The Good and the bad: Week 2

[BroncoWave]

Didn't do this thread last week as I was traveling and didn't have time, but figured I would start it back up for this one. Just got back from traveling today so just finished watching the game.

Good:

CJ - Dude was our MVP by far today. If he keeps playing like that, we could go a long way this season.

Sanders - Really solid game by him. Was making plays all over the field.

Siemian - While he made some mistakes, most notably his two turnovers, it's hard to leave him off this list with 4 TD passes. I am completely shocked with his level of play so far. I think he's setting himself up to be the QB from this year forward.

Run D - Obviously Dallas' running game is what you worry about, and they completely shut it down. Amazing effort, and really answered a lot of questions I had after week 1.

No Fly Zone - They just absolutely smothered Dallas' WRs all game. Great as always. Talib with the sweet pick 6 to cap it off.

Miller - I was ready to put him in the "bad" column halfway through the 4th quarter, but he had none of that. Finally broke his drought with 2 late sacks. He has to clean up those offsides penalties though. Jumping offsides 3 times just can't happen. Hopefully breaking the drought will settle him down.

Bad:

Bolles injury - That absolutely sucked. Hoping it's nothing major, but it does not look good. That is a guy we cannot afford to lose.

McManus - Two missed FGs in 2 games after getting that contract is worrisome. He really needs to clean that up.


And just as a conclusion to his post, you all know my thoughts on Dak, so I'm going to go over how I thought he played. All things considered, I didn't think he was all that bad. Our defense was just incredible all day and he really didn't have much time in the pocket or many open receivers. The first pick wasn't his fault, but the second one admittedly was bad, and Talib probably should have had 3 picks as he dropped 2. Dak also has 3 TDs if not for Witten dropping the one late.

Overall probably one of Dak's poorer games in his career statistically, but I don't think many QBs are going to do much better against this D this year.


My overall thoughts on the game...this team is looking scary. I was thinking 8-8 at best heading into the season, but I'm starting to feel dead wrong about that. The D is still awesome and the offense has been killing it as well. The Bolles injury is scary, but this still looks like a team that could go a long way.

[Simple Jaded]

You were totally wrong about Broncos defense, Waver, you should 'pologize.

[BroncoWave]

You were totally wrong about Broncos defense, Waver, you should 'pologize.

It appears so and I am happy to say it. The run defense has totally shocked me. If they can shut down the Cowboys run game like that, they can shut down any team in the league. And Elway looks like a genius cutting bait with TJ when he did. Not missing a single beat without him. That was about as good of an offense as we'll play all season and we dominated them.

[GEM]

I can see Von's aggravation that led to his offside calls. He's held damn near every play and doubled teamed the rest. He said in interview after the game that this was a big game for him personally since he's from Texas.

[GEM]

It appears so and I am happy to say it. The run defense has totally shocked me. If they can shut down the Cowboys run game like that, they can shut down any team in the league. And Elway looks like a genius cutting bait with TJ when he did. Not missing a single beat without him. That was about as good of an offense as we'll play all season and we dominated them.

Simmons whiffed a couple times, so it isn't totally missing a beat, but the pieces around him and the outcome were still great.

[BroncoWave]

I can see Von's aggravation that led to his offside calls. He's held damn near every play and doubled teamed the rest. He said in interview after the game that this was a big game for him personally since he's from Texas.

I think he was definitely pressing a bit out of frustration, but now that he finally ended his drought hopefully he will be back to the same old Von.

[Simple Jaded]

It appears so and I am happy to say it. The run defense has totally shocked me. If they can shut down the Cowboys run game like that, they can shut down any team in the league. And Elway looks like a genius cutting bait with TJ when he did. Not missing a single beat without him. That was about as good of an offense as we'll play all season and we dominated them.
Agreed on Ward, too, Simmons gave up a TD and you'd have thought the Broncos cut Earl Thomas by the overreaction.

[MOtorboat]

That entire game was positive, other than Bolles' injury. That game was great.

[Freyaka]

Didn't do this thread last week as I was traveling and didn't have time, but figured I would start it back up for this one. Just got back from traveling today so just finished watching the game.

Good:

CJ - Dude was our MVP by far today. If he keeps playing like that, we could go a long way this season.

Sanders - Really solid game by him. Was making plays all over the field.

Siemian - While he made some mistakes, most notably his two turnovers, it's hard to leave him off this list with 4 TD passes. I am completely shocked with his level of play so far. I think he's setting himself up to be the QB from this year forward.

Run D - Obviously Dallas' running game is what you worry about, and they completely shut it down. Amazing effort, and really answered a lot of questions I had after week 1.

No Fly Zone - They just absolutely smothered Dallas' WRs all game. Great as always. Talib with the sweet pick 6 to cap it off.

Miller - I was ready to put him in the "bad" column halfway through the 4th quarter, but he had none of that. Finally broke his drought with 2 late sacks. He has to clean up those offsides penalties though. Jumping offsides 3 times just can't happen. Hopefully breaking the drought will settle him down.

Bad:

Bolles injury - That absolutely sucked. Hoping it's nothing major, but it does not look good. That is a guy we cannot afford to lose.

McManus - Two missed FGs in 2 games after getting that contract is worrisome. He really needs to clean that up.


And just as a conclusion to his post, you all know my thoughts on Dak, so I'm going to go over how I thought he played. All things considered, I didn't think he was all that bad. Our defense was just incredible all day and he really didn't have much time in the pocket or many open receivers. The first pick wasn't his fault, but the second one admittedly was bad, and Talib probably should have had 3 picks as he dropped 2. Dak also has 3 TDs if not for Witten dropping the one late.

Overall probably one of Dak's poorer games in his career statistically, but I don't think many QBs are going to do much better against this D this year.


My overall thoughts on the game...this team is looking scary. I was thinking 8-8 at best heading into the season, but I'm starting to feel dead wrong about that. The D is still awesome and the offense has been killing it as well. The Bolles injury is scary, but this still looks like a team that could go a long way.

It's well known that I'm a TS homer, even I'm a little caught off guard at his level of play. I expected slightly above average, not top of the league in passing TD's. I'd like to see him cut back on the mistakes. He had DT and Sanders wide freaking open two plays in a row and missed seeing them at all, he also had a surefire first down had he just tossed CJ the ball, he attempted to run it instead.

After rewatching the INT, it actually seemed like a miscommunication between he and DT, I'm not 100 percent sure I'd throw that one on him.

Most of the things he did wrong are things you would expect a second year starter to be doing, so I'm not overly concerned unless he develops a pattern with these mistakes.

The defense blows me away on every level. The run game is fantastic! It was a great game as a fan.

[BroncoWave]

That entire game was positive, other than Bolles' injury. That game was great.

Yep, I was struggling to think of anything to put in the bad column, which is always a great thing. That was a complete game.

[MOtorboat]

Yep, I was struggling to think of anything to put in the bad column, which is always a great thing. That was a complete game.

The rush defense has been amazing.

[Freyaka]

Yep, I was struggling to think of anything to put in the bad column, which is always a great thing. That was a complete game.

I don't like the 4th quarter floundering two weeks in a row, but this weeks was short lived and then we pretty much crushed their throats after the initial screw up with the INT.

[Freyaka]

The rush defense has been amazing.

That came out of left field...We went from horrid last season to top 5 this season. That's outstanding!

[BroncoWave]

The rush defense has been amazing.

I'm not sure what happened between last year and this year to fix that part of the D, but it's been great. We've shut down two really good RBs the first two weeks.

[BroncoWave]

I don't like the 4th quarter floundering two weeks in a row, but this weeks was short lived and then we pretty much crushed their throats after the initial screw up with the INT.

This week didn't feel like last week in that regard. I never felt worried that Dallas would get back in it. That SD game felt like it was slipping away. This one was mostly garbage time play by Dallas that didn't really concern me.

[GEM]

Peko happened. I think he's done great and Gotsis is much improved!

[BroncoWave]

Peko happened. I think he's done great and Gotsis is much improved!

Yeah Gotsis has really stood out. Seems like he's always involved in the play when we make a big stop.

[Simple Jaded]

I owe Kollar an 'pology if Gotsis keeps playing this well.

[Tned]

It appears so and I am happy to say it. The run defense has totally shocked me. If they can shut down the Cowboys run game like that, they can shut down any team in the league. And Elway looks like a genius cutting bait with TJ when he did. Not missing a single beat without him. That was about as good of an offense as we'll play all season and we dominated them.

Might even go as far as to say this is the first real defense Dak has faced.... ;)

[Tned]

Peko happened. I think he's done great and Gotsis is much improved!

I've read a lot of do so things about Domato, but he's been a force out there. Appears to be best NT since team went to a 3-4.

[Simple Jaded]

Just think how good this run D would be with my man Jarrett.

[Freyaka]

This week didn't feel like last week in that regard. I never felt worried that Dallas would get back in it. That SD game felt like it was slipping away. This one was mostly garbage time play by Dallas that didn't really concern me.

I agree, it didn't, it was there, but it was brief which makes me happy.

[Freyaka]

Peko happened. I think he's done great and Gotsis is much improved!

Peko and his hair are my heroes.

[GEM]

Just think how good this run D would be with my man Jarrett.

Didn't he get waived Friday?

[Hawgdriver]

When you are winning 42-17 vs a top 5-ish team, the good is pretty obvious.

Some things that really stand out are the play of the interior D-line--Peko, Wolfe, Harris, Gotsis--and the O-line running the ball.

Besides Bolles' injury, the only thing that is rubbing me a bit raw is the continued stuggle with special teams lapses. I thought this Olivo guy was going to be good.

Totally should have been a 2x pick-six day, Dez got away with some shenanigans there.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

I owe Kollar an 'pology if Gotsis keeps playing this well.

Dude, Gotsis has been ballin'. I can see why they called him Wolfe 2.0 last year.

[NightTrainLayne]

There's not much else to add. I'll just say this:

If you run the ball well, and you can shut down the run, you can win a lot of ball games in the NFL.

Check, and check. And Siemian is really showing he can sling it behind that running game. . .. all we can really ask.

[Simple Jaded]

Didn't he get waived Friday?

Yeah, for Little Peko again.

[Tned]

Add Jerry Jones to the list of people that were surprisingly surprised by Siemian's play.

“We knew they were sound in the secondary,” Jones said. “We were a little taken aback by how well they did offensively. “They seemed to really have our number. There’s no excuses here. Their quarterback played outstanding.”

http://www.foxsports.com/southwest/story/siemian-broncos-crush-elliott-cowboys-42-17-091817

[VonDoom]

Peko happened. I think he's done great and Gotsis is much improved!

Was just going to say this. We overhauled the line with the intent to be better against the run, and it's been a huge success so far. Gotsis is certainly better than last year, and Shelby Harris has been a great diamond in the rough. Wolfe is still Wolfe. But Peko, to me, has been the biggest help. He's clearly been an upgrade on Williams, and has been a huge part of getting that push up front. I don't think that many fans were too excited about his signing, but this could be one of those great Elway under the radar pick ups that pays off big. And we've only had five healthy d-linemen each game so far! I think Kerr will be good against the run too as a rotational guy.

[Mike]

Third down conversions are where it is at. Denver has done extremely well at that so far. Good on the team and good on McCoy for his gameplan and playcalling.

[BigDaddyBronco]

Bad - Menelik Watson's 1st half. Bowles injury.

In the 2nd half they started helping Menelik out with a TE or having the RB help him in pass pro. With Bowles out we are in some serious shit in pass pro. After Bowles got hurt, Menelik was on his own and did better, but we were running pretty much every play.

