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Man this sux.
JP
You watch a guy like LT and realize this flavor of the week running attack isn't the way to go. The defense is getting shredded against any decent offensive team. Indy, Pitt and SD all seemed to move the ball at will. Pittsburgh's 6 turnovers are the only reason they didn't win.
And in our two biggest games, Indy and SD, at home, Jake has had a chance to take us down for a win and simply put, he failed.
SD's defense is injury riddled, but their first year starter outdueled our veteran quarterback.
Up 24-7 with this "great" defense... should be a win at home. Getting outscored 28-3 to end the game is pretty pathetic.
Not giving up, but I've seen this defensive act for years now. Great defensive teams don't just dominate terrible offenses like Oakland, Cleveland, etc. They hang in there against the good teams.
He can't be any worse, can he?
1. The reality is both teams are hurting but I think we are worse off being without Bell, Gold, Lepsis, Brown and Brandon.
Furthermore, the Bengal’s lit up San Diego with Palmer and Johnson…no offense to the Broncos duo, but I’m not sure Plummer and Walker can combine on that same level all the time.
Either way, I believe it will be a tough game that is decided by 7 points or less.
JP’s points to win:
1) On offense, the Broncos must keep San Diego guessing. Now Shanny knows best, but on3rd and 1, I would go for a deep pass and on downs like 2nd and 8, run it. The next series do something different. It seems we get predictable on some of the games and the Chargers are too good to think we can simply over power them. Plus, I think we have had some success on the 3rd and 1 throwing the deep stuff to Walker.
2) We need to do well on 3rd downs and not turn the ball over….duh.
2) On defense, we need to sack Rivers often. Being a rookie I think the pressure can make a difference. In SD’s two losses, Rivers was sacked 4 times by KC and once by the Ravens.
3) We need to force at least 2 turnovers. Against KC, SD turned it over three times.
4) We will need to account, as best as possible, for LT. He is on fire right now and is the key to SD’s wins. In years past, Denver has shut LT down, but this time, we don’t have Gold on the field. Keep a watch on LT in the red zone where he occasionally throws a TD pass.
Nothing I’ve said is rocket science, but I wanted to say it anyway.
With a heavy heart my predication is SD 34, Denver 28.
In the end, San Diego is incredibly hot right now (and have been) and we barely beat Oakland. We have significant injuries and don’t have a running game. I was impressed with Plummer’s game against New England and the Colts and think he will have another stand out game against SD, but in the end, LT will be our nemesis, scoring three TD’s and rushing for 128 yards.
Comment by JP — November 15, 2006 @ 12:04 pm
How much longer do we have to wait before we see Jay Cutler?
BUT...
When is the blame going to start falling on this defense??? We keep putting all kinds of resources into the defense to come up with a dominant unit.
A "facade".... exactly anonymous... the best corner, the best linebackers, big hitter at safety??
You know what, they are getting SMOKED in these big games. SMOKED.
Still, a couple plays and we beat both Indy and SD... gotta turn around quick and beat KC. A loss there and we may not even make the playoffs.
If Mike S isn't willing to be aggressive in the passing game then he just needs to bite the bullet and make the switch to Cutler.
Cutler won't be very good especially given that our running game is basically a mirage...we're great for awhile but disappear when we need it given we have a bunch of scrubs running in the backfield.
1st down: 3 yard rush
2nd down: 2 yard rush
3rd down: pass to RB out fo the backfield or 3 yard rush...etc etc etc.
Also the defense is bad...Denver should have gotten rid of Coyer last year...he's proved that he can not make the in game adjustments that are required to be a great D cord.
Hopefully we can win next week...but regardless
This is a 1st round playoff loss team.
Cutler won't change things but at least it will give him some expierence for next year.
They need a change at quarterback and a better defensive scheme. Without a pass rush, good quarterbacks just sit back and pick apart the secondary. Look at what Rivers and Manning did to them.
Of course for Denver, Jake is a liability when he sits back in the pocket to throw. He makes it easy for opposing defensive units. They just have to wait long enough and Jake with start screwing it up for his own team.
Cutler could easily do the same job that Jake is doing now--Why wait?
The offense for Dallas is far far far superior to Den, and Romo is a 3 year vet whereas Cutler is a true rookie.
