1. New Orleans Saints (6-0)

Don’t call it a comeback, call it a curb stomp. Drew Brees feels no pressure with the ball in his hands, and it showed when he dove across a pile of linemen for the touchdown. The defense was definitely confused by the wildcat offense in the first half but good coaches like Sean Payton and Greg Williams make good adjustments.

Glaring Stat: The Saints have out gained their opponents by 724 yards (2564 to 1840).

2. Indianapolis Colts (6-0)

The defense played really well this week, I mean it was the Rams but still. Indy is playing some real good football this year but not really against anyone. The rest of their season is a little bit harder with games against Baltimore, New England, and of course Denver.

Glaring Stat: Peyton Manning didn’t throw for 300 or more yards for the first time this season, yet they score the most points they have in one game all year (42).

3. Denver Broncos (6-0)

Great time for a bye week with (at) Baltimore, Pittsburgh, (at) Washington, San Diego, New York (Giants), (at) Kansas City, and (at) Indianapolis in that order.

Glaring Stat: The Denver Bronco defense has allowed 6 touchdowns all year, whereas there were 10 in the New Orleans, Miami game.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)

Thank you Cincinnati for a higher draft pick! Carson Palmer was in true form this weekend and Cedric Benson ran with authority. The defense also was a force to be reckoned with. Leon Hall grabbed himself a pair of Jay Cutler interceptions. This is definitely the way to go into a bye week. The Bengals could breathe easy in the NFC North race if they win their next two games which are against Baltimore and Pittsburgh respectively; since afterwards they have gimme games against the Raiders, Browns, Lions.

Glaring Stat: Carson Palmer had more touchdowns (5) than incomplete passes (4).

5. New England Patriots (5-2)

The Good: Tom Brady seems to be back in sync.

The Bad: This weekend the Pats will face the hardest team they’ve played in weeks… as a bye. The Titans and Bucs are that bad.

Glaring Stat: The Patriots have outscored Tennessee and Tampa 94-7 in the past two weeks.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

Brett Favre mistakes or Steeler dominance? I’ll meet you halfway. The Steelers proved that if you shut Jared Allen down the defensive line isn’t as dangerous. The Vikings did tally three sacks against the Steeler’s lackluster offensive line but Big Ben is having too good of a year for that to stop him.

Glaring Stat: Lamar Woodley and Keyaron Fox may have had big play touchdowns, but James Farrior deserves the game ball with 15 tackles and a sack.

8. Minnesota Vikings (6-1)

Brett Favre stumbled, let’s see if he falls. Jared Allen stared at a brick wall all game. Adrian Peterson was held to 3.8 yards a carry. That is how you beat the Vikings, everyone is asking for that game tape.

Glaring Stat: The Vikings secondary is acting as an achillies heel to the team allowing 7.7 yards a carry. Karl Paymah carries a curse wherever he goes.

8. Arizona Cardinals (5-2)

Defense wins games and especially this one. Defensive tackles like Darnell Dockett make the lives of talented defensive backs like Antrel Rolle, Adrian Wilson, and Domique Rodgers-Cromartie a lot easier. Karlos Dansby was flying around the field stopping the screen pass and the run. It also helps to have receivers like Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. The Cardinals are scaring the Niners.

Glaring Stat: Before Sunday night Eli Manning had thrown only three interceptions all year, the Cardinals secondary helped him double that.

9. New York Giants (5-2)

Get it together man! The Giants are a talented team that needs to take a breathe and focus. Osi Umenyiora needs to step up to fill in that old Michael Strahan spot. Eli is guaranteed a couple multi-interception games a season and he usually turns it around.

Glaring Stat: Brandon Jacobs is averaging 3.9 yards a carry. What’s the problem big guy?

10. Dallas Cowboys (4-2)

Jerry Jones must feel very foolish for giving up all those picks for Roy E. Williams. Miles Austin is doing Monmouth University proud this season. The defense really shined against the Falcons offense. Now that DeMarcus Ware was signed to six year, $78 million dollar contract, he might want to start acting like the DeMarcus of last year. However, Ware has grabbed two sacks in each of his last games.

Glaring Stat: In Austin’s first two games started he has caught 16 balls for 421 yards. Roy Williams has caught 12 balls for 230 yards all year. That’s right, Miles Austin caught for more yards in his first start than Roy Williams has all year.

Coach of the Week

Sean Payton – That’s how you adjust at halftime. The Saint’s scored 36 points in the second half of the game… on the road.

