Game Thread: Round 1 Playoffs! Denver Broncos @ Buffalo Bills

[cdumler7]

I am definitely not a draft expert and woefully bad at predicting who will and won't succeed as they progress from college to the NFL. And this story will cement that. Back when Allen was in the draft I had a lot of concern that a QB from a small MWC school would be able to adjust to the level of competition in the NFL.

Shows you how much I knew.

Then again, we had a whole front office actually evaluate and still pass on him so there's that...

I will say them passing on him wasn't because they didn't find him talented. They had a high 1st round grade on him. Elway has said many times that passing on Allen is the biggest mistake of his GM career. Really the biggest reason they didn't draft him was because they were all afraid if they got this 2nd QB situation wrong they would all be gone coaches and FO people. They decided the better choice was to go the safe route.

It was a little of the discussion we had with Justin Fields or Patrick Surtain. Paton didn't want to attach his reputation/career to a QB pretty much day 1 of his career as GM. Many in the organization loved Fields just like they loved Allen, but none were willing to stake their careers on an athletic QB with a lot of questions about their game.

 

[iknowftbll]

I will say them passing on him wasn't because they didn't find him talented. They had a high 1st round grade on him. Elway has said many times that passing on Allen is the biggest mistake of his GM career. Really the biggest reason they didn't draft him was because they were all afraid if they got this 2nd QB situation wrong they would all be gone coaches and FO people. They decided the better choice was to go the safe route.

It was a little of the discussion we had with Justin Fields or Patrick Surtain. Paton didn't want to attach his reputation/career to a QB pretty much day 1 of his career as GM. Many in the organization loved Fields just like they loved Allen, but none were willing to stake their careers on an athletic QB with a lot of questions about their game.

The other thing is who is to say Allen would have succeeded in Denver had they drafted him? That was a phase in which the Broncos did not seem all that committed to developing QB talent and maybe even lacked the ability to do so.

 

[SpringStein]

The other thing is who is to say Allen would have succeeded in Denver had they drafted him? That was a phase in which the Broncos did not seem all that committed to developing QB talent and maybe even lacked the ability to do so.

This is dead-on. For Josh’s sake, Buffalo was a much better destination that Denver would have been. We were a mess at the time and I doubt there would have been the patience with his development here that he ended up receiving with the Bills.

 

[cdumler7]

The other thing is who is to say Allen would have succeeded in Denver had they drafted him? That was a phase in which the Broncos did not seem all that committed to developing QB talent and maybe even lacked the ability to do so.

Agreed. Talent is not enough for success. I mean look at Caleb Williams this year. Bad environment leading to him struggling most of his rookie season. Buffalo also did a great job of tailoring that offense to fit Allen and also made the moves necessary to get him help. They fixed their OL, got him a legit #1 WR, have worked to build up the TE position over the years, etc.

You are right Denver at that time couldn't make up their mind of how they wanted to build this roster. They would draft a guy like Lynch but not start him and then spent 3 years waiting around to find out if he was the answer or not. They would bring in middle tier vets in the hopes to catch lightning in a bottle at times, but obviously that didn't work either.

 

[iknowftbll]

Agreed. Talent is not enough for success. I mean look at Caleb Williams this year. Bad environment leading to him struggling most of his rookie season. Buffalo also did a great job of tailoring that offense to fit Allen and also made the moves necessary to get him help. They fixed their OL, got him a legit #1 WR, have worked to build up the TE position over the years, etc.

You are right Denver at that time couldn't make up their mind of how they wanted to build this roster. They would draft a guy like Lynch but not start him and then spent 3 years waiting around to find out if he was the answer or not. They would bring in middle tier vets in the hopes to catch lightning in a bottle at times, but obviously that didn't work either.

Yeah, we are definitely a better place for developing a QB now. I was so relieved this past summer when Nix was declared the starter. I understand the rationale for the open competition but honestly wish we had just gone all in from the start. But what's done is done and this season has worked out quite nicely.

Regardless of how Sunday's game may turn out, this franchise is finally moving in the right direction again. And going into 2025 we have a full draft and some cap space to surround Nix with some weapons. I think a receiving TE and legit RB will help offset any sophomore slump Nix might encounter. (The sophomore slump warrants its own thread and that can wait until after the season is over.)

On defense I legitimately don't know where to start. VJ had this crew playing such that the sum was greater than the parts. PSII is the only player on that side of the ball that was considered a star player coming into this season. So can VJ do it again? Or do we add some big name FA pieces to juice up that front 7? Do we hope that another off season of development helps them reach the next level?

Really glad Nix will have some stability on offense this off season. Glad we won't be changing HCs, QB Coach, OC, rotating all 5 of our offensive linemen, etc.

Broncos are a 12-5 team in 2025. That's not my official prediction, but I think this team is going to close the gap on some of the close losses this year and add to an already impressive win total.

 

[MileHigh64]

Can't wait for this game! Although I think our chances of walking away with a victory are slim, it's still pretty damn awesome to see our beloved Denver Broncos in the playoffs! Just compete hard and make us proud.

I'm traveling up to Montana from Hawaii this evening to deal with some family issues (Brrrrrrr!). I'll be watching the game Sunday from my birthplace and screaming for our Broncos. Go Broncos!