http://www.milehighreport.com/2014/11/14/7218601/ultimate-fan-guide-broncos-get-a-shutout
Ultimate Fan Guide: Broncos get a shutout against struggling Rams
By
Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann and
PearlJamBroncoGaryFunk on Nov 14 2014
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
You read that right. With the NFL's No. 1 rush defense and a sack duo that is on fire,
PearlJamBroncosGaryFunk has his heart set on a shutout. And why the heck not? Seems like a good time for the Broncos to fire on all cylinders, doesn't it?
And now it's time to talk St. Louis Rams with
PearlJamBroncoGaryFunk, a lifelong Broncos fan who quite possibly owns the longest SBNation code name ever but also made the coolest Broncos flag for his
fence. I'd like one of those for Christmas, please!
And while this Kansas-living, Pearl Jam-loving, cold weather-hoping diehard Broncos fan no longer believes the team's' play is dependent on his own focus during the game, G-Funk takes no chances and still probably sports the most Broncos gear of any fan short of
The Barrel Man (who probably doesn't count since he really only wore a barrel!).
So let's get this orange and blue jam fest going, shall we?
Denver v. St. Louis
MHR - What are your takeaways from the Raiders game that ended up a blowout?
G-Funk:First, I started to think that this was an atrociously horrible team and we took far too long to "get into our groove."
However, there really is no such thing as a cupcake team or an "easy win" in the NFL, especially when it comes to division rivals. We came and we conquered. I don't like to make excuses for us losing
or winning. Though, I will never forget the worst officiated game I've ever seen - our 2012 playoff exit. (No) Thanks to Bill Vinovich and his crew, I can wholeheartedly say that was a game we would and should have won, if it weren't for the officiating
.
I think another big thing I got from this game, it reaffirmed my faith in our run D (not that Oakland has been a bunch of world-beaters in the rushing department, but still). I still don't like a lot of Del Rio's schemes, as it seems we employ a bit too much off-coverage on the back end, and I'd like to see far more blitzes, but those are always a gamble in some fashion.
After that first-quarter performance, I was ecstatic about the rest - just because of that first quarter. It also helped that my girlfriend said she doesn't like games "like that." I let her know those are some of the most fun to watch - when your team is just absolutely dominating the other team. Especially when that team is a division rival. Especially when it is the Raiders. Here's to another six consecutive wins against 'em!
MHR - If you are Adam Gase, how do you help your offense figure out how to get in rhythm at the beginning of the game, rather than midway through or late in the game?
G-Funk: That has to be tough. The best idea I can come up with is in practice - if they are doing a two-minute drill (what drill doesn't really matter, as long as it is offense-based) and arbitrarily stop the team at random intervals, make them go sit down for 10, 20 minutes, then get back and "start over," or even start with a completely different set of plays/drills/schemes.
If the offense were in the middle of drills and then pulled away and made to "get cold," then thrown back into the fire, as it were... that may encourage an instantaneous ability to "warm up"?? Best I could come up with.
Point is, I guess, to kind of surprise them into being ready, so they get used to starting from scratch, as it were. I'm sure that's been thought of and perhaps even tried in some way, because I can't be a pioneer of such an idea. If I am, I'm getting paid way less than I should be.
NFLN_Playbook @NFLN_Playbook
The @Broncos rank 1st in both yards/play on offense (6.21) and yards/play allowed on defense (4.66).
MHR - By record, the St. Louis Rams don't look very good - Last in the NFC West at 3-6, 28th in league for total points scored (163) and 27th in league for points allowed (251). Yet they've beaten the Seahawks and the 49ers and had chance against the Cardinals until well, they didn't. What do you make of this Rams team?
G-Funk: Well, their rushing game has been pretty inconsistent. Their passing game has been dwindling and getting more questionable week by week. The only thing they have going for them is the D (and "going" is kind of an understatement at that). Their special teams aren't anything to write home about. This is all relative to how awesome we are, mind you.
As mentioned earlier, there is not an easy win in the NFL. This team is capable of beating us. I don't like the idea of playing this defense, but it will be a superb test and showing of just how much faith our O-Line should have from the fans/rest of the team.
