SB Nation User Blog: broncoholic

Noticeable Things About the Game

broncoholic — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:59:13 -0000

FINALLY! The Denver Broncos have won a game in November. This team needed to beat the Giants, and they did...convincingly. They are now back in the play-off race (not that we were out) and they have gained confidence. The veteran leadership has grasped this team and changed them into a REAL CONTENDER! Brian Dawkins never seems to disappoint. His leadership and play on the field changes the game and his intensity scares even the toughest of the tough. We have Kansas City next week, and we have nine days to prepare for them. Denver should come prepared and ready to attack. Something tells me that they won't let anything slip. The intensity and passion that this team has is unbelievable.

I'm not going to give my predictions for the Broncos' last five games. I am going to take each week at a time, and totally focus on that opponent. There should be NO looking ahead; a NFL team should never, ever, be over-looked. Just look at what happened to us in the Washington Redskins' game. That's why this team will not fall into any traps. They have learned to not over-look teams, and as a result, should take care of Kansas City.

As for San Diego, they have some real tough games approaching. They have: @ DAL; CIN; @ TEN (who have been playing A LOT better as of late). Dallas has been playing extremely well, and playing at their place, should have a rough time. One thing about all those teams, is that they all have fairly good defenses. San Diego is at a disadvantage there. A football team cannot outscore their opponents every single game. Their defense has to step up if they are going to make the play-offs. This week they have the Chiefs at Qualcomm Stadium. They are coming off of a big win against the Super Bowl Champion Steelers. Maybe the momentum will allow the Chiefs to overcome San Diego...we can only hope.

As for the game last night, here's what I saw.

1) The biggest thing that jumped out at me, in the stats at least, was the domination of the Giants' running game. To make this clear, Denver had given up 203 yards on the ground last week to the Chargers. With the Giants' big, bad rushing attack coming into town, everyone thought that our goose (or turkey...you know for Thanksgiving), was cooked. Instead, our defense, once again, shocked the sports world. We dominated the trenches ALL NIGHT LONG. Our "meager" run defense gave up only 57 yards of rushing! So much for the weak run defense. Since Denver stopped the Giants' running game, they were forced to pass, which is the strength of this defense (we're ranked 3rd in the NFL in pass defense).

2) During the horrendous four game losing streak (which is now a distant memory), this team gave the ball away, AND couldn't take it back. The Broncos lost the turnover battles many times throught the drought of wins. They couldn't force turnovers, and the offense was being sloppy with the ball. On Thursday, it was a totally different story. Denver won the turnover battle, by +2. Our defense forced three fumbles, and recovered two; as for interceptions, they had one.

Kyle Ortons' interception wasn't necessarily a bad decision, it was the placement of the ball. I believe that Stokley ran an out-route, and the defender was in man coverage. Stokley got a little separation, but the pass was thrown low, instead of away from the defender, towards the sideline. The ball also should have been thrown a little higher. I was a littler nervous after that play because I thought it might give the Giants some momentum so that they could get back into the game. Fortunately, our defense held strong, holding New York to a field goal.

3) I didn't see the Chargers' game last week, but I heard that Denver stopped blitzing, and that allowed San Diego to dominate all game long. Last night, was different as well. The blitz was ever-present and the pass rush was getting to Eli Manning. Three sacks is very good, two of them coming from, who else but Elvis Dumervil. What a player he has been. Fourteen sacks this year and counting. He had one of the strip-sacks and has been getting pressure on QBs all year long. Doom is definitely an "example leader". The delayed blitz also seemed to work last night, as they flushed Eli out of the pocket, forcing him to throw on the run.

4) If there were any doubts about our secondary, I think they were absolved with their performance last night. An interception, and a lot of passes defensed. Denver was in a lot of man coverage during the game. I actually thought that our DBs were glued to their WRs. One thing that I did notice is that this team has problems with the Nickel formation. Alphonso Smith is not performing very well, as I saw him get beat a couple of times. There was a long play that the Giants had right after the interception from Kyle Orton that involved him. It looked like a smash route that allowed the Giants' receiver to get open along the sideline. I don't know whether to blame the play-call or Smith. Hopefully it was just the play-call.

5) I think we finally know why our red zone offense is having problems. Three false start penalties in the red zone is UNACCEPTABLE! McDaniels was right in yelling at his players...what a funny incident with McDaniel's profanity! But anyway, the penalties last night, cost us 61 yards! That is a fairly poor performance, and something needs to be done about it. I cannot count all the times our drives have stalled because of a stupid penalty. I believe the Josh will handle this problem, and their elimination will help our offense.

