SB Nation - Casey Wiegmann

Wiegmann Feels Sorry For Some of the Chiefs Players

Joel Thorman — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:14:15 -0000

More photos » by Reed Hoffmann - AP

11 days ago: Denver Broncos cornerback Andre' Goodman (21) scores a touchdown with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (7) in pursuit off a Jamaal Charles fumble late in the third quarter of their NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Browse more photos »

Denver Broncos C Casey Wiegmann spent the best years of his 13 year (and counting) career in Kansas City. While with the Chiefs, he was a key component of perhaps the best offensive line in history and made way for record breaking performances by Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson.

Wiegmann's seven years in Kansas City means he's familiar with a few of the Chiefs currently on the squad. And, he feels for them.

"It is," he said when asked if it was sad to see all the empty seats at Arrowhead. "I feel bad for the guys that experienced the good years when I was here. It's unfortunate. But, they'll get back to where it was. The fans in Kansas City are good and they know how to root their team on. They'll be back.

"But, I feel sorry for the guys."

Following a four win 2007 season, then head coach Herm Edwards and GM Carl Peterson decided to go young and released the veteran center. The right decision? Eh, probably not. The Chiefs have had center issues this season (and last season). Wiegmann made his first and only Pro Bowl last season (as an alternate).

Wiegmann isn't bitter or upset with the organization after their divorce. In fact, Kansas City, like so many of us, still holds a special place in his heart.

"I had seven good years here," he said. "I was happy to be a Chief. We'll probably call this home when I am done playing. I definitely miss the Chiefs. It's good to be here."

Potent Quotables - Denver Broncos 44 - Kansas City Chiefs 13

John Bena — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:10:19 -0000

More photos » by Ed Zurga - AP

11 days ago: Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) slips past Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Demorrio Williams (53) as he goes in for a 18-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. The Broncos won 44-13. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Browse more photos »

DENVER BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

Opening Statement: "I am really proud of the effort from our team today. We talked a lot about how difficult it was to come in here and get wins this late in the season in Kansas City. It was a big division game for us and I thought our team prepared hard and was familiar with the opponent. We played with a lot of energy today and we knew that we would be the only ones to bring it today from our side and I thought we were really into the game and executed early and continued to stay with it for 60 minutes. I am happy to get a victory."

Can you talk about the play made on the fake punt? "They went to a gadget-type formation and I know that there was a guy leaking out the other way and they had an opportunity to get that ball out there but TE Richard (Quinn) made a heck of a play. I don't know what happens if the ball gets thrown but it probably wouldn't have been too good for us. Whenever you break the formation and have a gadget-type play, we were prepared and we split out with them but you are never sure who they are trying to pick for or who they are trying to spring free. That was a big play in the game because we obviously took possession of the football in their territory."

Is your secondary a key component you paid attention to when putting together the defense? "At certain points in the National Football League, you have to win games by throwing the football or defending the pass when you know you have to throw it or they have to throw it on third downs, red zone or in two-minute [drills]. So, certainly, the secondary is an important piece to your defense. The rush helps the secondary and the secondary helps the rush and that is what we have preached all along. When our rush is giving some pressure, our guys have done a nice job of covering for the most part this year. They have covered well and we have allowed our rush to get there and it kind of works hand in hand. You don't really have a heck of a secondary when you don't have some type of pressure and rush to force the ball out quicker."

Will you prepare differently knowing you are going up against the unbeaten Colts? "I think we have a veteran team who understands that we have to play our best football no matter who our opponent is. In December, we have to play our best football of the year if we want to have an opportunity to live longer than the season says we are supposed to live. Our focus was on improving our football team in the areas that we needed to improve on the most and getting ready to play the Chiefs. That is going to be our challenge again this week against Indy."

Does it help coming off a Thursday game? "It was an opportunity to try and get healthy and we came into the game for the most part pretty healthy. We had an opportunity to have an extra day of preparation. Extra days never hurt when you are getting ready to play a team for the first time that you are not very familiar with. Even though this is a division team, we have a lot of new players and Kansas City has a lot of new players, so it was a new week for us. It can be an advantage if you use it right but certainly teams have done well against opponents that have had more time off than them."

How did you feel going up against QB Matt Cassel? "I want to win, I am a Bronco. We are going to have more games against the Chiefs and QB Matt Cassel. He made some plays on us and certainly he is a young player who is going to continue to get better and do big things in this league. He is a good football player, I know that, and it is going to take a good effort to contain him and stop him every time we play him. We play this team again in four weeks so we are going to have to do it again."

QB KYLE ORTON

On RB Correll Buckhalter: "Buck has done a great job all year. He's the guy that once he breaks through that line he's really got a lot of home run potential and I know he was real close on the one that he got tripped up there on the end. But, Buck played real well. He had two hands on that ball the entire day and ran hard."

On having more rushing yards than passing yards: "My entire career we've had more running yards than passing yards coming from Chicago. So the stats do not matter. I told Josh [McDaniels] we'll throw it 50 times or run it 50 times. It doesn't matter to me."

On his individual performance: "I certainly wasn't happy about the pick to start off. I had a couple of guys come from behind and get there right at the end. I've got to get the ball out a little bit faster and I've got to block them a little bit longer and get open."

The Broncos had lost 17 out of 18 games in December at Arrowhead Stadium. Did you know that or listen to stuff like that? "We knew. We really didn't take too much stock in it. You know, we figured if we came in and played good football and played the way we are capable [of] we'd get of here with a win."

Does this kind of offensive output carry you over to next week? "Well, I hope so. That's two good weeks in a row that we've put together on offense. I think, as a team, we played well for two weeks in a row and hopefully we can continue that momentum."

On WR Brandon Marshall: "We've got a lot of guys like that. You just give them the ball on short passes and let them do their thing. Whether it's the running backs, the wide receivers or the tight ends, we've got a lot of guys that can make plays without having to throw the ball 50 yards down the field."

Normally you can't get away with three turnovers and win by 30. How did that happen? "The defense did great holding them to field goals for the most part. The one, there at the end, they [the Broncos defense] let them get in. For the most part, they held them to three points after the turnovers, which is huge. We were able to just keep on going and scoring points."

WR BRANDON MARSHALL

What was the game plan offensively? "Basically, we were going to run the ball and pass when we can. That's the game plan every week and it's to be tough whether it's in the secondary or upfront."

C CASEY WIEGMANN

On his time as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs: "I had seven good years here. I was happy to be a Chief. We'll probably call this home when I am done playing. I definitely miss the Chiefs. It's good to be here."

How do you explain the running game over that last couple of weeks? "The running backs are hitting the holes really well and they are running so much harder, not that they weren't running hard before. But, you can really tell when they hit the holes they're trying to break a big one. Buck [RB Correll Buckhalter] almost got the big run. He was tripped up a little bit. Then, Knowshon [Moreno] had the big short yardage run for a touchdown. Guys are just stepping up and it feels good."

You remember what this place was like when the Chiefs were playing well. Is it almost sad to look up and see the seats half empty before the third quarter? "It is. I feel bad for the guys that experienced the good years when I was here. It's unfortunate. But, they'll get back to where it was. The fans in Kansas City are good and they know how to root their team on. They'll be back. But, I feel sorry for the guys."

RB CORRELL BUCKHALTER

What was the difference in you being able to rush 100 yards today? "Our offensive line did a great job their sustaining blocks and allowed me, Knowshon [Moreno] and Peyton [Hillis] to be able to get to the second level."

One of the things that running backs always talk about is trying to find some rhythm, get some consistency going. When you have that kind of line play that enables it to happen, doesn't it? "Coach [Josh] McDaniels is always talking to us. We have to control the line of scrimmage. We have the kind of offensive linemen here and that's what they do. They get out there and do their job. It's critical. As a running back it is my responsibility to get it to the second level and theirs is to sustain their blocks."

Old Chiefs Highlight Connections with Broncos

Chris Thorman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:45:08 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Sanchez - AP

4 months ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (84) makes a 17-yard pass reception in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL preseason football game in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Aug. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez)

Browse more photos »

Courtesy of Pete Moris and the Kansas City Chiefs PR crew, we have this week's Kansas City Chiefs/Denver Broncos connections.

This week's connections have a solid mix of coaching connections as well as older player connections. For some reason, I didn't realize Ty Law was a Bronco.

Also, who knew Brandon Lloyd played at Blue Springs outside of Kansas City? Me neither. That Sproles kid usually takes up the Blue Springs accolades.

Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels each earned three Super Bowl rings with New England.
Chiefs assistant GM Joel Collier is the son of Joe Collier, who served 20 seasons as an assistant coach with Denver (’69-88). The younger Collier played collegiately at Northern Colorado.
KC defensive assistant Ronnie Bradford played three seasons (’93-95) and coached for six years (2003-08) for Denver. He played at Colorado.
KC strength coach Cedric Smith (2001-06) and asst. strength coach Brent Salazar (2005) worked with Denver. Salazar is a Denver native.
Denver C Casey Wiegmann (2001-07), DL Vonnie Holliday (2003- 04) and CB Ty Law (2006-07) played with Kansas City.
Denver special team coordinators Mike Priefer coached three seasons with Kansas City (2006-08).
Denver coaching assistant Jay Rodgers spent time at Dodge City CC (2003) and Missouri State (2004). He also played at Missouri State.
Broncos WR Brandon Lloyd is a native of Blue Springs, MO.
Chiefs PR Coord. Brad Gee was a Seasonal PR Asst. w/DEN in 2008.

And we have our fourth Dodge City Community College mention in the life of Arrowhead Pride. Yes!

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:30:25 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

about 1 month ago: Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb, left, carries the ball for a touchdown as Denver Broncos safety David Bruton pursues during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends, if you can manage one. Welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Well, this was bound to happen, right? Since Sunday afternoon, I have been thinking about what the right tone is to take with this week's ST&NO. I still haven't decided, and it's Monday at 5 PM as I write this paragraph. I guess I am just going to go with it, and play it like it feels. We had an ugly loss, and to top it off, there were only 4 late games, and no Sunday night game, so I didn't see a lot of live football, at all. We'll make do, because that's all we can do. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire y'all. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!

1. The two plays which set the tone for yesterday's game happened at the beginning of each half. On the Broncos' first play from scrimmage, Jarret Johnson came in untouched and unrecognized off the defense's left side, and creamed Kyle Orton for a big loss. As I watched the play happen, I couldn't help but think that the Broncos may not be well-prepared if they weren't expecting a lot of blitzing.

As the second half got underway, Lardarius Webb took the opening kickoff back 95 yards for a TD. That took a manageable 6-0 halftime deficit to 13-0, and essentially dictated that the Broncos start playing come-from-behind football. You see the picture of this play, and I used it because it sticks in my craw (whatever a craw is), and I want it stick in yours, too. I guarantee it bothers the coaches and players. You can't have that happen and expect to win.

The final score, 30-7, sounds like a blowout, but this game wasn't really that. This game swung on field position, and third-down performance, which was directly driven by down-and-distance situations. The Ravens made key plays on 3rd down, and the Broncos missed opportunities to make those plays.

There's an offensive concept called staying on schedule, and it means that from first and 10, you get to 2nd and 6, and then to 3rd and 2. All your down-and-distance situations are manageable if you stay on schedule. It's a really good thing to do every game, but it's absolutely imperative against a team like Baltimore, which can bring a bunch of overload pressure and force a QB to either throw way short of the first down or eat the ball.

Actually, the Broncos did a great job throughout the game with first-down defense, and getting Baltimore off schedule themselves. The Ravens, though, led by Joe Flacco, made enough plays to negate those early-down advantages.

The world didn't end, and all we can hope is that some lessons are learned from the experience by the players and coaches, and that those lessons are applied to future situations. Sometimes a loss is a growth opportunity, and I think that there is a solid reson to think that this loss was one of those.

2. Information From My Eyes. Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens:

a. I thought Mitch Berger was awul on Sunday, despite Josh McDaniels' charitable comments about his performance. Hang time is fine, but I want changes in field position. The Broncos lost the field position game the whole first half, in large part because of bad punting.

b. I disliked the offensive game plan and the play calling. The 3rd-and-5 sweep for Correll Buckhalter on the second series is an example. I thought there were too many screens against a team which clearly came to stop the screen. I wanted to see more use of Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal agains the Baltimore CBs, and I am perplexed as to why we didn't get more of that.

c. I was really pleased with the way that Mario Haggan was consistently setting the edge in this game. He has a physical style of play which is perfect for the position he plays. It's pretty shocking that he was basically a special teamer only in Buffalo, because he's a top-notch 3-4 OLB.

d. I don't blame Knowshon Moreno very much for the fumble (this time). That play was doomed from the start, with Jarret Johnson forcing a high throw and tough catch, and Moreno turning right into a thumping from Ed Reed.

e. Andra Davis is playing at a Pro Bowl level this season, when he is on the field. He plays downhill all the time and has a great sense of timing with the snap count. The great thing about him is that he seems to be cool with coming off the field on 3rd downs, and letting Wesley Woodyard play the long-yardage situations, which Woodyard's much better suited for.

f. There was a lot of dancing by Brandon Marshall on his four catches. I'd like to see him get upfield quicker after the catch. I'd also like to see him use his physicality to get open on some downfield stuff.

g. I was tired by 10:30 Monday night, when I re-watched this game, so I didn't tally anything, but anecdotally, the screen game was a complete disaster on offense for the Broncos.

h. Kyle Orton had two easy interceptions dropped in this game. One was on a play where he got crushed and the ball came out weakly, and the other was a terrible decision, with Jarret Johnson sitting in an underneath zone, and Dawan Landry right behind him. Orton needs to play better than he did Sunday, like the rest of the offense.

i. With the score 16-7 early in the 4th quarter, the Broncos had Baltimore in a 3rd and 12 near midfield. On consecutive plays, Elvis Dumervil and Darrell Reid jumped offsides. On the resulting 3rd and 2, Flacco escaped pressure and made a downfield throw to Derrick Mason. This basically ended the game, because soon after, Mason scored to make the score 23-7.

j. Renaldo Hill looked out of position on the aforementioned Mason TD. Andre' Goodman had outside leverage on the play, with good coverage, really, but Hill never got over the top to help him. He may have seen something that kept him in the shallow middle; but it was a bust, clear as day, because Brian Dawkins played the coverage like he had a deep half on the other side. Credit Flacco for seeing the blown coverage and making a perfect throw.

