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Published on 11/03/2009 at Tue Nov 03 09:00.
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Broncos’ Mid-Year Review

Posted Tue Nov 3rd by

This post is guest-authored by Steve O’Reilly, who writes about the NFL and fantasy for SkinnyPost.com. Follow Steve on twitter.

The Denver Broncos prepare to snap the ball during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos prepare to snap the ball during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

Halfway through the season – What we’ve learned!

Through 8 weeks of Denver Bronco football we have learned quite a bit about the 2009 Broncos. In this segment let’s breakdown exactly what we know about what may be the surprise team of the 2009 NFL season.

Defense –

The Good

The first thing that jumps out immediately is the Broncos defense has improved greatly. Even though Week 8 against the Ravens was a disaster, the first 6 weeks went perfectly. The Denver defense has been ranked at or near the top of the NFL in many categories. As of right now, the Broncos Defense is ranked #1 in the NFL (based on Yards) yielding a league low 266.7 yards a game. They are ranked 2nd in total points having allowed only 96, tied with the Packers and behind only the Colts, who have allowed a league low 91 points. Denver’s second half defense is dynamic; they allowed 7 points in Week 1 against the Bengals, a Field Goal against the Chargers in Week 6 and then 24 against Baltimore, 7 of which was on a kick off return to start the 3rd Quarter. Indeed, Mike Nolan and the new 3-4 defense is Playoff caliber. Elvis Dumervil is having a Pro Bowl year so far with 10 sacks, a half sack behind league leading Jared Allen of the Vikings.

The Broncos secondary has been extremely solid and is not allowing big plays, which was a bugaboo for the 2008 squad. The additions of Renaldo Hill and Brian Dawkins at the safety position has proved to be a huge homerun. They have helped the back end tremendously and are allowing the coaches to mix up the play calling by blitzing more with Linebackers knowing that the Safeties are there to make sure tackles. Champ Bailey is still one of the best in the business and all in all the secondary is fantastic.

The front 7 is proving to be stout against the run as they rank 4th in the league, surrendering only 3.4 yards per carry and have given up 603 total yards against the run all season.

The Bad

Honestly at this point, the defense doesn’t have any issues on this side of the ball. They are solid against the run, tough against the pass and hold opposing teams to minimal points. Things are looking good for Denver’s new and improved defense!

Offense-

The Good

So far for the Broncos they aren’t turning the ball over which is giving the team a chance to win every game. Kyle Orton, whose arrival in Denver came with obvious controversy, has been extremely efficient with the ball. He has only committed one interception and for all intents and purposes it didn’t really count! He threw a Hail Mary pass before the end of the first half against the Patriots that was picked off by Randy Moss so yes he did have a pick but not really! Orton has made good decisions with the ball and when the play isn’t there he simply throws it away and gives the offense a chance to succeed on the next play.

Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter have joined to add a nice 1-2 punch keeping each other fresh by rotating series. The game plan for Denver has been simple; be efficient with the football and control the clock. Drives usually consist of many plays that eat clock as they matriculate down the field.

The Bad

The Running Game

Keep in mind this is only my opinion but honestly, I don’t like what Denver is doing in the run game. They are currently ranked 14th in total yards with 862 and neither back is on pace to obtain a 1000 yards. Simply put, the Broncos O-Line has gotten away from the Zone Blocking Scheme which was a staple in Denver for decades. The offensive line is, by many measures undersized and therefore using the Traps and Pulling Guard style that McDaniels employs puts them at a disadvantage. Mike Shanahan built this line with the full intention to use them in the Zone Blocking Scheme where their quickness would be a boon. Now however, with the Traps, Draws and Pulling Guard styles, guys like Ben Hamilton and Chris Kuper are simply overmatched at times and not able to generate the power and brute force needed to play this style of smash-mouth football. Denver has always been one of the best teams in the league running the ball but so far in 2009 they are simply average. Knowshon Moreno would be much more dynamic if he was allowed to run off the edge and use his natural abilities like his vision and cutback skills to find the proper lane and head downhill. So far, for the most part, Moreno has been a strictly “between the tackles” runner and I don’t think that is maximizing his skill set. I would like to see Denver get back to the Zone Blocking style that was so successful in years past, they have the line for it and when they have employed it this year, we have seen our biggest runs…mostly from Buckhalter.

