Solving my Saturday escapades may not have required turning to outer space for a ninth plan, but they certainly showed that my mind can be a tad spacey sometimes, and I’d like to think that one of the worst directors of all time would have appreciated that. So let’s start pulling the strings …
When I have a little time on my hands — or when the timeliness of a reply is crucial for adding something to the myriad discussions on this blog — I like to respond to comments in the comments section and wade into the conversation. I did a few times yesterday, and nearly did so again last night after reading one comment that suggested banning a certain vociferous supporter of a former Broncos quarterback, a poster whose name many of us have come to know.
The comment that struck me was this one, which suggested banning the poster, using as his argument a phrase that has become a political and cultural flashpoint in recent years:
“If you’re not with us, you’re against us.”
A permutation of this phrase was uttered by President George W. Bush on Sept. 20, 2001, and his use of it has often been cited by observers on various positions on the political spectrum. (Its use is not limited to the right side of the aisle; Sen. Hillary Clinton also spoke in such terms.) Truth of the matter is, the phrase is a hoary one, as old as the Bible itself.
In any case, it forces an issue into absolutism, the dangers of which are legion, even in something as trivial as sports fandom. So few things are absolute and incontrovertible. Numbers can be, although in some cases they can be massaged to illuminate a point.
Loyalty can be absolute, but you don’t have to wear blinders in order to be a loyal follower of your team. When I grew up as a Bucs fan, I’ll admit that in the hour before kickoff, as I walked to Tampa Stadium, I was convinced the Buccaneers would win, no matter how bulbous the boulder in front of them. The three hours of game time, of course, had a way of hammering those outsized expectations back into a frustrating reality, and then the other 164 hours of the week were largely spent disassembling all aspects of the team, its scheme and its chances, understanding that in all likelihood, the Bucs, in the midst of 14 consecutive losing seasons, would lose.
One can support and love and be a fan of a professional team while criticizing constructively … and blessedly, I see much of that in the comments on this blog, for which I must thank you, dear readers. Many of you prove that loyalty also means intelligently and rationally deconstructing what transpires on the field … and makes me feel better about my own sports fandom for the teams I follow in other sports, teams for whom I am a caring — but occasionally harsh — critic.
Anyhow … it’s time to dive into the weekly questions and answers. Apologies for the responses not being as lengthy as last week’s; it’s been a busy day of meetings in the Web world.
First … there were a lot of questions about Al Wilson … having not spoken with him, I can’t attest to exactly how he’s doing … I apologize, but that’s all I have on him right now. Anything else I could write would be mere speculation.
Second, if you’d like to e-mail rather than post your comments in the blog, please click here and I’ll do my best to get to as many as I can.
On to some more specific queries.
From Dekreybroncofan:
I did just think of one question that I think is important. We always talk about how strong Jay’s arm is, but two weeks in a row he had a go-ahead touchdown that receivers had to come back for … Now I know they were long bombs, but is there something wrong with Jay’s arm? I mean if he cant throw that far he should have been running, right.
Not necessarily … he did get the pass there, even though the tosses probably arced more than Cutler would have liked, and helped give the Colts defense a chance to catch up to Brandon Stokley to force the incompletion … I don’t think it’s a question of arm strength as much as it is simply a matter of this being another part of Cutler’s learning curve, and refining the timing on the deep routes.
Speaking of the passing game … from bhmfje80:
Thanks for the posts, Mas. You’re a busy man, I’m sure, but do you by chance have any update on Rod Smith? Haven’t heard about him in weeks and I’d love to hear about his progress.
Nothing much has changed on Smith … he’s still rehabbing, still working out, still a constant at the team’s facility and on the practice field (albeit in sweats) and the sidelines during games. He and the Broncos still have several more weeks left to determine whether he’ll return in time to play this season or whether he will go on injured reserve.
From pinoybroncoFaN, an issue many fans and observers have at the tip of their tongues:
I guess we really need to improve against our run defense. If you sum up the first (four) games … it’s quite alarming. How many yards did (Marshawn) Lynch gaine during the Broncos’ game against the Bills? How many did (LaMont) Jordan run for the Raiders? The Jags? and lastly, HOW many yards did Addai (gain for the Colts)? Our corners are excellent but our run D is poor.