k. From the Ravens' side, I liked their use of the no-huddle stuff, and their attempts to vary tempo. The Broncos substitute very liberally, and are one of the most package-intensive defenses in the NFL. By having to hesitate on substituting at times, they assumed a disadvantaged position against the Ravens. Really, I think that the lack of freshness of some players, who had larger than usual workloads, is a lot of what got them in the 4th quarter.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games:

a. As I mentioned, I didn't see a lot of other live games, since most ran at the same time as the Broncos game. To make up for that, I recorded some Short Cuts Sunday night, and hurried home from Day 1 of month-end close Monday to watch them. I started with the Jets and Dolphins, and my first (Nearsighted) Observation is that the Jets played a dominant game on defense, which surprised me a little. I thought they'd miss Kris Jenkins a lot more than they seemed to, especially with all the Wildcat stuff going on. The Jets held the Dolphins to 104 total yards, 52 each passing and rushing.

b. It's really something to score 30 points with 104 yards of offense. Jason Taylor got a fumble recovery for a TD and Ted Ginn returned two kickoffs. I have highlighted Ginn's lack of suddenness before - but let me tell you, when he gets going, he's as fast as anybody in the NFL. He outran players who had good angles on both TD returns. He may never be a top WR, but he's elite as a kickoff returner.

c. I think Thomas Jones is the most underrated player in the NFL. He started slow in the NFL, largely due to his being drafted by a horrible Arizona Cardinals team, but once he got it going in Tampa Bay, he's been a consistently productive player. He's on pace for 1,400 yards and 14 TDs this season, and is a big part of the Jets' success on offense.

d. The most overrated player has to be Jason Peters, just ahead of Alan Faneca and Flozell Adams. The bloom is mostly off the Faneca and Adams roses, at this point, but Peters still gets a lot of love from the MSM. I have just seen him get beat too many times the last two years, and the jury is in for me. He looks like he'd make a good Right Tackle, but on the left side, he gets beaten constantly by quick pass rushers. Osi Umenyiora owned him several times on Sunday.

e. DeSean Jackson is already a great player, and he's improving. He needs to be played physically, because if you let him run free through a defense, he's going to shred you. He's not really a true number-one receiver, who's going to defeat double coverage, but he's a dynamic outside guy.

f. The Eagles have a pretty fearsome passing game, when their line isn't getting Donovan McNabb sacked. Jeremy Maclin is having a solid rookie year, but I'm especially impressed with Brent Celek, who does a great job of catching the ball in traffic. He's now on pace for over 1,000 receiving yards this season. Celek isn't much of a blocker, really, but he even had a good hold that didn't get called on Sunday, helping spring Leonard Weaver's long TD run.

g. ST&NO favorite Alex Smith had a pretty nice game on Sunday against Indianapolis. He looks really comfortable in the shotgun, and led a great hurry-up TD drive at the end of the first half. For his part, Smith looked good for most of the game. The 49ers offense just repeatedly found ways to take bad penalties or give up sacks, (especially in the second half, after Joe Staley got hurt), which kept stopping the offense. Smith is showing a good rapport with Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, who looks like the real deal, already, two weeks into his career.

h. Peyton Manning was a little off on Sunday with his deep ball. That happens so infrequently that I thought it was worth highlighting.

i. I still can't figure out why the Colts cut Ed Johnson a couple weeks ago. They're very vulnerable to the inside running game without him. The Colts brass said the release was performance-related, but I don't buy that for a second. Johnson was definitely their best DT.

j. Very interesting news Monday evening that the Chargers had released Chris Chambers. He has been struggling to get the separation he used to get, but waiving him seems like a pretty extreme measure. You can't tell me that he couldn't beat nickel or dime CBs against most teams. I'd be very surprised if he isn't on a new team very quickly.

k. The Raiders had a legitimate shot to drive to a tying TD and 2-point conversion in the final minutes of Sunday's game against the Chargers. Then, something completely emblematic of the Raiders happened. Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey lined up on the offense's right side, and both ran vertical routes against man coverage. The inside receiver released outside of the DB covering him, and the outside receiver released inside. They bumped into each other, and both fell down. JaMarcus Russell had nowhere to throw the ball and got sacked, despite a 7-step drop and max protection on the play. The game was functionally over at that point.

l. Aaron Rodgers got beaten up mercilessly again on Sunday, particularly early in the game. I actually thought T.J. Lang was generally pretty solid at LT, but Jared Allen still got 3 sacks. He now has 7.5 sacks in 2 games against Green Bay this year, which is like giving him a handicap in the sack race with Elvis Dumervil.

m. I really thought that Arizona had gotten their act together, but they got hammered by Carolina on Sunday. They went into the game with the number-one run defense in the NFL, and then got run over by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. I think it was an aberration, but that remains to be seen.

n. I've never liked Matt Ryan's arm much, and Monday night reinforced that feeling for me. Because the Falcons have a below-average line in pass protection, they max-protect a lot, leaving few receivers in the pattern. If the coverage is tight, as it was Monday, Ryan always seems to struggle to make throws to beat the coverage. He's really not too dissimilar to Kyle Orton in that way, though Orton throws the ball with more velocity. Ryan needs to have a lot of options, where he can pick a guy who is open. For that reason, Atlanta needs to focus on building their offensive line. Sam Baker, particularly, isn't good enough at LT, and would make a better LG. Baker got annihilated by Will Smith throughout Monday night's game.

o. My man Thomas DeCoud was at it again for the Falcons on Monday night. He had a sack that forced a TD in the first quarter. This guy is a big-time young player.

p. Jeff Triplette is the worst referee in the NFL, and it's not even close. He just couldn't figure out the clock on Monday night, and he has no command with the crowd. It always seems like he lets them rattle him. When you're a referee, a sheepish smile is a bad thing. You need to command the stadium, like Ed Hochuli and Mike Carey do. Gene Steratore is a good younger referee, too.

r. Marques Colston is having a fantastic year for the Saints. Prior to this year, I've always thought of him as a fairly-average starting WR who has benfitted from strong QB play, and a friendly system. I really see him winning a lot of one-on-one battles with his physicality now. He was targeted 6 times Monday night, and made 6 catches for 85 yards and a TD. He really battled for the ball on a few of those catches, including the TD.

4. Between The Lines, Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens

a. The Broncos had a very bad day in protection, and there's no way to sugarcoat that. The Ravens blitzed more often than what it seemed the Broncos were prepared for. Ryan Clady got beaten twice, which is twice more than usual, and got Orton hit. He was otherwise his normal self. The rag-doll was Ben Hamilton. I am getting tired of writing that every week, but if he's going to get his butt kicked, I'll keep writing it. Old friend Trevor Pryce destroyed Hamilton all game. Casey Wiegmann had his worst game of the year too, with Kelly Gregg beating him more often than not. I was pleased with Chris Kuper's play against Haloti Ngata, and I thought Tyler Polumbus did a very nice job filling in for Ryan Harris. The Broncos got Orton sacked twice (once by a DB) and pressured many more times than that. The passing game was a clear win for the Ravens defensive line.

b. The running aspect was actually better for the Broncos. They picked up a couple of 3rd and shorts, which was nice for a change, and generally held the line of scrimmage, and got a bit of surge against an excellent group for Baltimore. The only notable running play which was blown up was the 3rd-and-5 sweep. I liked the work of Clady and Kuper, and everybody was actually pretty solid in the running game. The Broncos only ran for 3.5 yards per carry - but against Baltimore, that's pretty solid. This was a draw, but one the Broncos would have been happy with if they'd protected better.

c. The Broncos did a good job pressuring Flacco throughout the game, and were beaten by some great throws and poise. These things happen. Jared Gaither held Elvis Dumervil repeatedly, but he didn't get penalized, so kudos to him, if he likes granola bars. Ben Grubbs and Michael Oher, the two best players on the Baltimore line, had good days, and the two weakest, Matt Birk and Chris Chester, didn't so much. A lot of the Broncos' pressure came from the Back 8, which is typical of them. The Ravens allowed a lot of pressure, but much like Ben Roethlisberger, Flacco showed a really good ability to evade the pressure, and make plays in spite of it.

d. The Broncos defense won big in the running game, until the last 10 minutes of the game, when it seemed like they wore down. The Broncos had 10 tackles for loss, which is the kind of performance that typically wins games. Unfortunately, Flacco's big plays negated a lot of this good work. When you consider it separately though, the Broncos won this battle for most of the game. Notable Broncos were Ronald Fields, Kenny Peterson, and Marcus Thomas. Ryan McBean got some penetration too, and Le Kevin Smith made a good play, also.

e. Overall, you have to give an edge to Baltimore, for how well they pressured Kyle Orton. It was the primary reason the Broncos never got untracked on offense. The Broncos did a more-than-respectable job in the other phases, though.

5. Word broke on Monday that the Browns had fired General Manager George Kokinis. I really can't imagine why they'd want to do that. Reportedly, Randy Lerner is displeased that Kokinis didn't take an active role in speaking to the media and communicating to the outside world. If that's really the problem, then I think it's clear that Lerner doesn't get professional football. During the season, the GM needs to be quiet and let the Head Coach be the voice of the team. This is the way it works everywhere, even a place like Baltimore, where GM Ozzie Newsome is the top football guy in the organization. That's where Kokinis came from.

Here in Cleveland, the Browns organization is really far too worried about public opinion. Remember how the Broncos organization ignored the DP message boards all offseason, and then the booing at the scrimmage? You have to do that, or you'll never get going in a coherent direction. I don't know if the Mangini plan is the right one, but it seems that Randy Lerner just canceled it before it even had half a season to work. Rumor has it that Lerner is trying to bring in Ernie Accorsi to join Bernie Kosar as a consultant. As respected as Accorsi is, this sounds like Lerner already blew the situation.

Phil Savage, who is still being paid for the next 3 1/2 years, had some interesting comments this past week. He said that the previous regime left this one with two quarterbacks, and that both of them look ruined at this point. The Browns will almost certainly be in the drafting-a-QB business again this coming spring, and that typically signals another full deep dive into rebuilding. While they're at it, they need a right side of the offensive line, two RBs, a WR, and a TE. Then they can turn their attention to the defense, which is currently solid enough to be part of a .500 team.

The team, led by Lerner, needs to definitively figure out what they want to be. They need to then formulate a plan to become that, and start executing the plan. Most importantly, though, they have to try to clearly articulate that plan to their stakeholders, and then prepare to stick to that plan, no matter what Joe in Berea, or Stanislaus in West Park have to say on the radio. You have to build your program, and winning will follow. As we all know, winning is the great deodorant.

More month-end closing activities are ahead for me this week. It seems like just last week I was closing September and complaining here about how busy I am. Now, it returns. The good news is that I will have a full Sunday of game-watching and channel-flipping next weekend, so expect a more-robust set of games which I'll be commenting on. Have a great week, friends, and remember to visit MileHighReport.com every day, for all your Broncos news and analysis.

Horse Tracks 10/31/09 - Broncos at full health heading to Baltimore

Douglas A. Lee — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:50:48 -0000

DB - Week 8 - Fri: McDaniels - Broncos TV

NFLN - Elvis Dumervil interview - Video

DP - Broncos practice moves outdoors - Mike Klis
"We want to work some on the kicking game in some bad conditions," said Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. "I know it may be windy and there's a possibility of rain in Baltimore. So we wanted to make sure we get out there and work in the cooler temperatures and just handle the ball and do the things that are going to be important on Sunday."

DPP - Broncos hit road with healthy squad - Lindsay Jones
"Assuming no player suffers a setback between this morning, when the team leaves for Baltimore, and kickoff Sunday, the Broncos will have no players inactive because of injury for the first time all season."

DPP - Analysis: Broncos center Wiegmann a true ironman - Jeff Legwold
Casey Wiegmann is about to make his 134th consecutive start.

DPP - Q&A: Who's preferable as a holder for field goals - the punter or backup quarterback? - Jeff Legwold
I used to think it was the QB to give you a chance on broken plays or fakes, but now I prefer the punter, who has all week to practice holding. Then again, if Chris Simms could get it down like Kubes did on the horrid snap at the end of The Drive II...

SI - Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens - Jim Trotter

FOX - Fearless Prediction: Broncos (6-0) at Ravens (3-3) - Sports Xchange

DB - A Valuable Commodity - Zach Eisendrath
Russ Hochstein and his versatility.

DB - Marshall Ready To Rival Ravens Attack - Chris Gentilviso
"After limited participation in Thursday’s practice, Ronald Fields (hamstring) and Brian Dawkins (hamstring) were both full participants in Friday’s practice."

DB - Week 8 - Fri: Marshall - Broncos TV

DB - A Few Minutes With Tony Scheffler - Broncos TV

DPP - Ravens' QB Flacco proves he's a player - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Spotlight: Tony Scheffler - Lindsay Jones

CSG - Schedule will continue to test Broncos - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos' Dumervil says he's not worried about free agency - Frank Schwab

KDVR - Broncos vs. Ravens: Troy Aikman says... - Chris Tanaka

DB - Photo gallery of costumed players from Friday's practice

NFP - Sack differential: a key statistic - Joe Fortenbaugh

Ravens News

BS - Fast start key to happy finish - Ken Murray

BS - Ravens vs. Broncos: 3 things that could go wrong - Jamison Hensley

BS - Rolle warns about sticking your neck out - Mike Preston

BS - Week 8: Who is picking the Ravens?

BS - Ravens Insider

AFC West News

ESPN - AFC West: Final Word - Bill Williamson

SN - Yes, Peter Schaffer, Gay Slurs Are Offensive - Michael Tunison
Wow, LJ's agent is either REALLY dumb, or thinks everyone else is...

KCS - Chiefs can learn from LJ’s mistakes - Kent Babb

SDUT - Burnett out, injury list short - Kevin Acee

SFC - Why bother passing? You can run all day - David White

OT - Inman: Davis could learn a thing or two from the Boss

OT - Raiders notebook: Will Huff's return to starting lineup last? - Steve Corkran

NFL News

AP - Jim Brown shares lessons with college athletes

NFL - Goodell to testify about case on Vikings' suspensions

NFL - Schwartz: Stafford, Johnson have made progress from knee injuries

NFL - Wayne, Freeney questionable for Colts, but expected to play

NFL - Texans WR Johnson "ready to go" against Bills

NFL - Westbrook a game-time decision as he recovers from concussion

NFL - Trufant, Hill to rejoin Seahawks Sunday in Dallas

NFL Opinion

NFP - Diner morning news: a month of questions - Mike Lombardi

NFL - Saints might have provided blueprint to taming the Wildcat

NFP - The difficult parting of Favre and the Packers - Andrew Brandt

ESPN - 10 Spot: Too much Favre passing? - Adam Schefter
"Upset of the week: Denver over Baltimore -- all season, the Broncos have done everything people said they couldn't."

SI - Ryan Longwell knows fraction of Brett Favre's feelings - Peter King

Y! - Favre rematch may be worthy of personal top 10 - Mike Silver
UGH. Silver puts the game that started the end of TD's career and its aftermath as one of the most memorable experiences of his career.

