HEAD COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

On the Broncos’ defense

“They played well. We did a lot of good things on defense. Any time you have six series with three plays and out, it is a good start. I was pleased with their effort throughout the game. We are starting to build and starting to make some strides forward. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”

On the defenses having more enthusiasm against Tampa Bay compared to previous weeks

“I wouldn’t go through that. I think people have a short memory sometimes. We played three quarters against the Raiders that we allowed 128 yards in total offense, 27 zip. They are a pretty good rushing football team. We did some good things against San Diego. We have had some opportunities where we have played a good three quarters or a good quarter, but in this game we played a good four quarters.”

On how WR Brandon Marshall is handling being double covered

“That is football in the National Football League. You have to understand what it takes to win and the quarterback, I thought, managed the game very well. In that situation, most people don’t look at the fact that we had three third-and-2’s, two third-and-3’s and a third-and-4 that we missed. We were 6-of-14. The ones we missed were ones that keep drives going. Instead of having 16 points, you end up having 30 points. We have been much better in our third down area. When you miss three those and you are still 6-of-14 against an excellent defense, you are doing some good things. We just have to work on that third down area to keep the ball and get some more plays. We completed 68 percent of our passes for 227 yards and that is good. You can’t turn the football over and you can’t get second and long and third and long, and for the most part we didn’t. That is what you have to do to win the football game. Especially some of the young guys, they want to contribute but they don’t understand what it takes to win sometimes. You have to make those third downs.”

On the contributions of DT Dewayne Robertson

“He is doing what we ask him to do. It is always a change going from a 3-4 to a four-man front. You have to be pretty unselfish in the four-man front because a lot of times the linebackers are going to get the tackles. I think it was obvious after you saw the stats following the game that the defensive line did a good job occupying the offensive lineman and giving the linebackers an opportunity to make some plays.”

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I was fortunate enough to sit down for a few minutes with Lee Rasizer, Broncos Beat Writer at the Rocky Mountain News.  He is as close to the team as anyone and has a solid handle on the pulse of the organization. My thanks to Lee for taking the time.  Remember to join me, as well as Kyle from BroncoTalk and Sam Adams from the RMN for a Pre-Game Chat about the Broncos over at RMN's website!  This week we start a bit early - 12:30 PM mst!!

On to the questions!

MHR -- The Broncos sit at 3-1, alone in 1st Place. What was your expectation of the first quarter of the season? Are the Broncos ahead or behind where you thought they would be?

LR  -- To be honest, I don't break them down strictly based on a ‘W-L-W' look down the schedule, so I'm not sure what I would have thought. Most likely, a loss at San Diego would have been considered a given, at Oakland and vs. Tampa Bay toss-ups and Kansas City a win. We've all seen how that's turned out. But overall, I didn't see this team after the preseason as much more than a 7-9 or 8-8 type team. Too many deficiencies on defense. And I guess I probably undervalued just how much of a leap they would make with the passing game on offense. So they're better than what I initially thought, I guess you could say.

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The Broncos fell flat, there is no other way to describe it.  Before closing the book on Week 4 and looking forward, with nervous anticipation, to a visit by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, let's take one last look at the (lack of)performance by the Broncos in yesterday's loss to the Chiefs, in something I like to call, "Making The Grade"  As always, the most important "grade" is the one on the scoreboard, and for that, the Broncos earned a big, fat F.  What about the players performance?  Let's take a look....

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  For all your Kansas City Chiefs News, check out Arrowhead Pride

2008 OFFENSE

2008 DEFENSE

The numbers seem to indicate the Broncos have the advantage when they travel to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs. Broncos fans know better, however, since we have seen many strange things over time in our travels to the Show Me state.  The Broncos are looking to 4-0 and win consecutive regular season games in Kansas City for the first time in nearly 30 years.  Can they get it done?  Let's find out.

It's Broncos/Chiefs. Who has "The Edge"?

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 For the view from the Saints side of things, check out CanalStreetChronicles.com

2008 OFFENSE

2008 DEFENSE

The Broncos are an impressive 2-0, with both wins coming against Divisional opponents.   Despite some challenges on defense, the Broncos control their own destiny.  In the past, a game like this, against a team from the NFC, a team the Broncos should beat, has been a trap game.  Can the Broncos maintain their focus as well as their winning ways?

It's Broncos/Saints. Who has "The Edge"?

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  For all your San Diego Chargers News, check out Bolts From The Blue 

2008 OFFENSE

2008 DEFENSE

Week 2, and Broncos fans are riding high after dominating the Raiders.  Can they do it again, and at the same time take a two-game divisional lead over the Poweder Blue???  Let's find out...

It's Broncos/Chargers. Who has "The Edge"?

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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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  The Broncos may shift gears when it comes to the offensive play-calling in 2008

  Rod Smith is enjoying retirement, and helping Brandon Marshall stay on the straight and narrow.

  Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler have a relationship that goes deeper than two opposing quarterbacks Friday Night

  Despite returning to practice, chances are Tom Nalen will be on the sidelines against the Packers.

  Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder are making progress heading into Year 2.

  Sam Adams wonders if Shaun Alexander would be a good fit as a Bronco

  A former-Packer, current Bronco, knows all too well what Aaron Rodgers is going through.

  There's no link since a subscription is needed, but BuckeyeSports has ranked former Bronco LB Randy Gradishar #11 on the list of Greatest Buckeyes Ever.

Many around here think I am the eternal optimist, but that really isn't the case.  If you go back, way back, to last season you'll find my posts were not all cheery and rosy.  However, during the off season I must, as a fan, take on a different persona.  I must cheer on and rah rah my favorite team in the anticipation of the upcoming season.  The off season in my mind ends in two days with our first preseason game, therefore, it is time to get serious.

I have some major concerns about this team that I have really only hinted at over the past few months.  You could call some of them "IFs" or just simple deficiencies.  Whatever you might call them, these are the things that I beleive will be the difference between another 8-8 season and a 13-3 season. 

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Dumervil will continue to crush opposing QB's in '08

A few days ago we took a look at the interior of the defensive line. We all know the problem the Broncos had stopping the run, and there has been plenty of talk about why. The Broncos have gone to great lengths to improve the interior, both on the line and at linebacker. Equally important to me is the ability to create a pass rush from the front four. As the New York Giants reminded us in Super Bowl XLII, it doesn't matter who the quarterback is, or how talented the offense is, if you can create constant pressure with your front 4 you are going to have a chance to win the game.

Let's look at the stats, shall we? Again, sack totals are not tied directly to the defensive end position, but I do believe an effective pass rush, generated by the front four, is directly related to a team's success. The D-End is a big part of that. When the Broncos were winning more games in a 3-year period than anyone ever('96-'98), they were consistently in the top-10 in sacks -

1996 - 40 sacks - #8
1997 - 44 sacks - #10
1998 - 47 sacks - #6

Fast forward to the past 5 years, and the Broncos haven't had the same success. Ironically, when the Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship in 2005 they had their worst season in terms of sacks -

2003 - 36 sacks - #13
2004 - 38 sacks - #14
2005 - 28 sacks - #28
2006 - 35 sacks - #15
2007 - 33 sacks - #16

Does that mean that getting to the quarterback isn't that important?  Of course not. In 2005, the Broncos knew they didn't have a great pass rush up front so they sent the house, alot.  Think back to the playoff game against the Patriots, the Broncos blitzed 8 or 9 guys almost every play.  Finally we came up against a team, the Steelers, that handled that pressure.  The result was....well...we don't need to talk about it.

The rebuilding of the d-line began, and it went into overdrive in the 2007 draft.  The Broncos focused heavily on the defensive ends in last year's draft, taking Jarvis Moss in Round 1 and Tim Crowder in Round 2. The goal was to let the rookies come along slowly with veterans John Engelberger and Ebenezer Ekuban getting a majority of the reps, along with Elvis Dumervil. Those plans ended when Ekuban blew out his Achilles in the pre-season.  The result was a struggling defense. 

Heading into 2008, the Broncos look to be healthy and hungry up front and are primed to break out.  If we are talking about a successful season in 6 months, the following group would have had a huge hand in it.  Let's meet them.

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