AFC West looking tougher

[braves66boy]

Good Luck CL against the Beagles on Thursday. Andy Reid deserves to get revenge on his former team before we destroy the beagles. That division will be lucky if anyone can finish 9-7. The NFC East sucks at defense. I see your team as the biggest threat to us in the division.

 

[iknowftbll]

I'm stoked to have found this site. It's like the good ole days at CBS. Lots of familiar names and faces, and broncos6482 even has the same avatar! Good to see him, Malibu, morph, miked383 to name a few. He'll, it's even good to see CL67!

Go Broncos!

 

[Black Adam]

I'm stoked to have found this site. It's like the good ole days at CBS. Lots of familiar names and faces, and broncos6482 even has the same avatar! Good to see him, Malibu, morph, miked383 to name a few. He'll, it's even good to see CL67!

Go Broncos!

LMAO right back atcha, man. glad you caught up with the rest of us...

 

[TDs3nOut]

Kind of an interesting test to see how the division stacks up this week. KC goes to Philly to play the Eagles team that SD just beat there. That has to be a big game for Reid. Should be interesting.

 

[cdumler7]

Kind of an interesting test to see how the division stacks up this week. KC goes to Philly to play the Eagles team that SD just beat there. That has to be a big game for Reid. Should be interesting.

I have a league that I play in that you pick the winners of every game and rank them from 1-16 with 16 being the most likely to win. This Chiefs/Eagles game has been one I have gone back and forth on. There is the revenge factor for the Chiefs and Andy Reid but then again there is the whole short week going across the country thing that seems to have shown to favor the home team. I do think the Chiefs have a good enough defense to do pretty well against this Chip Kelly offense but at the same time I don't know if they have the offensive fire power to keep up if the defense gets behind early. Should be a good one.

 

[BroncoInCALI]

I'm stoked to have found this site. It's like the good ole days at CBS. Lots of familiar names and faces, and broncos6482 even has the same avatar! Good to see him, Malibu, morph, miked383 to name a few. He'll, it's even good to see CL67!

Go Broncos!

Good to see you found it iknow.......

Go Broncos!

 

[TDs3nOut]

I have a league that I play in that you pick the winners of every game and rank them from 1-16 with 16 being the most likely to win. This Chiefs/Eagles game has been one I have gone back and forth on. There is the revenge factor for the Chiefs and Andy Reid but then again there is the whole short week going across the country thing that seems to have shown to favor the home team. I do think the Chiefs have a good enough defense to do pretty well against this Chip Kelly offense but at the same time I don't know if they have the offensive fire power to keep up if the defense gets behind early. Should be a good one.

Definitely agree that that is tough game to pick. Which ever team wins, I will be far less surprised than I was by SD winning there this past week.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Well, i'd stay FAR away from the Eagles/Chiefs game in elimination pools....ha!

I honestly don't know how this one will go. Chiefs are much more improved, but still had problems with a Dallas team that appears average.

 

[boltfan72]

This Chiefs/Eagles game is looking far more attractive than it was when the schedule came out. Obviously I'd like the Chiefs to lose, but I think they'll win this one. Chip Kelly will be out of the NFL within one or two years. When your entire game plan is to give the ball back to the other team as fast as possible, and your defense sucks, you are doomed. He's going to run his system no matter what. The only reason the Chargers didn't win that game by 30 is because their defense played horrid and they turned it over in the red zone twice. KC's offense might not be as good as SD's, but with their defense they could very well hold the ball for well over 40 minutes.

 

[Malibu]

I'm stoked to have found this site. It's like the good ole days at CBS. Lots of familiar names and faces, and broncos6482 even has the same avatar! Good to see him, Malibu, morph, miked383 to name a few. He'll, it's even good to see CL67!

Go Broncos!

Welcome back!!

 

[Broncos6482]

Chip Kelly will be out of the NFL within one or two years.

I actually completely agree with this. He's Steve Spurrier 2.0.

 

[WalkerBoh]

I actually completely agree with this. He's Steve Spurrier 2.0.

Schiano might follow, but for different reasons. Appears the Bucs are close to mutiny....LOL

 

[MileHigh64]

Hey, it's iknowfootball. We've missed your long game analysis posts from week to week. You better get typing as you've got some catching up to do! Welcome back to Broncos football! Go Broncos!

MH64

 

[BroncoInCALI]

Schiano might follow, but for different reasons. Appears the Bucs are close to mutiny....LOL

Mutiny on the Jolly Roger!

Somehow that doesn't sound very intimidating. lol

The Schiano hiring struck me as kind of strange. He seems like a prototypical College Coach. Freeman has regressed badly under his watch, or so it seems......

 

[iknowftbll]

Week 3: Broncos vs Raiders on Monday Night Football

Hey, gang. I'm a newbie to SH, but a lot of the guys here already know me from our CBS Sports days together. To all the posters I don't know, I am looking forward to being a part of this community.

