Clayton on the Broncos/Skins

[Bob's your Information Minister]

Broncos Struggled Getting To Brunell

By John Clayton
ESPN.com

DENVER -- The rain poured. The wind blew. Broncos players kept shaking their heads but the Washington Redskins, the little engine that could, just wouldn't go away.

Coach Mike Shanahan's squad built an 11-point lead in the third quarter. Normally, a good Broncos team -- and this is a good one -- would pressure the quarterback for sacks and surgically and methodically end their opponent's misery with the run game. Against the Redskins, they couldn't. Quarterback Mark Brunell kept dropping back with everyone except Joe Gibbs and Sonny Jurgensen protecting him and firing passes.

With 1:15 remaining in the contest, Brunell rolled left and spotted David Patten open in the back of the end zone. However, Broncos linebacker Ian Gold, in single coverage against tight end Chris Cooley, jumped up and deflected away what would have been the game-tying two-point conversion. The Broncos won the game, 21-19, Sunday, but the Redskins (3-1) gained ground for respect.

"They are for real," Broncos safety John Lynch said. "They are playing great defense. Offensively, they are playing great football. They are at the top of the league in third-down conversions. They got big time, explosive players on offense. They are tough to deal with."

And a weird team to watch. Gibbs runs an offense that looks more like rugby than American football. Most of the time, Brunell calls plays out of two-tight end sets. It's rare that more than two or three receivers venture out for pass routes. Because seven or eight players stay in to protect Brunell, he has time to move the ball down field.

"Their scheme is one of those crazy things you have to see to believe," Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce said. "They do so much max protecting. You try to rush one blocker but he's not paying attention to you. He's worried about the guy coming outside of you. Coaches are yelling, 'Go get them,' but go get what? As a rusher a lot of times, you are null and void. It's like trying to penetrate Fort Knox with nine people standing there."

Brunell, at the age of 35, has found the fountain of youth in Gibbs' second season at the helm. Because the Redskins keep in so many blockers to protect him, he dropped back on 53 pass plays Sunday and wasn't sacked once. He completed 30 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns, and overall, the Redskins ran 79 offensive plays to the Broncos' 54.

From one 20-yard line to the next, opposing defenses are having an impossible time stopping the Redskins. Gibbs has a goal to be balanced with the run and the pass, but Brunell was having better success moving the football through the air. Clinton Portis, the former Bronco, had a respectable day against a tough Broncos defense by rushing for 103 yards on 20 carries. Shanahan was willing to concede that. It was Brunell who was the untouchable one.

The Broncos tried every thing. On downs in which the Redskins needed 10 or more yards for a first down, the Broncos tried variations of the old Chicago Bears 46 defense in which six players stacked the line and they had an extra rusher on one side. Brunell was untouched.

"They used so many two-man routes in which they had eight in protection," Pryce said. "You've got to be good to be able to do that, and they are. We probably should have rushed only three instead of four or more because it didn't make any difference. It's frustrating to go against them."

But it's also frustrating to be a Redskins fan. Gibbs plays that offense so close to the vest that the Redskins won't be a high-scoring team. They've played well in four games, yet they've only scored 62 points. Coming into the game, the Redskins and the Broncos were tied as the third-worst team with seven red zone opportunities. For the season, the Redskins have scored only six offensive touchdowns in 43 possessions.

"From our standpoint, I'm proud of our players," Gibbs said. "They fought their guts out. I was proud of them fighting back like that. When you play on the road, you go up against a lot. We had some very critical plays tonight. You obviously never want it to end on one play. We made a number of mistakes that hurt us tonight."

In fact, there were two costly mistakes in the first quarter that contributed to Washington falling behind early. Brunell and Portis misjudged each other on a delayed handoff, resulting in a fumble during the first possession that the Broncos recovered at Washington's 43.

Four plays later, on fourth-and-1 from the 34, Jake Plummer audibled away from the strength of the Redskins run blitz. Still, Gregg Williams' defense had two defenders in position to make the tackle. However, they missed Tatum Bell, who made a spectacular 34-yard run to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead.

