Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - Denver Broncos Run Game BREAKTHROUGH For RJ Harvey, J.K. Dobbins

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos found a way to get the run game going in the second half, but in week two, they got to get it going sooner. We'll talk about that and more here on today's episode, Locked on Broncos. You are Locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. The Broncos are going to have to get the run game going a little bit earlier this week against the Indianapolis Colts if they hope to come out to a two-and-o start this season. We'll talk about the Broncos changing up the run game and maybe their approach from a personnel standpoint. you get all that here on today's episode of the show. Welcome to another episode. Lockdown Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked-on

Starting point is 00:00:41 Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Cody Roark, Broncos reporter for Mile High Sports. Join, as always by Sarah Bettinger's site expert over there, predominantly orange. com. Today's show is brought to our friends over there at Fandul. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you'll get $300 and bonus bets to use all across the app. And yet we talked about it here.

Starting point is 00:01:00 The Broncos may look at changing up their run game approach a little bit here in week two against Lou Anarrumos. coached Indianapolis Colts defense. We'll also go through Evan Ingram and whether or not is his injury from Sunday's game is that a concern? What's the latest? What have we heard?

Starting point is 00:01:14 What are we seeing? And then we'll go through how the Broncos can build on their week one win and hopefully carry that over into week two, things that they can do better and things that we're working, that maybe they just got to stick with a little bit more. You get all that here on the show. Sir, look, obviously we talked about in the post game report, a lot of the goods and bads, right?

Starting point is 00:01:30 And we're seeing different reactions. You know, we talked about Bo Nix's performance offensively. I feel like our criticism was fair. And I think criticism at times is fair. But in order to help bow in the offense be better, Sarah, the run game has to be a little bit more of a focal point for them going forward. Yeah, absolutely. We saw 95 rushing yards, I believe, all in the fourth quarter there from the Denver Broncos.

Starting point is 00:01:52 And it came at the perfect time. Obviously, they're trying to not just flip the field against the Titans, but really just get something going offensively at all. I mean, it's tough sledding for a lot of teams around the NFL in week one offensively. the Broncos desperately needed somebody to make a game changing play. And thankfully, it happened to be their second round pick, rookie R.J. Harvey, who made that 50-yard run there in the fourth quarter to get the Broncos in scoring range.

Starting point is 00:02:17 And then obviously, J.K. Dobbins finishing it off with a 19-yard touchdown run. So we saw the running game come alive at exactly the right time for the Denver Broncos. However, you want to see it happen from the beginning. You and I talked on the post-game show about this team wanted to get off to a fast start. obviously we understand that the biggest factor there is getting off to a 1 and 0 start as of, you know, week one. It's not necessarily about, hey, we want to be posting 500 yards of offense and, you know, shutting out the opponent in week one.

Starting point is 00:02:47 That's not necessary. I mean, that would be great to see. But at the same time, we understand that there's a process to all of these things. When it comes to running the ball, however, you've got to be committed to it early on. We talked about this on a lot of post game shows last season. And Sean Payton had to answer that question a ton. about, hey, here's the flow of the game or this is kind of the situation or this is why, you know, you get a three and out here. You obviously can't run as many plays.

Starting point is 00:03:12 Like we've talked about pretty much every reason why the team didn't commit to the run, but it feels like you just kind of, like we saw in the second half of this game, if you just kind of decide we are going to go out and run the ball, obviously the team had some success, 150 plus rushing yards in week one. Well, we talked to Sean Payton on our Monday Zoom conference call and one of the things he brought up about the run game. And in the first half, specifically, he mentioned the discrepancy between the passing numbers in terms of the attempts and overall rushing attempts. And he said sometimes they would come out in some RPO looks and they'd have an RPO on display.

Starting point is 00:03:46 But you can't run it based on the look that the defense gives you so you check out of it. Or you have a run called, but because of the look that the defense is in, you check out of it. And he said, one thing we don't want to have happen is we don't want the defense to dictate what we're able to do or what we want to do. So he said in the second half, they came out, they just got up to the line of scrimmage and they ran the football. And look, I even felt like to start the second half going back and watching the all 22, I felt like they did a good job. J.K. Dobbins had a pair of eight yard runs in that second half to kind of open things up. And then it was just, you know, you'd have a penalty or a negative play here or there or you'd have a couple of plays where you maybe get one or two yards. The consistency wasn't there.

