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Thread: Broncos pass often, but run game needs to improve in 2010

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    Default Broncos pass often, but run game needs to improve in 2010

    Not sure if this was posted before but it looked like something worth reading again if it was.


    Analysis: Broncos pass often, but run game needs to improve in 2010
    By Jeff Legwold
    The Denver Post
    POSTED: 01/22/2010 01:00:00 AM MST
    UPDATED: 01/22/2010 01:44:21 PM MST

    Thirteen teams threw at least 550 passes during the regular season. The Broncos were one of those 13 teams.

    Just two of the 13 are among the postseason's final four. The Broncos are not one of those.

    The two are Indianapolis and Minnesota, which have Hall of Fame quarterbacks behind center.

    Coincidence?

    Uh, no.

    The rule book is structured so teams will throw, the league's power brokers want teams to throw and fans want teams to throw. But if those teams don't have a once-in-a-franchise quarterback behind center, an offense that off-balance, that dependent on the passing game, they are simply going to have a difficult time getting to the trophy game.

    The Colts threw the ball 601 times this season — second in the league behind the dismal Seahawks. The Colts ran the ball just 396 times.

    That's 60.3 percent of their offensive plays coming through the air. But they have Peyton Manning, the league's first four-time MVP winner, calling the plays and running the show.

    The Vikings threw the ball 553 times during the regular season, or 54.2 percent of their offensive plays, a far more balanced approach from a team that ran 74 more plays overall — or roughly a game's worth — than the Colts.

    They have a three-time MVP in Brett Favre winging it.

    The point is the Broncos were ninth in the league in the regular season with 558 pass attempts, 14th in the league in rushing attempts, struggled in short yardage.

    So they threw a lot and didn't have much to show for it. And they have to run it better before any of those numbers change much.

    Unless, of course, they intend on snatching up somebody's Hall of Fame quarterback in the near future.

    When they were 6-0, the Broncos ran the ball 48.8 percent of the time and threw it 51.2 percent. That's a fairly good balance in this pass-happy time in the league.

    In the 2-8 crumble down the stretch, the Broncos ran the ball 41.2 percent of the time and threw it 58.8 percent of the time. The offense lost its balance, fell and could not get up.

    The Broncos' offense is a close facsimile to what Josh McDaniels ran in New England, which, for the record, has a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Tom Brady.

    So while so much time and breathless commentary has been spent on how the Broncos throw the ball and what they need to throw it better, the difference on that side of the ball in 2010 will be how well they run it.

    That translates to how much they make a defense commit to the line of scrimmage, adding players to the front line to give the Broncos' receivers more room to work. That's especially true in an offense that doesn't have much play-action in it and works out of the shotgun so much.

    That is a rather significant question with so much turnover on tap in the offensive front. Pro Bowl left tackle Ryan Clady is the only given in the offensive line right now with Ben Hamilton not expected back, Casey Wiegmann's future uncertain to go with Russ Hochstein and Ryan Harris each coming off surgery.

    While free agency and the draft can be so much talk-talk about the glamour positions, the Broncos need to go beyond that.

    They need a few more grass stains in their playbook, a little more dirt under their fingernails and a little bigger commitment to pushing the ball down the field on offense rather than trying to throw their way out of trouble.

    Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com



    Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/premium/br...#ixzz0g9EWOJRU

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    No surprises here. Until we get some talent on the interior of the Oline, we won't be able to run the ball regardless of who the back is.

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    Wasn't the league average something like 57% of the time passing?

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    Wow ok so I agree with the conclusion that we need to draft some big guys up front to help knowshon (please be Iupati) but this article is rediculous. His entire premise is that we throw the ball to much and that causes us to lose. Well for all the philosophy or english majors out there this is a great example of a logical FALLACY. You just think Mcdaniels woke up at 3AM on gameday and said "F*** the run game, I wanna pass!" ANd then this caused us to lose cuz we have a mediocre QB?

    Just because "A" happened before "B" does not mean that "A" caused "B." This joke says we lost cuz we threw too much. I have to point out that when a team is losing they tend to throw more in a desperate attempt to score fast. So when your defense cant stop the chiefs and the raiders and you find yourself in a bad spot in the 4th you will throw more. Sadly we still lost these games tho.

    So to go back to my rule.... "A" did not cause "B." "A" occured in a desperate attempt to prevent "B." And the solution to this problem is not simply just to run the ball more. WHat happens when were down by 2 TD's with 5 minutes left. You gonna run down and tell Josh "The statistics say if we run 48% of the time even though we only have 1 timeout left we should win." No. With all do respect....Shut Up Jeff Legwold.

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    yeah.. seems the writer found a stat and didn't really take a look at the games to find the truth.
    (the previous comment was not directed at any particular individual and was not intended to slander,disrespect or offend any reader of said statement)

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    i look back to week 8 after our first loss...and recall the ravens saying how easy it was to beat us..because they noticed we dont pass long...and if they take away the rac by not biting on the double move and keeping everthing tite to the line we bacame one dimensional and easily beat

    it was the game plan against our offense every week therafter...teams that could manage what the ravens did..beat us

    my point is everyone keeps blaming the oline...the rbs..the defense...but forget once the ravens publicaly exposed us..our running game faultered...our passing game was weaker...and the offense coulndt score or keep drives going..and the defense wore out

    in other words once the mcd scheme was decifered..we didnt have tom brady to fall back on...we had orton

    .

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    Quote Originally Posted by Carl View Post
    Wow ok so I agree with the conclusion that we need to draft some big guys up front to help knowshon (please be Iupati) but this article is rediculous. His entire premise is that we throw the ball to much and that causes us to lose. Well for all the philosophy or english majors out there this is a great example of a logical FALLACY. You just think Mcdaniels woke up at 3AM on gameday and said "F*** the run game, I wanna pass!" ANd then this caused us to lose cuz we have a mediocre QB?

    Just because "A" happened before "B" does not mean that "A" caused "B." This joke says we lost cuz we threw too much. I have to point out that when a team is losing they tend to throw more in a desperate attempt to score fast. So when your defense cant stop the chiefs and the raiders and you find yourself in a bad spot in the 4th you will throw more. Sadly we still lost these games tho.

    So to go back to my rule.... "A" did not cause "B." "A" occured in a desperate attempt to prevent "B." And the solution to this problem is not simply just to run the ball more. WHat happens when were down by 2 TD's with 5 minutes left. You gonna run down and tell Josh "The statistics say if we run 48% of the time even though we only have 1 timeout left we should win." No. With all do respect....Shut Up Jeff Legwold.
    But if we can run the ball most likely we ere not behind all the time TOP and LOS determine for the most part who wins and who loses.

    I do not think anyone can debate toady that our OLINE is not what it used to be. and for that matter has not been worth a crap in third and short or inside the red zone for most of a decade now.

    Upgrade the OLINE and NT and the LOS issue is moot.

    and sure Orton is the only reason that we lost all of those games

    For pets sake folks if your QB does not have the time to drop back and scan the field, you will rarely be able to have the time to let some one run a deep pattern.

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