesn’t matter in the 4th quarter. All that means is that, if he comes in prior to the 4th quarter, the other 2 can’t play until the 4th. Once you get to the 4th, though, he can come in just like he’s one of the active 45.
And again, I think McDaniels would have to be crazy to risk injuring Tebow by putting him in to simply turn and hand the ball to Moreno with 5 minutes left. To add to that, I doubt that Tebow would go in at this point just to take a bunch of snaps under center. He obviously wasn’t real comfortable with it in the preseason.
There's a place out west where the Powder River rolls off the Bighorn Mountains. It's a land of red walls, blue sky, and clean air, where the eagle glides high above the canyons and makes its nest in the rocks that overlook the valleys where the sagebrush and cottonwoods grow. This is ranch country - has been for more than a hundred years.
Well things have changed some since the early days, but there's still a thread of character and tradition that runs true from one generation to the next. You can see it in the way folks out here set a horse; you can hear it in the way they talk. And when the work's all done, there's nothing they like better than to get together at the one room schoolhouse under the red wall for another down home, homegrown, Western Saturday night.
yeah, if he's not ready to take a snap from center in case he gets injured maybe.... WTF? If he can't do this in garbage time he can go retire.
No hurry though.
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 10:48 PM MDT up reply actions
I think McD is just going to use him as a nuisance to teams this year
the other teams still have to game plan for him, but what if we never use him?
by black_knight101 on Sep 19, 2010 9:08 PM MDT up reply actions
glad to see kyle finish what he started.
this is a football team not the bachelorette.
The poster formerly known as "Denver_Diaspora"
by Jay Fin Anderson on Sep 19, 2010 9:19 PM MDT up reply actions 7 recs
I personally don't want him in so called "garbage time"
because I don’t want to see him get injured in a meaningless game at that point. More experience the better obviously but sometimes it’s good to just keep him on the sideline.
Floyd Little: HOF Class of 2010.
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2009-10 NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant
we don't want KO hurt!!
Tebow is a backup. He should be getting some playing time in garbage time!!
Imagine if Payton would have been hurt tonight in garbage time… silly
Not that KO is PM but the rule applies
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 9:40 PM MDT up reply actions
I thought exactly the same thing.
Garbage time should be Tebow Time.
-Harvey J. Neptune
"Practice doesn't make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect." - Vince Lombardi
I'm happy as hell at how KO runs the offense but there were some poor throws early...
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 9:38 PM MDT up reply actions
Peyton played the whole game tonight
Even when way ahead, so i really don’t have a problem with it.
I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.
by Topher Doll on Sep 19, 2010 10:16 PM MDT up reply actions
silly though, what if Peyton went out late with an injury?
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 10:19 PM MDT up reply actions
The comments I heard after the Jacksonville game
were that McDaniels had put Tebow in to see how the opposing defense would react & adjust. They didn’t react & Tebow got 2 yards on 2 carries.
My guess would be that other teams are not going to be particularly afraid of Tebow — especially given the struggles of Denver’s O-line.
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by Brian Shrout on Sep 19, 2010 10:59 PM MDT up reply actions
not yet
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 20, 2010 12:30 AM MDT up reply actions
Josh put tebow in just because it was Jacksonville, boys home town.
If you have not figured it out by now (Josh is a very friendly player coach) by trading Marshall home to Miami and Scheffler home to Detroit.
I expected Tebow
By that point in the game our lead was insurmountable. I thought first it would be great to let Tebow see some full speed live action football, and secondly to keep Orton on the safety of the sideline. If I had to guess, I would say that the lack of Ryan Harris kept Tebow out of the game – need blind side protection even for a second string rookie.
Because he's the backup rookie QB
And it would be dumb to put him in. Orton wasn’t getting killed at all…very low risk. It would be dumb to feed the hype machine by putting Tebow in.
