Denver Broncos tight end Joel Dreessen looks to continue creating options for Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE).

Saying the New England Patriots love their tight ends is understated.  It is an implied truth.  Like saying Mitt Romney will be wearing a red tie and Barack Obama will wear a blue tie at the next debate, it is just the way it is going to be.  The Patriots’ use of their tight ends, particularly Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez however, is no symbolic gesture; their offense is functions because of the talent at the tight end position.

Think of the Patriots’ other skill players: Tom Brady is certainly elite, but are wide receivers Brandon Lloyd, Deion Branch, and Wes Welker the best three in football?  They are good, but not “the best” by a long shot.  Are Stephen Ridley and Brandon Bolden the best one-two punch at running back in the NFL?  Please.  So how are the Patriots still one of the most prolific offenses in football?  Gronkowski and Hernandez.

In 2011, Brady completed 42% of his passes to Gronkowski and Hernandez.  Read it again.  Nearly half of his passes went to these two tight ends.  Why?  They are positively two of the best tight ends in the league.  Built like linebackers with the speed of wideouts, they are too physical for a safety to cover them and too fast for a linebacker.  They are weapons on their merits (2,237 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2011), but make just as much of an impact in how teams must account for them.   Do you play in nickel and dime packages all game?  You risk getting burned by the run.  Play in a standard defensive alignment?  You risk big a big play from the tight ends.

Remember back to last January’s playoff game when the Denver Broncos were in a nickel defense for much of the game.  The Patriots were able to exploit their strengths to the extent that using Hernandez as a running back proved to be successful, passing attack notwithstanding.

Pardon the heaping of praises on the opponent, but here is your takeaway Broncos fans:  The Broncos have the tools to have a similar passing attack.  Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen are no Gronkowski and Hernandez, but both are effective enough to create mismatches and open up space for an efficient, workman-like Willis McGahee running attack.

Already this year, the Broncos have used a double-tight end formation to get the ball to Tamme and Dreessen at a clip of 3 touchdowns on 22 receptions.  While Peyton Manning isn’t getting his tight ends as involved as Brady, the 2011 Broncos’ tight ends had 3 touchdowns on 30 receptions the entire year.  With promising second-year tight end Virgil Green poised to make his return from suspension and an elite quarterback at the helm, the Broncos can further use their tight ends to supplement maturing, young wide receivers and keep defense guessing.

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August 18 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Sports Authority Field. (Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

All the good feelings generated about the Denver Broncos’ backups during their preseason blowout of the Bears disappeared very quickly against the Seahawks on Saturday. The second and third stringers got steamrolled 21-0 after halftime to make the final score 30-10 in favor of Seattle.

Luckily for Broncos fans, the second half of a preseason game means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. Furthermore, Denver won on the scoreboard when the starters were in despite making some big mistakes throughout the first two quarters. Peyton Manning looked very sharp in the two minute drill right before halftime and led Denver to a field goal that gave them the lead. It would have been better had Jacob Tamme held on to a perfect strike that hit his numbers in the end zone, but by then Broncos Country had already seen what they needed to see. Manning looked like his old self in crunch time, and he also took his first hit of the year and showed no ill-effects from it.

Here are some thoughts from the preseason loss to the Seahawks:

• Willis McGahee only had a 3.5 yard average, but he finished with 28-yards rushing and a score. Considering his limited playing time it was an impressive outing and I’m expecting another monster year out of Willis.
• Tight ends Joel Dreessen and Jacob Tamme both finished with four targets and two receptions, but Tamme’s drops are becoming an issue. It will be interesting to see if he loses some targets to Dreessen going forward.
• Although it wasn’t a bone-crushing blow, Manning did get knocked down for the first time in 2012 and bounced right back up. Hopefully that will end the “first-hit watch” that has overtaken the media during training camp.
• The first team defense held Seattle to only three field goals in the first half. This was despite three turnovers by the Denver offense that constantly put their defense in a bad spot. So far this preseason the defensive starters have done a great job shutting down the opponent and keeping them out of the end zone. The one item of concern was Marshawn Lynch’s 6.2 yards-per-carry average on six touches. The interior defensive front gave up big chunks of yardage at times, and that is not a good sign considering some of the elite running backs that Denver will face this year.
• Brock Osweiler had a great chance to lock up the backup quarterback position, but he put forth a very poor performance. He ended up 5 for 11 with 38 yards and no touchdowns. The offense was completely stagnant throughout the second half with him in the game, so the battle for the #2 quarterback will continue on at least another week.
• The special teams unit looked great. Britton Colquitt punted six times and averaged 52.7 yards, Matt Prater drilled his lone field goal attempt, and David Bruton blocked one (and a half) punts. If the special teams unit can keep up this level of play it will give the Broncos a massive edge this season.
• Champ Bailey showed some flashes of why he is still one of the best defenders in the game. His deflection of a pass intended for Terrell Owens to end a Seattle drive was a big time play. Matt Flynn still has a lot to learn about what cornerbacks you want to throw at in the NFL.
• Manning finished the first half going 16 for 23 for 177 yards and 2 interceptions. One of those picks was off a deflection and Tamme dropped a certain touchdown, otherwise those numbers would look a little more impressive. What can’t be denied though is that Manning will have no trouble leading this team in 2012. His yardage total was impressive and he played better as the pressure increased. He still needs to find his touch on the long ball, but there is no doubt in my mind that Manning would have led the Broncos to victory on Saturday night if he would have been allowed to play in the second half.
• Preseason game #3 is on Sunday, August 26th at Mile High against San Francisco and it will be nationally televised. It will be a tough test against a good team and Manning should play most of the game. This game will be the closest thing we see to the real deal until the season opener on September 9th. Go Broncos!

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Peyton Manning in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

The Seattle Seahawks rained on Peyton Manning’s home debut by beating the Denver Broncos 30-10.

Manning went 16-for-23 for 177 yards, and threw 2 interceptions in one half of play. The first pick was a tipped ball by defensive end Red Bryant that ended up in the hands of outside linebacker K.J. Wright. The second was a wobbly pass intended for Cornelius Ingram that was picked off by safety Jeron Jackson.

Manning moved the ball competently, especially in the first half’s closing drive. He ran the two-minute offense perfectly marching the Broncos down inside the red zone. Unfortunately tight end Jacob Tamme dropped a pass in the end zone to kill the drive. The Broncos had to settle for a Matt Prater field goal to make it 10-9 at the half.

“I was pretty pleased with the first half,” head coach John Fox said. “Other than the 0-3 turnover margin, I thought we did pretty good to take the lead 10-9 before the half.”

Willis McGahee saw plenty of action with 8 carries for 28 yards including a 1-yard touchdown run to lead the team in rushing.

The Broncos starting defense held the Seahawks to all field goals in the first half, and just 103 yards of total offense. Rookie Derek Wolfe, Mike Adams, and Joe Mays led the team in tackles in the first half with four a piece. Chris Harris led all players with three pass deflections and he added two solo tackles.

Four year veteran David Bruton was an all-star on special teams. He had two special teams tackles and got his hands on two punts. He’s a lock to make this 2012 roster with that kind of play.

“It felt great, just to put on the film that I’m a threat,” Bruton said following the game.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks blew things wide open in the second half of play. The Broncos were outscored 21-0 in the second half as back up QB Russell Wilson made a solid case for himself going 10-for-17 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns.

To compare and contrast, Broncos backup QB Brock Osweiler went 5-for-11 for 38 yards and took a sack. That’s a far cry from his 4-for-7 for 38 yards and a touchdown performance last week against the Bears.

Caleb Hanie and Adam Weber didn’t take a snap for the Broncos. Instead, Fox and Co. wanted Manning and Osweiler to get the reps. Don’t mistake Osweiler as the definite No. 2 guy, however.

“Without watching the tape, it’s a little bit premature to make those assessments, but all along we knew that was going to be an evaluation that was going to take all four games,” Fox said of deciding on the backup quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks aside, the major concern for the team in the second half was the missed tackles. It wasn’t just one guy either. For example running back Kregg Lumpkin went 16 yards for the score after three guys couldn’t wrap him up.

The Broncos gave up 228 yards on the ground.

“I thought we were a little shoddier,” Fox said of the team’s defense. “We came in the game a little light on defense as well and that kind of showed as the game progressed, but I think it’s fairly evident we have a lot of work to do in that area.”

Last week, the Broncos looked week-one-ready. This week, it’s clear that they still have a lot of work to do before September 9 rolls around.

The great thing about preseason is it’s all part of the process. Get those turnovers, missed tackles, dropped passes, and missed assignments out of the way now.

Another week of practice and learning from those mistakes is on tap. So are the San Francisco 49ers in seven days. Let’s see how these Broncos bounce back.

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