Broncos-Patriots: It’s David vs. Goliath, But Which is Which?

There comes a time in every NFL head coach’s career that he gets a shot to face off against the man who taught him the ropes. A win against the teacher gives the student the first crown jewel of his head coaching career.

For Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, that opportunity comes in the fifth game of his head-coaching career, and he faces a considerable challenge in beating his teacher: a three-time Super Bowl winner by the name of Bill Belichick.

When the NFL released its schedule this past spring, the matchup between the Broncos and the Patriots seemed like the ultimate David vs. Goliath game. That phrase could still be used to define the game that is now two days away, but it is highly debatable who is David and who is Goliath.

The Broncos are one of the NFL’s most surprising teams, starting 4-0 after one of the most chaotic offseasons in recent memory. Led by a surprisingly stingy defense that has allowed only 26 points through four games—and with smart and thus far interception-free play by new starting quarterback Kyle Orton—the Broncos enter this game with a much better shot than many thought they had even one month ago.

Still, many people doubt whether or not this Broncos team is a contender or a pretender. Critics point to a soft early schedule and a fluke win over the Bengals as evidence that the Broncos are not ready for prime time and a brutal mid-season schedule will bring them back to reality quickly. That said, even the harshest critics are saying the Broncos are looking better than previously thought.

The Patriots, on the other hand, were expected to come out swinging following the  return of quarterback Tom Brady to their lineup after missing most of the 2008 season with an ACL injury. While Brady has made his presence known—as shown by the Week One comeback victory over the Bills—the Patriots are struggling in other areas. Losing three key defensive starters this past offseason, the normally stout Patriot defense has had trouble getting on its feet.

Even with a struggling defense, teams around the NFL have learned never to count out or overlook the New England Patriots. Just when you think they’re dead and buried, they fire off a long winning streak and blow by the competition. People thought they were through when Brady went down in Week One last year, but the Patriots—with a quarterback that had not started a game since high school—finished 11-5 and lost the AFC East crown on a tiebreaker.

Another thing that has added a level of intrigue to this game is the aforementioned chess match between the sidelines with McDaniels facing off against Belichick. Both men know each other really well, with McDaniels serving on Belichick’s staff from 2001-2008, most recently as offensive coordinator. 

Belichick will know the Broncos’ offense and McDaniels will know the Patriots’ defense.  The wild card will be the Broncos defense, as defensive coordinator Mike Nolan could be the difference maker in this game.

When the final whistle blows on Sunday, either the student or the teacher will be victorious (unless the ever-so-rare tie occurs), and David will once again have slayed Goliath.

Unless you are a fan of the team that loses.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Broncos Report Card: Week Four

Second verse, same as the first.

That would be how the outside world views the Denver Broncos after yet another win, propelling them to 4-0 on the season, a season in which not many people expected the Broncos to win more than five games.

The Broncos are 80 percent of the way there with 12 games yet to be played. But at the rate head coach Josh McDaniels has his team playing, they won’t be stopping at five or maybe even eight. Now on to the grades for Week Four.

Passing offense:

Kyle Orton got off to a horrendous start, but he didn’t turn the ball over. He was under siege by the Dallas defense the first portion of the game, but in typical Orton fashion he picked himself up and won the game without making a careless mistake.

Major kudos go to Ryan Clady for setting a record by not allowing a sack in 20 straight games and the fact that those are the first 20 starts in his career is even more remarkable. The Broncos have a keeper here.

Last but certainly not least is the play of Brandon Marshall. That was pure talent in that touchdown run in the final two minutes and that embrace he had with McDaniels after the touchdown (as well as during McDaniels’ postgame press conference) show that this young man has turned the corner and he’s returning to 2008 form. Look out NFL.

Overall grade: B

Rushing Offense:

Bronco fans held their breath after Corell Buckhalter went down with a knee injury, but not soon after they were (or should have been) able to breathe a sigh of relief as rookie halfback Knowshown Moreno has proven the Broncos made the right choice drafting him in the first round at this year’s draft.

While he finished with 14 carries for 65 yards, Moreno again displayed that not only can he be a solid runner between the tackles, but he also showed he can be a good screen option by catching a touchdown pass out of the backfield.

Overall Grade: B minus

Passing Defense:

The reports on the demise of cornerback Champ Bailey have been greatly exaggerated.

