Opportunity Lost
Games like these are like an unexpected punch to the midsection. You’re left doubling over wondering what in the world hit you.
The Broncos had everything going their way against the Bears. They led 34-20 with 10:38 left in the fourth quarter. Then things caved in.
A special teams unit that had been steadily improving fell apart. A defense that had shut down the Bears’ offense suddenly allowed a bevy of big plays.
Inconsistency reared its ugly head again and the Broncos are left to think about what could have been.
It would have been great to stay in a tie with the Chargers for first place in the AFC West. It would have been a dominating road win. It could have been another step on the way to a possibly incredible second half of the season.
All is not lost with five games left. But there’s no doubt that the picture is considerably less rosy after handing the Bears a win.
Games such as these try the core of a team. The Broncos have responded to adversity all season long. They have that opportunity again.
How confident are you the Broncos will rebound from this tough loss? Feel free to leave your thoughts.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
November 26th, 2007 at 12:25 am
Will anyone critizedthe down right sorry play of Dre Bly. This guy is killing the team. I see it like this eathier you an asset to the team or liability and that is a huge liabilty. he is single handly responsable for 3 of the broncos losses. It’s time to bench him or cut him.
November 26th, 2007 at 6:12 am
Young team,new defensive coach,injuries,off the feild distractions…excuses or not most teams could not face these obstacles and play at the level par with the Denver Broncos.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:16 am
None of the usual defensive comments (as mentioned above) can be used for what happened last night.
Kicking worm burners rather than putting the ball in the back of the end zone is inexcusable. We gave Chicago the ball on the 50 yard line for cryin out loud!!
Just simply stupid, no other way to say it.
Oh ya, Dre not only isn’t Champ and shouldn’t be looking into the back field because he can not react like Champ, but he is scared to tackle also.
November 26th, 2007 at 9:28 am
I am the first to criticize Dre Bly when he has a bad game, but he didn’t really have that bad of a game. The illegal contact seemed bigger than it really was. However, Paul Ernster is still a free agent.
November 26th, 2007 at 10:20 am
That loss hurt but it wasn’t as bad as the san diego and detroit loss. Offense looked good! Cut was great and A Hall beginning a great career.
November 26th, 2007 at 10:31 am
Bly has more interceptions than Bailey. So Bly has not been the guy that is holding the team back. Criticize the entire defensive backfield.
November 26th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Either the specials team coach or Sauerbraun should be fired…or both….that was ridiculous…but we showed that we are way better than we were a few weeks ago…we will bounce back….I still believe we will win the division…I won’t lose faith…
Go Broncos…
November 26th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
again we see an offense than can do the job, but coupled with a defense that wasn’t there, can we get some coverage for the big $$ we spend? and Sauerbrun was he being paid by Chicago? I have never seen such lousy kicking in a game, either right to Hester or tumbling down the field WTF was that all about? Is the poor defense a coaching snafu? something needs to happen on the defense, these people make too much $$ tfor this level of performance (both coaches and players). But hey with a 5-6 record we are still in the hunt, how pathetic is that for the AFC West?
November 26th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
INFURIATING!! Once again this team with a lead late in the game got away from the play calling that got them there in the first place! WE LET GROSSMAN PICK US APART by not continuing to blitz! We rushed 3 or 4 and dropped guys back. We had a chance to go for their throat and didnt!
In my opinion, the Defense looked much improved! Consider this…the D was not on the field or responsible for 24 of Chicago’s 37!
This team will bounce back but it will all be for naught. We would need to win out including at SD and they would have to lose at least one more. The best chances for them to lose are at Tennessee or home against Detroit and I dont see that happening.
From here on out it would be nice to see some consistency for 4 quarters.
November 26th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
The slight glimmer of light is out…it’s over this year. You may as well start playing all your 1 and 2 year players and hope for a decent draft position next spring.
That Sauerbraun and the special teams coach should be fired is an understatement. Bates should go out the door with them, what a total bust of ahire.
This team is poorly coached, they take 2 timeouts every week just to get the ‘right’ players on thefield. The problem is that the right players are playing for someone else. The Broncos need O and D linemen, linebackers that actually hit people, safetys, a burner wideout, and a running back with decent knees. That will take years to locate.
Lynch is done. Williams is out ofposition. Javon Walker is done. Pears is pitiful, Reagor is pitiful, Sam Adams is done. Get a broom. It’s time to clean house.
November 26th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
i have faith that we still can win, the loss yesterday made it that much tougher though! i thought our defense looked good the entire game till the last 5 minutes. what bothered me was the play calling, why kick to a guy that is known for scoring touchdowns, especially when he has already done it to you in the game, why not just kick it out of bounds, or high enough to let the coverage team get down field, and next time we have a 14 point lead and the ball, lets get another TD and actually put it away, none of this running bullshit!
