SB Nation - Chris Simms

Broncos Thoughts and Musings - Kansas City Week

Emmett Smith — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

19 days ago: Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil (92) reacts after sacking New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. Denver won 26-6. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

Following the burden of four losses, and continuing through the lighter job of a Thanksgiving turkey-down being visited on the NY Giants, I've been busy in the film room. The Broncos had gone through a hard stretch of the season and I wanted to know why: What changed? What made them goats after weeks of success? The game film was the only place to find out.

Of course, film room is a slight exaggeration. It's also the TV room, the reading room, the computer room and the filing room. In my case, it holds a large table that holds a lot of equipment, including my phones, router, speakers, tower (yes, I was raised PC) and a 26-inch monitor that lets me work in comfort. I worked in a padded brown leather office chair and a small table for the keyboard. I'd go wireless, but the keyboard is a special ergonomic model that I got used to and can't stop using. Maybe Microsoft will awaken and make a wireless version of this one, but so far, no joy. You can step outside the french doors that lead from the room onto my deck and watch the molten brass of the autumn sun sliding down into the ocean almost every night and that's a big plus. I miss the mountains, but that view doesn't seem to get old.

It's the only room that I have privacy in, other than a bedroom, but when I'm watching this much film, it's definitely a film room, so I'll use that term. The TV will have a DVD or a Tivo going that's relevant and the computer can be running two more games at once if I need to make some comparisons. I indulged in a quad core, 64-bit with a suitably large HD and an even larger external backup drive that saves everything, everyday. If I'm not on the computer, I also put in a leather recliner for the TV. Life is not hard...anyway you slice it, I've had a lot of time to watch the Broncos recently. The first few days of that were sheer torture, but it suddenly got much easier on Thursday last. It's funny how you enjoy breaking down film more when your team is winning.

I spent a lot of time watching each of the losses and trying to comprehend exactly why, in terms of their on-field play, they were losing. It was a helpful exercise. The losses showed exactly why we were struggling and the victory last week showed equally well what happens when you rectify those same errors. Losing is usually about errors -- sometimes you just are beaten by a better team, but most of the time you open the door and usher them into the victory circle. Jimmy Johnson is a complicated man but he nailed it when he pointed out that you only have to beat about 10 teams in the NFL. The others will create the victory for you if you just stay around. That's exactly what Denver was doing.

The entire breakdown is fiendishly long and I won't bore you with all of it. I'll pull bits and pieces off of it as the next few weeks move along. I can say this -- everyone agrees that there are certain basic principles that are essential to winning. Discipline is essential. Gap control is essential. Success in the trenches is essential. Mental errors are the bane of the football existence. If you just apply those to the losses, you'll find that nearly every failure was created not by the opponent, but by the Broncos.

For those who have asked me, yes, I was badly disappointed in the work of the referees during some of the games. They missed calls, called phantom infractions and generally weren't as good as they have to be, but the real culprit was gazing implacably out of the mirrors in the locker room when the Broncos came back in from the games. Here are a few observations to get us started, in no particular order.

Tight Spots

It didn't take a lot of film work to notice exactly why the Broncos drafted Richard Quinn earlier this year. Josh McDaniels requires a talented blocking tight end and long-time TE Daniel Graham showed up on film as having difficulty at holding the edge on passing downs. While Quinn is still struggling to master the speed of the NFL and the intricacies of the complex Broncos offense, he was the highest-rated blocking TE at this year's Combine. He'll have to step up greatly to fulfill the Broncos' faith in him, taking him as the last pick in the 2nd round of the 2009 Draft, but it's still fair to say that Graham was struggling during the losses. He'd look like an All-Pro on one, then disappear on the next.

About Quinn - the Broncos drafted off of a 'short board' this year, listing only those players that they felt would fit their system effectively. That has led to complaints by the Mile High community regarding where, exactly, they made their choices, but it explains a lot. Drafting a player that they didn't see in their system makes far less sense than using a 2nd-round pick on a player who was rated in the late-2nd to the 4th round. Why Quinn? Because during the losses, Daniel Graham made me wonder if he was getting older. Of course, after last Thursday, I'm not as concerned with that problem. He just hadn't played his best for a few games.

When Graham is on, he's one of the best. Blocking, chipping, running routes and catching, Graham is a tremendous advantage for Denver. When he fails, though, especially since Tyler Polumbus was struggling, it can make for a long game for both the run and the pass.

Graham has an issue with his hand placement. I've mentioned this previously on a thread, but he has a tendency to grab at the outermost aspect of the shoulders of the jersey. Technically, it IS holding, the way he uses it. Keep in mind, by the way, that his placement is legal as long as he works inside from it. Unfortunately, Graham has been finishing plays with a hip-twist to the side that takes down his player with a judo-like throw. He seems to do this a great deal - some refs call it, some don't, but he has to learn a better hand placement or we will have that issue regularly. It's a lot of fun to watch, but is still illegal. We need his play, though - he's still one of the best, all-around, and that's a huge plus.

Lots of fans including myself have awaited two things - a more balanced attack and better usage of Tony Scheffler. A big reason the latter didn't happen was that the blocking wasn't good enough for him to be used as a receiver more often. As the blocking improved, magically, Scheffler got free and started to create matchup troubles for NY.

It all starts with blocking. The trenches are where the games are won.

Being Offensive

Speaking of blocking, watching film over the past week has opened my eyes to the exact nature of the Broncos' decline on offense. I'd like to state, for the record, that I more or less expected to see problems that could be traced to many players and situations, but particularly to issues with the blocking and to the offensive line. I was still stunned to see how far those problems on the O-Line extended, though. Here are a couple of examples from the 1st quarter of the Pittsburgh game that might serve to clarify the issue. They were good illustrations of what we are dealing with.

The right side of the offensive line, except for the continuing excellence of Chris Kuper, has been a huge problem during the losses. Ryan Harris has been injured and Tyler Polumbus hasn't been able to step up fully in his absence until the Giants game. Daniel Graham seemed to be struggling to finish his blocks. In addition, I grew convinced that Russ Hochstein isn't the answer at guard before he played well on Thanksgiving and confounded me. The following two plays were a good indication of the problems as they stood. The plays ran back-to-back.

In the first one, Denver is lined up on offense with 5 down lineman and 4 receivers; Brandon Marshall is in the right slot. His safety, the man covering Marshall, releases to penetrate, going after Orton. Orton sees him and chooses his receiver quickly, accurately gunning it to Brandon. Marshall goes over the middle and makes the reception. However -- the safety ran square into Polumbus who missed the speed rush, letting the safety move easily past before he hurried Orton. The pass is still complete, but Polumbus got taken.

An illustration of just how bad the blocking had become came next, on a power running play Denver used toward to the end of the 1st quarter. The Broncos lined up the usual 5 OL, with Hochstein outside of Polumbus on the right side of the line and Graham on the outside of him to the right. Hochstein was essentially playing as an extra blocking lineman, as was Graham. This wasn't the kind of play that is designed to fool anyone: it was a simple, power run formation. It looked good, right up until the ball was snapped.

At the snap, Hochstein fired out of his stance and toward an OLB on the right as Orton took the snap and handed the ball to Knowshon Moreno. Unfortunately for Russ, his man simply stepped back and to the side. Hochstein went after him, and the end of the play saw him still literally chasing around behind the player who was not, happily, much in the play. Polumbus was keyed on James Farrior, ILB, who brushed him aside as you might a small child, knifing into the backfield. Polumbus fell flat on his face, Farrior reached Moreno in the backfield, almost untouched, and the play went for a loss of three.

There are a couple of obvious things to mention. I've rarely, if ever, seen a power run to the right that left two of our right-side lineman grasping at air, having failed to engage anyone at all that they were supposed to block. Polumbus knelt there on the ground and pounded it with his fist, but that's no substitute for doing your job. This wasn't the only play that left me leery of Hochstein, by the way - it seemed unfortunately obvious why he's been a backup for most of his career. In my own view, I'm sad to say that Tyler hadn't played well enough to even keep him as a backup in the offseason unless he improved rapidly. Of course, this changed greatly against the Giants and he had a very good game. That's been a pattern -- good O-Line play will win you games. Lacking it is an invitation to a loss. What's new?

A third example involved Ben Hamilton. Ben looked like a different player on the recent film. It's almost as if someone stole him in the night and left a changeling in his place, one who fooled everyone into believing that he's Ben. How bad was it? In the same quarter listed above, earlier on, the Broncos ran off-guard to the right. Hamilton was tasked with taking up a linebacker on the play. He easily got to the second level, made contact - and quit. He just stopped and let the player disengage. His man promptly ran over, following the run, and tackled Correll Buckhalter. Hamilton was immediately pulled for one play, with Hochstein taking his place. Unfortunately, Russ wasn't an improvement and Hamilton returned for the next play after, having received some loving personal instruction and attention from Rick Dennison. I've never known Hamilton to quit on plays before this season - something is obviously going on with him.

Think about it. Orton is hit on the first play. He made the completion anyway (Orton looked very good in that half) but it was touch and go whether he could get the pass off accurately within that narrow window. On the next play, Moreno never had a chance - Farrior had a perfect shot at him. On the third play, Buckhalter would have had a first down if Hamilton just finishes the play. Instead, the Steelers killed that drive. That was a pattern during the losses. Individuals didn't play well and the team couldn't get anything going.

I'm not claiming for a moment that we don't have other issues, and I'm going to talk about others over the next few weeks. The defense was also a problem, communication between Orton and the receivers left some points on the field, and there were plenty of other things to work on. It's just that the degree of problems with the offensive line were killing drive after drive, even when you had to look carefully to see why that's true. I had to run the plays over and over to spot every player, but once I did, the crux of the matter was too obvious to miss.

I also saw that plenty of people - far too many - made mental errors at critical times. To be honest, it's the NFL - any time is a critical time. A single mistake wipes out a 40-yard gain - is that critical? It is to me. The difference in the Giants game? For what it's worth, I think that it's not that they didn't make those errors - they still did. It was that once they had, they got it back on track and didn't keep on making them, while the Giants did. If they can keep that kind of aggressive spirit and increase their effective discipline, the Broncos can still compete in the playoffs.

Not-so Special Teams

In watching film, a pattern emerged that had hovered just at the edge of my consciousness. I've been listening to and reading about how the special teams play has been a problem and I fully agree. If you look at the overall results it's hard not to be concerned about this area of the Broncos. Many of the members had problems with bringing ST coach Mike Priefer on board, and I tend to agree. But the problem here, even so, can easily be deceiving. A pattern came to light that has no simple solution.

It's this: Our opponent gets the ball. We stop their drive, but they make it to about mid-field. They punt, and their punter is good at finding that 'coffin corner', pinning us back in our end of the field. Sure, you hope that Eddie Royal can break a few, but let's be real - Eddie is getting the ball with two players or more in his face. He's in a tight area, with defenders reaching him under the punt. We get pinned in the 10-20 if he catches the ball, maybe the 23 or so. It's on the 20 if it rolls into the end zone. We're looking at another long, tiring drive - if we're successful. If not, we're punting and the opposing team gets it at about the 30-to-40 yard line. then we do it all over again until the D is tired and/or we get scored on. I used to notice this with Shanahan's last few teams as well. It's a terrible habit to get into, since it assures that you will have the maximum problems scoring and will give the easiest time to the opponent.

And then came the Giants game and it all changed back, as mysteriously as it arrived. The Broncos suddenly woke up from an autumn nap, smelled the air and strapped on their helmets. They stopped them at their end of the field, created a little more room to run back punts and boomed punts that stuck the Giants back in their end of the field. Everything was different. In the end, the starting field position was Den: 30.20, NYG: 21.30 according to StatMaster TJ (Thanks for the aid, Your Dudeness). Seeing that showed why the difference was so stark.

If we look more at the starting field position, we really did get clobbered by BAL and PIT. After that, it was more about errors. Consider our starting field position over the past 5 weeks:

Week 8, Baltimore: 20.55

Week 9, Pittsburgh: 21.64

Week 10, Washington: 27.91

Week 11, San Diego: 29.60

Week 12, New York: 30.20

The Washington game, to me, was a matter of mistakes and the issue of Chris Simms - if we had Orton, I still think that we would have won, even with a poor performance by the D. Our field position was not that bad and we did score well. the lack of defensive discipline may have tipped the game in their favor. SD was a meltdown. Error compounding error, awful work by Simms, who will not return, Orton trying to play lame. We had decent position and lost it anyway.

