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Whew, pretty brutal game. It's been a long time since I've seen such dud for offense. Buffalo had no trouble with Denver's anemic offense, no trouble at all. They had all of 134 yards total offense. At least McManus prevented a goose egg with his 45 yard field goal. Credit Denver's defense for at least hanging in there and only giving up 20 points, though they did give up 244 rushing yards and the Bills had eight 3rd down conversions. On the plus side, offensive tackle Garrett Boles gave up only one sack! Pretty much a ho hum performance in every phase of the game, including coaching.
It's time Denver activate Drew Lock, it's past time.
What did you Bronco's fans think of Josh Allen? Was it your first good look at him? Decent game. Kept his league leading active streak of games with 2+ TD's going.
I believe I mentioned before in this thread at some point that Allen to me looks and plays like the prototypical QB that Elway was hoping to find in Oz and Lynch. But I totally understood at the time of the draft why Elway would pass on Allen. Allen was just as big a project if not bigger than Oz and Lynch coming out of the draft. Perhaps a better arm and more elite athleticism but still a big project that played against poor competition and didn't dominate his competition in college.But I have always felt like if Allen had come along before Oz and Lynch then Elway would have drafted Allen.
Whew, pretty brutal game. It's been a long time since I've seen such dud for offense. Buffalo had no trouble with Denver's anemic offense, no trouble at all. They had all of 134 yards total offense. At least McManus prevented a goose egg with his 45 yard field goal. Credit Denver's defense for at least hanging in there and only giving up 20 points, though they did give up 244 rushing yards and the Bills had eight 3rd down conversions. On the plus side, offensive tackle Garrett Boles gave up only one sack! Pretty much a ho hum performance in every phase of the game, including coaching.
It's time Denver activate Drew Lock, it's past time.
I am not one of these guys who's ready to call for Elway's removal. I've broken down his selections in coaches and QBs and in examined results before and after his arrival and think it's silly how many fans want him gone. With that said, I am a little baffled at why the team is handling the QB situation this year the way they are. I understand the timing for activating Lock off IR. There are some nuances with activating a player from IR, so it made more sense once Elway explained it. I absolutely do not understand why the team has not announced he will start against the Chargers.
What more do they need to see? Flacco was horrid. Allen showed a few signs of life but even at his best it was obvious he was not the long term option. The pair of them are on pace to make the 2017 offense look like a juggernaut.
Can Lock be any worse? The answer is yes, it can always be worse in the NFL. The more relevant question is does it even matter? The Broncos are 3-8. It's the first year of this coaching staff. There's literally no pressure on this team to perform the rest of the way. I don't support tanking for draft picks, I always want to see wins, but getting your young QB out there for live game action isn't the same thing as tanking. It's prudent management of a football roster. There are still 5 games and if Lock goes 0-5 but gets a body of game film to analyze and build on in the off season then it's still a win in the long run.
I just don't understand what they're waiting for. It's not like the bar for QB play in Denver is all that high right now. This team has only score 20+ points 4 times in the last 15 games. The time is now to get Lock out there so he can start adjusting now to the speed of the game. There is no point in waiting. Literally nothing to be gained from having him on the sidelines. Lock needs to start: it's in the best interest of the team for Lock to start.
Regardless of how the 4-8 Broncos finish the final quarter of the 2019 season it'll be better than how they started. Through a mostly down season, the Broncos have shown a lot of reasons to be excited about the future. For starters, this defense is insane. Imagine how much more insane it would be if it had the luxury of playing opposite an offense that didn't spend the first half of the season making the 2017 offense look like the 2013 Broncos. The first 4 games had their moments but it really has come together, despite missing some very critical pieces. Now some injuries are mounting (Wolfe, Miller) to the point I wonder if it may not be wise to keep some of these guys on a pitch count or sidelined outright. But the overall scheme and fit of this unit has taken shape as this season progressed and there is every reason to believe it will be better next year.