At this point, I am far from comfortable with what the organization has done to protect Manning. The shuffling of the O-Line in weeks 9 and 10 of the regular season, and not due to injury, is a huge red flag.
However, with what I feel our defense is, and can be, I am not worried at all about the Rams' offense. If there were a game this regular season where we were going to hold the other team scoreless, I'd bet on this one (it sure looked like we could have shut the 49ers out, but I digress).
MHR - By record, the St. Louis Rams don't look very good - Last in the NFC West at 3-6, 28th in league for total points scored (163) and 27th in league for points allowed (251). Yet they've beaten the Seahawks and the 49ers and had chance against the Cardinals until well, they didn't. What do you make of this Rams team?
G-Funk: Well, their rushing game has been pretty inconsistent. Their passing game has been dwindling and getting more questionable week by week. The only thing they have going for them is the D (and "going" is kind of an understatement at that). Their special teams aren't anything to write home about. This is all relative to how awesome we are, mind you.
As mentioned earlier, there is not an easy win in the NFL. This team is capable of beating us. I don't like the idea of playing this defense, but it will be a superb test and showing of just how much faith our O-Line should have from the fans/rest of the team.
At this point, I am far from comfortable with what the organization has done to protect Manning. The shuffling of the O-Line in weeks 9 and 10 of the regular season, and not due to injury, is a huge red flag.
However, with what I feel our defense is, and can be, I am not worried at all about the Rams' offense. If there were a game this regular season where we were going to hold the other team scoreless, I'd bet on this one (it sure looked like we could have shut the 49ers out, but I digress).
MHR - This is the last road game of our three-game stretch of away games before one game back at Mile High. How is this kind of road schedule useful for preparing for playoffs and a Super Bowl? What should the Broncos be practicing more of to make these useful for those games in January?
G-Funk: As we saw in February - crowd noise. We should always expect it. Even at home (some "fans," I swear - that should be one of the easiest things to understand about football, is what home field advantage means - shut up when Your O is on the field people!) I'm always surprised by this.
I think it would also be beneficial to practice/do more trick plays as well. Ask the Rams. They had an awesome fake punt on a fourth down that was the primary catalyst for them being able to pull through and defeat Seattle (their punter now has an excellent QB rating, by the way). Granted, I have a strong feeling that we'll end up with the No. 1 seed, so likely won't have to worry about crowd noise in the playoffs, but it is something we obviously need to be better prepared for. I will try to refrain from mentioning last February any more in my answers. Dang it.
MHR - According to PFF grades, there are a few Rams players who could cause some issues for the Broncos:
- On offense, Jared Cook has been a productive tight end, and the Broncos have been known to let TEs get away with some big plays.
- On defense, two rookies for the Rams have been proving their worth - defensive lineman Aaron Donald(+20.5 overall, +7.5 on pass rush) and cornerback E.J. Gaines (+6.6)
What do the Broncos need to do to make sure these guys aren't playmakers on Sunday?
G-Funk: Well thanks for stealing my thunder. I totally looked up these exact stats and was going to use them in one of my answers to help show my elaborate research skill and immaculate football acumen, but.... ah, I'm kidding.
I have looked at a lot of numbers and stats, these included, and...
- I have more confidence in us not letting Cook, or Lance Kendricksfor that matter, get away with any big hauls. Brandon Marshall has been showing better coverage skills (especially last week - Awesome!). As long as we don't see Von Miller lined up to cover either of them, I think we'll hold them to under 30 yards/3 catches combined and no TDs.
- These two along with Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, William Hayes, James Laurinaitis ... the Rams have a front that can get things done. With Our O-Line so questionable, I have absolutely zero answers here, besides keeping a RB/TE in/near the backfield for emergency chips. LoLoti (*ed's note: I had to look that one up!)
MHR - What are your thoughts on last week's reshuffle in the O-line and how do you think the line will do against the Rams' D?
G-Funk: I'd love to see
Ben Garland really step up, and the O-Line be in a logical order (say, perhaps
Orlando Franklin back at RT,
Louis Vasquez back to guard... y'know where we've all seen these guys do most of their best work, and to me, where they belong). But I have a hard time believing the coaches aren't shuffling for good reason.
I'm still mixed on
Manny Ramirez or
Will Montgomery at center, but it seems Montgomery may be better suited/more capable.
