On the final Denver Broncos Fanzone interview of the 2017 season, I got to chat with Ben Phillips and get his takes on the Denver Broncos season.
Broncos Country, we are just a few days away from the season ending. The Denver Broncos have fallen apart from the 2016 campaign. From 9-7 to 5-10 with a possibility to go either 6-10 or 5-11 is just tough to see.
It may not be the Josh McDaniels season, but it feels as if the team came out flat for the most part of the year. Going through three quarterbacks, running game not working, turnovers turning into points. It has been a rough ride for all of us.
There could be a chance at optimism when the Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs for the final time in 2017. If the Broncos can win, and that is a big IF, then there is some optimism for the future. Vance Joseph is likely playing for his job in this game. For his sake, he better hope his coaching does not lead to the team falling flat.
We shall see what happens. For now, we must conclude the Denver Broncos Fanzone. I want to thank all the individuals who took part in the Fanzone this season. I enjoyed every interview. Let me welcome our final guest for the season.
Ben Phillips is a Denver Broncos fan who I had the pleasure of talking Broncos over the offseason and during the season. It is a great pleasure to have him on board for the 2017 finale. We talked about the Broncos and the game against the Chiefs. Here is what he had to say.
The Denver Broncos brief two game winning streak was snapped on Sunday. What went wrong for the team against Washington?
Oh boy. The game against Washington…. I’m not sure you could really say what one thing went wrong. The penalties on the offensive line hurt. Not to mention the lack of blocking all day. I don’t want to say the offense has little respect for Brock, but you could see it during his moment of shouting on the sideline.
I think some of that spilled onto the field. Brock didn’t play well at all yesterday. And with the defense sitting back on their heels all day, it just made for a perfect storm of bad. To many guys just seem to have given up on Sunday.
Except for Chad Kelly, do you think the Denver Broncos will keep any quarterback on the roster or will they clear house?
It depends on the final game. If Paxton can shock us all and play well against the Chiefs, hes got a shot to come back. Otherwise, I think (as my grandpa would say) they toss in the match and burn the quarterback room to the ground and start over. I personally don’t see the current three guys in a Broncos uniform next year.
As a Denver Broncos fan, what is your favorite memory of all time?
My favorite memory of all time? That’s a tough one. There are too many good ones. If I had to pick, I would say watching Elway get his first Super Bowl was the best. Seeing him take the hit at the goal line when he did the spin in the air, I knew it was on.
That guy was not leaving the stadium without that trophy. Then seeing his reaction when the defense got the final stop on the Packers, it was priceless. It all kind of chokes me up thinking about it.
The Broncos take on the Chiefs in the regular season finale. The Chiefs could rest most of their starters. With Paxton Lynch starting, what will it take to get a win?
Even against the Chiefs second string, they can rush the passer pretty well. O-line has got to play big and keep Lynch on his feet. If he has to constantly tuck and run, it’ll get out of hand in a hurry. And if the Chiefs play Mahomes instead of Smith, the defense has got to be ready. Patrick may be “underwhelming” to a lot of people, but he showed at Texas Tech. He can hurt you if you sit back on him. They can’t ignore him.
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Is there one player on the Broncos roster that has impressed you this season?
Shaq Barrett really kind of impressed me this year. Sitting opposite Von Miller, you kind of get overlooked. But he really stepped up when he was needed. I think he really improved over the last year. Can’t wait to see what the future holds with him.
I have to say though, he may not have gotten a lot of playing time, but Jamaal Charles was pretty impressive to me as well. To come back from the kind of injuries he’s had is nothing short of amazing.
Thank You Ben for taking the time out to chat with me. Hopefully the Denver Broncos have one more win left in them.