Placing This Preseason Into Context

by intelanalyst on Aug 31, 2011 10:00 AM MDT in 2011 Denver Broncos Season Preview

Every year, both fans and the MSM focus on potential when watching preseason games. Some teams (Indianapolis) rarely win during the preseason, only to march on to win their division during the regular season.

With injuries, holdouts, newly signed free-agents, new coaching staffs and rookies, the preseason games are only going to be so valuable when trying to predict the upcoming season.

However, there are some elements of each team that do carry over into the regular season. Here is a look at Denver's last two preseasons with data detailing only the performance by the starters.

In 2010, Denver's biggest question marks on offense were at the wide receiver and offensive line positions. Marshall had been traded, and Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris were recovering from injuries.

On defense, Dumervil was gone for the season, and there were gaping holes across the linebacker and defensive line position. The secondary was also aging, even though Champ still put together an excellent season.

Here is a chart detailing their performance in the 2010 Preseason (Weeks 1-3)

They played Cincinnati (4-12 in 2010 Regular Season), Detroit (6-10), Pittsburgh (12-4)

Offense		Defense
Possessions	12	Possessions	12
Plays	76	Plays	93
Yards	391	Yards	510
Avg.	5.1	Avg.	5.5
3rd/4th Dwn %	13-19	3rd/4th Dwn %	9-17
Sacks All	2	Sacks	2
Tos	2	Tos Forced	2
Points Scored	38	Points All	26

Rush Att	25	Rush Att	36
Rush Yards	67	Rush Yards	154
YPC	2.7	YPC	4.3
Tds	1	Tds All	1

Pass Plays	51	Pass Plays	57
Pass Yards	324	Pass Yards	356
YPA	6.4	YPA	6.3
Tds	4	Tds All	1

Here a few key notes:

OFFENSE

Denver had very little balance, running the ball on only 32.9 percent of their plays.
As a result, Denver had an embarrassing 2.7 YPC, and only managed 1 rushing touchdown.
While Denver's passing game was responsible for 4 touchdowns, Orton was inconsistent and averaged a very poor 6.4 yards per attempt.
The most amazing stat is Denver's impressive 68.4 percent conversion rate on third and fourth downs. This had the most positive effect on Denver's scoring total.

Conclusion: As a whole, Denver did manage to score 5 touchdowns in 12 possessions, but they only averaged 5.1 yards per play. Obviously scoring is much more important that yards, but Denver had tons of plays for negative or short yards. In 2010, only three teams in the top 20 in scoring averaged 5.1 yards per play or less.

While it is difficult to know exactly what the circumstances were, Denver's offensive performance came at the expense of two losing teams (CIN, DET) and one winning team (PIT). Denver's best performance came against Pittsburgh in week 3, but Roethlisberger was only in the game for the first quarter.

Overall, Denver had a solid performance in the passing game, but there was a glaring need in the running game. Denver's pass-oriented offense and struggles in the running game all of last year should not have come as a surprise. Since Denver struggled to convert on third and fourth downs (32.2 percent), Denver's preseason scoring success evaporated. Denver's offense only scored 330 points, or 20.6 points per game.

DEFENSE

Denver's opponents weren't exactly balanced in their attack either, with a run percentage of 38.7 percent. For many teams, the preseason is the time where teams test their quarterbacks, leading to a spike in passing plays.
Denver was mediocre at defending the run, although their performance in the preseason was more respectable than in the regular season, where Denver went from allowing 4.3 YPC to 4.7 YPC.
Denver's biggest achievement was holding their opponents to field goals (4 to be exact) instead of touchdowns. Although they allowed Cincinnati, Detroit and Pittsburgh to move the ball relatively easily at 5.5 yards per play, they stood tall near the red zone and forced field goals instead of touchdowns. Unfortunately, that did not carry over into the regular season.
Finally, Denver struggled to force many punts. Their opponents converted their third and fourth downs 52.9 percent of the time.

Conclusion: Denver struggled to force many negative plays, but stiffened near the red zone. Despite allowing lots of yards, they were able to keep the score respectable. They were much better at defending the pass than the run. However, the loss of Dumervil and the void of talent for the rest of the front-seven led to a historically awful regular season performance.

Now, fast-forward to 2011. Denver has played a decent team in Dallas, and two bad teams, Buffalo and Seattle. Still, Denver has performed rather consistently in all three games.

Here is a chart detailing their performance in the 2011 Preseason (Weeks 1-3)

Dallas (6-10), Buffalo (4-12), Seattle (7-9)

Offense		Defense
Possessions	13	Possessions	14
Plays	83	Plays	67
Yards	533	Yards	190
Avg.	6.4	Avg.	2.8
3rd/4th Dwn %	8-16	3rd/4th Dwn %	5-16
Sacks All	2	Sacks	6
Tos	1	Tos Forced	1
Points Scored	34	Points All	9

Rush Att	38	Rush Att	25
Rush Yards	145	Rush Yards	95
YPC	3.8	YPC	3.8
Tds	2	Tds All	0

Pass Plays	45	Pass Plays	46
Pass Yards	388	Pass Yards	95
YPA	8.6	YPA	2.1
Tds	2	Tds All	0

Again, here are a few notes:

OFFENSE

Denver averaged 6.4 yards per play on offense, compared to 5.1 in 2010. Denver scored 1 less touchdown, but 1 more field goal.
The biggest difference is Denver's ability to run the ball effectively. Even though they have only averaged 3.8 yards per carry (compared to 2.7 in 2010), so many of their attempts have come in short yardage situations. With a run percentage of 45.8, Denver has a much more balanced offense.
Not to be outdone, Denver has had a great passing performance, averaging 8.6 yards per attempt with Orton under center. While there is little chance he will duplicate that kind of number for the regular season, it will be much easier to have a high average when the running game is present.
Finally, Denver has been able to score because of 50.0 percent conversion percentage on third and fourth downs.

Conclusion: One of the reasons Peyton Manning struggled last year was due to a lack of running game. Winning, no matter who the quarterback is, will always be tough when the offense passes at least 40 times a game. Fox and McCoy will do their best to run as much as the situation allows.

The keys for Orton is for the offensive line to stay together and Moreno and McGahee to play at the same level they have so far this year. If either situation goes south or Denver continually finds themselves trailing in the second half, expect Denver to revert a little back to last year.

DEFENSE

As good as Denver has been on offense, their defense has been even better. Aside from only allowing 9 points compared to 26 last preseason, Denver has done what good defenses do - dominate bad offenses. While Dallas did march down for an opening field goal, Denver has still been awesome, allowing 2.8 yards per play. Although there no chance that happens in the regular season, Denver has improved from last year, where they allowed 5.5 yards per play during the preseason and 5.9 yards per play during the regular season.
This has been talked about a ton this off-season, but Denver really struggled defending the run. Even with questions revolving around the defensive line and lack of depth (and health) at the defensive tackle positions, Denver has done well considering. Felix Jones and Fred Jackson had some success against the Broncos, but overall, Denver was able to limit the rushers to 3.8 yards per carry. This is a significant improvement from a year ago.
If being more stingy against the run wasn't enough, Denver has limited one good quarterback and made two others look awful. Denver's starters are only allowing an average of 2.1 yards per pass attempt. That is unheard of, not just on a few possessions, but 14. This is the Von Doom effect. Their presence has been felt a little in the running game, but so far, they have destroyed the opponents ability to pass the ball.
As expected, Denver's improved pass rush has led to a good defensive effort, only allowing a conversion on third and fourth down 31.3 percent of the time. This is one of the biggest improvements from last year, where Denver just could not get off the field.

Conclusion: Denver has done what they were incapable of doing last year, whether preseason or regular season - limit big plays, pressure the quarterback and force punts or turnovers when facing bad competition. They made David Garrard, Jason Campbell, Troy Smith and Sam Bradford look like pro-bowlers in 2010.

The improvement in the front-seven is a result of Dumervil's return, the addition of Miller and Bunkley and the steady improvement of Mays at MLB. In the secondary, depth is greatly improved over last year. A healthy Goodman, rookie Rahim Moore, and the improvement in Cassius Vaughn will definitely help the pass rush.

In the end, this team has some good linebackers, safeties and corners, but their defensive success hinges around the play-making abilities of their pass rushers. Dumervil and Miller must stay healthy and provide pro-bowl caliber years for Denver to overcome the difficulties that come with a new coaching staff and the lack of depth at the defensive tackle positions.

So far, they have shown that they can handle poor offenses like Buffalo and Seattle. This year, they will get to play against Oakland, Kansas City and the New York Jets rushing attacks (5 games), and San Diego, Green Bay and New England's superior passing attacks.

If they are going to win any of these games, they will need to duplicate their preseason performance as best as possible. I fully expect Denver to make huge improvements in both their run defense and pass defense from last year.

However, teams watch and learn. Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen will be tested each week to craft intelligent schemes that are unique for each opposing offense. His ability to do this, along with maximizing the talent present, will determine the success of Denver's improving defense for 2011.

2011 Forecast

Denver's success on offense will hinge on their ability to maintain a balanced and efficient offense. Orton will only throw for about 20-25 touchdowns, so he will have to maintain a low turnover ration.

The offensive line will have to block well (they allowed 40 sacks, 24th in the NFL) and open running lanes for Moreno and McGahee. Since there is no way for Denver to be as bad as they were last year, expect a huge improvement with run-guru John Fox as head coach. Since McCoy is still the OC, expect the offense to play well on a consistent basis and score more points than last year.

On defense, there is no way they can perform as poorly as they did last year. They were in the bottom-three in almost every category, including points allowed, yards, sacks, turnovers and third and fourth down percentage. Expect an improvement in all of these areas, with the biggest improvement most likely being in points allowed or sacks.

If this preseason is any indication, Denver will at least provide a little resistance to quarterbacks on a weekly basis. I fully expect the defense to surprise many fans and journalists, and maybe even me. Hopefully, I am right.

And Go Broncos.

Poll

Which area will improve the most from 2010?

Rushing Offense

265 votes

Rushing Defense

357 votes

Pass Defense

722 votes

1344 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 56 comments | 8 recs |

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Comments

Improved pass rush = improved pass defense

I think we’ll have our struggles with the run still, but with Doom and Miller we are looking at shorting passes and more turnovers.

In Tebow I trust

by nacaboose on Aug 31, 2011 10:32 AM MDT reply actions

Agreed!

We might have to be slightly less agressive in the regular season to protect against screen passes, but even sending one Dume or one Miller will be an absolute improvement from the pass rush we didn’t have last year.

by Broncolove on Aug 31, 2011 11:21 AM MDT up reply actions

I understand the concerns against the run

But honestly? I think Thomas, Bunkley, Vickerson, etc. will prove more than capable in a 4-3 front at DT. How our linebackers perform will better dictate how well we defend the run, I think.

I’m cautiously optimistic.

by JeffG on Aug 31, 2011 12:09 PM MDT up reply actions

I think we are all cautiously optimistic

I here you on that, but the lack of depth and if injuries linger it makes it easy to be pessimistic about the run defense. :)

In Tebow I trust

by nacaboose on Aug 31, 2011 12:49 PM MDT up reply actions

Realistic expectations...

Good write up, I hope it translates to the regular season. I have stayed away from commenting recently and stepped back and watched some other teams this last weekend. One thing that really bugs me here is that, in general, the offense is rated based on perfection rather than proficiency. Last time I checked, the Colts, Pats and Packers still punt once in a while.

