Josh McDaniels Needs To Learn What Accountability REALLY Means

Apparently it is possible to see a mirage in the Rockies.

Earlier this season after the Broncos started 3-0, I wrote that the Broncos and their fans were buying into what Josh McDaniels was doing with the team and, to steal a line from McDonald’s, I said they were “lovin’ it.”

Well, 13 games later, I think it is safe to say both the team and its fans are “hatin’ it.”  Even yours truly admits he was dead wrong. In a season of low expectations, the Broncos took advantage of no one taking them seriously and surged to a 6-0 start. 

Then the wheels came off and the Broncos finished a putrid 2-8 and becoming only the third team since the AFL-NFL merger to miss the postseason after starting the season 6-0. This collapse is worse than the three-game losing streak the Broncos had to end the 2008 campaign, due to that they played poorly for ten games versus three.

Mike Shanahan got fired for that three-game collapse last season, so logic dictates McDaniels should suffer the same fate. Will it happen?  Probably not this year. That said, Bowlen has even more just cause to fire McDaniels than he had to fire Shanahan.

First, as can be seen in the 44-24 thumping they took at home to the 3-12 Chiefs, McDaniels has lost control of this team. Just when fans thought it couldn’t get any worse than being beaten by JaMarcus Russell at the last second, it does. 

For example, McDaniels had the gall to make a more boneheaded move than Shanahan ever did by benching two of his best three pass catchers for “attitude problems,” for a game that had playoff implications. Anyone who saw today’s game would have been able to see that Marshall’s height and Scheffler’s hands would have helped the Broncos.

Marshall’s case is sketchy at best, but as a former problem child who had been on his best behavior all season it makes McDaniels’ move that much more puzzling.

On top of that, McDaniels has proven himself to be such a big liar that it would make Bill Belichick cringe. Case in point, McDaniels said today that Marshall’s benching had nothing to do with the Pro Bowl receiver missing a treat session for his purported injured hamstring. However, earlier in the week the head coach told Ed Werder of ESPN that missing a session was a primary reason for Marshall’s benching.

Which one is it coach? I understand that coaches mislead members of the media a lot with statements that aren’t necessarily true yet not entirely false, but this was an out and out lie that wouldn’t have been such a big deal had McDaniels told it one way or the other.

Such an outright lack of integrity even has me questioning how much of what McDaniels said about the falling out with Jay Cutler is true, but as they say “there is no use in crying over spilled milk.” We likely will never know what really happened there, but recent events should cause some Broncos fans to re-examine who the real villain in that situation really was.

Owner Pat Bowlen is learning what Cleveland (times two with Romeo Crennel and Eric Mangini) and Notre Dame have come to terms with recently: the “Patriot way” of running an NFL works nowhere outside of Foxboro and even there, Belichick’s methods are starting to show signs of strain. Fudging on injury reports is no longer tolerated and Belichick’s monotone press conferences are beginning to become the laughingstock of the NFL. 

Players and fans alike want to see their teams run with integrity and class, a way in which the Broncos were run just one year ago. Taking out shortcomings on defense and struggles to finish off seasons, no one can say that the Shanahan regime wasn’t classy.  Shanahan’s final press conference is an example of that. He didn’t get it done and openly admitted it.

What does McDaniels do? He throws two of his best offensive players under the bus. If you have an issue with some players’ attitudes, that’s fine. McDaniels said the word of the week was accountability, and he held Marshall and Scheffler accountable. 

Now, following another embarrassing defeat, does the coach hold himself accountable? McDaniels said after the game, “Obviously, something is wrong and it needs to be fixed.”  Look in the mirror, coach.  McDaniels went on a power trip this past week and now he needs to learn the true meaning of the word “accountability.”

Mr. Bowlen, for the sake of your franchise, please fire this man. You don’t have to (and shouldn’t) bring back Shanahan, but please hire a proven winner.

Bill Cowher would be a good start.

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Last Straw? Brandon Marshall Benched With Playoffs On The Line

As the second decade of the 21st century begins, the Denver Broncos have done a complete 360 degree turn and are right back where they started this past summer.

As training camp commenced last summer, Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall was demanding a trade and head coach Josh McDaniels was forced to suspend Marshall for the most of the preseason due to his antics during practices.

