Thread: Broncos Gameday Thread: Broncos vs. Raiders

It is officially 12:01 AM here in the Midwest so.....

It's Time for Broncos Gameday!!!!! (finally)

Originally Posted by sneakers

It is officially 12:01 AM here in the Midwest so.....

It's Time for Broncos Gameday!!!!! (finally)

Great excuse to have Tuesday off work

Originally Posted by Den21vsBal19

Great excuse to have Tuesday off work

I already told my work that I was coming in late!

Originally Posted by sneakers

I already told my work that I was coming in late!

I just tell them I'm not bothering

MNF = 5-5:30am to bed +

Originally Posted by Den21vsBal19

I just tell them I'm not bothering

MNF = 5-5:30am to bed +

I can see why you like MNF so much

Originally Posted by sneakers

I can see why you like MNF so much

Only problem is I can only justify it for Broncos games

And if it's on terrestrial TV................so if we've got any SNF after the World Series ....................

Originally Posted by Den21vsBal19

Only problem is I can only justify it for Broncos games

And if it's on terrestrial TV................so if we've got any SNF after the World Series ....................

When we are 12-0, maybe they will move all of our games to SNF like they did with the patsies last year.

Originally Posted by sneakers

When we are 12-0, maybe they will move all of our games to SNF like they did with the patsies last year.

Sounds good to me

Time for work

Its about time!! I have been waiting to see this thread for 8 1/2 months.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled. I could barely watch any football yesterday because I'm so excited for tonight. Normally I go in to work at 11pm, but I told my boss about the game and he said not to come in until 0100, which is great.

I see a sick day in my immediate future....;-)

Originally Posted by EastCoastBronco

I see a sick day in my immediate future....;-)

:nono:

Happy Gameday everyone.

In many ways, what happens tonight is one-stop shopping for the Broncos, all of what they want, all of what they need.

For it is the one place where the things-to-fix list for the 2008 season, the one that came out of the things-that-went-wrong list in 2007, can get some check marks.

"It's important for us to get off to a good start after everything we've done this offseason," Broncos cornerback Dre Bly said. "Because last year was totally unacceptable, unacceptable for this defense, unacceptable for this team."

And by the time the Broncos finish their evening's work against the Raiders at McAfee Coliseum (8:15 MDT, KDVR-Channel 31, ESPN), they might know a lot more about themselves. That's because:

* The Broncos have said they believe they have repaired a run defense that was 30th in the league last season. Now they get to prove it against a Raiders team that was sixth in the league running the football in 2007 and has added first-round pick Darren McFadden to the backfield.

* Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler has said he believes the offense has "a lot of weapons," but it must play without receiver Brandon Marshall as he serves a one-game suspension from the league.

* And the Broncos say, after two consecutive years of only being able to press their noses against the glass of the postseason, on the outside looking in, they are ready to once again compete for the AFC West title.

"If you don't do anything in the division, it's tough to get in the playoffs . . . ," Bly said. "That's just a fact. We know that. It starts right away, with this game."

In many ways, the Raiders, despite their own woes with a 12-loss season in 2007, their fifth consecutive year with at least 11 losses, were one of the teams that sent the dominoes falling the wrong way for the Broncos last year.

The Broncos escaped Week 2 with a 23-20 overtime win only after Sebastian Janikowski missed the winning field-goal attempt after a quickly called Broncos timeout had negated the kick he made.

But the 200-yard rushing game by the Raiders was the first thread pulled in what then became a defensive unraveling.

The Broncos surrendered at least 200 rushing yards in two of the next three games, and at least 186 rushing yards in those three games, and never quite regained their balance.

Making it clear

It's why Bob Slowik now is calling the defensive signals instead of former assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates. And it's why coach Mike Shanahan has said he wanted to return to a scheme he is far more comfortable with and one the players say is far more conducive to making plays instead of mistakes.

"Everything's a lot more clear," linebacker D.J. Williams said. "Guys are focused, there's no indecision."

"I've said it before, but if you can't stop the run, you're not going to have a very good chance of winning in the National Football League," Shanahan said. "And last year, we weren't good, we didn't do what you need to do to be successful."

Offensively without Marshall, who led the team in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last season, the Broncos offense also is going to have to construct drives against a defense whose strength is in its secondary.

Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha already might have been one of the more underrated players in the league, but then Oakland added former Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

The Raiders had their own problems stopping the run last season. They allowed 10 backs to gain at least 100 yards and finished 31st in the league, right behind the Broncos. So the Broncos might have to lean on their own run game a little more early against the Raiders as they work to the passing game out of that.

"We can't change the fact Brandon's not in there," Cutler said. "We have to deal with it. Other guys have to make plays. We'll have opportunities out there to make plays, and other guys are going to have to do it."

Indeed they will. Especially because the Broncos can have a lot to say about the AFC West race even before September is out.

Early West tests

They will face the Raiders, Chargers and Chiefs within the first four weeks of the season - San Diego will be at Invesco Field at Mile High on Sunday - and whichever team closes the month the best will have an immediate advantage in the division.

Since winning the division in 2005, the Broncos have not beaten the Chargers in four meetings, and last season they split with the Raiders, losing in Oakland in December as the Raiders pounded out 175 rushing yards.

There also was the matter of the Broncos' 2-6 record on the road last season, including 1-2 in the division.

"But we've got talent to get it done," defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson said. "I believe that; I believe we have what we need to do some things. It's just about everybody lining up and doing their job."

So, here it is. All of the summer optimism of Shanahan's youngest team, all of the feel-good themes of training camp give way tonight to what will be in the 2008 season.

It's just the first step of what Shanahan always has called the "16-round fight" of the regular season, but one that could give a glimpse of whether what the Broncos believe they have done truly has been done.

"It's the start, the beginning," Bly said. "You always want to get off to a good start, always. We did last year; we were 2-0 right away and kind of just fell after that. But we want to come out and get it going in this one. We need to."

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