Denver Broncos blog, news and rumors



Tyler ThigpenWeek 14, I watched the bloodbath game against Buffalo- in which the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills 54-30, I also watched K.C. nearly beat the New York Jets and the New Orleans Saints. Does any of this look familiar? They’re the Broncos, but with different breaks. They say that they’re rebuilding, this is a rebuilding year- they damn near gave up Tony Gonzales to the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants, prior to the trading deadline, but held onto him. Smart move (obviously), because next season these guys are going to be good. The team truly is one draft pick away and who knows what quarterback they may pickup in the off-season.

We have to run the ball more
It’s a given, if Cutler puts up 40+ passes in a game, chances are we will win. Couple that with the fact that Denver needs to not turn the ball over. When we have a positive turnover ratio, we win, simple as that. The larger aspect to this thing is that, if Denver doesn’t want to telegraph themselves into December and January as a pass 70% of the time team… They will need to establish a more impressive run game.

KC still has three of the most talented offensive players
I offered some advice to Kansas City earlier in the season… I let them know that winning for them is simple, hand it off to Larry Johnson, and spell that by tossing it to Gonzales. There’s always Dewayne Bowe on a deep route as well. If any of these three get hot, it opens up room for another player to get hot and if two of the three are hot, well, then it’s lights out.

KC is Denver, without the breaks
Kansas City is basically Denver, but without the coaching. No offense to the Kansas City staff, but I’ve used them to make a point all year. The Chiefs made no qualms about it, this season was a rebuilding year, out with the old players (like Casey Wiegmann) and draft some new. As Mike Shanahan stated in his press conference Thursday,

When you take a look at Kansas City and their game against the Jets, the Jets had to drive down the length of the field and score with a minute left. When you take a look at (their game against) Tampa Bay, not only do they (Buccaneers) score with 19 seconds left, (but) they were able to convert on a two-point conversion to take the game into overtime. I think we all saw what they did in San Diego. They (Chiefs) went for two and could have tied it up and gone into to overtime and could have won the football game. So, that’s the nature of the National Football League. Any given Sunday if you are not playing at your best you are going to get beat; it doesn’t matter if it’s home or away.”

Denver has caught their fair share of breaks. Whether it be via will, strength of coaching, strength of will or luck- they win. Kansas City has simply lost those games, had one or two plays/calls gone their way, we’d be going head-to-head with them for first place in the AFC. Next season, I fully anticipate this to be the circumstance.

A true test for Denver’s defenseLarry Johnson
Let’s be honest, Johnson is still one of the best running backs in the NFL. Whether or not we want to admit it, he’s stomped more mud holes on our defense than we’d care to say. He deserves our respect, whether they’re 12-1 or 2-10 coming into this game. D.J. Williams and Nate Webster must return with a fire and shut down Johnson… or else we’re better off with Spencer Larsen and Wesley Woodyard.

Do you realize, you’re a Champ(ion)?
Champ Bailey should also return and normally he’d man up on the Chiefs’ deadliest receiver- tight end Tony Gonzales. Hate to see any major setbacks, but in reality, the team has Bowe and Gonzalez… Which one do we cover? Bailey will be back, but maybe not for the entire game, Dre Bly and Josh Bell need to continue at the level that they’ve been playing at. This is a statement game for the trio and hopefully it can carry one through December and January. Pass on Denver and pay the price.

Watch for the tricks…
If you’ve been scouting them as long as I have, you know they’ve got tricks up their sleeve. Though we’re not likely to see a wide receiver throwing a pass in the second-half, in the first-half, they’ve got nothing to lose. I’m sure Denver is prepared, one must only reference the first quarter play against the Jets, where Brett Favre split-out to wide receiver and Denver’s defense had a walk-off run back for six-points.

Someone’s gotta step up
Selvin Young may be back (and he’s only got like what, 1,800-yards to go on his 2,000-yard prediction) or maybe it’ll still be Tatum Bell spelling Peyton Hillis. Fact is, if we’re going to the playoffs, someone’s got to take the rock besides Hillis. Hillis can’t average seven-yards a carry and the back the spells him, average three-yards per carry. The spell back has to be within a yard of Hillis or we don’t stand a chance. It’s time for Young to prove that he is no Mike Bell (or Tatum for that matter) and let’s see him get it.

Official Notice: Daniel Graham & Brandon Marshall
Stop dropping balls, your backups shouldn’t have better stats. The simple reason that they do is because Tony Scheffler and Eddie Royal drop less passes. Is Marshall really going to be, ‘The Beast’ or is he just going to drop 60% of the passes that are thrown his way for the rest of the season? Same for Graham, you came her because you wanted to catch, so catch something… You’re on official notice both of you.

Overall though Nation, what we’re looking forward to is your comments. So let’s have them, what do you think it will take Denver to beat Kansas City?

  • T-Money

    Agreed.

  • T-Money

    Here is the Video Link for the Matchup:

    http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter?game_id=29730&season=2008&displayPage=tab_gamecenter

    On a quick side note: At the very end it shows a clip of cutler. This is why i really like this kid.

