SPORTS IT’S TIME TO CHANGE THE PLAYBOOK AND QB»
Broncos must figure out how to compete
John Elway settled in behind a folding table outside the Broncos’ indoor fieldhouse for his annual pre-training camp address to the media, a routine the general manager has held for years now to kick off another season. As he scanned a crowd of reporters and eyed a wall of cameras, he weighed in on another offseason quarterback competition, on a new coaching staff and — like every year — on “Plan A,” to vie for another Super Bowl title.
Plan A, Elway reminded that July afternoon, has always been and always will be the Broncos’ plan.
“Our goal has not changed,” he said that day. “It’s to be competitive year in and year out.”
But as the Broncos endure a five-game losing streak, with each defeat worse than the one before, their Plan A is fading from consideration. Denver desperately needs a win. But more than that, it needs to simply stay alive for a full four quarters.
“We got to figure out how to stop shooting ourselves in the foot, especially early in the football game and getting way behind,” Elway said this week in an interview with the team’s website. “That’s the hardest thing — not the fact that we’re losing, which is hard enough, but the fact that we’re not competitive because of what we’re doing to ourselves.”
The standards haven’t changed at Dove Valley, but the staggering numbers and blowout losses have shifted focus. In each of their six losses this season, the Broncos have failed to score a touchdown in the first quarter. Conversely, in their three victories, they have outscored opponents 24-0 in the first quarter.
During their five-game losing streak, they’ve scored only nine first-quarter points — all on field goals — while committing five turnovers and allowing 55 total points to opponents. Through Week 10, the Broncos rank 28th in the NFL in first-quarter scoring margin in the league, at minus-19.
The Broncos have repeatedly dug themselves into holes too deep to climb out of.
“We have to figure out how much (of the) offense, defense and (special) teams we go into a game with so we can play more efficient because we’ve spotted teams in the last three weeks — 14 (points) in K.C., 14 (points) in
Philly and (against New England), 24 points on special teams,” coach Vance Joseph said. “You can’t beat NFL teams spotting them 14 and 24 points. You can’t do it. It’s not going to happen. We have to figure out a way not to spot the teams points and then play the football game.
“But if you watch the tape, there are good things happening, but it’s also bad things happening that are causing us to fall behind early, and we can’t overcome it.”
The issue is hardly a new one. In Denver’s seven losses last season, it scored a mere 10 points and was shut out five times in the first quarter while opponents racked up 57 points. Its firstquarter margin was a dreadful minus-54, ranking 31st in the NFL.
This year has been puzzling in many facets for the Broncos, especially when comparing their first two weeks to their last five.
In Weeks 1 and 2, the Broncos unveiled an efficient and prolific offense — one that was balanced in the running and passing game, that limited turnovers and that scored early and often. Recently, however, they’ve beaten themselves and helped opponents to early points off turnovers. Against New England, the Broncos fumbled a punt on their first touch of the game and set up the Patriots for a quick touchdown. Four minutes later, the Patriots returned a kickoff 103 yards for a score.
“It seems like in the blink of an eye, we’re down 14 points,” said nose tackle Domata Peko. “That’s when you get guys trying to do a little extra instead of doing your technique. You get guys that are pressing, because you don’t want to lose, so you’re trying to make every play. At the end of the day, you just gotta do your job.”
The early deficits have prompted opponents to play more conservatively and avoid targeting Denver’s Pro Bowl cornerbacks in coverage. Alternatively, it has forced the Broncos to change their offensive approach. Instead of sticking with a balanced game plan, they’re forced to air it out more and play catch-up.
“When you’re down 13 and 20, 24, 27 and the leads start getting up, we get out of the run game and it’s just natural. It’s just natural football,” running back C.J. Anderson said. “But when we’re in games and can be efficient in both ways and not be so one-dimensional, that definitely gives every team in the National Football League a better chance to win.”
The Broncos believed they made strides offensively last Sunday, despite the 25-point loss. They moved the chains, committed only one offensive turnover and finally found the end zone in the third quarter.
But by then it was too late. The game was already gone.
The Broncos are still in search of not just a fair game, as Joseph has said repeatedly, but a full one, too.
“You’re gonna make mistakes. You’re not gonna be perfect,” Elway said. “But for us to stay competitive and to stay in the football game and to get into the fourth quarter to where we have a chance to win is step No. 1.”