Sometimes adversity has a way of sneaking up on you. In the process it tests one’s character. This Sunday, the Broncos take a midterm examination of sorts against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After two last-second wins to start the season, the Broncos have lost three straight games, including a completely out-of-character 41-3 setback to San Diego two weeks ago.
The Broncos had a bye last week to regroup, refocus and clear their heads. The challenge before them now is to respond and rebound from a 2-3 start to the season.
They clearly have not played the way they envisioned or believe they should have played. We will find out if the week off has given them a fresh outlook and whether or not it will lead to improved results.
The result against San Diego was a combination of things, but safety John Lynch said packing it in was not included in the reasons they lost.
“I looked hard at that film (San Diego) and I didn’t see any quit,” Lynch said. “If you see quit, you have troubles.”
The Steelers have given virtually all their opponents plenty of trouble this year. They bring a 4-1 record to INVESCO Field at Mile High and they are also coming off a bye.
The Steelers feature a balanced offense, averaging 184.8 passing yards a game and a staggering 167 yards per game on the ground. Only the Vikings rush the ball for more yards per game.
The Broncos have allowed an average of 187.6 yards per game on the ground. Jim Bates’ defense will have its work cut out for itself to slow the Steelers down.
“The talent is here,” Bates said. “I know it’s hard for everybody, fans (and) anybody involved in the Broncos organization. It’s so frustrating. But there is growth being made and we’re ready to get it cranked back up.”
On defense, the Steelers have been terrific, surrendering an NFL-low 9.4 points per game. The Broncos have had opportunities in the red zone, but more often than not have settled for field goals. They are scoring only 15 points per game.
“We’re close,” quarterback Jay Cutler believes. “There’s some good and obviously a lot of bad.”
But Cutler thinks the offense will put things together.
“We’re still confident as a group,” he said. “There’s a lot of football left and anything can happen. “
The Broncos will try to make good things happen on Sunday. Pittsburgh will test Denver’s ability to do that.
In the NFL, tests usually aren’t easy.
As always, thanks for reading. Feel free to offer your thoughts on how the Broncos will respond after the bye week.
Best,
Mike
Tags: Jay Cutler, Jim Bates, John Lynch, Pittsburgh Steelers
I guess we’ll all have to just wait and see on Sunday night if the Broncos are going to “get it together” before THIS season ends (or mostly ends)….. or if we’re all gonna have to wait until next year.
It’s a big, BIG test Sunday night, and if (and only if) we’re gonna turn it around, it will HAVE to start on Sunday night…. because the one loss Packers come to town after that, and the schedule only increases in difficulty from here on out.
All we can do is wait.
Things may go better if you get a new “Return Man” and defence needs to stop the run. Other than that the team looks great. The Steelers could be in for a shock on Sunday!
Good Luck to all. I’ll be cheering you on at home.
The Hill family
Grottoes,VA
I’m sorry, but I don’t buy the “this team is talented” argument anymore. Talent simply isn’t enough in today’s NFL to win games. The most talented player in the league isn’t doing anybody any good if he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time or can’t figure out how to tackle or how to block or hold onto the football.
Fundamentals win games. Football basics. Day One Stuff from Pop Warner on. Let’s see some “football smarts” from this bunch of “incredibly talented” Broncos. Let’s see the defense stop the run. Let’s see someone besides Champ Bailey tackling running backs and kickoff returners. Let’s see the offense move the ball across the goal line. Let’s see a return man who can run up the field instead of dancing around because he doesn’t know which way to go.
The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, we haven’t seen different results in five regular season and four preseason games. Let’s face it; the Broncos could very easily be 0-5 right now (and by all rights, ought to be the way they’ve played).
