One of the hardest things to do is to evaluate preseason football. Teams keep play calling pretty vanilla. They protect their front line players. There is little, if any, talk of winning the games.
Yet here we are, halfway through the preseason. The Broncos have lost to the Bengals and the Lions, with games against the Steelers and Vikings still to come. I am left with several impressions.
1 – OVERALL, I LIKE WHAT I’VE SEEN FROM THE BRONCOS’ FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE. I know, the running game has been largely MIA, but I am only mildly concerned at this point. The Broncos running back corps has been missing Correll Buckhalter, Knowshon Moreno and LenDale White for all of training camp.
The offensive line is getting healthier with Chris Kuper back on the practice field and Ryan Clady starting to work his way back. The young guys up front, J.D. Walton and Zane Beadles, have shown promise.
The Broncos have not made it a point to try to run the ball much during the preseason so the lack of production in this area is understandable. We all know they’ll have to crank up the rushing attack when the regular season begins and I’m confident they’ll be effective in that department when they need to be.
Quarterback Kyle Orton has been terrific in his preseason action. Great quarterback play has a way of masking issues and if Orton is able to perform at this level when the regular season begins, the Broncos could be in store for one interesting season.
2 – BRANDON WHO? Don’t get me wrong, Brandon Marshall is a talented player. He’s a really talented player. But this Broncos’ receiving corps is looking better and better. Jabar Gaffney continues to show that he could very well be a go-to guy. The sample size at the end of last year was small, but he was productive down the stretch.
Brandon Lloyd is looking more and more like a guy ready to take advantage of a great opportunity to contribute. There is no question that Gaffney and Lloyd aren’t exactly marquee names when it comes to NFL wide receivers. But they are talented and experienced. And they seem to be developing a good chemistry with Orton. Are they big-time playmakers? Time will tell.
I also really like the possibility for draft picks Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, assuming they stay healthy. I absolutely love Thomas, even though he hasn’t played in the first two preseason games. And I really like Decker, too. He could also be a guy who contributes.
Oh yeah, the Broncos also have a guy named Eddie Royal. He seems well-suited to the slot position and after a lost season a year ago when the Broncos couldn’t or didn’t get him the ball enough, Royal could be poised for a big year. Some people are alarmed by the low number of targets Royal has received this preseason. Not me. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if that were by design.
And let’s not forget guys like Brandon Stokley and Matthew Willis. It will be interesting to see which receivers make the final roster and which ones don’t.
I know Brandon Marshall is no longer here. But I’m not as concerned about that as I once was.
3 – HOW EFFECTIVE WILL THE PASS RUSH BE? Again, I know it’s just the preseason. But I would still like to see a little more in this area before the regular season starts in Jacksonville.
I love what Jamal Williams and Justin Bannan have brought to the defensive line. But those guys are the ones who do the dirty work. They occupy linemen and free things up for other guys on defense to make big plays.
We’ve seen Robert Ayers and Jarvis Moss start to make their marks. I know those guys have the ability to continue that. And they’ll have to with Elvis Dumervil being out for a significant period of time, perhaps all season.
A great pass rush does so much for a defense. I’m not yet sure how good the Broncos’ rush will be.
Certainly there are other areas which cause reasons to be optimistic and which also raise questions as the Broncos wind down the preseason. What are some of your thoughts to this point? I appreciate your reading and posting your thoughts. I will post again once the regular season roster is set.
Sincerely,
Mike
Tags: 2010, Brandon Stokley, Chris Kuper, Correll Buckhalter, Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos, Eddie Royal, J.D. Walton, Jamal Williams, Jarvis Moss, Justin Bannan, Kyle Orton, LenDale White, Matthew Willis, Mike Rice, Robert Ayers, Ryan Clady, Zane Beadles
Top of the morning Mike! Thanks for your insight. At this point, after the tumultuous TC, getting healthy and staying healthy is what Im looking for!
