SB Nation - Jarvis Moss

Broncos Inactives for Today's Game

John Bena — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:43:06 -0000

Here are the Inactives for today's Broncos/Chiefs game. No surprises here - the Broncos are healthy and ready to go!

QB Tom Brandstater
NT Chris Baker
OL Brandon Gorin
OL Seth Olsen
WR Brandon Lloyd
OLB Jarvis Moss
WR Kenny McKinley
RB LaMont Jordan

Chiefs Inactives include -

WR Mark Bradley
CB Donald Washington
LB Justin Rogers
G Andy Alleman
LB Pierre Walters
TE Jake O'Connell
RB Dantrell Savage
QB Matt Gutierrez (3rd QB)

Broncos Thoughts and Musings - Kansas City Week

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

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

22 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!

Giants at Broncos - Broncos Inactives

John Bena — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:54:04 -0000

QB Tom Brandstater
WR Kenny McKinley
RB LaMont Jordan
OL Seth Olsen
DL Chris Baker
OL Ryan Harris
WR Brandon Lloyd
DE/LB Jarvis Moss

Robert Ayers is back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch last week.

The Dude Abides...The Stats That Don't Lie, Week 11

TJ Johnson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:30:11 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Heeeere's Philip!!!!!

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"All stats and no play makes Jack a dull boy." --Jack Torrance

Week 11 in the NFL was a classic horror movie. There were some spine-chilling moments (Chiefs over the Steelers), terrifying screams (Ravens fans watching their red zone offense), and when the Raiders beat the Bengals, things got downright bloodcurdling.

For their part, the Denver Broncos treated their fans to a B-movie slasher flick, in which they played the victim. By the time the 4th quarter rolled around their rush defense had been so hacked to pieces, they simply tried to survive until the sequel.

Welcome again to the Stats That Don't Lie, Week 11. This is your weekly descent into statistical madness. These are the stats that give you Cabin Fever. They are the packaged little REDRUM of stats. As always, they are Turnovers, Field Position, Time of Possession, and 3rd-down efficiency.

This week, we're going to shake things up slightly. While you'll get the same summary statistics that you get each week (for those that like light reading) for all the teams and all the games, I'm going to spend a significant amount of time in this piece looking at the first half of the Denver/San Diego game in order to demonstrate some important lessons about these four statistical categories. Hopefully, this will help us understand not only the complexities of how these four statistical categories intertwine, but the actions/strategies behind these statistics.

Let's first begin, however, at the 10,000-foot level. There's no reason to sugarcoat the Broncos' misfortunes. These turnover-margin numbers over the last four games are as one-sided as a Tom Cable/Randy Hanson cage match:

Denver's turnover margin keeps getting worse each game. And every game that they've lost, they've come out of the game with a negative turnover margin. Statistically, teams that have a turnover margin of -3 (minus three) only win about 17% of the time. However, more disturbing than this individual game (or its statistic) is the trend. When Denver was winning they were not turning the ball over, to the point of being labelled a "dink and dunk" offense. Now that they are losing, they are giving the ball up in droves. So we can talk all day and night (and we will) about Simms, Orton, onside kicks, who owns whom, and whether pigs have wings. The Broncos' season stops and starts in one place: turnover margin.

It might sound like a broken record, but if Denver does one thing against the Giants that will ensure a win, it is to simply hold on to the ball. Easier said than done, of course.

Denver continues its ghastly fall in all four of the statistically categories, however - not just turnovers. Here are where they rank against all 32 teams:

Denver is 10th in Turnovers, 27th in Field Position, 22nd in Time of Possession, and 21st in 3rd downs. I'm not saying this is becoming a ghost ship just yet, but things are getting rather ghoulish. Denver is beginning to drift into the territory of the Rams, Lions, and (GASP!) Raiders with these grisly rankings.

Notice the San Diego Chargers and where they rank. After Denver backhanded the Bolts in Week 6, the Chargers ranked 6th in Turnovers, 25th in Field Position, 30th in Time of Possession, and 17th in 3rd downs. Now they are 2nd in Turnovers, 9th in Field Position, 21st in Time of Possession, and 13th in Third Downs. All of this has come on the heels of a commitment to the running game--something Denver has struggled with.

You can certainly draw your own conclusions about the other teams on the list, but if I'm picking a Super Bowl match-up today, you can go ahead and give me New England and Minnesota based upon these statistics. Perhaps I enjoy the prospect of Jared Allen talking about mullets next to Tom Brady talking about Gisele. Or perhaps I simply think the Colts' field position struggles will cost them at some point and that the Saints give the ball up too much on average.

Before moving on to the weekly rankings, I can't resist pointing out that the Bears rank second in field position. Imagine the kind of damage they could inflict on opponents if their QB didn't dispense interceptions like Pez candy.

Week-11 Summaries:

2-Turnover Rule (Explained Here)

7 teams had 0 turnovers. 5 won (71%); For the season, 53/65 (82%)
11 teams had 1 turnover. 4 won (36%); For the season, 44/87 (55%)
5 teams had 2 turnovers. 3 won (60%); For the season, 43/94 (46%)
6 teams had 3 turnovers. 4 won (67%); For the season, 12/45 (26%)
2 team had 4 turnovers. None won (0%); For the season, 4/21 (19%)
1 teams had 5+ turnovers. None won (0%); For the season, 0/8 (0%)

Week-11 Big Picture

The team that won the turnover battle won 8 of 16 games played (50%). This is the lowest percentage for turnovers I've seen all year.
In the previous category, remove the ties (1 game) and this changes to 47%
The team that won the time of possession battle won 12 of the 16 games played (75%).
The team that had better third-down efficiency won 11 of the 16 games played (69%).
The team that had better average starting field position won 9 of the 16 games played (56%). This is the lowest percentage for field position I've seen all year.
There were 5 games this week in which a team won all four categories. In 4 of the 5, the same team won on the scoreboard (80%). For the season, this stat is 52 out of 56 games. In only 2 games, however, has a team won outright in all four categories (no ties in the turnover battle) and lost.
The winning teams this week averaged 1.38 turnovers, 32:14 in time of possession, 47.42% on 3rd downs, and their average starting field position was the 30.63 yard line.

Top 5 in Week 11:

Top 5 in giveaways: 7 Teams tied with 0
Top 5 in time of possession: 1.Pittsburgh 2.Minnesota 3.Green Bay 4.New York Jets 5. Cincinnati
Top 5 in 3rd downs: 1.Minnesota 2.Jacksonville 3.Atlanta 4.Indianapolis 5.Green Bay
Top 5 in avg. starting field position: 1.New Orleans 2.San Diego 3.Oakland 4.Kansas City 5.Chicago

Running Totals, Season (through 11 weeks):

160 games have been played this season
80% were won by the team with less turnovers (counting ties as wins)
67.50% with a better time of possession
66.25% by the team who won on 3rd down
71.25% by the team that won the field-position battle.

11-week League Averages:

11-week running average/game, turnovers (all teams): 1.68

11-week running average/game, time of possession (all teams): 30:11 (thanks to numerous OT games)

11-week running average/game, 3rd down efficiency (all teams): 37.91%

11-week running average, starting field position (all teams) 29.81 yard line

The Denver/San Diego Game

Even though there were several interesting games from last week, including one where the stats did lie (Detroit/Cleveland), this is the weekly look in-depth at the Denver/San Diego game. So let's see what we can learn:

Drive 1 - Denver

Eddie Royal takes the ball from his end zone and returns it to the 26-yard line, so it's better than a touchback. Denver proceeds to line up in a series of Single-Back, 3 WR sets, varying slot-left and slot-right. They also use one shotgun formation to run for a 3rd-and-3 conversion.. They cram the ball off of the right tackle, getting huge chunks of yards until they are stopped at the San Diego 17-yard line. In the 2nd-down play that follows, Simms doesn't step up into the pocket, is stripped of the ball, and Denver commits its first turnover of the day. San Diego recovers at their own 31-yard line.

What can we learn from this drive? Denver chews up 4:25 of clock on this drive, only to have 3 to 7 points destroyed by a turnover. So even though Denver is ahead in time of possession, they are behind in the turnover battle and in field position. Here one can see that time of possession is much less important than the fact that Denver could not extend its drive and score. Even worse, the momentum has clearly shifted in San Diego's favor. Turnovers kill. Time of possession means nothing without a score.

Drive 1 - San Diego

San Diego takes over on its own 31-yard line. They use a series of their own single-back formations, I and Off-I formations to gash Denver in the running game off left end and up the middle. Denver's middle linebackers are consistently getting caught in traffic and a stupid personal foul penalty allows San Diego to score an easy touchdown.

San Diego holds onto the ball, chews up 4:37 of clock, achieves two 3rd-down conversions, and the score. So now the Chargers are leading in all four statistical categories. But the most important stat of this drive is San Diego's average yards/play: 7.1 yards.