"Bombs dropping down overhead. Underground. It's instilled to want to live." -EV
That is easy
Because Quinn sucks worse than Tebow currently
"Bombs dropping down overhead. Underground. It's instilled to want to live." -EV
Big Kudos to Walton who hussled his butt off getting upfield on some of those run play especially that TD run.
Our run game and our pass rush needs serious work if we are going to be able to compete against the good teams we play in the next 4 weeks. Those are our two biggest weaknesses it seems at this point. I will be shocked if we beat the colts but I think we can do it if we can collapse Peyton’s pocket. Great Game Denver. Stay grounded in reality though cause next week starts our true test as a team and it doesn’t end until week 17.
our best two run blockers were out this week
easy to see why our run game sucked.
by black_knight101 on Sep 19, 2010 9:13 PM MDT up reply actions
Beadles had a pretty good game overall
but I still feel like he’s just a hair above average. Walton on the other hand looked great. I can’t wait to see what Clady and Beadles do to cover Freeney next week. Freeney and Mathis’ dual attack IS the Colts defense, for the most part. Stop them and you can make things happen.
Comparing Michael Lombardi to Bill Williamson is like comparing an In-N-Out Cheeseburger to a sh## sandwich.
Williamson would probably eat both – no questions asked.
ya they were really rolling against that NY o line tonight.
very very fast. i think clady and harris have more mobility than diehl and the other guy for ny though. and our tight ends block far better.
The poster formerly known as "Denver_Diaspora"
by Jay Fin Anderson on Sep 19, 2010 9:21 PM MDT up reply actions
I agree that Walton looks really solid,
but the dismissal of Beadles as average may be premature. He has really got a ton of weight on his shoulders. Not only a rookie, but a rookie playing out of position (how many guys have to move from guard to tackle like that in their first career NFL game?). Also, he is playing on a line that has a bunch of players being plugged in and out, so there is very little consistency around him or for him to rely on. Just the fact that his name isn’t coming up (in a bad way) on every drive is somewhat encouraging.
And put who at RT?
Beadles is the next best player at RT behind Harris, and he’s not assured to be back yet.
by blooming rock on Sep 20, 2010 5:04 PM MDT up reply actions
I missed the game
other than the last quarter on the radio. How did Clady look? He was a bit rusty last week, hoping he bounced back with solid playing today.
Mariners/D Broncos/BSU Broncos fan in Seattle
The first rule of Lookout Landing is...
he looked better. moved well, didnt allow a sack.
The poster formerly known as "Denver_Diaspora"
by Jay Fin Anderson on Sep 19, 2010 9:22 PM MDT up reply actions
I hate having to ask...
Did Clady play the whole game?
- Nick
"Know the enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles."
- Sun Tzu
"if you look close, there’s a hoodie lurking in the background of picture 4. similar to the classic sasquatch shot and equally stunning, as the denver temperature today is relatively fair."
-oxmouth
Didn't pay really close attention
but I think so.
by BroncosBassist on Sep 20, 2010 5:50 AM MDT up reply actions
Thanks.
Mariners/D Broncos/BSU Broncos fan in Seattle
The first rule of Lookout Landing is...
by appleshampoo on Sep 20, 2010 12:17 AM MDT up reply actions
Returning from injuries
With breath held, I’ve watched Knowshon and Bey-Bey return, and it seems they’re completely healed. Kudos to the training and coaching staff. I hope the same holds true for Harris and Kuper. The stronger our OL gets, the better our DL will be, because of a lighter workload. Did I see 4 drives of 80 yards today?? That’s fantastic, and that’s what we need to stay competitive. When Harris and Kuper return, it can’t be too early, and won’t, and let’s hope it’s very very soon. Like Tuesday.
Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime.
"Losing stinks" - Josh McDaniels
Do you remember (was it 07 or 08?) when Champ and DJ came back late in the season?
And they were clearly not ready. Never saw Champ look slow before. McD takes care of them, no doubt.
"Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space."