His idiocy started when Marshall “tweaked his hamstring” in a practice. He was then caught on tape punting balls away instead of just handing them off to ball boys like more mature players do.

Now it’s the first day of 2010 and here we go again.  The Broncos playoff hopes are on life support and Marshall once again has been benched by McDaniels.  It was reported earlier in the week that Marshall “tweaked his hamstring” during practice, but it seemed that he would good to go for the season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Instead McDaniels benched his Pro Bowl receiver and made it publicly known that some players playing Sunday have injuries that are worse than Marshall’s. In the situation earlier in the year, most fans stood on McDaniels’ side in how he handled Marshall’s childish behavior.

To quote the great Vince Lombardi, Broncos fans have to be asking “What the hell is going on out there?”

McDaniels and Marshall have once again engaged in a “he said, she said” public debate.  Marshall claims that since McDaniels never played in the NFL, he has no idea what it’s like to play hurt.  The player is watching out for his own health.  Marshall has been on his best behavior all year and should be given the benefit of the doubt here.

McDaniels, meanwhile, has said that this is all about accountability and that the team wants “45 guys on the field on Sun that want to play together,” and that “…anyone that showed indifference to that, we’ll play without them and play well anyway.”

Way to throw some of your players under the bus, coach.  It’s the most arrogant Belichickian statement McDaniels has made all season. In fact, benching his number one receiver for this season finale in which the Broncos still have a chance of making the playoffs is the dumbest move McDaniels has made all year. Herm Edwards needs to remind McDaniels that “YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!”

Now before anyone piles on McDaniels, there is a possibility there is more to this story that the media and fans do not know. McDaniels never shows his hand on these things and we saw a great example of this during the Jay Cutler fiasco last spring. 

It’s possible Marshall did something as stupid as what he did last summer and we just don’t know it. That said, in this age of YouTube, if something did happen we’ll know sooner rather than later.

Until then, Marshall is innocent until proven guilty.  McDaniels needs to produce some better evidence and fast or fans will be calling for his head. What started with whispers after the latest Broncos collapse will turn into screaming is McDaniels made this move without just cause.

Happy New Year Broncos fans.  It looks like 2010 will be a sequel to the soap opera that was 2009.

Oh, joy.

 

 

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Yakety Sax: Denver Broncos’ 2009 Slapstick Comedy

There’s a saying that is very popular on the World Wide Web: “Yakety Sax makes everything funny, no matter how tragic.”

For those of you who don’t know, “Yakety Sax” is the theme song to the old television comedy The Benny Hill Show.  Look it up on YouTube, listen to it, and try not to laugh.  I bet you can’t do it.

Anyway, after the Broncos lost yet another heartbreaker—this time to the Philadelphia Eagles 30-27—I pulled up Yakety Sax on my iPod while watching some highlights of the Broncos in 2009.  It fit perfectly. I couldn’t help but laugh, and laugh hard.

Think about it.  The year started off with the Broncos hiring a wonderkid from New England as head coach after firing two-time Super Bowl champion coach, Mike Shanahan.  It was the first in long line of “Yakety Sax” moments that Broncos fans had this year.

Soon after came an even stranger moment.  After getting wind that Josh McDaniels was going to trade him for Matt Cassel, then-franchise quarterback Jay Cutler demanded a one-way ticket out of town.  Here was a young, talented quarterback coming off a Pro Bowl year, and suddenly he wanted out of town.  Cutler and McDaniels continued a sort of public back-and-forth, and when Cutler decided to blow off owner Pat Bowlen, the team had had enough. Cue “Yakety Sax.”

Cutler was sent to Chicago for Kyle Orton and two first-round draft picks.  Kyle Orton was supposed to lead the Broncos to the Promised Land? Kyle “Game Manager” Orton? Once again, “Yakety Sax.” 

The team then went through the motions of training camp and the preseason.  The Broncos finished the preseason 1-3, including a loss to Cutler’s Bears at Invesco Field.  More importantly, star wideout Brandon Marshall was suspended for most of the preseason after being caught on camera acting like a child during practice.  Give me some of that sweet “Yakety Sax.”

Finally the beginning of the 2009 season arrived, and it could not have started any stranger for the Broncos.  The Broncos had fought the Bengals to a 6-0 lead when the Bengals scored late in the fourth quarter, putting them up 7-6.  With under 20 seconds to go, Kyle Orton had a pass tipped up in the air, and it looked like Cincinnati had won…until Brandon Stokley grabbed the pass out of the air and took it to the house.  If that isn’t “Yakety Sax,” I don’t know what is.

