Look for TonyG to have big day.

[smith49]

I hate to say it or even think it, but I think Gonzo is going to have a big day against our D. I think they can limit Julio and Roddy, but we just can't seem to cover a TE. Hope I'm wrong......discuss.

[Ravage!!!]

Possibly. at the same time, there are other ways to skin a cat. There is no doubt that the Falcons have some serious fire-power with Jones and Roddy on the outside. Gonzo is good, but he's not the player he once was. He's going to make a play here and there, but he can't kill us, anymore, like Jones or White can. If it comes down to them needing/relying on Gonzo, then I think we are doing great.

[smith49]

Possibly. at the same time, there are other ways to skin a cat. There is no doubt that the Falcons have some serious fire-power with Jones and Roddy on the outside. Gonzo is good, but he's not the player he once was. He's going to make a play here and there, but he can't kill us,
anymore, like Jones or White can. If it comes down to them needing/relying on Gonzo, then I think we are doing great.

Man I hope your right Rav. It just has me concerned this week. I guess a lot of it will come down to our pressure also as Ryan isn't quite as mobile as BB.

[Ziggy]

The Broncos need to take Mays off of the field on passing downs. Actually, they just need to get him off of the field.

[sneakers]

didn't he retire?

[Chef Zambini]

cant cover a TE. teams will recognize this flaw and feast on our weakness.
mike turner, think he will have a good game?
we may need another 30+ game out of PM and the offense, and CHAMP is likely to see more balls too !

[Northman]

Tony G will be in the HOF and will get his touches. Irregardless of what kind of defenders we have he will do well. When you have those kind of TE's (Sharpe, Witten, Clark, Tony G) there is very little you can do as a team to shut them down totally.

[SoCalImport]

Mike Adams looks to be our best bet to cover Gonzo 1 on 1. They obviously have to make sure that Mays does not get stuck with that responsibility... ever.

[TXBRONC]

cant cover a TE. teams will recognize this flaw and feast on our weakness.
mike turner, think he will have a good game?
we may need another 30+ game out of PM and the offense, and CHAMP is likely to see more balls too !

That's weird I didn't know every opponent we face this year has a tight end of the same caliber as Tony Gonzales?

[SR]

Pittsburgh exposed our defense a little bit too much Sunday night. If Atlanta sticks to short, quick routes like Pittsburgh did it doesn't matter who is at TE or WR because our front four won't be able to get enough pressure on the QB to make a difference. Tony Gonzales or not, Denver's coverage needs to be tighter and they need to find a way to get pressure on Matt Ryan early and often. That's pretty much what it boils down to IMO.

[BroncoNut]

I hate Willy Mays. He's a POS that I don't want to see ever again in a broncos uni

[Chef Zambini]

That's weird I didn't know every opponent we face this year has a tight end of the same caliber as Tony Gonzales?ANY pass catching TE is going to give our defense fits ! and if they can put 2 on the field at the same time, they can easily run and pass from that formation, incorporating a hurry-up and locking down OUR personnel, so they can have a field day up the middle running or play action passing to the TEs !
it will just look like we are facing tony G and jason witten every week !
and this week, if our safeties and LBs lock-up on the TE, who is gonna stop TURNER?

[BroncoWave]

Tony G will be in the HOF and will get his touches. Irregardless of what kind of defenders we have he will do well. When you have those kind of TE's (Sharpe, Witten, Clark, Tony G) there is very little you can do as a team to shut them down totally.

Irregardless? *cringe*

[weazel]

That's weird I didn't know every opponent we face this year has a tight end of the same caliber as Tony Gonzales?

TX, that made me look... damn we play the Saints, Chargers and New England all in a row. I'm going to go out on a limb and say all three of those teams have TE's that are better than Gonzalez right now. New England is going to be a handfull!

[CoachChaz]

Guess what...guys like Gonzalez and Gates have been killing teams for years. Have they won every game?

[Mike]

I think that Del Rio will find a solution. I also have faith that the defense is just talented enough to make 1 more stop than the other team and Manning to do his thing to put up points. May not always be pretty...but good enough to get the job done.

[TXBRONC]

TX, that made me look... damn we play the Saints, Chargers and New England all in a row. I'm going to go out on a limb and say all three of those teams have TE's that are better than Gonzalez right now. New England is going to be a handfull!