I want to make my grand entry by posting my thoughts on next Monday Night's matchup against the Raiders.

Raiders offense vs Broncos defense:

This is actually a really matchup for both teams. It sort of falls into the "something's gotta give" category because it pits strength on strength. After two games, the Raiders lead the league in rushing yards while the Broncos boast the league's #1 ranked rushing defense. Meanwhile the Raiders bring their 29th ranked passing attacked to square off against the Broncos 28th ranked pass defense.

When the Raiders run: Edge, Even. Darren McFadden powers the run game and Terrelle Pryor can do some serious damage on the ground when the Raiders run the option. Pryor is a talented athlete, and the Raiders were smart to give him a shot this season. Between his athleticism and McFadden's power, this ground attack will have the Broncos front 7 (and hopefully ONLY the front 7) earning their game checks on Monday. Now the Broncos run defense being ranked first at this point in the season may be a little deceptive. True they did a nice job containing the run early against both Baltimore and New York (before the game got out of hand), but both of those teams abandoned the run as the Broncos opened it up. The run defense is going to have to hold up early again, perhaps getting a few key stops early. Really, all they need to do is take the run away just enough times to give the offense a chance to build a lead. That will force the Raiders to abandon their offensive strength and try their luck with the passing game.

The Broncos secondary will have a lot to say about that.

When the Raiders pass: Edge, Broncos. Both Joe Flacco and Eli Manning passed for 362 yards against the Broncos. To the fan who only looks at statistical rankings and box scores, this is cause for alarm. But I'm iknowftbll, so I know there's more to it than that. First, it took Flacco 62 (count 'em, 62) passing attempts to reach that number. Manning was a little more efficient, logging 49 pass attempts. That is a consequence of getting run off the grid iron: you play catchup by passing. It should be noted the Broncos have picked off the last two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks 6 times (Facco twice, Manning 4 times) and when the Broncos play with a lead, the secondary benefits form the front 7 pinning its ears back to a greater extent. Add to it that Pryor does not have as talented a cast of targets that Flacco and certainly not even close to the level of talent Manning had, and this is looking very much like advantage: Broncos.

Broncos offense vs Raiders defense:

Before we dismiss the Raiders defense, let's be objective. The Broncos have struggled to get a consistent run game going, and outside of Moreno's two large TD producing gains, the Broncos rushed the ball 27 times to gain a paltry 64 yards against the Giants. Add in the loss of Ryan Clady and the fact the Raiders are tied for the league lead in sacks, and a fair minded fan will acknowledge this may not be as pleasant a walk in the park as it appears at first glance.

When the Broncos run: Edge, Broncos. Having said what I said about the Broncos run game, I also think it will be a point of emphasis going into this game. Moreno was solid against the Giants and we know the Broncos want to have a more balanced offense. This snowball is small but it is perched at the top of a steep hill. If someone comes along and gives it a little push, it's going to be hard to stop. Moreno played hungry and I see no reason why the Broncos won't pit him against the Raiders 6th ranked run defense. I am inclined to believe part of why the Raiders are ranked so high vs the run is their numbers are helped by the fact they played the Jaguars (a legitimate 0-16 candidate this season). The Broncos may not be a powerhouse in the ground game yet, but we know it's coming. I see a big game out of Moreno in this one.

When the Broncos pass: Edge, Broncos. The Raiders played better than I figured against the Colts, and played a woefully inept Jaguars in their home opener. That may help explain their 3rd ranked pass defense. That ranking is about to take a major hit this week. The Raiders do not have the tools to cover all of Thomas, Thomas, Welker, Decker, and Hillis, Moreno, Ball out of the backfield. Also: Keep an eye on Andre Caldwell. He has only been targeted 3 or 4 times (and only once against the Giants) but has 2 receptions for a total of 64 yards and a touchdown. Teams are going to focus so hard on these big name players that they may overlook Caldwell and it wouldn't surprise me to see him get involved at least once in a deep pass completion.

Special Teams: Edge, Broncos. Trendon Holliday is the difference maker here. He is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Even when he doesn't reach the end zone, he may become a major factor in field position.

Final score prediction: Broncos 37, Raiders 13.

I welcome your thoughts.

 

[OutlawImmortal]

Lots of good analysis on this thread, guess Broncos fans aren't that bad!

