Game Thread: AZ @ DEN to close the preseason

[megalodon30]

I’m at work while the game will be played which is disappointing. Usually when Denver plays against the Cardinals is the only time I get to watch Denver in the preseason.

Sadly the schedule maker put the game in the middle of the day this year.

Anyway, as we leave the offseason behind, I was curious about the perceptions of this team. The biggest names we lost this offseason were Russ, Jeudy, and Simmons. And after losing who we did and acquiring who we did, Vegas has us over/under 5.5 wins.

Which makes the questions we need to answer:

Is Nix significantly worse than Russ?

Is the WR room significantly worse without Jeudy?

Is the secondary significantly worse after losing Simmons?

Or am I oversimplifying why the feeling is Denver is three losses worse than last year? I don’t see the answer to those questions as an obvious “yes,” so I can see why bettors are taking the over, especially with Bo looking decent in the preseason.

 

[LGM]

I'm honestly at a loss for the dismal win projections, though its nothing new for Bronco fans.

I think if carefully nurtured, Nix could develop into a Drew Brees. And nobody better to nurture that than the guy who helped make Drew a HoF qb.

My biggest fears lie with our defense. I don't trust our moron of a DC, and we're woefully slow and porous, as his teams usually are. I don't believe he would be here if Simmons and others had not created all those turnovers last year.

I suspect we see tremendous offensive improvement this year, averaging in the mid 20's per game barring injuries, and seeing some break out games into the 30's. I see us struggling against better defenses, though it will be nice to not have that as the norm.

I also believe the weak link is our defense, and losing some shootouts (relatively speaking) will hasten his demise.

That said, I'm still expecting 7-9 wins, with Nix competing for OROY honors.

 

[58crash]

Nix sets out .

 

[58crash]

Well Judy would have made a lot of money with Nix to bad his mouth let him see the door .. Bye

 

[58crash]

12 wins Book it !!!

 

[MileHigh64]

A building and growing year this season. Looking like a great draft in 2024. Do that again next year and we will be looking at a young, highly competitive team for years to come!

 

[Orange Crush77]

I'm honestly at a loss for the dismal win projections, though its nothing new for Bronco fans.

I think if carefully nurtured, Nix could develop into a Drew Brees. And nobody better to nurture that than the guy who helped make Drew a HoF qb.

My biggest fears lie with our defense. I don't trust our moron of a DC, and we're woefully slow and porous, as his teams usually are. I don't believe he would be here if Simmons and others had not created all those turnovers last year.

I suspect we see tremendous offensive improvement this year, averaging in the mid 20's per game barring injuries, and seeing some break out games into the 30's. I see us struggling against better defenses, though it will be nice to not have that as the norm.

I also believe the weak link is our defense, and losing some shootouts (relatively speaking) will hasten his demise.

That said, I'm still expecting 7-9 wins, with Nix competing for OROY honors.

I agree with you about our D. But there’s something a little different about them this preseason, and granted it’s preseason but this D is flying around the football. Looks 10 times more aggressive than last year. Maybe Payton influenced that too?

 

[LGM]

Nix sets out .

On a hike? A spiritual journey? A path only he can take?

 

[listopencil]

Well Judy would have made a lot of money with Nix to bad his mouth let him see the door .. Bye

Yup. I was going to say the same thing. Nix is the kind of QB that could make a WR like Jeudy really shine.

 

[listopencil]

Is Nix significantly worse than Russ?

Is the WR room significantly worse without Jeudy?

Is the secondary significantly worse after losing Simmons?

Nix is significantly better than Russ as a rookie. Russ lost games or us. Which means...
Nix is going to make our WR's better than they were last year
Who knows what our secondary is going to do? We'll find out


Nine and eight with a shot at a Wild Card spot. That's my prediction.

 

[iknowftbll]

Nix is significantly better than Russ as a rookie. Russ lost games or us. Which means...
Nix is going to make our WR's better than they were last year
Who knows what our secondary is going to do? We'll find out


Nine and eight with a shot at a Wild Card spot. That's my prediction.

Correct. I am not going to anoint this team winners of 10+ games and set my expectations on the playoffs just yet. But looking out our QB last year, Wilson was not performing to the level his contract said he should. He had some nice numbers but I recall Elway once saying yards gained is less about the number of yards gained and more about the situation they're gained in. For example, give me a 2 yard gain on 3rd or 4th and 1 over a 19 yard gain on 3rd and 20 every single time.

A lot of the yards Wilson contributed to felt like they were just getting back to the LOS from the previous play after taking an 11 yard sack because he just keep running around waiting to get sacked. That offense couldn't stay on the field and they couldn't be counted upon to regularly score 24+ points and give their defense even a fighting chance.

It's hard to see the offense not being better. Even as Nix adjusts to the league, and we experience that learning process (translation: what him take sacks, throw an INT, etc) because we know it's not going to be perfect, it's still probably going to be better than last year if for no other reason than they will have some direction this year.

I also agree this team can win 9 games or so this year and that'll put them in the WC discussion. Ideally knock out a higher seed along the way too. I have voiced concerns about the defense but I've also seen some analysis that suggests that unit should be pretty solid. So I guess we'll see.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Well Judy would have made a lot of money with Nix to bad his mouth let him see the door .. Bye

Jeudy’s contract made him see the door. Coaching staff had zero issues with him as a person.

 

[Mingo]

Jeudy’s contract made him see the door. Coaching staff had zero issues with him as a person.

That's another way of saying his production on the field was much less than what the Broncos were paying for his services. I don't him blame for that either because the Broncos didn't have QBs who could take the best advantage of his talent (Nix would have been great for him - IMO). He doesn't really fit what Sean Payton wants from his receivers.

 

[Draft Crazy]

That's another way of saying his production on the field was much less than what the Broncos were paying for his services. I don't him blame for that either because the Broncos didn't have QBs who could take the best advantage of his talent (Nix would have been great for him - IMO). He doesn't really fit what Sean Payton wants from his receivers.

Nailed it.

 

[58crash]

Jeudy’s contract made him see the door. Coaching staff had zero issues with him as a person.

He was talking a lot of crap . I do agree he did nothing to keep him around . Nix would have put the football were he could catch it . I say mouth and no production is why he is gone . Nix game is the same as Judy timing and small widows . I do get you are right but that BS coming out of his mouth did not help him either . more Thomas types for me .easier to like and root for.

 

[58crash]

That's another way of saying his production on the field was much less than what the Broncos were paying for his services. I don't him blame for that either because the Broncos didn't have QBs who could take the best advantage of his talent (Nix would have been great for him - IMO). He doesn't really fit what Sean Payton wants from his receivers.

I agree 100 percent with this .

 

[megalodon30]

I don't understand why you'd run a pitch on 3rd and 1 instead of just smashing it right into the middle of the defense...

 

[58crash]

Skinner decided to show up today .v 3 tackles so fare ... that last one was pretty

 

[58crash]

I don't understand why you'd run a pitch on 3rd and 1 instead of just smashing it right into the middle of the defense...

Yep

 

[58crash]

Jackson Is playing well holding up to the run really well