http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/ Everything you know, think, or think you know about the Broncos. (Any registered member can start a topic or respond here.) en Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:24:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://images.thebronconation.com/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/ http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24253&goto=newpost Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:42:35 GMT did you notice the double blitz right up the middle 9a gap0 by the eagles/
this is the new flavor of the month for blitzes and defenses.
how do you stop it/
FULLBACK ! when there are 2 guys in the backfield, along with the QB, that potent blitz gets nullified.
watch the 'pokes add a FB to their formation to adjust ! ]]> Broncos Discussion zambini15 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24253 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24252&goto=newpost Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:32:38 GMT *BRONCOS HOST STEELERS ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL* The Denver Broncos (6-1) will make their second Monday Night Football appearance in their last three games this week when they host the defending Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2). Kickoff at INVESCO Field at Mile High is set for... BRONCOS HOST STEELERS ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

The Denver Broncos (6-1) will make their second Monday Night Football
appearance in their last three games this week when they host the defending
Super Bowl-champion Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2). Kickoff at INVESCO Field at Mile High is set for 6:30 p.m. MST.

QUICKLY:

* - The Broncos, who look to rebound from a 30-7 loss at Baltimore last
week, will appear on Monday Night Football for the 61st time in club history.
That total is the fifth highest in the history of the program.

* - Josh McDaniels guided Denver to a 6-0 record to begin the year, a
start that tied for the third best by a rookie NFL head coach since 1930.

OFFENSE:

* - QB Kyle Orton’s 18-2 (.900) career record at home as a starter is the
best by an NFL player since the 1970 merger. He leads the AFC in TD-to-INT
ratio (9-to-1), fourth quarter passer rating (124.2) and INT percentage (0.4).

* - The Broncos’ 16 drives of at least 10 plays (20.8% of their possessions)
tie for third in the NFL.

DEFENSE:

* - Coached by long-time NFL defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, Denver
leads the NFL in yards per game allowed (266.7) and yards per play allowed
(4.4) while ranking second in the league in scoring defense (13.7 ppg.).

* - Last week at Baltimore, the Broncos posted an NFL Week 8-best 10 tackles
for a loss (31 yds.) with seven run stuffs, two sacks and one on a reception.

* - OLB/DE Elvis Dumervil’s 10 sacks lead the AFC (2nd in NFL).
Minnesota DE Jared Allen is the only player in the NFL with more two-sack
games than Dumervil (11) since he entered the league in 2006.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

* - The Broncos have won both AFC Special Teams Player of the Month
awards this year with K Matt Prater (September) and WR/KR Eddie Royal
(October) earning those accolades.

* - Royal became only the 11th player in NFL history to score a touchdown
on a kickoff (93 yds.) and a punt return (71 yds.) in the same game
at San Diego on Oct. 19.

* - S Darcel McBath, a rookie second round pick from Texas Tech
University, leads the Broncos with seven special-teams tackles.

TELEVISION AND RADIO INFORMATION

TELEVISION: ESPN: Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Jon Gruden (color commentary) and Ron Jaworski (color commentary) will call the game with Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya reporting from the sidelines.

LOCAL RADIO: KOA Radio (850 AM): Dave Logan (play-by-play) and
Brian Griese (color commentary) will call the game with Andy Lindahl
reporting from the sidelines.

LOCAL SPANISH RADIO: KBNO Radio (1280 AM): Fernando Sergio
(play-by-play) and Yuri Vasquez (color commentary) will call the game.

NATIONAL RADIO: Westwood One Radio Sports: Marv Albert (play-byplay)
and Warren Moon (color commentary) will call the game with Mark
Malone on the sidelines. Jim Gray hosts the pregame and postgame shows.

NATIONAL SPANISH TELEVISION: ESPN Deportes will provide a broadcastof the game.

The Broncos are one of eight original American Football League teams celebrating their 50th season in 2009... Denver’s 409 overall wins are second among all original AFL teams and rank seventh among all clubs since 1960...

During the Pat Bowlen era (1984-Pres.), the Broncos have won more regular-season games (249) than any team in the NFL... Denver is making its 61st all-time appearance on Monday Night Football, a figure that ranks fifth in NFL annals...

