Offense Waiting to Explode

[Traveler]

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...4&storyID=7393

Notes: Offense Waiting to Explode

By Charlie O'Brien
DenverBroncos.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Brandon Marshall juking his way past multiple defenders. Travis Henry bowling over an overmatched cornerback. Jay Cutler rocketing a pass squarely between the eight and nine on Daniel Graham's chest. Brandon Stokley making a catch in traffic over the middle to convert a long third down.

Throughout the season, Denver's offense -- which remains among the best in the league in total yardage gained -- has offered glimpses of its potential.

But as the team looked forward to Sunday's tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers, many players expressed confidence that the best was yet to come for Denver's offense.

Wide receiver Javon Walker, hoping to return from a knee injury that's kept him out of the last two games, said he's ready to carry the offense on his shoulders and lead them to an explosive performance.

"This is almost the same situation we were in last year, and I came out and said, 'We want to score points, and I can score points,'" Walker said. "I guess it's just being put in the right position and letting guys make plays, just going out and playing football."

Walker said playing on Sunday Night Football on a national stage was a perfect chance to put everything together and show the league just how potent the offense can be.

"(Other teams) really haven’t seen anything yet," Walker said. "But hopefully we get the ball rolling in due time."

Graham said it was only a matter of time until the offense starts to click and get things going.

"We have a lot of potential on this team. In due time when we click as a unit, we'll be able to show a lot," Graham said. "We're working hard in practice, especially in the red zone on putting the ball in the end zone. We know as an offense we need seven points and not three, so that's a big focus for us when we’re out on the practice field."

Head Coach Mike Shanahan said despite any shortcomings the offense has experienced to date, the players and coaches were plugging away, even through the bye week, hoping to tweak the offense into a finely-tuned machine.

"I think you always look at what you're doing good and what you're doing poorly," Shanahan said. "Obviously we've always kind of controlled the ball and the tempo of the football game and we haven't been able to do that over the last few weeks, so that's a little bit different for us. We have been moving the ball. We haven't gotten the ball in the end zone enough obviously but those are the things we're working on."

The general feeling in the locker room and on the practice field can only be summed up as an overall anticipation, just waiting for that Sunday when the offense finally jells and gets all its pieces working smoothly with one another.

And with all the talent this team possesses on offense, when it finally does come together and explode, quarterback Jay Cutler said opposing defenses had better watch out.

"We have a lot of new guys out there playing and getting a feel," Cutler said. "There are a lot of young guys playing, like myself. We are getting better and better each week. We just need to get an explosion. Go out there and put up some points and get rolling. I think we’ll be good."

PREPARING FOR PITTSBURGH: Just like the Broncos have been historically known as a successful team running the ball, the Steelers also come to town this weekend with a reputation of their own: a hard-nosed, physical football team.

But cornerback Dre' Bly said the knocking off an imposing Pittsburgh team would be a great step toward getting back on track as a team.

"They've been known as a physical football team," Bly said. "They play a lot of smash-mouth type football. They're very aggressive defensively. Offensively, they like to run the ball, like to play smash-ball. It plays into our shoes. I know we haven't been as consistent against the run but we have guys that can stop the run. Playing in front of the whole world gives us a chance to show the world that we are a good football team and that we can get back to the way we played the first couple of weeks."

Shanahan said that when assessing Pittsburgh's stout defense -- the driving force behind the team's smash-mouth image -- the numbers just don't lie.

"They're pretty good," Shanahan said. "Any time you give up 9.4 points per game and 235 yards and have a point differential that is tied with New England, you're pretty good, so I think they’re playing extremely well."

But Walker bristled at the notion that the Broncos were in some way putting in extra preparation for a tough Pittsburgh team, saying the Steelers should be every bit as worried about the boys in orange and blue, especially himself.

"You can't forget, they're probably just as scared of us," Walker said. "People are trying to make it look like we're (only) going against them."

