Three games decided by a total of eight points.
Yet you’d think Chicken Little has taken up residence in Denver.
No, I’m not deluding myself. I’m not kidding myself. I’m just exhaling a bit. If you’re distraught over the Broncos’ 1-2 start, try it. It’ll help.
Let me make one point perfectly clear: I don’t think the Broncos are a great team. Time might show they’re a below average team.
A reasonable discussion of their performance through three games, however, has to include the fact that they have been more than competitive each of those games. Even with multiple starters out on offense and defense, the Broncos were in position to get a win over Tennessee.
“It was a winnable game, just like all three of them have been” head coach John Fox said on Monday.
The issue? Making plays in the fourth quarter, when the stakes are highest.
“In the fourth quarter in both the first game and the most recent game, we didn’t make those plays. In the Cincinnati game, we did,” Fox said.
Therein lies the key.
The inability to consistently make plays in the fourth quarter has hurt the Broncos in their two losses. It was a huge reason they beat the Bengals.
Rest assured that Coach Fox has filed away some notes about what transpired in crunch time against the Titans. I asked Coach Fox if the Broncos had the players to come up big when the situation called for it.
“I’m still figuring out this team,” he said. We’ve only had three regular season games. The thing that does take a while to figure out is the personalities of each player, what their strengths and weaknesses are, what you can do as an offense or a defense. So those are the area that we’re still learning. There have been a lot of pluses. Learning how to finish and having the right guys out there that know how to finish are key in this league to winning those close games.”
The Broncos have to find out who they have that can consistently come through when the game is on the line. There is no denying that this has not exactly been a strength of the Broncos in recent seasons.
But given their position as a team trying to claw its way up from the depths, there could very well be more close games on the horizon.
If this team identifies the players who can get it done in critical situations, then Chicken Little will have just been passing through.
If they can’t, then perhaps that fowl little guy will have indeed found a home in the Mile High City.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Mike
Tags: Mike Rice
sndvl,
good argument. but Tebow would try. Orton, just doesn’t seem to care. He may very well, but I just cannot see it. Some people are natural leaders, others grow to be leaders, but either way, a QB has to be.
sndvl
You do realize that Tom Brady won 3 SB’s without ever having an All-Pro receiver or running back? Good QB’s figure out a way, great QB’s do it for years.
sndvl says “How is someone supposed to lead when nobody wants to follow?”, well I guess you answered your own question, it’s obvious no one but Lloyd is following Orton, and it was as obvious as the nose on my face that the players were following Tebow during the final 3 games of last season.
The further this season goes along, the more hollow the arguments made about Orton sound, with all due respect to all Ortonites.
I wonder if Lloyd will try and get traded to where ever Orton ends up next season…
Lloyd was one of my favorite player coming out of last year, but after the public flip flop he took on the QQ I lost huge amounts of respect for him.
I look at trees, because I want Kyle Orton to be successful. Even if the realist part of my personality dominates and I blast him more than commend him.
As a QB, or a pitcher in baseball, it is all about the little things. I think analysts take away from this with their commentary. Throwing motion, footwork, etc. They make it sound like you can fix your throwing motion without first, working on footwork. It all starts with your feet, then your hips, etc. KO back peddle mishap, shows a lack of the foundation.
He obviously has it or he would not be in the NFL, so what went wrong? He was scared, he plays scared and it is killing his play.
My question to those who don’t think Kyle Orton should be held accountable for his lack of leadership is. Would you follow a man into battle that was scared? I wouldn’t.
Oh to end it. I am a trees guy because, “football is a game of inches.” Al Pacino – Any Given Sunday. Honestly my favorite movie scene of all time.
Matter of fact, I am going to watch Any Given Sunday, now. Catch ya’ll crazy Bronco fans at a later time.
I think we should let Chicken Little coach the Broncos…..
It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to identify tallent and use it properly…..
Ortonites lol funny bay. Don’t forget about Decker who worked out with Orton in the offseason.
My prediction
Packers 24
Broncos 13
It’s not like coaches for the last 7 years haven’t tried to fix him, when you don’t got IT, you don’t got IT, meaning he has been taught as much as possibly can and that’s as good as he can get. One who’s got IT has no learning limitations, good luck with wanting him to succeed, to what? winning 8 games, getting us in the playoffs, winning a playoff game, winning two, going to the AFC championship, going to the SB, winning the whole thing? What a waste of time…
Obviously the team must “Believe” in Orton didn’t the team vote for him to be Offensive captain for the year?
geez, have to do it. Goes with the current convo.
http://blogs.nfl.com/2011/09/27/suddenly-sunshine-and-blue-skies-in-romos-world/?module=HP11_content_stream
All QBs are basically named captains of their team “automatically”, I don’t know of any NFL team where their starting QB isn’t a captain, it’s standard stuff, if not it would send the wrong message for the entire team so they vote for their QB. There is absolutely zero to read into that.
