Travis Henry sighting?

[Taco John]

I've seen threads discussing just about every topic but the mysterious lack of Travis Henry during the Jaguars game. He had some pretty good efforts previously, going for over 100 yards. This time he was 35 yards on 11 carries...

I'm not saying "press the panic button." I'm just looking for thoughts on what went wrong here...

...and is it just me, or does Selvin Young look like the more explosive back?

[BroncoBuff]

I noticed the same thing, and here's what I think happened -(and yes, there is some dimestore psych-babble involved ;D):

1 - We went 3 and out
2 - Then the Jaguars went on a 12-minute long touchdown drive that spanned the 1st and 2nd quarters (thanks to our soft DTs)
3 - Then we went 3 and out, basically, on our second possession.

Now I love Mike Shanahan, but ever since TD retired, he gets antsy when the clock is rolling and the offense is in the garage. Even though it was just 7-0 ... the running game was mostly abandoned. They ran a couple of those silly delayed inside handoffs, and Selvin Young had a nice run (called back I think?), but I think Mike just got antsy with the clock rolling and started to throw the ball almost exclusively.

[Atlas]

I've seen threads discussing just about every topic but the mysterious lack of Travis Henry during the Jaguars game. He had some pretty good efforts previously, going for over 100 yards. This time he was 35 yards on 11 carries...

I'm not saying "press the panic button." I'm just looking for thoughts on what went wrong here...

...and is it just me, or does Selvin Young look like the more explosive back?

he had 11 carries and you are complaining about him. Would you feel better if he got 44 yards out of those 11 carries?

He was the leading rusher in the NFL coming into todays game. Selvin Young's fumble was very explosive.

[Popps]

We just haven't seemed to get into a rhythm this year, and I guarantee you that it's the offensive line. Think about the holes our RBs have had in past years compared to this year. When was the last time you looked at a replay and thought, "wow... look at that huge cutback lane/hole, etc."

We used to hear that a few times a game from announcers. But lately, it seems like our guys are running up the backs of our linemen, or getting redirected behind the LOS.

It was a weird play-calling day, for sure. But, I just haven't felt like we could go out and pound the ball this year, save a few series.

[Atlas]

We just haven't seemed to get into a rhythm this year, and I guarantee you that it's the offensive line. Think about the holes our RBs have had in past years compared to this year. When was the last time you looked at a replay and thought, "wow... look at that huge cutback lane/hole, etc."

We used to hear that a few times a game from announcers. But lately, it seems like our guys are running up the backs of our linemen, or getting redirected behind the LOS.

It was a weird play-calling day, for sure. But, I just haven't felt like we could go out and pound the ball this year, save a few series.

I really noticed that Pears was having lots of trouble in the running game. He was stumbling around a lot not hitting anyone.

[Kaylore]

He's historically not done well against them. I also think that we got down early didn't help. On 11 carries it's hard for a guy that "get's better as the game goes on" to find his groove.

[Los Broncos]

Once were behind we had no choice but to throw the ball.

The Jags held the ball for so long in that first and second quarters, we had to come out throwing.

[BroncoBuff]

Once were behind we had no choice but to throw the ball.
No way ... we had plenty of chance. It was just 7-0. Shanahan got antsy - he kinda panicked actually.

It's the old maxim - they always say the way to beat Peyton is to hold onto the ball and chew the clock. We were given a heaping helping of that on their 11:48 touchdown drive after we went 3 and out.

[SoCalBronco]

No way ... we had plenty of chance. It was just 7-0. Shanahan got antsy - he kinda panicked actually.

It's the old maxim - they always say the way to beat Peyton is to hold onto the ball and chew the clock. We were given a heaping helping of that on their 11:48 touchdown drive after we went 3 and out.

I dont think he panicked, Senator. We came out with our 15 openers, some runs and passes that we thought would work against this defense, the passes worked, the runs didnt. We kept trying some runs from time to time...they still didn't work. I dont think it was so much as panicking and going into pass happy mode because we were behind, I think it was alot more because the pass was really working for us the whole game....and the run was clearly not. There was even a drive in the second half that we wasted because we tried to reestablish the run, leading to a quick three and out. You go with what works.

[BroncoBuff]

I was responding to "once we got behind we had no choice but to throw."

"Panic" is too strong a word actually, point taken. But my response is that, once we got behind after an historically long 11:48 TD drive, we got antsy ... I'll look a the PBP, but I'll bet our run-pass ratio was quite skewed even before halftime. In Denver, it should be 50-50 ... I'll check.

[eddie mac]

The offense is totally blameless in this game aside from Young but that was a stupid rookie mistake and he'll learn.

This was totally on the D, Bates and Shanahan's idiotic playcall on 4th down at the 3. QB sneak with no TE's, what a dumbass.

