Week 5 v. AZ

[TDs3nOut]

I'm sure that everyone is looking forward to the team getting back on the field. I know I am.

Great chance against a quality opponent to build on what was a pretty solid, albeit losing, effort at Seattle two weeks ago.

Should be a boost to get Trevathon back. Also figures to be an advantage not having to face a QB nearly as mobile as the three we've faced so far. Can anyone say "strip sack"?

I know that AZ is a good team, so hopefully we put together a complete game on both sides of the ball. Do that and I think a Denver W is likely in the cards.

 

[cdumler7]

I am getting pumped to see this defense with all the guys finally healthy!!! People outside of Denver don't know how much Trevathan means to this defense but he truly is the quarterback of our defense. Doesn't mean he is our best player as I would take a few of our guys over him but his best attributes for the defense are not for his actual play but his intelligence and ability to get everybody in the right position and his ability to be the emotional leader when the defense needs someone to pick them up. He was our guy last year that made a play when we absolutely needed one. I like to think in that Seattle game in overtime at some point Trevathan just makes a play to stop Seattle. He was the only one that could do it last year and thankfully this year he has others that can do the same as we have seen with Roby in week 1 and Knighton in week 2 making a play to secure the win.


I guess the best way that I look at this return is truly that we are finally getting our quarterback on the field. Our defense has been playing what I would consider the Wild Cat formation. Not a bad way to play but it is very conservative and honestly pretty simple to figure out. Now with the "Quarterback" back I do think they can mix it up a bit more and have a bit more trust especially over the middle of the field to go more man and trust that pass rush to go crazy.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Thought this preview of AZ was interesting: Broncos Opponent Profile: Cardinals A Complete 3-0 Team « CBS Denver

This excerpt makes me particularly hope that we get off to a good start:

" Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles enjoys calling an aggressive style of game and is great at making halftime adjustments, as his defense has allowed only 21 points in the second half of games, zero in fourth quarters."

 

[cdumler7]

Here is another cool article that looks at the Broncos, the AFC West, and our upcoming opponent breaking down some of the more advanced stats to show just how dominating the Broncos are playing so far even as they try and get up to their "A Game"


Elevated Stats: A Mile High look at the NFL and the AFC West - Mile High Report

 

[TDs3nOut]

Here is another cool article that looks at the Broncos, the AFC West, and our upcoming opponent breaking down some of the more advanced stats to show just how dominating the Broncos are playing so far even as they try and get up to their "A Game"


Elevated Stats: A Mile High look at the NFL and the AFC West - Mile High Report

Interesting. That top table, which compares teams in the AFCW, paints a positive picture of our first three games.

The second table, for our Week 5 Matchup, reports a -45 PFF grade for AZ. That doesn't seem very consistent with any of the other stats for AZ in that table.

 

[cdumler7]

I think a lot of that negative grade comes from the offensive side of things as Arizona has been near the bottom of the league in both yards and points even though the defense has been dominating. Usually you expect a bit more output from the offense if that is happening.


I also think the defense while having dominated so far they have been a bit of smoke and mirrors type. They are using the blitz I think more than any other team in the league and while it has worked so far teams usually figure those kind of defenses out pretty quickly and learn how to attack them. It is why I look for Manning to have a big game in this one in I don't think there is a better quarterback in the league against the blitz than that of Manning.

 

[Arizona_Sting]

One reason the offense hasn't been producing as well as it can is because Carson Palmer has been out for 2 weeks. Last year he put up some pretty big numbers in his first year running the show with Arians. Now that he's got a year under his belt and some good options to throw to (Fitz, Floyd, Brown, Ellington, Ginn Jr.) I think our offense will be solid when he returns.

Should be a great game. Looking forward to it!

 

[TDs3nOut]

I think a lot of that negative grade comes from the offensive side of things as Arizona has been near the bottom of the league in both yards and points even though the defense has been dominating. Usually you expect a bit more output from the offense if that is happening.


I also think the defense while having dominated so far they have been a bit of smoke and mirrors type. They are using the blitz I think more than any other team in the league and while it has worked so far teams usually figure those kind of defenses out pretty quickly and learn how to attack them. It is why I look for Manning to have a big game in this one in I don't think there is a better quarterback in the league against the blitz than that of Manning.

Teams definitely have to be careful about blitzing sparingly against PM.

As far as the AZ offense goes, it seems to me that they have some dangerous weapons, but I feel pretty good about the prospect of not playing a particularly mobile QB. Add that to getting Trevathan back and how well our defense played at Seattle a couple of weeks ago and I'm hoping to really shut down the AZ offense.

 

[cdumler7]

One reason the offense hasn't been producing as well as it can is because Carson Palmer has been out for 2 weeks. Last year he put up some pretty big numbers in his first year running the show with Arians. Now that he's got a year under his belt and some good options to throw to (Fitz, Floyd, Brown, Ellington, Ginn Jr.) I think our offense will be solid when he returns.

Should be a great game. Looking forward to it!

He definitely does have some weapons and Palmer when on his game can sling it with the best of them. I do wonder about his shoulder since it was his throwing arm how effective he can actually be in this game. Throw in the Broncos will finally be able to pin their ears back with the pass rush a bit more in this one with Palmers lack of ability to run so not sure this is the game I would want him coming back and possibly reinjuring that shoulder.

Like you said though should be a good game. Definitely rooting for Arizona to win the division just not this week. Sorry we couldn't get a win against the Seahawks for you.

TD the blitzing thing reminds me of our 2009 defense if I remember right. We used a lot of smoke and mirrors to cover up our lack of talent (although we did have some) but after the first 6 games where we only gave up something like 11 points a game but then once teams figured us out a bit more we gave up 26 points a game over the last 10 games of the season. Now I don't expect Arizona to have that big of a fall off as they have a lot more talent than we did on that defense but teams that rely on the blitz don't usually have consistent success.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

No dog in this one for me, but a very good matchup...both teams are very solid overall, but I have DEN winning this one.

The win over SD is looking better and better for AZ, but 15 pts a game avg against is a bit of an anomaly and imo won't hold up this week...DEN is going north of 24 in this game and I'm not thinking the AZ will be able to match them. Historically Palmer has not played well in the Mile High city.

FWIW I think Arians got a raw deal in PIT, he was a bit pass happy, and that's what got him the boot, but he has trash for RBs...I wish we still had him calling the plays...good luck to both teams this week.

 

[cdumler7]

No dog in this one for me, but a very good matchup...both teams are very solid overall, but I have DEN winning this one.

The win over SD is looking better and better for AZ, but 15 pts a game avg against is a bit of an anomaly and imo won't hold up this week...DEN is going north of 24 in this game and I'm not thinking the AZ will be able to match them. Historically Palmer has not played well in the Mile High city.

FWIW I think Arians got a raw deal in PIT, he was a bit pass happy, and that's what got him the boot, but he has trash for RBs...I wish we still had him calling the plays...good luck to both teams this week.

At this point I honestly think I would put Arians in the top-7 or so coaches in the league. Arizona has talent but other than a couple of guys no real big name guys. He seems to get the most out of his players. Anybody who can win with Carson Palmer at this stage in his career get the nod of approval from me.

Todd Haley for you guys is an interesting one. We got a first hand look at him with him coaching the Chiefs and the guy just acts like he is pissed at the world at all times. Always felt like he thought he was the smartest guy in the room and was pissed that he had to try and explain things to people who just don't get him. I think he is a decent coach but needs to get the stick out of his butt. He just seems to be the guy still trying to get the square peg into the round hole and refuses to admit that it doesn't work. Although I will say he is doing a bit better this year with the Steelers being a bit healthier on offense. What is going on with your defense? Can't remember the last time I asked that about a Steelers defense.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

At this point I honestly think I would put Arians in the top-7 or so coaches in the league. Arizona has talent but other than a couple of guys no real big name guys. He seems to get the most out of his players. Anybody who can win with Carson Palmer at this stage in his career get the nod of approval from me.

Todd Haley for you guys is an interesting one. We got a first hand look at him with him coaching the Chiefs and the guy just acts like he is pissed at the world at all times. Always felt like he thought he was the smartest guy in the room and was pissed that he had to try and explain things to people who just don't get him. I think he is a decent coach but needs to get the stick out of his butt. He just seems to be the guy still trying to get the square peg into the round hole and refuses to admit that it doesn't work. Although I will say he is doing a bit better this year with the Steelers being a bit healthier on offense. What is going on with your defense? Can't remember the last time I asked that about a Steelers defense.

Haley...yeah, definitely an abrasive personality.

Honestly speaking...I think Haley is a decent OC...he was brought in with an agenda (same one that got Arians fired actually) from the FO...less hits on Ben, short passing game, better run game...if Arians had Bell to work with, he'd still be in PIT (or would've gotten a HC job directly from PIT)

This week he finally has all the pieces...(Dri Archer is healthy now) so we'll see how it goes...I have a feeling it was Tomlin that took the air out of the ball on their last possession, (not Haley) and it came back to bite them.

DEF...working backwards from the last game...they were in total control of TB for a half, and when the Bucs got more aggressive via the air...Lebeau chose to sit back and concede 10 yds at a time and hope they couldn't get 6...he was right, long drive but yielded 0 pts...problem was the OFC didn't burn much clock as mentioned and they sent a somewhat gassed DEF back out there after a terrible punt and this time they did get 6.

Overall...lost both OLBs in the previous (CAR) game, also lost Ike Taylor and the depth didn't produce...especially @ CB.

 

[cdumler7]

Bruce Arians said today that Palmer did not practice and is now on his way to another specialist as possibly his should has regressed.

 

[Davis_Mike]

Unless a Miracle happens by Friday morning, Stanton will be starting on Sunday.

For those that don't realize it, Drew Stanton is about as mobile & athletic as Wilson. He just prefers to stand in the pocket & throw down the field like Palmer. His stats don't reflect it because of all the kneel downs at the end of both games but he can scramble.

As to the defense blitzing, we have been a blitz heavy team for the past 3 seasons. Nothing is going to change from that. Top 10 def in 2012, top 6 def in 2013, & top 5 defense in 2014, all while blitzing heavy. The reason we blitz even more now is because, for the most part, our secondary can play alone on islands. And this team can stop the run. When you have a very good secondary that goes 6 deep, you can blitz more often because you are not afraid to leave them in 1-on-1 coverage. I am sure at some point they will get beat deep or a crossing route goes for a long TD. But for the most part, teams have only been able to dink & dunk ala what SF did in the 1st half against us.

It should be a good game.

 

[TDs3nOut]

For those that don't realize it, Drew Stanton is about as mobile & athletic as Wilson. .

 

[MrDoc420]

^^^^^^^^LOLOLOL No doubt.

I think the Broncos come home rested and still irked by the OT loss in Seattle. I think we wipe the floor with 'zona this weekend 38-14 - ish.

Still love how we played that Seattle game. Down 14 going into the 4th and we didn't cave, but instead made several HUGE plays on defense to get us right back in it. Defensive playcalling in OT was crap though. Seattle wasn't even trying to sniff anything past 10 yards, and why we didn't have Roby or Webster as a dedicated spy on Wilson was beyond me.

I actually got into a slightly heated (albeit very brief) discussion about our last defensive possession with the great Karl Mecklenburg........via social media, but still

 

[TDs3nOut]

^^^^^^^^LOLOLOL No doubt.

I think the Broncos come home rested and still irked by the OT loss in Seattle. I think we wipe the floor with 'zona this weekend 38-14 - ish.

Still love how we played that Seattle game. Down 14 going into the 4th and we didn't cave, but instead made several HUGE plays on defense to get us right back in it. Defensive playcalling in OT was crap though. Seattle wasn't even trying to sniff anything past 10 yards, and why we didn't have Roby or Webster as a dedicated spy on Wilson was beyond me.

I actually got into a slightly heated (albeit very brief) discussion about our last defensive possession with the great Karl Mecklenburg........via social media, but still

LOL Hope you set Meck straight, Doc!

 

[cdumler7]

^^^^^^^^LOLOLOL No doubt.

I think the Broncos come home rested and still irked by the OT loss in Seattle. I think we wipe the floor with 'zona this weekend 38-14 - ish.

Still love how we played that Seattle game. Down 14 going into the 4th and we didn't cave, but instead made several HUGE plays on defense to get us right back in it. Defensive playcalling in OT was crap though. Seattle wasn't even trying to sniff anything past 10 yards, and why we didn't have Roby or Webster as a dedicated spy on Wilson was beyond me.

I actually got into a slightly heated (albeit very brief) discussion about our last defensive possession with the great Karl Mecklenburg........via social media, but still

That is awesome!! Do you mind sharing with us what was discussed? I agree we should have had a spy on him really most of the game. I remember us doing this against the Panthers a couple of seasons back with Cam Newton and we held him to one of his worst games of the year. To me we have the playmakers on defense to be able to do that. Our corners can hold up in man coverage just fine so we don't need the extra safety. I guess probably the biggest concern with playing man was that our Linebackers would get burned so hopefully having Trevathan back will fix that issue or at least give Del Rio a bit more confidence that the defense can be aggressive and not get burned.

 

[MrDoc420]

Sure thing cd....the convo went something to this effect:

KM - "Broncos played a hell of a game, but the defense just couldn't hold them down in OT. Still showed them we have what it takes this year to hang with the elite".

Me: "Couldn't agree more. We played a hell of a game, but the defensive playcalling in OT was garbage. How on Earth do we not have a spy on Wilson on two 3rd and 3 plays?. I just cannot for the life of me understand that"

KM - "We did have a spy on him. Brandon Marshall".

Me: "So you're telling me that we were attempting to use somebody as a spy who could NEVER run sideline to sideline with Wilson? We were running a nickel every snap of OT. Why not have Roby or Webster on him?"

KM- "Del Rio knows what he's doing."

Me: "You're the man Karl, but it just didn't seem so in this case".

That was it

 

[cdumler7]

Interesting...Yeah Marshall is not the guy I would have had spying on him. If nothing else use one of our safeties. I thought that was what Ward was brought in to do was lay some big hits. He has the speed to keep up with Wilson and above everything else the intelligence to know how the play is developing in front of him to make a quicker reaction.


And thank you for sharing the conversation! Always enjoy reading especially the thoughts of such iconic legends like Karl.