Denver Broncos Mailbag: Will the Pass Rush Ever Improve?

Well Broncos’ fans, here we are, the first ever Denver Broncos Mailbag for bleacherreport.com is here.

Getting questions from fans, seeing what they are interested in reading about and getting a glimpse into their thinking is fun and exciting—I can only hope you all continue to send in your questions.

Have a question of your own? Send it in to [e-mail], with your name and where you are from and I’ll answer them weekly here on B/R!

So without further ado, let’s get to the first mailbag!

 
Do you think the Broncos should trade Kyle Orton for Marshawn Lynch and start Tim Tebow at QB?

Mark DiGiacomo Jr, Westminster, Colo.

Well Mark, this question was more relevant when you sent it to me a few days ago, before Lynch was traded to the Seahawks, but let’s still take a look at what you wrote.

Firstly, why would the Denver Broncos want to trade Orton? Not only is he a leader in the locker room and on the field, but he’s been statistically superb in the first four games of the 2010 season. Orton is second in yards at this point in the season (1,419) and he’s shown a growth in not only confidence but also arm strength this year.

Trading away the team’s starting quarterback (which is much more important than a running back, especially in Josh McDaniels’ offense) would get the Broncos nowhere, particularly when the backup quarterback is not ready to play, yet.

Tim Tebow is a great character, he’s got an awesome attitude and willingness to learn, but even he knows that he’s not ready to start in the NFL at this time. If Denver and McDaniels were to trade away Orton at this point in the season, it not only shows that he doesn’t believe the Broncos can make the playoffs this year, but it also would point to McDaniels ego taking over from rational thinking—something the anti-McDaniels faction believes is the truth.

People were already irked that McD and Brian Xanders (GM) moved up to take Tebow in the first round (25th overall) of the 2010 draft, to ditch Orton and move in T squared before he’s ready would almost surely sign McDaniels’ pink slip out of Denver.

And in the case of the running game, to go out and get another running back (Denver added Laurence Maroney two weeks ago) would only further damage the confidence of not only Correll Buckhalter, but more importantly for the Broncos, Knowshon Moreno (another McD first round pick).

Hi Rich,

As I watched the Broncos vs. Colts game, it seemed the reason the Colts were able to steal a win was because of their consistent, uninterrupted rhythmic play.  Watching the game I felt like Denver had every opportunity to win, but squandered it away with penalties, turnovers, and the inability to convert in the red zone. 

But what frustrated me the most was watching Austin Collie collect 170 receiving yards against a capable rookie corner in Perish Cox.  I understand Cox has talent but needs game experience to improve, but where was the help?!

The big question I have, is why didn’t the Broncos pressure Peyton Manning?!  I saw a consistent four-man rush, but nothing more that ever breached the Colts’ offensive line.  I may be mistaken, but I think Peyton Manning was only knocked down once all game.  Where is the “fierce and attacking” defensive scheme that Wink is supposedly known for? 

I understand the loss of Dumervil hurts, but I was blown away that the Broncos didn’t even try to bring any pressure and just allowed Peyton Manning all the time in the pocket he needed to find our weakest spot in pass coverage and repeatedly abuse it. 

I was particularly disgusted late in the game when we desperately needed a stop and let the Colts convert on a 3rd-and-nearly-20 when he just tossed it up and Collie ran right past the corner and safety for a first down reception.

Do you foresee any changes on the defensive side to add pressure to the opposing offenses from here on out?  If not, I think this going to be a long season.  Our run defense looks a lot more impressive than last year, but in a pass happy NFL we need to generate some kind of pass rush, and soon.

Thanks,

Greg Albertson, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Hi Greg,

Good to hear from you. Not sure if you still have them out there, but I used to shop at the stores that bear your last name (Albertson’s) in Denver before they basically vanished.

Anyway, onto your in-depth, information seeking question.

There’s no doubt that the Colts are one of the greatest offenses in today’s NFL, and possibly, in the history of the great game of professional football. Peyton Manning is the ultimate teacher and student, working tirelessly with pupils (receivers) and studying the game (defenses) only to ace the test nearly every single week.

He’s got a PhD in quarterbacking but is still hungry to continue learning and improving himself, even while he’s passing legends (John Elway in yards) each year. For him to pick on Cox, a rookie, is not only expected but it was extremely intelligent. Remember Roc Alexander, the rookie in 2004 that was victimized by Manning in a playoff game?

Moving onto the meat of the question, why Manning wasn’t pressured much, is a more complex answer with several simple reasons.

Manning is always one of the cleanest quarterbacks in the NFL—teams just can’t get good hits on him. The Colts’ offensive line, led by center Jeff Saturday, is perennially one of the best in the NFL. The line knows if they can give Manning time in the pocket, their team will likely win.

The thing about Manning is that when someone does finally break through the line, he either smartly throws the ball away or just falls over, declaring himself down and opponents can’t get a good lick on the all-pro quarterback. He won’t let you knock him out of the game and he won’t lose more than five yards on most sacks.

Another reason the Broncos were unable to get pressure on Manning the great was because the revamped defensive line has shown it is much like its predecessors—a hodgepodge group of castaways trying to prove they can still play professional football. Jamal Williams is ancient, Ryan McBean has shown lapses in judgment and Justin Bannan has been seemingly invisible.

Still, against the Titans last week, the Broncos front seven demonstrated that they can not only play tough but they basically shut down the best running back in the league in Chris Johnson. The players that made the most impact from the defensive line were OLB/DE Robert Ayers (biggest defensive stop of the game, penetrating the line and tackling Johnson for a loss with 3:00 left) and backup DT Marcus Thomas (who blew through the line and created a four-yard loss that resulted in a three-and-out with 7:00 left).

In the second half of the game last week versus Tennessee, Martindale finally brought some pressure with blitzes. This got some stops and forced errant throws by Vince Young that resulted in three-and-outs. But if the Broncos wait until late in games, when they are losing to bring pressure, they will struggle to stop opponent’s offenses and will lose more games than they win.

Denver’s defense may be one of the stoutest when it comes to stopping the pass, but I agree with you Greg, if the Broncos don’t (or can’t) bring pressure on a constant basis, opposing quarterbacks will find holes in zones and will march down the field for points.

Martindale is supposed to be a blitzing specialist, but he’s been much more tame than that title would suggest so far in 2010.

Rich Kurtzman is a Colorado State University Alumnus and a freelance journalist. Along with being a Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets Featured Columnist for bleacherreport.com, Kurtzman is also the CSU Rams and Fort Collins Beer Bars Examiner for examiner.com and the Colorado/Utah Regional Correspondent for stadiumjourney.com.

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