Drive 2 - Denver

Royal takes a touchback, which is better than nothing. This drive is a disaster, however, with two penalties, and Simms looking very rusty in the shotgun formation. The drive ends in a sack and an unconverted 3rd-down opportunity. Even worse, the ineptness of the offense forces a Denver punt from its goal line.

Drive 2 - San Diego

San Diego takes over at its own 43-yard line after an excellent Mitch Berger punt. However, San Diego is benefiting from excellent field position already in this game. San Diego continues to show a variety of single-back, shotgun- , and offset-I formations. A stupid penalty from Jarvis Moss helps give San Diego another easy 3rd-down conversion, and before one can say "LT," San Diego is deep into Denver territory. Although they settle for a field goal, they've added to their lead and taken another 7:14 off the clock. If we looked at the 4 statistical categories at this moment we would see:

Turnovers: Den (1), SD (0)

Field Position: Den (23), SD (37)

Time of Possession: Den (7:15), San Diego (11:54)

3rd-Down Efficiency: Den (1/2), San Diego (3/4)

Drive 3 - Denver

The ball flies through the end zone for another touchback, so Denver gets the ball on its 20-yard line once again. Denver is victimized on this drive by a tipped pass, a penalty on Ryan Clady, and a safety blitz on third down. So Denver goes three and out. It's important to note that Denver is doing nothing whatsoever to help itself in the field position battle.

Drive 3 - San Diego

The Chargers start from their own 27-yard line. They now use a lot of play action off of their offset-I formations to march down the field with level-two out routes. They also convert a big 3rd-and-one conversion in the process with a back shoulder fade to Vincent Jackson. Denver only rushes 3 or 4 at a time, so it's easy pickings for Phil Rivers. A couple of bad calls by the Chargers sets up a long 3rd-down conversion that the Chargers can't quite pick up. The Chargers settle for another field goal while taking more time off the clock. However, the key stat for the Chargers from this drive is passing yards/play: 10 yards.

Let's face facts. This game could be 21-0 at this point.

Drive 4 - Denver

Royal takes the kickoff return to the 38-yard line. For once, Denver starts with good field position. And the Chris Simms experience is also done, as Kyle Orton jogs onto the field. Orton uses a series of max-protect shotgun and single-back formations to zip some deep balls on the left side of the field. Denver is quickly to the Chargers 4-yard line. On the next play (Single-back, slot-right formation), Moreno fumbles. Despite the fact that Moreno had actually crossed the plane, the referee rules that the fumble stands. San Diego takes over at the 20-yard line.

Denver squanders another opportunity with a penalty. Throw time of possession and 3rd downs out the window. This drive was all about the turnover. At this point in the football game, 2 turnovers have essentially cost the Broncos between 6 and 14 points.

Drive 4 - San Diego

San Diego starts at their 20-yard line and it's their goal to now kill clock and take it into the half with runs out of the offset I-formation. This is the first time San Diego has gone conservative all game. And what does it get them? Three and out. The punt is also horrible, only traveling 28 yards.

Drive 5 - Denver

Denver again gets the ball in good field position, at their 45-yard line. This is a perfect opportunity to get some points before the half. Denver comes out in the Shotgun. Orton tries to go to a deep out to Royal, but is intercepted.

Drive 5 - San Diego

San Diego takes over at their own 42-yard line. Turner again goes conservative, letting the clock hit halftime.

At halftime, when the game was effectively over, here is where both teams stood in the four statistical categories:

Turnovers: Den (3), San Diego (0)

Field Position: Den (29.60), San Diego (32.40)

Time of Possession: Den (10:43), San Diego (19:17)

3rd-down efficiency: Den (1/3), San Diego (1/3)

What does all of this teach us about how the four categories work together? There are several points to consider:

1) Turnovers depend on context and situation. As has been said many times, a Hail Mary at the end of the half is not as important as a fumble in the red zone. This game certainly illustrated that. In this case, the three Denver turnovers cost them points. They could have had (in my estimation) at worst 3 FGs, and at best 2 TDs and 1 FG. This represents between 9 and 17 points.

2) Field position is fluid. The Football Outsiders are the ones who have coined this phrase, but it's certainly true. In short, it means that your chances of scoring increase/decrease for each yard you move north or south. In this case, the Broncos gave the Chargers good field position twice in the first half, once with a turnover and once with their three-and-out drive after a touchback. And they paid for it. The Chargers put up 10 points during these opportunities. Short fields are not good, unless your team is getting them.

3) Time of Possession doesn't equal run domination. This is an important concept, and was touched upon last week in the comments to the Stats That Don't Lie by MHR members like warmick. San Diego won the time of possession in the half through through a balanced attack (14 passes, 16 rushes). Furthermore, San Diego only had four more rushing yards than Denver going into halftime. So how did they do it? They simply ran more plays and sustained their drives with scores, despite having the same number of drives as the Broncos. They did it through a steady yards per play average. In the 2nd half this became even more pronounced, as San Diego ran more often to kill the game clock. Thus, the huge time-of-possession advantage that San Diego possessed at the end of the game was also a result of them being ahead at halftime.

4) 3rd down is important...if you need it. Don't get me wrong. 3rd-down efficiency is a critical stat to measure because it means you are sustaining drives, and, hopefully, you are scoring at the end of these drives. However, if your offense sustains its drives on 1st and 2nd down, the 3rd-down-efficiency battle may not be as important. In this game, on the Chargers' third drive of the afternoon, they got a lot of big plays on 1st and 2nd down, and, as such, only faced 2 third-down conversions.

The Look Ahead

Looking ahead to New York, here is how the two teams stack up in the four statistical categories (keeping in mind these are averages/game):

Team Turnovers/Game Time of Possession Field Position 3rd-Down Efficiency

Denver 1.40 28:56 27.51 35.99%

New York 1.60 34:06 31.68 43.10%

While these statistics would indicate a Giants victory, I'm not buying it. There are several reasons I feel this way. First, there's a reason why the Giants are complaining about travelling on a short week to altitude. That's because it will have an effect. Second, Eli Manning has a gunslinger streak in him that can be coaxed out with a few blitzes (something Denver did not do against San Diego). So look for Denver to get a turnover or two. And third, losing three home games in a row is a rarity for any Bronco team. That's a horror movie no one wants to see.

Hail, Kyle Orton!!

Last stat: 2.5% (percentage chance that Brandon Marshall and Knowshon Moreno are still upset with each other)

Classic Moments In Championship Mode: Jarvis Moss Saves The 2006 Gators vs. South Carolina

mlmintampa — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:10:31 -0000

Every year, we have played this video the Thursday before South Carolina. And it never gets old. Block that kick, Jarvis.

Aside from the first two games in the Meyer-Spurrier series, this has been an uneven matchup. It is important to note that in the seven annual series; Urban Meyer is 29-4 (against SEC East, LSU, FSU; losses 2005 at LSU and SC, 2007 at LSU, UGA). Part of it is familiarity, but part of it has to be the value placed on winning those games. The SEC puts a premium on winning in your division, which is why you can never underestimate these games. Sometimes, you need a miraculous/Championship Mode play too.

Denver Broncos Thoughts and Musings - Cowboys Week

Emmett Smith — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

2 months ago: Denver Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers, left, brings down Oakland Raiders running back Michael Bush during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Welcome to 3-0, Denver! The team that destroyed the raiders on the road will still not get as much respect until they beat a few of the teams in the upcoming stretch. I'm not worried about that happening. We have had a series of things in our favor over the other squads that we've taken been able to use. Those advantages have involved personnel matchups, coaching matchups, scheme, attitude and execution. In today's effort, I'm going to start with the biggest among them.

Carving Them Up

The Broncos had a 12th man on the field all game against the raiders, and it was perfectly legal. It was Josh McDaniels. Last year, he laid 49 points on the raiders when he was with New England. This year, he destroyed both their offense and defense. Credit Mike Nolan on defense, but the offensive side was all Josh McDaniels.

One of the tricks was simple - the raiders don't make accommodations, and in today's NFL, that's not going to get you very far. They play the defense that they always play, essentially with 4 rushers, man-to-man coverage on the receivers and 5 players in support of whatever they see, pass or rush. They are, in this respect, the antithesis of the Amoeba-based Broncos. The Broncos made adjustments and conquered. If this was a contest between the old and the new, it was the horse and buggy against the modern hybrid. Their horse didn't make it out of the stable. The Broncos, however, did.

One of the simple techniques was to run underneath and to use crossing routes to defeat the coverage. Time after time, Denver's receivers came open. Brandon Marshall consistently got a matchup underneath Kirk Morrison, which is going to go in Denver's favor 9 of 10 times. Ryan Clady and Company frustrated the defensive line of the raiders, not giving up a sack and opening huge lanes for the running game. Rumors that Kyle Orton was back there with time to make espresso are in error - it was actually cappuccino, and he shared it with the receiving corps. As I'll discuss later, the O-line was nearly faultless.