Rookie of the Week

Shonn Greene – It’s okay Shonn Greene doesn’t spell his name conventionally.  Greene rushed for 100 yards in every game he played last season in college. On Sunday he reminded the Raiders of that by posting 144 yards and two touchdowns on only 19 carries. Now that Leon Washington is out for the year he’ll see a lot more action, and he’s proved that he doesn’t need a lot to produce. Pick this guy up in fantasy if you haven’t already.

Offensive Player of the Week

Carson Palmer – Like I said before, Carson Palmer had more touchdowns than incomplete passes. Whenever you score 5 touchdowns in one game you deserve offensive player of the week.

Defensive Player of the Week

Will Witherspoon – Goodbye St. Louis hello 8 tackles (6 solo), 1 pick-six, and a force fumble. Witherspoon is proving that the Eagles were very smart to trade him for rookie wide receiver Brandon Gibson and a 5th round pick in 2010.

Rookie of the Year Watch

1. Hakeem Nicks –Brandon Stokley isn’t the only tip drill master anymore. Nicks is also a great player to pick up in fantasy if he’s available.

2. Percy Harvin – Harvin put the Vikings back in the game for the win, but Brett Favre had other plans.

3. Knowshon Moreno – Can Knowshon make it three straight 100 yard rushers against the Ravens?

4. Mark Sanchez – Playing in the nice California weather again was good for Sanchez.

5. Johnny Knox – He’ll have a hard time winning this award if Jay Cutler doesn’t get adequate protection upfront, because we all know he’ll throw them picks.

Defensive Player of the Year Watch

1. Elvis Dumervil – Elvis still leads the NFL in sacks even after the bye week.

2. Darren Sharper – One more pick-six and Sharper ties hall-of-famer Rod Woodson for the NFL record. If Sharper grabes one or two more with a Super Bowl win this year he could be heading to Canton as well.

3. Jared Allen – The negative is that Allen was shut down by a mediocre at best offensive line. The good is that his team really struggled without him, in regards to his candidacy for DPOY that is.

4. Darrelle Revis – Revis rebounded, but it was JaMarcus Russell and then Bruce Gradkowski.

Offensive Player of the Year Watch

1. Peyton Manning – He could have played that game blindfolded.

2. Drew Brees – Drew Brees can even make throwing three picks look good.

3. Cedric Benson – In one game Benson got his revenge and the lead for rushing yards.

3. Kyle Orton – Another mistake free week for Kyle Orton.

5. Adrian Peterson – He has game breaking ability, however AD seems to stand for any day now.

Coach of the Year Watch

1. Josh McDaniels (6-0) – McDaniels overall record as a player, front-office assistant and coach, from 1992 to 2009, is 187-46-2 (.79). Thanks to some research by Woody Paige.

2. Sean Payton (6-0) – Like I said, that’s how good coaches win games.

3. Mike Singletary (3-3) – Could Alex Smith put the Singletary’s Niners back in the race for the NFC West?

4. Rex Ryan (4-3) – Ryan got his team back on track, too bad it was the Raiders.

Who Needs a V8?

Richard Seymour – Still guaranteeing the playoffs Mr. Seymour?

Movie to watch this week

Management – Steve Zahn is awkwardly awesome, Woody Harrelson is a great tool, and Jennifer Aniston is still hot. This movie is definitely worth the $1 Red Box rental.

What do you think Nation? Any more deserving teams in the Tentative Ten? Air it out!

Steve Johnson pulls in a TD in front of Dre Bly on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

In a surprising interesting move the Denver Broncos announced just moments ago that they have released starting cornerback Dre Bly. The move comes just a day after the Broncos released three former starters on defense, Bly becomes the fourth defensive starter to be cut in two days and the 12th player to exit Dove Valley in two-weeks.

The move along with the fact that cornerback Karl Paymah will be a free agent leaves the Broncos extremely thin in the secondary. Not to mention that with four starters cut and Nate Webster, Marlon McCree and Ebenezer Ekuban not likely to be re-signed the Broncos could return with as little as three starters from 2008.

Luckily this is not College Football…

In 2008, Bly made $10.4 million (of which $4.55 million counted against the cap), in 2009 he was scheduled to count more than $6 million against the cap, this move puts the Broncos a little more than $40 million under the salary cap (which is set at $123 million).

What’s up Nation? I’m not positive that I like the move, unless Josh McDaniels has his eyes set on one of these all-star corners that may or may not be available in free agency (which opens in ten-days on February 27th). It’s scary to think of what could come of the defense, but then again, last seasons defense was about as bad as it gets.

Tampa, I said.

Why Tampa? they asked.

