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IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

 FROM MILEHIGHREPORT.COM

How important is this game to the Broncos?  After all, this isn't a game against the Chargers for the title of AFC West best.  However, it is an important game in many, many ways.

1. The winner is undefeated, the loser has to win two games in a row for a winning season.
2. The game is a divisional pairing; crucial for playoff tie breaks.
3. This is Monday Night Football; the big stage.  The confidence boost (or lag) could be a major factor going into the early season.

For Denver fans, it doesn't get any better than this.  Denver playing in the opening MNF game against the hated Raiders.  Let's break down the Xs and Os, and take a look at how these teams match up.

Read on...

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Here's a Wednesday edition of Horse Tracks.  Enjoy!

The Denver Post discussed the fresh start that Domonique Foxworth will have in Atlanta.  See here

Foxy is still sad that he is leaving Denver.  See here

Mike Klis responed to some letters about the Broncos.  See here

Jim Armstrong talks about the youth movement.  See here

Wesley Woodyard and a number of others have opened doors to the NFL by playing special teams.  See here

This story talks about the working relationship between Jay Cutler and Jeremy Bates.  See here

A writer in Summit County, Colorado wondered if the Broncos will be good again.  See here

Denver's receivers are ready to go against the conquered fader nation despite not having Brandon Marshall.  See here

We need to say a prayer for Richard Collier of the Jags.  He ws in the wrong place at the wrong time.  See here

That is all I have today.  Enjoy your Wednesday!

Broncos Receive 7th Round Pick, Could Become 6th Rounder

It's being reported on several news outlets that the Broncos have traded Domonique Foxworth to the Atlanta Falcons for a 7th Round draft pick.  Since Foxy is in the last year of his contract, the Broncos would receive a 6th Round pick should the Falcons resign him.

I know there is going to be a lot of disdain for this trade. My initial reaction was quite the same.  I then took a few minutes to think about it.  I looked at the stats, and I took a close look at Domonique Foxworth the player, and what I saw during the Pre-Season.  What I found was a player that may not get much better than he already is.

First, let's do ourselves a favor and give Foxy the respect he deserves for what he has done off the football field.  Foxworth is an awesome human being, first and foremost.  His work to get the Darrent Williams Teen Center off the ground was selfless as has his increasing role in the NFLPA.  Domonique Foxworth is the type of man anyone of us would be proud to have our kids idolize and is a wonderful member of the community.  I bring this up right off the top because it is the most important, in the real world.  Guys like Foxy are good for society and that is never a bad thing.  That said, I wanted to get it out of the way, becuase I want this breakdown of the trade, and my feelings toward it to focus solely on football.

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Michael Pittman scores for Denver

Finally!  The pre-season is over and it couldn't have ended fast enough.  Only the unenviable task of trying to cut the Broncos roster from 74 to 53 remains between now and the Broncos doing it for real with the Raiders on September 8.  That cuts have to be announced before 4PM est tomorrow afternoon, and we'll have you covered all day long with breaking news, thought and comment.  Until then, let's take a look back at what turned out to be a fairly entertaining football game despite the void of talent.

1.  I Really Like Darrell Hackney....A lot -- Can someone give me a good reason why #4 shouldn't be the #2 quarterback on this football team?  Hackney was given the opportunity to play all 4 quarters against the Cardinals, who at times played their 1st string offense, and his numbers were fairly impressive - 17/26, 208 yards, 1TD.  He also ran the ball 8 times for 35 yards. 

His lack of height has been discussed at nauseum, but he's a winner.  He always seems to make a play when it needs to be made.  Take the long TD pass to Colbert as an example.  Hackney should have been sacked.  The Cardinals did a great job snuffing out the bootleg.  What does Hackney do?  Stop on a dime, change course, and have enough presence of mind, with a LB bearing down on him, to deliver a strike to Keary Colbert in stride.  87 yards later, the Broncos had taken the lead.  Those of the types of plays winners make.