Anyway, I know preseason stats do not mean much, but I am not sure how much more poor Kyle could have done in his limited work:

http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=0&season=2011&seasonType=PRE&d-447263-n=1&d-447263-o=2&d-447263-p=1&statisticCategory=PASSING&conference=null&d-447263-s=PASSING_PASSER_RATING

by captain80 on Aug 31, 2011 10:34 AM MDT reply actions

Good cite

Orton 3rd in the NFL in the preseason, behind Rodgers and Rivers. I note that Rodgers (a mobile QB) has been sacked 6 times, while Orton (the sack of cement guy) has been sacked 2 times, in the same number of pass attempts.

Personal relations consist of an uneasy truce between powerful, solitary fantasy systems.

Janet Malcolm

by bradley on Aug 31, 2011 2:43 PM MDT up reply actions

I am hoping for a good season

But let’s be realistic. Our first team has faced mostly Buffalo and Seattle. Those two teams stink. It is good that we showed them something, but at the same time, they hardly constitute a true measure of our talent.

by Da Bum on Aug 31, 2011 7:06 PM MDT up reply actions

Anyone who is basing our success this year on 2 terrible teams and one average one is smoking some awesome grade A crack!

"I actually watched the World Cup. I HATE baseball. Hockey’s over. Hey, at least we have the WNBA. Oh, man. I’m making a noose. Want one?"

Harv Neptune.

Is it Free Agency yet? Wake me up when it starts!

by boydy2669 on Aug 31, 2011 10:00 PM MDT up reply actions

Yeah...Orton better than Rodgers for sure....GO BRONCOS!

"I actually watched the World Cup. I HATE baseball. Hockey’s over. Hey, at least we have the WNBA. Oh, man. I’m making a noose. Want one?"

Harv Neptune.

Is it Free Agency yet? Wake me up when it starts!

by boydy2669 on Aug 31, 2011 10:00 PM MDT up reply actions

I think the point was..

That the offense as a whole was playing better. Orton, nor any QB can block or catch. It takes everyone to be involved. Dominant perfrormances usualy mean dominant teams. Teasm eeking out last minute wins or losses usually mean too much reliance on only a few players.

"My team's on the floor"
Gene Hackman - Hoosiers

by AlanC11 on Sep 1, 2011 9:52 AM MDT up reply actions

One thing I went back and checked

Orton has only faced 5 or more pass rushers four times this preseason. One resulted in a sack, one an interception, one throw away and one short completion. Too small a sample I know, but also something to think about that the Cowboys, Bills and Hawks simply didn’t send anyone.

Mediocrity is like a lollipop: lick it once and you'll suck forever.

by improv88 on Sep 1, 2011 7:31 AM MDT up reply actions

My point was more

that a lot of people here over analyze each play searching for perfection, when I think they need to be more realistic in “more positive” results than negative. Each team has played their first teams in essentially the same splits, and our offense seems to have performed well. And I cited that stat just as a barometer…imagine the discussion if Orton was where Eli was in the list?

by captain80 on Sep 1, 2011 8:04 AM MDT up reply actions

Equal splits, but unequal competition

The Broncos have only played one decent team in the preseason so far (Dallas), and the starters only played one series. I haven’t been commenting much during preseason primarily due to nothing to base much off of. Using the Bills and Hawks as barometers, even for the starters, is dangerous. All three of the other teams in the AFC West are head and shoulders above those two.

Mediocrity is like a lollipop: lick it once and you'll suck forever.

Sticking with Kyle Orton is like taking your cousin to the Homecoming Dance - you're openly admitting that you had no other options, and it's guaranteed that nothing is happening after the early dance.

by improv88 on Sep 1, 2011 8:09 AM MDT up reply actions

A lot of Kyle's success has to do with the performance of the players around him.

Our OLine with another year together has shown that it takes time to gel. They aren’t where they want to be, but are better than they were last year. Our running game struggled to get off the ground last year and Kyle was forced to pass more offen. That didn’t help because teams would just lay back a wait for the pickings. The running game has improved, but any time the injury bug could revisit that group. Fox made it it very clear that next man up is the key to success and Green Bay is a prime example of that statement. Our next man up is either Lance Ball, Jerimiah Johnson or Brandon Minor. The three don’t have the talent that McGahee and Moreno have and this is a very important position. Fox shoud have his eyes afixed the waiver wire Saturday, because we need help there.

