1:11 P.M. MDT: Here we go … getting ready for Head Coach Mike Shanahan’s press conference, which is set to commence at 1:30 p.m. MDT. We’ll have his thoughts here, and you can click here to watch the doings live.
1:31 P.M. MDT: MRIs for Travis Henry, John Engelberger and Ian Gold … and Shanahan doesn’t know if Javon Walker and John Lynch will play Sunday; they are receiving treatment today.
1:32 P.M. MDT: Run defense: “We’ve been pretty inconsistent (there) all through the preseason, too … it’s something Indy (struggled with) last year.
1:33 P.M. MDT: On the tackling: “People make mistakes and you see it on film. I’m not going to go into detail, obviously, but something has to be worked out.”
1:34 P.M. MDT: Now Shanahan’s being asked about the Colorado Rockies … and their one-game playoff with the San Diego Padres tonight has captivated the media attention in this town, to the point where the attendance for this day-after-game press conference is the lowest I’ve seen in my five-plus seasons here.
1:35 P.M. MDT: “We’ve got some great effort but not a whole lot of productivity,” Shanahan says of the special teams. “You’ve got to have 11 guys doing the little things the right way … It only takes one (to mess it up). We’re not getting it done … Hopefully one of these days it will pay off.”
1:36 P.M. MDT: Shanahan spars with a new reporter about the red-zone offense, reminding him that even with its struggles, it remains in the league’s top half. “It’ll come,” Shanahan said.
1:37 P.M. MDT: Turns his focus to San Diego and now comments about Oakland and its improvement from 2006 when the Raiders offense was “completely inept,” and has improved now.
1:38 P.M. MDT: Kenny Peterson will return to the practice field this week following his four-game suspension; the Broncos can use him on the practice field this week and have to make a decision as to whether he’s on the 53-man roster next week.
1:39 P.M. MDT: And with that … we’re done. Short one this week.
Tags: Mike Shanahan
Great, Mike Shanahan at the mic! This ought to just clear everything up and prove that he still is the Mastermind of coaches! Hey Andrew, notice how some bloggers on here are actually starting to share some of are sentiments?
We wont be happy until you yourself admit, we have been right all along. It may take years, but we have them, and we have a new mission!
“Save The Broncos, Save The World!”
it’s certainly not just about Jake anymore.
http://www.letplummerplay.com
I notice how even more blog posters think you’re wrong. And as for me, well, your mission will fail … because when the move was made last November, the offense was in an 11-game stretch in which it failed to score more than 17 points eight times … and the quarterback had a negative TD-to-INT ratio. Change was needed … and I’ve got a press conference to cover.
Thanks for the information, and that’s a surprisingly short presser. I wonder how annoyed Shanahan actually was with some of the questions. Sounds like he’s sugar coating a lot of things, especially the issues in which we’re struggling. Especially tackling. I know he didn’t want to name names, but I wonder if Ian Gold happened to be one of them.
I think it’s not so much sugar-coating as simply a case of being asked the same questions week after week. There’s only so many ways you can answer the same query. A drive broke down in the red zone against Jacksonville; a pair stalled this week at Indianapolis. The Broncos had difficulty against the run against Oakland and Jacksonville; they had even more of a rough game at Indy. Those questions will keep coming until the issues are remedied — especially with run defense, tackling and assignments, because the Broncos now sit 31st in the league against the rush.
Andrew I can’t help but feel you’re misleading people. You always make it seem like once Cutler came in, there was a SIGNIFICANT difference, but there has not been.
You are correct, over 11 games Jake’s offense averaged 17.7 points….
He also had a winning record at 7-4
CUTLER has now been in 9 games, CUTLER’s offense over 9 games has average 17.4 points. and a losing record of 4-5
I know, I’m actually starting to let go of the Plummer Vs. Cutler issue, but it’s hard when you lead people to believe Jake was scoring goose eggs while Cutler is wearing out the bulbs in the score board.
