Preseason Games

[cdumler7]

Figure we don't need a game day thread for preseason games but at least a thread to talk about the games.

What a start to the preseason. I guess I'll just start with the starting unit...

OL was the hero of the day. Sutton made some great catches, but most plays there was no one within 3 yards of Stidham and he had all day to wait for someone to get open. The run game also looked strong even without Dobbins in the game. The fact that we were missing Waddle, Dobbins, Nix and Mims and the offense looked that good is definitely encouraging. The only player I thought struggled quite a bit on the offensive side with the starters was Throckmorton. He isn't expected to be a starter so I'm not too worried. Watched him get beat a few times, but he did get thrown into the Center spot kind of last minute here. Loved seeing Ben Powers back in the starting line up. On the TD run to start the game he and Meinerz were both about 3-4 yards into the end zone blocking their guys. We played some bully ball on short yardage situations and so far all came up positive.

Couple of other things...1) Evan Engram running some deeper routes is nice to see. I do think he could be a bigger part of this offense. 2) I love RJ Harvey and what he can bring to the table as a receiving option, but I would have a hard time keeping Jonah Coleman off the field. Vision looked good, did a nice job picking up extra yards, and does a good job keeping the offense in good situations yardage wise.

Defensively we look as strong as we did last year. Bijan didn't play and I know Drake London only played a couple of plays so not much to read into with this unit.

As for the backups...

I am excited about our DL depth. Uwazurike looks like a new man ready to explode onto the scene, Onyedim was up and down but did get some decent push, Jones was in the backfield a few times and really did well collapsing the pocket. I don't know how many batted passes they had but it was a lot for a single game.

I'm less worried about the LB depth (although sounds like Levelle Bailey is out for a while with a broken leg, but more worried about the safety depth). I thought Murdock had a good game, Karene Reid I think looks fine, York could be a special teams early contributor. Safety though I just felt like most of them were a hair late in diagnosing and arriving at the plays.

Barron I'm really glad he had a decent game. I still feel like there are plays he is too afraid to make a bad play so he gives up more space than he should. The instincts that made him a top-20 pick just are not showing up so far. I am hoping though him making a few plays in this game will be something that helps to rebuild some of that confidence. I really loved him in run support for this game. Did well holding the edge on outside runs and making the open field tackles.

Something else that stuck out was Bentley was the 1st of the 2 rookies to see the field from what I could tell. His ability to run block will help him probably see the field earlier than Joly at this point. Going to be interesting what TE's all the Broncos keep. Do they go Trautman, Engram, and the two rookies?

My favorite backup OL was Kage Casey in this one. Watched him multiple times get some good push in the run game. My only 2 critiques is he did whiff on a block on a screen pass and a couple of times in pass blocking didn't have anyone to block and looked a little lost in trying to find someone to help.

I know some were hoping Ehlinger could fight for the backup QB spot. Not a great showing by him. I get that Stidham had the starters for most of his time, but Ehlinger was missing some easy throws and just didn't seem very settled all game long.

Probably my biggest issue with this game was special teams. Kick off coverage did not look great and the protections on returns did not look great. Worried a bit that special teams could be what derails our season. Crawshaw though did look good so there is at least that side of things.

Overall hard to complain about a game when you win 27-7 and their only points come off a bad turnover. Both sides of the ball looked mostly good.

 

[58crash]

Colman seems to be decent in getting those 4 yards ..

 

[58crash]

Red seems to be a keeper .....Shot out of a Cannon ....Would be my Knick name for him . I loved his college film . There has been statements he is really smart as well Instincts .. So our Draft seems to have been another Great draft again

 

[58crash]

Figure we don't need a game day thread for preseason games but at least a thread to talk about the games.

What a start to the preseason. I guess I'll just start with the starting unit...

OL was the hero of the day. Sutton made some great catches, but most plays there was no one within 3 yards of Stidham and he had all day to wait for someone to get open. The run game also looked strong even without Dobbins in the game. The fact that we were missing Waddle, Dobbins, Nix and Mims and the offense looked that good is definitely encouraging. The only player I thought struggled quite a bit on the offensive side with the starters was Throckmorton. He isn't expected to be a starter so I'm not too worried. Watched him get beat a few times, but he did get thrown into the Center spot kind of last minute here. Loved seeing Ben Powers back in the starting line up. On the TD run to start the game he and Meinerz were both about 3-4 yards into the end zone blocking their guys. We played some bully ball on short yardage situations and so far all came up positive.