Yet, with about the same position, we pounded on NYG. The difference was that we put together a comprehensive, complementary football game, with all sections doing "A" work. That's hard to beat. It sounds awfully simplistic, but this time, the solution was simple. Stop making egregious errors that kill drives or sustain the opponents' drives. If a mistake happens, overcome it with better play. Many times, how we responded to errors determined whether or not we won any given battle.

Throwdown, Elvis Style

Daniel Graham wasn't the only Broncos who's been engaged in throwdowns recently: What to make of Elvis Dumervil? With 5 games to go in the season, he's accumulated a career high and NFL-leading 14 sacks. Will the Broncos pay to keep him around? Count on it. I don't know any more than you about how they will deal with the uncapped year and the new CBA beyond that, but Doom will be a Bronco in 2010. Dumervil is already sixth all-time in the NFL in third-down sacks in a season. The record is held by San Francisco's Tim Harris, who had 11 third-down sacks in 1992 and Doom has 5 more games to pad that stat. When he finds the QB on third down, it does more than just give us back the ball. It changes the way the game flows. How will they pay him? Again - that's what Brian Xanders does. I've got a lot of faith in him. Gosh, why do you want a GM with a lot of cap experience? I couldn't believe it when I heard that in the offseason. The cap is a defender who will always be waiting to trip you up, year 'round.

When Doom is getting his sacks on any down the Broncos are almost impossible to beat. That's because when he's bringing the QB down, It also means that everyone else has tied up their guys or is bringing their own pressure. Good as he is, only when the team plays well does he do as well. His numbers are a tribute to Mike Nolan's job and the play of the front 7 in general. It was one of the huge differences in the losses and the wins. The play of the front 7 will always be essential to success.

Very few teams get a weapon like him, someone who can shut down the passing game in the 4th quarter and protect your win. Doom gets his sacks more often than not when the Broncos play aggressive defense, stay in their gaps and collapse the play. Usually, Doom places a move on a lineman while his cohorts are filling the lanes and gaps, giving the QB no place to run. Even though the number of sacks is a tribute to his talent and performance, he's getting there because the players next to him are doing a great job.

It comes up a lot when I talk to other football geeks: Disciplined gap defense wins games. I can't explain why the Broncos started trying to run around their blockers instead of taking them on and defeating them, but that was exactly what happened as they lost and it didn't change until Thursday. By moving back to gap control and discipline, they took on and overpowered blockers and showed the kind of performance that they can be proud of. Brandon Jacobs is a big load at running back but he was held to 27 yards on 11 carries. There were no gaps for him to exploit, leading to gang tackles and short yardage. That's the kind of defense that wins game.

If the Broncos maintain that gap discipline against the weaker KC line and Jamaal Charles they can shut down the run game and force Matt Cassel to beat them. If the secondary plays the kind of vicious, lockdown coverage that they showed last Thursday KC won't be able to keep up.

What else does gap discipline result in? Stopping the run on first and second down leaves a lot of third-and-long plays which plays into the Broncos' aggressive style and leads to chances for Doom and Co.

Rookies

There is a lot of talk about the Broncos' rookies in the game. Some fans are leaping to conclude that X player is or isn't a bust based on the 1st half of the season. That's something of a bizarre idea. Despite fan 'rules' about how anyone taken in the the top 10 or 15, or the 1st round, should be ready to come in and contribute immediately, that's a rare thing in the NFL. What you really hope for is that they find some ways to contribute the first season and that they play well over the course of the rest of their career. Anything else is 'gravy' so to speak.

Josh McDaniels isn't opposed to playing rookies who can contribute immediately, such as Moreno and Alphonso Smith. Even Knowshon has struggled as he has to learn a completely different style of running, reading and executing. From the early results, I suspect that he'll be fine but it's also fair to say that playing running back is less stressful mentally than playing cornerback, as an example. Then you get to the defensive line, where you really hope for a breakout in the player's 3rd or 4th year. Demanding too much from the rookies is a path to problems. Why? Rookies = mistakes.

It's not just in the NFL, either. Regardless of the sport, very few rookies contribute much. There's just too much to learn. Even those who play brilliantly in their first season, rare as they are, often suffer a diminishment in the second season, just as Eddie Royal and Ryan Clady have done. Why? It's a tough, fast, difficult game. Once other teams know what you do and what you struggle with, you're going to see a lot of hard situations that will challenge you in new ways.

This means exactly nothing over the course of the player's career; most players improve during their first few seasons. Much is made of the stat that the average player has about a 4-year career, but that stat takes into account the number of payers who don't stay after a single year. They are the undrafted or the badly drafted, those who just can't make the leap from college to the pros. I've never seen a breakdown of how the average is determined, and I'd like to. Because in general, those who do fairly well during their first year tend to be out there for a long time.

That's what we're going to see from some of our rookies. Knowshon Moreno, Alphonso Smith, Darcel McBath, Robert Ayers and David Bruton have all done some good things during their rookie season. I'm not going to get bent out of shape if they can't suddenly be brilliant - that's a rare thing in the NFL. But I do want to see flashes of why we wanted those men, and I have. The rookies are doing well. Give them time.

I have to note that we saw some fine performances from a lot of our 2009 rookies against New York. The draft class stepped up front and center last Thursday night and the list of contributors is long. Alphonso Smith had a big game - he made a couple of mistakes, but his overall performance was excellent and lends support to his draft status. David Bruton and Knowshon Moreno we've discussed; Bruton was brilliant and Knowshon gets better every game. I went back and saw more of Quinn on ST than I expected to. Robert Ayers also returned to the active roster after a week in which the Broncos believed that Jarvis Moss could contribute more for them; they were playing the odds because SD had troubles with speed rushers, and that fit Moss better than Ayers. Ayers had another good game against NY, though. McBath played well. The team has some great young players and they will contribute for seasons to come.

Knowing Knowshon Moreno

Speaking of great young players, I loved Knowshon Moreno's comments after the Giants game:

"Every week it's gonna be tough. The offensive line opened up those big holes for us and we just ran through them. We all looked out for each other."

Typical Knowshon. No arrogance, no personal preening, just a willingness to share the credit and to accept the blame. Given that he's also reputed to be a delight to coach and a pleasure to have around in the locker room, I'm thrilled that he's going to be a Bronco for a long time. Watching his TD run over and over, each time I'm sure that he'll be stopped short and each time he keeps the legs churning in classic form. He's up for Rookie of the Week again, too. Talented, gutsy player. Great draft choice.

Knowshon has been growing into this role on the team steadily and not that slowly, either. The only thing that has stood between him and a few 100-yard games is the fact that he's being rotated with Buckhalter, a runner whose contribution to the team is just as essential. 'Buck' is teaching Moreno during the week and making him more effective on weekends. Both runners block well and receive well and Buck even had a 41-yard kickoff return in the third quarter. That's exactly what a good team requires. I'd love to see a third back in the rotation, but that hasn't been important so far (knock on wood).

Knowshon's comments also bring out the same thing I mentioned above: The Broncos go as the lines go. When the O-Line is making three errors in the red zone, back-to-back-to-back, we are in serious trouble. When they get it together and blast open those holes, they're tough to stop.

By the way, check this from the denverbroncos.com:

During the last three weeks, rookie RB Knowshon Moreno has totaled the sixth-most rushing yards (265 / 88.3 ypg.) and the third-best yards per rush average (5.6) in the NFL. He leads all league rookies in rushing yards (688) and yards from scrimmage (784) this year.

To that end, I loved seeing Polumbus and Hochstein step up against NY. That's exactly what we need to see from them. Daniel Graham made a few bad errors, but he also blasted linemen and linebackers alike and he deserves a round of applause as well. The Giant's were holding him and trying to apply what looked like takedowns against him by the end of the game - he confounded them in high style. The running game will always be dependent on what happens in the trenches, including the TEs. Always has been, always will. Last week, they were the team that's very hard to beat. They need to take that anger that they seemed to tap into to KC. Decembers there are tough.

By the way, a big thank-you to Spencer Larsen and Tony Scheffler as well for their work against NYG. They each played a role in making this a complete-team win and blocked like demons in the running game. I can't think of a single area where the Broncos didn't dominate. The final stats seemed more respectable due to the vagaries of garbage time, but the fact was that NY was shut down and hammered flat.

Another player that deserves recognition is Wesley Woodyard. Woodyard has struggled recently, as did most of the defense, but he brought back his "A" game for the Giants. He was in the right place at the right time over and again, and even though he's very light as LBs go, he's doing a heck of a job on the nickel defense, hitting and making tackles. Nice going, WW. I hope that his neck injury is short-lived.

Orton and Learning

There's no way to deny it: I've been a Kyle Orton fan ever since I watched a lot of film on the man during the offseason. The more I saw of it, the more I liked him. Now that he's thrown with a brace on a right index finger that was mangled and played hobbled without excuse, he's impressed me. This is the second season in a row that he's played on a bad ankle and never complained; I'm starting to really like the man. He never, ever, blames anyone. He puts it on his own shoulders. If they're successful he talks about wishing that he had a couple back and about how well the team played. If they lose, he states baldly that everyone needs to step up more. There's no finger pointing, no nonsense. No fuss, no tantrums, no excuses. Expect to see a lot of Kyle over the next few years. I'm great with watching Tom Brandstater, by the way. If he can outplay Kyle, more power to him. I expect Brandstater to be 2nd string next season. But Orton? You have to go a long way to find a tougher QB. I love that in any player.

It's also worth noticing that we're starting to see more of the longer passes. Whether that's the playbook opening, players getting to know each other better, or taking what the defense gives us can be debated, but Brandon Marshall on a go route will scare a lot of defensive coordinators. He's not blazing fast but his ability to get to the ball is rare when he's playing like he did on Thursday. Orton said this, yesterday:

"He's the first guy that I've had like this. It's been a change for me in my way of thinking, being able to trust him and give him those chances. He's a phenomenal player, and I don't see too many people when the ball is in the air going out and out-jumping him or being more physical than he is going for the ball. You certainly want to put it in a good spot to give him the best chance go up and make a play."

What that tells me is that the early comments that Orton and the other players needed to get used to each other and the offense were right on, and kudos to the guys that caught it. I'm starting to see the defenses collapsing on the short and mid routes and Marshall taking the go route to counter and I love it. Those fans who called for more longer passes are getting their wishes fulfilled. The NY game showed us that this is still the team that started 6-0. They can win a wild card slot if they continue to play like that as the season winds down.

You can talk 'til Hades is endothermic, but Orton will be our starting QB next year. He will agree to a nice contract that will keep us cap-friendly and will give him a lot of financial security. That's exactly why we brought him in and why we brought Brian Xanders on board.

Orton has also improved every year that he's been in the pros. I'd say that you can look for that to continue, and that he's going to bring the rest of the offense with him. .

For Kicks

Here's a toast to Mitch Berger, the much-maligned punter who took over for the struggling Brett Kern a few weeks past. He managed 3 punts for 145 yards, an average of 48.3 yards per punt. I can't tell you why he seems to be improving, but that kind of performance can't be overstated. The punting game in the previous losses tended to the pattern I talked about earlier. By kicking longer and permitting good hang time, he let the coverage move down the field and do their jobs. They did - and a special thanks to MHR favorite David Bruton, who was tearing up ST on Thursday night. When we talk about young drafted players who are stepping up, I don't hear his name quite often enough. Give him a few years and he's going to be a heck of a safety, too, bringing that same intensity and talent for the big hit. I know that we talk about this safety and that one, and that's understandable. I'd love to have Eric Berry playing for the Broncos. But it's more likely that we won't, and we won't have a big dropoff if Bruton continues to develop the way that he has.

Berger wasn't the only one who knocked the laces off the rock, by the way. Matt Prater had a stellar night, bisecting the uprights on kick after kick and driving his kickoffs far back into the end zone. If they can't run it out, they won't have much of a runback. Domenik Hixon managed just two returns for 20 yards each for NY, while Prater was faultless on 4 field goals, with a long of 47 yards. Contrary to many concerns, he's shown no signs of fading as the season wears on. He won the AFC ST Player of the Week award, and he earned it.

"I think that's the best game I've ever had," said Prater. "It was perfect weather for kicking." Perfect weather for a dominating win, too.

Kansas City Here I Come

Want an unusual stat? Kyle Orton is still one of the best QBs in terms of home record in the past 3 decades. That's a heck of a stat, really, but it's not even the one I'm interested in. What interests me is that he plays even better on the road, whether his team might or not. Orton's home QB rating? 80.3, less than his overall average of 84.1. On the road, Orton is managing an 89.6 QB rating. That's one of the things that gives me a lot of confidence gong into the KC game this week: Orton has actually been better on the road.

