Denver Broncos Season Recap: McDaniels Should Be Working at McDonalds

At first glance, it looked like Josh McDaniels really didn’t need Jay Cutler after the Broncos started the season at 6-0.

However, now we know McDaniels is 100% responsible for the Broncos’ tumble out of the playoff race. The Broncos’ record over the last 10 games was a miserable 2-8.

How could so much change so quickly in the Mile High City?

It’s simple. McDaniels was overconfident in his ability to beat any team at any time. He was quoted saying that his team could always find a way to beat any team.

But then McDaniels’ offense began to show signs of weakness. McDaniels’ weird decision to sit Orton for the start of a big game against San Diego and then insert him into the lineup after Chris Simms spotted the Chargers a 10-0 lead was indicative of the questionable offensive decisions that cost the Broncos a playoff berth.

 

Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan was the real reason for the tremendous start to the season. He took a gutty group of veterans in the secondary and mixed them with a lot of youth and talent in a new 3-4 defense to confuse opposing offenses.

McDaniels got way too much credit too early for their good start and now his reputation in Denver is being questioned, again. Jay Cutler was spot on in his displeasure of McDaniels attempting to trade him. It was obvious McDaniels wanted his way regardless of his decisions’ effect on the team.

Cutler was one of the most coveted young quarterbacks in the league heading into this season. Mike Shanahan had worked with Cutler and the Vandy product was finally beginning to really understand the West Coast offense before Shanahan was canned by owner Pat Bowlen. 

Cutler was a Pro Bowl quarterback during the 2008 season. But McDaniels wanted Matt Cassel on his team because of their working relationship in New England, and he knew that Bill Belichick was going to trade him.

It was a very childish move on McDaniels’ part to attempt to trade a talented quarterback such as Cutler as soon as he was hired as head coach. A new coach should be looking to earn the respect and work with his Pro-Bowl quarterback, not going behind his back and talking with his former organization.

After this past week in which he suspended his best two pass catchers on the team, I officially believe his ego has cost Denver this season.  Other coaches in this league deal with giant locker-room egos and figure out a way to talk things out without a suspension.

In this case, McDaniels suspended Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler because they were not in the same mind set that he was. Marshall was injured and McDaniels pretty much called him soft in an interview with the Denver Post. As a result, Marshall was benched, which was a huge factor in the Broncos season-ending loss to Kansas City.

The Scheffler suspension was reportedly for “attitude reasons”. Tony Scheffler has long been a great threat as a tight end for Denver and was also one of Jay Cutler’s best friends. It is not surprising that he was the other person suspended for the game. He has probably been heated with the coach since the whole Cutler fiasco and it spiraled out of control after the Philadelphia loss. Scheffler has been lost in McDaniels offense and has not had nearly the amount of chances he saw in Shanahan’s schemes.

In the end, it looks like Pat Bowlen got brainwashed by McDaniels in his interview to become coach of the Broncos.

And if you thought the backlash in Denver was bad when they traded away Cutler, wait for the next couple years.

With McDaniels at the helm, these suspensions and locker room scuffles are just going to get worse. This team has collapsed three straight seasons now and that doesn’t look like it’s changing any time soon. Losing to Oakland, San Diego, and Kansas City at home was so embarrassing for Broncos fans and their owner that they really are questioning this coach.

Today, they literally got stomped by a three-win Chiefs team in a must-win, playoff type game. If that isn’t a sign that they should cut this cord immediately than I will never know what is.

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Another Denver Broncos Collapse Would Be Catastrophic

A franchise mired in mediocrity took a giant leap forward when they fired two-time Super Bowl champion and head coach Mike Shanahan after losing a three-game lead with as many games remaining.  Owner Pat Bowlen selected Bill Belichick prodigy Josh McDaniels as his replacement.

He received so much criticism in the offseason prior to even coaching a single NFL game. He attempted to trade an up-and-coming big-time quarterback in Jay Cutler for the New England backup and former quarterback in his Patriot offense, Matt Cassel. 

It didn’t happen, but Jay Cutler was so pissed off that his new coach would think of getting rid of him that he demanded a trade.  He got his wish and ended up with the Chicago Bears for two first-round draft picks and the unwanted Kyle Orton.  Following that move McDaniels received a huge backlash from the Denver media and the fans.

The team that has sold out every game in its existence was on the verge of making a reprehensible decision if it turned out badly.  Following “Cutler-gate,” the Broncos star wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, had some offseason troubles and also demanded a trade before the season began.  He wasn’t as lucky as Cutler.

