SB Nation - Ebenezer Ekuban

Horse Tracks 7/31/09 - Training Camp is Here!! Now, about Knowshon and Ayers...

Douglas A. Lee — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:53:20 -0000

DP - Broncos, Moreno are far apart in talks as camp kicks off - Jeff Legwold
Knowshon and Ayers are still unsigned, and there's bad news; Jokeland gave their first rounder (#7 overall) Darrius Heyward-Bey a 20% raise over last year's 7th-overall choice. That contract could throw everyone else off-slot, as the normal raise is 8-10%

DP - Champ Bailey longs for a championship
Champ says he's going to make sure all of his teammates want to win as badly as he does, and that he failed to see that fire in some players' eyes last year.

DB - Shelton, Moulton Re-Signed

DB - First-Year Players Primed and Ready - Broncos TV
Chris Hall catches up with some of the Broncos' rookies, including Nate Swift, Alphonso Smith, Darcel McBath and Marquez Branson.

DB - Staying in Big 12 Country
Zach Eisendrath profiles rookie WR Nate Swift, who joins Correll Buckhalter as Cornhusker alumni with the Broncos.

DB - INFORMATION REGARDING FAN AND MEDIA PARKING FOR BRONCOS TRAINING CAMP

DP - 10 questions as Broncos open camp - Mike Klis

DP - Boss Bailey back in business in Georgia
Notes from Legwold and Jones - Champ and Boss bought a trucking company in GA this offseason. Meanwhile, Champ, Renaldo Hill and Marcus Thomas will start camp on the active PUP list. Plus, WR Lucas Taylor cleared waivers and was placed on IR.

DP - Kiszla: The best Broncos jersey? Try this
Kiszla offers some suggestions on which Denver jerseys to consider buying, in hopes of saving you from having to get a new one in two years.

DP - A couple things to look for at Broncos camp
Legwold's suggestions for the camp competitions to watch for.

NFL - Signing status of 2009 NFL Draft first-round picks
There are now 11 first-rounders reported to have come to agreements, but still 7 players picked higher than Knowshon who have not done so...

RH - Versatile rookie Smith looking to earn respect with Broncos

FOX - Denver Broncos Football Team Report and Insider Slant
FOX's preview of the Broncos heading into Training Camp. Thanks to Elizabeth for the link!

CBS4 - From Club Med To Club Dread: Broncos Face Changes - Arnie Stapleton
While more intensity in Camp will probably mean a big injury or two, this is a team that needs more intensity and fight; so it's probably worth it.

BH - Josh McDaniels the biggest question mark in Denver
Back in Boston, David Ramsey takes a look at what McDaniels faces with the Broncos.

DDN - McDaniels making impact
Good luck reading that ridiculous font. Who the heck runs this site?!

GJS - Expect '09 to be ugly for Broncos - Rick Jussel

9NEWS - Running Red Rocks with the pros
Ebenezer Ekuban and Selvin Young are working their tails off at Red Rocks.

DP - AFC Preview - Jeff Legwold

DP - NFC Preview - Jeff Legwold

SDUT - Heated roster battles expected to center on four key positions

SDUT - Football Outsiders pick Chargers

SFG - Big payday shouldn't alter how Asomugha approaches his job

SFG - Heyward-Bey holdout lasts only one day

KCS - Chiefs' No. 1 pick absent as training camp begins

NFL - Patriots pleased to have QB Brady slinging passes on the practice field

SI - Vikes left to pick up the pieces after Favre debacle - Don Banks

NFL - Vick says he's 'getting close' to signing with a team, doesn't go further

NFP - NFL notebook: Vick heading to Seattle? - Matt Bowen

SI - Searching for rookie gems as NFL training camps open - John P. Lopez
Lopez likes Blake Schlueter, and apparently so do the Broncos' coaches.

SI - Top 10 positional battles in NFL training camp - Ross Tucker

FOX - 10 guys worth rooting for in NFL training camps - Peter Schrager

NFP - The head coach as agent - Jack Bechta

NFP - Diner morning news: Schwartz and the Lions - Mike Lombardi

ESPN - Camp confidential: T.O. can't cure all Bills ills

CBS - Bills camp report: Welcome to the pressure cooker - Clark Judge

FOX - Positional Power Rankings: D-lines
The Broncos come in at dead last, which would be hard to dispute...

ESPN - NFL: ESPN's Chris Mortensen previews his 24-day, 21-team bus tour of NFL training camps
No, Denver is not on the schedule.

SI - Plaxico Burress gambles on testimony in hopes of avoiding prison - Michael McCann

NFP - 2009 NFP scouting series: Temple - Wes Bunting

NFL - With defensive tackles' value rising, 2010 draft to feature bumper crop - Gil Brandt

Will the Pioli/Parcells/Haley Connection Bring Any Remaining Free Agents to the Chiefs?

Joel Thorman — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:37:19 -0000

Note: Primetime did the leg work on the tables and I did the writing. -Chris

If you're been reading Arrowhead Pride for a little while now, you know that Scott Pioli and Todd Haley are big on bringing in coaches and players that they've worked with before. Which makes perfect sense. It's a natural human instinct to take the known over the unknown.

It's gotten to the point where as soon as we hear of a new player the Chiefs have signed or are interested in, we look for the Pioli/Parcells/Haley connection and it's inevitably there.

Why look for a Bill Parcells connection in addition to a Pioli/Haley connection?

Well because the legendary coach has had some big time influence on the Chiefs current GM and head coach.

Todd Haley began his career as the New York Jets' wide receivers coach under Parcells in 1997. Haley also coached under Parcells from 2004 to 2005 as the wide receivers coach for the Dallas Cowboys, while Parcells was the head coach.

Todd is the son of Dick Haley, who is the current Player Personnel Analyst for the Miami Dolphins and former Director of Player Personnel for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets. Haley, his father Dick and Parcells all worked together in New York from 1997 to 1999. Haley was the Jets wide receiver coach; Parcells was the head coach; and Dick Haley as the Personnel Director.

Haley and Scott Pioli worked together from 1997 to 2000, when Pioli was the Director of Pro Personnel for the New York Jets.

As far as Parcells and Pioli go, both worked together in New York for the Jets in the late 1990s while Parcells was the head coach there. Oh, and Scott Pioli also married Bill Parcells' daughter. They're probably pretty tight.

So it's one big happy family over there at One Arrowhead Drive nowadays.

Every single coach hired by the new Kansas City Chiefs' brass has had some sort of Scott Piloli/Todd Haley/Bill Parcells connection.

Special teams coach Steve Hoffman (Parcells)
WR coach Dedric Ward (Haley, Parcells and Pioli)
Defensive quality control coach Pat Perles (Haley)
Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast (Haley)
Offensive line coach Bill Muir (Pioli and Haley)
LB coach Gary Gibbs (Parcells and Haley)
Joel Collier (Pioli)

It's the same thing with the free agents the Chiefs have signed this off season:

LB Monty Beisel - Played for Arizona in 2008 under Chiefs' DC Clancy Pendergast
QB Matt Cassel - Former New England Patriot under Pioli
WR Terrance Copper - Signed to the Cowboys by Bill Parcells when Todd Haley was working with the wide receivers
CB Travis Daniels - Former Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel, who coached under Belichick and Pioli in New England, traded for him prior to the 2008 campaign
WR Bobby Engram -Played for the Bears when Todd Haley worked with wide receivers
LB Darrell Robertson - New England practice squad in 2008 and a former Georgia Tech player under Chan Gailey
TE Sean Ryan - Played last year in Miami for Bill Parcells and for Haley and Parcells in Dallas from 2004 to 2005
TE Tony Curtis - Played for Haley and Parcells in Dallas from 2005 to 2006

Is that enough evidence that these guys prefer working with people they've worked with before?

It makes sense to take a look at who the top remaining free agents and see where the Pioli/Haley/Parcells connection is. It's likely that any future free agent signings will come from this group.

The top offensive and defensive free agents connected to Pioli, Haley and Parcells are after the jump.

Offense
Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Age	Pioli	Haley	Parcells
Rex Grossman	QB	6'1"	222	28		CHI 03-04
Lorenzo Neal	FB	5'11"	255	39		NYJ 97	NYJ 97
Marty Booker	WR	6'0"	212	32		CHI 01-03
Kelley Washington	WR	6'3"	218	29	NE 07-08
Jerame Tuman	TE	6'4"	255	33		AZ 08
Brandon Gorin	RT	6'6"	308	30	NE 03-05
Rob Petitti	RT	6'6"	347	26		DAL 05	DAL 05
Terrence Metcalf	G-T	6'3"	325	31		CHI 02-04
Evan Mathis	G	6'5"	304	27			MIA 08
Grey Ruegamer	G-C	6'4"	310	32	NE 00-02
Matt Lehr	G-C	6'3"	300	30			DAL 03-04
Edgerrin James	RB	6'0"	219	30		AZ 07-08

Back on Monday, I asked you what was the biggest positional need for the Chiefs after the draft. You responded by saying that wide receiver, offensive tackle and outside linebacker were the Chiefs' biggest needs.

WR Marty Booker has already had a workout with the Chiefs and left without a contract offer (We assume).

Former 3rd round pick Kelley Washington is an option too I guess, although I'm not sure what he would bring to the table considering his poor career numbers.

At best, I think any of the offensive line free agents out there would be back ups to our current crop of linemen.

The defensive free agents are pretty slim pickings as well. Check them out.

Defense
Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Age	Pioli	Haley	Parcells
La'Roi Glover	DT-NT	6'2"	285	34		DAL 05	DAL 03-05
Chris Cooper	DT-DE	6'5"	275	31		AZ 07	DAL 04
Vonnie Holliday	DT-DE	6'5"	290	33			MIA 08
Rosevelt Colvin	DE-LB	6'3"	250	31	NE 03-08	CHI 01-02
Ebenezer Ekuban	DE	6'3"	265	32			DAL 03
Derek Smith	ILB	6'2"	245	34			MIA 08
Junior Seau	ILB	6'3"	250	40	NE 06-08
Willie McGinest	OLB-DE	6'5"	270	37	NE 00-05
Mike Brown	S	5'10"	210	31		CHI 01-04
Rodney Harrison	S	6'1"	220	36	NE 03-08
Lawyer Milloy	S	6'0"	210	34	NE 00-03
Roy Williams	S	6'0"	235	28		DAL 05-06	DAL 03-06
Keith Davis	S	5'10"	193	30		DAL 05-06	DAL 03-06
Terrence Holt	S	6'2"	208	29		AZ 07
Cameron Worrell	S	5'11"	199	29		CHI 03-04
Mike Green	S	6'0"	195	32		CHI 01-04
Deltha O'Neal	CB	5'11"	194	32	NE 08
Jason Webster	CB	5'9"	187	31	NE 08
R.W. McQuarters	CB	5'10"	198	32		CHI 01-04
Lewis Sanders	CB	6'1"	190	29	NE 08
Aaron Glenn	CB	5'9"	185	36		NYJ 95-00, DAL 05-06	NYJ 97-99, DAL 05-06
Roderick Hood	DB	5'11"	198	27		AZ 07-08
Travis LaBoy	DE	6'3"	250	27		AZ 08

Considering that the top remaining linebackers are all over 34-years old and that the Chiefs have already signed two veteran LBs, I don't see the Chiefs signing Junior Seau, Willie McGinest or Derek Smith. McGinest could theoretically fill at defensive end in addition to linebacker but his age prohibits most investments in him.

