This morning, and for the next two weeks, the debate is going to continue to rage in Denver: Should the Broncos consider benching Peyton Manning? No matter the team’s perfect 6-0 record as they head into their bye, this made-for-sports-talk argument is going carry on indefinitely.
That’s because there is no way to win the dispute. Both sides are firmly entrenched, seeing things through a tinted lens of some sort, and they aren’t going to budge. The anti-Manning crowd is going to see three plays from Sunday’s win at Cleveland; they’re going to harp on the ugly and damaging interceptions that the quarterback threw. Meanwhile, the pro-Manning group is going to focus on dropped passes, the fourth-quarter comeback and the game-winning drive in overtime.
Both sides have valid points; the truth, as in a lot of debates, lies somewhere in the middle. As a result, the Manning discussion is about as fruitless as talking politics, religion or any other controversial, hot-button topic at the Thanksgiving table; no one is going to see the other person’s side and there’s a good chance someone storms out mad.
That being the case, it’s time to move on to other topics in Denver. When it comes to the undefeated Broncos, energy would be much better spent talking about things that might actually change; because a quarterback switch certainly isn’t a viable option.
While things look pretty rosy in the Mile High City in mid-October, the orange and blue are far from perfect, despite what the standings say. They have plenty of issues on both sides of the ball, things that need to get corrected if they are going to continue winning games when the schedule gets tougher in November and December.
First and foremost, the Broncos needed to play smarter football. Over and over and over again on Sunday, they helped Cleveland stay in the game by making mental errors.
Bennie Fowler running into a punt returner after a fair catch, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty that helped flip field position, is just inexcusable. That’s not a hustle error; that’s simply not paying attention.
Derek Wolfe hitting the quarterback late, a boneheaded play that turned second-and-10 at midfield into first-and-10 at the 35-yard line, is the kind of mistake that can’t be made in a three-point game. That’s not being aggressive; it’s being careless.
And Emmanuel Sanders not having the presence of mind in the closing seconds of regulation to hustle to the line of scrimmage so the Broncos could spike the ball to stop the clock, avoid a replay review and set up a game-winning field goal attempt is just silly. That’s not trying to make a play; it’s failing to grasp the situation.
Mental errors are correctable. But they’re also unforgivable. They are the types of plays that championship teams don’t make; eventually, shots fired into one’s own foot will derail even the most-valiant effort.
Second, the Broncos need to stop making physical blunders. Mistakes are going to happen; that’s part of football. But simple plays have to be executed.
Demaryius Thomas dropping passes that would move the chains on potential game-winning drives is just brutal. The ball hit him right in his hands both times, without a defender anywhere near him, and he failed to make the crucial grab; the Pro Bowl wide receiver has to make those types of catches.
Ronnie Hillman letting a pass ricochet off of his arms and into the hands of a defender, who promptly returned the interception for a go-ahead pick-six, is a killer. A running back is the check-down, safe outlet on pass plays; he can’t be playing volleyball with throws in his direction.
And pass rusher after pass rusher jumping into the neutral zone before the snap, mistakes that gave the Browns a better down-and-distance, free plays or a second chance to convert on third down needs to stop. The aggressive attitude is great, as the Broncos want to get after the quarterback; but a little discipline has to be mixed in, as well.
On Sunday, Denver once again found a way to win; the character that they’ve built and shown during their run to 6-0 is both admirable and encouraging. But if that streak is going to continue, or if they are going to reach even greater heights later in the season, things have to improve.
In order to do that, the Broncos need to focus on what they can change. Whether anyone likes it or not, Peyton Manning is their quarterback, a hodgepodge of young and/or journeyman offensive linemen are in the trenches, the team doesn’t have a star running back and Owen Daniels is to pass-catching tight ends what Lincoln Chafee is to viable Presidential candidates. It’s time to stop bellyaching about those situations.
Instead, Denver needs to correct the mental and physical errors that have hurt them during the first six games. Those are adjustments that can actually pay huge dividends in the second half of the season.