KC can be a meat grinder at home - that's worse in December and I'll never discount that. The Steelers took them too lightly and were handed their hats with a defeat that could end up influencing their post-season standing. The Chiefs gave a heck of a tussle to Baltimore and beat the Redskins (who are coming on themselves, you might notice) and the Raiders. They are still a weaker team, but they have some pieces that are starting to fall together and their 3-4 is starting to play well. Jamaal Charles is a great addition to their team and Larry Johnson a great subtraction.

The Broncos will be well rested going into the game and they will have some extra time to gameplan. My sole concern is whether this squad is ready to keep on being angry and aggressive. If that happens, I believe that we'll have an eighth victory to celebrate, moving into the game against Indianapolis, but I expect this one to be hard-fought.

One thing I like about KC: Matt Cassel. I like the fact that he's working hard, making improvements, and that he's able to score some points if you give him some time. KC still doesn't have that great an offensive line and frankly, I'm shocked that the Steelers gave them so much time to throw -- it's not a mistake that Denver can afford to emulate. I'm glad that PIT did, though. It gives us a clear picture of what happens when you don't bring the intensity that the NFL requires to a game. My question is whether the Broncos can bring the kind of pressure that has won us some games. If so, we'll probably take this one.

There's a certain glow to a long week off after an excellent home win. Now, let's take it on the road...

Go Broncos!

Arizona Cardinals Power Rankings Round Up: Week 12

Andrew602 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:54:08 -0000

The power rankings from around the web are in and as you can probably imagine, the Cardinals have slipped a bit. After recording their season low in power rankings last week(7.0), they now average out the week at 9.8. Do the Cardinals have what it takes to beat the Vikings on Sunday night to boost their rankings next week?

ESPN - 8th

Matt Leinart played pretty well against the Titans, but the Cardinals need Kurt Warner back ASAP. (Sando)

Yahoo - 7th

If Kurt Warner's light sensitivity persists, should Cardinals fans cover their eyes next Sunday night against the Vikings?

FOX - 11th

Take away a kickoff return TD against the Titans, and the high-powered Cardinals offense has scored 10 points in six quarters with Matt Leinart at quarterback. Get well, Mr. Warner.

NFL - 10th

Pro Football Weekly - 9th

Darnell Dockett's huge game overshadowed.

\What If Sports - 13th

Sporting News - 9th

QB Kurt Warner remains their offensive catalyst; they need him back to wrap up NFC West.

CBS - 11th

The division race tightened up with that loss to the Titans, and now they have a huge game with the Vikings. They have to be careful of San Francisco creeping back into it.

NFL Fanhouse - 11th

It could be easy to freak out over the last-second Titans win on Sunday, but everyone knows that Matt Leinart can't beat Vince Young! COME ON. No, seriously, Kurt Warner should be fine and Leinart actually looks, um, er, not as bad as Chris Simms? (What? It counts as a compliment. Kind of.) Anyway, they should still be on cruise control; even presuming they lose to Minny next week, worst case is it all comes down to their matchup against the Niners in two weeks.

Week 11 Review. Chargers at Denver Broncos. Final: 32-3 Chargers

Jeff (sliderockmpc) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:21 -0000

By forcing timely turnovers on defense, managing the game on offense, and taking advantage of John McDaniels' desperation, the Chargers grind the Broncos into the ground and reclaim 1st place in the AFC West.

Chargers vs Broncos boxscore

Not counting lat year's regular season finale, could a regular season game have more at stake?

Denver, desperate to maintain control of the division and stave off collapse.

San Diego, on a 4 game winning streak and playing their best football of the year.

When you factor in earlier losses in the day by Baltimore and Pittsburgh, with Cincinnati pulling off a monumental choke against the Raiders later, the winner would not only have control of the division, but would also find itself in good position to chase a high playoff seed.

In a span of 5 games, the Chargers have gone from teetering on the edge of collapse to contending for a 1st round bye in the playoffs. No team in the league plays better with their backs against the wall than the San Diego Chargers. Crow has never tasted so sweet.

Aided for the 3rd straight week by an opponent's poor decision making (Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels this week), the Chargers controlled this game from start to finish, and now find themselves in position to make a run for the #2 seed in the AFC. Grades are below the jump...

Quarterbacks: A-

Similar to the Eagles game, Philip Rivers was not asked to carry the offense, rather, his job was to manage the game and protect the football. In a surprise, Denver elected not to blitz Rivers the way they did in San Diego - Rivers responded by keeping the offense on schedule, converting pass plays to keep the chains moving. During the 1st half and into the 2nd half, Rivers converted 12 consecutive pass attempts. None of his throws were close to being intercepted. Only 2 plays could have been better, he missed WR Vincent Jackson on a go route against Champ Bailey in the 3rd quarter, later on the same drive, he missed FB Jacob Hester on a flat route that would have given the Chargers a 1st and goal. In reality, neither miss hurt the Chargers, as the score was 20-3 and the game was all but over.

Running Backs: A-

On the first drive, and later in the 2nd half, LaDainian Tomlinson was more than effective running the ball. Several of his carries went for more than 5 yards, and his effectiveness increased as the game continued. He finished with 20 carries for 73 yards and a TD. Darren Sproles again had limited opportunities, and really didn't capitalize on any of them, as the Chargers were unable to get him the ball in space. The surprise here, was the play of FBs Mike Tolbert and Jacob Hester, who chewed Denver's defense to shreds in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Tolbert finished with 58 yards on 7 carries and a TD, while Hester chipped in with 46 yards on 7 carries. Denver chose not to blitz for most of the game, and blitz pickup by the RBs was not much of a factor. The group contributed 203 yards rushing.

Wide Receivers: A-

For the 2nd straight week, the Chargers were limited in their opportunities to attack downfield. However, the receivers as a group were more than effective in the short and intermediate zones. Further, the essential component of a ball control passing game is that the receivers make the catch when the opportunity is presented. Jackson contributed 56 yards on 4 catches, one of which was a great play on a back shoulder fade route. Floyd was huge, converting 1st downs on all 4 of his catches. WR Legedu Naanee contributed 1 reception for the opening TD, a terrific stop and go quick post for 2 yards. TE Antonio Gates also contributed 3 catches for 41 yards. None of the receivers were guilty of a dropped pass.

Offensive Line: A+

Hands down, the best the offensive line has played this entire season. No sacks allowed, 43 rushes for 203 yards, and almost 38 minutes in time of possession. While the running game didn't jell early on, the Chargers front wore the Broncos defense down as the game went on. Denver DE/OLB Elvis Dumervil, who terrorized the Chargers in October, was a total non-factor. RG Louis Vasquez is making noticeable progress from week to week, while the overall play of LT Marcus McNeill, and LG Kris Dielman has improved. C Scott Mruczkowski has become at least an adequate replacement for Nick Harwick. The only negative was the loss of RT Jeromey Clary for the rest of the season due to a severe ankle injury. As of this writing, the Chargers have signed veteran RT Jon Runyan - hopefully he has 9-10 games left in the tank.

Defensive Line: B

Denver's best success in this game was running the ball, and there were stretches when Denver's offensive line blew the Chargers off the ball. An early injury to Luis Castillo further diminished their effectiveness. In the 1st quarter, however, Castillo was terrific in occupying the right side of Denver's offensive line, which allowed OLB Shaun Phillips to attack Denver QB Chris Simms from the blind side. Overall, the defensive line managed to open lanes for blitzing linebackers, and push the pocket a bit. DT Ian Scott and DE Jacques Cesaire combined for 4 tackles.

Linebackers: B+

Early in the game, Shaun Phillips made the biggest play of the game, hitting Simms from the blind side and forcing a fumble that killed Denver's opening drive. Phillips was so effective in rattling Simms that Josh McDaniels pulled Simms after three possessions. ILB Kevin Burnett played a marvelous game, contributing 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 tackles for losses. Burnett was also good in coverage ILBs Stephen Cooper, Tim Dobbins, and Brandon Siler all played well, contributing 7 tackles. OLBs Shawne Merriman and Larry English were handled by Denver's terrific LT Ryan Clady.

Secondary: A-

CBs Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie closed down the perimeter of the field for the entire game, limiting Denver WRs Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall to a combined total of 55 yards on 7 catches. Cromartie added a crucial INT at the end of the 1st half to ensure Denver went to the locker room without points or momentum. Nickel DB Steve Gregory was targeted throughout the game. He had a few mistakes, but they were offset by recovering 2 key fumbles to kill Denver scoring opportunities in the 1st half, as well as 3 passes defensed (a couple of these were near interceptions). FS Eric Weddle contributed 6 tackles, one of which kept Denver RB Knowshon Moreno from scoring a 3rd quarter TD. As a group, they also took away Chargers' killer TE Tony Scheffler, holding him to 1 catch for 12 yards. Safties Paul Oliver and Kevin Ellison also played well.

Special Teams: B+

Frankly, the only knock on this group was allowing a late XP attempt to be blocked. Otherwise, this group was excellent. P Mike Scifres only punted 3 times for a 44 yard average, while K Nate Kaeding converted on FG attempts of 28, 47, 28 and 19 yards. The real improvement was in coverage, where coverage teams maintained lane control and prevented Eddie Royal from breaking any long returns. On kickoffs, Kaeding was aided by three unsportsmanlike penalties which pushed his kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 45. Special credit goes to Legedu Naanee for recovering Denver's onside kick attempt, which resulted in a short field and led to the Chargers' decisive TD drive.

Coaching: A+

Norv Turner continues to pass to set-up the run. In this game the strategy worked to near perfection. Turner also emptied the playbook, continuing to make limited use of the Wildcat and adding a flea-flicker for good measure. Since Denver elected not to blitz, he merely took what Denver gave him. Also, it must be said that Turner schooled McDaniels on the concept of calculated risk. Turner called for the Wildcat plays as well as the flea-flicker, plays that had huge upside with limited downside. Contrast this with McDaniels' call for the onside kick, still trailing by 10 points, not to mention playing injured QB Kyle Orton through the 2nd half - even after the outcome had been decided. Defensively, Ron Rivera attacked the hell out of the right side of Denver's offensive line. The combination of attacking opposite Ryan Clady, as well as Simms' blind side put the Broncos' offense in a funk it never really worked out of. As the game wore on, Rivera allowed Denver to take nickel and dime throws which ate the clock. After being badly outcoached by McDaniels and Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan in the first meeting, this role reversal was quite welcome.

Hidden Plays (Non scoring, non-turnover plays that directly affected the outcome):

Josh McDaniels' failed onside kick conveyed the desperation on the Broncos' sideline - consequently, the TD drive San Diego started following the recovery all but killed Denver's chances for a comeback.
In the 3rd quarter, on 3rd-and-Goal, Shawne Merriman hit QB Kyle Orton below the knees, but was not called for roughing the passer. This forced Denver to kick a FG, instead of having 1st down inside the Chargers' 5-yard line.
Trailing 10-0, Denver draws a defensive holding call against Quentin Jammer, but the penalty is nullified by a holding penalty on Ryan Clady. Denver fails to convert on the repeated 3rd and 11 from their own 19 yard line.
On Kaeding's 1st FG attempt, Denver DT Marcus Thomas is flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. As a result, Kaeding kicks off from his own 45-yard line, guaranteeing bad field position for Denver's next drive, already trailing 10-0.
Eric Weddle's TD-saving tackle on Knowshon Moreno in the 3rd quarter eventually leads to Denver kicking a FG.

Biggest Positives:

Defense kept Denver from scoring TDs on all 4 of their redzone opportunities.
Chargers' offensive line kept Rivers clean and took control of the game in the 2nd half.
Improved kick and punt coverage by the Special Teams.
Norv Turner turning the tables on Josh McDaniels - Turner was terrific in his calculated risks, while McDaniels was excessive and desperate.
Virtually eliminating TE for the first time in recent memory.

Biggest Areas of Concern:

Run defense continues to be an issue.
Offense only converted 3 TDs on 6 trips inside the redzone. This allowed Denver to hang around much longer than was necessary.
Slot receiver coverage was marginally improved, but is still a liability.