After that, the Broncos offense was stuck in neutral. Despite not having starting cornerback Walt Harris for the game and Shawn Springs for three quarters because of shin injury, Williams devised a brilliant scheme in which his defensive backs protected against the pass in a four-man zone to prevent big plays. While doing that, his defensive front seven stuffed every gap, and at one point, limited the Broncos and Plummer to five consecutive three-and-outs.

"We tried to protect our young cornerbacks and we did so many things well to take away a very good run game and a very good boot game, but we gave up two long runs because we missed tackles," Williams said. "We had guys in position to make tackles. Going into the game, we were No. 1 in the league in yards after contact and yards after the catch. Today we missed some tackles. Against these guys, we probably did as good as they've seen in stopping the run."

On two critical runs, though, there was no stopping Bell. The second-year back, who was acquired with the draft pick the Broncos got in the Portis-Champ Bailey trade in 2004, scored on a 55-yard run in the third quarter to give Denver the 21-10 lead.

"You can always find a running back in this league, but finding a shutdown cornerback like Champ is hard, they don't come around too often," said Bell, who finished with 127 yards on 12 carries. "Champ [who missed his second straight game because a hamstring injury] will be back when we need him. I think we got the better end of that deal."

Even more important, they got the benefit of a replay reversal earlier in the third quarter. On Denver's second possession, Redskins defensive end Renaldo Wynn reached around right tackle George Foster and made Plummer lose the ball while in throwing motion. Plummer recovered the ball in the end zone but was tackled by cornerback Ade Jimoh for a safety. Shanahan ordered an instant replay and the call was reversed because of the Tuck Rule. Instead of the Redskins trailing 14-12 and getting the ball, the Broncos retained possession.

"You could see right away that it was the Tuck Rule," Shanahan said. "I didn't think the official had a real good angle because he wasn't looking at the quarterback, but the replay showed it right away."

Undeterred, Brunell kept dropping back in his Pentagon of protection and kept throwing. He drove the Redskins to a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, and started an amazing final drive from his 6 in the first five minutes.

The only time the Broncos got to Brunell was on a 9-yard sack on a fourth down at the Redskins 49, which was negated when Broncos rookie corner Karl Paymah was called for defensive holding, giving Burnell second life. Three plays later, Paymah gave the Redskins another chance with a 15-yard penalty for spearing wide receiver Santana Moss along the sidelines.

Eventually, though, the breaks came to an end for Washington.

"In situations like that, somebody has to a make play, and Ian Gold finally did," Lynch said. "At some point, somebody has to step up."

[SoCalBronco]

He clearly hates us.













(ok, maybe not, but that was for Zach)

[Bob's your Information Minister]

It would be just like Gunther to futilely blitz into that 13-man protection scheme next week.

[ludo21]

Its awesome how well DW and Fox are playing!! Every article/analyst ive heard talks about how the skins were down in db's and had to start their back ups, but our young guys have played so well they arent even talked about. Very exciting if you ask me.

[epicSocialism4tw]

Interesting quote from Tater:

"You can always find a running back in this league, but finding a shutdown cornerback like Champ is hard. They don't come around too often," said Bell, who finished with 127 yards on 12 carries. "Champ [who missed his second straight game because a hamstring injury] will be back when we need him. I think we got the better end of that deal."

[Crushaholic]

Clayton is right about this. The Redskins offensive line was outstanding and we didn't have an answer to the lack of pressure on Brunell.

[Mediator12]

Broncos Struggled Getting To Brunell

By John Clayton
ESPN.com

DENVER -- The rain poured. The wind blew. Broncos players kept shaking their heads but the Washington Redskins, the little engine that could, just wouldn't go away.

Coach Mike Shanahan's squad built an 11-point lead in the third quarter. Normally, a good Broncos team -- and this is a good one -- would pressure the quarterback for sacks and surgically and methodically end their opponent's misery with the run game. Against the Redskins, they couldn't. Quarterback Mark Brunell kept dropping back with everyone except Joe Gibbs and Sonny Jurgensen protecting him and firing passes.

