Game Capsule:  Broncos off the Schneid in Final Preseason Game

It’s real simple when you think about it. 

To win football games the offense needs to score points and the defense needs to keep the opponent from scoring.  With the Broncos 0-3 on the preseason, no better time than the present to get back to basics.  The Broncos scored multiple times while the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals did not.  The final score Broncos 19 Cardinals 0. 

In the game rookie quarterback Tom Brandstater made his debut as a starter due to injuries plaguing the other top two quarterbacks on the Broncos roster.  What came out of the game was a good showing by number three and a lot of respectability along the way.  He showed he can be a good game manager while still showing he has a little ways to go yet.

The Broncos ground game was sound and the Broncos overall did something they did not do until this point.  They took care of the ball for the most part giving up only one interception while forcing four Cardinals miscues leading to turnovers.

See, it’s that simple.

 

Broncos Film Study: Broncos Showcase Potential

Rookie Alphonso Smith returned the opening kick from five yards deep out to the twenty five yard line.  The potential he shows to be solid, along with his confidence to bring the ball out from five yards deep shows he will be a player to watch this season.

Starting with the good, facing the bad, and ending with the good of the opening drive.  Tom Brandstater had a good night overall. 

On the opening series, the Broncos found themselves in a tight situation on third and seven, Brandstater connected with Chad Jackson for a 43 yard gain on the pitch and catch.  Correll Buckhalter ran well early in creating more opportunity for the offense while feeding off the previous big play to Jackson.  The Broncos drive bogged down shortly after that and they had to settle for three points from the more reliable Matt Prader.

On the opening drive the Broncos defense seemed to have the Cardinals on the ropes when Kurt Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald for a big gain of 36 yards.  The Cardinals drive bogged down shortly after that.  With the Cardinals not scoring any points on the night, they appeared to be a team just going through the motions.  The Broncos defense however was playing like a team that wanted to win.

Brandon Lloyd is showing just how acrobatic and athletic he is.  The last two weeks he has caught balls thrown behind him near the end zone that eventually set up a touchdown.

Kenny McKinley would certainly be a great addition to the team, he is up against a numbers game and his route running needs improvement.  Hopefully they keep him around, I look for him on the practice squad if he’s not on the regular roster.

 

Areas of Improvement for Tom Brandstater

While Tom has demonstrated good composure and technique in the pocket, there are a few areas he should work on to improve his game. 

Early in the preseason Tom had a number of mental miscues from fumbled snaps to poor footwork coupled with poor handoff exchanges.  Those are unfortunately expectations of things that happen to rookie quarterbacks in the NFL.  Against Chicago, he showed some improvement, last night against Arizona he still had a snafu or two, but he was clearly in control as the leader of the Denver Broncos.

It is important to say on the surface Brandstater has shown great technique, composure, and accuracy overall.  From the placement of the ball, to his down field vision, you can see he has the potential for very good things sometime in the future. 

Compare that with Jay Cutler who is a coach’s worst nightmare when it comes to his technique, where he holds the ball and how he locks onto receivers.  It seems Tom Brandstater could have a very bright future in Denver.

Probably first and foremost due to the timing routes; Brandstater sets up quickly, however not always square to the line of scrimmage.  When quarterbacks aren’t square to the line of scrimmage it tips off the defense because he is showing that he is committed to his next set of actions. 

This is the key indicator that helps defensive backs key on receivers and routes that eventually lead to interceptions.  The common theme on what Tom needs to work on from the game last night is get squared up to the line of scrimmage first while making a read down field. 

Brandstater did show a weakness early on by telegraphing his short passes, by not looking down field first to freeze the defense.  Early on this resulted in two five yard outs that were knocked down by the Arizona cornerback on the opening drive.  One of the batted down balls led to a third and seven and the other prompted the opening drive to stall out.  This made the Broncos settle for three points instead of finishing the opening drive with a touchdown.  

This happened again after Darrel Reid’s interception of Curt Warner.  The Broncos had a second and nine and again the pass was knocked down to the ground as he tried to connect with Brandon Lloyd. 

This type of telegraphing would later result in Brandstater’s lone interception on the night and in the team going to the well once too often.  Again Tom was working to his right and was not squared up to the line of scrimmage.  His body language gave the defense the indicator it needed to jump the route and make the interception.

Another area that should be looked at is his center of gravity, right now it is very high.  That could be due to inexperience and being nervous in some regard.  So he looked a little stiff in the pocket. 

One of his tendencies however that should be worked on is in creating his physical stability in the pocket.  Quarterbacks that have a low center of gravity in the pocket have greater escape-ability and tend to avoid injuries from being sacked.

Currently there isn’t much bend in Tom’s knees while in his stance in the pocket.  He should have a slightly wider base with knees bent while using the whole body to throw the ball.  Because he has such a strong arm, and because he has naturally good vision of the field, these minor tweaks have probably been overlooked but could go a long way to making him a better quarterback.   

He threw a deep ball to Kenny McKinley that was underthrown and incomplete.  On the play he threw the ball slightly off his back foot with a slight twist to his follow through. 

If he had a lower center of gravity it would force him to step up into his throw and lead to better ball placement.  This is the type of ball however that can become an interception against first team defenses. 

Currently because he stands so high in the pocket, on deep balls his body spins after the throw instead of having a firm follow through.  This leads to taking something off the ball, and under throws are the net result many times. 

Additionally, as strong as his arm is he could have greater velocity on deeper balls and in some instances he will need that to be the case.

Finally, on the good side, besides his strong arm, Brandstater is incredibly accurate on his timing passes.  He also has a unique ability to change speeds by having the right touch on the ball for each variety of pass types. 

He has the tools to become something good and special, but he will have to focus on the adjustments to his technique to become a reliable starter.

For Tom Brandstater and the Broncos, the future might be very bright.

 

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