And from Broncosfan1977, some similar sentiments:
Mason, do you think you could post your take on our defense and why they are not playing well?
There’s plenty of other comments about the run defense, so let’s get started.
First, there’s the simplest indicator — that Denver ranks 31st in the league in run defense, ahead of only Miami. Numbers aren’t always true illuminators of what actually takes place, but in this case, the average of 181.0 rushing yards allowed per game provides all the evidence needed.
Of course, this past week the Broncos sat their first-team tackles, Amon Gordon and Sam Adams. Head Coach Mike Shanahan said Sunday that deactivating Gordon was in part to give Marcus Thomas and Antwon Burton a chance to play some more, while Adams’ deactivation was due to the defensive countermeasures in place to account for the Colts’ running style. Unfortunately for the Broncos, the run defense yielded 226 yards Sunday — more on the ground than it has for any regular-season game since Dec. 28, 2003 at Green Bay.
What is it? The near-unanimous opinion of the players in the locker room is that the run defense’s struggles are a result of not getting to the gaps and subsequently missing tackles. Changes in personnel — not only with newcomers, but players at different positions — also have an impact, but while that might explain being in the wrong place, it probably doesn’t explain the missed tackles; that’s more fundamental in nature. That’s just my take on it from watching in the press box.
“It’s inexcusable the way we tackle, and miss gaps and assignments,” an exasperated Champ Bailey said Sunday.
As Shanahan said Monday, “I think it’s a little bit of the system (and) a little bit of the personnel.”
There was also a revealing comment from assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates last Wednesday, when he was asked how the run defense’s play in his first three games in Denver compared with how other teams had started under his watch.
“We have never had this experience in the past,” Bates said.
“But we’re going to get there. We’ve got a lot of new guys. We’ve got several guys in new positions and several new players, and the thing that is really positive is that the players are still learning and still trying to get better, and as long as we try to get better, we will improve.”
That will be essential for the Broncos to reverse the slide of the last two weeks. What Sunday showed was that Bates and Co. are willing to experiment … using Jarvis Moss as a roving stand-up defender, sometimes lining up in a tackle slot; others working outside from end. When things aren’t going well in an area, sometimes the worst thing you can do is stand pat … being creative, open-minded and willing to experiment is usually the genesis of some of the game’s great ideas, even though there can sometimes be some messes in the laboratory that need cleaning. It’s science — just not always exact.
“If you don’t rush the football and if you don’t stop the run, you’re not going to be very good at offense or defense,” Shanahan said, “so we’ve got to get better and work on it.”
And lastly, moving away from the run defense, we turn to a query wormyblackburny:
Hey Drew, This is a little off the subject, but could you tell me why they don’t post Nate Jackson’s Journal as a blog post so that we could leave comments for him? He is a magnificent writer, and I think many of us would like to tell him how much we enjoy his work (no offense to you, you’re pretty good too).
None taken … and while I have broached the subject of converting to a blog to Jackson, he prefers the format in which he writes. With him, writing is something that is deeply personal; this is truly a case of a man who scours his soul for something to share and the proper words with which to convey his thoughts. If he ever wants to go to a blog format, that’d be wonderful, but I’m still happy we can present his words in the Top Stories section on the main site.
If you want to pass along your thoughts to Jackson, then e-mail me and I will forward them to him … I do know he’d appreciate them.
I’ll get to more queries in some comments sections … for now, I have to call it a night. Vaya con Dios, and I’ll be back at some point Wednesday.
Tags: Champ Bailey, Jarvis Moss, Jim Bates, Nate Jackson, Self-Indulgence
Thanks again for the comments Mason…
Keep up the good work Drew. Hopefully our comments will be a little more geared toward how we pulled off spectacular wins in the future, rather than why we are struggling so bad. Look forward to seeing you and the team here in Glendale when Feb comes.
I see the “stepping around the issue” with DJ Williams. I wish Bates would call him out and say he’s not getting the job done. Regardless of “why”. Ya he’s new at the position, and the D Line may be giving up more space than they should…but DJ is out of position on every big run up the middle. Get him outside. Sit Webster. And find an average middle linebacker (even a scrub free agent) to fill the middle.
