Week 14 Open Thread

Douglas Lee Dec 12, 2010 1:00 PM

Enjoy the games, and Go Broncos!!!

UPDATE 2:10PM ET: The Broncos have announced that Perrish Cox will be active today but will not start.

Doug is IAOFM’s resident newsman and spelling czar. Follow him on Twitter @IAOFM

Bob, at this point these remaining games should be treated like preseason games. Players should be evaluated to see what they are currently capable of doing. Why waste the remaining games on what we know we have?

If Skelton can handle the NFL I am sure Tebow can &#8220make a go of it&#8221.

The care-taking aspect of QBs is right, but we are nearly a year into the season. He&#8217s not a rookie any more - for all intents and purposes. If he&#8217s not ready, why has he been the backup?

Posted by Orange and Blue on 2010-12-13 18:05:10

Thank you, Doc. I agree with your assessment.

With all due respect to the people who want to see Tebow start now, they need to be honest with themselves and admit that it&#8217s about making them feel better about the team and the season, rather than what really makes sense.

Patience was supposed to be the key word with McDaniels and we all know how that turned out. Now we have Tebow, with whom patience is again key, and if we rush him onto the field to pacify fans, and he then struggles mightily, how many fans are going to start demanding we trade him and then draft another QB?

Posted by Bob Morris on 2010-12-13 06:03:20

Amen, Doc.

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 03:00:51

No argument about Orton, Dennis. I tend to think that the McDaniels fiasco was the last straw for him - he&#8217s been toast ever since. The team&#8217s done him no favors, but he has to take responsibility for the job he (has/n&#8217t) done.

But the idea that this means that Tebow is a better idea, I&#8217m going to continue to leave up to the coaches who see him in practice and have monitored his progress. Consider one thing - I keep hearing people saying that it couldn&#8217t be worse with Tebow, and that&#8217s an argument I can&#8217t follow. It could be worse for Tim, and if you&#8217ll remember Chris Simms, it could be even worse for the team, in the long run. Why?

As far as Tebow - if he&#8217s ready, as I&#8217ve said before, sure, the team could use a change. If he&#8217s not, it could easily be the worst thing for Tim. If he&#8217s the QB of the future - and I don&#8217t know that he is (no one does, opinions aside) - bring him along at the pace that works for him. It&#8217s not going to help to claim that Bowlen shouldn&#8217t have given in to fan pressure and then demand that TT be played to quell fan pressure. I understand the urge to change something, anything, but unless its in Tebow&#8217s own best interest, I don&#8217t support it. If it is, that&#8217s fine.

The record this year will only matter in the draft - Denver&#8217s out of the playoffs, bottom of the barrel, and that won&#8217t change. If Tebow&#8217s motion, ability to read D&#8217s and/or footwork, especially with the porous nature of pass protection so far, playing him prematurely could slow or reverse that progress. For what? A few games that don&#8217t matter this year?

People want something to change, and that&#8217s only sensible. Most of them wanted McD to be fired. He was and it didn&#8217t change anything for the better. It may have made it worse. I don&#8217t want to see that repeated with Tebow. That&#8217s really about it.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2010-12-13 02:49:56

RalphW ...you had to go remind us there is a next week too <img alt="wink" height="19" src="http://www.singernet.com/images/smileys/wink.gif" style="border:0;" width="19">

Posted by Dennis Mitchell on 2010-12-13 02:14:21

well, there&#8217s always oakland nextweek? ugh. i stuck it out to the end of the game as punishment upon myself for liking this team so much.

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 02:00:05

Doc&#8230...Whether Tebow is ready or not, Orton has lost whatever leadership, inspiration and control of the offense that he had. This TEAM needs leadership. Orton has not established that. Tebow is a leader. It is time to find out what 15 can do and this would have been the perfect game.

I don&#8217t blame Kyle, he is who he is. But we either need to see a spark somewhere or it will 59-14 or something next week.

As an organization, we have quit. It is pathetic. This might be the worst I ever felt about the Denver Broncos TOP to BOTTOM. We seem clueless, am i wrong?