This is a simple example of a more far-reaching principle. The Broncos are headed by one of the finest minds in offensive strategy - again. This time, it's the modern offensive strategy. Even Mike Shanahan has commented on all the great things that he finally has time to study now that he's 'retired'. The game is constantly changing. Coach McDaniels is at the tip of the spear, so to speak - an innovator as well as a student of the history of the game. This is the man who was the coordinator and called the plays for the most prolific offense in NFL history. That's not a small thing.

But this is also a man who got his start in the NFL on the defensive side. He was successful on offense in great part because he understood defenses and designed strategies to defeat them. He now has Mike Nolan, designing and carrying out the best defense he can and Brian Xanders, constantly looking for players to make the team stronger and managing the contractual side. Xanders is an often-missed piece of this puzzle. Those members who are currently concerned with how the team will pay for its players in a possibly uncapped year aren't aware of how Xanders is already constantly working on the puzzle. I'm looking forward to watching his efforts play out.

I'll talk more about this later, but those who question if our offense is up to the Cowboys aren't really thinking of how much Josh McDaniels is aware of the team's strengths and weaknesses. At 6:00 of the third quarter Monday night, the Cowboys had scored exactly 3 points against a Carolina team that in no way reflects the performances of last season. Dallas got their final touchdown on a pick-6 INT, or they would have been vulnerable to losing over a single score - while at home and playing against a team that is now 0-3 and seems to be self-destructing. This isn't a juggernaut bearing down on Denver. McDaniels was watching the game and he was seeing the coaches' film the next day. I'm not concerned.

When I was watching the preseason, I listened to a lot of folks who were deeply concerned when we didn't click immediately on offense. After a single half of the first game, there was a resurgence of the 'Fire Orton' contingent. McDaniels wasn't as smart as he thought he was, right? Was he? But after three games in which we've scored 62 points and given up 16, fans should know that this is a team that, for a change, you can trust. The pieces are there, the coaching is there, and the level of play is something that is currently new to this fair city. It's been a long time. Perhaps that's why it's hard to see at times. We still see through the eyes of the last few years.

Cincinnati is better by far than folks thought. We held them scoreless for how long, and in their home stadium? Our offense hadn't started to click; but since then, each week we get better with 27 and 23 points in the past two games, respectively. In fairness to this team, I think that you have to look at both where the defense is and where the offense is going. That's normal, with a new scheme and many new players. We do better each week. Last week, our rushing attack fully came of age. The week before, we gained a total of 449 yards and took apart a team that wasn't close to as good as us. This week we embarrassed a division rival who had defeated Kansas City in KC. I'm starting to look at each new game like it's Christmas, wondering what will be our present this week. I look forward to seeing what we'll open up on the Cowboys.

Hanging Them Out to Dry

During Week 1 of this season, Kyle Orton had a couple of passes that the fans wanted him to take back. Coming across the middle against Cincinnati, two pass plays resulted in receivers - first Eddie Royal and then Brandon Marshall - getting clocked by Rey Maualuga. There were groans and cries that he stank, that he would get our receivers killed. Was that the case, or was Orton doing his job and the receivers living with theirs? There isn't a clear answer, but here are some perspectives that may help you understand what happened.

After that game, I went to Professor Hoosierteacher to ask him about the issue. Was Orton misguided in throwing those passes? Did he really hang those players out to dry? Here is the response he was kind enough to tender:

"You raise a good point about the QB making the call on a completed pass versus laying out the receiver. Here's my view...

The QB's only job is to get the ball downfield. Sure, if he can protect his receivers, that's a bonus. But I think that a QB has enough to deal with, and probably can't see everything.

In the case of floating a lob pass (when a bullet might have been better), it is probably fair to blame the QB. But in the case where a LB is charging the WR from the side, it is just too hard to second guess the QB. Orton may have led a receiver or two into a LB, but like I write in an earlier e-mail, no QB will do that on purpose, so it is fair to assume he didn't see the threat. And even if he did, he's paid to move the ball down the field, and the receiver is being paid to sacrifice his body to an extent.

I may be biased as a coach (I was never a receiver or a QB), and may be ignorant since I never coached an offense or an entire team. But that's how I imagine the thinking goes."

That put things is a slightly different light for me. If you watch both plays that most folks objected to, in each Maualuga is on the weakside, screened from Orton's view by the scrum at the O-line. Rey moves perfectly and hits like a grizzly, but that's the nature of the beast, so to speak. Going over the middle in the short zone takes a certain mentality. You've potentially got safeties, LBs and corners available to hit you, and frequently, it's a group-slam situation. Some players never master what it takes. Others take a certain fierce joy in it, reveling in the competition and anxious to prove that they can take the hits and bounce up.

In both of these cases, the pass was just high enough to get over the LOS, fast, fairly well thrown. Rey seems to have an innate sense of timing about this play and a lot of receivers will rue that fact, but it isn't necessarily Orton's fault. He has a half second, no more, to see the receiver, chose his read and get the ball moving. Football is, by its nature, a very tough sport and this is a great example of that fact.

Could Orton do better? Sure, and from the past two games, he already does. I wouldn't suggest that he did the right thing. I'm suggesting only that he is paid to complete passes and that's what he did. They weren't lobs. It wasn't a high pass that exposed the receivers' kidneys to the pile-driver of the safety. It was two passes, thrown fairly well, that resulted in a couple of massive hits by a player who may well be exceeding most folks' expectations at his position.

I always liked Rey and I thought that he'd do well in the NFL. I didn't think that the Broncos would like him only because of his style of play. He can be undisciplined at times and it was and is my impression that Josh McDaniels would not be interested in him for that reason. That's been true, and Andra Davis and Mario Haggan have let me be happy about it. Davis and Haggan are big guys who can hit very hard, but they both are playing tight, disciplined football. That's one of the hallmarks of our defense - everyone does his job and everyone trusts the guys next to him to do theirs. In a different system, a player might have more opportunities to freelance, to make decisions that might not fit the Broncos but might work well for another team. That's among the reasons that I didn't see Rey in predominantly orange, but as a Bengal, he's doing a very good job. Sometimes, that means he's able to make other players pay for doing theirs. More power to him.

By the way, I'd be remiss in talking about Orton today without giving a few more points on his work. Orton is averaging 7.5 yards per pass play and has a very respectable 91.2 QB rating with a 55.7% completion percentage. That probably won't get much higher, overall - Orton is a smart player who takes care of the ball. He'll throw it away to save the play and avoid the sacks and he knows that stats don't win ballgames. The Marshall TD in the first quarter was the 110th consecutive pass for Orton w/o an INT. By the end of the game, it was 128 passes for Kyle since throwing an INT (he threw two last December versus Green Bay). He also hasn't had a repeat of those throws that Rey defended so well. Whatever the wrinkle was, it's ironed out now.

I also enjoyed Josh McDaniels taking head-on this business of Orton as a 'game-manager' when talking to the press. That's a criticism that usually comes from those who don't know quite as much about football as they think they do - they talk about stats and completions as if those are the keys to a QB, and that's just not true. What else is there? Listen to McD, who gave some examples of the 'more' that a QB must have:

"We don't ever talk abut our quarterbacks as game managers, but you want a quarterback to be efficient, you want them to run the line of scrimmage and the huddle. He got us out of a bunch of plays (by calling audibles) yesterday at the line of scrimmage and in the running game which - you know, nobody ever talks about the quarterback when you run for 215 yards, but when he gets you out of a play that's going to go nowhere and you gain, you know, 26 on the play, he plays a part in good running, you know? So, not turning the ball over, you know, finding the open man when players are open and just being effective. Kyle certain could have done better yesterday but played well. And we're going to work to fix the things that he didn't do well. Once the game declares itself and you have a 17 point lead in the third quarter, you're not going to do things that could put the game in jeopardy.

"The quarterback has 12-15 things he has to go once the play is called (emphasis is mine). There's a lot of responsibility on his plate from the time he claps his hands to break the huddle to the moment that the ball is snapped. He has to call the cadence, to the identification of protection to 'Which running play should we go to', to reading the blitz, to figuring out if he has to get rid of it, to reading the overage to determine where he's going to throw it to reading our receivers to determining who's open. There's a lot of things that he has to do and Kyle does a lot of them well."

Coach McDaniels never claims that the team couldn't have done better and he probably never will. But the intelligence of Orton, his knowledge of the game and his abilities in the huddle and at the line have been underestimated since he came out of college, as have his arm strength and accuracy. Hopefully, that will diminish over time as people see more of him and learn more about the game from the head coach.

Fitting into the System

It's a principle that has been exposed this season - sometimes, it's more a matter of the fit between the player and the coach/system than it is a matter of how 'good' the player is. Almost all of the NFL's players are fairly 'good.' The big question tends to be - how well do you use the players that you have?