Starting point is 00:04:24 But you started to see the formula how after RJ's run, all of a sudden that Titans defense was worn down. They were tired a little bit. JK ran through contact. I thought the Broncos did a really good job on RJ's run and on JK's touchdown run. I thought the old line did a great job blocking to set that up. So how do you make that a little bit more of the focal point going forward? It's cliche. It's easy to say, well, just go out there and run the football.

Starting point is 00:04:46 So much of it is trying to get the best look from that defense to where you can run your stuff here. And I think that's going to be a big portion of maybe how the Broncos try to adjust this week. John said it's as much on him as a play caller. I know we talked about Bo and Boe went to the podium. and said that, you know, he was a little too aggressive and, you know, he's not happy with the turnovers there. And Sean also acknowledged that it's just as much on me as the head coach and the play caller with some of the things that I'm doing than it is just on bow.

Starting point is 00:05:13 And so he, you know, he made sure he kind of took partial blame for that. I wanted to bring this up as well because we, we teased about it in the post game show. That's kind of what we're going to talk about in today's episode of the idea that did the Broncos, you know, should they maybe play around a little bit with this running back rotation, not R.J. and J.K. But with Tyler Biday and Jalilil McLaugh, and obviously both guys are on the 53, Jalilil was a healthy scratch on Sunday the first time in his Broncos career. And Tyler Badee, he had a couple of plays here and there, but it wasn't his best performance. It wasn't what we saw from him in the preseason and offsea and training camp. Yeah, it wasn't. We saw him drop the screen

Starting point is 00:05:49 pass that could have been a touchdown on the first drive of the game, right? And that was really disappointing because it was right there for him to take. And it was right there for the Denver Broncos to get off to that fast start offensively, to get a touchdown on your first possession, right? And it was just an opportunity that was missed. And guys are going to drop passes, guys are going to commit penalties, guys are going to throw, you know, Bo is going to throw interceptions. People are going to make mistakes. But at the same time, like you mentioned, when you have an alternative that's sitting on the bench, that's in a healthy, inactive for that week, who has played that role before, all of a sudden now, you're kind of going back to the drawing

Starting point is 00:06:26 board and saying, okay, do we need to kind of rotate these guys and see what happens here? And so with Joliel McLaughlin, he has stepped up as a receiver. Last year, he did it against Tampa Bay. He's done it a number of times throughout the course of his career. And so I just wonder, I mean, I don't know. I don't know if it's going to happen. I was, I was more so wondering why Bade was out there for almost all the third down reps or a lot of the third down reps when R.J. Harvey was, you know, right there.

Starting point is 00:06:53 I mean, I know he hasn't been given his Joker wings just yet. But I don't know. It felt like an opportunity missed by Sean Payton and the staff to get him some chances when you're drawing up these designed plays to go to a guy that you want him to make a play in space. You want him to make a play after the catch as a receiver. Give those opportunities in week one to RJ Harvey because we saw what he can do when he gets out into space. Well, now that week one, there's been tape and there's been time to go back and look at the process. Maybe Sean changes it up this week.

Starting point is 00:07:24 you know, I'm not opposed to them saying, okay, hey, I understand, but they's got value in the kicking games, special teams. And that's why probably he got the favorable nod over Jalil in this game. The one thing I'll say about Jililil Lidl that I love, then, RJ's run. You look on the all 22 and he's down on the sideline, you know who's running down to go pick him up and help him out? He's not even dressed, Jolil McLaughlin. I love that. He's such a great teammate for that. I would just be curious to see, like, could Sean Payton play around with that a little bit?

Starting point is 00:07:51 Whereas, like, as you mentioned, can we see Jolil or even Jalphlin? jk get some of those third down back rolls like you know that third down roll that Sean's been talking about versus that being specifically bidet because if it's third down and the defenses start to pick up on okay hey it's but day here at least change it around or move some guys around to where it's not just an indicator as to okay what's happening who has a chance to get the ball and I understand that there's so many different factors like pass protection that go into answering whether or not you can do some of these things but with week two against this Colts defense you know maybe maybe see what you have there maybe Jalil gets the nod this

Starting point is 00:08:24 week over Badee, maybe he doesn't. But I think at some point, we will see you a little back on the field. I do too. I think that you still just regardless, you've got to go back to that well because you had those plays drawn up. They were successful. I mean, we did see a successful screenplay to Tyler Badee in this game that almost took the Broncos out of, I think it was second and 18 or something.

