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Broncos Head Coach John Fox is just the fourth head coach since the 1970 NFL merger to inherit a team with four or fewer wins the previous season and win at least one playoff game in his first year. He joins Sean Payton (N.O., 2006) and Bobby Ross (S.D., 1992) with that distinction. Fox was on Ross’ coaching staff as the secondary coach during that season.
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Denver’s five-win improvement (including postseason) from its 2010 record tied for the second-best mark in the NFL this year.
6
The Broncos won six games in 2011 when trailing (4) or tied (2) entering the fourth quarter. That figure tied an NFL record.
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Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas led the team in receiving yards in each of the final seven games of the season (including postseason). During that span, he averaged 106.4 receiving yards per gamed.
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Denver’s 2011 rookie class featured nine players who saw playing time during the season, including a combined 56 starts that ranked second in the NFL.
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The Broncos totaled 41 sacks during the 2011 season, representing an 18-sack improvement from last year and the most by the club since totaling 44 sacks in 2000.
Tags: Inside the Numbers
GREAT JOB DENVER BRONCOS!!!
Ok Turtle that was a whole lot of information for me to take in. WOW what a complex thing it is. Now if I can just interpret what you said to what I see then that will be my biggest thing. I just know that I saw a lot of guys not tackle. A couple would sorta like overshoot their mark, run after a guy too fast and miss the tackle.
Yea, our defenders take poor angles. Sounds like our positions coaches mostly the secondary coach doesn’t teach that well enough. I feel like they need a seperate tackle coach.
Heres my simple break down. At least i think its simple. If u understand this then u can graduate to understanding Turtles in depth break down lol:
Safties (FS and SS) – Deep coverage. sometimes run support. Sometimes man to man with RB or TE.
Cornerbacks – Cover Wide receivers.
LBs – If not blitzing cover TEs and RBs
DL- DEs rush/contain. DTs stuff the middle.
Types of coverages – Man to Man and Zone and QB spy
Based on the Defensive Coordinators scheme, he can do creative things like blitz CB, Safety etc. Drop Dlinemen into coverage. etc.
4-3 = 4 linemen, 3 LBs
3-4 = 3 linemen, 4 LBs
there are way more formations (Nickle, Dime, Quarters, Quarters Deep, 3-3-5, 46, etc) … but at the end of the day … only 11 men on each side.
Blitzing is when more than 4 people are coming for the QB.
Sometimes u rush only 3 to have more people in coverage.
Thanks TRB that is easier to understand. So if you blitz then doesn’t that leave a bunch of receivers and TE wide open?
Good thing I am a girl and not a QB cuz you have to know how to read all that. WOW
Well when my hubby gets the replay through direct tv and I watch our games again I will have to try to watch the defense more closely to see what they are doing and what they are not doing. I learn most things quickly but this is going to take me a while.
Bay, like I said many times before I may have found the Bronco’s because of Tim but this blog and this team has made me a fan and even if we were to trade Tim tomorrow I would still be here to support the Bronco’s. I see a team that cares about each other and the team as a whole. I see a FO that is trying to keep the fans involved with what is going on. You sure don’t see that anywhere else. I see an active blog where everyone gets to voice their opinion and is respected for it. I have visited a few other blogs (of oppenents that we have faced) and there is no where near the participation or the moderation as there is here. Some of the trash that those other blogs allow is sad. I would never talk like that and I don’t care to read that either. Anyways just saying that Tim brought me here but everything else will keep me here.
Here is something that was discussed this morning. I just received this and thought to share it.
Broncos’ Tebow thrilled by Elway’s pledge of support
Posted: 01/17/2012 11:54:33 AM MST
Updated: 01/17/2012 01:01:05 PM MST
By Mike Klis
A day after receiving a strong endorsement from the Broncos’ top boss, Tim Tebow was sitting in the team’s cafeteria this morning, sipping on a water bottle, reflecting on the 2011 season that just passed.
Thanks in large part to Tebow’s play at quarterback, the Broncos unexpectedly won the AFC West, unexpectedly beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first-round of the playoffs, then got clobbered in the second round Saturday night by the New England Patriots.
Two days later, John Elway began his second year as the Broncos’ head of football operations by declaring Tebow as the team’s starting quarterback going into training camp.
No one will beat out Tebow when conditioning begins April 16 — which is a month after free agency, by the way — or the organized team activities (OTAs) that will begin in late-May — or about a month after the draft.
“Nice,” Tebow said of Elway’s pledge of support. “It’s a great honor to be a quarterback for the Denver Broncos. I take that very seriously. I’m very excited about this offseason and I can’t wait to get to work and get better.”
The Broncos have urged Tebow to give his body some rest. He’s trying, but it’s not easy.
“I was going crazy yesterday,” he said with a smile.
He said thanks, but no thanks to a request by CBS Sports to join their NFL Today studio show during their conference championship coverage Sunday.
“I’m not doing it,” Tebow said.