I’m sure people on here will, but how can you argue with that?
cambien a cutler, por ramsey.
cambien de su coach defensivo.
cambien a sam adams , fue mala decision el adquirirlo, es muy pesado , lento y esta muy grande de edad, sus mejores años quedaron atras
@ Ernesto: There’s no need to change out Cutler for Ramsey. It’s too soon for any of that talk. It’s unfair to say after 9 games that Ramsey would be the better choice behind center.
At least Shanahan can admit there are problems, instead of just dodging the question like other coaches have done.
“CUTLER has now been in 9 games, CUTLER’s offense over 9 games has average 17.4 points. and a losing record of 4-5″
With more playmakers than Jake ever dreamed of having… this is on Shanny and the fact hes losing his edge. The play calling is garbage, the personnel moves are crazy (the first place raiders say thanks for their new starting DT), and its just getting old.
Pressers after losses are always short…He loves to talk after a win, and is short and contrite after a loss…..
And for LPP — Get over it…Jake Plummer DIDN’T LOVE FOOTBALL!!! Shanny’s attitude towards his QB changed when he had a week to watch Peyton Manning at the Pro Bowl after the 2005 season. He saw how Manning prepared, how he studied, how he loved the game. Lived it. Jake, for all his ability, and I still think he was one of the best PAC-10 QBs of the last 25 years, didn’t love football. It was a job, something he did because that’s what he had done his whole life. Somewhere along the line, between all the losing in Arizona and all the scrutiny in Denver, Plummer lost his love of the game…
The day Pat Tillman died a part of Jake did as well. These are not negative statements towards Jake, but the truth. Fact.
Get over it…
TSG
http://www.milehighreport.com
letplummerplay,
SHUT UP ALREADY! You’re really getting annoying. 90% of us will never agree with you because we actually have eyes and a brain. We don’t rely on websites full of one sided propoganda.
We may have our share of problems, but Cutler isn’t one of them, and Plummer used to be. He’s not half the QB that Cutler will be after he’s given a bit more time and patience.
And please stop spouting off the win/loss record. Plummer had a top 3 defense to bail him out, and so far this year Cutler obviously hasn’t. It’s not about wins and losses, it’s about you being an annoying git trying to make out with your snake friend.
We were rid of you once, why don’t you go slither under a rock again and leave us the heck alone so we can actually talk sense instead of listening to your drivel!
a
letplummerplay what was Plummer’s numbers after his first nine games in the NFL? I liked Plummer but he wasn’t the QB that we needed. If we could not run the ball and he couldn’t get out of the pocket he was ineffective. As for our problems this season its the same old story, no pass rush and we can’t stop the run. We need to start blitzing and mixing things up; our defense was playing scared yesterday. Send some blitzes up the middle or blitz a corner or something. We just let them nickel and dime us all day. The Jacksonville game was horrible also. Why didn’t we put eight in the box and make Ger-whatever beat us? In ’05 we use to send the house a couple of times a game and sometimes faked it to not only make the QBs think but to change the pace of the game. Just think how different that game would have been if we could have gotten a could of stops when we were up 10 – 0.
Please stop. The more you guys respond to the LPP the more annoying is going to be for all of us. Jake is gone and Cutler will be an awesome QB given the time to develop. Did you all forget how many games Manning lost his first years? I am more concerned about other facts:
1) Absolutely no pass rush especially in critical plays.
2) The defensive line is getting abused. Anyone can run through these wholes so other teams are controlling the game the way we used to.
3) Sourpunt cannot kick the ball through the end zone and our special teams cannot stop the returns. It seems that every team after the kick off starts around the 35-40 yard line and we start at the 20 at best. Not to mention the stupid penalties. What is wrong with you people? You cannot see the sidelines. Stop hitting players out of bounds.
4) Throw the F%$&^%$ ball deep once in a while Shanny! Here is the playcalling: run, run, throw short, punt. If you need 8 yards for a third down call a 10 yard route and not a 5-6 hoping that the receiver will make up the rest!
The next 3 home games are the season. We go 3-0 we are looking good down the stretch! 2-1 is risky and 1-2 you might as well kiss the season goodbye!
GO BRONCOS!
