SB Nation User Blog: KaptainKirk

UPON FURTHER REVIEW - Scouting Indy

KaptainKirk — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:27:16 -0000

UPON FURTHER REVIEW is brought to you by the team of Boydy, Broncofan91, Bshrout, and Kaptain Kirk.

I. Setting the stage:

The undefeated Indianapolis Colts are playing for home-field rights throughout the postseason. They lead the League in Passing Yards per game (302.8), and 2nd in points against (16.8), and they keep making history. The victory over Tennessee last week was their 21st consecutive regular-season win, matching New England's record, set from 2006-08. Indy has a chance to break it this week at home against Denver.

The Broncos are playing for a 9th win, keeping pace with division rival San Diego, and a playoff spot.

Both teams are playing well right now.

Weather and Conditions

Lucas Oil Field is a domed stadium. The weather will not factor into this game.

Injuries and external factors

NE-Ind: NE (Did not play) -- QB Hoyer, LB Seau. (Inactive) -- WR Taylor, CB Springs, RB Morris, LB Alexander, OL Ohrnberger, T Light, DL Warren, DL Green
NE-Ind: Ind (Did not play) -- QB Painter. (Inactive) -- K Vinatieri, WR Gonzalez, QB Sorgi, DB Hayden, DB Francisco, OT Ugoh, OG Pollack, TE Santi

Back up QB Jim Sorgi was placed in IR Wednesday with an injured shoulder. Curtis Painter, a rookie out of Purdue, is Mannings back up. The Colts signed OL Michael Toudouze, Indy’s fifth-round pick in 2006, to fill Sorgi’s spot. They waived QB Shane Boyd from the practice squad and signed former University of Buffalo QB Drew Willy.

The Colts list 16 players on their injury report Thursday. They are dinged up, but unless Coach Caldwell decides to rest some players for the playoffs, they should all play.WR Hank Baskett was a Non Injury - Did Not Participate and DT Daniel Muir was Limited with a Hamstring injury.

II. Offense

QB Synopsis

Peyton Manning is the league's best when it comes to finishing off games. He is the first player in NFL history with 25 TD passes in 12 consecutive seasons. The Colts have won 13 consecutive games when Peyton passes for 300 or more yards. He has thrown for 300 or more yards in 8 of the Colts' 11 games this season.

Manning operates primarily from the shotgun. They do almost all of their running plays when he is under center. They will run the occasional inside hand off or draw in the shotgun, but the Colts are definitely a Pass First Offense. They operate with a 3WR set, along with TE Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai as the lone setback.

Peyton is a student of the game and is extremely comfortable in the No Huddle. He will audible to get the right match-ups for his team to succeed. They can score quickly and Time Of Possession is a relative non-factor in defeating them.

On the Season -- 322/460 (70.0%) for 3685 yards; 8.0 yards/attempt, 307.1 yards/game, 25 TD's, 11 INT's, 188 1st Downs, Longest pass was 80 yards, 40 passes have gone 20+ yards, 7 passes have gone 40+ yards, sacked 10 times, has 101.9 QB rating.
NE game -- 28/44 (63.6%) for 327 yards, 4 Touchdowns, 2 Interceptions, 97.4 QB rating

NE-Ind: Manning does an excellent job of making adjustments at the line of scrimmage. When watching the game film, you can see him calling out instructions to his line and receivers almost right up until the ball in snapped. He makes quick reads as he looks for the open receiver. He is calm when pressured. He was intercepted twice. NE broke up 5 passes.

Hou-Ind: 27/35, 77.1%, 244 yards, 3 TDs 2 INTs, 2 sacks.

   O-Line

NE-Ind: The Colts run blocking was adequate enough to allow a couple of big gains, particularly in the 4th quarter where Addai was able to burst through the middle for 13 yards to take the ball to the NE 1 yard line on the game winning drive. Though the Colts gained 91 yards on the ground, if you take away Addai (13) and Simpson's (16) longest runs, Addai only gained 28 yards on 9 carries (3.1ypc) and Simpson ended with 20 yards on 3 carries (6.0 ypc). He carried the ball 21 times for 79 yards and scored Indianapolis' first 2 TD's against the Titans. He also added 3 catches for 17 yards and had 5 carries in the 4th quarter that helped the Colts take valuable time off the clock.

In the New England game, the Colts OL did a good job of protecting Manning. Out of 28 pass plays, he was sacked only once, and hit only 4 times. He was not sacked by Tennessee. The line has given up 10 Sacks so far, this season and the average time they allow Manning is 2.25 seconds.
Charlie Johnson has given up 3 sacks. Perhaps that is why Tony Ugoh has replaced him at LT. RG Mike Pollack 2, and RB Joseph Addai, RB Donald Brown, RT Ryan Diem, LG Ryan Lilja, and C Jeff Saturday have each been responsible for giving up a sack. Ryan Diem had 3 false starts in the Tennessee game.

   RBs

RB Joseph Addai has 5 rushing TD's in his past 5 games and 12 for the season. He also has 36 carries for 229 yards and one TD in 2 previous regular-season games with Denver.
RB Donald Brown (chest) did not play in the Tennessee game, Don't expected him Sunday either.
NE-Ind: in this particular game, the Colts' RBs looked average at best. Chad Simpson and Addai each had one long run (13 & 16 yards respectively), but they also had a fair number of rushes that gained no yards.
Hou-Ind: Indy was behind for most of the game so they didn't run much. When they did call a run it was very effective. Addai is not a spectacular back but he can catch you by surprise. He is a very good receiver and can also pass on trick plays. He finished the game with 69 yards on 15 carries for a 4.6 average. Addai also had 3 catches for 13 yards. Donald Brown had a solid day with 27 yards on 5 carries but is unlikely that he will play on Sunday. Third stringer Chad Simpson had the only touchdown by a running back in this game.

   Receivers

WR Reggie Wayne, with 1,035 yards receiving, for his 6th consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season. He is aiming for his 6th game in a row with a TD.

TE Dallas Clark needs 1 more reception to pass his seasonal career-best of 77 that was set last year, and has a career high 873 receiving yards. He needs 59 yards to become the second Colts TE with 4,000 receiving yards or more. JohnMackey has the franchise record with 5,126 receiving yards. Clark has 13 receptions for 148 yards and 2 TD's in three previous regular-season games with Denver.

NE-Ind: The Colts' WRs were very good at running routes crisply when not bumped at the line. Bumping the WRs at the line, however, is a dangerous gamble, since they tend to be very quick, and Manning is capable of a very quick throw. If the bump does not completely drive theWR off the route, and/or disrupt the timing, Manning and his WRs are able to turn that bump to their advantage. They were also quick to adjust when Manning was pressured.

Hou-Ind: Rookie Austin Collie led the Colt's with 4 catches and 70 yards. He's a small receiver but is very quick and runs good routes. Indy's version of WesWelker , if you will. Pierre Garcon is a bigger type of receiver with good hands. He had 5 catches for 63 yards and a TD. Reggie Wayne had a below average game but he did have a TD.

III. Defense

The Colts use a 4-3 Base Defense for their front 7. They like to get a lead, and rush the opposing Offense with their DE's, and use Cover 2 with their DB's. They clog the middle with bulk and filter running plays to the LB's.

NE-Ind: Out of 29 pass plays, the Colts intercepted Tom Brady once. They sacked him twice and hit him 5 times. The Colts' defense broke up 5 passes.

D-Line

NE-Ind: Mathis and Freeney were able to apply pressure on a regular basis. It became obvious that NE's blocking scheme on them was more about deflecting them away from the play, than any belief that they could consistently stop them.
DE Robert Mathis has 9.5 sacks, and is tied for 2nd in the NFL with 5 forced fumbles this season. Mathis has 35 career forced fumbles. He needs 2.5 sacks to surpass his seasonal career high of 11.5 in 2005 and 2008.

DE Dwight Freeney has 10.5 sacks this year. He has 1.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in 4 career games vs. the Broncos. Freeney (abdomen) played sparingly last week against the Titans, but managed 1 sack. They rotated rookieDT Fili Moala in on on 1st and 2nd downs and short yardage situations.

DT Keyunta Dawson (knee) did not play in the Tennessee game.

Hou-Ind: The Colt's defensive line got manhandled by Houston in the first half. Freeney did not play and Mathis got no pressure on Schaub. They were pushed away from run-plays with ease. They finished the half with no sacks. The second half wasn't much better although Mathis did finish with a sack

LB's

MLB Gary Brackett is the leader of the LB corps for the Colts. He and his 2 cohorts Clint Session(Sam) and Phillip Wheeler(Will) make most of the tackles on defense. Brackett and Session each have 4 Passes Defensed and Session has 2INT's.

DB's

They have 2 rookies at CB, Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey. Lacey is the nickel back and started the Tennessee game ahead of Kelvin Hayden, who was slowed by a knee injury. Hayden did play, but Lacey had an INT. AntoineBethea and Melvin Bullitt are the Safeties. both have over 50 solo tackles and Bethea has 4 INT's.

IV. Game progression

NE-Ind: Time of Possession -- NE dominated the T.O.P. 1st Q - 8:14-6:46; 2nd Q - 6:37-8:23; 3rd Q - 11:01-3:59; 4th Q - 9:10-5:50; TOTAL - 35:02-24:58
This is an important stat since the score was tied 7-7 at the end of the 1st Q; NE led 24-7 at one point in the 2nd Q and led 24-14 at the half; there was no scoring in the 3rd Q, despite NE's domination of the T.O.P.; in the 4th Q, NE built leads of 31-14 and 34-21. The Colts scored 14 points in the last 4:12 of the game.

The first of the Colts' two scoring drives began at the Ind 21 yard line with 4:07 left on the clock. The Colts ran a no huddle offense. Manning operated out of the shotgun, theOL gave great protection. Manning was very cool under what little pressure was generated. Manning had passes of 12, 6 and 17 yards before missing a pass. On the in-completion, a defensive pass interference was called, resulting in the Colts picking up 31 yards. The interference call came when the defender had turned to look back for the ball, theWR slowed down and the DB hit him in the middle of the back with his shoulder (the DB was still turned around looking for the ball). A 9 yard pass followed up by an in-completion set up Addai's 4 yard touchdown run between theRG and RT.

The game winning drive began after NE failed to convert on a 4th and 2 at their own 29 yard line.

An interesting footnote to that play is that Kevin Faulk appeared to have caught the ball beyond the first down marker, but was driven back by a Colt defender. Head Linesman TomStabile, who had both Faulk's body and the body of the Colts Strong Safety Melvin Bullitt ruled that Faulk had been juggling the ball prior to being driven back. The replay angles offered by NFL Rewind, did not appear to support the call. It looked as if Faulk had the ball in both hands against his chest with one foot well past the 30 yard line prior to the hit.

Manning drove the Colts on a 4 play drive that included 2 passes and 2 runs. The first pass went for 15 yards. This was followed by 2 runs, one for 13 yards up the middle and the second for no gain at the NE 1 yard line. Manning completed the drive with a fast ball pass to Reggie Wayne on the left side of the end zone for the touchdown. Wayne was well-covered by NE CB Wilhite -- in fact, during the first part of the play, Wilhite had his left arm wrapped around the waist of Wayne.

Last week, Indy out-muscled the Titans 27 - 17, to record their 21st consecutive regular-season win, tying the mark set by the Patriots in 2006-08. In the process, they extended their own NFL record of consecutive 12-win seasons to seven.

Joseph Addai ran for a season-high 79 yards and two TD's. Manning was 24 of 37 for 270 yards and one TD.

Indy needed just 1:58 to take a 7-0 lead, on Addai's 8-yard run. After Rob Bironas' short field goal, Addai scored on a 1-yard run to make it 14-3. And when Young was picked off by Jacob Lacey, Manning hooked up with Austin Collie on a 4-yard TD pass to make it 21-3 with 1:55 left in the 1st half.

Young answered with a 6-yard TD pass to Kenny Britt, but left Manning 20 seconds and 2 timeouts. Way too much time.

The teams traded time-consuming drives in the 3rd quarter. After a missed FG, Young led the Titans down the field. They had the ball at the 1 with a 1st down. A fumbled snap and a Holding call helped prevent Tennessee from making a serious threat. They went for the TD on 4th and Goal at the 1, and a fade to Kenny Britt was overthrown.

Then Manning burned up almost half of the 4th quarter with a drive that led to Stover's 36-yard FG, giving the Colts a 27-10 lead with 3:14 remaining.

Twice in the 2nd half, the Titans went for it on 4th down deep in Colts' territory and failed both times. Tennessee also recovered an onside kick after scoring a late TD, then turned the ball over on downs.

Tennessee could have won this game. They were competitive enough, but kept making mistakes. They owned the TOP 32:56 to 27:01, and had the edge in Starting Field Position, 31.3 to 28.6. The problem was, they did not make plays at the critical times. On 3rd Downs, the Titans were 8-15 (53%) and the Colts were 9-14 (60%). But worse that that, 3 of those misses, they went for it on 4th down, and didn't convert any of them. The Titans were also 2-5 (40%) in the Red zone, and 0-2 with Goal-to-go. They even failed miserably at an onside kick near the end of the game that was as poor as the Broncos attempt vs. San Diego. They had 2TO's, 1 Fumble that was a non-factor and Lacey's INT, which the Colts turned into 7 points.

V. Coaching

NE-Ind: Belicheck took a lot of flack in the media for choosing to go for it on 4th and 2 at his own 29 yard line. With 2:08 left in the game, and having had the Colts march 79 yards in 1:49 to close the score to 34-28, the decision makes sense. If NE makes the first down the game is most likely over, since at that point, Indianapolis was down to 1 time out.

Jim Caldwell is the only NFL rookie head coach to win his first 12 games in a regular-season. Caldwell also has the most consecutive wins to start an NFL head coaching career.

VI. Special Teams

NE-Ind: Kickoffs -- Indianapolis kicked off 6 times. 1 was caught at the goal line, 2 went 2 yards deep, 2 went 4 yards deep, and 1 went 8 yards deep. 3 were touch-backs. The other 3 were returns of 29, 31 and 22 yards.
NE-Ind: Kickoff returns -- Indianapolis had 7 kickoff returns opportunities. 3 started 1 yard deep in the end zone, 2 started 5 yards deep, 1 started 8 yards deep, and 1 was caught at the 2 yard line. 3 were touch-backs. 4 were returned for 24, 25, 22 and 19 yards. The shortest return was the one that started at the 2 yard line.
NE-Ind: Punts -- Indianapolis punted 7 times. The shortest punt was 40 yards, the longest (and there were 2 of them) was 55 yards. Only 2 (a fair catch and one that was downed by the Colts) were not returned. The other 5 had returns of 13, 10, 16, 9 and 69 yards.
NE-Ind: Punt returns -- Indianapolis had 4 punt return opportunities. 3 resulted in fair catches at, or inside the Indianapolis 25 yard line. One was downed by NE at the Colts' 24.

Matt Stover is Indy's FG kicker while Adam Vinatieri is out with a right knee injury. Matt is 9/11 in 7 games, with a long of 43. He missed a 52 yarder in the Tennessee game.

Punter Pat McAfee takes care of the Kickoffs. Against Tennessee, McAfee kicked off 5 times, putting the ball from 3 to 7 yards deep in the end zone consistently. The kick coverage unit is a weak link. Kenny Britt was able to average 35 yards and returned one kick for 56.

McAfee punted 3 times in the Titans game. 2 of them were dropped inside the 20, one of which was fair caught. The 3rd was a 42 yarder that was returned 9 yards by Tenn PR Kevin Kaesviharn. the Colts are better in Punt coverage than Kick coverage.

Rookie LB Ramon Humber, Phillip Wheeler and Cody Glenn stand out on their ST coverage units. TJ Rushings and Tim Jennings are the Gunners for Indy.

KR Chad Simpson had 2 KR's in the game. One for 25 and one for 33 yards.
Gijon Robinson returned a short kick 10 yards.
TJ Rushing is the PR. He did not have any returns during the game with the Titans.

VII. Match-ups

NE-Ind: RLB Session and MLB Brackett can be induced to bite on the run in a well-executed play action pass, opening up the middle of the defense for a medium range pass over the middle.
NE-Ind: Mathis bears watching since he has the speed to chase down a running back even after his blocker has driven him 3-5 yards deep into the backfield.
NE-Ind: Reggie Wayne vs LBs. Wayne repeatedly was able to outrun and out-catch NE's LBs.

LB Andra Davis could see some extra playing time this week. The Broncos don't plan to substitute often against Peyton Manning, who likes to go without a huddle when teams try to swap players in and out. Davis usually comes off the field on passing downs.

Colts S Melvin Bullitt vs. RB's Knowshon Moreno and Corell Buckhalter. Moreno is the Bronco's leading rusher with 774 yards. Indianapolis' defense gave up 113 yards to Titans RB Chris Johnson last week.Bullitt is the Colts' strong safety who will have to lead the Indianapolis' defense in trying to slow down these two.

Colts Receivers vs. Broncos DBs. Last week, the Titans concentrated on shutting down Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. CB Cortland Finnegan held Reggie Wayne to 4 catches. This forced Manning to look elsewhere. Instead, he and Pierre Garcon picked on Nick Harper, to the tune of 6 passes for 136 yards. Garcon and Austin Collie accounted for 10 of Peyton Manning's 24 completions. Andre' Goodman (4INT's) and Ty Law will have the task of handling the 2 Rookie wide outs. Ty has had success against the Colts. He has a sack and 4 INT's, 2 of them for TD's.

Reggie Wayne vs. Champ Bailey. Wayne has 22 catches for 290 yards and 5 TD's in six previous regular-season games with the Broncos. Champ is playing well. He limited Chiefs receiver Chris Chambers to 11 yards last week. And while Manning respects Bailey, he won't ignore his side of the field, which will give Bailey a chance to make some plays. He continues to be one of the best cover men in the NFL. This will be an interesting match-up.

Broncos OT's Ryan Clady and Tyler Polumbus vs. Colts DE's Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Clady is the best LT in the league. Polumbus is taking over for injured starter Ryan Harris. He will need to step up. Freeney (abdomen) and Mathis (quad) are both nicked up a bit but still provide a pretty good pass rush from the outside. Mathis remains hopeful of playing Sunday. He was hurt in the Tennessee game.

Colts Pass Blocking vs. Broncos OLB Elvis Dumervil. Joseph Addai will be a key pass blocker for Indy since Dumervil can line up at DE or at OLB in Denver's 3-4 defensive package. He leads the League with 15 sacks this season. Doom needs to have a big game.

Eddie Royal vs. Indy ST Coverage Units. Last week Kenny Britt ripped off a 56 yard kick return against the Colts. Royal and the return unit has started to click, and he has 2 returnTD's this year. Spencer Larsen and Peyton Hillis are setting the blocks at the first level for Eddie.

3rd Downs
Daniel Graham and Peyton Hillis --Graham has 16 catches for 133 yards and 2 TD's in three career games against the Colts. Six of those were for 1st downs. Peyton Hillis could be the perfect weapon for short yardage conversions this week. He was seen getting reps in practice.

VIII. Interest stories

NE-Ind: Indianapolis at game time of this game was 5-0 at home this season and had won 11 straight home games. New England was 14-9 in games played in Indianapolis coming into this game. The winning team in each of the last three meetings between these two teams came from behind to win.

NE-Ind: After the Colts' first touchdown, an indoor fireworks display set a small patch of the turf on fire, forcing a Colts' staffer to walk out with a water bottle to douse it.

The Colts have won 13 of their last 21 regular-season games by eight points or fewer. Indianapolis' winning streak includes six wins by three points of fewer, including four this season.

This is the 18th regular-season meeting between the two teams. The Broncos lead series 11-6. Indianapolis came away with a 38-20 victory in the last game in Indy at the RCA Dome in 2007. The Colts have won three of the last five match-ups.

IX. Summary

The Broncos need to match the Colts drive-for-drive on Sunday. If Indy gets ahead by 2 TD's, they will play keep-away for the rest of the game. The Colts will try to control the tempo on both sides of the football, and there are several keys to stopping them. Offensively, the Broncos' run game is coming alive at the right time.Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter will have to grind out yards to keep drives alive and keep Manning off the field.

Denver can also spread the field and try to get mismatches against Indianapolis' young CB's, but the line will have to give Kyle Orton time to throw.

Finish offensive drives
Take advantage of scoring opportunities. Against a team like the Colts, with an MVP quarterback, you have to score touchdowns.
Produce in the red zone when on offense.
An effective ground game and a ball-control offense may not stop the Colts, but will keep them from running up the score and keep Peyton's butt on the bench. It's difficult for him to score if he is on the bench.

Cut down on turnovers and mental errors
   The False Starts Holding, and Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalties have to stop. Mental mistakes will ruin the chances of an upset.

Force Peyton Manning to have a perfect game
   Manning was not sacked for the sixth time this season, including both games vs. the Titans.

Get in Peyton's face
   You have to take him out of his game. Like every QB, Manning will crumble if you get in his face and blanket his receivers. Indy's O-Line has only given up 10 sacks this year. The biggest reason for that, is the receivers are getting open and Peyton Manning doesn't hold on to the ball very often, so his line doesn't have to hold their blocks very long. Using stunts, VonnieHolliday and Ronald Fields can create mismatches for Dumervil and Andra Davis to rattle Manning.
The Broncos have to get pressure on Peyton Manning without blitzing.