The Broncos were so bad in 2010, they picked No. 2 overall in the draft. They began 1-4 this season before Tebow finally got his chance to become the team’s No. 1 quarterback. He led his team seven wins in his first eight starts, a run that lifted the Broncos to their improbable division title.
Given his late-game heroics this season, did Tebow wish Elway had taken one more leap of faith by promising him the starting job for Game 1 of the 2012 season?
“I don’t care,” Tebow said. “You have to go out there and compete, anyways.”
Yes if you blitz chances are more people are open … its a race against time … like can u sack him before he finds the free man … its tough but the greats can throw quick hits and they can also audible if they can spot the blitz. So yes blitzing is risky … but it also depends on the formation that they are in … sometimes their formaion/play the offense is in. Sometimes the TE and the RB stay to block and dont go out of passes or whatever. So yup … chess match. Sometimes u pick the right play, sometimes u don’t but at the end off the day its up to the players to identify whats going on and use instinct to minimize the damage … but at the same time the play call on D maybe good and some over zealous person is doing someones assignment and ignores thiers. Fun stuff aint it shaz? LOL
Shaz we found out during the lockout when we visited like all 32 sites and realized this blog is pretty awesome lol. TRB
Sounds like Tebow is wanting to get started training and is not going to be able to. They want him to take some time off from it. He also turned down CBS and I am glad.
I can second that TRB. A lot of the other teams didn’t even have a blog running during the lockout. I guess they decided to ‘lock-out’ their fans too. haha
lol apparently so weatherman … Broncos Country rocks lol
On 2 occasions now Ive seen a Miller Post and a Tebow post calling us Broncos Nation … made me cringe lol. (I guess tahts cuz its Florida Nation) … First thing they need to learn walking into the Building is “Welcome to Broncos COUNTRY and the mile high salute” lol TRB
shaztah,
Thanks for asking your questions. I even learned a lot from the answers given. I really appreciate that a lot.
Yep a big difference between Brincos Country and Gator Nation. The color scheme might be the same but big difference between the two.
I agree, they should spend their first whole day crossing the goal line and learning the salute.
I have a question, since we are doing question and answer sessions.
If the spread is not used in professional football, why do colleges use it? Why do colleges have so much difficulty defending the spread offenses but the pros defend it so well?
Brincos=Broncos
Fingers to big!
Caldwell fired by Indy… Man, I can’t remember a time where there has been this much turnover with HC/OC/DC’s… And the season isn’t even over yet….
If any team should have know how their season was going to turn out, it should have been the Colts. When they announced prior to the first game that Manning was not going to be able to play this season, they lost the locker room right then, and never got it back. It was like you took the wind out of every single player in there. I remember some of them being interviewed saying stuff like ‘Manning has always carried us and we don’t know what we are goingh to do without him on that field.’ I mean, it was really bad.
I think the easy answer to that question is speed.. The defenses in the NFL have a ton of speed, which closes the gap on any advantage that the offense may have..
I understand the speed aspect of it OT, but basically if it something that is not used in the NFL then why do colleges use it? A lot of the coaches in the colleges have been associated with the NFL so why do they teach or use something not used. Why not just teach and use trhe plays and schemes used by the NFL? That way we will not have qb’s coming out that look to run. They will all be ‘stand in the pocket’ passers and the like.
jk
i hope we keep around haggan though
Good question.. It sure would make the transition to the NFL a whole lot easier.. I think it has a lot to do with the spread option offense being easy to run, especially when we’re talking about young kids here, and it’s also what’s used in pop warner and highschool levels as well.. The NFL speed is one reason why it’s hard to use at this level, but the defensive scheme’s are also more complex in the NFL, so it’s a double whammy..
shaztah, I’m very glad to hear that, there is always more room on the Bronco train.
http://www.cnnsi.com/2012/football/ncaa/01/17/kirkpatrick.ap/index.html?sct=nfl_t2_a8
Poor Kid… this may drop him to where we have a shot at him at pick 25…
‘Damn, 20 years for just weed?!?!’
Name that movie…
And this Bronco Nation is getting out of hand, totally agree with TRB and weatherman, talked about that before, learn the proper fan lingo or look like a fool, the organization needs to give a pamphlet to each new player explaining to them the basics of fandom in Bronco Country.
Wow! Very interesting about Kirkpatirck… The draft order already getting shaken up… Lol. Will be interesting to see what we do should he fall to us….
These kids in college dont spend as much time studyign as NFL players. The spread is easier to grasp and their is nto enough speed an discipline in college for it. Also it might be successful in the NFL … no one has really gone all out using it. I mean all we use is a zone read … the spread goes alot deeper. But the main factors are speed and discipline. I often though tit would be easier to teach QBs in college in a pro style offense to help them better transition but I guess its tough. Maybe the position coaches are not as good in EVERY school. Plus the option is fun to watch and college ball is all about fun. I dont really watch college football but thats the best explanation i can muster. TRB
I find the stictness on weed a lil over the top but it is illegal so not much to say. Thats just the fact. Same thing happened with Janoris Jenkins another top CB in this draft that dropped hard and was let go by the gators. If I were to wager I would say 90 percent of college athletes and like 80 percent of college students in general use or have used weed. I dunno where u got the 20 yrs from but there is definitely alot of space taken in prison for weed. Id rather save that space for rapists, pedophiles and murderers … but thats just me. Law is the Law I suppose.