Hey Andrew,
I felt there were some positive and negative things in the game. I think for the most part our D-line did great on the pass rush, but I don’t understand the line enough to know why the case is different on the Run D. Why is it we can do so well in the pass rush against one of the best pass protection lines ever to play the game, but our run line just doesn’t cut it? I think I was wrong last week thinking having a cover safety in there was a better idea than a hitting safety like Lynch in there. What kind of difference dose Lynch and maybe a middle linebacker like say Al Wilson make on a run D? Is there any minute possibility that the rumors of the broncos talking to Al Wilson are true? And if even a small possibility how long would it be before he could make a difference in a new defensive scheme like this one? I know the leadership of Al can change Moral pretty fast as well. Don’t get me wrong D.J. is a great athletic linebacker, and just thinking of him Ian Gold and Al behind the line sniffing out a run sounds like an attractive option. With a bye week coming up to give Al a chance to learn, well it would just be cool that’s all! I have to say the point at witch I feel we lost the game was in the third quarter when Jay had the pick….
Shannihan is trying to get some perfect scenario from the opposing defense to call a deep pass. Marhall is huge like Moss and is certainly fast enough to burn most DB’s. Throw the damn ball up and let the kid make a play!!!!! LPP, I love Jake. I attended ASU and have lived in AZ for 12 yrs now, so I have seen a lot more of him than you probably have. You need to let it go, Jake is happy where he is and has obviously lost his passion for the game. I don’t agree with the circumstances that he left/was forced out under, but football is a business. Cutler is the future, and looks pretty good for a “rookie”. Jake hasn’t brought a Lombardi Trophy to Denver, so it was time to start looking for someone who can. Matbe Cutler isn’t that guy, but at least we are moving forward like we did with Griese. Visit my website http://www.LetGriesePlay.com …. Oh, wait. Griese IS playing and STILL SUCKS…..lol
@jeoronia: It’s Peyton Manning’s rookie season.
I don’t think Cutler will have that bad a season for his first full year as a starter. And with the defense learning new schemes, you can’t really expect a 16-0 season.
I can’t wait until bye week when the injured players are able to rest and hopefully be able to come back and win us some games.
Bronco_hyde…You shut up.
See you have influenced us into talking like 12 year olds now, you shut up, no you shut up..blah blah…
Talk with facts, not non-sense. In addition why don’t you take the time to call out everyone else on here that is now saying there are PROBLEMS with the team such as Shanahan. Why just call us out. There is a guy on here named FIRESHANAHAN and looking at this posts, he may be the genius on this board.
There is another guy that has called for Ramsey to be put in. You guys always call us out and come on our board and curse us out, call out some of the other people. NO one loved the Broncos more than when did.
But we’re tired of it, tired of watching Shanahan pound them into the ground and tired of watching Shanahan and the city chase quality Qb’s out of town.
Where did you see the pass rush yesterday? Did you see Manning running around, getting hit? When they were not running through those interstate wholes he stood back there having lunch! We have the #1 passing defense in the NFL which is a bad joke because we have the second worst defense against the run (31st). We all knew yesterday that they will convert every 3rd down. That is a horrible feeling.
Broncogreek13,
I couldn’t agree more. the lack of ZERO pass rush. As far as plummer fan more power to ya. He sucked for along time. Since college was over he was too. Shanny’s play calling moderate at best lately.{ First fifteen still good} I love this team drive eight hours on gameday. The old is out these are our boys love em when there bad too. In my book over all the years of being a fan before superbowls before season tix if we win TWO divisional games you know which one I will smile past all the faders. Thx for the time
jeoronia, those stats belong to peyton manning.
dj williams is catching too much heat.
he had 13 tackles against the colts, 11 of them solo. the problem with the defense is not dj williams, certainly not primarily dj williams. there are ten other guys out there on that field who are also not getting it done against the run.
al wilson? i’m still waiting for someone to give me an update on rod smith.
I’m torn on the LetPlummerPlay thing. On the one hand, I just want to stop responding to him, because I know these replies only add fuel to his fire.