"It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes" Douglas Adams
by orange&blue_aussie on Sep 19, 2010 11:39 PM MDT up reply actions
From what I saw Clady looked like a man playing against boys
Not to say he did not look rusty and not 100% but he looked to me like he was solid enough that any defensive stunts were away from him. At least in pass protection. Difficult seeing the game live to appreciate run blocking which as a unit still pretty much sucked.
Anybody else have the same observation?
Still looked at first glance to me that the run blocking was just poor on the right side of the OL
Not really sure but it looked all day that on running plays the defense was always collapsing the right side of the line.
Anybody else notice that?
Obviously when the award winning big cowbells return we will be better at that.
This concerns me:
We are going to need to do a good job of tackling in order to stop the Colts’ running game.
I have yet to see us tackle well. ESPECIALLY in the running game. We are not tackling on first contact, and it looks like 2008 all over again. FUNDAMENTALS?!?!?!? ANYONE?!?!?!?!
Is anyone seeing things I’m not that give you any hope that we can tackle against Indy?
-Harvey J. Neptune
"Practice doesn't make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect." - Vince Lombardi
right! A better team would've run all over us.
I was happier than many here are (it seems) with Moreno…. I thought he did very well with what he was given today in every way. Really gave me hope for that pick. Strong, patient, nifty… When the blocks come (and with our passing O and guys returning…they WILL come!) Moreno will lead a strong trio of runners!!
Makes me REALLY happy to think of us running well.
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 9:45 PM MDT up reply actions
Sayre, thanks for the write-up.
I live for this stuff. Great analysis and priceless information about the team! Thanks.
-Harvey J. Neptune
"Practice doesn't make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect." - Vince Lombardi
Nice write up.
A lot of positives to build on from this game along with improvements as well. Sunday will be a huge test, however it will be good going into that game 1-1 instead of 0-2.
Floyd Little: HOF Class of 2010.
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There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
I Realized something sooooo HUGE today.....
We should have drafted Clay Matthews….7 sacks in two games………ohh wait we got Rob Aye…..nevermind. But in all seriousness i was really high on that kid pre-draft
many of us wanted him!!
I just realized we replaced BM today… sigh of relief.
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 10:09 PM MDT up reply actions
Every other team
Thinking the same thing, man.
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by Sayre Bedinger on Sep 19, 2010 10:10 PM MDT up reply actions
on the first point?
But I said it.
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 10:11 PM MDT up reply actions
On the second... Nobody else cares yet.
But they will. #88 HAS ARRIVED!!
Favre speaks well tonight.
Jerry Jones is reaping what he sows.
Kubiak is getting what he deserves!
McD had his team believing today!
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 10:14 PM MDT up reply actions
Everyone wishes they'd drafted him
but keep in mind he had character questions coming into the draft and still had character questions this year. Not saying he still wouldn’t be nice to have on the defense right now but there’s a reason teams were passing on him…
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Or what Sayre says below
lol
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
retort below 2
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 10:18 PM MDT up reply actions
The thing that kills me though.....
Is that he was still on the board when we drafted and we drafted a guy that plays the same position:(
Don't forget
There were tons of questions about those guys’ characters coming out of USC, what with the steroid allegations and all. We got a good one too in Ayers, he’s just not putting up MVP caliber numbers.
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by Sayre Bedinger on Sep 19, 2010 10:14 PM MDT up reply actions
what BS. Miss me with that.
The only Character issue with Clay Mathews is the Character of his family before him. Incredible football players for YEARS!
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 10:17 PM MDT up reply actions
Well look at the character of the Florida guys
Guess Tebow was so good he made up for the bad apples there.
I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.
by Topher Doll on Sep 19, 2010 10:22 PM MDT up reply actions
No kiddin
30 arrests in Meyer’s tenure alone? Those aren’t mistakes, that’s just recruiting boneheads.
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by Sayre Bedinger on Sep 20, 2010 10:00 AM MDT up reply actions
Agreed
But hey, they get paid to find players who win games, too bad those players are usually punks.
I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.
by Topher Doll on Sep 20, 2010 11:57 AM MDT up reply actions
Indy will be tough for different reasons then one might expect
The Colts showed tonight that they too can run the ball, very well actually, and against some good Giant defenders. Mathis and Freeney both got after Eli all night. And while the Giants line is weak, ours isn’t much better. We know they will be watching and learning how to attack our run defense and our offensive line, so it will be a good game if we can keep Orton upright.
I am a bear of very little brains and big words bother me.
Marshall 4recs 71yards 17.8avg 0tds 46long 8targets
BeyBey 8recs 97yards 12.1avg 1td 20long 9targets
by dr.mort on Sep 19, 2010 10:43 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs
YEEHAW!!!
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by Whidbey Bronco on Sep 19, 2010 10:45 PM MDT up reply actions
One of BeyBey's catches could've gone for A TON more yards
But that pesky end zone cut him short! ;-)
- Nick
"Know the enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles."
- Sun Tzu
"if you look close, there’s a hoodie lurking in the background of picture 4. similar to the classic sasquatch shot and equally stunning, as the denver temperature today is relatively fair."
-oxmouth
I would say the pass rush was not as dormant as you stated it. Ayers had several pressures and Hunter’s pressure caused the BDawk INT. Definitely more is better and needed.
As far as next week, the way you beat Manning is keeping long sustained drives and eating up the clock…like we did today in the 2nd half 22:44 TOP. That is the way to beat ’em IMO.
Always remember Goliath was a 40 point favorite over David.
-- Shug Jordan
by Orange and Blue on Sep 19, 2010 10:54 PM MDT reply actions
I saw Ayers in the QBs face several times for hurried throws including an interception
Was I seeing things?
No
I saw it, too. It’s kind of easy to look at the box score, see 1 sack, and declare our pass-rush dead. It’s not as good as it could be, honestly, but it’s not as horrible as is being stated. The main reason that I’m still concerned is that this offensive line was not a very good one (Tyler Polumbus should have been taken to school a LOT). Can we get even that much pressure against a really good pass-blocking line? I’m worried. Maybe there are still some defensive wrinkles we haven’t seen yet.
by BroncosBassist on Sep 20, 2010 5:57 AM MDT up reply actions
"Orton shreds Seattle secondary in Denver win | 4 hours ago"
Headline on NFL.com.
Has a nice ring to it.
by Matt In Canada on Sep 19, 2010 10:56 PM MDT reply actions
Meanwhile, a whole John Clayton short takes column
and gosh, no mention or acknowledgment of the Broncos at all. What a surprise.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/notebook/_/page/lastcall1002/john-clayton-last-call
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Texans over Colts not a shootout
Great article, as usual from Sayre, on an exciting and inspiring game! I wouldn’t call the Texans’ victory over Indy a shootout, though (I always thought of a shootout as lots of passing offense). The Texans threw it a bit in the first half, but it looked like they won that game with a combination of opportunistic defense, solid pass rush, and a successful running game led by an amazing rookie performance (RB Arian Foster). I actually think we are more equipped to win a shootout-type game than we are equipped to run the ball down Indy’s throats, given the current state of our run-blocking. Maybe if we get Kuper and Harris back and they don’t miss a beat, we’d have a shot. Here’s a call out to any of MHR’s defensive gurus to break down what Houston did on defense in week one to beat Indy (to complement running the ball so well) — and discuss whether we have the personnel and scheme to duplicate that success.
"...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right..." -Thomas Paine
by Bronconigma on Sep 20, 2010 12:54 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs
Watch the Buckhalter TD play.... Walton DESTROYED the Seattle D on that play!