Looking ahead to:

Watching the Chargers play in person for the 1st time since watching them play at Lambeau Field in 2007, and the 1st time at Qualcomm since That Game (January 14, 2007). I will get to see the Chargers honor their 50th Anniversary team and continue their push for a 1st round bye against Kansas City. It may actually help the Chargers that Kansas City beat the Steelers last Sunday - this should help prevent the Chargers from taking the Chiefs too lightly.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:20 -0000

Happy Tuesday, friends. It's a short week, with another game on Thursday night, so there's no time to mope or feel sorry for ourselves. In their scheduling wisdom, the NFL took away our right to do so - and I, for one, am glad. The Giants can be beaten, with sound play, but we'll get to that eventually. For now we'll put this week to bed and move on quickly. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. I am approaching one full year as a staff contributor to MHR, having joined at the beginning of December 2008. It's been quite an interesting year, and my relationship to the team has kind of changed in an unexpected way during that time.

I first discovered MHR in April 2008, right before the draft. It, and SBNation, have come a long way since then, but the basics were the same; MHR is a respectful, knowledgeable community which discussed all things about their team. I was inspired to join such a community, and I started posting some FanPosts (which were still called Diaries only a year and a half ago).

Unlike a lot of staff members, I wasn't asked to fill a specific role, so I had to figure out what mine would be. I had always done some around the league stuff, but I wanted to find a delivery formula that would work well on a Broncos site. I debuted ST&NO on January 12, 2009, with the following opening:

As we enter the re-loading season, I felt like I needed to establish a fun new recurring feature. HT has MHR University, and Broncobear has the always excellent Tales from the Sunny Side. Styg is heading up some great draft coverage, which has a fun name, which you'll be hearing about very soon. Nick has some statistical analysis pieces which will be coming, and Zappa will continue to be Zappa, intermittently unleashing jolts of Broncos fan brilliance. And the Guru, when we form like Voltron, the Guru is the head.

So where does that leave me? Well, I was thinking a couple days ago, as I listened to Enter The Wu-Tang and shoveled a foot of snow, that two things I can consistently provide are shallow thoughts, and nearsighted observations. Since this is a Broncos blog, I'll focus on our team, but I'll also include some league-wide thoughts, for keeping-up-with- the-Jones purposes. Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. What else could be needed on top of that? Maybe just some more cowbell.... Did anybody bring a cowbell?

Well, ST&NO has grown, and I have too. As I was sitting on my couch Sunday, watching the debacle against the Chargers, I realized that I wasn't yelling and cursing as much as normal. I didn't get that excited, and I have to say, upon some reflection, that I have been less excitable about the Broncos this season than ever. For the first 6 games, I had a hard time finding new ways to express my pleasure with the situation, and for the last 4, I have had trouble doing the opposite thing.

All I can figure is that my role in writing for this site has subtly and gradually forced me to become more of an objective analyst, and less of a passionate fan. I think the change largely has to do with my relationship with and attitude toward reporters.

I like to beat up on NFL reporters, because I think that most of them only have a surface-level knowledge of what is going on in a football game. The Broncos have a couple of good reporters, in Lindsay Jones and Jeff Legwold, and I never take any shots at them. I actually have tended toward staying away from taking deserved shots at the Denver-area Woody Paige bloviator class, because I don't want to spend the site's goodwill with the Denver media; it's John's to spend, not mine, after all. (Woody going after Kyle at BroncoTalk made me briefly lift my moratorium in the comments section of Horse Tracks the other day.)

Here's a summary of my general attitude toward football reporting. I think there is relatively little value in the reporting of news, at the national level. When Lindsay Jones reports on what happened at the facility every day, there is value in that. When Chris Mortensen hears 10 minutes before Jay Glazer that Chris Simms will start, who cares? Everybody was going to find out soon enough anyway, so what's the difference who had it first?

The real value, to me, is in the analysis, which is why I devote my time and effort to being a good analyst. While I am not a journalist, I do admire the journalistic principle of objectivity, and I think that in reconciling my criticism of national NFL reporters with my long-held policy of non-hypocrisy, I have become more objective. If I am going to beat them up for not knowing the technical aspects of the game as well as me, I can't be less objective than them. Something like that.

I remember last spring sitting in a bar with some co-workers for a happy hour, and seeing Woody's face come on Around The Horn. I told this girl I work with, Trudy, that I competed with him in the marketplace of ideas, and that I kicked his butt, on the merits. Well, I really don't think of Woody as my competition anymore, for a lot of obvious reasons. (Like, for example, he can't compete with me.) Due to the established nature of my content, I feel like I am competing with national guys, like Peter King and Gregg Easterbrook, even if this platform is Broncos-specific.

So, the point of this is that I was struggling with what to say in a general way about Sunday's game, when I don't have the deep feelings that most of you do, and that I would have had a year ago. I feel like I imagine Tom Jackson to feel; I'm very disappointed at the result for my affiliated team, but at the end of the day, I have the rest of the football landscape to worry about, too, and I have to get on with the business of being an objective analyst. I am still coming to grips with this change, and I am not really sure what the ancillary implications are for me. This may be one of these existential crises like we're seeing with Team Edward or Team Jacob. (I have a lot of 20-something women among my Facebook friends, so, trust me, I know.) See here for a funny breakdown of that Twilight sitch-ee-ation.

(Big up my man Justin Dazet for finding that. Justin writes a blog that gets into gaming and other stuff, and a San Diego area column on Geek Culture. Check him out if you're into that sort of thing.)

Momentarily, I will get back to the business of breaking down the game details, like I always do, but I thought I should at least explain why there was no impassioned, emotional screed today about the Broncos.

2. Information From My Eyes - Chargers at Broncos

a. First things first. I am going to tell you why Kyle Orton didn't start the game. He couldn't take snaps from under center and drop back effectively. It's that simple. The injury that he has prevented it. If you can only play in the shotgun, your running game is severely limited, from the perspective of the direction you can run. Josh McDaniels said this without really getting detailed, but this is what he meant.

Orton took a few snaps under center, but he really labored with his footwork, and it hindered the timing of the running game, and the Broncos could only really run to the A and B gaps. When the QB is playing slow, it makes the whole offense play slow, unfortunately.

b. The Broncos came out running the ball like they meant business. They could do that with Chris Simms under center, but Simms obviously never held his end of the bargain as a passer. When Orton came into the game, it wasn't conducive to running the ball, and neither was Orton's ability to retreat from center.

c. Knowshon Moreno scored a Touchdown, and ~~Ron~~ Nuclear Winter's crew blew the call. When I saw who the referee was, right after kickoff, I tweeted;

I am sure Moreno's play was a TD by virtue of relative positioning. To wit, Russ Hochstein's knee was across the goal line, and if his knee caused the fumble, which it clearly did, then the ball had to be across the goal line. That play was an absolute killer, because with a TD at the end of the half, the Broncos are right back in the game at 13-7. The energy of the game had momentarily shifted to the Broncos, and just like that, it was gone.

d. I was very disappointed with the defensive scheme, as I have been the last several weeks. The Broncos have really changed from an aggressive defense to one which is reading and reacting, and I don't like it at all. In the game at San Diego, the Broncos had great success pressuring the A gaps, and I saw very little effort to do that Sunday. They also got Elvis Dumervil in favorable matchups against the terrible Jeromey Clary, and again, there was none of that. Clary was even injured, and they didn't seem like they wanted to go after him. The Broncos need to get back to what made them tough on defense.

e. A little noticed good thing about Sunday was kickoff and punt coverage. The Broncos never let Darren Sproles hurt them in the return game, and both Josh Barrett and David Bruton made outstanding plays in downfield coverage.

f. The Chargers defensive backs got away with playing through the bodies of Denver receivers several times. The Broncos were a lot sloppier than San Diego, but not to the point where the penalty disparity should have been as wide as it was. It seems to me that teams which have "physical" labels like San Diego, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore get away with mugging a lot of WRs, and not just with crappy officiating crews like Nuclear Winter. It's like how you might call a foul playing an indoor basketball game at the Y, but you wouldn't call the same thing playing streetball.

g. Speaking of penalties, I want to know what the unsportsmanlike conduct was against Marcus Thomas and Ronald Fields on those two kicking plays. It seemed to me that they just hit the long snapper, though it was hard to tell from the TV angles on the recorded Short Cut. Those seemed like Nuclear Winter ticky-tack calls.

h. Andre' Goodman had a hard time dealing with the size of Malcolm Floyd on Sunday. Chris Chambers has done very well in Kansas City, but Floyd is a much tougher matchup for a guy like Goodman.

i. I put a great deal of the Broncos' recent offensive struggles on the absence of Ryan Harris. They haven't been able to protect nearly as well as they did in the first six games. That's not exactly meant to be an indictment of Tyler Polumbus, who is fine as a backup OT and special teams player. It's just recognizing the fact that Harris is one of the best RTs in the game. The timing of the offensive struggles aren't coincidental. It looks like Harris is still hurt, but let's hope he can play on the other side of the Giants game.

j. Again, the gap discipline took a vacation in the second half of the football game. Peter King thinks the defense of the first six games was a mirage, which is dramatically oversimplifying the case. They have still been quick and active for big stretches during the losing streak. It's just been less common to see them sustain it for 60 minutes lately. D.J. Williams (again) and Andra Davis both had pretty bad days in the gap discipline department.

k. I was fine with the onsides kick call, even if it didn't work. It was a good situation for it, because the Broncos were going to lose anyway without a big play.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other Games

a. Again, Thursday seems like it was a long time ago. I was very impressed with the play of Ricky Williams in the absence of Ronnie Brown. I haven't liked the play of Williams so much, maybe ever. The Dolphins didn't do much of their Wild Cute Marine Mammal stuff, but they ran very well from traditional formations, against a Carolina defense which is usually stout against the run. The direct snap stuff is good because of Brown, who has a rare instinctiveness for the options it provides. The Dolphins were smart to go back to the handoff game with Williams.

b. I still don't like Chad Henne's tattoo, but he had a very steady game. He's improving as a player every week, and I give the Dolphins a lot of credit for taking it slow with him, and developing him in an intelligent way. Tony Sparano doesn't receive a lot of acclaim, but I have been very impressed with the coaching job his staff has done for two years now.

c. The Dolphins have started ST&NO Favorite Sean Smith at RCB all season, and are now starting Vontae Davis at LCB. They have done a great job, and they really more than held their own against Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith last Thursday. Both guys are very talented, but again, it's a testament to the coaching they are getting from Todd Bowles, the Dolphins Assistant Head Coach and Secondary coach. I fully expect Bowles to get a head coaching job this offseason, even though nobody in the reporter-o-sphere is talking about him.

d. I criticized Joey Porter's play last week, but the benching seems to have motivated him. He was dominant, with two sacks and two other tackles for losses. It helped that Jordan Gross was hurt, but Porter looked much better than I have seen him this season, regardless of the matchup.

e. I watched a great deal of the Green Bay-San Francisco game, and I came away thinking that Aaron Rodgers has it better than Alex Smith from a protection standpoint, which isn't saying much at all, obviously. San Francisco has a pretty good LT in Joe Staley, but he's been hurt for a few weeks now. Smith couldn't do anything at all for most of the game Sunday, because he was getting hit the second he got to the top of his drops.

In the second half, with the score getting lopsided, the Niners smartened up and just put Smith in the shotgun, where he is most comfortable. He responded with 3 TD passes and made the game look like it was closer than it was. I continue to think that Smith is more than good enough to win with, if he gets protection. When you evaluate what he does in a vacuum, he's doing the right things way more often than not.

f. I have heard a lot of criticism of Aaron Rodgers lately, but he continues to look like a top-notch passer to me. He is gaining 8.2 yards per pass attempt, with 19 TDs and 5 INTs this season. He has also run for more yards than any QB in the NFL, and 3 TDs. I also tend to think you have to evaluate Rodgers in a vacuum, and other than holding the ball a little too long sometimes, he doesn't do much wrong. The last couple weeks, he's been getting the ball out quicker, too.

g. The loss of Al Harris is really going to hurt the Packers badly. It severely limits their ability to use Charles Woodson in the wide variety of roles that they liked to use him in. Woodson has often covered TEs and is a great blitzer. He's played as well as any defensive player in the NFL this season, and now the Packers may need to use him more on the outside.

