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GDT Game 15: Here come the Lions


AKRNA

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14 minutes ago, Joe_is_the_best said:

Just wanted to highlight the fact that we scored on 5 straight possessions after the PR TD (TD, FG, FG, TD, TD). The average drive length on those possessions was 62.6 yards. The last time our offense scored on 5 straight possessions was at the Texans. The time before that was Nov 9, 2014 at the Raiders (5 straight TD's). Other close ones were against the Packers in 2015 (5 scores in 6 possessions) and the Chargers in 2014 (5 TD's in 6 possessions).

I'm not going to act like Lock is a sure thing but we haven't had similar offensive streaks since PFM. If that's not encouraging, I don't know what is.

Agreed, I also cant help but notice how much this offense with Lock looks like the Jake Plummer days with all of the play action bootlegs. It looks like the offense the Broncos with Shannahan were known for. I dont think its ever going to lend itself to a bunch of gaudy 300+ yard 3 TD games from Lock--but it sure is a effective system

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Asked my mom to bake crow instead of turkey this holiday because I deserve some based on how Lock has looked so far. 

As vocal as I was in being confident he would not be an NFL player, I will not hold back from saying I was incorrect. At least so far. Never expected him to play this well, this quickly. The footwork and poise is night/day from preseason. He clearly has a drive to be good as that improvement only comes from working your tail off while on IR. The kid loves to play this game without going too far in the rah-rah-rah direction (Baker). Lock balances having pure, unadulterated fun and having a true competitive streak. Love that personality trait in a QB. 

One thing is for sure, there is finally some hope. As many people have been screaming since PFM, a competent QB raises the entire teams individual talent levels in a way that is not quantifiable really. Thats been clear on both sides of the ball these past few games. There is now direction heading into this offseason. Its going to be fun. 

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1 hour ago, AkronsWitness said:

Agreed, I also cant help but notice how much this offense with Lock looks like the Jake Plummer days with all of the play action bootlegs. It looks like the offense the Broncos with Shannahan were known for. I dont think its ever going to lend itself to a bunch of gaudy 300+ yard 3 TD games from Lock--but it sure is a effective system

I literally said that to @BroncosFan2010 that Lock had a Jake Plummer fit in this offense loln

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Building a team is a balancing act, but I would be thrilled if Denver went offense heavy this offseason.  Go out and spend a good chunk of money in FA on an interior OL.  Use a top 15 pick on an OT.  Use the 2nd on a WR and hit WR again in the 3rd round....the majority of the offense would be young and under contract for 3 years.  

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44 minutes ago, germ-x said:

Building a team is a balancing act, but I would be thrilled if Denver went offense heavy this offseason.  Go out and spend a good chunk of money in FA on an interior OL.  Use a top 15 pick on an OT.  Use the 2nd on a WR and hit WR again in the 3rd round....the majority of the offense would be young and under contract for 3 years.  

Saw a stat that Denver’s offensive average age is the youngest in the league

 

If Fant and Lock end up being the real deal, you have the QB, the TE mismatch, the #1 WR and decent RBs

Ive kinda come around on needing an RB upgrade Freeman hasn’t looked great lately

Need  to add some speed elements to the offense with a #2 WR, and obviously upgrades across the OL but there are pieces in this offense to be optimistic about 

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4 hours ago, BroncosFan2010 said:

Asked my mom to bake crow instead of turkey this holiday because I deserve some based on how Lock has looked so far. 

As vocal as I was in being confident he would not be an NFL player, I will not hold back from saying I was incorrect. At least so far. Never expected him to play this well, this quickly. The footwork and poise is night/day from preseason. He clearly has a drive to be good as that improvement only comes from working your tail off while on IR. The kid loves to play this game without going too far in the rah-rah-rah direction (Baker). Lock balances having pure, unadulterated fun and having a true competitive streak. Love that personality trait in a QB. 

One thing is for sure, there is finally some hope. As many people have been screaming since PFM, a competent QB raises the entire teams individual talent levels in a way that is not quantifiable really. Thats been clear on both sides of the ball these past few games. There is now direction heading into this offseason. Its going to be fun. 

Agreed.  I loved Lock as a prospect.  Was fine taking him at #10.  Then I saw him in training camp and I honestly can’t put into words how bad he was.  The best way I can put it is he was so bad I was feeling sorry for him that they continued to give him reps because he was embarrassing himself.