So that is what I noticed during last night's game. I could've mentioned how great our running game was last night, or how well our ST performed, but I wanted to mix up the views a little bit. I'm just glad that we won. The Broncos needed this game badly, and they came through. I am excited about next week's game, but we have to go nine days without a Broncos game! At least we can watch the Chargers lose (hopefully). If they win, well, maybe the Bears will lose.

My Keys to the Game: NY Giants

broncoholic — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:47:49 -0000

Happy Thanksgiving, all. We have some good football (NYG @ DEN), and some not-so good football on today (OAK @ DAL). Good or bad, it's always nice to have some football on Thanksgiving Day. So before I forget what the purpose of this post is for, I am going to give you this week's Keys to the Game.

1.) Get an early lead--The New York Giants have one of the best running tandems in the league. If Denver can jump out to an early lead, they will force the Giants to pass, which is the strength of our defense.

2.) Win the turnover battle--In the last four weeks, turnovers have really hurt this team. If the Broncos want a chance of beating the Giants, they must take care of the football, especially in the red zone. This team will not win if they fail to win this category. When we lose the turnover ratio, we lose games...it's that simple.

3.) Win the T.O.P. battle--This key also includes running the ball effectively. The better the Broncos run the ball, the more time is taken off the clock, giving our defense more rest. This is not an "air-it-out" team; they need to have rhythm tonight. Plus, the more our offense stays on the field, the less the Giants offense is out their. It's a win-win situation...IF the Broncos win the T.O.P.

This is a VERY important game because it can give us momentum with a win, and can stomp out any chance of making the play-offs with a loss. Whatever happens tonight, I will always stay with this team. It has been a wild ride so far, and something tells me that it isn't over yet. The Broncos have shocked the world once, now, can they shock the world again? A lot of questions will be answered...like, can this team snap out of losing streaks? Can we run the ball effectively? Can we force turnovers and score after we force them? How much heart does this team have? all these will be answered tonight. This is a HUGE, HUGE, game. I'm not going to give my prediction, because, obviously, when I pick a game with the Broncos in it, I'm going to pick my team.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, and hopefully we can enjoy a Broncos' win as well.

GO BRONCOS!!!

Poll

If the Denver Broncos win their game tonight against the New York Giants, will they make the play-offs?

Yes; they'll win the division.

8 votes

Yes; they'll win the wild-card.

13 votes

No; they're done even if they win the game tonight.

0 votes

21 votes | Poll has closed

The Art of "The Deep Ball"

broncoholic — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:40:12 -0000

After last week's fiasco at Washington, one of the main factors that lead to the demise of our beloved Broncos was the use of the deep pass. Before the game with the Redskins, some fans wanted Denver to throw the ball deep and take some shots down the field, so that our running game could be helped. Throwing the ball down the field does stretch the field and it keeps the defense on their heels. After a deep threat has been established in the game and the running game is effective, the play actions and draw plays are used. This confuses the defense for a second, and allows receivers to get separation. The problem with the play action, is that it won't be effective if a running game isn't established. To help establish the running game, coaches will sometimes throw the ball down the field to "stretch the defense". But, when should a team throw the football deep?

As I was watching the last seconds tick off the clock at the end of the Redskins' game, I wondered why we'd lost. If you can recall the San Diego game earlier in the year, remember how bad our defense was after the two ST touchdowns? It was a quick score and it didn't allow our defense to get rest for the next series.

I've never been a huge fan of the "long ball", but using it every "now-and-then" is okay. A team does need to take a few shots down the field, but repeating it drive-after-drive, isn't okay, especially for this team. In case you haven't noticed, the 2009-10 Denver Broncos are a ball control, defensive team. That is, they must win the TOP in order for the defense to play well. Giving the defense rest is a CRUCIAL part of their success. This team isn't a "long ball team"; no, they are a team that moves the ball down the field with smaller gains (another key to the success of this team is third down conversions). There is nothing wrong with this because it gives our defense rest and allows our offense to get in a rhythm.

