–Finkman…you are right, the red zone production needs to get better. It was an issue last year and hopefully they’ll get that corrected.

–bronco_hyde…good observation about D.J. Williams. He seemed to play well and apparently has made the transition to middle linebacker better than what the pre-season led us to believe.

Another good point about the offensive line. It played well and the guys up front controlled things for much of the game. And they were without starting guard Ben Hamilton.

If the Broncos think they can just show up and beat the Raiders (and I don’t think for a second they believe that), then they are mistaken. Throw the records out the window when these two teams play. The Raiders have come to Denver with subpar teams in recent years and managed to win. This will be a battle.

–oc60…the Broncos will keep some option plays in the game plan, according to what Coach Shanahan said on Monday. Cutler has some experience running the option from his college days.

I think the defense will get better as the season goes along. It played well on Sunday but the Bills aren’t the greatest offensive team, so it’s hard to tell how good the Broncos’ defense was. But the Broncos only surrendered 184 yards of offense. That is outstanding, regardless of the opposition.

There’s no doubt that special teams has to be special again. At least it was on the final play of the game.

Time will tell if the Broncos have begun the journey of a special season.

–xzbronx…I couldn’t agree with you more on virtually all your points. Cutler came up huge on that last drive.

–tonytdrummer@bellsouth.net…I think the Broncos are a MUCH better team than the Raiders, but they must show it on the field on Sunday. if Denver doesn’t come focused, ready and sharp…well, who knows what could happen?

Thanks again to all!

Mike

On Sunday, Jay Cutler started his SIXTH game as an NFL quarterback. Six. There is a learning curve in the NFL and at times, Cutler looks pretty good and at other times, he goes through growing pains. That’s to be expected. At least he was able to learn some lessons while winning this past week.

The problem with the quarterback position in Denver is that whoever the starter is will be compared to how John Elway played at the end of his career when, of course, he won two Super Bowls. News flash: Right now, Jay Cutler is not as good as John Elway was at the end of Elway’s career.

The end of Elway’s career brings me to my next point. I find it interesting that as great of a quarterback as Elway was, he never won a Super Bowl until…the Broncos added a dominating running back (Terrell Davis)/running game. Football is one of the great team games so Davis didn’t win the Super Bowl singelhandedly. But I know the Broncos never won one before he arrived.

I firmly believe that running the football and stopping the run are the foundation to a successful team. You can have all the trick plays you want but if a team can’t run the ball well, it will be hard-pressed to win consistently, let alone make other teams fear it, as you desire.

Specifically, as far as the Buffalo game is concerned, why should the Broncos pass to set up the run when Travis Henry is averaging six yards per carry? Of course, some long passes are necessary here and there and can loosen up a defense. But if my team were running as successfully as the Broncos were, I think I’d stick with it, too.

I also part company with you when you say the Broncos have a running back corps by committee. Travis Henry had 23 carries on Sunday. Next up? Jay Cutler had four carries. Cecil Sapp and Selvin Young COMBINED for seven carries. Travins Henry is a committee of one. He is the main running back and, provided he stays healthy, will get the bulk of the carries.

I see your point about altering style some in order to do the unexpected. There is some merit to that. But Broncos football is to establish the run first. Cutler himself said that before the Buffalo game. If anything, a strong running game will take some pressure off of Cutler to have to constantly make play after play after play.

You are right when you say that teams know the Broncos will try to run the ball. But even though they must have known that, the Bills were unable to consistently stop it.

I’m not sure how many games the Broncos will play this year that will be decided by three or fewer points. But I will take 16 one point wins in a heartbeat.

Thanks again for your thoughts. I hope to hear from you again.

Best,
Mike

The offense looked good for the most part, except for that minor detail of scoring points. Touchdowns not fieldgoals!
I’m sure once Cutler and the offense get more experience with each other, they’ll improve with that.

The defenses’ numbers were very good. Bailey and Bly are definitely the best duo in the league. But its too early to tell, let’s see how they do against the better offenses.

I beg to differ…..it is about the “W”, but let’s tell the truth here…and I’m sorry if I’m the one to say it but I have always been dubbed a “Real-Talk” conversationalist and ‘perspective giver’ so here goes.

That game was not what I expected in terms of offense, and Mike Rice since you have the advantage over myself and I’m sure a ton of others, to get next to a few players and coaches and drop dimes, then drop this one:

Mike and Co. had better find the youthful and prodigy student he was coming underneath the Walsh “Offensive” Tree and stop playing so ‘dad-gumme’ conservative or we all can expect a “Charger”-like season where we have the #1(un-realized by the league yet, hopefully 6 games into the season by the time they figure it out) receiving corps with depth, the #1 running back (by committee) corps, the soon to be realized #1 (un-customarily agile for a 6’3″ non-African American) QB in the league…yeah I said it, what?!!! No, I’m not done, the #1 Tight End tandem with depth, and last but not least and I pray all who are reading adopt this title: “The Magnificent Seven” on Defense with 7 Pro-Bowlers,………………… only to have 5 crucial games decided by 3 pts or less, (one down, 4 to go) and end up saying, “what the heck happened” and of course really make Mike S. look real bad like Marty S., because there are no excuses when we have the best talent Denver has seen in franchise history!!!!!!!!!!

OPEN UP THE PLAY BOOK WITH UNEXPECTED PLAYS AND TRICK PLAYS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, ATTACK>>>>ATTACK>>>ATTACK>>>
Make the league, and game-day planning, play and think like we need them to ( one -dimensional) for our Super Bowl Quest and Dynasty of the Millenium!

DON’T RUN TO SET UP THE PASS, ……………..PASS LONG AND DEEP EARLY AND MAKE THEM FEAR US!!!!!! THEN CRUSH THEM WITH THE UNSTOPPABLE RUN WITH OUR UNDER-RATED YET STILL “YOUNG GUN” QB whose DECISIONS, NOT TALENT, are what Bill B. and Tony D. are Game Planning against!!!!

I hate to sound like the Elf- Lord Elrund, “We ride to war……..not to Victory, … We NEED More PLAYS ” and our ‘style’ switched just a little to throw them off of us.

I believe real football players and analyst(as I am One), whether fans or not, knows that EVERYONE IN THE NFL knows about our run-scheme invented and perfected by Mike Shannahan (not Bill Walsh r.i.p.) for years to come, and now we have a Peyton and Brady ‘type’ QB? translation:

We ARE the team to Covet, Copy, and Recruit like…..look around the league at how many teams are Zone-Running, trying to 1 cut and go, every body is trying to utilizing Tight Ends more thanks to Elway and Sharpe…I mean c’mon, I see it don’t you???

Do what they Don’t Expect………….and EXPECT what THEY didn’t—- 5 Super Bowls!!!!!