Same with the defense if we lose Doom or Miller for the season. It will severely affect the defense right away. Last night after rewatching the Seahags game you could tell the difference between Doom and Miller’s play with Havey and Hunter. It was like night and day. Hunter gets stood up where Miller is around the LT/Te before they even know it. Watch the 3rd play of the 3rd qtr. Miller left a trail of offensive players sprwled out on the field jogging around the entire pocket watching Doom upheave Jackson and Mays slamming him to the ground! That was the most amazing play I have ever watched. It was unbelievable how fast those three are. Then when the 2nd team took over Jackson a second or two more to make his reads and checkdowns. Night and day, so i pose the question? Is the next man good enough on those two positions. That will have to be determined when the time arises…

Until the~13-3 Baby!!! Until we ain’t!

by bfree2bronc on Aug 31, 2011 3:54 PM MDT up reply actions

Nice article.

I fully expect the Broncos to compete. After last year, competing is a great improvement!

Learn how to dominate your fantasy football league through a solid fantasy football strategy. A shameless plug for a fellow Broncomaniac!

by Tim Lynch on Aug 31, 2011 10:43 AM MDT reply actions

Pass the kool aid.

It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09

by firstfan on Aug 31, 2011 10:45 AM MDT up reply actions

Nothing better then Orange Kool aid!

by Pat in Colorado on Aug 31, 2011 3:45 PM MDT up reply actions

The koolaid doesn’t have a hoodie soaking in it this season. Tastes much better!

We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.

by Bob in Boulder on Aug 31, 2011 6:30 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

You mean we'll be Huckleberries instead of Daisys? I'm your Huckleberry!

by bfree2bronc on Aug 31, 2011 4:03 PM MDT up reply actions

progress

something to build on.Oh yeah

by Baghdad on Aug 31, 2011 11:19 AM MDT reply actions

That's the best way to look at it...One stone at a time...

by bfree2bronc on Aug 31, 2011 4:04 PM MDT up reply actions

Damn! Our team has stones!

It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09

by firstfan on Aug 31, 2011 6:14 PM MDT up reply actions

No where to go but up

On all three, Go Broncos!

by HawaiiBroncoFan on Aug 31, 2011 12:05 PM MDT reply actions

good post but...

what everyone really wants to know, is how many people have now named their Fantasy Football Teams “Von Doom”! LOL

If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy. - Thomas Jefferson

by Trogdoor on Aug 31, 2011 12:55 PM MDT reply actions

I would guess that there is a VonDoom team in at least 70% of fantasy football leagues.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Aug 31, 2011 1:01 PM MDT up reply actions

I thought about it...

But I ended up naming mine “Orange Rush” :)

by Shurakair on Aug 31, 2011 2:42 PM MDT up reply actions

I just named mine

Brad’s Broncos, I like the alliteration!

by The Bradfather Strikes Back on Aug 31, 2011 4:19 PM MDT up reply actions

I'm allergic to alliteration.

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Aug 31, 2011 6:02 PM MDT up reply actions

I said rush offense

Not because of the reasons most think. I think we will run the ball more often because we will be closer in the games. Blow outs because of bad defense caused us to throw ALL the time and limited the number of potential runs and now I think we will be in the ball games in the 2nd-4th qtr so we can run on second down. Can run on 3rd down.

by kimbertr on Aug 31, 2011 2:47 PM MDT reply actions

i like what i see so far.

Jerry Jones is Al Davis with a smile!

CHICAGO...Where Quaterbacks' careers go to die!

Why would anyone want to live in Oakland?

by mdierk on Aug 31, 2011 2:50 PM MDT reply actions

2010 Peyton Manning v. 2010 Kyle Orton

This was an interesting line in the article:

“One of the reasons Peyton Manning struggled last year was due to a lack of running game.”

