Denver Broncos Thread

Jolly Red Giant · 17-08-2016 8:15pm

Broncos give the 49ers a spanking on both sides of the ball during joint practice today.

Jolly Red Giant · 18-08-2016 7:51pm

Trevor Siemian will start at QB against the 49ers - Siemian will play a quarter and a half with Sanchez doing the same and Lynch playing the last quarter.

poldebruin · 20-08-2016 10:49pm

Thanks for the updates JRG, I don't have the time to follow camps and preseason particularly closely any more - definitely advertising my second-class fan status there!

It looks as though the job is Siemian's to lose from this point. A good outing against San Francisco, should guarantee him the majority of the gametime in week 3 of preseason, and come week 4, we should know who has the job (the winner will see close to zero playing time in the week 4 game)
Personally I would like to see Siemian get a chance - he shouldn't be asked to do too much in the first few weeks of the season, if the Defense is as good as last year and we all know what Sanchez can bring to the table, and it seems he's not doing the business in camp to secure the job.

Any worry about a drop off from the defensive side seems to have been allayed, I know it is preseason, and while we all know that the RESULTS in preseason don't particularly matter, the performance of the fringe players and backups is very promising to see. I just want to get out of the preseason with no further injuries, and a solid idea of the no.1 QB.

Jolly Red Giant · 20-08-2016 11:37pm

poldebruin wrote: »

It looks as though the job is Siemian's to lose from this point. A good outing against San Francisco, should guarantee him the majority of the gametime in week 3 of preseason, and come week 4, we should know who has the job (the winner will see close to zero playing time in the week 4 game)
Personally I would like to see Siemian get a chance - he shouldn't be asked to do too much in the first few weeks of the season, if the Defense is as good as last year and we all know what Sanchez can bring to the table, and it seems he's not doing the business in camp to secure the job.

Siemian is showing all the qualities of a good calibre back-up. Dink and dunk and don't turn the ball over. He has actually been quite effective in the redzone.

I think they will go with Sanchez - he is getting more comfortable with the offence with each passing day and while Sanchez is still (and probably always will be) a turnover machine, the WCO that Kubiak will put in place minimises the reads the QB has to make and creates time to get the ball out before pressure. I expect Sanchez to keep the job unless he shows an inability to minimise the turnovers.

There are other factors that will impact on QB play -
1. The OL is still in flux - Weems is making a play to start at OG and has been effective in the ZBS. McGovern, the rookie is also in the mix. There are still question marks over Stephenson at RT and Sambrillo is starting to look like a bust (injured again and didn't show a lot at OG before getting hurt).
2. The running game is going to step up significantly. CJ, Booker and Bibbs are all benefitting significantly from the fact that Kubiak can run the ZBS now that Manning is gone. All three RBs are finding the seam and bursting through with power - and being able to run against the Denver D demonstrates that the running game will be good.
3. The TEs are going to play a far bigger role than last season. Green is showing all the possibilities of becoming a serious redzone threat - comparisons are already being made with Juilus Thomas - except Green is also an excellent blocker. As well as Heuerman there are two rookies that are turning heads at TE (in particular Krieger-Cobie).
4. The WR core has seen a major upgrade. DT is catching everything, Sanders is elite, Sunshine Taylor is making spectacular catches, Latimer has improved unrecognisably (he spoke recently that he was so intimidated by Manning that he had butterfingers every time Manning threw him the ball), Fowler is quietly consistent and Raymond is a pocket rocket making spectacular plays. And there are four/five rookie WRs who are also showing up to play - Frazier is just one. Fowler's injury is actually being considered an opportunity - the Broncos will get to keep a quality rookie they would have had to cut and see if he can produce in the regular season.

Any worry about a drop off from the defensive side seems to have been allayed, I know it is preseason, and while we all know that the RESULTS in preseason don't particularly matter, the performance of the fringe players and backups is very promising to see. I just want to get out of the preseason with no further injuries, and a solid idea of the no.1 QB.

there is some serious talent on the Broncos defence. Crick has already stepped into the spot left by Walker's injury. Gotsis is disruptive. Williams is showing a step up from last season, Kilgo has also improved and is pushing Williams. There are three other rookie DEs (and I expect Peko to be on the roster - he has shown up very well) who will be snapped up by other teams if they are cut by the Broncos.

