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View Full Version : Broncos beat Raiders, give McDaniels third straight win



Denver Native (Carol)
09-28-2009, 04:14 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_13433763

OAKLAND, CALIF. — He was slandered, berated, disparaged, cursed, denounced, ridiculed and put down as a young, misguided kid who acted like a know-it-all.

Maybe he does.

Josh McDaniels is 33 years old and 3-0.

Not only is McDaniels undefeated early in his NFL head-coaching stint, his Broncos are getting decidedly better every week. The Broncos went into the McAfee Coliseum here today and destroyed the Oakland Raiders, 23-3.

Against a supposedly fearsome Raiders front foursome, the Broncos ran off yardage in chunks. Correll Buckhalter got his first 100-yard rushing game and fast-healer Knowshon Moreno added 90 yards. The well-designed passing game was a series of clear-out routes with quarterback Kyle Orton efficiently connecting on the drag pattern underneath.

The Broncos' 3-4 defense utterly overmatched an inept Raiders" offense.

Special teams? Kicker Matt Prater was 5-for-5 in kickoffs reaching the end zone 3-for-3 in field goals. Punter Brett Kern was 0-for-0 in punts until midway through the fourth quarter, when he finally had to boot. Special, indeed.

With the exception of the occasional struggle in finishing off a slew of first-and-goal situations, the Broncos' performance was clinical.

It got so frustrating for the Raiders, their star defensive end Richard Seymour resorted to pulling the long dreadlocks of Broncos star left tackle Ryan Clady. Seymour, recently acquired from New England, seems to be fitting in quite well with the Raiders.

Clady and the Broncos did not back down.

The intimidating Black Hole? It just got its fill of the Broncos' new boy wonder.

This perfect start in the regular season followed a rocky journey through the offseason. McDaniels was vilified for allowing star quarterback Jay Cutler to force a trade out of town, criticized for taking the running back Moreno with his first pick in the draft.

The coach with the boyish looks has a thick skin. Insulted and assaulted, McDaniels simply told his players to put on their pads, line up and start hitting each other. Twice a day during training camp.

A new culture of toughness and conditioning was established with the Broncos dominating the second half in each of their three wins. The combined score after intermission: Broncos 36, Opponents 7.

Moreno was listed as questionable after missing practice Friday with a pulled groin. He didn't look hurt today, rushing for 90 yards and the second of the Broncos' two touchdowns.

Brandon Marshall scored the first, on a 2-yard pass just across the goal line from Orton. Yes, even Marshall is now a cog in the Broncos' early season machine.

Bring on the schedule.

Indeed, the Broncos' stiffest challenge is ahead. Up next is Dallas, New England, road games at San Diego and Baltimore, and then back home against Pittsburgh, the defending Super Bowl champs.

Even the Broncos' skeptics believed they had to start 3-0 if they were to get through that difficult schedule with a winning record. Saying a team needs to go 3-0, is not nearly as impressive as doing it.

McDaniels has seemingly brought along a Broncos' team that may be ready to take on all comers.