Starting point is 00:08:44 Yeah. Getting close to, you know, converting an easy third down there. So I think that that was something that we saw, proof of concept in week one, like the screen game. was there and the designs were good and the execution was mostly there. However, you got to catch the ball. You know, you have to, I mean, do the little things, right? And you can't get out in front if you're Luke Wattonberg, right? I mean, you can't get out too early on those plays because it wiped off a big play. So I just think that there's a lot of things to tinker with as, you know, Sean Peyton loves the new

Starting point is 00:09:15 debrief that he keeps talking about on the Monday after a game and just talking through everything that was, what went well, what can we do better? What do we have to do? better. What has to be different? Maybe the personnel is a shift there, but I wouldn't be mad about giving Badee one more shot, Cody, as well, to see can he take advantage of those chances. Yeah. And ultimately, you want him to be able to take advantage of that you want to avoid some of the drops, the misplays, those things like that. And it's not to say that other guys aren't going to have those types of plays. It's just week one. Are you really solidified going in through a whole 17, 18 week schedule of saying, hey, this is the way we're going to do it all year long. I, you know,

Starting point is 00:09:52 I think it doesn't hurt sometimes to change it up. But maybe get a different look. We'll see if that's the case here this week as the Broncos prepare for the Indianapolis Colts here. But Broncos country, will Evan Ingram be ready for that Colts game after suffering injury? And Sunday's win against the Titans. Everyone wants to know what's the latest on Evan Ingram. We'll share what we can here on today's episode of the show. Today's lockdown Broncos podcast is brought to our friends over there at Supply House.

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Starting point is 00:12:11 Terms apply. Again, that's promo code L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-N-N-F for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Download game time today. The Denver Broncos obviously want to have Evan Ingram back and available for their week two match up against the Indianapolis Colts. So we're going to talk about what we saw in the locker room after the game. Cody's going to share some of what he can about Evan Ingram's latest updates after a calf injury in week one against the Tennessee Titans Broncos country. The teams want to know. So everything is good as of right now.

Starting point is 00:12:44 The offense, they can pick things back up. We just appreciate all of you so much for tuning in every single day, for making lockdown Broncos your first listen of the day. And if you haven't already done so, hey, take a couple of seconds, hit subscribe. We really appreciate you for being part of what we're all doing together here. And Cody, let's talk about Evan Ingram because, of course, one of the biggest offseason acquisitions for this team, a potential game changer for the Denver offense. We didn't see the game changing abilities necessarily in week one, although we did see the Broncos try to get Evan involved in the offense. Unfortunately, one of the dings on him from people or one of the concerns that people have had

Starting point is 00:13:23 that we've talked to this offseason is, you know, fans are concerned about the injury history. And you and I have pointed out, hey, it's really not much of a history other than some freak injuries last year. And then all the way back in his first couple years in the league, he's really put together a string of healthy seasons in the NFL. The calf injury, though, in week once, something to monitor going forward. what can you share with us from what you know? Yeah, the good news.

Starting point is 00:13:46 I mean, I think when you look at it, it wasn't anything that was non-contact, right? I think anytime you talk about an injury that pops up from non-contact, you get a little worried about that. But it happened on a play where he caught a pass and then just had two defenders, a corner of safety kind of sandwich between his legs. So part of me is thinking,

Starting point is 00:14:02 could it be more of a bone bruise type of ordeal, more so than a muscle? We'll see where things are at. I mean, obviously, bones can typically heal a lot quicker than any kind of tendons or ligament. there. So always you want to be mindful of that. But I'll say like after the play happened, you know, he got up, he hobbed a little bit, he was running on the sideline. He went into the blue tent for a little bit, came out with his helmet on, did a couple of sprints up the sideline,

Starting point is 00:14:25 but then he didn't return to the game. He ultimately went back into the locker room. He didn't have to be carded there. So I think those details are very important. And then after the game, as we were waiting to go into the locker room to go talk to, obviously, the players after the game, there's a room and you saw Evan Ingram. He came out of it. That's where they usually get an MRI or an x-ray after the game there. They have medical personnel that oversee a lot of that. Evan looked like he was walking fine. I didn't see any kind of noticeable limp or anything like that.