At LB Ray and Barrett are going to do some serious damage - both players would start on most NFL teams - and then there is Miller and Ware. At ILB both Davis and Anderson will do the job Trevathan did last year - and then there are rookies like Dora who are going to get roster spots somewhere if they are cut by the Broncos.

I am excited about the secondary. Harris, Talib (who apparently will not face any ban this year), Ward, Stewart and Roby. Add to that we now have Webster playing the lights out, Doss intercepting anything thrown his way, Parks, Simmons and another couple of rookies. The No Fly Zone is going to be a sight to behold.

One thing that shows the optimism at the team - it looks like all the draft picks from this year will make the roster - and that is saying something given the talent on this team.

I too hope that the Broncos get through the pre-season without any more injuries - but having kept a close eye on this team for the past three weeks I am confident that if they do suffer injuries there is a player capable of stepping into the gap. This roster is stacked with talent everywhere (with the exception of QB and a couple of OLmen).

poldebruin · 21-08-2016 2:14am

Yes, going to enjoy watching the defense this year - all the questions lie with the offense, but I also think now that Kubiak can install the players, system and playbook he wants, we will see an improvement (a vast one)

It will be great to see the TE involved again, and I agree Kubiak's system does seem to be very QB-friendly. I'm still not convinced of our depth at WR beyond DT and Sanders (and I'm still not as high on DT, despite his numbers) and it seems every preseason we have reports of WR making spectacular plays, only to fail to materialise during the season.

The division is the best it has been in years, and with the exception of SD we might see three teams make the playoffs. It needs to be remembered though that we won a lot of very close games (the Cleveland game was ridiculous) and a reversal or two could see us missing out on the #1 (or possibly the division) which was so important last year.

Jolly Red Giant · 22-08-2016 11:38pm

The game last night was a bit of an eye opener - demonstrating how poorly Siemian and Sanchez are playing.

I have changed my view on the week 1 starter. I think Siemian will start. Sanchez was booed last night when he fumbled and if he were to start and do the same again in the regular season then the fans would go apoplectic. Siemian is less likely to turn the ball over and will probably be given a bit more leeway by Broncos fans because there won't be high expectations.

Lynch is by far and away the best QB on the roster - but he is not ready for the NFL. Few rookie QBs can handle the NFL and sustain it long term (players like Big Ben are most definitely the exception). I also think that both Elway and Kubiak will remember the torrid time Elway had as a rookie when he was benched after five games). Lynch will be given time - he could well start this season at some point - but he will need to develop alot before that happens.

It is telling that Kubiak has announced that Siemian will start against the Rams next weekend - I think its a sign of things to come.

Jolly Red Giant · 23-08-2016 11:13pm

Came across an interesting stat today -

On average an NFL QB throws a pick/ has a fumble/ gets sacked - once every 24.2 plays.

Sanchez does it every 19.5 plays

Siemian (in limited playing time) once every 35 plays.

Given that Kubiak values ball security above all else in the current QB 'controversy' - Siemian is the clear winner.

Morrisseeee · 25-08-2016 3:19pm

Still have to pinch myself and convince myself that we are SB Champions.
Can we double up ?
Our defense will be good but maybe not quite at the level (especially the Playoff level) of last season.
Our QB situation will have a lot to say about it, ie. last year we had a very experienced guy (aka the Sheriff) and a very good deputy. Those two guys were with the team for a few years and that experience/familiarity served us well.
This year is a whole lot different. It's currently an intriguing 3 way battle, but I'd be more confident in a twosome of Siemian/Lynch than X/Sanchez !

Jolly Red Giant · 25-08-2016 6:33pm

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Still have to pinch myself and convince myself that we are SB Champions.

It was awesome

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Can we double up ?

Why not - we have just as good a chance as last year.

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Our defense will be good but maybe not quite at the level (especially the Playoff level) of last season.

The defence will be virtually impossible to pass against and very difficult to run against. In 24 minutes of pre-season (still missing some starters) gave up the sum total of 47 yards and 2 first downs.

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Our QB situation will have a lot to say about it, ie. last year we had a very experienced guy (aka the Sheriff) and a very good deputy. Those two guys were with the team for a few years and that experience/familiarity served us well.

The QB play was atrocious last year and fortunately Manning accepted his role as game manager (who doesn't turn the ball over) and that helped win the SB. This year the offence will be significantly better.

Morrisseeee wrote: »

This year is a whole lot different. It's currently an intriguing 3 way battle, but I'd be more confident in a twosome of Siemian/Lynch than X/Sanchez !

The key to the offence this year is the running game. The OL is significantly better (at least in terms of starters) than last year and Kubiak can now run the full ZBS that his offence requires. The TEs will play a much bigger role, the RBs are better, the WRs are better. The reason I think Siemian will start is that he will game manage and minimise mistakes - and Kubiak will the ball a lot and let the defence do its business.

I am really looking forward to this season - I think that, just like last season, the Broncos will be a lot better than expected.

poldebruin · 26-08-2016 3:07pm

Jolly Red Giant wrote: »

I am really looking forward to this season - I think that, just like last season, the Broncos will be a lot better than expected.

I have to admit, that with the long layoff and the way the fortunes of any NFL team can swing wildly from one season to the next, I always come into a season with a sense of hope and anticipation - luckily, over the years it has paid off being a Broncos fan!

Regarding Denver to be better than expected, what has surprised me a little, is that on the cusp of the season starting, that the oddsmakers have Denver grouped with the likes of the Colts, Dallas and Cincinnatti to win it all again this year, and with the Pats, Steelers, Vikings, Seahawks, Packers, Cardinals and Panthers ranked ahead of them - which seems slightly ridiculous imo....the Giants and Raiders are the two next favourites after Denver!!

Jolly Red Giant · 11-09-2016 11:07am

Fantastic first win for the Broncos.

It is great to see the team playing the Kubiak offence and I have to say I love to see the FB back in the line-up ploughing the way for the RBs. 'Ram Jan' will become a fans favourite and if his first game is anything to go by he will be a Bronco for a long time.

The defence started slow. It was interesting to see what the Panthers did to try and limit the pass rush. Newton took a shorter drop and released the ball quickly. The Broncos defenders engaged in overpursuit and as a result it opened up some running room for the Panthers RB. Slowly the defence got a handle on things and began stopping the run and getting to Newton.

Phillips began with some base zone defence - probably to see how the Panthers offence was set up - but moved back to man defence as the game progressed. I felt Ward was a little exposed in coverage - but I think that had a lot to do with Newton's talent as a QB. Ward was watching for the run and getting caught back-peddling when it was a pass play. But I did think Stewart had an excellent game. There has been much discussion over whether the Broncos will try and extend Stewart's contact or let him leave and move on with Simmons - but on this performance (and from last season) I think it is more likely that Stewart is kept and Ward leaves to FA.

The loss of Walker for the season has had an impact on the DL. It is unfortunately Melton got injured as he could possibly have helped. I am sure adjustments will be made that will help Crick and while Gotsis is still very raw, he will be fast tracked to get him on the field. Shane Ray still showed he has some stuff to learn - he had backside responsibility on the reverse and got creamed by Newton. I doubt there is another QB who would have thrown that block - but Ray should have expected it.

On the offensive side - I was impressed with the OL. There was little indication during pre-season that they would operate as well as they did as a unit. Okung and Stephenson was very solid. Paradis played well and while Garcia and Schofield need some work, both were adequate. There are few teams with as good a front seven as the Panthers and this unit will do the job and develop.

Anderson had the type of performance that his talent always indicated that he had. It is easy to see why Elway matched the Dolphins contract to keep him (despite the fact that he should have tendered him higher). Anderson could have a mega season. As for Booker - how the hell do you end up fumbling on your first NFL carry. it looked like the guy was believing too much of his own hype. I was glad to see that he went back in later in the game and had a good run. You don't get to play if you can't mind the ball. It was note worthy that Bibbs spelled Anderson and he played well.