McDaniels decided to keep the disgruntled wideout and the Broncos began the season as a huge underdog.  McDaniels’ imprint was set in stone and it was relatively quiet in the locker room as the 2009-2010 season began.

The Broncos opened up with probably the most memorable game of opening weekend.  Brandon Stokely caught a miracle deflection and scampered 87 yards to lead the Broncos to their first victory.

They followed it up with a couple of wins against the lowly Browns and Raiders.  Respect was not officially earned from the national media until they defeated the Cowboys, Patriots, and Chargers.  The fanbase was buzzing and they had forgot all about Shanahan and Cutler in Denver. 

Kyle Orton was playing out of his mind and a once terrible defense had made a complete turnaround.  Former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan had transformed the Broncos into a formidable foe for opposing offenses.  Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey led one of the most feared secondaries in the NFL.  No hopes in August had officially turned into promising Super Bowl aspirations as the Broncos headed into November.

The Broncos strolled into Baltimore on top of the world for a tough game against a very good Ravens team.  After losing three straight, the Ravens were in a must-win situation.  The Broncos were only down 16-7 entering the fourth quarter after playing easily as poorly as they had all season.

They were unable to extend their great start, but were forgiven for the loss in Denver because of the desperation shown by the Ravens.  Next on the docket were the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.  The Broncos defense was stout and gave the Broncos a 10-7 lead in the third quarter with a Robert Ayers fumble recovery and return for a touchdown.

The Denver offense did absolutely nothing after their first drive in which Matt Prater capped off with a 40-yard field goal.  Every other drive ended in an interception or punt.  It turned out to be far too much to overcome as Ben Roethlisberger manufactured 21 unanswered points to finish the game.

The Denver defense only allowed 14 legitimate points.  One Orton interception was returned for a touchdown and the other Steeler score came off a turnover at the Denver 25-yard line.  A sad story for another very good performance by the Denver defense.

Skepticism was beginning to set in throughout the Mile High city.  Fans were crossing their fingers that the Broncos would straighten it out against an underachieving Redskins club.  Things started out promising for Denver when the offense clicked from the opening kickoff.  Kyle Orton hit Brandon Marshall for two very long first-half touchdowns and ended up with a total of 193 yard passing through two quarters.

What didn’t appear of any significance at the time was a tweak to the ankle of Kyle Orton just before the end of the first half.  McDaniels was forced to put Chris Simms in the game for the entire second half and he finished 3-of-13 for 13 yards and an interception.  Enough to generate zero second-half points and cost the Broncos a much needed road victory.

Now the Broncos were 6-3 and tied for the division lead with the hated San Diego Chargers.  In addition to the tie, the Broncos had their hated rivals at home next on the schedule.

Chris Simms was given his first start since 2006 and he played like it.  He only played three series before being replaced by the injured Orton.  He finished 2-of-4 for 10 yards and looked lost in the pocket taking a handful of sacks.  Josh McDaniels should have been criticized much more for his decision during the game.

If Orton was good enough to go at the point, he should have started the game.  Instead he spotted the Chargers a 13-0 lead that was insurmountable.  The Chargers walked all over the Broncos at Invesco Field for a 32-3 victory.

Panic had officially set in.  Now 6-4, the Broncos were on the verge of one of the biggest collapses in NFL history.  No team to start 6-0 had ever lost their next five games.  The struggling New York Giants came to town on Thanksgiving evening and the Broncos destroyed them.

In a dominating effort, the Broncos controlled the entire game and allowed only six points. A 26-6 victory was satisfying for the city and kept the Broncos on pace within the division and conference.

An easy victory in Kansas City by 31 points had given the Broncos a two-game cushion in the wild-card race and kept them within one of the Chargers.  The Broncos then traveled to face the undefeated Indianapolis Colts and they had multiple chances to change that mark.

A number of unsuccessful offensive drives in Indianapolis territory lead to a two-game deficit in the AFC West.  An AFC West championship now looked like a lost cause with San Diego playing so well.  The Broncos had an 8-5 record with two very winnable games remaining.

Ahead for the Broncos: a divisional home matchup against a very bad Raiders team as well as a season finale against a team they just throttled by 31 points in the Kansas City Chiefs, with a road game against the streaking Philadelphia Eagles in the middle.

