Game Thread: Broncos vs. Dolphins...time for our sharks to feast

[Broncos6482]

Get off your high horses. We are fans, fans get passionate. That leads to "bitching" and "whining".

Here I will try it with a little more ho-hum indifference.

The offense yesterday looked pretty good. They came out an did mostly what they planned.

The kicking game is questionable. I sure do hope McManus can figure it out....in the 13th week of the season.

That defense was not very good. They struggled at times but did some nice things here and there. I really think more shark videos would help.


Now, real thoughts:

The offense did well YESTERDAY. They flopped last Sunday. They flopped three weeks ago in NE.

The defense has plays where it looks great and then there are plays where Von Miller is in coverage, no one is covering the #1 receiver, and damn that QB just ran for 30 yards...again.

What has some of us down is not that we are struggling in a single game, that happens. It is the coming out flat more often than not. This team is stacked with talent but apparently no heart. I think Del Rio is trying to get too cute with the defense. I think the offense tends to revolve too much around Manning, when he is off the offense is off. I hated watching games where we just shutdown when the other team won't let us win.

Del Rio does great things with getting players to up their game. I think it is time he realized certain things are not working and Brandon Marshall cannot start and call plays. Simplify the plan, trust in your team's talent.

Most of us have incredibly high expectations and we are currently coming up short. That rubs us the wrong way. Sorry if we are not as passionless as you would like.

Don't be ridiculous. I'm not saying don't have passion. I'm saying that saying things like "game over" in the third quarter, or calling for the firing of every single coach, or complaining about Manning playing terrible after every incompletion (when in fact he played really well), or saying "man we suck" (no, we don't) comes across as pathetic and whiny. These guys aren't robots; they aren't going to execute perfectly on every single play, and the coaches aren't going to call the right play every single time.

Don't get spoiled by our success. The fact of the matter is that we've had 3 great years with Manning at the helm. But don't get so used to it that anytime we fall into a little bit of adversity you go off the deep end with hyperbolic, ridiculous complaints of doom and gloom.

 

[Broncos6482]

It's just amazing to me that we could become so spoiled by our success that we forget what truly bad football looks like just 3 years later. Does nobody remember the Tebow offense? Or how about 2010? Did you forget about that dreadful season (frankly, if you did I wouldn't blame you).

 

[cdumler7]

It is not a matter of being passionless...it is having to write about every bad play that goes on in the game and being down 11 and already saying the game is over when we still have one of the top-3 offenses in the league and a top-3 quarterback at the helm. It is a matter of being able to step back and realize not every play is going to go perfect for an entire game. We are going to give up 1st downs and we are going to give up touchdowns and our offense isn't always going to score on every drive.


Yes there are a lot of negative things to come out of yesterday's game. I thought the offense actually played their best game of the season though being very balanced even when they were down. The offense showed great growth and understanding of what they had been doing wrong. Now we just have to see if the defense can do the same. This defense though really other than a couple of games this year has done pretty well. 8 of our 11 games we have held teams to 24 or less points. To me that is usually the magic number you are looking for with a good but not great defense. I don't think we are a great defense. Not quite what we had all hoped for at least but they are still a good defense. Yes they have had a couple of bad games this year but even the great and powerful Seattle defense last year had a couple of stinkers so I'm not going to say they completely suck when really they have played pretty decent.


I also understand the frustrations but I also remember in 2012 where our team just cruised through the entire season pretty much but then when we were faced with adversity against Baltimore couldn't rise to the occasion. Wins like this help build the character of a team so they can handle those tough games come playoff time. To me this was huge especially for our offense as we have shown some that when we get down big we really crumble on offense. For the first time this year I saw the offense stay calm and stick to the game plan with running the ball to set up the pass.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Passion is one thing, but the hyperbole is a bit over the top, don't you think?


As I said above, the defense is in for a rough ride until we get Trevathan back. He seems to be the best we have at quarterbacking the defense. Brandon Marshall is doing his best, but the LB corps are so thin right now due to injuries that there isn't much of an alternate option. And now I read Marshall has a concussion.


Big key is getting the running game going. 200+ yards against a team allowing 104 per game. Not bad if you ask me.


