Schlereth: Broncos o-line ‘ought to be ashamed’ after Titans matchup

To say the Denver Broncos ground game never really developed in a 13-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday would be an understatement.

On the day, the Broncos rushed for just 18 yards, the third-lowest mark in franchise history, on 9 carries for an average of 2.0 yards per carry — all season lows.

But head coach Gary Kubiak, who said he was of the opinion Denver needed to “throw the ball to have a chance to win” against Tennessee, said he believes the Broncos rushing attack is “fixable.”

“To me, it’s negative plays,” Kubiak said Monday. “We had negatives going backward, and I think we had three holding calls on three different running plays out of nine or 10. We put the ball on the ground in another play. It’s just too many negative things. We have to get rid of those for us to keep moving the ball forward.”

However, the frustration has boiled over for Mark Schlereth, former Broncos lineman, ESPN NFL analyst and co-host of Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan’s “Schlereth and Evans.”

“You ought to be ashamed of yourselves,” said Schlereth Monday, addressing the Denver offensive line.

Once a “big proponent” of the Broncos being balanced and having a bit of variety to its run game, Schlereth said that Denver should scrap the ground game and exclusive pass because the “offensive line doesn’t deserve” that balance.

“You don’t deserve the opportunity to be balanced. They ought to throw it 100 times a game and just let those saps bleed. That’s what they ought to do. Not one of those guys has earned it,” Schlereth said. “Throw it every freaking play. Your quarterback has shown unbelievable toughness. You get him hit. You get him absolutely lambasted.”

Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian, on 52 drop backs, was sacked three times for a loss of 20 yards on Sunday.

And for those calling for Kubiak to scrap the zone run, Schlereth said not only does each team in the NFL run at least some of those type of plays but also the system is not why the Broncos have struggled on the ground.

“You can sit here and tell me until you’re blue in the face that this offense doesn’t work anymore. It’s not the offense. It’s the guys you have up front trying to execute said offense. That’s what doesn’t work. That’s where they stink,” Schlereth said.

Kubiak said on Monday that looking back at the game he thought the team “protected well,” that some of the sacks were due to Siemian holding the ball too long.

“I think we’re battling and doing some positive things, but just like anything else, we need to be more consistent in what we’re doing,” Kubiak said.

According to Pro Football Focus, two offensive linemen — guards Max Garcia (78.8) and Michael Schofield (76.8) graded not only among the top offensive players for the Broncos on Sunday but also ahead of Siemian (73.0).

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.