Our problem on offense isn't throwing deep, it's running the ball. In the 2nd half of the Washington game, Denver stopped running the ball, forcing Chris Simms to throw the ball. I can understand the Broncos wanting to throw the ball more with Kyle Orton under center, but for some odd reason, the running game was abandoned when Simms came in. I'm not criticizing Josh McDaniels or the Broncos, I'm just wondering why Denver stopped running the ball. Anyway, since our offense abandoned the run game, we threw the ball more, (against the #1 pass defense) and since Chris Simms was at a huge disadvantage, we went three & out more often. All of these decisions/factors lead to the demise of our Broncos last week. Abandoned rushing attack+back-up QB that hasn't played in two years=tired defense=a loss to any team (including the Redskins).

The last thing that I have to say about the art of the long ball is when to use it. Say Denver started off a game on defense and the oppossing team drove down the field and scored. Let's say that the opponent took 5 minutes to score. Now, we get the ball at our 32 yard line...not bad field position. Denver throws a check-down pass for five yards, making it 2nd and 5. Then after converting the 3rd down situation that seems to come up every drive, the Broncos decide to air it out. On the 4th play of the drive Kyle Orton hits Brandon Marshall for a 60 yard touchdown pass. We took 2 minutes off the clock with our score. This puts our defense in a vulnerable spot. They gave up an opening drive TD, and now have to go back onto the field and try to stop the oppossing offense. This is what happened twice in the Redskins game. After the second long TD pass, Denver managed to stop the Redskins, but then they scored on the trick play. The Broncos were able to stop Washington after the second TD, because the Redskins' offense is that bad.

This is totally my opinion, and I'm not telling the Broncos what to do, I'm just giving everyone my opinion off how an offense should function. I could NEVER run the Denver Broncos as well as Josh McDaniels and company does. Hopefully we make some changes and they end up helping us...we are going to need all the support we can get this Sunday, so stay positive and don't give up on this team.

GO BRONCOS!!! (Thank you for reading this post, and I hope that you enjoyed it!)

TAAAAAAAAAKE IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT!!!!!!!

Poll

Should the Denver Broncos throw the ball deep more than 4 times a game, or less?

5 votes

Less

10 votes

Exactly four times

14 votes

Never

1 votes

30 votes | Poll has closed

Holic's Week 10 Predictions...

broncoholic — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:58:06 -0000

Last week I went 8-5, losing the GB @ TB, SD @ NYG, TEN @ SF, DAL @ PHI, and PIT @ DEN games. I'll try to do better this week. I'm off to a bad start though (I had Chicago winning last night). Let's see if I can turn my luck around...

New Orleans @ St. Louis: If elite defenses cannot stop the Saints, how will the Rams contain Drew Brees and the Saints' passing offense? New Orleans improves to 9-0, with a 38-14 win.

Tampa Bay @ Miami: The Bucs are coming off their first win of the season against Green Bay. Unlike the Green Bay offense, Miami's o-line should be able to hold off the Tampa Bay rush. I also don't think the Bucs will be able to stop Miami's stellar rushing attack. 24-13, Miami.

Detroit @ Minnesota: Minnesota has a lot of weapons on offense all of a sudden. Detroit won't be able to stop them, and their offense will also have troubles. Minnesota puts a W in the win column with a 27-10 victory.

Jacksonville @ New York Jets: Winning a conference road game is definitely not an easy accomplishment, especially against an above-average team. The Jags will have a tough time getting anything going on offense, but their defense will help a little. However, the Jets and their home-field advantage take this game, 23-21.

Buffalo @ Tennessee: The Titans look to increase their win streak to 3 games after this match-up with the Bills. With Vince Young back under center, the Titans are in good shape. Tennessee's defense also, should be able to stop the meager Buffalo offense. Titans win, 27-14.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh: Can any team beat a red-hot Steelers team that is tied for 1st in their division, at home?! Well, the Bengals won't be able to, losing 24-21.

Denver @ Washington: Denver's defense is too good for the Washington's offense. They won't be able to get anything going. Denver should be able to run the ball effectively, and we all know that when the Broncos run the ball well, they win games. Broncos win, 27-13.

Atlanta @ Carolina: The Panthers' defense has been way less than stellar this year, and with Michael Turner coming into town, they won't have much of a chance to win. It doesn't stop at Turner; Atlanta also has a passing attack with Matt Ryan, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez. Atlanta wins, 35-31.

Kansas City @ Oakland: To win this game, Kansas City just needs to take care of the football. If they give the Raiders good field position, then Oakland might take advantage. KC wins close, 17-14.

Philadelphia @ San Diego: I hate to give the Chargers the win, but beating the Chargers at home isn't an easy thing to do. If Philly was coming off of a win, I might have given this game to them, but the Eagles are going to have a tough time stopping the SD offense. Chargers, 27-21.

