Random Thoughts on the Broncos Game

[Direckshun]

I re-watch games throughout the week and found that starting a thread and discussing any number of random things I notice is enjoyable both for me and some folks.

If you'd rather not re-live this game, I suggest you put this thread on a very civil ignore.

Sorry about last week and the Raiders thread. As I mentioned, I had to get myself right after confronting some stuff in the family. This week, I should be fine.

On with the show.

[Mile High Mania]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Actually play for 3rd and 5:

Thomas on a go route out of the slot on Sean Smith. It looks like Parker choked up to take away Sanders who was coming WIDE OPEN across the middle for a second time. The second Parker took a step forward, Smith had no help over the top and Manning lobs a TD pass to him.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Way worse than the Indy game, IMO. We got way up in the Indy game, tons of people, a freakish 1:1,000,000 amount, got hurt. It was a destiny/luck thing.

Last Sunday night was a schooling on a quality team versus a team masking a lot of chronic problems. We do have a lot of people hurt, but a lot of the big impact people we're missing have been gone a while and it appeared that we had adapted.

Indy was 'this just wasn't your day'
Denver was 'you don't belong here.'

That's why I'm tired of hearing about the injuries, pretty much every team takes big injury hits and the good ones don't let it keep them down for long... Denver didn't have Talib or their bigshot tight end.

We have a deeper team than last year that's now well into its second year in this system, there just isnt any viable excuse to look the way they did in this game.

Originally Posted by TEX

Exactly - The game plan allowed Denver to basically do the SAME thing (blitz and run blitz) all game long. You're also spot on with your assessment of the completely motion free offense and of the lack of personnel used - Just mind boggling that Knile Davis was NOWHERE to be found. especially when you consider that he had a great deal of success week 2 in Denver. The offense was so stale, I thought I was watching a Herm Edwards game plan.

Charles, Davis and Thomas... three of our four most explosive players were barely involved in the gameplan, it was an absolute abortion, very Herm/Solari-like indeed.

[Direckshun]

Alright, let's cover the Chiefs' next 3 and out, shall we?

First play is a Charles run off LT with Sherman blocking out front.

The play is blown up when McGlynn and Hudson can't get their guys out of the way.

Fisher blows up Von Miller to the outside. But Derek Wolfe stacks McGlynn and Knighton stacks Hudson. Charles has no where to go so he bails upfield for a couple yards.

[Direckshun]

Next play, Bowe and Avery out to the near side, Charles the lone back. Smith under center.

Another run to the far side with Hudson pulling out in front. The play sets up decently -- Hudson clips his guy and Kelce is plowing downfield, but DeMarcus Ware destroys Fasano, casting him aside like a child.

Charles has no where to go at this point.

[Direckshun]

3rd and 8. Let's see what you got, Andy.

Chiefs are four wide, with a tight end just off Fisher. The tight end clips Ware, but it doesn't matter. Smith doesn't think he has anywhere to go, and collapses and gets sacked.

Ware gets no resistance on the play. Fisher sucks in to stop a blitzing Ward -- which he misses.

This play gets what it gets because McGlynn sucked in to block a DT that Hudson could have handled. Hudson's line calls are just horrid right now.

[The Franchise]

McGlynn is ****ing garbage. There is no reason why he should be starting anymore.

[Chiefnj2]

The Denver game was great at demonstrating the overall lack of talent on the team. When Andy doesn't have a brilliant game plan to make up for the deficiencies of the players, the team comes out flat and looks like it did against Denver.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

McGlynn is ****ing garbage. There is no reason why he should be starting anymore.

I blame Alex Smith.

[Mile High Mania]

This thread is at an intermission it would appear...

[vailpass]

Random thoughts on the game from the other side of the fence, the Broncos mobile app. Special love for Fisher and interesting news on how the fake punt came to be...

You wait all season for a moment like the one that faced David Bruton Jr. early in the second quarter of Sunday night's 29-16 win at Kansas City.

You need the right combination of elements: a favorable formation from the opposing punt rush/return team, proper field position with a reasonable amount needed for the line to gain, momentum that was only doused a bit by the third-down stop moments earlier, and, finally, by a penalty on the previous punt play that forced a do-over of the fourth down, which exhausted the Chiefs a bit.

"It's just been a thing a lot of teams practice, and that we have practiced for a while, and no better time than on Sunday Night Football against a division rival and you get the right look for that situation," said Bruton.

"I just knew that they were going to give us a look so I made the audible myself to make the play."

He made the call -- which is a lot to put on some players' shoulders. But the six-year veteran and special-teams captain is equipped to handle the burden.

