Week 6 GDT: Broncos @ LAC

[lomaxgrUK]

Another gut-wrencher ....

I had to watch the game super quick so I don't have much in the way of analysis. We started so well with those accurate quick hitters, which ultimately caused that long TD because of the Chargers getting sucked up the field.

Then, all of a sudden, we just started miss-executing on 1st down and Hackett just went into his shell bigtime. Didn't we spend all offseason working on a stretch zone Offense? I can't remember more than 3 zone running plays. Now, I get that our Offense this year hasn't worked, but how good can we expect to be Offensively if we're now running a scheme that we've barely practiced all offseason? Wreaks of desperation. 

The OL is just not good enough. We know this. Backup LT, RG clearly playing on one leg, then LG, C and RT need replacing (in my opinion).

There is zero doubt Russell started seeing ghosts. I've said the OL was bad, but some of those plays Russell was spinning around by himself in a vacant pocket. We don't have a good enough Offense to compensate for the QB not using a solid pocket when he gets one.

Yes, the Defense played well. But we can't discount those long drives they continue to give up. It started in the Raiders game and it's carried on since. Again, our Offense isn't good enough to be sat on the bench for 9 minutes at a time.

[lomaxgrUK]

 

Only just catching up on some of the stats.

Holy cow ...... This is bad, guys. Really bad. It could not possibly have been worse with Brett Rypien in there. That is not a good sentence to be typing. 

[broncos67]

This team is in trouble now, and in the future. I am going to give some credit to AK here, who called this long ago. I was irate on Twitter last night, still irate this AM. What a complete and utter trainwreck.

The offense is a complete joke. The scripted plays in Q1 were great, and clearly demonstrated what this offense could be, but then Hackett panicked and went back into a shell. The OL is trash. Every single player needs to be replaced, IMO. I don't think Russ was good at all, but it's also hard when there's someone in your face consistently after one second. Jeudy and Gordon need to go. I don't know the exact circumstances of MG3's benching, but the pouting on the sidelines for a guy who cost us 2 wins (potentially) is ridiculous. Jeudy has flopped and needs to grow up quickly. The run-run-pass BS needs to stop. The 3rd and 1 shotgun formation pass play when Murray was grinding out yards was another Hackett gem. Guy simply cannot get it right.

Defensively, while I thought we played well, the constant penalties, inability to get off the field on 3rd down, and getting gashed for big chunks of yardage were unacceptable. Singleton, Browning, Surtain played out of their minds. I give Mathis credit for not losing his aggression, but he needs to firm up that technique because he was extremely handsy for no reason.

The special teams play was a joke - just another laughable play making us the laughingstock of the league once again. Washington better clean it up or he needs to be outright cut. Too many fumbles. Period.

Another week where we should have escaped with a win but instead we're languishing at the bottom of the division. Wash, rinse, repeat.

[broncos67]

Now, to talk about Hackett. He sucks, and if it were up to me he needs to be fired immediately. I didn't like Vic, but the team never quit under him. We're already seeing guys like Gordon and Jeudy acting like children, but more telling was Justin Simmons speaking up. It's clear the defensive players are sick and tired of getting stellar results and losing because the offense is completely inept. Hackett is clueless though. I'm not going to give him credit for improved situational performance because it should be table stakes to be a HC in this league. He didn't make a fool of himself, but the 2H timeout usage was pathetic. I'm sure his personality was a breath of fresh air after Vic, but the results suck. 

What's even worse is that we gave up all of that draft capital for Russ, signed him to that agreement, and now we're firmly positioned to have a high draft pick again which we won't be able to use. It's going to set this franchise back years if they don't get the coaching/Russ situation correct. Whatever Hackett is trying to do offensively is not meshing with Russ. It's really that simple. This goofy Star Wars, hip-hop dancer, cool guy demeanor ain't cutting it.

I don't think we'll fire Hackett before the season ends, but I don't think he makes it past the season barring a massive turnaround. The fans and media have already completely soured on the guy and it's been 6 weeks. He gives the same stupid, Vance Joseph-esque answers to every question. I won't be sad to see he and Justin Outten off this team immediately.

[The Helicopter]

Is it just me or is there bad football all over the league this year. Not just the Broncos but more so than usual. Not too many contenders this season IMO.

[AnAngryAmerican]

1 hour ago, The Helicopter said:

Is it just me or is there bad football all over the league this year. Not just the Broncos but more so than usual. Not too many contenders this season IMO.

We can at least partially blame the players union for that as in the new CBA they gave the owners an extra game in exchange for basically eliminating meaningful off-season and training camp work. 

[dll2000]

2 hours ago, The Helicopter said:

Is it just me or is there bad football all over the league this year. Not just the Broncos but more so than usual. Not too many contenders this season IMO.