After enduring all the rap against Orton last season and during the off-season and reading all the reasons for Orton’s alleged poor performance, primarily due to a lack of a good running game, it would be interesting to see how Orton stacked up against a premier QB whose team also had a poor running game last year. So, I would like to see someone do a comparison of Peyton Manning’s 2010 stats to Kyle Orton’s 2010 stats.

If I can't have high expectations that succeed, I''d rather have high expectations and be disappointed than have low expectations and be resigned to losing.

by OrangeandBluesBros on Aug 31, 2011 2:57 PM MDT reply actions

Here you go . . .

2010…………..Att……Cmp….Cmp%….Yd……Yd/Att….TD…INT…Sack….Rate

Manning………679…..450……66.3…….4700….6.9…….33…17……16…….91.9
Orton………….498…..293……58.8…….3652….7.3…….20…..9……34…….87.5

Sorry for the screwy formatting. Can anyone tell me how to insert a chart into a comment?

"Luck is the residue of design" -- Branch Rickey

by db8632 on Aug 31, 2011 3:50 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs

This is one of the only seasons

in Peyton’s illustrious career where his touchdowns don’t double his interceptions, for his career he has about a 2-to-1 ratio, most impressive!

by The Bradfather Strikes Back on Aug 31, 2011 3:59 PM MDT up reply actions

Most appreciated

Very interesting. Thanks.

If I can't have high expectations that succeed, I''d rather have high expectations and be disappointed than have low expectations and be resigned to losing.

by OrangeandBluesBros on Aug 31, 2011 7:08 PM MDT up reply actions

All right

this is really the new Bradfather, but SB Nation unfairly cited me for a throttle violation. Oh well, I’m back and better than ever!

by The Bradfather Strikes Back on Aug 31, 2011 3:45 PM MDT reply actions

Brad.

I think there is a time limit on the throttle ban, so check on it in a few days

Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
My ship finally came in, but it was the Kobayashi Maru.
Follow me on Twitter @MHR_KaptainKirk

by KaptainKirk on Aug 31, 2011 4:15 PM MDT up reply actions

OK

so I might not be suspended after all!

by The Bradfather Strikes Back on Aug 31, 2011 4:18 PM MDT up reply actions

Can you do a little photo choppin and take the symbol out and put OrangeRush?

by bfree2bronc on Aug 31, 2011 4:31 PM MDT up reply actions

13-3!!!!

The ignorant redneck formerly known as kentuckybronco.

by Troy Hufford on Aug 31, 2011 6:03 PM MDT up reply actions

Ummmm

It’s not orange?

We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.

by Bob in Boulder on Aug 31, 2011 6:42 PM MDT up reply actions

I couldn't find an orange Kool-Aid

but let’s try again!

by The Bradfather Strikes Back on Aug 31, 2011 10:43 PM MDT up reply actions

What's a throttle violation?

Longest reception given by the first team defense to an opposing WR... 12 yards. So congrats to Seattle's Mike Williams for that catch that didn't move the chains on 3rd and 18.

by Rodney A on Aug 31, 2011 6:28 PM MDT up reply actions

When you put up the same post on more than one SB site.

That’s what happened to j-man when he tried to be an ambassador to the other sites. The SBNation editor kicks it out like it was spam.

Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
My ship finally came in, but it was the Kobayashi Maru.
Follow me on Twitter @MHR_KaptainKirk

by KaptainKirk on Aug 31, 2011 6:40 PM MDT up reply actions

Gotcha. Thanks

Longest reception given by the first team defense to an opposing WR... 12 yards. So congrats to Seattle's Mike Williams for that catch that didn't move the chains on 3rd and 18.

by Rodney A on Aug 31, 2011 6:48 PM MDT up reply actions

Don't be an ambassador

to other sites, SB Nation gets pissed and vindictive as I’m learning the hard way

by The Bradfather Strikes Back on Aug 31, 2011 10:45 PM MDT up reply actions

Just not all at once

I don’t know the limit where the SBN software activates, but I would imagine 3 posts would be okay.

Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
My ship finally came in, but it was the Kobayashi Maru.
Follow me on Twitter @MHR_KaptainKirk

by KaptainKirk on Aug 31, 2011 11:18 PM MDT up reply actions

Well the good news is

I am right on schedule to complete all my team previews by Wednesday the 7th so if nothing else, I have alacrity with my timing! I wrote my Rams preview and said good things about Josh McDaniels, living according to the Thumper adage….

by The Bradfather Strikes Back on Sep 1, 2011 12:08 AM MDT up reply actions

I have a Fantasy league I'm in on NFL.com

time to draft the Broncos’ defense and Eddie Royal!

by The Bradfather Strikes Back on Aug 31, 2011 3:46 PM MDT reply actions

It'll be interesting to find out how this season unfolds...

Brought to you by~The Sunday Ticket, every Sunday at DirecTV…Watch it! Be there! Enjoy the wrath to come!

by bfree2bronc on Aug 31, 2011 4:30 PM MDT reply actions

Great work

I did a post on the same subject, but nowhere near as well detailed as this. Great stuff here. I think we pretty much came to the same conclusions, although I think I may be a little less optimistic about the run defense than you are.

I’m a little surprised about the poll results. The Broncos ranked in dead last in sacks and pressures last year by a pretty wide margin. The effect of that was that QBs had all day to throw so all the sudden our previously 7th ranked pass defense looked really bad. With the additoins of Von and Elvis this year, that immediately changes. Those two men will be largely responsible for our defensive success this year, and for our overall team turnaround. There’s no question in my mind that the pass defense is the biggest improvement.

I noticed just one spot where I had a different number than you. I have us listed as giving 133 passing yards by our first string defense and you’ve got us listed at 95. Not sure who’s right, but I’m too lazy to go back through and check the play by play again :)

Again, great stuff!. I especially enjoyed the offensive breakdown because I never finished doing mine since it was already getting so long.

Longest reception given by the first team defense to an opposing WR... 12 yards. So congrats to Seattle's Mike Williams for that catch that didn't move the chains on 3rd and 18.

by Rodney A on Aug 31, 2011 6:47 PM MDT reply actions

My numbers might be different

I subtracted the yards lost on sacks from the passing yards total

by intelanalyst on Aug 31, 2011 8:37 PM MDT up reply actions

Gotcha, thanks!

Longest reception given by the first team defense to an opposing WR... 12 yards. So congrats to Seattle's Mike Williams for that catch that didn't move the chains on 3rd and 18.

by Rodney A on Aug 31, 2011 8:44 PM MDT up reply actions

Staying positive

But to be fair, our two big games where our first team O has played this year have been Buffalo and Seattle. Last year, they were a much improved Detroit and the big game (#3) was against Pittsburg. I am not sure such a comparison is apples to apples. I like what I have seen so far and I hope for a solid season, but comparing this preseason to last… not sure that makes much sense.

by Da Bum on Aug 31, 2011 7:12 PM MDT reply actions

big game #3

Ben Roethelisberger only played the first quarter last year, while we kept Orton in until midway through the third quarter. Dennis Dixon is nowhere near as good as Big Ben, which is why our defense looked better than they really were against the rest of Pittsburgh’s offensive starters.

Cincinnati and Detroit were very bad, so it wasn’t as if Denver had good competition last preseason either.

by intelanalyst on Aug 31, 2011 8:42 PM MDT reply actions

I should have picked Rush Defense

I went with Rush Offense but I should’ve picked Rush Defense for no other reason that it can’t really be any worse than last year can it? Can it? CAN IT?

by mikebirty on Sep 1, 2011 1:45 AM MDT reply actions

A little help please...

with the pressure that Elvis & Von are putting on the QB, it makes it a lot easier for a defense to makes decisions and swarm the ball. I like what I see early but it would be good to see them against a better team, but that’s pre-season for you.

Excited to see the Von-Doom connection this year…Go Broncs !!!

by DEEZbroncs on Sep 1, 2011 6:54 AM MDT via mobile reply actions