Seattle @ Arizona: The Cardinals' run defense has been great this year, but their pass D, not so much. It doesn't matter because Arizona's offense is just too good for the weak Seattle defense. Arizona should be able to throw the ball all game long. Arizona, 34-20.

Dallas @ Green Bay: In the last few weeks, Dallas has been on fire. Plus, Green Bay's o-line takes a vacation every Sunday, so Dallas should be getting pressure on Aaron Rodgers all day long. Dallas improves their record, they win, 28-24.

New England @ Indianapolis: Indy has been playing great so far, and with this game at home, they shouldn't have a problem taking New England down. Peyton Manning should have a good game and their offense should out-score the Pats. Indy improves to 9-0 with a 34-32 win.

Monday Night Football Game: Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns: Baltimore's offense has been playing very well the last few weeks. Ray Rice has been very surprising and Joe Flacco has definitely improved from last year. The only question about their offense is their wide receivers. The Ravens' defense has been good this year as well. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed have been their usual selves, and should be able to shut down the Browns' passing attack. Even at home, the Browns won't be able to beat the Ravens. Baltimore takes this one, 38-17.

Hope you enjoyed the picks! Can't wait to hear your feedback.

Holic's Week 9 Predictions...

broncoholic — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:05:14 -0000

Hey everyone! Happy Saturday! Can't wait for Monday's game; it's going to be a good one (win or lose). The predictions are below. Hope you like them!

Washington @ Atlanta -- Will Washington's offense be able to overcome the Atlanta defense? I don't think they will, so Atlanta wins this one, 27-12.

Arizona @ Chicago -- Arizona has one of the best run defenses in the league. Their pass offense is stellar and should do pretty well against the Bears. Arizona wins, 24-23.

Baltimore @ Cincinnati -- The Ravens' rush defense should be able to stop Cedric Benson, for a while at least. The Cincy offense is just too good, they win, 23-17.

Houston @ Indianapolis -- Indy's offense has been superb this year. The Texans' defense won't be able to stop them. Houston will be able to keep up with the Colts on offense, but the Colts should be able to stop the Texans on a few of their drives. This turns out to be the difference. Colts win, 31-27.

Miami @ New England -- Last time Miami played in New England, the Dolphins unveiled their Wildcat offense. New England is sure to be ready for it this time around. Plus, the Dolphins' defense is struggling this year; no way they stop New England's offense. Pats, 34-24.

Green Bay @ Tampa Bay -- The only thing that Tampa has going for them in this game is their home field advantage (if anyone shows up to their game). Green Bay dominates the Tampa defense and offense. Packers, 24-10.

Kansas City @ Jacksonville -- Kansas City's offense is atrocious, but so is the Jaguar's. It all comes down to which offense makes less mistakes. I give Jacksonville the advantage; they win 13-9.

Detroit @ Seattle -- The Seahawks, believe it or not, have a secret weapon on offense and his name is TJ Houshmanzadeh. He and Matt Hasselback, if he plays, should play pretty well against the meager Detroit defense. Seahawks, 24-13.

Carolina @ New Orleans -- Is there any team that can stop the New Orleans' offense? I don't think Carolina will be able to, Saints, 38-24.

San Diego @ NY Giants -- The Giants' defense hasn't been playing up to expectations. At home, with their play-off hopes on the line, they show the NFL that they still have a respectable defense. Giants win 27-21.

Tennessee @ San Francisco -- The Niners play with a lot of discipline and Tennessee, not so much. San Francisco should be able to stop the Titans' offense, winning this game 24-17.

Dallas @ Philadelphia -- This should be a fantastic game. Division rivals, with play-off hopes, who are both 5-2. Can it get any better? Dallas seems to have a tough time winning the big games, and Philly always seems to show up when a big game arrives. Philadelphia's offense comes out firing, winning 28-23.

MNF Game:

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos -- Pittsburgh is coming off their bye week and is looking to continue their play-off run. They are going to come out prepared and ready for our defense, and will be attacking our offense all game long. Denver cannot afford to start this game out slow. They can't give up any special teams' touchdowns or lose the turnover/TOP battle. Don't get too confident Bronco Country, it might lead to our downfall. Always act as if every game will be tough, like this one will be. Denver wins 20-17.