Brandon Marshall #15 of the Denver Broncos runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

Brandon Marshall #15 of the Denver Broncos runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)

The Passing Game –

So far Josh McDaniels does not like to attack the ball downfield. I think we all notice a major difference in Denver’s play calling in 2009 and if you’re a fantasy owner of Brandon Marshall or Eddie Royal you definitely notice. This offense is, simply put, a dink and dunk style offense and when facing a talented defense, it can really hurt you. For example, this week against the Ravens – most pundits and experts felt that Baltimore’s weakest link on Defense was their Cornerbacks and 23rd ranked pass defense and felt that Denver would have no trouble attacking them. However the Broncos consistently tried to attack underneath where Ed Reed and Ray Lewis were keying on playing downhill. Ed Reed is a master of film study, I know from personally interviewing him not long ago, he told me that teams have tendencies that he sees on film and when he sees those things in a game he can read and react that much quicker. The big hit on Moreno to cause a fumble, the hit on Eddie Royal to end a drive were all plays that he made knowing he could play downhill because Denver gave him no reason to think they were going up top. He rarely if ever needed to backpedal. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed consistantly teed off on the underneath stuff. Pass protection against the Ravens was a factor but if that’s the case then throw some screens to slow down the rush. Come playoff time, McDaniels has to show enough confidence in Orton to allow him to throw it downfield and stretch out the defense, which will open up the running lanes for the backs. Everything in the NFL is tied to something else…if the passing game is lagging then the running lanes become clogged and your offense stalls. It used to be said that you run to open up the pass, I disagree. I think you need to pass to open up the run. Look at the Colts, they are experts at it.

Special Teams

This is a mixed bag as well. The return game of Eddie Royal has been very solid, especially against the Chargers! Denver has enjoyed, for the most part, excellent field position. The bad comes with lapses in coverage that have allowed big touchdowns, some at inopportune times. Darren Sproles and Lardarius Webb have ripped through Denver’s special teams coverage units and changed the momentum of their respective games. Come playoff time, those plays are huge and could be the difference between moving on or going home.

Conclusion

No team has ever started 6-1 and not made the playoffs and the Broncos are good shape to make the postseason and win the AFC West. They have some tough games ahead but also some very winnable ones. If they continue to play quality defense and not turn the ball over on offense they will be tough to beat. I would like to see more explosion on offense not only in the passing game but also in the running game. That could probably be obtained by going back to a staple in Bronco football over the last 14 years, the Zone Blocking Scheme and by attacking downfield in the passing game by using the Broncos’ talented Wide Receivers and Tight Ends who can definitely stretch the field.

Even though Denver faced a buzz-saw in Week 8 in Baltimore, on the whole this has been a very impressive team and one that is poised to be playing football well into January. This an exciting time to be a Bronco fan!

Thanks to Steve for breaking down the Broncos two months into the season!  We’ll have more mid-season review next week.

  • Plato

    So many naysayers! I'm glad to finally read something that's objective yet optimistic.

    6-1 is still fantastic, and even if the Broncos fall the Steelers, they'res enough games to put them in the playoffs if they play solid. If they fall from here they obviously don't deserve a postseason berth. By what am I saying? Playoffs? Playoffs? Don't talk about the playoffs!

  • dogheadbrew

    This is not meant to be pessimistic:

    No team had ever given up a three game lead in the division with three games left, until we did. I echo Plato here… Let's not talk playoffs until the game is scheduled.

    I think the Steelers are a perfect team to have next game. They are a good team (I think better than Baltimore), and can mirror the game plan that beat us. Here is where the Broncos strong suit of adjustments comes into play. How will McD and Nolan fix those problems? We could easily loose this next game, but a loss in a close well played game would still be OK by me. After all, 6-2 is stellar for a 4-12, predicted team. We need to enjoy every step forward.