SI - NFL Week 8 guide, including Vikings-Packers, Giants-Eagles - Ross Tucker

CBS - Peek at the Week: Rodgers can beat Favre ... if he gets protection - Clark Judge
"Basically, the Ravens must play a near-perfect game to win. They can't afford any gaffes, and they must force an opponent that doesn't turn the ball over to turn it over."

SN - Week 8: Ten bold predictions - RealScouts
The Bills in the playoffs? Are they joking?

NYT - Week 8 N.F.L. Matchups - Mike Tanier

FH - Week 8 NFL Picks: Favre-Fest, Part II - Dave Goldberg

Y! - Expert Picks Week 8

NFP - NCAA wields too much muscle - Jack Bechta

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Chris Park - AP

about 1 month ago: Denver Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler dances through the end zone after his 19-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter of the NFL football game Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 in San Diego. Scheffler had six receptions for 101 yards. The Broncos won 34-23 over the Chargers. (AP Photo/Chris Park)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. I had a fairly selfish weekend, leaving Cleveland on Friday and traveling to South Bend, Indiana, for the Notre Dame-USC game on Saturday afternoon. My friend Ramona has a brother who is a graduate student at Notre Dame, and he was able to get us pretty good tickets. I didn't get home until about 5 PM on Sunday, so I missed all of the early NFL games, and only got to see the second quarter on of a few late ones. I recorded the Short Cuts of the 3 most interesting early games, with a plan of watching them Monday evening, after work and before the Broncos-Chargers game. I apologize if this is a slightly thinner ST&NO than usual, but I don't ever want to be the guy who comments on football I didn't see, scanning the box scores for some stats which may or may not be meaningful. You know who I mean, all of them. Without further ado, let's get this thing moving, ST&NO style. Ready..... BEGIN!!!

1. So, I am writing this at 12:16 AM ET on Tuesday morning, with the rest of the column basically already in the can. Such is life when you have a Tuesday morning time slot, and a back-and-forth, hotly contested Monday night game. I've only gotten to see the game once, obviously, and we're in a compressed time situation, but I'm going to try hard to manage the clock well, and come with some thunder on the short track.

This is a great feeling, isn't it? Frankly, even if I had a lot of time to write, there isn't much to say that I haven't been saying all season. I've covered most "isn't this great" angles, right? It kind of makes writing a column like this difficult, when it comes to finding new material for the Donny Deutsch Big Idea. I can't even really play the disrespect card anymore.

Luckily, I have two weeks to think of new ideas, until the Broncos take on the Baltimore Ravens. I have a feeling that I'll be talking about the 7-0 Broncos after that game, because the Ravens can't defend the Broncos, and the Broncos defense actually matches up very favorably with the Baltimore offense. Until then, let's enjoy this win, this place in the standings, and the feeling we're all feeling right now. I remember this feeling, from the late 1990s. It's the one where your team is a legitimate contender to win the Super Bowl.

ZOMG! That was a new angle in Donny Deutschland, and it just kind of slipped out, didn't it? I knew something was right on the tip of my tongue (err... fingertips). But, yes, I said it, and yes, I mean it. Let's forget about Kool-Aid, and start thinking about Lombardi Trophies. Remember, I'm the crazy man who had the Broncos on 11-5 before the season started, which would now only require playing .500 football the rest of the way. Consider this an enhancement to my original forecast.

2. Information From My Eyes, Broncos at Chargers:

a. The Broncos initially really missed Brian Dawkins when he went out in the second quarter, but they eventually settled down and performed respectably on the back end, until he returned.

b. On the huge Elvis Dumervil strip/sack late in the 3rd quarter, the play was supposed to go to Antonio Gates, who was split out wide to the left, and running a vertical route, which I expect would have been a back-shoulder fade on the sideline. Josh Barrett had him man-to-man, and engaged him with great position and technique off the line. Philip Rivers had to hold the ball on his 3-step drop, and that was what caused the sack. Barrett is the best Safety I have seen in the NFL at covering the top TEs man-to-man.

c. While I am at it, Barrett had Gates blanketed on Dumervil's second sack too, (with Dawkins over the top, for good measure), early in the 4th quarter, and it was clear he was again Rivers' first read on the play. If Barrett could do nothing else well, he'd be worth having around to cover guys like Gates in obvious passing situations, like that 3rd-and-14 was.

d. They got to that 3rd-and-14 by finally blowing up a screen pass. The linemen disengaged, and slid laterally like they knew the screen was coming, and Mario Haggan tackled LaDanian Tomlinson for the 4-yard loss. This was an enormous play.

e. The right side of the Chargers line, Louis Vazquez and Jeromey Clary, aren't nearly good enough to be starters on a winning team. Clary gave up two sacks, and Vazquez got pushed around a LOT by Marcus Thomas and Ronald Fields. I actually thought their replacement Center, Scott Mruczkowski, played very well in the game, considering the low expectations I had for him from seeing the last few games.

f. The Broncos consistently got pressure in the second half, and mixed it with terrific coverage in the back end. This has been a recurring theme this season. Robert Ayers was a beast, and would have gotten about 3 sacks against lesser QBs than Rivers.

g. Only getting to see the game once, in live action, I can't really do much of a Between The Lines feature, but the Broncos offensive line was dominant in pass protection. The only sack they gave up was for 2 yards, and it was well blocked, with Orton running into the sack after a long time holding the ball.

h. Darcel McBath did a great job filling in for Brian Dawkins, and made every key special teams tackle.

i. The Broncos would not be 6-0 without Kyle Orton as their QB. With the exception of the bonehead sack he took late in Week 1, he has completely avoided making the game-losing plays that all post-Elway QBs have made for the Broncos.

j. Did anybody notice that Darren Sproles did absolutely nothing for the Chargers on offense? That was a big key to the game.

k. I already mentioned the overall protection, but Ryan Clady owned Shawne Merriman, and the lights stayed on all night. I loved Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter mocking Merriman's stupid dance on ESPN, too. Rare value from the Worldwide Leader.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games:

a. I remember that last season when the Broncos went into the Meadowlands and beat the Jets, Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post was positively ebullient in his praise of Jay Cutler. Not everybody likes Lombardi, but I consider him to be very rare, as a guy who primarily shares his thoughts about football in the written space, and actually knows what he is talking about. (Most former participants who know interesting things can't write, and most writers don't know anything beyond the surface level).

Anyway, Lombardi was excited by the way Cutler threw the ball on a really cold and windy day. We know about Cutler's exceptional arm strength, and Lombardi's point was that on a bad-weather day like you get in New York, that characteristic was extremely valuable, and the difference between winning and losing.

If I were Mike Tannenbaum and Rex Ryan, I'd be more than a little worried about Mark Sanchez. He looked terrible Sunday, on every throw he attempted. The five interceptions and 14 other incompletions were mostly not a function of bad decisions, they were a function of the mind being willing, and the body not being able. I know how to dunk a basketball, but I can't jump close to high enough to do it on a 10-foot rim. Sanchez lacked the zip to get his ball downfield effectively, and the weather was only pretty bad, not as bad as it can get in northern New Jersey. Sanchez did tell the CBS announcer crew that he had never played or practiced in temperatures below about 55 degrees, so I don't want to go overboard on making pronouncements yet, with just a one-game sample size. This is a big deal, though, and it will bear watching as the season goes on.

b. He never has the stats to back this up, but stats are merely convenient indicators; Lee Evans is one of the five best WRs in the NFL. If he ever had a good QB throwing him the ball, and an offensive scheme which featured his talents, the stats would be there, believe me.

c. I was asked recently by a reader if I still thought that Bills rookie LG Andy Levitre looked like he couldn't play in the NFL. The answer is, at least in the second half and overtime on Sunday, he looked league-average. When I originally criticized Levitre's play, he got dominated in the preseason by Tennessee's Tony Brown and Jason Jones, who are both Pro Bowl-caliber DTs. Kris Jenkins had already gotten hurt by the time I was watching Sunday, but Levitre was a slight positive in the run game, and a slight negative in pass protection. I still do doubt if he can anchor effectively against a good bull rush.

d. Wow, the Tennessee Titans had an unspeakably terrible Sunday. The Patriots completed 38 out of 45 throws, and the Titans completed 2 of 14. Those two completions were a 15-yard gain by their FB Ahmard Hall, and a 22-yard loss by WR Nate Washington, for a net of (-7) passing yards.

Those stats tell the story of the Titans this season. They were outstanding in coverage the past few years, and they're terrible this year, due to some injuries and shocking regressions by a couple players like Michael Griffin and Cortland Finnegan (who is currently hurt.) They also got good play from Kerry Collins in 2008, and they've gotten extremely lousy play from him this year. He's getting pretty solid protection, but he isn't hitting open men (when men do manage to get open). I don't think Vince Young is the answer, but it's time to make him the starter for the rest of the season, to see for sure.

e. Former first-rounder Jamaal Anderson looked much better for the Falcons at DT than he ever has at DE. He was part of a sack of Jay Cutler late in the 4th quarter, after only having 2 in 2-plus years as an end. He lacked the suddenness to beat a Tackle, but really got off the ball well against the Bears' Guards. He also was in coverage in the zone blitz the Falcons ran on 4th down, and caused Cutler's throw to be offline. The Falcons may be on to something.

f. ST&NO Favorite Thomas DeCoud has been playing at a Pro Bowl level for the Falcons all season, and he intercepted Cutler twice on Sunday night. He gets no recognition yet, but he is very instinctive and has a great feel for zone coverage.

g. Cutler still throws the pass to the seam better than any QB in the NFL, and makes big plays on the run. He's exactly the same player he was in Denver last season, and I mean that exactly how it sounds. The Bears got exactly the guy they saw on film, and I hope that's what they were expecting, because if it was, you'd have to expect that they're happy. I can be happy that they're happy, right? ;)

h. I am shocked that the Raiders beat the Eagles. I didn't watch a lot of the game, because it was my local FOX late game, and crap-tastic WJW FOX 8 had a really annoying sound problem going on. Looking at the stat sheet, it jumps out that the Eagles only ran the ball 14 times, and they were fairly successful in those carries, averaging 4.8 yards. Periodically, Andy Reid's Eagles teams have gotten really unbalanced and pass-happy, and it's a recipe for getting beat, over the years. With Sunday's injury to Jason Peters, coupled with the pre-existing absence of Shawn Andrews, it's hard to imagine why you'd think you can be successful protecting Donovan McNabb, when there is no threat of the run.

i. I have alway liked Sidney Rice, dating back to his days at the University of South Carolina. He's big, physical, and fluid. Brett Favre is turning him into a possible Pro Bowl player this season, and it seems they have a great deal of chemistry. He has 23 catches for 409 yards so far this season, and his impact is growing each week.

j. I actually thought that Michael Oher did a pretty credible job against Jared Allen Sunday, for his second start at LT. The sack Allen got came when Oher and the LG were releasing to the outside, like the play was supposed to be a screen, and since nobody went out to the left to receive a pass, I can only imagine that there was a communication breakdown somewhere on that play. When it came to man-to-man blocking, Oher did pretty well, and wasn't beaten like a red-headed step-child, as Allen claimed on Monday.

k. Anybody believe me yet that Joe Flacco is a true franchise QB? He got hit a lot, but made a lot of big-time throws on Sunday, and he had his team in position to win the game (again).

l. Steve Hutchinson blew up Haloti Ngata several times on Sunday, and as good as he has been in his career, I was surprised to see him win that matchup so convincingly.

m. I hated the Giants defensive game plan on Sunday. They need to be rushing 5 men, because that's how they do their business every week. They seemed like they wanted to sit back and try to play coverage, and it didn't work at all. The Giants really miss Kenny Phillips, who is a good young safety; they were particularly vulnerable in the middle of the field against the Saints.

n. The key to the Saints' offensive success is their ability to run the football. The success they've had in that area this year is the big difference from last season. The perception seems to exist that they're a spread-out, 5-wide kind of team, but they're not. They run frequently and well, and make big yards off their play-action stuff. If the Broncos happen to see them in a Super Bowl setting, the order of the day will be neutralizing the run.

o. Remember 2 weeks ago, when I said that the Steelers' success in running the ball was a function of San Diego's interior weakness, rather than their own strength? Look no further than Sunday's game against Cleveland for proof of that. Shaun Rogers did a great job inside for the Browns, and if you take away 21 yards gained on an end-around by Mike Wallace, the Steelers had 119 rushing yards on 35 carries, a 3.4-yard average. Remember, aside from Rogers, the Browns are very non-descript up front. The Broncos averaged 5 yards against them in Week 2, for purposes of comparison.

p. Ben Roethlisberger was lights-out on Sunday, and Hines Ward played very well again. I've never been Ward's biggest fan, and I considered him to be fading as a playmaker at the end of last season. He's looked rejuvenated this whole season, though.

4. I had some technical problems with Lighting Up The Scoreboard this week, and I ran out of time before I had to leave for Indiana on Friday. I wanted to incorporate some of the graphics I had created for it into today's ST&NO, and talk about a couple things the Broncos showed against New England.

The Trap - A Different Take on an Age-Old Play

This is a standard HB trap play, a traditional staple of the running game at every level of football. There is such a thing as a Tackle trap, but usually the backside guard is going to pull, and hit the NT or DT who was allowed to come across the line. The pulling player's block serves to push the defensive lineman toward the sideline, and the RB runs behind that block, where the play-side players are out hitting somebody on the second level.

For the record, this play works better, from an angles perspective, against a 4-3 look, because instead of a zero-technique NT, you have a three-technique DT right where you want your puller to meet him. The NT's presence makes the angle more difficult. This is the quintessential man-blocked play, so Broncos fans haven't seen a lot of it over the last 15 years.

Last week against New England, the Broncos brought in Russ Hochstein as an extra TE and pulled him. The play looked like this, and I am now showing it against San Diego's base 3-4 look:

This has a slightly different objective, which is to entice the five-technique DE, Luis Castillo (93), across the line, rather than the NT. Both Daniel Graham (89) and Ryan Clady (78) briefly engage Castillo, before releasing to the second level to hit both play-side linebackers. Castillo processes the events as being a misread zone-tandem block, where both O-Linemen thought they needed to get off the initial block to the second level. He crosses the line of scrimmage, looking for a big play, and is hit by Hochstein, who is pulling from the backside. Knowshon Moreno's angle is less severe, and he can run in the B gap, where Ben Hamilton and Casey Wiegmann have doubled the NT.

Of course, I drew and wrote all this up before the Monday Night game, and never saw this get employed against the Chargers, but we should expect to see it again this season. It worked really well a few times against New England. I am sure that, along with the Wild Horses stuff, the Broncos didn't think they needed to use it to run effectively against the Chargers.