A lot of bad offense is happening.  

O line play is particularly bad.  Not just getting overpowered or beat, missing assignments and blown protections are through the roof.   

Every D coordinator should be dialing up blitzes and stunts right now.  They can't handle it.   Everyone gets beat, but not blocking the right guy again and again is inexcusable at this level.

Not enough meaningful practice time.  You almost need an extra two week camp just for O linemen with journeymen defenders and throw the kitchen sink at them.

The calls on DBs are inconsistent too.  They are allowing a lot of contact past 5 yards and then all of a sudden they aren't and then allowing it again without rhyme or reason. 

 The officiating is a problem.

 

 

[dll2000]

2 hours ago, The Helicopter said:

Is it just me or is there bad football all over the league this year. Not just the Broncos but more so than usual. Not too many contenders this season IMO.

Broncos are taking heat because they lost, but Chargers did not play well either.

[paul-mac]

1 hour ago, dll2000 said:

Broncos are taking heat because they lost, but Chargers did not play well either.

The Chargers continue to be the most overrated team in football. In six weeks this season they’ve beaten four absolute garbage teams (three of which were by less than 6 points, and on two occasions they nearly blew a huge lead), blown a huge lead at Arrowhead and been crushed by the Jaguars. I saw a power rankings today that had them at 4 which is completely laughable. 

[big_palooka]

13 hours ago, IHatesnyder said:

He was only hired cause the broncos wanted arod 

he going be fired by the end of the year

no doubt next coach if Quinn or Sean Payton 

A job is a job, but Quinn being passed over for Hackett last offseason could factor in. Payton is under contract with the Saints and Denver has no resources to trade for him. 

[big_palooka]

2 hours ago, dll2000 said:

Broncos are taking heat because they lost, but Chargers did not play well either.

The Chargers didn't pay 245 million and trade 4 top draft picks on a QB to have the worst ranked offense in the NFL. The Broncos deserve the heat right now. This has been an unmitigated disaster with Wilson.

[thebestever6]

the oline play has been a disaster and 150 yards in penalties you're not gonna win many games.

[paul-mac]

Wilson hamstring crocked. I’m not even sure this makes Denver any worse. 

[AnAngryAmerican]

3 hours ago, dll2000 said:

A lot of bad offense is happening.  

O line play is particularly bad.  Not just getting overpowered or beat, missing assignments and blown protections are through the roof.   

Every D coordinator should be dialing up blitzes and stunts right now.  They can't handle it.   Everyone gets beat, but not blocking the right guy again and again is inexcusable at this level.

Not enough meaningful practice time.  You almost need an extra two week camp just for O linemen with journeymen defenders and throw the kitchen sink at them.

The calls on DBs are inconsistent too.  They are allowing a lot of contact past 5 yards and then all of a sudden they aren't and then allowing it again without rhyme or reason. 

 The officiating is a problem.

RE the O-lines, that’s both a (lack of) practice problem and a college football problem. The college game today is all spread/option/air raid/gimmick offense and it doesn’t do a lick to prepare OLs for the pro game. Even guys with elite skillsets drafted earlier tend to struggle out of the gate. 

[jolly red giant]

The problem with the media focusing on Wilson at the moment is that it leaves Hackett off the hook. Hackett was bad yesterday and overall is just bad - generationally bad as a HC - one of the worst, if not the worst NFL rookie HC I have seen in the 40 years I've been following the Broncos.

I will go back to what Sean Payton said three weeks ago - the HC should be going back to every TD pass that Wilson ever threw and every pass completion from Wilson in the red zone and build their offensive scheme around what Wilson does well - and that includes masking Wilson's flaws. Hackett has done none of this - and when things start to go awry he caves completely and starts doing utterly stupid things. 

There is zero evidence he is learning anything - from play-calling to penalties - this team is increadibly unprepared every single game. There is no reason to keep him in the job beyond the bye-week and there are many commentators now saying to give Evero the job to see if he can do anything with it. 

This is not to excuse Wilson - his image has been carefully managed and manicured since he was a child and the shine is rapidly coming off of it - he needs to get his head out of his rear-end and realise that everything else he does is dependent on his success as a QB. That has to be his first and only priority if he is to salvage his reputation. I don't blame Paton for making the trade for Wilson - but Paton does have to take the blame for hiring such an inept HC (and one that had less than a stellar reputation when he was actually calling plays).

I am going to the Jags game in London in two weeks - and I would never, ever, want the Broncos to lose a game - but if someone said to me that Hackett would be sacked if the Broncos lost to the Jags then there would be a lot of soul-searching before deciding where my loyalities would lie. The guy needs to be given the boot sooner rather than later.