Broncos at Chargers: Likes and Dislikes
By jhawk
A loss is like nasty medicine, it tastes bad and makes you want to vomit. But, however bad the medicine tastes, it’s meant to serve a purpose, which is to revive you from any sickness you may be suffering from. The Broncos have force fed their fans seven bad tasting losses this season. Unlike medicine, however, one can’t imagine there is anything beneficial to be taken from a loss. On the contrary, there is plenty to be taken from this game, both positive and negative.
These are my “Likes and Dislikes” of this Broncos’ loss (14 – 35) to the Chargers.
Likes:
Believe it or not, there were things to be liked about this game. Unfortunately, the dislikes outnumbered so I will start with the likes first.
1) I liked the Broncos’ first drive. You have to be optimistic of what the offense was capable of doing in their very first drive. The offense started off passing with play action and finished the drive running the ball into the endzone. It was obvious, the first series was completely scripted and that it was executed perfectly. It’s flashes like these that make me proud of the Broncos’ offense and help me maintain some sort of faith in the Broncos.
2) I like Kyle Orton‘s ability to control the defense with his body language. The Chargers’ defense bit on Kyle Orton’s fakes many times. These fakes weren’t necessarily pump fakes either. Kyle Ortons does a great job of selling play action. He even sold the idea that he was going to throw to his right but went elsewhere. He’s smart, he’s good, and that’s why he’s starting. Granted, he is not perfect.
3) I still like Brandon Lloyd. He still makes very good catches, but in this game he missed some key opportunities. Would those opportunities have changed the game much, not likely, which is why I still like Brandon Lloyd.
4) I liked Moreno and the offensive line. Kyle Orton had plenty of time to throw the ball on several occasions. Knowshon Moreno is starting to look better, which could be attributed to the offensive line. In this game, the stats lie. Moreno would have reached another 100 yard game if the Broncos hadn’t been playing from behind almost the entire game. But this offensive line is looking good and we should be very optimistic for the future. There are indeed youthful mistakes and that is something that needs to be coached and fixed.
5) I like the fact that Champ Bailey is still a beast. Why anyone still throws his way is a question I’m not sure can be answered logically. My only guess must be some type of ego. Either way, Champ needs to be signed to replace Brian Dawkins who, by the way, needs to be replaced very soon.
Dislikes:
The dislikes of this game certainly piled up. My sheet is full of them and I can’t believe I have to be picky. If I had to be picky about something, let it be what it is I liked. But as the Broncos continued to self-implode, the dislikes sheet began overflow. I may just have to go burn it when I am done.
1) I am going to sum up three or four into one complete category. I am disliking the defense more and more every game we play. I said it last week, the Chiefs exposed the defense for what they really are, pathetic. Joe Mays played exceptional as well as Kevin Vickerson. But there is still not a single play maker on this defense. The pass rush has been non-existent all season. I know, Elvis Dumervil is hurt, we all know that, the entire NFL knows that and it is a glaring weakness for this Broncos team. The defense still cannot consistently stop the run, but that is not what is killing this team. The D-Line is not winning the battle in the trenches and the Broncos are not putting any pressure on the opposing QB’s. On top of all of this, the Defense is old and slow (Brian Dawkins and his attempt to catch Darren Sproles). What happens when all our key veterans get injured? We can’t even rely on the starters, let alone the backups. There is no depth, the defense is old, and they are a miserable unit.
2) I dislike Kyle Orton’s immobility. As my dad would put it, he couldn’t scramble an egg. As good as Kyle Orton is, and he is good mind you, he relies on his offensive line way too much. I think the NT Jamal Williams runs faster than Kyle Orton. Orton is aware of his pocket and whether or not it is collapsing. But when the pocket begins to shrink around him, this is when Orton is at his weakest. He knows he’s slow and he knows he’s doomed. His two options are to throw a desperation pass or take the sack. Both of which are poor choices. But there is a bright side to all of this, we will never have to worry about Orton playing for the Raiders.
3) I dislike Josh McDaniels’ draft decisions. I have tried to support him and get behind him through all of his decisions. He is a smart individual and is very gifted at game planning. But the man couldn’t draft a beer. Forget the players he’s traded away from the Broncos, I want to look at his drafts specifically and the impact these players are having. There are only two names that immediately come to mind when I think of who have made positive contribution to this Denver team from the previous two drafts. J.D. Walton the Center and Zane Beadles the Left Guard. Neither one of which were selected with any of the four first round picks McDaniels has acquired. Robert Ayers (still hurt and is not an impact player), Knowshon Moreno (runs the ball standing up and apparently doesn’t stretch), Demaryius Thomas (won’t be an impact player while Brandon Lloyd is still around, especially with that obnoxious foot), and Tim Tebow (who will not play for another year or so). This loss to the Chargers has regrettably shown to us that McDaniels has not, in any way, drafted for need. But please don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t just this game but this entire season that makes this fact explode into our faces. The defense is a joke and there is no depth ANYWHERE except WR and arguably QB.
4) My final dislike of this game will be short because I am tired of being upset. I personally hate medicine and I hardly ever take it when I get sick. So I am ready to go find some happiness elsewhere and thus I will leave you with one final dislike. I dislike the fact that I no longer have faith in the Broncos for the rest of the season. I will continue to cheer on my beloved Broncos, naturally, but I will do so with no faith in their ability to win the game. I dislike the fact that I thought the Broncos would lose to the Chargers. I dislike the fact that I am questioning their chances against the lowly Rams. But most of all, I dislike McDaniels’ chances of remaining the Broncos’ head coach. At this point, his poor decisions regarding players is just too glaring. Pat Bowlen cannot ignore the elephant in the room much longer. There is talent on this team, but the list of play-makers has dwindled to practically none due to poor drafts and poor trades. All of us are still wondering where in the world is MarDummy( Lawrence Maroney). I haven’t seen much of him sense the game against the Titans. Either way, Brad Childress has been shown the door one week after Wade Phillips. It may be McDaniels’ turn soon. But a coaching change is probably the worst thing for this Denver team.
Anyways, I hope you all don’t feel as defeated as I do. This loss is a huge step backwards for this team. The receivers dropped a lot of passes and the defense continues to give up game film named, “How to defeat the Broncos.” But I wish to say, keep the faith and GO BRONCOS!
Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook.