By Nick Gustafson
The Denver Broncos have less than 2 weeks until the regular season gets under way, and they are probably about a year and a half away from being ready for it. Sunday night’s performance against the Bears did very little to inspire confidence in them. The offense moved backward more efficiently than they did forward. The defense came out fired up and ready to play, but faded at the end of the half while Cutler marched down the field 98 yards for a touchdown. McDaniel’s supposed “powerhouse” offense is producing nothing more than turnovers. Special teams, a large focus of change this off season, gave up a long punt return to Devin Hester which led to a Chicago touchdown.
The good thing about all of this is that it doesn’t count for anything, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that Jabar Gaffney broke his thumb, probably not from catching one of Kyle Orton’s passes either. It doesn’t matter that the broncos haven’t forced a single turnover, or that they have turned the ball over 8 times in 3 games. It doesn’t matter that Knowshon Moreno has only ran the ball 3 times in the preseason. It doesn’t matter that both Orton and Simms are injured. It doesn’t matter that our best receiver is at home playing Xbox, probably for another team. What does matter is the game September 13th against Cincinnati. That is when everything has to magically come together for the Broncos.
Will the Broncos of regular season look anything like the Broncos of preseason? Few if any coaches are more secretive about their teams than Coach McDaniels. His injury reports are harder to understand than how Kyle Orton cut his finger open on a glove. It’s well documented that McD practices situational football and he seems to be carrying that into the preseason. You would hope that in a regular season game the Broncos wouldn’t throw the ball 4 times from the 1 yard line. So what are the chances that McD is keeping his real game plans secret, using the preseason as nothing more than a chance to confuse his opponents? Perhaps the Broncos will come out disciplined, focused and ready to win in the regular season. Yeah, and maybe Brandon Marshall will come marching into Dove Valley September 6th with apology notes and cupcakes for the whole team. Hey, it could happen.
August 31st, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Great points about how awful the broncos are. Maybe McDaniels should cut the sleeves of that sweatshirt of his?? On the plus side its not like our former franchise qb drove 98 yards on our starting d at home… wait I meant to say at least we have an easy win for the last preseason game….. um…. ok at least we have an easy regular season schedule? No….. Go Nuggets? Yeah that was the one I was looking for.
September 1st, 2009 at 12:26 am
Great work, all things that most fans are probably thinking, but dont have the outlet to spew it on. Keep up the great writing
September 1st, 2009 at 3:05 pm
BTW I heard that the last time the broncos lost every preseason game was in the 1960s. I belive we were called the talahasee shaved mules back then, but dont quote me that was way before my time.
September 4th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Well said, Nick. Being a Broncos fan for over 30 years, I am feeling the frustration you so eloquently wrote about. Let’s just hope that McD reads your collumn!!!! They need all the help they can get. Keep “telling it like it is”!! Well done, Sir.