Bottom Line: I don't like the reshuffle at all at this point in the season (or any point after Week 1 for that matter). If it's not injury related, I can't help but wonder what the coaches were/weren't paying attention to in all of Training Camp/preseason/thus far in the season. Yikes. Gotta think positive though because thinking negatively about our Broncos doesn't do anyone any good. Especially me!
MHR - There was some potential that Richie Incognito would have been one of the Broncos by Sunday. It didn't happen this week, but the door still seems to be open. What do you think of that prospect - good or bad for the team?
G-Funk: You know, I cannot be one to pretend to know all the answers, and it seems many are willing to act like they do on subjects like this. If he helps the team, great.
But what if he brings bad mojo into the locker room? Personally, I don't think "the locker room" would allow it, let alone our staff. But I'd rather not have him. I would like to think we have the necessary talent already on the roster, plus I never paid attention to his play. Regardless...
Overall, it is BAD for the team because there is zero reason we should even have to be looking for O-Line help at this point in the season when it's not because of an injury. Bad, bad, bad.
MHR - The Broncos running game was a big concern among MHR members before and at the start of the season. After Montee Ball came out with an injury Ronnie Hillman, C.J. Anderson and Juwan Thompson have all stepped in and had big games. Now that Hillman is out with an injury, and Anderson had a huge game last week, what are your thoughts on the running game (and even the prospect ofKapri Bibbs)?
G-Funk: I've been cautiously optimistic about our running game since before the season started (for those who even kind of know me, me being anything less than full-blown optimistic is rare, ha ha!). I felt that those who make such decisions, were willing to let Moreno go, so we must have had more than one someone we were comfortable with.
I've loved Juwan every time I've seen him carry the rock. Anderson was not quite as flashy but just as reliable, and after last week, he'll either seem less awesome because he doesn't break out again, or he's just starting to show us what to expect.
Bibbs... I'm pretty durn biased when it comes to any "homers." I've not really seen enough from him on an NFL field to have confidence, or lack thereof. But he reminds me of
Jeremiah Johnson in that I sense he may never really get a chance with the Broncos. Wouldn't mind being wrong on that at all though!
MHR - Brock Osweiler, Cody Latimer and Ben Garland all got to play against the Raiders. How do you feel about these backups (and others) who may see playing time before the end of the season?
G-Funk: I agree with many that Latimer should be getting any playing time at the WR position over Caldwell. There is much speculation as to why he hasn't yet, and I will refrain from adding my useless conjecture to that. I just know that it's a good thing we don't really need him at this juncture. Good to have him waiting in the wings just in case.
It seems like they never really let Brock play. But I don't know what play calls they've allowed him either. I expect greater than he has shown, given who his mentors have been for his entire NFL career (Manning and Elway? Come on! No fair to any other QB, like.... ever). Also with the possibility that he may not even sign a second contract here, it makes me rather antsy to see stuff/more from him.
Love Ben. So glad he got the chance to get out on the field and hope to see more from him. It may have just been a courtesy because of Veteran's Day, but I'd like to think he earned that playing time and that we'll see more of him (and see him improve)! I liked what I saw from him in Training Camp his rookie year as a D-Lineman but haven't seen nearly enough of him to judge how well he can do on the O-Line.
MHR - The Broncos are the No. 1 rushing defense in the NFL; have two of the NFL's season sack leaders on the team in Von Miller andDeMarcus Ware; and have Brandon Marshall, one of two linebackers in the league with 70+ tackles so far. What do you anticipate when the Broncos D lines up against a very suspect Rams offense?
G-Funk: Wouldn't it be sweet to have a Bronco break the single-game sack record? I expect nothing less than that. Ha!
OK, seriously... I expect domination here. There is no excuse if we don't just absolutely throttle this offense. Greg Robinson and Wells (not as much) and are their only linemen I've ever taken notice of due to excellent/above average play. I seriously would not be surprised if we shut this offense down completely. And I would duly appreciate not giving up any garbage time points this time, thank you very much!
MHR - What do you think the Broncos goals out of this game should be (other than a W, of course!)?
- O-Line to gel. J-E-L-L-O (line)
- LB/D backfield getting tighter and tighter.