After that improbable victory, the Broncos started to roll and were 6-0 going into their bye week.  Josh McDaniels was being hailed a genius, and everyone was heaping praise upon Kyle Orton, now that he finally had talent to throw to.  Denver was 6-0, San Diego was 2-3, and it looked like Denver would have a cakewalk to the AFC West title.

Then “Yakety Sax” struck again, in a not-so-good way.

Denver got blown out by Baltimore and Pittsburgh. They lost an inexcusable game to Washington (HUGE case of “Yakety Sax”) and got blown out again by San Diego. Suddenly, the Broncos were 6-4, and the Chargers were 7-3.  The Broncos offense couldn’t score, and the defense that was highly vaunted earlier in the season couldn’t even stop the likes of Jason Campbell. 

Denver got back on track with a win at home over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving, and then by beating the lowly Chiefs a week later.  It looked like the ship was righted, and Denver was looking good for at least a wild card spot.

Then, just like a bad headache that won’t go away, “Yakety Sax” started playing again.  Denver lost in a valiant effort to the Colts (a more muted version of “Yakety Sax”), but then lost on a last-minute drive to JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders at home (that would be the MEGA mix of “Yakety Sax).

That said, the Broncos would still control their own playoff destiny, as long as they beat the Eagles in Philadelphia this past Sunday.  Again, the Broncos put up a good fight, scoring 17 unanswered points, but it wasn’t enough as Philadelphia won on a field goal with under 10 seconds remaining.

It was that “Yakety Sax” again, except this time it had a funeral march melody to it.

The Broncos are still in the hunt for the postseason, but they need to beat Kansas City this week, plus rely on other teams to fail in order to make it. They are no longer in control of their own fate—not a good thing, heading into the final week of the regular season.

It has been a “Yakety Sax” kind of season, which means anything could happen no matter how wacky or comical.

So Broncos fans, when it’s all said and done, look back at this season and laugh.  It might be a pained laugh, like when your car won’t start right after you got done slipping in the shower and before that your burnt your breakfast.

So pull up some highlights of the year and crank some of that “Yakety Sax.”  Laughter is the best medicine (or so they say), and Broncos fans could use a heavy dose right about now.

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On the Naughty List: Denver Broncos Collapsing Again, But…

It’s a scene that would drive any kid absolutely nuts. 

You are on your best behavior all year and yet when Christmas rolls around, there’s a big ol’ lump of coal sitting under the tree. Again.  You tried your absolute best to be a good boy or girl, yet in the end it’s the same results as previous years.

This feeling is shared by Broncos fans all over the world as the 2009 NFL regular season enters its penultimate week.  We tried our best.  We stood by our team during one of the most turbulent offseasons any franchise has endured in recent memory and it’s basically “second verse, same as the first” except this time with a different melody.

Everything is different about this Broncos team this year.  A new general manager, head coach, starting quarterback and defensive scheme. The team was expected to struggle and compete for a top ten draft pick.

The results? The team has been more competitive than expected, but lately this version of the Broncos seems eerily familiar to last year’s, except they lost the division title much earlier.  This season the Broncos stood at 8-4 and seemingly had a stranglehold on one of the two AFC wild card spots.  Life seemed great despite the Broncos struggling after a scintillating 6-0 start.

Then it started happening. Again.

The Broncos have now lost two in row, one to the undefeated Colts in which it looked like the Broncos might just pull off the upset and the other to the pathetic Oakland Raiders led by JaMarcus Russell in a last minute comeback.  I still can’t believe I just typed that last sentence. That one will hurt for a long time.

The Broncos now have quite a battle on their hands for the AFC’s final wild card spot.  It’s possible to clinch this week, but first they have a very tall order beating the Eagles in Philadelphia and then they need the Steelers, Dolphins, Jets, and Jaguars all to lose.  It’s possible as the aforementioned teams all face playoff caliber teams this week. Then again, the Broncos probably face the toughest test of all in playing the red hot Eagles. 

The point is the Broncos have no business being in this position.  Had they won the easily winnable games against the Redskins and Raiders, they’d likely have a playoff position wrapped up and could rest their key players to make a run in the postseason.  Once again with the Broncos, they have a severe case of “woulda, coulda, shoulda.”

