Insult to injury

[24champ]

By Andrew Mason
DenverBroncos.com

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The search for positives following a 24-point loss to a team coming off a 4-12 season is typically a fruitless one.

Nevertheless, defensive end Trevor Pryce tried when asked if there was anything to which he could cling following the 34-10 season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins, a defeat that marked the team's worst opening-day loss in 39 years.

Pryce paused as he foraged through his mind searching for something -- anything -- to which he could cling.

"I don't think we got tired," he said.

It didn't take him long to amend himself.

"There's nothing positive to come out of this," Pryce said.

Added Head Coach Mike Shanahan: "They played much better than we did in all phases."

And the Dolphins did so from the start. It began with a three-and-out series to open the game, continued with a Miami goal-line stand in the second period, mushroomed with the loss of two cornerbacks to cramps and another to a separated shoulder a quarter later, when the Broncos fell behind by double digits for good.

The 85-yard, final-play fumble return for a touchdown by Jason Taylor was merely an appropriate coda for an opener that frustrated the Broncos in every way.

Said Pryce: "It was insult to injury."

Never has the cliché been more apt.

"I was (thinking), 'Wow. You've got to be kidding me,'" Pryce said.

The emotions of the locker room in the moments following the game ranged from disappointment to anger. Smiles were non-existent; if any wounds of the game had begun to heal, they were picked wide open by Taylor's time-expired jaunt.

"I'm p---ed off, trust me," wide receiver Rod Smith said. "But what can I do about it now? All I can do is go to work tomorrow (and) look at the tape hard."

THE POINTS OF EMPHASIS

Coaxing turnovers. Converting third-downs. Capitalizing in the red zone. All three were points the Broncos focused upon during the course of the offseason and on through training camp and the preseason.

Denver was just one-for-three in those areas. While the defense forced a fumble and an interception and the special teams recovered a Wes Welker fumble on a punt return. the offense went 1-of-12 on third downs and scored just one touchdown on four red-zone opportunities.

"Third down we did nothing, and (in) the red zone we did nothing," quarterback Jake Plummer said.

Meanwhile, Miami was 8-of-15 on third downs and found the end zone on two of four red-zone forays.

"Any time you're 1-for-12 in third downs and keep your defense on the field as much as we did, it's hard to talk about a lot of positives, especially being 1-for-4 in the red zone, as well," Shanahan said. "One of the things we emphasized was the red zone and third downs, and we were poor in both areas.

The lone third down that Denver converted -- via an 8-yard pass from Plummer to Stephen Alexander -- did not result in any points because that proved to be one of the drives where Denver was stymied in the red zone, on a drive where the Broncos ran four plays from inside the Miami 3-yard-line for minus-1 yard. Only an offsides penalty against Miami's Taylor managed to get the Broncos moving forward on that second-quarter stand, which scuttled an opportunity to take the lead.

That series was a microcosm of the game, as a third-down pass to Alexander fell incomplete and a fourth-down Tatum Bell run lost a yard, giving the Broncos a failed third down and a failed red-zone chance within seconds of each other.

"It's hard to beat a team -- especially in their backyard -- when those two areas are very poor," Shanahan said.

Making matters worse was that Mike Anderson -- always a proficient goal-line runner -- watched helplessly from the bench as the offense ground to a halt in the goal post's shadow, having been knocked out of the game with a rib injury after just four carries of work.

Watching the team struggle at the goal line proved a worse torment for the sixth-year veteran than the injury itself.

"That's painful," Anderson said. "That's one of the things we worked through preseason and all throughout camp to get better in. We all knew when the season kicked off what areas we needed to get better in and that was one of the biggest areas right there. You get that close to the goal line, you've got to get something out of it, no question."

It meant the difference between a halftime lead and a deficit. THe Broncos would never come that close to taking the lead again.

"If we get that touchdown, we're up 7-6 going into the half, and the game is different," Smith said. "There's too many opportunities that we blew, and we blew them -- all 11 of us. It's not one guy, it's the entire offensive unit. We take blame for everything each other does."



Rod Smith was angry about the game, but kept his perspective. "The season is nowhere near over," he said. "We just can't go undefeated." PHOTO: ERIC LARS BAKKE
ONWARD TO WEEK TWO

It was the Broncos' worst season-opening defeat since 1966, the team's third loss in its past four road games (including the playoff defeat at Indianapolis) and the third loss by at least 20 points in the past five games dating back to last December.

Afterwards, it was time to begin anew. Time to start over and to do so quickly; with San Diego arriving for the home opener on Sept. 18, the Broncos can scarcely afford to fritter any time away.

"We're going to go back to the drawing board," Shanahan said.

"We just go back to the drawing board," concurred Wilson, "and try to continue to do what we do -- and that's to try to be excellent at what we do, not worry about anything else, go out and play our game and hope for the best."