Because San Diego has to play Denver.

Complain all you like, but just like Jay Cutler said- if you would have told the players on the Broncos in the beginning of the season that they would be playing in week seventeen for a chance to make the playoffs…. They would have been ecstatic.

So, Nation… Why so sad? serious?

We’ve got the national game, Sunday Night Football, a chance to rub December 24, 2007 in the Chargers faces, not once, but twice in the same season.

I said it back in September, there’s something in the heir. Back then Denver had a horrible defense and no running game too. Not much has changed since week two and now except for the win/loss record. However, with a win and you’re in game, the records could just as easily be 14-1/14-1 instead of 8-7/7-8.

Today isn’t the same as any other day, for as William Shakespeare’s Antonio said in “The Tempest” Act 2, Scene I,

What’s Past is Prologue.

We cannot dictate the events of the past, no more that we can decide what the future will bring.

Match-ups and Keys after the bang.

Match-ups

Antonio Gates vs. Wesley Woodyard/Jamie Winborn – I put Woodyard before Winborn, because I feel like Woodyard’s better in coverage and the rookie should get a chance. Minus Boss Bailey, who has historically shut-down Gates and Champ, who in previous seasons covered Gates; it’s Woodyard’s time to shine. If a linebacker can step-up and allow Denver’s secondary to focus on the receivers/running backs coming out of San Diego’s backfield, the Broncos will be well off.

LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Denver’s Front Four – Tomlinson wasn’t effective most of the season and though it didn’t start with Denver (26-yards on ten carries)– it definitely wasn’t encouraging for him to be so ineffective against one of the worst rush defenses the league has to offer.

Philip Rivers vs. Jay Cutler – Battle of the d-ck heads, right? Who cares what they act like off the field, imagine what it must be like hearing these two brats on the field. Think Dan Marino and John Elway were ever accused of being Divas? Actually, never mind. These two (Rivers & Cutler) are one crying Brett Favre career ending interview away from being teammates in the Pro Bowl and this will be the deciding effort in who gets to send the Hotel bar bill to whose room in February.

Quentin Jammer vs. Brandon Marshall – Remember Marshall’s coming out party against the Chargers in week two? Antonio Cromartie and Jammer do too, Jammer had ten-tackles that game, more than a couple came off of Marshall’s 18-receptions and the much hyped Cromartie never quite recovered this season. Marshall’s two catches from 100-receptions this season and if he can even get half of what he got last time against the Chargers, the Broncos should be in good shape.

Denver Offense vs. San Diego’s 3-4 – The way the Broncos handled the Chargers 3-4 defense in week two is part of the reason that the team felt that they might have success against the New England Patriots 3-4. San Diego has a new defensive coordinator, who could change a lot of things around, though the Broncos are saying publicly that they expect more of the same… Which means they know something new is coming.

Matt Prater vs. Himself – Aristotle once wrote about this epic. Let’s see Prater (or Prayer as my fellow Podcaster AsianOrange likes to call him) knock-out as many as he puts up. The games aren’t getting any easier and it’s hard to say whether Prater is showing improvement or not- is he getting less opportunities or is he hitting more and the Broncos aren’t getting within his range? I haven’t seen any real sign that Denver is losing confidence in their young kicker.

Keys

Interceptions (catch more, throw as many as you’d like)
There’s no real secret, when a team has a negative turnover ratio, they usually lose the game. Denver this Sunday will field a team that includes: Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, Josh Bell (nickel), Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel/Josh Barrett. That’s a whole lot of mf-ers that should be able to pick a ball out of the sky. In a typical nickel set, Denver should be able to hold off the incredible Antonio Gates and the stellar Chris Chambers for at least six to seven-seconds. What I’m really thinking here is corner/safety blitzes though. We saw a lot of it in training camp and haven’t seen it much during the season. The times during the season that it has worked, it has been marvelous.

Champ Bailey
I had a feeling when I saw number 24 step onto the field against the Buffalo Bills, last Sunday, that all might be okay. Just an overall calmness with the defense, but when the offense and special teams gave that great of field position that many times in a ball game, neither Superman or Champ could have held the Bills. Bailey has three career interceptions against the Chargers (including one touchdown), his only interception this season also came against Rivers.

T-O-N-Y
You know if you take Tony Scheffler’s first name and reverse it, it becomes y not as in- why not? Just because Daniel Graham has stepped it up in the pass catching department doesn’t mean ‘Mr. Why Not’ had to lose some touches. The man is still one of the only tight ends in the league willing to catch the ball with his teeth and attempt a flying cartwheel into the end zone (as far as I know).