5. Enjoyable/Aggravating Travel Note of The Week:

Here's a thought that I think I thunk. Does Enjoyable/Aggravating mean Enjoyable AND Aggravating? Enjoyable OR Aggravating? How about Enjoyable AND/OR Aggravating? That slash leaves a lot to the imagination.

Anyway, on the heels of my Notre Dame trip, I have a wedding to go to next weekend in Dallas. I leave Cleveland Thursday evening, (already wearing my drinking shoes as I deplane, at the groom's request), and return Monday afternoon. Scott, the groom, is the tattooed guy who was enlisted in the Army once, and eventually became an officer. He's now a Blackhawk pilot, and his wife is an Apache pilot, and both just returned from a year in Iraq. Scott is my fraternity brother (we're members of Tau Kappa Epsilon - Any other Tekes out there?) and it will be good to see him and some other guys who are coming in.

This is germane to ST&NO, because I get to write about whatever I feel like, and also because it affects near-term programming. (And also, also because it allowed me to introduce some snark about Peter King, which is always fun, and good for a cheap laugh or two.) Being on the bye week anyway, expect an abbreviated ST&NO next Tuesday, probably limited to some game observations that I am hopefully able to pick up on before the wedding on Sunday night. Obviously, Lighting Up The Scoreboard won't appear this Saturday, but expect it to be back on Saturday, October 31st, in advance of the Ravens game.

6. While we're snarking it up about MMQB, y'all know I am a helpful guy, right? Well, maybe you don't know, but you could guess. Anyway, I am one of these people who gets annoyed when people misuse words, like H-Back or factoid. Ahh, yes, factoid.

Peter King insists on calling a section of his MMQB column "Factoid Of The Week Which May Only Interest Me." I sent him a message once, long before I ever had a competing column, to helpfully let him know that he was misusing the word "factoid." See what a swell guy I am?

From our friends at Webster.com:

Main Entry: fac·toid

Pronunciation: \ˈfak-ˌtȯid\

Function: noun

Date: 1973

1 : an invented fact believed to be true because of its appearance in print

2 : a briefly stated and usually trivial fact

I actually like the Wiktionary.org definition better:

factoid (plural factoids)

An inaccurate statement or statistic believed to be true because of broad repetition, especially if cited in the media.

Usage Problem. A small insignificant fact, but still interesting. (Note: Refer above to the meaning of the suffix. It's ironic that the very definition of factoid has itself come to be a factoid.)

So, for ignoring my helpful advice a couple years ago, Peter gets an ESPN-style C'MON, MAN. By the way, his column yesterday was Bill Williamson Memorial Decent. He is still buying into this silly meme that the Broncos have an impossible schedule, which bugs me.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. As a follow-up to last week's column, I give credit to Rick Reilly for manning up for his clownishness with all that Boy Blunder stuff. I thought he would stay unaccountable for it, but he surprised me.

9. Expect the Broncos not to do anything at the trade deadline. It's not like anybody is giving away a bigger/better Offensive Guard, and if they were, the Packers, Steelers, or Chargers would almost certainly outbid the Broncos for him. They're desperate for offensive line help, and for the Broncos, it would just be kind of nice to get bigger and stronger at LG.

That's all I have for this week, friends. Have a great one, and look for ST&NO again next Tuesday morning, where my next trick will be to make y'all think you're getting a football column, and instead, probably bring you A Wedding Story, like you were watching (a funny, masculine, fraternity guy version of) Lifetime. If you need me before that, get at me on Twitter at @TedBartlett905.

Poll

OK, I said it, and I want to know what the community thinks, in simple poll form. Is this team a legitimate Super Bowl contender?

Umm, yes. I've been waiting here for you with a cold glass of Kool-Aid, and you're late to the party.

339 votes

My expectations were a little more tempered, but I'd have to say yes, based on the evidence.

1008 votes

I have moved from the 7-9 crowd to the 11-5 crowd, but I think they're one and done. Later for the Super Bowl.

286 votes

I still think the big, bad schedule will keep the Broncos out of the playoffs.

7 votes

I am one of the few Chargers fans who cares enough to come mess up this poll.

9 votes

1649 votes | Poll has closed

Matching up with the Chargers

Emmett Smith — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:30:15 -0000

More photos » by Chris Schneider - AP

Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels salutes the crowd after the Broncos defeated the New England Patriots 20-17 in overtime in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

Browse more photos »

Living in San Diego now (up north, in Carlsbad), I've had a classic opportunity to follow and spy on the Chargers. Milling around the town, lounging on the beach, watching the newspapers and the tube analysis, as well as breaking down the games, I had a year-long chance to get a little insight into the team. I wanted to share with you some of the things that I've seen over that time. The Bolts are a walking contradiction, just as they are every year, of late. They're starting slow, they have seemed unmotivated and they're been fighting injuries. They are going to be playing for their season, though. It's a great Monday night matchup, and I'm going to enjoy it.

So saying, here's to 5-0, 6-0, and another Monday Night slugfest!

Denver vs. San Diego

This is probably one of the best opportunities that Denver will have this year. They can take this one on the road and put SD in a deep, deep hole - IF they can control the tempo of this game. I've been living in SD for 15 months now, and spying on the Chargers organization the entire time. I have a lot of respect for them. Taking them lightly will get you beaten, but Denver won't do that. In that fact, can lie the road to victory.

Let's take it one area at a time. I'm going to start where every game starts - with the Trench Warfare (dedicated to firstfan):

Denver O-line vs. the Chargers D-line.

This is one battle that I think Denver can win hands down. Again - I'm not suggesting that it will be easy, just that it's very winnable. Ryan Clady is the best in the game. Ryan Harris is healthier, Casey Wiegmann is doing fine and while I'm not excited about Russ Hochstein, I do think that he's up to the job. I also think that Chris Kuper is better than any fans (even Denver fans) give him credit for. Like most fans, I'm worried about Ben Hamilton, but I do think that he's up to this one if he plays. Perhaps he will do better at center, perhaps he's fading a bit. That's why grooming Seth Olsen makes so much sense.

On the Bolts' side of the ball, it's a different story. Jamal Williams is injured; he's also pushing 35, is gone for the year, and (in my mind) probably won't be back next season. He's most likely done, and SD didn't find anyone to get prepared and polished for this moment. Bad planning, A.J. Smith (Chargers GM). Igor Olshansky was uneven in his play and a problem in the locker room last year, so they don't miss him. However, Ryon Bingham was supposed to replace him and he's on injured reserve. Jacques Cesaire, backing up Bingham, has some injury problems of his own. A local rookie made good in Ogemdi Nwagbuo is trying to handle NT.

Luis Castillo has been uneven but can't be overlooked. Monster Vaughn Martin from Canada isn't ready for the NFL game, but he's probably the Chargers' future at NT, at least as the roster is currently set. The Chargers found a warm body in Alfonso Boone, formerly of the Chiefs. If a Chiefs castoff is your option at DL, you're in seriously deep kimchi (Note - Seoul Food, on 6th Avenue, is/was a very fine restaurant for those who like Korean cuisine). Travis Johnson, a recent Chargers acquisition from the Houston Texans, has had issues with motivation and injury; but he will now be back for Monday's game, as will all players except Center Nick Hardwick. The current plan is for Johnson to take some of the reps at NT which he played for 14 games in 2008 for Houston, although that was in a 4-3 line.

Backing up the front line on the Chargers side are the linebackers. Shawne Merriman is still trying to recover from his knee surgery. He won't be fully back until next season (and he may be working for another team by then), but he will be on the field. The rest of the Chargers LBs are good, but not stars; they brought in Kevin Burnett from Dallas, and he's played well. 1st-round draft pick Larry English will be a very good-to-great one, but not this year. Shaun Phillips, Antwan Applewhite, Stephen Cooper, Tim Dobbins, and Brandon Siler fill out the squad. Jyles Tucker spent some time injured last year, but he showed enough for the Chargers to know that he has serious potential. Even so, they aren't a bad squad, but they seem disorganized and unmotivated. The Broncos have a chance here to paste one on them.

Denver's offensive playmakers vs. Chargers secondary:

The first fact that Denver has to face is that one of the trade-offs to Kyle Orton's incredible home record is that he hasn't been as effective on the road prior to this season. That may not be a concern, since everything this year is different, but it's something to watch for. Orton's numbers are good and becoming much more so.

In fact, Orton has a better QB rating right now than Philip Rivers. He's got a much better TD/INT ratio (Orton - 7/1, Rivers - 6/3 in 1 fewer game). Orton also has an INT percentage of 0.6%; Rivers is 12th in the league at 2.0% - not bad, but not as good. Overall, Rivers is a top-5 QB -- in theory. But right now, his playmakers aren't producing like Orton's and that's affecting his numbers.

The Denver running game is better than the Chargers' front 7. Knowshon Moreno is coming into his own, and he's going to be very good indeed. LaDainian Tomlinson has been out, injured. He should be back, but even so - he's been playing like he's getting older and isn't the same. I love Darren Sproles, but he's not an all-game answer.

The Denver WRs could have a stellar day. The secondary of SD is being coached by Steve Wilks, formerly of Chicago a friend of Ron Rivera's who came over to help Ron out. The Bolts are playing in the secondary like they're being coached by Pee Wee Herman.

I speak periodically with Bolts From The Blue Contributing Editor Brian; he got his start on MHR and he's a well-informed, interesting guy who is open about sharing his knowledge. This is what he had to say about the Chargers' secondary following their loss to the Steelers...

I think it's also time to pull Cromartie for Cason; he is just a train wreck out there. And why Rivera stuck with deep zones when they were eating us alive underneath, I have no clue. I still have a lot of belief in the linebackers, but time will tell. We have almost no sacks; from AJ's perspective he is losing a ton of talent this year and these guys look to be mailing it in sometimes. I guess that is the heart of it; they perform exceptionally in spots and weakly in others, it is strange considering how many could be making a play for a starting job.

I don't have a lot to add. He's pretty much nailed it. Eric Weddle was laid out by the Steelers, Clinton Hart was doing so-so but the Chargers released him Wednesday in a surprise move in order to add DT Ian Scott. Antonio Cromartie looks terrible. Steve Gregory is playing alright, but this isn't a group that inspires confidence. At this point, they claim that they're still not sure who will start in Hart's place, but 6th round pick Kevin Ellison is one option. When you consider that they aren't stopping the run effectively and that the line isn't bringing pressure to stop the pass, this could be a long day for the Chargers defense.

Chargers offense against the Denver defense:

Philip Rivers is always dangerous; in fact, he's the only reason that SD is in the race at all. The Chargers O-line has been porous and despite his relative mobility, Rivers has been sacked 10 times in 4 games. His QB rating is down to 90.2 after a year's rating of 105.5 last year. It's mostly because of the O-line, and I'll get to that in a moment.

But there is a strength that I haven't discussed for the Chargers. Before the season I was talking to Brian, of Bolts from the Blue; he noted that Rivers had a lot of skills and strengths, but that he just hadn't mastered the long ball yet. His deep passes were a weakness that other teams could exploit. That's not at all so anymore. Rivers has completed 16 passes of 20 yards or longer, with 4 surpassing 40 yards; both place him among the NFL's leaders despite having been on bye last week.

Look for Rivers to throw mostly out of the shotgun. After going from the shotgun on 16 of his 39 drops (41%) at Oakland Week 1, Rivers was in the shotgun 29 times in 47 drops (62%) against the Ravens and 27 times in 35 drops (77%) against the Dolphins. Rivers needs the extra time since his line has been so weak. The Broncos secondary has been strong thus far; this could be their toughest challenge yet.

Trench Warfare:

LT Marcus McNeill had two surgeries during the offseason. LG Kris Dielman went to his second Pro Bowl last season - he's very good. They did lose C Nick Hardwick until at least November, and he's been replaced by Scott Mruczkowski. They cut Mike Goff at right guard (who then went on to infect Kansas City) and replaced him by drafting Louis Vasquez, who has fought injuries as a rookie but should play Monday. Jerome Clary is uneven at right tackle, and Elvis Dumervil may snack on him as the game wears on. In fact, I do not believe that the Chargers can stand up to our DL over the course of a full game. That is probably our ace in the hole. Like All QBs, Rivers can get frustrated if he's harassed.

Expect the Chargers to feature their TEs and use more max protection Monday. Antonio Gates is still strong and effective, and the Chargers have two young talents in Brandon Manumaleuna and Kris Wilson who are perfect for their roles. Both are good blockers, can run routes, go in motion, and confound opposing defensive coordinators. I see the tight ends as one of the Chargers' biggest strengths.

On the other side of the ball is a Denver group that doesn't have a single well-known household name, but they play like unbridled fury. Ronald Fields and Marcus Thomas are splitting time at NT, and both look good. The starting ends have been surprising players - Ryan McBean (formerly of the Steelers practice squad) and Kenny Peterson, and they are rotated with Vonnie Holliday. Le Kevin Smith isn't back from his knee injury fully, but he is a solid backup. The front seven is rounded out with a big group of linebackers. Elvis 'Doom' Dumervil and Mario Haggan are backed by Darrell Reid and Robert Ayers. At ILB, D.J. Williams and Andra Davis are leading the team in tackles. This isn't an even contest - the Broncos have the advantage across the board. I expect them to notch a few sacks on Rivers. If they can harass him into mistakes, this could turn ugly for the Bolts.

Rushing to Victory

I believe that the Chargers are in trouble here. Tomlinson has already been injured. He's dangerous if he's healthy this Monday, as is predicted, but he's not the player he once was. Like the team overall, I don't recommend underestimating LDT, but he can be stopped, especially behind that line. The Chargers have a potent weapon in Darren Sproles on kickoffs and in relief of LDT. Michael Bennett is also an option. They Chargers surprised me by cutting Gartrell Johnson, who only had one good game in preseason but was a 4th round pick: I believe that admits indicates sloppy drafting.They can hurt Denver here, but the O-line has to step up for that to happen.

On the other hand, Knowshon Moreno is coming into his own and is running behind a very good Denver O-line, which is bad news for the rest of the league. My only concerns with Knowshon were that he might be a little light for the league - he's put in the time in the weight room to counteract that and will continue to get tougher, and that I honestly didn't know if he was the kind of player that Bobby Turner wanted. I wasn't convinced that he wasn't, just interested to see what Denver thought. Could he pick up and play within the system? The answer to both questions is a resounding "Yes". Correll Buckhalter may be back, which would make the game easier. I'm disappointed in Peyton Hillis so far, and LaMont Jordan is a good back for running out the clock and a very good receiver, but his minutes will be limited. The Broncos are near the top of the league in rushing with 139 yards per game and have a nice average of 4.6 YPA. They will be hard to stop and the Chargers haven't been great at stopping the run.

