No one else has an uneasy feeling?

[TDs3nOut]

I think that having an "uneasy feeling" is just part of being a fan; at least for me it is. I mean, even if we had the '85 Bears defense we wouldn't be guaranteed anything. That said, I will feel better about our chances if we start giving up fewer points. As others have correctly pointed out, many of the points we've given up were scored when the outcome of the game was already decided. The Dallas game, on the other hand, is a game we could have lost due to the defense. Fortunately there is a good reason to expect the defense to improve significantly, namely, Miller playing for the first time.

 

[WalkerBoh]

One thing to note:

It matters not how a team is playing now. It matters how that team plays near the end of the season and playoff time.

Anyone recall the 2009 Broncos? Absolutely amazing defense through 6 games. Gave up 11 pts/game and 262.5 yards/game. We were getting sacks and turnovers galore. Anyone also recall what happened to that 2009 defense?

The fact remains that with exception of the Dallas game, the Denver Defense hasn't really lost control over their opponents. Anyone worried as the 4th quarter started that we might not beat the Ravens? The Giants? Eagles? Jaguars? Didn't think so. If the 2009 Broncos can go from "defense of the ages" to "total crap" in the span of only a few games, then our current defense has plenty of time to right the ship, and an offense that gives them plenty of room to do so.

 

[TDs3nOut]

One thing to note:

It matters not how a team is playing now. It matters how that team plays near the end of the season and playoff time.

Anyone recall the 2009 Broncos? Absolutely amazing defense through 6 games. Gave up 11 pts/game and 262.5 yards/game. We were getting sacks and turnovers galore. Anyone also recall what happened to that 2009 defense?

The fact remains that with exception of the Dallas game, the Denver Defense hasn't really lost control over their opponents. Anyone worried as the 4th quarter started that we might not beat the Ravens? The Giants? Eagles? Jaguars? Didn't think so. If the 2009 Broncos can go from "defense of the ages" to "total crap" in the span of only a few games, then our current defense has plenty of time to right the ship, and an offense that gives them plenty of room to do so.

Definitely agree with your point about how a team is playing when the playoffs start mattering most. What better example of that than last year's Ravens? That team is also a good reminder to Broncos fans of how it only takes one bad game defensively for an entire season to come undone, though. Also agree that the defense is likely to get better, which is good, since we figure to likely need that to happen in order to avoid another disappointing end to the season.

 

[Broncosballer32]

One thing to note:

It matters not how a team is playing now. It matters how that team plays near the end of the season and playoff time.

Anyone recall the 2009 Broncos? Absolutely amazing defense through 6 games. Gave up 11 pts/game and 262.5 yards/game. We were getting sacks and turnovers galore. Anyone also recall what happened to that 2009 defense?

The fact remains that with exception of the Dallas game, the Denver Defense hasn't really lost control over their opponents. Anyone worried as the 4th quarter started that we might not beat the Ravens? The Giants? Eagles? Jaguars? Didn't think so. If the 2009 Broncos can go from "defense of the ages" to "total crap" in the span of only a few games, then our current defense has plenty of time to right the ship, and an offense that gives them plenty of room to do so.

Well, the thing about football is it is ONE AND DONE. The Ravens last year LOST 4 of their last 5 games, and the Broncos were the hottest team in the NFL winning their last 11 games in a row.

It is about match ups, and there is a luck factor. Remember the weather conditions last year. The coldest day in decaded in Denver. It was a hard east coast type of arctic cold. That certainly played a factos in Manning's "struggle."

Although, lets face it. The first int was a PI imo. Deflected pass, and the second one should not have ever happened. Thanks Rahim.

Anyway, the uneasy feelings have to do with a lot of things. The simple facts of prolific offenses not getting it done is certainly one of them. The shitty defense through 6 games is the other.

When does Ryan Clady missing come up and bite the Broncos? The Chiefs lead the NFL in sacks......being one of those concerns about that. Manning historically having tougher time against 3-4 defenses.

All part of the concerns.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Well, the thing about football is it is ONE AND DONE. The Ravens last year LOST 4 of their last 5 games, and the Broncos were the hottest team in the NFL winning their last 11 games in a row.

It is about match ups, and there is a luck factor. Remember the weather conditions last year. The coldest day in decaded in Denver. It was a hard east coast type of arctic cold. That certainly played a factos in Manning's "struggle."

Although, lets face it. The first int was a PI imo. Deflected pass, and the second one should not have ever happened. Thanks Rahim.

Anyway, the uneasy feelings have to do with a lot of things. The simple facts of prolific offenses not getting it done is certainly one of them. The shitty defense through 6 games is the other.

When does Ryan Clady missing come up and bite the Broncos? The Chiefs lead the NFL in sacks......being one of those concerns about that. Manning historically having tougher time against 3-4 defenses.