I can’t believe our guys can’t tackle because they’re not in college or high school , it’s the NFL , every player ,epecially on defense know how to tackle , they won’t be in the NFL otherwise so if it’s not tackle ability what else ? Schemes ?I really hope our coaches will find the solution . Other : I believe in Mike but i think he was way too conservative in this game , open up the game book Mike , we’ve weapons on offense , utilise it .
I have yet to see a D-coordinator do as good as Larry Coyer the last couple of years. The fact that he is fired and we are starting over again is becoming a sad reality of the Shanny era.
Since he has been here we have had Greg Robinson (the inventor of bend don’t break), Ray Rhodes, Larry Coyer, and now Jim Bates (all guys who had great success elsewhere, except Coyer) – at what point do we blame someone beside the D Coordinator?
Under Coyer, Denver’s rush defense had always been among the NFL’s elite. The Broncos had allowed an average of 93.3 yards per game since 2003, second in the NFL in that period. And now we can’t stop the run – does anyone see a correlation?
John Clayton has a nice piece on ESPN.com where he discusses last week’s Colts game. He interviewed Manning and Dungy and they discussed how they had to sit and study pictures of the Broncos defense and make their adjustments. Here’s what confuses me: If the Colts coaches are studying and making adjustments, what are the Broncos coaches doing? Wouldn’t it make sense that they would be making more adjustments when the Colts figured them out? Instead we just kept the same sets in place, used the same personnel. I don’t get it? Isn’t that part of the coaching rush and challenge, to out-smart the other team? Perhaps Shanahan and Bates need to do a little soul searching about the job they hold?
In response to broncosfrance,
I have to agree about Mike recently. We’re just not seeing the big plays. The first game we saw an option out of the endzone. Where are the play calls like that? I thought we’d see some in the Colts game.
The only explanation I can come up with is that Mike is thinking fundamentals (who can blame him with our defensive performance). Maybe it’s hard to switch gears on offense and defense. We need to be more focused on fundamentals on defense, but on offense I really hope he starts calling some new things.
stop making dj williams the scapegoat for the poor play of the defense!
dj williams is THIRD in the nfl in tackles. does he have room for improvement? yes. is he the main problem? the only problem? give me a break.
there are eleven men on the field, and they are responsible collectively for the team’s performance against the run.
What’s up with the rumors about Ricky Williams and the Broncos? Off Topic statement-I never knew Denver legalized up to an ounce of marijuana. Anyways,can you clarify if these rumors are true about Ricky Williams coming to Denver.Thx
-The 1 and only mexican denver fan in LA
I can’t believe Shanahan if falling on “We are still 15th in redzone production in the league” as if that means anything to the point that it is the playcalling that is killing our redzone.
4th and a long 1 – the Mastermind comes up with I formation, no TEs, and a QB sneak guaranteeing the Defense will stack up the middle.
FB trap on 2nd and goal from the 8 which gets 1?
3rd and Goal from the 7 they call a quick out to Javon who catches it at the 3 and is immediately hit (redzone!) forcing the FG.
Yet when Jay is allowed to throw INTO the endzone, he has all of his 4 touchdowns…A QB rating over 110 inside the redzone.
hmm…
I could go on, all the way back the 49er debacle. The playcalling inside the 10 cost us the playoffs last year. Will it cost us again, or will Mike Shanahan allow our most talented players to do what they are paid for. This includes Travis Henry who is not getting the carries inside the 10 either!
Shanahan’s excuses don’t make up for the fact that the reason we are that low is the playcalling. I’m really sick of the excuses. You won’t see Brady or Manning ever handing off on 3rd and goal from outside the 5. If Shanahan is going to put the the teams future in Jay Cutler’s hands, then commit to him all the way. Jay Cutler can succeed only so much as Shanahan allows him.
All I have to say is how can some of you say d.j. aint stepping up. dude he’s kicking butt. I love that kid. hes been doing his thing since he got drafted.
Well maybe I was a little harsh on the guy but he is absolutely ridiculous with some of the crap that he is feeding us. garbaGE THAT IS NOT TRUE.