That fact is a major reason why most folks missed the boat on the Broncos' revival. It doesn't fit well into the quick, short, rote preconceptions that tend to pass for analysis and commentary, but it's an essential part of putting a competitive team on the field. In the first year of Josh McDaniels' head coaching career, McD has identified his needs and scouted his players to a 'T'. If you carefully ascertain the qualities that you need in a player and analyze the skill set of the player in a thorough and rational way, you can get a good fit and a good team relatively quickly.

There are limits, of course. Ray Lewis might be good in any system, but even then, a lot of folks questioned his desire to move to a 3-4. Would he fit? There are, as we can see, a lot of different 3-4 systems. Coverage LBs or not? Zone blitz? Bigger players, Bullough-type scheme? 5-2? Hybrid? As always, I recommend reading HT's classic, the Modern 3-4 Defenses. It never gets old. HT talked about what qualities (even though it's a fairly general article) are needed in players from different types of 3-4 schemes. He also talked to me more than once in emails about the smaller, lighter 'coverage' linebackers and how they might be used, even though that's not the approach that our team has taken. McDaniels and Nolan decided to go in a very specific direction. They found and molded a series of linebackers who have shown themselves to be excellent as individuals and adroit and effectual as players within the system. Intelligent, tough and physical was the yardstick. It's working.

The linebackers are very much of a type. Each of them is big and most are bigger than average, with the exceptions of D.J. Williams and Wes Woodyard. Darrell Reid's precise weight is a mystery, but it's above 260, probably about 270. Robert Ayers clocks in at 274. Doom is only 248 and you can see why he's beginning to flourish as his skill set and his position converge; he doesn't have the size to fight the tackles at the line and stop a ball carrier, but his leverage is unusually effective. With his 'running start', that's changing. Jarvis Moss is up to 257 and needs every pound; Andra Davis is comparatively light at 251. We only have one LB under 242, and Wesley Woodyard (who is ostensibly 222) hits like he's 265. Even so - he's a nickel LB and perfect for the position he plays. He is showing skills in coverage, a nose for the ball, and his special teams work is admirable. By the way, did you notice that Andra Davis and Mario Haggan asked to stay on special teams? Another consistency is that our players don't want to get off the field. They are versatile, able to handle multiple responsibilities, are generally more intelligent than average (and have a high Information Processing Speed, or IPS) as well as leadership qualities that stand out.

One of the things that has created such a remarkable performance on the Broncos' side of the ball has been the fact that McDaniels understands exactly what he wants from each player on the field. That sounds awfully rudimentary, doesn't it? Every head coach should know that about every player. The fact is (from all the reading I've done), that it's not as common as you would think. I tend to use Mario Haggan as a defensive example, so if you've read this before from me, I apologize.

Mario Haggan was a classic 'tweener'. Back when he was drafted, relatively few teams were using the 3-4, but he fit the bill as a 3-4 strongside LB perfectly. The only thing is, he was drafted as a middle linebacker in a 3-4 system, and was then asked mostly to play Sam. Not a problem, really - when he was on the field, his production was good. His special teams work was excellent, too. But in the Broncos' 'Oklahoma' variation 5-2/3-4 defense, he's become a mainstay on the field and his leadership has brought him a Captaincy and the admiration and respect of the entire team. What's the difference? Scheme, and taking advantage of the skills of the player..

At Mississippi State, Haggan showed that he's all about the team. Talking about the 1999 season, he once said in an interview, "That year was special because we played together as a team." Even then, Mario understood what it really takes to win. This is perhaps the first year he's had a chance to put all of his skills into effect on the field. He doesn't always get credit for what he accomplishes - he's already got a sack, of course, but when scoring they only give tackles and assists to so many players. When I'm watching film, I'm finding a swarm of Broncos piling into and onto the ball carrier. Haggan is usually one of them - along with Brian Dawkins, Andra Davis and several other Broncos. Give the right man the right role, make him believe that he's a part of something greater than himself and stay back. If you get too close, you'll end up in the scrum. Haggan did a great job in ripping the ball out when the raiders threatened at 7:38 in the second quarter, getting a fumble from Darren McFadden. Ryan McBean was holding McFadden's legs and Haggan just grabbed the ball and tore it away. Heads-up play, and typical of him this year. It took them from an advantageous position to 3rd and 16, holding them to their only field goal.

They also did what coaches everywhere tell their defensive players - there are three points of contact: the hands, elbow and ribcage. If you attack those, you can create fumbles. the Broncos are doing it, they study and practice the basics, and it matters.

By the way, Andra Davis is another great example. He was used in a 3-4 in Cleveland, but without the kind of scheming that Nolan uses in our '5-2' variation. Davis' weaknesses were more exposed in that scheme. He wasn't the right player for that system, but he's apparently nearly perfect for ours. A year ago, I mentioned that I hoped that Bob Slowik would develop a different approach to the defense, using the personnel to maximum benefit. It didn't happen then, but it has now. It's easy the see the difference. Davis is all over the film, play after play. D.J. Williams and he are a fierce pair at ILB.

You can also look at the transitions made by Elvis Dumervil and Darrell Reid. Both have adapted quickly to becoming productive in their new positions. You can see that as a merging of player effort, coaching expertise and the vision of the coaches to see where they could become more effective. Of Dumervil, Champ Bailey said,

"I think he's made the best transition from one position to completely another position that I've ever seen. He's showing his versatility. The guy wants to win and he does everything that we ask him to do."

It's one thing that has turned the Broncos' program around so quickly. The level of organization that Josh McDaniels learned - first from his father, next from his own training in mathematics and then from Bill Belichick, as well as his intellect and innate sense of logic and order - has permitted him to make far fewer mistakes than most first-time head coaches. The functions of the organization have been carefully planned and painstakingly executed. Given the offseason distractions, I won't say that McD 'makes it look easy'. I will say this - he's doing exactly what this organization needed.

For what it's worth, those who claimed that McDaniels would fail because other Belichick disciples have have committed a common logical fallacy. Every situation is unique. Many things have never happened - until they do. You have to judge on an individual basis.

Coaching Corner

McDaniels blew everyone away this week in his post-game remarks. His comments on coaching, teaching, tackling and communicating were a thing of sheer beauty. They also got me thinking. McDaniels, unlike many coaches, isn't intimidated by having the best around him. In fact, from Day 1, that's what he's worked to bring into the organization. I decided to look over the areas that our new coaches are responsible for, the teams that some of our coaches came from and how those teams are doing in the area that our new coaches left vacant. The results were impressive.

These are just a few of the results, but to me they are representative of the pattern. Josh McDaniels himself left the New England offensive coordinator's job. The Pats are struggling on offense. Part of this is natural - Tom Brady had a tough surgery last year and the adhesions still haven't broken down. They also are dealing with turnover on a large scale. Brady's not stepping into his throws the same way, a common post-surgical issue. Would Josh's coaching help? Perhaps. Is the Pats offense struggling a little more? Yes. No conclusion, here - just a fact.

Mike McCoy came to us from Carolina. I don't know what's gone on in Carolina, but this isn't the same team that played so well last season. Their offense is terrible. Could McCoy have been a factor in their success? Quite possibly. Has the offense diminished? Yes.

Mike Nolan came to us after being fired from a head coaching job in San Francisco. Mike Singletary is doing a heck of a job with them and starting to see results. I love Singletary and have since his playing days in Chicago as 'Samurai'. Nolan has changed the Broncos' ideas about defense and if there was a 'Coordinator of the Year' award, he should have gotten it already. No conclusion here, either, but Nolan deserves a lot of admiration right about now.

Wayne Nunnely vacated the defensive line coaching job in San Diego. He says that he wanted something new and we were lucky enough to get him. At the beginning of training camp, he was interviewed and in his terse, simple style he pointed out that it wasn't his job to pick the players - it was his job to tech them the techniques that would make them successful. He has. Our D-line is shocking people. I'm not at all surprised. I picked up a copy of Nunnely's teaching video on stunts and was instantly entranced. That man can teach. SD has suffered some injuries, but their D-line hasn't looked good, even before losing Jamal Williams.

Scott Priefer comes to us from Kansas City. They are struggling on special teams, but they are struggling everywhere. Still - he's been a godsend for the Broncos, who needed special teams help like a dying man in the desert needs water. Welcome, coach. Has the change, from where we were to where we are, been anything but a tribute to this man?

Don Martindale came to us from the depths of Oakland and is our linebackers coach. Hey, how are our linebackers doing this year? Anyone changed positions and found success? On the other side, how did the Oakland linebackers play on Sunday? Not so well...

Okay, their whole team melted down, but the point is still relevant. There is a pattern here - we are finding great success and the teams that lost out on our coaches are consistently not doing well in the areas that they vacated. Is it due to the coaches? I can't swear to it, but there is one heck of a coincidence going on if that's not the case.