With 1:15 remaining in the contest, Brunell rolled left and spotted David Patten open in the back of the end zone. However, Broncos linebacker Ian Gold, in single coverage against tight end Chris Cooley, jumped up and deflected away what would have been the game-tying two-point conversion. The Broncos won the game, 21-19, Sunday, but the Redskins (3-1) gained ground for respect.

"They are for real," Broncos safety John Lynch said. "They are playing great defense. Offensively, they are playing great football. They are at the top of the league in third-down conversions. They got big time, explosive players on offense. They are tough to deal with."

And a weird team to watch. Gibbs runs an offense that looks more like rugby than American football. Most of the time, Brunell calls plays out of two-tight end sets. It's rare that more than two or three receivers venture out for pass routes. Because seven or eight players stay in to protect Brunell, he has time to move the ball down field.

"Their scheme is one of those crazy things you have to see to believe," Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce said. "They do so much max protecting. You try to rush one blocker but he's not paying attention to you. He's worried about the guy coming outside of you. Coaches are yelling, 'Go get them,' but go get what? As a rusher a lot of times, you are null and void. It's like trying to penetrate Fort Knox with nine people standing there."

Brunell, at the age of 35, has found the fountain of youth in Gibbs' second season at the helm. Because the Redskins keep in so many blockers to protect him, he dropped back on 53 pass plays Sunday and wasn't sacked once. He completed 30 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns, and overall, the Redskins ran 79 offensive plays to the Broncos' 54.

From one 20-yard line to the next, opposing defenses are having an impossible time stopping the Redskins. Gibbs has a goal to be balanced with the run and the pass, but Brunell was having better success moving the football through the air. Clinton Portis, the former Bronco, had a respectable day against a tough Broncos defense by rushing for 103 yards on 20 carries. Shanahan was willing to concede that. It was Brunell who was the untouchable one.

The Broncos tried every thing. On downs in which the Redskins needed 10 or more yards for a first down, the Broncos tried variations of the old Chicago Bears 46 defense in which six players stacked the line and they had an extra rusher on one side. Brunell was untouched.

"They used so many two-man routes in which they had eight in protection," Pryce said. "You've got to be good to be able to do that, and they are. We probably should have rushed only three instead of four or more because it didn't make any difference. It's frustrating to go against them."

But it's also frustrating to be a Redskins fan. Gibbs plays that offense so close to the vest that the Redskins won't be a high-scoring team. They've played well in four games, yet they've only scored 62 points. Coming into the game, the Redskins and the Broncos were tied as the third-worst team with seven red zone opportunities. For the season, the Redskins have scored only six offensive touchdowns in 43 possessions.

"From our standpoint, I'm proud of our players," Gibbs said. "They fought their guts out. I was proud of them fighting back like that. When you play on the road, you go up against a lot. We had some very critical plays tonight. You obviously never want it to end on one play. We made a number of mistakes that hurt us tonight."

In fact, there were two costly mistakes in the first quarter that contributed to Washington falling behind early. Brunell and Portis misjudged each other on a delayed handoff, resulting in a fumble during the first possession that the Broncos recovered at Washington's 43.

Four plays later, on fourth-and-1 from the 34, Jake Plummer audibled away from the strength of the Redskins run blitz. Still, Gregg Williams' defense had two defenders in position to make the tackle. However, they missed Tatum Bell, who made a spectacular 34-yard run to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead.

After that, the Broncos offense was stuck in neutral. Despite not having starting cornerback Walt Harris for the game and Shawn Springs for three quarters because of shin injury, Williams devised a brilliant scheme in which his defensive backs protected against the pass in a four-man zone to prevent big plays. While doing that, his defensive front seven stuffed every gap, and at one point, limited the Broncos and Plummer to five consecutive three-and-outs.