As proof of his point, Walker recalled the last time he faced Pittsburgh in Week 9 of 2006, when he gashed the Steelers for 206 total yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.

"Last I (played them), I had like 200-something yards of offense," Walker said. "So they're probably sitting back watching tape saying, 'Do we hope he comes back? Is he going to come back?' That's what they have to worry about. I'm not worried about anything. The guy who lines up over me has to be scared. The only thing I'm going to do is just run the plays that are called."

The ever-confident Walker finished by saying that his swagger could only help the team as they geared up for a prime-time matchup against a tough opponent.

"When I was in Green Bay, the guy that had all the swagger was Brett Favre. Anytime you’ve got somebody like him -- calm, cool, collected -- when you look at guys like that, it makes you at ease to play the game. That's the thing, everybody's so tense about what's about to happen and what game you're going in. (But) I feel like me being a receiver, I'm not worried about what's going on. It's just me and the defensive back. If he's not confident in himself, then he's looking at me and he's going to have a tough day."

INJURY REPORT: Defensive tackle Sam Adams (team decision) and cornerback Champ Bailey (quadriceps) did not participate in Wednesday's practice.

Tight end Stephen Alexander (calf) and Walker (knee) were limited, while safety Hamza Abdullah (hip) fully participated.

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Hopefully they can back up all the bravado with a solid winning effort!

[CBF1]

Try beating a team on the field, not by flapping your gums.

[Que]

Well good, because the defense has the implode thing down pat.

[Dagmar]

Originally Posted by CBF1

Try beating a team on the field, not by flapping your gums.

Exactly. How dare they be confident. They should be meek, hiding in the corner like a little mouse hoping not to lose by too many points. You set 'em straight.

[CBF1]

Originally Posted by Dagmar

Exactly. How dare they be confident. They should be meek, hiding in the corner like a little mouse hoping not to lose by too many points. You set 'em straight.

Fair enough.... You are happy with the product on the field, I personally think enough talk, Show me what you can do. When you start spending your hard earned money on attending games, then you can come here and comment on my posts.

[Dagmar]

Originally Posted by CBF1

Fair enough.... You are happy with the product on the field, I personally think enough talk, Show me what you can do. When you start spending your hard earned money on attending games, then you can come here and comment on my posts.

Oh, you can afford games and I can't thus you are a "better" fan than me? Piss off you fud.

[55CrushEm]

Originally Posted by Que

Well good, because the defense has the implode thing down pat.

....very nice.

[dbfan4life]

Originally Posted by CBF1

Fair enough.... You are happy with the product on the field, I personally think enough talk, Show me what you can do. When you start spending your hard earned money on attending games, then you can come here and comment on my posts.

I know what I do when I buy a product I don't like.....I stop buying it! Give your ticket to someone else and save your hard earned money.

[jmz313]

The only story that was really worth writing was:

Fans Still Waiting for Offense to Explode.

[snowspot66]

I want just one game where we go balls to the wall. Let Jay throw it all over hell and back.

If they get a pick 6 big deal. It would be just like having the defense out on the field except the drive would consume 10 seconds instead of 7 or 8 minutes. We could get the ball back and go again.

I'm fine with being a version of the Bengals this year, would be more bearable than watching the defense.

[chickennob2]

Originally Posted by CBF1

I personally think enough talk, Show me what you can do.

Yeah, what's wrong with these guys? Enough talk, go out and play the game. Sure it's the middle of the week and the games not for another few days, and sure there's a reporter in front of you asking questions. But you shouldn't be talking. You should only be playing. Now go out and play the game. (in four days)

[Rigs11]

Too bad our play calling in the red zone is so stale.

[Bob's your Information Minister]

...no explosion without Javon Walker, sorry.

[Bronco Billy]

We might be waiting to explode, but Pittsburgh's got a good D and we never played well against the 3-4. With new starters on our O line, the "defense" is going to have to keep us in this one.