    All that said, we are going to need a QB that can open the field more than Orton has shown so far. Maybe Kyle can learn that, or maybe we can pick up a QB (or maybe Brandstander) who can have some time to learn under Kyle (two or three seasons) and still step in while Marshall, Royal, and Scheffler are in their prime.

  • NMBronc

    We will find out a lot about our team this Monday. Based on what I have seen, they will come out swinging.

    This past game was just aweful. The O-Line got beat and Orton was a disaster. The question I have for all is this; Is McDaniels not going deep, because he does not trust Orton's arm?

  • NMBronc

    'After all, 6-2 is stellar for a 4-12, predicted team. We need to enjoy every step forward.' Exactly!

    Regarding your comment and my question below. Orton went deep fairly well against NE and very well against the Chargers. It would appear he is capable.

    And regarding adjustments; I did not see significant adjustments by McD and Nolan in the 2nd half v Ravens. A little dissapointing

  • TheTroglodyte

    Interesting take on where we stand as a team. I am surprised people are still talking about the zone blocking scheme though. We have ran the ball quite effectively so the problem isn't how we are running it, it is how much we are running it. Were actually 11th in total running yards but just tied for 13th in rushing attempts with the Chiefs and Rams.

    The whole argument of run to open the pass or pass to open the run is just silly. Saying to look at the colts is just silly. The Colts do what they do because that is what they are built to do. If teams want to focus on shutting down P. Manning than of course they are going to have success running the ball. If teams want to focus on shutting down Adrian Peterson than of course Brett Favre is going to have success throwing the ball and put up the best numbers of his career.

    You take what the defense gives you. If that means the run then you run it until the other team proves they can stop it. When they make that adjustment than you adjust and pass. If they are stopping the run then you pass the ball until they can stop it and adjust accordingly.

    The biggest problem in the Ravens game is we didn't adjust. We didn't come out in the second half trying to pound the ball a little more. Trying to take some more shots down field. We didn't make any attempt to attack what the Ravens were giving us.

    I don't think anyone would question McDaniel's offensive capabilities so I would be hard pressed to convince we will look anything like the same offensive team come Pittsburgh. If we do, we might be in for a long second half of the season but until that time comes, I am extremely optimistic and actually excited to see how we bounce back.

  • kerry

    we didnt go downfield because McDaniels is gonna live and die by HIS system. and that system doesnt require the deep pass. and seriously even if you dont complete the deep pass, throw it anyway. put it in the defenses mind that you are willing to try and go deep. and McDaniels wont do that. and how many screen plays is McDaniels gonna call before he finally realizes it doesnt work?? what cost us that game wasnt the O-line. it was MCDaniels and his inability to adjust his gameplan to expose weaknesses of the other team. just like McDaniels wont go back to the ZBS because it doesnt fit his system.

    but the serious issue i have is the lack of production from Robert Ayers and Moreno. Ayers was supposed to be a pass rush specialist in the Merriman shadow and yet this guy hasnt done anything. Dumervil cant do it all himself and we need consistant pass rush from the other side. and Moreno…..oh boy. this guy has been a colossal disappointment thus far. i didnt think he was gonna be good this year anyway but i sure thought he would be a bit better then he has been thus far. fumbles too much and has no patience. he is looking more like Reggie Bush out there then a true RB. and someone said he would 2000 total yards this year and that Moreno is gonna be a power runner and carry the ball 25 times a game. he will be lucky to have a 1000 total yards and he wont get the ball 25 times a game under a McDaniels system.

  • TheTroglodyte

    Kerry, are you sure you actually watch the games?

    McDaniels “system” has a lot of deep passes. Did you not see a single Tom Brady highlight over the previous 3 years or watch Matt Cassell last year? Obviously you just like to talk crap.