The Broncos are 13-6-1 all-time against the Steelers in the regular season (last meeting: 31-28 win in 2007), including 7-2-1 at home, and are 3-3 versus the club in the playoffs...

The Broncos will be playing their fourth game against an AFC North club
this season (2-1 record)... Denver’s 6-1 start marks the club’s best record after seven games since 1998 when the Broncos opened the season with 13 consecutive wins...

Head Coach Josh McDaniels guided Denver to a 6-0 record to
begin the year, a start that tied for the third best by a rookie NFL head coach since 1930... He joined Red Miller (1977) as one of two Broncos coaches to win their first six games with the club...

Including players on reserve lists, the Broncos’ roster features 31 new players (56.4% of roster / 31-of-55)...

In the second half/overtime this year, Denver has outscored opponents 83-34 and outgained them 1,489-794 while posting a 124:34-90:17 time-of-possession advantage...

The Broncos, who have limited opponents to 8-of-43 (18.6%) success on third downs in the second half this year, had a four-game stretch (Games 3-6) in which they did not allow a third-down conversion in the final two quarters (longest streak in the NFL since at least 1992)...

Offensively, the Broncos have posted eight touchdown drives of at least 70 yards—Denver’s 25 scoring drives (13 TDs, 12 FGs) average 7.9 plays and 59.1 yards...

The club has posted 16 drives of at least 10 plays (20.8% of their possessions) to tie for third in the NFL in that category...

QB Kyle Orton is 9-2 in his last 11 starts and owns the best career home winning percentage as a starting quarterback (.900 / 18-2) since the 1970 NFL merger...
Orton is tied for first in the NFL in touchdown-to-interception ratio (9-to-1) and lowest interception percentage (0.4 / 1-of-231)—Other than a Hail Mary pass attempt, he has yet to turn the ball over this year (fumble or ‘true’ interception)...

He is second in the league in fourth-quarter passer rating (124.2) and second in the AFC in third-down passing with a 97.8 rating ...

WR Brandon Marshall is tied for third in the NFL in receptions (239) and ranks sixth in the league in receiving yards (2,946) since 2007—He is looking to become the third player in NFL history to post three consecutive 100-catch seasons...

Marshall’s 1,143 yards after the catch since 2007 are the second most in the league...

Led by RBs Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter, the Broncos lead the NFL in lowest percentage of rushes going for negative yardage (4.9% / 10-of-204)...

Moreno leads the NFL in lowest percentage of rushes for negative yardage (5.5% / 6-of-109) and leads league rookies in rushing (420 yds.)— He is the only rookie in the league with at least one rushing (2) and receiving score (1)...

Buckhalter is second in the NFL in yards per rush (6.0 / 55-329, 1 TD)...

C Casey Wiegmann, a Pro Bowl selection last year, has started 134 consecutive games for the second-longest active start streak in the NFL among OLs (longest among centers)...

Mike Nolan was hired by Denver as its defensive coordinator in the offseason after spending the last four years as San Francisco’s head coach...

In his 11 years as an NFL defensive coordinator, Nolan’s defenses have averaged 32.3 takeaways a season and posted seven top-10 NFL rankings in turnovers...

The Broncos are allowing a league-low 266.7 yards per game and 4.4 yards per play while surrendering the second-fewest points per game (13.7) in the NFL...

OLB/DE Elvis Dumervil, who is second in the NFL with 10 sacks on the season, leads the league in sacks on third downs (7)...

ILB D.J. Williams leads Denver with 56 tackles (44 solo)—He is third in the NFL in tackles per game (8.6) since 2007...

CB Champ Bailey, who was named AFC Defensive Player of theWeek for Wk. 4, has posted the most interceptions in the NFL (44) among cornerbacks since entering the league in 1999...

Bailey is tied for the second-most Pro Bowls (8) at cornerback in NFL history
while S Brian Dawkins ranks fourth in league annals in Pro Bowls (7) at
safety...

Against San Diego on Oct. 19, WR Eddie Royal became only the 11th
player in NFL history (second Bronco) to score a touchdown on a kickoff and
punt return in the same game—He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts...

Special Teams Coordinator Mike Priefer has now coached units in the NFL that have totaled 14 blocked kicks and nine return touchdowns in eight seasons as a special teams coach...

