Denver Broncos fans, the chants for Tim Tebow to play need to stop! The Broncos need a whole lot more than Tim Tebow, a learning, growing young quarterback who has struggled with his mechanics to win football games.
The Monday Night Football opener was a glaring display of the gaping holes all over the field that the Broncos need to patch up in order to compete this season.
The first four preseason games for the Broncos were essentially meaningless. Coaches do very little game planning and really only want to see which players can really play and which players aren't good enough to cut it.
Some fans who were excited by the strides made in the preseason and ignored the deficiencies across the board for the Broncos must feel horribly mislead that the Denver Broncos had a real shot of contending this season.
The Broncos have lots of problems all over the field and if fans believe that just substituting in a new quarterback will fix those numerous issues, they are completely ignorant and delusional.
The brunt of the blame from fans will fall square on the shoulders on Kyle Orton.
Orton's performance Monday Night, in rain-soaked conditions, with "fans" shouting for Tim Tebow to replace him, against a top-tier defense, was pedestrian.
Orton was under immense pressure all game long. Defenders were constantly breathing down his neck as the offensive line struggled to create any kind of a pocket for him the entire game. Orton was sacked five times in the game. A few of those sacks Orton may be blamed for holding onto the ball too long.
Orton didn't handle the pressure very well. He appeared erratic and unsure of himself. The offense seemed to be stopping and starting constantly, and all around it wasn't a great performance.
Orton was asked to pass the ball 46 times. He passed for 304 yards scored a touchdown and tossed an interception on a mix up with Brandon Lloyd.
He can also be faulted for giving the Raiders the momentum to go 65 yards in 1:38 and score the winning touchdown. Orton gave up a costly fumble which appears to slip right out of his hands.
The blunder was followed up with big plays by Darrius Heyward-Bey (17-yard reception) and Darren McFadden (47-yard rush) to set up Jason Campbell for an easy one-yard QB sneak for a touchdown.
Orton didn't have his best game tonight.
But he did keep the Broncos in this game.
His impressive (and lucky) 12-play, 80-yard drive gave the Broncos defense the opportunity to make a stop and give the Broncos one last shot to win the game.
After connecting with Lance Ball on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 3:43 left in the game, Orton never saw the field again.
It remains to be seen whether or not the game would have gone differently if Tebow was in there at quarterback or even Brady Quinn.
The truth is that the porous middle of the Broncos defense was the biggest reason the Broncos lost. Brodrick Bunkley and Kevin Vickerson couldn't get it done. Joe Mays at middle linebacker wasn't making the plays to drop Darren McFadden for a loss. McFadden is one of the best running backs in the league and the Broncos couldn't stop him.
What will happen when the Broncos face Chris Johnson in Week 3? Or Cedric Benson in Week 2?
The Raiders didn't beat the Broncos with the pass. Campbell passed for just 105 yards.
Without a run defense it isn't going to matter who is in at quarterback for the Broncos. At least not on this roster. Would Tebow have gotten out there and passed for 400+ yards like Cam Newton did in Week 1.
It is very unlikely. Even if Tebow matched Orton's 304 yards, I doubt that it would have been enough to overcome the Broncos lack of a run defense.
The offensive line for the Broncos is another story entirely.
They looked overmatched and inexperienced. Their youth across the entire line showed.
Orton did his best to stand in there and complete passes with defenders hurrying him every snap. How would Tebow have handled that kind of pressure. He probably would have tucked it and ran the ball on a lot of downs.
While Tebow brings another set of intangibles to the game when he is in, he isn't going to out run defenders in the NFL. He isn't going to take on Richard Seymour and win that battle. He won't bulldoze Rolando McClain. Tebow's fate after taking on some of the Raiders huge defensive players would probably be similar to many of the Broncos top stars in the game—out with injury.
It is very evident that the Broncos' offensive line needs to come together and grow up as a group very quickly or else Quinn or Tebow might have to come in out of necessity if Orton goes down with an injury after one too many sacks.
The Broncos problems right now don't revolve around the quarterback position.
Let's face it the Broncos were 4-12 last season. After a dismal season like that, that would signal that a serious overhaul at positions all over the team must be addressed.
Without making those changes, trades, selecting draft picks, to improve the team at its core on both sides of the ball, the Broncos will be headed back to the bottom of the NFL no matter who plays quarterback.