  • LorDog

    Sad to say that the variable that worries me most about this game is the fact that we’re at home. What the Chargers did to Oakland last night is what we should have hung on them when the Faiders played here a couple of weeks ago!

  • http://BroncoTalk.net East

    You are so right Ian.

    We really need this game because our next few aren’t exactly going to be easy.

  • Dakota fan

    Okay, the negativity stops (sort of).

    I’m cautiously optimistic about Sunday. However, I had a glance at the Chargers VERY FAVORABLE remaining schedule after last night’s game. If they get their ducks in a row, they could win out. We NEED to win two games and not rely on Igor and Phyllis and the pussies in the powder blues uniforms.

    Powder blue unis. Who was the idiot that called these the greatest uniforms in all sports? The Broncos’ original brown and yellow socks would be easier on the eyes.

    Kick the Chiefs’ asses.

  • adam

    You think the DJ, Champ, Webster stuff is posturing on Shanny’s part? Think any of them are really going to play? I can’t tell if they’re ready and Shanny is hiding that or if they’re not ready but he’s using them as pawns.

    (Part of me is worried about messing up something that’s working, guess that’s why I love Shanny’s insistence that the best performer will play.)

  • Matt

    Good Stuff. Graham and Marshall do need to do extra ball catching skills this week. B Marsh is starting to get mentioned with Braylon Edwards when talking about a bad case of the “dropsies”. Besides wasting a down, drop passes are momentum killers and become a virus through out the team. I dont want to over play this i understand some catches are hard and there will be moments when they might be looking up field instead of watching the ball go into the ol bread basket. But its a shame when a drop pass stalls a drive or causes a 3rd and 10 instead of a first down. I believe the main concern still has to be ball protection. Dont turn the ball over.

  • KMA

    OK, as for the off season, watch the Chiefs to make a play to acquire Derick Anderson from the Browns. he is by no means a mobile QB,but he will suit what they need, a pocket passer with a nice sense of how and when to hand the ball off. See Oregon State 2005 when he had a 1000 yard receiver in Mike Hass, and a 1500 yard rusher in Steven Jackson.
    As for Last night, the one time I actually pull for the Raiders and see what happens? that just solidified my dis-taste for them even more.

    Sunday: I think a big game is on the horizon, I have had plenty of folks tell me not to get to worked up and don’t jinx them, etc.

    This game is Jinx proof, Cutler, Royal, Hillis, all with big games. The D will still give up 100+ yds to LJ, but it wont seem like it. This will be a confidence booster game, Also I dont see Champ, Webster, or DJ playing significant time. essentally a week to heal with a little playing time.

    Final
    Denver 35
    KC 10

  • http://www.super-terrific.com Danh Hoang

    I think Denver got a nice dose of humble pie after the Raider lost, I hope they build from that Jets win… this is a critical game.

  • T-Money

    Hllis and Cutler both won Fed ex Air and Ground, and hillis also won Rookie of the week.

  • KMA

    Thats what I’m talking about!!!!!
    these guys are pumped!!

  • DC

    I wrote BMarsh a long letter on his new webpage Bmarshall15.com about him needing to be the “Beast” he can be and that he needs to stop dropping the ball or I’m going to call him Braylon Marshall. His new site is pretty dope, looks good.

  • OC Bronco

    If you think the Chiefs are looking for a big free-agent signing in the off-season you haven’t watched Thigpen emerge as a very talented QB. This guy is the real deal and although I don’t think that he will beat us this week, everyone will see that he is very poised, a solid leader, and a good decision maker who is very mobile. He is not the same guy he was early in the season.
    Bottom line – If we can’t beat the Chefs at home in a must-win game we don’t deserve to go to the Playoffs. Not because they suck, which they really don’t, but because Good Teams win games they should win. We do the opposite in a sense. This is the last game we can fix that problem.

  • jchase8410

    I cat remember who wrote it, but the best comment I have read on this site in some time was the one about putting the broncos on a plane and flying them around for a few hours, and making every broncos fan wear red to the game. I laughed hard when I read that one. I have faith in this team, but it is kind of sad when fans hope for a road game. The broncos need to take some pride in Mile High, and play with a purpose on Sunday. The Chiefs are a pretty tough team, a lot of the games that they lost were by just a few points. They aren’t as bad as their record shows (at least not like Detroit) but this SHOULD BE a victory for the Broncos. Denver is by far a much better team, let’s just show it in a home game.

  • Jason

    My knee-jerk reaction to your Chief/Bronco comparison was to disagree but after a few moments of digesting I think you hit on something.

    Broncos came in with a clear identity on offense but not defense while the chiefs were clearly lost on offense but pretty solid on defense. A clear example was when they handed our butts to us. They out hit us, pure-and-simple.

    however, we didn’t get better breaks we just had the right pieces. If you can’t hold the ball on offense you could have the Raven’s 2000 defense and it wouldn’t matter.