Congratulations to Josh McDaniels for putting this team together, driving the changes to the Broncos and teaching them how to be winners. My hat is off to the man. He's only 33? Amazing....

I'll Trade You

Congratulations also to Renaldo Hill on his INT against OAK. It couldn't happen to a more deserving player.

Okay, what do you think? That the Miami Dolphins are happy that they refused to pay up some guaranteed money on Renaldo Hill to keep him around? Or do you think that they regret giving the cash to Gibril Wilson? Renaldo Hill has been part of one of the best secondaries in the NFL, with cornerbacks Champ Bailey, Andre' Goodman and Alphonso Smith and Hill joining the still-young Brian Dawkins at safety in front of newcomers Darcel McBath and David Bruton, while Wilson has become a target for opposing quarterbacks. Wilson's weaknesses were displayed for the nation on the Week 2 Monday Night Football contest between MIA and IND.

A simple, clear stat, courtesy of the Denver Post:

The Dolphins were 11-5 with Hill last year; 0-3 without him this year. The Broncos were 8-8 without Hill last year; 3-0 with him this year. It's simplistic, sure, but there's a kernel of truth. You could also look at the fact that the Broncos now have 8 defensive turnovers in 3 games. At this rate, they'll have exceeded last year's total before the bye. Again, is it Hill? No, not entirely. Has he been a force on the field? You bet. Watching film, Hill is consistently around the ball.

This one looks to me like a 'cut-off-your-nose-to-spite-your face' kind of situation in Miami. Do you think that the Fins would be willing to trade back right about now? Wilson was terrible in the loss to Indianapolis and didn't play well against San Diego, either. While Peyton Manning has made a lot of good players look bad over his career, that game was more than an off day for Wilson and he didn't bounce back this week against Philip Rivers, who is no slouch either. I don't think that it's unfair to note that with Wilson, when Al Davis isn't willing to throw money at a player, they usually often aren't much good to anyone else, either. Another free agency coup for the Broncos.

There has been some conversation in the media recently about a fact that has appeared in multiple sources including the BT&M from last week: Many teams in the NFL are now going to roughly the kind of offense that the Broncos are using, with an emphasis on the short passing game. It is based in an important change in the league - more and more safeties have sub-4.40 speed. With the swiftness and coverage skills that many of them have, you can't go deep as easily as in years past. That has two ramifications for Denver: First, it means a lot of playing time for 2nd-round draft pick Alphonso Smith at nickelback (hurry back, Alphonso).

Second, it explains something about Renaldo Hill of which many Broncos fans seem unaware. Renaldo was drafted in the 7th round (#202 overall) of the 2001 Draft by the Arizona Cardinals as a cornerback. He played left cornerback for them for 4 years and then spent a season in OAK at the same position on a one-year contract. After that, he took a three-year deal with MIA where he was moved to free safety to take advantage of his speed, size and cover skills. He has made improvement at that position each year, and has really just begun to play at what may be his best level. The Broncos are using his intelligence and skill set to best advantage, too - depending on the down, either he or Brian Dawkins may be playing a 'centerfield' role. Usually they divide the field and each is responsible for quarterbacking their side of the defense. The two veterans have no problem in communicating with each other, either, and this is a big reason that the secondary is playing so well.

Gibril Wilson didn't come to OAK until 2008. He'd been a strong safety and (in 2007) a free safety for the Giants since 2004. Still, it's odd how things work out, isn't it? The raiders missed out on Hill's best use and let him go; the Dolphins found it but they, too, let him go and the Broncos smiled broadly and said, "Thank you very much!", giving him a 4-year, $10 million contract to be paired with Brian Dawkins in a great tandem. Knowing exactly what you are looking for - in this case, a safety with speed and cornerback skills, seeing clearly why you want X players and giving them the best position to be successful are all keys to creating a team that wins consistently.

Despite our best wishes as fans, you can't force interceptions. You can only put yourself in the best position to snag them when the opportunity arises. The Broncos went up another plus-two in turnovers this week by doing just that. Congratulations to Andre' Goodman as well on his own INT, a man who is also missed by MIA - he's also playing at a very high level. Goodman is about $5 million per year that is very well spent.

Block and Tackle

I just re-watched the tape of Correll Buckhalter from Week 2, running for daylight to the tune of 45 yards and a TD, and compared that to some of the similar runs he made against Oakland. You know what really stood out? Beyond his skill and his ability to cut back at angles that confused and defeated defender after defender, that play (and several others) started with a hole formed by zone-blocking from Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris that you could have sailed the Queen Mary through, with room to spare. On the same drive at the 6-minute mark, Tony Scheffler took the Will LB out of the play with a great stand-up block. It's happening all over the field. This week, both Russ Hochstein and Tyler Polumbus also blocked well when they came in. At the opening drive of the second half (I couldn't see the number), the RB did a textbook job of picking up the blitz and taking his man out of the play. Daniel Graham had time to go underneath, over the middle and picked up yet another first down because of that block (with a nice throw by Kyle Orton).

As I looked through the tape of the games so far, one of the things that stood out was the improvement in fundamentals and physicality on both sides of the ball: blocking by the offense and tackling by the defense. Our blocking was usually good in 2008 but even with some of the goal-line breakdowns, it's been more physical than last year. It's true that the Broncos O-line was fairly brilliant in pass-blocking last season and by the latter part of the season, they were run-blocking almost equally well. But non-line individuals - and Tony Scheffler is a standout among them - have continued to improve. Brandon Marshall, of course is another fine example of a non-line player making the blocks for us, and he did it last season, too. The blocking has opened the road for Buckhalter, who is currently third in the league at 7.2 yards per gain. Buck also picked up the blitz at 4 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter - no one was open, but there was no sack, either. Solid, solid play.

After the game, Josh McDaniels commented, "I think a part of good tackling is angles. We do a lot of angle tackling drills in practice; most of the time we don't go all the way to the ground, now. We did in training camp. But when you're taking the proper angle, that's kind of half the battle to me...I think our guys understand leverage and angles..." Apparently so. "Draft picks? We always want to make sure that we're getting real good tacklers." Alphonso Smith was singled out - and for good reason. Tackling is being taught properly. There is a constant emphasis on fundamentals that seems 'new'. I loved learning Josh's thoughts on the technique of tackling and apparently, from the articles, a lot of us did. He's a heck of a communicator.

By the way, another draft pick, Darcel McBath has a team-high six special-teams tackles through three games. Another draft choice, another excellent tackler. He's going to fit right in. We're also co-leading the league, tied for first, with 10 sacks.

Tackling and blocking have a lot in common - physicality, a basis in attitude and the importance of technique being among those similarities. The improvement in defensive personnel certainly stands out, but the level of tackling by our team has shot up by tenfold this season. Whether it's Nolan, McDaniels, personnel, attitude, all of the above or something else, Denver is looking like a different team, and playing like one as well. What a great season!

SquashMaster Award

I've decided to give a little extra love each week to the player(s) who lead the team in tackles by establishing the weekly SquashMaster Award. This week, D.J. Williams took top honors with 7 tackles and a forced fumble that was recovered by Brian Dawkins. Congratulations, D.J.! In second place was Elvis 'Doom' Dumervil, who raised his season sack total to 6 and added 5 solo tackles for the team. Can Elvis extend his streak of sacks against the Dallas front five? Don't bet against him. By the way, Doom did just what was predicted in attacking the strong side and right tackle Cornell Green. He also moved around on both sides.

Many fans wondered at the beginning of the season how D.J. would react to moving into yet another position and whether he could bounce back after the less-than-stellar performance of 2008. Not to worry - D.J. is tearing up the league right now. It's also gratifying to see that a different player leads the team in tackles each week so far and all three have been among our veterans and leaders. Veteran leadership - what a concept!

Some may have missed a small thing that made a big difference - when Doom went after the fumble in the 2nd quarter, he couldn't pick the ball up but he did manage to tip it backwards. OAK recovered, but they were farther back and had lost more ground due to Elvis' heads-up play. Another play that reflects the principle of tipping the ball to control the game - we've had at least one each week.

Sack Stats

After 3 games, the theoretically immobile Kyle Orton has taken 3 sacks. Another perfectly good snarky theory bites the dust...Considering that both Cincinnati and Oakland's defensive fronts have been good at getting after the QB in their other games, that says a lot about our line. This isn't hot news, but it's nice to see, especially with the number of plays that our starters have sat out with one injury and another. Congrats, by the way, to Tyler Polumbus who played well in reserve, spelling Ryan Harris and to Russ Hochstein who spelled Ben Hamilton. The solid play of the line is an old Broncos tradition, by the way. Look at the stats since 2003:

Fewest sacks allowed in the NFL since 2003:

Team ... Sacks ... Yards

Indianapolis ... 107 ... 643
Denver ... 141 ... 854
Green Bay ... 147 ... 1,019
San Diego ... 163 ... 1,095
New Orleans ... 172 ... 1,034

Iron Clady Redux

For perspective on Ryan Clady's streak at left tackle, there were 1,036 sacks in the NFL last year, or about 6.5 for every starting offensive lineman in the league. An average NFL offensive lineman gives up one sack about every 10 quarters. Clady has played every snap this season and last for the Broncos, who have passed 708 times over the past 80 quarters. He has given up only a half-sack, to then-Patriots end Richard Seymour whom he blanked in this week's contest, frustrating him in a way that lead to the 1st ever NFL Hair-Pulling Award. Stay classy, Richard. Asked about his actions, Seymour replied: "It was not a mistake, brother. Next question." Funny - I'm pretty sure that on the Broncos, costing the team 15 yards is considered a heck of a mistake. But that's the difference in the two teams.

Far more importantly, though, it's been 80 quarters since Clady's first regular season start and Ryan has given up 1/2 a sack? That's quite a stat. He has also tied the record for games without a full sack at 19. What a player he is!

It goes beyond his quick feet, size and long arms - Clady is both a brilliant technician and a brilliant tactician. Head Coach Josh McDaniels offered some unique insight on his intelligence. He said what impressed him about Clady was how he changes his approach from play-to-play; attacking the end on one play, then sits back and rides him away from the quarterback on the next.

"He's a smart player," McDaniels said. "He understands what the guy has seen from him already and what he hasn't and he mixes it up pretty well. A lot of people might ask, how much can a left tackle mix up his protection? You can and it's effective."

Clady commented (see below) that he didn't think that he played that well against Oakland. I don't even know what to say to that. The offensive line didn't give up a sack, didn't commit a penalty and blew open huge holes in the line for the running backs while giving Kyle Orton lots of time to throw. I guess that other than that, they probably didn't do that much. They didn't invent a perpetual motion machine on the sidelines during the game, or anything. Come to think of it, they didn't need to - the Broncos already have Dawkins.

By the way, on Buckhalter's huge run of 34 yards at 6:13 in the 2nd quarter, Hamilton and Clady sealed off their men perfectly, but the run was freed up with Harris, pulling all the way over to take out the weakside linebacker that freed Buckhalter on the play. Our run blocking is becoming a thing of great beauty. If you can, go back and watch the play. Wow.

Humility and Honor

There is a pattern to these Broncos that stands out when you look for it: Every player on the team gives the credit for their performances to others. Last week it was Dumervil and Andra Davis, each of whom was asked about their own performance and each of whom wanted to talk about the accomplishments of the other. When you talk to Alphonso Smith, he tells you about Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. Whether it's Kyle Orton giving credit for the offense to his line, backs and receivers, or Eddie Royal deflecting questions about his production by pointing to the plays it's opening up for the other receivers, this team seems to be the anti-ego. It's the antithesis of the me-driven locker room, the group that looks to their own stats before they look at their team's wins. It's a big reason that they have three wins to count. After the game, Darrell Reid was talking about the things that the defense didn't do well and how they need to improve. This is after holding Oakland to 3 points and 137 total yards. Perfection may not be attainable, but these men are going to try.

This week it was Dumervil again, this time giving credit to Ryan Clady for his own performance and sack totals. This is what he said:

"You know one of the reasons I get sacks on Sundays is (Ryan Clady). Going against him every day is hell," Dumervil said. "There's no other way to say it. He's athletic, long arms - pretty much the toughest tackle I've ever gone against. He's just special. He's going to be on that side for 20 years. He's athletic, he's smart, he has poise - he doesn't get rattled. There's not much you can beat him with."

Ryan's replay? "The way we practice, that's what I do (in games)." He then said, "I don't think I played that well." Well, only good enough to have another zero-sack day and to open huge holes for the running game. But, Dumervil got the last word:

"Both those guys - Harris and Clady - are tough, tough guys, but Clady is the guy I see every day, and if you break even sometimes, you think you won," said Doom. "I come into game days thinking the guy I'm playing isn't going to surprise me with something I haven't seen before because I was banging against Ryan Clady all week. We always go against each other; he doesn't go against anyone else and I don't go against anyone else. He gets me better, and I hope I get him better."

This is the kind of thing that defines a successful team. We know from various sources - mostly players, speaking later on condition of anonymity - that the locker room the past few years had been cursed with a kind of me-first attitude, with players showing a preference for their own individual stats over the outcome of the games. That has gone away. What you see now is a tendency to recognize the benefits of the team over the individual accords. Ironically, it leads to more and more individual as well as team accords. The way this team was designed and built constantly amazes me. It's also interesting to note that one of the best qualities of Kyle Orton - that he stays calm and doesn't rattle - is equally reflected in his left tackle. Those two aren't alone in that, which speaks very well for the team's ultimate potential.

Following the game, Josh McDaniels was asked how the Broncos could improve. On how to motivate his players this week, he said, "Just show them the film. We've got a 50 play cut-up that we'll watch during the squad meeting." He then gave a wry smile. "It's not all ribbons and bows...They saw it every week we played so far. 'Boy, if we'd only done these five or six things better, it could have been an even a better performance.' You don't have to convince them that they need to improve. They know they need to get better." That's the kind of thing that keeps a team grounded in reality, striving to get even better and ready for any opponent.

Ayers and Perception

Robert Ayers hasn't burned up the field in this, his rookie season. Coming late into training camp, as so many 1st-round rookies do, he quickly found himself behind the curve. He didn't play all that well at first and looked tentative. Following up on a comment to the effect that he 'hasn't shown up', I spent some time watching film from last Sunday. I had started to notice Ayers during the Week 2 game against Cleveland - he helped collapse the pocket, was in on some tackles, and seemed to be starting to find the ball. It's true that he only has one tackle, but there's more to playing than stats. Sunday, my initial impression had been that his play was even better. I went back to find a few examples. It didn't take long...

On the third play from scrimmage, 3rd and 13, it was Ayers who collapsed the pocket, hurrying Russell who completed the throw to his outlet for 8 yards when he needed 13. Nice play. Ayers had been contained by Cornell Green on the play before, but not this time. Interestingly, on this occasion he was lined up as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 set, going up against the double team of the center and Cooper Carlisle. He defeated it to pressure Russell, which is asking a lot of a 274-lb. rookie. By the way, I love the way we're using the 4-3 in long-yardage situations.

He came back in the second quarter, running across the field in a heads-up play to help tackle Zach Miller for a 12-yard gain on 3rd and 16. Without Ayers it could have been a first down. Ayers did have help on the tackle and wasn't credited it, but he hit Miller high while someone else (bad camera angle) held his legs.

But that was it for Ayers in the first quarter. Is that a problem? Not at all. Davis, Haggan, D.J., Reid and Doom are playing like champs. Ayers will only get time in rotation - we're playing so well that if he gets in, great. If not, great. I don't think that it's a knock on Ayers. He's behind a lot of guys in the depth chart who are just playing at a very high level. That's not a bad thing. It means that we're deep and strong.

He also came in for the last series in the half when we were in the nickel - both Ayers and Wesley Woodyard were in. Woodyard stuffed Michael Bush for a loss on the final play of the half - Ayers stayed at home, held his gap and did what he was supposed to. The play just didn't go at him. He also made a nice stop (see picture above) on Bush. Give the man a little time.

Final Notes

Orton, McDaniels and the Goal Line Stand. While I was watching the replays of the game on NFL Rewind, I noted something: Orton is becoming deadly over the middle. It brought up an interesting point that sent me back to the film and statistics from last season: Chicago didn't believe that and wouldn't call much in the way of passes over the middle when Orton was there. Out of 455 passes he threw last season, only 54 were thrown over the middle, which might have, in part, been a personnel issue. I've mentioned before that Orton at times throws a flat pass, but look at these numbers. Go figure. In one way, you can understand why they thought that - Orton was only at a 53.7% completion rate over the middle and had a 5.56 INT rate there - but there must have been a scheme and/or personnel issue that influenced this. Orton has been excellent over the middle all season, and seems to be getting even better each game. His passing has always been strongest to the left side/weak side, by the way. It will be interesting to watch his distribution as the season progresses.

Some folks have questioned Josh McDaniels' call for four rushing plays down on the goal line on the first drive and I wanted to touch on that quickly. I liked his response and wanted to include it here:

"We were all disappointed," McDaniels said about the series. "When you're down there that tight, you want to give your football team an opportunity to get it in. And if we have that same opportunity come up next week, we'd do it again, and we'll get it in. We'll work hard to fix the things we didn't get right there and push that thing in."

That covers it. Hochstein, by the way, was the lead blocker and never got to the goal line, so the RB could not, either. We'll need to fix that. Statistically, by the way, you score on such a series about 50% of the time, although you strive for more, and therefore you can get 7-14 points instead of the 6 if you kick both field gals. There's another reason, though, that you go for it - this team doesn't believe that anyone can stop it twice. They were right and got the next one with a passing route underneath by Marshall in that same mismatch with Morrison. I like that attitude.