So, with three games remaining the Broncos had everything on the line this past Sunday at home against the Raiders.  Dismal offense and an opportunistic JaMarcus Russell in the final minute of the game caused the Broncos to lose what could have been pretty much a Wild-Card clinching game.

A victory would have given them a 9-5 record and they would have been one win from clinching an AFC playoff spot.  Now they are 8-6 and travel to Philadelphia this week.  The Eagles are still in must-win mode with the Giants on their heels and a chance to catch the Vikings for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

Denver is in chaos over these Broncos.  Who can they expect on the field?  A team that beat the Patriots, Cowboys, and Chargers, or the team that lost to the Raiders and Redskins? 

Josh McDaniels has made many mistakes in his young coaching career and most likely will learn from them.  Many risky on-the-field decisions, just like his mentor Bill Belichick, may have cost the Broncos points on a few chances. He needs to realize this team can’t score at will and they need to put up anything they can.

The Broncos still have a legit chance of making the playoffs and the loss could actually benefit them when it comes to first-round opponents.  If they finish up as the No. 6 seed they will probably travel to Cincinnati.

Can Denver fans take another collapse?  Prosperity early in the season has turned into a lot of holiday season agony for Broncos country.  It will be three straight seasons in which Denver has had a two-game or more lead with less than three weeks remaining and not made the playoffs. 

Maybe it’s just bad luck or maybe it’s the curse of John Elway.  Mike Shanahan was a genius but didn’t have the same luck without ole No. 7.  The Broncos blew a must-win against a terrible 49ers club two years back and, essentially, a playoff game against the Chargers last year; Shanahan lost his job.  Should McDaniels lose his?

Same story, different path of getting there.  Maybe the solution is hiring John Elway.  Denver fans need to start calling for Elway to get back into the game and on the field in Denver.  Maybe that will bring a little December magic.

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Broncos-Colts: Denver Disappoints But Had a Chance To Defeat Indianapolis

On the surface to most NFL fans, it may look like the Indianapolis Colts handily beat the Denver Broncos. However, the scoreboard and statistics are very misleading. I urge you to take a deeper look into the game and see how the Broncos defense handled Peyton Manning.

The first half was somewhat of a train wreck for the Broncos, and it really is the reason they lost the game. A lot of the blame goes to head coach Josh McDaniels for some very ordinary play calls in critical situations.

In the past, under Mike Shanahan**, the Broncos rarely kept it close against Manning and the Colts. His Broncos never beat Manning in a meaningful game. On Sunday, first-year head coach Josh McDaniels had a very tough task in front of him. With a two-game lead in the AFC Wild Card race, the Broncos were on the road in Indianapolis, facing an undefeated Colts team lead by a healthy Peyton Manning.

After struggling mightily after knee surgery in 2008, Manning has returned to very good form in 2009. His passer rating of 101.9 rates him fifth in the NFL. He has thrown 29 touchdowns with a pretty much completely new corps of wide receivers this season. Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie have been brought into the limelight under the wings of the future hall of famer.

Early in the season, Manning was lights out. He threw 20 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. That has changed as the quality of opponent has gotten better as of late. In his last four games, he has thrown only nine touchdowns and doubled his total interception total by throwing seven interceptions.

Even with his lack of success of late, the Colts are still unbeaten. Led by a stout defense and steady running from Joseph Addai, the Colts have managed to escape after being very vulnerable the past few weeks.

The Broncos had every chance to put the pressure on Manning and his teammates. Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey turned Manning over on multiple occasions giving the Broncos a legit chance to get back into the game. After allowing touchdowns on the Colts’ first and second possessions, the Broncos defense forced a “three and out.”

Orton followed it up with a nice completion to Brandon Marshall, which moved the Broncos to their own 30 yard line. A sack of zero yards and a run of four by rookie Knowshon Moreno made it 3rd-and-6 from their own 34.

In his first sketchy call, the Broncos handed it off for only a two-yard gain. They were forced to punt, and Manning led the Colts down for another touchdown making it 21-0. I question the young head coach and his decision to run the ball in the situation because of his experience with New England.

He knows that to beat Manning you need to score points. A very conservative play call in a desperate situation, called for play that is more likely to net more than six yards.

From that point until late in the game, the Broncos pretty much controlled the ball and the Colts. On the next drive, the Broncos got what they desperately needed. Eight completions and 80 yards later, Orton had made it 21-7, hitting Brandon Marshall for a five-yard touchdown catch.

The Colts went “three and out” on their next drive, using only 32 seconds of the clock. Denver started their next drive at their own 46 yard line. With great field position and a chance to cut the lead to one score, McDaniels’ Broncos needed a big play.

With 1:41 on the clock, Moreno ran the ball for one yard on first down. On 2nd-and-9, a good pass to Moreno made it third and less than a yard from the Indianapolis 45-yard line. A run for no gain off of their right tackle, Tyler Polumbus made it a critical fourth down situation.

It was interesting that McDaniels decided to run behind one of his weaker lineman in such a crucial situation. At the start of the season, Pro Bowl-caliber right tackle Ryan Harris was starting. Due to an injury against the Baltimore Colts in which Harris dislocated two of his toes, the Broncos have had to make some changes up front. 

In most situations, you would figure that if the Broncos needed one yard, they would call on the guy up front, their stand out, Ryan Clady. McDaniels much like his mentor Bill Belichick has been willing to go for it in most fourth and short situations.

He decided to go with another run, this time up the middle behind the lightest of the Broncos lineman, Casey Wiegmann. They were absolutely stuffed and turned it over on downs to the Colts with about 40 seconds until halftime.

With only 34 seconds on the clock, Manning was trying to move the Colts into field goal range when he was intercepted by Brian Dawkins at the 50-yard line. A 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Darrell Reid cost the Broncos a realistic chance at a legitimate drive.

The Broncos went into halftime down by 14 points when it realistically should have been less than that.

The Broncos have made very good coaching adjustments in all of their victories at halftime in those games. Their defense has honed in on what the offense had success doing in the first half and they have been able to shut it down when they needed it the most.

The Broncos went “three and out” on their very first possession of the second half and a nice punt by Mitch Berger pinned the Colts inside their own 20.

The Denver defense forced Manning to a couple bad incompletions and they punted the ball right back to the Broncos. After gains equaling 24 yards, the Broncos were in business at midfield. A nine-yard scramble by Orton on second down moved Denver closer and brought up 3rd-and-1 from the Indianapolis 33.

A terrible delay of game penalty by the offensive coaches and quarterback made it 3rd-and-6. Orton was sacked and Denver was forced to punt again.

On the next Colts drive, Manning threw another interception to Brian Dawkins and the Broncos had the ball at the Indianapolis 37-yard line. Moving it down to the Indianapolis 15-yard line after a series of runs and passed made it 3rd-and-1 for the third time in the game. Another penalty backed up the Broncos, making it 3rd-and-6.

Orton’s next pass was badly underthrown and intercepted by the Colts. Squandering multiple opportunities has been the Broncos story in all of their losses this season. They made all of their bad mistakes at crucial moments in their comeback attempt. With first downs on Indianapolis’s side of the field on those two drives, coming away with zero points ensured the negative outcome.

To make things worse, Manning was still throwing the ball erratically and the Broncos got the ball back 50 seconds later. Back to back plays totaling 26 yards moved them deep in Colts territory again. Three plays later, the streaky place kicker, Matt Prater, missed a 42-yard field goal attempt, making it four straight possessions with no points.

Guess what happened on the next Colts drive? The very first play was intercepted by Darcel McBath. He returned the pick to the Indianapolis 24-yard line. By now most fans watching this game can’t believe how bad Manning is playing, not realizing that Denver could easily have tied or taken the lead had their offense put together any semblance of a drive.

Again, the Broncos decided to squander their opportunity. Unlike the last trip, Prater made his 28-yard field goal attempt. The Broncos had cut the lead to 11 with practically the entire fourth quarter in front of them.

Three straight quick incompletions in a matter of only 13 seconds gave the ball right back to the Broncos with a chance to make it a one-score game. A fairly quick, 11-play drive capped off by Brandon Marshall’s NFL record-tying 20th catch for a five-yard touchdown made it 21-16. The two-point conversion, another conservative run up the middle, was no good.

At this point, I’m thinking how could this have happened. All of those second half defensive adjustments have caused Manning this much trouble, no way. He has faced so many looks and tests through the years. After re-watching the majority of the game, a lot of the problems stem from inexperienced receivers. He is relying on kids out their to make on-the-fly adjustments to their routes.

The problem is, Marvin Harrison isn’t out there anymore. He has two reliable guys to throw the ball two, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. He was unable to get the matchups he wanted, and Denver was doing a good job of matching up Dawkins on Clark.