S Keith Davis left KC without a contract offer after a private visit to KC back in March.

DE Travis LaBoy, like Primetime wrote this morning, really does seem to be the most viable option for the Chiefs on this list, although I'm not sure what the odds of him coming to KC truly are.

Last year, we would have crossed off any one on this list that was over the age of 27 but that's no longer the case. Now, with the draft over and compensation for many of these players at a minimum, we could be looking at more signings.

Would you like to see any of these free agents signed by the Kansas City Chiefs?

Poll

How many of these free agents will the Chiefs sign?

0

52 votes

1

108 votes

2

212 votes

3

154 votes

4

71 votes

5+

86 votes

683 votes | Poll has closed

Brother of UNC Football Player Gets Face Time with Packers Scout

T.H. — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:51:13 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

Browse more photos »

The comedy story of the afternoon is Greg Paulus's workout last week with a scout for the Green Bay Packers, and yes the jokes pretty much write themselves. I wish him the best though, as it's a better fate than being another faceless assistant coach in training on the bench in Cameron. And as the News and Observer put it, he both has a year of college football eligibility to spend in practice with David Cutcliffe and it wasn't that long ago that Antonio Gates went from being a forward at Kent State to a monster in San Diego.

(We can all list the ways Greg Paulus is not Antonio Gates in our heads, can't we? The internet isn't really big enough for me to get into it here.)

Of course, the simplest explanation is that somebody needed to throw passes to Eron Riley, the Duke wide receiver also under consideration, so why not make it the former high school golden-armed QB? I'd like to think the plucky little floor-slapper can make it though, just for the NFL games where he could be pounded into the dirt by Julius Peppers. Or Ebenezer Ekuban. Or Greg Ellis. Or Vonnie Holliday...

A Case For Keeping Ebenezer Ekuban

Tim Lynch — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:00:09 -0000

#91 Ebenezer Ekuban

Before Ebenezer Ekuban is released or allowed to leave through Free Agency later this month, I wanted to make my argument for keeping him on the roster. During the 2008 season, the one guy on the defensive line that seemed to have the most consistent motor was Mr. Ekuban.

Ekuban didn't even become the starter until near the bye week, yet he tied Elvis Dumervil to lead the defense in sacks with five and came up with some key tackles in some of our wins later in the season. He also provided some valuable leadership to our young guys while possibly playing on the worst defensive system ever deployed in Denver Bronco history.

He has also been a model of consistency throughout his years with the team. Ekuban registered eight sacks in his final season with the Browns, then grabbing four in his first season with the Broncos. He picked up seven in 2006 and five in 2008, after missing the entire 2007 season with an injury. He may not be a starter on defense and if he is willing to be paid around twice the veteran minimum for his position then his value on our defense would more than warrant consideration for keeping him on the roster.

Ebenezer Ekuban registering his second sack of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 of the 2008 season.

I understand that we are purging the defense, but realistically we will need at least a few veteran leaders on our young team and E.E. has always been a positive force on the team. More than likely he will walk and we will find the veteran leadership we need elsewhere, but out of all the soon-to-be former Broncos that are going to be hitting the street in a couple of weeks, Ebenezer Ekuban is the one guy I want to see come back and sign with us.

I also understand that five sacks to lead the team is a joke, but if I was given a choice between a guy like Tim Crowder and Ekuban, I'd pick Ekuban. I know Crowder is one of the young guys and all that but his potential is about what we already have in Ekuban. Crowder isn't a long-term solution for our team, so why not stick with the short-term sure thing in Ebenezer and part ways with Crowder now?

As for Jarvis Moss, he is still developing. In our instant-gratification culture, we tend to expect instant results from first-round draft picks as well. Even so, I am impressed with how Moss has carried himself in his first two seasons and I am also satisfied with his progression thus far. He is going to have a place on our team in the future, and having a good role model he can relate to like Ebenezer Ekuban will only help our rebuilding cause.

For these reasons, I consider Ekuban to be the only must re-sign defensive free agent on our roster. I acknowledge that this probably won't happen, but I will be more than pleased if it does.

Ebenezer Ekuban's Career Stats
Year	Team	Games	Tackles	Sacks
1999	Dallas Cowboys	16	23	2.5
2000	Dallas Cowboys	12	29	6.5
2001	Dallas Cowboys	1	2	0.0
2002	Dallas Cowboys	16	31	1.0
2003	Dallas Cowboys	15	27	2.5
2004	Cleveland Browns	16	39	8.0
2005	Denver Broncos	16	27	4.0
2006	Denver Broncos	15	63	7.0
2008	Denver Broncos	15	38	5.0
--	Career Totals	122	279	36.5

Poll

Should the Broncos keep Ebenezer Ekuban, or dump him?

Keep Him

421 votes

Dump Him

111 votes

532 votes | Poll has closed

2009 - An Orange and Blue Dawn

Steve Nichols — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:00:08 -0000

A lot of things can happen to a team when a new coach comes to town. On a macro scale, a team can rise from the ashes or dash into oblivion. On a smaller scale, changes can be made to player personnel or schemes.

A lot of work at MHR has gone into predicting some of these changes. Will the defense see a 4-3 or 3-4 look? Will salaries (like Champ Bailey's) be looked at? Will Cutler get along with the new staff? I don't know the answers to these questions. But I do know that the Broncos are in the midst of an exciting time. We have multiple draft picks on the way for the upcoming draft, we have good cap room, and we have exciting young players already in place.

For what it's worth, I want to share my thoughts on several of the changes that are coming. I don't so much want to make any predictions, as much as I want to apply my own contexts to what may change.

4-3 or 3-4?

Will we see a 4-3 or a 3-4 in 2009? We're getting ahead of ourselves guessing at that. While a coach may lean towards a certain formation or system, the dirty little of secret of defensive coaching is that any coach can a 4-3 or 3-4 indifferently. There really is no "3-4 coach" or "4-3 coach".

Nolan (new DC) may lean towards the 3-4, or might even lean towards a scheme that is 3-4-centric. But he is just as capable of running a 4-3, and will look at the players he has, and what transformations he can make this reloading season.

Here are my thoughts. We have more talent at LB than at DL, and this favors a shift to the 3-4. However, we don't have a dominant NT to run the common 2 gap approaches, or even the less common 1 gap variations. In the reloading season, it is easier to find LBs than to find solid DLmen. This may be an issue for Denver in making a choice.

Also, while it is fun to speculate on this potential change, it should be put into context. The 3-4 is not a magic formation by any stretch. Like the 4-3, the 3-4 has advantages and disadvatages.

Advantages include -

It is easier to obtain quality LBs than qualtiy DLs, and thus easier to build a 3-4.

More "pure athletes" are on the field, since many would consider a LB to be more skilled than a DL.

Increased reaction time for LBs. The LBs start further back than they would in a 4-3, so they have nearly .5 to a full second to read a play as it develops.

Puts more men in the short zones to disrupt passes.

Allows for a much larger play book, as LBs have more play uses than DLs. This also means more flexibility for the defense.

Stops runs to the outside (wider spaced OLBs).

Disadvantages include -

It is not as effective against the inside running game as the 4-3, and most of the League is "run first" and runs the middle.

More often than not, a 3-4 can be more expensive to field (comparing the cost of LBs to DLs).

On first glance it would appear that there are more advantages, but this is offset by the glaring disadvantage against the run relative to the 4-3.

So is the 3-4 a "coach driven" scheme, or is it based on personnel?

The truth is, any defensive coordinator can run a 4-3 or 3-4 indifferently. While coaches have preferences, they more often defer to what they have available. If the team could go either way, the coordinator is probably going with what he is more comfortable with.

What's better, the 3-4 or 4-3?

Don't get in the mind set of "better" when thinking about formations and systems. They are different, and do different things. While some formations and some systems are great match-ups against other formations or systems, the rule of thumb is that the team that executes their own program better than the other team executes theirs is going to prevail.

For the full MHR article on 3-4 defenses, read here.

My thoughts on Coach Collier's thoughts

I don't have the speed on my antiquated pc to catch the Collier interview that Super7 did a great job with on the front page. But here are my takes on the substance of the interview that Super7 outlined for us.

It's an easy transition and Denver's players shouldn't have too hard of a time with it. The Broncos will need a Nose Tackle, but their Linebackers are set up well to employ a 3-4.

I agree. The change between a 4-3 and a 3-4 isn't too much of an impact on th players. Things like terminology and scheme have a much more profound impact. As stated earlier, the DL is more of a concern if we are switching to a 3-4.

A 3-4 defense isn't a 3-4 defense on any down and distance. On 1st down, 2nd and short, and 3rd and short, Denver will play 3-4. 2nd and long will be a nickel (5 DB's) and 3rd and long will be a dime (6 DB's).

I agree. Of course, the same can be said for the 4-3 (it isn't run every down). It is a little over simplistic to assign the nickle to 2nd and long, and the dime to 3rd and long though. Many variables go into which formation takes the field, not just down and distance (for example, which personnel on the other team are lining up, and what kind of match-ups can be exploited).

The Defensive Linemen in a 3-4 are "ego surpressed" meaning that they don't get alot of praise in the system and you have to plan accordingly as a coordinator. Maybe bringing in a big name won't work.

Correct. Denver learned this lesson in the run contain system we ran in '07, where big name players on the DL didn't perform well. Like many systems played in a 3-4, the run contain garners no glory for a DLman, and a big name may not be the way to go.

Elvis Dumervil has some huge potential in a 3-4. Collier moved both Karl Mecklenburg and Simon Fletcher to Linebacker after they both played Defensive End in college and were undersized. Collier thinks Dumervil can be a dangerous pass rusher from the outside especially when you consider that he'd either be blocked by a Running Back or nobody...

Movement to a 3-4 can allow some flexbility in how players are used. Moving Doom to OLB or moving Thomas to DE may be viable.

Collier's not sure if Denver has anyone who can play Nose Tackle. They're tough to find. When Marcus Thomas' name was brought up by The Fan, Collier wasn't sure if he would fit the bill. You can't simply put weight on Thomas and expect that he maintain his signature quickness. This makes me assume that Denver adds a Nose Tackle through the draft and potentially Free Agency.

A 3-4 NT is the hardest position to fill in football. QBs are more sought after, but true NTs are rarer. Consider also that Denver would need a true NT for back-up as well.

Position Needs

Well, if we switch to a 3-4, we'll certainly need a couple of those rare NTs (including the back-up). Another ILB wouldn't be a bad bet either.

With or without a change to 3-4, we need to take into account Bailey's contract. I think Bailey and Bly stay this year, but we aren't getting any younger at CB, and a good CB in the draft may be a possibility.