GO BRONCOS 2K10!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and stopping the run, STOPPING THE RUN and Beating the Raiders at MILE HIGH
Positive comments Mike, ‘Like it, I like it a lot’.
I personally haven’t been pahsed py the final resul of the 2 preseason games, and the next 2 wont bother me either. I see the games as a contribution to the greater scheme of things. The preseason runs a fraction short of being called a regular season game, where starters and potential starters are pushing hard for a spot on the resuglar season roster.
Orton ~ Shown hes working hard on passing and elusiveness. That INT was misleading as it was on Hall. I am liking what am seeing on this guy, and I’m certain McDaniels does as well.
WR ~ Marshall was a great asset, but I think we have lost the attitude, and gained some serious depth in the WR with Decker, Thomas and Willis. Gaffney, showed last season he can be the go-to-guy in Marshalls absence, and Royal in the slot is like Welker, working with such speed in the slot is dangerous. Stokely is pure experience and an excellent rolle model for the younger players. Lloyd… well the Jury for me is still out, I hope the next 2 games prove he should make the cut.
RB ~ Well with the top returing this week or next we should see some production which has been a little on slow side, but Im not concerned with that at this stage.
Passs Rush ~ Moss and Ayers are showing glimpses the talent we have been waiting so long for. This would be an EPIC boost tp the LB and D-Line if this two guys hit the ground running in the notable abscence of Dumervil. Bannan and Williams will be fine provided they stay healthy in the rotation with Fields and Thomas.
I would like to see the D work to stop the big plays on 3rd down. The last 2 games have seen some yards given up on all downs which has made it easier for the offence to stomp down field. The next two games will be all bout fine tuning those gaps and filling them quickly and with certianty.
I look forward to the next two games with much optimism
GO BRONCOS!!! New Zealand OWT!
Hey Mike, great post!
I must say I totally share your thoughts on the preseason so far. For me, it’s just a chance to watch some football after desperatly craving it since February.
I do hope that limiting throws to Royal is by design and that he’ll be more involved in the O this season. I’m not sure why McD used him so sparingly last season and pretty much relegated him to kick returns. His hands and speed are too special to leave it at that. Working him into the slot just might prove to be an X-Factor on Offense.
I’m really looking forward to seeing Moreno’s progression from his rookie year to his sophmore season. How has he grown as a player in this offense? Will he make better reads than last year? Will he be able to convert those 3rd and shorts more effectively? We will need him to balance the offense.
It’s funny how I remember doing a little bashing on Orton this time last year….but man, has this guy proved me and a ton of other Bronco fans wrong. He’s been nothing but professional, a leader on the team, and his play has elevated more than I could ever imagined. I think he’ll have a tremendous year.
I’m still concerned with our D. Seems to be that way every year though, so nothing new. There’s still time to tweak the D and get better, but it’s gotta happen soon cause the real games are closing in fast. I’m not sure why our 3rd down D is always a let down…….it’s been that way for years now. Here’s to hoping this year will be different!
Can’t wait for the regular season to start! I’ll be watching every Broncos game…thanks to the wife for supporting my football addiction and getting me NFL Sunday Ticket. I live in Newfoundland, Canada…..a small island on the east coast where NFL football is pretty much non-existant. It’s great to have a place like this to come share my thoughts on my favorite team of all time!
GO BRONCOS!!!!
Mike, I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that it seems as if you are only a bit concerned about one thing so far this year and that would be the pass rush. Looking at it that way certainly is a morale booster and there is no doubt that you have to be recommended for doing an examplery job of morale boosting for the troops that you so well represent here as the official radio anchor of this here Denver Broncos website. That being said, I don’t work for the Broncos, so I can extrapolate on about where we are with no repercussions to my earning a living, so in esence my non job is a lot easier than you guys’ jobs, so no direspect here whatsoever to you and the wonderful writers contributing to this blog.
But here it is, where do I start?
