Denver Broncos 2010 Season: First Quarter Report Card Part Two

In part one we broke down the Denver Broncos offense through the first four games of the season.  Part two focuses on the defense and special teams.  On the defensive side of the ball the Broncos were a little sloppy in their debut in Jacksonville but have worked hard to rectify some of the problems.

The Broncos have struggled a bit with the pass rush, third down situations, and occasional issues with contain on the outside.  The most pleasant surprise from the defense is that they have kept the Broncos in games they would have lost last season. Much of that is due to the offense now starting to produce more, however the defense had gotten tougher overall as well.

The defense is showing serious signs of its top billing early last season, so it’s something worth looking at with some encouraging signs as well.

Additionally there will be a quick overview of the Broncos special teams.

Team Defense: B-

The Denver Broncos overall defensive rank is in the middle at No. 16, but don’t be fooled this group has bent a great deal, but doesn’t break down much.  Currently the Broncos have yielded 21.2 points per game with the Baltimore Ravens ranked (No. 1) in defense and are only yielding 13.8 points per game.  The Broncos have yielded a high amount of yards at 5.6 yards per play and 332.8 averages per game that ranks them at (No. 24).

Now what is the silver lining to the current defensive play? The Broncos are allowing an average of 16.5 1st downs per game (No. 8).  A contrasting statistic on third down conversions allowed, the percentage is currently at 40 percent (13th worst in the NFL). 

So how do you decipher these pieces of information?  You have to go back to their defensive rank and points yielded.  They are in the middle of the pack essentially.  The defense is bending and breaking on occasion, but it’s generally not costing the team a chance at winning the game they are in. 

Keep in mind this team has faced two of the NFL’s best running backs in Maurice Jones Drew and Chris Johnson as well as future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.  That is a dynamic load they won’t see much of the rest of the season, though they will face very tough teams.

In the turnover department the Broncos could be better, they have three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.  The team is a highly efficient tackling team as they have logged 188 tackles, only 14 less than Baltimore the league leaders.  This essentially means the Broncos are a good tackling team right now (No. 8) lowest total.  It also means that despite the bending and occasional breaks, they are not on the field too long as a defense.  It means they have a shot to stay strong throughout the game.

Most disappointingly however, the Denver Broncos are in a six-way tie for second worst sack total at four.  By contrast the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants currently lead the NFL and have logged 16 sacks each.

Defensive Line and Linebacker Play: C-

For all the good the defense has done, the line has been the weakest unit overall.  In Jacksonville Maurice Jones-Drew was able to break contain routinely.  Against all opponents the Broncos have failed to threaten teams with a pass rush. 

Overall the defense and D-line appear to be heading in the right direction; however, the high yield of yards initially goes through the front seven.  The fact that the Broncos have yet to find a solution to the absence of Elvis Dumervil and his pass rush abilities is cause for concern.

The burden from Dumervil’s absence falls on both the D-Line and the linebackers. How the Broncos work to increase their pressures and sacks will be a key to the defenses success the remainder of the season.  Currently there are no sacks accounted for by anyone on the defensive line that has to change. 

Denver defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale showed signs of being creative with pressures from the likes of Brian Dawkins against Tennessee at key junctures of the game.  That is a stepping stone the entire defensive scheme needs to feed off of since they are not putting as much pressure on the quarterbacks under Martindale as they did a year ago under Mike Nolan.

Currently at linebacker DJ Williams is tied with Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis with a 30 combination score between solo tackles and assist good for a three-way tie at (No. 23) among all tacklers.  The linebackers have yet to make their statement on this season so look for it in the coming games.

Defensive Back Play: B-

Don’t misinterpret the grade variation between the front seven and the defensive backs.  The DBs are not carrying the defense, but there has been some excellent play out of the secondary early on this season.  Most recently the Broncos assigned Brian Dawkins to spy quarterback Vince Young of the Titans, and he took the run game away from Young.

It is important to remember Jacksonville threw for three touchdowns in Week 1 and Peyton Manning managed three as well in Week 3.

Champ Bailey has had seven solo tackles, one assist, four pass deflections, and one interception.  He is the most versatile player on the Broncos and one of the most versatile in the entire NFL, why the Broncos have gambled in not signing Bailey to a fair deal prior to him becoming a free agent is beyond any reasonable understanding in the world of professional football. 

Still Champ is a professional in his approach to his job and the game of football, he will continue to produce, however, the Broncos may be overly apprehensive over his past health issues.  So it needs to be said, Champ Bailey is a unique athlete, he has the sort of physical ability to play a full 20 years in the NFL, the Broncos should sign him now so it’s not a cloud over the team the rest of the season.

Brian Dawkins has been an absolute stud and his usual self.  Currently he has 16 solo tackles some of them game saver type stops, three assist, one sack, two pass deflections, and one interception.

Additionally the core play of the defensive backfield has been strong overall especially considering the rotation of veteran talent and the youth movement.  Look for even greater things out of this group soon.

Special Teams Coverage Play:  D

This is the most overlooked facet of the game that needs immediate improvement; the Broncos are still wrestling with this phase of the game.  In Jacksonville the Broncos gave up 137 yards on four returns, Seattle had three punt returns for 82 yards, and the Tennessee Titans had six kickoff returns for 187 yards and one touchdown.

Unless it’s fixed soon, this area could be an Achilles heal that will haunt the team late into the season and cost them at least two games.

Special Teams Kickers:  B

Currently Britton Colquitt is averaging an excellent 45.5 yards per punt this season good for No. 8 overall among NFL punters.  His net average however, drops him to No. 21 with a net of 36.7 yards per punt.  This is at least part his fault and part the coverages fault.  Ultimately, if he could focus more on hang time he could help his team out a great deal in this area.  He is currently ranked fifth worst in return yards allowed by a punter/coverage team.  Finally Colquitt is ranked 13th with six punts inside the 20.

Matt Prater is in a four-way tie for fourth with eight field goals made this season.  He is a perfect 9 for 9 on extra point tries.  Prater’s longest field goal thus far is 54 yards.

The only knock against Prater at this juncture is his poor coverage on kickoffs.

Both Prater and Colquitt live up to much of their potential, however, they could certainly focus on tuning up their games a bit as it applies to coverage and the impact on the team.

The Area of Penalties: C-

The Broncos as a team have committed 27 penalties (12th highest total in the NFL).

This is an area that comes along with being more disciplined as a team and we saw a clear sign at Tennessee when the Broncos were going to turn the other cheek to the Titans controversial late hits after the whistle.

The Area of Scoring: C+

The Broncos are ranked 10th in the NFL averaging 21.8 points per game. That is 3-5 points better than they were last season so it is another encouraging sign that they could be heading in the right direction.

The top team is the New England Patriots averaging 32.8 points per game, so if the Broncos can solve short yardage and rush issues that number is probably attainable.

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