The Broncos, i.e., Blame all around.
I gotta tell ya… it’s bad in Bronco-land. Who would have thought after the blistering start this offense had that Cutler would revert to pre-rookie mistakes galore? I’m loathe to just blame Cutler, because in weeks previous, he wasn’t the only one causing turnovers. But seriously, the dude needs to get his head on straight. Poor throws, poor decisions.
Now. Granted. Darrel Jackson sucks. He sucked in Seattle, and he sucks here. The guy is a butterfingers. And also. Granted. The offensive interference on the B-Marsh touchdown was as phantom as they come. That play alone turns the game around. But just like in previous games (the NE debacle excluded), Denver had chances to make up for it and beat themselves. The pick brought back for six was deadly. The inability to open even a little running room so that the total could exceed 14 yards was ridiculous. Something’s gotta change. I’m not sure what that is… but it’s a sad state when I find myself wondering if Cutler needs a week on the bench just to clear his head. Not that I think Hackney is our answer.
Let’s talk defense for a moment. There’s not much to say. It’s a below-average unit that is also decimated by injuries. A below-average unit working mostly on second-string. With that in mind, the defense wasn’t awful. They held the Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams duo mostly in check, kept the Wildcat (which is overrated) in complete check, and even got to Pennington a couple times. But the coverage is awful… every QB in the league knows they can do what ever they want in the air… 7-12 yard passes at will, with the occasional long ball for good measure. The corners play extra-soft… it’s like we start the game in a prevent defense. Give up the short plays, stuff the long plays. The problem being, that 12 short plays puts a team in the red zone, and the long plays still get given up. The jailbreak to Pennington toward the end of the game that turned out to be against a screen, which went for 20+ yards to convert a third and long…. just plain unforgiveable.
See, the thing is… this team has some talent. Mostly on the O, but there’s talent. Just like the Rockies this year. Lots of talent, terrible team. Let’s hope the Avs aren’t resigned to the same fate. Talented team, massive under-performance. That seems to be the hallmark of Denver sports right now. For the Broncos, is it the coaching? The system? The chemistry (which I also think is overrated)? Or just a bunch of underperforming players that need to be replaced? In any case, if things don’t change this is destined to be a long winter in the Rockies.
Now let’s talk Avalanche goaltending…