Couple of other things...1) Evan Engram running some deeper routes is nice to see. I do think he could be a bigger part of this offense. 2) I love RJ Harvey and what he can bring to the table as a receiving option, but I would have a hard time keeping Jonah Coleman off the field. Vision looked good, did a nice job picking up extra yards, and does a good job keeping the offense in good situations yardage wise.

Defensively we look as strong as we did last year. Bijan didn't play and I know Drake London only played a couple of plays so not much to read into with this unit.

As for the backups...

I am excited about our DL depth. Uwazurike looks like a new man ready to explode onto the scene, Onyedim was up and down but did get some decent push, Jones was in the backfield a few times and really did well collapsing the pocket. I don't know how many batted passes they had but it was a lot for a single game.

I'm less worried about the LB depth (although sounds like Levelle Bailey is out for a while with a broken leg, but more worried about the safety depth). I thought Murdock had a good game, Karene Reid I think looks fine, York could be a special teams early contributor. Safety though I just felt like most of them were a hair late in diagnosing and arriving at the plays.

Barron I'm really glad he had a decent game. I still feel like there are plays he is too afraid to make a bad play so he gives up more space than he should. The instincts that made him a top-20 pick just are not showing up so far. I am hoping though him making a few plays in this game will be something that helps to rebuild some of that confidence. I really loved him in run support for this game. Did well holding the edge on outside runs and making the open field tackles.

Something else that stuck out was Bentley was the 1st of the 2 rookies to see the field from what I could tell. His ability to run block will help him probably see the field earlier than Joly at this point. Going to be interesting what TE's all the Broncos keep. Do they go Trautman, Engram, and the two rookies?

My favorite backup OL was Kage Casey in this one. Watched him multiple times get some good push in the run game. My only 2 critiques is he did whiff on a block on a screen pass and a couple of times in pass blocking didn't have anyone to block and looked a little lost in trying to find someone to help.

I know some were hoping Ehlinger could fight for the backup QB spot. Not a great showing by him. I get that Stidham had the starters for most of his time, but Ehlinger was missing some easy throws and just didn't seem very settled all game long.

Probably my biggest issue with this game was special teams. Kick off coverage did not look great and the protections on returns did not look great. Worried a bit that special teams could be what derails our season. Crawshaw though did look good so there is at least that side of things.

Overall hard to complain about a game when you win 27-7 and their only points come off a bad turnover. Both sides of the ball looked mostly good.

My favorite backup OL was Kage Casey in this one. Watched him multiple times get some good push in the run game. My only 2 critiques is he did whiff on a block on a screen pass and a couple of times in pass blocking didn't have anyone to block and looked a little lost in trying to find someone to help.

He will get wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better he is from Boise State that means he has wheels

Skinners says Hi . he wasdecent enough . his problem at this point is playing time

 

[58crash]

I have this feeling Skinner is #3 depth

 

[cdumler7]

I have this feeling Skinner is #3 depth

Nothing against JL Skinner but if he is Safety #3 then we might be in some trouble. He did fine yesterday against backups. He was late on a few plays where instead of breaking up the pass he had to make the tackle instead.

Honestly safety is where I would maybe be willing to make a trade or at least really look into other rosters and who might get cut.

 

[MileHigh64]

I know it's only preseason but the Broncos looked talented, well-prepared/coached and hungry to get back to competitive football. Nice showing by some of our rookie class. Davis Webb seemed to be more aggressive with his play calling too. Loved the defensive takeaways, as it's been noted that it's been a focus of Vance Joseph's staff during camp.

It would be nice in this upcoming season to avoid our chronic slow starts. With the continuity of personnel during the off season, I'm optimistic that the Broncos can really hit the ground running in week one. I'm sure Sean Payton would love to beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead to kick off the year, so I'm anticipating a good game plan and some players frothing at the mouth at kickoff. Go Broncos!

 

[cdumler7]

I know it's only preseason but the Broncos looked talented, well-prepared/coached and hungry to get back to competitive football. Nice showing by some of our rookie class. Davis Webb seemed to be more aggressive with his play calling too. Loved the defensive takeaways, as it's been noted that it's been a focus of Vance Joseph's staff during camp.