Nate Webster
“Got to hone it guy,” as the great Horvil Tiki says. It was a running joke during the live blogs here, the missing helmet count… Apparently that meant that Webster was actually hitting people though, so I’d be all for seeing a helmet fly. Niko Koutouvides wasn’t even active for the game against the Bills and Spencer Larsen is fun to watch, but Webster was the people’s champ coming out of preseason. Time to snatch that crown back and give Tomlinson and Darren Sproles an assignment for the rest of the offseason- digging the remains of your helmet out of their chest plate.

How we lose
As fans have witnessed, the Broncos defense generally gives up one big run per game. That is not what kills the defense though. The defense is usually killed by a receiver getting hot and then not being able to stop said receiver. Against the Chargers, this receiver was Chris Chambers and the man covering him was Karl Paymah, Paymah’s not likely the man to pull Chambers Sunday though. It’ll be a combination of Bly and Bell. The good news for Denver is that Chambers is not Steve Smith and that Bell seems more capable in coverage than Paymah.

Let it get ugly
It seems like San Diego’s kept it classy this week (he says sarcastically, with posts to follow), the lines have been drawn since last Sunday and it’s time to push through and slam that flag into the dirt. By any means necessary, this is a great game for either team to stomp into the playoffs and a win can easily propel a team that shouldn’t be in the playoffs to a team that forces teams to say, “Oh sh-t, they just made the playoffs.”

This is a fun weekend and really what Denver football is all about. We’ve somehow managed to turn a three-game lead into a game where our team is the underdog. Should be fun and as I said earlier, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I might lose a tiny bit of purpose in life though, should the Broncos not make the playoffs. That and Kyle’s not very excited about starting a NuggetTalk.net…

Champ Bailey vs. Chargers

For the Chiefs wide receiver Mark Bradley is out, while defensive end Tamba Hali is probable.

At cornerback Dre Bly will go one-on-one with Dewayne Bowe for most of the game, Bailey normally covers the legendary Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzales. With Bailey out, it’s tough to say who will match up with him predominantly- Jamie Winborn and Karl Paymah or a combined effort forward is likely. This could spell trouble in Denver today.

UPDATE: Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards will also be out.

Every week, it seems the Broncos lose two to three more players for a significant amount of time due to injury. This Sunday was no different. The Broncos lost running backs Andre Hall and Michael Pittman for the season on Sunday; they also lost linebacker D.J. Williams and safety Marlon McCree for three to four weeks each.

To offset these injuries, the Broncos added three players to their active roster Tuesday – outside linebacker Mario Haggan, safety Roderick Rogers and running back P.J. Pope. Head Coach Mike Shanahan discussed the injuries, along with the possibility of getting some of the other guys back, during his Tuesday presser.

“(RB) Michael Pittman was put on IR. A spinal cord (injury),” Shanahan told reporters. “He had some numbness in his hands and doctors recommended that he stay out. (LB) D.J. Williams has a third-degree MCL (injury). Four weeks of (missed) participation there. (RB) Andre Hall (has a) broken hand. (S) Marlon McCree (has a) high-ankle sprain—three to four weeks (he will be out) in that area. (TE) Tony Scheffler and (RB) Selvin Young, we will get a chance to evaluate a little bit later today.”

When asked if he could remember a time where he coached a team with so many injuries, Shanny replied, “I don’t know that I’ve ever had both captains out on defense before, so that’s a little bit different. But that happens during the season and there is no reason to use that as an excuse. That’s why you have depth on your football team.”

Shanahan went on to discuss his options for replacing Williams and Bailey on the field. “We are going to have (LB Wesley) Woodyard and (LB Louis) Green. Woodyard doesn’t have a lot of experience, obviously, but he has played well on special teams. Lou Green has a lot of experience. We will take a look at those two guys and make a decision on which direction we are going to go. Then you take a look at (CB) Karl Paymah—I think he played well during the game.”

I didn’t think we could be hit harder with injuries than we were last year, but 2008 is making a strong case. Hopefully Selvin and Tony can finally return, and we can get a good effort by our running back tandem (and Peyton Hillis. Then the 10-day break will be good to FINISH what we started on the bye week – getting healthy.

The BroncoTalk Staff is grading the Denver Broncos through the first four games of the 2008 season. Here’s our take on the pass defense. We invite you to give your grade at the bottom of each post as well. Enjoy!