"Actually, I [was] not nervous," he said. "I [was] excited because I've been looking for that look all year. It's something as a defensive back, as a special teams guy, you don't get the ball much in your hand. You're usually blocking for the guy or tackling the guy who has the ball. So I'm definitely excited to have the ball in my hand every chance I get."

The last time Bruton ran the football, he galloped 35 yards against Jacksonville last year. Against the Chiefs, he gained 13, but that still leaves him with a 24.0-yards-per-carry average with a pint-sized career sample size.

Bruton didn't make it happen alone, and the block by Corey Nelson on Charcandrick West was crucial to getting Bruton to the edge. Steven Johnson then steered Albert Wilson upfield and away from the play, and all Bruton had to do was beat Josh Martin to the edge.

It was a decisive play from a seasoned player and a team imbued with confidence in all three phases after a balky stretch in early November.

A PREMIUM PASS RUSH

In 2014, the Broncos' defense is second in the league in yardage per pass play allowed, permitting just 5.34 yards every time an opponent drops back to pass.

Much of that is due to their pass rush, which had its best performance against the Chiefs, catching them off guard first with some deceptive looks, and then by capitalizing off a pass-first mentality they had to employ to attempt a comeback.

Safety T.J. Ward had the first sack of Alex Smith on a third-and-8 to end the Chiefs' second possession, blitzing through the B-gap between left guard Mike McGlynn and left tackle Eric Fisher.

The Broncos ended up bringing only four pass rushers on the play, droppingDerek Wolfe into the spot vacated by Ward, who sprinted past McGlynn, who worked to double-team tackle Malik Jackson, working as the right defensive tackle.

Had Fisher been able to respond fast enough, he could have prevented the sack, and the Chiefs had a numerical advantage. They used tight end Anthony Fasano and running back Jamaal Charles to delay the edge rushes of DeMarcus Ware andVon Miller, respectively, before going outside on their routes. But Fisher was too slow and off-balance as he tried to get set before Ward blew past him, and the safety/nickel box linebacker had the 13-yard loss on the sack.

Kansas City's next possession ended in similar fashion, with a safety logging the sack, in this case Quinton Carter:

Again, the Broncos used a safety to attack through the B-gap. But instead of dropping a defensive tackle back, they attacked with Wolfe and Jackson. Wolfe drew a double team, and Jackson stunted around him, providing a secondary rush behind Carter, which sent Smith to his left -- and into Ware, who grappled with Fisher and easily escaped the second-year left tackle.

But one play before the sack came an equally effective pass rush that took away an element the Chiefs desperately needed as the game slipped from their control -- the screen pass to Charles:

Here, the Broncos rush five, working out of their base 4-3 personnel grouping, but in effect have a 3-4 alignment, with Miller and Ware working as stand-up outside linebackers. There's nothing fancy here: just dominant work off the edge forcing Smith to deliver the pass to Charles well before he's ready.

Normally, the screen pass reduces the effectiveness of the edge rush -- unless, of course, the defenders arrive so fast as to force an unsettled throw that renders the play dead on arrival.

If Smith was not under duress and delivered an accurate ball, the Chiefs could have ripped off a massive gain; the blockers were in place, and the Broncos' defensive backs were 10 yards back of the line of scrimmage, responding to the routes run by Chiefs receivers who took off after aligning in a bunch formation to the right flank.That created an opening that Charles could have exploited -- if Miller and Ware had not met at the QB.

[Mile High Mania]

I nearly sharted when I saw the fake punt at 4th and 7, given the lead - it was on the road and the field position it would have given KC had it failed. That was a brass balls call.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Alex Smith then unloads for Avery, which is what the play was designed to do from the start.

Possibly the worst throw of Alex Smith's career, however. Holy shit. A 30-yard throw that lands so far away from whereever Avery is that there's no chance to make a play.

Crazy thing is, Avery was in single coverage and was running on the numbers. He had a sideline he could work with. But Smith elects to go inside with the pass, and it's dramatically out of Avery's reach.

still makes me laugh till i cry that we thought leaning on Smith's (non-)ability to go deep was the smart play...yeah, let's lead the thing we're worst at...that'll fool 'em

Reid: "So, what's Smith's worst skill?"

Room full of coaches (in unison): "Throwing past 10 yards"

Reid: "Perfect...they'll never see it coming"

[eDave]

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

Do you really post play by play...

We believe Derickshun is insane.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

This thread is at an intermission it would appear...

It was time for him to go pick up his adderall script at the pharmacy.

[Perineum Ripper]

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

I know what he is saying

You and me..after the game..getting corn on the cob