I am of the opinion that our safeties may be ok "as is". This may surprise many folks, but I believe that any upgrade to our front seven will improve the play of our CBs and SAFs. A great SAF may be hard to pass up in the draft though, and (depending on the system), a SAF may be needed even more. Who knows yet?

A switch to 3-4 might lessen the need for DEs (some 4-3 DTs can play DE in a 3-4). If we stay with the 4-3, we may or may not need DEs. Improvements at DT would help Doom and Moss with their game, and buy time to replace aging (but still effective) players like Ekuban and company.

On offense, I like the idea of bringing in an interior lineman. The offensive line looks perfect at OT, but Wiegmann's age may require us to get another OC to give us some insurance for K-Lich.

I also like the idea of another TE. Graham is still great, but getting older. Scheff is great, but seems to get injured quite a bit.

RB doesn't concern me too much. While we had many injuries, not all can be attributed to poor conditioning. Like many MHR members, I like the idea of bringing back Hillis at a minimum.

Perhaps a kicker for competion, and that rounds up my thoughts on needed acquisitions.

MHR member SlowWhiteGuy has been doing a series of posts on who we might keep and let go (so far he has addressed the DL and the LBs). It's a solid take, and I recommend you check out his thoughts too.

MHR University Requests

Mile High Report University will be starting up right after the Superbowl. Last year we had great participation, and some great topics. If you have any topics you want to see addressed at MHR-U this reloading season, put your thoughts in the comments section. MHR staff member Styg50 will be onthe MHR-U faculty this year, bringing us a terrific multi-part series on desired traits by position to help us with post-combine analysis, and I hope to use MHR-U to build basic and intermediate knowledge of formations, schemes, systems, and player assignements. Leave your questions or requests in the comments section.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've had a bit of work related absence from MHR the past several days, and was blown away by all of the news, new members, and terrific posts (I'm still catching up). I'm glad to be getting back in the swing of things, and look forward to your thoughts on any of the above.

Best as always,

Poll

In 2009, the defense...

Will improve dramaticaly

134 votes

Will show some improvement

244 votes

Will take a couple of years to see marked improvement

42 votes

420 votes | Poll has closed

The 2008 Broncos - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Steve Nichols — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:00:06 -0000

An MHR University Emergency Edition

If you came into this season with great expectations (13-3), you've been brought back to Earth. It's time for an assesment of the team that doesn't swing too far towards fantasy ("But we really can go deep this year") and doesn't fall to the other extreme ("We suck!"). The truth is that what many of us have been saying has been proven, and it isn't such a bad thing. To wit: This is a team that is in full rebuilding mode, and we are right on schedule. If you want a championship this year (or expected it), I'm terribly sorry. If you got overly excited by the first few games (or depressed by the recent losses), I'm also sorry. But the pronouncements of several Broncos writers (Guru chief amongst them) that Denver is building a team for next year or the year after is dead on accurate. Those fans with patience will be rewarded.

It's time to set aside emotion and to hit the books and the chalk board. This is a team that is stocked with massive potential, but still has a lot of house cleaning to do. We are perfectly positioned for a deep run in '09 or '10. The offense is young and dynamic, but still young. The defense took a backseat to repair work in the reloading season to ensure a future dynasty for the offense. Over the next two years, the defense will benefit from a focus that will bring the team into balance soon, but not this year. And that's ok. There is a lot of bad news for Broncos fans, but only fans who live in the present and want it all right now. For those of you who are ok with a 10-6 season, some respectability, and a very, very bright future, you've come to the right place.

First though, I want to start with a little story...

Read on

Once there was a small restaurant owner who loved his little business and slaved over every minor detail. He barely slept, instead focusing on the love of his life, his precious restaurant.

He hired the best chefs and staff that money could buy. He paid them top dollar, and treated them like family. He bought only the best ingrediants. He personaly stopped by each table to ensure that customers were happy. His business soared, and became wildly successful.

One day, word got out that a food critic was coming to dine. The food critic had a reputation for making or breaking a restaurant. People knew and trusted his work, and the owner knew that no matter how good his business was, the critic's articles were going to determine his future.

One night, the critic came to dine. The owner did a smart thing. Instead of catering to the critic, he went about business the way he always did, providing wonderful food and service to each and every customer. He neither ignored nor smothered the critic. But then something happened. Something seemed to go terribly wrong.

The critic, upon receivng he meal, took one quick bite, got up and left. Oh, the horror! The owner and his staff were terrified! After the customers left for the night, the staff sat around and worried. "What did we do wrong?", they asked themselves.

I'll continue the story later. Suffice it to say that I watched the first half of the Monday Night Football game against NE, and saw what I needed to see. Much like the critic that took only one bite to know what he needed to know, I drove home from my father-in-laws house, and went to bed. Was I disgusted by what I saw? You betcha. But I saw enough in that first half to realize that we are right were the Broncos want to be, even if it isn't where the fans want to be. Allow me to explain.

...the bad and the ugly.

First, my disgust. In "MHR Chalk Talk" I wrote the keys for the week. The most prominant key was the first key for Denver (which was so critical I even put it in bold print). It said, "Limit turnovers". Denver allowed two turnovers almost right away (Andre Hall), and lost the turnover battle 5 to 0. This cost us the game more than anything. And what was my first and most important key for NE? "Gain at least 100 yards on the ground (starting RB Maroney may be out this game). NE hasn't had a 100 yard rusher yet this year." So what did we allow the Patriots to do? According to NFL.Com, "New England ran for 257 yards, its highest total since Dec. 22, 1985."

I'm glad that folks read MHR. I just wish that the NE Patriots wouldn't follow my advice.

First, let's agree on a few issues. As a team, Denver has some good points and some terrible points. Most teams do. For example, Denver cannot stop the run to save their lives. We can argue over whether the fault lies with the defensive line, the linebackers, or scheming. But for our discussion right now, that's not important. Let's just admit the obvious. Denver will not be a run stopping team this year, just like last year. In fact, let's just make a list of each premise that I have right now for the team. Some are good, some are bad, and some are just plain ugly.

This defense cannot stop the run.
This defense cannot stop the pass.
Jay Cutler is the second coming. But he isn't old enough or wise enough yet to put it all together for a full season.
We also have some terrific receivers, but they too are young and will improve with age.
Despite the 3 sacks given in the MNF game, the OL remains one of the best pass blocking OLs in the League. Like 3 and 4 above, youth is an issue.
Young and Hall have potential for great break away runs, and are thus fan favorites. But as discussed last year, both are injury prone, and neither is consistent.
Scheffler is one of the best receiving TEs in the League, but is unable to stay on the field.

The underlining theme is our youth. They demonstrate great ability, but are also prone to gaffes. Jay has a rocket arm, and is great whether in or out of the pocket. He still makes "youth" mistakes, but is heading in the right direction, and doing so faster than can be fairly expected. By next year, Cutler will be leading this team to better pastures.

As good as the OL is, they are very young. Wiegmann is not going to be at center much longer, and his replacement (Lichtensteiger?) will be a key. But the tackle positions are set for at least the next 12 years. We are already good, and only going to get better.

But let's face some facts that many of us will have a hard time with. Selvin Young has quite a following. He bulked up in the reloading season because of accusations that he was too light to absorb much punishment. I won't get into the debate in detail here. What I will point out is that he wasn't in this game. A player, no matter how good, is useless if he can't stay healthy enough to play on the field. Selvin's back-up is Andre Hall. In my book, Hall has the speed to be a great change-up. He is not the kind of back I want to run often. Two fumbles cannot be excused. The bare minimum requirement for any running back is that you don't drop the ball.

I like what I saw from Pittman. Against a NE front seven that finally played up to it's star name potential, Pittman was able to gain respectable yards per carry. Again, it may not be the flashy "big play" look that fans want, but a bruising, power, one cut runner is what Denver needs to gain yards, keep the defense off the field, and wear down opposing defenses. Denver's pass game will be even harder to stop if opposing team's respect the run. I don't think that Hall and Young are either healthy enough or consistent enough to run the ball over the course of the game. This team needs Torain to come in healthy and able. Let us hope that he and Pittman can intimidate opposing defenses with a one-two power punch, allowing a Young or Hall to come in late in games for a few designed long yardage plays.

Outside of Marshall, Cutler loves to get the ball to Scheffler. For this reason, a lot of fans love Scheffler as the premier TE on the team. Except that he isn't. Graham is the number one TE on the team. Unlike Scheffler (who suffers from chonic foot problems and was out for this game), Graham is an everydown TE. He blocks better than any other TE in the League (something that most fans file under "who cares" when it comes to comparing a TE to a "receiving" TE). While he doesn't have the flashy catches that many receiving TEs do, he was the lone catch for a TD last night, had the second longest catch for Denver.

The real elephant in the room is the defense. Let's just admit the obvious. We can make all of the analysis that we want. We can see progress here and there (and I have), we can blame play calling or individuals. The bottom line is that this team has very few star talents on defense (DJ Williams and Bailey are solid, while Doom and Thomas continue to improve).

This team does not have a good pass rush. Even in last night's game (which saw 5 sacks for Denver), the sacks did not occur as a result of simple pass rushing. Denver loaded up the line of scrimmage, and brought massive blitzes. Without the blitzing, Denver does not always get effective pressure. Also, Denver continue to toy around with only rushing 3 linemen.

NE (on the other hand) showed a lot of four man fronts (something that NE likes to do against Denver). They got effective pressure against Denver's Secret Service offensive line, even without massive blitzes. Denver needs to have a capable front four, and they just don't.

Denver's DL was pushed out of the way for running plays, and only got pressure on passes when the rest of the team came forward to blitz. This was despite the injured status of a Patriots starting lineman and a starting RB. In a simple power scheme, NE RBs Morris, Green-Ellis, and Faulk each powered through lanes opened up against the defense, and each (often) required multiple tacklers to bring down.

The LBs were also a disapointment. Boss Bailey? Injured (again). Webster? A sack (on a play he wasn't even blocked), but only 3 tackles.

And scheming also seems to haunt this team. NE kept Denver out of the endzone, and helped their DBs get interceptions by doing something that Denver doesn't do consistently. NE puts both safeties deep and they keep the play in front of them (this is not a cover two system; it is the common usage for safeties on any team). This stopped big plays by Denver, and it allowed the CBs to take chances for turnovers.

The Good

The fearless leader of MHR, Guru, has written that Denver is in the third year of a five year rebuilding plan. One could quibble over particulars, but I won't. The fact is that his premise is correct. Denver is building a powerhouse team, and this year's team is not the end goal. As I wrote earlier, Denver has to be pleased with the plan, even if fans are disgusted with the present.

Some folks may be eager to defend the paradigm that Denver is bound for glory this year. They will correctly point out that Denver is leading the AFC West, and has already beaten the main AFC West Rival that can challenge for a playoff spot. But I think this misses the point. I have mantained from before the season that Denver may have a record close to 10-6, with a reasonable (50/50) shot at the playoffs. A playoff appearence should be a minimal goal for any team in the NFL with a good program, but it is also not "glory". I expect Denver to make the playoffs, and to play in the bye round. I give Denver a very small chance of advancing, with little to no chance of getting to the SB. Some may think this is terrible! But I think that would be very short sighted. While Denver will try to advance as far as possible, the rel goal is '09 or '10. And I think that future is more beautiful than a short term desire for glory this year.