Let's face reality.  If Jay Cutler would, well, I won't say it.  But if it were to happen, the Broncos would be screwed.  Most teams would be.  Cutty is the franchise.  If that is the reality, then why not have a guy backing him up that can make some plays, a guy that can improvise, a guy that doesn't make the stupid decision.  I have seen enough of both guys to say with confidence that I would rather see Darrell Hackney as the backup QB of the Denver Broncos.

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Brandon Marshall Reigns In a TD

PHOTO CREDIT

I am not a prisoner to the present.  I say it all the time.  For those of you that don't listen to MHR Radio, it simply means I like to let things sink in before I react.  There are some things, however, that I do think need discussed after tonight's loss.  In no particular order --

1.  Injury Situation Becoming A Concern -- The Broncos held several players out of teh game with injuries, and suffered more during the contest.  most notably, DE Elvis Dumervil left the game with a finger/hand injury.  He will be evaluated on Sunday, but he did return to the sidelines in street clothes with a large splint protecting the top of his hand, over the middle finger.  Let's hope it is nothing too serious and Dumervil can be ready in two weeks. 

The same goes for newly anointed starting Safety Marquand Manuel, who appeared to injure his thumb.  Mike Shanahan said after the game that his thumb was broken which would be a huge setback for the defense and Manuel.  Hamza Abdullah had already lost the starting job after re-injuring his groin, and now Manuel looks to be out.  That leaves Roderick Rogers.

Patrick Ramsey seemed to tweak his throwing arm on the big play of the game, an interception deep in Broncos' territory that led to the Packers go-ahead TD.  Ramsey had the arm wrapped on the sidelines, though he appeared to be OK.

DE Paul Carrington suffered a strained quad and DE Larry Birdine appeared to have his bell rung.  More on all the injuries later on Saturday.

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      Your game prep for 2008 Pre-Season Game #3

This is a fascinating game to watch in terms of clashes of styles.  Denver runs the Zone Block scheme so well that they are considered the godfathers of the scheme (even if it didn't truly start with us).  GB runs the scheme too, but not as well.  In fact, last year was very tough for their run game.

On the other hand, last year Denver ran the Man Contain system on defense and it was a miserable failure.  Green Bay has run it for awhile, and has the people to run it well.

In the West Coast Offense, a legend has retired, uhm, moved away from Green Bay.  In Denver's West Coast Offense, a new star is rising.

The two teams are at once on a similar, yet different path.  The same systems, with differing results on both sides of the ball.  A legend goes away for one team, but arrives for another.

Let's take a closer look.  Read on...

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  Dallas Cowboys 13      @          Denver Broncos 23

August 16th, 2008 - 7:00pm MST
Invesco Field @ Mile High
Denver, CO

The Broncos don't have much time to enjoy Saturday Night's win over the Cowboys, turning quickly around to prepare for a Friday Night match up with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.  That means we can't dwell on it for too long, either.  After watching  and studying the game, I did want to take a few moments to break down a few of the things I saw.  At the end, of course, will be a break down of community participation in the Open Threads.  

I have gone on record saying that wins or losses in the pre-season are not as important as playing well for 60 minutes.  I definitely feel that way, but it sure does feel good to win a game.  I am looking for progress as we head through August, and the Broncos improved from Game 1 to Game 2.  Let's break it down --

PASSING GAME(QB and O-Line)

 It was obvious the two teams had different things in mind coming into the game, but it was still the Cowboys 1st team defense that Jay Cutler dissected on Saturday Night.  I can remember back in 1998, after the Broncos had won the Super Bowl and were preparing to defend.  They didn't want to lose any game, ever.  Cowboys fans will say, and they have to me, that the Cowboys took it easy on the Broncos, especially after all the hub-bub last year. Maybe.  But as an athlete, you never want to be embarrassed, and Cutler did a little bit of that.

Jay Cutler has improved just about everything in his game.  Footwork, mechanics, delivery, the way he looks off of receivers.  Yes, we all know about the diabetes stuff, but this is more about Cutler feeling comfortable and confident in the offense than it is about insulin levels.  Cutler is going to the line of scrimmage, reading the defense, and knows at the snap where he is going with the football.  Cutler is also getting the Broncos into the end zone, scoring 3 TD's in 6 offensive possessions.  There could have been more points by the first strong in the 2-minute drill, but Matt Prater's long field goal at the end of the first half went wide.  More on the later.