Slow Starts:

What is it with the slow starts in San Diego? Ever since Norv Turner came to town, the trend has been to stink up the beginning of the year and to firm up later. With the Broncos coming into the game undefeated, that just won't cut it in the AFC West. The Bolts need to wake up NOW if they are to have any chance at all in the division, much less in the playoffs.

I did a little checking, and it seems that historically the Chargers have had recurring issues in this regard. In fact, they are the only team since 1970 to make the playoffs after a 0-4 start, having managed that in 1992 (Final regular season record, 11-5 that year). At 2-2, they aren't in that kind of trouble, but unless they pull themselves together, they soon will be.

That's the big potential trap here - the Chargers have had two weeks to game-plan, which puts them almost even with an 8-day Josh McDaniels plan. They are at home, they are coming off a bye week, and they are fighting for the season. A loss at this point could end their Super Bowl aspirations for the year. They may be a very tough team on Monday night; but they are still, without question, vulnerable. Unless they can really put a lot of points on the board early, the Denver defense will probably shut them down in the second half.

A last point on SD:

I've been hearing from some intelligent Chargers fans that there "wasn't anyone out there who could have an impact at NT (and a few other positions)". I've had to bite my tongue before casually asking if they'd looked at Ron Fields lately. The fact is, there were good players at many of the positions that SD now needs sitting out there this past offseason. You can get a good look at most of them on the Broncos roster next Monday night. Blame this one firmly on A.J. Smith, who was too smart for his own good this time.

With all of these factors in mind, this has the makings of another great game. SD will be highly motivated - they're at home, the numbers favor them becuase they're coming off a bye at home and they know that their season may well rest on this game. That and their offense (other than the line) are concerns.

The Broncos, on the other hand, will be prepared.They will be well aware of the dangers. They will be recipients of the McDaniels/Nolan game plans. We have the same offense that has scored when ever it had to and which is looking to break the habit of starting slowly. They can - they know each other better each week. SD isn't, frankly, as good as New England. Could we drop emotionally. Honestly, not on Monday Night Football. I see that as a small benefit - our guys are given a chance to prove, on national and international TV, who they are.

They will. Broncos over the Bolts, 27-24. Rivers has a good night, Doom gets a couple of sacks and Orton continues to do his job and do it well. How's that for playing it safe?

Go Broncos!

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:30:14 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

2 months ago: Former Denver Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe reacts as he is inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame during ceremonies at half time during the Broncos - Cleveland Browns NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009, in Denver. (AP Photo/ Jack Dempsey )

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends. We're back with another edition of ST&NO, because this train can't be stopped. Fresh off a weekend full of football, we have a lot to discuss; so read it, ponder it, and share your thoughts.

1. Respect. It's almost as if a whole song could be written about it or something. Picture Eddie Murphy's dad drunkenly hollering "R-E-C-C-C-T-P, mother-%^$er you know how to spell it." The 2009 Denver Broncos have gotten no respect, still, after being 2-0. There have been a tepid acknowledgment or two, but no mea culpas.

From John Clayton at ESPN:

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels is off to an impressive start -- thanks largely to a defense that appears to be much better than last year's version.

From his colleague Bill "Pork Chop" Williamson:

The defense has been a problem area for Denver in recent season. (sic) Yet, the new 3-4 system in Denver seems to be working. If the Broncos can continue to play well, they could have a decent season. So far, it’s been a good start.

Clayton, remember, thought the Broncos would win 3 games this season, that they were in disarray, and that their defense was terrible. It's all right here and here.

DIVISION FINISH: 4 Face it, the Broncos are a mess. They could be a three- or a four-win team if Kyle Orton struggles, the running game gets off to a slow start and Brandon Marshall continues to pout and be immature. To add to things, the defense that gave up 28 points a game is trying a completely new scheme. Ouch.

If you watched any Broncos preseason football, you'd draw a conclusion from all 4 games that the defense was vastly improved, right? I mean, it didn't take a professional scout to see; it was clear as day. And, where I am from, when something is completely broken, you throw it out, and start over. So, I'll take a completely new scheme after giving up 28 points per game, thanks.

No word yet from Adam Schein, Jamie Dukes, or the other disrespectors from the echo chamber.

Today, I am going to hypothesize a hypothesis for y'all. One should never claim to be an NFL expert, because nobody knows it all, or sees it all. For the first 7 weeks of the 2008 NFL season, I watched every snap of every game played, while also working my full-time job. I wanted to be an NFL expert, and I figured, if DirecTV is going to provide each full game in 30-minute-or-less blocks, I should watch them all. I'd been complaining for years that football writers could, and didn't, and hell, I was going to do it. I was also going to launch a website, attract millions of readers quickly, and make long dollars. Well, after 7 weeks, I got really burned out from working 9-10 hours per day at my job, and then watching games and writing for 3-4 more, and I didn't really want to do it anymore. Not too long after that, John Bena approached me about becoming a member of the staff here at MHR, and I decided to do so. It was a good decision for me, and I still get to focus a lot on league-wide stuff, with the thought being that the Broncos don't play in a vacuum, and that everything which happens around the league ultimately affects our team.

The marketplace of football ideas is wide and varied, and you can usually find somebody to take any position on anything. The internet and Twitter have made it so that anybody can contribute to this marketplace, and those ideas which have merit tend to be taken seriously, while those which don't, don't. For my free market capitalists out there, this is the way an efficient market is supposed to work. Consumers are free to judge the quality of the products available, and choose which ones to consume. Quality rules.

Well, this is not a perfectly efficient market, but none of them really are. While this market's barriers to entry are low, (meaning anybody can start a football blog), getting people to want to read your content is the hard part. Those who were first to the party have a built-in advantage, the ESPN's and Sports Illustrated's. If you've always gotten your football opinions from the Boringest Man In America, chances are you will continue to do so, unless some compelling reason to stop emerges.

My view of the football ideas market is this; there are a lot of people shouting, mostly the same, or similar things, and it gets to be the aforementioned echo chamber. The thing is, many of the echoes start from people who don't really know what they're talking about. There are a few flavors of football commentators.

a. The Classically Trained Reporter - These people generally went to journalism school, and instinctively, always revert to wanting to report the news. These are people who cultivate sources, and build relationships with agents, players, coaches, and each other. SOMETHING is happening, and these people are going to find out what it is, and tell everybody. There actually doesn't tend to be a lot of writing talent among this group, and they're given to use of a lot of clichés and bad puns. Also, there is very little real football knowledge, either. These are the classic repeaters of information, which I reference from time-to-time. The gathering of information is value-adding to our marketplace of ideas, but these people don't contribute much else. If you think about it, a sports reporter is to a reporter, as a gym teacher is to a teacher.

b. The Bloviator - I don't have to spell out specifically who I mean, here, right? Every city has these guys (they're nearly all guys), and after years of paying their dues, beating the bushes for information about who the QB is dating, and what he had for breakfast, they have graduated from being mere reporters. They are actually worse than the reporters, because they get far away from the work of actual information gathering, and they just spew their opinions, in as obnoxious and confrontational a manner possible. Those opinions come from 30,000 feet, and are only designed to get people arguing; they're basically agent provocateurs. The bloviators tend to be the slightly more talented wordsmiths, coming up from the ranks of the beat writers, but that still isn't saying a whole lot. Only the local newspapers have these guys, and they're slowly sinking with their papers. In the era of globalization, local institutions quit mattering when they can't compete anymore. Living in Cleveland, you see that firsthand, all the time, as you drive by idled steel plants. These are the people who appear on Around The Horn, and the biggest problem with them is that they work for overtly journalistic enterprises, and act like quasi-journalists, but they make themselves the story. ESPN encourages a few of their reporters to become Bloviators, but they don't go all-in with it, like the local potentate at the money-hemorrhaging newspaper.

c. The Former Participant - The football ideas marketplace is full of these guys, too - former players, coaches, and executives, mostly in the televised space. These people have something general to add, but they tend not to work hard enough to know the teams and players at a very detailed level. They can see how a blitz unfolds, and describe it credibly in general terms, but they think that Todd Lyght is playing Left Tackle for the Patriots. Many of these people struggle mightily with coherent communication of their thoughts, and they tend to contribute very little in the written space, with the notable exceptions being Bucky Brooks, Matt Bowen, Pat Kirwan and Michael Lombardi.

d. The Radio Idiot - Radio is a really strange medium, because you have to be able to communicate entirely verbally to be successful at it. Even in the written form, you can use diagrams, but in radio, you have to just keep talking. It's a rare skill-set, and for the most part, it tends not to accompany great intelligence, knowledge, or command of facts. Radio people tend to be really antisocial on a person-to-person level, and it's almost like you need to have some psychological problems to be good at radio. I definitely couldn't be a radio personality, because I don't speak or think in short, simple, easily digestible soundbites. (For as smart as he is, our fearless leader John Bena does a great job with MHR Radio, which works against my thinking, but no theory is perfect.)

Adam Schein is the classic Radio Idiot, and FOX actually lets him write a lousy column, in which he regurgitates what his Sirius NFL Radio guests told him during the week. He's an "Insider," you know. Colin Cowherd, another MHR favorite, also qualifies, though he is thankfully confined to the airwaves.

Into this landscape entered the sports blog, and they're growing and getting better all over the place. At MHR, we're really lucky to have a tremendous amount of talent and dedication in the community, making the this site a living, self-sustaining thing. With every game, and every post, MHR asserts itself more and more as the preeminent source of Broncos information, discussion, and commentary.

As the marketplace of ideas becomes more and more efficient, our position will continue to strengthen, because quality rules. All members are stakeholders. If you're a frequent contributor, keep up the great work. If you comment once in a while, consider writing a FanPost. If you're a lurker, sign up and join the conversation. And if you have friends who are Broncos fans, encourage them to check us out, even if they start out as lurkers.

As a community, we'll continue to be all over all things Broncos, together, because we all have a stake in the output. And, eventually, we'll defeat the echo chamber, even if they never admit to completely misjudging this team, due to a lack of inclination to putting any effort into understanding it. Who could have seen this coming? We saw this coming, that's who.

I will finish this diatribe by sharing my approach to being knowledgeable, which I am sure is similar to the approach many of you take. Step one is to pay attention to everything at a high level, and wonder about something. Step two is to investigate that specific item I wondered about. Step three is to consider and evaluate the findings, and what they mean in the larger context of my existing understanding. I never trust what anybody says, and if I am going to repeat/agree with something smart that I heard somebody say, I attribute the thought to them. Pretty straightforward, right? This is not what is largely going on, though, throughout the media landscape, sports and otherwise. It's a lot easier to repeat some idiot/blowhard's words when they confirm your own assumptions and leanings, than it is to work, and figure out the right answer. That's not what we do here at MHR, and I am personally proud of that.

2. Information from my eyes on the Broncos game: (From the live broadcast only, as I was unable to watch a second time yet).

a. It was great having Chris Kuper back. He's very underrated and reliable at RG, and the group played much better with him in there.

b. Casey Wiegmann had a pretty tough time with Shaun Rogers, which isn't really a major indictment of him, but it's a fact. Rogers is a great player, and got a lot of penetration Sunday, making him Cleveland's lone bright spot, on either side of the ball.

c. I wouldn't trade Alphonso Smith for any other nickel CB in the NFL. His skill-set is tremendous for that role, and it won't be long before he is taking an interception back for 6 points.

d. I feel a little bad for Matt Prater, because the gusting wind really got a hold of those two missed Field Goals. I think the criticism he is taking is a little bit unwarranted, at least for the moment. He needs to be making his kicks, but 40-mph gusts can move anybody's ball. I was pleased with his kickoff work on Sunday, which was really important, too.

e. How nice is it to have coverage teams that can tackle a return man? Josh Cribbs is as good as it gets in the return game, and the Broncos did a fantastic job of containing him.

f. I would still like to see more of Peyton Hillis with the ball in his hands, on offense. The only time he got it, he scored, but he has a lot to add in the passing and running games.

g. Nobody has mentioned this yet, that I have seen, but Tony Scheffler has grown into a very good blocker. In the second half, particularly, I made a note that the Broncos were motioning him into position to seal the edge of running plays, and he was hitting his man hard, and maintaining his blocks. That 3-TE package (Scheffler, Daniel Graham and Richard Quinn), which we saw a lot of in the second half, was knocking some heads in the running game. The local Cleveland media says that the Browns defense collapsed in the second half, but really, the Broncos started dominating up front in the second half.

h. Knowshon Moreno seems to be a pretty quick study, huh? I think Bobby Turner spent a good amount of time last week "encouraging" him to take one cut and go.

i. I wrote this on Twitter Sunday (@TedBartlett905) but it bears repeating.

Really good things happen when Brian Dawkins blitzes. He made the play, and Dumervil gets the stat.

Elvis Dumervil's first sack was actually caused by Dawkins blitzing, and jumping high into the air in Brady Quinn's throwing lane, which he frequently does. Quinn couldn't throw it, turned to his left, and met Dumervil for the first time.

j. Interesting stuff from Eric Mangini, via Steve Beuerlein, the color analyst for the game. Paraphrasing, he said that he considered it futile to have a good pass rusher try to beat Ryan Clady, because it was practically impossible to do. We all know Ryan is the best offensive lineman in the NFL, because we pay attention to such things.

Len Pasquarelli, not so much:

Young tackles thriving

Surprisingly, given its perceived difficulty, the position that has produced the most opening-day rookie starters over the past two seasons is offensive tackle, with 11. Even more surprising is that seven of the 11 are left tackles, a position that is among the most difficult to fill and is regarded as the most critical spot on the offense line. There were six rookie opening-day starters at tackle in 2008, and there are five this year, all of whom were selected in the first or second round. Arguably the best of the lot might be Ryan Clady of Denver, a 2008 first-rounder from Boise State who started all 16 games as a rookie. Some pro scouts already rate the relatively unknown Clady among the NFL's top 5 tackles and say he has made more progress than Jake Long of Miami, the top overall pick in 2008.

OK, this is not a news flash, that Clady is good. I want to talk to the pro scouts who don't rate him among the top 5 at that position, but I doubt there are any, unless there are some unqualified people in that role. This is what I mean about repeating information. When you talk to 3 pro scouts, and they all tell you Clady is great, you come to "some pro scouts."

As for Jake Long, he is what he is. He's athletically limited, but a solid player who is very valuable in the running game. Against elite pass rushers, he'll always struggle. I watched Dwight Freeney dominate him in the first half Monday night, bull rushing him to the ground several times.

3. Information from my eyes from other games:

.a. The main game I watched in the 1 ET slot was New England against the Jets. Guru's wife and other Patriots fans ought to be pretty alarmed by the Patriots' inability to protect Tom Brady with any consistency, for the second week in a row. It really limits their offense, by wrecking their timing, and I saw Brady looking really frustrated on Sunday.