On the other hand I want this blog to be a place of (usually) reasoned and civil debate. I’m not going to delete posts because of the opinion they espouse. I’m a pro-First Amendment and civil liberties and anti-censorship. Aside from taking out the “seven dirty words,” I’m proud of the fact that the repartee around here is pretty wide-open … and, far more often than not, quite intelligent. That’s thanks to all of you who post here regularly.
But, frankly, LPP adds fuel to my fire — especially when he accuses me of “misleading” people, a notion I find hilarious, especially when this fellow is actually doing the misleading. As he writes …
CUTLER has now been in 9 games, CUTLER’s offense over 9 games has average 17.4 points. and a losing record of 4-5.
The record is correct. But here are the offense’s numbers under Cutler:
Seattle: 20 points (2 TDs; 2 FGs).
San Diego: 20 points (2 TDs; 2 FGs).
Arizona: 37 points (4 TDs; 3 FGs).
Cincinnati: 24 points (3 TDs; 1 FG).
San Francisco: 16 points (1 TD; 3 FGs). (Champ Bailey returned an interception for a touchdown in this game.)
Buffalo: 15 points (1 TD with a failed conversion; 3 FGs).
Oakland: 23 points (2 TDs; 3 FGs).
Jacksonville: 14 points (2 TDs).
Indianapolis: 20 points (2 TDs; 2 FGs).
That’s 189 points in nine games — 21.0 points per game, not 17.4 as you claim.
As Mike Gundy is wont to say, “Get your facts straight.”
And as I noted last week I hardly think Cutler’s responsible for the 204 points — 22.7 per game — allowed by the defense since he became the starter.
Way too much is made of the quarterback position here in Denver. But it’s not a localized phenomenon by any means. Look at how Philly shreds Donovan McNabb. And I saw first-hand how even the low-expectations Buccaneers of the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s saw the Tampa Bay fans collectively turn into Ming the Merciless on Steve Young, Vinny Testaverde, Trent Dilfer, et. al. — and they certainly didn’t have a John Elway for comparison’s sake. My father and I used to sit in the grandstands and shake our heads and how these people laid everything at the quarterback’s feet when the defense was as fortified as papier-mache most autumns.
This isn’t fair, but it’s life in the NFL, and it is by no means a recent phenomenon.
I’ll be bouncing over here throughout the evening … and I’ll have a lot more comments and answers to questions, if not tonight, then tomorrow for the Tuesday Q-and-A entry. A game like Sunday’s and the comments that have followed sure leaves a hack like myself plenty to discuss and analyze.
i drove 12 hours from fort walton beach florida to indy and I had a great time.Shanahan i/s the best coach in the Nfl.His defensive coaches I cant say that about.I wish Larry coyer was still the d coach.I wish people would shut up about firing shanny.He is definitly not the problem.Yes his play calling has not been great lately but it will get better the more familiar he gets with some of these new players.I wish they could get AL back he was the backbone to this defense.GO BRONCOS.
i AGREE WITH BANNING THIS GUY EITHER YOU ARE WITH US OR AGAINST US.
Can you give us any news at all on Al Wilson’s health and status and on Rod Smith? Also how is Bates handling this?
Can you give us any news at all on Al Wilson’s health and status and on Rod Smith? Also how is Bates handling this?
One last thing, just an idea, but does anyone think we might be better off running a 5-2 Defense? I think we might be better off with that on 1st down situations and maybe even second down situations at the rate teams are running, we have a good enough secondary to let them cover the wr’s, Moss, Elivs, Thomas, Sam, Engleberger, Alvin, and a few more that would be decent at plugging the line with a roataton and moss,crowder, elvis swapping around at De’s to give rest and such. As for the two linebackers obviously one could be DJ and the other maybe Ian gold since he is faster and can cover good compared to how he doesnt stop the run so well. Just a though for some reason i see a 5-2 on first downs as working well because it will make them want to throw it and i have faith in champ and dre with our safteys at stopping the pass.
