Pinstripe Red Ale - A Durango, CO product that is actually distributed where I live in AZ. Looking forward to trying it.

Six observations from Sunday’s 23-49 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

1. John Fox kept Tim Tebow sidelined in the fourth quarter, with the game out of hand, and it made it absolutely no sense.

The Denver Broncos, down 49-17 with 7:46 left in the game, were not coming back from a 32-point deficit. Any hope of Kyle Orton lifting the team on its shoulders and delivering a comeback win with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter was out the window.

Yet there head coach John Fox went, trotting out his Best Chance to Win when there was No Chance. Meanwhile, Tim Tebow, potential franchise quarterback in dire need of some real-game snaps in Fox’s system, sat on the sideline, likely staring intently at a clipboard.

I’m not saying Tebow should be the starter. I’m just not there yet, folks. I’ve seen the kid practice and I’ve seen him in the preseason. I see “potential” (and that only sometimes). I don’t see “production.”

But that is exactly why the fourth quarter against Green Bay provided the perfect, disappointingly unused opportunity to see if one “p” could become the other. Even Packers fans were chanting “TE-BOW!”, for crying out loud.

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• The coach and players clearly have Kyle Orton‘s back, imploring the fans to support their quarterback. [MaxDenver]
• Meanwhile, some respectable football analysts join the Tim Tebow foray. [Fifth Down] [Pro Football Weekly]
• Paige acknowledges a change could affect the locker room, while Klis believes the starter after the bye will be directly determined by this week’s game. [Denver Post]
• Pat Kirwan suggests Tebow should have at least gotten some fourth quarter looks. [NFL.com]
• Notes and quotes following John Fox‘s quarter-season film session. [Denver Post]
• The Broncos need Champ Bailey back. [Cold Hard Football Facts]
• Ted Sundquist agrees (although non-specifically) and says teams need to be able to critically self-evaluate at the season quarter mark. [The Football Educator]
• Pro Football Spotlight does its weekly o-line film breakdown. [Mile High Report]
• Ugly wins or not, the San Diego Chargers are 3-1 for the first time in the Norv Turner era. [Yahoo!]
• Aaron Rodgers is on pace to smash NFL passing records. [Shutdown Corner]
• Madonna for the Super Bowl halftime show? Madonna?! [With Leather]

The BroncoTalk Staff’s collaborative post-loss post tradition returns. Celebrating and noting both the good and bad from Sunday’s 26-point loss to the Green Bay Packers.

(Editor’s note: BroncoTalk is a five-man show, and we all have different opinions. That’s what this column is all about.)

Studs

Stud: Virgil Green.
If it wasn’t for the play of an inept quarterback, this game could have been a shootout. Willis McGahee may have rushed for 103 yards on only 15 carries, but that was due to the fantastic blocking of rookie tight end Virgil Green. On multiple plays Green phased out pro bowler Clay Matthews, which is something I don’t believe the regular offensive line is capable of at this point. Honorable stud mention to Johnathan Wilhite, whose coverage was so solid against Greg Jennings on one third down, that the referee believed that is was pass interference. – Mr. East

Stud: Brandon Lloyd
It was great to see Lloyd back as a deep threat, catching some balls that were his bread and butter last season. Some day, this team will have Lloyd, Decker, Thomas and Royal all out on the field, and we will have no shortage of good wide receivers to catch balls. – E. Halsey Miles

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The Denver Broncos originally scheduled John Fox‘s weekly Monday day-after-the-game press conference for 12:15 p.m. MT today.

At 11:30 a.m., they announced it had been pushed back nearly two hours to 2:00 p.m.

It’s now 3:45 p.m., and, according to Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post and Andrew Mason of MaxDenver.com, Fox is still a no-show. The reason?

Film study.

Coach decided the Broncos needed a lot of it after that loss.

A full team film session is not typical for a Monday workday at Dove Valley. But neither should 26-point losses be typical for a Sunday.

I love it. Get to it, boys.

UPDATE: Fox arrived moments after this published. He apologized to the waiting media and explained that the entire team watched film from all four games this season, something he says he’s always done at the quarter mark. Funny that the Broncos didn’t schedule accordingly.

Running back Knowshon Moreno #27 of the Denver Broncos follows the block of center J.D. Walton #50 of the Denver Broncos as he rushes against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 12, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 23-20. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

“Predominantly orange” has left the figurative and re-entered the literal.