S Darcel McBath, a rookie from Texas Tech, leads the Broncos with seven special-teams tackles...

P Mitch Berger, a 16-year NFL veteran and two-time Pro Bowl choice, ranks sixth in the league in net (36.6 yds.) punting average since 1999 (min. 500 punts), and his 804 career punts are the fifth-highest total among active players. ]]> Broncos Discussion Bronco9798 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24252 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24248&goto=newpost Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:26:28 GMT ... because they will challenge the defense deep and this deeper arial attack will ultimately open up the run game and the 'underneath stuff' as well.
The ravens wont be able to squeeze the bengals offense, like they didf ours.
try to remember it is zam THE RUN JUNKIE who is telling you that the key to our future offensive success lies in our WILLINGNESS to make deep throws and expand the playing field . If we do not attempt DEEP passes, every opponent we face will follow the gameplan implimented by the RAVENS. ]]> Broncos Discussion zambini15 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24248 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24242&goto=newpost Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:21:41 GMT to make room for Ty Law.

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.ph...4&storyID=9552 ]]> Broncos Discussion BroncoJoe http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24242 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24241&goto=newpost Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:18:16 GMT last week, kenoy starterd the gamethread, I think we all saw the results ! sorry kenoy, cant risk the bad mo-jo, leave this weeks gamethread to somebody else ! I would like to see TYLER Z start the thread, mojo has been good since he arrived. BTW, whatever happened to casino ROYAL? was he... last week, kenoy starterd the gamethread, I think we all saw the results ! sorry kenoy, cant risk the bad mo-jo, leave this weeks gamethread to somebody else !
I would like to see TYLER Z start the thread, mojo has been good since he arrived.
BTW, whatever happened to casino ROYAL?
was he banned or arrested ?
... any way, somebody who has good karma should start this weeks gamethread, not that I am superstitous, Knock on wood !
( everytime I knock on wood, my woman thinks I am masterbating ) ]]> Broncos Discussion zambini15 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24241 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24235&goto=newpost Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:38:54 GMT Assuming he passes the physical

No seriously

Really

Super serious guys.

I don't like it. ]]> Broncos Discussion Ragnar http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24235 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24226&goto=newpost Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:25:19 GMT I've got a question and I hope I don't lose any credit for not knowing the any facts but why exactly was Mark Schlereth's nickname "Stink"? I read something about peeing his pants before games and still playing in them... now that's pretty nasty. Please enlighten me. ]]> Broncos Discussion artie_dale http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24226 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24222&goto=newpost Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:45:02 GMT http://espn.go.com/nfl/picks Schefter, you are a bright one my friend http://espn.go.com/nfl/picks

Schefter, you are a bright one my friend ]]> Broncos Discussion Kenoy28 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24222 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24217&goto=newpost Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:44:17 GMT http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_13711973?source=rss are we going to make our free-throws too? http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci...973?source=rss
are we going to make our free-throws too? ]]> Broncos Discussion zambini15 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24217 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24214&goto=newpost Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:53:29 GMT I think they both ran a 4.3 they play essentially the same position, and certainly somebody can post their combine #s and physical stats, but to me these guys are very similar players. ER is a whole lot smarter, obviously, and probably a superior human being to boot, *but ERs production cant... I think they both ran a 4.3
they play essentially the same position, and certainly somebody can post their combine #s and physical stats, but to me these guys are very similar players.
ER is a whole lot smarter, obviously, and probably a superior human being to boot,
but ERs production cant compare to jacksons.
My question is why?
My answer is opportunity !
I have NEVER seen ROYAL on the end of a deep pass attempt !
we are squandering his talent!
look at what jackson is doing for his team!


your thoughts? ]]> Broncos Discussion zambini15 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24214 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24208&goto=newpost Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:25:48 GMT Zam... simple bet... you've made your proclomation, now put your money where your mouth is.

I will bet you $1000 that Berger will not have two punts blocked this week versus the Steelers.

I am willing to send a check to Derek to hold and he can then mail to you after Monday nights game if two of Berger's punts are blocked.

Are you willing to take this bet genius, all-knowing, ego-maniac?

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS... ]]> Broncos Discussion MHCBill http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24208 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24203&goto=newpost Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:20:08 GMT Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels met with the media on Monday to discuss yesterday's loss in Baltimore, the dissapointing play on Special Teams and what the team can do to improve for Monday night's game against Pittsburgh.

