Broncos Film Review - 2020 Season

[lomaxgrUK]

I thought it would be a good idea for everyone to collate their general performance thoughts for the season in one thread.

It also helps me to easily refer back to previous notes! It looks like us Europeans have finally got access to the All 22 for last week, so hopefully I will get some notes up today.

If anyone has any requests upon the conclusion of a game, stick them in here and I will try my best to have a look out.

Edited September 18, 2020 by lomaxgrUK

[lomaxgrUK]

1st Quarter Notes

* The Titans 3 WR, 1 TE personnel is HUGE. AJ Brown and Corey Davis look like they could play TE ...
* Ojemudia going outside when we go to Nickel, Callahan going inside
* Chubb beat Lewan on his first pass rush, and to the outside too. Good to see
* Jones the first DE off the bench, Reed the first OLB
* Really solid first possession by our D. Very stout upfront (Purcell, Harris in particular) and two wins for Chubb in pass rush against Lewan (including 3rd down pressure that forced bad throw to get off the field)

* Nice job by Fant on the first PA play. Let's Clowney make an inside move, knowing the PA roll is taking Lock away from Clowney
* Butt is the first TE in to spell Fant
* Re: our first 3rd down - we got beat on play call. We've got Jeudy from the slot on a Sluggo up the sideline, and Hamilton on a skinny post from the same side of the field. It's a win by Jeudy and he's got separation. The problem is, there is no deep route on the other side of the field so the single high Safety (Titans in Cover 1 man) can stay on top of both Jeudy and Hamilton. See below.

If a skinny post is ran from the opposite side of the field, the single high safety can't cheat and therefore Lock can put more air under the ball. That said, it's a poor overthrow by Lock. He had to reset his feet a little to the same side of the play which cut his angle off for the pass a tad. Good pass pro vs a blitz and a lot of disguise shown upfront.

* Poor coverage by Callahan on the next drive, allowing big completion to Davis. Got to play more aggressive than that when you're a two deep Safety coverage. Free release across the field, trailing by at least 3 yards.
* Simmons then gives up another chunk play. Good switch from Bouye to Simmons, but Simmons stops his feet at the top of the route. Can probably do that with a top end pass rush; we don't have one of those. Easy separation across the QBs face
* First play Walker is in, he ends up 7 yards downfield thanks to Lewan
* Fantastic read by Johnson as the Titans call the same play but PA instead of run. Johnson reads it all the way, goes straight for the QB and forces the incompletion
* Bassey in before Harris when we go to Dime. Interesting

* Titans moving Clowney everywhere. Moved him to OLB in a 4-3, but attacking straight over Glasgow and the latter got his butt kicked. No gain on the run
* Drew can't be leaving the pocket below. Makes a 8 yard play out of it, but that is a totally clean pocket vs a 3 man rush (Clowney very late to align as well). Have to stay in there and let something develop

* Real nice blocking downfield by Glasgow in space on the Lindsay draw. Good effort by Hamilton and Butt too (the latter got punched on that play)
* Butt whiffs his block the next play ...
* Depends on your personality type when evaluating the TD  throw. I am a bit too traditional for that play. It's so dangerous and you're in the redzone. However, some would say he's got the physical talent and, he may have recognised the defender covering Fant had his back to Lock so couldn't make a play on the ball
 

 

 

 

[lomaxgrUK]

2nd quarter notes

* first pancake spotting of the new season. Glasgow pancaked Simmons on a zone block
* Nice play by Lock to escape Clowney pressure on 3rd down (swatted Risner off him like a fly). Completed the short pass for a 1st. Gordon fumbled the next play

* Chubb beats Lewan inside with ease on a run play but misses the 1v1 tackle on Henry in the backfield. Would've been 3 yard loss, became 1 yard gain
* 3rd and 6, Attaochu jumped offside. Huge play. Titans have failed on 3rd and long both times thus far in the game, becomes 3rd and 1 with Henry rumbling inside the 5. It was Attaochu who lost contain. Shame because he's had a good 1st Q
* Miscommunication on the TD to the TE. Simmons originally on Pruitt, but the motion comes and Simmons gestures to Jackson to come over and take the TE. Attaochu can't keep Pruitt on the LOS and it's a heck of a catch