I live in Texas and I hate Dallas, I hate Jerry Jones and I hate Romo, enough said.
I accept what I see for what I see, but what I want is different. Of course I Want to see Orton succeed. And when he doesn’t I give my opinion as to why. Or why the other guy, in this case Tim Tebow would succeed where Orton has failed.
I am no fan of the team or player. But I am a fan of what Romo is trying to accomplish. My dislike for them does not cover the fact, that he is elevating where he has previously failed. Also if you look past the fact, that it is Tony Romo and more to what is being said, the forest is visible past the trees. hehe
I hear you, it just feels like going in circle is all, all this stuff does no good, we need to break free of the circle, but feel free to re-hash and excuse me if I don’t find the energy to partake.
This is a QB driven league and it will always be. Nobody ever says he our RB carried us to the Super Bowl, or our WR took us all the way….no always the QB. They get the praise and the blame that’s just the way it is, sometimes it is justified sometimes it isn’t.
We had an RB here in Denver that did carry the team to the Superbowl. Or at least he shouldered half the load for the team. Mostly because we had a QB at that time that could lead the team and shoulder the other half of the load.
The WR core was decent too. And the D. And the coaches.
That was back then though. Nowadays, you have to have a great leader with great athletic ability at the QB position to make it to the Big Show. Look at the past QBs that have been in the SB, Rodgers, Brees, Brady, Manning, Rothlesberger. All have the uncanny ability to lead their team the right way and have great athletic ability.
Agreed, brian. Was just making a point.
Orton definitely does not have that IT, that someone alluded to earlier. We used to have IT here. We may have IT here now, just not with the current starter. IT looks like we do have IT as shown by the fire in the last 3 games last season. But we’ll never know until he takes the field consistently and get the chance to lead.
bay, still no rain in your neck of the woods?
anybody notice how close ortons passing stats are to tebows from the last 3 games last year, and we went 1-2 in that stretch as well
except orton has two runs for about ten yards
On the Lloyd topic, I still wish we would have traded him for a good DT, it’s look like I feared. Lloyd might be a one year wonder, and will be worth nothing in a trade soon. Also I believe we only called short passes because of Ortons inability to run, and with the front line that the Titans had they did not want Orton in the pocket too long therefore using short pass plays.
GREEN BAY 38
BRONCOS 6
MEDIOCRITY , MEDIOCRITY , 2011 FULL OF MEDIOCRITY
FIREEEE ORTON IS NOT THE MAN.
PLEASE ELWAY
Am I missing the part where Tebow went 3-0 in those last three games?
I am not impressed at all by the coaching of John fox! Very Boring… u watch the game of football to be entertained and thts jus not happening in denver anymore. Another thing is people make such a big deal about the mess mcdaniels made and how we had the worse defense in the league. 1 even tho we had a terrible defense we had a HIGH POWERED offense and football was still fun to watch and 2 its not denvers fault tht Orton looks like a statue in the pocket and cant score in the redzone. The guy is a choke artist!
I think Fox is jus like Mcdaniels he BS’s the media and the fans by saying orton gives us the best chance to win. when he knows its far from the truth. Fox is a mediocre coach AT BEST. only thing hes done is put our defense in the middle of the pack and given Denver one of the worst, most boring offenses in the league. Check the stats were in the bottom half in every single offensive category! Not impressed wit Fox AT ALL!!
SN: Do u really think tht Fox has the stones to make the same mistake as Mcdaniels did and get rid of a fan favorite and possible QB of the future. All bcuz he doesnt practice well??!?!?! Cant Be … Nah he cant be tht ignorant.. I suppose well see
mcdanielsdomain09: I agree with everything you said. Mcdaniels did screw this team up but I don’t see Fox doing anything to make us better. You forgot one thing, McCoy is calling the plays & Fox is Okay with his play calling. Personnally I don’t think McCoy can put a game plan together. It seems by watching the games that he doesn’t know what to call & make it work, but then again we have Orton at QB.
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