I actually think the loss of Aaron Kampman is pretty negligible for them, despite his big name. He hasn't adjusted well to playing OLB, and his tallness has hurt him. By coming from a standup position, Kampman hasn't gotten the leverage he used to play with. He needs to move on to a 4-3 team where he can play on the strongside again. He's about the best in the NFL at that, after Mario Williams.

h. I can't believe the Jaguars are 6-4, but they are. When they win, they have been getting good play from David Garrard and Mike Sims-Walker, which they did on Sunday against Buffalo. Garrard is an interesting guy, because he seems young, but he isn't. He's actually 31, and he's probably reached the prime of his career. He's good enough to take a team to the playoffs, obviously, but do you build around him? I kind of feel the same way about Garrard as I did about Jake Plummer at the end of 2005, though I think Garrard is a little better player than Plummer was.

i. A guy who has been an outstanding player for a few years, without getting any credit, is Kyle Williams for the Bills. He was dominant on Sunday. Williams is kind of a short, stout DT, who does a great job getting penetration from a 3-technique position. He's never been a big sack guy, but his ability to shoot gaps has disrupted a lot of running games.

j. It's funny how many ST&NO favorites become really good players in the NFL. Percy Harvin hasn't gotten a lot of credit, because the media is busy loving on Brett Favre, but he's become a good NFL receiver quickly. A lot of Mel Kiper's said Harvin didn't run a lot of routes at Florida, but he was always open when he did. It was clear to me that he'd be able to separate with quickness as he learned NFL technique. His technique is improving quickly, and he's a handful. Along with Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, he's part of a really dangerous receiving corps. I can't think of a lot of groups I'd take over them, actually.

k. Joseph Addai has never been a favorite of mine, but he's playing better than ever lately. I still think that Donald Brown is going to be the better player, but Addai seems to have found some confidence and toughness that I never perceived in him.

l. The AFC has had a lot of outstanding safety play this season, but if I had to pick two starters for the Pro Bowl, they'd be Melvin Bullitt and Bernard Pollard. Bullitt got some notice for stopping the 4th and 2 last week, but he has been terrific in replacing Bob Sanders. Tampa 2-teams need a quick safety who can get from a cover-2 shell to the box very quickly, and Bullitt has done it as well as Sanders ever did.

Pollard was cut by Kansas City, and I just didn't get it. Maybe Scott Pioli was paying him back for last season's hit on Tom Brady? Pollard has been spectacular at times for the Texans, and has really been the star on the back end that they've never had. (No, Dunta Robinson is not a star; he's only paid like one.)

Brian Dawkins, Ed Reed, Jairus Byrd, Antoine Bethea, Kerry Rhodes, Brandon Meriweather, and Reggie Nelson would be battling it out for the last Pro Bowl spot, but I am sure about the top 2, as of today.

m. Laurence Maroney is doing a decent job of re-establishing his reputation as a solid RB. He has had the knock of not being particularly tough, kind of like Addai, but Maroney has been picking up a lot of tough yards lately. Take away the goal-line fumble against he Colts, and he's been really good.

n. Mark Sanchez looked confused almost the whole game on Sunday, against a New England team that knows how to confuse a QB. Sanchez is a classic example of what happens when teams get some film on you and know what you're going to do. I don't think it's time to bench him, like the average Peter King is calling for, but it would definitely behoove the Jets to figure out what Sanchez is comfortable doing, and sticking to only that stuff.

o. I can tell you right now, the Lions had a fantastic draft in 2009. Matthew Stafford, Brandon Pettigrew, and Louis Delmas all look like future Pro Bowlers. MHR favorite Sammie Lee Hill has been a solid starter at DT, and DeAndre Levy has been solid starting at WLB, since Ernie Sims as lost for the season, too. The guy I might like best, actually, is sixth-rounder Aaron Brown, a RB from TCU. He caught a TD pass on Sunday, but where he looked really dangerous was on kickoff returns. He's very explosive looking. I think Derrick Williams will eventually be a useful player too, and that makes 7 hits in one draft class. It's exactly the kind of performance that their opponents from Sunday (the Browns) need.

p. Speaking of he Browns, I have some thoughts. It sucks to lose like that, on an untimed down, but if I was a Browns fan, I would feel a lot better than I did a week ago. Brady Quinn had his best day as a pro, with 4 TD passes, and a 5th one dropped. Sure, he wasn't pressured a lot, when Detroit didn't blitz, but he looked like he was in command, and the offensive game plan looked like Brian Daboll trusted Quinn, finally. Mohamed Massaquoi and Chansi Stuckey did a very nice job making plays down the field.

I mentioned that the Browns need a good draft; they have 11 picks as of right now, and they need to hit on the majority of them. If I were their new football czar, I wouldn't draft a QB in the first round. I would give Quinn a full year with better talent (and coaching), and see what I have. My target would be Russell Okung, an OT from Oklahoma State, who I'd play on the right side. The Browns' current right side is flat-out awful. I'd be bringing in 2 good RBs, since they have zero right now. They need a Correll Buckhalter-type of free agent, and a second-round pick like a Jonathan Dwyer from Georgia Tech. One of their 3rd-round picks would go for a TE who can catch, like Ed Dickson from Oregon. With 2 new RBs, a TE, and a RT, all of a sudden, you have a solid group of players on offense.

Offense has to be the priority, because their 5 TDs on Sunday matched their previous total in 9 games. They aren't really that far away from being league-average, and I only used 3 of 11 picks in this hypothetical situation. The Browns could be 8-8 or 9-7 next season, if they make the most of their offseason opportunities. I can see it now; Todd Bowles wins coach of the year for them, after going from 2-14 to 9-7.

q. The Texans just continue to lose heartbreakers. Matt Schaub made plays, again, and gave his team a chance to win, again. And then Kris Brown blew it, again. I feel really bad for guys like Schaub, Andre Johnson and Mario Williams, who bring it every week. I'd hate to see these circumstances cost Gary Kubiak his job, but they just might.

r. I was going to talk about how everybody needs to slow down on the Vince Young hype train, but he justified the hype Monday night. Repeatedly, he picked up 3rd downs with his legs, and his throwing was pretty good too. He particularly threw a pretty ball that Nate Washington didn't come down with. He looked like he did at the University of Texas. You heard it here first; the Titans are going to beat San Diego by 2 TDs in a few weeks.

s. Trent Dilfer is a really terrible analyst, and I don't get the Steve Levy and Matt Winer combination with him. Usually, there's one anchor type to serve up softballs to the analyst. It's a weird setup. Back to Dilfer, I think the guy is just about always wrong.

t. Right after I typed that, ESPN went back to the Stuart Scott-Matt Millen-Steve Young set, and they proceeded to blame Matt Schaub for Kris Brown's missed field goal. Epic FAIL. All the guy could do was what he did. He moved his team down the field in 45 seconds, and set them up with a shot at a makeable kick. How in the world does that fall on the QB that they lost the game? That is just too idiotic for words

4. As promised, here is the rationale for why the Broncos can win on Thursday night. The Giants are extremely susceptible to getting beaten down the field, since they lost their starting Free Safety, Kenny Phillips. They are getting Aaron Ross back into the swing of things at CB, but he hadn't played all season, prior to this past Sunday.

With their shakiness on the back end, the Giants have blitzed a bit less than in past years, particularly in the A gaps. Tyler Polumbus will need some help on Justin Tuck, when they're matched up, but I expect the Broncos to be able to protect Kyle Orton reasonably well.

The Giants, meanwhile, aren't getting much from their running game lately. I also believe that their WRs don't pose a huge threat against Champ Bailey and Andre' Goodman. David Diehl will almost certainly struggle against Elvis Dumervil, because he's a natural LG playing LT. I feel pretty good about the defensive matchup, really.

This game is no lock, obviously, but it's one which the Broncos can win if they execute, stop taking bad penalties, and take care of the football. John Bena had it exactly right Sunday night. The Broncos can't beat good teams if they make mistakes, and the Giants are a good team. A victory is very plausible, though, if they do what they need to do.

5. I have cited several reasons lately for cutting ST&NO a little short, and I have another one. I got a bit sidetracked from writing, because of some big news in my family, which led to some calling, texting, and emailing, but not much writing.

On Monday night, my brother Chris911's wife Ana gave birth to their first child, Elizabeth Danielle Bartlett, at 7:36 Pacific Time, in Los Angeles, CA. Elizabeth weighed 5 pounds, 12.5 ounces, and was 17 1/4 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well. It occurred to me that I was in a good position to write the first birth announcement. Please join me in congratulating Chris and Ana on the birth of the newest little Broncos fan.

Since I am decidedly not in the having kids business, I took some time to live vicariously through them, and try to feel their excitement. Now, I am going to get back to living vicariously though myself, though. Y'all know how I do...

6. I am hitting the road for Connecticut on Tuesday, right after this story posts, to go eat some turkey, take a hellified tryptophan nap, and find a bar with NFL Network. My main reason for going, though, is to play in the 38th Annual Erb-Orsini Bowl in my hometown of Norwich, CT. I am only 32, so it predates me, but I have played in a number of them over the years. I said I would try to go back east for it last year, but it was snowing all across Pennsylvania, and I decided at the last minute to stay in Cleveland. I wasn't feeling 600 miles of driving in snow. This year, I wanted to show up and play, and the weather is cooperative. I have too much work to do to take the time, but I am going to work on Wednesday from a Tim Horton's restaurant.

The Erb-Orsini Bowl is a touch game, but it's been pretty physical and competitive in the past. The picture below is from the 2004 game. I am on the left. On the right is my brother John. He laid out for a pass early in the game, and was shaken up. His shoulder hurt, and he said that he didn't want to catch any more passes, and that he'd just stay in and pass-block, so he did just that. Thirty-six hours later, after not saying anything more about the topic, he decided to go to the hospital. Turned out, he had broken his shoulder. It's kind of the Bartlett way to suffer in silence, really, which is owed to being half Irish.

The keeper of the flame is the guy in the midde, my long-time friend Tony Orsini. Tony, as it happens, is a huge Giants fan. He's such a huge fan, actually, that he and his dad spent thousands of dollars to go to Arizona and get tickets for Super Bowl XLII against the mighty Patriots. Against that 16-0 team, i would have never spent that kind of coin, but he did, and he was rewarded. (To me, when I heard about it, it sounded like that time in 7th grade when I bet Pete Lacombe 5 bucks that Denver would beat San Francisco, straight-up, in Super Bowl XXIV, even though my allowance was $2 per week at that time. That was an all-time dumb call.)

On Thursday morning, I am hoping for a good Erb-Orsini Bowl, where I make some big plays, and on Thursday night, for our Broncos to beat Tony's Giants. Do any of y'all have good Turkey Bowls to play in? Let's hear some tangential Thanksgiving football stories. You might as well get with me on this meandering, because you never know where we might end up when the carousel stops.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. The Buffalo coaching search is interesting. We know they've reached out to Mike Shanahan, and word materialized Monday night/Tuesday morning that Bill Cowher was contacted, and that he declined to be considered. Ralph Wilson is 91, and he wants to win now. Unfortunately for Buffalo, he is relatively cash-poor, and the team probably doesn't stay in his family when he dies, due to estate taxation. If it leaves his family, it almost certainly leaves Buffalo, which is a rapidly declining city.

If I were a coach looking for work, I would consider Buffalo unattractive for those reasons, as well as for the fact that they don't have a QB or any real quality on the O-Line. They have 2 good RBs, the fantastic Lee Evans, some good CBs and a good young safety in Jairus Byrd and pass rusher in Aaron Maybin. Paul Posluszny is solid, and Kyle Williams is very good, as I mentioned. The cupboard is not totally empty talent-wise, but it's a serious personnel challenge in a boring, economically depressed cold-weather town. The only thing they have on Cleveland, in terms of attracting free agents, is marginally better-looking uniforms. I expect that the Bills end up hiring a first time Head Coach, after being spurned by Shanahan and others.

That's all I have for this week, friends. I am off to get on the road for the East Coast. I won't see any comments until 10 or 11 hours from now, but I will check them out when I get where I am going, and will answer the ones that need answering. Have a great week, a great holiday, and a great Football Thursday. Go Broncos!

Horse Tracks 11/24/09 - Dawkins projected as questionable for Thursday night; McBath would start in his place

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:41:16 -0000

DB - Weekly Press Release - Patrick Smyth

DPP - It's time for Broncos to prove critics wrong - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Light day of work designed to help players recover - Lindsay Jones & Jeff Legwold
"With quarterback Kyle Orton (ankle) healthy enough to play, the injured player of note this week is safety Brian Dawkins, who left the game against the Chargers in the second quarter...Dawkins likely will be listed as questionable against the Giants. Rookie Darcel McBath, a second-round draft pick from Texas Tech, would start at safety with Hill if Dawkins is unable to play Thursday."

