Oline love!!!

[MHCBill]

They played another heck of a game yesterday. They really have stepped up their game, especially since the talk of Peyton's ankle 3 weeks ago. Between the pass-pro and the run blocking, we really have seen this line gel.

And to think, Ryan Clady is out and we are on our supposed 3rd string center.

Many props to the Oline!!!

[Broncolingus]

I agree...

...on the pressbox this morning, comment was made about how when OL 'aren't' being talked about that's usually a good thing...and I agree.

I think the (overall) OL play is up there for 3rd or 4th on team MVP...

Peyton, Knowshon, and then OL or JT for those next two spots...

IMO...


P.S. ...for some reason I thought this read 'Online Love' when I first glanced...guess I need to get my mind out of the gutter.

[Joel]

The run blocking's still inconsistent, though it was better at times Sunday than two weeks ago. Still nothing like September; they were blowing guys UP then, and Moreno ran wild for >5 yds/carry. Remember the 20 yd TD runs around right end? I miss those, not least because they convinced me the days of watching Moreno and McGahee make a guy miss and break two tackles just to get back to the line were behind us. We'll need that in the playoffs so the front seven can't just pin their ears back and charge Manning.

Now, the PASS blocking's been much better the last three games, especially on the blindside (on the right, Vasquez and Franklin have been solid all year, by far our best starting linemen at the moment.) The bar wasn't set that high after Clark gave up strip-sacks for points in three straight games, and Ramirez let a Charger "charge" Mannings wounded ankles. Still, credit where due, they've stepped up just in time for the playoffs, and protected Manning well; the results, especially against KC, speak for themselves.

[Dapper Dan]

Good thread. I totally agree. I love how everyone doubted these guys and they pulled through.

[Simple Jaded]

Hooray Clark, Ramirez, Vasquez and Franklin. . .

[Ziggy]

Hooray Clark, Ramirez, Vasquez and Franklin. . .

Well said.

[Joel]

Hooray Clark, Ramirez, Vasquez and Franklin. . .
LOL, ouch. Man-Ram tried too hard to earn his nickname at the end; could've cost big if Adams and the whole D hadn't done a great job on KCs last two drives. No more of that in the playoffs. :tsk:

[Simple Jaded]

Zane Beadles, The Great Wall of Vagina.

[Captain Speardog]

They played another heck of a game yesterday. They really have stepped up their game, especially since the talk of Peyton's ankle 3 weeks ago. Between the pass-pro and the run blocking, we really have seen this line gel.

And to think, Ryan Clady is out and we are on our supposed 3rd string center.

Many props to the Oline!!!

The Oline has played pretty great all year but one thing I keep reading in the national media is how Denver's Oline is suspect and "ravaged" by injuries. It seems like the only game they have watched is the Indy game because other than that game they have been nails!!! Many props to the Oline and I do not worry about them at all come playoff time.

[Captain Speardog]

The run blocking's still inconsistent, though it was better at times Sunday than two weeks ago. Still nothing like September; they were blowing guys UP then, and Moreno ran wild for >5 yds/carry. Remember the 20 yd TD runs around right end? I miss those, not least because they convinced me the days of watching Moreno and McGahee make a guy miss and break two tackles just to get back to the line were behind us. We'll need that in the playoffs so the front seven can't just pin their ears back and charge Manning.

Now, the PASS blocking's been much better the last three games, especially on the blindside (on the right, Vasquez and Franklin have been solid all year, by far our best starting linemen at the moment.) The bar wasn't set that high after Clark gave up strip-sacks for points in three straight games, and Ramirez let a Charger "charge" Mannings wounded ankles. Still, credit where due, they've stepped up just in time for the playoffs, and protected Manning well; the results, especially against KC, speak for themselves.

Two weeks ago Moreno ran for over 200 yards.

[Joel]

Two weeks ago Moreno ran for over 200 yards.
Nooo, ONE week ago Moreno ran for 224 yds against a bottom ten run D missing BOTH starting DTs. TWO weeks ago he ran for 79 yds on 27 carries, an average of 2.9 each, and Ball was only slightly better, averaging 3.1 yds on his 8 carries for 25 yds. Despite 35 runs, they barely managed 100 yds BETWEEN them.

Yes, the offensive line's ravaged by injuries; we lost our starting C in TC, brought Koppen out of retirement to replace him again, and immediately lost HIM to a season- (probably career, at this point) ending injury. Three weeks in we lost Clady for the season and have struggled with Clark ever since (the pass blocking was nearly as bad at home against Washington as @Indy, and a week later Clark gave up a strip-sack in a 3rd straight game, while Ramirez let Manning take another shot to his knee above ankles already heavily taped.) After Kupers offseason surgery to replace the plate that ripped lose in his ankle last year, infection set in and left him hobbling out to replace Vasquez when the latter slid over to replace Franklin for a couple weeks.

To get an idea just how banged up and short of depth our line is, just ask who starts if, heaven forbid, ANYONE else gets hurt.

Again, the pass blocking's improved the past 3 weeks, though how much that means against NEs equally devastated front seven and KCs suddenly timid one is unclear. The run blocking was outstanding through September but has been abysmal since; the only really good game was against that patchwork NE front seven. They periodically opened holes @KC, but inconsistently. I know his ankle was hurt, but Moreno actually had LESS than TWO yds/carry. Ball did well, but recall 73 of his 117 yds came on 2 plays; his other 11 runs averaged a strictly average 4 yds.

