Midweek Musings: Don’t Look Past The Chiefs

One would think with the Broncos sitting at 7-1, 2-0 in the division, and the Chiefs sitting at 3-5, that this week’s game at Mile High would be guaranteed a Broncos win, right?

Not so fast, folks.

No, this isn’t because the Broncos took a tough loss to the Indianapolis Colts. It’s because the Chiefs really aren’t that bad of a team and haven’t dropped off that much with the loss of Jamaal Charles for the season. Even if you took the Broncos’ weaknesses and made them strengths, the Chiefs are still in a position to challenge the Broncos because they are doing some things well.
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OTC: QB Free Agents In 2016

Jason Fitzgerald projects contracts that quarterbacks set to enter free agency in 2016 are likely to get. One name should be familiar to Bronco fans.

Brock Osweiler, Broncos
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Ryan Mallet signed for $3.5 million last season and Chase Daniel, who simply backed up Drew Brees for a few years, signed for $3.3 million so it would seem to make sense to slot Osweiler in that same range. Like those players he would probably land in a similar situation which is in a competition for a starting job on a bad team or backing up a veteran. If he can only land a backup job, sticking in Denver would probably be the best long term choice, provided they will allow him to start once Manning hangs it up.

There is, of course, another consideration: What if Peyton Manning retires after this season? Osweiler could re-sign and be named the starter.

Also of note are the veteran backups who won’t command a lot of money but will be looking for work. Matt Schaub is on the list and he knows Gary Kubiak’s system, but Drew Stanton could be an intriguing option if he doesn’t re-sign with Arizona.

The NSS Rankings And My Midseason Award Picks

Here are this week’s Not So Scientific Rankings. Following the rankings, you will have my insight on who I see as the best candidate at this point for the year-end awards. Regarding those awards, I see one in which a candidate is starting to pull away, and one in which it’s really a two-person race, but the others have quite a few worthy candidates, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see disagreement.

I group the teams within categories, noting which teams are bordering on moving up into a higher category or falling into a lower one. But it’s becoming clear who are the playoff favorites and who has the best chance of reaching the Super Bowl.
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The One That Got Away

From a football knowledge standpoint this film study with Joe Thomas is gold.

If you’re the least bit curious about offensive line play, a conversation with Thomas is like a personal Ted Talk.

From a Broncos fan perspective it makes one think of what might have been. When the potential trade was being discussed someone asked about Thomas’ experience and ability in a zone scheme. This answers that pretty well and explains the strong interest from the Broncos. In fact, Thomas specifically mentions Kubiak and Shanahan when discussing scheme.

From a Browns fan perspective, how maddened must it have been to see Thomas go on the block? How angry would we have been if McDaniels had tried to trade Clady or Bailey when the 2010 season started to go bad?

Luck’s Victory Sunday Came At A Cost

The Colts are on bye this week but will go back to Matt Hasselbeck for at least the games against Atlanta and Tampa Bay. The Falcons are reeling and the Bucs have been below average, so it’s possible the Colts could improve to 6-5 in Luck’s absence.

But, yeah, the Broncos did pound him and Luck has been taking a beating all season long. All more the reason for the Colts to find a new GM who can do a better job building the team around him so he doesn’t have to take on such a load in the future.

ETA: Nicki Jhabvala notes the play on which the injury likely happened.

Football Outsiders: Andrew Luck And The Broncos D

Andrew Healy at Football Outsiders broke down what made the difference in the Broncos-Colts game, particularly noting how well Andrew Luck played against the blitz when he had struggled previously.

I suspect that’s why the Broncos blitzed Luck so much, because he had struggled against it. But as Healy notes, there were other issues that affected the Broncos, ranging from untimely penalties to injuries to players that may have limited what they could do. During the game, the Broncos not only lost DeMarcus Ware in the third quarter for the remainder of the game, but had to rest Chris Harris, T.J. Ward and Brandon Marshall for several plays.
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If Talib Is To Be Suspened, What About Lamarcus Joyner?

I’m sure many of you are aware that the NFL has informed Denver Broncos CB Aqib Talib that he will be suspended one game for poking Indianapolis Colts TE Dwayne Allen in the eye.

This begs the question: So what about St. Louis Rams CB Lamarcus Joyner?

For those not aware, Joyner was flagged for unnecessary roughness for a hit on Minnesota Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater. You can read this Deadspin article and see a clip of the play, in which it looks like Joyner wants it to appear he’s avoiding Bridgwater, but keeps his elbow lowered to nail Bridgewater in the helmet.
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Immediate Thoughts on Broncos at Colts

I had a feeling it was going to be a difficult game when offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski took the reigns mid-week after the firing of Pep Hamilton. This alters the game plan more than many would imagine. How does a defense prepare against a coach they haven’t seen call a play all year? I respect the guy, and it was obvious in the first half that we found difficulty stopping his calls. Even our defensive coordinator Wade Phillips knew what he was up against:

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