The big thing to remember is THING'S CHANGE. After week four, many people were writing off Tom Brady and the Patriots. Brady was finally showing his age, and the defense wasn't getting it done. A couple years ago, the Ravens were having issues on defense and were blown out at home only a few short weeks before winning the Super Bowl. The main thing is getting into the round of 12. We get into the playoff field and we have as much of a chance as the other 11 teams of winning it all. And while there are bumps in the road to be seen, the Broncos are still well on track to winning yet another divisional title. As for the Chiefs, if the Raiders can gouge them on the ground, then so can we. We are still capable of winning at KC, and doing so will all but lock up the AFC West. And even if we lose, we still own the tie breaker (record against division).


Basically, passion isn't a bad thing. But verbally chucking the whole season into the trash bin when the game is still being played is a bit much, and is what would be expected of a fair-weather fan. Now, unless I'm mistaken, we have none of those on OUR board, right?

 

[Broncosr0k]

I think I will take CD's advice and avoid the game thread. (Had been doing pretty good about that this year)

It's just amazing to me that we could become so spoiled by our success that we forget what truly bad football looks like just 3 years later. Does nobody remember the Tebow offense? Or how about 2010? Did you forget about that dreadful season (frankly, if you did I wouldn't blame you).

This will be step two. I am going to go watch some Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton games. Maybe slip a Griese in thereif I can find it.

 

[cdumler7]

I think I will take CD's advice and avoid the game thread. (Had been doing pretty good about that this year)



This will be step two. I am going to go watch some Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton games. Maybe slip a Griese in their if I can find it.

Haha just be careful not to have anything breakable around you when watching those games. I remember the feeling of those Tebow games and for 3 quarters of the game just wanting to punch everything in sight with how pathetic our offense was yet how good our defense was at keeping us in the game. I still can't believe we finished with an 8-8 record in 2011. We definitely did not deserve it. Not saying any other AFC West team did either though with how bad they were playing.

The biggest thing right now is we are 8-3 and very much in the drivers seat for the division and the 2-seed. With some luck maybe we get a couple of NE losses thrown in and grab the 1-seed again. I don't think it is needed though for us to win it all again. If this team especially the defense can pull it together as we close out the season then I like our chances even on the road in NE. To me getting Trevathan back is going to be huge for this defense. We overachieved with him on the field and have underachieved without him. I don't think it is a coincidence that this has happened. It is huge when players are in the right place on a play compared to just flying around with no clue what they are doing. He is one of the best at making sure players are put in the place they need to be.

 

[WalkerBoh]

I think I will take CD's advice and avoid the game thread. (Had been doing pretty good about that this year)



This will be step two. I am going to go watch some Tim Tebow, Kyle Orton games. Maybe slip a Griese in thereif I can find it.

You won't have to look far. Orton will likely be in tonight's game I mean, I don't think there's a current starting QB out there as inept in the Red Zone as Orton is.....

 

[WalkerBoh]

To me getting Trevathan back is going to be huge for this defense. We overachieved with him on the field and have underachieved without him. I don't think it is a coincidence that this has happened. It is huge when players are in the right place on a play compared to just flying around with no clue what they are doing. He is one of the best at making sure players are put in the place they need to be.

Of course it will. Same thing happened when we lost Al Wilson.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Speaking of Trevathan........


"Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan will start practicing on Monday, according to the NFL Network. Trevathan suffered a fractured kneecap Week 6 against the Jets, which caused him to go on the short-term IR list. The Broncos hope to have him back on the 53-man active roster in time for Week 14 against the Bills."

 

[cdumler7]

Of course it will. Same thing happened when we lost Al Wilson.

I think football is a lot like golf in how you set up ends up being about 70% of the work in whether you will have good or bad things happen.

Throw in beyond just getting players in the right position Trevathan was that one guy last year that when we absolutely needed a play on the field he found a way to do it. I do think that has been missing this year as we try to close out games we have seemed to let teams back into things when one defensive stop would have been the difference between a close game and a blow out really. Trevathan was that guy who made that one stop. So again just trying to have the patience to wait for him to get back here in a couple of weeks. Thankfully he gets to return to practice this week!

 

[Malibu]

Right, because it's totally Jack Del Rio's fault that the offense threw the ball on third and one.

