The Monday Mommy: “We’re talking about preseason, not a game, not a game…preseason.”
“Win-loss records during this time mean absolutely nothing for the season as the past has proven. (The Broncos got shellacked by Seattle in the second preseason game last season and nobody cares or remembers) However, there was some really poor play by Denver that just cannot be ignored heading into the start of 2013.”
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After the dust has settled on the second NFL preseason game between the Broncos and Seahawks, we are left with many questions. Based on what I have heard and read via social media, people seem to fall in one of two camps.
There are those that feel it is still only the preseason and the pounding Seattle put on Denver is inconsequential. They choose to focus on the positives that occurred that night on the field and look towards the regular season for the “real” Broncos to show up. Their parade route spot is still picked out and a folder exists on their computer with all the Super Bowl travel information saved and ready to go.
Conversely, we have the chicken littles of the fan base who are calling for the end of the season based on Saturday’s performance. My twitter timeline was filled with folks calling the Broncos overrated and underwhelming on all sides of the ball.
My view on the state of the Broncos season falls somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Yes, it is only the preseason and in actuality does not count. Win-loss records during this time mean absolutely nothing for the season as the past has proven. (The Broncos got shellacked by Seattle in the second preseason game last season and nobody cares or remembers) However, there was some really poor play by Denver that just cannot be ignored heading into the start of 2013.
Despite what some are choosing to take away from the game, there were some positive performances on the field that night. Peyton Manning was a beast and there is zero doubt that he is ready for regular season play. Against Seattle, Manning went 11-of-16 for 163 yards and a touchdown while taking only 34 snaps. He was on track for a huge game had he actually continued play through all four quarters. In his short time on the field, Manning was able to spread the ball around to all of his weapons with both accuracy and speed.
His receiving corps did a decent job as well. Demaryius Thomas had three catches for 52 yards with his longest being 23. Wes Welker and tight end Julius Thomas actually caught all passes thrown their way for 31 and 70 yards respectively. Julius Thomas did have a fumble though, which absolutely needs to be corrected before the season starts.
The backfield was definitely not as successful and its issues cannot be chocked up to under preparedness. With the exception of Knowshon Moreno who was not on the field against the Seahawks, the current running back stable has a serious pass block deficiency, and it was very apparent on Saturday night.
Their lack of experience reared its ugly head in many ways on the ground in Seattle. Once again, fumbling the ball was an issue that the Broncos just can’t seem to shake from last season. After that poor execution against the Seahawks, it is clear that neither Ronnie Hillman nor Montee Ball is ready for the big time and it is Knowshon Moreno’s job to lose.
The Broncos’ Special Teams was just plain horrid. The first team gave up a kickoff return for 107 yards in the first quarter. There are some very talented guys involved with Denver’s special teams and hopefully this was just a lack of preparation on their part and not an indication of what is to come for the season.
The defensive side of the ball is the one that I am personally the most concerned about. In both of the preseason games thus far, their play has been very lackluster and filled with holes.
Last week against the 49ers, the first team defense allowed a 62 yard series over 13 plays. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was able to slice and dice his way through Denver’s defense, hanging on to the ball for seven minutes.
In Saturday’s matchup versus Seattle, the Broncos’ defense was once again outplayed by another mobile quarterback in Russell Wilson. Wilson easily marched the offense down the field culminating with an out pass to Jermaine Kearse, who easily beat cornerback Chris Harris on the play.
Something just isn’t right with the Broncos defense. At this point it could be any number of things: the off field distractions, a general lack of preparation and respect for the preseason or even the possibility that this defense is not as talented as we had hoped.
Whatever the case may be, they have a lot of work to do. MLB was an issue coming in to this offseason and still continues to be. No one on the Broncos defense should be proud of their performance so far this preseason and should certainly strive to tighten it up.
Denver got very lucky with the injuries sustained against Seattle. While the ailment bug did hit, striking four of the team’s starters, none of the injuries were too serious and shouldn’t have an impact on the regular season.
Moving forward, the Broncos need to focus on the fundamentals and keep the distractions to a minimum. The talent is there and the potential for postseason glory is still in the realm possibility. While the start to this season is certainly not the desired one, completely abandoning ship is a bit extreme.
While we all can’t go in to this season with complete blinders on, we do have to remember that the first four games are meaningless and many teams have won it all after having disastrous records in the preseason.
For the Broncos sake, let’s hope they can get it together in these next few weeks, figure out the deficiencies and get back on track.
If not, the bright side is: based on the look of Peyton Manning’s arm thus far, he’ll be good to go for another shot next season.