I VOTED FOR ELVIS DUMERVIL AT THE POLL
Shanahan is a good coach. If anyone says Shanahan only one because of Elway and TD probably don’t know what they are talking about. It takes 53 to win. Denver had a very good defense too. Why doesn’t anyone say Belicheck can only win with Brady? Belicheck could not win in Cleveland but in New England he is surrounded by good players. Great players need great coaches to win and Shanahan is one of the best in the league. The team is young and will improve as the season progresses. Cutler has not even played a full season and it generally takes three or four years for a quarterback to learn everything about playing the position.
LPP, the reason I pick on you on noone else, is because while I think everyone is entitled to their opinion of what this team should do to improve, everyone else at leasts restricts themselves to talking about players that are ACTUALLY ON THE TEAM!!!!
You, on the other hand, have a mindless obsession with someone who is long gone, and won’t be back coupled with an irrational vendetta against a coach, not because he’s doing anything particularly wrong, but simply because he fired your hero who as I said ISN’T ON THE TEAM ANYMORE!
As far as stats go, i’ll leave that to Mason because he does a very good job with it, and I don’t waste my time because as you have demonstrated, you can pull stats out that show anything you want them to show.
In the meantime, I’ll content myself with reading what others have to say and if I happen to notice your blather I’ll consistantly correct your false assumptions, and persist in begging you to leave until you finally do. I’ve got a nice big rock with your name under it.
Mason, I’m sorry if I’m adding fuel to the idiot’s fire. I can’t help it. People with tunnel vision drive me nuts.
Thanks again for keeping us updated.
GO MASON,
thanks for giving Broncos fans insight on the best team.
I meant won not one on my first post.
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.
And to LPP…
Come on…let’s think about this for a second. Let’s say Cutler bombs, Shanny gets fired, and you’re absolutely 100% right about everything. Is your righteousness really worth the detriment of the team?
Right now, Cutler is the starter for better or worse. Plummer’s gone and not coming back. More importantly, this is OUR team. I don’t care if we finish 2-14, bring Ryan Leaf out of retirement, or bust Mike Vick out of jail. My heart is and always will be with the Denver Freakin’ Broncos.
…okay, the Ryan Leaf thing may be pushing it a little.
HAGAN ALGO POR FAVOR , CUTLER NO LOS VA A LLEVAR A NINGUN LADO ,VAN A TENER DOS O TRES TEMPORADAS MEDIOCRES DE DESTELLOS . HAGAN MEMORIA DE BRIAN GRIESE , ES LA MISMA HISTORIA. LA DEFENSIVA ES PESIMA POR TIERRA , EL ESQUEMA DEFENSIVO ES MUY VIEJO, RENUEVEN SU LINEA OFENSIVA ES MUY LIGERA , VEAN LA GOLPIZA QUE LES DIO LOS JAGUARES DE JAX. . SOY FAN DE DENVER DESDE 1977 . LO UNICO QUE REFLEJA SHANAHAN ES QUE ES MUY NECIO. HABER QUE PRETEXTO DICEN PARA EL DOMINGO SI ES QUE PIERDEN VS SANDIEGO
I do think bronco_hyde is on to something…Focus on what we have, not what we don’t…If we want to debate Shanny’s depth chart, or Bates defensive scheme, or Cutler’s play — fine.
Can we not waste any more time with guys that are no longer here? Jake Plummer retired from football. Did anyone ever think that Shanny saw Jake as aloof enough to walk away from $7 mil and didn’t want to be stuck with NOONE to succeed him??
TSG
http://www.milehighreport.com
Well, we are tied for first. That doesn’t mean we can’t get better. In fact, we have to.
I think the loss of Al Wilson is key. I said a few weeks ago that Manning would carve up our middle like a Thanksgiving turkey because our LB play is the major weak point in the defense. DJ is a new MLB and Webster should be an MLB. What that means is that in a situation where the LB corps has to decide whether to cover the run or the pass (every play), we have bad decisions being made. Manning exploited this by using his TE extensively to confuse the LBs. He succeeded. Clark is hard enough to cover without getting a late jump on coverage, and if you are out covering Clark, the run up the middle is wide open if the RB can break through the DL. We saw that over and over. Sadly, there is only one way to get experience. If Shanahan is half the coach they say he is, he’ll go into teacher mode and fix that. In the meantime, I’d bring a safety up to the box/line as often as I could and let Bly/Bailey earn their money.