Showing posts with label Monday Night Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monday Night Football. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
FINAL: Sloppy Broncos Lose Opener To Raiders 23-20 - Mile High Report
FINAL: Sloppy Broncos Lose Opener To Raiders 23-20 - Mile High Report:
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Sloppy. Painful. Ugly. This one really hurts. Broncos have a very long way to go if they want to see one more win than last season. ESPN's Power Rankings had the Broncos near the bottom. This loss will solidify their position at the bottom of the NFL. It was bad!
'via Blog this'
Sloppy. Painful. Ugly. This one really hurts. Broncos have a very long way to go if they want to see one more win than last season. ESPN's Power Rankings had the Broncos near the bottom. This loss will solidify their position at the bottom of the NFL. It was bad!
Monday, September 12, 2011
2003 Monday Night Football Intro Raiders Vs Broncos - YouTube
2003 Monday Night Football Intro Raiders Vs Broncos - YouTube:
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Go Broncos! Crush the Raiders on Monday Night Football!!
'via Blog this'
Go Broncos! Crush the Raiders on Monday Night Football!!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Monday Night Football: Broncos, Fox Need Fast Start vs. Oakland Raiders
The Denver Broncos 2011 season opener will be under the nationally-televised, bright lights of Monday Night Football against the Oakland Raiders. It will be head coach John Fox's debut for the Broncos against the Broncos' No. 1 rival.
Fox will immediately be thrown into the fire at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, when he faces a Raiders team that embarrassed the Broncos last season in a blow-out 59-14 victory, one of the worst losses in Broncos history.
That embarrassment by the Raiders was the last straw for Broncos fans, as the cries for Josh McDaniels' head on a platter turned to angry shouts by an enraged fan base.
Historically, the Broncos have struggled on Monday night.
In 62 games, the Broncos have won 27, lost 34, and they tied the other.
On October 22, 1973, the Broncos played in their first-ever Monday Night Football appearance against, surprisingly enough, the Oakland Raiders. What is even more surprising is that the one game that ended in a tie for the Broncos was indeed this first-ever Monday night appearance.
In recent years, the Broncos struggles on Monday Night have been no different. While millions of viewers tuned in the last three years, the Broncos have received three horrendous whippings, and only mustered two wins in five tries.
On November 22, 2010, the Broncos got pounded by their AFC West divisional rivals, the San Diego Chargers, and lost the game 35-14. Philip Rivers threw for four touchdowns, and their backup running back, Mike Tolbert, torched the Broncos for 111 yards.
The season before that the Broncos were humiliated by the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Again the Broncos were shredded by the passing of "Big Ben" Roethlisberger, who tossed three touchdowns. Rashard Mendenhall also put up 155 yards rushing. Kyle Orton matched Roethlisberger's success with his own ineptitude when he had three interceptions, one returned by backup cornerback Tyrone Carter for a pick-six.
The only glimmer of hope for the Broncos comes just three short years ago when the Broncos opened the regular season on Monday Night Football against the Oakland Raiders.
At that time however, the Broncos looked like a much different team.
Jay Cutler started under center, and the Broncos hadn't yet traded away rising stars Tony Scheffler or Peyton Hillis. The Broncos crushed the Raiders 41-14 in what appeared to be the start of something great in 2008. Instead, it was the start of Mike Shanahan's final season in Denver, which was followed by the departure of each of those young stars.
Last season, the Raiders swept the series against the Broncos, beating them in the second matchup of the season by a final score of 39-23.
In that game, Tim Tebow got his first NFL start at quarterback. His pedestrian 138 passing yards was boosted by his team leading 78 yards rushing. He had the only two touchdowns for the Broncos in that game: one passing and one rushing.
In that game, however, it was the Raiders dominant rushing game that overwhelmed the Broncos.
The Raiders cumulatively ran the ball for 264 yards on 41 attempts. Darren McFadden led the Raiders with 20 carries for 119 yards, averaging six yards per carry.
The Broncos' run defense was a consistent problem last season, something that the new ball coach has been asked to dramatically improve right away. The Raiders will be an immediate test to the progress that Fox has made with the defense.
The Broncos must shut down the run on the first drive.
The Raiders have a new head coach also, Hue Jackson, who will undoubtedly seek to rush the ball early and often against the Broncos.
If the Broncos can stop the explosive run game of the Raiders, they will be forced to beat the Broncos through the air.
Advantage: Broncos.