Pass Defense – Staff Grade – D

Jonathan – C- – We’re not pressuring the QB and we’re giving up short yardage passes (some of which turn into big plays). Our CB have given up one side of the field every week and produced very few deflections and interceptions. I think Shanahan is going through defensive backs (safeties and CB’s) right and left and we still don’t have an answer. I wish I had an easy fix… unfortunately, I don’t. :(

Josh – D- – The only thing not giving this unit a flat out F is that I thought the defense as a whole unit played better against the Chiefs when we thought we would need it the least.  More of the same from this group, pure inability to reach the quarterback all season. I hate to say it, but I think Moss and Crowder are starting to look like busts. We need a true playmaker.  They’ve made a few key stops all season.  I do like the switch to Jack Williams over Paymah. The kid has nothing but upside at this point because he basically looked like the same person as Paymah in a bad game against K.C.

E. Halsey Miles – F – Pass defense gets a big fat F.

Ian – F – Well, as bad as it is made out to be? No. Better than it’s supposed to be? Definitely not. It seems like the pass rush is missing the angles, coming up milliseconds from quarterback sacks. Whether Denver is employing a 4-3, 3-4, nickel, cover-2, cover-3 or stunting like Lil’ Wayne’s Daddy, they just can’t get to the quarterback. The pass rush, collectively, has gotten to the quarterback five times in four games: Kenny Peterson (two sacks), D.J. Williams, John Engelberger and Ebenezer Ekuban (all one sack), have all taken the bull by the horns this season. That puts Denver amongst interesting company, ranked 23rd in the NFL for sacks, the New England Patriots, Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars all rank consecutively below Denver. Yet, the pass rush only accounts for 50% of the pass defense. Though the Broncos didn’t blatantly come out and say it, the amount of turnover they’ve had in the secondary since training camp has basically signaled a code red. Denver cannot get an answer from their corners on who should be their nickel back, that coupled with the fact that a ball hawk safety has yet to emerge.They are ranked whiskers above dead last in pass defense, by .2 yards actually. Something’s got to give, but take into account the fact that the Broncos have faced two of the dominant passing offenses in the NFL within the first four weeks of the season.

Kyle – C- – Pass defense has a lot to do with the quarterback you face each week, and in four weeks in the NFL the Broncos have played two of the top quarterbacks in the league in 2008. How remarkable is this – both Cutler and Saints QB Drew Brees or on pace to beat Dan Marino’s season yardage record – Cut would just edge it out, and Brees would destroy it. I’m not concerned about giving up yards to him or Philip Rivers – all three QB’s are having MVP-caliber seasons through the first quarter. C- is still a bad grade – they need to pressure the quarterback better, and the coaches need to give a playmaker like Champ Bailey the opportunity to succeed – but I’m not overly concerned about passing offenses against our defense in the future.

During the live blog it was hard to not notice that the Denver Broncos, while very aggressive in the first-quarter, backed off completely as they took a 21-3 lead. The tides and the blog readers turned quickly, as Denver started to give up more and more to Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. Earl and I went back and forth over why, with two of the best defensive backs in the league, are we not playing man-to-man coverage?

Typically zone coverage can be broken down into several different “Covers.”

• Cover 1: One safety is left to cover anything deep.
• Cover 2: Two safeties cover the back half of the field.
• Cover 3: Three players split the back half of the field into thirds.
• Cover 4: Four players split the back half of the field, into fourths.
• Cover 0: Everyone man up, someone is either getting beat deep or picking off a play.
• Tampa 2: A mixture of Cover 2 and Cover 3, usually a middle linebacker is employed to take care of anything that comes across the middle.

Against New Orleans, Denver employed a slight variation of the Tampa 2. Predominantly, leaving middle linebacker Nate Webster or D.J. Williams to protect the middle. In Denvers’ defense you will hardly ever see Champ Bailey in zone coverage, he will be man-on-man 98% of the time this season. The same can be said for Dre Bly, who will be normally covering the opposing team’s second wide receiver. By proxy, Bly will see more targets.

Here’s where bringing in Boss Bailey looked like the best off-season move Denver made, he’s one of the best cover linebackers in the league. Yet, he tends to get injured. Due to lingering injuries, he has to take plays off, usually one or two on a long drive. His replacement thus far has been Jamie Winborn, who is very good against the run, but can’t hold a candle to Bailey, pass coverage wise. Opposing offenses know this and this is when you will see a pass to a tight end or a dump off to a running back go for big yardage.

The other major weakness, did not affect Denver much against the Saints, but killed Denver when they played against the Chargers- their lack of strength at nickel back. Though Karl Paymah may have stepped up a bit, he nearly gave up a play that would have gone for six, prior to the Broncos successful defensive goal-line stand. Paymah was beat for three-yards on an inside slant, but Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel pounced on Paymah’s receiver immediately stopping him at the three yard-line.