To a Broncos fan, it’s like being stuck in the Twilight Zone.  One year ago, the team had a three game lead over the Chargers with three to go and all they needed to do was win ONE of their final three games, including one at home to the Raiders, and the AFC West would be theirs.  Again, “second verse, same as the first.”

If the team misses the postseason this year, it is highly doubtful Josh McDaniels loses his job unlike what happened to Mike Shanahan last year.  This is McDaniels’ first year trying the change the culture of an entire organization that had gotten stuck in neutral the past few years.  Overnight miracles were not expected.

Indeed, McDaniels has given Broncos fans much hope this year despite recent struggles.  Given the amount of roster turnover this season, the fact that the Broncos are currently even competing to make the postseason shows promise. 

The Broncos weren’t expected to win much more than five games and the Broncos had that matched by week five.  I’ve even told people that if the Broncos finish 8-8 I’d be content considering how bad things looked this summer.

Would it be disappointing to miss the playoffs this year after such a great start to the season? Absolutely. As Herm Edwards so eloquently put it,  “You play to win the game! You don’t play it to just play it.” It would be a darn shame to see the team miss the postseason after the season started with such promise.

Now, I have been as pessimistic in this column as I have been all year, but I still hold out hope for the future. Think about it. If McDaniels was this good this year, his first as an NFL head coach, think of how good he will be the next few seasons as he learns from his mistakes and continues to get personnel in place that fit his system. 

This team will be better next season.  I have no doubt about that.  What seemed like a multi-year rebuilding project is now just a matter of putting the pieces together.  The Broncos are much further ahead than anyone thought they would be at this point, playoffs or not.

Who knows? Maybe instead of coal yet again next year, Broncos fans will get the best kind of Christmas present, one that doesn’t arrive until February: the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Besides, you think coal is bad this year?  Think of what Jay Cutler has under his tree this year.  Use your imagination on that one.

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The Bird Is The Word: Ten People Bronco Fans Should Flip Off

It was one of the most bizarre scenes of this and perhaps any other NFL season.

In the waning moments of the Tennessee Titans‘ 41-17 romp over the Buffalo Bills, there was Titans owner Bud Adams giving Bills’ fans a two-middle finger salute that just happened to be caught by a fan’s iPhone camera.  The impromptu celebration led the league to fine Adams $250,000, pocket change to the man for sure.

This is where the joy of being a fan comes in.  Fans can go to the game and show whomever they want on the field the bird and not face a fine like that. Now, showing the finger to fellow fan may earn them a black eye, but let’s keep our attention on the people on the field.

In the Denver Broncos‘ 50 year history, there have been plenty of villains worthy of a one fingered Mile High Salute. Here is a list of just 10:

1. Jay Cutler 

Let’s start with the incredibly obvious one.  Now, the reason behind giving Cutler the finger is not that his selfish behavior and immediate trade doomed the franchise to years of misery, in fact, it’s had the opposite effect as evidenced by the Broncos‘ surprising run this season.

Cutler’s main offense is that he basically desecrated the team Broncos fans hold so near and dear to their heart.  Note to any future Broncos quarterback: never EVER say you have a stronger arm than John Elway before you have even led the Broncos to a winning season, let alone a playoff berth; Cutler did it.

His second offense is that in the immediate weeks preceding his trade to Chicago, Cutler blew off not only Josh McDaniels, but Pat Bowlen;big no no.  Never ever blow off the owner, especially one as well respected as Mr. Bowlen.

2. Bill Romanowski 

This one hurts more than Cutler to me because “Romo” was the heart and soul of the Broncos defense that won Super Bowls XXXII and XXIII.  The thing is, I’m not talking about Romanowski hacking a loogie in the face of JJ Stokes during a game against the 49ers in the regular season. Romanowski did something potentially even worse;he signed with the Oakland Raiders.

As if that act of treason wasn’t bad enough, in his post football career, he has now become the Silver and Black’s biggest cheerleader.  As evidence, take a look at his Twitter feed.

For shame, sir.  For shame.

3. Wade Phillips 

The head coach who never should have been hired.

After the Broncos had a fallout with Dan Reeves following the 1992 season, Bowlen opted to hire Phillips.  The move made sense as Phillips was Reeves’ friend and protege, but secretly it seemed everyone knew that franchise quarterback John Elway wanted Mike Shanahan.

A 9-7 season in 1993 followed by a 7-9 season in 1994 led to Phillips’ firing and hiring of Shanahan.  Some believe Elway would have gotten his first ring sooner had Shanahan been hired right away in 1993,we’ll never know.

4. Willie Clark

OK, we’ve had some fun, but it’s time to be serious.  For those of you who don’t know who Willie Clark is he is the man who is accused of (and has confessed to) the murder of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams on New Year’s Eve 2006.

Williams was leaving a party with teammate Javon Walker when their limousine came under fire with Williams reportedly dying in Walker’s lap.

Williams had just concluded a promising 2006 season in which he recorded 86 tackles and four interceptions.  It seemed like he was a rising star for the Broncos.

It was a sad and senseless death and Broncos fans have Clark’s stupidity to thank for that.

5. Jake Plummer

I realize Plummer still has some backers amongst Broncos fans even today and he did lead the Broncos to their lone playoff victory since the retirement of Elway.

That said, Plummer made an incredibly stupid decision after a game in 2006 when Plummer decided to tell Broncos fans they were number one, but in a not-so-nice way.

Fans were already on the fence with Plummer and this little incident no doubt made the calls to start the then-rookie Cutler even louder. Plummer’s penchant for making mistakes coupled with this little doozie are what put the Jay Cutler era on track for the Broncos.

Oh, the irony.

6. Any Oakland Raiders fan

It’s a rivalry, both teams hate each other, as do their respective fans.  Shanahan’s feud with Raiders owner Al Davis only added fuel to what was a fire already burning out of control.

Couple this with the Broncos and Raiders slugging it out for playoff berths in the early part of this decade, and you have a recipe for a rivalry filled with blood curdling hate.

7. Analysts and the sports media in general

Doomed. Screwed. Destined for a top 10 pick in the 2010 draft.

Those were all words and phrases used to describe how the Broncos would fare doing the 2009 season.  While the season isn’t quite over and the Broncos are currently in the midst of a three game losing streak, it’s pretty safe to say the media disrespected not only Bowlen and McDaniels, but Broncos fans as well.

They thought the fanbase would be split after the divisive debate following the trade of Cutler; nope, didn’t happen.  Broncos fans proved it was team first and individual player second,  just like the team itself believes.

8.  The Jacksonville Jaguars

OK, it’s not a person, but rather a collective sum of people.

No Broncos fan will ever forget the excitement of the 1996 regular season, only to be followed by the heartbreak of the 30-27 defeat to the Jaguars at home in the divisional round.

This was supposed to be the season the Broncos put everything together and finally won the Super Bowl, instead, it was only another early round fizzle.

Yes, the Broncos got revenge in the wild card round of the playoffs the following season, but still many fans believe that the Jaguars robbed the Broncos of the chance to be the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles.

9. Kent Graham

It looked like the 1998 Denver Broncos would finally do it.

After starting the season 13-0, the Broncos faced what should have been an easy win against the Giants in week 15.  The Broncos just came off an emotional win at home over Kansas City that set the stage for the Broncos to complete the first perfect regular season since the Miami Dolphins did it in 1972, but not if Kent Graham had anything to say about it.

Graham replaced the struggling Danny Kanell earlier in the season because the Giants needed this game to keep their playoff hopes alive.  A desperation heave by Kanell to Amani Toomer sealed a win and ended the Broncos dream of an 19-0 season.

10. Al Davis

Heck, even Raiders and Broncos fans can agree to something together.  Find a big enough idiot and everyone can rally against him.

Conclusion 

There you go Broncos fans, now tell them they’re number one.

 

 

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Veteran’s Day: Broncos Need Experienced Help As Orton Heals

I will finally admit it.  The Denver Broncos need to sign another quarterback. Now.

I say that not for the reasons many Broncos fans have been crowing about since Week One.  I don’t think Kyle Orton is a bad quarterback.  Orton is not holding back the Broncos offense.

He is not the problem. Every single Bronco fan should now realize this.

Orton, actually, is the solution.  With him out of the lineup during the second half of today’s game against the Redskins, the Broncos offense was putrid.  A lot of Broncos fans got their wish when backup quarterback Chris Simms finally got his chance to lead the Broncos’ attack.

