Denver Broncos blog, news and rumors


FB

[hype it up!]
[Share with Yardbarker]

Published on 09/23/2010 at Thu Sep 23 11:00.
Tagged: ,,,,,,,,,,,.



Alt Broncos: Week 2

Posted Thu Sep 23rd by

Running back Matt Forte #22 and Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears celebrate a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at Cowboys Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Running back Matt Forte #22 and Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bears celebrate a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at Cowboys Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Once upon a time — 2008 — the Mike Shanahan-led Denver Broncos were 8-5, boasted Pro Bowlers Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall, and were apparently playoff-bound. The future was bright. Then, in three horrific weeks, the wheels fell off. Shanahan was fired. Cutler was traded. And Marshall pretended to be a punter.

For better or worse, this series of posts is intended to keep tabs on those who, at the time, looked to be key cogs in the Broncos’ future. Our goal isn’t to stir the pot; it’s to assess these franchise-shaking moves week-to-week in 2010 as objectively as possible, draw some conclusions, then let you draw your own. This is a look at a Broncos team in an alternate reality — The Alt Broncos.

Mike ShanahanMike Shanahan
Record: 1-1
Streak: Lost 1
Stat Line: Offense: 335.5 ypg. Defense: 453 ypg

Shanahan and his star pupil, Gary Kubiak, put on a show in Week 2, with the student out-coaching the teacher for the second competitive meeting in a row. Kubiak’s icing of Redskins kicker Graham Gano came straight from Shanahan’s playbook, while his Texans offense had a field day with the Skins’ supposed much-improved defense. As a result, Shanahan’s Skins are now ranked 32nd defensively in the league.

Reality Check: Josh McDaniels — McDaniels is 1-1 after his Broncos posted an impressive bounce-back win against the Seattle Seahawks at home.

Jay CutlerJay Cutler
Record: 2-0
Streak: Won 2
Stat Line: 277 yds, 3 TDs, 0 INT

Jay Cutler is currently the NFL’s highest-rated passer. He’s 3rd in passing yards but has the league’s highest yards per attempt (10.1). But Cutler did that against Dallas and Detroit, who have yet to show much in 2010 in the way of pass defenses. We’ll see how well Cutler does against the aggressive Packers (and Clay Matthews) Monday night.

Reality Check: Kyle Orton — Orton is quietly coming into his own. He is the NFL’s 6th-ranked quarterback in passer rating, yards, and yards per attempt, to virtually no national media recognition. He’s been particularly magical on third down, where he leads the league in efficiency.

Brandon MarshallBrandon Marshall
Record: 2-0
Streak: Won 2
Stat Line: 4 rec, 71 yds

Marshall has yet to find the end zone in 2010, but his Fins keep on winning, thanks to a stingy Mike Nolan-led defense. We’ll see if Nolan can keep that defense stout beyond eight weeks this year.

Reality Check: Demaryius Thomas — “Brandon Marshall who?” — It seems there were at least a dozen different game recaps, columns, or fan posts discussing the Broncos’ win over Seattle that included that tell-all sentence. Thomas’ pro debut was stronger than anyone could have hoped — eight catches, 97 yards, and a touchdown.

The Edge: McDaniels and Thomas best their counterparts statistically this week, while no one in the league can make that claim over Cutler. But the Alt Broncos are 5-1, with the only loss coming in dramatic overtime fashion. We’ll give the edge to those formerly of Denver, acknowledging that a current-Broncos win against Indy would go a long way.

  • iskabibble

    Yes sour grapes, but my favorite players next week–after the Broncos– are the GB defense (go Clay Matthews).

    No need to reply to “get over it” Dis my town and Broncos and I don't get over it!

  • myerdaoo

    @Kyle..you have to let the past go. Remember that cute girl who dumped you? Right, what was her name.

  • mikebirty

    I'm with myerdaoo – let it go, do this in week 16 when the Broncos are play-off bound. Plus Kubiak coached the Broncos so technically that could count as a win and a loss.

  • http://broncotalk.net Kyle

    What sour grapes? We're simply looking at how these players are doing. It could easily be argued that every move but Shanahan had more to do with politics than on-field football proficiency, and that merits discussion, even week-to-week.

    Unlike others who only point out when these players do poorly (particularly Cutler), we're taking a week-to-week look to ensure we're not tainting the facts with our own opinion at the end of the season.

  • MrEast

    Kyle has a great point here. A lot of fans are quick to comment when Cutler/Marshall/Shanny/Scheffler/etc… do poorly. On the flip-side when they do well and someone points it out all you hear is “Let the past go!”

    Your criticism of this article is understood by not justified, besides anything is better than reading another article about the Jets.

  • Who Cares?

    This is a STUPID post, last I checked this was Broncos Talk, not those guys that used to be with the team talk. If we want to talk about old Donks, where is the Nate Webster update?

  • MrEast

    I'll see you later on when you talk about how much Cutler sucks.

    Who cares? You should, it's very relevant. I don't know about you, but I sure care how the moves of Josh McDaniels pan out. I don't want a Jared Allen style trade on my hands.

  • AKfan

    Agreed very relevant for Bronco fans. Pretty safe to say if Bowlen replaced Shanahan with Rex Ryan (or any other coach other than Mcd) Denver would now be in the 5th year of Cutler/Marshall/Sheffler and company playing together. Clearly whoever was hired would have put significant resources into fixing the defense. You cannot judge Mcd as a leader of the franchise w/o looking at what is currently on the field vs. what another coach would have on the field. 1st round picks would have been spent on Thomas & Tebow and a few 1st round talents may be sitting on the o-line instead. Hopefully Bowlen is carefully considering the big picture as he makes his decision. To me McD has this year and next to prove that his vision will lead the Broncos to the super bowl in the near future.

  • Pingback: The Death of Fringe - TopTrends.info()

  • Tom9798

    Kyle and Mr. East . . . Now the Bears are 3-0 . . . have defeated the Cowboys and the Packers . . . and will defeat the Vikings and Farvestiltskin . . . can't keep a good QB and a good team down too long . . . T

  • Tom9798

    Kyle and Mr. East . . . Now the Bears are 3-0 . . . have defeated the Cowboys and the Packers . . . and will defeat the Vikings and Farvestiltskin . . . can't keep a good QB and a good team down too long . . . T