Bailey made three outstanding plays. First was the interception of Tony Romo with Dallas inside the Denver red zone. Bailey showed incredible athleticism there and that he still has plenty left in the tank. Not only was that not enough, but Bailey made the two deflections in the end zone during the final seconds to sea a Broncos victory.

Overall, the Denver secondary rocked and rattled Romo all day. The only big negative against this unit was that big catch and run by Sam Hurd that allowed the Cowboys to get deep in Broncos territory in the waining moments of the game.

Oh, and Elvis Dumervil keeps on trucking. Put him on the Pro Bowl roster now.

Overall Grade: B plus

Rushing Defense:

The unit looked shaky early on as a wounded Marion Barber was running all over the Broncos, only to give way to Tashard Choice later in the game. The Broncos only gave up 74 yards on the ground to the talented Cowboys rushing attack, with most of it coming early.

Solid day overall, though.

Overall grade: A minus

Special Teams:

Matt Prater had an easy day, one PAT and one 28-yard field goal. No sweat.

Punter Brett Kern played solid as well. He had six punts on the day, averaging almost 42 yards a punt and Dallas return man Patrick Crayton had only two punt returns for an average of seven yards per return.

Overall grade: A minus

Coaching:

McDaniels had not yet ceased to amaze me this season. The team keeps pushing and pushing and is finding ways to win the game. What McDaniels should be the most proud of is that each win has been a team effort and everyone has done their job.

I can’t say enough about Mike Nolan’s defense. Twenty-six points allowed through four games and the number one overall defense in the NFL? What a turnaround from the dismal performance by the Broncos defense in 2008.

McDaniels has to be the early front runner for coach of the year. With an assist to Mike Nolan.

Overall grade: A

This coming week provides a huge test for the Broncos as Bill Belichick, McDaniels’ boss and mentor from last season, comes to town with Tom Brady and the rest of the New England Patriots.

Not many people will pick the Broncos to win this one, even though they are playing at home. Then again, who expected the Broncos to be 4-0 at this point.

That’s why they play the games.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Broncos and Fans Buying Into McDaniels’ System: They’re Lovin’ It

If the 2009 Denver Broncos were fast food, I would call them a “Happy Meal” thus far into the campaign. Pleasant. Satisfying. Fun. Making their fans, you know, happy.

Oh, and yes I did mean those Denver Broncos.

Six months ago the Broncos were a franchise in turmoil.  The team had fired its stalwart head coach, Mike Shanahan, who led to the franchise to its two Super Bowl titles. Then Denver replaced him with a 33-year-old offensive whiz kid, Josh McDaniels, who had never been a head coach at any level. 

To make matters worse, franchise quarterback Jay Cutler was trying force his way out of town after hearing McDaniels and the team listened to offers for another quarterback, presumably sending Cutler to another team.

Once Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Brandon Marshall suddenly demanded a trade, saying he didn’t trust the Broncos. McDaniels had no choice but to suspend Marshall for a good chunk of the preseason for conduct detrimental to the team. 

What a way for McDaniels to start his NFL head coaching career.

He had more pressure on him than anyone, and he had not even coached a single game.  People were calling for his head before the season started and others thought he’d be one (year) and done.

It’s amazing what a 3-0 start can do for your image, isn’t it?

During all this drama, McDaniels kept saying his players were ignoring the potential distractions and focusing on doing their jobs and making sure everyone was putting forth a “team first” attitude.  The suspension of Marshall proved McDaniels meant that.

However, many fans and media types blew that off as McDaniels saying what any coach would say—regardless of what was really going on in the background. Thanks to these distractions, said the critics, the Broncos would be lucky to win five games.

Well, we’re not even a quarter of the way through the season and the Broncos are already past the halfway point to five wins and many people are in shock.

Why?

Because the players actually are buying into McDaniels’ system.  Everyone is focusing on doing their jobs and trusting their teammates to do theirs.  McDaniels’ a system that has paid off in the form of three Super Bowl rings for the Patriots and it’s one that has the Broncos starting fast out of the gate.

The players believe. They’re smiling on the sidelines, and McDaniels even got a Gatorade shower after Denver’s victory over the Browns last week.

See, the players notice the little things.  McDaniels let the top participants in offseason workouts to create a playlist on an iPod to be played during practices in training camp.  Instead of simulating crowd noise, the players heard all kind of music from country to the late Michael Jackson.  It was a touch the players definitely appreciated.

Now, what about the fans?

Those who were calling for McDaniels’ job from the onset of the Cutler situation have been mysteriously silent as Cutler leads the NFL in interceptions and Orton has yet to throw a pick after three solid games.  Fans are jumping on the Broncos bandwagon by the bunches.

That saying that “winning cures everything”?  True, in this case.  Very true.

Now, we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves.  The Broncos face a killer schedule the next few weeks, starting this weekend with a battered but potent Cowboys team coming to Invesco.  

However, if the Broncos remain as tight knit as they seem to be right now, they will weather this storm.  They enter this tough stretch as a team, and they will emerge from it as a team.

Buckle up, Broncos fans.  It’s going to be a fun ride.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Five Things To Watch for with the ’09 Denver Broncos

Do you smell it? That scent of uncontainable hope that springs eternal amongst all 32 NFL teams as the preseason draws to a close?  Yet, within about four weeks, a fair amount of those teams will have those hopes of glory dashed as first quarter of the regular season draws to a close.

Will the Denver Broncos be one of them?

If you took a poll of sports writers around the country, the resounding consensus would be a definite ‘yes.’ Offseason drama aside, their No. 1 draft pick just returned to practice after missing significant time due to injury, their starting quarterback dislocated a knuckle, and theri second string quarterback is still nursing an ankle injury.

However, not much is known about this Broncos team. Thanks to a new head coach, new starting quarterback, and a new defensive scheme, this version of the Broncos could be the hardest to gauge in the franchise’s history.  Here are a few things to look for as 2009 formally gets underway.

 

1. Josh McDaniels’ temperament

You have to give the 33 year old head coach some credit.  Despite all the offseason and training camp drama involving Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, McDaniels never once publicly lost his cool.  It seems he has learned how to handle such drama from his mentor, Patriots coach Bill Belichick. 

However, once the games start, it’s an entirely different deal.  If his team gets off to a slow start, and QB Kyle Orton struggles, will the youthful McDaniels keep his cool and show maturity beyond his years that will require him to succeed as an NFL head coach?

 

2. Kyle Orton’s performance

If there is one person on the Broncos who will be scrutinized as much or more than McDaniels, it will be new starting quarterback Orton.  When the Broncos acquired him in the Cutler trade, the expectations of his 2009 season skyrocketed.

Assuming he is ready to go in Week One against the Bengals, Orton will need to get out the gate fast in order to avoid the Jake Plummer treatment by Broncos fans. 

While he has never put up gaudy statistics, McDaniels’ offense doesn’t require him to.  Orton will likely be a dink and dunk passer with the support of a power running game.  Another thing to keep in mind is Orton has much better weapons in Denver than he did in Chicago (even without Brandon Marshall) so Orton could develop much more confidence in his deep ball. 

The big question mark comes when Orton will need to pull out games in the final minutes.  He doesn’t have the support of a strong defense like he had in Chicago, so this will be key.

 

3. The defense’s transition to the 3-4

One of McDaniels’ first moves after being hired was to bring in former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator.  Despite a lack of success as a head coach, Nolan has a very solid record as a coordinator. He lead the highly vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense from 2002-2004 before becoming coach of the 49ers. 

The Broncos also used their second first round pick to draft Tennessee defensive end Robert Ayers to help shore up a line that produced very little pressure on the quarterback in 2008.  The team also gained a tremendous locker room leader in safety Brian Dawkins who signed as a free agent from the Eagles.

How fast this unit gels could be key to how far the Broncos go in 2009.

 

4. Brandon Marshall

Who knows what his mindset will be when his suspension ends on Sept. 6?  While rumors persist that the Broncos are quietly shopping the disgruntled wideout, the team and its fans must be prepared for the fact that no team may want him and that Marshall could be with the Broncos for all of 2009.

Here is where McDaniels can earn some points back with the Bronco faithful. If he can somehow whip Marshall into shape and get him pulling with the rest of the team, he should get a medal.  While this likely has little chance of succeeding, the Broncos certainly would welcome him back if he was in the right state of mind.

If not, the team will go forward without distraction, as McDaniels has said in the past.