"We tried to protect our young cornerbacks and we did so many things well to take away a very good run game and a very good boot game, but we gave up two long runs because we missed tackles," Williams said. "We had guys in position to make tackles. Going into the game, we were No. 1 in the league in yards after contact and yards after the catch. Today we missed some tackles. Against these guys, we probably did as good as they've seen in stopping the run."

On two critical runs, though, there was no stopping Bell. The second-year back, who was acquired with the draft pick the Broncos got in the Portis-Champ Bailey trade in 2004, scored on a 55-yard run in the third quarter to give Denver the 21-10 lead.

"You can always find a running back in this league, but finding a shutdown cornerback like Champ is hard, they don't come around too often," said Bell, who finished with 127 yards on 12 carries. "Champ [who missed his second straight game because a hamstring injury] will be back when we need him. I think we got the better end of that deal."

Even more important, they got the benefit of a replay reversal earlier in the third quarter. On Denver's second possession, Redskins defensive end Renaldo Wynn reached around right tackle George Foster and made Plummer lose the ball while in throwing motion. Plummer recovered the ball in the end zone but was tackled by cornerback Ade Jimoh for a safety. Shanahan ordered an instant replay and the call was reversed because of the Tuck Rule. Instead of the Redskins trailing 14-12 and getting the ball, the Broncos retained possession.

"You could see right away that it was the Tuck Rule," Shanahan said. "I didn't think the official had a real good angle because he wasn't looking at the quarterback, but the replay showed it right away."

Undeterred, Brunell kept dropping back in his Pentagon of protection and kept throwing. He drove the Redskins to a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, and started an amazing final drive from his 6 in the first five minutes.

The only time the Broncos got to Brunell was on a 9-yard sack on a fourth down at the Redskins 49, which was negated when Broncos rookie corner Karl Paymah was called for defensive holding, giving Burnell second life. Three plays later, Paymah gave the Redskins another chance with a 15-yard penalty for spearing wide receiver Santana Moss along the sidelines.

Eventually, though, the breaks came to an end for Washington.

"In situations like that, somebody has to a make play, and Ian Gold finally did," Lynch said. "At some point, somebody has to step up."


1. First Bolded statement: The defense was not prepared to attack around the wall of protection and it was extremely frustrating with no pressureon the QB. What is even worse is that with seven in coverage we still allowed a bunch of completions and Brunell ran for three first downs.

2. Second Bolded statement: The worst third down conversion rate in the league has led to ONLY two offensive generated red Zone posessions. The other five were handed to them with TO and Field Position. I am still at a huge loss that this is NOT disturbing people more since we had ONE Red Zone possession in this game and are now DEAD LAST in Red Zone possessions too.

[ludo21]

1. First Bolded statement: The defense was not prepared to attack around the wall of protection and it was extremely frustrating with no pressureon the QB. What is even worse is that with seven in coverage we still allowed a bunch of completions and Brunell ran for three first downs.

2. Second Bolded statement: The worst third down conversion rate in the league has led to ONLY two offensive generated red Zone posessions. The other five were handed to them with TO and Field Position. I am still at a huge loss that this is NOT disturbing people more since we had ONE Red Zone possession in this game and are now DEAD LAST in Red Zone possessions too.


4-1 :)

[epicSocialism4tw]

1. First Bolded statement: The defense was not prepared to attack around the wall of protection and it was extremely frustrating with no pressureon the QB. What is even worse is that with seven in coverage we still allowed a bunch of completions and Brunell ran for three first downs.

2. Second Bolded statement: The worst third down conversion rate in the league has led to ONLY two offensive generated red Zone posessions. The other five were handed to them with TO and Field Position. I am still at a huge loss that this is NOT disturbing people more since we had ONE Red Zone possession in this game and are now DEAD LAST in Red Zone possessions too.

Man...those are a couple of very troubling statistics. Our offense needs to at the very least, be able to keep the defense off of the field. It also needs to reinforce the defense by capitalizing on big defensive plays and good field position. That's just not happening. This offense needs some talent at a few key positions.

[Florida_Bronco]

It would be just like Gunther to futilely blitz into that 13-man protection scheme next week.

Finally seeing the light about Gunther huh?