Opening remarks
“As we said yesterday, we felt after the game they (Ravens) were coached better, played better, (were) more physical (and) played faster basically in every area of the game. We certainly didn’t do nearly enough in any phase to win the game. It is a hard lesson to learn. We have got a week now to get ready for Pittsburgh and try to make a lot of progress and improve significantly off of this game yesterday.”

On responding to a loss
“We always learn things that we need to do better no matter if we win or lose. That is true for the preseason and the regular season, any game we play. Obviously, losing a game really makes the mistakes that much more glaring and the need to fix things more urgent. It will be easy for us to see what we didn’t do well. There are so many things that we could do better and it would have made the game much more competitive in the second half had we done it.”

On the Ravens’ defense
“It is a good defense. There is no doubt about it. (They are) very physical, fast, did some different things but by and large just lined up and played. We made some significant mistakes, obviously, in the game and missed some opportunities that we had to maybe make some explosive plays in the game that could have maybe changed either the first half or the second half. Our plan didn’t come together as we thought it would, whether that would be something we would change in terms of what we did and how we tried to attack them or just simply the way we executed some things held us back from gaining more yards and ultimately, scoring more points. Again, give them credit. They played well. We knew they were a good defense going in there. (They) have got a lot of great football players, and they played much better than we did yesterday.”

On if he has to change the offensive game plan to when playing physical defenses in the upcoming weeks
“No, I have game planned a lot of years against a lot of good defenses. We need to have a good plan each week. That certainly gives your team the best chance to win. Then, we need to get our players to execute that plan against whatever defense we are playing better. Ultimately, each game comes down to that. If we have a good plan and we execute it then we usually win. If we have a bad plan or we don’t execute a good one, it doesn’t really make any difference. The other team is usually going to come out with an advantage. We are going to go back to work, and we are going to have a good plan this week. We are going to try to get our guys to execute as best we can and play against a really good team in Pittsburgh.”

On if struggles against Baltimore were due to poor planning or execution
“It is both. There were certain things that maybe we wouldn’t do if we played them again, but I think that is every week. Every week, no matter whether you win or lose, you always look at your plan or look at something you call and say, ‘Boy, I wish we wouldn’t have done that then or wish we would have had that in the game plan.’ Then, there are always things that you could have executed better. I think when you win, there are both of those things in play, and when you lose, they certainly seem more glaring, but I think they are always there. That is what you go back to work and try to fix the next week.”

On if future opponents will use Baltimore’s strategy against the Broncos
“I think this is a league that a lot of teams will look at what happens. That is what we do. We are going to look at who had success against Pittsburgh and what they have struggled with. I think that pretty much every team across the league is going to do that. We are certainly going to have to improve on what we didn’t do well yesterday or else it is going to continue to repeat and carry over to the next game and the next game. That is a challenge that you face every week because there certainly hasn’t been a game this year where we did everything right. There were mistakes that we made in the first six weeks that we are trying to fix and correct. Some we have, and some we are still trying to fix and improve upon. I think any week in this league, there are so many good coaches, so many well-coached teams, so many really good football players on each team that if you don’t play well or you don’t coach well that week, then you have a chance to lose every game. If you do play well and you do coach well, you have a chance to win them. That is the ultimate chess match you go through all week long and try to put your guys in the best position you can put them in.”

On QB Kyle Orton’s performance
“I always say that the quarterback can play better and yesterday is certainly no different, but we have a lot of players that are responsible to make things go on offense or defense or the kicking game. We just didn’t execute well enough in any phase. Certainly, the quarterback is not absolved from any responsibility offensively. He could have played better, but everybody I would feel the same about. It wasn’t like we had 20 guys on offense or 20 guys on defense play really well and a couple of guys ruined it for us. They coached better than we did, and they played better than we did.”

On Baltimore’s defensive game plan
“There were a few things schematically that they did that gave us issues, more early in the game, I think, but I think ultimately, pass protection, run blocking, it just comes down to we have got to do a better job of finishing a few blocks or recognizing a few blitzers or getting the ball out if for some reason we don’t have somebody assigned to block those people. It was a number of things. We had a few people in the backfield because we lost a matchup somewhere. We had a few mental errors that allowed people in the backfield clean. We have got to do a better job of coaching that and fixing it and getting our guys to execute.”

