Quick Thought on Broncos Preseason Game #2 and Von Miller Situation

There is a lot to get to with the Broncos this week, and unfortunately it isn't about everything that is happening in preseason. I'll get to Von Miller in a little bit, but the Broncos got buried at Seattle 40-10 the other night in their second preseason game. It was quite an embarrassing performance to say the least. Hopefully, it will serve as a wakeup call as the Broncos prepare for the season opener against Baltimore on Thursday September 5th. Here are my quick thoughts on the game......

1) The good news out of the game was that Peyton Manning looked really sharp in a hostile environment. He moved the offense three out of the five series, and he threw a touchdown pass to Wes Welker. Manning continues to impress this training camp, and that is a good sign for Week 1.

2) Welker, Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas all had big games. They were able to come up with big catches to move the chains. The Broncos offense has the potential to be very potent if this keeps up.

3) Their offensive line played well despite the absence of Ryan Clady. This will be another area that will be a strength for the Broncos this year.

4) The Broncos defense looked lost, lethargic, and just terrible all night long. It seemed liked they didn't want to be there. I know it is preseason, but their first team defense just looks bad right now.

5) Injuries nailed the Broncos in this game badly. Derek Wolfe was taken off the field on a stretcher with a head and neck injury. He is recovering well, and there is hope that he will be there for the season opener. Champ Bailey left with a sprain in his foot, and he is question mark for Week 1, and that would be pretty unfortunate if he can't play against Baltimore. Also, Wes Welker and Louis Vasquez left with mild ankle and knee injuries, but they should be fine for the opening game. Overall, it was just not a good night for the Broncos on the field and on the injury report.

Now to the Von Miller situation. First, we found out yesterday that Miller is actually facing a possible 6 game suspension and not a 4 game suspension for violating the NFL's Drug Policy. Apparently, Miller's urine sample was spilled this past offseason and when he produced a second sample, it was diluted which triggered the suspension. Whatever the case may be, this is a hug blow for the Broncos and their defense. With Miller being out the first six games, it will severely hurt the Broncos chances of getting off to a good start. You just can't replace the dominance that Miller has on that side of the ball. He disrupts the passing game, blows up the run game, and he was becoming an athletic force in coverage. The Broncos first six games are Baltimore, at NY Giants, Oakland, Philly, at Dallas, and Jacksonville. With Miller gone, they would be happy to be 3-3 after their first six games. Manning is going to have to put up at least 34 points a game just to give them a chance. We'll see how creative Jack Del Rio and John Fox are in devising schemes to generate pressure without Miller in the lineup.

Quick Thoughts on Broncos Preseason Opener

Forget about the fact that the Broncos defeated the 49ers 10-6 in their preseason opener. The only thing that really matters in preseason is the injuries. Luckily, the Broncos survived the first preseason week without any injuries, but there were some other things to take from the game. Here is what stood out to me:

1-Duke Ihenacho continues to impress at safety. The buzz in training camp was how good he has played, and I was really impressed watching him with the first unit. He plays fast, hard, and aggressive, and he just seems to be around the ball. It will be fun to see how much he progresses the next three weeks.

2-Brock Osweiler got some extensive time, and he looked pretty good. He had some problems because of the fact that he was buried with the second offensive line, but when he had time, he made some impressive throws. It was good to see him get extra work, and it will also be fun to watch him the rest of this preseason.

3-I'm not mad that the first team offense didn't produce any points, but you would like to see some improvement by next week's game against Seattle. Unfortunately, Peyton Manning didn't hook up with Wes Welker on their lone drive, but Manning looks good, and his arm looks fine.

4-The Broncos unveiled the pistol formation with their first and second units. I like the idea of showing some stuff in preseason to get teams thinking, but we'll see how much pistol is in the gameplan come the Baltimore game to start the season.

5-The best part about the game was the fact that their were no injuries. That is the most important thing whenever these preseason games are done. Hopefully, Denver can stay injury free during next Saturday's game at Seattle.