A Tale of Two Teams

There are the good Denver Broncos, and then there are the bad Denver Broncos. There is the Broncos team that can stuff the run and stymie the pass, and then there is the Broncos team that can look inept, confused, and unfocused while Michael Vick runs an offense that seemed unstoppable. There is the Broncos offensive line that can supposedly make the most pedestrian running backs into thousand yard rushers, and then there is the Broncos offensive line that can commit so many penalties on a day that they end up crippling what running game they have going.

Get the picture?

The person who both takes the brunt of criticism right now and exemplifies the "good-bad" nature of the Broncos is Jake Plummer. The season has been one of foolish decisions and bad turnovers balanced by insanely beautiful touchdown passes and brave running. While he takes too much of the criticism in my book, he does deserve his share of the blame.

Yesterday, in the Broncos' last game before their bye, it was the "good" team that showed up. For the second week in a row, Plummer threw for four touchdowns, but this time he did it without the three interceptions. He didn't come near to the 499 yards that he passed for last week, but, then, he didn't need to as the Broncos rolled over the Texans for a win that they needed just to keep pace with the surging San Diego Chargers.

But those people who placed the blame for last week's loss to the Falcons on Plummer would do well to notice the other changes: the number of penalties dropped tremendously, the running game was more effective, the play calling was more conservative, and the defense actually managed to get pressure on Houston's quarterback, Carr, most of the day.

Simply, the game plan was smarter, the team played better, and Houston did its part by rolling over and playing dead through most of the second half. Where Vick and the Falcons stayed on attack all day, Houston seemed listless and tired after the Broncos rolled to an early, commanding lead.

The Broncos running game was the kind of game that you would expect of a team with a strong runner like Ruben Droughns. A good many of his carries only went for three or four yards, but almost none went for lost yards, he never turned the ball over, and when they needed first downs they generally got them. He may not be much of a hazard to break a 60-yard run for a touchdown, but, then again, he also won't lose the game by putting the ball on the turf and he is pretty strong on third and short.

He won't make us forget Terrel Davis, he probably won't even make me forget about Clinton Portis (who is slowly turning his season around in DC--but the Redskins just aren't a very good team this year), but he plays his part with the Broncos well. He's earned his position and the talk from the game announcers last week that Shanahan may need to re-think his running game seems to have been premature.

In his five starts, he has only failed to break the 100-yard mark once and he has only given the ball up a single time. He is the reason that third and short is no longer a situation that the Broncos have to fear. If it weren't for a certain Steelers quarterback (and maybe that Chargers QB, too), Droughns would be my surprise player of the year--that person that you never would have imagined making such an immense difference for their team.

It was good to see the Broncos play a smart game with few errors. But the fact remains that on any given Sunday, either Broncos team could show up. It could be the team that loses ugly to the Bengals or the team that has so far swept their AFC West division games in a dramatic fashion against Oakland, KC, and San Diego. I started the team wondering about these Broncos, wondering if they were talented enough to not only make the playoffs, but perhaps also win a post-season game.

Nine games into their season, and I know who they are. This is two teams in one. The good team that minimizes its errors could be pretty much any team in the league when they play their best. The bad team could lose to any team in the league. On any Sunday, you might think you are watching either the biggest overachievers in the league or the most dismal underachievers to ever wear predominantly orange.

One thing is certain: the pieces are all there for this team to be a solid, respectable, playoff team. What is less certain is whether they will keep those pieces together until the end of the year or if they will, like last year, just self-destruct dramatically as the season goes on.

Posted by zombyboy at November 8, 2004 01:28 PM