What happened to the Broncos defense down the stretch? Quite simply it wore down. This Bronco defense benefited from the element of scheme and surprise the first six games of the season. It relied on an attacking blitz scheme, timely sacks and turnovers, and getting off the field on third down. From the Baltimore game on, the Broncos got gashed in run defense. The two games that they played well against the run were victories over the Giants and Chiefs, and in both of those games, the offense gave the defense a comfortable lead. Ronnie Fields, Ryan McBean, and Kenny Peterson are rotational guys and not anchors up front. Their linebackers overpursued and didn't always stick to their responsibility. This is a not a great front seven and it got exposed and cut up down the stretch. The Broncos must address their front seven in the offseason.
Why was the offense so inconsistent this season? In this day and age in the NFL, averaging only 20 points a game is not going to get it done. One of the main reasons this offense failed to be consistent falls on two fronts. The first is their offensive line and the second is their QB. The O-Line really took a step back this year. They constantly killed drives with penalties, and they couldn't control the line of scrimmage in the run game. The Broncos couldn't run well at all down the stretch. The Raider game summarized everything that was wrong with the line. They couldn't get two yards for a game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter. In addition to the line play, the quarterback play was inconsistent. Kyle Orton played very well at times, but he got exposed against good defenses. He was ineffective and inconsistent against Baltimore, Indy, Philly, and the two home games against KC and Oakland. He also killed Denver against Pittsburgh. When you can't run the ball with any kind of real success, then a QB like Orton is going to struggle-especially in the red zone.
How would you grade the first draft class under Josh McDaniels? Give McDaniels credit for acknowledging that his first draft class was tough to take. He even admitted that they will be better prepared for the 2010 Draft in April. Knowshon Moreno gets a B. He will be a solid runner, and he will benefit from a rebuilt interior on the O-Line. Robert Ayers gets a D. The only highlight for him this year was scooping up a Ben Roethlisberger fumble and rumbling for a touchdown, and his Big Boss Man style body slam on Jamal Charles in Week 17 that resulted in a 15 yard personal foul. Alphonso Smith gets a D. The fact that he was benched in the nickel package for a retired Ty Law and undrafted rookie, Tyrone Carter, tells you all about how bad Smith was this season. Darcel McBath gets a B. He had two interceptions, played well on special teams, and looks like he could be a player in the secondary. Richard Quinn gets an INC. He barely played and when he did get in, he was either on special teams or blocked in the run game. David Bruton gets a B-. He was a contributor on special teams and played sparingly in the secondary at the end of the year. Seth Olsen gets an INC because he was basically inactive all season long. We'll look for him in 2010. Kenny McKinley gets a C. He did get a chance to return kicks at the end of the year, but he rarely got in the game a wideout. Tom Brandstater gets a INC because he didn't take a snap at all this year. He looks like he will be a career backup in the NFL. Overall, I give this draft class a C.
What happened to the Broncos homefield advantage? The Broncos finished 4-4 at home this year, including losses to KC and Oakland. Denver finished 4-4 at home in 2008, 5-3 at home in 2007, and 4-4 in 2006. Add it all up and Denver is a combined 17-15 at home since the start of the 2006 season. That is not good at all and not acceptable in Denver. The Broncos used to be a virtual lock to go at least 6-2 or 7-1 at home during any given season. I think the reason is two fold. First, Invesco Field, like other new stadiums across the league, is not as imposing as the old Mile High Stadium. Invesco is bigger but not necessarily louder then the old Mile High. Plus, with all the new club seats and luxury boxes, it attracts a different type of fan. There is a saying that Invesco attracts a more "Wine and cheese" type of crowd, whereas the old Mile High attracted the real football fan. There is some truth to that, but it is like that at other stadiums around the league too. The main reason Denver has been average at home is because the team is simply average and mediocre. The moment that Denver gets a really good team and playoff caliber team is the day that homefield advantage will return. Look at 2005 for the most recent example. Denver finished 8-0 at home during the regular season. It will be tough for opponents to win in Denver again once the Broncos get back to prominence.