* Again, Lock struggling with pocket manipulation. Look at the pocket below - that is perfect in the NFL. Just step into the void that #90 has given you, and make an accurate throw. Instead, Drew takes a weird jump step and throws an inaccurate ball to Butt (who should've still caught it). You can see Bolles got away with a hold. No need for it - he had Clowney run a really deep arc. Just let him go by, man

* Excellent pass pro across the board on 3rd down again. Great jab by Bolles right in the chest of Clowney. Stoned him
* Love the play design with Lindsay and Gordon in the game. Creates real confusion amongst the coverage, gives Lindsay a free run across the middle for an easy pitch and catch for 10+
* Simmons beat Risner baddddd on the 1st attempt inside the 5. Stopped a TD. Cushenberry, who has been very impressive, created some lane that close to the goal line
* The pressure that prevented the easy throw to Vannett was absolutely not Bolles' fault. It's on Drew. Look at the first photo below and think where Drew should move his feet once he realises the first option to his right isnt there. Then, look at the second photo and where he threw the ball from. Bolles must've thought he had an unreal rep to get his man 12 yards deep from the LOS ...

* Two very nice stands by the Titans to stop the TD. Their LB core is excellent against the run

* Simmons bites hard on the PA and allows an easy completion for a 25 yard gain. Nowhere near enough time for our pass rush to get home
* What a mess on 3rd and 6. Firsker (backup TE) aligns in a bunch set inside and behind Humphries (slot WR). We have Jewell and Callahan in man coverage, and the Titans run a simple levels concept in that they have matching routes on different levels. For some reason, we switch Jewell onto Humphries who obviously separates for an easy completion. It's easy to rag on Simmons for recognising late with his help, but he has to stay on top of his half of the field; he can't drive on the mismatch straight away
* Pass rush has disappeared now. Getting tired
* ... and the next play we send a 6 man blitz but with coverage playing 10 yards off. Easiest pass and catch you will see for 15 yards
 

Positives from the 1st half:

* OL looked solid. Stayed out of 3rd and long which protected us, but we've given up very few clean wins and we've had some nice push in the run game, even if the rushing numbers didn't show it. Cushenberry was the standout for me, given he's a rookie. Bolles didn't let Clowney ruin the game so give him credit.
* When in rhythm, the Offense as a whole was clicking. Like what Drew can do with his legs, his ability to throw whilst moving to his right and also when running forward
* Defense looked really, really stout against the run. Purcell was the stand out, a couple of backfield hits for Casey and Kareem Jackson disrupts the run game as well as any DB in the NFL, for me.
* Alexander Johnson is brilliant when going forwards. He has a nose for the football and is so physicalat the point of attack

Negatives from the 1st half:

* Sloppy plays on Offense cost us. Details show up in the redzone, so missed blocks and poor QB footwork means points left on the board. Fumble led to 7 points
* Pass rush began to tire because of total lack of depth. Would love to see Attaochu's snap count in that 1st half. Looked like he played every snap
* Mental mistakes from Justin Simmons made him look a bit silly twice. Didn't see that at all last year
 

[BroncoSojia]

I know it's one game, but Drew Lock has me worried. Listening the Cover2Broncos podcast, (via Mile High Report) they outlined a lot of issues with him, including some of the things you brought up. 

Bad pocket presence, lack of anticipation, not being able to see the entire field, bad deep ball accuracy, etc. His best plays came when Shurmur had him only look at one guy, or when he scrambled out of the pocket. He needs to play better if we have any chance of having a successful season. 

BTW, I'm getting annoyed at how other teams have rookie QBs that come in and hit the ground running, while we're stuck watching garbage. Something needs to change.

[lomaxgrUK]

9 minutes ago, BroncoSojia said:

I know it's one game, but Drew Lock has me worried. Listening the Cover2Broncos podcast, (via Mile High Report) they outlined a lot of issues with him, including some of the things you brought up. 

Bad pocket presence, lack of anticipation, not being able to see the entire field, bad deep ball accuracy, etc. His best plays came when Shurmur had him only look at one guy, or when he scrambled out of the pocket. He needs to play better if we have any chance of having a successful season. 

BTW, I'm getting annoyed at how other teams have rookie QBs that come in and hit the ground running, while we're stuck watching garbage. Something needs to change.

To be fair, of the things you've mentioned I would say the deep ball accuracy and pocket movement concern me. Not so sure about the other stuff. There aren't many Mahomes' and Jackson's that ever grace this earth. They possess traits that are so unique, that comparing your QB to them is pointless.