[NightTrainLayne]

Third down conversions are where it is at. Denver has done extremely well at that so far. Good on the team and good on McCoy for his gameplan and playcalling.

Absolutely, McCoy needs to be high up on the "Good" list through two games. He's done a tremendous job imo.

[GEM]

Yeah, for Little Peko again.

Who had a big penalty. :tsk:

[GEM]

Was just going to say this. We overhauled the line with the intent to be better against the run, and it's been a huge success so far. Gotsis is certainly better than last year, and Shelby Harris has been a great diamond in the rough. Wolfe is still Wolfe. But Peko, to me, has been the biggest help. He's clearly been an upgrade on Williams, and has been a huge part of getting that push up front. I don't think that many fans were too excited about his signing, but this could be one of those great Elway under the radar pick ups that pays off big. And we've only had five healthy d-linemen each game so far! I think Kerr will be good against the run too as a rotational guy.

Peko seems to be a great leader of men. I think he's done well filling in for some of Ware's veteran leadership.

[BroncoWave]

Here's another bad: That roughing the passer call against Von. I wasn't reading the game thread so I didn't see the reaction, but was that one of the worst roughing the passer calls of all time or what?

[GEM]

Here's another bad: That roughing the passer call against Von. I wasn't reading the game thread so I didn't see the reaction, but was that one of the worst roughing the passer calls of all time or what?

Between that and the offsides bs, I told my dad they may as well just make it a no pass rush league.

[HORSEPOWER 56]

I don't think Von is ever really offsides, he just has the best jump in the game. Honestly I think he just waits for the center to twitch the ball and he's gone. He never seems fooled by the snap count, hence why he's never slow off the ball, and you always see him watching the ball when he's lined up.

I think it's just hard for the refs to be able to monitor his launch and the ball at the same time. There are so many times he looks "clearly" offsides but isn't. It's hilarious to see him rounding the tackle just as the ball clears the center's ass. Von has the most ridiculous fast-twitch ability I've ever seen.

[Edmonton Bronco Fan]

I don't think Von is ever really offsides, he just has the best jump in the game. Honestly I think he just waits for the center to twitch the ball and he's gone. He never seems fooled by the snap count, hence why he's never slow off the ball, and you always see him watching the ball when he's lined up.

I think it's just hard for the refs to be able to monitor his launch and the ball at the same time. There are so many times he looks "clearly" offsides but isn't. It's hilarious to see him rounding the tackle just as the ball clears the center's ass. Von has the most ridiculous fast-twitch ability I've ever seen.

I generally agree but yesterday he definitely got a little antsy and was jumping offside pretty clearly.

He is a master of timing his rush but you could tell the sackless streak was getting to him and he was forcing it more than usual. The league really needs to start calling guys grabbing handfuls of his jersey, tackling him to the ground and water skiing behind him though. I can understand letting the borderline holding go because he could technically draw a call on every snap but you have got to set a precedent with the flagrant bullshit.

[Edmonton Bronco Fan]

Throw Shaq and B-Marsh in the good category for me so far as well. Both guys are beasting out there and playing at an incredibly high level.

Dixon can go in the bad. Haven't been a fan since day one and don't think he's a very good punter.

[BroncoJoe]

Throw Shaq and B-Marsh in the good category for me so far as well. Both guys are beasting out there and playing at an incredibly high level.

Dixon can go in the bad. Haven't been a fan since day one and don't think he's a very good punter.

Tned in 3,2,1...

Hell - the kid only punted 3 times, right? First punt wasn't even until the 4th quarter, IIRC.

43 yard average. 48, 35 and 46.

[underrated29]

The rush defense has been amazing.


I'm not sure what happened between last year and this year to fix that part of the D, but it's been great. We've shut down two really good RBs the first two weeks.


Peko happened. I think he's done great and Gotsis is much improved!



No more sly and no more crick.

Instead we have Peko and my Man Shelby Harris!!

Not sure why he isnt mentioned more, Shelby is a Damn BOSS!!!! He is quickly becoming one of my favorite players on this team. That guy is a baller!!

[MOtorboat]

No more sly and no more crick.

Instead we have Peko and my Man Shelby Harris!!

Not sure why he isnt mentioned more, Shelby is a Damn BOSS!!!! He is quickly becoming one of my favorite players on this team. That guy is a baller!!

Gotsis is playing really well, too.

[VonDoom]

Here's another bad: That roughing the passer call against Von. I wasn't reading the game thread so I didn't see the reaction, but was that one of the worst roughing the passer calls of all time or what?

Yeah, that was a bad call. He did what they tell players to do and still got flagged. Mike Periera said as much on the broadcast.


I generally agree but yesterday he definitely got a little antsy and was jumping offside pretty clearly.

He definitely jumped on a couple of those. One of his great strengths is perfect timing, but he was a little off yesterday.

[BroncoWave]

I generally agree but yesterday he definitely got a little antsy and was jumping offside pretty clearly.

He is a master of timing his rush but you could tell the sackless streak was getting to him and he was forcing it more than usual. The league really needs to start calling guys grabbing handfuls of his jersey, tackling him to the ground and water skiing behind him though. I can understand letting the borderline holding go because he could technically draw a call on every snap but you have got to set a precedent with the flagrant bullshit.

Yeah I think he was clearly jumping offside as well. He was definitely getting frustrated by the sackless streak. Now that that's over, I expect him to calm down and be the same old Von.

[VonDoom]

I wanted to throw in turnovers in the "bad" category. This really goes back to last week as well. I'm not placing the blame on anyone in particular (each one tells a different story) but think about this - we've allowed 38 points this year and 28 have directly come on our four turnovers. Every time we've turned the ball over, the other team has scored a TD. Not coincidentally, those are four of the five drives that have started in our territory (the other was the last drive of the game yesterday, which came via punt and ended on the Talib pick six). With the offense clicking, forcing the opponent to go the length of the field on our defense will be a great formula for success. We just have to clean up the turnovers.

[NightTrainLayne]

I wanted to throw in turnovers in the "bad" category. This really goes back to last week as well. I'm not placing the blame on anyone in particular (each one tells a different story) but think about this - we've allowed 38 points this year and 28 have directly come on our four turnovers. Every time we've turned the ball over, the other team has scored a TD. Not coincidentally, those are four of the five drives that have started in our territory (the other was the last drive of the game yesterday, which came via punt and ended on the Talib pick six). With the offense clicking, forcing the opponent to go the length of the field on our defense will be a great formula for success. We just have to clean up the turnovers.

I'm glad in a way that we have bad things to work on. This coaching staff has some stuff to go back and hammer the guys on and keep their attention.

As good as we've been, we have places to get better, and still have a decent amount of work to do to reach the potential out there. I'm getting pumped.

[Hawgdriver]

Gotsis is playing really well, too.

He's been the pleasant surprise of the season for me. His snap count was near 70% last week, close to Wolfe's. A performance like that against a quality rushing offense has my hopes for the season in a good place--a justifiably good place.

[Buff]

He's been the pleasant surprise of the season for me. His snap count was near 70% last week, close to Wolfe's. A performance like that against a quality rushing offense has my hopes for the season in a good place--a justifiably good place.

He had one play where he was pursuing Zeke down the line and not only was he closing great for his size, but his reach is like 18 feet with those arms... Very encouraged by him and Peko after two games... If you haven't seen that video that Brian Baldinger posted of Peko on his twitter timeline (I think Tned posted a link in the lounge) you should watch it. Great strength and technique shown by Peko.

[Hawgdriver]

Polynesian Power!!!!

[NightTrainLayne]

Polynesian Power!!!!

"I'm a man! I'm gonna play 'til 40!"