Yeah I realized that when I posted it. The Saints and the Patriots are our two biggest challenges. But as Chaz just pointed out just because they have elite tight ends doesn't mean they win every game and it doesn't mean we'll lose to them just because they do.

[TXBRONC]

ANY pass catching TE is going to give our defense fits ! and if they can put 2 on the field at the same time, they can easily run and pass from that formation, incorporating a hurry-up and locking down OUR personnel, so they can have a field day up the middle running or play action passing to the TEs !
it will just look like we are facing tony G and jason witten every week !
and this week, if our safeties and LBs lock-up on the TE, who is gonna stop TURNER?

So what? The top tight ends we'll face this give everyone fits but that doesn't make it an automatic win for them.

[Ravage!!!]

Coach nailed it. Guys like Gonzalez, Gates.. and even Sharpe when he was playing...were a constant matchup problem for people. Did we win every game because of it? DId we only lose against teams that had a stud pass-covering LB that took Sharpe out of the game? Have we NEVER beaten the Chiefs while they had Tony G at his greatest? :confused:

I'm not worried about Tony as much as I am about the big play with Julio. Thats the guy to be worried about. I also think the exaggeration on Mays' play is way overblown on the boards as well. Its like it spreads like a disease. One person throws out complaints, and others just jump onto it.

[BroncoWave]

Coach nailed it. Guys like Gonzalez, Gates.. and even Sharpe when he was playing...were a constant matchup problem for people. Did we win every game because of it? DId we only lose against teams that had a stud pass-covering LB that took Sharpe out of the game? Have we NEVER beaten the Chiefs while they had Tony G at his greatest? :confused:

I'm not worried about Tony as much as I am about the big play with Julio. Thats the guy to be worried about. I also think the exaggeration on Mays' play is way overblown on the boards as well. Its like it spreads like a disease. One person throws out complaints, and others just jump onto it.

I'm never one to jump on player-hate bandwagons against current Broncos but Mays really is that bad. He looked completely lost in pass defense against Pitt. That was my observation from watching the game, not from reading other posts.

[TXBRONC]

Another point. While people are concerned about what other teams tight ends will do against us lets not that other teams have weakness as well and we just might be able to take advantages. These things don't exist in a vacuum.

[Chef Zambini]

did I say wer will lose?
who is doing the exxagerating here?
I said teams with TEs, especially a tandem and teams that have a viable running attack will expose our defense for its greatest wekness !
other teams will recognize this and continue to exploit our weakness.

I have been saying this since january !
few would listen.
now, suddenly its a hot topic.
here is another one for you.
CHAMP is going to see alot more balls this monday and this season.
lets see if he is up to the demand.
MAYS/
we might try blitzing him, he doesnt seem to be to competent at doing anything else.
my opinion, von and woodyard are the only LBs worhth keeping on the field, we should fill the gaps with safeties.
4 safeties and 2 LBs.
JDR will figure it out !
I hope he has learned to NOT go with a 3 man rush !
I have ZERO concerns about our O as long as PM is at the helm.

[DenBronx]

To beat ATL we are going to need to score early. Playing with a lead will be better for our defense. JDR can put alot of pressure on Ryan with the pass rush/blitz. Playing with a solid lead is an almost guarantee to eliminate the run and make them pass. Once our defenses is in a kill the QB mode then that will frustrate Ryan.

Key to winning the game for the Broncos......score score score and score some more. No field goals, must have Touchdowns.

[gregbroncs]

To beat ATL we are going to need to score early. Playing with a lead will be better for our defense. JDR can put alot of pressure on Ryan with the pass rush/blitz. Playing with a solid lead is an almost guarantee to eliminate the run and make them pass. Once our defenses is in a kill the QB mode then that will frustrate Ryan.

Key to winning the game for the Broncos......score score score and score some more. No field goals, must have Touchdowns.Isn't that the key to winning most sports?




Sorry for the smart ass comment. Counldn't resist.

[Ravage!!!]

Isn't that the key to winning most sports?




Sorry for the smart ass comment. Counldn't resist.

So the main thing he's saying is.... score more points than the other team!! I hope the coaches think of this!

[underrated29]

What good is Tony G going to be when his QB cant get him the ball. I am not worried at all. I am only worried about getting beat deep. They can dink and dunk all they want because we will sack the crap out of matt ryan. He does not like pressure and unlike big ben will not stay in and fight through it.