Yesterday, in my last Broncos Status Report article, I called on Denver to give a look to rookie Jack Williams at nickel; which I fully expect them to this week in practice. Paymah, given his speed, would suit Denver perfectly as a strong safety. However, that would leave the Broncos bare naked at corner; there are only four cornerbacks currently on the Broncos roster.

My instincts are saying that we need Hamza Abdullah back on the active roster, as he’s the only safety Denver has that can actually pick a ball off. McCree and Manuel are not being used properly, as both are free safeties, but Manuel has been used predominantly as a strong safety. I was excited at the potential of having both of these hard-hitters line up next to each other, merely for the fact that they both can blow up a ball carrier. However, it has become clear that Manuel is being used improperly, he deserves to be lining up in the box- not in coverage. Abdullah can handle coverage.

Back to Williams for a second, my case for him taking over the nickel back position is that he is small, with huge jumping capability. An opposing quarterback going through his reads will spot Williams’ receiver as open, practically every time. As fans saw in preseason, this is not the case and Williams will take an interception as far as his legs will carry him. Using Williams in tight coverage, instead of Paymah will allow the rushing defense that extra second or two they were missing against Brees’ Saints. Too many times, the Broncos were milliseconds away from a sack or a backfield turnover, but Brees was able to get the ball away.

For Denver fans- the problem is not the Broncos pass rush, the problem is the coverage. At least most of the time; when the Broncos employed a three man rush, of course the quarterback is going to have time to make a play. To me the real problem is that there’s absolutely no sense of urgency on the defenses behalf, check out these post-game quotes:

Boss Bailey, “We don’t want to give up that many points, but we found a way to win. We came out of the game healthy and we will continue to improve.”

Dre Bly, “That’s not going to happen all season. When you have an explosive offense and they score quickly, the other team will have time to make adjustments. It wasn’t as we would have liked on defense, but it’s a win.”

D.J. Williams, “Each game this season we have started fast in the beginning and tapered off later in the game. We have played well in the first half, we just have to work hard, get back to work, and start finishing games. We know what type of talent we have, and we know that if we want to be the best, we have to step up and beat the best.”

Champ Bailey, “This week we will look at film, and try and figure out what is wrong. We were disappointed, but we got the win, and that is all that matters. This week we will get back to work and hopefully improve our performance next week. We want games that end 32-13, not like our past two games ending 34-32 and 39-38.”

It’s pretty evident in those quotes that the defense is, at least not publically, taking responsibility for the fact that they have given up 84 points (third only to St. Louis and Detroit) in three games. If Denver wasn’t currently employing the number one offense in football, Denver would be getting blown out.

How is this okay?

Next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos are afforded an opportunity to play an offense that isn’t amongst the top five in the NFL (for the first time in two weeks). They will have an opportunity to test people at positions and not have to worry too much about being killed for going one-on-one during coverages. I am not at all saying that the game against he Chiefs will be an easy win, I’m merely saying that this game gives the Broncos an opportunity to try out a few different types of blitzes and see who can hold their own in pass coverage.

This is not meant to offend the subject, nor fans of the player, but Karl Paymah and Domonique Foxworth have more in common than their draft class. The two came via a trio of corners from the 2005 draft class, of which Darrent Williams also belonged. Now of the three, only Paymah remains. 

With Foxworth it seemed there was hardly ever a time he actually prevented the ball from getting to the receiver. Once the ball got there, he was most likely to get the tackle, but the ball shouldn’t have gotten there in the first place. Now, I’ve never felt this way about Paymah, but last week I got nostalgia in his effort against the San Diego Chargers. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

“There’s always a weakness in every defense,” Champ Bailey said. “The thing about [Sunday] was Philip Rivers found every little weakness that we had and took advantage of it. He’s a great quarterback. He’s playing better than most quarterbacks in the league this year. My hat goes off to them because they exploited a lot of our weakness. We know what they are. We can improve on that, and we’ll play better than what we did.”

That cringe hasn’t left my body yet, you know the one where an opposing offense is in the redzone and the Broncos are in nickle or worse dime-coverage. It seems as if Paymah was always in the wrong position to make a play, whether it be behind the receiver or with his back turned to the play. Granted, this may be due to a lot of factors, not just his natural ability. He is very fast, a 4.32 40 at the combine, he was drafted specifically with the idea of coming in as the nickel back. Two-weeks into his new roll though, I’m not sure if this guy can hack it. 