I thought Patrick Ramsey came in, and after a disastrous beginning that was saved by undisciplined play by the Cowboys, Ramsey settled down and started to make some throws.  He is still slow at reading through his progressions and frequently delivers the ball late.  It pains me to think of how dummied-down the playbook would have to be with Ramsey at the helm.

The Offensive Line once again had its' ups and downs in the passing game.  There were once again way too many penalties, with Ryan Clady and Chris Kuper getting hit with holding penalties.  More importantly, Jay Cutler once again stayed clean as the O-Line did not allow a sack in the first half(the sackless streak ended in the 4th quarter when Darrell Hackney was sacked).  I liked what I saw from Ryan Clady, who did a solid job on DeMarcus Ware.  There were time Ware even stunted inside to try and avoid going up against Clady, a good sign since that means it will usually be Ben Hamilton or Tom Nalen/Casey Wiegmann that the De is going to get a face full of.  I am happy about where the O-line is right now in pass protection, but the penalties need to be cleaned up.

Continue reading this post »

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  Dallas Cowboys 13      @          Denver Broncos 23

August 16th, 2008 - 7:00pm MST
Invesco Field @ Mile High
Denver, CO
ATTENDANCE: 74,484

* - QB Jay Cutler completed his first 12 passes for 142 yards while leading Denver on two touchdown drives to begin the first half. His string was broken by an incomplete pass intended for Broncos RB Andre Hall in the second quarter (7:20 remaining). Cutler's longest streak of consecutive completions in an NFL game is 11, which he did twice last year (vs. Minnesota 12/30/07 and vs. Jacksonville 9/23/07). That was the longest consecutive completion streak by a Broncos QB in any game since Jake Plummer completed 16 consecutive passes vs. Detroit on 9/28/03.

* - Cutler played the entire first half (5 series, 36 plays). He completed 16-of-20 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 120.4. Cutler spread the ball around to seven different Broncos receivers.

* - Cutler led the Broncos on a 9-play, 65-yard touchdown drive on the game's opening possession that lasted 5:17 and culminated with Hall's 1-yard touchdown run. Cutler was 5-of-5 on the drive for 61 yards for a 117.5 passer rating, completing passes to four different Broncos (WR Brandon Marshall 2-16, WR Eddie Royal 1-35, WR Brandon Stokley 1-8, FB Cecil Sapp 1-2).

* - The Broncos' Hall converted a fourth-and-1 on the Dallas 7-yard line on Denver's opening touchdown drive. The conversion was Denver's first fourth-down attempt and conversion of the 2008 preseason.

* - Denver's starting wide receivers, Marshall and Royal, combined for six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown during the Broncos' first two drives. Royal had two long receptions of 32 and 35 yards and Marshall scored on a 3-yard touchdown reception in the second drive. Marshall finished the first half with six receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. Royal had two receptions for 67 yards.

* - Seven different Broncos receivers finished with at least two receptions (Marshall, 6-51 TD; WR Brandon Stokley, 3-34; WR Clifford Russell, 3-28; Royal, 2-67; WR Keary Colbert, 2-30; RB Cecil Sapp, 2-12; TE Nate Jackson, 2-11).

* - Broncos QB Patrick Ramsey completed 8-of-13 passes for 67 yards in four series of work in the second half.

* - Dallas DE Marcus Smith's fourth quarter sack of Broncos QB Darrell Hackney snapped Denver's seven-quarter streak of not allowing a sack to open the preseason. The Broncos have given up one sack though their first two preseason games.

* - The Broncos dominated in time of possession in the first half owning an 18:50-11:10 advantage. They finished the game with a 33:07-26:53 advantage.

* - Denver's defense held the Cowboys to 128 net yards in the first half on 25 plays from scrimmage (5.1 yards per play). The defense also held Dallas to 0-of-5 on third down conversions in the second half and 4-of-12 (33.3 percent) for the game.

