TXBRONC
12-11-2009, 09:09 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13962039
Q&A: How much planning resulted in the trend toward the running game?
By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
Posted: 12/10/2009 01:00:00 AM MST
Today's Broncos question comes from Nick in Denver:
Q: All of a sudden, the Broncos started running the ball a bunch against the Chiefs. Was this something coach Josh McDaniels decided during the week before the game? Or was it something the team figured out as the game went along? Or, do you think McD had planned all season to wait until December to start running? How scripted are his game plans, compared to control-freak Mike Shanahan and other coaches?
A: Nick, to start, McDaniels has said publicly he doesn't formally script plays as Mike Shanahan and other coaches from the Bill Walsh's "West Coast" coaching tree have done.
Shanahan would script the first 15 plays or so of each half. The thinking was that this enabled the quarterback to have an immediate comfort zone with that week's gameplan.
It also was meant to take advantage of a particular matchup or something in the defensive scheme the offense wanted to go after right away. Shanahan said he believed that's why the Broncos were a good first-drive team in his tenure.
Shanahan would certainly leave the play-calling script if something developed that changed things. But overall, he believed in the benefits of the script, and when he gets back in the league, he will likely script again.
As far as the Broncos' offense goes, McDaniels would like the offense to have the ability to do different things week to week. But that said, at its root his scheme features a three wide-receiver look as its base formation, with the quarterback in the shotgun much of the time.
That will make the Broncos more of a situational running team rather than a consistent power team. They'll be bigger along the offensive line than they have been in years past as they move forward, but McDaniels' scheme is really a pass-first affair that wants to run when it feels like it would be successful or when it has to in bad weather to close things out.
This season, with this roster, the Broncos have been more productive, both in scoring and yardage, in games when the two-tight end look has been their most dominant formation in a game.
That was true running the ball in Kansas City and Oakland and it was true when they threw out of it against New England. So, it's something they can do and do well.
Overall, they had three games in their six-game winning streak when they ran the ball at least 33 times, and they have now run it at least 40 times in back-to-back wins against the Giants and Chiefs.
So some of their best work has been when they were a run-first affair.
Whether they continue that approach is uncertain, especially if a defense shuts them down early in the game. They have not had three consecutive games this year when they have run the ball at least 30 times in each.
But perhaps that will change this week, since keeping the ball against the Colts is the best way to defend Indianapolis' Peyton Manning — even he can't score from the bench.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
Q&A: How much planning resulted in the trend toward the running game?
By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
Posted: 12/10/2009 01:00:00 AM MST
Today's Broncos question comes from Nick in Denver:
Q: All of a sudden, the Broncos started running the ball a bunch against the Chiefs. Was this something coach Josh McDaniels decided during the week before the game? Or was it something the team figured out as the game went along? Or, do you think McD had planned all season to wait until December to start running? How scripted are his game plans, compared to control-freak Mike Shanahan and other coaches?
A: Nick, to start, McDaniels has said publicly he doesn't formally script plays as Mike Shanahan and other coaches from the Bill Walsh's "West Coast" coaching tree have done.
Shanahan would script the first 15 plays or so of each half. The thinking was that this enabled the quarterback to have an immediate comfort zone with that week's gameplan.
It also was meant to take advantage of a particular matchup or something in the defensive scheme the offense wanted to go after right away. Shanahan said he believed that's why the Broncos were a good first-drive team in his tenure.
Shanahan would certainly leave the play-calling script if something developed that changed things. But overall, he believed in the benefits of the script, and when he gets back in the league, he will likely script again.
As far as the Broncos' offense goes, McDaniels would like the offense to have the ability to do different things week to week. But that said, at its root his scheme features a three wide-receiver look as its base formation, with the quarterback in the shotgun much of the time.
That will make the Broncos more of a situational running team rather than a consistent power team. They'll be bigger along the offensive line than they have been in years past as they move forward, but McDaniels' scheme is really a pass-first affair that wants to run when it feels like it would be successful or when it has to in bad weather to close things out.
This season, with this roster, the Broncos have been more productive, both in scoring and yardage, in games when the two-tight end look has been their most dominant formation in a game.
That was true running the ball in Kansas City and Oakland and it was true when they threw out of it against New England. So, it's something they can do and do well.
Overall, they had three games in their six-game winning streak when they ran the ball at least 33 times, and they have now run it at least 40 times in back-to-back wins against the Giants and Chiefs.
So some of their best work has been when they were a run-first affair.
Whether they continue that approach is uncertain, especially if a defense shuts them down early in the game. They have not had three consecutive games this year when they have run the ball at least 30 times in each.
But perhaps that will change this week, since keeping the ball against the Colts is the best way to defend Indianapolis' Peyton Manning — even he can't score from the bench.
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com