I am not sure about you or anyone else in your immediate family but despite the Broncos 5 and 0 start, including wins over both Red America’s Team and Blue America’s Team, I still held some doubt. I mean, while those wins brought attention – what did they prove? The Cowboys just aren’t good (they went to OT with the Chiefs the week after losing to the Broncos) and the Broncos have owned the Patriots for much longer than a former Patriots assistant has been their head coach (I believe I heard they are 6-2 since 2000 and something like 17-5 since 1980).
At the end of the day, there are two teams that the Mike Shanahan Broncos could not beat: the Colts and the Chargers. So, to me, last night’s win at San Diego was by far the most important of the Broncos season – regardless of whether the Chargers are as washed up as Desperate Housewives.
So, what is the difference between the season finale 52-21 loss last year and last night’s 34-23 victory?
Well, I don’t need to go into the story on the defense – it is pretty obvious how much they are improved. But I think the interesting story is on the offensive side and it all starts almost two years ago.
Well, to explain I need to go back to another Chargers game. The 2008 AFC Championship game.
In that game, the Patriots slowly pulled away from a Charger team with an injured LT (or as we can now call it: an LT at the beginning of the end) and a quarterback missing a connected ACL in Phillip Rivers. During my real-time diary from that game, I made the following comment:
Patriots are starting to find new wrinkles to move the ball, a reverse to Moss and then a swing pass to Faulk. This is why they are undefeated. They probe until they find your weakness and then exploit it. Sort of like the velociraptors from Jurassic Park.
(and yes, I recognize this is the second time in two days, when I have quoted myself. Whatever I lack in football analysis, I make up for in repetition and ego)
I am sure you can guess who the offensive coordinator of that Patriot team was – a young unknown guy in a cut-off hoodie named Josh McDaniels.
(I think we all assumed at the time he was just a mouthpiece for the real genius Belichick. How crazy does that seem now?)
It didn’t really dawn on me last night until after the game watching the highlights of Tony Scheffler rip apart the San Diego defense, but that Velociraptor metaphor perfectly describes this Bronco offense as well. How many catches did Tony Sheffler have coming in to last night? 10 catches for 116 yards. Last night? 6 catches for 101 yards.
Last week was Eddie Royal’s turn with 10 catches for 90 yards after totaling 8 catches for 58 yards in weeks 1-4.
This changing focus each week makes it extremely tough for the defense to prepare. Though it also makes it tough for Bronco fantasy owners, trust me on this one.
While the Broncos offense isn’t sexy – Orton will never throw for 6 touchdowns in a driving snow storm, or sleep with a super model – it is surprisingly effective. Especially as the game goes on.
Just like the ‘clever girls’ from Jurassic Park.
Let’s hope that the Broncos don’t run into a T-Rex any time soon.