November 26th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
By the way…when a team shows it cant stop a play or scheme why do we insist on not using that play any more?
I was certain we would run that counter pitch play some more. They had no idea what to do with that play, our option plays, and most of our misdirection plays. Instead we decided we were going to become a power running team and run it two or three times right up the middle. Shoot take a shot at the endzone if you are going to take a set of plays that will result in 3 and out!
November 26th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
I read this article http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_7557812 about firing Bates at the end of the season. I think that would be the WORST thing we could do. We have holes, fill em…don’t start over!?! In 1995 we had one of the most porous defenses in the league, but two years later we had it fixed and were winning championships. Fix the holes, don’t fire the coach.
I do not think we have any pro bowlers on Defense this year. Anyone else notice Bailey get beaten on a lot of plays yesterday? It’s a scheme thing and a personnel thing…we can address it during the offseason, but please don’t shake up the coaching staff again. We need stability right now.
November 26th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
the linebacking core is terrible. webster needs to be cut and williams needs to back at the outside position and the broncos need a true middlelinbacker a good trade would be for lance briggs. champ bites on the play fake because he is making alot of tackles in the secondary when they should be made at the line of scrimmage, the linebackers are always out of position and webster can’t cover tight ends! how many time outs have the broncos wasted of defensive substitutions? if you have to make that much of a change every play then someone isn’t coaching. defensive ends are not getting up the field the d-line in all is not making the stops it needs to. special team coach shouldn’t be on the plane home , he should be fired out right. absolutely no excuse for kicking to hester, you don’t kick to hester and you don’t have punts blocked. all these coaching changes, getting rid of your leading tackler in al wilson has just bit the broncos on the ass! shanny is responsible and maybe shanny should go to,just a thought!
November 26th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
The Broncos are not a playoff caliber team and I dont’ think anyone can argue that. The offense finally is showing signs of good things to come so if they want to make the playoffs next year they need 1) A couple good linebackers 2) anothe dominant type safety 3) dump the defensive scheme and or coach. With dominant defensive lineman being so scarce, maybe it’s time to think 3-4 so we don’t have to put 8 or 9 in the box
November 26th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
i dont see why everyone is blaming anything on bly,bly has been a solid number 2 db this year and has more picks than bailey.if anything we should be blaming our special teams for our loss against chigaco.i mean how can u even give hester so many oppurtunitys and not to mention us getting a punt blocked.
well bounce back and take the division.gotta have faith
just pray SD loses 1 more game at least
November 26th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
the special teams is single handedly responsible for giving up 21 points on sunday, without those moronic punts and punt block the game would have been a blowout, our defense was playing well and our offense put up 34 points, bly did have that illegal contact on 4th and 10…but the overall reason we lost is because of the stupid special teams giving up 21 freakin points…its unheard of….If anyone should be fired its the special teams coach….how blind are they to not see that guy coming in to block the punt? The reason the Broncos are so confused it because their offense and defense had a good day but the special teams ruined it for them by giving the bears one oppurtunity after another….it makes me sick.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
We control our own destiny, and if it weren’t 4 a kick off return and a punt return, and a blocked punt those things don’t happen. Its just one game that we would love to have back. Anyone can beat baltimore they can’t score, let’s just hope k.c comes through for us
November 26th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
SO my concerns are these.
Shannahan - His ego is getting way too big. He handled the Plummer situation all wrong. He is really getting ridiculous with the running back by committee situation and he is a really bad play caller as a game wears on. Case in point what happened to Hall in late quarters? He has a lead and he plays to kill the clock…just score and score often, who cares about running up the score?
Cutler - Why was he on the bench looking as if he was about to fall asleep when the defense is making a goal line stand. Not a leader, at this point I can’t see him ever being. Check Elway even Plummer during those times. Where is this leadership and vocal role he was going to take?
Defense - This is probably the worst..why do our d’backs play 8-12 yards off a reciever before a snap? You have no idea how much that irritates me.
Bears Game - The Broncos lost that game for a variety of reasons. Th officiating got the Drey Bly illegal contact wrong. They got the Peterson TD wrong and they got the Stokley catch wrong. Of course, I would fire the special teams coach on the spot for not kicking away from Hester.