Enter rookie Jack Williams, where has this guy been? He killed in preseason and throughout training camp, has he not put in the effort since to get a crack at nickle back? Williams has yet to log a single stat in the season thus far. It’s time for action, either Paymah steps up or we should see Williams in today.

Week 2 San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers‘ offense was intense, but not until the second-half. Philip Rivers leads the NFL in passing yards going into the Monday night game– if that means anything. Not proof enough? Keep reading… Rivers picked Denver’s nickle back Karl Paymah apart. The Broncos also stayed true to team history, allowing another backup Chargers’ running back to have a career game. The Chargers were often mentioned amongst the possible AFC Super Bowl contenders in preseason. Not today though, today was that given Sunday for the Denver Broncos.

Week 3 New Orleans Saints
News broke just before the game that the Saints had extended head coach Sean Payton‘s contract (by five years). It was also reported early on Sunday that there were some tough decisions made this past off-season on the fate of Deuce McAllister. The Saints didn’t quite look like the offensive juggernaut that they were in week one, that isn’t to say that the Washington Redskins‘ defense shut them out completely. However, the Saints’ first touchdown came off field position provided by a botched punt return by Antwaan Randle El, giving New Orleans the ball on the one-yard line. The Saints’ offense folded under the pressure of the Redskins’ onslaught. It is worth mentioning that the Saints were playing without three key players and they lost corner Aaron Glenn in the third quarter. Where the Broncos should anticipate trouble is with Reggie Bush, not for his offensive abilities, but for his special teams abilities.

Much, much more analysis will be available to fans throughout the week, right here on Bronco Talk.

Week 4 @ Kansas City Chiefs
Backup quarterback Damon Huard came in to replace the injured Brodie Croyle, then Tyler Thigpen came in to relieve Huard, then wide receiver Marques Hagans came in to relieve Thigpen, going one of one for five yards. After that the Chiefs seemed to simply tread water, with Thigpen back at the helm. By no means did the Oakland Raiders look impressive, going into the third quarter JaMarcus Russell was three of 14 for 30 yards. Then mid-third quarter, the Raiders seemed to hit the nitro button, Darren McFadden launched into the century mark, yardage wise, in two well timed runs. Kansas City’s young defense looks anemic and they’re not to get much better by week 4.

Week 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Backup quarterback (and former Denver Bronco) Brian Griese started in place of the (possibly) injured Jeff Garcia, amongst rumors that the Buccaneers had offered Garcia to the San Francisco 49ers. It’s an educated guess, but my best guess is that Griese will most likely face off against his mentor Mike Shanahan in week five. Griese was very unspectacular at quarterback, finishing with 160-yards on 18 passes and 31 attempts. It was Tampa Bay’s fierce defense that ultimately led them to the win over the one-game wonder Atlanta Falcons. Buccaneers defensive end Gaines Adams became Falcons’ rookie quarterback Matt Ryan’s personal nightmare. Defense won this game for Tampa, not offense, though Earnest Graham deserves the game ball for his 68-yard touchdown, late in the 4th quarter.

Week 6 Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars allowed Marshawn Lynch to get in for a touchdown very early in the game. The Jaguars’ defense couldn’t stop anything that the Buffalo Bills offense threw at them (literally). Their defense, which is the defense that I, as a Bronco fan, fear the most, did not have a prime showing. The Jaguars’ special teams is worth a very long study, as they converted an onside kick in the third quarter. Cornerback Brian Williams was all over the field and finished with eight tackles for the Jags.

Week 7 @ New England Patriots
Obviously the story is Matt Cassel, but I literally had two screens in front of me, the Broncos/Chargers game and the Jets/Patriots game. The story is definitely not Matt Cassel, the New England Patriots will win this season despite themselves. I’m really not going after Pats fans (as I will tell you in NYC the San Diego fans are 40 times more obnoxious than the Pats fans), they have got to get their running game in order. The Pats have beat two of the worst teams in the NFL and barely in week one and two. They can thank their lucky stars that they have the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL. However, the moment they face-off against the Pittsburgh Steelers or Indianapolis Colts… or Denver Broncos, they’re screwed.

Week 8 Bye Week

Week 9 Miami Dolphins
These guys, no, they’re not the worst in the league. I think that Kansas City with a third-string quarterback may be the worst in the league. However, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner went 12 passes for 293 yards to his top two recievers, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, for three touchdowns. What more can I say? Chad Pennington went ten of 20 for 112 yards and Ricky Williams/Ronnie Brown split for 53 total yards and one touchdown. This is the team that, last week, took the New York Jets to the last play, by the way.