Disguise Coverages
Don't tip their hand to Peyton. He is a student of the game and will pick any team apart if given enough time.

Cover Indy's receivers like a blanket
Like San Diego, the Colts have speedy receivers and a very talented TE.
Joseph Addai is a capable runner, but Indy is primarily a pass first offense. Addai is used as a change of pace, not to keep the defense honest.
The Broncos have allowed only one 40-yard pass play this year, the fewest in the NFL, so Manning might not be able to get a bunch of quick strikes against them.

The Broncos will have to play well in order to defeat an undefeated Colts team. Scoring TD's instead of FG's on offense and limiting big plays while on defense will determine the success for the Broncos.

Week-in and week-out the game usually comes down to who executes better. It's that simple.

Go Broncos!

UPON FURTHER REVIEW - The Chiefs

KaptainKirk — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:52:37 -0000

* Upon Further Review is brought to you by the team of Boydy, Broncofan91, Bshrout and Kaptain Kirk.

Kansas City is a team in turmoil. They have a new Head Coach and staff, a new system with a new QB, and they have been beset with injuries. It could be their biggest problem is "too many Chiefs and not enough Indians." However, a recent Powwow has brought about the beginnings of a winning streak. Is it all just a Ghost dance? Let's find out UPON FURTHER REVIEW.

Weather and Conditions

The Forecast for Sunday's game is cloudy and 40 degrees.

Injuries and external factors

DB Maurice Leggett, who was moved from CB to safety last month, was placed on IR because of an injured shoulder suffered in the Pittsburgh game. Leggett contributed on both defense and ST's. He is the second safety on the Chief's list. FS Jarrad Page was placed on IR with a severely pulled calf muscle. Jon McGraw has dealt with his own injuries, and SS Mike Brown has been inconsistent. His loss will force some shuffling at the safety position, as the Chiefs have only three on their roster. Rookie Ricky Price is a candidate to come off the practice squad.

OLB Mike Vrabel is back practicing and should be ready to play against Denver. He suffered a sprained left knee on Nov. 15 and has not played or practiced since. Andy Studebaker has been starting for Vrabel at left OLB and doing a good job. Against Pittsburgh, Studebaker had two INT's, half a sack and 5 tackles.

The Chiefs are banged up on offense, although they should have all hands available against Denver. WR Chris Chambers is a bit bruised and battered, although he's missed no practice time. RBs Kolby Smith and Dantrell Savage are both fighting ankle injuries.

Areas of Competition:

KC is capable of winning games, but they often beat themselves. The Charger game had two bad snaps. The first one was recovered by the Bolts on the KC 10 yard line. Two plays later, it turned into 7 points for SD. That made the score 35 - 7 at that point. The other came on a 4th and 7, and resulted in a turn over on downs.

Against the Chargers, the Chiefs were doing fine until the wheels fell off. A few untimely penalties and bad snaps decided this game shortly after the half. The Chargers forced 4 turnovers that led to 28 San Diego points.

QB Synopsis

QB Matt Cassel and his passing numbers continue to struggle along after 11 games. His 77.6 passer rating ranks No. 22 in the league and he ranks No. 20 or lower in every category except TD passes (tied-16th) and INT's (tied-11th). His average gain of 5.93 yards ranks No. 29 among starting QB's. Only Kerry Collins, Brady Quinn and JaMarcus Russell rank lower.

In the SD game, he had 3 major mistakes. An INT by Quentin Jammer that was deflected at the line by Ogemdi Nwagbuo. That wasn't his fault. On the 2nd, the ball slipped out of his hand as he wound up for a pass, and Chargers safety Paul Oliver suddenly found the ball in his hands. He promptly ran it 41 yards for a score. The 3rd one was an intentional grounding call in the End zone after getting the ball back on an LDT fumble. This resulted in a Safety. Cassel connected on one pass play for more than 14 yards, and that was a 49-yard pass to RB Jamaal Charles. Cassel was 19 of 31 for 178 yards, and was sacked once. He is a mobile QB and can elude the rush or scramble for the 1st down marker when he must. He's gradually continued to improve throughout the year.

RB's

Jamaal Charles is a promising young RB. He is quick and goes hard to the hole. His touches have increased from 9.8 per game, to 19.3. Against San Diego, he had a big fumble in Chargers territory with the Chiefs down by 7. That led to another San Diego TD and a 14-point lead that Kansas City could not overcome. Charles averaged 6.6 yards per carry and scored a rushing TD, just the 2nd of the season for the Chiefs. Jamaal is the Chief's leading rusher with 406 yards on 78 carries, and a nice 5.0 average. He's second on the team with 26 catches for 215 yards. He is also the team's best kickoff returner, averaging 26 yards a return. Jamaal has TD's rushing, receiving and returning this year. He scored a TD for the 3rd consecutive game. Right now, he's the only threat the team has in the backfield. The one chink in his armor is holding onto the football.

WR's

Chiefs WR Chris Chambers vs. Broncos CBs Champ Bailey and Andre' Goodman. Chambers has become the big-play receiver for the Chiefs and Champ and Andre' will have to slow him down. Dwayne Bowe is serving a 4 game NFL suspension, so Chris and Jamaal Charles are the Chiefs only real threats in their passing game. All 4 of Chambers' TD's have come in losing efforts. Matt Cassel has a tendency to look for Chambers, especially in the 4th quarter. Chris has climbed to the 2nd spot in the Chief's receiving statistics after just 4 games with the team. He has 17 catches for 319 yards and 3 TD's, and his average of 18.8 yards is the highest on the team. In his first game against his former team, the WR had 70 yards receiving and a TD. He has a TD in three of his last 4 games.

OL

The Chiefs O-Line is a mess. They have allowed Matt Cassel to be sacked 38 times this season. Only Aaron Rodgers has been sacked more (44 times). This is due mostly because of injuries. The lineup has changed repeatedly since Training Camp. It will start the same 5 players at the same positions against Denver for the first time since the opening three games of the season.

G Wade Smith has played well enough at right guard for the last month, that even if Andy Alleman is healthy to return to action, he will keep his spot with the No.1 offensive line. Smith is the 3rd player to start at RG, as Mike Goff went on the IR list with a shoulder injury and Alleman has been out for 2 games with a knee injury.

C Rudy Niswanger delivered two errant snaps to QB Matt Cassel, who was in the shotgun formation. He will spend this week trying to correct those mistakes.

Defensive Front Seven

The KC defense has been having to adapt to a 3-4 alignment. While the Chiefs are happy with the development of DE Glen Dorsey, overall the performance of the front 7 in the new alignment has been inconsistent.

One thing that has held them back this season is a lack of speed on defense. Kansas City is one of the NFL’s slowest teams, and the Chiefs aren’t likely to return to relevance until that is addressed. The Chiefs had the worst pass rush in NFL history last season, getting just 10 sacks in 16 games. This year, they have 14 sacks in 11 games, led by OLB Tamba Hali and DE Wallace Gilberry, who each have 3.5 sacks. Only Jacksonville has fewer.

The KC front seven were wildly erratic in the Jacksonville game. On one drive, they would stuff the run at the line of scrimmage, pressure the QB, and force a 3 and out. On the following drive, they would get torched for 7-9 yard runs up the middle, and give up 8-15 yard passes. Twice they had Jacksonville in 3 and 14/15 situations, and failed to generate pressure, which let Garrard complete passes for first downs. Then they follow that effort up with a sack when rushing only 3. This trend was not only evident on a team level but also on an individual level. For example, ILB Williams would deliver a bone-jarring tackle on one play, on the next over-pursue the play and allow the running back to juke him for a larger gain.
The Kansas City defense gave up 14 plays (out of 69 or 20.2%) of 10 or more yards. 3 of those 14 went for 20+ yards. 2 of those 3 went for 30+. 1 of the 2 went for over 40 yards. All of those long plays came from passes. The LBs and DBs struggled with short passes to RBs coming out of the backfield.
The line played well against the run during their win against Pittsburgh. They gave up a few 10 yard runs but overall they held Mendenhall to 80 rushing yards on 21 carries. The long runs were caused by the LB's missing their gaps. Their pass rushing was not even close to being good. They were very inconsistent during this game. Having said that, they were able to get alot of pressure when they did. They sacked Big Ben twice and would have had more if he wasn't so hard to bring down. Tamba Hali is a very good pass-rusher but nothing either of the Ryans can't handle. We should win this battle easily.
The Chiefs held the Chargers to 94 rushing yards, and while LDT scored 2 rushing TDs, he gained just 39 yards on 13 carries. Darren Sproles carried 9 times for 17 yards. The Chiefs’ young defensive line has shown improvement in run defense this season as DE's Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson mature. They will face a tough challenge Sunday in the Broncos Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter.

San Diego's Philip Rivers dropped back to pass 28 times and the Chiefs ruffled his feathers maybe once. They did not sack him and thus Rivers was able to complete 21 of 28 for 317 yards and a pair of TD passes. He averaged 11.3 yards per attempt. Rivers threw two TD'S to Antonio Gates as the Chargers improved to 8-3. Gates had seven catches for 118 yards and the KC LB's couldn't cover him.

They have a decent secondary but their LB's cannot cover. Most of the Steeler's passes went 10-20 yards down the middle. Somehow the Chiefs must find a way to put more pressure on the quarterback.

DB's

Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers made some nice defensive plays against Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Jackson, but between the Charger wideout's speed and the reliable Antonio Gates, they didn't have enough pass rush support to keep the Chargers from scoring with the deep ball. San Diego ran 63 offensive plays. 10 went for gains of at least 15 yards, and 3 went for at least 20, including a 53-yard pass that Philip Rivers telegraphed to Malcolm Floyd. That was the kill shot in a three-play drive that made it look easy to score. The problems with these two CB's are preventable with better technique.

Flowers was rarely thrown to in the game against the Steelers.

The Chiefs have just 7 INT's in 11 games, on 365 passes thrown against them. They are near the bottom of the league with the fewest INT's. Once one of the team’s few strengths entering 2009, their secondary has become suspect due to a number of injuries. FS Jarrad Page was placed on IR after a calf injury, 2nd-year man Maurice Leggett suffered a season-ending injury, and Mike Brown has struggled in an increased role as the starting SS. Bernard Pollard was released because of attitude issues. They would benefit with a complementary pass rush, but the Chiefs top off-season need lies at safety.
Those of you dreaming of Eric Berry or Taylor Mays can put away your hopes, because the Chiefs will be selecting one of them in April’s draft.

Coaching

After a two-game winning streak, the Chiefs were unable to keep up their momentum and appeared unprepared to face the Chargers. Blame for that falls just as much on the coach as the players. Haley has a yo-yo team, something he doesn't want.

Haley's strategy is to play it close to the vest in the 1st half in hopes of staying in the game on the scoreboard. Then after half-time the Chiefs will take some chances.

The Chiefs struggled all season to convert 3rd down plays. They’re at a league-worst 22.4 percent in 3rd down efficiency.

They have shown that they can't come back from big deficits. Sound familiar? Haley and Scott Pioli have a big job ahead of them and they're just in the beginning of the process.

According to head coach Todd Haley, recently fired Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis will not be coming to Kansas City.

STs

In the Jacksonville game, the kicking game was a relative strength. Kansas City kicked off five times, including two onside kick attempts. They had one touch back, and two returns, averaging 17.5 yards. KC recovered one of the two onside attempts after Jacksonville muffed the catch. Jacksonville recovered the second onside attempt. The Chiefs punted 7 times for an average of 46.6 yards. It is worth noting that one punt went for 70 yards and another for 59. Only one punt was returned -- that return went for 44 yards, and set up a Jacksonville's final touchdown (which proved to be the game winning score). Two punts resulted in fair catches inside the Jacksonville 15 yard line. Two went out of bounds, one at the Jaguars 10, the other at their 23. Two were downed by the Chiefs, one at the Jacksonville 19, the other at the Jaguar's 23.
Kansas City's return game was not as stellar in the Jacksonville game. One Jacksonville kick-off was a touch back. The Chiefs had four kick-off returns for an average of 12.25 yards. The Chiefs had four punt return opportunities. Two ended in touch backs. One was downed by Jacksonville at the KC 43. The only return went for a mere 2 yards.

In the Charger game, Ryan Succop's kickoffs landed at the 3. The Coverage unit allowed Darren Sproles to average 22.7 yards on 3 returns.
Jamaal Charles had 2 kick returns. One for 16 and the other for 45 yards. Quentin Lawrence returned 5 kicks, averaging 19 yards.

Dustin Colquitt punted 4 times, averaging 40.75 yards. None were returned and one was downed nicely at the 6 yard line.
Bobby Wade had 1 Punt Return for 2 yards.

Jamaal Charles has a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown this season.

Match-ups

Chiefs OTs Branden Albert and Ryan O'Callaghan vs. Broncos OLBs Elvis Dumervil. Doom leads the league with 14 sacks. His athletic ability, speed and quickness make up for his lack of size and bulk. He will be giving up six inches and 70 pounds to Albert and eight inches and 85 pounds to O'Callaghan. The Chiefs have the second worst pass protection unit in the league. Last week the Chargers only had 1 sack on Matt Cassel, but the Chargers put pressure on him all day. There were 3 tipped passes at the line and numerous hurries, one of which resulted in an INT. Albert and O'Callaghan have struggled this season, although at LT Albert seems to making weekly improvement.
Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles vs Broncos OLBs Dumervil and Haggan. Charles is explosive when allowed to get around the corner. He only had 36 yards in the Jacksonville game, but also had a 6.0 yard/carry average. He also keeps his legs running hard all the way to the ground. It often took 2-4 players to bring him down. It will be vital for our OLB to control the corner and hold Charles up long enough to allow other defenders to assist in the tackle.
Chiefs OLB Hali vs any Broncos ball carrier and vs RBs held in backfield to block. Hali is acknowledged as the best Chiefs' defender when it comes to stripping the ball from a ball carrier. He was also often used as a blitzer, and was speedy enough to bring pressure on Garrard.

Chiefs punt and kick coverage units vs. Broncos KR Eddie Royal. One area where the Chiefs have been consistent and productive has been their coverage units. They are 4th in punt coverage and 9th in kick coverage. Royal has both a punt and kick return for TD's, as he averages 11.2 yards on PR's and 24.4 on KR's.

The Stats that Don't Lie

KC 14 SD 43

Time of Possession     KC    24:40           SD   35:20
3rd Down Efficiency KC   3/11 - 27%     SD 4/9 - 44%
Starting Field Pos        KC     25.63        SD 32
Penalties (No-Yds)      KC    5 - 25            SD 8 - 55
Turnovers                KC    4                     SD    0
Red Zone Efficiency    KC 2/2 - 100%      SD   4/6 - 66%

Series History

This is the 98th regular-season meeting and KC leads the series 53-44. The Broncos have won 10 of the last 18 in this decade. The Chiefs 34-43 against the Broncos since the 1970 season. Last year, they split the two-game series, after the Broncos won both games in 2007.

The Chiefs have generally been able to hold the home field at Arrowhead Stadium against the Broncos. They've won five of the last six and 11 of the last 14 games in Missouri.

The Chiefs offense must be able to put points up on the Broncos, who are 5th in scoring defense. Any time the opponent has scored more than 23 points, Denver has lost; 23 or less points and they've won. The Chiefs have scored more than 23 points just twice in 11 games.

The Chiefs have 3 wins this year. At Washington, at Oakland, and most recently, at home against the Steelers. They lost last week in San Diego. so which team will the Broncos face? Arrowhead has been hard on Denver, but Kansas City is a team in transition. History is circular, and what comes around goes around. The team with the least amount of mistakes will win this game.

Go Broncos!

The NFL Pension and Disability Plan

KaptainKirk — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:58:53 -0000

In the mid-1950s, the NFL Players Association began to consider the question of insurance, pension and disability benefits. The owners resisted, but in response to the NFLPA’s threat to sue the league on anti-trust laws, they eventually established medical and life insurance and retirement plans beginning in 1959. The original retirement plan went in to effect in 1961 and has covered every eligible player from 1920 on. To be eligible, a player only has to play 3 seasons after 1992, or 4 seasons before 1992. It also included players on the active roster for 3 games or on the IR. The name for it was The Bert Bell Plan. Later on, it merged with The Pete Rozelle NFL Retirement Plan. There are other benefits for disability for those whose injuries forced immediate retirement. Two years ago, an addition known as "The 88 Plan" was created, to aid retirees with brain-related injuries with additional medical coverage.

How it works: The retirement plan is based on benefit credits, tied to length of NFL experience. Players who retired before 1982 are entitled to pensions based on a credit of $200 per season played. Annual payments range from $3,000 to $5,640 per year of service, depending on the season. Players in 1981 or earlier receive $3,000 per season; players in 1998 or later receive $5,640 per year of service. An annuity was added in 1998.

Example:
1980's Players: A 10-year veteran who retired in 1981 or earlier receives an annual payment of $30,000.

That monthly payout, based on the number of seasons played, does not amount to millions. For example, a veteran like Darrell Green, who retired in 2002 after 20 seasons, will only be looking at $5,805 per month. Approximately $70,000 per year or $290 a month for each season played.

And despite the fact that the total pension fund was raised to $40 million annually in 2002, there are still disputes over payouts. In May 2004, the estate of Mike Webster began the legal process to sue the NFL's retirement and disability plans over his pension. Webster, who died in 2002, allegedly suffered brain damage while playing in the NFL. With his 1999 request for full disability benefits rejected, he ended up in debt and homeless for a short time. In 2005 his estate received full retroactive benefits, which amounted to $1.18 million plus interest and fees, dating back to 1991. The NFL appealed, but in 2006 the U.S. Court of Appeals backed the ruling of the original federal judge.

In its nearly 50-year history, The Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan has provided retirement, disability and related benefits to eligible players, their widows and surviving children. Benefits were continued and increased under Collective Bargaining Agreement's in 1970, 1977 and 1982. The plan was further enhanced under the landmark 1993 CBA and its subsequent extension agreements in 1996, 1998, 2002 and 2006.

Vesting occurred upon completion of 5 credited seasons (beginning with 1959), and the normal retirement age was 65.

Bert Bell died in 1959 but left behind a plan that would be completely owner-controlled with no guaranteed funding and no player representation on the Retirement Board for years. Board members were appointed by then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle, who was immediately elected as chairman of the board. Chairman Rozelle then decided that, for convenience, he would act as secretary of the Retirement Board and that the principal office for Retirement Board business would be the league office.

That made things decidedly one-sided. In essence, the clubs could vote to discontinue or suspend contributions or even terminate the plan at any time without liability, and the players had no say in the matter.

In 1964, the owners decided to make changes to the plan, such as leveling the club contribution to the plan (per IRS rules at the time) and including seasons prior to 1959 in the vesting of those players who played in and after 1959. The owners also amended the plan so that the owners and the league would be under no obligation to continue contributions or maintain the plan. The first player trustees, Charles Bradshaw and William Howton, were not appointed to the board until several years after the plan was established.

Note:As currently constructed, the board has no retired players or independent medical personnel involved in the claim decision process. The board is comprised of current players and NFL personnel, and is chosen by the NFL.

By 1965, there were 118 former players eligible for pension benefits. The plan was amended to expand the board to 5 members: two players, two owners and the NFL Commissioner. Now that the players had a voice in the plan, they began to suggest and bargain for changes. During the 1970s, several changes to the plan occurred:

* Normal Retirement age was reduced to 55;

* Line-of-Duty disability benefit was established in 1971, a first-of-its-kind benefit for partial, but career-ending disabilities;

* Benefit Credit amount was set at $60 each for Credited Seasons 1959-1965, with higher amounts in later years;

* Early Retirement Benefit at age 45, Early Payment Benefit (25 percent lump-sum) and the Social Security Adjustment option were introduced.

The 1980s were trying times for the plan. The 1982 CBA fixed contributions and benefits and increased pension credit for seasons 1970 and beyond. However, the board was deadlocked by 1986 over the owners’ refusal to make plan contributions and increase benefits. This resulted in the trustees suing each other.

Then things got worse. After the NFLPA de-certified, the owners terminated the Bert Bell Plan and created a new owner-controlled, Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan.

In 1993 the NFLPA and NFL entered into a new collective bargaining agreement, and a new era of NFL player benefits was born. As part of the agreement, the two plans merged to form the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan. The contribution lawsuit was settled with a 40 percent increase in past service credit. For the first time, disability benefits expanded to include a football degenerative category of total and permanent disability and players who started the plan, the pre-59ers, were finally included. Other major improvements to 1993 CBA and each extension agreement include:

* Continual increases in pension and disability benefits, including retroactive increases for past players;

* Decrease of vesting requirement to three credited seasons for players with a season after 1992; and to four credited seasons for players without a season after 1992;

* Inclusion of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam years for pension eligibility;

* Doubling of Line-of Duty disability benefit; the duration of the benefit and time frame for applying were also increased;

* Tripling of widow’s and surviving children’s death benefit.

The Players Association also negotiated a 401(k) plan in 1993 (also common in other sports), in which teams put in $2 for every $1 a player contributes. And an annuity was added in 1998, from which a 10-year veteran could earn more than $100,000 annually.

