Redhook and Stockman, our boys hit the wall last night, big time. But don't start writing them off just yet. Here's what happened IMHO: For the first time in two years, our offensive line was completely man-handled by the Miami defensive front, in such a way that it cost Denver the game by 1) Giving Elway ZERO time to make his reads and set to throw a good pass. (Granted, he did throw off his back foot many times last night). 2) There was NOWHERE for Terrell to run. Every time he got the ball, he had plenty of company from the other team in the backfield. Come on, line!!! 3) Poor blocking and the two situations mentioned above led to many 3rd and long situations, in which the already-pumped D could pin its ears back and go after John.
Secondary factors: Elam's missed FG at the start of the second half was big...instead of taking a 16-7 lead, Denver found itself trailing 14-13 just minutes later. The officials refused to call a single penalty on Miami, with several suspect collisions between their DBs and our receivers. Last but not least, we got ZERO pressure on Marino and he eventually picked us apart. Gut reaction for his great game is to blame the DB's, but Marino would have made any defensive backfield pay, given the incredible amounts of time he had to throw the ball. I'm going to Denver this week and will be in the house for the Seattle game -- let's get better!!! |