Ok, the positive first, always the positive first, if someone can’t say anything positive about something, there is no reason for me to listen to his negatives, that was always my first rule of busines.
1. Orton, need I say more, amazingly improved pocket presence, can now easily side step pressure, allowing him time for his reads, sure delivery, much more accuracy and mostly you can see the guy is having fun out there, no longer just a job he is worried to lose, that 9 mil has to help A LOT.
2. WR’s, Gaffney IS the go to guy, IS the #1 receiver, I have no idea why the media and fans are so reluctant to call him what he really is, the Denver Broncos #1 receiver, at least for this year. Actually I know why, it’s because of Marshall, people, let go of Marshall, he is gone, we are better of for it, he is anotherr teams’ #1 receiver now, that doesn’t mean we don’t have ours, geee. Lloyd I was nearly the only one standing by him in the spring, pretty much everyone had written him off as a future cut, wrong, the guy is all time reliable and can do it all. Willis really full of promise, we can not let go of him, he has a good future ahead of him, it would be a huge mistake to cut him. That most likely means no Stokley and I’m fine with that because frankly he has had major problems staying healthy the last couple of years, age will do that in the slot. Talking about slot, Royal’s new home, let’s just hope you are right when you say he will be more utilized this year, I remember hearing the same thing about Hillis… Decker, we finally saw that he is pretty much NFL ready, and Thomas, great outlook, but both those guys performances will be based on their health is my concern. And TE Branson has been a very pleasant surprise coming out of the PS.
3. The backfield, Bailey showed he is still at the top of his game, Goodman, great tackling so far and only really got beat for one TD on a perfectly high pass thrown to a 6’5″ receiver where only he could catch it. Hill still commands the backfield, Dawkins has not even made his presence felt yet, and we have a real nice amount of back ups there other than Phonzy who still plays like the half pint size he is.
4. Colquitt and Cox on ST should make us much more special.
Now the negatives, and you guys are lucky, since I took so long talking about the positives and since this is a positive day type of blog, I will keep it real short:
1. D line, no stopping the run ability, yet again.
2. The LB’s, no stopping the run yet again, inside or out, no pressure applied to opposing QB’s, Stafford’s jersey was spotless, didn’t even need a wash.
3. O line, no ability to run the ball, very suspect at protecting the QB from pressure, inside or out.
4. The RB’s, Fargas, Ball and Hall behind a line that can’t open lanes, enough said.
5 Just as there is good stuff on ST, plenty of bad stuff there, namely coverage.
I was being nice this morning, right? LOL.
Oh, about the LB’s negatives, forgot to mention that they are so out of place in pass coverage that they have been nearly non existant against the short passes.
Even so our D is rated in 30th to 32nd place in nearly every category so far this preseason, it’s only preseason and Wink is hiding it all so we can rule the league come regular season, man, I’m really getting the hang of that positive outlook thing, LMAO.
As far as how far along the O line has gotten, we will get a first hand look Sunday against the Steelers, and this is the third preseason game, the one that most ressembles a regular season game, the dress rehearsal. So pretty much a lot of what we’ll see into the third quarter is what we’ll get regular season, make no doubt about it, and the nation will be watching too, this is what Legwold has to say about the Pittsburgh D:
This weekend, the Broncos will play against one of the NFL’s signature defenses — the Steelers’ 3-4.
It’s different than other 3-4 looks because the Steelers are more intent on getting up the field at all times, and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is calling the shots. LeBeau, who was in the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction class with former Broncos running back Floyd Little a few weeks ago, is willing to try just about anything to get to the quarterback.
The Steelers come from all angles, will rush anybody and drop anybody into coverage.
Are you ready for some football, better be, just saying.
For the ones who still haven’t had a chance to watch the Detroit game, it’s coming on at 11 am MDT on the NFLN in a couple hours.