    I think jchase is correct in respecting the current Chiefs and perhaps a little worried for next year’s. Herm is a good building coach and did well with a healthy QB for the Jets.

    I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit…

  • Roy

    No disrespect to Webster, but why put him in when the rook is playing well is his stead? Larson is a beast.

  • Waylon

    Ian – Great post (as always). I was at the Jets game Sunday and it looks like this team has the talent and the swagger to make some noise in the playoffs. We’ve clearly had fortune on our side in some key spots and the team is showing signs of mental toughness and character that will be needed in January. That said, this game scares the bejeezus out of me for three reasons:

    1. The Chiefs are better than people realize (for the reasons you explained), and LJ/Gonzalez have the potential to torch our defense.
    2. It looks like Champ and DJ will not play this week, which means that the one player we’re getting back on defense is Webster. I would have been fine with him resting up and getting healthy for another 8-10 weeks. We need a workhorse at MLB, not a cheerleader.
    3. Most importantly, the media essentially handed us the AFC West crown this week. That, combined with a home game against a 2-win team, is a recipe for disaster with this young team.

    We’re going to need a focused, disciplined effort to get out of this game with a win. If Cutler & Co. deliver, I’ll have a very good feeling about our prospects for this season. If not, the next 3 weeks could get scary pretty quickly.

  • http://broncotalk vbchief

    GO CHIEFS!! GO CHIEFS!! GO CHIEFS!! GO CHIEFS!!! GO CHIEFS!! GO CHIEFS!! TIM E TO SWEEP THE BRONCOS !!!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    Who’s Tim E?

  • Marv

    excuse my Italian but f@ck the chiefs i got 20 dollars on this game i still owe my friend 10 for the raiders game. IN good news the broncos won last week and i have been pasting all my test’s and feel good about the S.A.t i took today

  • http://broncotalk vbchief

    hey marv is that all your willing to put up against your beloved donkeys? 20$ . that’s o.k. now your gonna owe 30$ . better take an extra shift at the dishwashing station!! HA MOTHER EFFFN HA!!

  • Bucky

    Wow, at least the Chargers fans were educated, vbquief is dumber than a box of arrowheads.

  • Marv

    vbchief im not gonna talk no more im gonna let peyton hillis and the bronco offense do the talken for me. (i got a feeling hillis going to be saluting the bronco fans all day.)

  • Andpark

    Hillis is going to be huge. He knows he is starting in my FF Playoff this week! Go Broncos.

  • http://broncos-denver-broncos.blogspot.com/ Ian Henson

    Adam- you were right… of the three, only Nate Webster’s likely to play. Though they all practiced D.J. Williams and Champ Bailey are listed as doubtful. It’s all a big game, hang it over their heads, dangle the carrot so a team has to game plan- then switch.

    KMA- A lot of quality QBs in free agency this off-season: Kurt Warner, Kerry Collins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Garcia, J.P. Losman and ::cough:: Patrick Ramsey. Maybe we should sign one of them. I’d love to have Fitzpatrick, though Hackney could hack it, who knows. PUN, hopefully we’ll get to see some Darrell Hackney (in a good way) in a couple of games… See how he does against the Chargers and/or Bills.

    RANDOM NOTE: Rod Woodson reacting to Hillis and Cutler winning their awards, “Maybe the fans need drug tests.”

    Waylon- I said it last week, predicting the win over the Jets. “I’m not scared of the Jets, I’m scared of the Chiefs…” There’s nothing like going up against a team that has nothing to lose. The only thing is, we win this game and we can play like a team that doesn’t have anything to lose for awhile too.

  • http://broncos-denver-broncos.blogspot.com/ Ian Henson

    Roy – FB/LB Spencer Larsen is listed as doubtful as well for Sunday.

  • Roy

    That sucks about Larson. He has been making a really good impact for us this year. If he has to sit a game to get healthy though, what can you do? I disagree about not having something to lose if we win this game. We have everything to lose. The big “M-O”. If we lose that for a couple of games, how easy will it be to recover? Then again, this years Broncos have been anything but predictable.

  • BH

    Denver really blew it losing in KC. I live in the KC area and have been stuck listening to their sports shows. Going into that game they were saying that not another KC game would be on TV for the rest of the year if Denver wins. Everyone was saying the year was over. Well, Denver lost but their year hasn’t added up to anything anyway. Thigpin’s emergence is worrisome because they have been competitive against us with some poor QB play. I originally liked the comment about the Chiefs being the Broncos without the coaching. However, and I don’t think Herm Edwards is a great head coach, but I do think that he is a terrific defensive coach. I would say he is more like Shanahan (-) on defense. So, they do have some coaching on one side of the ball. The Chiefs are not as far away from being competitive as it seemed earlier this year. They will have another set of top picks this year as well. They did pretty well this year, and look how Denver did when it drafted high, imagine how KC will look after two consecutive good drafts. With our defense and Herm’s demonstrated ability to frustrate our offense in the first game, Thigpin’s emergence, and injuries, this is a very losable game for the Broncos. Hopefully, we learned a thing or two from the first game.