Denver Broncos Play-Calling Might Be Holding the Offense Back in 2014
The Denver Broncos have a 2-1 record three weeks into the 2014 NFL season. Their offense has not looked quite as dangerous as it did last year, when they scored a single-season record of 606 points.
Currently, the Broncos rank 17th in the NFL with 339.3 yards gained per game. They are only eighth in the NFL in passing yards per game (264.0) and only 28th in rushing yards per game (75.3).
The team needs to be more consistent in order to take the next step, according to Broncos head coach John Fox.
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โI think looking at the tape, there were some communication errors. That is a loud environment. Thatโs not an excuse, itโs just a reality.โ Fox said, โI mentioned yesterday, as I told the team, it was good but weโre looking for great and weโre not there yet, so thatโs something weโll have to continue to work on.โ
Is the play-calling for the Broncos holding the offense back? Letโs take a look.
Early-Down Running
The Broncos had a commitment to the ground game early on against the Seattle Seahawks. The team finished the game with 20 carries, but 14 of those came in the first half.
In the play above, we see Montee Ball pick up five yards on a well-blocked play. The Broncos were facing six defenders in the box, and Ball was able to get to the second level of the defense with ease.
Fox commented on Monday what the running backs could do to be more productive.
โItโs like everything. Itโs like saying, โIs there anything the quarterback can do to pass it better?โ Youโre talking about a lot of moving parts in both those areas. Like I said to begin with, weโve done a lot of good things, but weโre not great yet.โ Fox concluded, โThatโs what weโre striving for whether passing, running, playing defense, any of that stuff.โ
The Broncos can get the ground game jump-started, but they have to pick and choose where/when to carry the rock.
Short-Yardage Running
The Broncos have to get better running the ball in short-yardage situations. Against the Seahawks, the Broncos went 6-of-16 on third downs. These shortcomings cost the team valuable time of possession, and it also caused their defense to play more snaps as the game went on.
One play that Broncos fans are complaining about (even though it's not a short-yardage situation) is the 3rd-and-8 carry by tight end Virgil Green. Not only did the play not pick up any yards, Green was also concussed as he was getting tackled. The offense looked like the โKeystone Kopsโ on this play, and the entire line looked confused after the snap.
Fox commented on the miscommunication that led to the run with Green. โThose were things thatโwithout giving away too muchโwere communication problems I was talking about. One of them was we ran a trap with our tight end. We probably didnโt practice it a lot.โ
Here we see a 2nd-and-goal situation for the Broncos. Ball is going to get the rock running to the right side of the formation.
Both tight end Julius Thomas and right tackle Chris Clark fail to block defensive end OโBrien Schofield. Instead, Thomas and Clark move to quickly block strong safety Kam Chancellor. Schofield then easily crashes in on the play unblocked. Ball should have been downed for a three-yard loss, but somehow he manages to get back to the line of scrimmage for a minimal gain.
We saw Ronnie Hillman for the first time this year in the game against Seattle. The team wanted more explosiveness from the backfield, and thatโs why Hillman came into the game in the second half. For some mysterious reason, Hillman received the rock on this 3rd-and-1 situation.
Hillman is the lightest back on the team, and heโs running against an eight-man front on this play. Heโs not a pile pusher, and running against eight defenders in the box is a recipe for disaster.
Yes, linebacker K.J. Wright is across the line of scrimmage. No encroachment penalty was called, and Hillman sees the right side of the line collapse due to Wrightโs alignment as the ball was snapped.
It makes no sense for Hillman to receive these types of carries.
The offensive line has been struggling to get proper push up front in short-yardage situations. Fox left the door open for making changes to the offensive line in order to boost production. โWe evaluate everybody every day. So those are all options at any position.โ
Short Passing
Multiple pages in the Adam Gase playbook are likely to be dedicated to screen passes. They have a varied group of weapons in the passing game that can make this type of play work incredibly well.
Against the Seahawksโone of the most laterally agile and quick defenses in the leagueโthis play style is folly.
In the play below, we see the Broncos lined up in the shotgun. Manning is going to fake handing the ball off to the running back in an effort to make the opponents move to the defensive right. Demaryius Thomas is moving in motion to catch a screen pass behind Wes Welker as he blocks for him.
As Manning opens up to throw, you can see the Seahawks defense stays disciplined and does not bite on the play fake. Thomas waits for the screen, but the Seattle defense is going to be able to close quickly. This play went for no gain.
