Things I’m looking forward to vs Indy

I’d have to say, this has been my favorite week of coverage here at BroncoTalk! I think we’ve had a fantastically full week of posts, interviews, opinions, news and general fun. I hope all of our readers agree – and would love to hear any feedback you might have about what you’re seeing on BroncoTalk (or what you’d like to see more of).

With all the material we’ve posted about our pending trip to Indy, I’ll make this week’s list quick and short!

Here’s what I’m most looking forward to vs Indy…

1. Champ & Bly – multiple picks!
Well, according to both novice Madden players (myself and KMA), our computer simulated versions of tomorrow’s game resulted in 3 picks for our star CB’s. With Manning’s experience, it’s not likely that he will lose that many balls but if we can jump out to an early lead and stop the run, it’s possible that Manning will take one or two shots at our corners.

Champ always plays big in big games. So, I would not be surprised if he had a huge game vs the Colts!

2. A New Returner– Please, God, don’t let them start Hixon!
Ok, this might sound mean… but there HAS to be a better option on our team than Hixon on these special teams returns. Let Andre Hall try. let Brian Clark try. Heck, anyone would be preferable to the results we’ve had so far this year.

Hixon has had issues holding onto the ball since Training Camp. I can’t believe Shanahan will allow anyone that can’t hold on to the ball to continue getting playing time.

I’ll be interested to see what happens tomorrow.

3. Travis Henry vs Joseph Addai – Winner takes all!
Simple enough. Whichever back has a better game will likely be on the winning team.

Denver has more issues than Indy against the run, but neither team is dominating. In the end, this battle (O-line vs D-line) will determine the outcome of the game in my opinion. So, I’m hoping Henry bounces back this week vs Indy and leads our team to an upset win!

4. The return of Walker – Here comes Javon!
I also think that Javon will bounce back this week vs the Colts. Look for Javon to have much bigger games this week than last week when he was held to 10 yards.

Also, I think Brandon Stokley will likely have a good game. He has turned into our must reliable third-down clutch receiver. So, if we’re facing third-and-8, look for Stokley to make the play!

5. Our D-line biggest game – “D” – “FENCE”
Adam Schefter said this week, “The best Defense that Denver is going to have in some of these games is Travis Henry.”

While that’s both true and witty, I would LOVE to see our D-line stiffen up and make a statement this weekend. I’d also like to see Dumervil and Rice get some pressure on Manning, and aid the chances of Champ and Bly to make picks (see point 1).

But regardless of the outcome, this game will be their biggest challenge, and I’m interested to see how our guys up front on the Defense respond.

OTHER THINGS TO LOOK FOR:
Crowder? – He was rumored to get playing time last week. Now he’s supposed to get some playing time this week… we’ll see!
Better on 3rd Downs – Last week I mentioned that we needed to improve on our third down conversion percentage. We had 27% vs the Bills and 37% vs Oakland. Last week we hit 50%, but we only faced 8 third downs during that game. This week, we’ll want to keep that number over 50%.
Where did Daniel Graham go? – 3 receptions in week one. 9 yards vs Oakland. And NO yards vs Jacksonville. In fact, Daniel Graham’s most notable play was the dropped pass on the last Denver drive. I think we need to get Graham involved.
Cutler vs Manning – I’d like to see how well our new QB does compared to an 8 year veteran and league leader like Manning. It means nothing during the game, but it will be an interesting post-game project.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Find a way to win. If we lose, it won’t surprise anyone. But if we can find a way to upset Indy at home, we will have some GREAT momentum heading into our home game vs the Chargers.

Go Broncos!

-Jonathan Douglas
–BroncoTalk.net