The Broncos showed off a swarming pass-rush in the preseason. The combination of standout defensive end Elvis Dumervil and rookie linebacker Von Miller has been a thrill to watch. They will be all over Raiders quarterback, Jason Campbell, who will attempt to beat Champ Bailey, a perennial shutdown cornerback for the Broncos, and Andre Goodman, a better-than-average back who consistently gets the job done.
If the Broncos can create pressure and sacks, force Campbell to throw picks, or generate fumbles, the Broncos' defense will create turnovers and get short fields to beat the Raiders.
The kind of momentum that the turnovers will generate will make the Broncos forget their misfortunes of last season's 4-12 record.
This is the start of the John Fox Era in Denver, and Fox needs to right the ship from Week 1, or else it could spell a continued downward spiral for a Broncos organization already at the bottom.
Fox will immediately be thrown into the fire at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, when he faces a Raiders team that embarrassed the Broncos last season in a blow-out 59-14 victory, one of the worst losses in Broncos history.
That embarrassment by the Raiders was the last straw for Broncos fans, as the cries for Josh McDaniels' head on a platter turned to angry shouts by an enraged fan base.
Historically, the Broncos have struggled on Monday night.
In 62 games, the Broncos have won 27, lost 34, and they tied the other.
On October 22, 1973, the Broncos played in their first-ever Monday Night Football appearance against, surprisingly enough, the Oakland Raiders. What is even more surprising is that the one game that ended in a tie for the Broncos was indeed this first-ever Monday night appearance.
In recent years, the Broncos struggles on Monday Night have been no different. While millions of viewers tuned in the last three years, the Broncos have received three horrendous whippings, and only mustered two wins in five tries.
On November 22, 2010, the Broncos got pounded by their AFC West divisional rivals, the San Diego Chargers, and lost the game 35-14. Philip Rivers threw for four touchdowns, and their backup running back, Mike Tolbert, torched the Broncos for 111 yards.
The season before that the Broncos were humiliated by the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Again the Broncos were shredded by the passing of "Big Ben" Roethlisberger, who tossed three touchdowns. Rashard Mendenhall also put up 155 yards rushing. Kyle Orton matched Roethlisberger's success with his own ineptitude when he had three interceptions, one returned by backup cornerback Tyrone Carter for a pick-six.
The only glimmer of hope for the Broncos comes just three short years ago when the Broncos opened the regular season on Monday Night Football against the Oakland Raiders.
At that time however, the Broncos looked like a much different team.
Jay Cutler started under center, and the Broncos hadn't yet traded away rising stars Tony Scheffler or Peyton Hillis. The Broncos crushed the Raiders 41-14 in what appeared to be the start of something great in 2008. Instead, it was the start of Mike Shanahan's final season in Denver, which was followed by the departure of each of those young stars.
Last season, the Raiders swept the series against the Broncos, beating them in the second matchup of the season by a final score of 39-23.
In that game, Tim Tebow got his first NFL start at quarterback. His pedestrian 138 passing yards was boosted by his team leading 78 yards rushing. He had the only two touchdowns for the Broncos in that game: one passing and one rushing.
In that game, however, it was the Raiders dominant rushing game that overwhelmed the Broncos.
The Raiders cumulatively ran the ball for 264 yards on 41 attempts. Darren McFadden led the Raiders with 20 carries for 119 yards, averaging six yards per carry.
The Broncos' run defense was a consistent problem last season, something that the new ball coach has been asked to dramatically improve right away. The Raiders will be an immediate test to the progress that Fox has made with the defense.
The Broncos must shut down the run on the first drive.
The Raiders have a new head coach also, Hue Jackson, who will undoubtedly seek to rush the ball early and often against the Broncos.
If the Broncos can stop the explosive run game of the Raiders, they will be forced to beat the Broncos through the air.
Advantage: Broncos.
The Broncos showed off a swarming pass-rush in the preseason. The combination of standout defensive end Elvis Dumervil and rookie linebacker Von Miller has been a thrill to watch. They will be all over Raiders quarterback, Jason Campbell, who will attempt to beat Champ Bailey, a perennial shutdown cornerback for the Broncos, and Andre Goodman, a better-than-average back who consistently gets the job done.
If the Broncos can create pressure and sacks, force Campbell to throw picks, or generate fumbles, the Broncos' defense will create turnovers and get short fields to beat the Raiders.
The kind of momentum that the turnovers will generate will make the Broncos forget their misfortunes of last season's 4-12 record.
This is the start of the John Fox Era in Denver, and Fox needs to right the ship from Week 1, or else it could spell a continued downward spiral for a Broncos organization already at the bottom.
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