Walton knocked a DT on his butt immediately, then got all the way into the Safety on the play. There is hope guys, we need our O-Line healthy and in their correct positions
"I don't need love, I just need wins.'' - Kyle Orton, 2010
I need to watch a replay of that play
I saw Walton engaging someone on the second level, but didn’t really see what he did first. This has me excited — put Kuper next to him instead of Hochstein, and we might be able to run up the gut sometime this season. Adding Harris back in at RT, and we could actually be respectable. Wow.
by BroncosBassist on Sep 20, 2010 6:00 AM MDT up reply actions
after the touchdown buck hands walton the ball.
because walton destroys the DT and pushes him 5 yards backwards onto his a**. that td was all walton.
The poster formerly known as "Denver_Diaspora"
by Jay Fin Anderson on Sep 20, 2010 8:37 AM MDT up reply actions
Went back and watched it.
I love seeing an OL crush people. I’m ready to see JD keep doing that to fools, starting next week.
by BroncosBassist on Sep 20, 2010 9:26 AM MDT up reply actions
Did you see
on one slow mo replay, he was just ATTACKING someone who was already being knocked off his feet. He was just looking to knock people’s asses down! I LOVE his attitude. Almost reminds me of Tom Nalen’s mindset….
- Nick
"Know the enemy, know yourself, and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles."
- Sun Tzu
"if you look close, there’s a hoodie lurking in the background of picture 4. similar to the classic sasquatch shot and equally stunning, as the denver temperature today is relatively fair."
-oxmouth
Class move Buck
"Aggression, discipline, accountability, effort" Brian Dawkins 9/29/2009
"Life is a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller
"He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little" Horace
by PositivIntegral on Sep 20, 2010 12:22 PM MDT up reply actions
Nice to meet you Demaryius Thomas...
This guy, in his NFL debut, coming off injury, looks like a MF stud.
As for you, KnowMo, well, what’s your deal?
It's just about time for us to get out there and win a MF Game!
Looks to me like
DT is just trying to win a MF game. ;) Lovin it!
"...a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right..." -Thomas Paine
subs and rookies on the line will do that.
knowmo had some decent runs, and when the line starts opening a few lanes and he gets rolling, i think he will turn heads.
The poster formerly known as "Denver_Diaspora"
by Jay Fin Anderson on Sep 20, 2010 8:38 AM MDT up reply actions
I hope so...
But tic-tok goes the clock. It’s time for him to show it. Moreno isn’t bad, I don’t mean that. But he’s falling far short from expectations. We gave a 12 to get him. He hasn’t even broken the 100-yard barrier yet. That’s concerning.
It's just about time for us to get out there and win a MF Game!
Buckhalter needs velcro or stickum on his gloves
I saw KO give him a look after one of the drops. My gawd, if the QB hits you in your hands, you are supposed to catch it most of the time if you are getting paid millions to play in the NFL. I hope that improves, as to my eyes in real time at least two of those drops looked like very catchable balls.
NFL.com "Orton shreds Seattle secondary in Denver win" AP "Rookie Thomas' debut boosts Broncos to win over visiting Seahawks"
a little media love there for the Bronco’s
Orton shreds Seattle secondary in Denver win
DENVER — Kyle Orton threw for 307 yards and two TD passes and top draft pick Demaryius Thomas caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in the Denver Broncos’ 31-14 rout of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Orton also threw one to Eddie Royal — his first TD catch since 2008 as the Broncos dominated the Seahawks (1-1) from the start and played keep-away in the second half.
…
Thomas, who missed all of the preseason and last week’s opener after aggravating his surgically-repaired left foot during a scrimmage last month, hauled in Orton’s 21-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-7 and cap his smashing debut.
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010091909/2010/REG2/seahawks@broncos/recap/quick-take
Thats also a pretty cool stat - on home openers
The Broncos (1-1) won their 11th straight home opener and improved to 24-3 in home openers since 1984, the best mark in major professional sports during that span.
Of course, I would not mind starting a streak winning the final home closing games this season either
"Rookie makes presence felt. Demaryius Thomas, was great in his pro debut..."
More love from the AP and a ESPN video clip.
Rookie Thomas’ debut boosts Broncos to win over visiting Seahawks
By Associated Press
DENVER — Who needs Brandon Marshall? Certainly not the Denver Broncos.
Their top draft pick, Demaryius Thomas, made a sensational debut in Denver’s 31-14 rout of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, catching eight passes for 97 yards and a score in limited duty.
“I knew they didn’t have film on me,” Thomas said.
The whole NFL does now.
Thomas, a big receiver in the mold of Marshall, who was traded to Miami in the offseason, missed all of the preseason and the opener after aggravating his surgically repaired left foot during a scrimmage last month.
There’s no need to fret about missing any games. You can watch every contest again with Game Rewind. Get more information here.
“I’m just happy to be back and help my team out,” said Thomas, who caught eight of the nine balls that Kyle Orton threw his way
.
“He’s a big, physical guy. He can really run,” Orton said. “There aren’t a lot of things he can’t do.”
And on this day, there weren’t a lot of things the Broncos (1-1) couldn’t do. They forced four turnovers and limited the Seahawks (1-1) to just 22 1/2 minutes of possession time.
….
Much more in the full article and the video link is good too
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010091909/2010/REG2/seahawks@broncos/recap/quick-take#tab:watch
Great write-up Sayre.
My only disagreement has nothing to do with the facts, just the mentality. And its about the run game. Everyone is so used to watching Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson that if a back doesn’t have a 4.0+ YPC average than he’s not great and probably not much good. I disagree completely. If we’re consistently getting 3.0 YPC (Buckhalter dragged the average down a bit today, as well as the goaline attempts) then that’s putting us at 3rd and 4 every set of downs. I can live with that. It eats away the clock and keeps our defense fresh.
This is EXACTELY the kind of play we need to see against Peyton Manning. The fewer attempts and less time he has with the ball in his hands the BETTER. We need our D fresh and stout for the times he will be on the field. The offense we ran today was not full of “break-away” plays but it was full of cruicial conversions, tough running, and great misdirection.
The Colts are built similar to the Lions and the Seahawks on Defense. They are fast and aggressive and have a crippling pass rush. We will need that slow and consistent 3 YPC over spotty 20 YPC to keep Orton from getting hosed in 3rd and longs. I can understand the energy and that people want to see Moreno become elite… but i’m just jazzed that he was so consistent today.
P.S. Screens are runs. That 45 yard play by Moreno was – effectively – a 45 yard run. You run screens to suck the defenders into the line (or box) so that they’ll bite on play action. Screens give that subconscious feeling to the Defense that they need to be closer and they need to watch the running backs – they’re just long-distance hand-offs. So I try to take that into account when i’m getting a bead on Moreno. We wouldn’t have had more than half of those points on the board without Moreno’s presence and consistency today – 2.5 YPC or not. :D
Again though, great write-up, the running game can always get better, but I saw little to complain about today as far as Moreno’s production is concerned; now Buck is a completely different story. He’d have been decent without the drops. Backs need to be counted on (for pass protection, short-yardage, checkdown-outlets) more than they need to make explosive plays – but then that’s just my preference.
"It is better to be rougly right than precisely wrong." - John Maynard Keynes
by Alexander Wall on Sep 20, 2010 2:47 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs
Another key thing to keep in mind.
When we’re sitting at a 2nd and 1, or 3rd and 2. Our line isn’t planning on getting out to the second level to pick up all the linebackers. The want that initial push to get the 1st down. So the mentality is different and effects the chance at getting longer runs. Plus we had short fields often and we were stacked up near the goal line a few times. That cuts any potential long break away yardage into 1, 2, or 3 yard gains because it gets cut off at the goaline – not to mention the D is stacked in front of our O like a pile of bricks. I think the circumstances had a lot to do with the poor YPC average of 2.1; and any pass that starts behind the line of scrimmage is essentially a run. They’re just getting the ball outside and their blockers are moving to them rather than them moving up behind the blockers.
Unless everyone digs deep into statistics they really don’t give people an accurate representation of what took place in a game. All yards after a catch should count as rushing yards for the ball carrier, not passing yards for an 80 yard screen – that’s just silly. Passing yards should only count from scrimmage to to catch. Of course it will never be like that, but that’s what’s really happening out there. The real important thing is to look at is if a player was successful in the gameplan, regardless of “production”. Even if a WR is just a decoy all day and pulls defenders away from the play – he may have been one of the most important players on the field that day. I don’t know… I just try not to get wrapped up in “yardage” since it has an extremely inconsistent correlation to winning football games, division titles, and the Super Bowl. That’s what matters… right?
"It is better to be rougly right than precisely wrong." - John Maynard Keynes
by Alexander Wall on Sep 20, 2010 3:07 AM MDT up reply actions 2 recs
Yards and points and all that other hoopla is just people trying to quantify playing effective football. McDaniels nails it on the head when he says playing smart, tough, and winning situational football – because it’s always the situations that kill you. Like a 3rd and 1. Do I want my RB to get 2 yards carrying the ball? Well if we need 1 1/2 yards for the first down to run out the clock at the end of the game – then you bet your ass I do. Yes, an offense usually needs to rack up a good amount of yards to win a game – but sometimes the don’t. Sometimes its all defense and field position and controlling the clock. Racking up tons of yards but not putting points on the board doesn’t win that kind of game. I just want us to be able to execute the gameplan and come out with a W. Whether its winning with two field goals and holding out opponent to one, or racking up 500 yards and 40+ points. Winning is winning.
Sorry if it seems like i’m ranting on you. I’m actually just kind of ranting to myself outloud. You made excellent points, i’m just sleepy and annoyed with my statistics homework, lol.
"It is better to be rougly right than precisely wrong." - John Maynard Keynes
by Alexander Wall on Sep 20, 2010 3:15 AM MDT up reply actions
well said. agreed with all 3.
The poster formerly known as "Denver_Diaspora"
by Jay Fin Anderson on Sep 20, 2010 8:42 AM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1 Really nicely laid out
It just feels wrong to SEE effective play (handoffs contribute to first downs and occasionally Knowshon running wild; no matter how he got the ball) and then look at the stat line and declare it a bad day for him. Cognitive dissonance. Alex cleared it up. Nice.
"Aggression, discipline, accountability, effort" Brian Dawkins 9/29/2009
"Life is a daring adventure or nothing." Helen Keller
"He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little" Horace
by PositivIntegral on Sep 20, 2010 12:28 PM MDT up reply actions
Really agree with most of that , especially about the screens being long distance handoffs
I thought the RBs did a good job on those plays. I’m still concerned a bit on the short yardage plays and line push and getting stuffed on several attempts before KM went over the top on the touchdown. I’m assuming that will improve in time as our rookie OL mature , and everyone gets back from injury and we have them all playing together for a while.
McD did look like a football coach today though didn’t he? Both for the play calling and the wisdom for the scheme and the draft picks and for working with KO. Hard to find fault with him today. If it continues even the mainstream press guys have to give him some props.
i wouldn't worry about the running game
the running game won’t be an issue next week. the colts are soft on the running game, much like the broncos are. i thought moreno did good this game, considering he was met at the backfield most of the time. also i think moreno should get more credit on his rushing TD. there was no hole there and if he didn’t jump over the line, he wouldn’t have gotten it. not to mention that screen play should be on sportscenter’s top 10 plays. moreno isn’t getting enough credit. last i checked adrian peterson doesn’t have two of his all-pro linemen out.
and the one stat people aren’t bringing up in the seatle game, is time of possession for the broncos. if the broncos can do that next week, i see no reason why the broncos can’t win.
by tiderfootball09 on Sep 20, 2010 5:10 AM MDT reply actions
Where do you get your stats at?
Namely, where do you get this stat at?
In his last three games, Kyle Orton leads the NFL in both passing yards (1,033) and 25-yd passes (12).