Remember Charlie Brown and how Lucy used to pull the ball away before he could kick it???? Jake drops it before he can throw it.....maybe Charles Schultz taught us all we needed to know about football, and Jake is the learning tool for the new millenium....may the Great Pumpkin Forgive Me! I miss the Broncos...
Is the mastemind seeing what we see??? Surely Shanny sees the crap the Jake is slinging.
I can see us losing to KC and really getting in a hole
However... The above being said, two things are become extremely apparent. The coaching staff have at least in part created this situation. They know that Jake plays like a fragile 16 year old girl being jilted just before prom when he's not clearly, and I mean ridiculously CLEARLY the "guy". Bring in a hot shot like Cutler and Jake's fragile psyche was bound to cause a LOT of difficulty. I do honestly think if Cutler were on another team that Jake is likely like the Jake of last season. Not so much overthinking, and just going out there and playing. I think without Cutler Jake is a better QB in 2006. The dilema is that he is costing the important games now... Be real, Cutler is not truly ready to carry anyone to a superbowl yet...and yet Jake is too fragile to be trusted to be a solid game winner due to his constant worry about Cutler. It's a difficult situation. I don't think you can win with either right now... I think the most difficult part of all of this is that this is very much an internally created situation, rather than one where an older QB is simply on the decline.
Two other quick points that I won't dwell on like above... No true running back (though T. Bell HEALTHY would be a welcome re-additon at the least), and this Defense is more up and down than fans doing the wave at a hockey rink. They REALLY can't stop the pass against anyone that's average to above average. Last 4+ games have shown that. No better than the last several years unfortunately. 3rd downs...Ugh.
Sadly... a 3 game stretch could absolutely wipe us out of the playoff hunt despite a good start (tonight being one of those weeks). And there is no easy or clear choice on how to change all of this. Sounds funny, but even though we were 7-2, we needed this one.
I hate to fall into this bandwagon, because I know we're not going to do better, I say it's time of Cutler for once. I think I say that because at least that way it would be easier to accect the way things are shaping up. I'd rather lose and have a QB that quickly learns on the job.... rather than trust a guy that makes 70+ thousand jump out of their seats screaming in disbelief. If both are likely to lose then I'd rather cheer for the young guy that needs some experience.
The play calling was far better last year...way more bootlegs, play action passes of the success of the running game.
In the first half, the Broncos were tearing up San Diego running on first and second down for the most part.
With a lead of 24-7 at the beginning of the quarter, the Broncos abandoned the run, and decided to pass for some quick three and outs. This has been happening all year, 5 yards a pop running the ball and abandoning the run seemingly just because the other team begins to expect it; not because the running game is being shut down. the Broncos need to return to a run first mentality; players like Manning and Tomlinson can't hurt you when they're on the sidelines more often than not.
#2. Pass rush disappears for an entire half at times. This makes average quarterbacks good and above average or great quarterbacks become unstoppable.
did'nt just roll over and get kicked. They showed not only the Broncos and everyone watching that they really wanted this game. No. 21 came to put that monkey off his back and in it's cage. Congrats
to the Bolts.
Any comments on the coaching? Get Plummer out of the pocket and maybe something will happen. Why go for 15 when you need 4 on third down toward the end? And why go to your unproven rookie (Marshall) when the game is on the line? No bootlegs tonight? If these strong offenses are going to march down the field and score anyway, stack the box like last year against McNabb. You'll either create a TO, get a sack, or give up big yards and get your D off the field sooner.
I'm finally resolved to trying Cutler, but doubt he'll do anything when under pressure. Does a QB make the team? If so, I'm not comfortable relying on a QB with a losing record in college, especially when mobility is key with our O-line. Oh well, it doesn't matter anyway. Without pressure on the opposing QB, we've got no chance.
Shanahan needs to wear his glasses permantly ,I noticed he took them off in the 2nd half and the offense only scored 2 field goals. Did he somehow lose his playbook and find an old Dan Reeves game plan???
Oh well,looks like a 10-6 season and a crappy playoff game on the road is where they are headed. (if they are lucky).
Plummer must go.,\
I totally agree with you all - bench Plummer, but understand that timing is everything in the NFL. You guys are in for a very rough week for which Shanahan probably understands by now is crucial. So as much as you wanna see Jake on the bench, take a note from the Chargers in the Rivers development experiment.
Now in terms of the game, you look at a lot of the key matchups for most of the game and understand one simple thing - San Diego is a great football team. Man - home field, 70,00+, great D... all good. But I guess that's just not enough to stop a guy like LT whom you must appreciate for greatness.
