Bandwagon Thanks

I wanted to take the path less travelled, and realize I ended up right in the middle of traffic.

I’d ask you to be fair before you grab the torch and pitch fork… it took me four weeks to put a foot off the ship. I was one of the last to do so. I really didn’t have any other way to go… I picked Denver against San Diego without much foundation for hope and was pretty honest in doing so, and you can only play the “it’s just my gut” card so many times.

I picked against the Broncos, I picked against them big, and as luck would have it, the rest of the world took that same stance. And like everyone else I didn’t anticipate the Broncos would find faith in the run. I didn’t anticipate Kyle Orton would step into the oncoming adversity (much less the pocket) and meet it head on. I didn’t think the defense would be fresh in the 2nd half, I didn’t think Josh would adapt to the scenario at hand, and I didn’t think the Giants would prove so inept.

Let’s run through the NFL Network clip above and focus only on the observations from the 2nd quarter. That stetch set the tone in this game and gave the Denver coaching staff all it needed to plan for continued dominance in the 2nd half, and I bet you will agree just these few plays will  prove all of my assertions from the Broncos’ 26-6 Thanksgiving win over the Giants valid.

14:52 left in the 2nd Quarter
Mathias Kiwanuka (#94), Rocky Bernard (#95) and Michael Boley (#52) break through the protection with ease. Daniel Graham (#89) misses on the block assignment (this is one spot of concern I would raise… Graham is getting a lil’ long in the tooth and while many would point to the string of recent penalties he’s endured as the problem, I would suggest he is grinding as his quickness fades – not to mention Tony Scheffler’s recent rise in production – and he struggles to make that adjustment, and thus the penalties), center Casesy Wiegmann gets engulfed in the middle and the guards break down, putting those three Giant defenders in position to make the tackle for a loss. Instead, Knowshon goes Barry Sanders (you can’t make the 360 at the line and avoid comparison to Barry) and turns what should be no gain into a 12-yard surge for a 1st down.

9:26 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Danny Ware fumble… you have to question if this happens with Ahmad Bradshaw on that carry. He’s out with the bum ankle and he has just one lost fumble in 115 carries, and that would have been his call. Give credit to the Denver D (namely Mario Haggan) for getting it loose. Give a bit of credit to fate for having Ware in that spot.

The following play, 1st and 10, 9:16 left in the 2nd
Orton takes an extra step or two back from the line and while the protection is solid he’s too far back as the tackles work those Giants deep. The pocket is there but Orton rushes the pass rather than stepping in and he overthrows Marshall where three Giants (especially Corey Webster, #23) are waiting for the interception. Marshall makes an amazing play on the jump, does his best Hakeem Olajuwon and goes up to get the one-handed reception (and Josh shows him the love, which is why these guys adore him… say what you want about his schooling, but Bill Belichick would NEVER be found with that reaction). This is one of those plays that has no attainable value… that was special.

7:23 left in the 2nd
Touchdown Knowshon. Spencer Larsen (#46) gets the key block on this one, making an outstanding play with a block that puts two defenders off the mark, giving The Know just enough room to dive. The Gints saw that one coming and they didn’t get the job done (thanks to Larsen putting ‘em off the path).

7:10 in the 2nd
DJ Williams comes on the delayed blitz and picks up a crucial sack. LeKevin Smith (#97) takes up two blockers, the left side of the Giants offensive line can’t disengage, and Williams gets the Eli in the clear. Give credit to the linebacker (believe it was Andra Davis) who put coverage on Kevin Boss, the outlet option that should have worked in that spot. Manning turns to him, realized the coverage is there, and he’s done. More importantly, I would suggest you watch Brandon Jacobs (#27) as the lone back in this set. He misses his assignment and breaks that pattern to work as the outlet target (and he was still late in getting to that decision as well). Jacobs did this ALL NIGHT LONG, consistently found out of position in pass protection, consistently whiffing on blocks (which we see again shortly), and consistently lacking in vision. He was a big for Denver as any player donning orange last night.

