1:10 P.M. MDT: The common in-house parlance for Head Coach Mike Shanahan’s weekly day-after-game meeting with the media is a “fireside chat,” since he sits down in a chair in the media room instead of standing behind a lectern as he does on Wednesdays and immediately following games on Sundays. So with that term explained, welcome to the latest edition of the fireside chat. I’m a tad frustrated that I couldn’t get my hands on World Series tickets this morning, but then again, aren’t we all?
Twenty minutes until this thing is scheduled to start.
1:31 P.M. MDT: Off we go … Shanahan says Travis Henry “is a little bit sore,” and that he won’t be sure of his status until he starts practicing. However, there is no fracture in the ribs, he believes.
1:32 P.M. MDT: After complimenting the run defense, he explains the pass rush and says that the bye week gave some time to put some different elements into the pass defense. “Overall I thought we made some strides,” he said.
1:33 P.M. MDT: “When you hold a team like that to 120 (rushing) yards, then you can put them in some passing situations,” he said.
1:33 P.M. MDT: “Anytime you’re averaging six yards a play it’s going to come. The problem is when you’re not been moving the football. We’d been moving the football,” Shanahan says of the offense, which had easily its highest point output of the season Sunday.
1:34 P.M. MDT: Says Jay Cutler “went up two notches” in Sunday’s game. “You play the No. 1 defense in the NFL and find a way to move the ball in the fourth quarter and throughout the game … He made some plays in the fourth quarter and some tough throws early in the game in third-down situations.”
1:35 P.M. MDT: Says he was “happy” with how the offensive line played with Chris Myers moving to center and Chris Kuper making his first start at guard. “I thought (Myers) did a great job and Kup (Kuper) did a good job … By no means was it perfect, but it was cohesive and we got the job done.”
1:35 P.M. MDT: Said that Myers made all the calls up front and did well.
1:36 P.M. MDT: “I heard they were trying to change the times and hopefully we can get that done,” Shanahan said of next Monday’s potential confluence of Monday Night Football and Game 5 of the World Series. “It’d just be nice if people could watch both games,” he said.
1:37 P.M. MDT: Shanahan said that cornerback Dre’ Bly had a “little” AC (joint) separation which he incurred in the game, but he doesn’t think that Bly will even need a harness and “should be all right.”
1:38 P.M. MDT: Said that Scheffler “is still a little bit sore” after limping off the field late in the game, and that he will know more about the second-year tight end’s status on Wednesday.
1:40 P.M. MDT: On Marcus Thomas: “He did a good job for a young guy coming in. He’s got a lot of ability … We knew it was going to take some time for him to play but he’s come around a lot quicker than I had anticipated.”
1:41 P.M. MDT: On Simeon Rice: “I think Simeon has made some strides. Simeon believes in himself, which is good … Last week he had a better week than he did before. If he practices at the level that I hope he does (this week) then he’ll play. But it’s strictly a physical issue with the strength of his shoulder.”
1:42 P.M. MDT: More on Rice: “I think we all know what his potential is and what he’s done, and I’m hoping he’ll be ready to go this week.”
1:42 P.M. MDT: Said he didn’t know if Champ Bailey would be able to return to practice by Wednesday.
1:44 P.M. MDT: That’s it for this go-’round.
Tags: Mike Shanahan
I may have missed it, but did anyone ask Mike about the rumor of scrapping Bates’ scheme over the bye week. I thought the defense looked completely different.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7358452
From that article:
“The Broncos spent the bye week junking defensive coordinator Jim Bates’ system and going back to what they played last season. “We just don’t have the personnel to play it,” said one Denver insider. The Broncos better try something new because they are allowing more rushing yards (187.6) a game than what the mighty Steelers are running for — 167 yards a game. The Broncos are a mess without WR Javon Walker (knee) because Jay Cutler hasn’t had a consistent running game to rely on and there’s no receiver opposite Brandon Marshall.”
I was pleased with what I saw from the replacements today. Obviously, losing Champ is going to hurt your pass defense, but overall we did pretty well. I thought Kuper did well filling in and Myers was great (still), but I wasn’t paying as much attention as I probably should have to the o-line. Any comments on the two, Andrew?