Thanks for sharing, folks. I love it.
sndvl…you are right on the mark. The injury situation has been a huge headline for the Broncos to this point. Hopefully we are seeing a reversal with some of the banged up guys beginning to work their way back.
samoanbronco…can’t argue with your points about the defense, Ayers and moss in particular. They have shown glimpses. Now those glimpses need to become the norm.
killerkod…thanks for checking in from Newfoundland! That is actually one spot I’d love to visit one day. I’ve heard it is beautiful.
I, too, am eager to see what Knowshon does once he gets healthy. The Broncos need him to be a big part of things. Also, I hear you about the defense, especially on third downs and in the red zone. I was encouraged by the way the D held the Lions to field goals in the last preseason game.
baylinorcrush…thanks for the breakdown. You bring up many good points and I agree with a lot of them.
For the record, I’d like to clarify one item you brought up in your opening paragraph. While I do work for the station that carries the Broncos games and serve as 850 KOA’s studio and post-game talk show host for the broadcasts, no one with the Broncos has ever told me what to say on the air or write in this blog.
Are there questions about this team? No doubt. Are there issues they need to work out? Clearly, yes. The concern I brought up about the pass rush certainly isn’t the only one I believe exists with the Broncos at this point in time (see comments directly abouve). It just happened to be the one I mentioned in the original post.
As to the negatives that you brought up, let me address them briefly.
1. Run defense. I agree that through two preseason games, it has been a little suspect. I’m not at the point of panic, though.
2. Pressure on the QB. Already wrote about. that.
3. I would say in general, I disagree with you about the offensive line. Yeah, Orton has been under some pressure at times but in no way would I call it a problem. No doubt there needs to be some improvement in the running game but as I wrote, I’m not overly concerned right now. The Broncos’ top three backs have yet to carry the ball once and the team hasn’t made a concerted effort to run the ball. Is it a guarantee that they’ll be a dominating running team? No. I do not take that for granted. All I am saying is that I think they’ll be better than they have shown so far. But, I could be wrong in that belief, too.
4. Special teams coverage has been an issue at time, to be sure. But I saw a clear improvement from the Cincy game to the Detroit game.
Finally, given the knowledgable and passionate football fan that you are, I can’t believe you actually brought up preseason statistics! It is hard enough to evaluate a team in the preseason since there are so many variables that make it so different from the regular season.
Here’s the bottom line to me. I think the Broncos defense will be better than it was last year, regardless of the stats in the preseason. Again, in three or four months, I could be completely off base. It will be fun to find out.
Thanks to all…great comments.
Mike
Correction Bay, the reason no one calls Gaf the number 1 wide reciever is because McDaniels said the goal is to NOT have a number one wide receiver. Being a number 1 wide receiver in the sense of the word goes beyond your position on the depth chart. Goes to skills and talent. Gaff is emerging but their is no real signifcant difference in his level of talent from that of Royals level, Brandon Lloyds level, and etc. So he is just seen as another wide receiver of 5 which is not a bad thing if thats the look you are going for, which it sounds like is the look McDaniels is going for. Just my take. Don’t wanna rock any boats.
Ps: BRANDON MARSHALL FOR LIFE. Sorry had to do that lol. But even I have accepted the fact that he is some other teams number 1 reciever. Agree with it no. But ive accepted it. All we can do as fans. Go Broncos. TRB out.
Mike, thanks for replying to all of us, it is very time consuming and much appreciated. I am glad to hear that you have never been told what to write on this blog and it comes as no surprise, you are such a professional at what you do you always know how to please both sides of the fence without hurting anyone’s feelings and it is a tribute to your diplomatic skills, which have never been a forte of mine, pretty much lay it out there the way I see it and deal with the fallout.
When I did bring up those D stats on the last Cooper blog I did mention that they were worthless but I’d post them anyway and I should of done the same here, I don’t even like stats in regular season they can be so misleading, the only one that counts are wins and losses.