Offensively, even in a year with little to celebrate, we have a star in the making in Sutton. And to everyone who is ready to declare rookie TE Fant a bust, remember Sutton was pretty quiet last year too. That's to go with a pretty solid duo at the RB position. The team needs reliable depth at both WR and TE. The potential is there in Hamilton and Patrick at WR. I still want to see what Winfree offers. One of these guys needs to step up into a legitimate #2 role. I'm a little less sold on the TE room, but I have a lot of hope for Fant as a long term beast at the position. The health and inconsistency of the others on the roster are a concern.
Then there's the O-line. That deserves its own write up.
Lastly and most exciting, the QB. Look, nobody is going to look at Lock's 18/28 for 134-2-1 and proclaim him the next Joe Montana, Tom Brady, and John Elway combined. But in his first start in the NFL not only was he not a hot mess, he was actually pretty good. I am baffled at our OC's insistence on undermining our QB, as the play calling went from awesome to "let's not mess this up" after the team reached a 14-0 lead. And Lock made his fair share of mistakes too. But let's face it: this team has broken 20 points just 5 times in the last 16 regular season games. Lock owns one of those, so I'll consider his debut a very positive first step.
He's got a tough row to hoe in the next two games, with playoff heavies Houston and Kansas City on the road. The final home slate of Detroit and Oak Vegas is no gimme either. Still I think it's great to see Lock out there taking real game snaps and getting used to the pace of the game. At least this little part of his development will be under way by the time Broncos games mean something again. Getting some of the growing pains out of the way now instead of next year should help next year's team be that much better.
OC and O-line remain the biggest question marks for this team. QB is one too, but at least for now it's entertaining again.
Regardless of how the 4-8 Broncos finish the final quarter of the 2019 season it'll be better than how they started. Through a mostly down season, the Broncos have shown a lot of reasons to be excited about the future. For starters, this defense is insane. Imagine how much more insane it would be if it had the luxury of playing opposite an offense that didn't spend the first half of the season making the 2017 offense look like the 2013 Broncos. The first 4 games had their moments but it really has come together, despite missing some very critical pieces. Now some injuries are mounting (Wolfe, Miller) to the point I wonder if it may not be wise to keep some of these guys on a pitch count or sidelined outright. But the overall scheme and fit of this unit has taken shape as this season progressed and there is every reason to believe it will be better next year.
Offensively, even in a year with little to celebrate, we have a star in the making in Sutton. And to everyone who is ready to declare rookie TE Fant a bust, remember Sutton was pretty quiet last year too. That's to go with a pretty solid duo at the RB position. The team needs reliable depth at both WR and TE. The potential is there in Hamilton and Patrick at WR. I still want to see what Winfree offers. One of these guys needs to step up into a legitimate #2 role. I'm a little less sold on the TE room, but I have a lot of hope for Fant as a long term beast at the position. The health and inconsistency of the others on the roster are a concern.
Then there's the O-line. That deserves its own write up.
Lastly and most exciting, the QB. Look, nobody is going to look at Lock's 18/28 for 134-2-1 and proclaim him the next Joe Montana, Tom Brady, and John Elway combined. But in his first start in the NFL not only was he not a hot mess, he was actually pretty good. I am baffled at our OC's insistence on undermining our QB, as the play calling went from awesome to "let's not mess this up" after the team reached a 14-0 lead. And Lock made his fair share of mistakes too. But let's face it: this team has broken 20 points just 5 times in the last 16 regular season games. Lock owns one of those, so I'll consider his debut a very positive first step.
He's got a tough row to hoe in the next two games, with playoff heavies Houston and Kansas City on the road. The final home slate of Detroit and Oak Vegas is no gimme either. Still I think it's great to see Lock out there taking real game snaps and getting used to the pace of the game. At least this little part of his development will be under way by the time Broncos games mean something again. Getting some of the growing pains out of the way now instead of next year should help next year's team be that much better.
