Denver Broncos blog, news and rumors


FB

[hype it up!]
[Share with Yardbarker]

Published on 11/16/2011 at Wed Nov 16 14:00.
Tagged: ,,,,,,,.



Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets Week 11 Preview

There were very, very few positives to be taken from the Denver Broncos‘ 2010 4-12 campaign. The league’s reigning sack king was lost for the year before the season began, Josh McDaniels brought Patriots-level espionage to the Rocky Mountains, and the Broncos struggled to put a competitive product out on the field any given week. It was the losingest season in franchise history.

But for one game in 2010 — one near-glorious “Orange Sunday” — the Broncos played well. In fact, they played extremely well. For one game, the 2-3 Broncos went toe-to-toe with a better opponent, the 4-1 New York Jets, and matched them punch for punch. They rattled quarterback Mark Sanchez most of the game, forced three turnovers, and were a fourth quarter defensive stop from a victory that could have turned their season around.

Then Broncos safety Renaldo Hill did this:

Denver Broncos defender Renaldo Hill is called for pass interference pulling on the face mask of New York Jets' wide receiver Santonio Holmes during the fourth quarter of play Sunday October 17, 2010 at Invesco Field at Mile High. Photo by Joe Amon, The Denver Post

A gentle tug of a facemask. He and Santonio Holmes intertwined and fell into one another, but Hill’s unfortunate finger placement resulted in a 46-yard pass interference penalty that gave the Jets the football on the two-yard line.

It was the largest gain the Jets had the entire game. 58 minutes into a Denver defensive reawakening, the turnaround became fruitless in the blink of an eye. The Jets won and went onto an 11-5 record and an AFC Championship Game berth. The Broncos limped to a 4-12 record, their turnaround lost in a flash of yellow fabric.

Did that penalty derail the Broncos’ season? Of course not. But I maintain it was detrimental to the psyche of a young team. They lost by 45 at home to the Raiders a week later, after all.

We can’t debate the ruling (that’s some pretty airtight photographic evidence right there), but we debated the rule. The New York Jets hardly earned their 24-20 victory in Mile High last season. They were gifted a win the second the referee’s yellow flag hit the grass. Such a trivial, incidental penalty shouldn’t change the outcome of the game. Coaches and players should.

Remember Orange Sunday.

The Broncos are six-point underdogs on their own turf in primetime against a team with only one more win than them — in the court of public opinion, these Tim Tebow-led Broncos are outmatched by Rex Ryan‘ Jets. The national media is expecting Rex Ryan to be able to construct a gameplan that will eliminate this new Broncos’ offense, ending the Tim-Tebow-option-read honeymoon two weeks in.

Does no one account for the fact that this gameplan effectively neutralizes the Jets’ greatest strength, its pass defense? Darrelle Revis, their best player, will only sniff a football when Lance Ball has already carried it seven yards past the line of scrimmage. The Jets have their work cut out for them.

But maybe Rex Ryan will be able to halt the Broncos’ 2nd-ranked rushing attack. Maybe they’ll be able to scheme something to slow Tim Tebow and company. That’s still completely discounting the way the Broncos defense handled the Jets offense a year ago. And these Broncos are better.

Purely record-wise, these 2011 Broncos are better than their 2010 counterparts. The 2011 Jets are worse. These Broncos, six-point underdogs at home, might just mop the floor with the Jets Thursday night. Among the biggest keys to the game will be playing smart enough to keep the refs’ flags firmly within their respective pockets.

Do that, then let these Jets try and earn a win against these Broncos Thursday night.

  • Anonymous

    I just hope for the love of god they let Tebow throw on third down and I hope god loves Tebow enough to make him complete it! 

  • Anonymous

    Remember the ’98 AFC title game!