We've looked at the bad and the ugly. Let's examine the good.

The offense is pretty much completed. We have youth in just about every key position. The penalties and turnovers were horrible last night, if you were looking at a veteran team. Denver is still a youth movement, and they look pretty decent even though they haven't hit full stride yet.

Cutler is the franchise QB. Marshall is the franchise WR. Royal is the franchise number two WR. Stokley won't be the slot receiver forever (age and concussions), but he will hold the position until the team decides whether to get a "thrid amigo" or to put more emphasis on depth at TE.

At TE, Graham won't be around forever. Whether or not Scheffler's foot improves, I believe that the TE position will get Denver's attention in the next two or three years, and Denver will ensure the pick is one that Denver fans will fall in love with.

Tho offensive line has the youth and talent to play well now, and yet improve for years to come. Losing Nalen (and soon thereafter Wiegmann) will set the stage for a battle at center, but the guard and center positions will do just fine.

I continue to believe that Denver knows how to scout and use RBs. Torain will be a hero or he won't be. I believe that Young is on the bubble right now and needs to stay healthy. I think Hall may be in the doghouse. Pittmann is not going to be the face of our RB corps, but he will be a solid and neccessary part of the team.

No, the real work for this team is the defense. And the good news (as much as it sounds like spin) is that the team can focus much attention on the defense, perhaps for two or three years (given the youth and talent on theoffensive side of the ball).

Marcus Thomas seems to improve each game. I liked what I saw from Thomas last night (four tackles and two assists), though he still has a long ways to go. DRob is not the answer to this team's woes. He plays well enough, but is far from dominating.

Ekuban plays well, but is getting older. Doom has a future if the rest of the line can be improved.

At LB, the only solid play has come DJ. Bailey has turned out to be a continuing injury risk, and both Webster and K2 have proven themselves enough of a non-factor that several other LBs are being tried out in games.

Champ Bailey is highly paid, and coming up on the end of his contract. He presents an intersting dilemna. Do you pay out the nose, and shut down his side of the field? Do you trade him for some picks or players (or both), and improve several positions at the expense of one? Do you let him go, and pocket the cap room to build up the defense that way? Bly (whether because of being overated or not having any support in the pass rush or from two safeties) is also coming up soon for contract considerations.

Lowry and Manual were the stars for Denver last night (though they could have been easily overlooked). Lowry was second only to DJ in tackles (Lowry with 7 tacks, 5 assists) while Manual was third (5 tacks). Still, something is badly wrong when the safeties are getting the tackles.

Denver can devote the draft, free agency, and any potential trades to the defense. I expect to see a major overhaul of the defense in the next two years. Will we lose consistency? Yes. But I expect the decisions will result in Denver gaining several playmakers (whether by intent or accident). If Denver stumbles onto one good DT, the entire defense will improve somewhat. If Denver stumbles onto just one good LB, the LB corps goes from 1/3 talented to 2/3 talented (and can focus attention on just fixing the last position). One good CB can either mitigate the loss of Bailey some day, or complement him better than Bly. If any of the front seven positions are fixed, the safeties may be allowed to play the natural "goalie" position they are supposed to play, negating the need for a great safety. But even so, a good safety pick-up in such a scenario would serve to prevent big plays like we saw in each of our losses.

The offense is already very good, but young enough to make some bone headed errors. By next year, this will be a "NE Brady led" or "INDY Manning led" level talented offense. What reamins to building a SB team is putting a defense with that offense. Give the team one or two years. The offense will still be around, playing very well and with many years left.

Shanahan has bought himself time to fix the defense, while growing the offense. If your goal is a SB appearance in the next few years, than this year is a bright moment because it is part of the path that Mike has built. If this year is your goal, you might not enjoy the season. But if you can look at the big picture, and see that this year is the journey and not the destination, you can smile. Yes, even after last night's game.

The owner called the newspaper and aked to speak with the critic. When the critic answered, the owner apologized for anything that might have been wrong. He told the critic about the hard work, the love, the effort, the time, and the money he had invested.

The critic just laughed. "You must think I had a bad experience! Not at all! The food was great, the atmosphere was great, the service was great, and I loved it all. Your restaurant is in first place in my book, and my article will reflect that. Your phone call tells me that you interested in continuing improvement. Someday, I think your restaurant will be known far and wide. Just keep doing what you are doing".

"But you only had one bite", said the owner.

"That's true. But this isn't my first restaurant I've looked at either. I've been around the block a few times. I know what a good place looks like, and what doesn't work. There are always things that need work, and there are always positives and negatives. I tried the food and it was great. But I also looked ahead. Your business is expanding, and you are making the right moves to put together a chain of restaurants some day. The food is just a part of the equation. I know what it takes to have a successful restaurant. You are a winning owner, and you are willing to do what it takes to always expand and grow."

I've been watching football for a few years. I've been around the block. I've endured losses, both for the Broncos (whom I love) and teams that I have coached at the academic levels (and it is very personal to have a team win and lose when you are one of the coaches). I've learned a few things during that time.

Don't let the wins get you too high. Use your head, not your heart.
Don't let the losses get you down. Use your head, not your heart.
Shoot for the moon, but keep your expectations realistic.
Recognize that there is a trend within a season, but also from season to season. Know the difference.
Sustained improvement from season to season is more valuable than within a season.

Given that., now consider this...

We are a better team than last year.
We can expect to be even better next year.
Who came into this season expecting us to beat NE? (We didn't)
Who came into this season expecting us to beat SD? (We did)
Who came into this season expecting the NFC South to be so good? (Note that we have beaten both NFC South teams we have played).

And now, I want to use our own words from an old article I wrote, called The '08 Schedule Overview (Pt. 1).

First, a poll (that covers our first 8 games, including the upcoming MIA game after the bye):

Denver wins how many games in the first half of the season?

2%

7 or 8

2 votes

32%

6

22 votes

46%

5

31 votes

17%

4 or less

12 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

If we beat MIA, Denver is meeting or exceeding the expectations of 64% of MHR members who voted.

Here are some other worthwhile quotes from the article. Keep in mind how optimistic people are, even assuming losses to JAX, SD, and NE. (In fact, we beat SD, and lost to JAX and NE as expected. KC is the only real bump in the road here)...

.500 should do the trick.

I think that if the Broncos can manage 4-4 thru there first half of the season, then they should be set up nicely for a playoff run. However, 4-4 leaves little room for error in the second half…5-3 would really be looking pretty good (and allow for the game off the Broncos like to take now and again).

by UnarmingMermaid

Agreed.

I think we manage better than 4-4, but we still have plenty of room for a good season even with 4. I think we get 5 or 6.

by hoosierteacher

Setting aside (for a moment) how good JAX is or isn't...

...I think that from a scheme perspective they match up with us very well. I’ll cover this in detail in the week preceeding the game, but of all the “toss-up” games this one concerns me the most.

by hoosierteacher

I agree with the 5 win prediction.

One area of help is that SD plays two teams with simular records from last year. That may keep us in striking range for a playoff berth. They are as good as last year (or even a little less, with potential season starting injuries), but we should be moderately improved. Relatively, our schedule should (thus) be slightly easier.

by hoosierteacher

bingo

yes, indeed the first 1/4 of the season has 3 important division games. fortunately, we should be able to scrape by the raiders and chiefs in the early going. i still think the sd game will be trouble, being they are a solid team at this point. we are not. yet. the saints could be trouble if we don’t have our o/d-lines and st’s operating smoothly, but we should be settled in enough to take them at home. jax and ne will be the real tests after that. i don’t like either one of those. tb could also be trouble, but we should eke that one out. the fish? pencil that one in as a w. i’m guessing 5-3, and in the second half of the season we should rip off a bunch of wins. even on the road. the offense will be rolling by then, and we should win some games on that alone. i expect a strong finish against very beatable teams. i’ll say 11-5, a playoff wild-card berth, and a 34-20 beating at indy in the wc round(sorry, i had a nightmare). the big dogs will be in the playoffs, and we just don’t look solid enough in all areas. new coaches, players, injury concerns, and rookies in important spots usually doesn’t make for a playoff run. if we can steal the division, this all changes. but sd has a similar schedule, and i just can’t see them stumbling to 5-6 losses. can i?

by davecheffy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My bottom line? We are right were we expected us to be, and we felt good about being here when we predicted it. Now is not the time to be upset! We are in a good position based on our pre-season hopes. Many of us would be happy with 4-4 or 5-3 after the MIA game, according to our pre-season hopes, but when it happens, we express sorrow?

Shake it off Denver fans!

We are right where I thought we would be, and it's a good place.

We lead the division. We are better than last year. We have a shot at a playoff spot to prepare our youngsters for next year. We can reasonably expect to improve next year.

Now get out there and cheer your team on!

Poll

Denver is actually where most MHR fans expected them to be (4 wins) according to an MHR article from the preseason. 4-4 or 5-3 was what most fans expected after the upcoming Miami game, and they felt good about the 2008 team. Are you now thinking...

"Right where we should be"

95 votes

"Not happy"

192 votes

"Very happy"

6 votes

293 votes | Poll has closed

Denver Broncos 16 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 - Post Game Notes and Quotes

John Bena — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:12:28 -0000

FINAL GAME NOTES

WIN NO. 150 FOR SHANAHAN

* - With the win, Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan earned his 150^th overall career victory (150-96-0, .610) and became the 17th coach in NFL history to reach that win total. His overall record with the Broncos improves to 142-84-0 (.628).

SIXTH IN A ROW AT HOME

* - The Broncos extended their home winning streak to six games with their victory against Tampa Bay. It is their longest such streak since posting 13 consecutive home wins in the regular season from Dec. 12, 2004, through Oct. 15, 2006.

CUTLER MILESTONES

* - Broncos QB Jay Cutler completed 23-of-34 passes for 227 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a 96.1 passer rating.

* - His 10-yard touchdown pass to WR Brandon Stokley in the third quarter moved him ahead of QB Steve Tensi for sole possession of seventh in Broncos history in career touchdown passes (39).

* - Cutler also became the eighth player in Broncos history to reach 6,000 career passing yards, finishing the game with an even 6,000 for his career.

* - The victory improved Cutler’s career record as a starting quarterback to 13-13.

SCHEFFLER MILESTONE

* - Broncos TE Tony Scheffler had a team-high 65 receiving yards on four catches (16.3 avg.) to move into fifth place in Broncos history in career receiving yards by a tight end (1,094). He moved ahead of TE Jeb Putzier (1,087) today.

SERIES STUFF

* - With the win, the Broncos improved to 5-2 all-time against Tampa Bay, including 3-1 at home. The Buccaneers entered the game as the only team in the NFL that had yet to visit INVESCO Field at Mile High, which opened in 2001.

DEFENSE IMPRESSIVE

* - Denver allowed season lows in points (13) and yards per play (5.0) while tying for its season low in total yards (307 – also allowed that total at Oakland, 9/8/08). In the first half, the Broncos gave up only 54 passing yards.

* - After holding Tampa Bay to a field goal in the first quarter, the Broncos remain one of six NFL teams that have not allowed a touchdown in the first quarter this season. The Broncos have outscored their opponents 28-15 in the opening quarter, allowing a total of five field goals through five games.

PRATER GOES FOR DISTANCE

* - With his 55-yard field goal in the second quarter, Broncos K Matt Prater tied for the fifth-longest field goal in franchise history. Prater is now 4-of-4 on field goals of 50-plus yards this season, becoming the first Bronco make four 50-plus yarders in a season since K Jason Elam made 4-of-6 50-yard attempts in 2002.

* - Prater leads all NFL kickers in 50-plus yard field goals (4) this season. He also connected on his remaining two field-goal attempts (40 and 27 yds.), making him 12-of-13 for the season on field goals and 15-of-15 on extra points for a club-best 51 points.

* - The second-year player recorded touchbacks on four of his five kickoffs. For the season, Prater has posted 11 touchbacks on 30 kickoffs.

MULTIPLE SACKS

* - With their three sacks (LB D.J. Williams, DE Ebenezer Ekuban, DE Elvis Dumervil), the Broncos recorded their second multiple-sack game of the year (3 at Oak., 9/8/08). Tampa Bay had not allowed a sack in its last two games entering today’s contest. The sacks marked the second of the season for both D.J. Williams and Ekuban.

* - Dumervil recorded his first sack of the season in the second quarter. His 22 sacks since the start of the 2006 season ties him for eighth in the NFL during that span.

ROYAL RETURNS

* - With his 20-yard punt return in the second quarter, Broncos WR Eddie Royal now has a punt return of at least 20 yards in each of his past three games. Royal, who ranked second in the NFL with a 16.6-yard punt return average entering today’s game, has averaged 14.3 yards on eight returns (114 yds.) this season.

STOKLEY TOUCHDOWN

* - With his third-quarter, 10-yard touchdown pass from Cutler, Broncos WR Brandon Stokley scored his first touchdown since Dec. 9, 2007, when he had a 21-yard touchdown pass vs. Kansas City. Stokley finished the game with a team-high six catches for 52 yards (8.7 avg.).

* - Stokley’s six receptions were his most in a game since posting six catches for 73 yards with one touchdown vs. Houston (11/13/05).

PITTMAN AGAINST OLD TEAM

* - Broncos RB Michael Pittman, who played for Tampa Bay for six years from 2002-07 and won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Bucs in 2002, faced his former team for the first time. He finished the game with six rushes for 39 yards (6.5 avg.) with a 16-yard long and two receptions for 22 yards, including a 15-yard grab.

BRONCOS EXTEND SCORING STREAK

* - The Broncos have now scored in 250 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Denver’s streak, which began with a 16-13 overtime loss at Seattle on Nov. 30, 1992, is the fourth-longest such streak in NFL history. The Broncos have extended the streak by the by halftime 238 times, including in today’s contest.

LEADING TACKLERS

* - D.J. Williams led the Broncos with 11 defensive tackles (9 solo).

* - LB Niko Koutouvides led the Broncos with two stops on special teams.

MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES

* - For the third time this season, the Broncos forced their opponent to go three-and-out on its first offensive drive.

* - Broncos rookie P Brett Kern, who came into the league with a league-low nine punts on the season, had a career-high five punts for 248 yards (49.6 gross / 45.8 net) with a 63-yard long.

* - Broncos S Vernon Fox made his Broncos debut on special teams against Tampa Bay after being signed on 9/23/08. He was inactive for last week’s game at Kansas City.

* - Broncos WR Glenn Martinez saw his first action of the season after being signed on 9/30. He finished with a 12-yard reception and two punt returns for nine yards (4.5 avg.).

* - Denver DT Marcus Thomas posted his second career interception and the Broncos’ second of the season in the fourth quarter. His only other career interception came vs. Oakland on Sept. 16, 2007.

GOING FOR NO. 400 NEXT WEEK

* - With the win, the Broncos earned their 399^th victory as a franchise (regular season and postseason combined) and will look for No. 400 next week against Jacksonville. The Broncos’ all-time combined record stands at 399-352-10 (.524). Denver is No. 16 all-time in victories with 399, but second among original AFL teams (Oakland, 426).

DENVER BRONCOS COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

Opening statement

“Obviously that was a nice team win. We beat a good team in Tampa Bay, they’re a team that’ll be in the playoffs. Excellent defense, offense and special teams. Our guys fought hard for 60 minutes and that’s what I’m most proud of. We started out playing hard in the beginning, and we continued that throughout the game. We didn’t turn the ball over against a team like that. When we had to we came up with a few runs to end the game, and that’s the way you want to do it. We want to finish that way.”

On RB Michael Pittman

“When we signed him I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I watched him throughout his years at Tampa Bay and Arizona, but I knew we had a special guy, because I had talked to enough people to know that you want this guy in your locker room. He’s got everything you look for in a person and in an athlete and he’s demonstrated that both on and off the field. He made some big plays today and had good third downs that we needed, obviously I’m very happy to have him.”

On the defense

“The defense played extremely well. Obviously going up against a team that moved the football very well, we came up with some key plays and made some plays when we had to.”

On the passing game

“That was our game plan coming in, I’m very pleased with [QB] Jay [Cutler]. You can not go down field against this team and expect to win. That’s why they’ve had the turnovers and the touchdowns, as well as an excellent pass rush and disciplined secondary. You have to take what the defense gives you. We missed a couple third downs by a yard, but our defense stepped up and made some good plays. When we had to make the plays we made them and we stopped ourselves a couple times with penalties. We managed field goals instead of touchdowns, that’s the way you win a game like that, you have to be disciplined and not turn the ball over.”

On team effort

“The object is to win, that’s the bottom line. You find guys fighting hard in the locker room, like we did, then you feel good. There are a lot of key plays as you go through the game. People remember the plays at the end of the game, or close to it. You have to keep on fighting and our defense fought. We made a couple plays, backed up on our 11 yard line, with three time outs left for Tampa Bay. We threw the football and made the play and that shows the kind of confidence that we have, and we knew that they were going to have an eight or nine man front, so we threw the football there. [TE] Tony [Scheffler] made a nice catch. We made them use their timeouts and that’s how you win games. I’m very pleased with the total effort of the team.”

On the pass rush

“I knew it was going to come. I knew we were going to get better as time went on, because we have too many quality guys who are working extremely hard together. For a team that hasn’t had a sack in a while, it’s nice to come up with a few big plays. We will keep on getting better defensively. That’s what it’s all about – getting better every week. That’s what we did today.”

On K Matt Prater

“It starts in practice. Since he’s been here, he’s been very consistent. In practice on Wednesday’s we always end with a long field goal and he’s made it from 70 yards consistently. So, when he’s out there, you know it has nothing to do with the distance. You’re just hoping that he has the accuracy. He’s been very consistent in practice and that’s why he’s getting the opportunity in the games. The thing most people don’t notice is his kickoffs; it’s nice to have a weapon and an extra guy on special teams, with his ability to kick the ball off well. He’s done a good job for a young player. He’s handled a lot of pressure and we all know what a great player Jason Elam was to this organization and how many clutch field goals he’s hit through the years. It’s very hard to fill those shoes, but he has stepped up and done a great job, hopefully he can keep on doing that. I don’t want to take anything away from Jason, because there’s nothing better than Jason Elam, both on and off the field. When someone does go, you need a guy like this to step up and get the job done.”

On wide receivers

“That’s why you have to have depth. Any time you loose great players, it’s tough. Obviously with [WR] Brandon Stokley, we know what he can do and we don’t want to overplay him, because he’s such a pivotal part of our third down package. When [WR] Eddie [Royal] does go down, we have four wide receivers dressed and somebody’s got to step up and obviously, we did.”

DENVER BRONCOS PLAYERS

QB JAY CUTLER

On how Tampa Bay’s defense changed the Broncos offensive plans

“A lot and that’s not really my thing. We are used to throwing the ball down the field a lot and getting big chunks and we really couldn’t do it against this defense. There’re disciplined, really sound. They get to their jobs. You just have to be patient, take them apart and believe in the system and hopefully get a little momentum and hopefully get some big plays here and there.”

On RB Michael Pittman’s running game

“He was fired up about this one, there’s obvious reason’s. Pittman’s been there all year for us. Third down, goal line, shorter yardage, he’s very valuable for us.”

On the big picture

“We have been in some high scoring ball games, back and forth and the defense has caught a lot of heat. We had trouble stopping some people, but we knew they were a lot better than that. We have too much talent, too much character over there. It’s just good to see them lock it down this week.”

On his pass to TE Tony Scheffler

“It was pretty high and Tony is a big target. I put it high and outside, it was him or nobody. Tony gets in and out of breaks pretty quick. [LB] Derrick [Brooks] is a pro bowl player, he’s one of the best to play that position. You have to be careful when you deal with him.”

WR BRANDON MARSHALL

On Tampa Bay taking away the deep ball

“The win offset that. Once we got the lead, we knew we were going to hold it, so it didn’t matter. As long as we got the win, and we did that today.”

On winning both ways, offensively and defensively

“The guys just played together today and they were sound in their technique and within the scheme and it showed up out there today. Defense did a great job and they won a game for us.”

On whether the Denver Broncos are the best team in the AFC

“We’re a good one. It’s still early in the season. Five games in, there’s no telling, but we want to play our best football come November.”

On RB Michael Pittman

“The way he ran the ball today, he didn’t get a lot of opportunities, but when he did – he took advantage of his opportunity and he made them pay. He wouldn’t be human if he didn’t.”

On the defense double teaming him all day

“A little bit of what they were doing and myself, I dropped the ball out there and slipped on a route on a wide open pass; so it was a little bit of both me and what they were doing. But, we moved the ball well and we got the win.”

On two game lead over the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West

“This is just football, that’s all it is right now, and football season starts in November. It’s still early. Like I said, we want to play our best football come November. When we get to that part of the season, then we’ll start talking.”

WR BRANDON STOKLEY

On celebrating his touchdown

“It was a little premature but I thought I was in there. It had been a while so I was excited.”

General

“Good teams find a way to win these games. We didn’t play well last week but the whole team had a good game today.”

On Tampa Bay’s defense

“They are a very good defense. They have a good coach in (Defensive Coordinator) Monte Kiffin. We got into a little bit of a roll in the second half and that was big for us.”

LB JAMIE WINBORN

General

“The win feels great. There has been a lot of talk about the defense not stepping up to the plate but we came through today.

On bouncing back from last week’s loss to Kansas City

“There was a bitter taste in our mouths from last week (33-19 loss at K.C., 9/28/08). We knew we didn’t play our best ball but we came back this week and played a lot better.”

DT KENNY PETERSON

On the defense

“We played a pretty good game today especially in stopping the run. We gave up a couple of explosive plays but we were able to make adjustments.”

On criticism of the defense

“We have played against some pretty good offenses and we played another explosive offense today. We wanted to set our identity by stopping the run and making plays and we did that today.”

On the defensive line

“We turned up the pressure a little bit up front. When our pistons are all firing it looks like we are playing with 12 men instead of 11.”

TE DANIEL GRAHAM

General

“This win feels good. Our goal was to come out and play 60 minutes and all four quarters. We did that today and we got the victory.

“We can’t blow teams out or put up a lot of points every game. Our defense came to play and stopped them when they had to.”

On playing Jacksonville next week

“We have a tough game next week. We will enjoy this win, look at the film and get better.”

LB BOSS BAILEY

On the defense

“We still have work to do and we can still get better. We are only satisfied because we won the game.

“They had plays downfield but we had coverage for them. Everybody did their job today and it worked out for us.

“This proves that we are a good defense and we can do it week in and week out.”

DEFENSIVE END ELVIS DUMERVIL

On the defense

“Guys came out today and made plays. The crowd was into it the entire game and it really helped out. I think they had a few false start penalties. The defense made big plays and the offense did their part.”

More on the defenses

“We knew after the loss in Kansas City that we had a lot of work to do to get ready for today’s game. That is the character of this defense, we worked hard during the week and we played well today. We were excited to get the win and now we have to prepare for Jacksonville.”

On making plays

“This week we were able to make plays and that was the difference from the past few weeks. This is a good start but there are 16 games this season and we are only five games in and now, like I said, we have to prepare for next weeks game against Jacksonville.”

RUNNING BACK MICHAEL PITTMAN

On playing against his former team

“I am a very emotional player and I just wanted to come out here and win this game. It was a big win and I wanted to play hard. I just wanted to do everything I could to help my team get the win. I have all the respect in the world for their team and their coaching staff but I am a Bronco now and I did my part and I am excited to get the win.”

On the Tampa Bay defense

“I know their defense really well and I know their strengths and weaknesses. They have a great defense and I give their coaching staff including Monte Kiffin a lot of credit for what they do.”

WIDE RECEIVER GLENN MARTINEZ

On coming back after being off four weeks

“The coaching staff did a great job of getting me ready and into the game plan. After spending this week getting prepared and staying in shape while I was gone, I feel like I haven’t skipped a beat.”

On catching punts

“I have been catching punts for so long that it will take more than four weeks to loose that skill but It is only one week I have to take things one day at a time and prepare each week to come out and play well.”

The State of the Denver Broncos

Steve Nichols — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:34:37 -0000

It's time to take an honest self evaluation. There are a lot of good things to take comfort in if you are a Broncos fan. There are also some things that need to be faced that should keep you awake at night. I want to look at both.

Coming from a coach's perspective, folks shouldn't panic over one game. On the other hand, folks shouldn't get too excited over the 3-0 mark we were at before the KC loss. What we have on our hands is a very, very good team that has some terrible flaws. Yes, we beat SD and NO, but the games were close enough to be decided by a two point conversion and missed FGs. We beat Oakland, but that's not much to brag about. We also lost to KC, and that's a concern.

We'll look at what can be adjusted for and what probably can't, and where this puts the team as it continues The Quest.

Read on...

The Negatives

1) Pass rush

More than any other factor, Denver's lack of an effective pass rush is allowing opponents to score against Denver. Thanks to MattR (who has very kindly sent me DVDs so I can break down the games) I have watched and rewatched the front four and front three. There is a lot to examine.

First, the DTs are not effective. If one factor could turn around this team on defense, it would be having one, dominant defensive tackle. The tackles are not demanding the kind of double teaming that allows the DEs to do their jobs. As I've written before, one great DT makes the other DT look great too. Neither of our DTs is threatening the pocket enough.

Second, the DEs are better than what I expected, but still falling short. I noticed in the TB game that the outside rushers often got through, but were always a second or two too late. Dumervil's finger is a part of the problem, but a very small part. He can't use his hand as well when he has to fight off offensive linemen, and his tackilng should be less then desirable. But this is a minor excuse that falls flat. Despite the talents we have at pass rushing DE, the best rushers seem to be the guys who are built to stop the run (such as Ekuban).

Fans love flashy, speedy DEs. I like them too! But when the DTs can't occupy at least three OLmen, the DEs are going to struggle. At times like these, more powerful (albeit slower) DEs like Ekuban are more likely to fight through the trash than the speedsters. Unfortunatley, they will be slow.

Third is play calling. I'm always the first to jump in to defend a coach (go figure). But I can't do it here. On 3 man fronts with one gap linemen, a fourth rusher has to come in from one of the LBs. Denver shows a LB near the line to come in, but that LB ends up (more often than not) falling back into coverage. This creats two problems.

Why is the defense telegraphing the LB? In a one gap 3-4 set-up, the whole point of the fourth rusher is that the offense doesn't know where the LB is coming from.
Having said that, the telegraphed guy doesn't even rush! Worse, nobody else comes in either! You don't get pressure in the NFL with 3 rushers alone.

Some aspects of the pass rush can be fixed. Slowik is a "teaching" coach, and can improve on some shoddy play by the DL. Our best DE (Doom) will heal up and improve. But the thing we may have to face moving forward is that this team continues to lack a full time, durable, effective DT.

2) The Secondary

First, let's cut the corners some slack. Bailey and Bly are terrific corners, Paymah is good enough, and Williams has potential. But without the pass rush we just talked about, these guys can't be expected to cover receivers for more than a few seconds on their own. That said...

Bailey made a comment I found disturbing. He mentioned the importance of keeping plays "in front" of ourselves. This is zone thinking. Bailey is a lock down corner, and Bly is a gambler. Both CB types require an attacking mentality, and a focus on disrupting the reception (through a break up or an INT). Instead, reading Bailey's words and watching game tape I'm shocked at what I'm seeing. Our CBs are playing over the receivers instead of being used aggresively. Why is this? I think I have the answer, and and it is ugly.

Denver wants the LBs focused on the run. For this reason, there isn't a lot of blitzing. Also, Denver uses a SAF in the box, or even zoned mid range to cover for the run. Fearing the big plays, Denver's CBs are being asked to act like safeties, and to keep the plays in front of them. This causes two problems.

Denver is likely to give up short and medium range passes, because the CBs are playing over the top.
Denver also gives up the big plays, because the CBs are playing without deep zone coverage from two safeties.

This approach is too cute for my tastes. I was never a pro level coach, and I'm sure Coach Slowik would wring my neck for being a know it all. But I am having a hard time understanding a defense that gives up everything to fix one problem. Afraid of the run? Focus on the front seven!

This problem can be fixed. Let the secondary focus on the pass like they should. Let the CBs play "on" or "underneath" coverage, and let the SAFs ignore the run so they can play over the top of the receivers. INTs and break ups will start happening, and the SAFs will now be in position when a CB isn't. Even if a run gets through the front seven, there will be two safeties waiting. Then you can fix the front seven, which leads to my next point.

3) Stopping the run

The fear of every defensive coordinator is the inablitly to stop a team from jamming the ball down one's throat with the run. One can over compensate for this fear to the detriment of pass defense, and this (in my opinion) is what is happening. Worse, the run defense is still not getting the job done.

Several folks have expressed little concern for the defense, stating that the first 3 teams Denver played were offensive power houses. I disagree. Oakland is a basement team, and SD and NO (while very good) where banged up before the games. Still, when a team sacrifices a safety into the box to stop the run, and can't stop that run, the run defense is in serious trouble.

To be effective in a one gap defensive line system, each DLman has to shoot a gap, forcing the OL to clear them. If wildly succesful, the DL penetrates and blows up the run in the backfield. If succesful, the RB has nowhere to go. If moderately succesful, the LBs are untouched by the OL, and make the tackle near scrimmage.

Denver isn't getting these results. I see two reasons.

Again, the DTs just aren't being effective.
Denver's desire for pass rushing DEs doesn't place enough emphasis on having the less sexy (but more powerful) run stopping DEs in place.

We just had a wonderful reloading season, and brought in at least two solid performers (Clady and Royal). What we didn't bring in was a dominant DT (Robertson doesn't look bad, he just doesn't look good).

The LBs actually don't look too bad to me. They are fast, they are swarming, and they are tackling well enough. The problem is that opposing RBs can get enough penetration with the OL and enough momentum that the LBs are getting hit instead of having the time to do the hitting. They aren't getting the protection that they should, and they aren't getting the extra quarter of a second to respond that the DL should buy for them. I entered this season with concerns for the LBs and the DL. But from watching game film, I feel the LBs are alright, and not getting the partnership they need from the DL.

Let me take a moment to stress a few things I've been writing about that have provoked debate at MHR, but where I feel vindicated.

The realoading season was terrific, but we failed to address the heart of the problem on defense - defensive tackles.
Folks love speedy, pass rushing DEs. Some at MHR even wanted one on each end. Guys, we have to have more power on this line, and that means we need more Ekubans to go with the Dumervils.
We must get both of our safeties in deep zones if we are going to stop deep passes. It allows our CBs to do more, and it protects the deep field by more than half (even though only one additional player is brought in to cover it).

4) Jay needs to work on a few of the small things

Jay is a great QB. I would put him in the top 5 right now (and in only his seconf full year). But he is not yet a Peyton Manning, a Tom Brady, or a John Elway. Some will take my remarks as critisicm, but I'm in good company with Guru's latest grades.

Jay has two or three minor faults. Correct these, and Jay goes from great to legendary.

Jay telegraphs his throws by watching his primary target for far too long. Jay will get better, and this will fall to the wayside. But for now, it leads to a loss of down here and there.
Jay can take chances because he is so good. I see him throwing balls off balance that still go right on target. But he needs to trust his check downs too. This means watching the whole field.
Jay needs to spread the ball. The stats can be deceiving. It looks to me like Jay gets the ball to different receivers because different receivers are the primary targets for a specific play, and not because he is spreading the ball on his own. This is one observation I am not fully confident on, and I may be reading the game film wrong.

Jay is one area of the game that I wouldn't do a thing about. Telling him to scale things down will take him out of his element, and cost a little confidence. He'll find the right balance in taking chances as his career goes on. Good coaching will correct the telegraphing issue.

5) The run game

Our YPCs are decent. I disagree with the observation that "If you take away this big run and that big run our run game isn't so great". I disagree because the little runs set up the big runs, and you can't take away something that happened, good or bad.

However, there are some major flaws in the run game.

First, we just aren't running the ball enough. We spent the first three weeks entertaining the fans with a wonderful airshow. That will win a few games, but it won't get you far. I always preach that a balanced offense is a requirement to win games. We didn't close out the SD and NO games because we wouldn't run the ball and control the clock. We just flat out didn't protect comfortable leads. This means we aren't doing a good enough job wearing down defenses over the course of a game either.

We also aren't using much in the power run game dept. Rotating RBs is fine with me. I even endorse such a course. But why aren't we rotating in Pittman (our power guy)? First we don't wear down defenses by running more often, and when we do run we don't use any element of power to help ensure that the defense gets tired.

Here again, what we do pleases the fans (everyone likes big run plays here and there), but isn't sound football (consistently racking up medium yards each running play).