Good luck, Bronco fans. Good luck.
Starting Cutler in 4 days against KC in KC is a automatic LOSS with cutler probably throwing 3-4 picks against KC's corners.
The next week against Seattle--LOSS
Against SD with all their linebackers back..LOSS
While Jake has played poorly and Mike S's play calling has been lousy...defenses are somewhat worried about the bootleg(shocking since we never seem to do it).
with Cutler in we would have no running game what so ever and they would blitz him like crazy
Crying like a bitch and pinning this loss on Snake is a joke.
He didn't play well but he was put into terrible situations do to the defense choking and Mike S's super conservative play calling.
If Mike S was going to draft him he should have started him in the 1st game...not when we are about to begin the toughest stretch of the season.
Shanny needs to call up Gary Kubiak and then take off the shackles and let Plummer win it or lose it by throwing more on 1st and 2nd down.
By the way, the Bronco fans are the classiest fans to visit Qualcom.
PITT 227 3TD's 123.5 rating
INDY 174 2 TD's 104.1 rating
NE 256 2 Td's 101.5 rating
He has had more bad games then good ones...and I think the loss of Kubiak is probably a huge factor.
The fact remains that Plummer has played well against two teams we will face in the playoffs and he proved last year he could beat one of them.
Cutler is an unknown...but
A:) he was a losing QB in college.
B:) He has not played a single down and he doesn't know the offense that well
C:) D cord's for BALT, NE, SD etc would love to see Denver switch to a rookie this late in the season.
Also many players in the locker room would view the move as Shanny giving up on going to the playoffs/SB.
Big Ben and Brady were complete flukes...and Big Ben had a much better running game, WR core and defense than Cutler would have.
I think Shanahan has really kind of lost it. His Offensive philosophy is all played out.
You have to have an offensive line that can protect the QB in the NFL. Yeah, he can win
games with his ball control and good defense but they really struggle to do anything against the premier teams.
How many years have we been watching both the defense and the offense so inept on 3rd down???
Most of the fans have been screaming for a change at QB.
We know Plummer is not going to take us anywhere, but Shanahan keeps staying the course. Kind of reminds me of our president(whose act is also getting old)
Denver, there is hope. You guys have a good team - But get rid of Jake, even a sold out Charger fan like me can see your dead in the water with a 4th stringer like that.
and also...
-Brian Griese won a national championship in college at Michigan.
I just want to say that the San Diego fans are awesome. They are always respectful. They deserve a good team and they have one. Just wanted to point that out.
Basically what it means is the Broncos are out of luck this year either way.
Denver, there is hope. You guys have a good team, a potentially great team - But get rid of Jake, even a sold out Charger fan like me can see your dead in the water with a 4th stringer like that.
P.S. Do us all a favor, make sure that whatever happens, you always continue to humiliate the Raiders. The season is never a loss when that is accomplished.
1. After the Charges closed the gap to 24-14 in the third quarter we get the ball and we threw three straight incompletions and take only 20 seconds off the clock and the defense has to go right back on the field.
2. We didn't do any bootlegging, the Charges were not protecting the back side until the last couple of drives and not one is called. As bad as Plummer can be he there is no question Plummer throws better when he rolls out.
3. Shanahan got to cute for his own good, on the second to last drive he called that little pitch out that loses 7 yards, what the hell was that? That put us in a big hole. In that same series if it was four down territory why not call a run and see where that gets us instead of throwing a deep pass.
4. At the end when they got down to the 5 yard line with 2:45 to play why not let them score?? Whether they scored a touchdown or a field goal we would have still needed to score a touchdown. That defensive stand cost us close to two minutes and a 2 minute timeout that could have come in real handy.
Don’t get me wrong I think Shanahan is a great coach but he didn’t have it tonight.