On T Tyler Polumbus’ performance filling in at right tackle in place of T Ryan Harris at Baltimore
“Tyler went in and did a decent job. (He) hung in there. Again, they have got some really good pass rushers off the edge. He was matched up on (Baltimore OLB Terrell) Suggs on more than a few plays. He handled the bull rush and some speed rushers and those kinds of things. Tyler has been in the system now as long as anybody else has this year, so he is familiar with what we are doing. We are always giving him plenty of reps in practice. He handled himself well in the preseason, and we will expect him to go in and play well (against Pittsburgh).”

On if he is concerned with RB Knowshon Moreno’s fumble total this season
“I wish we would have blocked the missile that hit him yesterday... He has got to hang onto the ball, and he would be the first one to say that. He takes responsibility for that. We could do a little bit better job of not having that situation come up in the game, hopefully. Any time somebody is fumbling the ball, you always want to try to do whatever you can to try to fix that. Again, he hasn’t had a history with that. We have just got to continue to work with him.”

On what the Broncos need to do to improve their special teams coverage units
“We have got to play faster. We have got to play more physical. There were certainly examples of that from yesterday’s game where when we do it the way that we have done it, for the most part, this year, we have some success covering kicks, whether it be kickoffs or punts. (Baltimore) blocked it very well. They were faster in the coverage units and in the return game, I would say, most of the day. That is not because we have slow players. They just played with a greater tempo, a greater sense of urgency and made more plays than we did. The next time we kicked the ball off, we did much better. It is one of those situations where you have got to play every play with the same sense of urgency, with the same speed, with the same tempo, with the same physicality in the kicking game or else we found out now a second week in a row, it could end up being points.”

On if he was surprised by Baltimore’s fast, physical start
“No. We are talking about a 6-0 game at halftime. I would say that most coaches in the league would, if it was a one-score game at the half—we would love to be ahead 21-6 at halftime but that wasn’t the case. It hasn’t been the case all year for us. We understood where we were at and who we were playing and the challenges that lied ahead of us. We just didn’t execute as we have in the previous so many games late in the game or in the second half to ultimately get ahead and win the game. I don’t think that surprised us. They have always played that way. We have played other teams that play fast and physical and all that. If there was anybody that wasn’t ready to go, then we have got to do a better job of making sure that all of our players have the same mindset and understand what kind of opponent we are playing. I don’t—that is an excuse. We could use that today, but there is no way that we can say that that is the case. We were playing in a tight game all the way until the middle or late in the third quarter, and all of the sudden, we couldn’t do much offensively and gave up too many things defensively. The game got away from us.”

On if he scripts offensive plays to run at the beginning of the game
“No, I have some things that I want to do early in the game, but no, I have never been a big fan of just scripting because the ball could be anywhere on the field and certain situations dictate that you don’t want to call ‘that’ there or what have you. You never know where you are going to get it. (I have) nothing against people that do. I know a lot of coordinators do that, but it has never been something that I have done.” ]]> Broncos Discussion CanuckBroncofan http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24203 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24201&goto=newpost Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:40:01 GMT when JMCD was first hired, I had my doubts. for me his first watershed moment was WILL HE KEEP turner, AND TO A LESSER DEGREE DENNISON? jmcd PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS! now he is at his next watershed moment when he has to question his own decisions of personnel, formations and plan of... when JMCD was first hired, I had my doubts.
for me his first watershed moment was
WILL HE KEEP turner, AND TO A LESSER DEGREE DENNISON?
jmcd PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS!


now he is at his next watershed moment when he has to question his own decisions of personnel, formations and plan of attack, because the" lets not throw any picks mentality "is now working to his detrament.
He changed punters, a change was needed, but he traded in a clunker for a flunker ! can his EGO allow him to admit and correct his mistake?
will his MENSA be bigger than his EGO?


its ok to make a mistake, but, is he willing to admit and correct it? ]]> Broncos Discussion zambini15 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24201 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24200&goto=newpost Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:06:26 GMT http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings?year=2009&week=9 ]]> Broncos Discussion Kenoy28 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24200 http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24199&goto=newpost Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:04:07 GMT Cool It: Three Reasons Why Broncos Fans Should Not Panic by Kris Burke Contributor We knew it was coming, it was just a matter of time. Like when the main theme from Jaws starts playing, you could feel the attack and disaster coming. The Denver Broncos were never going to run the... Cool It: Three Reasons Why Broncos Fans Should Not Panic
by Kris Burke Contributor

We knew it was coming, it was just a matter of time.

