…but definitely thought it was possible.

Shanahan is now 3-11 (I think) at Arrowhead and they are one of our main division rivalries; therefore, even if one team is good and one is bad it’s always a tough game.

How did it happen? 4 turnovers and 200+ rushing yards for the Chiefs.

I’d watch for a big game from DJ Williams our WILL LB and Boss Bailey or SAM Backer (good in coverage too).

Our biggest defensive advantage, I’d say, is the DBs v Griese. If Denver can manage to get a little pressure on Griese (big ’if’) then the DBs should fair pretty well.

On offense I think TB’s Secondary will have a very difficult task shutting down BMarsh and if they are able to then there is still Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley, or any of three pass threat TEs (Scheffler is probably the most dangerous in the passing game).

Tony Scheffler in this game, he is the ultimate “seam” threat, and should get a few looks against Tampa-2. Very dangerous.

As to defense, it is a crapshoot. Should you be worried about Dewayne Robertson, our most significant interior threat on the line, or will he be too hobbled to play? Will DJ be too busy dropping into zone to scare Griese with his inhuman speed and strength on the blitz? Will Champ be playing tight and causing trouble or will he be essentially playing the deep zone usually occupied by a safety while Griese complete’s 75% of his passes underneath? (every QB that has played us is over 70% completion this year… ugh)

How bout this? Watch out for Spencer Larsen, our backup MLB/FB, who may see a snap or two of regular duty but who should be feared on special teams. Two decapitations in two weeks on kick returners is something we expect to see a lot more of…

We are very excited with Pittman’s performance so far this year. He started as a primarily goal line and short yardage back but his role is consistently expanding. He has 4 TDs this year and that number should continue to increase. That trend should continue at least until we get rookie RB Ryan Torain back from an elbow injury. Shanahan is very excited about Torain and has said he hasn’t been around a RB that talented since Terrell Davis.

Lynch was good for us. He continued to hit hard and play strong against the run. He had become a clear liability in passing situation; therfore, the Broncos had reduced his role to obvious run situations. He was not happy with the reduced role and asked to be released from the Broncos. Many Broncos fans are somewhat bitter about him asking to be released. There are some who suspect that he didn’t think the Broncos could win a SB and wanted to be on a team he thought could (i.e. the Patriots or Chargers).

more than anything we miss his leadership. No one has stepped up to fill the void he left on the field when it comes to lining guys up and calling out those last second adjustments.

I am one of the few Brocnos fans who felt like he was a liability hitting players over the middle, his bread and butter his whole career. He just couldn’t do it anymore. But I would take him in coverage any day, which many fans were adamant agaisnt. His first step on a play was unreal, always right always authoritative. But without the necessary speed to compensate for the possibility of mistake, he got moved into the box, and he was at maybe 50% production there. It is a shame that he felt that he had better options elsewhere (which didn’t pan out), because it feels like he left the game by tossing the Broncos aside. That has been hard to digest completely, but in a way it makes sense: Lynch plays for Superbowls, nothing less. The Broncos failed to even look like a team for the last two years, and those two years were eseentially wasted for John.

Desperately miss the leadership though…

The two are obviously similiar in styles. Both have a strong arm and a tremendous abount of confidence. Both are deceptively fast and can create time in the pocket and make plays happen outside of the pocket. Honestly, Cutler is probably better than Elway was at this point in his career but he also has a far better supporting cast of players. I guess only time will tell.

For whatever reason, some teams are consistently better on one side of the ball than the other. I think TB has, in recent memory, been a defensive football team. The Broncos have been offensive. I think what causes that is a coaching staff that has a greater ability to spot talent on one side of the ball than the other. Not to mention the extra emphasis that a coaching staff brings to one side of the team. For whatever reason, the Broncos don’t seem to be able to identify good NFL talent or make moves that will benefit the defensive side of the ball for any significant period of time. The Broncos have drafted an unbelievable number of linemen, and acquired as FAs, that have not worked out. It’s a revolving door at Defensive line.

I think the last “up” period that you’re refering to was really Larry Coyer’s (the DC in 2006) afinity to rush 6-8 guys on any given play. The previous and current DCs (Bates and Slowik) don’t seem to emphasize the blitz nearly as much.

Nevertheless, Defensive line remains a major weakness on this Broncos team.

The best positive surprise has been rookie WR Edie Royal. The guy is amazing. He quickly moved to the starting WR position opposite Marshall in training camp and has never given anyway cause to look back.

The most negative would have to be the 2007 defensive line draft picks. The Bronocs selected Jarvis Moss, Tim Crowder, and Marcus Thomas in that draft and none of them has become the impact player the Broncos were looking for. Thomas (the lowest pick of the three) is the only one who is consistently starting and Moss and Crowder have been healthy scratches for several games this season. Moss did have a season ending injury early last season which hindered his development and Crowder has had injury issues as well. Either way, this group has not progressed anywhere near way the Broncos were hoping for.

but in a way he wasn’t. The real surprise was selecting him in the draft, but most fans realized right away that he was going to be special.

As far as worst surprise, while UM makes a good point with the linemen, I think the surprise is deeper than that: our defense has NO identity. Slowik was expected to be a high pressure disciple of Larry Coyer’s “man-show blitz” scheme, or at the very least a proponent of a a zone blitz scheme. But we have been…nothing. We have played 3-4, 4-3, we bring corner blitzes at the oddest times, our insanely good LB DJ Williams has been unfocused and used in the oddest ways. Our terrific tandem of man coverage corners have played deep and off, in these sickening zones where no pressure at all is generated on the ball. Mermaid makes a great point with the linemen: if we had pas rushers, a lot of people feel that this defense would look better, but it leaves open the question: It would look like a better WHAT? I hope it confuses other teams as much as it does us, but judging by KC’s performance against us, that isn’t the case.

It isn’t just an awful surprise: it is a freaking baffling mystery…

I’m thinking the Broncos will bounce back from last Sunday’s shocker at Arrowhead. The offense should return to its nearly unstopable self and the defense should be its normal can’t stop anyone self. I’m taking the Broncos 31-24.

the other team coming off a horrible loss, playing at home: motivation should be on our side.

But this game really looks like two similar teams: both are good, but are surrounded with doubts about how good. Both have should wons and shoulda losts in their recent past. Both are looking to put up a strong second quarter of the season in their hunts for a division.

27-13 Broncos, in a game that won’t look like it should…

fantastic fan to fan interaction…. great work Guru

when I was reading through the posts. Good stuff, pretty much nailed everything.

Wish it could have gone a little differently, but that’s the NFL for you… good luck the rest of the way!!