Posted by Dennis Mitchell on 2010-12-13 01:56:22

UGH. Okay, I need a break from this team. Hope they can find a way to make the last few games fun for us &#8216cause this ain&#8217t it. Night all.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:42:34

I keep pinching myself but apparently the reality is AZ just hung 36 on us.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 01:41:31

Since we are talking about other teams, I&#8217ll say it right now: The Jets have been vastly overrated all season long. Now the bloom is starting to come off their rose.

Posted by Bob Morris on 2010-12-13 01:37:25

Btw, I said &#8220it couldn&#8217t be any worse&#8221 playing TT, above, not it could be any worse. Anyway, I think we all want to see him next week.

Hey, a touchdown - fancy that!

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:36:44

Major typos, but I guess you can get my drift.

Posted by jayrockstone on 2010-12-13 01:36:01

Yeah, honestly I&#8217d be fine seeing TT at this point too, just trying to explain why maybe he hasn&#8217t QB&#8217d today. I will be more surprised if he doesn&#8217t play next week though!

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:34:28

That 41 yard by Hightower shows two things:

10 How well DJ Williams holds the middle of the field.

2) How &#8220done&#8221 and &#8220expendable&#8221 Champ Bailey really is.

Posted by jayrockstone on 2010-12-13 01:34:10

Well&#8230

Champ vs Larry is a treat to watch.

Did Graham actually catch something?

What&#8217s with Orton? Two terible games in a row.

Decker looks good, except for the fumble.

Broncos have a long way to go to compete in the NFL.

I&#8217m going to look through my old tapes and find the best oater to watch.

ps. Watching Champ is a treat. Broncos need to pay the man.

Posted by bradley on 2010-12-13 01:32:11

underdog- &#8220it could be any worse&#8221. I agree. I refuse to believe Tebow could be worse then Orton.

Posted by NickCast on 2010-12-13 01:31:17

Wow. Awesome fake lateral. No reason to be cute when you are down this much.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 01:30:28

Man, I feel bad for these players. They didn&#8217t sign up for THIS.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 01:30:19

Underdog, I think you are correct about prep time, but how much worse could TT be at this point? We need a spark, and Orton is doing anything.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 01:25:38

Jets just choked against the Dolphins. Jason Taylor is bummed out.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 01:23:24

Nick, I tried to give a reason above you at &#82208:11 PM&#8221 - probably won&#8217t placate you but it&#8217s what I got. Another way to look at it, if Orton&#8217s not on the same page with these guys, in first day with new OC, why would the inexperienced rookie be on the same page? But on the other hand, it couldn&#8217t be any worse really, and at least he can run. I&#8217d be surprised if he doesn&#8217t play next week, if not downright get the start.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:21:52

We really need the elder Jim Mora to do the presser.

Just a bad game offensively.

Posted by Bob Morris on 2010-12-13 01:20:17

Nice playcall.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 01:19:23

Can ANYONE give me a reason as to why we aren&#8217t playing Tebow?

Posted by NickCast on 2010-12-13 01:19:08

Feely 22, Hauschka 6 now! He&#8217s coming back.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:18:56

Including the 60s teams?

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 01:18:15

Nick, I think you are exaggerating a bit. My little league team was called the Broncos and we were a lot worse than these guys. We could even complete a simple hitch route to our running back. Oh wait. Maybe you are on to something.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 01:17:56

Sooooo, if we continue to play Orton regardless of how the team plays (rather than playing Tebow), then can we expect a half full Invesco Field?

That&#8217ll be fun for the players (sarcasm)

Posted by Orange and Blue on 2010-12-13 01:16:34

And Ayers with the forced fumble!

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 01:16:07

DJ!

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 01:15:17

This is the worst bronco team ever.

I&#8217m literally embarrassed.

Posted by NickCast on 2010-12-13 01:14:52

Oh well, kudos to the defense for at least not quitting, as opposed to their offensive mates. A turnover - woot!

