Running To Their Roots
by BBL
The Broncos reeling from a nine point loss are being brought back to the reality of NFL football. Stick to the fundamentals. Something the Broncos seemed to have a hard time grasping in last weeks game. From tackling to gap assignments to pure and simple execution, the Broncos struggled with the most basic principals entrusted to NFL players. What stuck out to almost every fan and coach alike, but was perhaps the most important of those essentials, was the lack of ball control by the Denver broncos on both sides of the gridiron.
Blame lies with both the offense and defense on this one. The most obvious being the Broncos lack of run D which allowed a huge day for the struggling Jaguars run offense. However blame is less of a concern now. In today’s NFL, players and coaches don’t have the time to concentrate on the past. There’s always next week to worry about, and this coming week will prove to be a big test with plenty of worry. The Broncos know their mistakes and they have been talked, written, analyzed, and chewed on till all were left with is something that vaguely resembles a dead horse. We all know the problems the Broncos faced in their most recent loss, what concerns me more is the cure, not the ailment.
So going into what may be the toughest stretch of the Broncos schedule, what can they do to win against a team that could be easily summarized as their kryptonite? The answer is perhaps more fundamental then you might expect. Control, control, control that clock (did I say control enough?). Anyone who has watched the Colts play will tell you the same. Keep Manning off the field, that’s how you win. In fact the last time the Broncos beat the Colts (2003), they controlled the ball for 44 minutes of a 60 minute game. Where should they begin though?
Return to your roots. It all starts with the run, something Denver has been known for since the arrival of Shanahan. Against the Jaguars it was a crucial piece missing from the Broncos offense. The Broncos attempted to run only 11 times with their top back Travis Henry (who accumulated only 35 yards last Sunday). In the Broncos two wins Henry tallied twice as many attempts and nearly four times the yards. While his lack of touches might be a testament to how poorly the Broncos controlled the clock, I think it was also a key to why the Broncos couldn’t set the tone and retain possession. If the Broncos want to control the ball, they are going to have to pound it.
It’s not as if the Colts won’t be game planning for it though. Dungy is as good a coach as any, and they have plenty of experience against Travis Henry who came to Denver from one of their division rivals, the Titans. Expect Indy’s young hard hitting safeties to swarm to the ball. Specifically Bob “the eraser” Sanders, who reads plays as well as any veteran on the field. For the Broncos to be successful they will have to rely not on only good play by their offensive line (which has struggled) but great blocking by their tight ends and full backs at the second level against the likes of Bethea and Sanders. Graham and Sapp cant do it alone, so having a healthy Paul Smith on the field after the injury to Mike Bell will be important. If he is not at 100% expect to see more two tight end sets, which may feature a newly healthy if not rusty Scheffler to help create mismatches against the Indy D.
It’s as tough a game as the Broncos have faced, and may face this season. One that will require all the pieces to finally come together, but if the Broncos can establish the run, they will have taken a big step toward doing what is necessary to upset what is being unanimously considered by most analysts a 4-0 start for the Colts.