So both Janoris Jenkins and Kirkpatrick are taking a tumble … interesting … with the character in our lockeroom these days (minus hunter getting stabbed by his wife and McBean stalking people) … id rather not have to deal with negative press lol … even if its weed.
TRB
I would also not be opposed to both Hunter and McBean replaced by some youth personally.. Not really impressed with either of them IMO
I think we need one of each position on defense… S, CB, DT, MLB, and even a DE for depth…
Carnage brought up some great thoughts in his last post. Denver got very lucky this year facing teams that had major players missing from there lineup. I pose this question to bronco country. With every team in the AFC west having the same roster they have now (no draft) but everyone is healthy…where would the broncos finish next year? IMO we would finish last or next to last. We only finished tied for 1st as is. KC was missing several impact players this year and they only finished a game behind. OAK is such a jacked up fanchise it boggles me but we only managed a tie with them. We have faced our share of injuries too just not to the level of some of our other divisional opponents. Reguardless injuries are part of this game and won the division fair and square…..we just gotta keep improving. We are not legit contenders yet but we are working on it.
All defense except for Lamichael James and a TE in the draft as far as I’m concerned. A home run hitter like James and a Tebow outlet like a good TE and the rest defense.
I agree about A TE.. Julius Thomas was a disappointment no doubt, but I’m hopeful he gets a shot to play next season. Drafting a TE may admit failure, not sure we’ll see that.. It should be fun to watch Fox and Allen pick their players.. Must be fun, not often does one side of the ball get this many picks
Kengro, injuries are part of the game… we were with 3rd and fourth string DB’s…
We play who is on the field, and it is pointless to speculate as to what might have happened if… it just leads to a slippery sloap of endless maybe’s and could have’s and what if’s….
*slope… eeesh at my spelling today
OT, While listening to Dave Logan and Dave Kreiger on 850 KOA yesterday they both said that the Broncos are banking on both Rahim Moore S and Julius Thomas TE will improve leaps and bounds in the offseason OTA`s. Inside info on their part I`d say. It sounds like they have high hopes on these two players. So I`ve change my mind on drafting a TE. Now getting a TE in FA, now thats a different story.
Thanks for the intel Strand.. Sounds good to me, I think both players still have a very good chance of working out, and you’re right there are a couple good young TE’s available in FA.. We were spoiled last year with FA jammed into a few weeks.. Lol
Your welcome. These guys are credible, so I`ll take their word for it. It just makes it easier when you can eliminate some things and have an idea about the draft is what I`m saying. I`m thinking in the 1st and 2nd rounds, a DT, CB, RB and or DE/LB.
Its not the new kids that coined the phrase Broncos Nation. It’s SHANNON SHARPE who does it every sunday on CBS lol.
We`ll have a better idea when we sign some FA`s to fill some holes then we`ll have a better idea of what positions to target in the draft. I`m looking forward to watching the NFL combine when it takes place.
We should take Jenkins and Kirkpatrick since weed is legal is Colorado. Both players would be stoked and we could definitely use 2 dynamite corners.
I am surprised at how many “glass half empty” minded people there are that are way too harsh on a QB that has not had a full season as Starting QB yet, and had come in this year while the season was in full swing, did not have training in the offseason, had one of the most depleted Receiving Corps in the League, but yet, still took a 1 & 4 team to the Playoffs, and just two games away from the Super Bowl!
I think these people will be in for a huge surprise when Tebow & the Broncos come in next year with a whole offseason of training! Tebow is known to be diligent in studying & is a fast learner, he played under a different system in college & will learn whatever Elway & Fox will be running next season, all he needs is a little guidance from Elway & His Coaching Staff. He will know how to check down, read Opposing Defenses better, learn how to implement a variety of plays, and this alone will make his passing percentage in the short to mid range increase at least a few notches, not to mention having a healthy & full receiving corp that he had the time to practice with in the offseason! He has proven against the Steelers #1 Defense (#1 Passing D) that if he is given time he can hit his targets, after all he did break Aaron Roger’s Record QBR from last years Playoffs, and he did this with a very depleted receiving corp!
As a Packer Fan, I can see a lot of Favre in him, take away the drinking & undisciplined behavior in Favre’s early years. Favre was raw, did not have a good throwing motion, threw way more ints than Tebow did in his first year, but was a proven winner, he won any which way he could, by running or passing!
Look at Alex Smith, in his first year with the 49ers, he had 1 TD & 17 Ints, now he’s one game away from the Playoffs! I choose to see the glass half full, and believe that Tebow will surprise us even more than he did this past year
I would say the reason the college coaches use the spread is because it works at that level ( and possibly in the NFL…that’s for another discussion).
Their job is to win games and build a winning program not to be a training ground for the NFL.