10 games in the books - the good & the concerns
 

The Good;

1.Peyton is back and has control of this team, everyone is buying in

2. jack del Rio has this defense playing lights out

3. Special teams are #1or #2 in several categories.

4, We are winning games while not playing our best offensively

5. Von Miller is getting better by the week

6. All the young defensive players are playing at an unbelievable level.

7. We appear to be the most complete team in the AFC

8. Although we have had injuries we are in better shape than most teams

9. Except for Baltimore we don't have any bruising games left

10. We got great coaching top to bottom.

The Concerns;

1. Champ has not played like Champ for two games now.

2, Holliday is scary with the ball, he drops the ball a lot.

3. We need Kupe to get healthy and stay healthy

4. Fumbles

5. Both DT & Decker are dropping balls they should catch

6. Very thin at Running back

7. Manning getting hit too much the last two games we can't afford this.

8, Running game needs to become stronger now that it's getting cold and the playoffs are looming.

9. Hillman should be further along

10. Koppen needs to stay healthy, if he goes down we're screwed

I agree with everything you posted. I was thinking today if its nearing time to move Champ to S

Holiday also does not field the punts. He should have fair caught that one that rolled for a 62 yard punt.

The offense is too predictable. IMO they should just come out in the first drive of the game and pass every time. Do the play action pass and loosen the defense up ON THE FIRST DRIVE.

Over all this team and the DEFENSE is much better than I thought. I think they are the most complete team in the league. Hopefully, they can kickstart the running game a little

I think the offense really misses Kuper.

7 is in direct relation to 3.

This team could use some turkey sandwiches, Baja.

disagree on good #10

Really? I think the reason you're seeing so many guys come out of the woodwork for us is precisely because we've got great coaching. That said, I'm thinking more D than O.

Maybe some madden drumsticks. ;D

Well, look at it this way: We're not Sandyeggo. :puff:

Fox is too conservative and its only a matter of time when it bites him in the ass.

Tampa Bay will be a bruising game with Doug Martin running down field and Mark Barron delivering the thump.

Vine thinks we need go for it every 4th down and that John Fox is dumb for not doing that.

They are tough no doubt but they don't beat you up they way the Ravens do.

Did you see their game tonight? Our O line better be full strength for that one.

With Kuper we are SB offense
Without Kuper it would be a struggle to go very far in playoffs

i think tampa bay will be a hard fought game.

Underscore this. The only team that fumbles more than Denver is Kansas City. That needs to be fixed....

5 straight games of 30+ points and a 57-43 pass/run ratio offensively kind of undercuts you there.


:Broncos:

But how many 4th downs attempts did we try for?

The pass defense in Tampa no match for the Broncos. They are Raider bad in the secondary. Maybe 350 yrds and 4 tds for peyton in that game.

I think that's stretching it a bit. A right guard is not the difference between a Superbowl and losing in the 1st round. Manram has done a decent job. He's not Kuper but he's no scrub either. Koppen got beat more then Manram did today.


Concerns: I would say the turnovers are STILL our biggest weakness. We're getting some take aways from our defense but it's being negated by our offense giving it right back up. This should have been a route today the way our defense played.

You're right, these young guys on both sides of the ball are really balling right now, and the combo of their own talent and great coaching is the reason. Yet, some of the numbskulls on this board have it in their minds that Fox is this or he's that and therefore he sucks, or he's holding the team back or whatever.

A coach's main responsibility is to win games first, then develop talent, then do everything else. It's not to be aggressive nor conservative, nor any of that crap. Win games and develop talent, and everything else will take care of itself. Seems simple to me.

This has been going on longer than two weeks.

I've been watching him a lot this year. He is not making many plays on
the ball. Looks like hes having trouble tracking the ball. Hes been getting turned around. At CAR he got lots of safety help on Smith. Doesn't look to me like hes shutting anyone down. The only WR I've seen him shut down in recent weeks was Colston.

All I see when the camera is on 24 is a CB 2 steps behind WR's and too late to make a play when the ball is in the air. Looks like hes lost another step in the last 3 weeks. And thats the thing. Carter or Harris would have probably picked off 2 or 3 balls that Champ should have been able to make a play on in last 4 weeks.

Thoughts?

He has lost a step and been getting beat a bit more this year... not getting as many pass break ups as he should be.

I think teams will be testing him with the deep ball more as the season goes on, especially Tampa Bay whom likes to chuck it down field all game long.

Much of what's crossed my mind is on that list, good & not-so-good, although I think Champ still can be Champ, and DJ Williams helps that LB corps immensely. I was there today, and the Bronco crowd is completely re-energized. It's like the old days, and much less corporate.

Someone once started a thread, 'is Manning the answer?'. I think we know now what that level of QB play can bring to a team. Any team. I know it's a stretch, but I think Manning could've elevated Kansas City to 9-10 wins.'

If you don't have a top tier QB in this league, you're playing for the crumbs left by the teams that do.