Week 1 GDT: Broncos at Seahawks

[IdigtheRaiders!]

4 hours ago, AnAngryAmerican said:

Says a guy whose team is coached by Josh McDaniels…

     Josh McDaniels didn't lose to Geno Smith.

[AnAngryAmerican]

Just now, IdigtheRaiders! said:

     Josh McDaniels didn't lose to Geno Smith.

Give it time. 

[Broncofan]

About 8 hours later than it should have been but it’s a start.   Hope he apologized to the team in practice / meetings today.  

[broncos_fan _from _uk]

We knew that there would be a transition period (typically about 6 games for the shanahan offense). We knew that there would be rust. We knew that there would be some growing pains as the timing between Russ and his receivers got worked out (there were some terribly under/over thrown balls).

 

all of this was compounded by the starters not playing any preseason games.

despite how embarrassing last night was, I still feel better about this team than I did after a 3-0 start last season. Let’s see if I’m right.

[Broncofan]

13 minutes ago, broncos_fan _from _uk said:

We knew that there would be a transition period (typically about 6 games for the shanahan offense). We knew that there would be rust. We knew that there would be some growing pains as the timing between Russ and his receivers got worked out (there were some terribly under/over thrown balls).

 

all of this was compounded by the starters not playing any preseason games.

despite how embarrassing last night was, I still feel better about this team than I did after a 3-0 start last season. Let’s see if I’m right.

That 3-0 start was such a mirage.   Yes, SEA is a bottom 5 team, but we basically did enough to win last year - but as it turns out, the O played to its max potential there.   We took the L, but dominated in the areas that are more likely to carry over.

Last night, the O only scratched the surface of its potential - with Turner out, and Meinerz leaving early, and the total lack of chemistry/gelling as a unit.   And that D's 1H gameplan was atrocious with putting our EDGE's in coverage, and having the CB's (including PS2) play off coverage.

The ST's, ILB play and the coaching issues are truly legit concerns.   But our O performance despite lack of cohesion and OL chemistry, and the D (other than ILB), their ceiling is massive compared to last year's units.   The coaching will need to be miles better to realize this, though.   But that's way more fixable than lack of talent.

So yeah, I'm on board too.   It sucks to be 0-1 to a clearly less talented team, but Week 1 variance is massive.   SF, CIN and TEN are all thinking the same thing.    This is a must-win game though as @BroncoBruin mentioned.   No two ways about it.

Mason's post about how crazy last night was needs reposting.   It's such a unicorn outcome, even though we made so many mistakes to get there.

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Broncofan

[Broncofan]

41 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

About 8 hours later than it should have been but it’s a start.   Hope he apologized to the team in practice / meetings today.  

Ugh the full interview actually shows he doesn't think he made the wrong call - SMH.   He deserves more leash, but the biggest attribute to grow and improve is the ability to critically self-analyze and admit one's own mistakes.   Trying to still say it was only wrong because it missed is beyond awful.    Sigh.

Fun fact - there's NEVER been a FG longer than 57 yards in SEA.   It's beyond belief the guy he hired didn't know this (and to be clear, I'm not absolving Hackett, he's the guy who makes the final call).

 

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Broncofan

[broncosfan_101]

8 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

Ugh the full interview actually shows he doesn't think he made the wrong call - SMH.   He deserves more leash, but the biggest attribute to grow and improve is the ability to critically self-analyze and admit one's own mistakes.   Trying to still say it was only wrong because it missed is beyond awful.    Sigh.

Fun fact - there's NEVER been a FG longer than 57 yards in SEA.   It's beyond belief the guy he hired didn't know this (and to be clear, I'm not absolving Hackett, he's the guy who makes the final call).

 

 

I wonder if he was asked by anyone about the decision-making process of choosing the 46 yard line. Because in that moment, if your process says you’ve reached the spot where you should kick it, then kick it. But what all went into that process of choosing that exact yard line?

[BroncoBruin]

14 minutes ago, broncosfan_101 said:

I wonder if he was asked by anyone about the decision-making process of choosing the 46 yard line. Because in that moment, if your process says you’ve reached the spot where you should kick it, then kick it. But what all went into that process of choosing that exact yard line?

McManus told him pregame he was good from the 46 left hash. 

It’s also a coach’s job to separate players’ delusions of grandeur from the bottom line of winning. If my kicker says he’s good from 64, I’m shaving a few yards off. You can’t just leave every decision up to how your players feel any more than you can a classroom of children. Gee, what a surprise, they want ice cream for lunch and endless recess. 

A football team can’t be a democracy.

[Broncofan]

22 minutes ago, broncosfan_101 said:

I wonder if he was asked by anyone about the decision-making process of choosing the 46 yard line. Because in that moment, if your process says you’ve reached the spot where you should kick it, then kick it. But what all went into that process of choosing that exact yard line?

He asked McManus On warmups.  And then trusted it blindly.  


https://www.denver7.com/sports/broncos/broncos-hackett-admits-we-should-have-gone-for-it-on-fourth-down

Despite the fact no one hat made a kick longer than 57 yards in SEA.  Or McManus record of 60+.  
 

Most importantly - not accounting for 1:10 with 3 TO’s.  With an O that wae 8 YPA.   And a D that stuffed SEA O to -12 yards in the 4Q.   It’s so mind boggling bad.  He needs to own this as an awful call process wise.   

