Quick Thoughts - Week 2 Broncos
 

-Like everyone else, I was befuddled at the 3rd down before the kick. Trying to think of the rationale and maybe because they lost three yards instead of gained three like you should expect even if it's an obvious run... So now it's 4th down and a 60-yarder rather than like a 54-yarder... either way, penalty bailed us out.

-That said, fuck it. I didn't like this officiating crew and we had bogus stuff go against us that was consequential. And we've had our share in the past (I still get annoyed about Cleveland in '23). Football isn't round, nobody would feel bad for us if the roles were reversed.

Also, part of winning a game is doing less dumb shit than the other team.

-I really want to rewatch the defense, because it was a weird game. They got worked pretty good at times. Somehow, though, after that dogshit opening drive of the 2nd half, they didn't give up another point.

-I mean, 206 passing yards on 30 attempts is generally what you want. Again, something about this game reminded me of Cleveland '23. I don't really know what to think about it until I rewatch.

-Some of it is we regressed to mean on 4th downs this game. Not having Ward, Jones, and Latu doesn't help.

-DEN's OL is very good.

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-Offense has been a pleasure to watch so far. It's going to take several weeks of doing it before most people will credit Jones for playing well rather than blaming the other team for playing bad.

-But Jones is playing fucking great. It's not Minshew-ball like I expected. Three 40-yard pass plays today, 9.3ypa. Best of all, no turnovers. I loved that Steichen and DJ were going at Surtain.

-Hopefully the JT downplay can be put to rest. 215yds, td catch, and he was sticking guys in pass pro.

-Warren awesome. Really well-rounded production from the WRs. I really want things to click with Mitchell. Man, he could be such a monster.

-OL by all accounts bullied the DEN front-7 for the most part. Wish they could have gotten two more positive plays on that last drive. I want to say the lone sack was a well timed overload. Very good overall.

-Steichen has called two great games so far. The end game situation I don't get or don't agree with. Better to learn with a win. I'm good with the aggression on 4th down midfield. This offense should benefit in the aggregate.

Cross is Sandman 2.0

After a win like this, I gobble up everything I can read about the game. Somewhere I read that JT got most of his yards after initial contact. He didn't have gaping holes but he just kept churning and turning a no gainer into at least 4 or 5 yards. Seeing him as a pass catcher was great. DJ has the rep of throwing a very catchable ball. That's important for an average pass catcher like JT.

The defender going low on the block with Nelson and jacking his knee up was really curious to me. I thought that technique was now deemed illegal. Perhaps that's a run play thing? Perhaps it's only a college thing?

Perhaps I do not understand the hip-drop tackle thing either, but I swear it looks like defensive backs always try to tackle Pittman in that manner.

Wild game. It was nice to see us get some luck for once.

Cross played awesome


AD Mitchell is pretty much a waste of talent. we can see why he slipped to the 2nd round.

I still have no idea how we got that call at the end of the game, we never get calls like that. It must have been very blatant or there was one honest official on the field. It did look like he had to defend the call, perhaps they were trying to talk him out of it.

Either way, the Colts earned the win!

In the end, I am super glad we got the win but I feel like we pretty much deserved to lose this game.

After seeing last week's defense, this week's was a huge letdown. Sure, Miami might be destined to be a bottom 4 team but I don't really thing that Denver is a top 5 teams in the league, either. Sure, we had a lot of players not play due to injury. Sure, we had the water boy playing CB for the 2nd half since all of our players were hurt or out but, man, our defense gave me shivers down my spiine as to how easily they let Denver move the rock.

That said, as someone else pointed out, after the 1st drive the 2nd half, they did not let Denver score again so.....in the end, the defense did its job but I do not feel good about how they played.

However, the offense? I am not ready to give Danny Dimes a contract extension yet but a second good game in our offense was refreshing! Spreading the ball, hitting folks in stride, not throwing up hero balls for whoever to catch! He has been very, very good and the offense has responded. it is fun watching these guys and it has been a while since I could say that.

The playcalling on the last drive? WTF was Shane thinking? Man, I hope Irsey rips his head off for his play calling on the last drive. We are at the fricking 40 yard line, not the 20 yard line. So aggressive during the game and so passive in playcalling at the end. The penalty bailed us out.

We have the Titans next week in Nashville. They have scored exactuly half the points through two games that we have (62 to 31) so if our offense can continue to click, I like that I think we can outsprint them. Their defense has let up 53 points (26.5 per game) vs us having given up 36 points (18.0 per game) so, again, I like the trendline. If we continue to perform even like we did this past week against Denver, I like our chances.

Go Colts!