The Denver Broncos‘ request to switch their home jerseys to orange has been approved by the NFL, Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports. In 2012, the Broncos will wear orange uniforms for ten of their twelve home games (including preseason and back-to-back home playoff games), as well as the Super Bowl of course, while their current navy blue home colors will become alternates worn twice a year.

“This is what our fans wanted,” Broncos president Joe Ellis told Klis. “And we’re going to accommodate their wishes starting with 2012.”

The last time the Broncos changed uniforms, things worked out pretty well. While this won’t be a logo overhaul like 1997, we’re excited to welcome back the Orange Crush.

NFL approves Broncos’ switch back to orange uniforms [Denver Post]

Warning: Viewer discretion is advised.

The Redskins have gone 9-11 under Coach Mike Shanahan. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

As Mike Klis of the Denver Post has pointed out, Sunday’s game between the Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams featured two former coaches of the Denver Broncos.  Redskins Head Coach Mike Shanahan and Rams Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels faced off in an NFC week four match.

The Redskins, behind Kyle Orton‘s Chicago predecessor Rex Grossman and former Broncos running back Ryan Torain, defeated the Rams 17-10.  Washington is now 3-1 while St. Louis finds themselves 0-4, at the bottom of the NFC West.

Under Shanahan, the Redskins offense is ranked 20th in passing yards per game and seventh in rushing.  The Rams offense — under McDaniels — is ranked 26th in passing and 22nd on the ground.

Some Denver fans are already requesting that current Coach John Fox join Shanahan and McDaniels as a former Broncos coach, solely because of the quarterback situation.  If history repeats itself however, Fox will be sticking with his starting quarterback at least through mid season.

I never supported firing Shanahan, and have been cheering for him in Washington.  I was however, completely in favor of moving on from McDaniels and find it humorous that the Rams offense is struggling under his control.

• That Aaron Rodgers is pretty good. [Denver Post] [Sports Illustrated]
• Andrew Mason breaks down the numbers and offers three observations. [Max Denver]
• John Fox is sticking with Kyle Orton at QB. [Denver Post]
• Postgame video: John Fox, Kyle Orton, et al. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Jordy Nelson earned a new contract yesterday. [NFL.com]
• Around the NFL: Mike Shanahan over Josh McDaniels yesterday. Damn right. [First and Orange]
• Shanny’s old RB project Ryan Torain is your fantasy-pickup of the week. [Football Nation]
• Tony Sparano is safe another few weeks… but will the Dolphins coach last till Week 7 vs. Denver? [ESPN]
• Jim Schwartz is a badass. [SBNation]

Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey has hardly left the sideline since this picture was taken in the 2011 preseason. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey‘s hamstring held him out of his third straight game Sunday, a brutal 49-23 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He won’t let it become a fourth.

Bailey, after the game, per the Denver Post: “I’m definitely playing next week.”

That’s the talk of a frustrated man. A man who is tired of sitting on the sidelines watching his team lose. Whether his frustrations are borne of the team’s medical staff, his hamstring, or himself for playing it safe, he decided to bypass any such concerns with a promise to play next week.

Maybe Bailey’s promise also came as a reaction to his coach’s words. John Fox didn’t sound too thrilled about Bailey missing the game either.

“I think missing Champ Bailey didn’t really help matters much with multiple wideouts,” Fox said. “I think that’s why we saw so much of it.”

Is it odd to hear Fox call out a single player as a reason for defeat like that? I’d say so. Fox isn’t blaming Bailey, but he is making a noted departure from “next man up” coach speak to state the obvious: the Broncos needed their most talented player against their most talented opponent Sunday afternoon.

I hope Bailey and Bailey’s hamstring are good on the former’s promise. The Broncos could use the talent boost to match another talented tandem in Week 5: San Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers, WR Vincent Jackson and TE Antonio Gates.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) throws a pass while being pressured by Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil (92) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Sometimes a brutal loss leaves you in disgust of your team (see Oakland Raiders, 2010).

Sometimes a brutal loss leaves you in awe of your opponent. This one was a bit more of the latter.

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers put a number on the Denver Broncos Sunday. An early 3-0 lead by the Broncos quickly became a 21-3 rout in favor of Green Bay. The Broncos clawed back to 21-17 before haltime, but then Rodgers and the Pack took control and never looked back.

The Packers (4-0) won their 10th straight game including postseason with their 49-23 victory in Week 4 of NFL action. The Broncos fell to 1-3 with one game, a home battle against the San Diego Chargers, left before their bye.

It didn’t matter who started this game: Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady — the Broncos were completely outmatched both in personnel and game plan. Dish out what you would’ve done differently in the comments.