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:14:24

IMO, Champ and Dawkins deserve a ring. That&#8217s all I can say on the matter.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 01:13:08

This is embarassing.

Kyle Orton is getting upstaged by a rookie 5th round pick who has never played a football game before. He didn&#8217t even know the playbook till this week.

There is no reason as to why Tebow should not be in this game. ZERO.

Posted by NickCast on 2010-12-13 01:12:19

Or as our host just tweeted, &#8220franchise Champ. Why would he stay otherwise?

As for QB, I think Tebow will need that week to prepare at least (or Quinn, though fans don&#8217t want that). So while a play here or there today would be worth a shot, to actually be the guy, TT needs that week of prep. Hope fans understand that.

But hey, that would be a reason for me to go watch them play the Raiders here. Was gonna skip it otherwise.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:11:38

I feel bad for Studesville. It&#8217s sort of like taking over captain of the Titanic right after they ignored that last ice warning and lit the last boiler.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 01:10:07

Broncos literally can&#8217t buy a break either. That was a catch. Eff the refs and eff the cruel goblins that have cursed this team.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:08:46

gotta be the bottom when j. feely beats you singlehandedly&#8230

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 01:08:31

Looks like catch from one angle, not so much from another. Can&#8217t tell.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 01:07:41

Agreed, Bob. I wouldn&#8217t blame him if he gives up and leaves. I think it will depend in his case on who is coming in, on the regime change, on if he feels team is finally headed in right direction. While he may not have that much left himself as a CB, he could still be useful at safety, and either way is still so valuable. Will be hard to lose him, and I&#8217m sure Bowlen and co. know that fans will be upset if they do. But Champ surely wants to test the waters or see where Denver is heading first.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:07:10

I wish we had 22 Jay Feelys playing for us. Wait make that 21. I don&#8217t think he could outcover Champ, but I be it would be close.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 01:07:04

may as well challenge it. what else could go wrong?

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 01:06:44

I wish Jay Feely was on my fantasy football team.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 01:04:19

@underdog: At this rate, I would not be surprised if Bailey leaves. The only thing that will keep him in Denver, IMO, is if he is convinced that Bowlen and Ellis have a plan put together to bring the team back to respectability and into a playoff contender. At the rate things are going, I wouldn&#8217t expect a Super Bowl trip in the next few years, but Bailey might be convinced to return if he believes there is a plan in place to get the team back in the right direction. If not, he&#8217s likely headed elsewhere.

Exception: If a new CBA is agreed to late in the offseason and there&#8217s no free agency as a result. I&#8217m not entirely certain how free agency would work if, for example, a new CBA is not completed until July or August.

Posted by Bob Morris on 2010-12-13 01:03:22

that was the worst quarter of football i can remember; champ aside.

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 01:02:04

The defense really has been generally doing its job. Like last week, it&#8217s the offense that has been the real culprit, beyond bad. Not giving the D much of a break throughout the game.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:59:18

I will say one thing: Those who believed that firing McD midseason would light a spark under the Broncos have been proven wrong. They look even more disorganized today, even as certain players are playing hard.

Posted by Bob Morris on 2010-12-13 00:58:25

Don&#8217t. Mess. With. The. Champ.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 00:57:19

OK, this is the argument against medical marijuana&#8230.....

Posted by Doc Bear on 2010-12-13 00:56:58

Banana apparently is what my iPhone likes to call our LDE.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:56:16

Oh joy another turnover! I swear it&#8217s contagious. Is everyone stoned? I mean I love Knowshon but seriously.

At least Champ is still playing his heart out. I hope he comes back.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:55:52

shoot me. i just &#8220plodded.&#8221

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 00:54:59

On a positive note, our coaching staff looks rather spiffy in their business casual, collard shirt look.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:54:40

Looks like Orton is okay to come back in. I can feel your excitement from here.

Btw, who is Banana?