[Mile High Shack]

1. First Bolded statement: The defense was not prepared to attack around the wall of protection and it was extremely frustrating with no pressureon the QB. What is even worse is that with seven in coverage we still allowed a bunch of completions and Brunell ran for three first downs.

2. Second Bolded statement: The worst third down conversion rate in the league has led to ONLY two offensive generated red Zone posessions. The other five were handed to them with TO and Field Position. I am still at a huge loss that this is NOT disturbing people more since we had ONE Red Zone possession in this game and are now DEAD LAST in Red Zone possessions too.

I'm concerned, but we will see how this team responds in November and December

[Garcia Bronco]

redzone opportunities is a worthless stat when you score from the 21 and out.

[bloodsunday]

Interesting quote from Tater:

"You can always find a running back in this league, but finding a shutdown cornerback like Champ is hard. They don't come around too often," said Bell, who finished with 127 yards on 12 carries. "Champ [who missed his second straight game because a hamstring injury] will be back when we need him. I think we got the better end of that deal."
I read that in a positive light. The kids got his head screwed on right. He knows that he is nothing special (right now) and the he is only going to get MAs job by earning it.

I like that... Portis felt entitled... I hate that.

[epicSocialism4tw]

I read that in a positive light. The kids got his head screwed on right. He knows that he is nothing special (right now) and the he is only going to get MAs job by earning it.

I like that... Portis felt entitled... I hate that.


Yep. Portis didnt even show respect for the guys he shared the backfield with. I was glad when he left, and am still happy with what Champ gives us on defense and what he allows us to do.

[bloodsunday]

Whoa... your going to get a reputation for complaining like that.

1. First Bolded statement: The defense was not prepared to attack around the wall of protection and it was extremely frustrating with no pressureon the QB. What is even worse is that with seven in coverage we still allowed a bunch of completions and Brunell ran for three first downs.
I have been frustrated playing against the Dink and Dunk O for several seasons now. Jacksonville even ran some in the third quarter two weeks ago. The difference was that our lead was big enough that they lost patience -- and we were able to get to Leftwhich. Coyer better figure it out or this team will see a lot of it and have another midseason swoon.

I also think the conditions really favored the offense yesterday... just not ours.

2. Second Bolded statement: The worst third down conversion rate in the league has led to ONLY two offensive generated red Zone posessions. The other five were handed to them with TO and Field Position. I am still at a huge loss that this is NOT disturbing people more since we had ONE Red Zone possession in this game and are now DEAD LAST in Red Zone possessions too.
I am disturbed by it, but it is what it is. This team is not a dominant O any more. The one thing that I like about Bell is that at least we have the big play capability again. With MA, we'll never be more than a "3 yards and a cloud of dust" type O (except against KC). Being happy that Jake threw for 100 yards and no INTs is disturbing, but that is what our offense has become.

If our defense cannot play like they did for the 10 quarters after half-time against SD, then we are doomed.

[bloodsunday]

4-1 :)
That's true to a point... but do you think that the way our O played yesterday will lead to a 12 - 4 record? This O is clearly an average (at best) unit and is going to rely heavily on the D to keep putting pressure on the QB and creating turnovers.

Denver Broncos "fans" should always look at the bright side, but football fans know that its a disturbing trend. A trend that has led to midseason swoons the past 4 years and early playoff exits.

[Raidersbane]

I'm still not sold on our O line. They seem to be able to dissapear at any given moment, or for the better part of entire games. They should have had the advantage in the rain but we had no consistant running game that would eat the clock and help rest our defense.

[watermock]

I don't see why you should always look at the bright side...no coach ever does. They always look for different ways to improve. There is no question that there are flaws in the team. 3rd down efficiency continues to be horrific.

We still haven't recaptured the killer instinct so prevelant in the glory years when leading...once you have the knife in the enemy's belly, you twist it...we almost let Washington off the hook.

Play during bad weather. It doesn't seem to matter if it's heat or cold, rain or snow, Denver has played poorly in extreme weather...hell, Oakland came in here in a snowstorm...imagine...a california team outplaying us in snow. Bad weather used to be an advantage.