All part of the concerns.

You completely missed my point.


The fact is, our defense can be complete crap now, but that it doesn't matter at all if Denver's able to improve their play on that side of the ball when it really counts. Has nothing to do with history, or "One and Done" or anything else. So what if historically prolific offenses haven't "Won it all". It's in the past. It's NOT a law of football nature. Past performance does NOT predict future results. No need in worrying about what's in the past.

So, what if missing Ryan Clady doesn't come up biting the Broncos after all? Whose to say Clark can't hold his own when called to duty? He's done quite well so far.

Manning having a tougher time against the 3-4?? Pittsburgh, Philly and Baltimore play 3-4 defenses. Chiefs had a 3-4 last year. Now how many points did our Manning-led offense put up against those 3-4 defenses? Don't buy into myths. It serves no purpose.

 

[jonvi]

No one else has an uneasy feeling?

Every team that plays the Bronco's has that same uneasy feeling. I can't feel bad for you.

 

[WalkerBoh]

As for the Chiefs and their vaunted defense of the ages..... Can they really keep up that pace? 2009 Broncos couldn't.

And the Chiefs offense is far from being scary. Another reminder of the 2009 Broncos.....

 

[Broncosballer32]

You completely missed my point.


The fact is, our defense can be complete crap now, but that it doesn't matter at all if Denver's able to improve their play on that side of the ball when it really counts. Has nothing to do with history, or "One and Done" or anything else. So what if historically prolific offenses haven't "Won it all". It's in the past. It's NOT a law of football nature. Past performance does NOT predict future results. No need in worrying about what's in the past.

So, what if missing Ryan Clady doesn't come up biting the Broncos after all? Whose to say Clark can't hold his own when called to duty? He's done quite well so far.

Manning having a tougher time against the 3-4?? Pittsburgh, Philly and Baltimore play 3-4 defenses. Chiefs had a 3-4 last year. Now how many points did our Manning-led offense put up against those 3-4 defenses? Don't buy into myths. It serves no purpose.

Just saying historically he tends to have tougher times against the 3-4.

Not lately so much, but certainly in his career. When the Pats use to dominate him in the early 2000s. The Steelers in that historic season of the Colts in 2005 beat him in Indy. The Colts in their SB run in 2006 had a tough time against the Ravens 3-4 when they won 15 to 6 where Manning threw 3 ints.

The Chargers always beat them in the play offs, and they are responsible for a lot of his one and dones.

The Saints played that 3-3-5 five look in the SB, since the Colts had no running game (32nd ranked). Then of course the Ravens last year in the play offs.

Just saying there is historic precedent here, and things to be concerned about. That is all.

 

[Broncos6482]

Having an uneasy feeling is the same as the sky is falling? Rather dramatic wouldn't you say?

Never said I was referring to you.

The uneasy feeling is based on the relative ease the Broncos have won (with the exception of one game) and this being seen before. I have pointed out the facts regarding the most prolific OFFENSES in NFL history not getting it done. I am talking about a defense ranked 29th in the league against shitty offenses.

Who are these offenses? Not the Cowboys, the second highest scoring team in the NFL. Even if you take away their game against us, they are still averaging 27 points per game. So they're a good offense. Not the Eagles, who are currently the 4th highest scoring offense in the NFL, who the Broncos held to 7 points below their season average, and 14 points below until giving up a garbage time touchdown.

Look, you can be uneasy about defense all you want, but I just think it's silly to be worried about garbage time points (really, who cares?) and defensive stats from a team that's been missing it's most important piece. Does the Broncos defense need to get better if they want to win the Super Bowl? I believe so. But I don't think it's unreasonable to assume they'll get a lot better once they get their actual defense on the field. Until that point, why worry about it.

(the notion that the Broncos having such a great offense has little to do with the defense being below average.)

Totally disagree with this. These things work hand in hand. First, the Broncos aren't exactly playing a ball control offense. Because of their pace, there are going to be more possessions per game. More possessions means more chances to score against them. Secondly, we may not like it but it's human nature to let up when you're playing with a big lead. A defense that knows it has to keep the score down to win is going to be more controlled and focused than a defense that's playing with a 20 point lead. It's just the way it is.

Personally, I what's important is, can the defense make plays when they need to? Most of the season that's been in the 3rd quarter, allowing the Broncos offense to pull away. But the last two weeks it's been in the fourth quarter, with the big interception of Romo and the 4th quarter stops against Jacksonville. So far, the answer has been, yes, the Broncos defense can make the big stop when they have to.

I have to point out some of the potential problems that I see. Of course, as I said this is fun to watch.

That's fine. But again, is it unreasonable to ask to withhold judgment until we actually get our regular defense out on the field? I don't think that it is.