Need this to back up a conversation I had with a co-worker.
Thanks
Patrick Smythe on Twitter
had that stat last night.
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by Sayre Bedinger on Sep 20, 2010 12:01 PM MDT up reply actions
Orton, Tebow and Moreno
What a game Kyle had yesterday. I was getting tired of all the Tebow-hype, so Saturday, I went and got myself a Orton Jersey. Not because I dislike Tebow, to the opposite, I think he has a great future with the Broncos, but because I am confident that Kyle can take us to the playoff this years.
What is embarrasing is when, after the game, someone saw my #8, stoped me and said: “Orton!, No one supports Orton?!?”. I was very frustrated that a comment like this can be made, especially after the game he had. It is hard to say how long Kyle will be with us, but I hope we can show him our support after everything he has done for this team despite the critics he has received. I think he might just be our long term QB if he keeps improving like that.
What about Tebow? On the long-term, he needs to improve as a QB and be ready to step in if anything happens to Kyle. But on the short-term, I really hope Josh starts using him more in the short-yardage. Not to replace Orton, but to replace Moreno…I mean come on. It took 3 freaking downs to make 1 yard at the goal line!!! A foot a the time…unnacceptable. Tebow got one yard every carry he had last week…if you are going to run the ball,give it to him tofinish the job, not Moreno. Tebow also gives the pass threats that can confuse the defence.
I agree that the O-line didn’t open up a ton of gaps, but there was so many times when there was gaps and all Moreno could find was the wall. It is as if he was thinking: “Hey, let see what happens if I run into that 350lbs dude really hard!” I really hope Maroney will help us on the run and I think we should employ Tebow in critical situation as well.
GO BRONCOS! GO KYLE! We can beat the Colts!!!
Of course I didn't mean as a RB per say...
…but to use him in different packages to gain the one yard.
@Sayre..spot on as usual. This is your Vegas blogger coming late as usual.
My simple fix to the OL is similiar (besides Kuper and Harris). Quit trying to patch both sides! Get the left side stable with Clady and Beatles then JUST patch the right side. This way Clady Beatles and Walton can find their gel and maybe Coach Barone can develope a left side running game.
Can Hochstein and Batiste man the right side then give help from TE, I think so. They also have Clark and Olsen.
Some good points were made. I also appreciate some stats, including Orton leading the NFL in deep passes over his last 3 games.
The greatest turnaround on the offensive side of the ball—even greater than the debut of Thomas—-was the improved play from the offensive line. This unit was nothing short of awful in week 1 (even Clady surrendered a sack), but week 2 was an entirely different story. Orton was only sacked once and it wasn’t even a real sack, in the way that nobody actually brought him down. Orton simply went to the turf and Raheem Brock came up and touched him. Kyle may have missed on a few throws, but that had more to do with his accuracy being off at times than being hurried.
As for the run blocking, it could’ve been a little better, but overall it was effective. I remind you, this is a massive DL unit that rotates 320 lb-ers like it was nothing. Frank Gore only averaged 2 yards a carry in week one. I actually thought Moreno ran the ball well considering he was running straight towards a half ton’s worth of bodies every play. And his athleticism was on display throughout the day.
The fact that Seattle has such a plus-sized pass rush may contribute to the fact that Orton was rarely pressured and the unit will certainly face a more daunting task with Freeney and Mathis. I feel confident that Clady will handle Freeney for the most part, but the true test will come from the RT spot and Mathis. And whether it’s Beadles or Harris (who will solid, is NOT all-pro caliber), their performance against Mathis will contribute greatly to the success of Denver’s passing game.
If Mathis is contained, Denver could light up the scoreboard. Indy has already proven serious run defense issues and if given time, Orton can sprinkle it in to his talent receiving corps all day in the passing game.
The only question is? With a banged up secondary and the worse pass rush in football…just how many points will the offense need to score to keep pass with Manning? 30? 40?
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