It’s a wish they surely want back.  With Orton out with an ankle injury, Simms played poorly.  Three of 13 for 13 yards and an interception.  His quarterback rating: 7.5.  That’s barely lower than the IQ of the owner of the opposition.  (I kid, I kid…..or do I?)

People who have continued to doubt Orton’s value to the Broncos offense have officially run out of excuses.  The scoreboard doesn’t lie.  At the half, Denver led 17-14. The Broncos were then shut out in the second half and were outscored by a pathetic Redskins offense 13-0, leading to a final score of 27-17 in favor of the ‘Skins.

Now, this doesn’t put 100 percent of the blame on Simms.  The fact that the Redskins converted a fake field goal AFTER a timeout is beyond me. There is no excuse for that to happen and I am sure Josh McDaniels will let special teams coach Mike Priefer know that this week.

If Orton can’t go this week, McDaniels and GM Brian Xanders need to give strong consideration to bringing in a veteran.  Jeff Garcia immediately comes to mind.  I think Simms still has potential but you don’t throw someone under center that hasn’t played a meaningful football game in years when you are in the middle of a battle for the division.  With the Chargers coming in this week, you need to put your best foot forward and right now Simms is understandably rusty.

I understand Garcia would be rusty as well and would have to learn a new offense, but this is where experience serves him best.  He is a smart quarterback and could pick up the Broncos offense in a heartbeat.  Same goes for any veteran the Broncos would bring in.  McDaniels offense has been described by the coach himself as very “quarterback friendly” and learning it should not be much trouble for a seasoned veteran.

Now, Orton could be cleared to play this week and this could all be moot.  That said, Orton likely will not be 100 percent.  I think the Broncos would be better off with a more seasoned backup than Simms.  Simms had a chance to prove his worth today and he didn’t do it.  Some of that could be chalked up to rust, but he looked lost out there.

If the Broncos lived up to preseason expectations and were below .500, I would be all for letting Simms play, develop and get his legs back under him after missing so much playing time.  He, in theory, would then be ready to challenge Orton for the starting spot in 2010.

Fortunately, the Broncos are in a much better position than predicted.  Nine games into the season, they are tied for first with the Chargers at 6-3.  While the Broncos’ recent skid allowed the Chargers to close the gap from two games back to a tie, the Broncos are still in better shape than most had thought they would be.

If the Broncos want to get back on the winning track and keep this magical season from completely falling apart, they need to bring in a veteran quarterback.  If Simms truly has bought into the culture McDaniels has brought to Denver, he will understand that it is best for the team that a more experienced signal caller be brought in until Orton is ready again.

Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for Orton, otherwise Denver better be ready for “plan B,” and that “B” does NOT stand for Brandstater.

 

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Will The Force Be With Them? Broncos Can’t Overlook Redskins

If Admiral Ackbar of “Star Wars” fame were a football fan, he would be screaming his trademark line to the Denver Broncos right now.

“IT’S A TRAP!”

The Broncos are currently in a sort of tailspin following two straight blowouts at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.  If there ever was such a thing as a perfect opponent to bounce back against, it’s the Washington Redskins whom the Broncos face Sunday.

That’s the exact reason why the Broncos should not look past the Redskins this week.  It seems all too easy, like Darth Vader thought fighting Luke Skywalker in “The Empire Strikes Back.” This is the perfect week for a major letdown to happen for the Broncos, and it very well could.  Who at this time last week thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would not only beat the Green Bay Packers, but beat them by more than a touchdown?

Many Broncos fans are feeling confident heading into this weekend’s matchup, but others have a such a bad feeling about this game, it would make Han Solo proud. 

The Broncos offense has been stagnant the past two games and if there was ever a time for Josh McDaniels to take the leash off of Kyle Orton and see what he really can do, now would be the opportune time. Orton is notorious for being a dink and dunk passer and while that served him well the first six games of 2009, it must be dawning on Orton and McDaniels that the deep passing game has to open up for the Broncos to continue to win.

Washington’s defense, for all the team’s other flaws, is fairly stout.  Orton and company will be challenged this weekend so it’s important that the offense establish an early rhythm as well.  The offense needs to do its part early so that the Broncos defense can do their thing while protecting a lead instead of trying to come from behind. Orton needs to avoid sacks and not commit the critical turnover.