Week 10 @ Cleveland Browns
It became public that the Pittsburgh Steelers had quietly complained about the odd coincidence of their communication systems always having problems whenever they play in Cleveland. Especially in the quarterback’s helmet. Throughout most of the first-half Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was running to and from the sideline, coincidence? Probably not. Browns quarterback Derek Anderson simply couldn’t get it clicking against Pittsburgh’s secondary. Pressure led to Anderson throwing two interceptions before halftime and footsteps led to tight ends Kellen Winslow’s low production. The Browns have, as of now, not proven that they are worthy of the attributes adorned to them. They are not the surprise team in the AFC, Denver is.

Week 11 @ Atlanta Falcons
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan and career backup running back Michael Turner might have been sexy picks following week one, but they lost a hell of a lot of steam in week two going up against an actual defense. Ryan went zero for eight and two interceptions on the Falcons’ first four drives. He ended on 13 of 33 with 158 yards, Turner had 42 yards on 14 carries. Warrick Dunn made the Falcons look like hell, ’nuff said.

Week 12 Oakland Raiders
Going into the third quarter the two-headed monster of Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas had combined for 18 rushes and 84 yards. Then McFadden went crazy, but the thing is, he went crazy on the Kansas City Chiefs defense. Which as of this moment, who cares, they’re possibly the worst defense in the league. I’m glad that Lane Kiffin gets to keep his job for another week. In fact, I hope that he (Lane Kiffin) wins (nearly) every week this season… It will show Al Davis that his ways are archaic, then maybe he (Davis) can step down. In reality, no, Al Davis, keep your Raiders as long as you can, you have another top five pick coming next year!

Week 13 @ New York Jets
I wasn’t impressed with Brett Favre last week and this week he was going up against the New England Patriots defense. Wasn’t impressed again. You can only shine a piece of **** so much before you realize that it’s still just a turd. The Jets are still one of the worst teams in the AFC, make no mistake about it, they just have a Hall of Fame quarterback now. Yes, running back Thomas Jones went 70 yards on 17 rushes, he’s going to do that, but Favre isn’t enough to get this team in order. The defense needs to be able to stop an offensive push, especially against the Patriots with their second-string, over-achieving quarterback. They simply could not, what happens when they play an actual quarterback?

Week 14 @ Kansas City Chiefs
These guys need to get better in basically every major category possible. If they need some advice, throw the ball to Tony Gonzalez, like the Broncos throw the ball to Brandon Marshall… Larry Johnson can spell Gonzalez, whether it be by running the ball or by catching the ball.

Week 15 @ Carolina Panthers
The surprise team of the NFL? Possibly, though the Denver Broncos now average 40 points per game. The Carolina Panthers may be the real cardiac kids of the NFL. How to stop them? Not sure, give us a couple weeks, because no one’s managed to do it yet. In the fourth-quarter, these guys own.

Week 16 Buffalo Bills
Trent Edwards completed his first ten passes against the Jacksonville defense. Marshawn Lynch scored basically the second time that he touched the ball, but he was ineffective for the rest of the game. If the Broncos are able to neutralize Lynch as they did Tomlinson, the Bills passing game can be tamed.

Week 17 @ San Diego Chargers
What’s the over/under that this game will matter? If it does, in fact matter, expect Tomlinson to play and play well, also expect whatever game plan that the Chargers used in the second-half to be applied in the first-half. If Denver hand’t have scored some much in the first-half, the Broncos would not have won the game.

In my debriefing for Week 2 in the NFL,wow! What a week, what were your surprises? Anyone see the Minnesota Vikings vs. Indianapolis Colts? Are the Panthers going to go all the way to the Super Bowl in the NFC? After Monday Night Football, maybe the Philadelphia Eagles or Dallas Cowboys look like the team to beat in the NFC. Who is the best team in the AFC as it stands now?

Denver Broncos cornerback Karl Paymah was found guilty today on charges of driving under the influence and careless driving, the Denver Post reports. The charges stem from a March 2006 incident in which Paymah was found intoxicated and unconscious about 50 yards off an Arapahoe County road.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 16, with a maximum penalty of one year in jail.

The Denver Broncos declined to comment on the case.

A third round draft pick by the Broncos in 2005, Paymah is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2008 season.

Settle down, he’s not going to jail for a year. I doubt Roger Goodell takes action for a two year old DUI, either. He might do some time, though, and his sentencing is set for early in the season. We’ll keep an eye on it.