Week 1 Gameday Thread - Las Vegas Raiders @ THE UNDEFEATED Denver Broncos

[Totty]

Guys, good game.  

I honestly like the NFL better when our whole division is in the hunt.  Right now it's the Chiefs and Chargers (maybe) I'd rather beat a GOOD rival.  We're both just down on our luck right now but hopefully we pull out of it soon.  I loved the SP hire. I think he'll do wonders eventually.  Stay healthy and good luck until we meet again.  🍻

Edited September 11, 2023 by Totty

[broncosfan_101]

43 minutes ago, broncosfan_101 said:

Not enough speed, and not enough talent in the trenches. This roster isn’t good. 

If we need to find positives (do we?), Payton certainly had Russ looking like a functional QB. Our coach/QB combo won’t be a laughingstock this season. 

[BroncoBruin]

27 minutes ago, broncosfan_101 said:

If we need to find positives (do we?), Payton certainly had Russ looking like a functional QB. Our coach/QB combo won’t be a laughingstock this season. 

He’s stabilized Russ into an average looking QB. Unfortunately that doesn’t go very far with this group. 

[broncosfan_101]

2 minutes ago, BroncoBruin said:

He’s stabilized Russ into an average looking QB. Unfortunately that doesn’t go very far with this group. 

The offence just doesn’t have the depth at the skill positions to be missing Tim Patrick, Jeudy, Dulcich, while Javonte is still limited coming back from injury. The possession metrics look real good: we won the time of possession battle, had two different 8+ minute drives, averaged 11 plays per drive, scored 2.7 points per possession. But there’s no explosiveness out there without Dulcich and (especially) Jeudy. Defences will be happy to let us try dinking-and-dunking down the field for minutes on end if we’re only gonna get 6 possessions in a game out of it. 

[Dbrog24]

Raiders are complete *** which means that we are...less than that. I called our defense taking a large step back but jesus...Vance is truly awful. I'd be surprised if we win over 6 games this year. Maybe it's an overreaction and I hope it is, but I don't see almost anything encouraging for our defense...seemed like they barely even played this game and still bad

[AKRNA]

1 hour ago, AnAngryAmerican said:

Brandon McManus 1/1 FGs (45), 4/4 PATs - team wins by 10 (cap hit $1.25MM)

Will Klutz 1/2 (made 24, missed 55), 1/2 PATs - team lost by 1 (cap hit $2.4MM) 

And it will be George Paton who is made the fall man in January when we go 4-13. Sean will then hire a yes-man GM.

I'm sorry, does george get a pass? He, more than anyone, is responsible for the mess this franchise is in. Why he still has a job is beyond me.

[Cutler06]

Man, a lot of overreaction over ONE game lost by ONE POINT. Yes, it was to the low-life Raiders, McDumazz and their insufferable morons of fans of the team, but we're no worse off than the reigning KC Chiefs. Frankly, I saw some serious improvement over last year, I see some weaknesses' that we still need to address as well as some hope for the rest of this season going on into the future. 

 

Now, I  will step off my soapbox

[Dbrog24]

2 minutes ago, Cutler06 said:

Man, a lot of overreaction over ONE game lost by ONE POINT. Yes, it was to the low-life Raiders, McDumazz and their insufferable morons of fans of the team, but we're no worse off than the reigning KC Chiefs. Frankly, I saw some serious improvement over last year, I see some weaknesses' that we still need to address as well as some hope for the rest of this season going on into the future. 

 

Now, I  will step off my soapbox

No dude, you saw the inverse of last year. Sean honestly ran a pretty great tempo controlling offense. We had a ton of first downs and were converting every other 3rd down. We had over 5 minutes more possession time. 

On the other side, our defense always had penalties to give them 1st downs (end was a poetic way to go out) or vance would switch us to his crappy homeless man's version of Vics zone (after we had played amazing in man btw). Our defensive players aren't really the problem. They were one of the top units last year and were always prepared...that's not the case anymore

[AnAngryAmerican]

40 minutes ago, AKRNA said:

I'm sorry, does george get a pass? He, more than anyone, is responsible for the mess this franchise is in. Why he still has a job is beyond me.

Oh George does not get a pass. Not at all. That’s not what I was implying.

But he’s GM in name only since the Walmarts hired Sean. So dropping McManus and signing Klutz is on Sean. This past draft is on Sean. The final 53 is on Sean.

Blame George as much as you want for the litany of mistakes made between Elway’s real departure and Sean’s arrival, and some are considerable, but everything in the last 6 months is in Sean. And the McManus/Klutz swap is one of them.