Ian
Mr. Rice
I, J’shua the Knight, (the Messenger of the MILE HIGH SPIRIT ~ADONAI~), hereby CHARGE YOU, to write and Deliver This Speech and Message,
TO BE SPOKEN in the Locker Room To the Team and Staff:
Thus Saith the Lord of Hosts,
“To My Coach’s,… aka Rod Smith.. {suffer them not},….. SELVIN, Chris, Antwon, Jason, BRANDON, D.D., Webster, D.J., Dre, John, Daniel, BRIAN, JARVIS, Hamzaah, Javon, Simeon, Marcus, and Elvis……. one of you will uphold Me in BELIEF and speak of true Hope and Faith, even in the face of media … of Me and MY SPIRIT in “, Says the Lord, “for you already have and possess My BlessinG with-in your {Hands and HEARTS},… and the very Grounds that you play on”!!!
~an ancient Native Burial Ground at Mile High Invesco Field~
~~~~Honour the Fallen, and I will Raise YOU UP, by MY HAND!~~~~
….”and to my soldiers on the Offensive Line, and the rest unmentioned”,.. “Be Silent and Hold the Line steadfast MY BELOVED STALLIONS, as you were, and remain ‘THE SILENCE BY WHICH I SPEAK AMUNGST YOU TO THE MEDIA’, –which is become your closest enemy!” ..
and to ALL, be not.. neither haughty nor vein, for I, THE LORD, WILL REPRESENT YOU IN YOUR HUMBLENESS and in VICTORY, Just as I always have… With-In your organization, starting with my Chosen..JOHN.
It was when he humbled himself to Me thru prayer, not for himself, but for HIS MEN….did I Deliver that which was worthy of such Humbleness, …..TWICE!!!
…and as for you Jay, Fear Not, Young Captain, thus saith the Lord,….”Be Not Afraid for I am With You. John, possessed the number for that which is HOLY to Me, but you Jay, possess the Number for that which I belove the Most….the Number of my Beloved Man-Kind!
…therefore worry not about the shadow of your predecessor, for I will make your name great for My Namesake, as long as you stay humble with-in me !!
“~Adonai, of Mile-High~
-the above was not from me the messenger, therefore Harken -
-from me, J’shua the messenger: I pray Miles, that YOU, and ALL Those Reading to ENCOURAGE YOU, to PASS ALONG THIS MESSAGE TO OUR TEAM, by any means necessary!!!!
worry not about the messenger,……TAKE HEED AND HOLD OF “THE MESSAGE”
To my Teammates: Listen to me, “If We dont Stand (when we play) for SOMETHING TOGETHER…..then we will FALL FOR ANY-TEAM!!!!
LET THIS BE YOUR MOMENT AND HOUR OF INSPIRATION
there will always be days that do not “appear”, to be in your favor….but these are the days when the inspiration of…. one of YOU, as you heard, …..will spark many! the fans may boo in dismay….but this is NOT your end. Commentators,..may never ‘truly’ give you respect, and heck, MADDEN may never truly give you the true team rating you are, but thats ok!
behold…have not they been made to “hate” you?
“Blessed are Ye when Men shall Revile you, Persecute you, and basically Hate on You, for His Namesake, He says.- Matthew 5: 1-20
“But I will not forsake you”, says the Lord, and the spirit of Adonai (Mille High). …”Even though many of you don’t believe, for the sake of the few, I will Bless the many”…. “Others, may not know you, just as you have not completely known me, but I KNOW you, and your time is coming…….Believe in me as you can believe in yourself, for that is How and why I believe in you…..He says, “AM I not THERE when you look into the MIRROR! for it is written: I WILL BE WITH YOU, WITHER SO EVER THOU GOEST”!!! ~YHVH~
Football is now more than just X’s and O’s, Gentlemen– its about “HEART AND BELIEF”—
Believe in Him Denver, with the faintest of ‘Hope’, and HE WILL LAY YOUR ENEMIES at Your enemies (Teams)at your feet~
for those of you truly doubting His Presence A MILE HIGH……..CONSIDER THE ROCKIES!!!!!
~ R. I. P. DARREN and DAMIEN ~
Miles, I dont know You,
If any of yourself believes in what You said above, then take charge and Deliver this Message to be READ IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE TEAM!!!