In 2006, pensions of retired players were increased 25 percent for the amounts earned before 1982 and 10 percent for amounts earned in 1982 and later. The minimum increase was $50 per month. Full benefits are available at the age of 55, with a minimum payout of $200 a month for each season played in the NFL.

Example:
2007 Players: A 10-year veteran who retires now will receive an annual pension payment of $56,400 (at age 55), plus potentially more than $100,000 annually from his annuity.

The improvements are part of the recently extended CBA and will cost approximately $120 million per year. That will raise the annual cost of player benefits to $700 million a year. Retired players now receive nearly $60 million a year from the retirement plan. Three other funds provide more than $1 million a year in financial assistance to retired NFL players in need.

Pensions of retired players were increased 25 percent for amounts earned before 1982 and by 10 percent for amounts earned in 1982 and later. The minimum increase for retired players will be $50 per month. Benefits were tripled for the survivors of a player who dies before his retirement benefits begin.

There also are provisions for paying tuition expenses for retired players; a 401K savings plan; annuity programs; insurance; severance pay; and disability benefits. Moreover, the post-retirement life of a NFL player is full of non-physical challenges. According to the Kansas City Star, two-thirds of players have "emotional problems" within 6 months of retirement. And 80 percent of their marriages end within 4 years – another huge financial drain.

The NFL now works with current players about preparing for life after football, understanding that many players arrive from coddling college programs where there was little actual education and few thoughts spent on anything but playing ball.

There are programs in place that never existed years and years ago to help prepare players for their transition. The rookie symposium informs about all of the resources that exist to assist them in their life off the field including continuing education, internships, life skill programs.

But that is too late for the older players who often mismanaged parts of their lives. Ones such as Herb Adderley, who was one of 324 former players including 40 Hall of Famers who (foolishly, he admits) took early retirement, which explains his pathetically low pension. Not that it would have been much better. Jerry Kramer, who retired in 1968, gets just $358 per month.

Matt Bouza, a onetime wide receiver at Cal, played 7 years in the NFL and retired in 1989. His annual pension will be less than $22,000 if he begins collecting at 55, the NFL's designated retirement age. The amount will increase to about $41,000 if Bouza waits until he's 62.

Today’s plan has come a long way since its inception. It has been the cornerstone of the NFL Player Benefits package for many years. Progress has been made over the years in improving the Bell/Rozelle plan as well as the benefits package as a whole. In fact, the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan now holds nearly $800 million in assets and pays out $6.5 million in pension, disability, widow’s and surviving children’s benefits each month. The Supplemental Disability Plan pays an additional $10 million in benefits to disabled players each year. Base pension and disability benefits have increased tremendously, and changes in eligibility requirements have opened the plan to more and more players who were previously not included.

Player payouts in the NFL pension program comes solely from television revenue invested by the league. Those programs are designed to be safety nets for players who didn't earn large salaries or have long careers. The NFL's plan covers every player who played at least 4 seasons in the league. The benefits change does not affect the players’ pensions, which are managed by the union, or the pensions of league office executives. Any change to player benefits must be negotiated between the NFL Players Association and the NFL, since NFL players are unionized.

THE 88 PLAN

Much of the criticism aimed at the NFL centers on the absence of medical coverage for former players, a huge problem given football's lingering physical toll. The league and Players Association finally acknowledged one aspect of the problem, recently adopting the "88 plan." Beginning in 2007, players retired under the pension plan will have some coverage for dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, regardless of their age when care becomes necessary. "88" is the number of Hall of Fame TE John Mackey, one of the first former players who qualified. His wife, Sylvia, was instrumental in persuading former NFLPA Director Gene Upshaw and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to include aid for dementia in the new contract.

The NFL Players Association and the NFL Management Council created The 88 plan to assist players who have been diagnosed with dementia and are vested in the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan. It was created on February 1, 2007 to provide increased financial benefit to players demonstrating dementia or other brain-related ailments, including Alzheimer’s. It is the first program of its kind in this country. The program provides up to $88,000 per year to retired players placed in an in-treatment facility managing their care. This money is meant to relieve the burden placed on the families of retirees suffering from crippling mental afflictions related to their football careers. Additionally, up to $50,000 can be awarded to players suffering from similar head trauma injuries but who are cared for in their home rather than in an in-treatment facility. The nature of head trauma generally requires "all hands on deck" and around-the-clock care. Accordingly, money from the "88" Plan provides financial protection to families often in need of their income earning potential.

Already well over $1 million has been distributed to suffering players and their families through this benefit. When the plan took effect Feb. 1, 2007, 35 retired players had been approved for aid, with 19 more applications pending. At that time, the league and union were going by "word of mouth" in identifying players.
Now the identification process is being done through the Bert Bell retirement fund, which handles pensions for more than 9,000 retired players. The money is coming from a trust fund administered by the league and union. So far, according to the NFL, 103 potential candidates for aid have been identified. There are 54 applications, and no one has been turned down. The applications of 19 players who have not yet been certified are to be reviewed.

NFL and union officials say the correlation between NFL players and Alzheimer's is anecdotal rather than scientific, and experts in the field agree. But the heightened interest in the subject follows the death of Andre Waters, who committed suicide in 2006 at age 44. Reports concluded he had brain damage that resulted from multiple concussions during 12 years as an NFL safety.

In addition, The Boston Globe and The New York Times reported in 2007 that 34-year-old Ted Johnson, who spent 10 years as a LB with the New England Patriots, shows early signs of Alzheimer's.

Under the program, players can receive up to $50,000 a year for home care and up to $88,000 if they are institutionalized. That’s an ignored part of the burden of Alzheimer's -- those with dementia or Alzheimer's need full-time care, and spouses or children must quit jobs to give full-time care.

Sylvia Mackey never imagined that a heartfelt letter she wrote would be a factor in the creation of a new benefit to help players suffering from dementia. She simply wanted to tell her husband John’s story and ask for help. Like many other former players, Mackey suffers from dementia. Today, Plan 88 pays for a caregiver for Mackey, which means Sylvia can go to work knowing her husband is in safe hands. Without the plan’s assistance Sylvia would have likely needed to leave her job and stay home to care for her husband—a challenging task, even for skilled caregivers.

Mackey, 67, was a revolutionary NFL player. Only the second TE to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the 6’2" Syracuse University standout was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1963. He played nine seasons in Baltimore and finished his 10-year career with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his breakaway speed, strong blocking and ability to avoid tackles, Mackey played in two Super Bowls and five Pro Bowls, and he was named the NFL’s all-League TE three years in a row. He was the first president of the NFLPA and had a tremendous impact on the NFL’s labor structure.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s and other related dementias affect millions of Americans each year, with Alzheimer’s being the most common. Some of the warning signs include memory loss, confusion, disorientation, language difficulty, changes in mood, personality or behavior, judgment and thinking problems and difficulty performing familiar tasks. John Mackey showed many of these warning signs.

Sylvia Mackey saw the changes early but did not want to believe something was wrong with her husband. Around 1994, she could tell his speech wasn’t as great, and things were getting worse. In 1997, Mackey pawned his Super Bowl and Hall of Fame rings for no apparent reason. Finally in 2001, he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Today, Sylvia speaks to NFL wives and other women’s groups and urges them to follow up if they notice changes in their husband’s behavior.

"The NFL is desperately fighting to avoid any liability for all the carnage left behind by concussions. They need to be held accountable," said former Viking OG Brent Boyd, who has been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. Boyd currently receives the minimum, non-football related disability payment from the NFL, and still suffers from depression, headaches, fatigue and dizziness.

As I explained here:

There are significant consequences for current players in an uncapped year. Disability Benefits for retired NFL players are paid from two separate funds. One of those funds is protected by law and cannot be reduced if their were a work stoppage. However, the other fund is supplemental and can certainly be reduced if a new CBA is not reached prior to a work stoppage in 2011. For a football-related disability, i.e., one that occurred on the field and renders a player unable to work in another occupation within 6 months of the injury, a player gets $224,000 in disability payments now. In an uncapped year, the payment would shrink to $48,000 annually. An active player who becomes disabled in an accident off the field get $134,000 a year now; he’d get $48,000 in the uncapped year. NFL players could lose their family's health insurance next spring, plus their 401(k) retirement plan matches and nearly every other league-provided benefit.

In Summary, the Pension plan has improved over the years and the League has done something to address disabilities in retired players. However, it is merely a beginning to the solutions of medical problems that occur to just about every NFL player, and must be accounted for in the next CBA.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW-Scouting the Giants

KaptainKirk — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:12:26 -0000

Happy Thanksgiving all. The Broncos are having the New York Giants for Dinner guests. This being a short week and a Holiday week as well, the Upon Further Review team decided to take a look at the last two games of our upcoming opponent. Two weeks ago, the Giants were beaten by the Chargers. Since Pablo (Broncofan91) already did that in our last post here, we will move on to their latest game.

Last week, the Giants (6-4), beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-31 in OT to snap their 4 game losing streak.

GIANTS OFFENSE

PTS 26.6(6th) YDS 385.5(4th)PASS YDS 251.7(8th) RUSH YDS 133.8(7th)

The Falcons 29th ranked secondary got pummeled by Eli Manning. He was able to beat them 7 times for at least 20 yards last Sunday. He picked on LCB Ben Grimes. He picked on RCB Chris Houston. He beat them in Man coverage, in Zone coverage, and even beat their Zone blitz. New York WR's, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith and Domenick Hixon combined for 16 catches for an average of nearly 18 yards a play. TE Kevin Boss had a hand in it as well, with 5 catches for 76 yards and 2 TD's.

Steve Smith leads the G-men with 65 receptions, 798 yards and 5 TD's. Mario Manningham makes great adjustments to the timing routes that NY likes to run. Rookie Hakeem Nicks is making a nice contribution and has 28 catches for 472 yards and 4 TD's as the 3rd WR.

TE Kevin Boss has TD catches in his last 3 games.

WR Ramses Barden could return to the field this week if he can contribute on ST's. The 6'-6" Barden's size makes him a very intriguing red zone and slot receiver option that could create favorable match-ups for the Giants.

RB Danny Ware should see an increase in his role. Ware, who was being groomed to be the team's 3rd down back, missed the first 5 games this season after suffering an injured elbow on the Giants opening kickoff in Week 1.

The Giants are only NFC team with 2 RB's to rush for more than 500 yards: Brandon Jacobs (656) and Ahmad Bradshaw (549). The pair weren't able to run very well in the game vs. Atlanta, as the pair gained 73 yards on 24 carries for a 3 yard average. This didn't hurt the Giants at all, since the passing game was very effective. In order to pressure the Giants, you must put the emphasis on stopping their running game. Bradshaw has been pretty awful lately, averaging under 3.0 YPC over the past 3 games. Jacobs remains in search of his first 100-yard rushing game this season, and his first in more than a year. After not being used properly early this season, they are now running plays that better match his style. As such, he's averaging 4.8 yards per carry and 67 yards per game over the last 5 games.

The Giants O-Line has given up a 5th best 16 sacks. The Broncos D has made a 3rd best 29 sacks.

GIANTS DEFENSE

PTS 23.5(24th)YDS 282.2(2nd)PASS YDS 177.4(2nd)RUSH YDS 104.8(11th)

The Giants pass D is still statistically one of the best in the league.

For starters, the Giants Pass defense did its best job of the season in getting pressure on Atlanta QB Matt Ryan. While they didn't get the sacks, they did force Ryan into making several premature throws that didn't go far. CB Corey Webster had 5 passes defensed. LB Michael Boley had 13 Tackles, a sack and 2 TFL's, but got beat by All-Pro TE Tony Gonzalez 3 times in critical situations. One for a TD to tie the game, and two on 3rd down conversions.

The Falcons had some success against the New York Rush defense even though they were without RB's Michael Turner and Jerrious Norwood. 3rd string RB Jason Snelling ran for 76 yards and 2 TD's as the Giants linemen had trouble holding their ground. The Falcons were allowed to convert on 5 of 6 short yardage situations. Jacobs missed the 4th quarter and overtime after he was tackled by Thomas DeCoud and Stephen Nicholas in the 3rd quarter. And Ahmad Bradshaw is bothered by an ankle injury, but both should play against the Broncos.

The Giants D has 22 sacks (14th), and the Broncos have given up 19 sacks (11th).

Match-ups To Watch:
LBs Danny Clark, Clint Sintim, and Michael Boley vs. Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler. In the Giants base package, the strong side duo of Clark and Sintim will have the assignment of hindering the Bronco TE's. However, the Giants will also probably try to get the quicker Boley matched up against Scheffler as often as possible in obvious passing downs as Boley has the speed and the quickness to keep up with him.

Giants OL vs. Broncos DL. The Giants have taken 15 sacks in their last 5 games. While the Falcons were only able to generate one sack, the Giants' O-line will still have a big challenge ahead as the Bronco secondary is much better than the Falcons, and should be able to induce a few coverage sacks for Elvis Dumervil.

DE Justin Tuck (4.5 sacks), has been ailing with a shoulder injury, should be ready to match up with Tyler Polumbus. If Tuck and his bookend, DE Osi Umenyiora, play like they're capable of, it could be a long day for Denver's running game. Even if they find a way to stifle Tuck and Umenyiora, the Broncos still have to contend with DT Chris Canty, as well as the continued presence of DE Mathias Kiwanuka, who lines up at DT on passing downs where he's had success in getting to the QB.

CB Kevin Dockery could be in danger of losing snaps when CB Aaron Ross returns to action. Dockery has struggled the past few weeks in coverage and has already been passed on the depth chart by rookie Bruce Johnson in the nickel package. If Ross does come back, the coaches will probably want to ease him back into the game, so his snaps could come at Dockery's expense.

LB Clint Sintim, who saw his first extended action on defense before the bye week, played well enough to earn even more time as part of a developing rotation with veteran Danny Clark at the strong side linebacker spot.

CB Aaron Ross was limited in practice last week, coming back from a hamstring injury. If Ross does play on Thursday, he may work at both corner and safety.

LB Antonio Pierce is out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a bulging disk in his neck.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Lawrence Tynes was terrible in the Atlanta game, even though he eventually made the game winning FG in OT. His FG attempts often shanked to the left and his Kickoffs barely made it to the 10 yard line.

Domenick Hixon came close to breaking off some long returns, but seemed to get caught at the last moment.

43-year old punter Jeff Feagles is currently ranked last in the NFC, and 31st league-wide with his 35.8 net average.

Backup LB Gerris Wilkinson,(team-high 12 ST's tackles) will be sidelined 2 months after dislocating his right wrist. Wilkinson was hurt in the 2nd half of the loss to the Chargers.

Lebowskibronco's - Stats That Don't Lie

Turnovers
SD       2
NYG       1
New York won this battle by intercepting Rivers twice, while fumbling once.

NY's fumble came after the Giants had driven from the NY11 to the SD 21. NY was in FG formation on 4th & 1, Feagles attempted to run up the middle, lost 8 yards and fumbled. SD's possession after the turnover ended in a punt.

SD's first interception came on the first drive of the 3rd quarter on 3rd and 11 at the SD 19. Rivers threw deep for Floyd and was intercepted by Johnson at the NY 36. NY's subsequent drive ended in a punt.

SD's second interception occurred after a NY punt. On the first play from scrimmage -- 1-10-SD21 -- Rivers threw deep for Floyd and was intercepted by Thomas at the SD 37. NY drove for a touchdown that put them ahead 20-14.

Atl       1
NYG       1
Atlanta's turnover was a fumble late in the 2nd quarter. NY followed the turnover by driving for a touchdown and a 17-7 lead.
NY's turnover was an interception on the first drive of the game. The NY defense held Atlanta to 3 downs and out following the turnover.

TOP   
SD           22:13
NYG       37:47
NY dominated in this category. The Giants had 11 drives. 3 were 3 and out. 3 were 60 yards or more in length. Their longest drive was 10:35 in time, 76 yards in length, and resulted in a touchdown.

SD also had 11 drives. 4 went 3 -- or less -- and out. 1 ended the 1st half, 2 others ended in interceptions. Their longest drive in regards to time was 3:27 and ended in a punt. Their longest drive in terms of yardage was 80 yards and ended in a touchdown.

Atl            29:52
NYG       30:08
This was evenly spread category. Atlanta had 10 drives, while NY had 11. Atlanta's longest drive was a 6:39 minute, 70 yard drive that ended in a FG. NY's longest was a 6:10 minute 64 yard drive that ended in a FG. Each team had two drives that were longer in yards, and ended in touchdowns.

3rd Down Efficiency
SD          33%
NYG       36%
NY won a third category. They converted 5 out of 14 3rd down opportunities. NY was effective when passing on 3rd down, but ineffective when attempting to run for the 1st down. They were most successful (3 times) when passing to the right on 3rd down.

SD converted only 3 out of 10 3rd down opportunities. NY's defense was very good on 3rd down, recording 7 stops, including a sack, a tackle for loss and an interception.

Atl            56%
NYG       50%
Another relatively even category.

Starting Field Position
SD          SD32
NYG       SD31
SD won this battle, but only by a single yard. Both teams averaged good starting field position. NY's best start was on the SD 4 yard line -- but they only managed a field goal out of that possession. Their worst start was their own 10 yard line. From that start they went 8 yards in 3 plays and punted. The NY special team's best job was to force SD to start from their own 20 yard line (3 times). Those 3 possessions
ended in an interception, a punt and a touchdown (an 80 yard drive in the last 3:30 of the game for the winning score).

Atl            Atl 33.1
NYG       NY 30.1
This was, for all intents and purposes an even category.

Based on the Stats That Don't Lie, NY should have won the SD game. So what other factors played a role?

Penalties
SD            3-20
NYG        9-104
This was a very significant difference. 5 of the penalties were on the offense. 2 disrupted 2 drives forcing punts. 2 were overcome as the Giants drove for a TD. 1 turned a 1st & goal at the SD 4 into a FG. The defense committed 4 penalties, all in the 2nd half, and two of which extended drives that ended in TDs.

Atl          3-16
NYG       8-64
NY again struggled with penalties, but this time was able to overcome the problem.

Sacks
SD           2-17
NYG       5-27
A second significant factor. Although Manning was sacked twice on the same drive, the offense overcame this and scored a TD. Of the other 3 drives, 1 was for no gain on a drive that later ended in a fumble, 1 was on a 3rd down and forced a punt, and the 3rd was on the final play of the game.

Atl             2-6
NYG       1-16
This was a non-factor in this game.

Red Zone/Goal to Go Efficiency
SD           3-3 100%   2-2 100%
NYG       2-4 50%      1-2 50%
This is a third telling factor. NY had more Red Zone opportunities, and an equal number of Goal-to-Go opportunities but failed to convert them as well as SD.

Atl            4-6 66%   3-4 75%
NYG       3-5 60%   2-2 100%
Here NY did a better job than Atlanta.

Looking at these two games, it appeared as though NY should have won the San Diego game, and it was no surprise that the Atlanta game went to overtime, based on the stats.

What This Means for Denver

1)We MUST finish off drives.
2)We have to take the ball away from NY then put points on the board.
3)We have to see all three units stay focused for the full 60 minutes.
4)We must maintain Gap discipline.
5)We must Tackle the ball-carrier.
6)We must protect Orton.
7)We must NOT abandon the Running game.
The Broncos can succeed in the passing game, but it must be able to run so they can take advantage of the Giants secondary
Pass

Hopefully, we will all be Thankful for the onset of a winning streak on Turkey Day. Enjoy the feast, enjoy the family, and enjoy the football friends.

and GO BRONCOS!

Another Loss-Whatcha Gonna Do

KaptainKirk — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:39:33 -0000

Dag Nabit! Just when things were looking all Orangey, our beloved team starts a losing streak and we see the Blues emerge into the picture. Obviously Simms is not the answer. I would expect his comeback attempt has a term limit. The penalties looked like we fielded a raider team today. At least our boys didn't give up. It appeared that BMarsh is pretty tired of Knowshon fumbling the ball. He wasn't too happy with where a gimpy Orton was putting the ball either. Speaking of happy, did you see McDaniels dropping F-Bombs in his microphone? I'd like to be a fly on the wall during meetings tomorrow.

So our team has lost 4 in a row. The Kool-Aid is tasting a little sour. What are you gonna do about it. Do you take it out on your 53" Plasma TV? Kick the Dog? Lock the kids in the basement? Retire to the Man Cave for three days and drown your sorrows in a bottle of Hooch? Tell the Boss your sick(and Tired)?.....

I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm Gonna Whoop Somebody's A**.(special thanks to bfree for the impetus)

Watch this 3 minute ditty LittleShrunkenSingsTheBlues, and feel a lot better for yourself. After all, next week the Broncos start a winning streak......One game at a time.

Look out Giants!

UPON FURTHER REVIEW - The Chargers Part 2

KaptainKirk — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:25:40 -0000

Note: Upon Further Review is brought to you by Boydy, Bshrout, Broncofan91, and KaptainKirk. It is a Scouting report on the 4 most recent games of the upcoming Broncos opponents. Four sets of eyeballs will give you a focused idea as to the happenings of the weekly enemy team. Enjoy!