I was all over picking this game correctly, because I was certain that the Patriots couldn't block the Jets' pressure packages. They are going to need to re-evaluate their protection schemes, and max-protect more often, because what they are doing simply isn't working.

b. Scheme is really important, and can add as much as value as talent, as we've seen from Mike Nolan this season. Rex Ryan's scheme is just outstanding for the Jets, and he gets a lot of pressure from the design alone. It's worth noting that they're doing this without their best pass rusher, Calvin Pace, who is still suspended for two more games.

c. Darrelle Revis is a fantastic player, much better than the football-watching world knows him to be. His game has no weaknesses, and he shut down Randy Moss on Sunday, which is obviously no small thing. He and Lito Sheppard, who is very good on the other side, allow the Jets to blitz so often without worrying too much.

d. I caught a great deal of the Texans-Titans game, too. The biggest impression I took from that game was that the Titans defense is really underachieving this season, especially in coverage. I like Matt Schaub, but he and the Texans shouldn't be slicing up Tennessee like that, especially missing a starting WR (Kevin Walter) and with Steve Slaton continuing to struggle a bit. With the Titans' record at 0-2 now, you have to wonder how long it takes for new Defensive Coordinator Chuck Cecil to come under a lot of fire.

e. From Chris Mortensen on Twitter Monday Night:

Packers have me very confused but 1 thing is clear after 2 games - their O-line is a much bigger weakness than they anticipated.

If they hadn't anticipated it would be a problem, then their anticipators are a problem, too. If Mort means it's a bigger weakness than HE anticipated, okay. He's more or less a repeater of information, and if nobody told him, he probably wouldn't know.

I have been ripping the Packers O-line for two years now, and I beat them up for taking B.J. Raji instead of Michael Oher. It was obvious that the Chad Clifton-Mark Tauscher combination at Tackle was terrible last season, and it's even more clear that Clifton and Allen Barbre are even worse. Clifton got hurt on Sunday, and was replaced by Daryn Colledge, who needs to stick to being an average Guard.

f. What in the world has gotten into Antwan Odom? After two sacks last week against the Broncos, he got five against the Packers. This is a guy who has had a thoroughly average career so far, so it's a little surprising to see this burst of production all of a sudden. He looks bigger and quicker than in the past, so it will bear watching whether he can keep it up.

g. I picked the Lions to beat Minnesota this week, and I admittedly missed on that one. I felt pretty good when the Lions got out to an early lead, though. I think the Vikings are going to really disappoint this season. Brett Favre hasn't looked very good to me in the first two weeks, and hasn't thrown the ball downfield. Going 23-for-27 is good, but 155 yards? That's really un-Favre-like. If I were an opposing defensive coordinator, with two games of film now, I'd be having my corners sit on every short route, and force the guy to beat me deep. I never thought I'd say that about Favre, but I am.

h. Michael Huff seems like he may finally be putting it all together. He has now caused turnovers in each of the Raiders' first two games. He looks much more sure of himself in play diagnosis than in past years. Maybe he is just a late bloomer, but there was some speculation he could be cut in camp this year, if he didn't improve a lot.

i. I have been pretty complimentary of JaMarcus Russell lately, but he played terribly on Sunday, until the final game-winning series. That throw he made on 3rd and 15 is the reason you live with his growing pains. The Raiders could help him out by giving him some higher-percentage options to throw to, but he needs to make plays, too.

j. Really nice throw by Matt Cassel and catch by Dwayne Bowe to give the Chiefs the lead against the Raiders. The Chiefs really dominated the game on offense, but made a lot of mistakes to keep the game close. They held the ball for 38 minutes and 39 seconds, which really goes to illustrate the sometimes-deceiving nature of the time-of-possession statistic.

k. The Eagles missed Donovan McNabb, obviously, but I was a little surprised that they didn't do better on defense. That was a Philly Steamer their defense laid. Incidentally, it didn't help my fantasy team much, in the official MHR League, this week, either.

l. Mario Manningham is really starting to emerge as the best WR for the Giants, and he had a huge game Sunday night against the Cowboys. He ran a slower-than-expected 40 coming out of college, and had some maturity questions, but the guy was a big-time player at Michigan. For a team with a lot of 3rd-WR types, the Giants desperately need somebody to emerge, and it looks like Manningham can be that guy. We'll have to see what happens when teams get some film on him, but for now he is carrying it well.

m. The Cowboys are not a legitimate contender this season. Their defense is very suspect, particularly against the pass, and their only legitimate pass rusher is DeMarcus Ware, at this point. I've never seen anything from Anthony Spencer, either in college or the pros, to convince me that he is the answer on the other side. They had Greg Ellis, and really erred in letting him get away. If you can't cover, and the 'Boys can't, you'd better be getting to the QB. Most teams, other than the Broncos, can't handle Ware one-on-one, but if you double him, you'll almost certainly have time to throw the ball.

n. Felix Jones is downright scary for the Cowboys. They pretty much struck out on Mike Jenkins in the first round in 2008, but hit a home run with Jones. I guess one-for-two isn't that bad, all things considered.

o. Some fool took me to task on YouTube when I did the pilot program for Lighting Up The Scoreboard. Apparently, I should have known that "Kevin Payne is really, really good." Well, this week he got benched in favor of Danieal Manning, and when he did play, he took a really bad angle on Rashard Mendenhall's 39-yard run, which set up a Ben Roethlisberger TD run. Really, really good, indeed.

p. Jay Cutler had a good game for the Bears, and didn't throw the ball to the other team, keeping them in it long enough to benefit from a missed Steelers FG. I think everybody had that impression, and I don't personally care what he does, like the ex-girlfriend I compared him with a few weeks ago. I think some people have me pegged as an Always-Rip-Cutler guy, though, and I am not. I am actually pretty indifferent, and I don't miss him. When he plays well, I will say that he played well.

q. Matt Forte is another story, entirely. The Bears offensive line isn't very good, but Forte really didn't show much individually on Sunday. My brother texted me recently asking me if I'd take Michael Turner, Forte, or Maurice Jones-Drew second overall in a fantasy draft. I told him Turner, but Forte would be last choice of the three. Cutler's arm has a way of seducing play-callers into wanting to use it all the time (we sure know this), and he's nowhere near as apt to check down as Kyle Orton was/is.

r. Circling back to the Green Bay-Cincinnati game, Cedric Benson is extremely talented, and he looks like he is finally coming into his own. He got a reputation for being soft at Chicago, but his teammates never liked him personally, as he displaced locker-room favorite Thomas Jones. Benson is in the top 5 in the NFL, in terms of pure talent at the RB position, and the Bengals really made a good move to bring him to town, and then to re-sign him pretty cheaply in the offseason (2 years, $7 Million).

s. Every week, my glowing reviews of Joe Flacco just look better and better. I got ripped for that a bit, but I knew and continue to know that I was right.

t. The Chargers are in big, big trouble on defense. Losing Jamal Williams was just a killer, even if his play had sharply declined in the last two seasons. The Chargers aren't pressuring anybody, and without Williams, they aren't terribly stout against the run anymore, either. Alfonso Boone isn't the answer, in case anybody was wondering. San Diego can score with anybody, and they're going to need to.

u. You know who looks like a really good young player? Sean Smith for the Dolphins. Yeah, I was all over that one before the Draft. The Broncos value ball skills over size at CB, which is why they preferred Alphonso Smith over any CB in the Draft, but I have love for a tall, fluid guy who can play press coverage. He had Reggie Wayne blanketed on that deep throw near the end of the first half which Gibril Wilson intercepted off of Smith's tip, which seems to have been overturned. (I left the bar I was at right after that play.) Anyway, Wayne was targeted 6 times, catching 3 passes for 37 yards. That's really good work from the RCB position for the Dolphins.

4. I had a power outage at home on Monday night, and it precluded me from watching any of the DVR'd games I was going to watch, making my other games analysis a little lighter than I wanted. I will run Between The Lines Tuesday night as a FanPost, since it's not able to be included in this edition.

I am writing from the library, since I have no power, and it's closing soon, as I write this. If my power has come back when I get home, I will write more. If not, look for at least Between The Lines Tuesday night. Have a great week.

MHR Chalk Talk -- Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos

Steve Nichols — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:30:13 -0000

The Browns are a hard team for me to figure out. Some portions of their game looked good or bad in the preseason, then looked completely different in Week One. Some portions of their game varied widely from the first to the second half of that first regular season game, too. Even their offensive line varies (looks much better on the strong side of the field than the weak side).

But in fairness, how predictable are the Broncos? Kyle Orton didn't look too sharp in his first regular season game for Denver, failing to move the ball down the field much. On the other hand, he gave up zero interceptions and had a good completion rate. (Chicago fans got what Denver fans said they would - a QB that moves the ball down the field like a Pro Bowler, but gets interceptions at the end of drives instead of touchdowns). Denver's vaunted running game? Didn't materialize. Poor special teams coverage? Nope, the team did a solid job. Denver's defense looked better than last year by far, while the offense (still star-studded) looked plain.

In short, this is a matchup of two teams that are morphing before our eyes, and anything can happen. While I'm inclined to favor Denver, there are enough question marks that I don't think the game is a lock by any stretch.

Let's look further into the matchup, and see what is worth watching for...

Browns Offense vs Broncos Defense

The Browns passing offense against Denver's defense is my favorite matchup in terms of intrigue.

vs Doom vs Thomas (courtesy - NFL)

Elvis Dumervil is an elite pass rusher, and has beaten the best left tackles in the League. He faces Joe Thomas, who is an excellent player, and this is going to be a terrific battle. With the 5-2 look that Denver presents (DE - DG - NT - DG - DE and two true LBS), Denver can use the extra pass rusher to form schemes that force the OL to make hard decisions and this may help "Doom". The Browns will counter by using TEs in to block, and the entire Browns' passing offense will hinge on the success of the Browns' offensive line.

I wrote two to three years ago about how the FB is a position being slowly phased out of modern football, to be replaced with more TEs. (The end of this evolution is expected to be 3-TE sets). We'll see some of this theory in the Denver - Cleveland game, as both teams will heavily rely on two-TE or 3-WR sets. I don't expect to see a FB very much for either side.

So, given the coaching theory that 1 defensive lineman is equivelent to 1.5 O-Linemen (based on rules that allow D-Linemen to do more than their counterparts), we see 5 DLs for Denver (they run a 5-2) and 7 (two TEs) for Cleveland. Denver has 7.5 points (1.5 for each lineman) against 7, which are close odds. Denver's LBs shouldn't be a factor on most plays, as there are only really two true LBs on the field in the 5-2 to cover other responsibilities.

Now the key comes down to what Cleveland decides to do. Cleveland has three worthy receivers in Braylon Edwards (a good all-around WR) and Joshua Cribbs (a deep threat who is also a monster in the return game). Some would argue that Mike Furrey should get the start over Cribbs because he is a better all-around receiver. But Denver has an elite secondary, with future Hall of Fame-players Champ Bailey at CB and Brian Dawkins at FS. Denver also also has CB Andre' Goodman, who has been excellent since coming to Denver, as well as Renaldo Hill at SS. As if this isn't enough, Denver has depth at defensive back with rookie phenom CB Alphonso Smith and several players at safety.

If I'm Cleveland's offensive coordinator, I stick with Brady Quinn's strengths and the TEs. Quinn likes to throw to his TEs, and the coverage against even three-receiver sets should lean in Denver's favor. Cleveland should play two-TE sets to match the Denver front five, with the added threat of one or both TEs going into quick routes. This forces D.J. Williams and Andra Davis to make decisions between covering TEs, or watching for the run. Expect Denver's two LBs to be in zone.

Andra Davis (Courtesy - NFL)

A quick note on Andra Davis. A lot of Cleveland fans may look forward to playing against Davis. He was considered slow (true) and not a great asset for Cleveland (true again). But in Denver's scheme, Davis has found his niche as a very effective run stopper, and is getting put in position to (surprisingly) make a difference when the ball goes in the air. As I wrote during the re-loading season, the acquistion of Davis makes sense for Denver. Cleveland fans would be surprised to watch some game film of Davis in Week One against the Bengals, and with a chip on his shoulder, he might be a force in this game as well.

Watch the right side of the Cleveland offensive line. Denver has suddenly found depth by swtiching from a 4-3 to a 5-2, and players ranging from Mario Haggan to Darrell Reid to 1st-round pick Robert Ayers may be rotated in to attack a suspect duo of John St. Clair and Floyd Womack.

A big question mark is Cleveland's RB situation. As of Thursday's practice, Jamal Lewis was limited in practice, and Jerome Harrison practiced fully, but is coming off of a knee injury. Cedric Peerman and James Davis were also limited in practice. Denver's rush defense is much improved, and the new schemes in use by Denver tend to support stopping the run.

Jamal Lewis (Courtesy - NFL)

Cleveland likes to run the ball, and did so (and well) against the Vikings. Lewis is the kind of player that can average over 5 YPC, so I think Cleveland will continue to pound the ball and avoid some of the issues in the passing game. Cleveland's game plan may be as simple as trying to establish the run, force a safety into the box, and then let go with a deep ball. Don't be surprised if the biggest gain via pass turns out to be to a TE, and not Cribbs. Denver's safeties will be making tricky decisions on whether to cover a TE or play over the top of WRs that may streak the field at any moment.

Broncos Offense vs Browns Defense

Denver's run game didn't look so hot in the season opener. I noted two problems here. First, Denver was calling sweeps with Peyton Hillis, who is more of a downhill guy who shouldn't be racing to the edge. But more importantly, rookie Knowshon Moreno was dancing around instead of taking his one cut and committing. This is something that I'm sure the RBs coach (Turner) will be addressing this week in practice. Correll Buckhalter had some flashes, and looks to develop into an effective RB for Denver.

Cleveland's run defense was solid in the first half of Game One, severely limiting an elite Vikings gound game. But when the second half rolled around, the defense rolled over. In Denver, where the altitude makes endurance a bigger factor, watch closely to see if Denver goes into the second half with a lead to wear down the Browns defense.

Denver's pass game is interesting to look at. Brandon Marshall is deadly with yards after the catch, but didn't look comfortable having missed much of the offseason either suspended or holding out. Eddie Royal didn't have a great game, but that's a rare thing. Denver can still count on amazing depth, having seen great play in the preseason from Brandon Stokley, Jabar Gaffney, and Brandon Lloyd. Denver also has receiving threats at TE with Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler, as well as superior blocking from Graham and rookie Richard Quinn.

Kyle Orton (Courtesy - NFL)

The big question mark is, as always, Kyle Orton. Denver fans that were used to spectacular yards aren't seeing them, and this is bad. On the other hand, Denver fans aren't seeing multiple interceptions, and this is terrific. Orton needs to have two goals for this game...

