Joe Flacco is wrong about the Broncos play calling

Joe Flacco is going to be a popular man in Denver today.

That’s odd, given that he’s the quarterback of a Broncos team that is struggling at the moment; usually, going 2-6 during the first half of the season doesn’t endear a signal caller to fans in the Mile High City.

But Flacco’s mini-rant after Denver’s latest loss is sure to resonate with most people who bleed orange. Sick of watching an offense that has been the cure for insomnia most of the season, fans probably agree with the quarterback’s comments.

“We’re playing situational football,” Flacco said during his postgame press conference. “I just feel like sometimes those situations are tough and we can make it easy on ourselves by not being afraid to be aggressive.”

Anyone who has watched the Broncos run the ball on third-and-eight or repeatedly throw passes short of the sticks when trying to keep the chains moving this season is nodding in agreement. In particular, they were frustrated how Denver didn’t try to put the game away late in Sunday’s loss at Indianapolis.

Leading 13-12 at the 2:00 warning, the Broncos faced a third-and-five at the Colts 43-yard line. Indy was down to one timeout, so a first down by Denver would put the game on ice.

So what did offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello dial up on the key play? He called a dive to Phillip Lindsay, which was stuffed for no gain.

The Broncos punted. The Colts drove down the field for the game-winning field goal. And for the third time this season, Denver watched a victory disappear in the waning seconds.

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Feeling the frustration, Flacco opened up to the media after the game. The normally very reserved quarterback shared his true thoughts about the key call.

“I mean, come on. We’re now a 2-6 football team and we look like we’re afraid to go for it in a two-minute drill,” Flacco said. “Who cares if you give the ball back to the guys with 1:40 left? They obviously got the field goal anyway.”

The quarterback didn’t stop there. His criticism of the coaching staff continued.

“It just feels like we’re kind of afraid to lose the game,” Flacco added. “It’s third-and-five at the end of the game. I just felt like, ‘What do we have to lose?’ Why can’t we be aggressive in some of these situations? That’s kind of how I feel about a lot of the game today.”

In hindsight, the quarterback seems to have a point. After all, giving the ball to the Colts did result in another gut-wrenching loss.

Had the Broncos thrown the ball on third-and-five, not gotten the first down and allowed Indianapolis to not burn their final timeout at that point in the game, there wouldn’t be any difference in the outcome. Denver still would’ve lost.

So after the fact, it’s really easy to question the decision. Heck, even at the time, it wasn’t hard to wonder what the Broncos were thinking.

But just because it didn’t work out doesn’t mean Denver made the wrong decision. In fact, Vic Fangio, Scangarello or whoever made the ultimate decision played things perfectly.

The smart play in that situation is to make the opposition use their last timeout, pin them deep in their own territory and play defense. For a team that is built to win low-scoring, mistake-free games, that’s even more the case.

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Last night, in almost the exact same position, the Packers threw the ball on third-and-five, got the first down and went into victory formation against the Chiefs. But they have Aaron Rodgers. They’re built to win through the air.

The Broncos personality is a conversative one. They want to avoid turnovers on offense, score when opportunities arise and rely on their defense to win the game. That’s exactly what they did throughout the game yesterday, which staked them to a late lead.

It would’ve been foolish to deviate from that plan at the 11th hour. With the game on the line, that’s the worst possible time to do something new. In that situation, a team has to stick to what they do; they can’t get caught up in the moment.

The last time they went with their gut, they ran an ill-advised fake punt against Kansas City in Week 7. They looked like a fish out of water, as the play became symbolic of Denver’s ineptitude in a 30-6 loss to the Chiefs.

Fans who chant for teams to go for it on fourth down have the luxury of being dice rollers. Coaches who are trying to execute a game plan do not. They have to stay true to their identity.

Fangio and Company did just that on Sunday. And it should’ve worked.

Colby Wadman’s punt pinned the Colts at their own 11-yard line with 1:48 to play in the game. And on the first play of the ensuing drive, Von Miller had Jacoby Brissett in his sights for what should’ve been a sack right at the goal line. If Denver’s best player tackles the Indianapolis quarterback, the game might’ve been over.

But he didn’t. The linebacker whiffed, as Brissett escaped pressure, rolled to his right and threw a dart to T.Y. Hilton for a 35-yard gain. At that point, the Colts were on the move and a field goal seemed imminent. Six plays later, Adam Vinatieri drilled a 51-yard kick to give Indianapolis a 15-13 lead.

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As a result, the second guessing of Scangarello began, with his quarterback fueling the fire. But the criticism is unfair.

In essence, the Broncos made the following decision: Would they rather have the game come down to Flacco completing a pass on third-and-five or Miller tackling the quarterback when he breaks through the middle of the line unblocked?

That’s a simple answer. Everyone would, or should, bet on the sack happening. It’s almost a sure thing. Almost.

And that’s the problem. For the third time in eight games, the Broncos played things perfectly. They had a late lead and put the game in the hands of their defense. That’s situation anyone would’ve gladly welcomed prior to kickoff.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out in any of those instances. But that’s not on the coaching staff; they made the right calls.

Instead, it’s a failure on the part of the players. Miller has to sack Brissett and Alexander Johnson can’t get called for a horse-collar penalty to give the Colts a free 15 yards on the game-winning drive. The same can be said for losses to the Bears and Jaguars, where Denver’s defense can’t commit roughing-the-passer penalties or let Mitchell Trubisky convert on fourth-and-15.

It’s also a failure on the part of John Elway and the Broncos front office. They’re the ones who built a team that had to win games in a conservative fashion. In an era of high-flying offense, Denver has decided to zig when the rest of the league is zagging, attempting to find success with old-school, smash-mouth, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust football.

That’s what Fangio and Scangarello were tasked with doing. On Sunday, the played their cards exactly right. It just didn’t work out.

Flacco and the fan base might be frustrated that the Broncos don’t take more chances, but they aren’t built to play that way. Deviating from their formula, especially in crucial situations, would be the definition of bad coaching.

There are plenty of reasons to be critical of Vic Fangio and Rich Scangarello. Their conservative play calling just isn’t one of them.

Follow @jamesmerilatt