That is the question that has betwixt'ed the Broncos for the past few season, maybe for as long as Peyton has been at the helm.
Years of Manning's marvels have littered the league and the record books with evidence of a quarterback who knows how to unravel a defense, and an equal amount of evidence of how he did it as well. When the method didn't change, the evidence of how began to mount in favor of the defense; nothing more telling and tolling than the empty backfield and the declaration of hope that it gave hopeless defenses who used to face off against Manning without a clue of what he'd do next.
Nobody conquered Manning. They all survived and a few overcame him in the end. An army can win battle after battle, but will only be remembered when they storm the hill and overtake the castle. Those great teams from Minnesota and Buffalo that nearly won four titles, but failed on them all, are historical blurs for a select few fans who lived to watch it happen. For a few years after they finished, we actually showed a great deal of respect to Minnesota's QB, Fran Tarkenton or Buffalo's Jim Kelly.
Modern fans don't get reminded at all about teams and players that did a lot of good stuff, but couldn't get it done.
Dan Marino could be in the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate. But he didn't win. As a result, only those who watch him on his Sunday football show even know his name anymore. And none of them put him into the GOAT argument like we did right after he finished playing. If you are too young, Dan Marino may as well be Dan Fouts for all the aerial success that each had that never amounted to Superbowl victories.
Currently, my 3-0 Broncos are stuck in the middle of an approach that calls for running even when it doesn't result in large production. It is hard to argue with the record, yet easy to question the run game results, assuming of course you are the naturally paranoid type of person who needs to question such things of an undefeated team.
I could address the question of the run game by reminding Denver's critics of the defensive stalwarts that opposed us to open the season. Baltimore, Kansas City and Detroit- teams with well developed defensive identities of their own- are teams that also like to run the ball and play good defense themselves. Yet, that would sound like an excuse since way too many of us have insisted that running is the only way to really win in the end.
We and thee (Broncos), are equally aware of the necessity of running the ball, which is why this year appears to a be run game that isn't working instead of one that got abandoned altogether long before games end as was the case many nights under John Fox.
Save for the close out, 10 minute possession in the Baltimore game that was rich with running, the results in the run game have appeared to be less than stellar. But, if you factor in the time of possession victories that have insured a fresh defense; one that is currently number two in total takeaways on a team that is leading the NFL in turnover differential, then the scenario appears more like a star rising to meet its stellar stature.
These Broncos are bullies by intention. It may not appear that way with our 55 yards per game run average, but they've destroyed opposing run games and created key turnovers whenever opposing run games have titled the field against us (11 turnovers, 10 takeaways through 3 games).
Manning is taking a few too many hits and had a few too many turnovers himself while slow footing it out from under center, so Coach Gary Kubiak has been forced to compromise his run dreams by adding way too many pistol sets (QB in the shotgun with running backs behind the QB) in an attempt to keep opposing defenses somewhat honest.
But that also places our running backs an additional few yards behind the line of scrimmage versus a normal "underneath the center" run attack. creating a stronger necessity for a crafty and capable running back to cause misses and make up the lag. Until the running backs improve their pass blocking, the whole plan will have to adjust a bit explaining an offense that is sputtering beyond the run game.
CJ Anderson is nursing injuries from that first game beating he took, and Juwan Thompson just joined him on the beaten and battered list, but Ronnie Hilman is still fresher, running for his future, and seems to create those necessary misses that has kept opposing defenses honest. Even with dinged up backs and marginal production, there has been no disrespect or disregard for Denver's run game.
In fact, the opposite is true in that teams have committed mightily to stop our run, opening up Denver's pass game to just enough breathing room to win games for us. From my point of view, the passing game is much more shaky when you consider the easy connections we nearly made and the impressive catches we've had to make to fill the void and save games.
But even that is some nit picky, bull crap paranoia.
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| Yo Bronco fans! Chill out and stop playing fantasy football with your home team players. |
This team appears to have come up short if you consider the mere presence of Manning as a reason why we should have won at least one of the last three Superbowls. The true narrative is that we've only played for one of three and lost the only Superbowl we played in rather resoundingly, looking like a team that really had no reason to be in that game in the first place.
I don't know if this team will win it all. What I know is that they are seriously building to become one that can. No, I've never built a championship football team, but I've seriously played with enough building blocks to trust the quality of this design.
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