    Comparing Moreno to Reggie Bush is about the most idiotic thing you have ever said. Moreno runs hard, reads the line well and is getting a very respectable ypc average since a rough week 1 start averaging 4.3 ypc since then. He was shutdown against San Diego but that was exactly why the passing game was opened up for Orton in the second half. Plus he only has 2 real fumbles. Only a baboon's ass would blame the fumble on Ed Reeds hit on Moreno. That was Orton's fault 100%.

    Ayers isn't an every down lb. He gets in on about 30 – 35% of the plays and he plays like a typical rookie pass rusher. Mario Williams got 3 sacks his rookie year as an every down player. James Harrison had a combined 4 sacks his first 3 years in the league. Robert Mathis 3.5 his first year also as a full time starter.

    Haven't you figured out by now that everything you say turns out to be incorrect?

  • dogheadbrew

    Maybe Orton can hit enough deep balls to work. Maybe the line pressure was too much. But I have seen him flat miss some other deep balls. I'm not trying to trash the guy, he's been MUCH better than advertised. I'm just saying in the long run, we may need another guy, so find one soon that has time to learn, rather than scramble later.

    I think it was hard to see what adjustment happened. We were out played with a great game plan. My point about adjustments is this… We will be seeing to similar teams in a row, so we can look at this week as a halftime of sorts. What adjustments were made, did not work, so let's try it again.

  • dogheadbrew

    McD does go down field, just in choice spots. You can't tell me two years ago the Patriots were 100% dink and dunk guys. Moss caught quite a few big passes. Also HIS system has racked up 34 wins in two and a half years. I can see worse problems to have.

  • buck

    Seriously?

  • kerry

    really?? Moreno's fumble was Ortons fault?? um no. Moreno caught the ball then proceeded to fumble to the ball. it isnt Ortons responsibility to make sure Moreno can hold onto the ball. its Moreno's resposibility to hold onto the ball moron. duh. Orton is about as much responsible for that fumble as he is the problem with the ST's coverage. and no he has 3 real fumbles. possession of the ball then losing possession of the ball constitutes a fumble. and Moreno doesnt read the line well. if he did then he would actually have patience to let the holes on the line open up. he has no patience therefore he doesnt read the line well.

  • Nick_Shadow

    I am thinking Orton's lack of long throws has more to do with McD than Orton. I have seen that Orton CAN throw it down field, but I think that perhaps Orton isn't confident with the long throw, and so McD isn't comfortable with it.

    As folks have said, it is sure as heck is in the offense, the Pats will kill you with it. The comment about the zone blocking is interesting, maybe McD thinks what he is teaching is better and it will take a bit to get adjusted, or he will bring new players to it ( I think Ben is in his last year). They are only 7 games into this offense, I doubt that it is all in yet. Friend of mine from Boston says the playbook is huge and very complex.

  • TheTroglodyte

    Did you even play high school football because you obviously have no idea what your talking about.

  • TheTroglodyte

    For the record, Moreno's “Success Rate” is 54% which puts him at 7th in the league. So if you needed a stat to prove how stupid you are…. There ya go.

  • steveoreilly

    Thank you everyone for chiming in with your thoughts. Let me try to refine what I think regarding the Broncos offense especially the running game and some of notions that I derived from on the passing game.