 

[Broncos6482]

As for the Chiefs and their vaunted defense of the ages..... Can they really keep up that pace? 2009 Broncos couldn't.

And the Chiefs offense is far from being scary. Another reminder of the 2009 Broncos.....

I've been saying this for weeks. The Chiefs COULD be the 2009 Broncos all over again.

 

[Broncos6482]

Just saying historically he tends to have tougher times against the 3-4.

Not lately so much, but certainly in his career. When the Pats use to dominate him in the early 2000s. The Steelers in that historic season of the Colts in 2005 beat him in Indy. The Colts in their SB run in 2006 had a tough time against the Ravens 3-4 when they won 15 to 6 where Manning threw 3 ints.

The Chargers always beat them in the play offs, and they are responsible for a lot of his one and dones.

The Saints played that 3-3-5 five look in the SB, since the Colts had no running game (32nd ranked). Then of course the Ravens last year in the play offs.

Just saying there is historic precedent here, and things to be concerned about. That is all.

The Broncos put up 35 points against the Ravens last year. I don't think the problem was Manning struggling against a 3-4 defense.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Just saying historically he tends to have tougher times against the 3-4.

Not lately so much, but certainly in his career. When the Pats use to dominate him in the early 2000s. The Steelers in that historic season of the Colts in 2005 beat him in Indy. The Colts in their SB run in 2006 had a tough time against the Ravens 3-4 when they won 15 to 6 where Manning threw 3 ints.

The Chargers always beat them in the play offs, and they are responsible for a lot of his one and dones.

The Saints played that 3-3-5 five look in the SB, since the Colts had no running game (32nd ranked). Then of course the Ravens last year in the play offs.

Just saying there is historic precedent here, and things to be concerned about. That is all.

And you know what? All of that is worth precisely Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nil. What happened in the early 2000's, or in 2005, or 2006 means absolutely nothing in 2013. Feel free worrying about the past if you want. I certainly won't. Would cost too much in TUMS purchases.

I remember a while back where it was historical precedent for the Broncos to get slaughtered in the Super Bowl. How'd that work out for the Packers and Falcons?

As for the Ravens last year in the playoffs, they still allowed Manning to throw for 290 yards and 3 TD's.... Not exactly the definition of shutting Manning down, eh? How did that 3-4 defense fair in 2013?

 

[Morpheus]

Well, the thing about football is it is ONE AND DONE. The Ravens last year LOST 4 of their last 5 games, and the Broncos were the hottest team in the NFL winning their last 11 games in a row.

It is about match ups, and there is a luck factor. Remember the weather conditions last year. The coldest day in decaded in Denver. It was a hard east coast type of arctic cold. That certainly played a factos in Manning's "struggle."

Although, lets face it. The first int was a PI imo. Deflected pass, and the second one should not have ever happened. Thanks Rahim.

Anyway, the uneasy feelings have to do with a lot of things. The simple facts of prolific offenses not getting it done is certainly one of them. The shitty defense through 6 games is the other.

When does Ryan Clady missing come up and bite the Broncos? The Chiefs lead the NFL in sacks......being one of those concerns about that. Manning historically having tougher time against 3-4 defenses.

All part of the concerns.

The stats say we are 32nd passing defense and the #2 rushing defense. This is misleading because teams are forced to pass when we get out to a lead and they abandon the run. The truth about how good this defense is is probably somewhere in the middle.

The only team that really exploited the pass defense all game was Dallas. The fact that we were able to keep up in scoring gave the defense an opportunity at the end to make a play and they did.

Jacksonville was down 2 TD's right off the bat and went to the air quickly, and while they got a lot of yards, they had no passing TD's. They only scored 13 points on offense, 1 rushing TD and 2 FG, yet to hear most people talk you would think they were scoring at will.

The first 4 games, the defense could afford to play cautiously and keep it in front of them with a huge lead. Bend don't break and give up a big play that let's them back in the game.

Missing a pass rush and Mike LBer and leader in the secondary and yet they still are 6-0.

If Von is ineffective in the pass rush and Champ is not back to form in a game or two, and Wesley Woodyard and Robert Ayers are still out with injury, or they return and the defense does not play well then maybe there is cause for concern. Does anyone think is what will happen?

But taking into account all the injuries and other factors, I don't think there is any reason to panic, say the sky is falling or have an uneasy feeling about anything.

I have been watching our upcoming opponents closely. I recorded every Chiefs game, Patriots game and Chargers Game (Thank you DirecTV Genie and Sunday Ticket!)

I do not see any of those teams being able to keep up with the Broncos offensive scoring potential. As long as they protect the football and don't turn it over, all the defense has to do is keep it in front of them and be stingy in the redzone.

