The Broncos had some exiting moments and some down right infuriating
moments, in yesterday's Preseason opener in San Fransisco. In their
first offensive possession, the Bronx dominated the 49ers, taking the
ball all the way down they field. This uber long drive was capped off
by a superb pass to the other team in the endzone. Turnovers negated
anything good the offense would accomplish in the first half.
The first game was a wash. With this many turnovers, you can't
expect McDaniels to call a clean offensive attack. We will have to
wait, until next weak to get a realistic view of the starting offense.
Quarterbacks
As a Bronco fan, you hate to see this kind of thing happen to your
starting Quarterback. I've been to training camp this year. Orton
looked like a gamer! He threw accurate lasers into the back of the
endzone (he even threw one at my head!).
In yesterdays game, Orton looked great on the first drive. Completing short passes, that spread out the defense.
I'm pretty sure he'll bounce back next week. If not, then McD will
have some decisions to make at QB. For now, let's give him a chance.
Chris Simms looked awesome! I have to say it's weird watching a
left handed QB man the offense, but if he plays like that, I'm fine
with it.
With Simms at the helm, the Broncos came to within one point of the 49ers with two minutes to go in the game.
It was definitely more exciting to watch Simms play yesterday than
Orton, but let's not get ahead of ourselves though. The 2nd string QB
ALWAYS looks like a superstar in the preseason. In my humble opinion,
it is easier to run a second string offense then it is to run a second
string defense, hence the backups usually seem to play better than the
starters.
Wide Receivers
Kenny McKinley, Eddie Royal, and Brandon Lloyd led the team in receiving yards.
I really like this McKinley kid! He looks really fast out there and he can also help on Special Teams.
Eddie Royal ran some superb routes and it looked like Nate Clements
was giving him about 15 yards for every down. Now that's respect!
Lloyd made some exciting catches and was part of the reason why Simm's was able to attempt a second half comeback.
The Offense looked wide open yesterday and the QBs were able to spread the ball around effectively.
Tight Ends
Who? Did McDaniels play any TEs yesterday? From the looks of the
stats sheet, the first team TE squad was primarily used as a blocking
unit.
We know that Orton attempted to pass the ball to Daniel Graham in
the end zone on the firts drive, but until Jeb Putzier's touchdown
catch in the second half, the TEs were nonexistent in the passing game.
We did get to see the rookie TE Richard Quinn push around some defensive ends, which is always fun to watch.
I definitely want the TEs to play a bigger role in the passing game in the future.
Backs
Peyton Hillis was the stud of the day, big surprise, as he averaged
4.9 yards a carry and added two passing receptions for 18 yards.
Superstar rookie Knowshon Moreno looked like a freight train in his
NFL debut, averaging a whopping six yards a carry. Unfortunately, he
had to leave the game early with an undisclosed leg injury. I look
forward to this stud playing in Denver for many years.
Lamont Jordan was a steady force in the backfield. He even got into
the passing game, with a nine yard comeback route in the first half.
Correll Buckhalter was unimpressive in his debut as a Bronco, but I
attribute his paltry one yard per carry average to the play of the
offensive line. Buck should show his true colors as the season goes on.
Offensive Line
The Offensive Line was "GODLIKE" in pass protection, not allowing
any sacks all game. Orton should do wonders with all the time he will
have in the pocket this year. However, the O-line will have to be much
stronger in their run blocking. Preseason or not, the Broncos should
average over 100 rushing yards a game.
Defensive Line
I liked these guys! The big men up front (Fields, Peterson, Baker,
and McBean), filled the gaps effectively and even created a lot of
pressure in the pocket. However, the Niners still found enough holes
to get over 100 rushing yards on the day. I attribute this to
Preseason gitters. The big runs were caused by missed gap assignments
and missed tackles. These mistakes should be taken care over by game
one.
Linebackers
The Outside line backers (Haggan, Dumervil, and Moss) looked really
fast. Elvis Dumervil looked like a freak, breaking into the backfield
numerous times. I am really pushing for Jarvis Moss to break into the
second team defense. I think he can be a special player in the 3-4.
First round draft choice Rober Ayers was a little disappointing in
his NFL debut. This just shows that he needs more practice time,
before showing his real potential.
The inside linebackers looked out of place to me. Spencer Larsen
showed he is a great force at linebacker and should add a wealth of
depth to the linebacker corps. This whole group needs to work on their
pass defense skills.
Defensive Backs
These guys showed good recovery speed and tackling skills, but
seemed out of place. The defensive front provided enough pressure,
that the defensive backs should have been better against the pass, but
the Niners tore up their zone defense. However, with more practice,
this unit is going to be sweet.
Special Teams
So far, I don't know who I want returning kicks and punts for the
Broncos. Alphonso Smith and Kenny McKinley are both tremendous, in my
book. Both have super speed and cat-like reflexes. Who ever wins the
starting spot, will definitely add a highlight reel or two to this
years special teams unit.
The kicking team was fine. With only one rep given to each player, you really can't form an opinion yet.
At the end of the day, I was happy with the performance. The brunt
of the mistakes can only be attributed to one player. I think the
Broncos are on the right track to greatness this year.
GO BRONCOS!!!