    Let's start with the Running Game. The Broncos current O-Line was built by the old regime with the full intentions to Zone Block. Ben Hamilton weighs in at 290 and Chris Kuper is 303… I think that even may be generous. The Broncos new O-Cordinator is from the Panthers, Mike McCoy, who along with McDaniels comes from an offense that employs “smashmouth” football, in football terms, Traps and Pulling Guards. Well in Carolina, their Guards weighed 330 pounds and 315 pounds in Vincent and Wharton. They like to pull the guard to the play side and smash their way to open the hole. In Denver, this style in my opinion isn't as effective with smaller lineman than the Zone Blocking scheme that uses angles to get the bigger lineman on the move while the backside “cuts” and opens a cutback lane. In Georgia, the Bulldogs used the Zone Blocking scheme and Moreno flourished enough to be the top back taken in the Draft. According to TheTroglodyte, Denver is 11th in Rushing but that is incorrect. They rank 14th in the NFL in total Yards rushing, which is the measure of the rankings, with 862 yards. That is approximately 40 yards more than Chris Johnson has personally. I don't think it's a moot point due to the fact that McDaniels retained Dennison and Turner, both of whom taught the ZB scheme for years. The Panthers also had much heavier RB's, with D-Will and J. Stewart both over 225 pounds while Moreno and Buck are under or around 210. Moreno has exceptional vision and cutback ability that is a huge boon in the ZB scheme. Let's look at Clinton Portis as an example – I know it's difficult to compare teams and results from guys on different teams but in generalities this comparison works. CP in Denver, in the ZB scheme averaged 5.5 yards a carry. In the Smashmouth scheme in Washington, he hasn't averaged more than 4.3. He has had to gain weight to handle the pounding of running in between the tackles. That effected his overall quickness and long speed. In Denver, Moreno is the perfect weapon in the ZB due his lateral quickness, if the hole is clogged he could easily cutback for a big gain. As of right now, our leading rusher has 420 yards and is averaging 60 yards per game. That is not awful but it certainly isn't the numbers that Bronco backs have produced in the 14 years under the ZB scheme.

    As far as the passing game, the two go hand in hand. As of right now, Ortons passing percentages are 1-10 yards 80%, 10-20 yards 35% and 20 yards or more at 15% of the time. Any team that gameplans Denver knows that 80% the play will be inside of 10 yards, meaning 8-9 men in the box, meaning more clogged running lanes. My point is, if Denver were to open it up more passing, Safties like Ed Reed wouldn't be able to creep up, read and react playing downhill and putting the receivers and backs at a disadvantage.

    With all this said, this is also the first year in a new system that takes a while to master and learn. I have full confidence in McDaniels to win ballgames and think Denver is in great hands now and in the future. I believe the ZB scheme was ingenious and the old motto is, if it ain't broke…don't fix it!

    Thanks again for taking the time to read my post and I look forward to contributing more in the future!

  • TheTroglodyte

    Good post. They rank 11th in rushing though not 14th. 5 of the 13 teams ahead of them have played 1 more game so its a very poor way to measure. This is why you measure by yards per game which is what teams are actually ranked by because of the bye weeks. That puts them at 11th with a 123.1 average per game.

  • steveoreilly

    In that case you are correct. They do rank 11th in Yards Per but the measure of Rankings by NFL standards is in Yards total. In 2008 the Broncos had the #2 Ranked offense based on total yards, not YPG. Defenses are ranked on Total Yards not Yards Per Game…but regardless, it's honestly irrelavent and we are both right! I'm not going to argue with a good ole Bronco fan over that! :) The bottom line for me is however, they could definitely be better than what they are. Denver hasn't had a 1st round RB in decades and when we finally get a great one, we don't use him to his fullest potential. I would like to see some adjustments with the scheme and it wouldn't be hard as the line knows how to run it and the O-Line Coach and RB's Coach do too!

    Thanks for the kind words!

  • TheTroglodyte

    Well said. Thanks again for the great writeup.

  • steveoreilly

    Thanks so much…it was a pleasure to be able to write for such a great Bronco site! I'm honored to able to do it!

  • kerry

    yeah actually both high school and college football at Northern Colorado. and throughout the history of football when a guy has possession of the ball then looses possession of said football, that is a fumble!! its not anyone elses fault. except for the person who fumbled the ball. really are you that stupid that you dont know the difference?? just like Ortons INT was a real INT. a pass intercepted by the other team is an INT. regardless of when the INT was commited.

  • kerry

    yeah actually both high school and college football at Northern Colorado. and throughout the history of football when a guy has possession of the ball then looses possession of said football, that is a fumble!! its not anyone elses fault. except for the person who fumbled the ball. really are you that stupid that you dont know the difference?? just like Ortons INT was a real INT. a pass intercepted by the other team is an INT. regardless of when the INT was commited.