Head Coach Mike Shanahan is not the problem on offense. With every head coach your going to have an offensive coordinator/Assistant Head Coach who not only has an input into the scheming of the offense but also sits in the box or on occasion on the sideline and has a definite input on the play calling that goes on after the first fifteen plays. I find it interesting that the last four games have shown that when the Broncos offense is running off of Mike Shanahan’s script they seem more dynamic, dangerous and we tend to see an overall increase in its productivity. When Heimerdinger starts to add his two cents the Broncos offense goes down hill fast. We start to see more three and outs, the Bronco’s play calling becomes more constrained and if I didn’t know any better Jay Cutler looks more uncomfortable with it. We saw the amount of input the Off. Coord. has when Gary Kubiak was here vs. when he left, so we know that the coaching positions input weighs heavily on the play calling of the game. The problem here is Assistant Head Coach Heimerdinger, not Shanahan. As far as D.J. Williams is concerned we need to remember that when he began his rookie year he had problems picking up the defense of Coyer at the Sam position. So much so that there were rumors that he would not start the season but would have to slowly work his way into it. It’s no wonder that it’s taking a while for him to assimilate the entire defensive scheme then become it’s play caller. The good thing though is that there is no question as to his athletic ability and when he has gotten the play calling right, he really gets it right. It’s just not instinctive for him yet. For some that comes quickly. For others it needs to be a trial by fire aka learning the hard way. I really think he’ll get it but it will take time and he will have to be out there on the field doing it.
Mike in San Diego
Just a comment about the “slide” of the last two games. I don’t think the broncos are sliding at all. In fact, I think they have either stayed the same (that is, played very poorly) or slightly improved. The fact is that the last two weeks they have lost to much better opponents than the ones they beat the first two weeks. I think losing to the colts by 18 might be a slight improvement over using a miracle to beat buffalo and Oakland. I for one, come to expect more from the Broncos and am so disappointed in the defense. All the time and money that went into improving the defense (especially the defensive line) and this team is just embarrassing. I’m a huge fan, but admittedly tough on my team when they play bad. I love them, but they frustrate me an awful lot sometimes. I just hope we either figure out how to plug a hole (gaps) and stop the leak (tackle) before this ship (season) sinks.
Oh dear Lord,
Please grant us the ability to recover from our losses, players and games.
PS: Is Javon going to be ok? Lynch? Henry?
What up with the injury updates on our home page?
oh yeah, thanks for the Championships, our young talent, our great owner & Shanny
Amen
Great post Archangel77!
I agree with you 100%.
YES!! finally some people who see that DJ Williams is a stud!! He is not the reason for our D not being effective. DJ is a great athlete with a nasty mean streak, no he is not the leader Al Wilson was but Al was a throwback player, you dont find those much. DJ will be a great middle linebacker for us take, that to the bank! we are very fortunate to have him. We need our front 4 to step up, to those who really know football can clearly see they are terrible in their gap assignments. Coach Bates GET ON THEIR ASS!!
Football takes a lot of practice, and a lot of team co-ordination. The Broncos have a ton of news guys all over offense and defense. We can’t just expect them to be at top form right away. DJ Williams looks like a great player to me, and I’m sure glad he’s a Bronco. Sometimes he might look like a guy who just started playing MLB…well guess what? He is! And all those guys we just drafted to be on the DLine…gonna take awhile before they are elite players, but it looks like they are going to be – just a matter of time. Same with Cutler – he played 5 games last year – not even 1/2 a season. So he’s still practically a rookie at the position and doing very well from what I can see. I think the Broncos are lucky that no one is running away with the AFC West and they have the time to keep getting better. I think the Broncos have a great coach in Shanahan, and a lot of really great young players. Williams, Moss, Cutler, Marshall…some guys who are going to be real weapons. Denver will probably improve more than any other team in the NFL this year…and with the veterans we have like Ian Gold and Jason Elam and Travis Henry and Champ Bailey (best player in the NFL) we have a great team.
Blue Diamond – awesome read on the goal-to-go play calling. I thought some of that stunk too.
Thanks for the Rod update, Mas. I hope we see him on the field this year. I really think the team could use some of his veteran leadership and passion for the game right about now.
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