They are not a playoff team simply because they are not mentally prepared for a game by this coaching staff, Shannahan included.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
It doesn’t really matter if the defense played well 55 minutes out of 60. They needed to step up at the end of the game and they didn’t. They folded and we lost. BTW, people should remember that Todd S is a punter by trade, NOT a kickoff guy. If Shanahan could put a little effort into a kicker and stop trying to get all these lame free agents, it could make a difference. Just my take.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I forgot something. Shanahan saw Sauerbraun punt to Hester more than once. Nothing was done. Last I looked, Shanahan was the Head Coach; he can override everyone so we all can’t completely blame O’Brian. Also, what is all this Dan Reeves play calling going on out there? Though Mikey runs the show it still has been a different story since Himerdinger took over Kubiak’s role.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
#80fan is right the entire back field is playing bad. I can t remember the last time I saw Champ give up so many big plays, I can’t figure out what is wrong? maybe his leg injury is still bugging him… With that said he is still playing good, just not as good as we are accustom to as Bronco fans. Dre Bly on the other hand is a complete disappointment and an embarassment to the Bronco orginization. I think he is a great guy, but he has to bring up his level of play or he needs to be let go!
November 26th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Wow!
What in the world happend?
Missed the game due to the Grey Cup…… it was an overall bad week for football. First my Blue Bombers get denied by the RoughRiders and then to hear my Broncos get pounced by the Gummie Bears…..?????
I heard the game should have been 51-13 for Denver?
Man, we have to stop giving these games away……. I thought we finally got things turned around, now this?
Fix the mistakes……. See! The Patroits are just another team they can be defeated. Someone is going to be taking them out and they won’t even see it coming!
Come on guys Play smarter, not harder!
November 26th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
There people on here who don’t know what they are talking about the Broncos played great. Yes it was bad mistake to kick to Hester twice. But the team looked great. The season not lost yet. I think it going to come down to the San Diago game. The D is great if not for special team we would of won but that all under the bridge. I still have faith in my team Go Broncos
November 26th, 2007 at 5:22 pm
If we wouldn’t have wasted all our damn timeouts we could have slowed down their offense and besides the special teams giving up some many touchdowns, which aren’t Saurebruns’s Fault, someone should have made a play; The biggest blow was Champ not covering his guy in the end zone, that happened twice last night, one was incomplete, the other for a touchdown, champ is playing like a chump, it doesn’t matter what scheme your in, he was there, and did not make the play. The offense was horrible; it took Cutler 2 quarters get anything started. The td pass to Tony Scheffler, was just poor luck, and we need more than luck to win the division. I will give credit to Elvis Dumerville and Kenny Peterson; they played great, and looks like a decent start to improve on in the up coming games. Maybe we should have signed Trotter instead of letting him go to the Bucs to warm a bench; but nope we signed Rice, where’s he at now?? Oh yea we cut his sorry ass. That game was a joke, and I was embarrassed to be a Broncos fan. We will not catch the Chargers now. I’m still excited for next year; Marshall is the real deal along with Cutler. Maybe Al Wilson will be better and we can pick him up, if not I hope we sign a defensive leader to start ASAP.
November 26th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
As a Bears fan, I have to say that there were multiple opportunities for the Broncos to close the game. It was a nailbiter and even if you didn’t like the outcome you have to admit it was a pretty exciting game. I’ll share with you an outside perspective on what went wrong.
1. Dre bly… r u kidding me, he’s like a x-mas present. His 4th quarter penalty for illegal touch on 4th down did nothing to disrupt Moose’s route and the incompletion would have been the same and game over, but it was a penalty and a game changer. WOW, that was bad.
2. Sauerbraun and SP coordinator, just because the Raiders anounced they’d kick to Hester and did so effectively, doesn’t mean you play with fire. He announced earlier in the week Hester would be kicked to confidently and did so! I don’t care what fan u r and what happened 2 wks ago, u have to respect Hester, he is unreal. I respect the confidence and game plan going in but after the first return TD, to continue that is just not good football. Our team, honestly, is not playing as well as last year, you’d have been much better off giving up the field position.
3. Jay Cutler, I actually don’t have much bad to say about him without talking about his haircut, I think he’s really good and getting better, good pickup for your team. I don’t know why you Bronco fans are so hard on him, other than you were spoiled nicely with Elway. He’s a solid young QB who will only get better, you guys shouldn’t crucify QB’s on the bar Elway set. Believe me, as a Bear’s fan, any decent QB is a luxury!
2 other quick comments about the last 2 plays of regular time: whoever that cornerback was that broke up the 3rd and goal pass should be given a roster bonus because that was a phenominal play and that 4th down catch from Rex to Berrian was sick and completely undefendable.
Anyways, I’m out, No disrespect or gloating from this side, just an outside perspective. Much respect and Good luck Broncos!
November 26th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Jay Cutler is the #1 young QB in the league so stop hating on my boy! Any real Bronco fan can see Cutler is not the problem he and a few of the other younger players are the only thing keeping the broncos playoff hopes alive.