I give 'em their due for protecting Manning the past three weeks, because that's definitely job one, but the run blocking needs to improve before the playoffs. We can't be one dimensional or it'll be back to when the Colts showed the league how to play us: Mug our receivers and rush the Hell out of Manning till he's limping, because our running's an empty threat requiring no defense.

[weazel]

oh damn... I thought the title said Online love, was gonna get some side action.

[Joel]

It may be turning into Oline S&M fetish play; check back later (if you dare....) :tongue:

[Ravage!!!]

The run blocking's still inconsistent,

Incosistent how, Joel? Because we don't see 5 yrds a rush on every play? Tell me how the run blocking has been inconsistent. As far as the "20 yrsd rushes around the end"... you mean in that ONE game???

[Poet]

Joel, what do you think of this? If the Broncos dominated an awful run defense, and then did poorly against a dominant run defense, in totality they were, or are, solid?

[Joel]

Incosistent how, Joel? Because we don't see 5 yrds a rush on every play? Tell me how the run blocking has been inconsistent. As far as the "20 yrsd rushes around the end"... you mean in that ONE game???
Because they opened gaping holes multiple times, and let defenders THROUGH gaping holes multiple times to tackle our runners in the backfield. In other words, not because we don't see 5 yd rushes on every play but because 10 yd runs and -2 yd runs are about equally common. That's a portrait of inconsistency.


Joel, what do you think of this? If the Broncos dominated an awful run defense, and then did poorly against a dominant run defense, in totality they were, or are, solid?
Er, no, they had great success against a team that can't stop the run and none against one that does. Anyway, that's not what's happened the last month (or last few:) The Chiefs are ALSO AN AWFUL RUN D, yet we've had little success against them. Playing us was the best thing that's happened to them; they went from 24th in rushing yds and (IIRC) 28th in rushing average before we hosted them to 21st in rushing yds and 27th in rushing average now. Their run D SUCKS, but its stats actually IMPROVED against us.

I'd like to believe that's just because the Chiefs just sold out on stopping Moreno and his NFL average 4.2 season rushing average and ignoring PFM, DT, Decker and Welker even though it meant letting Decker set a franchise record for TD passes in a game. Sadly, I can't, because in the four preceding games we averaged:

3.8/carry @SD (4.9 season average, 31st overall)
3.1/carry at home against Washington (4.0 season average, 13th overall)
3.2/carry @Indy (4.4 season average, 24th overall) and
3.9/carry at home against Jax (4.2 season average, 23rd overall)

In yds/carry, NE is actually BETTER than KC and SD (and Indy and Jax are only slightly better than NE) yet the Pats are the only ones we managed >4 yds/carry against in SEVEN games. That's almost HALF A SEASON. We exploited the absence of a Pro Bowler plus a possible HoFer in the center of the Pats line, and a Pro Bowl LB behind them, but that's all we did. Just because Montee Ball had two really nice runs @KC and a merely average 4 yds/carry on the rest doesn't change that. Which is more indicative: 1 game+2 plays or 6 games-2 plays?

[Dzone]

oh damn... I thought the title said Online love, was gonna get some side action.
I found love online once. It was expensive. $1.99 a minute

[Poet]

Joel, they played both of the extremes. Your logic is flawed intrinsically. They got an A and an F.

[Joel]

Put it this way: Other than when we shredded what's left of the Pats front seven, we've only beaten the NFL rushing average TWICE all year: At home against Philly and Oakland. Like I said, the first month was nice; a LOT of things were nice the first month, but if December were like September it wouldn't have snowed for the past 24 hrs.

[Poet]

But now they're overcoming all that shuffling and are doing fine. So yeah...

[Joel]

Joel, they played both of the extremes. Your logic is flawed intrinsically. They got an A and an F.
Then when did they play the GOOD run D? The Chiefs were BOTTOM TEN in total and average rushing yards allowed before they played us, and are STILL bottom ten in average (but "only" eleventh worst in total; yea.) We HAVE played top ten run Ds this year: The Ravens, Giants and Raiders are all top ten in total and average rushing yards, yet we beat the NFL average against two of them—the first month of the season, when I already said the run blocking was fantastic. Too bad it's sucked ever since.

It WAS better Sunday, at least for Ball, but still inconsistent; again, I haven't checked, but I bet we had about the same number of runs for a loss as we did runs >10 yds, and the same number of runs for <2 yds as for >5. It's not really "bad" unless bad runs outnumber good, but the reverse is also true.

[Poet]

You are awful at framing, Joel.

[Joel]

You are awful at framing, Joel.
Now THAT I'll definitely grant. What can I say? I was raised on people who were right on nearly ALL the issues but continually curbstomped because they SUCKED at framing. ;)

[Simple Jaded]

What's framing?

[Joel]

What's framing?
Presentation; phrasing, focus, metaphors, approach etc. Sometimes it's putting lipstick on a pig; "Peyton Manning's NEVER won a playoff game <40°" is framing, and a bit duplicitous since it conveniently excludes the playoff game he DID win at EXACTLY 40°. But it works the other way, too; you can have the best product, idea, theory and yes, even reasoning in the world, but if the packaging's crap no one notices (or worse, notices but HATES it.)

I hesitated to use my textbook negative example of framing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Luntz#Global_warming) because it's from a political consultant, but apparently there are several Luntz-football connections, too: http://www.salon.com/2013/06/12/frank_luntz_hired_by_washington_football_team_to_c onvince_people_name_isnt_horribly_racist/ Warning: The second link is NOT "Neutral PoV."