I still like where he's at given the amount of games he's played. The thing with Drew (and this Offense in general) is that they have to understand how fine the margins are in the NFL. This team isn't talented enough to make the kind of mistakes we're making. You can't drop multiple snaps in a half. You can't fumble inside your 20. You can't have dropped balls for 1st downs. You can't have 1st and goal from the 4 and not come away with 7 (or any) points. We need to be clinical, and that is so difficult when you have a QB with 6 pro starts and young players across the board.

We just have to be patient. Like I said, I think Lock is still ahead of the curve but he's got a LOT to work on. 

[Broncofan]

5 hours ago, BroncoSojia said:

I know it's one game, but Drew Lock has me worried. Listening the Cover2Broncos podcast, (via Mile High Report) they outlined a lot of issues with him, including some of the things you brought up. 

Bad pocket presence, lack of anticipation, not being able to see the entire field, bad deep ball accuracy, etc. His best plays came when Shurmur had him only look at one guy, or when he scrambled out of the pocket. He needs to play better if we have any chance of having a successful season. 

BTW, I'm getting annoyed at how other teams have rookie QBs that come in and hit the ground running, while we're stuck watching garbage. Something needs to change.

 

5 hours ago, lomaxgrUK said:

To be fair, of the things you've mentioned I would say the deep ball accuracy and pocket movement concern me. Not so sure about the other stuff. There aren't many Mahomes' and Jackson's that ever grace this earth. They possess traits that are so unique, that comparing your QB to them is pointless.

I still like where he's at given the amount of games he's played. The thing with Drew (and this Offense in general) is that they have to understand how fine the margins are in the NFL. This team isn't talented enough to make the kind of mistakes we're making. You can't drop multiple snaps in a half. You can't fumble inside your 20. You can't have dropped balls for 1st downs. You can't have 1st and goal from the 4 and not come away with 7 (or any) points. We need to be clinical, and that is so difficult when you have a QB with 6 pro starts and young players across the board.

We just have to be patient. Like I said, I think Lock is still ahead of the curve but he's got a LOT to work on. 

I'd actually echo @lomaxgrUK 's point that deep ball accuracy is the major issue from week 1.    His ability to sense pressure, and move around to buy time, and get the ball out before pressure gets there, was actually a plus in my books.   And it was there last year, too.   

His footwork when pressured, and his deep ball work, are the 2 flags I still see.   Remember I was a major skeptic about his 1st-round price, and even at Rd2, I wasn't of the mind that he was for sure our QBOTF (but the price made it palatable, especially when we didn't pass on Risner, but instead moved up from later in Rd2).    Maybe he's just a league-average QB, but his progress so far actually encourages me.     We have to remind ourselves, this is now 6 games in, with no preseason games.   

It seems a lazy comp, but calling him a smarter, more dedicated version of Cutler isn't far off.    I'd only say he shows way more heart than Cutler did, and I think his ability to sense pressure and get the ball out is a strength, not a weakness (unlike Cutler, who took way too many sacks not sensing when backside pressure was coming after holding on to the ball for 3.5+ secs).

Edited September 18, 2020 by Broncofan

[AnAngryAmerican]

Terrific analysis as always, George. 

I’m a little more generous with Lock than you guys are. I think we have to look at him in context in that he’s very inexperienced, in a brand new offense, with a bunch of new players or rookies in key roles and didn’t have a preseason. A lot of the mistakes I saw the other night just looked like experience issues. I didn’t see any fundament flaws, or at least glaring ones. 

[grizmo78]

Love this and thanks for sharing! Especially loving the still shots showing important issues. I'm somewhat surprised to see Lock's lack of understanding of how to manipulate the pocket given how few sacks he has taken throughout his 6 games (5 for those counting). Typically I would associate drifting and poor pocket awareness with high sack totals and riskier passes but so far he has limited both. Might be a small sample size and he just has gotten lucky but curious what your assessment is of why the difference between the two. 

Also, I'm sure you are looking at so many things on any given play, but would love to hear about how Fant's blocking has looked. On Defense, it seems Ojemudia had a fantastic game and curious if that was true via all-22 film. Next year we are really going to need our young Dlineman to develop as Harris is a FA and Casey is only getting older so also wondering how Dre'mont Jones looked, specifically against the run. 

Lastly, I know Simmons has gotten lots of flack for the game, but in my mind, I saw Jewell biting too hard on PA and not getting back deep enough to eliminate passing lanes. His run defense looked solid but i wouldn't be ready to call him our long term starter. He did seem to fill the Todd Davis role pretty well at a fraction of the price though.

[germ-x]

Good stuff @lomaxgrUK. 

[lomaxgrUK]

10 hours ago, grizmo78 said:

Love this and thanks for sharing! Especially loving the still shots showing important issues. I'm somewhat surprised to see Lock's lack of understanding of how to manipulate the pocket given how few sacks he has taken throughout his 6 games (5 for those counting). Typically I would associate drifting and poor pocket awareness with high sack totals and riskier passes but so far he has limited both. Might be a small sample size and he just has gotten lucky but curious what your assessment is of why the difference between the two. 

Also, I'm sure you are looking at so many things on any given play, but would love to hear about how Fant's blocking has looked. On Defense, it seems Ojemudia had a fantastic game and curious if that was true via all-22 film. Next year we are really going to need our young Dlineman to develop as Harris is a FA and Casey is only getting older so also wondering how Dre'mont Jones looked, specifically against the run. 

Lastly, I know Simmons has gotten lots of flack for the game, but in my mind, I saw Jewell biting too hard on PA and not getting back deep enough to eliminate passing lanes. His run defense looked solid but i wouldn't be ready to call him our long term starter. He did seem to fill the Todd Davis role pretty well at a fraction of the price though.

Appreciate the kind words (and everyone else's).

Re: Jewell - he was in man coverage twice on Humphries, a slot WR in the first half. That just ain't going to work ... 

I didn't see any huge issues with LB depth off PA, but your LBs have to play going forward against the Titans. If Tannehill beats you, fair enough. But you can't let Henry rumble for 150+ so I can't blame our LBs even if they do get caught to close to the LOS.

Will get 2nd half notes up today.

Edited September 19, 2020 by lomaxgrUK

[thebestever6]

I was super impressed with Lock in the pocket minus the fumbles. 

Especially the rate in which he gets the football out and his mid level throws are soooo accurate.

Those angles were cool too see guess he did take too deep of a drop in the pocket.

This game truly is a game of inches lol. If Lock completed that gimme drag route to Vannett, the deep throw to Hamilton, and Royce gets in from the one instead of going down a yard short. All very make able plays he has a stat line of over 300 yards passing and 4 tds this is without his best weapon keep in mind. 

That's MVP convo numbers I thought the line held up very well in pass protection just was super bad in the run game hate the misdirection bs it's not working. Also after watching cleveland I really miss Jano lol.

 

Simmons on defense definitely had his worse game as a Bronco from biting on the run too missing the TD coverage on Smith he was just terrible. Definitely makes you pause on whether or not to extend him.

 

I'm super encouraged by Lock I think he needs to clean up some things but looked more encouraging than anyone since Manning.

It's a shame we loss Von the lack of pass rush really inhibits our chance to make the post season. Tannehill got way more comfortable as the game progressed.

As a whole I'm super disappointed in the offense that they couldn't produce a three minute clock killing drive and Melvin Gordon killed our momentum with that fumble jeez.

[lomaxgrUK]

Some general 3rd Q notes

* Probably the most pivotal drive of the game, our 2nd drive of the 2nd half, we had two protection errors on our first two plays that put us in 3rd and 13. The first was a run play whereby the DE is designed to be unblocked and Fant comes across the formation on a Trap block. Bad play, as the DE goes straight into the backfield without hesitation, hitting Gordon 3 yards deep in the backfield. The 2nd play is a failure to recognise the need for a protection slide to the left, leaving Clowney unblocked and the play goes for a 2 yard loss.
* 3rd and 13 Lock throws into triple coverage when he has Hamilton wide open. Tough one for a young QB, because you are taught not to be late over the middle on 3rd and long.
* Titans ability to get into 3rd and very short, and with having Henry in the backfield, means we have to play our base 3-4 on 3rd down. Twice they have then got Malik Reed on a TE as a result, and then thrown at him for a first down (both times)
* Does anyone have access to snap counts? Purcell has played wayyyyyy too many. Really started to tire down the stretch
* Titans persistence with the run halted our pass rush. Tannehill able to complete those short passes because of the time he has to throw
* Jones playing a lot of DT in 4 man fronts to sub for Casey or Harris. Struggling against the run
* I like Bassey. Good instincts, moves well and is aggressive in the run game
* Humphries and Tannehill are very impressive against zone coverage. Clear connection there
* Pass rush (lack thereof) killed us all quarter. Malik Reed has done nothing all game in that regard
 

[BroncoBruin]

I had to keep reminding myself Bassey was 34. More of a safety number and he brought the physicality of a box safety a few times. 