And as for your feelings about where all the phases of the game are at now, I respect your point of view about them all, just see some of it a little differently. And how you finish by saying the D should be much improved this year, it has been my feeling all off season, kept mentioning the D was not a worry for me, but I have to say that after this last preseason game doubts have started creeping in.
TRB, I don’t buy that, we’ll have to see the numbers for the WR’s at year end and if Gaffney stays healthy his numbers should be considerably higher than any other WR, stay tuned…
I feel when it comes to our pass rush it’s “winks” fualt. He is only blitzing on the edges with one player. I feel two players would help, but both on one side. I would like to see him blitz the middle too with a safety or something mix it up a little. If we continue like this our D will be vey predictible and fun to play againts. One more thing, I still believe that when it comes to our rb’s it’s their fualt. They are not bieng patient finding the holes. Besides I have seen other games and the rb brakes a tackle or makes something happen. My point is I don’t see a lot of effort on their part, on our last game orton did what he could to keep the drive alive. If your qb can do it in the same protection, then our rb’s should be able too. But on something we all can agree on is denver rules!!!
60 MINUTES OF FOOTBALL GO BRONCOS!!!
yup Bay, only time will tell, I was just taking my post straight out of the horses mouth (lmao, even funnier since we are broncos).
Hey Mike GREAT POST!
For the love of squirrels…IT’S PRESEASON!!! LOL!
Preseason games to me are like the 40 yd dash at the Combine.
It gives you a glimpse of what type of speed might be there. BUT…What player runs 40 yds, untouched without pads in the NFL?
As a fan, I know we have players! I know we have more leaders, more passion and better people making the tough calls than last year. WE HAVE IMPROVED!
There is no way in this creation I will suggest ANYTHING! until after week 1 Then I’ll start to evaluate.
LET’S GET READY FANS….IT’S ALMOST TIME!!! WOOO HOOO
GO GET EM’ BOYS!
heres my take on the 2010 broncos.
first id like to say you have to understand how our offense works, short passes and runs to draw tghe defense in then go deep, but id also like to say look at the patriots the last few years and look how effective their running backs have been.
my main consern going into the season is run defense and WR production,id like to see them use white or fargas on 3rd and 1 or goal and be effective
i think mcdaniels is very smart and is hiding is most of the plays he really plans to use and im not concerned about preseason losses
Let’s be clear that preseason game results mean absolutely nothing, nada, zero, zilch.
However preseason games themselves can tell us plenty if we know what to look for, like differentiating first team vs. 2′s and 3′s and even 4′s, vanilla vs. full game plan, working on improving your team while not necessairily attacking the other team’s weakness, etc…. So with that in mind one can still evaluate some stuff.
Funny enough, when we were done with the draft, everyone couldn’t wait for the OTA’s, then they meant nothing because everyone was waiting for TC, then it meant nothing because everyone couldn’t wait for preseason, and now of course preseason means nothing, of course it helps that we lost our first two haha, and everyone can’t wait for the regular season.
I just can’t wait that we are finally going to be doing something that means something, but guess what, if we lose the first regular season game it will mean nothing, RIGHT? LOL.
If it all means nothing why in the heck have I been here all off season, LOL. Believe it or not I did not waste my time though, I feel like I know plenty about our team already, way more than if I just showed up for the first regular season game.
Even if it all meant nothing…
goldengut…no doubt every coach hides a lot during the preseason. That is one reason why it is so hard to get a read on where a team stands, especially a team like the Broncos, who have made changes after the way last season ended.
baylinorcrush…yeah, you’re right, you did give the qualifier about stats. I should have give you props for that!
And you do know a lot about the Broncos. I wouldn’t say things up until the regular season opener don’t mean anything. They just don’t mean anything in the won-loss department until the games start counting.
But I bet we agree on this: If the Broncos treat the offseason like it doesn’t mean anything, then they will reap the fruit of that in the regular season. I think they have gone about the offseason, training camp and preseason in the right way. Soon we’ll get to find out how well, or how poorly, that translates to the regular season.