Starting point is 00:14:53 But when we went into the locker room, we didn't get to see Evan Ingram around anywhere. And if you check the Bronco social media page on Twitter, they posted photos of the victory locker room speech, the celebration, and kind of that breakout huddle. Evan Ingram is in there. He's standing up and he's part of it. So to me, I'm not concerned about it, though I will say I'm excited. to see like, you know, hey, can he be ready to go this week?

Starting point is 00:15:16 We'll find out on Wednesday when the Broncos take the practice field as to whether or not he's out there, he's participating, he's limited, whatever it may be. But I don't think this is something that we should be concerned about yet. And then again, you never know. Something could change. Something could happen. We have no injury update. As the time that we talked to Sean on the Zoom conference call, he's not giving us any

Starting point is 00:15:35 information when it comes to injuries. And so people are going to stop asking him because he's never going to give it to us. So if something comes out, it would likely have. have to come from like one of the big national names like an Ian Rappaport or anybody else. But I mean, I don't see any reason to be concerned right now. I think he should be fine. And it's a long season too. So whatever approach the Broncos take, I think it's important to view with that in mind.

Starting point is 00:15:58 You know that, hey, they're probably going to have guys that come out at Wednesday's practices and they're going to be limited almost every single week because that's just how they're monitoring these guys reps on the field. And they have all those things like Sean Payton talks about the trackers and how many, like steps they're taking or whatever it is. You know, he's tracking every single movement these guys make on the field. So the Broncos are going to view it with a long-term thing in mind. But at the same time, I was a little bit surprised, Cody, at how much Lucas Crowell played anyway.

Starting point is 00:16:30 I mean, I know the Broncos have Adam Troutman and they have, you know, Nate Adkins is, you know, not ready to play yet. I know that soon he will be ready, which is exciting because we want to see him out there cracking face masks again and doing what he's. he does best. But I really was shocked to find out that Lucas Crowell was as big of a part of a game as he was. Of course, everybody saw during the game and then after the game, the clip that was floating around of Bo Knicks like saying stop, you know, like he was trying to tell Lucas Kroll to stop and sit in zone coverage when he kept running through and missed an opportunity to convert a third down. I was a little surprised to see as many reps as Lucas got out there, given the fact that Evan was playing in this game. I mean, I know he had an

Starting point is 00:17:12 injury. It wasn't like Lucas came in after the injury, though. He was playing well before that. That surprised me a little bit. Yeah, and that's part of Sean just rotating his personnel packaging. I mean, there's times where, okay, Evan Ingram's the tight end. I think they opened up the game if I'm not mistaken with Kroll and Adam Troutman, essentially to start the game here for the Broncos out of 12 personnel. And then they went to obviously Evan Ingram on some different looks underneath, especially on Troy Franklin's 18-yard cross. Or he caught in that first offensive series. there was first offensive series wasn't bad at all until they had like a penalty that kind of backed them up a little bit that was really it but you know i think for crow i i think he needs these reps i think he and troutman need these reps because of what we mentioned there like if evan egram has to miss any time you have to have somewhat of a plan there Lucas and Bo Nix have been building chemistry all throughout the offseason.

Starting point is 00:18:01 He's been heavily involved in the rotation and training camp practices, obviously the preseason. And I felt like he had that catching that first series, you know, against zone coverage where, you know, both threw it to a tight window. He caught it, did a good job hanging on to it. But there are those little nuances. And I think that's going to get better for Crowl over time where it's like, okay, recognize you have to recognize it's zone. You have to find the soft spot.

Starting point is 00:18:23 You have to sit versus just keeping running because now if you keep running, you're running into that defender who's playing underneath that corner who's playing that squat cover two. And so it's just those little nuances. And I think just for more reps, I think it'll get better. But I also think Deshaun could simplify some things offensively as well versus it being so overcomplicated mass personnel substitutions. I think that's where Sean as a play caller can help every single one of these guys out a little bit more. Yeah, I think so too. And it's really, we saw it rear its ugly head a number of times where it felt like they were taking it down to the wire.