DPP - Offense at top of Broncos' fix-it list - Mike Klis

DPP - Analysis: When push comes to shove, Marshall wrong - Mike Klis

DPP - Q&A: Back off on playing Brandstater so soon - Jeff Legwold

DP - Broncos Mailbag: What happened to this team? - Mike Klis

LTC - No denying it: Denver’s in dire straits - Brian Howell

DP - Broncos still mixing in zone blocking - Jeff Legwold

CSG - Broncos look to quickly regroup - Frank Schwab

DPP - Spotlight on Broncos DT Marcus Thomas - Lindsay Jones

DB - The Morning After: Week 11 - Chris Gentilviso

DB - Turnovers, Penalties, Make for Tough Day - Mark Cooper

CBS4 - Elway Sounds Off On Broncos Decision To Bench Chris Simms - Jesse Sarles

KDVR - Broncos bomb; Raiders, Chiefs surprise - Chris Tanaka

DP - Miracles happened in Keyworth's career - Irv Moss

Giants News

NYT - Under Josh McDaniels, Broncos Are Always Brash - Joe LaPointe

FH - Return to Denver Stirs Powerful Emotions, Memories for Giants' Veteran - Thomas George

NYDN - With Manning stepping up, Giants defense must take game to next level on Thanksgiving - Tim Smith

NYDN - Giants face Broncos on Thanksgiving, hope defense can shut down Denver's offense - Ralph Vacchiano

NYDN - Ex-Bronco D.J. Johnson helping Giants get familiar with Denver's schemes - Ralph Vacchiano

NYDN - Giants co-owner John Mara can't complain about NFL Network's TV schedule - Bob Raissman

NYP - Giants plan dash for Denver - Paul Schwartz

NFL Results

NFL - Tennessee Titans 20 at Houston Texans 17

FOX - Young rewarding Titans' owner's faith in him - Alex Marvez

SI - What we learned from Tennessee Titans win over Houston Texans - John P. Lopez

AFC West News

SDUT - Cromartie under scrutiny in bar incident - Debbi Baker
"Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie is being investigated for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a victory celebration at Pacific Beach bar early Monday morning turned into an altercation, police said."

SDUT - Keeping that drive alive

SDUT - Blackout policy a turkey for S.D. - Nick Canepa

KCS - Chiefs get shot of confidence from win over Steelers - Adam Teicher

SFC - Short week means long hours for Raiders - David White

NFL News

NFL - Bills reach out to Cowher about becoming coach - Jason La Canfora

NFL - Bucs’ Morris to take over defensive play-calling
Another humbling time for former Broncos DC Jim Bates...

NFL - Rams QB Bulger out 3 to 6 weeks with broken leg; Boller will start

NFL - Lions could be without QB Stafford, WR Johnson on Thanksgiving

NFL - Big Ben should play vs. Ravens despite head injury

NFL - Browns coach Mangini curious if Lions' injuries were stall tactic
There were similar accusations when the Broncos came to NJ and smoked the Jets last November...

NFL - Niners drop Crabtree tampering charge vs. Jets

NFL - Phillips: Romo 'feels a lot better,' should play Thursday for Cowboys

NFL - Whisenhunt 'optimistic' that Warner might play in Cards' next game

NFL - Packers will try to move on after losing Kampman, Harris for season

NFL - Redskins ravaged by injuries; Betts, Rinehart latest to go down

NFL - Ravens CB Washington likely out for season with knee injury

SN - Cowboys release kick returner Allen Rossum

NFL Opinion

NFP - The Monday Tavern - Mike Lombardi
"The Broncos started fast and might be dying fast. They’re not very effective on either side of the ball right now. There are three potential wins on their schedule, but they better hope 9-7 can get them in the door."

NFL - Thanksgiving week means best football still lies ahead - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Coaching carousel: think before acting - Robert Boland

CBS - Bubbling up? Handicapping wild-card contenders - Clark Judge

CBS - Prisco Grades: Week 11

SN - Skid Row: Jets, Falcons, Broncos Hit Hard Times - The Trenches

FOX - The Day After: Moment of silence for AFC North - John Czarnecki

NFP - Aaron Rodgers’ revenge - Andrew Brandt

SI - Matthew Stafford will make Lions good again; bench Jay Cutler - Jerome Bettis

NYT - Former Quarterback Dilfer’s Take on Cutler’s Struggles - Judy Battista

PFW - Cutler could attract coaching talent - Nolan Nawrocki

NFP - Al Harris: ‘I’ll be back in 6 months’ - Jack Bechta

Y! - Collier 'at peace' with aftermath of shooting - Jason Cole

SN - NFL Power Poll: Jags quietly slip into playoff contention - Clifton Brown

Horse Tracks 11/23/09 - Chargers dominate Broncos, take over first place; Raiders & Chiefs pull off big upsets

Douglas A. Lee — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:15 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends. Try to keep your chins up; obviously things are not very good right now, but the Broncos still control their own destiny. While they wouldn't be in the playoffs if the season were to end today, they're still 6-4 and a victory Thursday would be a huge lift. I was unable to see yesterday's game, so I obviously can't say anything about how they played or the coaching decisions. Personally, I am surprised by how far and quickly the Broncos have fallen; while we knew they weren't loaded with deep talent, they didn't make a lot of mistakes through six games. I knew they would lose some games, but I never foresaw those defeats arriving in an avalanche of turnovers, penalties and poor discipline. Obviously, my prediction that Denver would hold a 3-game lead today in the AFC West couldn't have been farther from the truth. Let's just hope Kyle's ankle continues to heal and we show up on Thursday night.

NFL - San Diego Chargers 32 at Denver Broncos 3 - Box Score

NFL - Chargers 32, Broncos 3 - Video highlights with radio calls

DB - Chargers Postgame: Report - Broncos TV

DB - Chargers Postgame: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DPP - Broncos lose hold on lead in AFC West - Mike Klis

CSG - Broncos should learn from Chargers' ability to rebound - David Ramsey
"There were guys on the sideline who weren’t angry, who didn’t have a lot of emotion," Marshall said. "They need to look themselves in the mirror."

NYT - N.F.L. to Shift in Its Handling of Concussions - Alan Schwarz

DB - Chargers Postgame: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Mistakes Prove Costly - Gray Caldwell

DB - Courage Under Center - Zach Eisendrath

NFL GameDay - Chargers vs. Broncos highlights - Video

DPP - Analysis: Rivers-led Chargers run through Denver defense - Jeff Legwold
"In four career starts at Invesco Field at Mile High, Rivers is now 3-1 and has been sacked a grand total of two times in those four games."

DPP - Rivers in protective custody as line holds Denver in check - Mike Chambers

DPP - Tempers flare on Broncos' sideline - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Broncos perfecting the fade route - Jim Armstrong
"The Broncos have become the NFL's premier flash-and-crash franchise."

DPP - They've come undone - Mark Kiszla
"We lost composure, and that's probably what's so disheartening about this loss," said veteran Broncos defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday. "The mental and psychological part of it, the letdown, the breakdown."

DPP - Cheers to jeers to howls - Woody Paige
"Chris Simms is a bust as a quarterback. Everybody found out he, and I, were wrong."

DPP - No. 7: Broncos need to roll with the tide - John Elway

CSG - Simms start questioned as Chargers pound Broncos - Frank Schwab

CSG - Moreno, Marshall have words - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos breakdown vs. Chargers - Frank Schwab

SI - San Chargers leaving Denver Broncos behind in AFC West - Don Banks

Y! - Broncos go from NFL darlings to disaster - Mike Silver
"Things got so bad early in the fourth quarter of a 32-3 defeat to the Chargers that in the Broncos’ defensive huddle, veteran defensive end Vonnie Holliday(notes) felt compelled to call out the quitters in his midst. "Listen," Holliday said, "we’re gonna watch this film [Monday], and we’re gonna see who lay down and who stepped up. The eye in the sky doesn’t lie. And then we’ll know who we can go to war with to fight our way out of this.""

NFL - Chargers hoping latest surge powers them into February - Vic Carucci

FH - Chargers Nearly Drive Broncos to Blows - Nancy Gay

ESPN - History regurgitated: Denver's done - Gene Wojciechowski

FOX - Chargers still going up, Broncos still heading down - Alex Marvez

ESPN - Broncos' bravado doesn't work this time - Bill Williamson

FH - Orton's Return Opens NFL's Stretch Run - Dave Goldberg

AP - Denver Broncos Lose 4th Straight, Division Lead - Arnie Stapleton

Chargers News

SDUT - Chargers win fifth in a row, alone in first place - Kevin Acee

SDUT - McDaniels' trash talk laid to waste - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Turnovers truly tasty for defense - Chris Jenkins

SDUT - Complete-game victory achieved - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Blindsided, kick and talk both backfire - Chris Jenkins

SDUT - This time, Rivers not faced with mad rush - Tim Sullivan

SDUT - Grading the Chargers - Tim Sullivan

NCT - Bolts beat Broncos, take command of AFC West - Scott Bair

NCT - Win puts Bolts in charge of division - Jay Paris

NCT - Defense steps up in red zone - Scott Bair

NCT - Report card - Jay Paris

NCT - O-line gets job done against Broncos - Scott Bair

Giants News

NYT - Giants Win in Overtime to End Losing Streak at Four - Joe LaPointe

NYT - Giants Open Thread: A Win, but What About the Defense? - Ernie Palladino

FH - Despite Win, Giants Are Still in Trouble - Dan Graziano

NYDN - Eli Manning keeps New York Giants' season alive with OT win over Atlanta Falcons - Tim Smith

NYDN - New York Giants almost give away another before beating Atlanta Falcons in overtime, 34-31 - Ralph Vacchiano

NYDN - Hurt Antonio Pierce says he can play with New York Giants despite doctors orders to sit out - Matt Gagne

NYDN - After bye week, TE Kevin Boss catches two score for New York Giants - Kristie Ackert

NYDN - Lawrence Tynes keep cool, boots OT field goal for New York Giants - Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Results

NFL - Pittsburgh Steelers 24 at Kansas City Chiefs 27

NFL - Cincinnati Bengals 17 at Oakland Raiders 20

NFL - Indianapolis Colts 17 at Baltimore Ravens 15

NFL - Washington Redskins 6 at Dallas Cowboys 7

NFL - Cleveland Browns 37 at Detroit Lions 38

NFL - San Francisco 49ers 24 at Green Bay Packers 30

NFL - Buffalo Bills 15 at Jacksonville Jaguars 18

NFL - Seattle Seahawks 9 at Minnesota Vikings 35

NFL - Atlanta Falcons 31 at New York Giants 34

NFL - New Orleans Saints 38 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7

NFL - Arizona Cardinals 21 at St. Louis Rams 13

NFL - New York Jets 14 at New England Patriots 31

NFL - Philadelphia Eagles 24 at Chicago Bears 20

AFC West News

SFC - A quarterback change they can believe in - David White

SFC - Gradkowski has energy Raiders need - Scott Ostler

OT - Bruce Gradkowski gives boost to Raiders' QB situation - Monte Poole

OT - Raiders defense finally gets some help from the offense - Jerry McDonald

OT - Raiders dedicated win to lost teammate Marquis Cooper - Steve Corkran

KCS - Chiefs get much-needed 27-24 overtime victory against Steelers - Kent Babb

KCS - Chiefs coach Haley shows how far he’s come - Jason Whitlock

KCS - Charles delivers big plays for Chiefs - Adam Teicher

KCS - Cassel comes through under pressure again for Chiefs - Kent Babb

KCS - Studebaker makes the most of his first start for Chiefs - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chiefs notebook | Roethlisberger knocked out - Adam Teicher

NFL News

NFL - Packers waiting for information on injuries to Kampman, Harris

NFL - Redskins' Betts, Rinehart severely injured; Portis already ruled out

NFL - Bills RB Lynch injures shoulder, C Wood breaks leg vs. Jaguars

NFL Opinion

SI - Steelers, Ravens stumble to set up must-win game - Don Banks

NFL - AFC North leaders suffer humiliating losses to AFC West doormats - Bucky Brooks

SI - Matthew Stafford, Matt Cassel lead way in NFL Week 11 - Peter King

SN - Week 11 Checkdown: Saints, Colts no longer the NFL's best teams - Vinnie Iyer

NFL - Playoff picture muddied further with loss by Ravens, other hopefuls - Steve Wyche

Y! - Stafford, Quinn provide shine for tarnished clubs - Charles Robinson

CBS - Week 11 Judgements: Time to stow AFC North's anointing oil - Clark Judge

ESPN - Last Call: Wrapping up Week 11 - John Clayton

NYT - Week 11 in Quotations: The Good, the Bad and the Hard to Believe - Andrew Das

CBS - What Welker lacks in size, he makes up for in toughness - Pete Prisco

SN - Colts underrated despite unblemished record - Clifton Brown

PFW - Lowly Bills thinking big for 2010

SN - Bears' Cutler proving inadequate in prime time - Vinnie Iyer

Poll

How many wins do you expect the Broncos to finish with in 2009?