Once again the Broncos meet the Chargers, this time at home. Things have changed, the world has turned, and last years mediocrity has turned into this years promise. Don’t look now, but after another slow start the Bolts have won 4 in a row and stand tied with the Broncos for the Division lead. the Broncos have lost their last 3 games and know this game is the key matchup of the season. The winner will be sitting pretty to claim a playoff berth. It's kind of amazing that the Chargers are 6-3 and surging with the league's worst running game. Scouting the Chargers Weeks 1-4 can be found here.

Due to technical difficulties, Boydy was listed as Inactive for this game.

Week 8 Oakland @ San Diego -- Bshrout

Let me start this review of the game by saying that our game against San Diego will be a tough one. It will also be a pivotal game, not so much in regards to the standings (though that's important) but in regards to whether or not our guys can regain their confidence and their swagger.
   There are several things to consider about the way that the Chargers played the Raiders. Using the "Stats That Don't Lie" model we can see two teams that split the four categories. Oakland won the Turnover and Starting Field Position battles, while San Diego won the Time of Possession (by a very narrow margin) and the 3rd Down Efficiency battles. Penalties were evenly split (Oakland 6-31, San Diego 5-40). The biggest area of difference was in Yards Per Play.

                            Oakland       San Diego
Total Yards           180               346
Yards Per Play       3.3               6.2
Yards Per Rush   3.7               3.3
Yards Per Pass   3.0               9.5

In terms of scoring, San Diego scored early and often, and was pretty much shut down in the 2nd half. Of course, they also shut Oakland down for most of the game. There were a number of critical plays which typified the flow of the game; they are detailed below.

Oakland Ball, 1-10-50 Russell had good protection on a pass play. Two receivers were running deep routes, the receiver on the left side of the offense was in single coverage, the one on the right drew double coverage. As Russell launched the ball, the receiver in single coverage slipped and fell. The pass sailed over both receivers and the three defenders to drop into the hands of the safety who was charging the play from 5 yards deeper than the receivers.

San Diego Ball, 1-10-SD 41 San Diego lined up in a 3 WR set, 1 RB in the backfield. The TE was in a 2-point stance. TE went in motion. Rivers made, what looked like, a half-hearted attempt at a fake hand off. Rivers rolled to his right, then made a throw of around 50 yards in the air. The WR was able to jump up and wrestle the ball away from a defender.

San Diego Ball, 1-6-Oak 6 Wildcat formation, direct snap to Tomlinson. Two offensive linemen sealed off the LDE, the rest of the defensive line was pushed to the left side of the offensive line. The FB came forward and sealed off the LB in the gap, forcing him to the left. Tomlinson was able to burst through the hole before any other defender could get there and was tackled just as he reached the goal line for a touchdown.

San Diego Ball 1-10-SD 49 2 WR set to the left, single back formation. TE went in motion to the right. Rivers took a three yard drop as the slot receiver cut to the middle. The ball was thrown slightly behind the WR. It bounced off his hands and into the air & was picked off by the DB covering the receiver underneath.

Oakland Ball 1-3-SD 3 2 WR/Single back formation. 3 down defensive linemen, 2 LBs on either end of the line. Slot receiver went in motion, reversed field and set up as though to block on a running play. Russell handed off to the RB 4 yards deep. The offensive line was able to get a good push, forcing the defenders to the outside and opening up a hole between the right guard and right tackle. Defense could not get off their blocks before the RB was close enough to fall into the endzone.

San Diego Ball 3-4-Oak 8 Shotgun formation, single back, 1 WR left, 2 WR right, TE on right side of O-line. O-line in 2-point stance. Man coverage on the 3 WRs. RB goes in motion lining up as an outside receiver on the left. LB shifts to follow RB. At the snap, the RB remains at LOS, freezing his defender. Left slot receiver sprints for the end zone. TE charges straight up the field at a LB. Right outside receiver sprints for the end zone. Right slot receiver slides into the middle of the field. Defender covering the right slot receiver blitzes. Safety in the middle of the field fails to come over to cover the left slot receiver, allowing Rivers to hit a wide open receiver in the middle of the end zone.

San Diego Ball 3-4-SD 26 Shotgun formation, 3 receivers on the left, TE on the right, single back. Defense shows 4 man rush, and man-to-man coverage on the receivers. At the snap, the TE runs parallel to the LOS 1 yard past it. The left slot receiver runs parallel to the LOS, 2 yards past it. The other two receivers head straight up the field. The left slot receiver draws double coverage as he sprints past the TE. Both safeties slide to the right side of the offensive line. No-one picks up the TE crossing to the left. Rivers hits the wide open TE about 2 yards past the LOS. With the defense moving strongly to the opposite side of the field, the TE is able to pick up another 28 yards down the field before being forced out of bounds.

Oakland Kick Return The returner bobbled the ball for a moment, then started up the middle of the field. 3 defenders overran the play on the returners left side. The blockers did a good job of pushing 6 defenders to the returners right. The returner cut left then outran the initial coverage. The kicker was finally able to catch him at the last moment and drag him down and out of bounds after a 60 yard return.

What I saw in this game was a San Diego team that made very few mistakes. They played well on both sides of the ball. In this particular game, their only weaknesses appeared to be how well they ran the ball (3.3 YPR is not particularly good), and how well they defended the run. Other than that, the Chargers didn't show much in the way of weakness. --Bshrout

Week 9 Chargers @ Giants --broncofan91

Defense
The Chargers' defense has greatly improved since the last time we saw them. Their D-line is getting a lot more push and penetration. They had Manning running for his life throughout the game. Nwagbuo, the nose tackle, has gotten much better at rushing the passer but still isn't much help in the run-game. He usually got pushed away from the runner pretty easily. I wouldn't call him a liability like was against Pittsburgh, but he is still pretty average. Before the draft, I remember that a lot of us at MHR liked OLB Larry English. I was very disappointed to see him get picked by the chargers. It took him a while but he's starting to "get it". It doesn't look like it on the stats sheet but he had pretty good game against the Giants. English only had two tackles but he pressured Manning multiple times. I don't think that we need to worry about him on running downs, but we should definitely account for him when he's on the field. Merriman, however, was the complete opposite. He had two sacks and two tackles but one of the sacks came in garbage time. He was pretty well-blocked for most of the game. Something is not right with him because not only lacks the explosion that he once had, he also lacks the passion. I actually saw him walk into blockers on some run-plays. Even his "lights out" dance seemed lazy. I guess that's what happens when the league forces you to stop taking steroids. The Chargers' defensive coordinator, Ron Rivera, got very creative with his blitzes for this game. Line shifts, drop-backs, delays, you name it, he did it. They blitzed 5 for most of the first quarter but the Giants were still able to consistently move the chains with quick, short passes. Their safeties got owned on the short passes all day. The defense also struggled with inside runs. The linebackers didn't keep to their gaps and the line was pushed around with ease.
Offense The offense played exactly like they did when we played them. Their running game was virtually non-existent. LDT goes down on first contact almost every time. He lost his balance quite a few times during this game. The O-line didn't help much either. Their run-blocking throughout the game was horrible. The line had a very tough time blocking against a bull-rush. The giants were able to consistently collapse the pocket. The Chargers seem use long passes in order to set-up the screens.

Week 10 Eagles @ Chargers --KaptainKirk

Offense
The running game that was practically nonexistent against the Giants had a resurgence against the Eagles, even though they are ranked dead last with 75.1 yards per game. LaDainian Tomlinson is responding to the news of becoming a first-time father. He had 24 carries for 96 yards and 2 TD's against the Eagles, and looks to be regaining his form.

Tomlinson scored on a 3-yard run to give the Chargers a 14-0 lead four minutes into the 2nd quarter. Midway through the third quarter he chugged 20 yards through the right side of the Eagles' defense to make it 21-6.

Vincent Jackson, who entered Sunday’s game ranked 3rd in the NFL in receiving yards, had just one catch against the Eagles. His one catch was a big one though. It came on a 4th-quarter drive and gave the Chargers a 1st down when they were clinging to a five-point lead and trying to get out of the shadow of their own end zone. Later in the drive, Antonio Gates and Naanee had clutch 3rd-down catches as well.

Rivers threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to wide-open fullback Mike Tolbert in the first quarter and 20 yards to Legedu Naanee in the third quarter. Rivers was 20 of 25 for 231 yards and no interceptions, with a rating of 131.8.

WR Legadu Naanee's 1st career TD catch in the 3rd quarter put San Diego ahead 28-9

Chargers pass protection is beatable. They have allowed 20 sacks, which is about middle of the road. But when the Chargers absolutely have to pass protect, their blocking is sensational. Jeromey Clary (hurt ankle) has been getting some help at RT, with a TE often helping in key moments. C Nick Hardwick(ankle) is a key loss for the Chargers in this game. He calls the blocking assignments on the line, and with him, the chances of keeping Rivers upright and throwing downfield are better. LT Marcus McNeill, C Scott Mruczkowski and RT Jeromey Clary will have their hands full with Elvis Dumervil and his 12 sacks. Mruczkowski, a backup, has at least one more start in him as Pro Bowler Nick Hardwick continues to mend. Clary won't be at 100 percent, so the Chargers will use the double team to slow Elvis. In the previous matchup in San Diego, Dumervil collected two sacks.

Philip Rivers will use Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Jackson to try and test CBs Andre' Goodman and Champ Bailey. Jackson has 43 receptions for 732 yards and 7 TD's. Floyd has 16 catches and a 20.3 avg. They are both formidable sized receivers. The Broncos do rank No. 5 against the pass, but could have their hands full tracking these giants.

Legedu Naanee is a versatile player who bears watching. He has been utilized when the Chargers go to the Wildcat offense. They used this formation twice against the Eagles. A direct snap to Naanee for 10 yards, and then another to Tomlinson for 5.

The Stats that don't Lie:

Time of Possession - SD 29:37 Philly 30:23

3rd Down Efficiency - SD 5/13 - 38% Philly 3/8 - 37%

SD won the Turnover battle, Intercepting McNabb 1 time.

Starting Field Position SD 26.1 Philly 22.2

Penalties SD 9 - 70 Philly 3 - 31

Defense
Philadelphia racked up big yardage numbers in the 1st half, but really stunk in the Red Zone. They made 5 red-zone appearances, and had to settle for FG's of 18, 25 and 25 yards on their first 3 trips after driving inside the Chargers' 10-yard line. The Eagles had a 1st-and-goal at the 1 in the 2nd quarter, but coming away with a David Akers field goal set the tone for the entire game.

Eagles RB Brian Westbrook left in the 3rd quarter after sustaining a 2nd concussion in a three-week span. Already limited much of this season with knee and ankle injuries, he suffered his initial concussion when he took a knee to the head in the Eagles’ Oct. 26 win over the Redskins. This affected the Eagles running plans significantly, since Philly chose to rely more on QB Donovan McNabb (35 of 55 for 450 yards, two TD's and one INT) than Rookie RB LeSean McCoy. The Chargers run defense limited them to 29 yards and 2.2 yards per carry. WR Jason Avant, who had 198 receiving yards entering the game, finished with career highs of 8 catches and 156 yards. McNabb threw a 5-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin early in the 4th quarter and 6 yards to TE Brent Celek with 7:12 left to pull the Eagles to 28-23. Then San Diego's Antonio Cromartie intercepted a pass from McNabb on the final play of the game to stave off a Philadelphia comeback.

Philly was in the Shotgun for 54 out of 77 plays (70%) and went with an empty backfield often, to spread the defense. It worked, as there were no sacks for either team in the game. The Chargers were content last week to let Philly's Donovan McNabb sit back and pick apart the secondary. They thought by the time the outside guys got there, the mobile McNabb would step away from the rush.

That won't the case this week as that outside pass rush could feast on a gimpy Orton or Simms and his happy feet.This might force Orton/Simms into hot routes and not the down field stuff where Marshall or Royal can do their damage.

In Kevin Burnett's and Tim Dobbins' absence, 3rd-string ILB Brandon Siler has done a good job. Look for Burnett and Siler to rotate to keep both of them fresh. Burnett is to moving better after missing 3 games with an ankle injury. He returned last week and led the team with 10 tackles.

S Kevin Ellison's move into the starting lineup is paying off. He had 10 tackles, a QB hit and 2 passes defensed in his best game of the season.

The Chargers pass rush is led by LBs Shawne Merriman (foot) and Shaun Phillips (ankle). Neither one had a sack against the Eagles and have nagging injuries.

Special Teams
Mike Scifres had 4 Punts averaging 53.3 yards, including a 72 yarder that Jeremy Maclin had to fair catch at the 5 yard line. The Punt Coverage unit gave up one return of 6 yards and the other 2 were negated by penalties.

Darren Sproles had 4 Punt chances in the game. One went Out of bounds, one was negated by penalty, and the other two were returned 6 and 8 yards respectively.He also returned 6 kickoffs an average of 24.3 yards.

Nate Kaeding made all 4 extra point conversions. His KO's averaged landing at the 11 yard line, and the Kick coverage team allowed Jeremy Maclin an average of 17.25 yards on 4 returns and Macho Harris returned a short Kick 26 yards.

To put these into perspective, the League average for PR's is 8.5 yards, and for KR's is 22.8 yards.

Injuries
OLB Jyles Tucker has been placed on IR and will be replaced on the roster by OT Corey Clark. Clark has been on the practice squad all season.

Center Nick Hardwick will not play as he rests his surgically repaired ankle in hopes of returning Nov. 29 against Kansas City.

The Chargers promoted Corey Clark from the practice squad. He is an insurance policy as RT Jeromey Clary is nursing a sore ankle that forced him from Sunday's game. All indications are Clary could play Sunday, but he also could have a setback when he returns to practice this week.

2nd string ILB Tim Dobbins is likely down one more week from a knee injury.

What This Means for Denver.

1)We have to play almost perfect football.
2)We need to put serious pressure on Phillip Rivers. When he had time he was able to pick apart the Raiders defense.
3)We have to be wary of over-blitzing. Rivers quite often got rid of the ball very quickly.
4)We cannot afford to turn the ball over.
5)We have to have our offense sustain drives to keep Rivers & the offense off the field. 3 & outs will kill us very quickly.
6)We have to score early, score often, and keep on scoring as though we were being forced to come from behind.
7)Their offense has had a tendency to go dormant in the 2nd half, something the Broncos showed in the last 3 weeks as well.
8)Stopping the big play hasn't been a problem for the Chargers defense this year, but stopping 3rd down conversions is another story.

Broncos lead series 54-44-1. The Broncos used to dominate the Chargers at home, but since Philip Rivers became the Chargers' starting QB in 2006, the visiting Chargers have won two of three games.

Chargers coach Norv Turner is familiar with the defensive coordinator he will match wits with Sunday. Mike Nolan of Denver was the head coach of the Niners when Turner was the offensive coordinator in 2006.

Denver defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely spent 12 seasons in that role with the Chargers before this season.

Like they have in all 3 years of coach Norv Turner's tenure, the Chargers start slow from the gate they build momentum. It seems like the Chargers never do it the easy way, but the Chargers have started another winning streak, which is becoming a San Diego tradition. Each year the Chargers don't get serious until they don't have any choice.

The Broncos aren't out of the woods, not by a long shot, and it would be foolish to count the Chargers out on Sunday.

GO BRONCOS!!

UPON FURTHER REVIEW - Scouting The Redskins

KaptainKirk — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:38:27 -0000

It's Redskins week boys and girls, and that means that the "Upon Further Review" group will be looking at what's happening with the team from our Nation's Capitol for the last 5 weeks. Once again this is brought to you by the efforts of Boydy, Bshrout, Broncofan91, and Kaptain Kirk. Read on and see what we've discovered.

Where to start with the rapidly falling Redskins. They are playing sloppy football. All year long, points have been left on the field and points have been given away to the opposition, and the Injury Bug has infected the team.

The Redskins are averaging 14.1 points this season—and have not scored more than 17 in any game.They have lost four straight and are 2-6. They have now lost 8 consecutive road games dating back to last season. Dan Snyder is ruining his team and it seems like all he cares about is the dollar signs that he sees on Sunday. The team lacks talent, the O line is terrible, Portis is done, Campbell is slow to read and slow to deliver the ball and has little pocket presence. But even terrible teams score the occasional TD and get lucky in the red zone. Not this team.

They spent three 2nd round picks on two WRs (Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas) and a pass catching TE(Fred Davis) in 2008, but none of them have produced. Is it poor coaching or poor scouting. Head coach Jim Zorn is no longer calling the plays for the offense. Vinny Cerrato replaced him with Sherman Lewis after Washington’s 14-6 loss to the Chiefs because he’s the only other staff member who has called plays and is well versed in the West Coast offense.

The Redskins have played a weak schedule so far. They are the first team in NFL history to face six consecutive win-less opponents (in their 1st six weeks), barely managing 2 wins. Their offensive problems go beyond injuries and spotty play along the offensive line: Their West Coast offense doesn't fit the strengths of its personnel. They were built to run the ball, under previous coach Joe Gibbs. QB Jason Campbell is best throwing the ball off play-action. However, Washington uses a timing-based, short to medium route passing attack that doesn't play to Campbell's strengths.

Washington’s defense is ranked second against the pass, giving up 164.9 yards per game while allowing six TDs. The Redskins are fifth in total defense at 283.4 yards a contest and in scoring defense at 17.6 points per game. They have been more vulnerable against the run, allowing 118.5 yards a contest, but they are good in the Red Zone, having limited opponents to 3 rushing TDs.

Week 4: REDSKINS vs PANTHERS --Boydy

Defense:

Aggressive pursuit of edges to Shepherd running game inside, limiting tosses and pitches.
Bring adequate pressure with front 7 to set up the secondary for plays.
Carolina used some nice slants that allowed to get the Panthers in rhythm, and keep secondary from making plays.
Susceptible against cutback runs.
Orakpo shows some nice flashes off the edge.
Lanes for running anywhere Haynesworth is not. Off tackle looks to be the soft spot with some gains made of toss and pitches when executed correctly.
Opportunities for plays with RB coming out of backfield in pass game. Used by Panthers quite a lot.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DENVER:

Is this game there was no real evidence of vertical attack by the Panthers. Lots of screens and slants. This should set up well for Denver with pass attack. I would look for BM, DG over the middle, and Sheff down the seem IF our O line can protect Orton. CB’s and safeties of Redskins play with ball in front of them so there will not be much opportunity for the BIG play (and I am sure that disappoints a lot of you, but that’s what I am seeing).
This is a game where Denver must establish the run game. THE POWER GAME THRU THE MIDDLE WILL NOT WORK AGAINST HAYNESWORTH! We need to run at the soft parts of the D...off tackle and outside. Cutback lanes exist on the weakside and around edges. I would like to see Denver use some I formations with Hillis and Buckhalter in. There will be some opportunities for Hillis out of backfield in the passing game. Any chance we may see some more ZB scheme? This is the week for it!
This could also set up some play action and bootlegs for Kyle Orton.

Offense:

Campbell shows nice mobility to escape rush and is adequate on the run throwing the ball.
Offense is predicated on the run. Carolina started stacking box, forcing Campbell to throw. This will be a blueprint for Denver here as the WR and TE is not great.
They struggle in pass protection. Campbell moves out of pocket a lot to go down field.
Pocket easily collapses under pressure.
Struggles with Mike Sellers as lead blocker. Get easily pushed off the blocks and struggled to open holes.
Use of quick slants and screens by Campbell against pressure from Carolina.
Campbell skittish under pressure and gets "happy feet" under duress.
Struggle to maintain drives if out in 3rd and long...once again, no yards on ground struggle with pass gain.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DENVER:

Pressure, pressure and more pressure! Campbell is susceptible to it,
We stop the run on 1st and 2nd downs, we stop their game. Not good in 3rd and long situations, with there only passing threat being the long ball which is a low percentage play!
must win point of attack and collapse pocket. We should be able to do this.
There will be some INT chances for our secondary if we can get Campbell "dancing" in the pocket and forcing throws.

Special Teams:
Suisham a very accurate kicker so he will make most FG’s.
Above average in kick coverage.
Overall a solid special teams unit.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DENVER:

WE need to improve coverage on kicks and punts to limit field position for Washington.
We just need HALF decent field position. My personal goal for the team is to see if our KR guys can get to the 30 on average....been hard all year as our guys dance bringing ball back and don’t accelerate at holes.

IN CONCLUSION:

WE SHOULD NOT LOSE THIS GAME....although it does feel a little bit "trappish" to me. The Redskins are hard to scout....no Portis, no Cooley so that limits Campbell’s weapons. Betts is no hack, and I have liked his play over Portis the last couple of years. I think that the Redskins will come out and throw, and we need to douse that flame so they don’t get on a roll.

WE need to score TD’s on most possessions, and move the ball with precision. Haynesworth will bring it, and pressure Hochstein and Kuper....we need to deal with that. I favor bringing in DG to help in pass protect on Polumbus side until the flow of the game gets going, then he could be a weapon across the middle.

Denver is better across the board and should win going away. A good team wins the game they are suppose to win. In this manner, this is a statement game for Denver.

GO BRONCOS!

Week 6: Kansas City @ Washington --Bshrout

Give the recent discussions here at MHR regarding the offensive woes of the Broncos, I decided to focus strictly upon Washington's defense in this game. A choice that was further prompted by the fact that offensively, Kansas City only managed 4 field goals against the Redskin's defense.

