Like it or not, the Broncos must stress the running game
“The Broncos rushed for 64 yards against the Colts and lost 33-39. They rushed for 19 yards against the Chargers and lost 20-27 and, of course, in the biggest game of all, they rushed for 27 yards and lost to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8.”
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Broncos fans can be a panicky bunch – especially to follow on Twitter. Even when the team is highly unlikely to lose, as they were yesterday to the Jets, the nervous Nellies will lose their minds. And, for some strange reason, fans also go crazy whenever the offense opts not to throw the football on every down. The philosophy amongst residents of Broncos Country sometimes seems to be that so long as number 18 is under center there is no excuse for the Broncos to stress the running game. But it’s completely misguided.
Yesterday the Broncos faced the Jets who, despite being completely inept on offense, are one of the league’s top defenses against the run. New York finished the 2013 season ranked second in this category and they’re already a top-ten squad in 2014. John Fox and Adam Gase knew entering yesterday’s contest that the Broncos should win easily – and they also knew that the Jets presented an opportunity for the Broncos to hone their rushing attack versus one of the best defensive units at stopping the run. The Denver coaching staff emphasized the run, allowing Ronnie Hillman to amass over 100 yards on the ground, becoming Denver’s first 100 yard rusher this season.
Last season Denver’s rushing game was fit as a fiddle under Knowshon Moreno. The Broncos posted well over 100 rushing yards in all but four regular season games. Two of the games in which they did not rush for more than 100 yards were two of the three regular season games that they lost. The Broncos rushed for 64 yards against the Colts and lost 33-39. They rushed for 19 yards against the Chargers and lost 20-27 and, of course, in the biggest game of all, they rushed for 27 yards and lost to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8.
Fox and Gase can’t ask Peyton Manning to do it all. As we saw yesterday (and on other occasions this season) Manning, for all his greatness, can become disoriented and ineffective under center. This condition doesn’t last for long and Manning always recovers to throw some sensational passes but there is no question that allowing him to hand off sometimes – especially on first and second down – gives him the opportunity to gather himself.
Running the ball also allows the defense a chance to rest. It’s fun watching the Broncos score 45 points a game but it’s a dangerous objective sometimes because when that approach isn’t working the Broncos tend to go three-and-out very quickly, running not enough time off the clock and putting their defensive players back on the field before they have had time enough to compose themselves. And that’s what an effective running game offers the Broncos – composure.
Nobody is insinuating that the 2014 Denver Broncos need to be a “balanced” team. They are going to live by the pass and die by the pass. That’s what Elway and Co. signed up for when they brought Manning in to run the offense. If the Broncos win the Super Bowl it will be because Payton hit his targets. But if the Broncos running game cannot at least spell the passing game at times fans can expect more disappointment at season’s end. The coaching staff is well aware of this and they are dedicated to developing their running game in order to prevent it.
Whomever the Broncos would face in February, assuming they make it that far, would be a premier NFC team like the Seahawks, ‘Niners, Bears, Eagles or Cowboys, all of which are teams with top-shelf running backs putting up big time production in 2014. Any of these teams can easily shift time of possession in their favor against a team that can’t run the ball. We saw it happen last year and none of us want to see it happen again.
So, please, when you see the Broncos handing the ball off, especially in the second half of games, don’t hop on Twitter and complain and ask “why?”. Realize that the Broncos noted the flaws that caused them not to take home the Lombardi Trophy in 2013 and they are taking measures to correct them. The rushing game is one of those areas – and they have a long way to go to get it right. They’ll need to be capable of rushing for 200 yards per game of they are to get it right.