Like when the main theme from Jaws starts playing, you could feel the attack and disaster coming.

The Denver Broncos were never going to run the table and finish the regular season a perfect 16-0. It's only happened twice in the past 37 years, so you knew it was a long shot to happen. The Broncos were eventually going to lose a game.

So why are so many fans panicking and reacting like they had just gotten knocked out of the playoffs in the first round? Well, because that's what fans do. They cheer and bang their chests when their team is winning, and they scream "fire!" and "abandon ship!" when the team loses. It's just how a lot of fans are.

While the first loss of a season is always a disappointment to a team and its' fans, it also provides a chance for the Broncos to see where they can improve and how to do it. It also brings the fan base back to the reality that this is not a perfect team. It's a wake up call for all parties involved.

That said, there are a multitude of reasons why Broncos fans should not panic over this defeat to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Here are three:



1. There Are Still Nine Games to Play

The good news here is this rather flat performance by the Broncos didn't come in the week or weeks immediately preceding the postseason. Teams that start fast and fade late in the season (see the 2008 Tennessee Titans) often see early exits in the playoffs.

With this loss coming just before the halfway point in the regular season, the Broncos have plenty of time to adjust and improve in the areas where they fell short against the Ravens. The team still holds a two-game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West, and with two games against Kansas City and one with Oakland remaining in their final nine games, the Broncos should be able to right the ship in time for the playoffs.

Yes, the Broncos face another tough test at home against the Steelers next Monday, but after that they face a much softer three-game stretch on the road against the Redskins, at home against the on again, off again Chargers (who had a tougher time than they should have against the Raiders today), and then a Thanksgiving Day battle with the suddenly beatable Giants.



2. The Important Line for Kyle Orton Today: Zero Turnovers

Usually in games as lopsided as these, the quarterback has a turnover or two to his credit. An interception thrown during desperation time or a fumble often plays a role in a defeat like this.

Not so today for Kyle Orton.

While Orton didn't do the team any favors by averaging a mediocre 6.6 yards per completion today and being sacked twice, he didn't turn the ball over when the Broncos were trying to play catchup and put this game even further out of reach than it already was. Orton was under fire all day and didn't make the boneheaded play many quarterbacks do.

What hurt the Broncos much more today was its inept ability to run the ball against a suddenly revitalized Ravens defense led by linebacker Ray Lewis.

Again, Orton will face another brutal defense against the Steelers next week, but the aforementioned three-game stretch afterward should allow Orton to get his groove back.



3. The Chargers Are Much Weaker than They Were Last Year

Many Broncos fans have been worrying, especially after today's loss, that history will repeat itself and the Broncos will yet again blow a big lead in the division and the Chargers will sneak away with the AFC West crown.

As I mentioned in a previous column, don't bet on it. The Chargers' performance today against the Raiders proved my claim that they are in much worse shape than they were last season.

The Chargers hung on by four in Week One and then squeaked by with an eight point victory in what was a much closer game this week in Week Eight. Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell has been playing the position about as bad as it can be played, yet the Raiders have managed to hang with the Chargers in both games this season.

With the exception of last week's blowout of the Chiefs, every one of the Chargers games has been within reach for the opponent in the second half. To me, that sounds a little bit like a team relying on luck more than talent, and that is no way to win a division title.



Conclusion

Take a deep, cleansing breath Broncos fans. The world is not ending, so please stop crying wolf or acting like Chicken Little. It was only one game. This team has overcome too much and achieved too much together to let it all come apart at the seams.

Coach Josh McDaniels will see to it that this team learns from its mistakes and gets back on the winning track. He will continue to preach the "United We Stand, Divided We Fall," method that has worked so well for the New England Patriots this decade.

It's a method I suggest some panicked Broncos fans take to heart this week and beyond. ]]> Broncos Discussion CanuckBroncofan http://broncosfreaks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24199