Do NOT Fail to Do SO!!!!
before next the PITT game!!!
P.S. A young Prince, living in the U.S. - (2 yrs old and adored by God), likes football already and screams aloud very fervantly ….GO BRONCOS!!!!
WORRY NOT ABOUT THE FAIRWEATHER OF FANS,….DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN AND WHAT HE STANDS FOR TO THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The law of averages will catch up with the Broncos. This means they’re going to turn things around against the Steelers, and this season will prove to be successful. Remember Pittsburgh has not proven itself out West. They looked sluggish against the Cardinals, and I obviously expect this to continue. Of course, we must convert in the red zone and contain the run. If this occurs, the Broncos’ season will get much better swiftly.
not
I believe it is lack of motivation and more then anything the fundamentals of the game. Poor tackling , miss assignments amongs things. But people remember we have a very young defensive front in thomas , crowder , moss & Dumervil. Yes i realy believe this is a great future line but only dumervil has been in the league for 2 years the rest are rookies. But the big thing to me is the coaching of shannahan. He has lost it. I love the broncos i have for over 25 years. But when i see the games now and i can figure out about 80% of the time what plays he is calling so if he cant fool me he is not going to fool the oposition. I really think he lacks motivation anymore , I just hope im wrong. But the play calling is my biggest consern. You need to start trowing to the two towering recievers a lot more #84 , #15 and the TE as well. Imagine if manning had this reciving core hed trogh for 600 yards a season and like 60 TD,s. But despite it all i will always be orange and blue GO BRONCOS.
Why, for the love of all that is holy, do the scheduling gods hate the Broncos so? Anybody but a team that has a great rushing attack, a great record, and a rest from their own bye week! Arrrgghh!
This week is time for the Broncos to rebound, yes, but it will be really hard to do against an established team with a great QB, a super defense, an a brutally good running game. I have no doubt that Denver could smack around Green Bay, and likely still will…but its a big struggle to beat the Steelers this week.
I love the talent that Denver has, but I’m not surprised its taking some time to gear it up, and get people knowing what’s going on. Football isn’t easy, and it takes a lot more than an off-season to play the positions that Denver has new people at. They have superstar calibre players all over their roster, its just going to take time to get everyone firing at once. Hopefully they’re ready for that this week…I’ll sure be cheering for it. Once it happens, its going to be a beautiful thing to watch. So don’t give up, and stay tuned for success…even if its 2008 before it happens, all the ingredients are pretty much here.
ArabianKnight??? More like Arabian Nut!!
I wish I had more insight to add , but all I can say is lets wait and see. I do believe that the outcome of this game will tell us what we need to know about the rest of the season.
Even if we can’t pull off a win, if we see significan’t improvement, hope is not lost. But if we repeatedly see the same mistakes and missed opportunities, stick a fork in the season, it’s done.
Denver is going to get back on track. Walker and Scheffler back at the other
tight end spot and Travis, Selvin, Mike, Cutler, Marshall, are going have to
play big this season is being dedicated for the two talented young players that
passed. We will and must win this game I guarantee it.
Thanks to those who have checked in.
–Number83…no doubt the Broncos have a tough schedule ahead. It’s a huge game against the Steelers.
–Mike Hill…the run defense is the bigger of the two issues, in my opionion. Thanks for keeping up with the Broncos from Virginia!
–ianthealy…I don’t disagree with you that the Broncos need to play better. A 2-3 record, three straight losses and some of the stats clearly show that. You use quotes when you write “this team is talented” and “incredibly talented.” Are you quoting someone in particular or using the quotes to note your cynicism?
The Broncos have talent, but they haven’t played well to this point for a variety of factors. The Saints have talent, but they haven’t played well, either.
Welcome to life in the NFL. Teams don’t always play well. I’m not excusing the Broncos performances but it’s just a fact. You are right, they need to do things better.
You say you don’t buy that this team is talented. I disagree with that. I think they do have talent but so far, it has not shown consistently on the field.