November 26th, 2007 at 11:50 pm
The future is still bright with Jay as our quarterback, but it’s a bit disconcerting to lose a game like that. Nevertheless, we’ll bounce back and smack the Raiders. The Chargers have tougher games than we do down the stretch. We’ve just got to take advantage of opportunites when they’re placed before us.
November 27th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
I REALLY DONT UNDERSTAND WHY DENVER KICKED THE BALL TO HESTER NOT ONCE BUT TWICE . —-FIRE THE KICKER AND THE SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR. THAT WAS OUR WIN. WE GAVE THEM THOSE POINTS OR ELSE THEY WOULD OF GOT SLAUGHTERED AT HOME..
GO BRONCOS LETS GO KICK SOME RAIDER ASS….
November 27th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
low5- what kind of fair weather fan are you? Ashamed to be a Bronco fan? I hope you are kidding. No matter how they do they will always be my boys. I stuck with them after the SuperBowls in the 80’s. If anyone should be ashamed, you should be ashamed of yourself. Go be Patriots fan and get out of here. ALL OF YOU NAY-SAYERS GET OVER YOURSELVES WE’RE ONLY ONE GAME DOWN. Re-building or not, we are young and have the opportunity to be a powerhouse in the future.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
all i have to say is this…..bates, bly, webster, adams, and both ot cut..the rest of our boys are good on the verge of greatness….and on Bly i said it first, right when we made the trade…he’ll cost us some games…toast should be his nickname….with champ he has been playin hurt all season..plus he is constantly, having to look back for run support…
I was angry at the loss too…but i see a bright light at the end of this tunnel…may not be this or next season..but or boys are gonna mature into a elite team…I have loved the Broncos since i was 7…23 years later…my love for them is still there…so even if we went 0 and 16…i’ll bleed orange and blue…and you don’t…find another team…
November 27th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
idk what champ was doing on that last play he had the better angle he just didnt break like he used to…..maybe his leg is still bothering him???….or it might be that he’s starting to slow down but i doubt that….dre getting beat isnt a surprise thats happened all year. all i want to know is what the fuck r we doing playing zone lets get champ and bly outside man to man with 21 playing center field…..i know his name just not sure how to spell it abdula??? i like todd on punts but ernster was a lot better on kickoffs and thats what really helped us back in 05 when todd was booming them to the back of the endzone. i say he draft a saftey like a young john lynch one that can both cover and stuff the run then lets get the axe-man either through a trade or off waviers….we need some Al Wilson intensatey back on D!!!! i hav been a broncos fan as long as i can remember and but i hav to say unless something happens to the titans or browns we hav no chance @ making the playoffs not only do we ahv to beat the chargers we hav to hope that they loose another game and that we dont. the bolts and vikkings game hav me worried
November 27th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
fire Mike r u fucking serious!!!!!!! that would be the shittiest desion the broncos ever made!!!!! hav we ever gone anywhere without Mike doing something with the team???? i mean even Elway had trouble when he wasnt with the team. what i think he needs to do is stop trying to get the personel to win a superbowl now and hav a 1 to 2 year develpmental period. i undersatand however why he’ll never do this
1. we r the most demanding fans
2. the great player ie champ DJ Ian would all be getting older
if he ever decides to try this we would not only win a few championships we would also hav a solid future
hey lets get fossel or however u spell it tobe our new OC
November 27th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Here’s what I think:
1. The reason for the close losses and even the large ones this year is due to both the youth on this team, as well as newcomers, including the coaches (Offense and Defensive Coordinators). Eventually, this team will come along, but sometimes to get better you must endure the hard times.
2. I think the root of the problems for the Denver Broncos is their drafting. The Denver Broncos are one of the worst drafting teams in the NFL when you look at how many people drafted remain with the team and start, etc. I think in the first round this year we should have traded up to get Patrick Willis. This dude, as a rookie, has 110 tackles so far, whereas the second most has 99. I like Jarvis Moss, but we already had a young, promising Elvis Dumervil, and Tim Crowder in the second round further lessens the need for DE. With P. Willis, were looking at the best linebacking corps in the league by far, with D.J and Ian outside, and Willis up the gut.
3. The reason Champ is getting beat is he is having to make too many tackles, and is easily beat on the play action because of this.
4. Shanahan is always very aggressive in the offseason, and as an avid fan, I love to see that, but I think the best case here would be to limit that to a few people and keep the same people so they can adapt instead of bringing in new players constantly, making the learning curve endless. I saw that, in like Week 6, we had only 6 out of 22 people that were the same starters as last week during Week 6. If we want to improve as a team for the long run, this number will have to increase.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Why you Absolutely Must Take Control of Your Subconscious for Permanent Weight loss
From the moment of birth your first emotional experiences establish your subconscious perceptions of the world. There is not a moment of the day or night that you are not affected by your emotions. More often than not it is your programmed emotional st…