It would be nice in this upcoming season to avoid our chronic slow starts. With the continuity of personnel during the off season, I'm optimistic that the Broncos can really hit the ground running in week one. I'm sure Sean Payton would love to beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead to kick off the year, so I'm anticipating a good game plan and some players frothing at the mouth at kickoff. Go Broncos!

I thought a lot of 1st and 2nd year players really showed well. Good sign for a team that is a bit more in a cap crunch especially with Nix possibly getting paid soon. Need those guys to really raise their game to take this team to another level. Bryant becoming a big part of this offense would be a nice piece of the puzzle. Barron becoming a turnover threat when coming in on dime situations would be huge for 3rd down moments. Crashaw becoming a top-5 punter, Que being even better in year 2, Jones adding to the DL rotation, and of course Harvey being as big of a threat plus a little extra compared to last year.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Nothing against JL Skinner but if he is Safety #3 then we might be in some trouble. He did fine yesterday against backups. He was late on a few plays where instead of breaking up the pass he had to make the tackle instead.

Honestly safety is where I would maybe be willing to make a trade or at least really look into other rosters and who might get cut.

Agree- We do not want Skinner to be our #3 safety, nor should he be. We have better. Skinner is ok on special teams, pretty bad in coverage. Ok to bring him in on GL defense, that is about it.

I'm not sure Skinner makes the team this year.

 

[cdumler7]

Agree- We do not want Skinner to be our #3 safety, nor should he be. We have better. Skinner is ok on special teams, pretty bad in coverage. Ok to bring him in on GL defense, that is about it.

I'm not sure Skinner makes the team this year.

This is where I am at. He has not taken the steps I hoped going from college to the NFL. What he was great at in college he is still good at in the NFL. He will lay a big hit and in a straight line can run decent. Coverage wise he just seems late in diagnosing. I thought Devon Key was fine last night. He would probably be Safety 3 at this point. I was really hoping to see a bit more from Tycen Anderson. He was brought in more because of special teams but I hate using roster spots for guys that are mainly only for special teams.

I think the other player that disappointed me that I haven't talked about was Frank Crum. Was hoping he would take another leap in his game. He did fine at RT, but when they switched him over to the left side there were some really bad reps. For a guy that I think the Broncos were hoping could be the swing tackle this year and possible starter down the road I just thought he would show a bit more dominance.

Again, I'm nitpicking in a game where the overall team dominated but there are some players I was really hoping would show something. Some did and others disappointed a bit.

 

[Draft Crazy]

This is where I am at. He has not taken the steps I hoped going from college to the NFL. What he was great at in college he is still good at in the NFL. He will lay a big hit and in a straight line can run decent. Coverage wise he just seems late in diagnosing. I thought Devon Key was fine last night. He would probably be Safety 3 at this point. I was really hoping to see a bit more from Tycen Anderson. He was brought in more because of special teams but I hate using roster spots for guys that are mainly only for special teams.

I think the other player that disappointed me that I haven't talked about was Frank Crum. Was hoping he would take another leap in his game. He did fine at RT, but when they switched him over to the left side there were some really bad reps. For a guy that I think the Broncos were hoping could be the swing tackle this year and possible starter down the road I just thought he would show a bit more dominance.

Again, I'm nitpicking in a game where the overall team dominated but there are some players I was really hoping would show something. Some did and others disappointed a bit.

Big reason we didn't sign "a non special teamer safety" or draft a safety earlier in the draft this year, IMO is because of Devon Key. When Locke walked we were comfortable to consider Key our #3 safety. He earned it and he is also an elite special teams player.
I said it when we signed Tycen Anderson, he may be the guy that gets Skinner the boot out of Denver. It will be close. Depends on how many S's we keep but hard to keep 2 S's who neither offer us much at the actual S position at this point outside of special teams. The two very well be competing for one roster spot and Tycen Anderson is probably the better special teams player. Skinner the bigger thumper. However, if Miles Scott doesn't show enough we can store him on the PS which is very likely case... So that may save both of them. Like you, I wouldn't be surprised if S is a spot we look to bring eyeing other teams cuts though. Our top 3 seem set. After that we have two special teams guys who I don't think we can depend on to actually play the safety position if needed. They are both more of #5 S's who are there for special teams. Possible we keep both but we maybe want to explorer there. Key could save them both if we are comfortable enough with him as the # 3 S which I think we are. I think that was apparent when Locke left and we didn't bring in another safety to complete with him better then Anderson and a 7th rd developmental S. I think Paton/Payton/Joseph will have their eyes wide open on the waiver wire to bring in perhaps another S who might be more dependable if needed on the field. Special teams is very important but you can usually find a special teams players as good as Skinner who may be a little more trusting on the field. I don't dislike Skinner. Just really letdown by his play when given the opportunity. Special teams he has improved each year but isn't "good" enough of a special teams player to consider replacing.