[crazyhorse]

The offense is totally blameless in this game aside from Young but that was a stupid rookie mistake and he'll learn.

This was totally on the D, Bates and Shanahan's idiotic playcall on 4th down at the 3. QB sneak with no TE's, what a dumbass.

Why would you want TEs for a QB sneak?

[BroncoBuff]

Shanahan's idiotic playcall on 4th down at the 3. QB sneak with no TE's, what a dumbass.
Word. If you watch that play again ... it wasn't the drive-blocking that fell short (Lepsis had an excellent block, and Myers and Nalen were okay) ... it was the Jags weakside LBs who had free reign to come in and tackle/pull Cutler back toward the backfield. Had Daniel Graham been in motion toward the left, both those guys wouldda been sucking turf and Jay might've made it.

[BroncoInferno]

We only ran about 35-40 total plays in the game, so it was really a matter of the Jags hogging the ball, then putting the team in a situation where every possession became critical. There wasn't enough time to show patience in the run game this week.

[BroncoInferno]

Why would you want TEs for a QB sneak?

The call wasn't stupid because there wasn't a TE on the field; it was stupid because there was a full yard to go for a 1st down. You only go for a sneak in an inches to go situation, and even then it's a very tenuous call. Terrible.

[BroncoBuff]

We only ran about 35-40 total plays in the game, so it was really a matter of the Jags hogging the ball, then putting the team in a situation where every possession became critical. There wasn't enough time to show patience in the run game this week.
Well, overall in hindsight yes. But adherence to the run game might've swung the TOP in our favor. 'Panic" is too harsh a word, I'll I call it "impatience." In case anybody doesn't watch the sideline cutaways, Shanahan is a surly, surly man on game days. And when his offense is stuck in the garage while the clock is peeling away, naturally he gets impatient.

Did you Know? ... We had only three offensive possessions in the first half (save for kneeling to kill the clock), and our third possession started with LESS THAN 2 MINUTES to play in the half! And THAT possession ended in two plays when Selvin Young fumbled.

No problem, patience ... patience ... we'll get the ball to open the second half and set some offensive tempo - WRONG! Hixon fumbles away the 2nd half kickoff. In my second watch of the game, those two back-to-back turnovers were deadly. And I think they caused "impatience" in play selection. And prolly the stupid headphones going out caused impatience and frustration too...

Time to forget this one .....

[crazyhorse]

The call wasn't stupid because there wasn't a TE on the field; it was stupid because there was a full yard to go for a 1st down. You only go for a sneak in an inches to go situation, and even then it's a very tenuous call. Terrible.

I wasn't defending the call. I was confused why you needed a TE to run a sneak. Didn't make any sense to me so I asked.

[Rock Chalk]

Remember when we did this to the Colts like 3 years ago with Q?

Keep them from having the ball. We had the ball like 45 of the 60 game minutes.

Sucks when it happens to you.

[no-pseudo-fan]

I look at the glass as half full. Even with all the mistakes made in the first half and the fumble at the start of the 2nd, we really had a shot to win this game. If we score a TD after Dumervil's monster sack(Did you see him use that guy, he was held and he still sacked the QB caused the Fumble and then recovered the fumble) we win that game. It would have made the game 14-20 then we get the ball and score again with the Henry run. Our Defense, I will not make any excuses for them they really got pushed around, played better in the 2nd half. Also, the jaguars had an excellent game plan. Run up the middle, pass to the TE's, and those QB runs killed us.
With all that, we had a chance. I am not going to say that in the future some major personel changes are not going to have to be made at DT and LB and Safety, but I think we have a team that is close. We just need something to bring it all together.

[HEAV]

Well looks like TJ has found his scapegoat for 2007...::)

[eddie mac]

Why would you want TEs for a QB sneak?

For blocking. No-one runs a ****ing sneak with 5 blockers on the field.

[x123z]

We could not use Henery because we didn't have the ball.

[bronco militia]

the Broncos had the ball for 20 minutes...give me a friggen break.

You'd be better off asking the defense to force a punt every now and then

[BroncoInferno]

For blocking. No-one runs a ****ing sneak with 5 blockers on the field.

Well, to be fair, what he was probably thinking was that by not overloading the formation, he could get Jacksonville expecting an outside run or a boot or a quick pass, something along those lines. That, in theory, would allow Cutler to make a quick push up the field behind the guard for what he must have thought would be an easy first down. I love Shanny and would not want any other coach, but sometimes he will out think himself and get too cute with a call, and that play selection was a perfect example of that.

[DrFate]

Well looks like TJ has found his scapegoat for 2007...::)

That shouldn't surprise anyone - the fact that it took 3 games is more surprise than anything.