* - Denver was 2-of-2 in the red zone (1 rushing TD, 1 receiving TD) in the first half.

* - Denver capitalized on a sloppy game by Dallas penalty-wise. The Cowboys had nine penalties for 78 yards, including two personal fouls. Four of Dallas' penalties led to Denver first downs.

* - Broncos K Matt Prater kicked off six times, with four of his kickoffs resulting in touchbacks. For the second consecutive game Prater connected on 3-of-4 field goal attempts. He is 6-of-8 so far this preseason.

* - Broncos CB Domonique Foxworth recorded six total tackles, all solo, to lead the Broncos.

* - Punting Battle: Broncos P Brett Kern had two punts for a 57.5 average (long of 63), one of which resulted in a touchback. P Sam Paulescu had two punts for a 50.0 average (long of 57) with one punt inside the 20. Kern had a 36-yard gain (miscellaneous yardage) on an aborted punt in the second half after scooping up his punt which was blocked by Dallas RB Tashard Choice. The resulting first down led to a 29-yard field goal by Prater.

* - Turnover Ratio: The Broncos finished the game with a +1 turnover ratio, posting one takeaway (INT) and no giveaways. Rookie CB Jack Williams' fourth quarter interception led to a Prater field foal.

* - Broncos Starting Lineup Changes: LB Jamie Winborn started in place of LB Boss Bailey (injury) at the strongside linebacker position. Foxworth started in place of CB Champ Bailey (injury). C Casey Wiegmann started in place of C Tom Nalen (injury). Royal started in place of WR Darrell Jackson (injury).

* - Broncos injury report: TE Daniel Graham (hamstring, first half, did not return).

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  Dallas Cowboys      @          Denver Broncos

August 16th, 2008 - 7:00pm MST
Invesco Field @ Mile High
Denver, CO

   To Follow The Week From The Cowboy's Perpective, Check Out Blogging The Boys! 

Welcome to an exhibition version of MHR Game Prep! How does this work? Simple. I'll be providing the game preps for you this year, but the pre-season will be a little different.

In the pre-season, it is hard to gauge what will happen. Neither team plays for the win, but instead calls in plays and substitutions designed to test out potential starters. Because the game is competitive on an individual level (but not so much at the team level), it is very difficult to provide a match up for the game. There's no telling who will play and for how long, nor what kind of program will be run under coaches wanting to call "vanilla" plays.

So what we will do is provide a game prep based on the concept that the game counts, is a part of the regular season, and that the starters are playing four quarters. Call it a preseason practice for the "game prep" author to get up to speed if you will. By reading the articles in the preseason as if they were regular games, the predictive value is worthless, but the value in gauging the strengths and weaknesses of our players and system should provide some good insight on what to expect this year.

The big treat (I hope) is that students of the reloading season series "MHR University" will be able to recognize the terms and concepts in the game preps, and watch the game of football with a trained and discerning eye. If you missed the series, no worries mate! Just click the links in the story to read up on the terms.

Read on...

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Here's a Wednesday edition of Horse Tracks.  Enjoy!

Well, we all know by now about Brandon Marshall's suspension, but there were other stories that hit too.

   Tom Nalen's knee is still a hot topic.  See here

  Here are some notes on camp and a story on Spencer Larsen.  What a wild few weeks for him!  See here and here

  Matt Prater continues to impress, having hit 44-45 kicks in camp

  Foxworth is taking charge in camp this season.  See here

  Bernie Lincicome feels the Marshall punishment makes little sense.

  The fine group of DenverBroncos.com bloggers continue to break down Training Camp

 
AROUND THE NATION

   The divorce is complete in Green Bay

   Gary Baxter, who blew out both knees against the Broncos in 2006, had more surgery as he continues to try a comeback.

   It's never to early to be keeping an eye on teams we'll be playing early in the season, like the Saints, for instance.

  These guys believe that 2 games missed by Marshall is worse than Javon Walker tanking it for the whole season.  Classic!