 

5. Eddie Royal’s potential breakout year

Royal showed flashes of brilliance during the start of the season last year before an injury hobbled him for the remainder of 2008.  With Marshall out for an undetermined amount of time, perhaps permanently, Royal has a golden opportunity as the new No. 1 wideout to further develop the skills he showed during the beginning of last year’s campaign. 

Despite being smaller and lighter than Marshall, Royal has shown very soft hands and good speed.  With former Broncos great Rod Smith working with the wide receivers, Royal could have a breakout year (while staying out of trouble), making him Orton’s favorite target, something the quarterback never really had in Chicago.

Without a doubt 2009 will be an interesting season for Broncos fans.  Despite the gloom and doom of all the offseason moves, there is reason for optimism in the Mile High City.  Whether or not that optimism becomes something more tangible remains to be seen.

That’s why they play the games.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Team First: 2009 Broncos Similar To 2003 Patriots

If the late John Denver were still alive to write a song about the 2009 Denver Broncos season thus far, it would have to be called “Rocky Mountain Low.”

After one of the wackiest offseason’s any franchise in NFL history has had to deal with, it would appear to all observers the Broncos are reeling. In the past year, the team fired the head coach that led the team to its two Super Bowl titles, traded their Pro Bowl quarterback, and suspended their No. 1 receiver after his request for a trade was not met.

To even the most casual of football fans, this seems like a train wreck waiting to happen. Rookie Head Coach Josh McDaniels has had to deal with more in his first year than other coaches face in their careers. Broncos fans all over the country are preparing for a four-win season and what they consider to be an “inevitable” top-five pick in the 2010 draft.

Pardon the pun, but hold your horses Broncos fans.

Yes, the Broncos haven’t shown much in their 0-3 start to the preseason. Yes, Jay Cutler got the last laugh this past Sunday. Yes, Kyle Orton’s hurt and so is backup Chris Simms. Yet, I do not worry, and that is because of the new head coach that has become the scorn of many in Denver.

Let’s look back at the 2003 version of the New England Patriots, the team which McDaniels worked for from 2001-2008. While Tom Brady was able to start all 16 games, other parts of the team were decimated by injuries. 

How remarkable was it to see Troy Brown, a wide receiver, playing on both sides of the ball when he had to play in the secondary after injuries wiped out their defensive backfield. All in all, the Patriots started 42 different players during that season. McDaniels was part of that team.

The injury situation isn’t the only similarity between the two teams. Days before the regular season began that year, the Patriots cut Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Mulloy, prompting many fans to second guess head coach Bill Belichick (yes, that Bill Belichick). 

Mulloy went on to sign with division rival Buffalo, whom the Patriots faced in their season opener, and were promptly shutout by the Bills in a 31-0 shutout. Sound familiar? (For posterity, the Patriots reversed the score and shut the Bills out 31-0 in the regular season finale).

Now, I am not saying the 2009 Broncos are going to light the NFL on fire and win the Super Bowl like the 2003 Patriots. Far from it. What I am suggesting though is to give McDaniels a chance. You don’t work in one place for eight seasons and not have a significant part of that employer’s culture rub off on you. The New England system worked there, and it just might work in Denver.

I also realize the two teams were not on the same level talent-wise either, but consider this: At the start of the 2003 season, Brady was not yet the Tom Brady. He led the miracle run to the Super Bowl in 2001, but followed that up with a 9-7 no playoffs season in 2002. While I am not necessarily predicting Brady-like greatness for Orton, give him some time. He did have a better record than Cutler did after 32 starts.

Even though his title was “defensive assistant” for the Patriots in 2003, a year before he became the quarterbacks coach who turned Tom Brady into THE Tom Brady, McDaniels saw what the “team first” concept he is now bringing to Denver can do.

As part of the 2003 staff, McDaniels witnessed arguably one of Bill Belichick’s best coaching performances of his career. He was only 27 at the time, but an impression had to have been made on the young man. 

So Broncos fans, give McDaniels some time to work his magic. Let him weed out the egos and put team players in place. With some luck, maybe this season will end on a “Rocky Mountain High.”

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page

BroncosZone Latest

• The Denver Broncos Must Face Their New Reality
• Denver Broncos: The Beginning of a New Era, Or The Beginning of the End?
• Hey Denver, Where’s the Love for Josh McDaniels?
• Josh McDaniels Is the Poster Boy for “Too Much, Too Soon”
• Denver Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall: “I Love Being a Bronco”