What I'll be Watching For...

broncoholic — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:14:37 -0000

Thank goodness! We made it through the bye week, one of the most difficult and "hair-tearing" week's in a year. I guess Halloween took some of the anticipation away and allowed some people to relax. One thing that I noticed about this bye week is that it's an extra hour longer! For some reason, it seems like I'll never be able to watch Broncos football again. But, sooner or later, we will watch the Broncos dismantle the "mighty" Ravens. Maybe then we will receive the honor of being favored in a game. We shall see.

Anyway, I hope that everyone had a great Halloween and that you didn't get sick eating too much candy. Now, onto the discussion...In Week 6 Denver held the San Diego offense to 23 points, 238 passing net yards, and 73 rushing net yards. They gave up 20 points in the first half, but as always, gave up way less in the second half, with only 3 points allowed. On offense we scored 34 points, really putting the Chargers away in the 2nd half. Eddie Royal returned a punt AND a kick-off for touchdowns and Kyle Orton threw for two more TDs. With those stats in mind, here's what I will be looking for in the Baltimore game:

1.) Eddie Royal and Special Teams: After a dominant performance from Mr. Royal in Week 6, I will be looking at how well he runs the ball this week. Will he be as explosive and will his decision-making be as precise? How will our gunners do today against a fairly good Ravens' coverage team? I'm not saying that if Eddie doesn't return a kick for a touchdown, then he's failed. No, I'm wondering if he'll have that explosiveness that he showed two week's ago. Before his two great returns, Eddie seemed to be trying to hard to make something happen. He would go side-to-side, instead of toward the opponent's end-zone. I can't wait to see how he does today.

2.) Offense and Turnovers: I know that our team is capable of forcing turnovers. What I want to know is if our offense will use that turnover as a confidence booster and take advantage of the good field position. To me, it seems like our offense gets the ball in a great spot right after the change of possession, but then is either right off the field, or they only get a field goal. I want to see if our offense can score touchdowns after we force a turnover. Field goals aren't always going to win the game for us.

3.) Our First Half Performance: As we all know by now, our team plays much harder in the 2nd half. This team digs a hole for itself and in the 2nd half, we are usually trying to crawl out of it (and this team, so far, has done that). Today, I will be looking for how good we play in the first half. There is a saying that says, "It's not how good you start it's how good you finish." Well, I want to see if this team is able to start and finish games with excellence. I will be looking at how well the offense moves the ball and how well the defense gets pressure on the quarterback in the first half.

Those are the three things that I'll be watching for today. Take a deep breath Broncos fans, because we have many more games to go and a lot of things to prove. This is a great team that deserves everyone's respect (even though, everyone at MHR most likely respects this team), including the media's!! This is the biggest game for this team until next week when the Steeler's game is the most important. One last thing...we made it through the bye week. We all deserve a pat on the back for that.

Why Denver will win the AFC West

broncoholic — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:19:11 -0000

Ahhhhh, finally we seem to have gotten some respect from the media. Last week's win against the Cowboys showed every team in the NFL that we mean business. Some of us here thought that we might start 4-0. I certainly believed that we would at least start 3-1. No one expected us to have such a good record with such a "meager and terrible defense". Obviously that defense does not exist anymore. Denver has allowed 26 points through four games...FOUR GAMES!!! If this was last year's defense, we probably would have given up 50 points by now.

This Sunday, we play the mighty Patriots. I am not going to talk about them though; I want to talk about the AFC West. Denver has an advantage in our division. We have something that no other team in the West has. You could say that this weapon will get us a division sweep of all the teams: Raiders, Chiefs, and Chargers...that's right even the Chargers.

Let's look at how well Denver's defense has done this year...

26 Total Points, 239.8 yds/game, 26% 3rd down conversions,

0 Pass TDs, 6 INTs, 15 sacks (only the Vikings have more with 16),

77.2 yds/game on the ground, 2 Rushing TDs, and 4 fumble recoveries.

Now the Chargers' defense...

102 Total Points, 365.8 yds/game, 49% 3rd down conversions,

6 Pass TDs, 4 INTs, 6 sacks,

151 yds/game, 6 Rushing TDs, and 3 fumble recoveries.

I'm only going to compare these two defenses since the media thinks that the Chargers are the Broncos only real threat. As you can see, this might not even be true. I think that once we play the Chargers, we can beat them. Our defense has been stellar so far and hopefully will only get better (if that is even possible considering how well they are playing...jk). The Chargers' defense has been terrible throughout their four games. There is no way they will be able to stop our offense. We don't need to stop them on every possession, but they won't be able to stop us. Teams are almost converting 50% of the time on third downs against the Chargers.