Cross' read and play on that fake-reverse-end-around was awesome. Tough read and a tough play to make, well executed on both counts.

Jones is balling right now because he has a bona fide top 10 offense in terms of talent. Maybe top 5. Adding Warren has really opened things up for the offense.

Now, it remains to be seen how long, or if, Jones can keep this up but as long as he does, this offense will be fun to watch.

DJ played really well, I thought for two of his long balls were underthrows. One where we should have to a PI call, another we caught.

JT has an awesome game, cross had an awesome game. Our defense needs to work on precision and their executive mentality. They nearly came off the rails, it was good to see them collect themselves.

ChaosTheory already said it, but I just don't get the clock management scheme at the end.

If I recall correctly, we had two timeouts and 17 seconds on 3rd down. My right answer is to call timeout and run a sideline pass play for the first down out of bounds.

I don't know how the right answer was to tick out the clock and hope we make a 60 yarder. If we were 15 yards closer, yes, 100% do this.

To me, the most important thing by far is cementing a culture of winning here. I am still holding our hope for AR and sitting and learning in a winning culture would do wonders for his development. Have no idea what's going on behind the scenes but I'm hoping it's learning. It is so much more enjoyable to watch a team that isn't dogshit. Warren transforms this offense, along with JT developing into a well rounded stud back. The offensive line is amazing. If this keeps up we are going to be stuck with Ballard for a long time.

We 100% lucked into Warren. He is lights out great. He had a catch and run near the left sideline where it seems like He effortlessly made two people miss.

Great release off the block, DJ with a touch pass and warren embarrasses two guys. Link below should show the play on the youtubes.

https://youtu.be/jg7x-tlBJrs?t=492

I'm hearing it at work today about the penalty at the end.

Truth be told, if it happened to the Colts I'd be pissed. It feels like such a ticky tack call on a last minute play, and in general I don't like that.

That being said, it was the right call, even if the leverage rule sucks (and to be perfectly honest, I don't know if the rule itself sucks and how much gain a player would get if the rule wasn't there), it was a clear, clear, clear violation.

So this is what I get to do/say all day, Definitely worth it :D

Speaking of contract extension, if he is playing like this good closer to mid-season I would like to see them try to get a bargain 2-3 year extension.

Alec Pierce led the league in yards per catch last season and he’s the 5th option in this offense behind JT, Pittman, Warren, and Downs. It’s crazy.

That’s why I’m not buying in on Jones just yet. His job has been pretty easy thus far. Let’s wait til, God forbid, we have some injuries or we play a really good defense on the road.

I don't especially want to defend Steichen's playcalling on the final drive, I was definitely complaining as it unfolded live.

But on further reflection, as I noticed they were loading the box and were prepared to sell out on a pass rush, I realized that the risk of taking a sack by throwing the ball was non-zero. The cost of taking a sack is much greater than the 1-2 yard loss we got just running JT up the middle.

But, my guess is that every NFL team in the league spends quality minutes / hours in Training Camp running a hot pass scenario where when the box is loaded you check to a quick hitting pass play that has the ball out of the QBs hands in less than 2 seconds. My guess is that Danny Dimes has practiced that exact same scenario many times where you either hit your first read, second read or throw the ball away in 2 seconds or less.

I don't buy the fear of taking a sack.

How about the fear of a holding call by the OL?

Why?

I mean, sure, AR was a top five pick two years ago.....but Danny Dimes was a #6 pick in 2019.

NFL.com had the following pre-draft profiles of the two. DJ is first, AR is second.

Production Score................74.................69
Athletic Score.....................75................95
Total Score.........................77................80
QB Prospect in Class............2nd..............4th
Prospect Grade...................6.30.............6.40

Now, I totally get that AR has the athletic edge and there are no arguments from me that he is physically gifted.

But we also know that QBs typically take a couple of years to develop in the NFL. Very, very few QBs are at their best in their first couple of years in the NFL.

We are getting one QB who has navigated that period in their career and one who is stalled because of lack of playing time from injury and competition.

Do you think AR has that much higher of a potential ceiling than DJ? And if so, do you think he has the mental abilities to get there?

That one is a good point....but we get called for holding on run plays as well.

It is a weird but great feeling to actually root for a defense that can take away your best playmaker, or at least a defense that actually tries to do that. Lou took away everyone in Miami but Sutton wasn't a factor Sunday. Only two games but if this turns out to be an identity of this defense it would be pretty special.

I have been critical of Jones in the past but think there is a distinct possibility I was full of shit. I am more than happy to have been proved wrong. I hope this guy keeps growing and is all pro for us. I still would want AR to reach his potential. I think the kid got a shit deal here to begin with. The wrong decision was made and now I am hoping the Colts and AR are trying to rectify it. I have taken to liking AR as a person and think his talents are other worldly. So yeah I am rooting for him, it doesn't mean I am not thrilled with Jones however.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOmm6...lzdnA4cjg3d3Vo

AI, no doubt, but funny nonetheless.

His ability to recognize body momentum of the defenders is remarkable.

Lol that is great shit

"You'll pay with your fucking life."

A few thoughts:

• Jones is 2nd in the NFL in pass yds
• JT leads the NFL in rush yards
• Tyler Warren is 1st in the in TE pass yards
• Steichen admitted to poor play calling in the last drive in his presser
• Stiil not diggin' the lack of pass rush when only rushing 4
• Officiating was atrocious, and almost turned the game into a bore fest
• The broadcasting crew were definitely pro-Broncos. They acted like Nix was an ALL-Pro and Daniel Jones was chopped liver
• JT is ballin'! Pass blocking is much improved and finally involved in the passing game
• Anarumo at moments reminded me of Bradley, but made the stops when we need them
• OKereke leads the NFL in tackles and that's a bad thing
• Zaire is not close to the league lead in tackles and that's a good thing
  • Nick Cross just keeps getting better and is a beast
    • • Again, enough of the Danny Nickels shit! He had 3 completions of over 40+ yds yesterday, and I believe 7 of over 20 yds this season

Right, kind of like that scrub manning who only had James, Wyane, Harrison and Clark as well as some great Ols as well. The QB clearly is not a part of making that work and that is why with AR the Colts were great. Oh Wait, maybe you are holding the bar to fucking high to give the guy credit.

Ehh, maybe you’re right.

Don't get me wrong, he probably will come down to Earth, hopefully just a little bit. He is not a tier 1 QB like Mahomes, Manning, or Brady, but until we get better, maybe good enough to have a chance.

I was gonna post a lot of this. Daniel Jones also leads the league in rushing TDs. Bynum leads in interceptions. Latu is tied for 4th in interceptions. These first 2 games have blown my mind.

The Okereke thing is very annoying. I wanted to keep him.

He may not be a true 1 today but wait until the end of the year (if AR hits he could be a tier 1+). All I read was that Jones couldn't throw the long ball. What a bunch of horseshit that is. He doesn't have that wow arm that you cannot believe but his arm is way good enough. Giant fans acted like he was afraid to go deep, again that doesn't seem to be an issue here. I was afraid this guy would maybe sneak us into the playoffs for a one and done. If it keeps going this way I could easily see a deep run with Jones. This is the first time in over 10 years I have felt like this. Its nice for a change.

Its only week 2 so stats are not reliable, but I do find these interesting:

Passing stats:
Colts lead the league at 9.3 ypa
Colts 2nd in total passing yards at 588 (ironically the Giants are 1st)
Colts tied for 1st in first downs (with 49ers)
1st in 1st down %
Tied 1st in plays over 40 yards (with Giants)
Tied 3rd in fewest sacks allowed (2)

Rushing stats:
3rd in total rushing yards (Jags and Bills ahead)
2nd longest rushing play from scrimmage, 68 yards

Total offense, Colts are 2nd in total yards at 891 (behind Bills at 900)
4th in points scored

On defense
Colts 4th place in passing ypa at 5.8
5th place in total passing yards against 352
Tied 4th in interceptions

Curiously the total defense appears to be more balanced than other teams, because despite being 12th place in total rushing yards against, Colts are still 5th place in total yards against, suggesting that the other teams that are strong vs the run have given up a lot of pass yards.

Colts also 1st in FG, at 9/9 (really this isn't the best stat, needs more TDs, fewer FGs)

Colts also 1st in turnover margin (+4) with 3 INTs and a fumble recovery with 0 giveaways.

Individually
Jones is 2nd in passing yards
JT is 1st in rushing yards
Okereke 1st in tackles
Bynum tied 1st in INTs

It would be nice to see someone climbing the sack leaderboards.

I don't think we had this luxury. Risk a sack, risk a penalty, of don't take those risks and risk a 60 yard FG.

26th in Red Zone Efficiency at 41.67%. Needs improvement.

Yep, definitely an area of improvement.

I thought it was maybe me being a homer or supthin... The feed I was listening to was reminiscent of the old days of outright Gayde ball washing for the Patricia fans... Glad to see Daniel "Indiana" Jones serve up the crow to some of those asshats. :D

Good God, man! Remember the look on Jim's face when he handed P the Lombardi???? Fuck Nance right in the pussy!!!

When he bodied out Surtain, that was a thing of beauty.