 

[xBxtxDx]

It is about match ups, and there is a luck factor. Remember the weather conditions last year. The coldest day in decaded in Denver. It was a hard east coast type of arctic cold. That certainly played a factos in Manning's "struggle."

There was also the fact that the coaching staff, for whatever reason, decided to have Manning "ice" his hand in cold water during the game. Manning even said he could no longer feel the ball in his hand by the end of the game. When a QB cannot feel the ball, he cannot control the ball. The coaching staff said afterwards that it was not a "smart" idea and they would not do it again. I have looked for the article I read this in, but cannot find it anymore and really do not have the drive to actually dig deep enough to find it again.

Going more into it and this is not an excuse, but also prior to the Ravens game, supposedly a few of the players had the flu bug, which could explain why a number of them just appeared off that day.

 

[Broncosballer32]

The Broncos put up 35 points against the Ravens last year. I don't think the problem was Manning struggling against a 3-4 defense.

Technically the offense put up 21 points, and he did throw 2 ints. One key pick in OT.

Don't remember?

Of all of his ONE AND DONES, nearly all of them (if not all of them) have been against a 3-4 defense.

Not saying that he cannot do well. Just saying there are things to be concerned about.

There are things to be concerned about. If you are not concerned about anything, well, you are a truly devoted fan with hardly no experience of real heartbreak. Then again, we are only 9 months from one of the biggest if not the biggest heartbreak in the history of the franchise. \

Not concerned about anything? Is being concerned about things all of a sudden make my world not prioritized?

Funny stuff. Funny......stuff.

 

[Broncos6482]

There was also the fact that the coaching staff, for whatever reason, decided to have Manning "ice" his hand in cold water during the game. Manning even said he could no longer feel the ball in his hand by the end of the game. When a QB cannot feel the ball, he cannot control the ball. The coaching staff said afterwards that it was not a "smart" idea and they would not do it again. I have looked for the article I read this in, but cannot find it anymore and really do not have the drive to actually dig deep enough to find it again.

Going more into it and this is not an excuse, but also prior to the Ravens game, supposedly a few of the players had the flu bug, which could explain why a number of them just appeared off that day.

What the heck? I've never heard of this before. If true, that would be monumentally stupid.

 

[xBxtxDx]

The stats say we are 32nd passing defense and the #2 rushing defense. This is misleading because teams are forced to pass when we get out to a lead and they abandon the run. The truth about how good this defense is is probably somewhere in the middle.

The thing that is not misleading is the fact that Denver is only giving up 3.2 ypa, which is a much better way to judge how a team is doing against the run. So many people bring up that teams abandon the run against Denver, but then fail to acknowledge that Denver is also second in ypa. Then again though, most of those people are not actually trying to have a conversation and are more trying justify their opinion.

 

[xBxtxDx]

What the heck? I've never heard of this before. If true, that would be monumentally stupid.

As I said, I only saw it in one article and I tried searching for it about a month ago and could not find it again. /shrug and yes, the coaching staff even said it was kind of a stupid idea.

 

[TDs3nOut]

There was also the fact that the coaching staff, for whatever reason, decided to have Manning "ice" his hand in cold water during the game.

That is news to me. Can't imagine any reason for that. Also hard to imagine Manning agreeing to soak his hand in cold water during the game.

 

[Broncos6482]

Technically the offense put up 21 points, and he did throw 2 ints. One key pick in OT.

And you yourself said that the first pick should have been PI and the second should have never happened because the game should have been over.

Don't remember?

Of course I remember! I never claimed otherwise! Do you think you're the only one who remembers what has happened in the past?

Of all of his ONE AND DONES, nearly all of them (if not all of them) have been against a 3-4 defense.

So what? Did the Broncos lose to the Ravens because they were playing a 3-4? Of course not, and it would be stupid to suggest so. 35 points should have been enough to win, regardless of how they got them.

Not saying that he cannot do well. Just saying there are things to be concerned about.

There are things to be concerned about. Again, no one has said otherwise.

If you are not concerned about anything, well, you are a truly devoted fan with hardly no experience of real heartbreak. Then again, we are only 9 months from one of the biggest if not the biggest heartbreak in the history of the franchise. \

Oh give me a break. How long have you been a fan? To suggest that anyone here hasn't experienced heartbreak as a fan is insulting and idiotic.

Not concerned about anything? Is being concerned about things all of a sudden make my world not prioritized?

No one said that. You can be concerned all you want, but keep it in perspective. This team is 6-0 and looking darn good. Enjoy the ride before you freak out about a defense that hasn't played a single game with all of it's players yet, including it's most important player.

Funny stuff. Funny......stuff.

Serious question, were you one of the fans booing at halftime on Sunday? I swear, some people cannot see the forest for the trees.