On our next to our last drive score 27-28 with only a field goal needed 3rd down 4 yards WHY not run it like we previously had on the prior 3rd down, then go for it on 4th down after assurdly making positive yards. When we cross their 50 the pressure changes for the defense...instead we throw...incomplete, then we try a pass under duress and Jake throws the INT. With approxmiately 3:35 left...how many TIME OUTS DID WE HAVE...that's right...WE lost one earlier in the 4th quarter didn't we....grrrr. We had 1 time out.. DT nearly runs it for a touchdown...with 2:21 left San Diego nearly scores...WHY NOT LET THEM SCORE AT THAT POINT...allowing us at least a CHANCE with the ball...Did you notice after the 2:00 Min warning that Rivers fell down on purpose prior to the goal line on second down. They score on the next play with 1:14 left. We get TWO STUPID penalities again...Special Teams...30 yards of penalties WHY????? Cecil Sapp trips at the 2 yard line...OK 1:14 left all we need is a touch down and 2 points...How MANY thought for just a moment...98 yards away...what if...what if....the MAN was still playing...but he is not....but how many thought it...and how many thought we stood a chance with 98 yards to go with Jake...Everyone will talk about San Diego's offense scoring 70 points the last two games in the second half...but how many points have they given up the last 2 weeks...69 yes they won both games..but I thought we might stand a chance....we get a 15 yard penality and we are on their 33 yard line with 24 seconds left...typically that's 4 plays left...but we throw the INT once again under duress. What does all this add up to...it's simple the next two games are crucial...and then we find ourselves once again playing on Sunday Nite in San Diego...YOU KNOW the network will change the time of our game...So we find ourselves on the 10th of Dec playing a "play off" type game for basically our season...We win...then we are right back where we would be if we had won tonight...We will have 10 days to combine preparation for both Seattle and San Diego...and you can be assured that the coaching staff will be preparing for San Diego as well...you can't spend 10 days preparing for just one team...So nothing's lost yet....you know we will run at Kansas City Thursday nite...if we can't beat either Kansas City or San Diego away...we don't have any business playing in the play offs. If we loose both games perhaps then we should make a QB change...
24 to 7 middle of the third quarter two minutes left 4th quarter and the score is 27-28..blame it on all three phases, We got away from our game plan....threw when we shouldn't have and didn't when we should have....there were NO ROLL outs...DO you remember when the coaching staff was stated as saying they just need to run the boots regardless....all pocket passing Sunday nite. You run in the NFL to set up the pass, you win in the NFL by your passing abilities...It appears that in 2006 it really doesn't matter how good your defense is it matters simply how many points you score...this season looks like the 1997 and 1998 season.
Finally it was worth the price of the ticket tonight to see John Elway on the field...He is still a champion!! And last I checked he won his last game....and forever will be a winner...Thank YOU Thank You John for 1983 - 1999. Thank you for having the competivite spirit to win regardless...and thank you for always having the nack to make those most critical 3-4 plays a game that kept a drive going or led us to a score...Thank You!
B. I agree that the fact that Cutler was a losing QB in college has no bearing on his play as a pro. I mean he played at Vandy, for God's sake. Matt Leinert would have been a losing QB there too. I also agree that going to Cutler at this point in the season might be seen as playing for next year. At 7-3, you're not playing for next year, even if you're in the best division in football. Seriously though, it could be worse. Andrew Walter could be our quarterback.
C. There are a couple reasons why our defense seems to be struggling. That prevent zone defense is killing us, even when Champ cuts the field in half. But the main thing is that the D is just out on the field way too much. All these three-and-outs don't give them a chance to catch their breath. I honestly think that the reason the D looked so much better the first few weeks of the season was the level of fatigue that comes with being on the field that long every week. The O needs to be able to sustain some drives in the second half. Look at how much better the D played in the first half this week and against Indy. They're on the field too much, and they're tired.
D. Did anyone else see the shot of Shanahan after that pick? I swear he looked like Jake was about to make him cry.
All that being said, I still love it when they show Elway on tv and he's sitting up in his box looking down over his kingdom. And I'm still optimistic about the rest of the season. We can't lose all the big games this closely. Right?
Go Bolts.
This game was lost by coaching. Go back and look at the game, 5 minutes left in the 3rd qtr. Run the ball, we head to the 4th with a double digit lead. Shanny calls 3 passes, stops the clock and the three and out killed us.
Prevent zone is hurting us on D, and the other coaches have to take accountability as well. Shanny got too cute with the calls.
Grind it out in the third and fourth, Denver wins.
But it seems that most of us have selective memory on what Jake's record has been since he arrived in Denver (38-13) doesn't seem to bad for a 4th year guy with a new club... How many other active QB's have that kind of recored after 3 1/2 seasons with one team. It's like your dammed if you do and dammed if you don't with Jake. I like Jay Cutler but think He needs to ride the pine for at least one more season before he proves himself to us...DP