Is Kyle Orton the QB of the future? Orton will most likely be back in 2010, but I don't know how many years he is going to have as the QB of the Broncos. He was effective this year, and he put up career numbers. Orton finished ranked 14th in the NFL in passer rating. The problem with Orton is that he is not a franchise level Quarterback. He is not a guy who can put his team on his back and win games on his own. Look at the 2009 Playoffs. The list of QBs on those teams are exceptional: Peyton, Rivers, Brady, Palmer, Warner, Rodgers, Romo, McNabb, Brees, and Favre. With the exception of Joe Flacco (Classic game manager with a great run game and defense) and Mark Sanchez (Great running game and superb defense), Orton is not the caliber of any of those QBs. You can win games with Kyle Orton but you won't win more than 8 or 9 games. Maybe once Orton can give you a 10 win season, but your team must have a great running game and a great defense. I would love to see Denver draft a QB in this year's draft. Whether it is in the first round or second round, I would love to see Denver select Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy or even my personal favorite Tim Tebow.
Will Brandon Marshall be back in Denver in 2010? If I had to give it a percentage I would say that it is 75-25 that Marshall will be somewhere else in 2010. Stranger things have happened but I doubt he will be a Bronco again. Two things could happen: If 2010 is uncapped, then he is a restricted free agent. Denver would give him a high tender, and when someone signs him, then Denver would receive a 1st and 3rd round pick. If a new CBA is reached by March, then Marshall becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Broncos could franchise him, and then trade him away for a deal that would probably include a 1st and 3rd round pick. Either way, Denver isn't going to just let him walk away for nothing, then intend on getting some valuable picks for him.
Who else will join Marshall out of Denver in 2010? Tony Scheffler definitely punched his ticket out of town. The same rules that apply for Marshall will apply for Scheffler. I could see Denver getting a 4th round pick for him. Ben Hamilton will be gone, Casey Wiegman could be gone, and Chris Kuper might go as well. Peyton Hillis might be joining them too, but hopefully McDaniels will keep him around for one more year. Vonnie Holliday could be gone too. Offensive line coach, Rick Dennison, might be headed to Washington or Houston, and Running Backs coach, Bobby Turner, could follow him there.
How would you grade Josh McDaniels after year one? McDaniels probably impressed me the most during his end of the year press conference. He seemed humbled and genuine in his desire to get better and improve as a head coach. He seemed determined to get this team back in the playoffs, and he seemed to acknowledge what he needs to do to get there. I was impressed by McDaniels a lot of times this season, but with any rookie head coach there is room for improvement and lessons learned. As I said before, I am impressed with his game planning, strategy and game management. I love his passion and enthusiasm. I like the fact that he will chew some players out for poor effort or performance. On the flip side, he has to be more of himself. He doesn't have to emulate everything that Bill Belichick did in New England. McDaniels has to develop his own true style. Also, he can't get into public spats with players. Hopefully, he learns a lot from this first season, and improve from it. You can't kill McDaniels on this first year. He got a lot out of this team, but he also couldn't stop the bleeding on a team that finished 2-8 and lost their last 4 games. I think the future is bright for McDaniels and the Broncos, but the pressure is definitely on in Year Two. I give him a final grade of a C+.
Is this season a complete failure? It isn't a complete failure because the expectations were not high, but anytime you start 6-0 and finish out of the playoffs at 8-8, it is disappointing and disheartening. As Bill Parcells always said "You are what your record says you are." Denver was an average team going into 2009, and they finished the season with an average record. They took some strides, but they also proved that they can't close out seasons when they are on the cusp of the playoffs. They didn't really close the gap on the Chargers, but proved that they can play with them on any given Sunday. It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs will improve next year, and the Raiders will take a step back if they fire Tom Cable and keep JaMarcus Russell as their starting QB. This season isn't a complete failure, but it is a solid disappointment. If Denver makes the playoffs in 2010, then this season could be viewed as a learning experience and a building block.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW COMING FRIDAY!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment