28-0 became 28-21 awfully quick there didn't it?
You're not going to get 50 yard passes and 70 yard runs in the second half on a regular basis to bail you out.
10/31/2005
10/23/2005
Are you really surprised?
I have been subjected to the phrase "but we won, just be happy" so many times over the past two weeks. Here's the thing: we escaped both the Washington and New England games by the slimmest of margins.
In the Washington game the Redskins scored nine fourth quarter points and the Broncos escaped with a win due to Ian Gold batting away a ball from a receiver who was otherwise wide open. The drive that Washington ran to come so close to tying the score was a 13 play 94 yard drive.
The New England game was one of the most amazing collapses I've seen this team make in a long time and only the fact that we had a HUGE lead kept us from losing that game. New England scored 14 fourth quarter points on drives of 71 and 73 yards.
So what happens when you don't get lucky tips and do not have twenty five point cushions? You lose football games..
Today the New York Giants scored 14 points in nine minutes on drives of 65 and 83 yards. On New York's second drive they moved 83 yards and only completed one pass of ten yards or longer on the entire drive. Denver's defense is more than happy to just sit back and let teams pass all over them in the fourth quarter.
The play calling is obviously the issue here, I stated as much this week. Coyer cannot be trusted with a lead. The fact that this issue hasn't been addressed is a huge mistake from Shanahan.
Well coached teams do not give up in the fourth quarter. In fact, it's a clear sign that a team is very poorly coached when they consistently either blow or come close to blowing sizable fourth quarter leads. Denver has done so three games in a row and this time the luck just ran out.
Is there a single person who will stand up and tell me that this team can continue to play this way and be successful?
Once again Shanahan's Broncos have rushed out to a fast start only to stall. The Broncos started 5-1 in 2003, 2004, and 2005. We all know how the last two seasons ended.
Do you trust Shanahan to not collapse again?
I certainly don't.
In the Washington game the Redskins scored nine fourth quarter points and the Broncos escaped with a win due to Ian Gold batting away a ball from a receiver who was otherwise wide open. The drive that Washington ran to come so close to tying the score was a 13 play 94 yard drive.
The New England game was one of the most amazing collapses I've seen this team make in a long time and only the fact that we had a HUGE lead kept us from losing that game. New England scored 14 fourth quarter points on drives of 71 and 73 yards.
So what happens when you don't get lucky tips and do not have twenty five point cushions? You lose football games..
Today the New York Giants scored 14 points in nine minutes on drives of 65 and 83 yards. On New York's second drive they moved 83 yards and only completed one pass of ten yards or longer on the entire drive. Denver's defense is more than happy to just sit back and let teams pass all over them in the fourth quarter.
The play calling is obviously the issue here, I stated as much this week. Coyer cannot be trusted with a lead. The fact that this issue hasn't been addressed is a huge mistake from Shanahan.
Well coached teams do not give up in the fourth quarter. In fact, it's a clear sign that a team is very poorly coached when they consistently either blow or come close to blowing sizable fourth quarter leads. Denver has done so three games in a row and this time the luck just ran out.
Is there a single person who will stand up and tell me that this team can continue to play this way and be successful?
Once again Shanahan's Broncos have rushed out to a fast start only to stall. The Broncos started 5-1 in 2003, 2004, and 2005. We all know how the last two seasons ended.
Do you trust Shanahan to not collapse again?
I certainly don't.
10/17/2005
Coyer may be an issue as well
Profootballtalk's rumormill section after Week 1 had a piece on how Miami knew what plays Denver's defense was running during the entire game. Frerotte was able to take three step drops and pick apart the defense on smoke routes.
Coyer seemingly adjusted over the next three weeks but something about the performance of the defense against Washington and in the second half of yesterday's New England game isn't right. It doesn't have anything to do with a lack of Champ Bailey either.
The Washington game may be just an issue of Gibbs' max protect schemes getting yardage but not points, but it seems to me that Coyer was content to play soft the entire second half.
The Broncos were successful in the first half by blitzing the ever living hell out of Brady. In the second half it just seemed like all we wanted to do was drop seven back in coverage.
You cannot do that against Tom Brady, he will eat you alive if you give him time to find the open man.
Not only that, but Coyer seems to have some fetish for dropping linemen back into coverage. These firezone blitz schemes never work and are annoying to watch.
Coyer seemingly adjusted over the next three weeks but something about the performance of the defense against Washington and in the second half of yesterday's New England game isn't right. It doesn't have anything to do with a lack of Champ Bailey either.
The Washington game may be just an issue of Gibbs' max protect schemes getting yardage but not points, but it seems to me that Coyer was content to play soft the entire second half.
The Broncos were successful in the first half by blitzing the ever living hell out of Brady. In the second half it just seemed like all we wanted to do was drop seven back in coverage.
You cannot do that against Tom Brady, he will eat you alive if you give him time to find the open man.
Not only that, but Coyer seems to have some fetish for dropping linemen back into coverage. These firezone blitz schemes never work and are annoying to watch.
10/09/2005
10/02/2005
Fast starts are nothing new
I'm very happy with the Broncos being 3-1 at the moment, but let's realize that the season is sixteen games long and this team during Shanahan's non-Elway tenure has has consistently came out of the gates strong only to stall later on in the year.
In 2002 the Broncos started off the year 6-2. They finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
In 2003 the Broncos started off the year 5-1. They finished 10-6 with a swift and embarassing first round exit.
In 2004 the Broncos once again started off the year 5-1. They once again finished 10-6 with a swift and embarassing first round exit.
The real question, and Shanahan's real test is can this team finish the year strong and achieve what it should?
In 2002 the Broncos started off the year 6-2. They finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
In 2003 the Broncos started off the year 5-1. They finished 10-6 with a swift and embarassing first round exit.
In 2004 the Broncos once again started off the year 5-1. They once again finished 10-6 with a swift and embarassing first round exit.
The real question, and Shanahan's real test is can this team finish the year strong and achieve what it should?
Are things changing? Possibly
It's becoming quite clear that the additions from Cleveland were a great decision. Reggie Hayward showed today in the game that he is a force from that defensive end spot. But, being able to have Brown, Warren, Myers, and Ekuban for roughly the same price is most definitely a better situation.
I've already stated I was wrong about Darrent Williams. I also said Foxworth was possibly the best corner we have drafted this year. In all honesty in play from the cornerback position I'd say it's a tossup between the two. But, Karl Paymah is most definitely a joke.
Do Foxworth and Williams make up for the wasted pick spent on Clarett, Paymah's horrid play and the burnouts of Myers and Ernster? We'll see. They most certainly in themselves can't make up for the rash of draft failures in past years. But the NFL is a "what have you done for me know" business and if it leads to success this year then hey, no harm no foul.
I've already stated I was wrong about Darrent Williams. I also said Foxworth was possibly the best corner we have drafted this year. In all honesty in play from the cornerback position I'd say it's a tossup between the two. But, Karl Paymah is most definitely a joke.
Do Foxworth and Williams make up for the wasted pick spent on Clarett, Paymah's horrid play and the burnouts of Myers and Ernster? We'll see. They most certainly in themselves can't make up for the rash of draft failures in past years. But the NFL is a "what have you done for me know" business and if it leads to success this year then hey, no harm no foul.
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