6) Turnover issues

This issue reared it's ugly head in KC, but in a big way. No matter how good a team is, the odds drop dramaticaly if you lose the turnover battle. Think about KC. We were still in the game up until the end, but multiple turnovers over the course of the game kept us from being in the lead. Jay is forcing the ball a lot, but he's good enough to get away with it most of the time. But the guys fumbling the ball have little excuse.

7) Coverage teams on special teams need to improve

We can't give up TDs and yards like we have been. It's a terrible sign that we have to risk Champ Bailey on our coverage teams because the coverage teams can't do it on their own.

The Positives

1) We are 3-1

This means that we have bought ourselves time to fix our problems. We have a good record, we lead our division, and have a winning record against the team most likley to challenge us in our own division. We control our destiny. With the loss to KC, we are still on track for the 10-6 (or better) season that I predicted.

2) The Offensive line is great

Jay finally gets sacked in the fourth game. WIthout Nalen, the OL still looks great. They give Cutler time, and they keep him safe. Rookie Clady looks like he's been playing in the pros for years, and Harris (playing in his full full season) at the other tackle position has been rock solid. Wiegmann has stepped in filled Nalen's shoes without missing a beat. Could the run blocking be better? Sure. But overall the line is doing a superb job, and the run game will pick up over time with the new faces.

3) We have youth and amazing talent all over the offense

Not only is the youth movement on the OL ahead of their time, but we finally have the QB in Cutler that can stop the Elway comparisons. This kid is good on his own.

Marshall is making a household name for himself, and seem to be on the straight and narrow in his personal life (doing an amazing job with kids in the community where he has purchased thanksgiving meals for each family and spends hours being a role model).

Rookie Royal has proved me wrong. I thought he would be perfect as a slot receiver and returner, but he has proven himself to be a terrific threat across from Marshall. This is the receiver that many of us wanted. A speed demon who can stretch the field and prevent Marshall form double coverage.

Graham is older, but the best blocking TE in the League, and is proving several skeptical Broncos fans wrong about his ability to catch the ball. Scheff and Jackson remain credible threats. (Stokley at slot isn't young either, but he's always reliable).

Pittman is a good RB who may not be getting enough playing time (if you buy my points earlier on). I believe Young and Hall could do better if they had enough carries to get in a rhythm.

4) Most of our problems can be fixed

We have the players that we have. I'm not a big fan of making changes mid stream, and am skeptical of making a trade at this point (though it might help). DT is the one position we most need help at.

For better or worse, here's what a former HS coach with no business telling the pros what to do, would tell the pros:

When using three defensive linemen, please send a fourth player in to rush the passer
Don't telegraph who that fourth player is
Give our corners a chance to do what they do best. Play both safeties deep to stop the big plays and allow the CBs a chance to gamble a little
Run the ball more. Wear down the defense. Control the clock. Make Cutler's job even easier than it already is. Just run the ball more!
If the pass rush doesn't work, blitz a little. But at the end of the season, make some changes. Blitzing should be a convienence, not a neccessity. We need a consistent pass rush from the front four. Lack of sacks is ok, but pressure must be consistent.

5) A tough part of the schedule is behind us, and we came out looking good

My thoughts before the season started were that we would win one game against Oakland, with a 50/50 shot of winning the other game. I felt we would lose a game to SD, with a 50/50 shot of winning the other game. I picked New Orleans as a team that matched us well, and could be a problem on our schedule. Well, we beat all three.

I believe I picked us to beat KC in one game, with a better than even chance of winning the other game. Oops. (GIve credit where it is due. KC played a good game, and earned the win).

Frankly, I didn't expect us to be 3-1 at this point. Down the road we face NE without Tom Brady, and a JAX team that is getting decimated by injuries. (TB, CAR, and ATL may be better than once thought though, and BUF and NYJ look better too).

6) Most of our problems on the defense are scheme, not player related

This means that most of the players on the defense will look better with some tweaks. Despite the problems I see on offense, I actually like what I see from the SAFs, the CBs, and the LBs. I think they are put out of position too much because of calls coming in from the sideline. I think this will get addressed.

7) We are a young team

The young guys are playing better than expected for young guys. Where there are issues with play, the guys will only get better. I don't like the calls coming in from Slowik and Bates on the side of the field, but both coaches are good teachers that can improve individual techinique issues. Now if only Shanahan would call a coaches meeting to discuss the playcalling a little...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So where are we? We're not as good as our record (winning close games), and we're not as bad as our loss to KC. We as fans get excited by wins, and depressed by losses. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

In my mind, we are doing a lot as a team to please the fans. Everybody loves the pass happy game. Everybody loves to see rushers play on the ends of the defensive line. Everyone prefers speedy running backs over slow but strong power backs. But that's not a formula for winning. Teams that go deep in the playoffs have to be able to run the ball and stop the run. We are doing neither with any consistency.

We are playing better than other teams in the AFC West (except KC in the KC game). We are likely to finish with a winning season, and I think we make the playoffs (as a low seed or wildcard). But we are not a dominant team on both sides of the ball, and we need more balance if we hope to go deep this year. In short, we are good, but one dimensional.

We need better defense to go with our offense, and we need a running game to go with our passing game.

What is the Quest? If it is to make the playoffs, or to be a better team than last year, I think we're in good shape. I also think we are only one or two players away from a SB caliber, dynastic team. Zappa seems to think that this is a 13-3 year, and I think Guru might put us in the third year of a five year plan. I think we're one year removed from a great shot at a SB. We have the core in place, but need a playmaker or two on the defense (DT and perhaps a LB) to take off.

Or maybe Torain will come back and shock the NFL in few weeks. Don't leave La La Land yet. It's still early in the season, and even with close games we are still off to a good record.

Poll

Denver's record at regular season's end:

13-3 or better baby! La La Land rules!

35 votes

11 or 12 wins. We are a terrific team. KC was a bump.

222 votes

9 or 10 wins. We are good, but still need to fix some things.

364 votes

7 or 8 wins. This team is in trouble.

29 votes

7 wins or less. Here comes the big collapse! (this option is also for the trolls out there)

6 votes

656 votes | Poll has closed

Saints @ Broncos: Who Dat Say!?

Saintsational — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:00:05 -0000

In case you were starting to feel a little better about Sundays loss this ought to make you feel a little worse. I've put together a pretty decent collection of quotables, mostly from the Broncos side of things.

Make the jump if you feel like re-living the misery one more time.

Denver is 3-0 Despite a Shaky Defense

"It doesn't feel like we won this game," Broncos cornerback and captainChamp Bailey said. "They should have never been in this football game. We have to play better ... We need to be winning games by a lot more with the offense we have."

-Champ Bailey

"Sometimes, it's good to be a little lucky," Bailey said.

-Champ Bailey

"Our defense made a play when they had to," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said.

-Mike Shanahan

Broncos Hold Off Comeback, Beat Saints 34-32

"It’s nice to give up 32 points and still win the football game," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "That’s the bottom line, you’ve got to find a way to win."

-Mike Shanahan

"We’ve got to be the luckiest team right now because of what’s going on," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. "We put ourselves in those situations, but right at the end things have been happening for us. You’ve got to take it as a good sign."

-Champ Bailey

"The hold was good and he made good contact," holder Steve Weatherford said. "Other than that, I can’t tell much more. He may have been making an adjustment for the one he missed at the end of the half."

-Steve Weatherford

"We’re living on the edge," quarterback Jay Cutler said. "Offensively, we got the job done. We left a lot out there. I didn’t play very well, missed some stuff, but defense stepped up when they had to."

-Jay Cutler

"Somebody’s living right in that locker room," Cutler said. "We’ve got to straighten some stuff offensively and defensively. Special teams played well today, but we’ve got to tighten it up because we can’t keep doing this. We’re getting lucky at the end."

-Jay Cutler

"Luckiest" Broncos slip by Saints 34-32

"It's tough. Every possession counts for us offensively," said Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler, who admittedly wasn't at his best Sunday, but still threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns. "We feel like we have to score every time."

-Jay Cutler

"It's a very different philosophy than we'd seen," said Saints quarterback Drew Brees. "But I thought we did a good job of adjusting quickly."

-Drew Brees

Saints' Brees still winless in Denver

"We had some great drives, we had some big plays," he said. "Unfortunately, we just couldn't convert when we really needed to."
-Drew Brees

"We had the fumble that was returned for the touchdown, the nonconversion at the end of the half and the nonconversion at the end of the game," Brees said. "So you can really look at three plays that kind of tarnished this performance offensively, and it cost us the game."

-Drew Brees

"It's frustrating. You wanted to get a little bit closer, make it a more manageable field goal, and obviously wind the clock down to the point where, you kick it, game over, you win,"

-Drew Brees

Broncos Show Flexibility Form

"It gave our defense a different look and I think for a while, it gave us an edge," Winborn said. "It worked for a while, but then they made some adjustments and at halftime, we came back with some adjustments of our own."

-Jamie Winborn

"I thought I did pretty good," Moss said. "I got a few (pressures), some chances to get a few sacks but it didn't work out. It felt great to be out there.

-Jarvis Moss

"I was saying that I'm going to try to blast it," Prater said. "I leaned it back a little more and tried to get it up. I was hitting the sweet spot. Hopefully I can do it every week now."

-Matt Prater, on his three touchbacks

"I knew I had to get that punt off," Kern said. "I was aiming for the pylon and came pretty close to it."

-Brett Kern, on this final punt at the end of the game

"It's the name of the game. If I was them, I'd double-cover me, too," Bush said with a smile. "It was the smart thing to do."

-Reggie Bush

"I was trying to lunge forward while getting the snap, and didn't do a good enough job of securing,"

-Drew Brees, on his fumble

Broncos report: Problems on defense just 'miscommunication'

"All the plays we gave big yardage or a touchdown, it was miscommunication between us,'' Williams said. "It's not that we're getting beat physically, it's just us communicating with each other - or lack of communication.''

-D.J. Williams

"The thing you do know is Philip Rivers and Drew Brees are exceptional,'' Shanahan said. "You give them a certain look and they're going to take advantage of it.''

-Mike Shanahan

Quick-strike attack paying dividends for Broncos

"When teams come in thinking you have that capability and, all of a sudden, they're down 21 points, it's their worst nightmare coming true. And it puts them in a bind to play better and with more pressure," Broncos right tackle Ryan Harris said. "It gives us confidence at the same time that we can do things that allow us to win games."
-Ryan Harris

Denver has been down 3-0 road before

"I was hoping he'd miss," said Broncos running back Michael Pittman, a teammate of Gramatica's with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the kicker went to the Pro Bowl, a Super Bowl and is that franchise's all-time leading scorer. "Everybody's human and makes mistakes."
-Michael Pittman

"We're in a good spot," Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley said.

"We've won two games where, at the end, it could have gone either way. But that's what good teams do. They find a way to win."

-Brandon Stokley

"We do have to tighten some things up because we can't keep doing this," said Cutler, who threw for 264 yards and two TDs but spearheaded an offense that nonetheless left points on the field in the red zone and with a couple of critical turnovers. "I mean, we're getting lucky toward the end, a little bit."