I was pointing out 2 different issues. You are better then that. Just saying.

 

[Malibu]

As for the good the o line played its best game of the year and I thought the play calling was very good except for the 3rd and 1 call that they passed the ball on after they ran it down the Dolphins throat on the first drive after halftime. The defense did make a big play as well with the T.J. Ward interception. C.J. Anderson was the MVP of the game. He hits the hole hard and goes. I like the power running with him and Thompson and hopefully Hillman comes back to give them some more speed. Virgel Green back as well did help the run game wiuth his blocking as well. The run defense was much better in the 2nd half as well and nice job by Anderson on the onside kick recovery. Go Broncos!!



Of course I post some positives and some certain Broncos fan doesn't repost that. If people don't like the fact that I'm no J.D.R. fan until I see that defense improve and the Broncos win a super bowl well I'm sorry. Guess you will have to learn to deal with it. Just saying.

 

[Malibu]

It'll prolly be a rough defensive ride until Trevathan and the other LB's get healthy again. There's no defensive QB, and it shows.

Kind of like what happened to the Denver defense when we lost big Al Wilson.......

I get it but there still shouldn't be that much of a problem. Just saying.

 

[Malibu]

I get it most of you cant stand me on this message board but guess what you will just have to deal with it because I'm not going anywhere. I will post what I want when I want and if you don't like it I suggest you don't read it or block me completely. Oh ya I forgot "Just saying." Go broncos!!!

 

[cdumler7]

Malibu it is not that I don't agree with some of your negatives. It is more to the idea that every team has negatives about the team that could take them down. When this whole off season you kept bragging about being right about our defense not being able to get it done it just baffled me. Only one team in the league wins the Super Bowl so every team can point to that 1 or more things that caused them to not finish on top. All of us knew our defense wasn't where we needed it to be. Again this year the defense isn't quite playing to what we need it to be even though they are actually a top-5 defense so not sure what in your book qualifies as a good defense. Yes they have had a couple of bad games this year but for the most part the defense has done pretty well. They have some issues but going back and watching the games (my guess is I watch the games a few more times than most on here) the issues are not in the players not being good enough but a lot of miscommunications where players just are found way out of position. I've seen Rahim Moore bite on the play action almost every single time this year getting himself way out of position. He in my opinion has been the biggest weakness of this defense this year. Ward as well in coverage decides to take a lot of unnecessary steps back pedaling making him late to the ball.


Now I will agree Del Rio and his calling a game have some major question marks. He seems to like to play a Cover-3 style like that of Seattle last year which honestly does not fit Talib very well. I will say it fits Harris and Roby decently as they are the more aggressive style types that like to have the play in front of them and allow them to make a move once they see what the quarterback is doing. It doesn't fit our safeties though which is why you see the middle of the field wide open quite often. So again Del Rio in my opinion has some struggles of figuring out how best to use his players. I also wish he was a bit more aggressive in his blitzing calls. I think part of his not doing that though is fear for the linebackers of getting burned more than anybody. With such a young group at the position the are constantly out of position. We need Trevathan back and in a hurry. I think you will be quite surprised how much the defense improves once he is back on the field soon. He honestly does make that much difference to this defense.

 

[cdumler7]

I get it most of you cant stand me on this message board but guess what you will just have to deal with it because I'm not going anywhere. I will post what I want when I want and if you don't like it I suggest you don't read it or block me completely. Oh ya I forgot "Just saying." Go broncos!!!

Careful with this...All people in here need to post within reason. I will not have this turn into some big fight especially between fans of the same team especially fans of my team. I appreciate your view Malibu as you do help present the other side of the coin but just remember to do it as civilly as possible and same goes to those responding. I am not afraid to use my abilities as board moderator to make sure to keep the peace on this board. We have a good thing going here with getting a few more fans it seems just about every month. I want them to actually want to stay on this board and be apart of the tight nip group we have going.

