Denver Broncos
Charles Rives
8/26/2008

The last true tune up for the regular season is in the books and not a moment too soon for Denver, as injuries become a real concern. On the positive side, the " slug and swoosh" offense is 6/10 in scoring possessions with 5/6 being touchdowns. QB Jay Cutler is 30/43 (69.8%) passing with 352 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 117.6. The running game is as healthy as ever with RB Selvin Young and RB Andre Hall. WR Brandon Marshall is a beast and Eddie Royal is the real deal on offense. Washington built their famous "Hogs" offensive line with young players and Denver is employing that strategy this year. Washington was a zone blocking team (did not cut block) then as the Broncos are now. Both teams feel it is easier to learn and play in a zone-blocking scheme.

TRAINING CAMP/PRACTICE NOTES

Cutler will be given the option to call a certain play if he sees a defense aligned a certain way or in a package. Otherwise, he will have the plays and play-check options called by the offensive coaching staff.
Marshall will line up as a tight end/H-back in some red zone work.
WR Darrel Jackson will replace Marshall at split end during Marshall’s suspension assuming Jackson can get healthy.
WR Eddie Royal should keep the #2 wide receiver spot if he plays well in the first two regular season games.

PRE-SEASON GAMES

Head Coach Mike Shanahan calls a pre-season game pretty much the way he will call a regular season games, but he will try out some scenarios that he wouldn’t do if the game counted. He also has his mind pretty much made up near the start of camp about who will make the final roster. Shanahan’s only decisions are about players who are on the bubble or about a player who really blows it repeatedly. His pre-season goal is to get the players up to speed and to give them some confidence heading into the regular season.

HOUSTON NOTES

The 19-16 lose left Denver with plenty of questions
Denver lost 2 linebackers, Boss Bailey and his back up Louis Green, to injury in the first seven minutes of play.
Offensive tackles Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris got off to a humbling start.
The first team offense had a 15-yard scrambling touchdown to show for their evening’s work.
The starting offensive line played deep into the second quarter to gain some much-needed game experience.
The Broncos had 74-yards rushing in the first half (Hall 8/43; Young 4/3).
K Matt Prater was 3 of 4 on field goals, missing a 30-yarder (38,31,26).
Defensively, the Broncos played with a lot more 8-man fronts than they did in the 2007 pre-season.
The Texans were missing their first two running backs and were 12/46 rushing.
Cutler understands the playbook and the wants and needs of Shanahan.
The offensive line gave up no sacks.
The defense gave up only one touchdown, which is remarkable given all the camp injuries.
CBs Dominique Foxworth and Karl Paymah played like starters replacing the injured Dre Bly and Champ Bailey.
Other than Eddie Royal, the new wide receivers went unnoticed.
LB Wesley Woodyard and RB Anthony Alridge brought a speed element to their positions and earned more looks the rest of training camp.
RB Alridge was able to change the pace a little.
The Broncos ran a conservative short passing game that was screen intensive.
Denver running backs were tackled three times for losses and ran for 1-yard or less twice in two quarters of play.
The Texans converted 46% of their third downs.
There was no defensive pressure on the Houston quarterback but otherwise the defensive line played OK.
The Broncos won the field position battle averaging starting on their own 30 as opposed to Houston starting on their own 27.

DALLAS NOTES

The Broncos have been air Cutler in their first two pre-season games with 30 pass plays called and 14 running plays called.
Former Bronco Mark Schlereth believes the Broncos are throwing more in pre-season to sort out their protection packages and will run the ball 25-30 times in regular season games (with three running backs).
Denver had 3 penalties on 3 consecutive plays by 3 different players late in the first quarter.
The Broncos were 2/2 in the red zone: 1 rush TD; 1 pass TD.
K Matt Prater put 4 of his 6 kickoffs in the end zone for touchbacks and was 3 of 4 on field goals (29,19,43).
QB Jay Cutler was 16/20/178/1/0.
P Sam Paulescu ran down field and tackled Adam Jones on a punt
P Sam Kern picked up his blocked punt and ran for a first down.
The defensive tackles need to step up their game.
Rookie CB Jack Williams had an interception and CB Domonique Foxworth had six solo tackles to lead the Broncos.
The Broncos improved from game one to game two but the offensive line still had its ups and downs and RB Selvin Young looked tentative in his decision-making.
RB Andre Hall looked great running hard and picking up tough yards and the wide receivers had a solid game.
The defense seemed to be in the right lanes against the run but didn’t get consistent pressure on the quarterback.
LB DJ Williams is making plays all over the field and LB Jamie Winborn was disciplined while finishing off several tackles replacing Boss Bailey.
The safety play seems better than in 2007 but still needs work.
The Broncos are averaging 19 points a game against 16 for their opponents; last year at this time they were averaging 15.5 points while giving up 22.
FB Cecil Sapp and TE Daniel Graham are staying in on most plays for extra protection.
C Tom Nalen is not eligible for the PUP list because he passed his pre-season physical and it will be difficult to hold a roster spot for him since Denver is already trying to hold a roster spot for RB Ryan Torain.

GREEN BAY

The offensive line played well, moving the Packers off the line and not allowing a sack.
First half stats: 91 yards rushing, 115 yards passing, and 17 points on three possessions (3/3).
The first unit defense allowed only 31 yards rushing (2.6 ypc) and kept Green Bay out of the end zone on three consecutive possessions.
The only first unit wide receiver to catch a pass was Brandon Marshall.
Running backs Selvin Young and Andre Hall combined for 83 yards on 13 carries for an average of 6.5 yards per carry.
The Broncos slugged (81/2 minute-16 play drive) and swooshed (80 yards-16 seconds) the Packer’s first unit defense.
QB Aaron Rodgers (16/19/178) picked the defense apart using a short passing game (only 4 passes for more than 15 yards) against a Denver defense that could not get any pressure (someone has to step up on this will happen all season) on the quarterback.
The Packer’s running backs and wide receivers did a good job of getting yards after the catch (yac) as the Broncos struggled to tackle anyone.
CB Dre Bly looks old and is missing key tackles.
Rookie FB Peyton "The Boulder" Hillis (6’1", 250 lbs) made good things happen when he was on the field, getting a third down conversion by escaping trouble on a 14 yard drop-off pass and opening holes for Andre Hall to gain 25 yards on 2 carries.

ORANGEMAN’S TAKE

With only the pre-season finale remaining, Shanahan has turned his attention to the September 8^th opener at Oakland. Mike Webster has won the MLB position and Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris will be the right side of the offensive line. Selvin Young and Andre Hall will be a 1-2 punch for the running game. Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal and Tony Scheffler will provide the big plays at wide receiver and tight end. The punting competition remains to be settled but either punter is good enough. WR Darrell Jackson and TE Nate Jackson could contribute during Marshall’s suspension. Nic Clemmons and Kenny Peterson have proven to be the best interior backups. Depth could be a problem if the injury bug raises its head during the season. For now the biggest question is who among the presently injured will be ready for week one.

FANTASY OUTLOOK

The Broncos look to have a powerful offense powered by Jay Cutler and all the weapons he has at running back, wide receiver, and tight end.

GO BRONCOS!!!