First, continue to protect the ball. The team can afford to be limited in passing yards while still winning ballgames. With a slow-moving offense though, the team can't afford more than one (if that) interception. Second, as Orton gets more comfortable, he'll need to make more passes. Denver won't win on the running game alone, and needs at least some balance to help the running game to get consistant yards.

An entertaining matchup on this side of the game is Browns NT Shaun Rogers against Denver OC Casey Wiegmann.

Special Teams

Josh Cribbs (Courtesy - NFL)

This is a picture of Josh Cribbs of the Browns. Don't kick or punt to him. If you do, the coverage teams had better be ready. That is all that needs to be said about special teams.

Keys to the Game

Both teams share a crucial goal - get to the opposing QB. Both QBs will have severe problems if they are hurried, and both teams sport excellent pass rushes. The keys to the running games lay in the trenches, so both teams must rely on their offensive and defensive lines to win this game. This game will be won or lost in the trenches in my opinion.

If Dumervil can work his magic on the weak side, Cleveland is in serious trouble. If not, Cleveland still needs to worry about the right side of their line. Likewise, Denver's famous OL showed some cracks against Cincy, and needs to be at their best to stop the Browns' attack against Orton. Expect both teams to play an attacking defense.

While the oddsmakers, experts, and polls seem to show this being a win for Denver, I think the game is more evenly matched than most folks might think. I'll take Denver too, but with the caveat that both teams' fans are probably underestimating their opponents. I expect this to be a close game, with a big-play difference.

Denver -

Pressure Quinn. With enough pressure, Cleveland will have to use TEs to block instead of going on routes. This forces Quinn to pass into a dangerous secondary. If the pressure isn't effective, Quinn can pass to open TEs in the seams, and watch for a deep-threat moment to make a defining score in the game.
Establish the run. Cleveland showed defensive weaknesses in the second half against the Vikings, while Denver didn't seem to sweat against a Cincy team that had their hands on their hips trying to catch their breath in the second half. If Denver's run game is sharp, the pass gets easier for Orton and the pass rush of Cleveland gets negated.
Limit turnovers. Turnovers often determine games, but in a game with the matchups presented in Game 2 of this season, I think they are even more critical. Both teams will fight for short yardage, and I share Guru's predicition that a big play or two will likely swing the game. For this reason, Denver can't afford to lose hard-fought field position on an interception or fumble.

Cleveland -

Pressure Orton. Orton is careful and can hold onto a ball for too long. Orton is under a lot of pressure to succeed in Denver, and pressure on the field against the QB cancels out the star power of an elite receiving and TE corps.
Force third-and-long situations so that Josh Cribbs gets plenty of touches on punts. The more that Denver has to punt, the better the odds of a Cribbs punt return. Denver has an improved coverage team over last year, but do they really want to face Cribbs several times? A big play will likely decide this game, and if it isn't a break away pass (or run), it will be Cribbs.
Don't challenge Bailey. Better QBs and better WRs have made this mistake. Quinn's throws can be effective to TEs, and he can make a lot of short and medium passes for moderate gains around the field. Rookie nickelback Alphonso Smith can be a dangerous threat, as can veteran Goodman. But a medium-range pass to Bailey is suicide. Unless the receiver is clearly down field from Bailey, go elsewhere. As I opined earlier, turnovers and big plays should determine this game. Cleveland may need a deep pass or a return on special teams. Denver will shoot for the turnovers, particularly on INTs.

Poll

Denver -

Wins big

121 votes

Wins moderate

478 votes

Wins close

345 votes

Loses close

34 votes

Loses moderate

17 votes

Loses big

16 votes

1011 votes | Poll has closed

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Tom Uhlman - AP

3 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer (9) is sacked by Denver Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan (57) in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Cincinnati. Denver won the game 12-7. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends. It's a happy week in Broncoland, hopefully one of many to come this season. There was some good, some bad, some lucky, and some spectacular on Sunday. We'll discuss it all, like we always do, and we won't apologize for winning, because a win is a win. Ready.... BEGIN!!!

1. The Broncos on Sunday reminded me of the Patriots of about 2005, only operating at about 60% of potential. The defensive looks were varied, the tackling and coverage were solid, and the whole was generally greater than the sum of its parts. On offense, there was a lot of commitment to running the ball, some screening, and mostly lower-risk stuff when they did go downfield. The team played like they expected a close game, and did the sorts of things you have to do to win close.

Consider the following:

a. The Broncos committed no turnovers, and forced two. (I personally count the bad snap on the FG, which doesn't technically count, and don't count Scheffler's interception, which does.) I now reiterate my belief that turnovers are the number one determinant of winning and losing.

b. The Broncos committed few penalties, and they were minor ones, the obvious exception being the Casey Wiegmann holding call on the successful 4th-quarter Correll Buckhalter screen.

c. Brett Kern had one notable shank, but mostly punted very well, helping the Broncos in field position. (I now reiterate my belief that field position is the number two determinant of winning and losing.) The return work for the Broncos was very shaky all day, and I would say the Broncos lost the field position battle by a bit. It would have been a lot worse without Kern's solid work, and some good coverage on punts.

d. The clock management methodology at the end of the first half was right out of Bill Belichick's book, and we can expect to see it repeatedly over the coming years. I want to talk about this in some detail, because it's going to become a key part of the character of the Broncos football team.

The unsophisticated observer of football tends to think that a "2-minute drill" calls for clock conservation and a sense of urgency. You know, people like Dan Fouts. It's not that simple, though. You have to consider field position and how many timeouts you have, and do a mental calculation of the probability of your offense scoring, and failing that, the probability of pinning the opposing team deep, and giving them no good shot at scoring, should you have to punt.

The Belichick 2-minute ethos is simple. The number-one objective in a 2-minute situation is to prevent the opposition from scoring. The number-two objective is to score yourself. Deep in your own territory, you make the clock run, almost always by handing off from a spread-out shotgun look. The Patriots have been doing this with Kevin Faulk forever, and I knew that's what the Broncos were doing on first down on Sunday.

Eddie Royal returns the ball to the Denver 17, with 1:48 to go, and 2 timeouts.

DEN 1-10 own 17 yard line 1:48 Handoff to Correll Buckhalter for 7 yards

DEN 2-3 own 24 yard line 1:17 Handoff to Buckhalter for 6 yards

DEN 1-10 own 30 yard line 1:01 Screen pass to Buckhalter for 7 yards

DEN 2-3 own 37 yard line :40 Incomplete deep out to Jabar Gaffney

DEN 3-3 own 37 yard line :34 WR screen to Eddie Royal for 11 yards

Timeout Denver

DEN 1-10 own 48 yard line :26 Deep out to Jabar Gaffney for 21 yards, out-of bounds

DEN 1-10 CIN 31 yard line :20 Incomplete downfield pass to Tony Scheffler (near fumble)

DEN 2-10 CIN 31 yard line :14 Inside handoff to Buckhalter for no gain

Timeout Denver

DEN 3-10 CIN 31 yard line :05 Matt Prater makes 48 yard field goal, Denver leads 3-0 at halftime.

This is very good clock management. The likelihood of driving 83 yards in 1:48 with 2 timeouts, and getting a Touchdown is pretty low, particularly when the offense has struggled all half. The likelihood of getting close enough to try a field goal is much higher.

If you go 3-and-out really quickly on 3 incomplete passes, there is suddenly about 1:35 left, and it's 4th and 10 on your own 17. In 2008, over 2,293 punts in the NFL, the average net outcome was a change in field position of 39.53 yards. Add that to 17, and you just gave the ball to the other team at their own 43, with 1:20 or so to go. They only have to go 20-25 yards to get into field-goal range, which is really manageable. That is why your starting field position matters to your strategy in a compressed-time situation (I don't like the term 2-minute drill. This is the real thing, not a damn drill. It's the old Boatswain's Mate in me). When the Broncos have the ball inside their own 30 or so, expect them to always follow this strategy at the end of the first half.

2. Information from my eyes, from a second pass of the Broncos-Bengals game:

a. The Broncos have a terrific set of CBs. Champ Bailey showed his worth, and Andre' Goodman made one outstanding downfield play, deflecting a ball, and generally had good coverage, even when balls were completed near him. The guy who continued to flash star ability, though, was Alphonso Smith. The Broncos are never going to regret taking this guy.

b. Brett Kern really punted well Sunday, except for one shank. The pass rush bailed him out of that, which I will get into a bit later. For awhile, Kern was the best weapon the Broncos had.

c. Knowshon Moreno ran sideways way too much Sunday. Bobby Turner will certainly be on his back about that, and let's hope the lesson sinks in very quickly.

d. I am not the first person to say this, but I wanted to see more of Peyton Hillis carrying the ball. I wonder if Spencer Larsen's injury caused the staff to shy away from it, since Peyton is really now the only available FB for awhile.

e. Andra Davis had a fantastic game, with 9 tackles, 3 for losses, and 1 sack. He played downhill all day, and thumped some Bengals. That's exactly what we need from him.

f. We need Wesley Woodyard to come in for Davis in coverage situations too, and we got some return on that, with his interception.

g. Wrapping up in the tackling game needs to definitely be better.

3. Information from my eyes, other games' version:

a. The Cardinals really struggled to protect Kurt Warner on Sunday, and it was the main reason they lost to the 49ers. The Niners sacked him 3 times, but hit him a lot of times more than that, 8 according to ESPN.com's box score. The 49ers also struggled in protection, but in key moments, they kept Shaun Hill upright.

b. Warner hasn't looked quite right to me, through the preseason, and into today's game. I haven't figured out what it is yet, but there's something wrong. It's almost like his personal sense of timing isn't there, like it is when he is going well. It will bear watching in the coming weeks, but if he falls off really sharply, the Cardinals will have something to worry about.

c. I really don't like Shaun Hill's skills, but he finds a way to win games. I can see why Mike Singletary likes him, because he is sort of similar to Jim McMahon from a skill-set perspective. I kind of feel bad for Mike, actually, because at no point in his career, as either a player or a coach, has he ever had a big-time QB to work with.

d. Cullen Jenkins is a beast, and he dominated against the Bears on Sunday night. Nobody on the Chicago line could handle him. I've said it before, but his injury almost single-handedly sunk the Packers season last year. When you have a guy like him, you have a really good chance to be stout against the run with 7 in the box, which is what their old Jim Bates-inspired (Bob Sanders-coached) defensive scheme is predicated upon. When they had to stack the box, they couldn't cover well enough anymore, and all of a sudden, they're a 6-10 team.

e. I believed it, and said it on Draft Day, and I believe it even more strongly now. The Packers messed up drafting B.J. Raji, despite the strong likelihood that he'll be a good player. They badly, badly needed help at Offensive Tackle, and they should have either traded up for Eugene Monroe or traded down a bit and taken Michael Oher. Chad Clifton is horrible on the left side, and Allen Barbre, the new RT, looks quite a bit worse than Mark Tauscher, the out-of-work, washed-up guy he replaced. This is a big enough problem to potentially make them struggle to make the playoffs, and it's otherwise a Super Bowl-caliber team.

f. Jay Cutler flat-out choked with that 4th pick. And like on the first three, Cris Collinsworth blamed the receiver. Guys, Cutler doesn't need enabling. That's the lesson from Denver that nobody seems to learn. (He needs to be coached with a foot in his hind parts, actually.) While it is true that the guy (Johnny Knox) needed to shield Al Harris from getting inside him, it was a terrible decision to go there anyway. KC Joyner's bad-decision metric would kill Cutler's game Sunday, because he threw the ball straight to the other team 6 times, with them only catching 4 of them.

g. There were a lot of dropped passes across the NFL this weekend, it wasn't just the Broncos and Bengals. I don't know if receivers were just rusty or what, but it was pretty bad.

h. I loved the call on third-and-one with 1:18 to go in the Packers-Bears game. Aaron Rodgers threw a great ball and hit Greg Jennings for a 51-yard TD pass. Jennings ran a textbook go-route on the play, widening out on Nathan Vasher, and then taking a great line to the catch spot. They exploited the hell out of the whole Bears secondary on that play, and it was an easy pitch and catch.

i. NBC criticism time. Bob Costas doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. (The Colts lost their outstanding receiver Anthony Gonzalez today! Really? Outstanding?) Rodney Harrison can barely get a clean sentence out, and reminds me of Emmitt Smith already, as a TV guy. Tony Dungy is going to get old quick, and the holdovers from the NBC studio still aren't that good either, though I'm glad to be rid of Jerome Bettis. Collinsworth is really hit or miss, but mostly missed Sunday night, and Al Michaels just seems like he doesn't care anymore. Twenty years ago, he was pretty good, but now, he's the worst play-by-play guy in the business. He blows more calls, and misspeaks more often than anybody. It's like a George W. Bush speech with him, every game. It makes me wish Madden 10 was real life, and Tom Hammond was in there instead. Michaels' toupee is atrocious too, but that isn't exactly new news.

j. I got beat up for this a couple weeks ago, but I still think Joe Flacco is better than Matt Ryan, and I want to reiterate it. He can do everything Ryan can do, but he has much more zip on his fastball, and he's significantly more mobile, too. It's kind of reminiscent of the Chris Paul/Deron Williams debate (now, non-debate) in the NBA. Both are really good, but the one who was drafted lower is a bit better.

Flacco was hurt by a lot of drops on Sunday, but he personally looked really good, and was the primary reason Baltimore beat Kansas City. The Chiefs tied the game at 24 with 5:21 to go, and Flacco went and won the game, beating a blitz with a great deep ball to Mark Clayton (who I should have started in the official MHR fantasy league).

k. Tamba Hali continues to look pretty good as a LB in the 3-4 for Kansas City, but Mike Vrabel alternately looked lazy and washed-up on the other side. Big things are allegedly expected from Vrabel this year, but I sure can't tell.

l. My brother Chris (a fellow Broncos fan, and sometimes MHR lurker) was stuck with the Jets-Texans game at home in Los Angeles on Sunday, but he said it was worth watching, so I took in the Short Cut. The Jets defensive front did a job on the Texans O-line, and I asked Chris if it was primarily schematic, or primarily a man beating a man. He said it was some of both, and I agree wholeheartedly, after watching the game. Rex Ryan is definitely still at it, sometimes lining up a three-man line as a 1-technique, 3-technique, and 5-technique, all to one side of the Center, having nothing but LBs on the other side. Nice evaluation, Chris, if you get around to reading this.

Vernon Gholston actually showed some flashes of being able to play, which was surprising, and the Jets clearly have a plan to overload blitz from a lot of fronts. Darrelle Revis did a great job on Andre Johnson, too, really taking Houston's best player out of the game.

m. The second-best defensive rookie I saw this weekend (behind Alphonso Smith) was Brian Cushing of the Texans. He was constantly around the ball, and looked like a better, more downhill-playing Chad Greenway.

n. I continue to be very impressed with Mark Sanchez. He looked poised and talented, which I expected. What I didn't necessarily expect was how well he would bounce back from throwing a TD pass to the other team (for Houston's only points of the game.)

o. So, you remember that thing about your objectives when getting the ball inside 2 minutes of the first half? Here's an example of the wrong way to do it. Tampa Bay started with 2 minutes to play, at their own 14-yard line. They led the game 7-6 at that point.