Home against Dallas - In the upcoming contest, Dallas will be a good test for the Broncos, but I'm taking the home team. Dallas isn't strong enough on both sides of the ball to convince me otherwise and it's my impression that we match up well with them. Consider this:

While they have a good offense, they can get rattled. Tony Romo still needs to prove that he has the calm that Kyle Orton is known for. While I have a lot of respect for the Dallas offensive front line, I have just as much or more for Doom and the Devastators. Felix Jones is a great running back but apparently won't play, We've played the run quite well overall so far. I'm not as impressed with their pass blocking. Our secondary is playing well, despite the fact that other teams are constantly throwing the ball and playing catch-up; they're tackling well, covering well and starting to see the inevitable INTs. The Dallas secondary has weaknesses that can be exploited. Our offense is doing well in the passing and rushing attacks, and special teams have been very special. We could get more long run-backs if we don't seal the edges, but other than that, I've got very few criticisms.

They have a good D-line that isn't producing - we have Mt. Clady and Friends. DeMarcus Ware has continued to disappear, even against Carolina. The 'Boys finally got a few sacks against a woeful O-line of the Panthers but they haven't shown me that they can dominate even a weaker team. Rookie linebacker Victor Butler broke out with 2 sacks and a forced fumble and the Broncos will need to account for him but he was only on the field for 5 plays. I'm comfortable with this Rick Dennison-coached group. They are on the road and Orton is what - 16-2 at home? This is a new Broncos squad that can take on the best and at least be competitive.

Romo can be deadly in a single game. Against Carolina, he was efficient but not showy and he didn't get a single TD throw. The Cowboys only put up 13 points on offense. Ronald Fields has been clogging the middle effectively against the run. Marcus Thomas has been a more than serviceable second-string NT - he has been in for rushing as well as passing downs now. They will be game-planning for Doom, but seriously - that gets you Davis, Dawkins, Reid, D.J. and Haggan with less obstacles.

On the other side - the holes that Kuper and Harris are opening have been enormous and Russ Hochstein and Tyler Polumbus played just fine in relief. Right now, we expect Harris to play. If Harris is not in, they will game-plan to put pressure on Polumbus/Hochstein and to be honest - I'm looking forward to see how they handle it. Polumbus in particular has looked great in the small amounts I've seen him. I've love to see him in a test game. The Dallas D-line and front seven are noticeably smaller than our squad. Dallas committed 9 penalties against Carolina and gave up 3 TDs to Tampa Bay. These numbers don't scare me.

I see it as a potentially tough game, but very winnable. McD is famous for making great adjustments during gametime, and that's a big advantage. I don't think that Wade Phillips is in Josh's ballpark as a head coach. We now have an advantage in McD and Nolan that just doesn't quit.

Prediction: I'm calling for a win, but it could still be a close game, perhaps about 27-20. IIf they put their team together on the road they can give us a run for the money, but I expect them to fall short. If our defense plays as well as it can, we'll win going away.

Go Denver!

Horse Tracks 9/17/09 - Kyle Orton still begloved; Champ & BDawk held out of practice but expected to play Sunday

Douglas A. Lee — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:42:47 -0000

DPP - Orton, offense look to fix mistakes - Lindsay Jones
Kyle Orton practiced with a glove again Wednesday; not surprisingly, the offensive players were not pleased with what they saw on film from Sunday.

DPP - Browns returner Cribbs to test coverage Units - Jeff Legwold
Although Jarvis Moss was inactive Sunday, he donned a black jersey yesterday along with Darrell Reid and Tom Brandstater in recognition for their exemplary work in practice last week. Champ and BDawk did not practice yesterday, while Josh Barrett did.

ESPN - Youth might dictate new hiring model - Jeffri Chadiha

DB - New Year, New Teams - Gray Caldwell
Looking at all that's changed since the last time the Broncos and Browns faced off. For Andra Davis, it's an early matchup versus the team he spent seven years with.

DB - Week 2: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Week 2 - Wed: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Week 2 - Wed: Dawkins - Broncos TV

CBS4 - Elway Thinks Orton Will Be Better As Time Goes On - Vic Lombardi

AP - Brian Dawkins Provides Energy Boost To Denver's Defense - Arnie Stapleton

PFW - Week Two matchup tidbits

DB - Buying Into His System - Chris Gentilviso

TC - Coaching in McDaniels’ blood from start - Mike McLain

DPP - Coaching's M&M connection - Mike Klis
Eric Mangini yesterday spoke of his former assistant Josh McDaniels.

DPP - Analysis: Running game needs boost - Jeff Legwold

DP - Broncos work out punters - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Neck injury limits Browns RB Lewis during practice

DPP - Question: How are Broncos' Dumervil, defensive front-liners progressing? - Jeff Legwold

CSG - Orton says he may keep glove on throwing hand for Sunday - Frank Schwab

CSG _ Broncos notes: Moreno not pleased with debut - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos' Orton trusts his head more than his arm - Frank Schwab

DP - Mailbag: The state of CU football - Woody Paige

DP - Numbers: Broncos through the years
Denver's record by decade

KDVR - Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns Preview - Chris Tanaka
Tanaka predicts Denver by a TD

DB - One in a Row! - Mark Cooper

ESPN - NFL: Schedule working against AFC West hopefuls - John Clayton
Oh, this is rich. John Clayton reminds us that he predicted but 3 victories for the Broncos in '09. Now he's preparing us by saying that even a 3-0 start for Denver could be followed by an 8-game losing streak.

Browns News

CPD - Braylon Edwards, Brady Quinn working to 'stay on the same page' for Cleveland Browns this season - Tony Grossi

CPD - Mary Kay Cabot and Tony Grossi break down Cleveland Browns-Denver Broncos: Video

CPD - Broncos' McDaniels says Brady Quinn was never part of Jay Cutler trade talks: Browns Insider - Mary Kay Cabot

CPD - Cleveland Browns: Brady Quinn Wednesday press conference

CPD - Cleveland Browns: Wednesday quotes from Braylon Edwards, Jamal Lewis and Brandon McDonald

CPD - Cleveland Browns: Eric Mangini Wednesday press conference

CPD - Branson Wright interviews Cleveland Browns receiver/kick returner Josh Cribbs

CPD - Cleveland Browns release Leon Williams - Tony Grossi

NH - Browns notes: McDonald eager to avoid Royal letdown - Jeff Schudel

AFC West News

NFL - Bum ankle leaves L.T. limping in a boot, but he's confident he's OK

SDUT - Bolts have options if LT stays hobbled - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Chargers sign versatile lineman - Kevin Acee
The Dolts added former Jags OL Dennis Norman.

SDUT - Scouting the Ravens

SFC - Raiders rookie says he did his job - David White

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Javon Walker lives - David White
Javon will be Jokeland's third WR and backup PR this week.

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Miller time is over, for now - David White

NFL - Cassel tests left knee at Chiefs' practice, could play Sunday

KCS - Chiefs want Wade in the mix quickly - Adam Teicher

NFL - WR Lance Long claimed off waivers by Chiefs

KCS - Chiefs notes: Haley says Cassel looks better - Kent Babb

NFL News

NFL - NFL fines Jets, Mangini $125K total for breaking injury report rules

NFL - Eagles' McNabb held out of practice; status for Sunday still unknown

NFL - Bills starting LB Posluszny out six weeks after breaking left arm

NFL - Two teens admit to vandalizing Bills CB McKelvin's lawn

KHOU - Texans sign former UH star RB Alridge

NFL Opinion

NFL - No-huddle offense appears to be making a comeback - Pat Kirwan

Y! - Patriots, Cardinals have cause for concern - Charles Robinson

NFP - Tavern talk: What QBs will be left standing? - Mike Lombardi

NFP - NFL notes: Change in store for Saints, Eagles - Matt Bowen

NFP - Wednesday whys: The reason for veteran signings - Andrew Brandt

SI - Mark Sanchez is one reason Week 1 conclusions are bad - Ross Tucker

SI - Tony Romo attacks NFL's passing efficiency records - Kerry J. Byrne

SI - Miami Dolphins' Ricky Williams making most of second chance - Dave Hyde

Horse Tracks 9/12/09 - Shannon Sharpe gets involved in guiding Brandon Marshall

Douglas A. Lee — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:43:36 -0000

Mornin' MHR Friends! To all my fellow New Yorkers, please shoot me an email at nycbroncosfan@gmail.com if you're interested in meeting up for tomorrow's (and future) games. I know this is last minute, but I had been hoping to get NFL Sunday Ticket Online and it hasn't worked out. I watched most Broncos games last year at Sidebar on 15th and Irving; not sure if that will be the spot again this year. But please email me and hopefully we can put something together!

