Well thank God the regular season is here so that we can now move on from the quarterback controversy in Denver... oh, wait...
In case you missed it, the Denver Broncos opened their season last night at the newly-christened Sports Authority Field at Mile High against the dreaded Oakland Raiders in what turned out be a less-than-stellar game. The Raiders prevailed 23-20 in a game marred by penalties and sloppy play.
The teams combined for 25 penalties for a whopping 222 yards. Many Denver drives were sustained by Oakland penalties, thus keeping the Raiders from blowing this game open.
While much of the Denver fan backlash has been against quarterback Kyle Orton, the real story of this game was the teams' respective ground games. Mainly, Oakland ran all over the Denver defense, racking up 190 yards rushing on 39 attempts, including a 22-carry, 150 yard day for running back Darren McFadden. Denver, on the other hand, only managed 38 yards rushing on 13 attempts, forcing Kyle Orton to continuously throw the football during a rainstorm. Not a recipe for success.
Going into this season, the Broncos' two biggest areas of concern were their run defense and running game. They hired a defensive-minded head coach in John Fox whose Carolina teams were known for their powerful running game. Fox promised to fix those deficiencies, but that is obviously still a work-in-progress.
The outrage from Bronco fans has been laughable. Yes, it was a frustrating game to watch, especially with the home team putting up an uninspired performance on opening night on national television against their archrivals. However, what did they expect? This is a team coming off a 4-12 season that has pretty much been universally picked to finish last in the division. The Broncos had myriad issues that are not going to be solved overnight. There is a severe talent deficiency on this team, and it's going to take several draft classes to address that. Anybody expecting the Broncos to come out looking like the Patriots is delusional.
Much venom has been directed towards Kyle Orton and Knowshon Moreno. Yes, Orton didn't have a great game last night. He forced some passes, missed a sure touchdown pass, and had a critical fumble in the red zone (he literally just dropped the ball) that cost the Broncos a chance to take the lead. However, he didn't receive much help. There were several dropped passes, and the running game was abysmal. He was also sacked five times.
Moreno has often been injured during his Broncos tenure and has people proclaiming him a bust. He has yet to have a run longer than 20 yards and hasn't had a 1,000 yard season. Last night, he was only able to muster 22 yards rushing on 8 carries, good for a 2.8 yards-per-carry average. However, he caught two passes for 35 yards and made two Raiders defenders look silly with a well-timed press of the juke button on a 24-yard reception. The offensive line deserves the blame for the poor performance of the running game. There simply weren't any holes for the Broncos' running backs. Willis McGahee had 3 yards on 4 carries. There were always multiple Raider defenders around the ballcarrier. Fact is, there just wasn't anything the running backs could have done.
Many in the crowd were calling for backup quarterback Tim Tebow. Would he have made a difference and led the Broncos to victory? Possibly. His mobility is an asset, and he is at his best when plays break down. It is conceivable that he could have made a difference. After all, the Broncos only lost by a field goal. However, it is also conceivable that he throws a few interceptions and the Broncos lose by an even bigger margin. There is just no way to know.
There is a silver lining to be found here, though. The Broncos are improved. The last time the Raiders came to town, they won a 59-14 debacle that was the worst home loss in Denver history. For all the Broncos' faults and mistakes, they still only lost by a 63-yard, record-tying field goal. Broncos kicker Matt Prater missed a field goal, too. Despite being one-dimensional and allowing the Raiders to run at will, the Broncos were still in the game late. They have a lot of work to do and a long road back to greatness, but progress is being made. One game does not make a season.
There were bright spots, too. Rookie linebacker Von Miller forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow rookie Rahim Moore. Second-year wide receiver Eric Decker caught 3 passes for 53 yards and also got Denver back into the game with a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown. Punter Britton Colquitt had a beautiul punt to pin Oakland inside its 5-yard line.
Next week, the Broncos face Cincinnati, a team coming off a down year itself. The Bengals are coming off a win, but rookie quarterback Andy Dalton suffered an injury in that game. He is hoping to play against the Broncos. The Bengals also have a talented running back in Cedric Benson, so it could be another long day if Denver doesn't make some progress in shoring up its run defense.
In today's world of instant gratification, it is easy to lost patience and expect immediate results. Unfortunately, things don't always work that way. It's going to take time for John Fox to turn things around.
You know - Tebow might not be a bad idea, especially if he's at his best when plays break down. They seem to break down a lot these days. :P
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to see improvement (even slight) after last year's 59-14 mess. The running game needs to improve. Period. End of story. It's pretty easy to stop us when everyone knows what we are going to do.
Haha very true. The line definitely needs some work. His mobility would help in that regard, although he's not the thrower that Orton is. I just don't think this team would be markedly better with Tebow at quarterback. Its issue run way deeper than that.
ReplyDeleteExactly. It's easy to stop a team when you make it one-dimensional. That's part of the reason why Orton played poorly. When he has to drop back and throw nearly 50 times in the pouring rain, that's not a recipe for success.