Stokely and Scheffler really were great picking up some of Javon’s slack, and Clark came in made a couple good catches.
Even though Martinez only had one catch, it was BIG TIME. This guy is a gamer. His kick return was also good.
Bly stepped up big, and he was obviously hurting a lot for some time after his interception.
I thought Winborn had at least 2 ST tackles, but Yahoo only shows him with 1. He looks pretty good, I liked that sequence that they showed of him after he made that hard hit.
Hopefully we are seeing the signs of our defensive “system” “gelling”. Lord knows we have some talent on D (Bailey, Williams, Dumervil, Lynch, Bly, Adams). I think Dumervil continues to show he is an every down DE. I burst into joyous laughter at seeing him bull rush a double team to get one of his sacks.
Our offense is one of the best with Javon, without him we are still very good, and it shows against the best D in the league.
Like I said last week, I think all signs point to good things moving forward.
–Jason
Did the Broncos really scrap Bates system?
This is a huge news item. Please please please respond Mason.
Ben Roethlisberger looked like Barry Sanders juking our would be tacklers. Guy is slick.
Ben is huge, our tacklers were like 3/4 his size! Credit to them that they managed to sack him so many times.
Blessings be upon you BRONCOS!!
“Thank You for doing as I asked, in Honoring my slain”…..the Spirt of Mile High says for me to give to you. I, J’shua, Messenger of ~Adonai~
“Continue in support of your {community efforts}, so that I may make an example of you!”…..remain humble and CONFIDENT IN MY BLESSING UPON YOU…and Know ….. that you have a Destiny to Fulfill.”
~Adonai~
From 1Arabian Knight,
Messenger of the Most High
Congrats. I knew yOu would find a way to receive my message from God to You, suffer me not to ignore.
To: Pat Bowlen,
Let Us Always remember the “Little things” and the “least of These”
When I Arrive in Denver, I look forward to raising my glass to you, as another CEO, …. who’s heart is for the Children First!!!
To: Coach Shan,
Now is the time to “keep them sharp”, take no comfort in this victory, the Truth is you must win Every Game From Here On OUT, to not only make it to post-season, but for AFC Champs, and a chance for 1st Round Bye….because You Will face Tony and Bill…….and YOU MUST Defeat them SWIFTLY, and play call to specifically attack by
1] ’2-weakest’ warriors(defenders on the depth chart) ; ie: either DL, LB, or S’s or…..any to combo’s simultaneously and/ or consecutively!
2] plan at least 2, 3 trick plays, simply because it is very “un-characteristic” of you, you must out-think Bill, and simply focus on colts players more than Peyton!
To Coach Bates:
I think I understand your scheme a little, consider a Nickel 4-4-3 package, in addition to your 8 man front!!
……Lynch cannot do it all, on the line, and Nick is a big play away from being “exposed as a serious hole” in our D, and the same goes for Dominique, too much bloggin for kudo’s and not enough finishing the play mentally, despite 10 tackles!
And Finally, constantly yet have 2 Interior linemen start one one direction and by design go another, {on certain Blitz Pkgs}
“YOUR PLAYOFFS BEGIN NOW !!!!!
Thank goodness if we junked Bates system, it looked a lot better from where I was standing at Mile High Stadium, 28 points is still not so good, but considering they gave up almost twice that last time they played I consider that an improvement. Now let go get Al back & really come at ‘em. And hey Ian Gold if that really was you on the message post last week, no hard feelings, it sucks if Al feels the way you say he does about the Broncos, but it’s kinda for his own protection. Also I’m a huge Michigan fan too, loved you at Michigan man. GO BLUE! & GO BRONCOS!
bronox2729, you forgot James Jones.. This is going to be a hard game to decide against, am I going to root for my hometown packers or root for my diehard fan broncos? I live in WI and I tell you, James Jones is something.. This is going to be a good game, oldtimer gun slinger favre and young gunslinger Cutler, both who loves to throw deep and throw INT often too, hehe.
Looks Like B-Marsh is in trouble again, This time a DUI. Why can’t NFL players get it through their thick skulls, “DON’T BE STUPID!” If I can afford a cab ride home from the bar on my dinky salary, then I am pretty sure Marshall can find a ride home too. Come ON! I know that this probably doesn;’t impact his playing time in the future, but lets just hope that this is a wake up call for him and he isn;t so dumb in the future.
I totally agree with ArabianKnight (in spite of his delusion-of-grandeur-disposition [hey I'm a psychologist and he sounds this way]) and Bronx2729 in regards to the safety play. As much as I love the way John Lynch and Nick Ferguson can put the wood to players, they can’t cover. And unless the Broncs do something unexpected (e.g. sign a FA or trade for a S), this is going to contiunue to haunt the defense–unless Steve Cargile or Hamza Abdullah sprout coverage skills magically and reliably. As for the rumor about scrapping Bates’ scheme–not to sound cocky–but I’ve been saying that since they hired the guy. Although he has characteristically built good defenses over the years, it always takes them a season or so to finally come around and by that time, he’s on his way out. Not to mention, the fact that it takes particular personnel to run his scheme–something we seem to be lacking–made it a questionable hire for Shanahan to make in the first place. Well, good for them if they are able to adapt and play great defense from here on out.
Finally, I’m glad the my football instincts are on too. I knew there was something about Glenn Martinez that made him worth keeping in spite of his lack of showing in the preseason due to injury and the glut of WRs we had. I still hated to see D. Hixon go and it rekindles the bone I have to pick with Rod Smith for taking a WR roster spot that is still questionable at this point in the season. If he doesn’t make it back, then he will have potentially kept another player from contributing to the team. He probably could’ve semi-retired and rehabilitated at home and came back next year. I will wonder about that decision for a long time. But hats off the Broncs for keeping the young WRs they have and getting good play out of them!
1ArabianKnight- Cleverly written message … but you might want to be careful about mocking God.
Onto other things- great win last night. The team finally looked like they are improving. I doubt they junked Bates system- too many different players this year, who know nothing about Coyer’s system, to learn it that well in just two weeks- especially the rookies up front. Besides there was a decent pass rush- something missing from last years scheme. Cutler looks good for such a young gun. One game at a time. Go Broncos!!!!
From what I saw, the problems with Bates’ system was the failure of players to stay in their gaps–overpursuing, or getting juked into leaving their gaps. According to some of the players, the difference this week is that they are being more patient and starting to buy into their gap assignments. (I don’t remember the exact quote, but it’s in one of the DB site top stories.)
Honestly, the biggest difference I saw was the Broncos players playing with passion–high-speed, hard-hitting passion. For the past month, they seemed to always be making the OTHER team look like they were going all out.
YA ERA HORA , SE VIERON BIEN, GANEN A LOS PACKERS, CAMBIEN EL PLAN DEFENSIVO DE BATES , CAMBIEN A SAM ADAMS, NO SIRVE LA FORMA ANTIGUA, PUEDEN GANAR LA DIVISION , LOS CHIEFS NO TIENEN NADA, LOS RAIDERS ESTAN PERDIDOS , LOS CARGADORES SE VAN A DERRUMBAR POR AHI DE LA SEMANA 10 , TURNER ES UN PERDEDOR, HAGAN LOS AJUSTES
DEFENSIVOS PERTINENTES Y GANEN ESA DIVISION POR EL AMOR DE DIOS, TIENEN EL POTENCIAL Y A SHANAHAN .
——————————————————————————–
Hey Mas,
When might we find out more about Brandon Marshall? What type of punishment would he be facing if he was found guilty? If he were to get suspended how long might it take?
They played with heart and energy. They were fun to watch. That’s what I’m after. Kudos to all the young guys who came alive, especially my fellow Alaskan, Kup! Two weeks ago, I was right at the front of the bitter disappointment parade. I was cranky (did it show?) and harshly critical of what I thought was an embarrassingly flat performance from a VERY talented group (Shanny included.) To those of you on “be happy” drugs who think it wrong to hold your nose when your favorite skunk walks by, keep on pompomin’ and grasping for those silver linings. Try to understand though, why others vented, even piled on. I wasn’t jumping off the bus after thirty years, just wondering why it was headed toward a cliff.