[lomaxgrUK]

Before I start my notes, I would definitely recommend people watching these videos - https://thednvr.com/the-turning-point-how-denvers-inability-to-change-protections-cost-them-the-game-and-their-quarterback/

They are obviously far more detailed and far more intricate than mine, given Mike McChesney played in the NFL!

[lomaxgrUK]

1st quarter notes

- The first throw of the game to Sutton is an incredibly accurate throw considering how poor Drew's footwork is. He has a clean pocket to step into, but he just drifts backwards and sideways, yet still makes a perfect throw

- Have to hit throw above. Look at all of the space. That's Jeudy coming across the middle of the field, full speed with only a LB underneath. Lock throws it behind Jeudy, incomplete
- Nice backside seal by Bolles to spring Gordon for 7
- Already seen Jeudy out of the slot twice in 3 passing plays
- Actually a really good start in pass pro on the 1st possession. On 2nd and 12, Steelers move TJ Watt over Cushenberry, who pancakes Watt
- Hard to know who's at fault for the LB blitz getting home to force a punt. It's a miscommunication between Freeman and Wilkinson, but is it on them, or does Drew call the protections? Does Cushenberry?

- Oh mannnn. 2nd Offensive possession, Vince Williams gives Cushenberry a 'welcome to the NFL' moment on a zone run. He just steam rolls Cushenberry straight to the deck. Tuitt does the same to Glasgow on the same play, and we somehow get 3 yards with 4 men on the deck at the LOS. That's one of the most physical defensive snaps I have seen for a long time
- Go to the link I posted earlier for a breakdown of who was at fault for Lock getting injured

- Some sloppy mental mistakes on the Steelers 2nd Offensive drive by our D. Attaochu doesn't feel the crosser when in zone coverage leading to a 20 yard gain, then DreMont Jones gets fooled by the Draw play leaving his gap wide open for a 9 yard run. Have to keep your eyes on the ball in the backfield
- Perfect trail technique by Ojemudia on his dropped INT in the endzone. Used the back of the endzone as a defender, and is right there. You simply HAVE to make that play
- I like the aggression to make a play, but it's a bad read by Bassey that leads to Smith-Schuster taking it inside the 5. He feels the LT pulling for the screen, but he has to play with outside leverage and he doesn't; he crashes inside. Force the ball carrier back in field where your teammates are. Again, I like him coming up trying to make a play; just a rookie read unfortunately
- Some pretty ordinary goal line D to give up the score. Poor leverage from Jewell when attacking the LOS. Got to play with more aggression and play a lot lower when attacking the LOS at the goal line than that

- Chase Claypool is a MONSTER on kickoff coverage. Man. He is so quick, so strong.

- You can tell how well coached this Steelers defense is. Great communication against motion, and their DBs are excellent in run support thus far
- That's a hell of a throw by Driskel on his first attempt. Man in his face, delivers a strike to Jeudy for 20 yards on the crosser (from the slot again). Really impressive snap by Bolles. Dupree jumps the count, beats Bolles initially but Bolles resets and overpowers Dupree. Risner gave up the QB hit. Not the greatest couple of minutes for him
- Love seeing Hamler on the sweep. Flying when at full speed; poor cut though and Fitzpatrick tackles him in the open field. Would've liked to see Hamler make him miss with that much open field, really

- Poor read by Gordon, here. He has to cut this ball inside with TJ Watt being sealed off to the inside by Glasgow. Would've allowed Risner to seal his 2nd level block too. Big play missed but another excellent DB run support play on D by the Steelers. Bad, bad rep for Vennett. Stuffed for a 2 yard loss

- Jeudy not on the field for 3rd and 3. Umm ... What? Hamilton is in there though. Great. It's a good pocket again, but nothing to throw to. Would've loved to see Driskel pick a lane and run for it. Definitely was an option to do so

- Dreadful Punt. Net 30 yards