When is a stud not a stud?

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, November 21, 2007  |  Comments( 2 )

Denver Broncos
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Imagine a team that after 10 games is eighth in the NFL against the pass and 10th in overall yardage. Said team is led by possibly the most exciting quarterback in the league - yes, including Vince Young - who throws a rating in the area of 130 outside the pocket. Last seen in a conference championship game just two years ago, the team's core roster was augmented in the offseason to create what appears to be the NFL's best secondary.

What would you put these guys at, then? 6-4? 7-3, maybe?

In the first 10, the team has played a relatively difficult schedule with five games against bona-fide playoff teams plus the Detroit Lions; two of the games against marquee opponents were wins. For a helping hand, the team is in a division featuring two sub-.500 teams and boasts one of the league's most advantageous home-field advantages.

So this should mean, what, a solid two-game lead over the nearest pretender/contender?

"But wait," as the old ad says, "there's more!"

The squad is coached by a two-time Super Bowl winner who's been with the team for 13 years, including double-digit winning seasons in seven, for an average season of 10-6; as a bonus in this season of the Darth Patriots, coach has the single most impressive record against the Belichick-and-Brady bunch -- an eye-popping 5-1 -- in the league.

All right, these guys have to be 7-3, probably even 8-2, and are thinking about icing home field through to the divisional finals, right?

Except we're talking about the 2007 Denver Broncos, a mystery wrapped in enigma clinging to the AFC West lead at 5-5. Heck, they're lucky to be there, what with two wins (against Buffalo and Oakland in Weeks 1 and 2) coming with zeros on the clock.

When is a stud not a stud? When it's a Bronco!

At least through 10 weeks, that is, because the 34-20 win over the Tennessee Titans on Monday night represents the Broncos' first impressive win of the season. For the first time since Jake Plummer was yanked for good late last season, Denver is showing traces of fulfilling all that tremendous promise of Jay Cutler & Co.

Unfortunately for stat junkies, the numbers refuse to reveal compelling reasons why the Broncos have been as disappointing as they have this season; each minus on paper is counterbalanced by a plus. About that eighth-best pass defense? Offset by a 31st-ranked run 'D'. The second-worst run defense? Perhaps, but in the five weeks since the bye, Denver has held opponents to 125 yards per game; in the first five, the Broncos were giving up 160 per. On the other hand, remember when Ryan Grant torched them in Week 8?

And so it goes.

Until you get to the two conflicting stats that offer a glimpse into the problem. Total yardage per game: 347.1. Points per game: 18.7.

Apparently somewhere in his long tenure with the Broncos, Mike Shanahan forgot that football is 90 percent half-psychological. There's something in the way of Denver's success, like a crayon in Homer Simpson's brain but far less tangible.

Want to see the epitome of this mental block? Check out tape of Denver's win over the Titans. With 3:19 left in the second quarter, the playbook was wide open on second-and-4 play. Cutler called for a reverse - rapidly becoming a Bronco staple, it seems - to receiver Brandon Marshall. As Marshall came around to the right side, he stutter-stepped, making it look as though he was going to pass. Throwing off the linebackers for just that fraction of a second bagged Marshall at least 3 extra yards on the 16-yard gain to the 22. Nice play. Smart play.

However, the Broncos managed just 1 yard on the next three plays - two of them passes - and settled for an easy three points from kicker Jason Elam.

Nevertheless, Bronco backers might argue with the best of cliché, a score's a score and a win's a win. The truth is that Denver is atop a weak division with what appears to be six games with non-playoff teams remaining (we'll see about San Diego); despite the early season squeakers and the underwhelming 5-5, the Broncos look OK.

And that win over the Titans is a great sign, isn't it?

Unless it isn't.

Deciphering the game's riddles all year-round at RealFootball365.com
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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