It is the hope for the future -- that a two-game homestand against division opponents can make this season opener merely an unpleasant memory -- that will have to fuel the Broncos now as they turn to the San Diego Chargers.

"This is a 16-round fight," Shanahan said. "Obviously we're very disappointed that we lost the football game, but it's not the end of the season. We'll see the type of character we're made of when we come back and play a good team next week."

And it didn't take some of the Broncos long to turn their focus ahead.

"It's already behind me," Lenny Walls said. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish."

And that is a long way off.

"The season is nowhere near over," Smith said. "We just can't go undefeated. That's the only thing."
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...4&storyID=4656

[texasPHINS]

i feel bad for Rod... he was the only one that really showed up today for you guys, and carried a lot of the weight.

he also gave credit where it's due, and commended the Dolphins defense.... he said (and i'm quoting) "This is the best defensive unit that we will play the entire season."

pretty big praise from your pro-bowl receiver. also says a lot for our defense, which was also discounted before the game. with our "patchwork" D-line and our aging LB's and our poor secondary, right? i mean, traylor sucks because he can't move quickly laterally, Zach Thomas is over the hill, Jason Taylor is overrated, and our Db's couldn't block anything, right?

[24champ]

yeah yeah yeah.....the real question is why you still on this board? shouldnt you be on some Jet forum?

[texasPHINS]

Originally Posted by 24champbailey

yeah yeah yeah.....the real question is why you still on this board? shouldnt you be on some Jet forum?

i'm doing damage control here and making sure all the records are set straight before i head off into the sunset. No need to go to the Jets forum either. They didn't strategically plan a trolling event on our board. We just have the regulars, really. I think you guys asked for the attention with your actions

but, at least you're not being a sore loser

[SoCalBronco]

Originally Posted by texasPHINS

i feel bad for Rod... he was the only one that really showed up today for you guys, and carried a lot of the weight.

he also gave credit where it's due, and commended the Dolphins defense.... he said (and i'm quoting) "This is the best defensive unit that we will play the entire season."

pretty big praise from your pro-bowl receiver. also says a lot for our defense, which was also discounted before the game. with our "patchwork" D-line and our aging LB's and our poor secondary, right? i mean, traylor sucks because he can't move quickly laterally, Zach Thomas is over the hill, Jason Taylor is overrated, and our Db's couldn't block anything, right?

Well, you guys certainly earned it. I do think there has been some of Thomas and Seau's game that is no longer there anymore due to the effects of age, but they really utilized their smarts and sheer determination to really shutdown the offense. Crowder looked very good too. You got to watch out for him in the future though. He really is a thug and I dont doubt that he will make off the field news quite often. But he is a talented player with very good instincts. He made an instant impact at Florida after sitting out a year between HS and College. Madison still has it. Miami certainly earned it. We helped them with our colossal **** ups but the Dolphins and Coach Saban deserve alot of credit. Its not just "we lost it, they didnt win it".

[texasPHINS]

Originally Posted by SoCalBronco

Well, you guys certainly earned it. I do think there has been some of Thomas and Seau's game that is no longer there anymore due to the effects of age, but they really utilized their smarts and sheer determination to really shutdown the offense. Crowder looked very good too. You got to watch out for him in the future though. He really is a thug and I dont doubt that he will make off the field news quite often. But he is a talented player with very good instincts. He made an instant impact at Florida after sitting out a year between HS and College. Madison still has it. Miami certainly earned it. We helped them with our colossal **** ups but the Dolphins and Coach Saban deserve alot of credit. Its not just "we lost it, they didnt win it".

thanks for the heads up on Crowder (i had no idea), agree with most everything else except for the age knock on Zach. He is 3 years younger than Rod Smith, and ZT was #4 in the league last year in tackles... and that was with not playing 2 games. He would have led the league had he been healthy all 16 games. i have no idea where this "Zach is over the hill" idealogy comes from around here....

[Crushaholic]

Originally Posted by 24champbailey

THE POINTS OF EMPHASIS

Coaxing turnovers. Converting third-downs. Capitalizing in the red zone. All three were points the Broncos focused upon during the course of the offseason and on through training camp and the preseason.

Denver was just one-for-three in those areas. While the defense forced a fumble and an interception and the special teams recovered a Wes Welker fumble on a punt return. the offense went 1-of-12 on third downs and scored just one touchdown on four red-zone opportunities.

"Third down we did nothing, and (in) the red zone we did nothing," quarterback Jake Plummer said.

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...4&storyID=4656

This is getting to be a broken record. Points in the redzone has been our problem for a LONG time.

[Kaylore]

"If we get that touchdown, we're up 7-6 going into the half, and the game is different," Smith said. "There's too many opportunities that we blew, and we blew them -- all 11 of us. It's not one guy, it's the entire offensive unit. We take blame for everything each other does."