AP - Brandon Marshall Keeps Lips Sealed On Suspension
Shannon Sharpe got on a three-way call with Rod Smith and BMarsh and gave the young receiver a stern talking to. Big Play Shay says, "Moving forward, I don't think the Broncos are going to have any problems with Brandon Marshall." Personally, I'm thrilled these legends still care enough about the Broncos to help out, even in the absence of Mike Shanahan.

DP - Orton to start Broncos' opener - Mike Klis

DPP - Same as it ever was for Orton - Mike Klis
According to Klis, Kyle Orton hasn't seemed to have lost any velocity or sharpness from his throws during practice this week.

DPP - All quiet on B-Marsh front - Jeff Legwold
Josh Barrett and Le Kevin Smith are out for Sunday's game, while Russ Hochstein is expected to start in place of Chris Kuper.

DB - A Few Minutes With Josh McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Week 1: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Exciting In Its Own Right - Chris Gentilviso

DB - Embodying the Exception - Zach Eisendrath
Jarvis Moss sounds refreshed and renewed by the switch in defensive scheme. Hopefully it shows through on the field...

DPP - Q&A: Rate the rookies - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Analysis: Adjustments will be made - Jeff Legwold

LTC - Defense key to Broncos’ success - Brian Howell

LTC - Moreno eager to debut - Brian Howell

CSG - Indications are Orton will start for Broncos - Frank Schwab

CSG - For McDaniels, this is not any given Sunday - Frank Schwab

DPP - Broncos' 50th season: Long way to reach glory - Jim Armstrong
Armstrong looks back at the Broncos' early days and offers his all-time team.

DP - Bates doesn't dwell on past - John Henderson

MV - The Denver Broncos' Ed McCaffrey, 9/11 and a New York Minute

Bengals News

CE - Henry set to play against Denver - Joe Reedy

CE - No blackout for Bengals - Joe Reedy

NYT - Brothers on the Bengals - The Palmers are the ‘Other’ Quarterbacks - Karen Crouse

AFC West News

ESPN - Adam Schefter: Richard Seymour expected to arrive in Oakland on Saturday, sources say
Sure, feel bad for Seymour. But Belichick being disloyal? Come on. The guy knows what he's doing. If a player is about to go over the hill (or cost too much to retain), then by all means trade him for a valuable draft pick. That's exactly what Shanny DIDN'T do with Reggie Hayward, Bert Berry and Trevor Pryce. You can't afford to keep everyone, so trade them when you can get value; don't just let them walk during free agency. I HOPE McD is willing/able to make similar choices in future. Foresight is a much better quality than sentimentality when it comes to winning.

SDUT - DA won't file charges against Merriman

NFL - Chiefs’ Cassel feels good, but will be a game-time call

KCS - Chiefs notebook | Rookie Jackson says he’s made progress - Kent Babb

KCS - Offensive line will be put to the test against Ravens - Adam Teicher

NFL News

NFL - Federal appeals court rules NFL can’t immediately suspend Williamses

NFL - Saints' Brown to miss several weeks after second surgery

NFL - Colts safety Sanders out vs. Jags; assistant Moore to return to sidelines

NFL - Cardinals WR Boldin questionable vs. 49ers

NFL - Texans’ Schaub probable, Walter questionable vs. Jets

Y! - Sources: Tomlin, Steelers working on extension - Jason Cole

NFL Opinion

NYT - Week 1 Matchups - Mike Tanier

SI - Percy Harvin, Titans-Steelers, Carson Palmer, more NFL Week 1 - Peter King

ESPN - Final Word

SI - NFL Week 1 viewer's guide, plus NFL mailbag - Ross Tucker

CBS - Peek at the Week: Cutler-Rodgers kicks off NFC North race - Clark Judge

ESPN - 10 Spot: '09 surprise? Watch Redskins - Adam Schefter

SI - NFL ranks last in SI.com ranking of best/worst overtimes in sports - John P. Lopez

FOX - Week 1 preview: Edwards in for a wake-up call - Kevin Hench
Hench says the Broncos defense will be "awful" and thinks all they did was sign Brian Dawkins. Click here for some thorough journalism! I mean, if you think the Broncos D will be poor due to a scheme change and roster turnover, that's fine; you're entitled. But don't say they'll be "awful" because they didn't do enough...

NFP - Now it’s ‘we’ time in the NFL - Andrew Brandt
Brandt thinks the Broncos should avoid negotiating with BMarsh.

SI - Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers is NFL game of the week - Adam Duerson

NFL - Aging star RBs ready to turn back time as season kicks off - Pat Kirwan

NFL - In stacked NFC East, Redskins are division's true wildcard - Steve Wyche

NFL - As season opens, Favre making waves on and off the field - Jason La Canfora

PFW - Rice will be busy man for Ravens - Mike Wilkening

NFP - Minus Polamalu, Steelers defense still strong - Matt Bowen

Horse Tracks - 9/6/09 - Broncos trim roster to 53 with more changes to come

John Bena — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:34:49 -0000

Moss surprisingly makes Broncos roster - Frank Schwab(Gazette.com)
The biggest surprise among Saturday’s final cuts by the Denver Broncos might have been one of the players that survived.

Crowder goes, Moss stays for Broncos - Lindsay Jones(DP)
Two years ago, the Broncos used their top two draft picks on Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder, with the hope the defensive ends would energize the team's pass rush.

Kiszla's Mailbag
Feel free to skip over this...Oy Ve!

Broncos roster takes shape - Mike Klis(DP)
Veteran coach, rookie coach. Apparently, it doesn't matter. After the Broncos temporarily set their 53-man roster Saturday, they once again wound up with players at every position.

Roster Limit Reached; Holliday Signed - Chris Gentilviso(DB.com)
Saturday's regular-season roster deadline brought several shuffles by the Broncos to reduce the team to 53 players.

NFL: Broncos in a fix as season looms - Jeff Legwold(Salt Lake Trib)
Now on the doorstep to his first regular season as the Broncos head coach, McDaniels still has decisions to make. It's just a whole different set of problems on offense right now.

Broncos release final 12, add Holliday to get to 53(SeattlePI.com)
Defensive linemen Tim Crowder and Nic Clemons were among the players listed on the Denver Broncos' final list of cuts, while veteran end Vonnie Holliday was added to the roster as the team established its 53-man roster.

All Ready! Your 2009 Denver Broncos 53-man Roster(Official)

John Bena — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:14:31 -0000

Quarterback (3)	Kyle Orton	Defensive Ends (5)	Vonnie Holliday
	Chris Simms		Kenny Peterson
	Tom Brandstater		Ryan McBean
			Marcus Thomas
Running back (4)	Knowshon Moreno		Le Kevin Smith
	Peyton Hillis
	Correll Buckhalter	Defensive Tackles (2)	Ronald Fields
	LaMont Jordan		Chris Baker

		Linebackers (9)	D.J. Williams
			Elvis Dumervil
Tight End (3)	Daniel Graham		Mario Haggan
	Tony Scheffler		Darrell Reid
	Richard Quinn		Jarvis Moss
			Wesley Woodyard
Wide Receivers (7)	Brandon Marshall		Andra Davis
	Eddie Royal		Spencer Larsen
	Brandon Stokley		Robert Ayers
	Jabar Gaffney	Cornerbacks (4)	Andre Goodman
	Kenny McKinley		Jack Williams
	Brandon Lloyd		Alphonso Smith
	Chad Jackson		Champ Bailey

Offensive Line (9)	Casey Wiegmann
	Chris Kuper	Safeties (5)	Brian Dawkins
	Russ Hochstein		Darcel McBath
	Seth Olsen		Renaldo Hill
	Ryan Harris		David Bruton
	Ryan Clady		Josh Barrett
	Ben Hamilton
	Brandon Gorin	Special (3)	Matt Prater
	Tyler Polumbus		Brett Kern
			Lonnie Paxton

Immediate Reaction and Notes

There is one too-many because Brandon Marshall is still on the Reserved-Suspended list. One more move will have to be made when he is activated, but this allows the Broncos to get the lay of the Free agent landscape.
On offense, I had predicted that Darius Walker would make it over LaMont Jordan. I was wrong. There are reasons why, more than Jordan's New England past, why this could have happened. Pass protection is one of them. In the end, however, Jordan is the 4th RB behind KnowMo, Buckhalter and Hillis. I can live with it even though I don't agree with it.
I had though the Broncos would go with 6 WR's, IF Jabar Gaffney's thumb was progressing well. The fact the Broncos went with 7 doesn't necessarily mean it is not, but that the coaches value depth at WR more than RB or some other areas.
The addition of Vonnie Holliday mean alot momre than just what the guy can do on the football field. It is another veteran voice in the locker room, a coach on the field. He has alot of experience in all defenses and will help the young guys learn the nuances of the 3-4
Don't get too comfortable with this roster. I fully expect it to change between now and mid-week after the team has the chance to scoru the waiver-wire.