Prime time play. It's been horrific...it's almost able to be filed under "bad conditions" for some reason. Who knows why, doesn't make sense.

Certain teams "owning us"...this is true of Baltimore for sure, Indy and New England, and to an extent, the annual adventure to KC in December.

[Atlas]

That's true to a point... but do you think that the way our O played yesterday will lead to a 12 - 4 record? This O is clearly an average (at best) unit and is going to rely heavily on the D to keep putting pressure on the QB and creating turnovers.

Denver Broncos "fans" should always look at the bright side, but football fans know that its a disturbing trend. A trend that has led to midseason swoons the past 4 years and early playoff exits.

The way our D played yes Denver can go 12-4. The last IU checked teams don't get any points for having more total yards than the other team.

I hope Denver gets another "ugly" win against the Pats next week too.

[HailRedskins357]

http://www.orangemane.com/BB/showthread.php?t=31721

I thought we were the only teams fans that think the media is out to get us. I think its pretty natural for these guys to write against teams they grew up dislinking. We have plenty of media guys that hate us.

[BMF Bronco]

We still haven't recaptured the killer instinct so prevelant in the glory years when leading...once you have the knife in the enemy's belly, you twist it...we almost let Washington off the hook.

.
Uh oh, mock, here comes the "Elways reitired, get over it" speil...

[manchambo]

redzone opportunities is a worthless stat when you score from the 21 and out.

Absolutely right. It's hard to be too upset about lack of redzone scores in a game where you score on two runs of more than 30 yards. Just shows how worthless stats are if you don't stop to think about them.

[Tredici]

The only time the Broncos got to Brunell was on a 9-yard sack on a fourth down at the Redskins 49, which was negated when Broncos rookie corner Karl Paymah was called for defensive holding, giving Burnell second life. Three plays later, Paymah gave the Redskins another chance with a 15-yard penalty for spearing wide receiver Santana Moss along the sidelines.


There's the dramatic comeback attempt in a nutshell. Rookie keeps his nose clean and Washington is done at mid field. Game. Thank God all three of the youngsters aren't playing clueless.

Williams and Foxworth are both making plays way beyond rookie expectations in one of the toughest positions on the field. C'mon Carl. Get on board.

[Tredici]

redzone opportunities is a worthless stat when you score from the 21 and out.

Whenever someone catches a ball or breaks a run inside of the 10 without making the goal line I have to have a little screaming fit. You should've SCORED idiot! Just bring Elam out on first down.

[ludo21]

That's true to a point... but do you think that the way our O played yesterday will lead to a 12 - 4 record? This O is clearly an average (at best) unit and is going to rely heavily on the D to keep putting pressure on the QB and creating turnovers.

Denver Broncos "fans" should always look at the bright side, but football fans know that its a disturbing trend. A trend that has led to midseason swoons the past 4 years and early playoff exits.



I try and look at the bright side, but i know that some of the problems yesterday were due to the rain. I expect next week for the team to once again start out attacking the secondary of the Pats. Weather permitting i think Lelie will have a couple big plays. Im not worried about the O, they have shown flashes and have gotten better each week. If the O gets worse than they are now, it might be a problem.

[TheReverend]

I was pleased with everyone's performance all the way around... I think Tatum set himself head and shoulders above his competition and hopefully we wont be seeing Pryce/Myers/Ekuban/Brown dropping back into coverage ever again... at one point, BroncosLB52 says "Why is Ekuban covering a RB?" I shook my head and drank as the redskins moved the chains.

[errand]

I am still at a huge loss that this is NOT disturbing people more since we had ONE Red Zone possession in this game and are now DEAD LAST in Red Zone possessions too.

Yeah, we should start complaining about Tatum scoring on those 34 and 55 yard runs, huh?

"Dammit Bell, you need to wait until your in the freaking red zone before you break a 20 + yard run!"