 

[Malibu]

Malibu it is not that I don't agree with some of your negatives. It is more to the idea that every team has negatives about the team that could take them down. When this whole off season you kept bragging about being right about our defense not being able to get it done it just baffled me. Only one team in the league wins the Super Bowl so every team can point to that 1 or more things that caused them to not finish on top. All of us knew our defense wasn't where we needed it to be. Again this year the defense isn't quite playing to what we need it to be even though they are actually a top-5 defense so not sure what in your book qualifies as a good defense. Yes they have had a couple of bad games this year but for the most part the defense has done pretty well. They have some issues but going back and watching the games (my guess is I watch the games a few more times than most on here) the issues are not in the players not being good enough but a lot of miscommunications where players just are found way out of position. I've seen Rahim Moore bite on the play action almost every single time this year getting himself way out of position. He in my opinion has been the biggest weakness of this defense this year. Ward as well in coverage decides to take a lot of unnecessary steps back pedaling making him late to the ball.


Now I will agree Del Rio and his calling a game have some major question marks. He seems to like to play a Cover-3 style like that of Seattle last year which honestly does not fit Talib very well. I will say it fits Harris and Roby decently as they are the more aggressive style types that like to have the play in front of them and allow them to make a move once they see what the quarterback is doing. It doesn't fit our safeties though which is why you see the middle of the field wide open quite often. So again Del Rio in my opinion has some struggles of figuring out how best to use his players. I also wish he was a bit more aggressive in his blitzing calls. I think part of his not doing that though is fear for the linebackers of getting burned more than anybody. With such a young group at the position the are constantly out of position. We need Trevathan back and in a hurry. I think you will be quite surprised how much the defense improves once he is back on the field soon. He honestly does make that much difference to this defense.

Of course I thing Trevathon makes a difference but I'm not a fan of the injury excuse. Ive made that clear numerous times. I still think the pass rush overall has underachieved and J.D.R. sticks with his 4 man rush to often. That last drive by the Dolphins for a TD did piss me off because the defense has the talent to make that stop and just end tthe game with out having to recover an onside kick. Yes Moore and Ward have been getting beat on pass plays all year and need to step up there games. All I'm saying if there is no Super Bowl victory and the defense gets shredded in the playoffs there is a good chance that J.D.R. will be gone. You cant spend that much money on free agents and still have some of the same issues. Hopefully the Broncos win the Super Bowl and this conversation will be over and I will be able to say I was wrong about J.D.R. but I haven't been able to say I've been wrong yet because I do admitt whn I'm wrong. I'm sorry some of you don't like my attitude but guess what "just deal with it" or just don't read what I have to say. I'm not changing for you or anyone. Just saying. Have a great night.

 

[cdumler7]

All I'm saying is be respectful just like I expect any other Bronco fan on here to act towards any poster that comes here unless they are actively trolling then I say fire away all you want. If the Broncos don't win the Super Bowl this year then yes I agree there need to be some changes. I agree this team has the talent to win a Super Bowl so if they do not get it done then they need to start looking at some other ways they can improve this team. I have no problem with JDR not being here next year if things don't show some improvement. I'm actually all in on the idea of bringing in a very controversial name if he gets fired but I would love to see Rex Ryan in here with this talent. He has a terrible group of players this year and although they are losing the defense especially the front 7 are playing some of the best of any group in the NFL in my opinion. I think he could get plenty out of Miller/Ware combo plus get some great work out of young guys like Sly Williams. But we shall see how the rest of the year plays out. Del Rio has shown times of being a very good defensive caller as his 2012 season I think was some of his best work. Took a very young unit learning a brand new scheme and got the most out of them to produce a top-5 defense.

 

[randymon]

There is definitely some issues on that side of ball whether it's the players or the coaching. Looks like the offense might have made right adjustments and schemes. Let's see if they can do the same with the D. 29pts they've given up on avg since they were 6-1. There's more probs than missing a starter or two. I sincerely hope they figure it out soon though. If not, there will be casualties next yr for sure and one would have to assume Rio will be first man out. if it does happen, I wouldn't mind seeing Denver going after Cards,Niners or Seattle's D cord in either same position or head coach.

 

[Broncos6482]

I was pointing out 2 different issues. You are better then that. Just saying.

Then learn how to format better so your posts can be understood. When you say Del Rio should be fired and in the next sentence complain about the third and one call, the context makes it appear that you've linked the two.

If you want to point out a separate issue, start a new paragraph.