Devon Key showed he can play S last year and he is a Pro Bowl caliber special teams player.

 

[Orange Crush77]

Moss hurt on first drive, this sucks

 

[58crash]

And yet I seen Skinner on the field last year and he was never in a negative play . He was not in a negative play last week . yes one play he came close to being a step behind but broke up the play .

Oh and please tell me how he almost cost a game on a holding call that was not called. He also made some plays

 

[Draft Crazy]

And yet I seen Skinner on the field last year and he was never in a negative play . He was not in a negative play last week . yes one play he came close to being a step behind but broke up the play .

Oh and please tell me how he almost cost a game on a holding call that was not called. He also made some plays

Skinner was pretty bad in coverage last year. So bad we had to elevate a PS S last year when Brandon Jones went down to throw on the field ahead of him. After the Giants and Eagles game it was clear the team did not want to throw him back on the field in coverage. Rightfully so. Luckily, we stayed healthy after the Jones S injury but we clearly did not trust Skinner after he failed in coverage with his opportunity last year. He wasn't good. He is ok on special teams. I was high on him coming out but after 3 years he has proven he can not be depended upon in coverage.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Moss hurt on first drive, this sucks

Relax. Save your energy for worse moments. Moss was ribs, probably be in pain for awhile and need some rest but he will be fine. Chin up, be happy. A lot to learn from this game. We probably get a lot better losing this game then had we looked "great" and won it. Good time to look a little flat in PS and not even like it was our starters but all 90 players can take a lot from a loss weather they played a key role or not.

 

[MileHigh64]

Mostly wanted to see Waddle and Bo Nix and those two didn't disappoint. Preseason isn't something to cause worry but it's a good chance for new players to get some NFL reps and for vet players to knock off some rust. On to the next PS game against the Vikings. More importantly.....on to the regular season. Go Broncos!

 

[58crash]

Skinner was pretty bad in coverage last year. So bad we had to elevate a PS S last year when Brandon Jones went down to throw on the field ahead of him. After the Giants and Eagles game it was clear the team did not want to throw him back on the field in coverage. Rightfully so. Luckily, we stayed healthy after the Jones S injury but we clearly did not trust Skinner after he failed in coverage with his opportunity last year. He wasn't good. He is ok on special teams. I was high on him coming out but after 3 years he has proven he can not be depended upon in coverage.

And yet I seen him in all the later games though out the season making plays

 

[cdumler7]

Relax. Save your energy for worse moments. Moss was ribs, probably be in pain for awhile and need some rest but he will be fine. Chin up, be happy. A lot to learn from this game. We probably get a lot better losing this game then had we looked "great" and won it. Good time to look a little flat in PS and not even like it was our starters but all 90 players can take a lot from a loss weather they played a key role or not.

Honestly I think this was a really good result. The Broncos spent the week fighting with each other in practice and Payton talking to the media about how stupid it all is. Maybe this is that nice wake up call that you can't just have a bad week of practice and expect to play well in the actual game. You are right some times a loss can do more than a win and especially a preseason loss that doesn't count against the record. I'm guessing we don't hear about any fighting in practice this week and the team being very focused.

 

[cdumler7]

And yet I seen Skinner on the field last year and he was never in a negative play . He was not in a negative play last week . yes one play he came close to being a step behind but broke up the play .

Oh and please tell me how he almost cost a game on a holding call that was not called. He also made some plays

We must be watching 2 different players then. I've seen passes completed on him left and right because he is out of position or slow to react. I watched him at practice last week getting yelled at by coaches because he didn't know where he was supposed to be. Joseph kept coming up asking him what he is supposed to do on a given play and then shaking his head no that Skinner got it wrong. Shouldn't be making those mistakes in your 3rd year in the system.

 

[Draft Crazy]

And yet I seen him in all the later games though out the season making plays

What games were you watching? #34 on the other team?