 

[xBxtxDx]

When the Raiders run: Edge, Even. Darren McFadden powers the run game and Terrelle Pryor can do some serious damage on the ground when the Raiders run the option. Pryor is a talented athlete, and the Raiders were smart to give him a shot this season. Between his athleticism and McFadden's power, this ground attack will have the Broncos front 7 (and hopefully ONLY the front 7) earning their game checks on Monday. Now the Broncos run defense being ranked first at this point in the season may be a little deceptive. True they did a nice job containing the run early against both Baltimore and New York (before the game got out of hand), but both of those teams abandoned the run as the Broncos opened it up. The run defense is going to have to hold up early again, perhaps getting a few key stops early. Really, all they need to do is take the run away just enough times to give the offense a chance to build a lead. That will force the Raiders to abandon their offensive strength and try their luck with the passing game.

First of all, welcome Iknow, the ones you do not know are refugees from the ESPN boards (myself, td, BB, kagey, mrdoc, cdumler, and anyone who I cannot remember and do not mean to diss).

Second, I disagree with only the front 7 being involved in stopping the run. Ihenacho (who has become my favorite Bronco defender) has been diagnosing runs very quickly and been able to get to the RB at or very near the line of scrimmage. He has been playing out of his mind and seems to feed off of it, why would you want to take that away? Especially considering the secondary and the entire defense seems to be gaining energy off of it too.

Not to take anything away from McFadden who is a decent runner when healthy and Pryor, who was fairly mobile at Ohio State, but I am not really sure how much of a "strength" the Oakland run offense really is. So far this season they have faced Indy and Jacksonville, who are not exactly impressive. Plus, if I remember correct, the Raiders have been lining up in a lot of 21 and 12 offensive formations. This will put us in a lot more "base" formation (/roll eyes), ie...bigger and more of a focus on run stopping.

Another point in this is the Raiders have been fairly inept in the pass game and Del Rio will be able to sneak up a safety and put 8 in the box with little fear of an adverse effect. I know you want the front 7 to be taking care of the run game, but why not, especially if it will help neutralize the opponents strength.

 

[xBxtxDx]

When the Raiders pass: Edge, Broncos. Both Joe Flacco and Eli Manning passed for 362 yards against the Broncos. To the fan who only looks at statistical rankings and box scores, this is cause for alarm. But I'm iknowftbll, so I know there's more to it than that. First, it took Flacco 62 (count 'em, 62) passing attempts to reach that number. Manning was a little more efficient, logging 49 pass attempts. That is a consequence of getting run off the grid iron: you play catchup by passing. It should be noted the Broncos have picked off the last two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks 6 times (Facco twice, Manning 4 times) and when the Broncos play with a lead, the secondary benefits form the front 7 pinning its ears back to a greater extent. Add to it that Pryor does not have as talented a cast of targets that Flacco and certainly not even close to the level of talent Manning had, and this is looking very much like advantage: Broncos.

You mean the front 5 or 6? In obvious passing downs (yes BB, I know and we have already argued this ad nauseam) the Broncos will most likely be in a form of Nickel or Dime formation due to spread offenses (Denver was in Nickel for 65% of its defensive snaps in 2012) and to be honest, the Broncos D is overall better when aligned in Nickel because it puts their best 11 on the field (Chris Harris/Tony Carter and Mike Adams/David Bruton(big nickel) > Nate Irving).

 

[iknowftbll]

XB, first off, thank you for the welcome.

To your first response, I am speaking more to the general idea that it is bad when members of the secondary are the ones bringing down a running back. In most cases it means the DTs and LBs have not done their jobs. Now Del Rio scheming and cheating up with a safety is fine, and Ihenacho has been a fantastic player so far. That guy is all over the field, and he hits hard and clean. He is poised to emerge as one of the premier safeties in the league before long at this rate.

To your second response, I speak in general terms of a base 4-3 alignment. With the exception of Ihenacho, the Broncos generally have not used their secondary to blitz.

But your points are well taken. I agree with you the nickel puts our best 11 players on the field. And with the lead this is going to make it a difficult prospect for the enemy to catch up. It's going to be even better with Von back from his suspension.

 

[xBxtxDx]

When the Broncos pass: Edge, Broncos. The Raiders played better than I figured against the Colts, and played a woefully inept Jaguars in their home opener. That may help explain their 3rd ranked pass defense. That ranking is about to take a major hit this week. The Raiders do not have the tools to cover all of Thomas, Thomas, Welker, Decker, and Hillis, Moreno, Ball out of the backfield. Also: Keep an eye on Andre Caldwell. He has only been targeted 3 or 4 times (and only once against the Giants) but has 2 receptions for a total of 64 yards and a touchdown. Teams are going to focus so hard on these big name players that they may overlook Caldwell and it wouldn't surprise me to see him get involved at least once in a deep pass completion.

Que? When did we resign Hillis?

With Clady out, I would assume that we are going to see alot of 12 offensive formations from Denver with Green aligned next to Clark on the left and D. Thomas, Decker, and J. Thomas in routes and a back out of the backfield. Even if we do line up in 11, which we will to get Welker on the field, I imagine we will see a lot more of Green than Thomas.