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Know Thy Enemy: Denver Broncos

By cthorman on | From arrowheadpride.com

After posting this diary asking for questions to ask Mile High Report, styg50 was kind enough to drop by and answer the questions our lovely readers asked. Many thanks to styg50 for taking the time to do this. Here are few questions I pulled out but make sure to read the entire diary.

Denver's defense is usually it's strong point. What happened?

This is the biggest debate at MHR. What happened to our defense? For what it is worth, most fans feel that last year was a bit of smoke and mirrors, which hid some fundamental flaws, namely our star Weak side LB was out of position at strongside, our MLB's (Wilson) play was deteriorating by the game, our safeties were getting older with no relief in sight, and our line was a patchwork of retreads and stop-gaps. We were very excited going into the season with the acquisition of Bly, the emergence of Doom (Dumervil), and our best LB taking on the MLB responsibilities, and of course Bates and his patented scheme. And it seems like absolutely nothing is working right.

Injuries are part of it, a new scheme is part of it, and improper personnel for the scheme is part of it. But it doesn't explain an entire defense playing this way. One theory floating around right now is that the players may have had a bit too much of the Blue and Orange Kool-aid themselves, and that they weren't prepared for the losses that would necessarily come from the roster turnover (1 starter out of 22 returned and played the same position as last year) and learning curve for the scheme. They played last week like they just really didn't get what this 'football thing' was all about.

Selvin Young has looked decent when needed this year- is he a solid RB, or a "product of the system"?

The MHR has been calling for Young to get reps from preseason on. This kid is the real deal, and actually we have been asking him to adjust some to better fit "the system." What is most impressive about Young is how smart he is. His head is always in the game and he is consitently making the right reads and decisions, even in the face of rigorous pressure. We are not ready for Henry to go, but we are all excited about Young. Personally I can't believe he wasn't drafted. Also, in regard to 'the system,' this is not a good year to evaluate backs in the system because the O-line is screwed up. We have guys from the left playing the right, our C is out and his backup hasn't seen a snap all year with concussion related symptoms, so we have a G at C. We are actually better at pass blocking than run-blocking right now. But we're getting better.

The last few times the Chiefs have played the Donkeys, Shanny's been inclined to put a shutdown CB on Tony G. Am I wrong to expect the same sort of treatment again this year?

You got it. Expect to see Champ on Gonzo just like we had Champ on Gates earlier. And for what its worth, Gates had a field day anyway. Things are changing on D right now, so this could change, but I can tell you one thing for sure: we absolutely DO NOT have a LB that can hang with Tony right now.

What has been the deal with Bly and Bailey? Why arent they playing up to what everyone says they are, the best cb tandem in the nfl?

I think Bly and Bailey are without a doubt the best man corners in the NFL, but for some strange reason we have been slipping into 2 deep zones and other strange things for a number of games now. Bailey got burned in GB, and then had an absolutely awesome half after that, shutting everything down. Then Bly got burned. Shoot.

Our DTs are not getting it done, and even great corners can't cover forever. Our LBs aren't getting it done, so opposing QBs are finding lots of options away from Bly and Bailey.

But Champs play is definitely down from last year. He has an injured quad (or maybe hammy. He doesn't talk about it) and has been playing farther off the WR than normal. Bly has actually been solid for us, more so than we were expecting with his 'gambler' resume. He seems to be hitting his stride right now.

Other than that, they just seem to be caught in the same maelstrom as the rest of the Denver D. Maybe this week they get it together. I'm not holding my breath.

Jake Plummer, do you miss him? Is he really in Montana? Any possibility of a hairier, dare I say woodsier, comeback? Jake the Mountain Snake?

Jake is in Idaho playing tournament level handball with his brother. As football fans, no, no one misses him (except for a few sad-sack fans like LPP-LetPlummerPlay), but a lot of us were fans of the way he carried himself and his independence, as well as the way he stood up for his beliefs (re. the whole Pat Tillman affair). He was very classy in the way he stepped out of the way for Cutler. And no, he will never, ever be back, for any team in any fashion. He changed after Tillman died. He stopped relating to the big business of football and the people who made it their lives.