2:00 in the 2nd
This is just a horrendous job of blocking by Jacobs. He is set and ready to make a play, but he gets fooled by a slight juke by Elvis Dumervil and suddenly he’s on his heels. Dumervil gets up in his ass with the quickness, Jacobs lacks balance and tries to arm block Dumervil, and he gets absolutely schooled. That’s a size advantage for Jacobs my friends, checking in at 6-foot-4, 274 pounds versus 5-foot-11, 248 for Dumervil… he never had a chance, and Elvis takes full advantage.

Other bullets of interest…

- If I could reward one Bronco as the most underrated contributor to the cause, it might be Jabar Gaffney. Three catches for 48 yards won’t get much attention… in fact, he has just one game that might draw attention via the boxscores (three catches for 82 yards against Cleveland)… but he is averaging 13.6 yards per and seems to be making those catches when Denver needs them most. Last night we didn’t hear his name often, but when we did, it was relieving… the 12-yard catch on 3rd-and-5 early in the 4th was the key to getting Orton-to-Stokley in the end zone, and that was the icing on the cake.

- For all of our bitching and moaning about the Days of Lives at the punter position, it seems we may finally have this portion of the special teams solidified. Over his last three games Mitch Berger has booted 10 punts for 466 total yards (46.6 per, and his numbers after the return don’t change drastically as he’s averaged 43.3 net yards per punt) and he’s improved with each outing. Last night was especially rewarding as two of his three punts ended inside of the 20. This is good. And, for what it’s worth (fingers crossed), Matt Prater hasn’t missed a field goal since Week 6.

- I would bet every single sports fan in the City of Brotherly Love would tell you, given the choice, they would reverse time and threaten Andy Reid with a continual cycle of prison-style rapes if he let Brian Dawkins go. Thank the almighty that he discounted Dawkins’ worth, he inflated Dawkin’s “loyalty” to the Eagles, and he sent the low-ball offer to return. Dawkins is any and everything Polamalu, Reed, and Meriweather yearn to be… and none of them will do it for as long as Dawkins. He’s the latest in a growing line of athletes that utilize Denver to remind their previous employers just how vital they can be. Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque, Chauncey Billups… you might include Champ Bailey, Andres Galarraga, and Allen Iverson… all were thought to be past the prime, and all came to the thin air to enjoy rebirth. Dawkins is quickly working towards the head of that class (though he will never, ever catch Roy).

(Ed.Note: I didn’t want to let this slip by… Dave Krieger, the Stable-approved leader of all things logical from the Post, was working on coverage via Twitter last night – @DaveKrieger - and sent along a reminder to send a Hall-of-Fame Broncos fan and Denver icon your well wishes. The Barrel Man has been diagnosed with a terminal lung condition and the entire community should take the opportunity to send along well wishes. P.O. Box 460081, Aurora, CO 80046-0081.)

- Three of the boys left with injuries last night: linebacker Wesley Woodyard (left in the 4th with a neck injury), defensive lineman Marcus Thomas (left late with a shoulder injury), and The Royal Treatment (left late in the first half with a reported thigh contusion). Don’t believe any are serious (Eddie was riding the stationary bike for most of the 2nd half, normally an indication that he wants to get back in and is working to stay active), but we’ll check in on them in the coming days.

- Sometimes you wonder if the pain is worth the pleasure, but when Orton-to-Marshall is on…

… it’s hard not to smile.

And that, in a nutshell, is how Denver went from city on the brink to city on the mend, and I would like to jump the bandwagon of locals giving thanks. The Broncos get what nearly counts as a week of rest (the boys from the Mile High Report noted this via Twitter last night during the game and were immediate accused by the fans in KC of discounting the Chiefs… which, to be honest, was rather amusing) and we get the weekend off without reason for grave concern and fear of pending doom.

I’m going to adjourn to the college scene… I’m going to Mark Ingram, Noel Devine, and the man I would love to see in a Denver uniform in a year or so…

… Mr. Kellen Moore (given a vote in the Heisman, we’d put all three on our ballot).  Should be a good time, and it sure as hell beats the sufferings of Black Friday.

Of course, I still have the game on the DVR. Maybe we’ll break out the leftover turkey, the leftover cranberries, and the leftover hops and enjoy a lil’ leftover Mile high joy.

Maybe we should hit that m@%#er f?&#er up one more time, right Josh?

You should do the same.

Thanks for stopping in.

Tags: Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Thanksgiving, Week 12 Review