Again, he may not end up the long term answer, but he’s definitely the hands down starter going into 2020 and if he continues to build and improve he’s the long term answer for the next decade.

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4 hours ago, germ-x said:

Building a team is a balancing act, but I would be thrilled if Denver went offense heavy this offseason.  Go out and spend a good chunk of money in FA on an interior OL.  Use a top 15 pick on an OT.  Use the 2nd on a WR and hit WR again in the 3rd round....the majority of the offense would be young and under contract for 3 years.  

 

 
 
 
 
 
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3 hours ago, broncofan48 said:

Saw a stat that Denver’s offensive average age is the youngest in the league

 

If Fant and Lock end up being the real deal, you have the QB, the TE mismatch, the #1 WR and decent RBs

Ive kinda come around on needing an RB upgrade Freeman hasn’t looked great lately

Need  to add some speed elements to the offense with a #2 WR, and obviously upgrades across the OL but there are pieces in this offense to be optimistic about 

My only caveat - go young in FA.   Don't take shortcuts - our youth also means we don't need to try and fix all the holes (and we still have a lot).   Build through the draft, and get value in the mid-level, with guys who can help right away.    Elway rarely goes huge in the market for the top guys, so I don't expect this will change.   Brandon Scherff is technically a UFA, but I expect WAS will tag him.   Andrus Peat & Joe Thuney are the other names - I worry how much both are products of the system, and the guys/coaches around them.  I would not expect we will get any of them, TBH.   A guy who thrived in BAL, but struggled this year with Adam Gase in NYJ - Alex Lewis, could be that kind of fit.  The C FA class is frankly abysmal.

Honestly, though, my goal is simple - T, IOL, ILB & WR all get hit in Day 1-2.  The class is deep enough at all those positions that overall BPA likely fits if we are in the 10-12 spot.   Now, realizing no one outside the 1st & maybe 2nd round (depending on position) can make an immediate Week 1 impact - supplement it in FA for sure.  But going all-out in FA is a fool's errand, until a team is literally just 1-2 guys away from having a top 4-6 type team.  We're not that team.   

Either way, it's nice to have real hope.  We probably haven't been able to say that since 2015-16's offseason, TBH (and on a very different trajectory trying to stay relevant, rather than trying to leap up into relevance).   The best orgs stay patient, and continue the youth movement, until it's clear the leap to sustained contention is there.  We're a lot closer now than we were last year, but not quite yet.   It's definitely now something where we see the light getting closer though, instead of staying miles away on the horizon.

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To continue the above thoughts, if there's an area where FA could pay off handsomely - it's in the midlevel WR tier.

Guys like Amari Cooper & Robbie Anderson, I don't see hitting FA.   Coop is likely getting a tag / extension (Dak's getting a multi-year deal, bad for DAL in the long run, but owner Jones never walks away from extending his star guys, the investment in Dak/Coop/Zeke is going to cripple them long-term, but that's another discussion).   Anderson is likely now staying in NYJ with Darnold & he showing great chemistry.   A favorite of mine, Devante Parker, sadly got locked up - that was a great opp missed this past offseason (to be fair, 31 other teams missed out too).

If we look at guys who could help who also aren't going to cost a ton, and have great upside to give us verticality, 2 names really stand out:

-Philip Dorsett - 1st round pedigree, and also surprising very reliable in short stuff, gets everything thrown his way short-middle, but also can stretch D's.  NE made a massive mistake trading a 2nd for Sanu, and sitting him IMO.   It's really been bad for their O to have 3 guys who aren't burners to now be their main WR's (no choice with Josh Gordon, I get that, but going Sanu over Dorsett was a head-scratcher).

-Breshad Perriman - another 1st round talent, and great vertical threat.   Not a true elite guy, but fills the role, and has started to really come on late this year.   And yes, 4.3 40 abilities.  A potential steal at 6-8M AAV.

I would also want to give Juwann Winfree & Diontae Spencer a chance to see if either can win our 4th WR role, mainly to offer a vertical threat.    Hamilton & Patrick should absolutely be given a shot - but they're JAG's.   That's fine if they are our 4th-5th WR's, and offer ST help at a high level...but not guys we should be married to.  If they outplay the young guys, great.  But they should go into OTA's with very firm bullseyes on their roster spots, and certainly no locks to make the team.