We also miss Hamilton, and I don’t think that Holland is comfortable yet. Run blocking is fine, but the pocket is collapsing too soon. As Cutler is really a rookie as far as QBs go, he’s making some rookie mistakes. That combination, though, is devastating. And, I’ve seen several passes that Cutler threw where the receiver didn’t know the ball was coming. Shanny could help here by taking a page out of Manning’s book: Quick crosses and slants to the TE/slot from a run formation. This softens up the defense for real runs and limits the liability of a pocket collapsing on a rookie. Frankly, Cutler needs to be babied a little to give him the time to develop. He also needs to spend a few hours a day throwing the ball through the proverbial tire – an NFL QB has to be able to hit either shoulder he wants to at 20 yards.
To summarize, both sides of the ball are experience deficient, and although there is no fix for that other than time, Shanny might have a few band aids he could put on to get some of that time. We’ll see on Sunday.
The o
YS, good point about missing Hamilton. I agree with your assessment of Holland and will add that runblocking appears to really be Myers strong point. He seems a little off-balance facing the pass rush.
I think right now the OL is an element of this team that is really showing up to play for the Broncos, even though they are as banged up as the secondary and as unsettled as the D-line. Unlike the most of the rest of the team, they are GETTING IT DONE, and doing it without resorting to excuses.
I hope everyone will keep that in mind when they struggle for a game, which they might invariably do (both SD and Pittsburgh are possibilities for that).
I for one was damn proud of the way they opened up the Indy game, and I couldn’t be happier about them opening lanes for Henry and Young, both guys who make the O-lines work pay off.
hi mason,
i guess we really need to improve against our run defense, if you sum up the first 3 games..its quite alarming, how many yards did lynch ran during the game agains the bills? how many did jordan ran against the raiders? the jags? and lastly, HOW many yards did addai ran? our corners are excellent but our run D is poor.
Watching Philip Rivers press confrence. I’m very concerned about the running game this week. LT is a dangerous running back. Our Defense has proven one thing consistently. They Cannot stop the run!!! We have made every team we’ve played look like machines. As for me, If I were Mike Shannahan I would have to demand from Bates that he makes some changes immediately. This scheme from the get go has seemed to be a loose-loose situation. We have some very talented players on this defense, however, they look horrible (As a unit). These guys are not being utilized properly. As a Defensive coach, Bates should be well aware of this and make the changes, to compliment his personell. We have what appears to be a bunch of individuals on the defenseive side of the ball. They are not playing well as a unit. Guys are lost in their assignments. Please Shannahan, be the Boss. Part of being the Boss is leading your team to a succesfull path. I cannot say that Shannahan should be fired, cause as an offensive minded coach, he does very well. But Bates was Hired to Coach the Defense. Sometimes you have to change your scheme to match personell. Bates needs to take a good long look in the mirror and realize, this truly is about the type of defense they are playing. Bates is responsible for this. Coaches can’t suite up and play, but a good coach will utilize his personell properly. Cutler will make mistakes, but a good defense will give him the opportunity to fix those mistakes. If the defense folds, and the offense is always playing from behind, then the pressure to make something happen, creates many more mistakes. We can’t change who’s playing right now, it’s to late, however using the talent properly is always an option. I’ve been a Broncos fan for years, I will never turn my back on them. I see an awful lot of talent and potential on this team, just have to use it properly. Sure do miss AL Wilson in the middle. Would love to see him in a Broncos Jersey again. Only if he’s healthy. GO BRONCOS!!!!! IT’s NOT OVER TILL IT’s OVER!!!!
does anybody think the Patriots can be stopped? They are on fire right now. They are a complete TEAM right now. Oh well just wish we were having that kind of season.
HEY FANS! NO NEED TO WORRY! WELL>>>MAYBE A LIL:
Lets look at the facts.
Jay cutler is the 13th leading passer
Travis Henry is the #1 leading rusher
Broncos have the #5 total offense
Broncos have the #6 total defense
broncos have the # 1 defense against the pass
Broncos have the # 31 Run defense
All in all we are 2-2
Suprising #’s? to sum maybe.. to others no. ALthough people fret against the run game, others have to think about the idea that if we are shutting down the pass allowing less than 115yds/game! The other team has to do sumthan and thats RUN! WE’re the best in one area and the worst in another. Yes some changes need to be made in order to fix those problems. The offense may need to be hit first however. The denver broncos were known for what?…THE PLAY ACTION PASS!!! GET JAY CUTLERS YOUNG LEGS OUT THE POCKET AND LAUNCH IT DOWN FIELD TO 6’4 BRANDON MARSHALL or 6’3 JAVON WALKER!!! WE OUT RUN EVERYBODY EASY! they are going to bite on the PA after we have ran down their throats! BRING IT BACK SHANNY! And to all that think Al wilson should return…I AGREE!! Weather he’s 100% gealthy hes a team leader and a force to recon with…
Even though were loosing…I think we still can beat any team in the NFL right now when healthy and clicking on all cylinders. People talk about the patriots and the colts. Remeber our defense is better then both! and we have a future SUper Bowl quarterback like they do too…!!!!! LETS GO DENVER!! STEP it up and finish a 11-5 season and knock the patriots out and meet the colts in the AFC championship game for a rematch and we win 38-20! MARK MY WORDS!!!!!!!!
Right now the team simply isn’t play well or consistently on either side of the ball. I have noticed every time a team busts a run on us it’s up the same weak side hole every time. I don’t know if Gold is hurt/out of shape or what but he is obviously not the same player this year he has been in the past. Why did they decide to sign Bly and NOT put 8 men in the box on almost every down? Indy had 8 men in the box the entire second half and the play calling went deep maybe twice the entire half? Coaches need to coach, players need to play. Right now the only ones doing their jobs are the fans.
I don’t do a lot of posting, as you guys usually cover everything. But one thing that must be addressed in a serious way- DJ Williams at middle linebacker. I am a life-long Bronco fan. I live for orange and blue Sundays. I support this team win or lose.
With that said- I watched the game (tivo style) and hit rewind on every running play Indy did (then went back to other games this year to verify). There is one thing that stands out on every play that goes between the tackles. DJ Williams. What in the world is he doing out there? It’s like he’s playing a whole different game, not just a new position. I love the guy outside, maybe even a pro-bowler this year. At middle linebacker, there is no worse in the league. He doesn’t understand his role in Bates’ defenense-either that, or he just stinks (and I don’t believe that). Find someone who can play the middle and get DJ outside (I won’t even go into Webster).
Peace (DJ, no hard feelings)
Here’s one thing I don’t understand; last year we drafted a class of rookies meant to help our team out; we had a developing TE and a defense that was meant to only get better. What do we do? We bench Sheffler this year and fire our defensive coordinator that got us to top 5 D with mediocre ex-browns players.. what are doing..
dsrainmaker…that’s exactly what I feel about DJ, I really blame it all on Coyer and Shanny for brining Gold back to our team. He had one good year with us, but has regressed ever since. Plus, with his addition, it meant DJ moved to the strong side..he is NOT a strong side backer, nor is he a MLB, he is a WLB, so bench Gold, move DJ over there for the love of all that is holy. No offense to DJ and his “11 solo tackles” but he is not meant for the middle, he obviously doesn’t understand how to play north and south like a MLB does. On a cutback run, he is constantly out of position on running plays, doesn’t know how to help on a TE crossing route. It’s really quite sad to see such a good WLB be forced to play out of position b/c of Gold. I blame all this mess on Ian ”midget man” Gold. Please don’t point out DJ 11 solo tackles…if those solo tackles are made after runs of 11 yards, does it really matter??? Please Shanny/Bates, bench Gold and move DJ over to his natural position. He was so much better as a rookie there.
Only one question I would have for Coach Shanahan: Why did we have to PASS for the TD on the FIRST drive, when we had moved the ball 60yds using back-to-back-to-back running plays?
We can use Young, if Henry is tired, just pound tyhe rock!
