Broncos bruised, beaten in Baltimore 31-17

I agree with everything you said, Atomic Leo. Tebow will always make mistakes whenever he gets his first reg. season reps. So why not give him some film to review now, rather than when the game is still close?

If the pressure is too strong, he'll learn to throw it away. If its prevent, he'll have opportunities to air it out.

As for Nick Shadow's point: well, you may be right and Tebow could get hurt. But they can happen to any player at any time (and I'm sure Tim would want the experience as soon as possible).

I agree that T.T. shouldn't be wasted as a blocking-back (which McD would never consider). But to not tip our hand every time he's inserted, I wouldn't get all hot-and-bothered if he was every now and then (provided he isn't trying to imitate Howard Griffith going head-first into Levon Kirkland). After all, if we use him as a decoy once or twice, teams wouldn't automatically key on him and get a head-start towards whatever angle he takes on direct-snaps and the like.

As for the inevitable cat-calling from quarters like The Denver Post comments-page– which even I sometimes brave– well, that would be inevitable too.

“We traded a 2nd, 3rd and 4th round pick for a gun-shy fullback?” someone would instantly ask bemoaningly (if Tebow came in for a goal-line package).

But that shouldn't be Josh's primary concern. Its lighting a spark in a team that has trouble moving the ball in tight quarters. And Tebow's gifts are tailor-made for the job (and Orton's personality is mature enough to withstand those who'd make themselves look foolish fanning the flames of a faux QB controversy).

I smell fear of fan/media-reaction as the real reason why McDaniels is keeping Tebow from seeing the field (either in red-zone or after the Fat Lady has sung).

Nobody with half-a-brain would take his first snaps as a QB as a genuine controversy brewing (and, most significantly, not Orton).

Elway made some errors in his rookie year, but he had those plays to learn from and grow later on.

Maybe they are keeping Orton in there to pad his stats in anticipation of an off-season trade to Cleveland (where he can run Mangini's system well and have Seneca Wallace with Josh Cribbs on the Wildcat plays).

If we can get a 2nd or 1st round draft-pick in exchange I'd be up for it (and possibly even for hard-hitting rookie phenom Safety T.J. Ward.. who can eventually replace Dawkins, while learning from him now).

Delhomme and Wallace aren't the long-term answers, if Mangini is kept around. Which is a big “if.”

Finally, as for Hale's reply, I didn't mean to imply that 2nd-and-1 is an automatic run down (as I am usually hoping an opponent runs on 2nd-and-1 when we are on defense ourselves).

You know the mentality. You think, “well, they already have the first-down. Don't let them go-for-broke and get even more (in a situation where they are still in 3rd-and-1 on an incompletion).”

But, at least, we can sometimes run then and let the offensive-line get some needed confidence and momentum (which derives from a defense that isn't cocksure of what we are going to probably run).

If that's the best way to establish enough of running-game to keep play-action believable, so be it. McDaniels passed more on first-down yesterday. So there was improvement in this regard.

He just should've aired it out to Lloyd more often when the game was tied or close (thus, causing their shaky d-backs to worry about being made to look stupid by the speedster with unparalleled body-control and ball-adjustment skills).

The fact that it worked against prevent defenses, as someone suggested, proves how much more effective it would have been when the game was tied and just beginning. It also shows a coach who isn't calling plays out-of-fear (as McD did last year when our fast-start convinced him that his extra-conservative approach was beyond questioning or alteration).

Then, Baltimore showed the league how to stop it. If our record has any positives, maybe Josh will be more apt to roll the dice in 2010.

For its really the offensive equivalent of blitzing (which the Eagles did on the final three plays against the 49ers last night… despite a touchdown lead).

And you either have the cujones– and faith in your team– or you coach scared (and send a bad signal to your team).

I don't know…McD helped the Broncos D improve a LOT, he had a good draft this year, with Walton, Cox, and Beadles all starting. And besides, we're only 2 drafts in. Its a tad bit early to say he is a joke with the managerial work.

LevonZevon, I like it. Broncos go 8-8 or worse, trade Orton while his stock is high. Orton's putting up great numbers, but so has every quarterback in this system. If he puts up close to 5k yards this year, you'd think Denver would be able to get at least a 2nd round pick.

Chiefs wil not win the division

Chiefs wil not win the division