Evans: Is it all coming apart for the Denver Broncos?

A few of my notes and observations from the Denver Broncos potential season-crippling 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots:

— Not a smart decision by head coach Gary Kubiak to open up the floor for discussion immediately following the loss. Emotions were running high at that point, and the likelihood of anything constructive being said was probably low.

— Also, not a smart decision by offensive tackle Russell Okung to stand up to speak. Know your place big fella. I like Okung (although he did not come to The Fan Football Fest I cordially invited him to in September), but he’s only been here one season. Plus, he plays for the worst unit on the entire team — the offensive line. It was probably better to mind your tongue in that situation.

— That being said, I’m getting kind of turned off by the bravado of some of these defensive guys. OK, we get it. We know you’re the best players on the team. We know you have a snappy nickname. We know this offense sucks. But, it’s not like this offense is trying to suck. This is a team sport, by the way. This isn’t the first time in the history of football that one side of the ball has been much better than the other. Deal with it, and try to pump up the offense instead of just ripping it down.

— T.J .Ward. Love ya dude, but that whole flinging Patriots receiver Julian—Edelman to the ground then flexing thing looked really stupid.

— Putting receiver Jordan Norwood back there to field punts was not one of Kubiak’s best ideas. The guy was struggling so much you previously benched him for Khalif Raymond, who looked decent, but you went with Norwood because of his potential role in the passing game. Coach, have you watched your offense? You thought the passing game would play a bigger role in that game than special teams? Everyone thought it would be a low-scoring game in those kinds of conditions with a lot more punt return opportunities than pass catch chances for Norwood.

—Trevor Siemian continues to pass the eye test for me, but I get it. At the end of the day (A favorite phrase of Brock Osweiler. How about dodging that bullet?), a quarterback is measured by how many points he puts up. And Siemian has been awful in that department the last two games. Against the Patriots, he faced more zone coverage than he’s faced all year, which led to holding the ball longer than he has all season, exposing his lack of experience in decision making. I stand by what I said a couple of weeks ago about T-Sim: Right now, he’s a below average QB who has potential and is playing behind a crap offensive line and within an unimaginative offense. I like him. But he needs to become more of a playmaker. Somehow.

— Kubiak is going to be arriving at some huge decisions here very soon. Someone on that offensive coaching staff will have to be held accountable. Likely targets include offensive line coach Clancy Barone and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison.

Barone will be a no-brainer. But what about his good friend Dennison? Will Kubiak be willing to fire him? Or, will he refuse and step down himself? Keep this in mind, Kubiak was happy just being an offensive coordinator in Baltimore. He only took this job because general manager John Elway put on the full-court press to get him, and even with all of that Kubiak seriously considered turning No. 7 down.

With the health issues Kubiak has had here and previously in Houston, it would not surprise me in the slightest if he stepped down after this year. Refusing to fire friends might be the reason to do it.

— I’m still holding out hope the Broncos can win two in a row and get help to make the tournament. But sometimes you just get a feeling, and right now my feeling about this team isn’t good. They’re trending in the wrong way, losing two in a row and going just 4-6 in their last 10. The offense isn’t getting better, and, clearly, the defense isn’t happy. There’s a reason so many defending champs struggle the next year. Right now, the Broncos look like one of those teams.

 

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