To be absolutely clear, I would want us to draft at LEAST 1 WR in the first 2 rounds, and a 2nd in Rd 3-5 would be great too, but WR's take time as rookies.   So let's get a Perriman/Dorsett as the guy to stretch D's, while Sutton remains the Batman - and let the rookies develop.   I have no problem with Hamilton & Patrick as our 4th/5th guys, and Spencer as our 6th (with ST abilities)....but the vets shouldn't be safe, if we get 3+ new faces in FA/draft, either, or if Spencer/Winfree makes the leap to being viable top 3-4 WR weapons (to be clear, still only about a 20-25 percent probability at best to be a top 3-4 guy - but they're basically free shots now next offseason, so why not see what we have then, especially since Spencer is likely a fixture for his return abilities).

Edited by Broncofan
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30 minutes ago, Counselor said:

I want Devonta Smith. I think he is going to be special 

I agree he'd be a fantastic Rd2 target - overlooked.  FWIW reports are that he's leaning to returning (apparently so is Tua, which is a crazy decision, but that's for another thread).  So gotta see if he declares first.

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22 hours ago, lomaxgrUK said:

The Lions secondary is abysmal outside of Slay, so you have to take everything with a pinch of salt, but I am really excited about Drew Lock. The arm talent was always going to be there but I love the way he's developed the progression with his eyes.

Young QBs going through their reads from within the pocket is usually a very good indicator on how they will cope down the line so that is incredibly pleasing.

It seemed to me that Lock was under duress far more than 0 sacks would indicate so I will go back and look if I can on how I felt they played. It definitely felt better when Rodgers came in, but I don't know if we were chipping to help him.

Love the way the guys seem to be rallying around Drew. I think the Cutler comparisons from a personality standpoint are off; he's got swagger but he doesn't come across as arrogant in my opinion. Hopefully that doesn't change.

Always love your posts George. Help me out here a bit. Within a few weeks my net provider tells me I can get the "all 22/gameday pass", Just not yet,

I really want your impression of our OL. You get a great view bud. Won't bother me a bit if your take is different than mine, Just curious what pieces we have to build on.

I'm thinking the entire left side and center could be fine. Could be Rodgers and Schlottman could be legit depth, Sure wish I had the "all 22". That's gotta be fun.

Merry Christmas ! Enjoy the season.

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12 hours ago, germ-x said:

Building a team is a balancing act, but I would be thrilled if Denver went offense heavy this offseason.  Go out and spend a good chunk of money in FA on an interior OL.  Use a top 15 pick on an OT.  Use the 2nd on a WR and hit WR again in the 3rd round....the majority of the offense would be young and under contract for 3 years.  

As long as it is smart and the money is heavy in early years when we can afford, I agree with this.

Not to mention, our Head Coach is making Chicken Salad out of Chicken S**t right now on the defensive side of the ball. Not enough people are saying how good we are considering how banged up we are. Coach Fangio has shown clear weakness in terms of in game management, but this Defense has been excellent all things considered.

4 hours ago, AKRNA said:

Always love your posts George. Help me out here a bit. Within a few weeks my net provider tells me I can get the "all 22/gameday pass", Just not yet,

I really want your impression of our OL. You get a great view bud. Won't bother me a bit if your take is different than mine, Just curious what pieces we have to build on.

I'm thinking the entire left side and center could be fine. Could be Rodgers and Schlottman could be legit depth, Sure wish I had the "all 22". That's gotta be fun.

Merry Christmas ! Enjoy the season.

Only just watched the first half my man. Lindsay left some big yards on the field in those first 3 drives. It can be hard to gauge an OL with our scheme at times unless it's a straight, drop back pass. The opposition isn't great either. Wilkinson is playing hurt, no doubt about it. He's so heavy footed and he's a better athlete than what he's put on tape.

Bolles' hold was a legit call though mate. He got smoked to the inside and pulled his guy back. He also just let a guy go 2 snaps later when Lock nearly ran for the 1st, but I think McGovern may have snapped it early because none of the OL got into their stance when the ball was snapped.

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I think maybe my favourite bit from the entire 1st half was near mid way through the 2nd quarter. The Lions, in their eternal wisdom, left their TE 1v1 with Von on a 1st down play action throw. Von beat him to the inside within half a second and got a free shot on the QB (he just about got rid of it for an incomplete pass). The next play, they run the ball and leave the exact same TE 1v1 again. Von stuffs it for no gain.

Like, seriously - these guys get paid MILLIONS to call plays and someone actually says, "sure, let's leave the All Pro with our no name, 240lbs TE for TWO plays in a row". Bad, bad, bad.

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