Finally, you are right, the Broncos could be 0-5…but they’re not. They are 2-3. I don’t care what teams could be, should be, or might be…I care what they are. They could also be 3-2 if the refs get the right call made late in the Jacksonville game.
–1ARABIANKNIGHT…I’m sure Divine intervention is always welcome.
–BradJamesBroncoFan…I understand your point about the law of averages. But to me, the law of averages is about playing well. If the Broncos, as you say, contain the run and convert in the red zone, they will have a good chance of beating the Steelers.
I’m guessing you would aggree that the only way those things will happen is if they go out, execute and play well. It won’t happen just because it’s due for them.
–acidburn5276..I completely disagree with your comments about Coach Shanahan. He’s one of the best in the NFL and has been for a long, long time. What evidence do you have that Coach Shanahan is no longer motivated? I dont’ believe wins and losses are not a measure of that.
I also wonder if you can figure out what the Broncos are doing. Maybe your football knowledge is better than I am guessing it to be but usually fans (myself included) don’t really know the true X’s and O’s behind plays that are called and decisions that are made. We can think we know, and we’re entitled to do that. But in most cases, we don’t know.
Finally, I’m sure the Broncos will throw to Javon Walker a lot more once he gets healthy and back on the field. It’s been unfortunate to have him out of the lineup.
–TwoNine…I applaud your more balanced, less emotional look at what’s going on. The Broncos are young in some areas that are not performing well. That’s not an excuse, it’s a fact. It’s not THE reason they’re struggling, it’s A reason.
I don’t know if the young talent will prove to be really good or not. Time will tell us that.
As far as the schedule, when it came out in the spring, Coach Shanahan said he didn’t have any issues with it. Maybe he wouldn’t have shared them if he did but the bottom line is it does no good to moan and groan over something that’s out of their control.
–bronco_hyde…I get your point and part of me goes along with it. Clearly the Broncos have to keep improving. But even if they have a clunker game against Pittsburgh, you still can’t pack the season in…at least the coaches and players can’t.
A loss to the Steelers puts the Broncos in bad shape when it comes to the playoffs. But you hit it right when you said let’s wait and see. The two teams still have to play on Sunday.
–TD_idol…I hope you are right in your guarantee. The Broncos need a win in the worst way.
Thanks again for posting.
Mike
Sunday should be a telling game, the talent is there and I am confident that if the BRONCOS play with heart the steelers will be in for a loss. I hope the playbook will shake out something new (sorry coach but the opposition seems to know what’s coming these days). It would be great to see the D stick those tackles and drop big ben on his butt, and Ben thow a couple to Champ would you!!. Jay’s got the arm let’s see it in action, I’ll be there wearing the 6 in support of our new QB. GO BRONCOS you’ll find me on the 50yd line
Do you think Selvin will carry a bigger load in the next few weeks in anticipation of Henry’s suspension?
I had a thought concerning all the recent talk of Mike’s bad play calling. The best explanation I have is expressed as one of my analogies.
. . . sorry, hit the wrong button. So, one of my analogies. You don’t rev an engine when the timing is off. You let it idle until you get the problem fixed.
In other words, our team (defense especially) is not clicking. Assignments are being missed, just as if the timing of an engine was off. For Shanny to open the playbook while we’re having a hard time executing the basics would just serve to “throw a rod” and blow up the engine.
I think that when the team finally gets it together and the engine is idling correctly, then he will open the playbook and start revving it up.
The true indication of how good a coach is, is how well the team does when it is executing correctly. If the team was playing up to its potential and fulfilling assignments and we were still losing, then you can complain about the coach and schemes. But losing is not an indication of coaching ability if the players aren’t doing what the coach wants them to do. Give Shanny a break until the team is clicking.
KARL M BRONCO Says:
LAMENTABLEMENTE VAMOS A TERMINAR CON 5 GANADOS Y 11 PERDIDOS, A PESAR DE LO POSITIVO DE SHANAHAN DE QUE NO PASA NADA Y QUE ESTAN TRABAJANDO EN LOS DETALLES DEFENSIVOS , LA REALIDAD ES QUE NOS ESPERAN TRES O CUATRO TEMPORADAS DE MEDIOCRIDAD CON CUTLER AL FRENTE Y SHANAHAN COMO HEAD COACH.