Broncfalls…great analogy to the 40 yard dash at the combine. There is definitely some merit to that.
“For the love of squirrels”?! That’s a new one to me…but I like it!
Mike
I’ll say one thing good about this off season, it seems as if they might have escaped with the majority of the injuries early and might get most everyone back fo when it counts, but after going 2-8 to close the season, making it now 2-10, it would be nice for the team and for us if they could at least win one game before it counts, a little boost of positive vibes if you know what I mean.
Broncfalls probably lives in a neck of the woods where they eat squirrels, haha.
Mikey – good post liked it a lot
I think we’ve got a lot of positive things going on right now.
1. QB- Orton’s at the top of his game right now (which, before this season, I thought wasn’t very high). He’s got an extra year of experience and has competition behind him in the form of Tebow and Quinn. Really excited for him.
2. Receivers- gaffneys looking good, too and will be the No. 1 receiver. Lloyd has some work to do. Royal’s gonna do well in the slot I think. Decker looks promising, and Thomas might help us after the numerous injuries. Stokley might have to go, but he’s a quality veteran and i hope we keep him. every non-rookie has more chemistry w/ orton too.
3. RunningBacks- running game’s fine people. we’ve had 2 starters on the line out and the 3 top RBs out. Now Moreno and buck are back, we’ll be running it down the other teams throat especially w/ orton playing so good.
4. O-line- we’ve just had our pro bowl LT and starting guard out and still looked decent. after walton and beadles get a few games under their belt, we should kill.
5. D-line- Bannan and Williams are 2 solid starters and mcbean doesn’t look bad. All they need to do is block gaps and take up o-lineman so the linebackers can do their job.
6. Secondary- Did anyone see that video on nfl.com that didn’t include Champ in the top 5 cornerbacks in the league? It’s an insult and I think Champ showed them up against Cincy. Goodman is solid and experienced, Hill is great in coverage, and Dawkins makes the Receivers scared to come within 10 feet of the ball let alone catch it. Also good on run support.
7. Special Teams- collquitt is punting nicely and the coverage is decent. Cox is looking impressive and w/ him and Royal on returns, we should be good there.
Some areas need improvement though.
1. Pass rush- w/o Doom, we’ve gotta get something out of Moss and Ayers. Moss looked good against Detroit, but hes gotta do that all season, or at least until December. 17 sacks is a lot to lose.
2. Run stop- happens season after season after season. gotta get stops.
3. LBs- I know we’ve been w/o DJ and Haggen, but I still think we’ve gotta do better. run stop, pass rush, and short passes we need to work on, and all 3 depend on the linebackers.
4. Kicking- Maybe I’m just used to Elam missing one every 30 tries, but Prater really pisses me off. We get down to the 20 and he cant hit a 35 yarder.
5. Finishing- like bay said we went 2-8 last 10 games last year. 8-8 isn’t bad for a first year coach and a new QB, but 2-8 is.
Bay!
You are correct my furry tailed Bronco Fan! LOL! Acutally live in a town called Rock Falls, IL…about 2 hours west of Chicago and 1 hour east of Iowa. It’s corn, deer and squirrels! LOL…
On a side note Bay…..did you have a chance to watch Torain in Washington? Kid looked pretty good….I didn’t know if anyone commented on him but I didn’t know he was in Washington or forgot….at any rate he was very productive I thought.
Hey Mike,
Just wanted to say thanks again for the responses to all of us here on the blog!
Bay, first commented on it and I 100% agree. A lot of time to prepare and reply…we greatly appreciate it!
GO GET EM’ BOYS
Broncfalls, I didn’t see Torain actually play for the Skins, but I did hear that he has a good shot at making top three backs there which is no small feat considering the plethora of great RB’s there, like Portis, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker to name a few. Problem with Torain is injuries as we well know.
Broncfalls…thanks. I do my best to put some replies up. Some weeks are better than others