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:54:11

Heh, my girlfriend has already given up on the game and gone to bed. Can&#8217t blame her, to be honest. I don&#8217t feel as confident in this team as before.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 00:53:55

Doc, I&#8217d guess playing the Cardinals D is a bit different than playing against the Patriots D. lol

Posted by jtomasik on 2010-12-13 00:53:03

Tebow will get his first 4th quarter comeback

Posted by NDbronco on 2010-12-13 00:52:23

OB27, they&#8217ve definitely been ploding and plodding, both.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:52:01

Banana looked like a wild man on that play. I really like him.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:51:20

One thing is clear - the coaches for Denver have lost control of this game.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2010-12-13 00:50:14

Bannan has played well. not many stats, but that dude is relentless.

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 00:49:51

Yikes. Defense is starting to implode. Maybe explode. Some sort of ploding is going on.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:49:43

True on the generic coaching, JH. Worse still - Orton gets open, he has to call for someone to come back on a curl, dig or any underneath route - they only needed 3 yards. But Graham finally bailed him out and then dropped the pass. It&#8217s not an excuse for Orton, who&#8217s having a horrible game, but the team is also killing him when he does make a play. This is pretty awful.

Now Orton&#8217s hurt - well, we&#8217ll see Tebow.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2010-12-13 00:47:43

warm up timmy&#8230.

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 00:47:42

@ orange and blue: If we had a TE that could caych a football!

Posted by jayrockstone on 2010-12-13 00:46:56

Oops, sorry for double post, the page change seemed to make my comment disappear.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:45:50

Game ball to Colquitt and decker so far&#8230where&#8217d the offense go these last two weeks?

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-13 00:45:29

McD (*and* Xanders it should be added) brought in some very good players, too. They brought in some questionable ones as well. They should be criticized for the guys who aren&#8217t cutting it, and they should be ultimately given some credit for bringing in some good players both through FA and the draft who will help this team in the future long after anyone cares about either McD or (the likely departing) Xanders. I am excited about guys like D Thomas, Decker, Walton, Beadles, Squid, Vickerson, was less excited by guys like Daniels, and some of the mediocrity on defense. But the cupboard is not as bare as these games make it appear. What they need starts at the top and works it&#8217s way down throughout the coaching staff.

And you also get drop balls and dumb mistakes from guys who should know better (e.g., Graham right there, Buckhalter too often this year, etc).

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:44:48

Graham over the last several weeks has dropped a lot of balls. I don&#8217t remember him having the drops like this before.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:43:51

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:42:58

Really don&#8217t know why we aren&#8217t trying Tebow. Seems like the natural decision at this point. Almost more difficult to keep Oron in.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:42:18

He didn&#8217t pick all the players. That&#8217s BS. All coaches have input. But I don&#8217t buy that he did absolutley everything in the franchise. After seeing the front office plans, the group deep-sixed him because someone needed to take the blame. He was the easiest target because the media was on him the most.

Take a close look at this game. Every game this season, the Broncos had a unique plan for the opponent. I don&#8217t see one here at all. I see generic coaching.

Posted by John Hilton on 2010-12-13 00:40:46

This has been tough to watch so far.

Posted by Joaquim Baeta on 2010-12-13 00:39:54

Yeah, AZ is dropping both safeties deep. Deep middle could be open if we had a TE who could run down the field.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:39:06

By the way, Cutler is 8 of 19, no TD and 1 int. Not as bad as Orton, but close.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2010-12-13 00:36:04

John Hilton

You said:

The talent on the team isn’t very good. Take away McD’s gameplanning, you get this.

Uh, this team was showing this problem for more than this game. The team has problems both on the field and on the sideline. McD chose the players, so if the talent stinks, then he&#8217s partially responsible for that as well.

Posted by jtomasik on 2010-12-13 00:35:33

Two bright spots..Moreno and Decker&#8230.Black spots Orton and this kicker

Posted by NDbronco on 2010-12-13 00:32:54

Is it me, or does the new punter look like Culter with the helmet over his eyes and the kind of pouty look?

Posted by Doc Bear on 2010-12-13 00:32:48

I miss Matt Prater. Hauschka is kicking more like Kafka.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:32:06

When it rains, it pours&#8230 when it pours, it keeps on pouring&#8230 and then it floods.