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by AnAngryAmerican

[broncosfan_101]

43 minutes ago, Cutler06 said:

Man, a lot of overreaction over ONE game lost by ONE POINT. Yes, it was to the low-life Raiders, McDumazz and their insufferable morons of fans of the team, but we're no worse off than the reigning KC Chiefs. Frankly, I saw some serious improvement over last year, I see some weaknesses' that we still need to address as well as some hope for the rest of this season going on into the future. 

 

Now, I  will step off my soapbox

How long have some of us been desperate for some serious investment in the D-line? And how many pressures did we generate against a very average offensive line today? The offence looked good enough today, but woof, the D generated absolutely nothing. 
 

We’re lacking difference-makers across the board. On offence, with a fantastic coach calling the shots, we can look competent. But without a guy like Fangio or Evero leading the D, we’re gonna have a tough time creating negative plays to get them off the field. Creating more pressure on the QB is urgent.

[Broncofan]

Only a few additional comments to add: 

1.  It’s so clear how much we miss Jerry Jeudy.   This was a prime spot for a Sutton explosion game - but he just doesn’t dominate the same way as pre-ACL.   I was hoping to see his athletic traits return but he looks more like a big body guy.    He wasn’t why we lost but Jeudy’s ability to leave DB in a blender at all 3 levels is sorely needed.    This creates a double whammy in that he’s almost sure to play next week, even if the hammy is still barking.   Praying he doesn’t re-injure it like Kupp.    That would be a killer.  
 

2.   The Lutz loyalty decision bit us hard - but so did Payton’s love for Adam Trautman.  He just has no wiggle.   Any ability to make guys miss and that flat route goes for a first.  Plus the GL touch that he could convert for a score.  I’m not saying he has to win every time - but he’s no YAC guy unless he can just bulldoze ppl.    I hope we see more Dulcich.    Obv Lutz was the costly decision today but shouldn’t lose sight that Trautman is a loyalty move as well.   I get he’s a decent blocker but relying on him as our pass catcher further limits our pass O.   
 

3.  Maxx Crosby just destroyed McGlinchy.   Ugly.   
 

4.   Sean did design a good gameplan given the limits.    But I hope he installs Jeudy as the X and gets more Dulcich over Trautman in passing situations.   
 

5.  Agree that our D didn’t play great esp with the inability to get pressure - and letting JimmyG beat us on key plays throwing over the middle.  I could live with boundary / deep balls beating us but we knew he thrives in that area.     
 

It sucks to lose a home game AND intra-divisional game.    No way around it.    On to next week.   
 

 

[lomaxgrUK]

3 hours ago, Broncofan said:

3.  Maxx Crosby just destroyed McGlinchy.   

Honestly, I actually disagree with this. That one drive where Crosby made a play on every down, sure.

But I thought our OL played well on the whole, especially second half. After that one drive I thought the commentators were going way OTT with Crosby's impact, in particular the 3rd down play in the RZ when it was 13-10.

Russ just got happy feet, not wanting to have a turnover. 

I'd take that performance on the OL all day.

[paul-mac]

I can’t believe we sold the farm for a head coach who’s so obviously yesterday’s man. The ambush onside kick was clearly a throwback to when he won the superbowl and he’s chosen to give his mates Trautman and Lutz one last payday instead of just keeping McManus and trusting the promising Greg Dulcich. We should have won that game easily.

 

I’m not sure I’ve ever been so devoid of hope as a broncos fan. Feels like the season is already slipping away from us and I don’t see how Payton is the man to lead us forward. As has been correctly predicted the actually competent George Paton will end up as the fall guy and we’ll probably end up with Jeff Ireland as GM next season. What a disaster. 

[AKRNA]

14 minutes ago, paul-mac said:

I can’t believe we sold the farm for a head coach who’s so obviously yesterday’s man. The ambush onside kick was clearly a throwback to when he won the superbowl and he’s chosen to give his mates Trautman and Lutz one last payday instead of just keeping McManus and trusting the promising Greg Dulcich. We should have won that game easily.

 

I’m not sure I’ve ever been so devoid of hope as a broncos fan. Feels like the season is already slipping away from us and I don’t see how Payton is the man to lead us forward. As has been correctly predicted the actually competent George Paton will end up as the fall guy and we’ll probably end up with Jeff Ireland as GM next season. What a disaster. 

He caused this personnel and coaching disaster! What are you even thinking? Payton is here trying to build a franchise that George basically trashed with many really foolish decisions.

By the way, Dulcich was hurt. 

[7DnBrnc53]

2 hours ago, AKRNA said:

He caused this personnel and coaching disaster! What are you even thinking? Payton is here trying to build a franchise that George basically trashed with many really foolish decisions.

George isn't at fault, either. Elway is. He made the original mess that had to be cleaned up with his horrible coaching hires and personnel decisions after Peyton retired (and some before).