  • http://Facebook.com/BroncosZone Jon

    +1

  • Kennydyal

    wat jerseys is denver wearin tomorrow

  • http://www.online-pokerhu.com Online Póker

    Driving up there from New Mexico, and my jersey is Orange, as all good Bronco’s jerseys should be. The only drag is that my best friend is a Jets fan and we’re going together. The 6 hour drive up would have been a lot more fun if the Jets had lost. But hey, it will make beating them that much sweeter!

  • Dbuckj

    Are we wearing the 98 throwbacks tomorrow!!??

  • areferee

    By the current rules, they are required to wear their regular home uniforms for the Jet’s game and the remainder of their home games.  Next year, that will be orange.  This year, it’s blue from here on at home.

  • http://manchester-architects.com T-Money

    Ah lame.  Can we wear all blue? or does it have to be blue and white?

  • http://Facebook.com/BroncosZone Jon

    Nice read, Kyle.  So excited for tomorrow!

  • crazykid

    I’ve never been a fan of all blue myself..

  • areferee

    The Broncos have worn the current colors since 1997.

  • areferee

    No to all blue, but it would look good against their green and white.

  • Anonymous

    Ditto, great post and thursday is taking forever to get here.

  • Anonymous

    Dude your like a Broncopedia with those thorough answers! 

  • Anonymous

    I don’t like the all blue but I think it would be sweet if we had an all black once a year for a home game and called it a “black out”.

  • Masaga91

    jummmm so everyone is expecting denver to run like crazy, well maybe attacking through the air might crazy enough to work

  • Anonymous

    Man… watching Mike and Mike in the morning and 90% of the talk is Tebow. Steve Young was on NFL live last night and just ripped the crap out of Fox for doing what he is doing.

    I hope the bronx run for 250 and throw for 250… then maybe all these yahoos will STFU.

    None of us know how it’s going to work out, so why not just let it play itself out and go from there. 

    It’s comical.

  • guest

  • guest

  • guest

  • areferee

    …but YOU get all the Face-time on TV with Geico… hehehe

  • areferee

    Could you post this again?  I missed it!

  • Anonymous

    It’s not gay if it’s with Tebow….ppffffft…

  • MN Broncos Guy

    Love the write up, I forgot about that painful call.

    Here is my advice for the Broncos.  MIX IT UP.  We will get beat if we don’t pass the ball.  What if we put accurate, robot like Orton on the field 5-10 times, he could throw it or run it, either way, the JETS will not know what to do.

    Anyone have J Fox’s cell?  I have a call to make.

  • areferee

    Seriously?

    Referees run better than Orton.  My GRANDMOTHER runs better than Orton.

    (Come to think of it, my Grandmother runs better than ME!)

  • MN Broncos Guy

    Trust me, I am not putting Orton in to run the ball.  Lets face it, his pass numbers are pretty good.  To really compete tonight, we need some pass game and that is one of few things Neckbeard can do well.

  • Anonymous

    haha well I do have a way with the camera

  • Anonymous

    hahaha!

  • Anonymous

    If he could pass well, he’d still be the QB lol

  • MN Broncos Guy

    Almost 18,000 passing yards in the NFL, 79 TD passes…I am pretty sure he can throw the ball.  With that said, his passer rating is in the crapper and his win % stinks – that is why he isnt QB.  LOL, LMAO, YPC, TLA!!

  • Anonymous

    How original, you use meaningless stats to prove your point. 

    1. He has only thrown for 13,753 yards 

    2. Matt Cassel has thrown for 11,699 yards and 76 TD’s 

    3. Kyle Orton has one of the lowest 3rd down conversion percentages of the last decade

    5. He has a QB rating under 30 in the 4th quarter when the game is within 7 points.

    6. Half of his yards passing were with the game out of reach during garbage time

    7. Stats are what all the morons used to talk about Denver having the #2 offense with Cutler at QB because that’s what the media told them. The fact is we were more like #18 because our points scored SUCKED.

    Stats are for baseball, let’s leave it that way.

  • http://broncotalk.net Monty

    Thanks bro!

  • http://broncotalk.net Monty

    Thursday NIGHT even longer!