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LINCICOME: Broncos mix up the lineup to win again

By Bernie Lincicome, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 16, 2008 at 4:50 p.m.

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Broncos linebacker Spencer Larsen wraps up Falcons running back Michael Turner during the fourth quarter. Larsen started at fullback and linebacker for the Broncos in Sunday's game.

Photo by Darin McGregor © The Rocky

Broncos linebacker Spencer Larsen wraps up Falcons running back Michael Turner during the fourth quarter. Larsen started at fullback and linebacker for the Broncos in Sunday's game.

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As Butch asked Sundance, who are those guys?

Happily, in the case of the resilient Broncos, they come with numbers, and one of them, No. 46, only seems to be everywhere. Spencer Larsen was not seen loading the team luggage after the game, but he would have if asked.

"It's cool," said Larsen, who started at middle linebacker and at fullback, plus played on the kick teams.

Cool is one word for it, rare is another, foolhardy maybe yet another, desperate most likely the best one since the Broncos are so low on players they had to use a raw rookie like a three-way bulb.

And they got away with it, rallying for the second game in a row to win on the road, though this one did not require three fourth-quarter touchdowns but only one.

"Normally," said Mike Shanahan, "you go in the other direction."

There was not only No. 46 but beside him on defense No. 59, Wesley Woodyard, also a rookie, who played linebacker better than any other Bronco has all year, crunching his tackles rather than indulging them.

In fact, the whole group of linebackers, including the overanimated Jamie Winborn, finally did what linebackers are supposed to do: Punish ball carriers for crossing the line of scrimmage.

This made things much easier all around for a Broncos defense that has denied its designation most of the season, not a defense as much as a mild hindrance, not that it cannot still have moments of submission.

There are still too many tackles that look like someone swatting at a pinata, but if a workman is only as good as his tools, these guys are making do with a penknife and duct tape.

The offense offered up its own strangers, No. 22 the most familiar. Rookie Peyton Hillis is usually at fullback if at all, but now at running back, not a great change but a little like using a lug nut as a Frisbee.

"When you get the chance, you have to play your butt off, and that's what we're doing," said Hillis, who retained all his body parts in scoring two touchdowns and catching the key pass on the winning drive.

Most obscurely of all, up from the practice squad and so much of a concern that he was not inserted until the second half is No. 31, P.J. Pope, crashing for yardage as Broncos running backs are supposed to.

And at the end, when all that mattered was holding onto the ball, once rejected for not being able to do that, returnee Tatum Bell did just that, though, to botch the theme of this piece, he changed his number from 40 to 21 before the game.

It seems not at all abnormal with so much irregularity that the Broncos should win a game in which they gained fewer yards, had fewer first downs, ran fewer plays, had more punts, were sacked more times, had more penalties and less time of possession.

It was almost as if some puckish football god decided to give the Broncos one for novelty, not that you can depend on that.

Who are those guys, Sundance? They are the Broncos, for worse or for better, from here on, with No. 37 Calvin Lowry to remember and No. 34, rookie Josh Bell, joining him in a secondary that is only slightly less in need of spackling than the linebackers and the running backs.

"You've got to give coach Shanahan credit for having a good depth chart," said Brandon Marshall.

Winning allows the conclusion that the Broncos knew it all along, that the plug-ins were as good as the regulars. But if they were, they would have been in front from the beginning.

What they will not be from here are surprises, able to succeed from ambush, and the use of Larsen in such variety seems more a stunt than real strategy.

A short list of others who have started at two positions in the same game since 1990 includes Champ Bailey and Deion Sanders, and Larsen is able to occupy the same breath as they because Shanahan felt like being quirky.

"I had to keep it a secret from the Denver media," said Shanahan, pleased with himself.

Larsen is a linebacker and should stay there. Hillis is at best a spot receiver out of the backfield, but if using him at running back causes the Broncos to abandon their gimmick double handoff to Eddie Royal around the end, it is worth it.

The play worked once for the longest rush of the first half but leading the blocking was Jay Cutler, whose job is not to be crashing into cornerbacks.

Cutler is the key, as he has always been, having now made something of a habit of pulling victory from defeat. Well, two in a row, anyhow.

Not exactly an inventory, but to update the old joke about what to call a busload of brokers going over a cliff, it's a good start.

Comments

  • November 16, 2008

    5:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    pwsbronco writes:

    Great game for our rookies, man who would have thought? Fantastic, Bronco's..... with the Charger loss we now have a 2 game lead in the division. If we win all our home games it is going to make it hard for the chargers to catch us....Lets Go BRONCO'S..........oh, yeah, lets also go kick the chargers out of their own house to top off our season....New rookie linebackers look fantastic, keep it going, the pride is coming back......

  • November 16, 2008

    5:52 p.m.

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    Bucketman writes:

    Hillis is to running back as a lug nut is to a frisbee? I think it is more like a man hole cover. Hillis has proven to be a game breaker because of his toughness and his great hands.

