Rice Takes

Sometimes you just have to put your foot down. The Broncos did that in Sunday’s 16-13 win over the Buccaneers.

Don’t get me wrong. I love watching shootouts. But there is something to be said for winning a defensive struggle. The Broncos showed they could do that.

I won’t pretend the Buccaneers have an elite offense. The fact remains, however, that they were averaging 350.2 yards per game entering Sunday’s game. They had only 307 against the Broncos.

They were also averaging 22.8 points per game before Sunday. They had just over half that against the Broncos.

The Bucs had allowed just four sacks in the first four games and none in the two games leading up to Sunday’s contest against the Broncos. Denver had three sacks in the 16-13 win.

For as much as the Broncos’ defense struggled early in the season, it toughened up against the Buccaneers. In seven of their 11 possessions, the Buccaneers had the ball for under 2:30. Only four of their possessions netted 37 yards or more. The other seven drives netted nine yards or fewer.

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Sunday’s game against the Chiefs is a prime example of why staying off the emotional roll-coaster is a wise thing to do. Teams have to remain steady, not getting too high after wins and not getting too low after losses. For the first time this year, the Broncos will have the opportunity to see if they can stay on an even keel after a disappointing loss.

I am still a firm believer in the Broncos’ ability to be a good team this year. But they are still a young team. And young teams go through growing pains. Sunday certainly qualifies as that.

Among the issues:

–TURNOVERS. Going into the game, I found it hard to come up with a scenario in which the Chiefs won without getting at least a couple of turnovers. They came up with four and that was more than enough.

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The Broncos are 3-0 for the first time since 2003. Is it just me or does it seem longer than that?

A fresh breeze is blowing through Invesco Field at Mile High these days. That’s what happens when a team scores 38 points per game and moves the ball seemingly at will for much of the time.

I’m not sure how long the offense will continue to produce at this pace but I am enjoying it to the fullest. One would think that with a young Jay Cutler at the helm, this could go on for awhile. But one never knows what will happen, and I’m inhaling the prolific offense deeply right now.

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Unbelievable. Phenomenal. Mind-boggling.

Pick your word, pick your phrase and it probably applies to what the Broncos pulled off Sunday against the Chargers.

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It was clear the Broncos had Bachman-Turner Overdrive in their iPod Monday night. They flat-out took care of business in a stirring opening act to the 2008 season, blowing by the Raiders 41-14.

The only time the Broncos have scored more points in a game against the Raiders was 1962 when they put up 44. The Broncos 41 points was the most they have ever scored in a road game against the Raiders.

The only time the Broncos have scored more points in a season opener was 1991 when they beat Cincinnati 45-14.

It doesn’t matter to me that the Raiders are struggling. The list of positives for the Broncos is impressive.

–The first team offense continued where it left off in the pre-season. Quarterback Jay Cutler was sharp, completing 16-of-24 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns. He was in complete control and looked great.

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At last, the regular season is here. It should be an interesting one.

I’m not sure anyone really knows how to evaluate the pre-season outside the coaching staff. It seems as if the Broncos made progress and took steps forward. It is time to find out.

Going into the pre-season, I was as interested in seeing how this Broncos team came together as I’ve been in a long time. Now that the regular season is here, I’m even more interested to see how good this team is.

I still believe what I believed heading into training camp: The Broncos are a good, solid football team. There is certainly plenty of room for improvement and if they make that improvement, the Broncos could be better than a good, solid football team. I believe they have that kind of talent, but only time will tell how good they are.

Here are some thoughts on the season that is upon us:

THE MAN. Without a doubt, his name is Jay Cutler. Cutler is poised to take some major steps forward and I think he will. I believe the Broncos will, first and foremost, rely on him. While I think the Broncos’ running game will be fine, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them use the pass to set up the run, which would be a departure from the way they have done things.

Think back to the draft three years ago when Cutler, Matt Leinart and Vince Young came out of college. The way things stand now, the Broncos got the best of the group. I think Cutler will show that even more in 2008. Young has not shown himself to be a consistent passer and Leinart, at least for now, hasn’t been able to win Arizona’s starting job over an aging Kurt Warner.

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The pre-season has come to an end and it’s time to play games that count. I’m thrilled.

The cuts came over the weekend and I can only imagine how tough of a time that is for the coaches. Can you imagine working with a group of players for several months, teaching them, watching them work their hardest and getting to know them and them having to tell one-third of them they can’t work here any more? I know, it comes with the territory but that has to be difficult, to say the least.

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I know, it’s just pre-season. We all know it’s just pre-season. But it was only pre-season last year and the Broncos didn’t play very well. I don’t think I have to remind anyone how things turned out when the games counted.

Pre-season games don’t seem to matter much for great teams. They can go 0-4 and then roll through the regular season. But for a team like the Broncos that is trying to get back to the elite level, pre-season games matter. So far, I like what I see out of the Broncos.

First off, I like the vibe. I’m not sure how else to say it. The Broncos are confident but not cocky. They believe they’re good but they let their play do the talking. They are fairly young but nonetheless poised. They are respectful of their opponents but not fearful.

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By all accounts, it was a good week of practice for the Broncos and the Cowboys this week. Coaches and players said they liked the work against another team. It sure was fun to watch.

The first thing I noticed at Wednesday morning’s practice was the increased intensity. There was a lot of chatter on the field. There seemed to be a high level of intensity. You could tell that players were hustling, scrambling, trying to do that little extra to make a play.

That was neat to see at training camp. Players will say that it is good to go against another team and I can see why. Just when training camp seemed to be grinding down, the Cowboys arrived and the tempo and energy picked up. I have to believe that was good for both teams.

If I had to pick a team to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl today, I would pick the Cowboys. They are big, strong, fast and talented. The Broncos were able to practice against one of the elite teams in the NFC, if not in the NFL.

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After more than a week of training camp, the Broncos are ready to take on the Texans in the pre-season opener on Saturday night. We’ll talk about the game on Sunday or Monday but today I wanted to offer a few thoughts about three Broncos whom we won’t be seeing.

This week, rookie running back Ryan Torain broke a bone in his elbow and suffered ligament damage, too, and he’ll be out around three months. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos keep a roster spot for Torain or put him on injured reserve, which would make him ineligible to play this year.

Either way, it is a tough loss. Head coach Mike Shanahan likened Torain to Terrell Davis in some ways and Torain had been having a really good camp. While he was third on the depth chart, he had been getting a good number of reps and looked like he was the tough, inside runner the Broncos have needed.

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