LA ERA DE SHANAHAN QUEDO ATRAS , YA NO SON LOS 90s, ES MUY FRUSTANTE VER COMO SEMANA TRAS SEMANA NOS APLASTAN FISICAMENTE,
LO SIENTO POR LOS FANS DE LOS BRONCOS PERO NOS ESPERAN AÑOS DE SEQUIA Y FRUSTACION
——————————————————————————–
fan from afar…I think as long as Travis Henry is able to play, he will get the bulk of the carries, as long as he is healthy. If there comes a time when the league suspends Henry, then the Broncos will deal with it at that time.
There’s really no reason to lighten Travis’ work load if he is eligible to play. After all, no one knows what is going to happen.
Thanks for your question.
–vraptor567…thanks for your post.
–bronco_hyde…I’m not sure I agree that the play calling has been bad. The Broncos haven’t had any trouble marching up and down the field. They have had difficulty scoring touchdowns once they’re in the red zone.
Also, I don’t really know how a defense that might be off would affect the play-calling much, but certainly not to the degree you suggest.
I believe that play-calling is based on tendencies that a defense has shown to that point in the season. Coaches design a game plan based on what they think an opposing defense might do in certain situations. Then adjustments are made, hopefully, as the game goes on, denpending what the defense is doing against certain formations, in certain down and distances, etc.
Mike
KARL M BRONCO…Parlez-vous francais?
Mike
Mike,
I’m not saying the play calling is bad. Personally I think the offense is doing fine. It’s just that a lot of other people are saying it, and I’ve been trying to understand where they’re coming from. I do think the red zone plays have been somewhat vanilla, but then again, I’ve always been a firm believer that the redzone plays shouldn’t be any different than any others. If a team can drive 60 yards, I don’t see why they shouldn’t be able to go the other 20. (I know the defense is different, but still . . .)
I never claim that my anologies are good, or even accurate. I just occasionally get those thoughts, and write them before I thoroughly analyze them.
The main point I was trying to get across is that IF there is any merit to people claiming Shanny hasn’t had his usual flare, then one possible explanation could be that with all the new personnel and fundamentals problems he’s trying not to complicate things. I suppose that explanation would be more applicable to Bate’s defensive play calling than any offensive issues. Maybe that’s why we’re not seeing very many blitzes. Who knows. I certainly didn’t mean to imply that a bad defense causes bad offense, that doesn’t make sense.
Anyway, sorry I didn’t make my meaning clear in the first place. I’ll try to be a little more accurate in the future.
But Shannahan is still the coach despite of offence and defence coordinators. It is his jojb to put the team in a position to win. Everybody says and uses the excuse well we have a young QB. Horse poop. He is young yes , but the kid is freaking smart , tallented and competitive. He has great weapons give him the play calls to make it happen , not dumm jubk over the 5 with triple cover. use slant , deep routs , out patterns. When you have a guy with a rocket for an arm like he does and the accuracy to go with it let him loose. Whats the worse that can happen eather JW , BM , TH , DG , TS will catch it. I think we are the only team with that upsise and strength in the reciving core. Not beeing use. I hope the greates play caller of all shannahan gets it done. I really think its now or prepare for the DRAFT.
i’ve got the red zone problem solved…….throw the freakin’ ball down the field, we have big guys that can win that battle! get some easy scores!
why do we always punt the ball down the middle of the field? i’m tired of runbacks and touchbacks! kick to the corner boys!
Mike, This game could get really ugly really fast, if fast Willie gets going. You earn the right to rush the qb, and a qb the quaulity of Ben, with a running game can do damage against a suspect defensive unit. I think the Broncos are in for a long night, If your a gambling man take the steelers to cover the three point spread with some to spare!