Tales From The Dark Side - Week 6

This being my first article, I thought I would bring a different angle to this online version of the old South Stands. Instead of being the typical Kool-Aid drinker that can be found anywhere in a 10 million square mile radius that is the Rocky Mountain region, the tales from the dark side will toss snow balls from the South Stands week in and week out at the, well, what has been the dark side of this franchise the last couple years. The black hole that not even Fader fans would be willing to go into without a Molotov cocktail. This dark side, if you have not guessed, is the defense.

Don't get me wrong, I have bled Orange and Blue for the last 30 years without stepping foot into the holy land (aka Denver, Colorado) until just 2 years ago. Being a Broncos fan in the Bay Area is awfully tough with so many Fader fans (aka Raider fans) running around. However, being outside the holy land’s epicenter of spin, allows me to bring a reality check to the spin victim Bronco fans coming to this site.

So if you prefer to believe the hype. To drink the Kool-Aid. To think that this team is among the elite, well these weekly articles are not for you.

With that said, let's look at what the dark side of the force brings to the table this week against the desperate Jags, shall we?

What do a trip to the dentist, a feather down pillow, Swiss cheese, and Moses parting the sea all have in common? They all seem to describe the Broncos current defensive squad. Just when you thought the defense could not be worse than last year, ole Shanny, the mastermind mind you, puts together this current incarnation of a defense that has done the following up to now:

·           Manage to ascend to the might defensive ranking of 29th in the NFL

·           Impressive 25th against the run

·           Outstanding 30th against the pass

·           And a dominating 25th in points per game allowed

What are some highlights of these remarkable statistics? How bout 150+ yards rushing to the 1-3 Raiders? Or how bout 200+ yards rushing to the 1-4 Chiefs? Think the problems are limited to stopping the run? Think again. How bout the pass defense giving up 14 plays of 20+ yards?

Does this bode well for the "B" Men this weekend against the Jags? Not really. A certain 18 play drive from last year ring any bells? Until the ole "Mastermind" is relieved of his general managing duties, this team will continue to struggle up front on the defensive side of the ball. Any team that is forced to start John Engelberger at defensive end, you know you have problems. Cuts, the Broncos franchise QB, has to lead this offense to a TD every time he steps on the field since the defense cannot get off the field. That's too much pressure for a veteran QB let alone a young QB with only 26 career starts.

So how can the dark side be kept in check this week? They will need to choose a poison, and I think that poison is stopping the run which means less of a 3-4 set, and more of a 4-3 set. In the 4-3 set, though, with a feeble pass rush for most of the season, (Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder where are you?), they will need to play more of a bump an run coverage where the corners are playing up, and blitz lots and often to minimize how much time Garrard has to dissect the secondary.

As mentioned in the movie Smoking Aces, "Bring the rain!"