Lastly - Siemian in his first start. As was to be expected - some good stuff some bad. Siemian is always going to be compared to Osweiler. He showed pocket presence and composure (more than Osweiler showed last season). He has a quick release and (mostly) made good decisions. The players comment on his compsure and calm demeanor in the huddle. The baseline for Siemian was good. As for the 'bad' - he is still slow going through his progressions (that will improve with more reps) - he was slow releasing the ball for the screen pass that resulted in the tip and INT - he needed to step into the throw and take the hit on the second INT. The reality is that most of the bad can be corrected by coaching which presents a lot of upsides for the future. Many thought that Siemian would only last a few games - but if he plays like he played on Thursday and works on the weaknesses then he will play for the season (and possibly longer) - the Broncos could end up with two good QBs going forward and that opens up a lot of options.

This Broncos team is good and will win a lot of games this season. I would have been happy with 2-2 from the first four games - but if they play as well as they did on Thursday I wouldn't be surprised to see the Broncos win all four opening games. After that the schedule does get a little easier (and I am really looking forward to the game against Houston at the end of October and seeing how the Broncos defence play Osweiler - I suspect he will have nightmares seeing Miller and Ware).

poldebruin · 11-09-2016 11:35am

Yes, a hugely encouraging game all around. As you mentioned Siemian looked about as good as we could have expected - he really throws a pretty ball, and i hope we will see him take huge strides as he gets more snaps - although there is a worry more film will allow teams to gameplan for him. Kubiak is supposedly very good at "hiding" a QB though, so I think he will be fine. I do worry that he looks undersized (weight-wise) and if he can hold up to the rigours of an NFL season. The first play from scrimmage where he pumped and sidearmed to Thomas was impressive and displayed a lot of poise, which bodes well.

Completely agree about Anderson, finally getting the chance to show what he can do, runnng downhill with a FB leading the way and bowling defenders over, which can really wear a defense down over the course of a game. It was like 1998 all over again. My guess is we will see a lot of teams flood the box and force Siemian to show he can beat teams throwing and stretch the field - the knock on him is he hasn't the deep ball - but his throws to the sideline seemed to have plenty of zip. The Booker fumble was inexcusable, and he will have to work hard to earn back the coaches trust - it didn't even come from a particularly hard hit, just carrying the ball carelessly.

The defense was just as good as the one we saw last year - remember Denver turned it over 3 times, and they were on the field for some really long drives in the first half. I know the altitude can give us a huge advantage at home, but in the first game of the season, I'm sure they were getting tired after that 16 play drive. Carolina are as good an offence as we are likely to play this year, and they held up well - not quite the shutdown unit we saw in the Super Bowl, but a quality outing all around. Regarding the helmet to helmets on Cam, we will be a marked team with officials from this point on. The Marshall one (yes, I am aware of the ongoing discussion elasewhere!) was the worst of the bunch, and is a textbook launching with the crown of the helmet....but Cam is so tough in the pocket, breaking out of the pocket, and improvising and extending plays, we won't see a QB like him for the rest of the season.

A missed FG from beating Denver in the home opener at altitude in week 1, as tough an assignment as they are going to have this year, Carolina will take a lot of encouragement from the game, they were more than a match for the Broncos, and won't be afraid should they meet again at a neutral venue!

Jolly Red Giant · 11-09-2016 1:30pm

poldebruin wrote: »

A missed FG from beating Denver in the home opener at altitude in week 1, as tough an assignment as they are going to have this year, Carolina will take a lot of encouragement from the game, they were more than a match for the Broncos, and won't be afraid should they meet again at a neutral venue!

I actually think the Broncos have got into Newton's head a little bit. He likes having things his own way - he likes being able to bowl over people - he likes being able to lay on hit on people (sometimes lowering his head to do it). When he does that against the Broncos they hit back and don't let him have his own way.

As for Siemian - Kubiak hasn't even started to open the playbook yet. On top of that Siemian has DT and Sanders to throw to - and there are few better WRs capable of winning 50-50 balls. I suspect if people stack the box to stop the run you will see 1. the Broncos run anyway (just like they did against the Panthers) and 2. DT and Sanders will get open enough to make some big catches.

Jolly Red Giant · 11-09-2016 1:41pm

All 22 breakdown of Anderson and the Broncos running game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJFcPE5dteU

poldebruin · 11-09-2016 2:29pm

A good watch, Subscribed to his channel, and will give it a look through. A great way for novices (and not-so-novices) to get a better understanding of the nuances of the running game. I wonder why we never get to see this type of stuff on the broadcast, far more insightful and entertaining than listening to an ex head coach tell us about the need to take things one play at a time. I'd imagine the general forum would appreciate being shown the guys channel, unleess it;s already well known as I'm the last to know (as usual)

Jolly Red Giant · 11-09-2016 4:13pm

If you really want to learn about the Broncos running game - and in particular the ZBS - then there is no better place to go than the master of coaching the ZBS - former OL coach Alex Gibbs

here are a couple of videos outlining how aspects of the ZBS works - there are hours of coaching clinics from Gibbs on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNa3gZfQfH0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Z1YBDIDqw

Jolly Red Giant · 17-09-2016 9:21am

I have to say this weekend has me a bit nervous. I always felt that the Broncos had the measure of the Panthers but Luck has consistently been a thorn in the side of the Broncos.

Fowler is out and DT and Wolfe are questionable. I would actually sit both and give their injuries time. The problems that present cannot be underestimated.

The Colts will attempt to force Siemian to go deep. He will have opportunities as the Colts front seven is not nearly as good as the Panthers and their secondary is a shambles. But from the Colts perspective it is their best option - nobody knows if he can consistently hit a deep ball and I expect the Colts to force the issue. With both DT and Fowler out Siemian will have Norwood and Taylor as the deep threats - and both have difficulty getting separation which will mean Siemian will have to be accurate with anything he throws in their direction.

Luck has caused the Broncos big problems in the past. The weakest part of the Broncos defence is lack of depth along the DL. With Wolfe out the Broncos may have a problem getting inside pressure allowing Luck the time to step up into the pocket and pick his passes. I am intrigued to see what Phillips will do to solve the problem. I suspect that he may use one of the OLBs as a DE and wouldn't be surprised to see Watson getting some extended playing time. The Broncos secondary will have to be tight and disciplined and I hope they come out in man coverage instead of the soft zone that they started with against the Panthers - that just doesn't seem to work most of the time for this Broncos D.

I still think the Broncos will win with a reasonable degree of comfort - but I would be concerned if it becomes a bit of a shoot-out.

Morrisseeee · 19-09-2016 9:23am

Defense ! Defense !

Nothing more to say really, just great to see Von and the guys do their stuff and snuff out a victory. I see a lot of the commentary is about the offense not scoring but I think lets sit-back/watch/enjoy and praise our magnificent D.

Jolly Red Giant · 19-09-2016 10:05am

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Defense ! Defense !
Nothing more to say really, just great to see Von and the guys do their stuff and snuff out a victory. I see a lot of the commentary is about the offense not scoring but I think lets sit-back/watch/enjoy and praise our magnificent D.

The offence will improve - Siemian has only played two games and his job at the moment is not to make mistakes (and he needs to get the screen passes sorted out) - and the OL is running the true ZBS for only the second game.

Everyone in the Broncos organisation trusts that defence - and the defence delivers. People were questioning why Kubiak kicked a field goal instead of going for it on 4th down - he kicked the FG (or at least had McManus do it) because he trusted the defence to keep Luck and the Colts out of the endzone.

Morrisseeee · 19-09-2016 5:46pm

Yep, it's the one thing that I really admire about our D, this year and last, they really step up a notch when needed, and are a joy to watch while doing it

Peyton was lucky last year to win a ring, but unlucky not to have a great D the few years he was slinging it ! (or Sheriffing it)

Jolly Red Giant · 20-09-2016 11:11pm

Two injuries that will hurt

Stephenson out for 3 weeks with a calf injury

Ware will need 8 weeks to recover from a broken arm.