- Execution. This is where I feel we could benefit from basically practicing our execution on standard/vanilla-type plays, and even throw in some trick plays.
- Penalties. This should be a huge game to have a big focus on no penalties.
- I really still wonder if we were trying "new" stuff in the first quarter of the Oakland game and that was the reason for the slow start. If so, this would be another game where we could probably get away with devoting a quarter of the game to "practice."
- And as with every game: No injuries!!!
Predictions:
Full stat line for Peyton Manning? 30/38, 349 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT
Number of yards total by the Broncos running backs? 233
Which wide receiver will have the most yards? DT!!!
Number of sacks on whichever QB is in there (Shaun Hill)? I'll say 8!#Confidence
Number of sacks on Manning? 2
DT/DE/DB (from Broncos) with the most tackles? I was going to say Talib, but I'm going to go out on a limb (somewhat) and say Roby. Back-to-back eye-drawing games from the rook!
Broncos player with the most INTs? Rahim Moore wakes from a dream and gets 2.
Number of penalties on the Broncos? One (Come on now, we can't go a game without a block in the back on a kickoff/punt).
Final Score? Broncos 38, Rams 0 (Going for it - Bold, I am feeling!)
---------
It won't be a shutout
But it will be a bloodbath none the less
---------
Great job, Gary...
I tried to imagine that the refs had everything to do with our loss to the Ravens in Denver in overtime (playoffs 2012), I just can’t find the real evidence to start a case. But I have looked at circumstantial evidence and I’ll relay them to you -
First off, we all know that officials don’t like to be shown up, even if they are wrong. Fox at some point during that season or the season (look man, the refs don’t forget) before, got so agitated by silly acusations that they actually threw the unsportsman like conduct penalty on him. You see, it’s like this, each year at the officials meetings, refs all head to that one particular toilet stall to air out their displeasures against some the leagues flambouyant coaches that love to take their spotlight away.
While shaking off their due/dew, one suggests that the Broncos need a lesson in humility, and guess what? Yep, you guessed it, Bill Vinovich and his merry crew were nominated. You screw with us, we’ll screw with you!! Oh, and Commissioner Rodger Goodell hugging on the Lewis at pregame warmups doesn’t help either. So, I ask you this? Are the Broncos humiliated enough yet? Maybe, maybe not.
Oh, and last week’s sheetjob of a performance in the first half by the Broncos offense is a simple reminder that play execution consistently is of the utmost importance. Coming out flatter than a day old left out Fat Tire won’t get it in the NFL, even against less than mediocre teams like the Raiders. If the Raiders ever learn how to counter punch, they just might become a 3rd place team, but that won’t happen this year, they missed their chance against a fledgling Manning for at least 1 3/4 quarters and sucked on a week old dingleberry. Meaning? The Raiders suck!!!
Del Rio’s defense often shows a great trailer, but fails to cash in at the box office. There once was a man who claimed that the best way for a secondary to score turnovers (INTs), was to play ‘off man’. I agree with that point, but I would take it a little farther, maybe even a little more extreme. I would have my CBs ‘act’ like they going to play close man coverage, and then move one, or two or all of them off man into zone coverage. Then switch it up with the opposite.
These OCs/QBs are too smart these days to get all caught up in a caustic – They’re doing it that a way concept, so we’ll do it this way. Talib/Harris/Roby will only be asked to cover for a short time with Miller/Ware/M Jackson/Wolfe on the prowl, so make the best of it when you’re doing it – OK? I want to see some more schematic blitzes using BMarshall/Ward/Harris/Roby. Make it feel like QB Shaun Hill is stuck in slow motion on LSD.
This upcoming game with the Rams may have a similar feeling as the Bills @ Miami game last night – 6-3 at halftime, before the Miami offense was able to put much together. If you’re lookingfor Manning&Company to come out blazing, you might be mistaken. Close game until our defense wears down the Rams offense. Yeah, I like it like that…
Broncos 23-11 (Safety)…
----------
30-17 is my guess
it’s going to be a struggle in the first half +…and lord i hope the Broncos coaches are ready for a couple onside kicks and fake punts and whatever else.
----------
Tre Mason will have at least one score but the game shouldn't be close.