8 or fewer

210 votes

9

316 votes

10

242 votes

11 or 12

41 votes

809 votes | Poll has closed

Beaten and Battered, Broncos lose to Chargers 32-3

John Bena — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:49:33 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

23 days ago: Denver Broncos quarterback Chris Simms, left, tries to catch San Diego Chargers' Steve Gregory (28) as he picks up a loose ball during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Denver. Gregory recovered the ball after Simms was sacked. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

The Broncos are who I thought they were. From the beginning of Training Camp, I said this team was neither deep enough, or talented enough, to overcome poor play from any of the three phases of the team - offense, defense, special teams. Through 6 straight wins to start the season that was the case, and through 4 ugly losses it is the case. The Broncos are not good enough to overcome mental mistakes, they are not deep enough to overcome Red Zone turnovers, and they simply don't have enough talent to beat quality football teams when they commit unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that neutralize one advantage they might have - in the return game.

None of that is any different than the way I felt on July 1. The Broncos are now making the mistakes they weren't before. The Broncos are committing the penalties they weren't before, and most importantly, the Broncos are turning the ball over at the worst possible times and at an alarming pace.

I am going to withhold comment about Kyle Orton/Chris Simms until Josh McDaniels gives his explanation. Until then, I guess the good news is the Broncos will be back on the field in 96 hours, and will still control their destiny in many ways. Talk about the game here, and remember - keep it clean and productive.

MHR Chalk Talk - Chargers at Broncos ('09)

Steve Nichols — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:30:11 -0000

Well, it turns out the Broncos are much better than many people thought, but not nearly as good as some had hoped for. After beating a group of pretty good teams (NE, SD, DAL, CIN) and two not-so-good teams (CLE, OAK), Denver lost to two pretty good teams (BAL, PIT) and lost to a not-so-good team (WAS).

All in all, the team is still 6-3, tops the AFC West, and has the tie break over SD. So far, so good. Now comes the bad news. SD is a team that is starting to surge, while Denver has dropped three straight. QB Kyle Orton is hurt and may not play. If Kyle can play, he may not be 100%. While Denver has home field, we have to bear in mind that SD has the "advantage of first loss", which is the concept in coaching that a team learns more from losing to an opponent than winning. In the NFL, it is hard to beat a team twice in one season.

Frankly, Denver has a tough battle in front of them this week, and I'm glad that the new format for the MHR staff picks won't force me to pick this game.

Still, I think the future overall looks bright. Really.

I was unable to watch the entire game against WAS because of my day job. I was able to catch a few things worth passing on:

First, I like that Denver challenged the Redskins deep. I saw both throws downfield that Orton made for long TDs. I've always said that Orton can throw long, he just isn't schemed that way. Did the WAS coverage break down and make mistakes? Absolutely. But that's not the point. The passes were long and on target. More so, the errors happened because the Redskins didn't respect the deep pass, and other teams may do the same.

Second, I've always been a fan of the officials, and always come to their defense. This week is no exception. I saw three terrible calls by the officials, but none changed the face of the game. I also believe that none of them were "purposeful", as some folks like to claim when they see a bad call. They were mistakes, and anyone could make them. So I continue to love the officials, and can't blame the game's outcome on them. However, the errors I saw were bad enough that I would imagine the League sent an acknowledgment to the Broncos earlier this week. Here's what I saw (on nearly three back-to-back plays).

First, Brandon Stokley catches a ball with both feet well over a foot in bounds. The catch is ruled out of bounds. Denver doesn't challenge, since it was third down and the catch was short of the marker. Any official could mess up this call, and I know I couldn't do a better job than these guys. No problem.

But then, Denver punts the ball and an opposing player knocks the punter to the ground. It seemed to me that the opposing player didn't even make an effort to slow down. Combining the 15-yard penalty with the inbounds catch that Stokley made previously, this would have given Denver a first down. Now I'm not going to begrudge the officials the first down for a couple of reasons. First, Denver could have challenged the reception, but didn't. Second, perhaps the official might have called it "running into the kicker" instead of "roughing the kicker", and the penalty wouldn't have made a difference. Still no problem. Except for one thing...

C'mon guys! How do you miss a guy flying into the punter and driving him into the ground? In Stokley's case, and in the case of Mitch Berger, neither player tried to be theatrical to get the call. A good referee ignores theatrics, and only pays attention to what his eyes tell him. Fine. But why wasn't the assigned official watching the punter (as he is supposed to do)? The only excuse I can think of is that the hit was so late after the punt that the official had shifted his focus downfield. While this is understandable, it just tends to show how inexcusable the offending player's action really was.

At this point, even the announcers were siding with Denver, having noted both calls. Had enough?

Soon after, the WAS QB fumbles the ball and Denver recovers. Nope. The official says something about forward progress and the whistle. The announcers look at the replay. The ball comes loose, the player hits the ground, Denver's player reaches for the ball, AND NOW the whistle blows. The play should have been reviewed, WAS reviewable after all, and Denver clearly got the ball back. Does it change the game? I don't believe so. Here again though, the announcers were stunned. So was I.

The officials have the toughest job on the field. Not only are they nitpicked by guys like me, but they have seconds to see the entire field and try to get a call right. They have to memorize a tricky rulebook, and they get second-guessed by every fan with replay and slow-motion abilities. So why am I bringing up these mistakes? I've written a million times that I respect these guys, and will never blame them for a lost game. Like the weather, illness, family tragedies, etc, the refs are a part of the game that players have to contend with. The difference is that the refs are trying to do the right thing. So here's a game with some pretty awful calls, and a game that we lost. Are you hearing me griping? I hope not. I don't fault the refs for this game, or any game. I'm thankful for the work that they put in, and the effort that they extend in trying to get as many calls right as possible. I tip my hat to them.

So what happened to Denver? For what it is worth, I think the loss of Orton in the second half was the critical factor. We still need to work on some issues, but Chris Simms wasn't able to carry the load on Sunday, and Orton was missed. Simms completed 3 out of 13 passes and had an INT.

The team IS working on those other issues, though. Orton was allowed to make a couple of deep throws, and they scored. I saw some more zone blocking than it seems we have been doing lately, and I hope this continues. Our team has beaten a lot of good teams this year, and really only lost to one team that I would have expected them to beat with confidence.

SD has won every game since the last Denver game, including wins against the Eagles and the Giants. When Denver played SD a few weeks ago, the star players of SD (including Antonio Gates, Darren Sproles and LaDainian Tomlinson) were inconsistent. They seem to have shaken off the fog, and are now playing in good form.

Without Orton, I have to give the edge to SD for this game. With Orton playing, but not at 100%, I have to give the edge to SD as well. If Orton is 100%, we have the home field. Now the concern goes to other injuries.

Ryan Harris at RT is still out. Brandon Marshall (WR) didn't practice on Wednesday, and Correll Buckhalter was limited. That is a lot to contend with. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Here is a list of the notable (starter) SD injuries:

Jeromey Clary - RT
Ogemdi Nwagbuo - NT
Nick Hardwick - OC
Shaun Phillips - OLB - limited in practice.

Both teams have key injuries all over the field, but no injury is as difficult to adjust for as the QB. The edge goes to SD. If Orton can play, and can play at or very near 100%, Denver has a decent chance. Much of the playcalling for both teams may be focused on sizing up and taking advantage of the opposing injury replacements.

Denver's keys to the game -

If Orton is out, go full tilt with the run game. Even against a 3-4, the wide runs may be possible if Phillips is out.
Stop Sproles in the screen game. Consider assigning a LB to him.
If Simms struggles as badly as last week, consider giving Tom Brandstater a try.

San Diego's keys to the game -

Take away the run. If Orton is in, pressure him into running on that ankle. If not, take away the run and dare Simms to beat you.
If Marshall is out, DON'T double Royal. Denver has excellent depth at WR, as well as several TE receiver options. Instead, take away the deep game. Denver's throws are likely to be short passes, and the biggest danger is yards after the catch.
Watch out for Royal on returns. SD has an excellent chance to win this game on both sides of the ball, but can't afford to give up points or field position on STs.

If Denver loses this game, Denver is tied with SD in head-to-head games, and needs to win more games than SD from here on out. If Denver wins this game, they get to keep a lead on SD, AND win the head-to-head tie break. DEN has some tough games left, so there is little room for error.

This is the most important game of the season so far for the Broncos, so we'll see how well prepared they are.

Go Broncos!

Poll

Let's say: You're the coach. Denver has a critical game this week against the Chargers. Orton is healing from a tear in his ankle. Orton claims he can play on the ankle, but the ankle isn't fully healed. Do you...

Play him. Denver must keep the lead and the tie-break over SD to make the playoffs.

373 votes

Rest him. What good is Orton (or the team) if Orton re-injures the ankle, and misses several games as a result?

527 votes

900 votes | Poll has closed

Game Preview: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

John (obviousman) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:52:25 -0000

More photos » by Chris Park - AP

"Last year the government spent less on the Ministry of Silly Walks than it did on National Defense!" (AP Photo/Chris Park)

Browse more photos »

Here was how I started the preview for the last Broncos/Chargers matchup.

So, the bye week sucked, huh? Back to business in a big way this week with the Week 6 AFC West Championship Super Bowl Extravaganza (W6AFCWCSBE for short).

I also predicted that all hell would break loose if the Chargers lost, but I was wrong. I had failed to think that the Chargers could play a good game, show some promise, and still lose the game. Silly me. Anyways, the stakes are even higher for this week's game, which shall be dubbed the Week 11 AFC West Championship Super Bowl Extravaganza Spectacular (W11AFCWCSBES for short), aka the Unofficial AFC West Championship Game. How exciting!

When the Broncos Have the Ball

via bp3.blogger.com

Why does the Bronco have a horn? Is that really a unicorn? I think that's a unicorn, and an underfed one at that.

According to what I've picked up talking to Broncos fans over at MHR, their recent slide has more to do with the defenses problems stopping the run than anything that's gone wrong with the offense. The poor offensive output against the Redskins had everything to do with trying to comeback with a backup QB who hadn't been in an NFL game in years. So, in looking at the numbers, things should be relatively the same to the last time these two teams met.

Week 6:

6th in the league in offensive yards per game, but 22nd in points per game.
The Broncos have less rushing TDs inside the red zone (2) than the Chargers (3) even though they've played 5 games to the Chargers 4.

Week 11:

22nd in offensive yards per game and 24th in points per game.
17th in passing yards per game, 18th in yards per passing attempt.
24th in the league in "explosive" passing plays (plays of more than 20 yards).
16th in rushing yards per game, 16th in rushing yards per carry.
21st in the league in "explosive" rushing plays (plays of more than 20 yards).
In the same amount of games (9), the Broncos have managed to score half as many rushing TDs in the red zone (3) as the Chargers (6). That says to me that this is not an offensive line and a rushing attack that is going to punch you in the mouth or push you around.

via image.examiner.com

In most of these game previews, I stuff the thing full of facts and stats. Before the Week 6 game, perhaps because the game meant everything to the Chargers and we were all hoping for a performance we hadn't yet seen, I posted almost no stats and instead went for opinion and conjecture. How's that for journalistic integrity? Anyways, even without having anything to compare it to.....let's take a look at the current stats for the Bolts D.

14th in yards allowed, 20th in points allowed.
Still ranked low (28th) in terms of 3rd down conversions by the opponent.
11th in passing yards allowed, 16th best in terms of passing yards per attempt against.
Tied for 6th best in explosive pass plays allowed (20).
23rd in rushing yards allowed per game, 8th in rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.1). So the Chargers actually do a fairly good job at slowing down the run but, because there's not a ton of stops and the passing defense is so good, teams seem to be running it a lot against them.
7th in the league in terms of rushing attempts per game against. No other team in the league has as low of an allowed YPC (4.1) and such a high number of attempts against them (29.2 per game). The next closest is the Broncos, who allow 3.8 yards per carry and get run on 27.6 times per game.
1st in the league in explosive running plays against them (2). The Chargers have yet to allow a run of 40+ yards. I'm no expert, but I have to attribute that to good tackling by the secondary (specifically Eric Weddle) and the team as a whole. All of these numbers combined seem to say that the only thing missing from the Bolts having a dominating D right now is a dominating defensive line (or at least a dominating Nose Tackle like Jamal Williams).