The giants Owned them like 31-3 in playoffs because they got after him non stop. I look for us to do the same. Tony might have some catches but nothing much.

[Ravage!!!]

What good is Tony G going to be when his QB cant get him the ball. I am not worried at all. I am only worried about getting beat deep. They can dink and dunk all they want because we will sack the crap out of matt ryan. He does not like pressure and unlike big ben will not stay in and fight through it.

The giants Owned them like 31-3 in playoffs because they got after him non stop. I look for us to do the same. Tony might have some catches but nothing much.

Maybe... I mean, it SOUNDS good. But we didn't get to Ben pretty much all game long. Ryan is a very smart QB. He has some serious weapons in Julio and White.... and Gonzalez.... and Turner. Their two WRs is probably the best duo in the NFL. Thank goodness that Tony G is just a shell of what he once was.

If they do "dink and dunk" all day long, then we won't be getting any sacks. Just like we didn't against Pitt.

Stopping those third downs is going to be big. It was obviously a HUGE weakness on our defense last week.

[underrated29]

if you go back and watch the game there were.........crap...i had it written down. I think there were 4 other times that we could have/should have brought ben down for a sack or a hit that would have had the ball do a lame duck, in addition to the couple knockdowns. Ben however, was able to stay strong or break free from those tackles/hits. Matt is not that kind of guy. He is similar to Orton in that he does not like to get hit. IF we can pop him a couple times early in the game, once the pressure is coming he will likely tuck and cover vs hanging in to find the open man. This plays into our hands.

[gregbroncs]

Maybe... I mean, it SOUNDS good. But we didn't get to Ben pretty much all game long. Ryan is a very smart QB. He has some serious weapons in Julio and White.... and Gonzalez.... and Turner. Their two WRs is probably the best duo in the NFL. Thank goodness that Tony G is just a shell of what he once was.

If they do "dink and dunk" all day long, then we won't be getting any sacks. Just like we didn't against Pitt.

Stopping those third downs is going to be big. It was obviously a HUGE weakness on our defense last week.We may not have sacked Ben but they did put pressure on him and have him moving around a lot. This despite the short passing attack they were employing. I think if it had been most QB's in that Pittsburgh game the Broncos may have had as many as 8 sacks. Von had his hands on Rothlisburger 2 or 3 times prior to his sacks where a lot of QB's would not have gotten away.

[Rick]

While i liked Dennis Allen, somehow I have more faith in Del Rio. I believe that he will figure a way to minimize the weaknesses on the defense as the season goes on.

[HORSEPOWER 56]

For the record, we sacked Ben 5 times hit him 9 times and pressured him more than that...

I don't know where people are getting the "we didn't sack Ben" thing.

[Chef Zambini]

3 of those 5 sacks came in the last posession, thats where its coming from !
I say, late game adjustments and recognition.
lets hope JDR does not wait so long to put in the right personnel going forward.

[Chef Zambini]

Tony G will be in the HOF and will get his touches. Irregardless of what kind of defenders we have he will do well. When you have those kind of TE's (Sharpe, Witten, Clark, Tony G) there is very little you can do as a team to shut them down totally.
in 6th grade I had an english teacher slap me with a ruler for using the phrase, 'irregardless".
so regardless of what you have heard
and irrespective of what you think is correct,
there is no such word as irregardless.
so I asked my teacher, "is there a guard house on Lake EIRE? "
she said not likely, so I said, then its likely, Erie, guardless!
no sense of humor she hit me with the ruler again.

[Cugel]

Possibly. at the same time, there are other ways to skin a cat. There is no doubt that the Falcons have some serious fire-power with Jones and Roddy on the outside. Gonzo is good, but he's not the player he once was. He's going to make a play here and there, but he can't kill us, anymore, like Jones or White can. If it comes down to them needing/relying on Gonzo, then I think we are doing great.

A lot is obviously going to depend on whether the Broncos can generate a pass-rush. Dumervil was invisible the last game. He needs to step up and have a big game. Von Miller didn't do much the first three quarters, but he finished strong with 2 sacks and some serious pressure late.

He needs to get off to a quick start because if Ryan can hold the ball for 4 or 5 seconds like Roethlisberger did on some plays they are going to score a TON of points and their fans will be going wild.

A few 3 and outs and a nice 10 point lead in the first quarter would quiet the crowd and help keep the Broncos in the game.