Morrisseeee · 26-09-2016 9:00am

Great win, and what a game by Siemian, over 300yards + 4 TDs ! It 's a great statement by our offense, if you can stop our run, we still can pass the ball ! Kudos to Ray with his 3 sacks aswell.

Prefab Sprouter · 03-01-2017 1:14pm

Wow, what a quiet thread! eh, Raiders fan here. Just wanted to say that I'm sorry to see Gary Kubiak retire and to wish him and your team all the best going forward. I remember Kubiak as a backup QB at Denver and I know it must be really difficult for him to walk away.

Morrisseeee · 07-09-2017 1:36pm

Quiet after the Sheriff left town

Big Q is, what about the deputies he left behind, are any of them capable of being the new sheriff in town ?
We have the D, we just need to put points on the board. I wasn't following the latest happenings for a while, and then I log in to discover Oz is back ! WTF, his head must be spinning !!

Morrisseeee · 14-09-2017 4:04pm

A win is a win I suppose, we made hard work of it in the end, after 2 errors.
Siemian played well, especially on his feet !
.......looking forward to the Cowboys coming to town, hopefully the new sheriff will run them out of town

MileHighGuy · 15-09-2017 12:22am

A lot of positives to take out of the game on Monday. Obviously the first three quarters, Denver were pretty dominant, held San Diego and Rivers in check, for the most part. I was a little dissappointed that even with San Diego struggling, I felt we didn't really push or collapse the pocket the way we have done over the last two years - there may have been some pressure, but not the mayham that we are used to seeing recently.

I thought the running game showed a lot of promise and improvement, the O-line looked better, but not great. Siemian, again did himself a credit, but with the sacks and hits he took, there's just no way he will stand up to a season of that punishment.

The 4th quarter was a bit of a mess, but sometimes that's just the way games go, I felt. A perfect storm or turnovers, mistakes, missed Field Goals to let San Diego back into a game in which they had no business being.

We welcome Dallas this week, which should give us a great idea of where we are this season. Personally I can't see much more than an 8-8 or 9-7 season out of this team, as the division and the schedule is so tough.

D9Male · 20-09-2017 3:41pm

Tough schedule alright, but the Broncos are in a great position. I loved the way they pushed around the Dallas O line, and Siemian has had a brilliant start to the season. He looks pretty composed at all times, which is great to see.

MileHighGuy · 21-09-2017 11:15am

Again, a bit late to the party about the week 2 game. A fantastic result and performance - watching the game, the final score actually didn't reflect the dominance of the Broncos. Dallas had a defensive TD, five 4th down attempts and pretty much a garbage time TD in the 4th quarter.

Great to see the offense finally hold up their end of things, building on a solid showing last week, clicking in both the running and passing game. Siemian's line doesn't look amazing, but his performance was fantastic, aside form a couple of ill-advised scrambles which led to sacks. Still only his 16th start though, so I think that will only get better. I'm still a little concerned how he will perform as the injuries/hits mount week after week. Tough to see Bolles go down with injury, as the remodelled line looked light years ahead of where it was last year. Hopefully he won't miss too much time.

Really enjoyed seeing the run defense back to where it was a few years ago. The memory of the Raiders running the same play 15 times on Monday night and being unable to stop it is still fresh, so delighted to see they seem to have addressed that. Pass defense was solid as a rock again, so teams are always going to try and key on the run game with us, to see it hold up against (possibly) the best running attack in the NFL is very promising.

Looking ahead to the Bills game, they have played both of their opponants tough so far, and we never seem to have an easy time of it in Buffalo. I'm still hopeful for the win, but think it will be a low scoring eek-it-out type of win.

MileHighGuy · 26-09-2017 11:36pm

Disappointing loss to Buffalo in week 3. Again, this is the type of game I would've expected and hoped we could win. That said, Buffalo always seems to be a tricky place for the Broncos to go, we never seem to have an easy time of it there, and from what I have seen so far this year, this Buffalo team is not that bad (considering they traded away some of their better players in the offseason)

Now I didn't spring for Gamepass this year (yet!) so I can only go on what I saw on Redzone and the articles/sites reporting on the game, but obviosuly a few things stood out to me.

1. Buffalo deserved to win. Their Defense was tough, their offense was competent and opportunistic, and they seemed well coached in general.

2. Denver were unlucky with 2 huge calls in the game. no prizes for guessing which ones. The Sanders catch that wasn't: he caught the ball, took 4 steps with the ball, made nearly seven yards, and it gets punched out as he goes to ground. I mean, to me it look as much a catch and fumble,(recovered by Sanders) as I have ever seen. Had that ball been punched out the same way and Buffalo had recovered, there is no way the referee would have called that an incompletion. Ridiculous. What makes it even more galling, is that it was ruled a reception on the field! For all the close calls in years gone by, this is the most egregious one I have seen. Now it was still only early in the 2nd Q but it would have given us the ball on Buffalo 45 with 5 minutes to go in the half up 10-7. Instead, after Buffalo return the punt to the 32 and a drive of a single yard, they kick a game-tying FG.

3. Terrible call #2. The Miller psyche out. Personally, I think it's an awful call in any scenario, but I could maybe see it as being slightly unsporting, and had the call happened earlier in the game I doubt I would have been so irked, but......Denver were about to get the ball back with 5 minutes left down 7. 15 yard penalty, automatic first down, timeouts wasted, clock wound down and game icing FG. All because the referee thinks he is a child monitor in a playground. Absolutely pathethic to affect the outcome of the game with ticky tacky stuff like this. All the while in the Seahawk/Titans game, Richard Sherman is jawwing with officials, taking his helmet off, late hitting QB's out of bounds, getting involved with pushing/shoving/scrums, running after officials arguing.....gets........offsetting penalties.....nothing.

4. Now that that is off my chest.........Denver seemed to be moving the ball quite well throughout the game but shooting themselves in the foot with bad decisions, (poor officiating) and turnovers. Just failing to close out a couple of promising drives throughout the game. Just looking, they got to (or close to!) the Buffalo Redzone on 5 occasions:

Buffalo 20....FG
Buffalo 12....TD
Buffalo 17....FG
Buffalo 10....FG
Buffalo 24....Int

5 trips......16 points.

....not to mention getting to the Buffalo 45 only to punt for a touchback, a net of 20 yards field position....which leads me to.....

5. That fake punt at the end of the 3rd quarter. Down 20-16, away from home on your own 31 yard line. Defense playing reasonably well, Offense moving the ball reasonably well, not remakably well, but still no cause to fake a punt with a quarter left in the game down 4 points. What was to be gained? A first down on our own 32 yard line? To what end? Drive another 70 yards for a go ahead score with plenty of time left in the game? Drive 50 yards and kick a FG to leave us a single point behind? Instead, Buffalo gratefully receive the gift, drive nowhere and kick a FG to lead by 7. That sequence right there gives me a cause for concern. It shows a complete lack of game awareness or management. I don't mind risky or daring calls, never have, but I do mind when there is no apparent upside and plenty of downside. The only thing it had going in it's favour, was that it was completely unexpected as no one in their right mind would think about executing a fake punt in that situation.

6. Finally......Trevor Siemian will have to stop doing that "fade away scramble thing" he does to avoid pressure. As pressure is applied, instead of stepping up, or sliding over, he backpeddles out to the side, leaving him half of a field to work with, throwing off his back foot with a not especially powerful arm. To date this year I can remember 4 sacks, (2 of them FG-killing) and an interception coming from this particular manoeuvre....stop it. Either step up in the pocket, or curl up on the ground where you stand, 38 y/o-Peyton Manning-style.

Morrisseeee · 04-10-2017 3:48pm

Another win-is-a-win and we'll take it. But......it wasn't pretty. The offense is struggling, I mean we should of put up a big score there, especially with Carr injured. I don't know who is to blame, Siemian or the O-line, or maybe both.
We scorched the Cowboys but I think their secondary were poor. If we don't improve, then another 8-8 season or worse is on the cards. Even if we make it to the playoffs, any decent defense is going to kill us. It's a pity as our D is elite and capable of stopping any team.

Denver Broncos Thread

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