We have some young guys providing a spark (Syd&#8217Quan, Knowshon, Decker) but this has been an ugly game on offense and the defense can&#8217t do it all.

Posted by Bob Morris on 2010-12-13 00:30:49

I want the Broncos to draft a DL, a LB, and a CB early, is all I know. And with access to the best of them, I hope for good players. I also want a 2nd good RB and some OL depth.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:30:31

@underdog: Anybody we want if we keep playing like this.

Posted by c_style on 2010-12-13 00:26:22

In better news, Decker sure is looking good on returns. Even that first one that was called back.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:25:33

Orton is commanding this team like the Russian sub commander chasing &#8220Dallas&#8221 in Hunt for Red October.

Posted by Orange and Blue on 2010-12-13 00:25:14

I think we should draft another QB in the first round. I want to see three first rounders riding the bench. Two just isn&#8217t enough for this guy. Sorry, sarcasm is all I have at this point.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:25:09

Soooo&#8230 who will the Broncos have a shot at with their high draft pick?

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:22:21

Orton&#8217s coming back in. Maybe Tebow is missing a leg and the broncos don&#8217t want to tell anybody.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:21:47

The talent on the team isn&#8217t very good. Take away McD&#8217s gameplanning, you get this.

Posted by John Hilton on 2010-12-13 00:21:20

Stick Tebow in already. Try to use the game constructively. Orton is not a franchise QB. Might as well start working the one the organization thinks is the franchise QB.

Posted by jtomasik on 2010-12-13 00:20:45

Yeah, Orton looked pissed. Wish I could have read his lips. Looked like he said &#8220I saw that&#8221. Maybe Quinn flipped him off.

Posted by OrangeandBlue27 on 2010-12-13 00:19:54

Orton has the look of a guy about to be replaced by a Heisman Trophy winner.

Posted by TJ Johnson on 2010-12-13 00:14:42

I really feel bad for KO&#8230 I felt bad for Joe Shlabotnik, too. At some point, you just have to&#8230..

Posted by jayrockstone on 2010-12-13 00:12:28

I could care less what kind of look he has on his face, I read less into that than what he&#8217s doing with his arm, but there&#8217s no denying, Orton was undeniably good the first half of this season and has been rather bad since. While I don&#8217t believe in scapegoating him and have been a supporter, he has definitely been making poorer throws compared to earlier in the season. Not sure why, it&#8217s almost like his arm&#8217s tired. Really aggravating.

I do think it&#8217d at least be more fun to watch Tebow (maybe not as much Quinn) see time at this point but don&#8217t want to kick a dead horse.

Meanwhile, an awful lot of teams didn&#8217t show up today - strange. Bears, Packers, Bengals (not strange), Chiefs, Seahawks, etc. Man&#8230

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-13 00:11:34

One word: Pathetic. if not Tebow&#8230then play Quinn&#8230.I&#8217m sick of the stupid dumbfounded look on Orton&#8217s face

Posted by NDbronco on 2010-12-13 00:05:09

@69 underdog

Oh sure, blame Canada ! Hoser !

Posted by Jenna Talia on 2010-12-13 00:02:05

...we couldn&#8217t do diddly poo&#8230

Posted by jayrockstone on 2010-12-13 00:00:31

I&#8217m with the kids at Legoland today, but from the espn alerts coming into my phone, it sounds to me like McD was a horrible coach and deserved to be fired for winning 3 games with the incredible amount of talent on the team. (Yes, that was sarcasm)

Posted by DCJ on 2010-12-13 00:00:04

mercifully, the half comes to a close.

Posted by RalphW on 2010-12-12 23:59:50

Sadly, Ralph, the joke is very much on us.

Posted by Doc Bear on 2010-12-12 23:58:52

Of course he made that kick. The Broncos have been cursed guys, and for a long time. Might as well admit what they need is to first hire a Shaman.

Posted by underdog on 2010-12-12 23:58:31

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