I’m thrilled with last night, but I don’t think they played like a Super Bowl team, or even dominated. Without a fluke fumble return and Elam (Money!), they’d probably have lost. But they battled… with a spirit and physicality they hadn’t yet shown. Good on ye, Broncos!!
Dre Bly won me over last night. Even a “slight” ac separation stops most humans. He’s a warrior.
I agree with Kevannes, Dre won me over too. Fox stepped it up last night also. We got a little lucky last night, but a win is a win. Time to pull it together and string some wins together. B-marsh is an idiot. Use your head buddy!!!!
Andrew, can we please BAN Arabian Knight for mocking God?
For those Bible readers on this blog, we know that Paul told the Galatians, “God will not be mocked.” The Almighty can handle His business, so I caution Arabian Knight lest he become excessively blasphemous. Anyway, Shanahan hit it right on the head in terms of finally converting in the red zone: the law of averages came into play. The defensive line while short in the tooth is impressive and athletic and quarterbacks shall continually be harrassed who face our dynamic athleticism on the D-line. While Elam is more clutch than anyone else in the league except for (perhaps) Vinatieri, Jay Culter was equally impressive. Let’s remember he only has nine or 10 NFL starts under his belt so he is really impressive especially when one considers his relative lack of experience. When Javon and Champ return, we’ll be even better. The foundation is laid for the team to win in the future, but in the interim we can still be successful. Thanks for the posts Andrew. Good luck to you in your quest for Fall Classic duckets!
I don’t know if we scrapped the defense or not but they did not look the same out there to say the least. The d line suddenly looked like they were released from a springboard and blasted Rothelsomethin’ all night. Bly showed he can cover pretty well and as long as he and Bailey can stay on the field it’s going to be a tough day for opposing wide outs and qb’s. Cutler needs to NOT throw into double coverage though, EVER! I know he’s trying to let Marshall make the play, but holly crap! It’s amazing that the minute Tony gets in the game we start driving down the field…….hmm…….
I love to eat crow in this situation
This team and coaching staff showed us fans something this past weekend.
Steelers are a tough team and we showed we can hang with the 2nd tier of the NFL (everyone besides NE and Indy).
If our D can only get a little better, I think we can make a run at the AFC West title and hopefully a home playoff game.
I was worried after watching the snow fall and then melt, knew we were going to be chillin in the stands, but it was great to see the our BRONCOS were hot in the face of Steeler smashmouth football. The defense did allow more points than I like to see, but they had heart going after Ben the way they did. Jay clearly showed up ready to play and I think we were all glad to see the playbook relaxed a bit since the run wasn’t going to win the game. Injured players and all the BRONCOS were great, lets hope this is the streak that leads to the playoffs. GO BRONCOS here comes Monday Night football and GB should be worried.
1. Did Jim Bates scheme get dropped as reported?
2. Enough of all this God talk, why not debate what kind of cookies Santa Claus likes? (oatmeal raisin!)
3. Brandon Marshall needs a chaperon.
blue diamond, I have to agree on the oatmeal raisin but don’t forget the carrot for Rudolph.
Also, we all know that God wears a Broncso jersey on Sunday! AND…when he watches from above, his back is facing the Oakland & San Diego…So it’s all good!
Great Win Sunday! Things are changing and adjustments are being made. That was the biggest improvement. Insanity is defined as making mistakes but never learning from them.
Lastly….Favre, I dare you to throw the ball! Don’t be surprised if you have your worst game of the season next Monday. You’re one of the greatest to ever play the game, but frankley you’re in our way! We’ve got business to take care of and it doesn’t include cheese balls. And when you look down the field and think just for a second “should I pull the trigger?” do it, because the hit you’ll sustain if you don’t will be far worse than looking at another INT in your stat column!
…..”Go get em’ boys! Remember, the league doesn’t respect you. Take what is rightfully yours. THE END ZONE!!”
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