The execution is suspect on this play, but the Broncos should not be running this style of wide receiver screen against a fast and physical defense like Seattle.
Intermediate Passing
Manning had no problem going after cornerback Richard Sherman in Week 3. In the play featured below, we see Manning passing the ball to a soft spot in the Seahawks coverage. He throws the ball before Emmanuel Sanders makes his break. The pass travels about 15 yards in the air.
As you can see here, Sandersโ jersey is getting tugged on by Sherman. It doesnโt stop Sanders from gathering the catch for a 12-yard gain.
The Broncos can effectively work the middle of the field using slants to get open. The offense has also shown an ability of working sideline routes at the intermediate level. Rub routes and jerk routes can be used to set up defenders when looking for this depth on the field.
Long Passing
The Broncos have a more vertical element to the offense this year. Thatโs one of the reasons why they let Eric Decker walk in free agency so they could pick up Sanders.
There are some fans and analysts (foolishly) claiming that Manningโs arm strength is dwindling. This sentiment goes against what guys like Demaryius Thomas and Jacob Tamme have said earlier this offseason. His upper body is stronger this year, and itโs apparent when watching Manning throw downfield.
In fact, Manning has above-average air yards per passing attempt. This isnโt yards per attempt, this is the distance each pass travels in the air. The league average is 7.96 air yards traveled per passing attempt. Manning has an average of 8.06 air yards traveled per passing attempt this year, almost a full yard higher than his average last season (7.16).
In the play below, we see Manning getting ready to fire a deep pass to Sanders on the teamโs final drive in the fourth quarter. As you can see, Manningโs throwing from about his own 17-yard line.
This picture shows that Sanders is pressing the corner charged with covering him in the short zone. The corner opens his hips to the inside, and Sanders sells that heโs running to the first-down marker at the 30-yard line.
In this snapshot, we see how Sanders sells the sideline route. Free safety Earl Thomas sees Sanders in his peripheral vision but stays put as the wide receiver has turned his hips to the outside on the break. At the same time, Demaryius Thomas is clearing out the defense with a โgoโ route.
This picture shows that Sanders instead turned upfield down the sideline behind Demaryius Thomas. At this point, Manning has fired the ball downfield, drawing the attention of corner Byron Maxwell.
As Sanders secures a pass that traveled about 40 yards in the air, Maxwell is unable to get to the play in time.
Hereโs another deep target from the teamโs final drive against the Seahawks. Tamme cuts outside, selling the sideline route before turning upfield and into the end zone.
The pass travels about 40 yards in the air accurately, and Manningโs throw is placed perfectly between two defenders.
Does Manning throw the tightest spiral? Noโhe never has. However, there is something to be noted about his vertical throwing this year compared to last year. The Broncos have no problem taking shots deep if the time is right.
Summary
The Broncos offense is striving for more balance this year. Fox doesnโt believe opponents are playing the team differently in 2014.
โI donโt know that itโs really people doing a lot of things differently. I think itโs fair to say that we might be more balanced now. Thatโs really kind of how Iโd say it. I think itโs important in football to have that balance and not be one-dimensional.โ Fox continued, โThatโs what Iโd say up to this point. I donโt think our offense has been lacking. Weโre just trying to win games. Right now, weโre 2-1.โ
Balanced play-calling has gotten this team into trouble over the first three weeks of the season. In the first two games, the Broncos built big leads in the first half only to see them slip away in the second half. In Week 3 against the Seahawks, the Broncos struggled to move the ball in the second and third quarters, but they started to produce near the end of the fourth.
Denver can effectively run on early downs. The passing game will naturally spread defensive fronts out, and the Broncos can take advantage of that.
They need to use the screen game sparinglyโespecially against laterally agile defenses. The screen game will not be eliminated from the offense, but it doesnโt need to be used as much.
The Broncos need to continue working the intermediate and deep routes. Manningโs arm is not getting weakerโin fact, quite the opposite is true. The passes we see from Manning today are more crisp and traveling at longer distances than they have in the previous two seasons with the Broncos.
Every team has an identity. It seems like at times, the Broncos have an identity crisis.
Balance is a nice goal to set for this offense, but the reality is theyโre best at moving the ball through the air. The Broncos need to get back to the pass-happy offense they were in 2013โand the play-calling needs to stop holding them back.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos unless otherwise noted.
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