TB 1-10 own 14 yard line 2:00 WR screen to Michael Clayton, loss of 1 yard

TB 2-11 own 13 yard line 1:21 Byron Leftwich runs out of bounds for a gain of 1 yard, rather than staying in the field of play and gaining a couple additional yards.

TB 3-10 own 14 yard line 1:14 Handoff to Clifton Smith for 4 yards, burning 6 seconds

Dallas Timeout

TB 4-6 own 18 yard line 1:08 Punt out of bounds, Dallas ball, own 44 yard line

DAL 1-10 own 44 yard line 1:01 Tony Romo passes to Jason Witten, 9 yard gain, out-of-bounds at TB 47

DAL 2-1 TB 47 Offsides by (disappointing) Gaines Adams, 5 yard penalty, first down Dallas

DAL 1-10 TB 42 :55 Romo passes to Miles Austin for a 42 yard TD

This is the exact scenario which I described above, that you're trying to avoid.

After Tampa hit on a long pass to Michael Clayton, and Mike Nugent missed his second field goal, Dallas led 13-7 at the half, and went in with all the momentum. In a compressed-time situation, (especially when you lead 7-6), the status quo is okay. Write that down, the status quo is okay. THE STATUS QUO IS OKAY. The dumb play was Leftwich running out of bounds, and it cost the Bucs bigtime.

p. You know who might be the comeback player of the year this year, if he can stay healthy, is Cadillac Williams. He ran with suddenness and violence on Saturday, and looked better than he has since his rookie season.

q. The Patriots offensive line probably makes them not a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Of course, I thought the same thing of the Steelers last year, so take that for what it's worth. It is very, very difficult to be a championship team with a bad offensive line, though, and both of those teams have bad offensive lines.

r. I still think Tennessee is the best all-around team in the AFC. They're really strong on both lines, and their rookie WR, Kenny Britt, is going to open up their running game even further as the season progresses. I picked them at the last minute against Pittsburgh, and though the Steelers won, I feel like I had the game right. The Steelers couldn't block Tennessee, and Tennessee mostly could block Pittsburgh.

s. A rookie CB who was impressive was Derek Cox from the Jaguars. He had a fantastic interception of Peyton Manning in the end zone, on a fade route, and recovered a fumble too. He was hurt by getting beat deep twice by Reggie Wayne, but all in all, I think he's a find at CB, as a 3rd-rounder from William & Mary.

t. The Patriots definitely deserved to lose on Monday night, and there are serious issues with their team. Their offensive line is bad, they lack much talent at RB, and their defense can be thrown on, if they don't get pressure on the QB. They're brilliantly coached, but talent-deficient in some key places. They don't need to apologize for winning, but they do need to remember that they got dominated all game.

u. How about the effort and discipline showed by the Raiders? They came to play football Monday night, and the Chargers mostly looked like they want to sleepwalk through the early part of the season again.

v. Speaking of the Raiders, they must be really happy with the acquisitions of Greg Ellis and Richard Seymour. Those two players really improved their defense, and both got sacks Monday night.

w. Marcus McNeill looked awful against Seymour, and don't underestimate the importance of a long-term Nick Hardwick injury (an assumption, since he left by cart). The Chargers have no quality offensive line depth, not even anybody as good as Russ Hochstein or Seth Olsen.

x. Great coverage by the Raiders, especially Tyvon Branch and Chris Johnson. Branch, especially, did a nice job on Antonio Gates for most of the game. Nnamdi Asomugha was his normal self, even if Vincent Jackson did get a TD on him in the 4th quarter.

y. The Chargers defense is not very good, and the Raiders' suddenly seems like it is. I am positive that the Broncos' defense is better than San Diego's, as I have been saying for a couple weeks now. Shawne Merriman is staying blocked, and they're less talented at DE and ILB than they've been in recent years.

z. You may recall that Louis Murphy was one of my Draft favorites. And, incidentally, he caught a great throw by JaMarcus Russell too, after he struggled for a lot of the game. He is coming along as a player, as I said a couple weeks ago. Russell did struggle with accuracy a lot of the night, but I can see a lot of improvement in his process and decisiveness over this time last year.

aa. Hopefully, Darren Sproles is still having trouble fielding kicks in about 5 weeks. He flubbed three of them Monday night.

4. Between The Lines, Week 1: (Big up bchiper for suggesting the name about a month ago, when I solicited input from the community.)

a. Denver at Cincinnati

Denver Offense vs. Cincinnati Defense:

i. The Broncos offensive tackles were both outstanding, in both pass protection and the running game. Ryan Harris technically gave up a sack, although after 5 seconds and a trip on a shoestring tackle as Ryan rode the player deep and outside; it was totally on Kyle Orton. Antwan Odom got that sack, and another on Russ Hochstein later, and Robert Geathers was a total non-factor in the passing game, mostly against Ryan Clady.

ii. The interior of the Broncos offensive line was much more of a mixed bag. Ben Hamilton was called for holding and a false start, on the key 4th-quarter drive where the Broncos didn't score. He mostly carried out his assignments beyond that, but those lapses are very troubling. Hochstein gave up two sacks, and didn't look good. He really made me miss Chris Kuper. Casey Wiegmann had maybe his worst game as a Bronco, and got pushed backward a few times in the running game. The holding call on the successful Correll Buckhalter screen pass in the 4th quarter was really not much of a hold, but you can't be taking that penalty in that spot.

iii. The interior line for Cincinnati did a much better job than I thought they would, and mostly maintained their gaps in the running game. Hochstein and Wiegmann struggled some with Pat Sims and Domata Peko. I was impressed with their play for the Bengals, and they played a key part in the Broncos running game never really getting going.

iv. Among 20 running plays, I counted 11 zone-blocked plays and 9 man-blocked plays. Buckhalter had good success both ways, and LaMont Jordan had a nice run on a zone play. Peyton Hillis had his only carry behind man-blocking, which I think suits him best, and Knowshon Moreno ran both ways, having more success in man-blocking, which didn't have him running sideways, which was largely his downfall in his underwhelming debut.

v. I would call this battle pretty much a draw, which means the Broncos underachieved. Both sides had some success at times, in a battle that most would have expected the Broncos to win going away. The Broncos have some work to do on the offensive line. Statistically, the Broncos rushed 20 times for 75 yards, 3.8 yard per carry average. Orton was sacked 3 times, and hit 5 more, but really never faced significant pressure from a 4-man rush. Cincinnati really only got there by blitzing.

Cincinnati Offense vs. Denver Defense:

i. The good for Cincinnati: Andrew Whitworth did a pretty nice job at Left Tackle. He showed the ability to be fine there this season. The bad: Anthony Collins had a pretty rough time on the Right side, and looked like a guy who needs to be a backup. Collins never handled Elvis Dumervil well when he rushed from that side, and he got pushed backward a lot in the running game.

ii. As a general statement, the Broncos defensive line did an outstanding job of maintaining the line of scrimmage, and often resetting it a yard behind the blue line on the screen. It was a very encouraging sign against a big offensive line. I was very pleased with the interior performance of both Ronald Fields and Marcus Thomas. They didn't get their names called much, but both played with excellent leverage and physicality.

iii. I felt like the Denver DE/OLBs could have done a much better job in setting the edge in the running game. That is their number-one job, and several times, the interior successfully strung running plays out to the sideline, only to see Cedric Benson get some room out there. They're going to have to get better there.

iv. Of the Broncos' 3 sacks, all came from players who are classified as linebackers. Andra Davis and Mario Haggan both just barely beat Dumervil to the QB. Darrell Reid rushed with his hand down from a DE position on 3rd down, right after Haggan's sack, and beat Collins like he stole something on the play. Those two sacks were really important, incidentally, because both came right after Brett Kern shanked a punt and gave Cincinnati outstanding field position.

v. The Broncos won this battle, no question about it. They wore down a little at the end, but the defensive line was terrific in this game. They allowed 86 yards rushing on 27 carries, with 1 TD. That's a 3.2 yard average, which is very good, especially against a really talented guy like Benson. The pass rush was okay, but can get better. They hit Carson Palmer 4 times, in addition to the 3 sacks, and hurried him several other times.

b. Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Jacksonville Offense vs. Indianapolis Defense:

i. The key matchup featured Dwight Freeney against Eugene Monroe, who was making his NFL debut. Freeney dominated Monroe early in the game, notching a sack, and barely missing another, when David Garrard pulled out of his tackle. Monroe did better as the game went on, and the Jaguars took advantage of Freeney's constant proclivity to rush upfield by running several successful draws to his vacated spot. Monroe did have the key block on Jacksonville's only TD play, impressively hitting Antoine Bethea in space, a la Ryan Clady. On the negative side, Freeney had a neutral-zone infraction in the game, giving Jacksonville a first down.

ii. The Jaguars' other rookie Tackle, second-rounder Eben Britton, also was a mixed bag, mostly against Robert Mathis. He stoned Mathis a few times, got pantsed by him a couple more, but mostly they played close to even. Mathis did have a few impressive plays in the running game as the backside DE, crashing down the line.

iii. I was impressed by the job done by the inside guys for the Jags, including Maurice Williams, Brad Meester, and Vince Manuwai. They opened a lot of holes for Maurice Jones-Drew and anchored very well in the passing game. I only saw one very impressive defensive play by a Colts interior player, and that was a pursuit play by Ed Johnson. I was more impressed with his effort in hustling for 25 yards than anything, really.

iv. The Colts D-line looked the same as ever, with speed from the edges, not much anchoring power, and averageness inside. The Jaguars are much better up front than last season, and I would venture to speculate that they'll be a good offensive line 8-10 weeks from now, when Monroe and Britton have a bit more experience.

v. Statistically, the Jaguars rushed 26 times for 114 yards and 1 TD, a 4.4 yard average. David Garrard was sacked once and hit 6 more times. The numbers tend to support my conclusion that Jacksonville had a slight overall edge in this area.

Indianapolis Offense vs. Jacksonville Defense:

i. Indianapolis' Left Tackle, Charlie Johnson struggled somewhat, mostly against Derrick Harvey. Harvey didn't do a lot in the pass-rushing game, but he made his presence felt in stopping the run. Some were surprised that Johnson ended up as the starter, with Tony Ugoh on the bench, but I was a charter member of the Ugoh-Is-Soft-And-Lousy club a year ago, when the BMIA's of the world were still loving on him. Harvey is improved from his rookie year, but is still a better run player than pass rusher, and probably always will be. He's just not a fast-twitch guy, and smartly tries to play with power rather than quickness.

ii. I've never been the biggest Jeff Saturday fan, and Sunday's game was a good example of the reasons why. He really, really struggles when you ask him to anchor against a power player in pass protection or move a defensive lineman vertically in the running game. This has always been the case to some degree, but he's declined somewhat since his best years, from the looks of things. Saturday's strength is getting out to the second level and hitting pursuers. His quickness is an asset there, and his lack of power is minimized as a liability. He did look good several times in that tasking. I don't think he's a good Center anymore, overall, though - he's more like an average one.

iii. John Henderson had kind of an underwhelming game for the Jags from a playmaking perspective, but he generally was stout inside in the running game. He spent a good amount of time pushing Mike Pollak and Saturday backwards in the running game. Really, the Colts' whole O-line spent a lot of their day a step into their own backfield.

iv. Jacksonville's pass rush was marginal, and they got only one sack, from Reggie Hayward, who subsequently broke his shin and went down for the season. Ryan Lilja got beat for the sack, but the blocking scheme put him in a tough spot, coming from the inside to block an outside rusher.

v. The numbers tell two stories. The Jags were stout against the run, allowing 71 yards on 31 carries, a 2.3 yard average, with 1 TD. Peyton Manning had his way in the passing game though, taking one sack, and only getting hit two additional times. Give the slight edge to the Colts for volume, and if you're the Jaguars, you know you've now gone two offseasons needing pass rush help, and not satisfied the need.

5. The following is the schedule for the regular season for the Between The Lines feature.

Week
1	Jacksonville at Indianapolis
1	Denver at Cincinnati
2	Houston at Tennessee
2	Cleveland at Denver
3	Green Bay at St. Louis
3	Denver at Oakland
4	New York Jets at New Orleans
4	Dallas at Denver
5	Atlanta at San Francisco
5	New England at Denver
6	Baltimore at Minnesota
6	Denver at San Diego
7	Arizona at New York Giants
8	Denver at Baltimore
8	Cleveland at Chicago
9	Green Bay at Tampa Bay
9	Pittsburgh at Denver
10	Chicago at San Francisco
10	Denver at Washington
11	Miami at Carolina
11	San Diego at Denver
12	New York Giants at Denver
12	Pittsburgh at Baltimore
13	Houston at Jacksonville
13	Denver at Kansas City
14	Green Bay at Chicago
14	Denver at Indianapolis
14	Philadelphia at New York Giants
15	New England at Buffalo
15	Oakland at Denver
16	Seattle at Green Bay
16	Denver at Philadelphia
17	Chicago at Detroit
17	Kansas City at Denver

All 32 teams will be evaluated at least once. I'll evaluate the Broncos 17 times, obviously, and the next most frequent subjects will be Chicago and Green Bay with 4 appearances, Baltimore and the Giants with 3, and Cleveland, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, New England, Oakland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego and San Francisco twice each. All other teams will appear once.

6. My apologies for the lack of Lighting Up The Scoreboard Friday. I was having software problems on the recording from the Madden end, and I don't even know if it will work this week, when i try again. I will at least shoot to have an audio podcast this week, even if I can't get the Madden content in there.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. Man-cavery:

I have been fighting the urge to spend $1,000 on another living-room TV, and I have managed to keep that beast at bay, for now at least. I brought the TV on the right (a 32" job), in from my bedroom for gameday, and I think I will continue to do so for awhile. I had the Red Zone channel on the bigger laptop, the main game I wanted to see on the bigger TV, and another interesting game on the smaller, moved-in TV. I was keeping notes on the smaller laptop, on the couch. My only problem was changing channels, because the remote wanted to change the channels on both DirecTV receivers, when I only wanted one to move. Does anybody know any solutions to that?

That's all I have after taking up a lot of your time. Have a great week, and let's hope I can get my software issues worked out this week. It's Browns week, which means a lot of grief for me from the locals here in Cleveland, but it's the kind of grief I am happy to absorb if the Broncos win. In any case, we'll be back next Tuesday with more Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations.