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WARHORSE
09-12-2008, 10:03 PM
TED SUNDQUIST’S WEEK TWO SCOUTING REPORTS: CHARGERS AT BRONCOS (http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/09/12/ted-sundquists-week-two-scouting-reports-chargers-at-broncos/)

Posted by Mike Florio on September 12, 2008, 9:33 p.m. EDT
[Editor’s note: Former Broncos G.M. Ted Sundquist’s prepares scouting reports for three games per week. For the first time, he scouts his franchise with which he worked for well over a decade.]
It doesn’t take a math major to figure out that the San Diego Chargers (http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/09/12/ted-sundquists-week-two-scouting-reports-chargers-at-broncos/#) have had the Broncos’ number the past 2 seasons. The Chargers dominated Denver in 2007, holding the Jay Cutler-led offense to only two FG’s, while piling on 64 points of their own.
Don’t expect more of the same in ’08. Cutler was a machine in guiding his troops to 41 points against a Raiders defense that punched Denver in the mouth the year before. Now the Broncos look to exact revenge on a San Diego team that must rebound quickly from last week’s opening-day upset in order to keep pace in the AFC West. All that with an injury list that keeps going and growing.
The formula for San Diego success isn’t all that complicated. In fact it’s quite simple, “Out physical ’em!” The Chargers rushed for 367 yards in two games last season, averaging almost 4.9 per carry and holding the ball some twenty minutes more over the course of both games. They converted 52% of third-down situations, turning the ball over only once on a late third-quarter fumble in Game #2. The explosive playmaking production of LaDainian Tomlinson (who practiced Friday with a toe injury) will be the focal point of re-creating last year’s performance, but controlling Denver’s retooled defense will start up front, which is KEY #1.
San Diego’s offensive line must do a better job creating movement than they did against Carolina last Sunday. The Panthers kept Tomlinson under 100 yards and held the Chargers to a modest 33% conversion rate (SD had a .857 winning percentage win L.T. rushed for 100+ yds in ‘07). To keep the ball out of the hands of Cutler and his explosive offense, San Diego will have to create big plays on the ground (Denver was next to last in preventing such last season), keep the chains moving, and control the clock. The inside trio of Kris Dielman, Jeremy Newberry, and Mike Goff will need to handle new addition NT Dewayne Robertson and second-year DT Marcus Thomas. Between the tackles is where the Chargers have struggled and more than anything a physical attitude must be projected. Tomlinson is comfortable attacking the edges and the Chargers might be best served at running at DE Elvis Dumervil. Dumervil is Denver’s premiere pass rush specialist, but his limited size has shown to be a factor against a power running game. KEY # 1 ½ will be to get the ball in the hands of uber-talented TE Antonio Gates (if healthy and able to play). Denver’s defense was last in the League in shutting down the TE last season and Gates presents a mismatch with the Broncos defense, whether covered by the SLB or an inserted nickel back.
Defensively the Chargers must shut down the Broncos re-emerging pass game. Denver raved about rookie WR Eddie Royal all summer long and he lived up to the hype with a 9-catch, 146-yard rookie debut. WR Brandon Marshall will return from a one game suspension, and TE Tony Scheffler will also be at Cutler’s disposal. The play of CB’s Antonio Cromartie, Quentin Jammer and rookie Antoine Cason will be KEY #2. Cromartie (if healthy and able to play) matches up well, and at 6’2″ 203 lbs has the on-field presence to battle the physical Marshall. The question then becomes, “Who will hang with the speed and quickness of Royal?” But unlike the Oakland defense that appeared totally unprepared for this new build of Bronco receiver, the Chargers will have at least a week’s worth of highlight reel to try and figure it out.
The second half to the equation will be getting some pressure on Cutler. Oakland showed no ability to do this, coming up blank in sacks and hurries. Denver is playing with very young, but very talented, OT’s in Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris. The loss of Shawn Merriman for the season is a blow, but Clady is still a rookie and should be game=planned as such. Harris in a sense is one as well. Chargers pressure sacked Cutler 4 times in Game #2 last season, and it appeared to get inside his head. They need to force Cutler to find the outlets and then converge down with some punch on the backs and receivers.
The development of Jay Cutler appears to be moving the Denver offensive minds towards a primary passing attack now supplemented by the run game. The Broncos for years depended on the balance of the two in putting together a game plan to keep opponents guessing. 2008 appears to be a season in which Denver will use a trio of solid RB’s to try and recreate the production of Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary, or Clinton Portis. Make no mistake; Cutler is the driving force of this unit. But Denver will need to establish the running game a bit better against a San Diego defense that is suspect to stopping it. Thus, the play of RB’s Selvin Young and Andre Hall is KEY #3 for me. Young and Hall form a nice complement to one another, each bringing a different set of skills to the position. Both are tough, hard-nosed players that fight and pick up extra yards after contact. Denver will be well served in showing some patience and establishing their traditional inside zone scheme, slowing down the rush and putting a little “mile high” altitude on the Chargers. Let’s see if second-year OLB Jyles Tucker (who is replacing Merriman at OLB) can keep his discipline on the backside, squeeze down on the cutback, and yet not fall prey to the bootleg. That’ll be a lot to ask.
On defense Denver will have to prove they can slow down the Chargers ground game. KEY #4 will be the opposite of the first; Denver’s defensive line must control the line of scrimmage against San Diego. Stack the front, force the bounce, and thenthe tackling of LB’s Nate Webster, Jamie Winborn (or Boss Bailey), and D.J. Williams will come into play. Webster and Williams are solid, but they’ll have to step up in space against the explosive Tomlinson. The move to the weakside position finally gets D.J. back to where he can “flow and go”, and look for him to use his speed and explosiveness to run down plays from the backside. The coordinated play of new safeties Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel will also be a factor in shutting down L.T. near the LOS. The combination of these two was significant in last week’s win over the Raiders.
Finally, as much as I’d like to say that the placekicking of Matt Prater will be KEY #5, Prater will look like the right move for the Broncos at Invesco Field. He should consistently put the ball out of the back of the endzone with his kickoffs, and long-distance field goals won’t be out of the question with his powerful leg punch. I would rather keep an eye on the continued “shaky” tackling of Denver’s coverage units. It really makes no sense, and yet year after year the Broncos are at or near the bottom in both categories (punt and kickoff cover). Darren Sproles is a legitimate threat in creating all kinds of hidden yards for the Chargers.

topscribe
09-12-2008, 10:20 PM
Of course, Sundquist knew last year's Broncos quite well. But those were last
year's Broncos. This year, he knows little more than any other analyst about
them since this is so much a different team. Yet he referred to last year in
predicting what may happen this year.

Every analysis has its weaknesses, however. This wasn't bad.

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NameUsedBefore
09-12-2008, 10:34 PM
I guess Philip Rivers isn't a factor at all :lol:

Davii
09-12-2008, 10:39 PM
I guess Philip Rivers isn't a factor at all :lol:

Let's hope if he is, he's a factor in a few catches Champ makes.

Superchop 7
09-13-2008, 12:26 AM
Keep Gates and Jackson out of the picture.

We win.

topscribe
09-13-2008, 12:27 AM
Keep Gates and Jackson out of the picture.

We win.

Jackson?

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Superchop 7
09-13-2008, 12:40 AM
Vincent Jackson

lex
09-13-2008, 12:53 AM
Keep Gates and Jackson out of the picture.

We win.


Jackson?

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Vincent Jackson

Wow.

topscribe
09-13-2008, 12:57 AM
Vincent Jackson

Okay. Had a brain fart there. I was thinking of our illustrious tight end. :D

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shank
09-13-2008, 03:19 AM
Wow.

Wow.

omac
09-13-2008, 05:41 AM
"It really makes no sense, and yet year after year the Broncos are at or near the bottom in both categories (punt and kickoff cover)."

This is one reason I'm glad Sundquist is gone. He's been in Denver for the longest time, yet he can't pinpoint why Denver is in the bottom in terms of coverage. Was it personel, coaching?

It's almost like saying he doesn't know why the rushing game is bad, or the passing game is bad, yet he supposedly contributed in decisions on bringing in RBs and WRs, etc.

Sundquist, for all these years you've been in Denver, you must know why the coverage is bad, or at least if it was a personel problem or a coaching problem.

Npba900
09-13-2008, 07:38 AM
Agreed Omac. SD has had the Broncos number the last two years. However, this year I believe Denver will dominate. Simply put, Shanahan is one of the best coaches in the league once he has all the pieces on offense. And this year looks to be just that!

Shanahan finally has the key players in position that he can do the most with. Especially with Cutler at QB, Marshall, Royale, Stokely, and Scheffler at the receiving spots, and a trio of RB's to plug into his offensive game plan....the edge goes to the Broncos.

Shanahan will unleash his offense on SD with an array of trickery and mixing up the run and pass b/c now Cutler fully understands the offense and what Shanahan wants done. Shanahan finally has a QB with the talent of Elway and Steve Young to run Coach Shanahan's offensive schemes. Denver now has the ability to out score their oppenents offensively if our defense doesn't show up.

If we can avoid injuries at key positions.....Denver eats up the AFC west.

Fan in Exile
09-13-2008, 08:13 AM
I also think that we're going to remember those beat downs last year and come out pissed. Losing 41-3 has got to hurt.

omac
09-13-2008, 11:17 AM
Wasn't there a thread stating this that caused an uproar?:eek:

Yeah there was, but I wouldn't call it an uproar; more like good debate. :cheers:

My initial thoughts on this game were heavily influenced by the losses last season, so I was thinking the Broncos win a close one. But the more I think about it, I'm starting to believe we win this one comfortably. Though unlikely, I wouldn't rule out the Broncos winning by a blowout.

lex
09-13-2008, 11:47 AM
Yeah there was, but I wouldn't call it an uproar; more like good debate. :cheers:

My initial thoughts on this game were heavily influenced by the losses last season, so I was thinking the Broncos win a close one. But the more I think about it, I'm starting to believe we win this one comfortably. Though unlikely, I wouldn't rule out the Broncos winning by a blowout.

Wow. I wont even let myself consider a blowout at this point out of fear I will somehow jinx it. We really need Dumervil to have a good game because even if Tomlinson doesnt get on track, I can see Rivers giving us problems if we give him time. Last week there were some bad blown assignments that we didnt pay for (one being the play where Curry dropped the pass). Im just not confident enough in our pass defense (or even run defense for that matter), to predict a blowout.

If we can give Jay time, I think we can maybe score a lot of points even if only 2 WRs are running routes. On the other side, if we cant hold our own initially, I think we need to bring a lot of heat on Rivers even at the risk of giving up some big plays but we should also force some mistakes. We won a playoff game by doing this to Brady...and Shanahan said he wanted to get back to that kind of defense. We may need to get back to that this weekend.

hamrob
09-13-2008, 01:07 PM
I think our biggest challenge is going to be manning up with them. Can we compete on a physical level with the Bolts. They're bigger and more physical...we need to match their physicality in this game or they will beat us.

- We need to stuff their run and pressure phyllis.
- We need to control the line of scrimmage on offense and keep them from getting to Jay.

Certainly, these are two of the main keys in every game...but more so against the Chargers.

WARHORSE
09-13-2008, 01:49 PM
I think our biggest challenge is going to be manning up with them. Can we compete on a physical level with the Bolts. They're bigger and more physical...we need to match their physicality in this game or they will beat us.

- We need to stuff their run and pressure phyllis.
- We need to control the line of scrimmage on offense and keep them from getting to Jay.

Certainly, these are two of the main keys in every game...but more so against the Chargers.


They arent bigger and more physical than the Cowboys. Denver has always been undersized .......... we are no longer on the Oline. As far as our line on the defensive side of the ball, we match up pretty well with their oline.

I too hope we put max pressure on Phalus Rubbers, (lol...made myself laugh with that one) cause hes about as mobile as a petrified mollusk.

I think Champ and the boyz can hold down the fort.:coffee:

Lonestar
09-19-2008, 10:25 PM
I had not seen this thread prior to today ..

What do Y'all think now...

omac
09-19-2008, 10:43 PM
I had not seen this thread prior to today ..

What do Y'all think now...

I still think the same. I believed our passing offense was really potent from what I saw in the preseason, then at Oakland, and it came out the same way against a Chargers team that was considered very good on defense.

I believed that it would be our lack of pass rush much more than the rushing defense that would be our problem, and it was.

I first thought we'd get a close win, then I thought we could even get a comfortable win or even a blowout, and I was almost right there. The Broncos had a comfortable lead at the half. It was the Broncos that let the Chargers back into the game, with the blown ST coverage, and the defense on a few very key plays. In the 2nd to the last Broncos drive against SD, it was Cutler who forced a pass ... it wasn't some great defense by the Chargers. Also, if they gave the ball to the Chargers off of Cutler's fumble, again it wasn't SD's defense that would've earned them the win.

It was the Broncos, not the Chargers, who let them back into the game. But in the end, it was the Broncos, not the Chargers nor Ed, who won the game. The Chargers had 2 shots to win, and both times, they knew Denver had to throw passes to the endzone. The situation should've favored them heavily, but they were probably too affected by what happened. Think about it; they know Denver's going to pass, so there is no element of surprise. They knew what was coming, and they still weren't prepared for it. Tell any defense exactly what you're going to do, and they should be able to stop it.

How Cutler and the Broncos reacted when they got a 2nd chance, and how SD reacted when they still had 2 chances to win the game tells a lot about the character of each team and their coaches. :cool:

weazel
09-19-2008, 11:03 PM
it was too hard to read... gave up