Advantage: N/A. I can't know who has the advantage here without know who is starting at QB. Even then, since I have no idea how bad Kyle Orton's ankle is or how much better Chris SImms can be with a week of practice, it would be difficult. Looking at the stats alone, the Broncos offense is very average. It'll be San Diego's job to try to keep them there and keep their playmakers in check.

When the Chargers Have the Ball

via a.espncdn.com

This seems as good a time as any to announce that BFTB interviewed Kellen Winslow last night. I'll try to post the transcription of the interview later today, but it's more likely that I'll find time to get it up tomorrow. Kellen was awesome, had a great sense of humor, and talked a great deal about Air Coryell vs. the 2009 Chargers offense. Really, really interesting stuff. Also, his pick for the greatest TE of all time took me completely by surprise and it probably will for you too.

A look at the Chargers stats and rankings:

18th in terms of offensive yards per game, 6th in terms of points per game. That is exactly how you want that ratio to go, especially with a poor running game. This means that the Chargers are converting their opportunities into points quite often.
12th in terms of 3rd down conversion rate. +2 on the turnover battle (11th best).
7th in passing yards per game, 2nd in passing yards per attempt. This is another great sign that the Chargers offense is not producing "inflated" stats with short passes and screens. When the Chargers pass the ball, good things happen.
3rd in the league in explosive passing plays (34).
32nd (last) for rushing yards per game and rushing yards per attempt (3.2). Let us not pretend otherwise.
26th in the league for explosive rushing plays (3).

via www.lonestarsportz.com

Where, oh where, has that vaunted Denver Broncos attacking 3-4 defense gone? Well, the easy answer is that although the Broncos were able to bring in top-tier talent to start and therefore turn around the team in a hurry, it takes more than one offseason to build talented depth behind those players. Now that the Broncos are beginning to battle a few injuries, and the veterans are starting to lose that extra pep they had in the beginning of the season, players with flaws in their game are getting on the field. Let's see what the stats say.

6th in yards per game allowed, 4th in points per game given up. Sounds like a strong defense to me.
17th in 3rd down conversions allowed. 2nd least defensive penalties called against them.
19th in time of possession. That's a lot of time on the field for a team of aging veterans without great depth behind them.
5th in passing yards allowed, 11th in passing yards per attempt against.
10th in explosive passing plays allowed (21).
2nd in sacks.
11th in rushing yards per game allowed, 6th in rushing yards per attempt allowed.

I don't know fellas. Three game skid or not, the stats are saying that this is still one of the best defenses in the league.

Advantage: Tie. So the passing game is great and the running game stinks. What else is new? The offensive unit, led by Philip Rivers, has been effective all season. Usually, if the Chargers defense can hold the opponent under 30 points (which they couldn't the last time they faces the Broncos), there's a good chance the Bolts walk off the field with smiles on their faces. Unfortunately, that may not be the case when you're facing a strong defense on the road when they held you to 23 points when you played at home.

I have no idea who wins this game. I think the Chargers' momentum and the Broncos' home field advantage cancel each other out. I also think Orton and Simms are entirely capable of running the type of offense (short passes) that can just kill the Bolts. The key to this game, for me, is how often Ron Rivera turns up the blitz with Kevin Ellison, Eric Weddle, Steve Gregory and Paul Oliver.

Just like the last game was determined by who could score the most on special teams, I believe this game will be determined by who wins the turnover battle. The Chargers (+2) and the Broncos (+3) are pretty evenly matched in that regard. Actually, they're fairly evenly matched across the board. It should be a fun, competitive game.

Go Chargers.

Horse Tracks 11/20/09 - Orton, Buckhalter, Jordan miss practice; Marshall, Barrett (limited) return

Douglas A. Lee — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:03:54 -0000

NFL Films - Week 11: Chargers vs. Broncos Preview - Video

DB - Week 11 - Thu: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Taking Notice - Zach Eisendrath
"There were four changes to the Broncos’ Injury Report on Thursday. After neither player participated in Wednesday’s practice session, Josh Barrett (hamstring) was a limited participant on Thursday and Brandon Marshall (neck) was listed as a full participant. Correll Buckhalter (knee) and Brandon Lloyd (foot) were both limited participants on Wednesday, however, neither took part in Thursday’s practice session."

DPP - Broncos' Kyle Orton misses practice again - Jeff Legwold
"The injury has been described as a torn ligament by some, but it is a case of semantics, given that any sprain is, by definition, a tearing of soft tissue."

DPP - New team brings unrivaled disdain in Broncoland - The Denver Post
"Broncos fan website Mile High Report conducted a similar survey Thursday, and found a similar response. With more than 1,200 online votes recorded by late Thursday afternoon, 62 percent picked the Chargers, compared to about 20 percent for the Raiders and 17 percent for the Chiefs."

"What I've seen in the comments on the poll, it is almost divided by age group," said John Bena, a longtime Broncos fan who founded Mile High Report three years ago. "The really old-school fans, they picked Kansas City, because that's the oldest rival. Then the older fans that grew up in the '70s-'80s-'90s, it's the Raiders. But for newer fans, from the Super Bowl years on, it's been the Chargers, because the Chargers have been relevant in that time."

NFLN - Brandon Marshall interview - Video
Wow. Check out the (not very good) painting in the background of BMarsh and JC.

NFL - With Bolts on deck, Broncos bumbling, but will they bust? - Vic Carucci
"The biggest problem with the Broncos' defense in recent games, according to Andra Davis, is that it has gotten away from the highly disciplined approach it showed through the first six weeks. Too many players have become interested in being recognized for individually making plays rather than sticking to their responsibilities within the scheme."

NYT - Ouster of N.F.L.’s Voice on Concussions, Dr. Ira Casson, Is Sought - Alan Schwarz
"The NFLPA is calling for the removal of Dr. Ira Casson as co-chairman of the league’s committee on concussions, saying that he is too biased to lead the research and policy group...Casson has dismissed every outside study finding links to dementia and other cognitive decline, including three papers published by the University of North Carolina’s Center for the Study of Retired Athletes." It is ridiculous for a doctor being paid by and representing the NFL to be performing exams on players for an NFL concussion study.

NYT - Weighing the Toll of Contact in Practice - Judy Battista
I've got to wonder - is all the practicing in pads this summer starting to tire out the Broncos defense? I know the company line this week has been that the unit's players have been going too often for the "big play" or "individual glory" but doesn't that strike you as a little hard to believe? I don't see a lot of egos on the Broncos' D, and with BDawk leading the way I can't see guys losing their discipline. Obviously, this is only speculation and it could never be more than that, but what do you think?

DB - Soy-Based Success - Gray Caldwell
Who would ever have guessed? Kenny Peterson is a pescatarian (vegetarian who eats fish). He made the switch a year ago due to his blood type.

DB - Providing Perspective - Broncos TV
The Broncos talk about this week as a chance to rebuild a division lead.

DP - Dawkins tabbed for player forum - Jeff Legwold
Leaders lead...

DPP - Broncos linebacker Davis thankful he's out of Cleveland - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Spotlight: Broncos rookie safety David Bruton - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Analysis: Jackson's improvement great for Gates, Chargers - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Q&A: Will the Shanahan staff reassemble somewhere? - Jeff Legwold
"Running backs coach Bobby Turner, offensive line coach Rick Dennison, special-teams assistant Keith Burns and strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten were retained by Josh McDaniels, but the remainder of the Shanahan assistants were let go. All have worked with Shanahan for a long time and all could be possibilities to go to Shanahan's new team at some point, if for some reason they wanted to leave Denver or contract situations could be worked out."

LTC - Ayers still adjusting - Brian Howell

LTC - Broncos QB Orton improving - Brian Howell
Note: this was written before Orton missed yesterday's practice.

CSG - Simms ready, if needed - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos thin at running back - Frank Schwab
"Knowshon Moreno and Peyton Hillis were the only tailbacks from the 53-man roster healthy enough to practice Thursday because Correll Buckhalter (knee) and LaMont Jordan (back) missed practice."

CSG - Orton missed second straight practice - Frank Schwab

AP - Chris Simms gearing up for 1st start since '06 injury - Arnie Stapleton

ESPN Insider - Chargers-Broncos: 10 observations - Doug Kretz
San Diego 21 Denver 20

PFW - Return of defensive players should improve Giants - Eric Edholm

Chargers News

SDUT - Chargers see wildcat as more than gimmick - Chris Jenkins

SDUT - Depth at linebacker paying off

SDUT - Binn belongs in - Mike Fleiss

SDUT - Clary doesn't work - Kevin Acee
"Everyone else (except center Nick Hardwick, who is not going to play again Sunday) worked today. "

PFW - Injuries allow Chargers ILB Siler to carve out role - Michael Blunda

NCT - Cromartie believes he has improved - Scott Bair

NCT - Defense prepares for system, not the quarterback - Scott Bair

NCT - Trouble at right tackle; injury update - Scott Bair

NFL Results

NFL - Miami Dolphins 24 at Carolina Panthers 17

SN - Williams' running helps Henne have a pro day - Vinnie Iyer

AFC West News

NFP - Diner morning news: Russell move long overdue - Mike Lombardi

KCS - Long has his big chance with the Chiefs - Kent Babb

KCS - Chiefs notes | Steelers are what Haley hopes his team can be - Adam Teicher

SFC - Hard-working Gradkowski gives foes new look - David White

OT - Benching JaMarcus Russell a call for Raiders' quarterback to shape up - Monte Poole

NFL News

NFL - NFL names Dungy to lead newly formed Player Advisory Forum

NFL - Vikings reward Childress with contract extension through 2013

NFL - Bengals RB Benson likely out vs. Raiders

NFL - Redskins RB Portis ruled out vs. Cowboys because of concussion

NFL - Week 11 injuries: Saints’ Bush misses second practice

NFL - A change is gonna come: Owner Wilson ready to revamp Bills

NFL - Torn ACL ends season for up-and-coming Rams DE Ah You

NFP - Brohm’s arrival signals change for Buffalo - Matt Bowen
The Bills snatched another recent draft choice off the Packers' practice squad; this time it's 2008 second-rounder QB Brian Brohm. Before that, it was '09 fifth-rounder OT Jamon Meredith.

FH - Bears Shun NBC for Sunday Night Game - Matt Snyder

NFL Opinion

SI - Mike Shanahan, Leslie Frazier among NFL coaching candidates - Don Banks
"The smart money continues to be on Washington and Danny "Warbucks'' Snyder (we could call it the Danny and Shanny show)."

Y! - Eagles, Packers' futures brighter than Giants' - Charles Robinson

SN - For three struggling QBs, it's November nosedive - Clifton Brown

Y! - Gruden finds safe haven in the booth - Mike Silver

FH - Thursday-and-Long: It's Rex Ryan's Party, He Can Cry If He Wants To - Dan Graziano

FOX - It's a QB's world in today's NFL - Alex Marvez

CBS - Hungry Jones-Drew rushing to elite stature - Pete Prisco

NFL - Bengals have easy out if they lose their gamble with LJ - Steve Wyche

SI - Larry Johnson will try to resurrect career with Bengals - Paul Daugherty

FOX - NFL Truths: LeBron needs to focus on NBA - Jason Whitlock

ESPN - Percy Harvin is making Vikings QB Brett Favre look good - Elizabeth Merrill

FOX - Boom or Bust: Who's to blame for Bills' struggles? - Adam Schein

SI - Wildcat revolution fails to materialize in NFL in 2009 - Andrew Perloff

PFW - Mays' freakish talent being preserved - Nolan Nawrocki

Picks, Etc.

NFP - The Player's Picks: Week 11 - Matt Bowen
"I see a great AFC West game with Nate Kaeding winning it on a long field goal in the fourth quarter as the Chargers take over the West."

NYT - Week 11 N.F.L. Matchups - Mike Tanier
"After 20 years, the dossier on Norv Turner is complete...As a disciplinarian and motivator, he ranks somewhere between Dick Jauron and a substitute gym teacher...We’ll learn over the next few weeks whether McDaniels will correct those mistakes, get overwhelmed by them or adopt Turner’s philosophy: ignore them and hope his veterans bail him out."

NFL - McNabb-Cutler duel leads solid list of Week 11 matchups

ESPN - Sunday Countdown online: Your weekly NFL guide - Week 11

SI - The Peter King Challenge
"Prediction: San Diego Chargers 30, Denver Broncos 14"

FH - Week 11 NFL Picks: Colts Goin' Down - Dave Goldberg

Poll

What do you think is behind the Broncos' defensive woes?

They're losing discipline

133 votes

They're getting worn down

189 votes

Opponents have figured out how to beat them

155 votes

They simply had a rough stretch

102 votes

579 votes | Poll has closed