Denver Broncos 2010 Season: First Quarter Report Card Part One

Much in the way of NFL film study, the numbers are in on the Denver Broncos first quarter performance through the 2010 season and they don’t lie.  There are a lot of things to be encouraged about with the Denver Broncos right now and certainly there are question marks moving forward.

Everyone has seen the most obvious flaws in the running game and everyone is aware that the Broncos are now moving the ball through the air.  Kyle Orton is starting to surprisingly emerge as a Pro Bowl caliber starter and that has fans excited for the immediate future. 

On the defensive side of the ball, probably the most obvious thing is this defense is not being gashed for large yardage on the ground or through the air.  This is a very competent group that is playing for one another and forging a new attitude on both sides of the ball.

With all of the encouraging signs it’s time to check out the report card.

Team Offense: C+

This is a hard grade to define because of how dynamic the Broncos have been on offense through the first four games of the 2010 campaign.  The reality is they are the best passing team (#1) and the worst rushing team in the NFL (#32).  In the words of Kurt Russell in the movie Captain Ron, “…and it shows!”  It’s a joke in the movie, and it’s a horrible joke that the Broncos run game would be this wretched at this stage of the season.  The only real positive is that there is time to fix the problem. 

In total yards the Denver Broncos rate fourth in offense behind Indianapolis, Houston, and the San Diego Chargers at the top.  The Broncos are averaging 394.5 yards per game roughly 50 yards less than the division rival Chargers.

The Broncos are however the top rated passing team averaging 339.5 yards per game.  The Broncos also rank # 11 in yards per play with an average of 5.5 yards per play, San Diego leads the league with a 6.7 yard per play average. 

Conversely the Broncos have only rushed for 220 yards through four games and averaging a dismal 55 yards per game.  That is where it’s hard see the silver lining on the high offensive output of the Broncos.  Currently the Broncos pass game dominates the offensive attack by a seven to one ratio base on yards gained.

Denver struggled on third and fourth down in those four games and has a high failure rate.  The Broncos have put themselves in a number of tight situations as well due to the failure of the run game.  How well the offense manages these issues will determine the outcome of their season.

Quarterback Play:  A-

Kyle Orton has to be the most pleasant surprise thus far through the first four games of the 2010 season for the Denver Broncos.  Orton is currently rated number one in total passing yards at 1,418.  That makes his average output through the first four games at 354.8 yards per game.  His overall rank in the NFL is at the number eight spot with a 96.3 quarterback rating.

This is leaps and bounds from what was seen out of Kyle Orton and the quarterback position most of last season. 

Now the Broncos are stretching the field through four games Kyle Orton has thrown 22 completions over 20 yards, that’s over five a game, which forces defenses to respect the Broncos passing threat in a whole new way.  The longest passes for each game were 41 yarders against the Titans and Jaguars, a 45 yarder against the Seahawks, and a 61 yarder against the Colts.

What stands out is the Broncos are getting it done through the air against every type of defense, which has to be encouraging for the rest of the season.

Running Back Play:  Incomplete / F-

Certainly the greatest disappointment through the first four games of the 2010 campaign is the lack of a rushing attack.  Currently the Broncos are dead last in rushing, but maybe even more surprising is the fact that their top rusher has missed two games and is ranked #41 overall, that being Knowshon Moreno.  Moreno has only logged 111 yards on the ground, good for just 55.5 yards a game.

Certainly the Denver Broncos have had to fight the injury bug in the backfield and the hope is that it will improve sooner than later.  The fact that the Broncos were able to attain Laurence Maroney from the New England Patriots should serve as a challenge for Moreno.  The addition of Maroney could also potentially lend good depth to the backfield should the Broncos running attack start to mesh.

Nonetheless the lack of production has been the worst kind of disappointment to a football franchise that is trying desperately to grasp it’s new identity.

Offensive Line Play: C-

The balance of the offensive load is always up front and won or lost in the trenches.  If toughness was a relevant grade, the Broncos O-line would be worthy of an A- / B+, unfortunately that toughness has not resulted in stellar play. 

The fact is through four games the Broncos offensive line has allowed 11 sacks of Kyle Orton and numerous pressures.  The O-line has also failed miserably in short yardage rush plays and third and fourth down conversion percentages are very low due to this.  Finally the most obvious flaw is the lack of a legitimate rushing attack.

The projected starting offensive line has only played one game together, that being the most recent game in Tennessee so the outlook is positive for moving the grade up.

Tight Ends: C-

This is perhaps the most unfair grade to be passed out this week.  The reason being, the tight ends might not have a lot of receptions or yards accumulated, but that is due to the fact that they are victims of the current offensive system and scheme.  In Josh McDaniels spread offense the tight ends are primarily utilized for blocking rather than receiving.  So they become culpable in the lack of production in the run game, and they rarely get the ball.  So the tight ends wind up being guilty on both ends of the stick in the pass game and the run game, and it legitimately is not their fault.

Dan Graham leads tight ends in receptions with 10 for a total of 56 yards and an NFL ranking of #158 overall for all receivers.

Wide Receivers: A

Just like the tight ends this is almost a polar opposite grade to the tight ends.  The wide receivers in the spread offense are all essential, similar to spark plugs in an engine, all of them are needed.  The Broncos posses three of the top receivers in the NFL thus far, possibly the best rookie receiver to come along in some time, and depth like no other.  This team is stacked at the wide receiver position, yes even after Brandon Marshall was traded, this group works hard, and each receiver knows his role.

Currently Brandon Lloyd is the number two ranked receiver in the NFL in total yards with 454 total yards.  That is good for 113.5 yards per game.  Eddie Royal is the #13 receiver with 299 yards good for 74.8 per game.  Finally Jabbar Gaffney is #28 and has contributed 240 yards and an average of 60 yards per game. Only the Indianappolis Colts have higher rated receivers with Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, and Dallas Clark.

The only way for this group to get better is to stretch the field more than they do and hopefully that will help to open up the running game the rest of the season.

--- Stay tuned for Pt II on Friday

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