Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Broncos Look Good in Victory over Seahawks

The Broncos defeated the Seattle Seahawks 23-20 in their third preseason game last Saturday Night. Denver improved their preseason record to 2-1. The Broncos finish off their preseason at Arizona this week. Here are my quick thoughts and observations of the win:

1) Once again Kyle Orton looked really good. Orton finished 16-23 for 236 yards and 1 touchdown and 1 interception. This is the year for Orton. If he steps up, plays well, and wins games, then he will get a chance to cash in on a nice payday in Denver. He is certainly playing like he is ready to step in and be the "guy" this year. I know it is only preseason, but Orton is really making me believe that he could be the driving force for this offense this year.

2) Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil have the makings of a nasty pass rushing combination. Miller finished the night with 2.5 sacks, and Dumervil had 1.5 sacks. Both players really caused problems for the Seahawks offensive line. It looks like Miller is the real deal, and this will be fun to watch on third down and in passing situations. The only thing missing is a really cool nickname for these two. I have seen "Von Doom" floating around the message boards, but someone needs to come up with a really good one.

3) D.J. Williams will be out 3-4 weeks with a dislocated elbow. Williams will miss the season opener vs. Oakland, and most likely Week 2 vs. Cincy. Hopefully, he will be back for Week 3 at Tennessee. I like D.J. Williams a lot, and I was looking forward to seeing him back in a 4-3 scheme this year. Hopefully, he will be back soon and ready to go when he returns. Until then, Wesley Woodyard and others will have to step up. Simply put: Next man up.

4) Two fantasy football sleeper for Denver would be Eric Decker and Julius Thomas. Both of them had really nice games on Saturday Night. If we can get these two going, then our offense will be very tough for opponents to plan against.

5) I am still worried about our interior run defense. Ty Warren is gone until at least December if not the entire season. Marcus Thomas is banged up and might miss Week 1. Broderick Bunkley got hurt Saturday, and there is a chance he might miss Week 1 too. Ryan McBean, Jeremy Jarmon, Joe Mays, and Kevin Vickerson doesn't exactly scare opponents up the middle. Expect the Broncos to be active on the defensive line after other teams make cuts and roster moves.

6) Tim Tebow played parts of the third and fourth quarter. He played okay and finished 6-11 for 93 yards. He did lead the Broncos to a game-winning field goal as time expired. His performance was up and down, but in my opinion there is still solid upside and potential with him as a QB. This might not be the year for Tebow, and he might not be ready, but there is no reason why Denver should give up on him. Although it looks like Brady Quinn has the backup job, I would love to see Tebow get some work in some spread packages each week. He is a work in progress. Just be patient and let the kid develop.

7) Denver heads to Arizona to finish off the preseason. I wouldn't expect too much playing time from the starters. The next big question is who will make this roster because the Broncos have to cut down to the 53 man roster by Friday.

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