Starting point is 00:18:56 and you and I've talked about it's not just delay of game penalties that can be an issue when you talk about changing personnel like you're a hockey team doing a line shift. It brings you down to the point where a defense can say, hey, we know this team's going to not be ready to snap the ball until there's one second or zero left on the play clock. And so we can kind of time the snap and it's then a disadvantage for your offensive line. So it just helps so much to maybe have some consistency. You and I talked about after the game too. This team. got to play checkers maybe before they play chess because Sean Payton is one of the ultimate chess players offensively in recent NFL history over the last 30 years. He's outstanding when it comes

Starting point is 00:19:37 to mixing player personnel utilizing this, utilizing that, giving defenses this looks, confusing them with that look. But at this point, I want to see this team be good at playing checkers before they're good at playing chess. I've gave the illustration after the game last night about, man, I can't teach my kids how to play chess right away. I mean, you could, but hey, let's play checkers. You don't, this will be much more easy for me to explain to you that you can execute this game. You can even beat me at checkers.

Starting point is 00:20:05 And, you know, I mean, I'm just, let's let's get to that point for this offense before we start saying, hey, we're going to mix and match all these personnel groupings and shifts guys in and out and have to do all this changing and get down to the zero seconds. It's just frustrating. So that to me is an area that I think can be cleaned up going into week. two. I mean, week one is a great example of. I feel like you can have 10 guys that know exactly what they're doing, but you can have one guy hesitate or overthink something or maybe not know, and then it can affect the offensive operation. And, you know, it happens on a more consistent basis than

Starting point is 00:20:36 we think when you look at the breakdowns of plays, things like that. But, you know, it's the all encompassing picture around the quarterback, the play caller, the run game. And certainly these tight ends are going to play a big role in there. So we'll keep you posted all week long. Broncos country on Evan Ingram. The Broncos will practice on Wednesday. I'll be out. out there. Be happy to share our updates here on lockdown Broncos throughout the entire week. But you know what? The Broncos are off to a one and no start. It's been a while since they've been able to do that. And the schedule gets tougher. But how can the Broncos build on their week one win and carry that over into week two on the road at the Indianapolis Colts?

Starting point is 00:21:08 We'll share our thoughts on that much more here on today's episode of the show. Today's episode of the show is brought you of our friends over there at Fandulul America's number one sportsbook. And the NFL season is here. And Fandul is making sure that you're ready for kickoff with a can't miss off or because Because right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use all across the apps, whether you use them on parleyes like I did this past weekend. I go through and I pick all the morning games on the money line inside the Fandu app.

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Starting point is 00:22:12 some offensive efficiency on the road in a hostile territory against the Indianapolis Colts? That's our hope here as to what the Broncos can do to build on that week one win they had against the Tennessee Titans. some momentum that they found late in the run game in the second half. I want to say thanks once again to all the everydayers out there. Thanks for tuning in making us your first listen. We appreciate you so much, Broncos country for making the show exactly what it is.

Starting point is 00:22:34 Sarah, look, I think when we can go through and look at the all 22, look, there's good reactions, there's bad reactions, there's some overreactions to it. That's the game of football.

Starting point is 00:22:42 There's going to be a lot of good, bad, ugly in between. And it's about being able to process it and talk about it. I feel like we've been pretty level headed in our analysis here. I think when you go back and you watch the L20, Yeah, there are a lot of concerning things that, you know, I think the Broncos had to fix on special teams in the kick return game

Starting point is 00:22:58 offensively with some of the operational stuff that they're doing. But it's week one, there's a chance to carry it over. The Broncos look sluggish through the first four weeks of the regular season last year and were able to generate some momentum and find some continuity. Can you get to a quicker start of finding that continuity here in week two? I think if they're going to do that, you have to build on the run game. You do. And you have something to build off of, which is the fourth quarter of the previous game,

Starting point is 00:23:22 right, where you were running the ball extremely well against the Tennessee Titans, getting big plays from both of your guys that you invested in this offseason. I think for three quarters of that game against the Titans, it felt like, man, the running game hasn't even improved. We've changed the players out there. We've said we've changed the blocking scheme, but we haven't really gotten any positive results out of it until then that fourth quarter happened.