Edited September 13, 2022 by Broncofan

[broncosfan_101]

1 hour ago, Broncofan said:

He asked McManus On warmups.  And then trusted it blindly.  


https://www.denver7.com/sports/broncos/broncos-hackett-admits-we-should-have-gone-for-it-on-fourth-down

Despite the fact no one hat made a kick longer than 57 yards in SEA.  Or McManus record of 60+.  
 

Most importantly - not accounting for 1:10 with 3 TO’s.  With an O that wae 8 YPA.   And a D that stuffed SEA O to -12 yards in the 4Q.   It’s so mind boggling bad.  He needs to own this as an awful call process wise.   

Like, 4th and 24 with 8 seconds left, sure, give the 64 yarder a shot, I guess. But going blindly with a guy who says he’ll make one of the 2-3 best kicks in NFL history, instead of trying to pick up 5 ******* yards…it’s such an unbelievable failure of strategy.
 

I’m out on Hackett. He’ll probably win me back at some point, but it’s gonna take a whole lot. It was the worst display of coaching, from start to finish, that I’ve ever seen. And I lived through the Vance Joseph era.

[Broncofan]

2 minutes ago, broncosfan_101 said:

Like, 4th and 24 with 8 seconds left, sure, give the 64 yarder a shot, I guess. But going blindly with a guy who says he’ll make one of the 2-3 best kicks in NFL history, instead of trying to pick up 5 ******* yards…it’s such an unbelievable failure of strategy.
 

I’m out on Hackett. He’ll probably win me back at some point, but it’s gonna take a whole lot. It was the worst display of coaching, from start to finish, that I’ve ever seen. And I lived through the Vance Joseph era.

Technically we’ve all lived through the VJ era if we’re posting here lol.  
 

But yes this is a special level of bad coaching.   You can reference this game 10 years from now and every fan who follows the game will kmow exactly what you’re referencing. 

[AKRNA]

37 minutes ago, broncosfan_101 said:

Like, 4th and 24 with 8 seconds left, sure, give the 64 yarder a shot, I guess. But going blindly with a guy who says he’ll make one of the 2-3 best kicks in NFL history, instead of trying to pick up 5 ******* yards…it’s such an unbelievable failure of strategy.
 

I’m out on Hackett. He’ll probably win me back at some point, but it’s gonna take a whole lot. It was the worst display of coaching, from start to finish, that I’ve ever seen. And I lived through the Vance Joseph era.

Mac Speedie, Ray Malavasi and even "Half a Loaf" Saban never did this bad.

I watched a lot of the game today and have one huge question, that being, has Wilson actually lost his wheels or is hackett too sold on his system to make use of them? Never saw a sprint out, 1 bootleg, rarely a moving pocket. A sprint out with Wilson at QB and the talent level surrounding him is almost impossible to stop. I can't recall a play that really played to his strengths and nothing in the redzone.

So, 1 game in the bag and we still don't know if Wilson is physically limited or Hackett's too dumb to use him.

[broncosfan_101]

7 minutes ago, AKRNA said:

Mac Speedie, Ray Malavasi and even "Half a Loaf" Saban never did this bad.

I watched a lot of the game today and have one huge question, that being, has Wilson actually lost his wheels or is hackett too sold on his system to make use of them? Never saw a sprint out, 1 bootleg, rarely a moving pocket. A sprint out with Wilson at QB and the talent level surrounding him is almost impossible to stop. I can't recall a play that really played to his strengths and nothing in the redzone.

So, 1 game in the bag and we still don't know if Wilson is physically limited or Hackett's too dumb to use him.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but Russ’s game has evolved away from the moving pocket, throw-on-the-run stuff. Over the last 2-3 seasons, he’s been the very best in the NFL (actually tied with Rodgers) when it comes to rhythm throws, which I think is defined by any pass thrown between like 2-3.5 seconds of the ball being snapped. Almost all of those passes will come from the pocket. 

[Cutler06]

7 hours ago, IdigtheRaiders! said:

     Josh McDaniels didn't lose to Geno Smith.

McDumass was 6-0 and couldn't make the playoffs...hmmmm,

[broncos67]

12 hours ago, AKRNA said:

Mac Speedie, Ray Malavasi and even "Half a Loaf" Saban never did this bad.

I watched a lot of the game today and have one huge question, that being, has Wilson actually lost his wheels or is hackett too sold on his system to make use of them? Never saw a sprint out, 1 bootleg, rarely a moving pocket. A sprint out with Wilson at QB and the talent level surrounding him is almost impossible to stop. I can't recall a play that really played to his strengths and nothing in the redzone.

So, 1 game in the bag and we still don't know if Wilson is physically limited or Hackett's too dumb to use him.

I believe Hackett was on the record as saying they wanted to transition Russ to more of a pocket QB and not put him at injury risk with running the ball. I am sure he's not nearly as fast as he was 6 years ago, for example, but I agree with you, would like to see him get out of the pocket a bit and keep the defense honest.

There were a few bootlegs I recall that actually worked quite well. Early on to Beck for like 25+ yards is one I recall, that dropped Saubert TD (and Sutton wide open underneath was another). For how well we were running the football, I thought we definitely should've mixed in a little more play-action, bootlegs, something.