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Tuesday morning QB: Somehow, Denver has found way to shove aside excuses

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 17, 2008 at 11:22 p.m.

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Receiver Eddie Royal, who took advantage of a mismatch on a third- quarter scoring drive, leaves the field after the Broncos' 24-20 victory against the Falcons on Sunday in Atlanta.

Photo by Darin McGregor / The Rocky

Receiver Eddie Royal, who took advantage of a mismatch on a third- quarter scoring drive, leaves the field after the Broncos' 24-20 victory against the Falcons on Sunday in Atlanta.

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Ten is a nice round number, a nice place to stop and stare at what has transpired thus far in the Broncos' season.

Ten games in which the Broncos might have offered 10 different versions of themselves and almost as many running backs handling the ball.

But they do beg the question: Ten games into their 16-game regular-season jaunt, are the Broncos any good?

Well, they're 6-4, so they are above average. They lead their division by a two- game margin that doesn't even include a win earlier this season against the team immediately behind them - the Chargers - with nobody else in the AFC West ready to come off the pace in this calendar year.

They have an offense that's No. 3 in the league, they have an up-and-comer at quarterback, Jay Cutler, a game-breaker- in-waiting at wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, and not one but two Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates, left tackle Ryan Clady and wide receiver Eddie Royal.

So, the Broncos certainly are good enough here and there to be a playoff team - at the moment.

But they do beg another question: Ten games into their 16-game regular-season jaunt, are the Broncos not very good?

Well, they've had their moments. And if anyone outside their walls believes that anyone, from owner Pat Bowlen on down their corporate flow chart, enjoyed that little 41-7 cave-in at New England last month, they would be sorely mistaken.

There also was that tidy afternoon effort in Kansas City. Oh, and the run defense, which has been at, or near, the bottom of the league's run-defense hierarchy since the start of the season.

They've had trouble with most everything at times, have had a pile of injuries to players they were counting on and have surrendered the ball 15 times in four losses.

So, bad enough here and there to make plenty of their ticket buyers nervous about whether they are really, truly a playoff team at the moment.

Yet, no matter what color glasses you wear when you gaze at their body of work thus far, the Broncos' effort in Atlanta on Sunday was easily their best of the loopty- loo season thus far.

The Broncos had plenty of excuses to grasp for what might have happened. Injuries, road game, dome team, early kickoff, Eastern time zone, whatever.

"But we toughed it out," defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban said. "Football is like that sometimes. Sometimes all you can do is tough it out. Nobody wants to hear you complain. I think guys have decided they're not going to complain. Just play, play hard and see what happens."

The Broncos' commitment to their own youth, to the draft in the past three years was on display Sunday. A team that has so often revolved around veterans hired in free agency was powered to its best win by its own 20-somethings.

Guys who simply might not have known how it's supposed to go or just haven't earned their worry lines yet. Guys who were told, "Get in there and see what you can do," then did just that without flinching.

Two weeks in a row, there has been genuine and - not to belabor a point - youthful, enthusiasm in the team's locker room after road wins. And, in the span of two football weeks, the Broncos went from a 4-4 team teetering on the edge of a lost season to one that's 6-4, powered by the gang nobody expected.

It has been an odd season thus far. One where the Broncos certainly have taken the bad with the good and one where there still is a question mark at the end of the sentence.

BREAK IT DOWN

When you poll NFL defensive coordinators about the Denver offense, one of the first things most point out is the Broncos' ability, when things are going well, to get the matchup they want.

They also note the Broncos run the same basic plays, be it run or pass, out of so many formations and so much motion.

On a first-and-10 play in the third quarter from the Atlanta 11-yard line Sunday, the Broncos got the matchup they wanted by moving some people around in the formation.

They lined up tight end Daniel Graham on the outside of one side of the formation and tight end Nate Jackson on the outside of the other side. Receiver Eddie Royal then was tucked in the slot on Graham's side while receiver Brandon Marshall was tucked into the slot on Jackson's side.

This left the defense, on what was a run down against a run-oriented package in terms of personnel, to try to decide quickly whether to put the smaller defensive backs inside on the receivers where Jay Cutler then could check to a run if he wanted.

In the end, the Falcons were left with linebacker Keith Brooking on Royal, a mismatch of speed in Royal's favor. Royal easily had a step on Brooking in the scoring zone, so the defender had to pull him down before the ball arrived from Cutler.

Brooking was called for pass interference, which moved the ball to the Falcons 5-yard line.

The Broncos kicked a field goal four plays later to take a 17-13 lead.

GET IT DONE

Despite all the Raiders' problems, and they are many, they still are the 10th-ranked rushing team in the NFL. And that's despite their No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft, Darren McFadden, having missed three games because of injury and Justin Fargas, their leading rusher, having missed two.

McFadden has the Raiders' only 100-yard rushing game of the season, 164 against the Chiefs in September. But with Fargas, McFadden and Michael Bush, Oakland can pound away at a defense if motivated to do so.

Given the Raiders' troubles at quarterback and in their passing game - it's last in the league - if they are going to move the ball Sunday, they will have to lean on those backs.

The Broncos are coming off a quality outing against the run-heavy Falcons, limiting Michael Turner to 81 yards and Atlanta to only 3.3 yards per carry overall. They did it with quality play up front, which enabled their linebackers to flow to the ball.

The Broncos need another day like that to keep their own momentum against a team with far more struggles than they have had.

MATCH GAME: Broncos WR Eddie Royal vs. Raiders CB Stanford Routt

The previous time these teams met - to open the regular season - the Broncos sent Royal after Raiders cornerback DeAngelo Hall, in Jay Cutler's words, "time after time."

Royal came away with 146 yards on nine catches in his first regular-season NFL game.

The Raiders since have jettisoned Hall, and with Nnamdi Asomugha likely to get Brandon Marshall much of the time, that would leave Royal working against Routt.

Routt has plenty of speed - he was timed in the low 4.3 seconds in his 40-yard dash at the 2005 scouting combine - and is a little bigger than Royal. But Royal has shown the ability to consistently make himself some space against man-to-man coverage.

HOT SPOT

The Broncos defense continues to try to steady itself on third down. The unit is 25th in the league this season in allowing opposing offenses to convert 43 percent of third-down tries. Of the seven teams behind Denver, only Indianapolis and New England have winning records; the Broncos, Patriots and Colts are 6-4.

The Broncos tried a three-man front plenty earlier in the season, thinking they generated more pressure on opposing quarterbacks out of it. But teams pounded them in the run game, and often the Broncos lost control of drives before third down had become something to worry about.

Sunday, they went for the most part with a dime package - six defensive backs - on third down against the Falcons' four-receiver set. But when they did blitz, they blitzed out of this look.

The Broncos didn't get a sack, but they did move Matt Ryan around some. In their final six games, the Broncos will face Brett Favre, Jake Delhomme, Trent Edwards and Philip Rivers, so they must find some way to unsettle that group.

Numbers game

In 2007, the University of Arkansas Razorbacks had a crowded backfield, filled with future draft picks. Their stats in 2007:

Player Carries Yards Yds./carry Now he's . . .

Darren McFadden 325 1,830 5.6 A Raiders running back

Felix Jones 133 1,162 8.7 A Cowboys running back

Peyton Hillis 62 347 5.6 A Broncos running back

Comments

  • November 18, 2008

    11:01 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    myerda00 writes:

    TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS WITH OAKLAND
    Yes they are ranked very low but still have professional football players with pride, and a paycheck to garnish.
    I have really liked the pressure defense (8 in the box) with tight CB coverage played in Cleveland and Atlanta. Winborn, Larsen, and Woodyard have covered their gap responsibilites and made the tackles. Take away the run and force the QB to beat you.
    Josh Bell may very well be a find.

  • November 18, 2008

    12:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    joggle writes:

    You better believe Oakland will be hungry for a win this weekend, as KC was when the Broncos played them. The Broncos better bring out their A game against them or risk an embarrassing lost like the one against KC.

    Good luck Broncos and stay hungry!

  • November 18, 2008

    12:33 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    des696 writes:

    Why does Kyle Lowery remind me so much of Tony Lilly? All I ever see is the back of his jersey chasing a runner down field. Are we sure we can't get Lynch to play one more time?

  • November 18, 2008

    2:01 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    deezBroncs1127 writes:

    Just need to get through the season and then we will see what we need to draft. My thoughts on what we need.

    MLB- Nate Webster is just too small to play the MLB spot.

    FS & SS- Manuel, Lowry & Mcree seem to not have the intensity to play that position.

    RB- Why is it that we can't find a RB that doesn't get hurt.

    DL- Need that clogger that makes a difference on every down that can maybe get a sack or two.

    But our young crew of guys are getting the job done. What else could you ask for. Cutler, Marshall, Scheffler, Clady, Harris, Hillis, Larsen, Royal. Name another NFL team that has this many young players starting and winning at the same time.........YOU CAN'T, because there is none. Keep battling and banging and this team is gonna be good down the road.

  • November 18, 2008

    2:08 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Orange_Crush18 writes:

    des696 - Do you mean Calvin Lowry?

  • November 18, 2008

    7:43 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    tdcolorado writes:

    Joggle-
    Good point. The Broncos need to stay scared and hungry to have a shot at closing this season on a positive note.

  • November 18, 2008

    8:28 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    AZBroncosFan writes:

    Broncos please do not look past the Raiders!!!

    Defense should look at it as great practice since the Raiders run game is obviously still good.

    Offense just needs to go out and execute so the defense can play worry free and play hard.

  • November 18, 2008

    8:36 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dynamicdave writes:

    deezBroncs1127, did you see how they bent Torain, AFTER he was down? I don't care who you are in the NFL, but hits like that, where they pile on, after you're down, will cause injuries. It happens. Hey, LT has been "hobbled" all year. So have other backs around the league. Denver just had some unfortunate injuries. I repeat, it happens. We just need to hope the ones we have left, stay healthy.
    tdcolorado, I don't think "scared" is the right word? I would say treat each team you face with the respect they deserve, or get your lunch handed to you before you realize what's happening. The Broncos don't "fear" another team, or play "scared". I see them playing with a sense of urgency. I see "swagger" and excitement in the young players. I see more W's in the future.
    myerda00, Hey, Vegas comrade, I agree, Josh looks like a keeper.

  • November 18, 2008

    9:37 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    RockyMts69 writes:

    I hope Pat Bowlen and Shanahan are paying attention very closely, because the group of men that all of us have been talking about lately ARE starters in my playbook. And I would'nt change a thing.

    If they keep playing with the same intensity through the rest of the season the possibilties are endless. They've got their work cut out for them this Sunday, and with Brett Favre next week. But so far from what I've witnessed, this team has a lot of character, heart, and fortitude!!!

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