Starting point is 00:23:44 And that can be something that you do build on going forward. Start the game against, you're going on the road already. You don't want to have to be in a situation. where you're in a third and long, you know, Bo Nix got to throw the ball all the time. You want this running game to set the tone, quiet down that crowd in Indianapolis, and really play some ball control in this one,

Starting point is 00:24:04 because you've proven now you can run the ball effectively. You do have guys that can hit home runs at the running back position, and you do have guys that can cash in when you get close to the red zone, right? Or when you get in the red zone. So I would say build on that. Go ahead and go into this game feeling confident about what you saw, from RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins in week one. I think an extension of that is something that you and I brought up when we were talking before

Starting point is 00:24:28 we started doing today's show. The screen game can be a great extension of having a successful run game here. And there was the opportunity that Badee had where he just dropped it. You know, he's going to want that one back on tape when you go back and watch it. But then I just even remember the Broncos getting Troy Franklin involved in the screen game where he had what was like a 16-yard catch and run. I thought the Broncos did a great job of blocking it. And then the Titans defense got called for a face.

Starting point is 00:24:52 mask because they pulled Luke Wattenberg's face mask too. So you add 15 to that. You got the guys, I think, that can make those plays in space, get yards after the catch. I think with Troy, you certainly have that. I think with Marvin, you have that. And you can use Marvin in the screen game out of the backfield when he's lined up as a runner, or you could do it in the slot or on the outside.

Starting point is 00:25:11 You can even have tight end screens involved. I think when you have Evan Ingram out there in the mix. So I think that could be something that the team could also build on because I felt like there were opportunities there, some that they miss and some they capitalized on, you know, in particular when it comes to screenplays. Absolutely, because Sean Payton talked in the offseason how that's an underrated trade of a guy like Troy Franklin, who you mentioned we saw it late in this game against Titans, that he kind of exploited that ability to hit the home run with his big time speed. You want to see more of that stuff.

Starting point is 00:25:41 We want to see more of that from Marvin Minton's. Want to see more of it. Evan Ingram got an opportunity. I know the ball was a little bit low, but he showed that he can still do those types of things in the preseason as well. So get more yak opportunities for your guys. I think it's funny, Cody, the stuff about Bo Nix being a checkdown guy. We're not here to sit and defend Bo Nix, but if you actually watch these games, you'll see that the problem has been when they're attacking the ball down field way too much.

Starting point is 00:26:09 And it's not even, I don't remember many checkdowns in this game, to be honest with you, the quick passing game is not the checkdown. It's not the same thing. When you're running a quick passing game in the NFL, you're trying to defeat what teams are giving you in terms of those too high looks. And that's consistent around the NFL. Teams are daring other teams to throw the ball short. We're going to rally and tackle. The Titans just so happen to have three safeties who are really good at helping out in that way.

Starting point is 00:26:37 So kudos to those guys for shutting down some of that for the Broncos. But again, it was there for the taking. The screen game was there in this game against the Titans. that's something that you have to continue to do. It doesn't matter how far you can throw the ball. You take calculated shots down the field, take them when you get them. But man, go after teams with, it's not just dinking and dunking for the sake of it. It's an extension of your running game.

Starting point is 00:27:03 It gets defenses on their heels. You've got to do it more often. There is a Madden mentality that exists as you're watching a game. And I think certainly games like Madden have made that, you know, an unrealistic expectation for what you see in the games because think about it this way, Sarah. Madden, I can force a throw. I can turn my sliders up. I can force the throw into double or triple coverage.

Starting point is 00:27:23 And, you know, because my wide receiver's got a higher jump and catching traffic rating than everybody else, he can go out there and he can do that, right? But in a real game situation, the idea for most of these defenses out of the two high shell, why was it invented? It was invented to prohibit a lot of the deep ball explosive plays that were caught, that we constantly saw in the NFL, and Vic Fangio kind of orchestrated that. And now that's kind of eliminated that deep ball aspect. Thank you so much to, you know, what we used to see from Sean McVeigh in that 2018 Rams

Starting point is 00:27:53 offense, that old Kansas City Chiefs and Tyree Kill, teams are so tired of getting burnt downfield that, hey, the too high shell actually works. It gives us flexibility to play against the run, but prohibit the deep stuff. So now you're seeing a lot of teams. And in particular, you know, there were times where Tennessee ran man coverage, but on the film review I did, they're playing a lot of zone. They're playing variations of cover two. They're playing some cover three,

Starting point is 00:28:16 but primarily it's cover two, cover four and zone. What is that doing? That's prohibiting the deep stuff from taking place. And it's the idea of like, okay, we want to take away the deep stuff because we want you to throw it short. And we want to rally and tackle,

Starting point is 00:28:27 as you mentioned there, throwing a six yard curl is not a checkdown as some people would say. The checkdown ultimately is quarterback's going through. Nothing is opening up. There's double coverage to the right. Okay, there's not good coverage over here on the left. If I throw that, there's a risk that this guy,

Starting point is 00:28:41 this might get picked. All right. My last option is to throw it to this guy who the defense is leaving over. And that's a checkdown. And that's the smart decision on nine out of time, nine out of ten times that they do it in most situations. So I think it's always important to kind of pinpoint that. Denver can certainly build on things here.

Starting point is 00:28:59 I think we'll see a different offense. I think we'll see a more efficient one here in the passing game in week two against the Indianapolis Colts. But the run game is going to be a big part of that. We even talk about the defense. How can the defense continue to build on their impressive performance? Daniel Jones looked pretty good for the Indianapolis Colts against that Miami Dolphins defense there. And they got playmakers at running back, wide receiver, and tight in.

Starting point is 00:29:19 And Daniel Jones himself can use his legs on the ground. How can the Broncos build on momentum from week one against DJ and this Colts offense? Got to keep the pressure coming, right? That's what the Broncos are best at. They had six sacks in week one. Got to keep the pressure coming. And they've got to have a pretty fresh memory in their minds of what Jonathan Taylor was able to do to them last year. I mean, if Jonathan Taylor doesn't drop the ball before he gets to the goal line,

Starting point is 00:29:46 the Colts were kind of boat racing the Broncos a little bit in that game. They were embarrassing the defense. They were running all up and down that Denver defense. And that was with Anthony Richardson at quarterback, who he completed less than 48% of his throws last season. So with Daniel Jones playing an efficient week one, he's got dual threat abilities. Shane Steikins coached him up to the point that he's not making mistakes, at least against the dolphins, he wasn't. So you've got to force him to make mistakes. And you've got to limit what they can do in the running game. Limit Jonathan Taylor in this game.

Starting point is 00:30:16 And yes, they have guys that can make plays deep down field. They have guys that can make plays after the catch. They've got gadget players. They've got depth. They've got a new weapon, Tyler Warren. So lots for the Broncos defense to focus on. You've got to force the issue with Daniel Jones first. And I think the contain aspect because Daniel Jones can get outside and extend plays,

Starting point is 00:30:36 you know, scramble drill is going to be a very big necessity to kind of cover this week here defensively. I liked what we saw from the Broncos secondary, you know, with all the guys, even, you know, Jekwon and the nickel. When they went dying with Jada, getting some, you know, involvement there. I loved what we saw from the safety play between Jones and Hufanga, Raleigh, that terrific game. This is going to be a test here for this Broncos defense because of all those weapons here. Can your pressure get home quick enough? But also, I think Daniel Jones is the type of guy where they will come into this game plan and say, like,

Starting point is 00:31:03 we know these guys love to get after you quickly. And obviously, the Broncos have the ability to get after you very fast. like Nick Benito had five rushes that were under 2.5 seconds in terms of pressureing the quarterback. That's crazy. So I think the quick passing game might be something that they take a look at. And certainly they're going to dial up some play action shots down field. But the key for Denver last year against these guys, it wasn't necessarily just, you know, mitigating some of those big plays from happening.

Starting point is 00:31:32 It was, okay, first down is happening. You're giving up a big play on first down. You're getting off the field on third. But first down is where you're struggling. Can Denver come out and get to a fast star on first down defensively? To me, that's going to be a massive thing we watch here this week here. But with that said, Broncos country, we appreciate you as always for tuning in, making us your first listen every single day.

Starting point is 00:31:52 We'll get a little bit of an early preview here. A tell of the tape, a matchup here as we take a look at the Broncos versus the Colts. How can the Broncos offense bounce back against this Colts defense? And what do the numbers tell us? We'll dive deep into that on tomorrow's episode of the show.

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