That's a good view because its true.

[wockenbauss]

Originally Posted by texasPHINS

with our "patchwork" D-line and our aging LB's and our poor secondary, right? i mean, traylor sucks because he can't move quickly laterally, Zach Thomas is over the hill, Jason Taylor is overrated, and our Db's couldn't block anything, right?

Preach it baby, preach it! I wish I could find that thread with 'footsteps' talking about our entire unit... "old, fat, and out of shape Defensive line"... our "geritol LB corp." hehehe

[Garcia Bronco]

I'll tell you what we can take away from this game...we got our ass whipped

[Sassy]

"If we get that touchdown, we're up 7-6 going into the half, and the game is different," Smith said. "There's too many opportunities that we blew, and we blew them -- all 11 of us. It's not one guy, it's the entire offensive unit. We take blame for everything each other does."



Rod Smith was angry about the game, but kept his perspective. "The season is nowhere near over," he said. "We just can't go undefeated."


I like the fact that there were "no smiles" in the locker room after the game and that they were all angry...good...bring the fire next week!

Go Broncos!

[Garcia Bronco]

Pussies

[Sassy]

Originally Posted by Garcia Bronco

Pussies

“He’s a tough guy,” safety John Lynch said. “He was asking the trainers to come back in after he had just dislocated his shoulder. He’s a guy, I believe, that has never missed a game in the NFL. I played a week after a dislocated shoulder once. If anybody can do it it’s this guy.”

@ Garcia!!!

Well. it's being reported that Champ wanted to go back in!

[-Slap-]

Making matters worse was that Mike Anderson -- always a proficient goal-line runner -- watched helplessly from the bench as the offense ground to a halt in the goal post's shadow, having been knocked out of the game with a rib injury after just four carries of work.

I love excuses like this one, like Mike Andserson would have made a damn bit of difference down at the goalline, with our guards getting blown into the backfield on every snap.

[x123z]

I think we need a new drawing board.

[bendog]

Originally Posted by x123z

I think we need a new drawing board.

I think we need new guards

[Play2win]

Originally Posted by bendog

I think we need new guards

I am afraid to say it, but we need new, bigger guards, and a new, bigger Center. I love Nails, but our interior line just got man-handled, and it wasn't like we were playing The Jags. I just can't wait to see how our interior line handles them...

[CBF1]

""It was the Broncos' worst season-opening defeat since 1966, the team's third loss in its past four road games (including the playoff defeat at Indianapolis) and the third loss by at least 20 points in the past five games dating back to last December.""

3rd loss by 20 points in the past 5 games.... OUCH. There is a serious problem with this team seeing this stat jumping out at you. How in the world does this get corrected?

[Jetmeck]

Originally Posted by texasPHINS

i feel bad for Rod... he was the only one that really showed up today for you guys, and carried a lot of the weight.

he also gave credit where it's due, and commended the Dolphins defense.... he said (and i'm quoting) "This is the best defensive unit that we will play the entire season."

pretty big praise from your pro-bowl receiver. also says a lot for our defense, which was also discounted before the game. with our "patchwork" D-line and our aging LB's and our poor secondary, right? i mean, traylor sucks because he can't move quickly laterally, Zach Thomas is over the hill, Jason Taylor is overrated, and our Db's couldn't block anything, right?

Honestly I despise idiots like you that have to come over to the opponents board and gloat. Your team will probably not beat it's win total of last year which was what ? Five games ? You just had your superbowl, go **** yourself and go back to your own board. I would say the SAME THING to any of our Bronco posters going to other teams boards for any reason other than to read and be silent. If you are trolling running your mouth on another team's board you are childish and an a**hole !

[watermock]

I watched two game ending turnovers returned for TD's, both the Broncos and the Vikings. It was brutal yesterday.

[24champ]

Originally Posted by watermock

I watched two game ending turnovers returned for TD's, both the Broncos and the Vikings. It was brutal yesterday.

Both QBs were in my linup for FFL figures!!!

[Sassy]

Originally Posted by watermock

I watched two game ending turnovers returned for TD's, both the Broncos and the Vikings. It was brutal yesterday.

That's what happened at the end of SD's game too.

[24champ]

Yeah just an ODD week.....

[Rascal]

Originally Posted by Play2Win

I am afraid to say it, but we need new, bigger guards, and a new, bigger Center. I love Nails, but our interior line just got man-handled, and it wasn't like we were playing The Jags. I just can't wait to see how our interior line handles them...

Yeap and how many times did I say that we should have gone after Demulling or other good FA guards and yet we did nothing and people blasted me for it.

Unfortunately it looks like I was correct.

[24champ]

Originally Posted by Rascal

Yeap and how many times did I say that we should have gone after Demulling or other good FA guards and yet we did nothing and people blasted me for it.

Unfortunately it looks like I was correct.

who blasted you?