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itsalloverfatman
01-02-2011, 08:32 PM
Gut Reactions - Week 17, Broncos-Chargers

TJ "The Dude" Johnson Jan 2, 2011 7:51 PM


Despite all of the excitement late in today's game, the Denver Broncos just finished the season a woeful 4-12. This was their worst finish since the War of 1812.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5242/5317678495_d2637aecfe_m.jpg
So what do the Broncos do now besides pick 2nd in next year's draft? Bring in their own war veteran, John Elway.

Good luck, John. I know you're about the closest thing to Chuck Norris the Broncos have ever seen, but the NFL you left a dozen years ago isn't the NFL you're about to re-enter.

You once drove 98 yards while being pelted with dog biscuits. That's going to seem like a cakewalk compared to what you're getting into now.

Your owner wants to win now; the boss' right-hand man is a guy who measures success by dollars spent per box seat; your general manager is a guy who just said that the ideal way to win in the NFL is to run the ball half the time; after you find a head coach, your other order of business it to try and figure out who is going to be the franchise's quarterback for the next decade.

Oh, and the fans? They've seen so much drama in the last two years, they'd prefer an re-run of Lost to yet another Broncos front-office change.

If you can succeed at this monumental task, you truly are the greatest of all time.

Let's get to The Positives, The Negatives, and The Who The Heck Knows.

The Positives

1) The entire defense looked great in the first quarter outside of the first running play. Since I'm the biggest fan of the blitz you'll ever find (some would call it stalking), of course I enjoyed seeing the strong safety blitzes from Dawkins. Because of the way the Chargers scheme their passing game (a lot of 7-step drops and deep zone routes), these kinds of late blitzes can work. Renaldo Hill's interception was a great safety read that only a veteran could make. Don't kid yourself, though. The Chargers are not the same team without Antonio Gates.

2) All Wesley Woodyard does is crush people. I'm not sure why this guy hasn't become a starting linebacker in this league, but it's about time he got the chance. He's easily the best Broncos linebacker in coverage as well, although that's not an award worth a lot this year. The Broncos need to retain Woodyard. I'm comfortable with a linebacking corps of Woodyard, Joe Mays/Mario Haggen, Robert Ayers, and Elvis Dumervil going into next year if pressed. How could I leave DJ Williams off this list? The Broncos need draft picks, of course.

3) I've criticized DJ Williams extensively before, but on the second series of the game he took advantage of a protection mistake by right tackle Jeromey Clary for an early sack. On the next play in man coverage on the edge, he kept the Chargers from getting a critical 3rd down. Then, a series later, he got out of position again and I thought about deleting this entire bullet point. Then he got another sack and I typed the paragraph again. Such is the enigma that is DJ Williams.

4) One of the great things about Tebow is that even if he's having an off passing day, his wheels still work just fine, thank you.

5) I know it didn't show on the stat sheet today, but Knowshon Moreno made positive yards out of some horrible plays against a tough run defense. His two years in Denver have been filled with injuries and marked by an offensive line that hasn't given him much space with which to work. The Broncos will probably address running back in the draft.

6) Andre' Goodman played as well today as we've seen him play in a long time.

7) Cassius Clay Vaughn was spectacular on his kick return TD. Lance Ball also contributed on the play with a nice block. Nate Keading's weak-sister attempt at slide tackling Vaughn was disgusting. There should have been a flag on that play.

8) Tim Tebow, as David Treadwell pointed out on the radio broadcast, plays best when he does so with pace. That's some great advice for the next regime to remember--if they decide to keep Tebow as quarterback.

9) The Broncos did get pressure today through some creative blitzes from Wink Martindale. It's not enough to save his job, but at least Wink went down swinging.

10) At the end of the game, Brandon Lloyd still had 73 yards receiving on only five catches. I guess I should be surprised, but I'm not.

Continued at IAOFM (http://www.itsalloverfatman.com/broncos/entry/gut-reactions-week-17-broncos-chargers)