As far as the defense goes, they need to regain the form they had against the Steelers in the first half.  Ben Roethlisberger was under siege in the first half and the Broncos need to do the same to Jason Campbell on Sunday. Now, the Steeler offense Washington is not, and it’s easy to overlook Washington’s incompetency. 

That said, the Broncos still need to make plays because what happens if this is the one game in his entire career that Campbell is actually on target? The Broncos need to make the plays on defense instead of waiting for play to come to them.  I’m sure Mike Nolan has preached that all week.Any quarterback can get hot at any given time so the Broncos still need to be on their toes.

The Bottom Line

Denver has no excuses not to win this game.  They are better than the Redskins in every area.  As long as the Broncos offense gets moving early and doesn’t make the critical turnover and let the defense do the rest, the Broncos should be 7-2 heading into next week.

If Washington comes out on fire and the Broncos offense sputters early and often, then the Broncos could be in trouble.  A third consecutive loss would likely tie the team with the Chargers in the AFC West heading into next week’s face-off in Denver. The Chargers would have momentum clearly on their side and some will even begin wondering if Denver is really the team everyone thought they were before the season began.

The Broncos need this game.  It’s not a matter of trying. All they need to go out there and do what they did the first six games of the season.

After all as the wise Jedi Master Yoda said: “Do, or do not. There is no try.”

All of Broncos Country is hoping the team has those words at heart this Sunday.

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Will The Force Be With Them? Broncos Can’t Overlook Redskins

If Admiral Ackbar of “Star Wars” fame were a football fan, he would be screaming his trademark line to the Denver Broncos right now.

“IT’S A TRAP!”

The Broncos are currently in a sort of tailspin following two straight blowouts at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.  If there ever was such a thing as a perfect opponent to bounce back against, it’s the Washington Redskins whom the Broncos face Sunday.

That’s the exact reason why the Broncos should not look past the Redskins this week.  It seems all too easy, like Darth Vader thought fighting Luke Skywalker in “The Empire Strikes Back.” This is the perfect week for a major letdown to happen for the Broncos, and it very well could.  Who at this time last week thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would not only beat the Green Bay Packers, but beat them by more than a touchdown?

Many Broncos fans are feeling confident heading into this weekend’s matchup, but others have a such a bad feeling about this game, it would make Han Solo proud. 

The Broncos offense has been stagnant the past two games and if there was ever a time for Josh McDaniels to take the leash off of Kyle Orton and see what he really can do, now would be the opportune time. Orton is notorious for being a dink and dunk passer and while that served him well the first six games of 2009, it must be dawning on Orton and McDaniels that the deep passing game has to open up for the Broncos to continue to win.

Washington’s defense, for all the team’s other flaws, is fairly stout.  Orton and company will be challenged this weekend so it’s important that the offense establish an early rhythm as well.  The offense needs to do its part early so that the Broncos defense can do their thing while protecting a lead instead of trying to come from behind. Orton needs to avoid sacks and not commit the critical turnover.

As far as the defense goes, they need to regain the form they had against the Steelers in the first half.  Ben Roethlisberger was under siege in the first half and the Broncos need to do the same to Jason Campbell on Sunday. Now, the Steeler offense Washington is not, and it’s easy to overlook Washington’s incompetency. 

That said, the Broncos still need to make plays because what happens if this is the one game in his entire career that Campbell is actually on target? The Broncos need to make the plays on defense instead of waiting for play to come to them.  I’m sure Mike Nolan has preached that all week.Any quarterback can get hot at any given time so the Broncos still need to be on their toes.

The Bottom Line

Denver has no excuses not to win this game.  They are better than the Redskins in every area.  As long as the Broncos offense gets moving early and doesn’t make the critical turnover and let the defense do the rest, the Broncos should be 7-2 heading into next week.

If Washington comes out on fire and the Broncos offense sputters early and often, then the Broncos could be in trouble.  A third consecutive loss would likely tie the team with the Chargers in the AFC West heading into next week’s face-off in Denver. The Chargers would have momentum clearly on their side and some will even begin wondering if Denver is really the team everyone thought they were before the season began.

The Broncos need this game.  It’s not a matter of trying. All they need to go out there and do what they did the first six games of the season.

After all as the wise Jedi Master Yoda said: “Do, or do not. There is no try.”

