It’s Shanahan time

By Robert Rousseau  |   Tuesday, October 17, 2006  |  Comments( 3 )

Denver Broncos
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The good news? The Denver Broncos improved to 4-1 with their 13-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night. The bad news?

They still haven't scored over 20 points in a game. With games coming up against the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers over the next four weekends, one has to think that kind of offensive output simply won't be enough.

Besides, the San Diego Chargers are in their division, and that means two games against the Bolts. The Chargers, like the Broncos, have a defense that is performing extremely well right now. The difference, of course, is that the Chargers are also doing damage on offense. (Such as the 48 points they generated against the 49ers this past weekend, and the 27 points they put up on the Raiders.)

You know, the same hapless Raiders team that the Broncos were only able to score 13 on.

What's being said here is that if the Broncos continue to muster 13 points and 102 passing yards per game, such as they did on Sunday night, against clubs like the Chargers, Steelers and Colts, they're almost certain to lose. And that's five losses by itself.

So the question is, What's the problem?

Here's the answer. Everything and nothing.

First, the Broncos should refrain from blaming it all on Jake Plummer. Though he certainly isn't playing well, there's no guarantee the team would fare any better with a rookie quarterback at the helm.

The whole thing is rather puzzling. On opening day against the Rams, the Broncos forgot how to protect the passer. Then they solved that problem - as would be expected with the offensive line they have - only to score nine points vs. Kansas City. Next, they put up very good numbers (256 yards passing and over 200 yards rushing) against the New England Patriots, only to garner 17 points.

Forget the Baltimore game; the offense deserves a pass due to the weather.

Then, as was said earlier, against the hapless Raiders the Broncos managed only 13 points and 102 yards passing. Further, their running backs put up only 85 yards on the ground.

This team somehow keeps winning, but at some point it's going to get popped in the nose for a lack of scoring. Something is always missing from this offense. Problem is, that something keeps changing.

It's time for Mike Shanahan to work his magic. The Broncos' defense is very good, but it's not good enough to score 14 points a game and hope for victories against teams like the Colts, Steelers and Chargers.

Not to mention, the Denver Broncos aren't just hoping to make the playoffs, they're hoping to win there.

This is what a coach gets paid for. When all else fails, it's Shanahan time.

Original Denver Broncos commentary, courtesy of RealFootball365.com
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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CommentsComments: 3  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
jer		11:31 AM
10/18/2006
I'm not buying the Broncos yet. Sure, they've been playing great D, but who have they been challenged by? Not the pitiful ...
No.2
EPRAIDER		04:47 PM
10/18/2006
And he scripts the first bunch of plays, those first plays have sucked , I think Mike has finally fell behind the rest of the ...
No.3
Jedi Hobbit		07:17 AM
10/22/2006
Mike Shanahan will get the offense in tune and just in time for the playoffs when it matters. The Chargers should be praised for ...
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