[dumpy]

Why did the Broncos stop using the pitch out to the RB with the FB leading? They used it extensively with Terrell Davis. The one time they did it on Sunday Travis Henry gets into the end zone easily.

[TerrElway]

For that matter, why have they not used the play action QB roll-out? You know, the one that gets everyone flowing one way while the QB rolls the other with a receiver underneath and a pass/run option? That used to be the only pass play they would run with Plummer near the goal line (or all over the field for that matter) but I haven't seen it yet this year.

That was what I was expecting on 4th and short there.

[ikiru]

For that matter, why have they not used the play action QB roll-out? You know, the one that gets everyone flowing one way while the QB rolls the other with a receiver underneath and a pass/run option? That used to be the only pass play they would run with Plummer near the goal line (or all over the field for that matter) but I haven't seen it yet this year.

That was what I was expecting on 4th and short there.

My favorite signature Broncos plays:

1. The Plummer bootleg. I call it that because thats the only play Plummer did well. Jay can run it well too! BRING BACK THE BOOTLEG!
2. The red zone one where they fake the run to the left and the fullback sneaks out to the right and the QB finds him all alone in the endzone.

-ikiru

*enjoy the sauce*

[SureShot]

I doubt you will see Cutler running the bootleg on that tender ankle in the near future.

[Broncoman13]

Cutler went to Shanny during the season and told him he preferred to stand in the pocket.

I can remember atleast 3 TD passes last year though that came on Cutler rollouts to his right.

The HB pitch with FB lead is a great play. I have no idea why we don't run it more. Shanny outsmarting himself maybe?

[BlaK-Argentina]

Cutler went to Shanny during the season and told him he preferred to stand in the pocket.

I can remember atleast 3 TD passes last year though that came on Cutler rollouts to his right.

The HB pitch with FB lead is a great play. I have no idea why we don't run it more. Shanny outsmarting himself maybe?

Well, I don't really care what Jay wants to do. The bootleg was very effective and Shanny should bring it back. Cutler can run that play very well. If he doesn't like it, well, :-* , but he CAN run it and that's what matters. BRING BACK THE BOOTLEG SHANNY.

[Rock Chalk]

I've seen threads discussing just about every topic but the mysterious lack of Travis Henry during the Jaguars game. He had some pretty good efforts previously, going for over 100 yards. This time he was 35 yards on 11 carries...

I'm not saying "press the panic button." I'm just looking for thoughts on what went wrong here...

...and is it just me, or does Selvin Young look like the more explosive back?

Well, 11 carries fora guy that gets better as time goes on. What do you think went wrong Isaac? Maybe coaching? Oh wait, it must be execution! I mean, Henry should have 100 yards on his 11 carries. Its clearly the player's fault.

Or so say those jackasses that think Im a moron for calling out Heimerdontknow****.

For a team that had not been able to stop the run this season like us, why didnt we game plan for it? So Jax had the ball a long time ON THEIR FIRST POSSESSION. Its ot like we were getting blown out and time was running out.

[Jason in LA]

I noticed the same thing, and here's what I think happened -(and yes, there is some dimestore psych-babble involved ;D):

1 - We went 3 and out
2 - Then the Jaguars went on a 12-minute long touchdown drive that spanned the 1st and 2nd quarters (thanks to our soft DTs)
3 - Then we went 3 and out, basically, on our second possession.

Now I love Mike Shanahan, but ever since TD retired, he gets antsy when the clock is rolling and the offense is in the garage. Even though it was just 7-0 ... the running game was mostly abandoned. They ran a couple of those silly delayed inside handoffs, and Selvin Young had a nice run (called back I think?), but I think Mike just got antsy with the clock rolling and started to throw the ball almost exclusively.

I missed the game, but judging from the stats and the reports that I read, this seems to be exactly what happened.

[Traveler]

I really noticed that Pears was having lots of trouble in the running game. He was stumbling around a lot not hitting anyone.

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed that. He got his a$$ handed to him in both the running and passing game.

[DarkHorse]

We were killed in TOP, and Henry has a history of being bottled up by Jax.

[Crushaholic]

Well, to be fair, what he was probably thinking was that by not overloading the formation, he could get Jacksonville expecting an outside run or a boot or a quick pass, something along those lines. That, in theory, would allow Cutler to make a quick push up the field behind the guard for what he must have thought would be an easy first down. I love Shanny and would not want any other coach, but sometimes he will out think himself and get too cute with a call, and that play selection was a perfect example of that.

We could still show pass with a TE, but I understand what you're saying.

[Don Flamenco]

Remember when we did this to the Colts like 3 years ago with Q?

Keep them from having the ball. We had the ball like 45 of the 60 game minutes.

Sucks when it happens to you.

That game was awesome. Unbelievable how we did that with Lenny Walls and Kelly Herndon