All of Broncos Country is hoping the team has those words at heart this Sunday.

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D’oh! An Apology to the Bleacher Report Editors and Community at Large

Looks like I fumbled.

I want to apologize for everyone for the inundation of articles in the last 24 hours.  I decided to branch out and create my own blog that had all my past BR features on the Broncos.

Well, as I linked the blog to my BR profile, I see all the articles I put on the blog were re-published here, causing the editors to have a nervous breakdown, it looked like.

I also want to apologize to Sayre and Chaz, my fellow Broncos Featured Columnists, for suddenly taking over the front page.

Again, I am sorry and hopefully whatever I did wrong will be corrected in the future.

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Get the Cables: After Loss To Steelers, Broncos Need a Jump Start

16 games. The season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Coaches preach these two phrases to their players privately and publicly every week of the NFL season.  They expect their players to maintain a high level of energy all season and not exhaust themselves during a stretch of five or six games.

Apparently, the Denver Broncos never got the memo.

After an absolutely scintillating start to the season, a season in which the Broncos were expected to compete for a top ten draft pick, the Broncos have come crashing down to Earth. Hard.

During their magical 6-0 run to begin the 2009 campaign, the Broncos showed the poise and energy of a team bound to be one the great Cinderella stories in NFL history.  After the most tumultuous offseason in team history, the Broncos were winning games in all sorts of different ways from a miraculous catch to beat the Bengals to bruising victories over the Cowboys and Patriots.

Now, after back to back losses against the Ravens and Steelers, the Broncos have fallen flat.  Like a car left running with its lights on and stereo booming, it seems like the Broncos are out of juice and require a jump start.

If you want evidence of this look at the tape of the Broncos’ win over the Chargers before the bye and then last week’s loss to the Ravens and this week’s loss to the Steelers. It seems like there were two entirely different football teams on the field.  The offense was making plays all over and the defense was constantly swarming around the ball.

Not anymore.

During last week’s 30-7 loss at Baltimore, the Broncos were constantly outplayed by the Ravens and the Broncos never were able to match the energy level of their opponent.  The Ravens were a desperate team and desperate teams are dangerous.  The Broncos just could not keep pace with them.

Same for this week’s game, especially the second half.  The Broncos were once again outhustled and noticeably lacked the fire and passion that they had showed in the first half, despite trailing 7-3 going into the break. As the second half wore on, the Broncos did something previous thought inconceivable of this group of players:

They quit.

Now, I don’t mean that they quit as in “Oh we’re screwed, let’s go home.”  I meant that they quit because they were exhausted.  it seems like they put so much effort into getting off to such a strong start in the first six games that they emotionally exhausted themselves.  The team was so gung ho about proving all the doubters wrong that they forgot the season was a marathon and not a sprint. 

Most fans will be pointing fingers at Kyle Orton and Josh McDaniels.  They will criticize Orton for going back into shell, making boneheaded turnovers, and afraid to throw the deep ball.  They will crow that McDaniels didn’t vary the playbook enough during the Steeler game and that the Steelers defense was able to figure out the Broncos in the second half.  Both are valid criticisms, but that isn’t what’s important.

What’s important is how to fix it going forward.  It is no longer important who did or did not do what that could have swung some key situations into the Broncos favor.  The Broncos need to find out what is wrong and get better.  Each player needs to look at himself and ask “what can I do better to help the team?” 

As McDaniels is so fond of saying, DO YOUR JOB.  As long as everyone does their job and not worry about everyone else’s job, the Broncos should be able to shake out of this funk.

They don’t have much of a choice.  After all, the suddenly dangerous Chargers are now only one game back.

Broncos fans are beginning to feel like they have seen this before.  They can only hope for a better outcome.

Looking Ahead

If there is such a thing as a perfect opportunity for a “bounce back game,” the Broncos have it this weekend.

This Sunday, the Broncos travel to our nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins, believed by many to be the worst team in the NFL.  With a almost certain lame duck head coach and an inept quarterback, the Broncos should be in prime position to get back on a winning track.

However, as the Green Bay Packers showed us this past week in losing to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, games like this are easy to overlook.

For the Broncos’ sake, they had better not.  Otherwise, this surprising and happy season could turn tragic real quick.

 

Follow Kris Burke on Twitter @KBurkeNFL

 

 

 

 

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