The defensive starters for this game were:
Defensive Line: LDE #93 Phillip Daniels, LDT #96 Cornelius Griffin, RDT #92 Albert Haynesworth, RDE #99 Andre Carter
Linebackers: LOLB #98 Brian Orakpo, MLB #59 London Fletcher-Baker, ROLB #52 Rocky McIntosh
Cornerbacks: LCB #23 DeAngelo Hall, RCB #22 Carlos Rodgers
Safeties: FS #30 LaRon Landry, SS #37 Reed Doughty

It should be noted that the Redskins moved Orakpo and Hall around a fair amount, depending upon how the Chiefs lined up.

The base formation used by Washington, and which did not appear to vary significantly throughout the game was to set up using 4 down linemen, 1 LB would creep up next to a DE, the MLB would hold the middle of the field 3-5 yards deep, the other LB would either line up 3-5 yards deep on the opposite side from the one on the line, or would line up to cover the slot receiver. Hall tended to line up 5-8 yards off his receiver while Rodgers tended to line up 1-3 yards off the line of scrimmage. The safeties tended to line up 10-15 yards deep.

The first two Kansas City drives were very typical of what the Redskins did throughout the game on defense.

Drive #1: 1-10 @ KC 20
1) 4 down linemen, strong push by the d-line, but 3 of the rushers were taken off their feet by the blockers. Only Daniels kept his feet. Screen to WR who slipped a tackle by Hall in the backfield, and was gang tackled at the line of scrimmage.
2) Shotgun formation. 4 down linemen, 2 LB on LOS - one covering a receiver, 3rd LB 4 yards off line. 1 CB covering a WR, the other covering the opposite side. Both safeties were 10 yds off LOS. Landry ran up to the line showing blitz, but backed off just prior to the snap. Orakpo and Carter blew into the backfield untouched, Haynesworth was dropped to his knees by a blocker. Carter batted down Cassel's pass 5 yards deep in the backfield.
3) Shotgun formation. 3 linemen in 3-point stance, 4th standing up. 1 LB was lined up to right side of the RDE. Hall was in coverage at the line, the other DB was 8 yards off his man. Safeties were 5 yards off the line. The Redskins rushed 6. Haynesworth blew right past the lineman trying to block him. Daniels blew past the WR who tried to block him. Haynesworth and Daniels hit the QB as he was releasing the ball. Incomplete pass and a punt.

Drive #2: 1-10 @ KC 47
1) Single back formation. 3 linemen down, 1 up. LBs lined up 3-5 yards deep. DBs 5-7 yards deep. Safeties 8-10 yards deep.Chiefs tried a run to the outside on the right side of the formation. LBs slid down the line and Orakpo slipped away from his blocker to make the tackle for a loss of 1 yard.
2) Offset I formation. 4 down linemen. 1 LB lined up next to RDE. MLB in the middle of the field 3-5 yards deep. 1 LB showing double coverage of a wide receiver. Safeties 12+ yards deep (one was off the screen). Play-action roll out to avoid a strong pass rush. With the WRs covered, QB scrambles up the middle for 8 yards, chased down from behind by Daniels.
3) Single WR set. 4 down linemen. LBs 6 yards off line, 2 in middle of the field, 1 up close to the line. CB up on line of scrimmage in coverage. Other CB 6 yards deep on other side. 1 Safeties 10 yards deep, the other 16. Dump screen pass, gang tackled after a gain of 2.
4) QB sneak on 4th and one slipped through a stacked line for a first down.

The rest of this drive went pretty much like what is described above, as did most of Kansas City's drives throughout the game.

Some Random Observations From All of This

A) Washington's LBs & DBs play a "soft" coverage in which they line up well off the line. But they are also close very quickly to the ball.

B) Most the pass rush pressure came off the edges. It came mostly from the DEs, with an occasional blitz by a LB or DB.

C) QB was getting hit/touched on nearly every passing play.

D) The defense was, overall, very tough against runs up the middle, and runs to the far outside.

E) The best runs seem to come in rushes next to the tackles, and when there was a second RB to run as lead blocker.

F) The pass defense was relatively vulnerable to quick passes over the middle and out patterns run in the 11-25 yard range.

G) When the DTs were forced to turn to the side, rather then charging straight towards the backfield, they had a harder time coming off their blocks.

H) The defense was able to get consistent, strong pressure from the front 4. They did not blitz very often.

I) Short quick passes were the most effective, to negate the strong pass rush.

J) The D-line rushers can be pushed to the outside.

k) The Redskins' defenders are willing to risk late hit calls to get in that last, little intimidation contact at the end of plays.

What This Means for Denver

1)Establish the run, then use play action to slow down the pass rush.

2)Use short quick passes over the middle along with quick outs and come-back routes to the outside in the middle range to negate the pressure by the front 4, and to limit the LB/CB blitzes (Sorry to all of those who are advocating throwing downfield -- the DBs played deep and were very quick to close on the ball once it was thrown).

3)Give the DT's an outside route to open up space for Orton to step up away from the pressure generated by the DEs.

4)Use lots of multiple WR/TE sets to force the LBs back into coverage.

5)Use 2 RB sets on running plays.

6)Use Washington's speed against them. Not by throwing lots of bubble screens, but rather by designing delayed roll outs for Orton.

Week 7: Washington vs Philadelphia --broncofan91
Defense
Starters: DE Phillip Daniels(#93), DT Cornelius Griffin(#96), DT Albert Haynesworth(#92), DE Andre Carter(#99), OLB Brian Orakpo(#98), MLB London Fletcher(#59), OLB Rocky McIntosh(#52), CB Carlos Rodgers(#22), SS Reed Doughty(#37), FS LaRon Landry(#30), CB DeAngelo Hall(#23)
1st Quarter: Overall, the Redskins defense did a good job in the first quarter. They only allowed one touchdown in three possessions. The TD came on a 67 yard end-around to DeSean Jackson. On that play, the defensive end, Andre Carter, lost contain by over-pursuing on the fake to Brian Westbrook. Also, it looked like the free safety, LaRon Landry, committed to the inside run too early. Washington used a 4-3 defense with 7 players in coverage for most of the quarter. They were able to collapse the pocket consistently and had good coverage down field. They did struggle against off-tackle runs and screens.
2nd Quarter: The Redskins continued to get pressure with a 4-man rush. They gave up ten points in four drives. Andre Carter played a great second quarter. He was constantly in McNabb's face and managed to sack Vick on an option play. He was also good against the run with one tackle for a loss of three. Other notable performances on defense for this quarter include Cornelius Griffin, Albert Haynesworth and Brian Orakpo. The field goal really wasn't the defenses fault. A muffed punt gave the Eagles the ball at the 25. The same cannot be said about the 60 yard touchdown-pass to Jackson. On a 3rd and 23, Carlos Rodgers was burned by a double move.
3rd Quarter: On the first defensive series for the Skins, Andre Carter flew past Jason Peters, the Eagles' left tackle and hit McNabb from behind. The hit forced a fumble that was recovered by Philly. The defense forced a 3 and out on the next play. Washington continued to pressure McNabb for the rest of the quarter. They did not allow a score in 2 drives.
4th Quarter: The defense finished strong for the Washington Redskins. They completely shut down Philadelphia's offense. The relentless pressure continued as Haynesworth got his first sack of the game.
Offense
I was going to breakdown each quarter of offense for the Redskins but since all four were so similar that I decided to do a quick summary. Chris Cooley is a great tight end but he got hurt early in the first quarter. His backup, Fred Davis, is a good receiver but he did not do a good job blocking. Jason Campbell was very indecisive throughout the game. He also had a bad case of happy feet during this game. The interior of the line had trouble in both pass-protection and run-blocking. Clinton Portis looked a bit sluggish and wasn't able to get anything going. Washington has good receivers but they need someone who can get them the ball. Overall, this offense doesn't scare me a bit.

Week 8: BYE

Week 9: Washington vs Atlanta --KaptainKirk

The Falcons dominated the Redskins at the point of attack and used their physical ground game to control the tempo. Michael Turner made sure that the Redskins wouldn’t win their 3rd game with 166 yards rushing, including 2 long TD's. He broke off a 30-yard touchdown run to help the Falcons build a 24-3 halftime lead, then finished off Washington with a 58-yard score early in the 4th quarter. He followed up a 20-carry, 151-yard effort against New Orleans with an even better performance against the Redskins, who had one of the league’s top-rated defenses.

A scuffle occurred after LaRon Landry’s late hit on Matt Ryan set off a near-brawl in the 2nd quarter. DeAngelo Hall jumped into the middle of things, surrounded by a horde of Atlanta players, Atlanta Head Coach Mike Smith included. Fines were assessed by the League Office.

Washington looked down and out at the midway point, having lost RB Clinton Portis to a concussion. The Redskins had a hard time trying not to beat themselves in the 1st half. They racked up 69 yards in penalties, they didn't run very well and Jason Campbell found out how hard it is to complete a pass while lying on his back. Missed blocks, poor technique, and blown assignments on blitz pickups contributed to the 5 sacks the Redskins surrendered in the first half. Most of the sacks came when the Falcons only had three players rushing. But Campbell directed a pair of 13-play scoring drives on Washington’s first 2 possessions of the 2nd half to close the gap to 24-17.

Portis still has a headache and does not remember the play on which he sustained the injury. He left the game with 3:20 remaining in the 1st quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud. The Redskins have nothing to gain by rushing back Portis. Concussions can be tricky, and the fact that Clinton lost consciousness immediately, means he'll be out for the Broncos game. Ladell Betts will get the starting nod at RB Sunday. Betts rushed for 70 yards on 15 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown filling in for Portis.

OT Mike Williams left with an ankle injury on the same play that knocked Campbell out of the game and D'Anthony Batiste filled in at Tackle for the rest of the game.

Campbell finished the game 15 of 22 for 196 yards, including a 3-yard TD pass to Todd Yoder that gave the Redskins a chance. But he also threw a pick 6 to Tye Hill good for 62 yards.

Matt Ryan threw his 8th interception in the last 4 games, and was held to a season-low 135 yards passing. But Michael Turner put the offense on his shoulders and carried the Falcons to victory. Washington had dominated the 2nd half with two long scoring drives, but Turner's dash changed the momentum.

Mistakes in key moments also determined the outcome of the game.

OFFENSE

1ST HALF
1st possession: 1 yard run and a sack by Falcons Floyd Bierman. 3 and out.

2nd possession: Starting at their own 47, Clinton Portis runs for 5 yards. sfter an incomplete pass, QB Jason Campbell runs for 14 yards. A run to Portis gets taken for a 2 yard loss. Then, Portis takes the ball to the left side and gets nailed by FS Thomas DeCoud. Clinton loses consciousness, receives a concussion and is knocked out of the game. Topping it off, the Redskins are called for holding on the play, leaving them at 2nd and 22. Campbell throws to TE Fred Davis who tips the ball to Ty Hill for a 62 yard pick 6.

3rd possession: An incomplete pass by Campbell starts this series. Ladell Betts, in relief of Portis, runs for 3 yards.Then Jason Campbell completes his first pass of the game with 2:15 left in the 1st quarter; good for 9 yards to TE Fred Davis. Ladell Betts runs for 4, and they try a screen pass to Rock Cartwright that Vance Walker tackles for a 1 yard loss. Campbell gets sacked by Jonathan Babineaux for 3 yards. PUNT.

4th possession: Ladell Betts for 3 yards. Lateral pass to Santana Moss for 4. 5 Receiver set on 3rd and 3 (Moss, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Antwaan Randle El, and Marko Mitchell) FB Mike Sellers gets open over the middle for a 47 yard completion. Campbell is sacked by CB Chevis Jackson for a 9 yard loss. Randle El makes a catch for 13 yards, 3rd and 6, Jonathan Babineaux sacks Jason Campbell and the Redskins are forced to kick a FG.

5th possession:Campbell gets knocked out of the game near the end of the 1st half when he gets sacked for the 5th time in the game by Babineaux and John Abraham. Todd Collins comes in and throws a 4 yard pass to Moss. PUNT

2ND HALF
The Redskins made a few adjustments and Campbell was able to put together 2 long TD drives and controlling the clock. But it was too little too late. Penalties and mental errors continued to plague the team, preventing them from being competitive.

1st possession: Betts 5 yard run. 3 receiver set, Campbell scrambles for 19 yards. 5 more yards for Betts and 4 for Rock Cartwright.They convert for a 1st down on a play-action rollout pass to Mike Sellers in the flat for 11 yards. A complete to Marko Mitchell for 11 and a toss to the left by Betts for 3 yards. They overcome a False start penalty with a screen pass to Betts good for 23 yards down to the 3 yard line. After 2 tries by rock Cartwright, Ladell Betts is able to punch it in from the 1 for a TD.

2nd possession:Play-action pass to Fred Davis for 16 yards. Ladell Betts has a 3 yard followed by a 15 yard run. An End-around to Santana Moss gets 7 yards and Rock Cartwright runs for 5. LT Stephon Heyer gets caught with slow feet and is called for Holding. On 1st and 20, Moss makes a catch for 15 yards. RT Mike Williams is injured and replaced by D'Anthony Batiste. Another run by Betts for 2. Four WR set and Randle El has an 8 yard catch. Ladell Betts runs for 7 yards in a 3 WR set. The 'Skins convert on a Holding call on the Defense, putting them at the 3 yard line. Rock Cartwright picks up a yard. In a 3 WR set, TE Todd Yoder makes a highlight catch in the corner of the endzone for a TD, bringing Washington to within a TD at 24-17.

3rd possession:on the first play, Campbell eludes a sack by getting back to the line, but Babineaux is there to make the tackle and the QB re-injures his right ankle. Todd Collins comes in and goes 3-4 for 18 yards. Betts has runs for 4, 9 and 9 yards. Collins takes them down to the 43 before the Redskins turn it over on downs with 5:53 left in the game.

4th possession: Jason Campbell returns again and passes to Santana Moss for 25 yards. A 7 yard pass to Moss, then an in-completion. Campbell gets flushed from the pocket on 3rd and 3, and gets forced out of bounds after picking up a yard. On 4th and 2, Campbell gets hurried and misses a wide open Malcolm Kelly, and the 'Skins turn over the ball on downs once more, with 2:20 left in the game.

DEFENSE

DeAngelo Hall and Carlos Rogers shut down Falcons WRs Roddy White and Michael Jenkins. Rookie LB Brian Orakpo (twice) and backup DT Kedric Golston sacked Matt Ryan. LB Rocky McIntosh jumped for a gorgeous INT. The only down note was backup LB Chris Wilson getting singled up on TE Tony Gonzalez and getting beaten for a TD. The Redskins had no answer for Michael Turner as the Falcons ran their way to victory.

1ST HALF
Atlanta's 1st possession: DT Albert Haynesworth was so charged up for this game that he was offsides on the very first play. The Falcons mixed it up with a delay to Michael Turner, and a naked bootleg off play action by QB Matt Ryan. Ryan then rolled out right and passed to TE Tony Gonzalez for 13 yards. MLB London Fletcher covered him on the play. Fletcher missed the tackle and Safety LaRon Landry had to make the play. Turner runs behind his FB, and Andre Carter tackles him for a loss.Turner then takes a toss to the left for 33 yards, running past Fletcher before being pushed out of bounds by Landry. After an incomplete and a scramble for no gain, Ryan passes to Brian Finneran for 9 yards. The Falcons go for it on 4th and 1. Matt Ryan shifts his RB's twice and changes his cadence. he catches Brian Orakpo and London Fletcher with an encroachment to convert the 1st down. Michael Turner runs for 2 yards down to the 2 and Ryan hits Gonzalez for the TD.

2nd possession: Eric Weems takes an End around 2 yards. Turner makes a catch over the middle for 5 more. On 3rd down Haynesworth occupies a double team freeing up Rookie LB Brian Orakpo for a sack, forcing a punt. But Reed Doughty lined up with is head and shoulders in the neutral zone on the punt, so the Falcons got another chance. After a False Start penalty, Ryan gets intercepted by LB Rocky McIntosh, who returns it 19 yards.

3rd possession: Michael Turner runs up the middle for 2 yards and FB Aaron Stecker runs for 6. Turner took an inside handoff for 5 yards. Roddy White had a Reverse toss for 2 yards. Turner then had a 39 yard run negated by a Holding penalty. Two short passes and another penalty forced the Falcons to punt.

4th possession: A 3 yard run by Turner. Then two consecutive passes to Roddy White for 21 yards, picking on CB Carlos Rogers. Turner has a catch over the middle for 5 yards, and then takes a toss to the left 30 yards for a TD.

5th possession: An incomplete pass to Gonzalez. A shovel pass to Aaron Stecker for 14 yards. Pass to Gonzalez for 7 and then another incomplete. Ryan scrambles for a 1st down and LaRon Landry is called for a Late Hit out of bounds. This causes a scrum. When the smoke clears, the penalty stands and there are no ejections. After a 9 yard catch by Marty Booker, Matt Ryan is sacked by Reed Doughty and Kedric Golston for 8 yards and an Intentional Grounding penalty is added. An incomplete on 3rd and 11 is salvaged when Lorenzo Alexander is called for roughing the passer. Roddy White has a 7 yard reception and Ryan gets sacked by Orakpo for an 9 yard loss. Gonzalez makes a catch for 13 yards. Time runs down and Jason Elam kicks a 33 yard FG to end the half with the Falcons leading 24-3.

2ND HALF
1st possession: 3 and out

2nd possession: Ryan rolls out and passes to FB Ovie Mughelli for 8 yards. Michael Turner runs for 7 yards. Toss left to Turner for a 58 yard TD. 3 plays 73 yards in 1:42.

3rd possession: 3 and out.

4th possession: Turner rushes 10 yards for a 1st down and the Falcons run out the game clock.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Shaun Suisham is now 10-for-10 on the FG's after nailing a 48-yarder. New P Sam Paulescu averaged 50 yards gross and 46 net, helped by strong coverage. Rock Cartwright didn't do too well on kickoff returns. Atlanta had 2 touch-backs by former Bronco Jason Elam and KR Rock Cartwright had 3 returns averaging 15.66 yards, which is very sub-par. DeAngelo Hall lost 2 yards on the lone punt return of the game. The kickoff coverage was nearly got burned by Eric Weems for a TD.

THE INJURY FACTOR

The slew of injuries has forced some lineup changes for Washington on both sides of the ball. The Redskin's defense will be without Chris Horton, who was placed on IR after the strong safety severely injured his left big toe late in the Atlanta game.. Reed Doughty, who has been job-sharing with Horton all season, takes over the job full time. Doughty bruised his right knee against the Falcons but is good to go.

The team used Horton's roster spot to re-sign running back Quinton Ganther. With Portis expected to miss his first game of the year, Ladell Betts will get the start and both Rock Cartwright and Ganther will also likely play.

Already minus two Pro Bowl players, LT Chris Samuels and TE Chris Cooley, as well as longtime RG Randy Thomas, the Redskins lost RT Mike Williams for 2-4 weeks with a torn ankle ligament suffered during the loss to Atlanta.

Stephon Heyer, who has a sprained left knee, will switch back to RT, where he started the season, from the left side, where he had been since Samuels went down in Week 4. Former Bengals starter Levi Jones, who signed with the Redskins on Oct. 20, will start at left tackle this week against AFC West leader Denver.

The Redskins didn’t address the lack of depth on their O-line in the off season and it has come back to haunt them. Their offense is struggling, and injuries have taken their toll. They will put their 5th combination of linemen this season against a very good Broncos defense. Levi Jones, signed last month, will get his 1st start since November 2008, when he played for the Bengals. He'll be at LT and Stephon Heyer will slide to the right side, where he began the season.

Levi will face off with Elvis Dumervil, the league's sacks leader. The two have met once before. On Dec. 24, 2006, Dumervil posted a tackle and a sack in a 24-23 win over the Bengals.

"He is definitely difficult for a lot of tackles that can’t get down there and play with him, can’t bend their knees," Jones said. "The people you see that struggle with him the most are the taller people that he can run underneath, because the guy is 5-11, and he’s strong."

Hunter Smith, whose lingering groin injury forced the Redskins to sign fill-in punters Glenn Pakulak (Weeks 5 and 6) and Sam Paulescu (last week), will try to kick during practice on Friday. If he survives, the Redskins could cut Paulescu and add depth at running back, safety or on the offensive line. If not, he could be a candidate for IR.

The good news on the injury front is that quarterback Jason Campbell (ankle, chest) will be ready for Denver, as will backup safety Kareem Moore (ankle). Reserve CB Byron Westbrook expects to be ready after missing the Falcons game following a 'scope of his left knee on Oct. 27.

Noteworthy

DE Andre Carter has 5.5 sacks

LB Brian Orakpo leads all NFL rookies with 5.5 sacks

Jeremy Jarmon, the DE that the Redskins picked up in the Supplemental Draft, has played sparingly in all 8 games making 5 tackles and forcing a fumble.

The Redskins have allowed a 30th ranked 23 sacks

Their defensive line is the strongest part of the Redskins defense.

Washington's Red Zone defense has given up 6 TD's in 17 possessions for a 35% average

Brian Orakpo is the SAM LB and Chris Wilson is his back up. But I saw Wilson and DE Lorenzo Alexander covering TE Tony Gonzalez in the Atlanta game. Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham could have a field day if the Redskins try to cover him with Brian Orakpo. But if they can get to Kyle Orton, Washington can disrupt the Broncos offense. The Broncos don't possess a powerful bruiser at RB unless you consider Peyton Hillis, but neither do the Falcons. Still, this will be another Trench Battle.

Can the Broncos protect Kyle Orton and make holes for Moreno and Buckhalter to run through?

Will Eddie Royal take DeAngelo Hall to task again in Round 2?

Truth is, the Broncos should by all rights win this game. The Redskins are a team in shambles and the Broncos are seeking to rebound from two losses to 2 great defensive teams. We'll find out this Sunday.

Go Broncos!

UPON FURTHER REVIEW - Scouting The Steelers

KaptainKirk — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:29:16 -0000

That's right we've found a name for our group, UPON FURTHER REVIEW. Now it's time for the Steelers, and a second prime time Monday Night game for the Broncos. Brought to you by the Scouting team of Boydy, Bshrout, Broncofan 91, and Kaptain Kirk. Here is a look at what this weeks opponents have done in their season so far. Enjoy!

Weeks 2 & 3 - Pittsburgh @ Chicago / Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati -- Bshrout

I decided to study the two Pittsburgh losses to see if there were any common factors.

Both losses were away games; the only away game the Steelers have won was against Detroit (1-5).

I looked first at Lebowskibronco's "Stats That Don't Lie"

	Pit	Chi	Pit	Cin	Total Pit	Total Opp
Turnovers	2	0	1	0	3	0
T.O.P.	30:26	29:34	34:42	25:18	65:08	54:52
Starting Field Position	Pit 23.5	Chi 23.6	Pit 32.6	Cin 28.5	Pit 28.0	Opp 26.0
3rd Down Efficiency	50%	50%	50%	25%	50%	37.5%

By these stats, Pittsburgh should have won both of these games. Let's dig a bit further. Let's look at the game scores by quarter:

	1	2	3	4
Pittsburgh	7	0	7	0
Chicago	0	7	0	10

	1	2	3	4
Pittsburgh	10	3	7	0
Cincinnati	0	3	6	14

In both games, Pittsburgh led going into the 4th quarter -- 14-7 over Chicago, and 20-9 over Cincinnati. In reviewing all of Pittsburgh's games, it can be seen that Pittsburgh has been outscored 62-30 in the 4th quarter. In fact, the Steelers have not scored in the 4th quarter of any of their three road games. Further, 14 of their 30 4th quarter points came from a fumble and an interception which were both returned for touchdowns. This means that the Steelers have only scored 16 offensive points in the 4th quarter. This would suggest that their offense is less than effective late in the game. This would also explain why their opponents have been able to score twice as many 4th quarter points -- the defense is being forced to spend too much time on the field.

Now, let's look at each of the fourth quarters in Pittsburgh's losses.

Pittsburgh at Chicago

The quarter started with Pittsburgh leading 14-7. Pittsburgh had the ball 1st and 10 at the Chicago 26. Parker ran right for 6 yards. A completed short left pass to Holmes netted 7 more. Parker was tackled for a loss of 1. Brown sacked Roethlisberger for a loss of 9. Pittsburgh attempted a field goal, but missed wide left. Pittsburgh had 5 plays, gained 3 yards and missed a field goal. They attempted 2 runs (5 yards), 2 passes (7 yards - a 9 yard sack for a net of -2) and a field goal (which was missed).

Chicago took over 1st and 10 at their own 28. Knox caught a pass to the short right for 7. Forte was stopped for no gain on the left end. A no huddle, shotgun formation pass to Hester short left netted 13 yards. Cutler connected with Olsen for 29 yards in the deep middle. This was followed by a short pass to the left to Davis for 8. Another no huddle, shotgun formation pass was completed to Olsen short left for 6. Cutler's next pass was incomplete. Forte ran to the right for 2 yards. Cutler completed a 7 yard pass Knox in the short middle for a touchdown. Chicago went 72 yards in 9 plays for a touchdown. Chicago gained 2 yards on 2 runs, and 70 yards on 7 passes.

After the kick-off, Pittsburgh had the ball 1st and 10 at their own 29. A short pass to Ward on the right gained 4. Ward was hit for 9 more over the middle, out of a no huddle, shotgun formation. Another no huddle led to Moore gaining 15 off right tackle. The next no huddle resulted in an incomplete pass. A second incomplete pass was nullified by a defensive offsides penalty. After starting in a shotgun formation, Roethlisberger scrambled for 5 yards. Moore lost 2 on the next play trying to run around the left end. A short pass to Wallace on the right gained 10. Roethlisberger challenged the Bears with a deep throw to the left that fell incomplete. Pittsburgh missed a 2nd consecutive field goal. Pittsburgh ran 10 plays and gained 46 yards (18 rushing, 23 passing, 5 penalty).

Chicago's next drive started at their own 33. Forte caught a short pass to the left for 12 yards and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Chicago. Cutler followed up with a short pass to Knox on the left for 5. Forte rushed to the right for 1 yard. Hester caught a short pass on the left for 5 more. Chicago threw in a run which netted them 4 yards on a run by Forte to the right. Forte ran to the right a 2nd time, gaining 3. Then he ran to the left for 1 more yard. At this point, with 20 seconds left in the game, Chicago kicked a field goal. They had gone 41 yards in 8 plays (4 runs for 9 yards, 3 passes for 22 yards, 10 yards on the fumble recovery).

Chicago kicked off to Pittsburgh. The Steeler fumbled the kickoff and Chicago recovered. Pittsburgh in the quarter ran 15 plays, gained 49 yards and missed 2 field goals. Chicago ran 17 plays, gained 113 yards, scored a field goal and a touchdown.

This means that Pittsburgh put up 259 yards in the first three quarters, while limiting Chicago to 162. 41% of Chicago's yardage came in the 4th quarter as did 31% of the Bears play. The Steelers' offense appeared to become very conservative during the 4th, while their defense seemed to let up.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

The quarter started with the Steelers leading 20-9. Cincinnati was continuing a drive begun in the 3rd quarter. The Bengals had the ball 3rd and 3 at the Pittsburgh 34 yard line. Palmer's pass was incomplete. The Bengals then missed a field goal, wide left. The drive went 2 plays for 0 yards and a missed field goal.

Pittsburgh got the ball at their own 42 yard line. Parker ran to the left for 3 yards. A second run to the left was stopped for no gain. A short pass out of the shotgun formation fell short by only gaining 6 yards. This forced Pittsburgh to punt. This drive was marked by 3 plays, gaining 9 yards and ended in a punt.

Cincinnati's next possession began at their own 15 yard line. Palmer completed a pass short right to Caldwell for 14 yards. Ochocinco caught another 14 yard pass to the short right. An incomplete pass to the deep middle was nullified by a defensive pass interference penalty. Benson ran to the left for 8 yards. Palmer was sacked on the next play, but was able to get back to the line of scrimmage. Palmer completed his next pass, a short left pass toColes that went for 9 yards. Benson finished the drive by running to the left for 23 yards and a touchdown. This drive went for 7 plays, gained 85 yards and ended in a touchdown. The Steelers gave up 31 yards in rushing and 37 yards in passing. The defensive penalty added 17 yards to the drive.

Pittsburgh's 2nd drive started at the Steelers' 27 yard line. Parker was stopped for no gain on a run to the left. Wallace gained 9 on a short pass over the middle. Roethlisberger scrambled up the middle for 2 more. Parker added 3 on a run to the right. He then tried the left side but gained only 1 yard. Roethlisberger was sacked for a loss of 5 on the next play and the Steelers were forced to punt. Pittsburgh gained 10 yards on 7 plays.

After the punt, Cincinnati had the ball on their own 29. Benson ran right for 3, followed by a completed pass to Coles on the right for 17. Benson caught a pass for 5, followed by an 8 yard run. Palmer's next pass hit Caldwell short over the middle for 9. Palmer scrambled for 1 to the right. Palmer's next pass fell incomplete. Caldwell caught a short pass on the right for 8. Another incomplete pass was followed by Coles making a grab for 5 yards on the right. Palmer spiked the ball to stop the clock. This was followed by 2 incomplete passes. On 4th and 10 from the Steelers' 15 yard line, Palmer connected with Leonard on the right side for 11. Palmer again spiked the ball to stop the clock with 19 seconds left. Palmer hit Caldwell over the middle for a 4 yard touchdown. This drive went 71 yards in 16 plays and included 2 4th down conversions.

Pittsburgh ran two drives, gaining 19 yards on 10 plays, and had both drives end in punts. Cincinnati had 3 drives, gaining 156 yards on 25 plays and resulted in 2 touchdowns.

The Steelers amassed 354 yards in the first three quarters, while their defense limited Cincinnati to 117. 57% of the Bengals' yards came in the 4th quarter along with 45% of their plays. As in the Chicago game, the offense suddenly became ineffective while the defense experienced an abrupt let down.

It is unclear what should be drawn from these two games. These were both games that the Steelers were fully in control of for 3 quarters. They were also games that Pittsburgh lost (more than their opponents won) in the final quarter. There were no glaring problems in the film to explain why the Steelers dropped these two games.

What this means for Denver:

1) Pittsburgh is a tough team.They are not terribly consistent late in the game, so there's no way to know whether we're going to face the Steelers team that racked up 2 defensive touchdowns in the 4th quarter of their last game, the Steelers team that allowed 21 4th quarter points to San Diego, or the one one that lost two games in the 4th.

2) It is imperative that we limit Pittsburgh's scoring in the first 3 quarters. They outscored Chicago and Cincinnati 34-16 in those quarters. They've outscored all of their opponents 134-67 in the first 3 quarters.

3) We must hit Roethlisberger hard and often. We have to tackle better than we did against Flacco. Pittsburgh's line allows Big Ben to be pressured. If he's not wrapped up on the first hit, he has the ability to break free and make plays.

4) Our offense has to establish the ability to sustain drives.Our offense has to dictate the pace of the game from the beginning, and must keep the Pittsburgh offense off the field -- especially early in the game.

Week 4 - SD vs PITT --broncofan91 This was done a few weeks ago here.

Week 5 PITTSBURGH 28 DETROIT 20 --KaptainKirk

The Steelers were perfect inside the red zone, coming away with three TD's on three tries. Ben Roethlisberger had three TDs passes through 3 quarters and RB Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 77 yards and a TD in his 2nd straight start for injured Willie Parker (left toe). LB James Harrison had 3 sacks in the game, and forced a fumble. The Steelers finished with 7 sacks and their defense was just good enough to hold off the Lions for a win.

Detroit lost their top offensive threat, WR Calvin Johnson, in the 1st quarter. He left with a thigh injury and did not return.

There were many Steeler fans that made the 4 1/2-hour drive to Ford Field to take advantage of plenty of empty seats. They were loud enough to create havoc for the Detroit O-Lineman, who had trouble hearing the snap count in their own house.
Roethlisberger finished the game 23 of 30 for 277 yards with TD passes going to Mike Wallace, Hines Ward and TE Heath Miller. He threw a pick to William James who returned it 38 yards for a score in the 2nd quarter.

Daunte Culpepper played in place of No. 1 overall draft pick Matthew Stafford (right knee), and was 23 for 37 for 282 yards with a TD and an INT. Dennis Northcutt was the lone standout for the Lions with 6 receptions for 79 yards and a TD. RB Kevin Smith was held to 53 yards and 2.6 yards per carry.

The Lions led in time of possession (32:35-26:55) and 1st downs (21-18). The two teams had 1 turnover each.

Tyrone Carter filled in for Troy Polamalu, who was Re-habbing a torn MCL.

OFFENSE

The Steelers opened up the game in a 2 TE, 2 WR set with the receivers lined up off the right side and Rashard Mendenhall as the lone setback. Mendenhall went in pre-snap motion, joining the two WR's. Ben Roethlisberger threw a bubble screen to Hines Ward out of this set. On 2nd and 5, they went to a 3 WR set and the pass was incomplete to TE Heath Miller. On 3rd and 5, they went 4 WR's with 3 to the left. Mewelde Moore is their 3rd down RB.

Their 2nd drive started with the 2 TE set, and Roethlisberger threw a quick hitch left, to Santonio Holmes for 14 yards. They go to a 2 Back set and Mendenhall runs up the middle for 27 yards. Former Bronco Marquand Manuel is making a lot of tackles for the Lions, so the Steelers are having success running the ball. After an in-completion, Ben connects with Hines Ward for 20 yards down to the 7, and Mendenhall runs it in for the score.

On the Steelers 3rd possession, they used a mix of formations, a 3 WR set with Mendenhall as the lone setback. On 3rd and 4 they went back to the 4 WR set and Roethlisberger converts on a pass to Santonio Holmes. Then they come out in a 2 TE, 1 WR, 2 RB formation and Mendenhall runs off LT for another 6 yards. After a couple of swing passes to Mendenhall, Big Ben throws a screen from the Shotgun to Mewelde Moore. Then Detroit finally gets some pressure on Roethlisberger and he throws a pick to Lions nickle back Eric King. The play gets called back because Julian Peterson ran into Ben's knees. Mendenhall runs for 5,
Santonio Holmes catches a pass for 7 yards. Mendenhall runs behind TE Heath Miller and then Ben hits Miller on a TE screen for a 15 yard TD.

The 4th possession started with a fake end around hand off to Mewelde Moore for a yard. Then they ran a 5 Receiver spread set and Ben completed a pass to Santonio Holmes for 20 yards. Rookie WR Mike Wallace gets called for delay of game, for kicking the ball after a long incomplete pass. After a Draw to Mewelde Moore, Roethlisberger throws a pick six to Detroit CB William James for 38 yards.

5th possession. Ball on the Pitt 48. After 2 Mendenhall runs and 3 passes to TE Heath Miller, who was matched up with Rookie Safety Louis Delmas, Ben finds Hines ward in the end Zone for a 17 yard score. The Steelers dominated the clock for 9:32 in the 2nd Quarter. They got the ball back with 1:03 left in the half with the ball on their own 10, but ran out of time.

DEFENSE

On the Lions first play, Daunte Culpepper was introduced to LB James Harrison. Harrison beat up TE Will Heller to collect one of his 3 sacks on the day. The Steelers run a Base 3-4 and like to rush OLB's LaMarr Woodley and Harrison on passing downs using the 5-2 look. Legendary Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau like to Zone Blitz, and will bring different people from different positions on each play. Pittsburgh has a defense that tackles very well.

The Steelers maintained good coverage on the Lions receivers for the entire game, so Daunte found it hard to find someone to pass to. He was able to scramble for extra yards, gaining 32 yards one play. Still, the Pittsburgh defense held the Lions to 2 FGs until the 4th Quarter. On 3rd and 1, the Steelers went with 9 in the box, and at one point, the Lions brought Rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew in to account for James Harrison. In the 3rd quarter, Free Safety Ryan Clark gave Pettigrew a "Welcome to the NFL Kid" kidney shot when Brandon tried to catch a pass over the middle.

The Steelers had 10 tackles for loss and 2 for no gain in the game. James Harrison was everywhere and even ran down a TE screen to make the tackle after nearly sacking Culpepper. Daunte was nervous enough to wildly throw up an INT to Ryan Clark, after fumbling a snap at the end of the 3rd Quarter.

The Lions were able to drive from their own 18 for a TD in the 4th. They had the benefit of a Pass Interference penalty and rebounded from a holding penalty before Culpepper hit Dennis Northcutt for a 25 yard TD.

The Lions got the ball back at their 29 yard line with 3:07 left in the game and down by 8. After sideline passes for 18 and 13 yards to Derrick Williams, LaMarr Woodley took advantage of a blitz and sacked Culpepper. The next play was a Deep Incomplete pass, and on 3rd and 19, the Steelers rushed 6 and Daunte was able to convert for 22 yards. Then 3 consecutive sacks by William Gay, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons left the Lions with a 4th and 34 with 1:18 left. Culpepper threw a last chance desperation heave into the End Zone that was batted away by Ike Taylor to end the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Daniel Sepulveda, who is Left-footed, had 4 Punts that averaged 50.5 and netted 43.3 yards. The Punt coverage unit allowed an average of 5.75 yards per return, which is above average. Jeff Reed's Kickoffs made it to the 1, 8, 3, 8, and 5 yard line respectively, and the coverage team gave up an average of 23 yards, which is also pretty good. Kicker Jeff Reed was 4/4 on extra points and didn't attempt a FG. Stefan Logan returned 2 punts for a 7 yard average, and 5 kicks for a 25 yard average, including a nice 47 yard return.

SUMMARY

The Steelers may have found a cure for their running game in Rashard Mendenhall. the RB followed up his sensational performance in the previous week with 77 yards rushing and a TD on only 15 carries. The improvement on the ground has given the Steelers an added dimension for their offense. With the team able to show the threat of the run, Roethlisberger can use play-action passes to Heath Miller, Hines Ward and Mike Wallace over the middle of the field. The Steelers have put up 28 points or more in back-to-back games to this point,and their improved rushing attack played a part in that success.

Week 6- Pittsburgh vs Cleveland

Defense
1st Quarter: Pittsburgh had 3 defensive series in the first quarter. Most of the plays were wildcat runs. The Steelers seemed to struggle when Cribbs ran the ball. The first drive was fairly short. Pittsburgh blitzed on almost every play. The Browns tried to run a conventional offense on the next drive with no success. Things got interesting on the third drive. Pitt really struggled with outside runs. Cleveland ran the ball down to the Pittsburgh 20 beforeCribbs decided to throw the ball near Troy P. The result, INT. A big part of that play was the pressure by Timmons and Woodley.
2nd Quarter: Technically, the Browns had two possessions in this quarter but the second one was a kneel down at the end of the half so it doesn't count. On the other drive, Pittsburgh continued to struggle against outside runs. The Browns tried to get the passing game going but Pittsburgh's pressure was too much.
3rd Quarter: Pittsburgh continued to bring pressure but got burned on the Browns' first pass. Mohamed Massaquoi ran past double coverage and caught a 43 yard strike by Derek Anderson. They scored two plays later. The Steelers defense buckled down forcing a quick 3 and out and a fumble to end the quarter.
4th Quarter: Much of the same in the final quarter. Pittsburgh had 4 defensive series resulting in 0 points and 1 interception by Ryan Clark. The Browns continued to have success with the wildcat but were forced to abandon it due to time constraints. The Steelers kept blitzing throughout the rest of the game. Something that I noticed was that the Browns' receivers were open a lot near the sidelines. It could have been a more interesting game if Cleveland hadn't dropped like 75 percent of their passes.
Offense
1st Quarter: Pittsburgh had a tough time moving the ball in this quarter. They had trouble protecting Big Ben. He was under constant pressure and had to scramble in order to avoid a sack. The running game didn't help either.Mendenhall had a few nice runs but most of them were stopped for very little gain. On their third drive, the Steelers seemed to be getting into a rhythm but a bad snap was recovered by the Browns.
2nd Quarter: On their first possession of the second quarter, the Steelers scored thanks to two big plays. The first was a 22 yard pass to Heath Miller. The other was a 40 yard pass to Santonio Holmes. These two plays put them at the Browns' nine yard line and led to their first touchdown of the game. Ben hit Miller for the score. The running game continued to struggle while the passing game flourished. Big Ben had all day to pick apart the Browns' defense. The score at the half was 17-7 Pittsburgh.
3rd Quarter: The Steelers came out swinging in the third. Big Ben connected with Hines Ward for a huge gain which helped set up a 1 yard TD run by Mendenhall. Their next three drives ended in disaster. A bad throw turned into an interception on on the first drive. Back-to-Back fumbles by Mendenhall soon followed.
4th Quarter: Not much to write about here. Big Ben was sacked twice but for the most part the o-line was able to keep him upright. Final score, 27-14 Pittsburgh.-broncofan91

Week 7 PITTSBURGH 27 MINNESOTA 17 --Boydy

1/ Steelers Defense:

Le Beau is the master of disguise. He brings pressure from many places and uses lots of movement to confuse looks.
Will bring blitzing from secondary as well.
Steelers D kept them in the game. They pressured Favre a lot, and he eventually broke, with 14 points scored by the D.
Like to bring the FREE man, so requires that we have a RB in chipping.
Steelers are candidates for hard count with their aggression, particularly in noisy building like Mile High.
Secondary, particularly Polamalu, are prone to bite on pump fake. Once again, this due to their aggression.
Steelers weakness is across the middle, where chinks of 8 and 9 yards picked up easily.
Corners are a weakness. They bite, and can be thrown on.
Great coverage and reading on bootleg.

What this means for the Broncos:

We need to keep Steelers at bay with a commitment to run game. You will see us attack off tackle at LE with a weakness there. Cutbacks made some gains and we need to have our O line moving laterally and then attack against the grain.
Attack corners as they are susceptible to long ball and routes to sidelines.
Weakness over middle, even with Polamulu, and with Clark out, we need to get BM and DG across middle, and Scheffler down the seem.
Buckhalter sets up better against the Steelers as we will need a RB that can read the plays and be patient. We only need to sell the running game to stop the Steelers from attacking.
Steelers will bring it, and will go after Polumbus and Hamilton. We will need DG in there and Moreno and Buck will have to be good in protection, and do a good job of chipping, that may set us up for some gains on the screen game.

2/ Steelers Offense:

Many crossing routes relying on YAC.

Run game dominant running a lot at off tackle and reliance on cut back lanes.

Ben pressured a lot and did not go down field much.

Steelers were dink and dunk and this game, and fairly unimpressive.

Use of Heath Miller in seem and peeling out on screens and underneath routes.

O line is susceptible to blitz and disguise and Ben DOES fumble.

Will set up end around against aggressive defenses, using Holmes and Wallace.

What this means for the Broncos:

We need to out Steeler the Steelers! Lots of disguise, different looks and lots of variety. Big Ben is suspect against the blitz and will fumble and can be sacked. We need to make sure that WHEN our guys get into the backfield, we don’t run pass him and let him out of the pocket. That’s when he thrives.
Our LB corps, and WW and even Barrett will have to be on their game for Holmes coming across the middle and Miller in underneath routes and seems.
Wallace and Ward will threaten deep, so we need to get pressure on Ben, though I can see Goodman and Bailey taking away the deep play threat.

3. Special Teams:

Logan has some jets and PR team does a good job.
Jeff Reed is a good kicker and consistent with decent leg (though an awful tackler HAHAHA).
Kick off coverage only average. Struggle to cover after returner is past initial crease.
Punting team does solid job.

What this means for the Broncos:

Cover and tackle!
Eddie Royal needs to hit the hole and go. Harvin picks up cheap yards by hitting the hole early. No more dancing Eddie, use your speed and go!.

In conclusion, I have NO idea how the Vikings lost this game. They dominated in all facets of play, and one bad penalty, and 2 turnovers doomed them. The Steelers, to me , are very similar to the Ravens, but with a few more weaknesses in defense, and a an O line that can be dominated.

Here is something interesting to with regards to coaching. You know who flashed on some plays for the Vikings? Karl Paymah. Makes you wonder what good players slipped through Denver because of bad coaching or scheming.

Anyhow, Denver can win this game. A good showing from our O line should enable our offense to take opportunities in the passing game,and I have a feeling we will force some turnovers on D as well.

So Upon Further Review, GO BRONCOS!

Scouting The Ravens

KaptainKirk — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:59:43 -0000

This is a joint effort of Boydy2669, BShrout, Broncofan91, and myself. We will be running this Scouting Report on a weekly basis based on what we have seen while watching game tape. We have yet to decide what to call ourselves, so for now, just bear with us as we try to bring you up to date with what the Broncos upcoming opponents have done in their past games.

The Baltimore Ravens have striven to create an offense capable of matching the swagger of their defense, annually among the best in the NFL. They finally have that kind of attack. In their 2nd season with Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron, QB Joe Flacco and RB Ray Rice have carried a unit that ranks 7th in total yardage and is averaging a robust 28.2 points per game.

The Ravens have a three-headed running game. Willis McGahee is the speedster, Ray Rice is the receiver and they utilize him similar to the Patriots Kevin Faulk. Le'Ron McClain is the power back. QB Joe Flacco commands the huddle, makes the 3rd down passes when needed, and in his 2nd year is starting to get comfortable in John Harbaugh's offense. TE Todd Heap (24 Rec, 262 Yds, 2 TD's) and WR Derrick Mason (26 Rec,381 Yds, 3 TD's) are having good years catching passes from Flacco. They have some talent on the O-Line with C Matt Birk and OT's Jered Gaither and rookie Michael Oher. Birk is the elder statesman in his 12th year while the rest of the line averages 3 years experience. This is where the strength of the Ravens lies, moving over from their once feared defense.

Baltimore's defense, which ranked in the top six the past six seasons, has fallen to 17th in the league and has seemingly fallen apart. They have been giving up an average of 21.6 points a game and are not so fearsome after losing LB Bart Scott, SS Jim Leonhard, and DB Corey Ivy to Free Agency. The problem with the Ravens defense is they have been giving up too much yardage. Without Scott, who ranked second on the team in tackles last year, Baltimore is yielding 332.7 yards per game - an increase of 60 yards from 2008. The Ravens have allowed 24 plays of 20 yards or more (21 passes and three runs). ILB Brendon Ayanbadejo was Placed on IR (torn left quadriceps) on 10/5. Also, it looks like CB Samari Rolle is out for the season with a neck injury. Rolle could have reinvigorated a pass defense that ranks 22nd in the NFL in average yards allowed (241.5) and is tied for 22nd in passing touchdowns surrendered (nine). Cornerback Fabian Washington was pulled against the Vikings after being repeatedly beaten, and his replacement, Frank Walker, fared no better.

The run defense is struggling, the secondary is making receivers look good, and the pass rush isn't getting penalized for roughing the passer anymore. It's not making QB's feel uncomfortable in the pocket either. The Ravens (3-3) entered their bye week with a three-game losing streak after giving up a combined 77 points to New England, Cincinnati and Minnesota. The Baltimore Defense has struggled after finishing second last season under the guidance of Rex Ryan, who left to become the Head Coach for the New York Jets.

The Ravens went 39 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher before Cedric Benson and Adrian Peterson each surpassed the century mark in successive weeks before the bye. The backfield has been victimized by long pass plays, including a 58-yarder last Sunday in Minnesota that set up the winning field goal in a 33-31 defeat.

Ray Lewis has maintained his effectiveness even though he is being stalked by Father Time. He is still the Emotional hub of this team, much like Brian Dawkins is to the Broncos.

Baltimore Head Coach John Harbaugh says he won't shake up the lineup in the bye week, but still, Baltimore's No. 1 concern is finding a player to stop the other team's top receiver.

It's a glaring weakness, and the Ravens have few options. They've already benched starting CB Fabian Washington and nickel back Chris Carr, and that didn't work. They can't get solid enough play out of safeties Ed Reed and Dawan Landry to hide mistakes on the back end, so it now comes down to pressuring the QB.

The secondary is a mess. At times, the Ravens need a GPS to know where they're going. None of their cornerbacks has a physical presence, and the best of the bunch is Lardarius Webb, whom the Ravens are slow to play because he is a rookie. Dawan Landry is slow and hesitant, which is not unusual for a player returning from a serious neck injury this past season. With Reed, it's hit or miss with his gambling. The CB's, Domonique Foxworth, who was signed for $16.5 million guaranteed, and Fabian Washington, are small at 5 feet 11 inches. Foxworth, in particular, is struggling with a lack of physical play in coverage.

The defensive front is still superb in the red zone. The Ravens stopped three Vikings drives inside the 20-yard line (a fourth was stopped just outside the 20) to force field goals. But the secondary has been shredded. The Chargers passed for 436 yards. The Chiefs scored 24 points. Favre’s completion rate was 72 percent, a window into the bigger problem. The team that once was able to win without the benefit of a reliable offense now has no reliable defense.

The good news is that the rookie CB Lardarius Webb looks promising and may already be the second-best corner on the roster, behind Washington. In the bye week, when Coach John Harbaugh will have time to make changes, Webb could become more prominent.

Week 1 -- BALTIMORE 38 KANSAS CITY 24 --Bshrout

The Ravens offense came out throwing. They tended to keep six in tight to block, most often a RB helping out. Heap and Mason were favorite targets. Heap was often able to find open spots in the KC zone. Mason demonstrated crisp route running, in one instance he sold the idea that he was going deep, and when the DB bit, he pivoted his route into the center of the field. Kelley Washington demonstrated a tremendous leaping ability on one catch. The few running plays were mostly draw plays initiated from a shotgun formation. Flacco was mostly on target. When he did happen to miss, the pass was generally thrown too close to the sideline or too high. The one weakness Baltimore seemed to display was that their run blocking out of a two-point stance was not particularly good.

Flacco demonstrated a good awareness of the field, always keeping his shoulders squared up for a throw downfield, his eyes constantly facing his receivers. He was not afraid to take off running when his receivers failed to gain separation from the defenders. He showed that he has the ability to evade a strong rush, keeping his eyes focused on his receivers, even as he's sliding away from the pressure. His receivers showed the awareness to adjust their routes when their quarterback was flushed out of the pocket.
Baltimore ran an incredible 85 plays, amassing 501 yards (41 rushes for 198 yards and 26 of 43 passing for 303 yards). Flacco was sacked one time. They scored touchdowns twice via rush and three times by passes. They went 4 for 4 in the Red Zone and 3 for 3 when faced with Goal to Go. They had 11 drives during the game:
   2 that went 3 and out    3 that went 9 yards or less    1 that was in the 40-50 yard range    1 that was in the 50-60 yard range    1 that was in the 60-70 yard range    3 that went for more than 70 yards.
They missed one field goal, had a punt blocked and Flacco threw 1 interception.    They showed a definite preference when rushing to run to the right. 19 of their 41 (110 yards) went to the right. The majority of their passes were thrown short, and to either side (short right 8 completions for 83 yards, short left 7 completions for 40 yards).

The Ravens defense appeared to be every bit as dominant as the offense. Their base formation was a 3-4 with the LBs about 6 yards off the line of scrimmage, and the DBs 8-10 off. As the offense prepared to snap the ball, the defense often shifted two of the LBs into down linemen forming, in essence, a 5-2. The defensive line repeatedly won the battle of the trenches, pushing the Chiefs' offensive line off the line of scrimmage. Lewis and Suggs were forces of nature, repeatedly penetrating the line and blowing up plays in the backfield. The defense so confused that KC's Croyle, that at one point he was forced to call a time out. When he approached the sideline, one of the coaches (I'm not sure exactly who it was) repeatedly yelled "Snap the f---ing ball" at the QB. The Raven often rushed only 4, but were still able to penetrate and force hurried throws and put hits on Croyle. The KC receivers did not appear to be able to make crisp terms up field after catches as the DBs closed quickly on anyone who caught a ball.

The Baltimore defense allowed only 44 plays for 188 yards. They crushed the KC rushing attack, allowing only 29 rushing yards. The Ravens stifled the Chiefs passing attack, giving up only 159 yards on 16 of 24 passing. Croyle was sacked 3 times. The defense was on the field for 11 drives with the following results:
    5 went for 3 and out.
    7 were 9 yards or less.
    1 was in the 10-20 yard range.
    1 was in the 40-50 yard range.
    1 was in the 50-60 yard range.
    1 was in the 80+ yard range.
They forced 5 punts, gave up 2 touchdowns and 1 field goal.

The defense did a great job of stuffing runs to the left -- giving up on 1 yard on 3 runs. They were most vulnerable on runs up the middle, but still only gave up 16 yards. KC got most of their passing yards on short passes to either side. The Ravens only gave up 1 deep pass that went for 50 yards.

Special teams did not really seem to stand out. The Ravens punted twice with a 43.5 average. They had 9 yards on 3 punt returns and 79 yards on 4 kick returns. Kansas City punted 5 times with a 49.2 average. The Chiefs had 1 punt return for 0 yards and 6 kick returns netting 118 yards.
When lebowskibronco's - "4 Stats That Don't Lie" are applied to this game, we find:

                                               KC           Balt
    Turnovers                               0               1
    Ave. Starting Position         30           30
    Ave. T.O.P.                            20:11       39:49
    3rd Down Efficiency               20%          59%
    Penalties (my addition)          3-15          8-65

In looking at this, especially in the light of Baltimore's last three games, it could be argued that this first game is more of a reflection of Kansas City being impacted by first game jitters that were exacerbated by the turmoil created by Cassel's injury and the reassignment of their Offensive Coordinator a week prior to the start of the regular season.
   That said, on offense, Flacco is a force to be reckoned with. His ability to evade pressure while remaining focused on his receivers will create problems for Denver's defense. The Broncos will need to find a way to take away Flacco's favorite game 1 target -- TE Heap. On defense, Ray Lewis is still a dominating force, if he's given an opening. And when Lewis is doubled up, Suggs is able to take up the slack.
   The Ravens present themselves as being eerily reminiscent of the 2008 Broncos. A strong-armed quarterback driving a high-octane offense that starts out strong for the first three games, then begins to lose speed as the season progresses.--BShrout

Week 2 -- BALTIMORE 31 SAN DIEGO 26 --KaptainKirk

In week 2, the San Diego Chargers played host to the Ravens. Baltimore was an ungracious guest, beating the Chargers to go to 2-0 on the season.

BAL Offense vs SD Defense
The Ravens ran where they wanted on the Chargers defense. San Diego was without NT Jamal Williams and it showed, as Baltimore exploited the center of the line repeatedly. In fact, the Chargers Defensive Line was trying to shore itself up with two new players, Ogemdi Nwagbuo, and Vaughn Martin. Nwagbuo got pushed downfield repeatedly by Center Matt Birk. Willis McGahee had 3 carries for 5+ yards and 3 for at least 10 yards and Ray Rice had 3 carries of 5+ yards. Flacco can run the QB sneak, but the short yardage carries belong to LaRon McClain. Baltimore's passing game consisted of screens and swing passes to Rice, McGahee, and McClain, with a few medium range passes to his receivers. At times, Joe Flacco stood in the pocket long enough to grow a neckbeard, as his O-Line only gave up 1 sack. For the game, Flacco was 17 - 26 for 190 yards, 2 TD's and 1 INT and a 96.6 Rating.

BAL Defense vs SD Offense
For the game, San Diego QB Philip Rivers threw for 436 yards, 2 TD's and 2 INT's.DT Haloti Ngata started this game establishing himself as the Alpha, throwing his weight around during the first few plays. SS Ed Reed came on a blitz with 3rd and long and the Raven defense was able to hold on the opening possession. On San Diego's 2nd possession, after the Special Teams downed a punt at the 1, the Ravens let the Chargers convert the 3rd and long. The Defense was in a 4-3 alignment with one safety deep and the other at the line showing blitz. At the snap, the Safety at the line and the LB's dropped into zone coverage and the CB's in Man coverage. The pass rush was ineffective on the play and allowed San Diego a 1st down completion. The next play was a Darren Sproles 7 yard run, and LB Tavares Gooden employed a "Ted Block," to free Ray Lewis. It was just as hoosierteacher explained it here, and slowwhiteguy here.

However Lewis was the victim of an uncalled block in the back by Chargers RT Louis Vasquez. After blowing up a screen attempt on 3rd and 2, Rivers hooked up with Sproles in the flat, who promptly raced 81 yards untouched for a TD. On San Diego's 3rd possession, the Baltimore defense allowed a pair of 17 yards on 3 runs by Michael Bennett. Then former Bronco CB Domonique Foxworth got beat by Malcolm Floyd on a Deep Post pattern down to the 10 yard line. The play was good for 45 yards. On 2nd and goal at the 5, Ngata collapsed the pocket and collected Rivers for his 1st sack of the year, a 10 yard loss. Consequently, the Chargers were forced to settle for a Field Goal.

In the 2nd Quarter, the Chargers were able to get two sustained drives on the Ravens, but Baltimore's defense held them to Field Goals. On the Chargers first drive, they tried a WR reverse, and it was sniffed out by LB Jarrett Johnson. When the Ravens blitzed, Philip Rivers was able to connect with WR Vincent Jackson for 18 yards. Ray Lewis again disrupts the San Diego pass blocking on 3rd down, and Terrell Suggs and Johnson finish off the sack. The 2nd drive started with a screen to Sproles to the right side opposing a Blitz. and he picked up 22 yards on the play. Then Rivers hit TE Antonio Gates on a post all the way to the 2 where he fumbled. Vincent Jackson was able to recover for the Bolts. Antonio turned CB Fabian Washington completely around and then made Ed Reed miss before Ray Lewis caused the fumble. The Ravens successfully Blitzed Philip Rivers three consecutive plays to force the third FG of the half.

The 3rd Quarter saw San Diego score their 2nd TD. Down by 12, Rivers went for it all on 1st down from the 42, throwing incomplete to Malcolm Floyd. Fabian Washington had him well covered on the play. Rivers then made a pass to Vincent Jackson to the left for a 35 yard TD.

In the 4th quarter, The Chargers closed the Ravens lead to 2 points with a FG. On their next possession, Rivers had San Diego driving down the field, when on a 3rd and 6, he threw a pick to SS Dawan Landry on a blitz by Ray Lewis. Baltimore then responded with a FG of their own with 2:54 left in the game. The last drive Rivers completes a deep Post to Vincent Jackson for 38 yards down to the 35. Domonique Foxworth had him covered well. An incomplete pass to WR Chris Chambers took the game to the 2 minute warning. A couple of 7 yard passes and 3 in-completes later, it was 4th and 2 with 37 seconds in the game. Rivers hands the ball off to Darren Sproles and Ray Lewis hammers him in the backfield to ice the game.

On Special Teams, the Ravens punted 4 times, two resulted in no returns and the other two were downed at the 2 and 1 yard line respectively. Returner Chris Carr had two Punt return opportunities. The first he let go out of bounds at the 14, and the second went into the end zone. He had 5 Kick Returns for 137 yards, with a long of 41, but unwisely brought a Kickoff out of the End zone only to fumble it at the 15 yard line. The Kick coverage was just so-so, allowing Darren Sproles returns of 20, 35, 27, and a long of 53 yards in the game. They shot themselves in the foot with a "piling on" personal foul penalty to start the game. Steven Haushka converted all 4 extra points and made a 33 yard FG.--KaptainKirk

Week 3 -- BALTIMORE 34 CLEVELAND 3 --KaptainKirk

We really didn't get a chance to analyze this game, but it was an onslaught. not a whole lot to figure out in a beating like this. However, for continuity, here are the highlights.

The Ravens really took it to the helpless Browns, handing them a 34-3 smack-down. Willis McGahee ran the ball just seven times, but two of those carries resulted in TD's in the first half. McGahee finished with 67 yards and led a rushing attack that picked up 142 yards on the ground.

Baltimore ended Cleveland's first drive with an INT, then converted the turnover into a TD with less than 5 minutes elapsed. It turned out to be all the points Baltimore needed to beat the punchless Browns. And when Ravens QB Joe Flacco threw a 72-yard touchdown down the left sideline to Derrick Mason it was time to turn out the lights. That TD gave Baltimore a 34-3 lead with 8:05 left, and came only one play after Baltimore had forced its 4th turnover of the game.

The Browns stunk it up so bad, that starting QB Brady Quinn was taken out at halftime and replaced by Derek Anderson. Quinn went 6 for 8 for 34 yards and an INT. Anderson, who lost his starting job to Quinn last year, was 11 for 19 for 92 yards and 3 INT's.

The two teams had close to the same time of possession, but Baltimore made better use of the clock. The Ravens had 28 1st downs to Cleveland's 11, and finished with 479 total yards to Cleveland's 186, turning the ball over just once, while the Browns had 4 turnovers. To this point, the Browns have scored one offensive TD their last 9 games dating back to last year.

Joe Flacco went 25 for 35 with a TD, and McGahee's two TDs gave him 6 in 3 games. Baltimore is 3-0 for only the 2nd time in franchise history, thanks heavily to an offense that is averaging 34.3 points per game.

Derrick Mason caught 5 passes for 118 yards, including the 72-yard TD. His 3rd reception made him the 23rd player in NFL history with 800 career catches.

Cleveland played without running back Jamal Lewis (hamstring) and kicker Phil Dawson (leg). The Browns' lone score was a 29-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff with 14:55 left. --KaptainKirk

Week 4 -- BALTIMORE 21 NEW ENGLAND 27 --BOYDY.

1/ DEFENSE:

Ravens use a mix of 4-3 and 3-4 depending on down and distance. For example, early in the game they used the 4-3 look defending the pass and some 3 man fronts to defend the run. They do a good job of disguising their looks, to bring pressure in the form of rushes and blitzes from different areas. Some blitzes brought from Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs.
Patriots attacked Ravens in the pass game straight at the corner backs, using hitches and comebacks to good effect.
Weakness in secondary is straight up the seem where a couple of great gains were made by Benjamin Watson.
Evidence of initial bump by corners on line of scrimmage that did seem to put Randy Moss off early in the game.
With the aggressiveness of the Ravens D, some good gains were made on the screen game by Sammy Morris.
In the run game, the Ravens were very stout up the middle. With Ngata and Gregg, very hard going.
Patriots made some yardage on draws from shot gun, as well as some decent yardage with toss and wide of off tackle. It made the Ravens front 3 or 4 have to slide laterally which allowed some running lanes on the cutback and wider.
Short yardage (4th and 1) Sammy Morris came in as FB and picked up the yardage on quick snap.

2/ WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR BRONCOS?

We have some great match ups in the secondary with Brandon Marshall and Jabbar Gaffney. Brandon Marshall is a more physical WR than Moss, so bumping him at LOS will probably not work.
There will be some opportunities for some vertical plays I think. We may air it out against these short corner backs.
Underneath slot game with Royal and Stokley could be key, so look for Denver to have both on field together.
A massive mismatch is with Sheffler and Graham at Tight End. You saw what happened in the chargers game, and Watson has some big games. Look for Sheffler in the seem, and for Daniel Graham to pick up some cheap yardage over the middle. Look for plenty of 2 and 3 TE sets from Denver. This could be exploited.
Look for some variety in the running game. Our pass game can be set up by our run game. Plenty of off tackle and toss plays to keep the Ravens front 7 on there heels. This will also set up some cheap plays on the screen game.
I want to see Peyton Hillis in as FB on running game, particularly short yardage. Look for some quick snaps and hand offs to Hillis as well as some more involvement in screen game. The aggressiveness of the Ravens sets up for this.