As for the matchups of Porter and Champ on Roddy White and Jones that's not that worrisome as long as Ryan doesn't have all day to throw. However, the matchup of Tony Gonzalez against a LB on 3rd down is a BAD one for the Broncos.

A few years ago, the Broncos put Champ Bailey on Gonzalez all day. That worked, but I doubt they can afford to do that now. Gonzalez might not be as fast as he was, but he can beat Woodyard or Miller in coverage, and certainly Joe Mays has little chance trying to cover him over the middle.

There's where the team really misses D.J. Williams. D.J. was really good in coverage for a LB.

I think the team really needs to bring safety help to assist the LBs in covering Gonzalez and leave either Champ or Tracy Porter in single coverage on the outside.

A key is going to be getting Atlanta in 3rd and long and putting a nickel CB (Chris Harris) on Gonzalez with LB help. Gonzalez is too big and strong for a 5-10" CB, but with LB help they should be able to get the job done.

But, that depends on getting pressure from the front 4 pass-rushers which they have not done consistently so far.

[Cugel]

Coach nailed it. Guys like Gonzalez, Gates.. and even Sharpe when he was playing...were a constant matchup problem for people. Did we win every game because of it? DId we only lose against teams that had a stud pass-covering LB that took Sharpe out of the game? Have we NEVER beaten the Chiefs while they had Tony G at his greatest? :confused:

I'm not worried about Tony as much as I am about the big play with Julio. Thats the guy to be worried about. I also think the exaggeration on Mays' play is way overblown on the boards as well. Its like it spreads like a disease. One person throws out complaints, and others just jump onto it.

Well, the Broncos started the season 13-0 and finished 14-2 their last year with Sharpe and Elway. So, no, they didn't win EVERY game, but they won the SB.

Matt Ryan is not exactly John Elway, and Tony Gonzalez at this point is not like Shannon Sharpe in 2008. But, he's still good enough to have 70-80 catches each of his last 2 seasons when he was healthy.

And he presents a LOT more of a matchup problem than Roddy White or Julio Jones. Champ Bailey can cover White one on one, and Porter can cover Jones with safety help. I don't see that as a matchup problem at all -- assuming Dumervil, Miller and Wolfe can get some pressure and make Ryan get rid of the ball and not have all day to throw.

Tony G. on a LB IS a big problem, especially on 3rd down. NONE of the Broncos LBs are really great in coverage. If the Falcons can get into 3rd and 3, 3rd and 4, that really puts serious pressure on the defense, because they have to leave Joe Mays in to defend the run and he can't cover worth a damn.

[Dzone]

Sharpe>Gonzales

[BroncoJoe]

in 6th grade I had an english teacher slap me with a ruler for using the phrase, 'irregardless".
so regardless of what you have heard
and irrespective of what you think is correct,
there is no such word as irregardless.
so I asked my teacher, "is there a guard house on Lake EIRE? "
she said not likely, so I said, then its likely, Erie, guardless!
no sense of humor she hit me with the ruler again.

Clearly not hard enough.

[Ravage!!!]

Actually, I think it all depends on shutting down their run game. If we can handle the run game by bringing in a safety for nickle...then we could very well use the additional safety as a LB, and as coverage on the TE.

There are many ways to deal with this problem. Not all of them revolve around us 'relying' on a LB to simply take on the TE with cover 1. If defenses were this predictable, then we would be calling it pre-season.

[Chef Zambini]

Clearly not hard enough.ah joe, your anamosity is oftyen so amusing.

[Chef Zambini]

Actually, I think it all depends on shutting down their run game. If we can handle the run game by bringing in a safety for nickle...then we could very well use the additional safety as a LB, and as coverage on the TE.

There are many ways to deal with this problem. Not all of them revolve around us 'relying' on a LB to simply take on the TE with cover 1. If defenses were this predictable, then we would be calling it pre-season.indeed! I may have been wrong all along!
the answer is not moving someone to safety, its moving all the safeties to linebacker !

[Ravage!!!]

indeed! I may have been wrong all along!
the answer is not moving someone to safety, its moving all the safeties to linebacker !

Sometimes ignorance is bliss. In your case, its just annoying.

[weazel]

Sharpe>Gonzales

Armstrong > Bailey

Bailey doesn't raise as much money for cancer but I heard he can braise the hell out of a roast beef

[slim]

Yes, he will have 25 catches. I guarantee it.

Sincerely,

Zam