The comeback came up a little short for the Broncos, as Manning made a critical and game-breaking 3rd-and-long throw to Austin Collie on the first set of the next series. From there, the Colts scored, making it 28-16 and that’s how it finished.

I beg all of you NFL critics and story writers to be a little more skeptical of the Colts’ 13-0 record. They remind me a lot of the 13-0 Denver Broncos of 1996. Young and talented on the outside with a veteran presence at quarterback.  That team lost a heartbreaker at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars led by Tom Coughlin. 

If I were predicting a playoff result right now, my guess is the Colts do not win their first home game. I think they are ripe for the playoff upset. Also, give the Denver Broncos a little more credit. As the fifth seed in the AFC right now, Denver should be considered a team to be reckoned with.

With two relatively easy matchups with rivals Kansas City and Oakland remaining on their schedule and a road matchup with the very good Philadelphia Eagles, Denver will most likely be playing the Bengals or Patriots on Wild Card Weekend.

If I were one of those teams and it works out that way, you better have all your guns ready because the Broncos can bring it when they’re on.

Successfully moving the ball down the field through the air, McDaniels again called a very conservative first down run. A coach who has been more than enthusiastic on the sidelines and has brought a new life to Denver Broncos footbal.

He absolutely destroyed them in two straight playoff games in 2003 and 2004. In 2003, Manning through four first half touchdowns and finished with a perfect passer rating.

He led the Colts to a 31-3 halftime lead and they finished it off by winning 41-10. The following season, Denver had to travel to Indianapolis for their first playoff game. In pretty much a repeat performance, Manning threw for 457 yards and four touchdowns. At halftime, the score was 35-3 and the Broncos had no answer for the 2003 and 2004 NFL MVP.

In 2006, Denver got a chance for payback against the Colts. Their hopes were dashed again when Manning came in to town. He threw for 345 yards and three touchdowns, all to wideout, Reggie Wayne. The Broncos kept it close by holding the Colts to only six first half points.

Manning found his groove in the second half. The Colts defeated the Broncos 34-31 and kept their perfect record in tact at the time. 2007 was no different than the previous three chances. In a Week Four battle, the Colts dominated the second half at home and defeated the Broncos 38-20.

Peyton Manning again threw for three touchdowns and added a running touchdown to his unbelievable statistics against the Denver Broncos. Beyond those games you have to go back to 1993 for the last time the Broncos won a meaningful game against the Indianapolis Colts. They did defeat the Colts in week 16 of the ’03-’04 season and week 17 of the ’04-’05 season. Both games meant absolutely nothing to the Colts.

They were going to be the third seed in the AFC no matter what the outcome was in both of those games. It just happen to turn out that they would end up having Denver as their opening round playoff opponent in both seasons.

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Broncos Success Hinges On The Two Ryan’s

Ryan Harris and Ryan Clady both began starting for the Denver Broncos under Mike Shanahan last season.  Without much national attention, the duo was the best in the NFL when it comes to allowing the least amount of sacks. The combo gave up a combined three sacks during the entire 16 game regular season (0.5 Clady, 2.5 Harris).

With new head coach Josh McDaniels taking over in the tumultuous offseason, their previous success was far overlooked coming into this season. After a 6-0 start, Ryan Harris was injured in the Broncos loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He dislocated two toes in his right foot and has been sidelined ever since. He will return this week when the Broncos travel to Kansas City for an important divisional battle.

2009 has been a confirmation of success for the highly sought after offensive tackle from Boise State, Ryan Clady. The 12th draft pick for the Broncos in 2008, Clady has lived up to all the expectations. He has allowed only 2.5 sacks through 11 complete games this season. He has a much less mobile quarterback in Kyle Orton under center this season, and has continued to dominate Orton’s blindside.

Ryan Harris, a much less known commodity from Notre Dame was drafted as the sixth pick in the third round in the 2007 NFL Draft. He did not start a game in his rookie season, but the word was out that he was thought of highly within the Broncos organization and he is proving it in year three.

In seven starts this season, Harris has allowed only one sack. A top recruit out of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in Saint Paul, Minnesota, he could have been a much higher selection in the NFL Draft had the Fighting Irish had more success in his four years there.

Now proven commodities in the NFL, the Denver Broncos have solidified the bookends on the very important offensive line of McDaniels’ offense. The value of two great tackles is one of the most overlooked aspects in offensive passing games. It is going to a crucial part of the the Broncos long term success and for their aspirations to play in the Super Bowl this season. 

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