I know that this is Patriot's week, but I just wanted to see how the Chargers were doing defensively. I found out that they might as well not have a defense on the field. We have such a great defense that we will be able to overcome every team in our division. I would not be surprised if we swept the Chargers and the rest of the division. We have a head-start in the race for a better defense. The Chargers, Chiefs, and Raiders are still working for a better defensive unit...we have already found ours. That is why we will win the AFC West and possibly sweep the Chargers. Thoughts???

Week 3 Predictions

broncoholic — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:30:47 -0000

Who is going to win in week 3? There are a lot of interesting match-ups to watch and I can't wait to see who wins the Broncos-raiders game. This week, I see four close games that could go either way, or end up in upsets. Now, onto the predictions...

Close Games (IMHO):

1.) Tennessee @ New York Jets: The Titans have had troubles so far. They played well last week against the Texans, but their defense let them down. The Jets defense has been stellar thus far and should play well against the Titans offense. The Jets continue to play well winning 28-24.

2.) Chicago @ Seattle: Chicago is coming off a big win last week against the Steelers. Their defense dominated a mediocre offense and their offense did okay against the Pittsburgh pass rush. Seattle lost last week and is looking to rebound. I don't think they will. Chicago, 24-17.

3.) Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati: Cincy is coming off a big win last week against the Packers which brings loads of confidence to their team. Pittsburgh on the other hand lost to Chicago on the road last week in a heart-breaker. The Bengals are definitely better than last year, but the Steelers defense is just too good. Pittsburgh 20-14.

4.) Denver @ Oakland: Denver comes into this match-up after winning last week 27-6 against the lowly Browns. Their defense has been great and the offense is still trying to put together all the pieces. Oakland is definitely much improved from last year. However, their offense is horrendous; Denver 27-17.

Other Games:

5.) Washington @ Detroit: Last week, the Redskins barely pulled out the win against the Rams. Washington's offense has really struggled but their defense is much improved. Detroit has now lost 18 straight games from last year's performance mixed in with this year's. They kept the game close with Minnesota for a while then things just blew apart. Things won't get better this week for the Lions; Washington 23-17.

6.) Green Bay @ St. Louis: After losing to the Bengals last week, the Packers look to rebound on the road against a bad St. Louis team. The Rams defense has been atrocious so far and their offense hasn't been any better. Green Bay wins this one, 31-17.

7.) San Francisco @ Minnesota: So far, the 49ers' defense has played great. They held Arizona to 16 points in week 1 and Seattle to 10 points in week 2. Minnesota has been running through teams thus far. Seriously, they have been "running through teams". Adrian Peterson is just that good; Vikings 27-20.

8.) Atlanta @ New England: Last week, Atlanta beat an underrated Carolina team. Their offense has been great especially with Tony Gonzalez. New England has had a tough time, almost losing to a mediocre Bills team in week 1 and losing to the Jets in week 2. I say that the Patriots' defense won't be able to stop the Matt Ryan attack; 34-24 Falcons.

9.) Kansas City @ Philadelphia: The Chiefs come into this game 0-2 with a close loss to the Raiders last week. Philadelphia gets this guy called Michael Vick to play for them this week. Well whoever this Vick character is, he helps the Eagles win, 31-14.

10.) Jacksonville @ Houston: Houston's high-powered offense is too much for the Jaguars to handle. Jacksonville is going to have a tough time stopping Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton. Houston 37-27.

11.) Cleveland @ Baltimore: Cleveland is coming off a blow-out loss to the Broncos in week 2. They won't rebound here because they won't be able to score against the tough Baltimore defense. Baltimore 31-13.

12.) New York Giants @ Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers have been playing terrible so far and things aren't going to get better against the ferocious defense of the Giants. I've got the Giants, 23-10.

13.) New Orleans @ Buffalo: New Orleans is going to have a field day against a porous Bills' secondary. The Saints go on to start the season 3-0 with a 38-24 victory.

14.) Miami @ San Diego: Miami is going to have a tough time stopping the San Diego offense. But, the San Diego defense is going to have a harder time stopping the Miami offense. Miami stuns the Chargers 34-31.

Sunday Night Football

15.) Indianapolis @ Arizona: The Colts are 2-0 so far, but their record surprises me. They barely pulled out the win in week 1. In week 2 they just beat the Dolphins despite their T.O.P. just being over 15 minutes! Arizona's offense is just too good for the Colts' defense; Arizona 31-27.