-Jay Cutler

Broncos survive late charge from Saints to stay unbeaten

"You win by one, you win by two or you win by a hundred, it's a win," defensive tackle Kenny Peterson said."Well, it'd be a lot nicer to win by a hundred, a little easier on us, but we're 3-0 and it's a lot better to go back to work 3-0 than it would be 1-2."So that's where we're at and that's where we like to be. Fixing things at 3-0."
-Kenny Peterson

"I mean, you take leads likes that and people aren't going to run the ball, they're going to throw it," Broncos safety Marlon McCree said. " . . . People are going to talk about however many millions of yards we're giving up, but those stats are skewed."

-Marlon McCree

I would have done the same thing, I wouldn't have even thought about it,"

-Mike Shanahan, on Payton's 4th and 1 decision to go for it

"We expected the run to come on the right side, which it did," McCree said. "They tried to go to the left side the three previous plays and we came up with the stop."

-Marlon McCree

Denver defense again dodges danger

"When you get a team down 21-3, they're not going to run the ball," he said. "You could put my mom back there, and she's going to make about half the completions. She's got five sons so she's thrown a lot of footballs in her day. All jokes aside, when you're up on team like that, teams are going to go away from the run game and make some completions."
-Marlon McCree

"Nate Webster read the play perfect and hit the running back in the backfield," Williams said. "That saved seven points. If they had scored that touchdown they would have won the game. It was a huge momentum swing and a huge moment in the game."

-D.J. Williams, on the 4th and 1 play at the end of the half

"It's not going to be like that every week," he said. "We just have to step up. It's a work in progress. The good thing is that it's still early in the season. We aren't doing this in November or December. If we were, it would be scary."

-Ebenezer Ekuban

Broncos report: Scheffler avoids being the goat after fumble

"I was thinking the same thing 70,000 other people were thinking, only with a little more vested interest maybe," Scheffler said. "And maybe with a few more choice words in there.

"I'm glad it worked out."

-Tony Scheffler, on his fumble

"That's a tough play," Scheffler said. "It was a hard catch, and he comes in and makes a good play. I was lucky to not cost us the game with that play.

" . . . I can look forward to next week."

-Tony Scheffler

"I couldn't really see it, but it was a turnover, and with a timeout I thought I'd take a chance," Shanahan said. "I thought there was a chance."

-Mike Shanahan

"We kept after it, and this team's got guts," Scheffler said.

" . . . When you play that hard and you've got this much character as we do in this room, things tend to go your way. We have a lot of confidence right now."

-Tony Scheffler

"He's better in New Orleans than he was in San Diego," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. " . . . He's more confident."

-Champ Bailey, on Drew Brees

"I guess Tony and a few other guys went over to coach and told him to throw the flag," Marshall said. "And I was in."

-Brandon Marshall, on his out-of-bounds touchdown reversal

Missed chances trouble Saints

"The tough thing was, in the beginning, they were giving us different looks than what we had worked on all week," said Saints receiver Lance Moore. "It took us a little time to adjust to it and get things going, but once we got it going we were fine.

"It stings that we didn't get this game, but I think we can build on this for the future. We moved the ball fairly well, but it doesn't mean anything if you don't get the victory."

-Lance Moore

"That was frustrating, because you get a new set of downs, you get a few extra yards and get it a little bit closer to make it a more manageable field goal," said Saints quarterback Drew Brees. "I don't think there was any doubt in our minds. We just had to weather the storm. We were playing a very good opponent in a very tough place to play.

"I felt like we really responded well. We had some great drives. We had some big plays. Unfortunately, we just couldn't convert when we really needed to."

-Drew Brees

The Morning After

"Honestly I asked one of the Saints players, 'Are you confident he is going to make it?' and he said yeah," D.J. Williams said. "He missed the first one so you know it is in the kicker's head. You had the two minute warning -- you get to ice it. He knows the game rides on his shoulders."

-D.J. Williams

"Miss. Be a bad kick," Brandon Stokley chimed in. "I was preparing myself for a make and getting back out there to drive the ball down there to kick our own field goal and win the game."

-Brandon Stokley

"I knew we were going to do everything we could to get pressure on him and try and make him push it and that is what happened," Boss Bailey said. "I was just happy that he pushed it."

-Boss Bailey

"Whatever it is, whoever that person, that angel is, I hope they stay on our side," he said. "Because these wins have been great, they've been close, but like I said it just shows the character of our team to be able to stay poised and stay together and still be able to stick it out in the end."

-Dre Bly

Poll

Do you feel any better this morning?

A little bit

21 votes

I feel worse!

9 votes

Much better. It wasn't that bad.

5 votes

It's morning? I have been in a drunken stupor since Gramatica's miss.

11 votes

46 votes | Poll has closed

Denver Broncos 34 - New Orleans Saints 32 - Post Game Stats and Notes

John Bena — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:10:43 -0000

Category	Broncos	Saints
Score	34	32
Rushing Yards	105	88
Passing Yards	264	414
Total Yards	369	502
T.O.P	27:12	32:48

SERIES STUFF

**With the win, the Broncos improve to 7-2 (.778) all-time against the Saints, including 4-1 (.800) at home.

**The New Orleans Saints played their first regular-season game at INVESCO Filed at Mile High. The Saints played the Broncos in the very first game played at INVESCO Field at Mile High, a preseason game in 2001(31-24 Broncos win). The last time the Saints played a regular season game in Denver was on 12/24/94, a 30-28 New Orleans victory at Mile High Stadium.

3-0 START

* - The Broncos are 3-0 for the 10th time in franchise history and for the first time since 2003. In only two instances have the Broncos started 3-0 and failed to make the postseason (1970, 2002).

3-0 Starts in Broncos History

Year	Started	Finish	Notable
1970	3-0	5-8-1	Missed Playoffs
1977	6-0	12-2	Lost Super Bowl
1986	6-0	11-5	Lost Super Bowl
1989	3-0	11-5	Lost Super Bowl
1996	3-0	13-3	Lost Div. Playoff
1997	6-0	12-4	Won Super Bowl
1998	13-0	14-2	Won Super Bowl
2002	3-0	9-7	Missed Playoffs
2003	4-0	10-6	Lost Wild Card
2008 Totals	3-0	97-42-1 (.693)	-

* - NFL FACT: Since 1978 when the 16-game schedule was instituted, 78 percent of NFL teams that started at least 3-0 have made the playoffs, including all five teams who started at least 3-0 in 2007.

PLAYING WITH THE LEAD

* - The Broncos have led for a total of 158:43 of a possible 180:00 during their first three games in 2008. Below is a breakdown of the Broncos' time spent while leading, tied and trailing:

	Leading	Tied	Trailing
at Oak (9/8)	54:59	5:01	0:00
vs. S.D. (9/14)	49:43	6:19	3:58
vs. N.O. (9/21)	54:01	5:59	0:00
Total	158:43	17:19	3:58

ORANGE JERSEYS

* - The Broncos wore their alternate home orange jerseys for just the third time in the regular season and the first time since losing to Oakland 25-24 on 11/28/04. Denver improved to 1-2 in games played wearing the orange jerseys. In their first game ever played wearing the orange alternates, the Broncos lost to Indianapolis 23-20 (OT) on 11/24/02.

ROOKIE STARTER AT FULLBACK

* - Broncos FB Peyton Hillis became the first rookie to start at fullback for the franchise in a regular season or postseason game since FB Melvin Bratton started the 1989 AFC Championship game vs. Cleveland (1/14/90). Bratton also started three regular season games at fullback for the Broncos in '89 while FB Jeff Alexander, another rookie that season, started the regular season opener vs. Seattle (9/4/89) and five other games during the year.

CAPTAIN WOODYARD

* - Broncos rookie LB Wesley Woodyard served as special teams captain and accompanied QB Jay Cutler, TE Daniel Graham, CB Champ Bailey and LB D.J. Williams for the opening coin toss.

MARSHALL SCORES AGAIN

* - With his 35-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, WR Brandon Marshall scored his second touchdown of the season. He has now scored a touchdown in his last three games dating to last season. He finished with six receptions for 155 yards (25.8 avg.) and a touchdown. His 155 receiving yards marks the sixth 100-yard receiving game in his career and his fifth in his last six games (after only one 100-yard receiving game in his first 27 career games).

* - Through two games, Marshall has 24 receptions for 321 yards (13.4 avg.) with two touchdowns. His 24 catches mark the second most by a player through his first two games of a season in NFL history (Atlanta's Andre Rison had 26 receptions through the first two games of the 1994 season).

JAY CUTLER

* - With his 9-yard completion to RB Selvin Young on the Broncos' opening drive of the first quarter, Broncos QB Jay Cutler passed QB Steve Tensi (5,153) for sole possession of eighth place in Broncos history in career passing yards. Cutler finished the game completed 21-of-34 passes for 264 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for a 93.3 passer rating. He now has 5,412 career passing yards.

* - Denver's victory evened Cutler's career record as a starting quarterback at 12-12.

NATE WEBSTER TOUCHDOWN

* - With his fumble recovery and subsequent 34-yard return for a touchdown in the second quarter, LB Nate Webster scored his second career touchdown. He returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown at Kansas City (11/11/07) with that play marking Denver's last fumble recovery for a touchdown. The Broncos now have 41 fumble returns for a touchdown in franchise history (10 in the Shanahan era, 1995-current).

MICHAEL PITTMAN

* - With his 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, Broncos RB Michael Pittman has scored a TD in three consecutive games (4 total), the longest such streak of his career. He became the first Bronco to rush for a touchdown in the first three games of the season since RB Terrell Davis had a touchdown in each of the first three games of the 1997 season.

MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES

* - With his first quarter sack, Broncos DE Ebenezer Ekuban had his first quarterback takedown since registering a half sack of San Francisco QB Alex Smith (vs. S.F., 12/31/06). It was his first full sack since taking down Cincinnati QB Carson Palmer (12/24/06). Ekuban has recorded at least a half sack in four of his past six games.

* - WR Eddie Royal had the longest punt return of his career, a 22-yarder in the first quarter that set up the Broncos at the New Orleans 45-yard line en route to their opening touchdown drive.

* - With his 1-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, TE Nate Jackson posted his second career receiving score and first since he had a touchdown vs. Jacksonville (9/23/07).

* - With an opening-drive touchdown against the Saints, the Broncos have scored a touchdown on their opening drive in two of their three games this year (vs. Oakland, 9/8). The touchdown drive, which lasted 10 plays and 3:29, is the Broncos' fifth touchdown this year on drives of 10 or more plays.

* - For the third consecutive game to open the season, the Broncos held their opponent without points on their opening drive.

* - With Cutler's first-quarter touchdown pass to Jackson, the Broncos extended their scoring streak to 248 games dating back to 1992. It is the longest active streak in the NFL and fourth longest in league history. In the impressive run, the Broncos have scored on their first possession 98 times.

* - WR Clifford Russell made his Broncos debut after being signed by Denver on Wednesday.

* - K Matt Prater was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts (27, 34 yds.), bringing his season total to 5-of-5. He placed six of his eight kickoffs into the end zone and had four touchbacks.