Mike Freeman's 10-Point Stance: Why the Broncos Can't Beat the Seahawks

1. Loosen the reins, Coach

John Fox, coach of the Broncos, has always been one of the more underrated coaches in football. He's one of the smartest, one of the more ingenious and talented coaches around. 

There's just one problem: Fox coaches scared.

Excellent coach, good man, superb tactician—particularly on the defensive side of the ball. But he coaches nervously. Timidly. And he totally doesn't have to now.

When Fox coached in Carolina, he had to run a more conservative offense. He had good backs and a strong defense.

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

But now? Fox probably has the best offense in football. He has Peyton Manning, who has lost very little post-neck surgery. In an era in which the tight end has become dominant, the Broncos have two really good ones in Julius Thomas and Jacob Tamme. They have Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Montee Ball and a young receiver in Emmanuel Sanders who has star potential.

In every conceivable way, the Broncos offense is stacked, yet against Seattle, and on other occasions, the coaches go extremely conservative. Fox needs to change this.

His conservative approach is good enough to beat the average teams and even the good teams but not necessarily the elite teams.

If the Broncos had the same approach on offense that, say, the Bengals or Chargers or even the Falcons do, they would have beaten Seattle by two touchdowns Sunday. Instead, they lost 26-20 in overtime.

Most efficient passing offenses	QB rating
Most explosive passing offenses	Yds/attempt
1. Seahawks	109.5
2. Broncos	108.5
3. Chargers	108.3
4. Panthers	106.9
5. Washington	103.4
1. Falcons	8.9
2. Bengals	8.9
3. Texans	8.5
4. Washington	8.1
5. Eagles	8.0
... 16. Broncos	7.3

"It seems like (Manning) outthinks himself and they’re undercoached, underprepared when they play against this Seattle team," said NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders.

Consider this: On Denver's game-tying drive, the Broncos were able to move the ball easily against a brutal Seattle defense by testing that secondary. They threw short. They threw deep. Manning threw everywhere. There was no fear or hesitation. Seahawks players remarked after the game that on the drive, Denver used plays they hadn't seen on film.

So in that moment, when they had to be, they were aggressive, and it worked well.

"We figured them out," Emmanuel Sanders told the media after the game. "They run one coverage and one coverage only. They've perfected that coverage. They've got good players that understand that system. If we get a chance to play them again, I think we'll have a chance."

I think it was more than Denver figuring them out. I think the Broncos decided they needed to throw the ball downfield more because, well, they needed to survive. If only they had that aggressive mentality all game.

It seems silly to call a team that last year scored 40 trillion points conservative, but it's Fox's nature. In the Super Bowl, from the opening plays, it looked as if the Broncos were playing to survive, while Seattle had the mindset that it was going to do whatever it took to win. It was going to be aggressive.

Fox needs to do the same.

2. Adam Silver on the NFL

John Locher/Associated Press

The NBA has been watching what's been going on in the NFL and its mishandling of its domestic violence issues. The interesting part of this is I think the NBA will actually learn. It won't talk about learning the way the NFL always does. It won't fake it. It won't appoint a BS committee or study. It will actually do concrete things to prevent the kind of PR catastrophes that have happened in football.

3. Idiots

I'll never understand this. Never, ever, never.

If you go to a game just to get drunk and brawl, stay your ass home. If you can't control your liquor, stay your ass home. If you want to fight so bad, take muay thai.

Let everyone else enjoy the game. Mmmkay, thanks.

4. Adrian Peterson in 2012: 'I'm an A+ dad'

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

This interview Peterson did with Graham Bensinger in 2012 on fatherhood takes on a new meaning now. Presented without comment.

"How would you grade yourself as a dad?" Peterson was asked.

"

A+. A+. A+. … I feel like I just have to teach them the ropes along the way and stay on them and really be disciplined. … Not to the point where they're hating you when they're older, like my dad did and my mom did growing up. It was times that I looked at them with the evil eye and was like, 'Oh, I hate you. You get on my nerves.' I never said that to them personally, but thoughts went through my head, but as I got older, I understood some of the things that they was teaching me, some of the principles. So I'm going to do the same with my kids as well.

"

5. Geno Smith will succeed

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

A defensive coach who has gone against the Jets said this about quarterback Geno Smith:

"He's got immense talent, and hopefully the Jets don't give up on him and go to (Mike) Vick. Geno is just like a lot of other young quarterbacks. He's going to make mistakes. This is what young guys at that position do. Anyone who doesn't see that he has ability and a bright future don't know the sport."

Smith does make mistakes, as ESPN Stats & Info points out:

But Smith has far less talent offensively to work with than Manning.

I'd also reiterate this: It was a huge mistake bringing in Vick, because the minute Smith struggled, the call to play Vick would be loud, and you're already starting to hear it. This undermines Smith's future. A bright future.

6. The tragic Rob Bironas story

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

We are far from hearing the last of this horrible situation. According to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean:

"

Two Belmont students say former Titans kicker Rob Bironas threatened to kill them and sideswipe the truck they were in before confronting a man and woman in another car and trying to run their vehicle off the road Saturday night. Minutes later, Bironas lost control of his SUV and died in a one-car crash.

"

I've heard from a player who knew Bironas, 36, and said the way he is described in this story doesn't sound like the guy he knew. Again, there is a lot more to come on this.

7. Clinton Portis advises Jameis Winston

It's easy to be snarky about what former NFLer Clinton Portis says here, but his advice is smart and makes sense. Sure, Portis used to dress up in disguises and do a stupid thing or two, but we all do a stupid thing or two.

I also think if somehow Winston sees this, he will actually listen to Portis. Portis is a legend in the state of Florida among players—even among players from rival schools—and he had a prosperous college and NFL career.

He'd actually be a good person to counsel Winston.

8. Typical NFL

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

An example of why the NFL is impossible to predict, impossible to coach, impossible to consistently assess:

"

The Cardinals are one of nine teams with a 2-1 record or better that did not make the playoffs last year—Arizona (3-0), Atlanta (2-1), Baltimore (2-1), Buffalo (2-1), Chicago (2-1), Dallas (2-1), Detroit (2-1), Houston (2-1) and Pittsburgh (2-1).

"

9. Crazy stat of the week

From The Boston Globe's Ben Volin:

One more regarding the Patriots, this one from the NFL. "The teams with the most consecutive home wins against conference opponents since 1970":

Team	Years	Wins
Patriots	2009-present	31
Dolphins	1971-1974	21
Packers	1995-1998	19
Bills	1989-1992	18
Steelers	1995-1998	18
Broncos	1996-1998	18

10. Forgotten Four

One year before Jackie Robinson integrated baseball, four men (Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley and Bill Willis) broke the NFL color barrier. This movie details their journey, and it's one of the best sports movies I've ever seen. 

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.