3/ OFFENSE:

The Ravens will use McGahee to set up play action pass. He is used almost as much as a decoy to keep opposition defenses on the back foot.
Ravens use a lot of screen plays from shot gun with Ray Rice and McClain. This seems to be their MO to set up the vertical pass. Run to set up play action, short pass and screen game. Short pass game and screen game to set up vertical pass. We have seen this from Cam Cameron in his years with San Diego, and nothing has changed in Baltimore.
Mason is the predominant target for Joe Flacco. Of 17 passes in first half, 9 went to Mason. They come out early and get the ball to Mason to get the team on the roll, and then Flacco spreads it around. Look for Flacco to go early and often to his security blanket.
Starting to line Ray Rice up wide, and getting him more involved. He is taking on a LT/Sproles type role a la Cam Cameron at San Diego.
Flacco has great mobility for a big fella and a great arm.
He struggled with pressure and it greatly effected his accuracy as game went on.
Todd Heap had some good plays across the middle.

4/ WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR BRONCOS?

Our D could bring some very different looks, and will/should pressure Flacco consistently.
WE have a secondary that will be able to control and shutdown Derek Mason. With safety help over the top that should be easy to achieve.
We need to be able to cover the screen and dump off play which will work against our aggressiveness bringing pressure.
Look for us to bring in Barrett to limit the effectiveness of Heap.
Denver has the ability to take away the run, Mason and Heap where Flacco will have to dink and dunk. The screen with Rice could be a major play for the Ravens.
I like the ability of our secondary to shut the WR’s for the Ravens down, including Derek Mason.

5/ SPECIAL TEAMS:

The Ravens have only average special teams. The Pats were able to limit their starting position for Flacco to around the 20 yard mark on kick offs.
They have a good punting game, with their punter having one of the best records for kicks with in the 10 yard area.
Average on punt return game.
Average on kick off coverage.

6/ WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR BRONCOS?

We need to keep making progress on the our return games. Great effort last week.
Our coverage units should be able to nullify the return game for the Ravens. --Boydy

Week 5 -- BALTIMORE 14 CINCINNATI 17 --BShrout

OFFENSE
   Baltimore attempted to show balanced attack. Heap and Rice were Flacco's favorite targets. Mason was held without a catch. Flacco continued to demonstrate a strong ability to elude pressure, scrambling when the pocket collapsed. The offense also showed a quarterback option play with the fullback leading Flacco on his left and Rice trailing the play on his right. It did not fool the Bengals. The Ravens did not show a consistent ability to open holes for runs up the middle -- perhaps due to Oher being moved from RT to LT due to an injury to the Ravens' starting LT. Rice showed the ability to be explosive when allowed to get to the outside. He was not as consistently strong in runs up the middle.
   Baltimore ran 51 plays for 257 yards. They gained 82 yards on the ground and 175 through the air. Flacco was sacked twice and intercepted twice. They had 10 offensive drives, netting the following results:

   3 that went 3 and out
   2 that ended in interceptions
   6 that ended in punts
   1 that ended in downs
   1 that scored a touchdown
   3 in the 10-20 yard range
   1 in the 30-40 yard range
   1 that went 69 yards
This was not the same high-octane offense seen in Week 1 versus Kansas City.

DEFENSE
   The Ravens defense appeared to be vulnerable to passes over the middle. Their run defense was inconsistent. There was a lot of pre-snap movement intent upon disguising when and where the Ravens were going to blitz. CB's Fabian Washington and Domonique Foxworth were both repeatedly beaten by passes over the middle. The Ravens blitzed a great deal, but only got to Palmer once (this followed a bad snap in the shotgun formation). They did intercept Palmer once (Reed returned the pick for a touchdown). The crowd noise combined with pre-snap movement to cause two delay of game penalties. The defense allowed three drives of 5 minutes or more (7:04, 5:08 and 6:19), but interestingly enough those three drives ended in a missed FG, an interception returned for a touchdown and a touchdown.
   The Baltimore defense allowed only 66 plays for 403 yards. They allowed 142 rushing yards, and 261 passing yards. The defense was on the field for 11 drives with the following results:

   1 went for negative yardage (a kneel down to end the game)
   2 went for 3 & out.
   4 were in the 10-20 yard range.
   1 was in the 40-50 yard range.
   1 was in the 50-60 yard range.
   2 were in the 70+ yard range.
They forced 4 punts, gave up 2 touchdowns and 1 field goal.

SPECIAL TEAMS
   Special teams still did not really seem to stand out. The Ravens punted 6 times with a 45.3 yard average. They had 1 yard on 2 punt returns and 85 yards on 3 kick returns. Cincinnati punted 4 times with a 40 yard average. The Bengals had 3 punt returns for 26 yards and 3 kick returns netting 59 yards.

OTHER

   When lebowskibronco's 4 "Stats That Don't Lie" are applied to this game, we find:

                                               Cin       Balt
   Turnovers                               2           2
   Avg. Starting Position          22       27
   T.O.P.                                   34:19      25:41
   3rd Down Efficiency            38%       27%
    Penalties (my addition)       7-39       10-76

The Ravens have a hard-hitting defense, a quarterback who can elude pressure and an explosive runner in Rice. What this means for Denver:

1)Orton needs to continue to make smart choices and avoid interceptions.

2)The offense needs to force the Ravens to defend the middle of the field, which will open things up on the outside.

3)The Broncos should use lots of multiple receiver looks, the Ravens do not appear to have the defensive secondary to cover everybody, especially when you add a running back coming out of the backfield.

4)The defense needs to keep up the pressure on Flacco, he's not as effective when he's forced to move.

5)Don't let Rice get to the outside. --BShrout.

Week 6 -- BALTIMORE 31 MINNESOTA 33 --Broncofan91

Defense
Starters: DE Haloti Ngata(#92), NT Kelly Gregg(#97), DE Trevor Pryce(#90), ROLB Terrell Suggs(#55), RILB Tavaris Gooden(#56), LILB Ray Lewis(#52), LOLB Jarret Johnson(#95), LCB Fabian Washington(#31), SS Dawan Landry(#26), FS Ed Reed(#20), RCB Domonique Foxworth(#24).
1st Quarter:The Vikings had 3 drives in the 1st quarter. Two of them ended in TDs. The Ravens did a good job stopping the run.The front 7 was constantly in the backfield wreaking havoc. Adrian Peterson managed to break-off a 20 yard run but other than that Baltimore stuffed the run pretty good. However, their DBs are below average except for Ed Reed. They were able to pressure Favre but the receivers were almost always open by the time the pressure got there. Old friend Domonique Foxworth made a nice play when he swatted the ball away from Bernard Berrian to force a punt. Trevor Pryce, another old friend, had a key sack on that same drive.

2nd Quarter: 3 straight runs and a quick 3 and out started the Vikings' first drive of the second quarter. The Ravens did a great job of filling the gaps with their linebackers. They also started to blitz a lot more. On their second defensive series, the Ravens got burned on an overload blitz that got picked up. Brett Favre was able to connect with WR Sidney Rice for a 15-yard gain. The defense settled down after that and managed to pressure Favre enough to force a couple of throwaways and a punt. Minnesota would get the ball one last time. On 2nd and 4, Favre rolled out to the right but good coverage forced him to take the sack. The next play resulted in an incomplete pass. Baltimore's quick pressure forced Favre to throw off-balance as the ball fell to the ground.

3rd Quarter: The Ravens were unable to stop the run on the Vikings first possession of the third quarter. The Vikings ran the ball for most of the drive. They moved the ball down to the Baltimore 22 before being forced to kick a FG. Foxworth did a nice job blowing up a screen at the line of scrimmage. The next defensive series for Baltimore was a short one. Fabian Washington got burned for 63 yards by Sidney Rice. The defense managed to keep the Vikes out of the endzone and forced them to kick another field goal.

4th Quarter: Two big plays cost the Ravens the game. The first was a pass-interference penalty on Frank Walker. The play set-up 1st and goal for the Vikings. Two plays later, Favre found Visanthe Shiancoe for the score. The second was a 58 yard bomb to Sidney Rice. This would lead to what turned out to be the game-winning field goal.

Offense
Starters:LT Michael Oher(#74), LG Ben Grubbs(#66), C Matt Birk(#77), RG Chris Chester(#65), RT Marshal Yanda(#73), WR Mark Clayton(#89), RB Ray Rice(#27), FB LeRon McClain(#33), QB Joe Flacco(#5), TE Todd Heap(#86), WR Derrick Mason(#85)

1st Quarter: Baltimore had the ball 3 times in the first quarter. The first drive ended with sack on 3rd down. The second drive wasn't much different. Run by McClain, 2 incomplete passes by Flacco and a quick 3 and out. They were able get a first down on their last drive but that was it. Oher did a great job blocking in the pass game but his run blocking was sub-par. Baltimore's guards seemed to struggle in pass-protection.

2nd Quarter: The first two drives for Baltimore were pretty uneventful. Oher struggled a bit more in pass-protection than he did in the first quarter. The Ravens seemed to focus on trying to get the run game going with little success. They were unable to score in those two drives. Baltimore would get the ball back with 1:47 left in the half. This time Flacco drove down the field setting up a field goal with 6 seconds left. The interesting thing about this drive is that the receivers only had two receptions. Almost every throw by Flacco was either a screen or dumped-off to Ray Rice.

3rd Quarter: The running game continued to struggle in the third quarter. The Ravens did have a good drive that ended in a touchdown. Flacco's toughness really shined in this drive. Despite being under constant pressure, he stood strong in the pocket and delivered strike after strike to his receivers. The drive was capped off by a 23 yard touchdown run by Rice.

4th Quarter: Baltimore got the ball back with ten minutes left in the game. Down 27-10, Flacco took a beating while led the Ravens down the field for the score. A 62 yard catch and run by Rice on the next drive would help make the score 30-24. The Ravens would get the ball back with 3:44 left to play. One play was all they needed to get their first lead of the game. Ray Rice went 33 yards untouched into the endzone. Minnesota was able to retake the lead with a field goal but they left two minutes for Flacco and the Ravens to try for another comeback. Flacco got them within range but a missed field goal would end the game.--Broncofan91

There you have it. You can see yourself what has been going on with the Baltimore Ravens. The team; Boydy, BShrout, and Broncofan91 did an excellent job of watching film and making these observations, and we hope this prepares you for Sunday's game.

Go Broncos!

THE CBA Part 3

KaptainKirk — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:38:59 -0000

At last, the 3rd part of the CBA series is here. I know you've been patiently waiting for it, so here goes. In case you missed them here is Part 1 and here is Part 2. This time around, we will be tackling the Escalation and Impact of the voiding of the CBA, and the Consequences of an Uncapped season. We will also talk about the Leverage and Who has it. It will be a long one, so grab your coffee and hang on.

The NFL’s last lockout was in 1987, a strike that lasted 24 days. Since then, Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NHL have all had labor issues that led to missed games in each of those sports. This impending battle could be the NFL's most difficult labor impasse since the league shut down operations for two months during the 1982 season.

The last labor agreement was reached in 2006, when the owners increased the players' shares of the league's estimated $8 billion a year in revenue to 60 percent, up from 57 percent. With the salary cap increasing by at least $5 million per season, and sometimes much more, the owners say that's too much. The players are guessing the owners will seek a rollback.

That's why the National Football League Players Association leaders became worried last year when the NFL hired Bob Batterman, an NHL labor lawyer during the 2004-05 shutdown that resulted in players under contract taking a 24 percent pay cut and accepting a salary cap.

The first step to labor unrest is virtually guaranteed to happen next year when the league reaches the ominous "uncapped" year for the 2010 season. After that, owners are expected to attempt to lock out players, and legal battles will ensue. The future of the game could be decided in a courtroom.

The players believe that the owners aren’t going to play around. They’re looking at a lock out. There is talk of union busting and scare tactics to provoke the players into taking a bad deal out of desperation.

LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Attorney Gregg Levy, who has represented the NFL in labor matters for approximately 20 years, recently sent a letter to all owners claiming that NFL teams were averaging $231 million in debt currently. Levy advised owners to get debt control quickly.

The players have countered with a union-commissioned study that showed the average value of the teams has grown from $288 million to $1.04 billion over 10 years, an increase of about 14 percent a year. NFLPA Executive Director Demaurice Smith said that he was not sure whether a business that generated $8 billion in revenue last year should be contemplating putting people out of work.

Ultimately, the NFL wants the entire court system to be removed from the labor process. Both Commissioner Roger Goodell and league counsel Jeff Pash acknowledged that getting the courts off the case is the goal.

The union would likely counter that the NFL has grown so drastically because of court supervision, not in spite of it. It’s hard to argue that the league is suffering in any way. For instance, the NFL announced earlier this offseason that it again broke its attendance records.

Most important, the union also has the right in the CBA to return to court and retained the right to decertify as a union in order to return to federal court.

THE ESCALATION

Where currently players with 4 accrued seasons can hit unrestricted free agency, an uncapped scenario would require players to complete 6 years to reach the open market if no new agreement is reached. Teams would also be able to shackle players with both a franchise tag and two transition tags per year to prevent their best players from leaving, though they also would face serious limitations in free agency. Playoff teams reaching the final 8 spots only would be able to sign a FA if they lose one of their own, and the final 4 teams could sign only one FA for every two they lose.

Opting out of the agreement triggers many things, including the possibility that there will not be a salary cap in the 2010 season and that the terms of the agreement will cease after that season. If that happens, the NFLPA expects the owners to attempt a lockout of the players, starting in March 2011. A lockout that could ultimately threaten the 2011 season.

The late Gene Upshaw, the union's executive director, said before his unexpected death last August that if the cap went away, there would not be another. The new director DeMaurice Smith has agreed with his predecessor's stand.

"If we move to an uncapped scenario, we will not go back," Smith said during a conference call with reporters in March, days after being elected as executive director.

Ominously, both sides have begun to amass deep war chests. The players, according to NFLPA officials, have stashed away a $210 million strike fund. I appears the union is prepared to enter an uncapped year with a possible repeat of a 1987 strike. The owners' contingency is in the 10-figure category, and in its recent extensions with CBS and Fox, and its deal with DirecTV, there will be $24 billion from television revenue coming in this season. The league has included provisions to be paid even if there is a lockout two years from now.

Some players have made contingencies beyond saving money, such as going back to school. For those players that left school without a degree, that might be the smart way to go in this poor economy.

IMPACT OF WORK STOPPAGE

If a team wants to sign a restricted free agent, it would have to give up as much as 1st- and 3rd-round picks to get that player -- and that's before it pays him a big contract. That is a deal-breaker. Further limiting movement, teams will have an additional franchise tag to slap on players. There are also semi-complicated limits on free-agent acquisitions for the final 8 playoff teams.So, despite teams having a ton of money to spend, some of the best players might not be available.

Now you can see why so many players have been clamoring to sign long-term deals. The money they receive now could be greater than anything they could receive with their inability to test free agency unfettered.

All evidence points to 2010 being played without a salary cap. If that's so, then the list of restricted free-agents will be, by far, the best ever, including all the 4th- and 5th-year unsigned players. There are roughly 175 players who will be FA's if there’s a new CBA (with the same free agency requirements as now) but who will only be restricted FA's as we currently stand entering an uncapped year.

However, the players fear that prospect because it would affect their benefits. There would essentially be no limits on spending for players. If the labor agreement expires without a new deal in place, player salaries for 2010 won't be capped, but there won't be a minimum, either. Sure, a QB might get $10 million, but the punter signed at mid-season theoretically could be told to "take-it-or-leave-it" on a $100,000 salary. That's almost one-third the current minimum of $310,000.

The teams that are so far under the cap will be happy to see the uncapped year, even at the risk of becoming much like George Steinbrenners NY Yankees, outspending the smaller market teams. But without the Salary Cap, some teams may spend as much as they want, beyond the current maximum of $128 million, or as little as they want, since the minimum of $112.1 million would not exist either.

However, with owners saying they've girded for a 2010 season with no salary cap, the teams that drafted well this season and last season have an edge. Sure, it's exciting to think the owner of your team might break open the vault to get a premiere player, but in an uncapped 2010, those potential difference-makingFA's could have restrictions placed on them that choke off their availability and leave your needy team out of luck.

That's why so many teams are hoping they drafted well this season and do as well or better in the 2010 draft. With the free-agent pool potentially limited, some of these teams could be in the same rut they're in right now if their draft picks don't pan out. It's imperative to their success to choose wisely in the next year to be really good.

That might not be great news for bad and rebuilding teams like St. Louis, Kansas City, Buffalo or other franchises that need to upgrade their talent. It could be even worse for ailing veteran teams like Tennessee or Jacksonville, that could use free-agent help to augment their rosters since they think they can still be competitive now.

WHO HAS THE UPPER HAND

According to league figures, the players have received about 75 percent of revenues since 2006, while the other 25 percent has gone to costs, plus another 6 percent over that which owners have absorbed because of rising costs.

The union disputes those numbers.

"The CBA explicitly restricts player costs to just under 60 percent," NFLPA spokesman George Atallah told The Associated Press. "That is fixed."

Citing a recent survey by Forbes magazine showing 19 franchises are worth at least $1 billion, Atallah said:

"Average team profits last year increased by 31 percent and labor costs by only 4 percent. Historical reports by Forbes also reveal that team values have increased exponentially. The Patriots, for example, increased in value from $172 million in 1994 to $1.4 billion today. That’s 713 percent in the past 15 years.(Doesn’t seem like a broken model to me).

"Just tell us directly the specifics of why this CBA is not working," he added. "We can’t be forced to negotiate over a proposal that doesn’t yet exist."

Cincinnati, St. Louis, Tampa, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Kansas City, and Miami could conceivably sit there and play with a cheaper payroll, and that wouldn’t be much different than where they are right now.

So, the small-market teams likely would stockpile bargain-basement players with contracts that are commensurate with their level of NFL experience.

More importantly, the consensus among team executives is that plenty of owners believe that they can simply pocket the savings they get in 2010 by playing for around $100 million or so. Then, the theory goes, the owners would simply renegotiate a new deal with the players that will again feature a salary cap for 2011 and beyond. And if there is a lockout in ’11, owners will still receive money from the existing broadcast deals.

One team executive said:

"The owners are going to make a point in 2010, that they can get by paying a lot less and then they’ll see how the players react,"

Can the owners finally get the leverage required to beat a union that over the past two decades has turned the tables on the power structure? Under the guidance of Gene Upshaw, NFL players now make the largest percentage of gross revenues 59%, than their counterparts in other professional sports. And what's more important, unless the League can get the federal courts to discontinue their supervision of the labor negotiations, the union will have the upper hand.

That is the question facing ownership. In the NFL, the main source of revenue is television money and that is shared among the 32 teams. Over the years, however, there has been a growing disparity in other money made by teams, from corporate sponsorship to local television and radio rights fees. When those are included, the large market teams such as Dallas and Washington far outstrip the likes of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings when it comes to earning power.

Jerry Jones is one of the large market owners that doesn't feel like sharing with the smaller market teams. He just completed a luxurious new $1 billion stadium just outside Dallas that will host the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, 2011. That could be the NFL’s last real game before the labor situation gets really ugly.

WHO HAS THE LEVERAGE

Thus, all of the actions started last November with the owners and then flowing through the courts will ultimately define who has the leverage. In short, this is how it works:

The NFL votes to opt out of the agreement in November 2008. Talks between the sides on an extension will reopen, but little progress is expected at this point unless a new deadline for an agreement is set. In 2010, the league has an uncapped year for salaries. In March 2011, the CBA expires.

Upon being locked out, the NFLPA would presumably decertify as a union, making players free individuals who aren’t subject to collective bargaining and therefore can’t be locked out. The players, as they did in the early 1990s, would then file a class-action suit against the league saying that such a lockout would be an anti-trust violation.

Again, that’s only if the court continues supervision. This is where the owners are working to change the dynamic and where the union is hoping to preserve the current state.

Here’s the basic equation: Every percentage of the total football revenue equates to roughly $2.5 million per team on the salary cap. The belief by the union’s side is that teams will lose far more than that for every game that is missed if a lockout goes into the regular season.

Thus, the union believes it clearly has the leverage. Seeing as how the NFL owners have continually leveraged the television networks into giving them what they want, that response seems almost comical.

STARTING SPOT

The right place to start is a place where the players understand why the owners opted out. We know that the players didn't opt out of this deal. We know the NFL generated in excess of $8 billion last year. We know that the average team has grown by 400 percent in 10 years. But what we don't know, is what is wrong with the current deal when those facts exist.

The NFL extended its television deals with Fox and CBS for two years through the 2013 season, and Goodell acknowledged those pacts allow for "flexibility" if the league added a 17th or 18th regular-season game. But it now seems likely no decision will be made until talks are held with the players.

DeMaurice Smith said players need to be aware of what's at stake for additional games.

"The players understand the cost to their bodies," he said. "The players understand how tough it is to get through a regular season. They understand how hard it is to try to stand up on a Monday morning. They understand why they need a day off on Tuesday. Their families understand when they get out of football and they have arthritis before they're 40. They understand the cost."

Well, there you have it. I hope this clears things up for many of you. I may have to do more posting on this. One more thing...

There was a really good article on the National Football Post site by Robert Boland on October 28th. The Commenter's are pretty knowledgeable too.

Is 2010 the unfloored year?

Go Broncos!