    Larsen should start in the middle for the rest of the season. Book end him with DJ and Wesley and the Broncos will look 100% better on Defense. Get Champ back and then we can compete.

    Our offense, when healthy, cannot be stopped by any defense - only themselves. The future is looking brighter each week.

    It is nice to see the "poor defense celebrations" coming to a close , too.

  • November 16, 2008

    6:11 p.m.

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    rockr15 writes:

    Go Pooter!!

    HI from Arizona!!

  • November 16, 2008

    6:15 p.m.

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    Brain writes:

    Turnovers mean wins! No INT's and no FL's. Cutler did what was needed to win and had average #'s; the D played good not great, still better than most games this season; Broncos are easily a 7-4 after nest week!
    GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!

  • November 16, 2008

    6:21 p.m.

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    Brain writes:

    Winborn payed a great game and deserves starting wherever the rest of season; keep Larsen in as much as possible ( great effort/heart ) Get DJ back will be good; Woodyard played good; please get rid of 37 and put Josh Barrett in the active roster.

  • November 16, 2008

    6:32 p.m.

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    6_is_the_new_7 writes:

    Defense looked O.K. at best. That being said, what a great win coupled with a Charger loss makes for a very good day and a very positive outlook for the season. I thought Moss blew the game when we had them stopped, but he lined up offsides. They went on to score a T.D. and go up by 3. In the back of my mind I was sure we would lose by either Elam kicking a game winning F.G. or Prater missing one. Thank God it didn't come to that.

  • November 16, 2008

    7:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Colorado69 writes:

    OK Bozo Journalist, give the guys credit when it is due!!! The young blood is playing hard and has given new heart to the team. The number of rookies that are impressing me is unbelievable. Depth wins Championships and the Broncos are definately building their depth this year. The year has been a success already because they can concentrate on a couple of positions in the draft and free-agency and make the team very talented.

  • November 16, 2008

    7:59 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BroncFanFl writes:

    You quoted that from an earlier fan's post, Linnicome: "As Butch asked Sundance, who are those guys?"

    Why not acknowledge it, hapless writer?

  • November 16, 2008

    8:04 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BroncFanFl writes:

    http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news...
    November 16, 2008

    4:43 p.m.

    SirRealist writes:

    In the words of one of my favorite actors of all time, the great, late Paul Newman, in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, "Who are those guys?"

    I'm a pretty big fan, and follow the team closely at times, but many names are new to me. Still, there was great effort, and many players stepping up and getting the job done.

    Way to go Broncos!
    =====================================

    and no Lincome, he wrote it first (not your post-dated article you shamelessly put up at 4:45 (according to it)).

  • November 16, 2008

    8:38 p.m.

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    den2mke writes:

    I only saw about the last 7 minutes of this game, but listened to Logan the rest of the game. But from what I saw/heard, there seemed to be a bit of a difference in a couple of areas...

    First, based on record and stats, this is probably the second best (behind TB) overall team the Broncos have played this year--with the 6th rated offense in the league. So, to think ATL wasn't going to get some yards/points would have been foolhearty.

    But the biggest difference was that they made some key plays on D when they needed to--turning TDs into FG, stopping 3rd downs, etc. And, along the way, they really turned ATL into a one-dimensional team, forcing them away from the running attack that is their comfort zone.

    In the end, there was a toughness and confidence there that we really haven't seen most of the year. On offense they moved the ball consistently (and could have easily scored more if they'd poked it in from the 1 earlier in 2nd half). On defense they made some stops when they needed them. As far as I'm concerned the guys on the defense today deserve the opportunity to continue to play. Certainly not perfect, but they showed some toughness today that we've all been waiting to see.

    Could get real interesting after next week if Broncs can hold serve against Raiders and SD loses to an IND team that's starting to look more like itself...

  • November 16, 2008

    9:41 p.m.

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    bronco4428 writes:

    WHERE ARE ALL THE SHANNY HATERS????? ALL YOU IDIOTS HAVE NO CLUE ....YOU GO INTO YOUR SHELL WHEN THEY WIN....THE GUY IS GETTIN IT DONE WITH ROOKIE BACKUPS!!! ALL OVER THE FIELD.....AND A ROOKIE FULLBEACK PLAYIN RB.....THE GUY IS THE 2ND BEST COACH IN THIS LEAGUE AND IT WILL BE A LOOOONG TIME BEFORE WE FIND ONE EVEN AS GOOD....

  • November 16, 2008

    11:36 p.m.

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    J_easy writes:

    man jus last week yall was goin to castrate shanny and now yall see wat he doin 4 the team and yall congratulating him ok if we loss next week which i hope not but if we do yall cant flip flop on this team if u a fan support thru the gud or bad not just the gud or go be a fan some where else go broncos

  • November 17, 2008

    7:37 a.m.

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    myerda00 writes:

    This game just goes to prove that good linebacking MAKES a defense.
    Linebacking: Spencer Larsen played his responsibilitites and did not overrun gaps. Wesley Woodyard is probably the best LB Broncos have right now. And Jamie Winborn brought the enthusiasm (except get rid of the celebrating). I do not know who DJ replaces when healthy, if anyone. SURE means Nate Webster and Niko Koutouvides are backup and ST.

  • November 17, 2008

    7:48 a.m.

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    mt2ri writes:

    OK, gas is down to $2 again, the energy crisis is over....

    Broncos win 2 tough ones on the road, the coaching crisis is over... NOT!!!

    Fire Shanahan!!!

    There, are you happy now?

  • November 17, 2008

    8:09 a.m.

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    hallandnash writes:

    "Hillis is at best a spot receiver out of the backfield"

    Man is that a harsh statement. Hillis has been a real sparkplug for this team and seems to be a really solid addition to the offense.

    Spenser has been the best MLB all season for the Broncos - whether that's a good or bad thing is up for discussion.

    While Winborn had a better game - he still missed a gimme, game ending, interception. And he still celebrates way too much - including after the guy he tackles gets the 1st down.

    With the SD loss I'd say the division is pretty close to wrapped up.

  • November 17, 2008

    8:49 a.m.

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    Jubei writes:

    I love how last night the title of Bernie's rant was something along the lines of 'Somehow the Broncos win with Mediocre Players'. Now it's something significantly less doom and gloom. Maybe the editors are finally tiring of this hack. Probably not.

    Anyway, great game. Maybe the most complete game this season. Offense, defense and ST finally came together and showed us all a glimpse of the possibilities when this team is healthy. Larsen should be the MLB AT LEAST for the rest of the season. Woodyard is making a case for himself. And Winborn is playing better and cutting down on the corny celebrations.

    The draft should be the best defensive player available for the first three rounds, and then stock up on DTs, safeties, and maybe a DE or two.

  • November 17, 2008

    4:06 p.m.

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    SirRealist writes:

    Thanks for tagging Bernie on the post BroncFanFl - I was going to do it and couldn't find my original post.

    And I just want to say again what a stellar effort by the Broncos players, young and veteran alike. That was a hard-fought win, and yes there were some mistakes, but I think we get in this mindset where we think our team is the only one that other RBs run for 100 to 150 yards, or other QBs ever have any completions against. I've really been watching at least three other games each weekend (tivo) and it really does happen to everyone else too.

    By and large our guys did a great job, against a pretty darned good team, in a hostile environment, two weeks in a row on the road. I'm proud of them. No, they're not ready for the superbowl, but some good things are going to come from this adversity.

  • November 17, 2008

    9:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dynamicdave writes:

    Bernie, Bernie, Bernie....Can't even come up with your own material, eh? God, what a waste of a writer, you are. Hack, hack, hack (sorry, I must be coming down with a cold).

  • November 18, 2008

    10:02 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    droppindimes writes:

    first of all, i'll give credit where credit is due: the rooks played a hell of a game!! the broncs are lucky to have Hillis--he was the highest rated FB in many publications. anyone heard anything out of Jacob Hester lately?? why Niko was signed in the first place is beyond me--Larsen was a STUD for the Wildcats. Woodyard was the second best LB in training camp behind DJ, so this was not a surprise to see what he can do when given the opportunity.

    Klady doesn't get the recognition he deserves, nor does 2nd and 3rd yr guys, Harris & Kuper. contrary to what my buddy says, we HAVE faced a few teams with a decent pass rush, and these guys are getting it done!! as far as run blocking goes?? well, you also gotta have a decent "healthy" RB back there. Torain can get it done when he's healthy, but can he stay that way?? i don't need to mention the impact that Eddie Royal will have every week---he's a Steve Smith clone with smaller calves and the strongest WR coming out of the draft. again---we got lucky!!

    i have never been fond of bandwagon jumpers (whether on OR off), but can we be realistic for a moment?? most of you will say that Shanahan made a helluva coaching call by starting all of these rookies. but did he do it by choice, or necessity?? he has been a wonderful coach, but since the absence of Koob and Gibbs (former OL coach), the offense has not been the same. when free agency was still sort of new, he signed some decent players for the Super Bowl run---he pretty much laid the blueprint back then---but other teams got hip and did the same. now he basially signs other teams' backups or underachievers. some of these rookies should have been named starters at or near the beginning of the season!!

    this is a rebuilding team, whether you want to accept it or not. you can't rebuild with Lowry, McCree, Robinson, Manuel, Darrell Jackson, Colbert, Holland, Pittman (who still is a stud!!), Koutivedes, Webster, Winborn (sorry fellas.. you've been serviceable, but i think my son can get the job done at your position, and he's only starting varsity in high school). Paymah may not be great right now, but would YOU be if thrown into the fire like he has been?? there is a reason he was drafted on the second day!! just remember: "necessity is the mother of invention"

    thanks for reading!!