[Garcia Bronco]

Whenever someone catches a ball or breaks a run inside of the 10 without making the goal line I have to have a little screaming fit. You should've SCORED idiot! Just bring Elam out on first down.

See...that's best part about all this....we aren't playing our best football yet...well see what we're made of when the end of the season draws near.

[broncogary]

I was pleased with everyone's performance all the way around... I think Tatum set himself head and shoulders above his competition and hopefully we wont be seeing Pryce/Myers/Ekuban/Brown dropping back into coverage ever again... at one point, BroncosLB52 says "Why is Ekuban covering a RB?" I shook my head and drank as the redskins moved the chains.

It's the Kubiak influence. "See, we tricked them, they didn't think we'd try to cover the RB with the DL." :kubiak:

[Rascal]

1. First Bolded statement: The defense was not prepared to attack around the wall of protection and it was extremely frustrating with no pressureon the QB. What is even worse is that with seven in coverage we still allowed a bunch of completions and Brunell ran for three first downs.


If they were not prepared then that is horrible coaching by Coyer. And they should have been able to make half time adjustments.

[epicSocialism4tw]

The only time the Broncos got to Brunell was on a 9-yard sack on a fourth down at the Redskins 49, which was negated when Broncos rookie corner Karl Paymah was called for defensive holding, giving Burnell second life. Three plays later, Paymah gave the Redskins another chance with a 15-yard penalty for spearing wide receiver Santana Moss along the sidelines.


There's the dramatic comeback attempt in a nutshell. Rookie keeps his nose clean and Washington is done at mid field. Game. Thank God all three of the youngsters aren't playing clueless.

Williams and Foxworth are both making plays way beyond rookie expectations in one of the toughest positions on the field. C'mon Carl. Get on board.

I remember Brunell being pressured on nearly every play in the 1st 3 quarters. He was just one step ahead of the pass rush.

[TotallyScrewed]

Why can't people see that Brunell was having a "lights out" game?? It happens. They were using max. protect and quick passes and Brunell was deadly accurate. Maybe they should've tried what Trevor suggested, rush three and go coverage. Of course, then Portis rips you a new one. Face it, that's a pretty good team.

I'll have to review the film but I don't think Denver was mostly rushing only 4, so I don't buy into this idea that seven backs couldn't slow them down.

[watermock]

I don't buy into this idea that seven backs couldn't slow them down.

I'm not so sure. I know that DW and Foxy are playing well but are still rookies against a wiley veteran that got time, and got hot. Walls hasn't played well, and Paymah didn't make the final roster...despite drafting three corners, we brought in Cox. Of course, we have Brandon, who was totally in the doghouse but has fought his way out somehow. Till the corners get more seasoning, it will still be hit and miss for awhile, especially if Champ can't get a few of these borderline players off the field.

[-Slap-]

Gibbs had the same max protect philosophy the first time around, too. It might not be pretty, but it frustrates a defense over time. Now that his players are buying into the system a little bit, they're starting to enjoy a little success.

[CHUBAKAH]

It was a good game guys. We brought our A game, beat you just about every area, and came up short in points due to the Two plays you had on offense.
We'll be in the post season.
Hope to see you again.
GG
:wiggle:

[Odysseus]

If this offense works for Brunell why can't it work for Jake? I'm sure we can't do it exactly like them but if it works why not try it?

Five consecutive three and outs? How in the name of

[epicSocialism4tw]

It was a good game guys. We brought our A game, beat you just about every area, and came up short in points due to the Two plays you had on offense.
We'll be in the post season.
Hope to see you again.
GG
:wiggle:

You got beat. Denver is better.

[Crushaholic]

We brought our A game, beat you just about every area, and came up short in points due to the Two plays you had on offense.

Yes, you did. You beat us in every category except the scoreboard. I think you have a really good chance this week against the Cheaps...

[epicSocialism4tw]

Yes, you did. You beat us in every category except the scoreboard. I think you have a really good chance this week against the Cheaps...


It'll be the titanic battle of fast-food-chain uniformed teams with indian-themed nicknames. Im taking Ronald McDonald in this one.