Monday Night Football

16.) Carolina @ Dallas: Despite the MSM saying that Carolina is in trouble, which they are, they still have a pretty decent offense. Dallas will have trouble stopping them, but Carolina won't be able to stop the Dallas rushing attack. This is going to be a high score affair with Dallas winning, 31-27.

Records:

Last week: 8-8 Overall: 21-11.

Poll

What do you think of my picks for week 3?

Very accurate.

0 votes

Reasonable.

7 votes

Way off.

0 votes

7 votes | Poll has closed

Just What We Thought...

broncoholic — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:00:19 -0000

Remember before the season started how John Clayton and co. had predicted the Broncos to barely reach 5 wins? John Clayton thought that we'd only have three wins. THREE wins!!!! We predicted that everyone, especially the MSM, would pick against the Broncos in the first few weeks (and probably in weeks to come too). We believed that once we won those games, the MSM would say, "Well, come on people, it's the Bengals and the Browns. Anyone can beat those teams." We predicted that they would make excuses such as that. To prove that we were right in believing this, I have a little story...

I was talking to my friend who is a huge Bengals fan. I live in Cincinnati, so this isn't uncommon. He knows how big of a Broncos fan I am and he gets annoyed a lot because of it. We were talking football and I asked him who he thought would win all the divisions and make the wild card. I'll skip ahead to the AFC West. My friend believes that San Diego is going to win the AFC West, which isn't a huge surprise. What is a surprise is that he thinks they are going to go to the Super Bowl where they'll lose. So then I asked him why he thought they were going to win the West. He said because of how great their offense is and that their defense just has a few kinks to be worked out (more like their whole defense!). I then argued that defense wins championships and he disagreed a little with that theory. Then I asked him, "Why don't you think Denver will win the West?" He said because their defense is terrible and because Kyle Orton isn't that good of a quarterback. I was totally bewildered when he said that. I told him that we had the #2 ranked defense in the league and he asked, "Well who did they play?" The Bengals and Browns. Then he said, "Well that's why their defense is ranked so high. Just wait until they play a team like the Cowboys."

Do you see where I'm coming from? It seems like everyone is against this team; they refuse to believe in us. We're going to have to go out and prove them wrong. We could go 13-3 this year and the next year, the MSM would probably STILL pick the Chargers to win the AFC West. Hopefully tomorrow we blow the raiders out of existance and then maybe the MSM will see that we could be for real.

Poll

Will the MSM ever see the Broncos as being a good team THIS YEAR?

Yes.

31 votes

No.

99 votes

130 votes | Poll has closed

Scouting Report--Cleveland Browns

broncoholic — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 03:29:06 -0000

Each week, before the Broncos game, I will do a synopsis of some of five players on the opposing team. I could choose three offensive players and two defensive or vice-versa. Once I finish the analysis of the five players, I will give you my take on how I think Denver should handle these players. I could be wrong with what Denver should do, so if you think I am or if you have a different opinion, please share it. Now, onto the synopsis:

Offense:

Brady Quinn (QB)-

Brady Quinn is a smart quarterback that is very studious. He makes very good decisions most of the time and has great touch on his passes. Not only does Quinn have great touch but if there is nothing down the field, he will check down or find the outlet receiver. Don’t let this fool you though, when the Browns want to go deep, Quinn has a strong enough arm to get it to the receivers on streak routes. Obviously Brady does have his flaws. First of all, he is inexperienced and does make mistakes. Although he can throw the deep ball, he doesn’t have that zip on the ball when he throws to a receiver that has run a comeback route. Lastly, he holds on to the ball a little too long which would allow Denver’s rush to get to him frequently.

My take: If Denver can get pressure on Quinn, then he will have a long day. The Denver defense must force him into making mistakes. A good way to do this is by zone blitzing, which confuses even the best quarterbacks. Denver did this last week and it worked quite well. If they don’t get pressure on Quinn, then it will be a long day for them.

Braylon Edwards (WR)-

Braylon Edwards is a pro-bowl type receiver (or at least he was). He has great size, speed, and agility, causing defenders to whiff all day. He can also get great separation from defenders and burn any defender deep. Because of his size, he uses his body to shield the ball from the defenders, drawing a lot of gang tackles. Edwards, like all receivers should, goes up to get the ball at its highest point and can make all of the catches. Yes, Braylon does drop a lot of passes, but all that he needs to do is concentrate. If he does that, then he will be back to his pro-bowl form and will continue to be a night-mare for defenses everywhere.

My take: Braylon does drop a lot of passes, but that is no reason to forget about him. Denver is going to have to keep a safety back or double him. This defense cannot allow him to get separation on the deep ball because he could really hurt us there. As a defender, just wrap him up as much as possible. Don’t go for the strip or the big hit, just wrap him up; whatever you do, don’t let him get by you.

Jamaal Lewis (RB)-

If one word describes Jamaal Lewis the best, it would be “bruiser”. Lewis is a “run-it-up-the-gut” sort of running back. In goal-line and short yard situations, he can push the pile to pick up the first down or the touchdown, depending on the case. Although he usually pounds the ball up the middle and runs over defenders, Jamaal can also find his cutback lanes and squeeze through the hole. Despite the skill-set that he has, he has started to decline. Lewis has lost some speed and the quickness he had at the beginning of his career. His receiving skills aren’t as good either and if he gets into the open field, he isn’t a threat to break someone’s ankle with a move; but as a defender, you still have to wrap him up and make sure he doesn’t run you over.

My take: When the Browns give Jamaal the ball, he most likely won’t be going to the outside, which might spell trouble for our defense. The weakness of a 3-4 or a 5-2 is the middle. Denver’s middle linebackers are going to HAVE to make plays against this guy. Tackling him one-on-one is going to be tough, so Denver will need to swarm to the ball on all defensive plays but especially when Lewis is handed the ball.

Defense:

Shaun Rogers (NT)-

Rogers is a thick, massive individual. Even though he is big, he has great initial quickness and he finds a way to maneuver into the backfield to make plays or take up place. He sheds his blocks excellently and can take care of double teams with ease. Shaun Rogers is the real deal. Not only can he do all of this but he can collapse the pocket and get after the quarterback. His sacks stats aren’t staggering, but that is to be expected of a nose tackle. Rogers’ strength is definitely run defense. He sounds like a perfect player, but there is no such person. His weight can be an issue, especially with his quickness, but he maintains it very well. Sometimes when he takes up space, he creates holes for the running-back which puts too much pressure on the linebackers. These are very small flaws compared to his assets; I would take Shaun Rogers as my nose tackle in a heartbeat.

My take: Shaun Rogers is without a doubt, a huge force to be reckoned with. The middle of Denver’s offensive line is going to have to be great all day. If not, then the offense will have a really hard time getting anything going. Rogers is going to be doubled all game long which is exactly what a 3-4 wants. Denver’s o-line is good enough to handle the rest of Cleveland’s defensive line and linebackers, so the passing game looks like it could be intact this game, but the running attack might be an issue.

Eric Barton (LILB)-

Eric Barton is a solid starter. He runs well and rushes the passer very well. When he hits the ball-carrier, he hits them hard and makes them remember what it feels like to get hit by him. Barton’s instincts and his decision making have improved greatly since the start of his career. He has also learned to avoid blockers and shed them as well. Although he has learned a lot, he still tends to over-pursue sometimes. The other area that he still has trouble with is coverage. Overall, Barton is a solid player that has been a key part to the Brown’s defense.

My take: Although Eric Barton isn’t the best ILB, he is still a force. He stops the run and he hits hard. If Denver wants to get at him and this Brown’s defense, then they are going to have to do it through the air. When the Broncos run, the outside and the area between the guard and the tackle seem to be the place to do it. Denver shouldn’t be too intimidated with Barton, but they must remember that he can make big plays.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I hope that you enjoyed it and hopefully Denver pulls out a win in the home opener. Right now we are 1-0 which means that the best we could end the season as is 16-0 and the worst, 1-15. Go BRONCOS!!!

SB Nation User Blog: broncoholic

Noticeable Things About the Game

My Keys to the Game: NY Giants

If the Denver Broncos win their game tonight against the New York Giants, will they make the play-offs?

Yes; they'll win the division.

Yes; they'll win the wild-card.

No; they're done even if they win the game tonight.

The Art of "The Deep Ball"

Should the Denver Broncos throw the ball deep more than 4 times a game, or less?

More

Less

Exactly four times

Never

Holic's Week 10 Predictions...

Holic's Week 9 Predictions...

What I'll be Watching For...

Why Denver will win the AFC West

Week 3 Predictions

What do you think of my picks for week 3?

Very accurate.

Reasonable.

Way off.

Just What We Thought...

Will the MSM ever see the Broncos as being a good team THIS YEAR?

Yes.

No.

Scouting Report--Cleveland Browns