OC and O-line remain the biggest question marks for this team. QB is one too, but at least for now it's entertaining again.
Nothing for me to add here. As always great commentary!
Will add one thing and its not good news. Derek Wolfe had to leave the game early in the 4th quarter with what was described at the time as an arm injury. This morning the Broncos reported that he suffered a dislocated left elbow and has been put on injured reserve, ending his season. He has had a great year, coming up with seven sacks this season.
Where his future is with Denver is a huge question mark as he will be a free agent. He is a perfect fit for Fangio's defense scheme, and Elway needs to keep this guy with Denver. Hopefully that will happen.
The last time the Broncos had a coach who was a pure defense guy, no nonsense guy, and had a scowl on his face 90% of the time would be Lou Saban, one of the best remembered coaches in Bronco history. This year they are playing like Saban's Denver coached teams. The offense is sometimes good, most times frustrating. They have a running back that can be one of the best, if not the best in the AFC. Just like Floyd Little in Saban's club. Their offensive line has been up and down, mostly down, just like Saban's team. The defense is better than average, right now they are 4th in the AFC in fewest points allowed. Just like Saban's teams. They won after losing three straight. Saban's clubs did that on a regular basis. The best record that Saban could come up with in a season was 5-8-1 in 1970. We've been going along in a similar mode all these years later.
Saban's last year with Denver was in 1971. 48 years later I'm having flashbacks. Oy!
The last time the Broncos had a coach who was a pure defense guy, no nonsense guy, and had a scowl on his face 90% of the time would be Lou Saban, one of the best remembered coaches in Bronco history. This year they are playing like Saban's Denver coached teams. The offense is sometimes good, most times frustrating. They have a running back that can be one of the best, if not the best in the AFC. Just like Floyd Little in Saban's club. Their offensive line has been up and down, mostly down, just like Saban's team. The defense is better than average, right now they are 4th in the AFC in fewest points allowed. Just like Saban's teams. They won after losing three straight. Saban's clubs did that on a regular basis. The best record that Saban could come up with in a season was 5-8-1 in 1970. We've been going along in a similar mode all these years later.
Saban's last year with Denver was in 1971. 48 years later I'm having flashbacks. Oy!
Well 5-8-1 would be similar to 6-10 in today's NFL, and I'm confident the Broncos can manage a 2-2 record to close out the year. But hopefully Fangio can get the team above .500 and into the playoffs unlike Saban!
Even as bad as this season has looked at times there is a lot to be excited about. This defense is good. There are some questions now with contracts up and injuries but this unit is a few minor contract extensions and FA/Draft acquisitions from being elite. And what's really exciting is there is a young offensive core coming up opposite that defense. Sutton has developed into an elite WR. Fant has shown flashes at a very difficult position. Freeman and Lindsay are a fantastic duo at RB, and Risner is someone we can build that O-line around. Now they're breaking in a new QB. It's hard to not be excited about Lock even though it's only been one start. I was content to see the team pick him at 10 but to get him at 42 after scoring Fant and Risner makes it even better. It'll be an exciting remainder of the season as we see this young offensive core take some important developmental steps as a unit.
A lot can and will change this off season, but I am confident this Broncos team is going to be pushing for a playoff spot in 2020.
It's time Denver activate Drew Lock, it's past time.
Whew, talk about Drew Lock!
Am I seeing this for real? Well, for Vegas opening the odds on this at 7 and having it go to 9, I couldn't really argue with the numbers.
What's that saying, any given Sunday? I've been watching this club for decades, it's been a long time since I've seen a first half like this one! What's gonna happen in the second half?
. . .What's that saying, any given Sunday? I've been watching this club for decades, it's been a long time since I've seen a first half like this one! What's gonna happen in the second half?
Looks like it's going to keep going! (Now up to 38-3)
In two starts Lock is completing over 72% of passes for an average of 222 yards per game, 5 TDs and 2 INTs. This team’s list of off season needs just got a little shorter.
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