Is it just me or do Denver have a fascination with running down the field then passing INTO the endzone?
Otherwise, AWESOME work on the 1st quarter, shows the value of SCRIPTED plays in Denver!
With all of the problems with the defense, what do you think about trading someone like Mike Bell for a D-lineman. Lot’s of teams need a tailback after last weeks injuries.
Yes
mile high shack hit it right on the nose. DJ is constantly out of position. It seems like he shoots the wrong gap everytime. DJ is stronger and faster than Al, but Al was almost always in the right place. You’d think that he learned something from Al because he played next to him long enough. Who knows, it is sick to watch though.
Cutler is at least showing some promise, but we do need to go back to the run. If Mike could remember when he first started coaching denver that even Elway took a backseat to the run.
I don’t think DJ looks very comfortable at mike linebacker… he has a lot of trouble getting off blocks and sniffing out plays from there. I had the same problem there in high school. We need someone who’s a little bigger and more physical in the middle. We need a man-eater with bad intentions; DJ seems to be getting controlled.
I wish Nate Webster was bigger and stronger… based on everything I’ve heard about him (specifically 300 references and using WWF/WWE moves in his first HS wrestling match before winning state), he’s about 20-25 pounds and a little technique short of turning a conveyer belt in the middle of the defense into an automobile crash-testing facility that doesn’t take prisoners. Bad intentions go a long way at that position.
A little off topic, but I can’t stand the female announcer on ESPN during Pardon the Interruption who speaks in such a low voice. It’s weird.
As for other options, I could see the 5-2 possibly being effective. That leaves you with Champ and Dre on the corners, and either Nick and John back at safety, maybe Nick back at safety and John left to play a rover whose legal job description is ‘Fly to the ball and decapitate the fool carrying the ball on my field.’ Or, maybe more effectively, put Jeff Shoate, Karl Paymah, or Fox opposite Dre Bly, John at traditional safety, and let Champ just go where he feels… Champ Bailey can tell you where a play is going while it’s happened with more accuracy than most people after watching the play and hitting rewind… he’d get flagged for Too Many Ints in a Game. I have no idea if any of this stuff even works, but it seems good in the models in my head… which are usually Adriana Lima or Jessica Alba.
As for Cutler’s future, anyone who says he has none is right… unless they’ve actually watched more than his few worst plays and nothing else. Denver’s 2-2 and playing about as poorly as this personel can. Once they start clicking, it’ll take a lot more than New England’s defense to stop the Cutler – J-Walk – Marshall – Stokely – Henry – Graham – Young show. And if Rod Smith makes his comeback or Mike Bell is what I THINK he is? Forgettaboutit!
ahOOH!
P.S.
Not sure my Cutler comment made sense. Basically, if you actually watch him play and don’t just go by stats, you will know he’s something special and going to be one of the greats.
In my opinion, the only way i can see the defense make any significant improvement on run defense is to put 8 men in the box. Our corners can easily stay on an island with any receiver in the league. We can afford to stick a safety up front without many ramifications on the pass defense. Why else would we have a safety like John Lynch. We did the same thing with Atwater back in the super bowl years, why not do it now.
I also think that instead of totally overhauling the d-line, the issue at the linebacker position should have been addressed. Even with the browncos up front, the linebacking corps led by Wilson headed a pretty ferocious rush defense. This year they have lost their fire. D.J. is a good OLB, but really does not have the ability to be a solid mlb in this league. I’d almost consider switching D.J. and webster around. But I’d rather see denver find someone better. We have more d-linemen than we know what to do with, we can get rid of one for a linebacker. Or we can hope that Al will come back.
The offense hasn’t bothered me all that much, other than the failure to make points out of red aone visits, but some of that can be blamed on play calling. The offensive line has been solid, even with three new players the run blocking is as good as it has always been. Their is a huge amount of talent on offense, and once that red zone issue is taken care of, they will be racking up points. When we won the superbowls, we had a +1500 yard rusher and two +1000 yard receivers. We have the talent to put up numbers like that this year. Now we just need a top ten defense to back up our young qb and it could turn out to be a good year.