Denver Post staff writer Bill Williamson posts his Broncos Mailbag each Tuesday during the 2006 NFL season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a question into the Broncos Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
I think the playoffs are still very realistic. Three very winnable games remain, including a home game vs. Cincy. K.C. still has to play at San Diego. Run the table, and Denver would hold the tiebreaker vs. Cincy and be at least one game up on K.C. if the Chiefs do lose at S.D. The Jags and Jets will lose at least one more. What do you think?
— Marv Lallian, Sacramento, Calif.
You’re right, Marv, the playoffs are very realistic. All Denver has to do is win out and it should be fine. That’s just three games. All three are winnable. But the problem is, can a team mentally respond from a four-game losing streak?
This team was a quarter away from being 8-2. Now, they are currently out of the playoff picture after four straight losses. The Broncos haven’t won since Nov. 12 at Oakland. They have to find a way to win. That is currently the Broncos’ biggest challenge. Just finding a way to win.
Now that the playoffs are out of the question, what do you think the worst failure was this year? Coaching? New offensive coordinator? Jake? No consistent running game? Rod Smith being old? Defensive line too much Cleveland? Todd Sauerbrun getting canned? Injuries to key positions?
— Craig Levin, Rapid City, S.D.
Well, Craig, the playoffs are not out of the question. So, it’s a tad early to pinpoint the biggest issue. But I’d cite injuries and the sudden vulnerability of the defense as the biggest issues at this point. The injuries have mounted, and the defense is far from the unit that it was for the first six games of the season.
LaDainian Tomlinson has killed the Broncos this year. When was he drafted? Did the Broncos have a chance at him? Was he highly touted going into the draft?
— Robert, Boulder
Robert – Tomlinson was drafted in 2000 out of Texas Christian University. He was the No. 5 overall pick, and the Broncos didn’t have a chance to draft him. He was a star in college. It wasn’t expected that he’d be one of the best running backs of all time, but Tomlinson did come into the NFL with high expectations.
Observations from Sunday’s game: They’re using Jay Cutler wrong; he needs deeper drops and/or to be on the move more. Also (probably because he is young and hasn’t figured out how to go through his progressions), way too many passes to the left side. … The good news is: Next year, they’ll probably have a third-place finisher’s schedule, which will be far easier
than this year’s schedule.
— Les Sullivan, Tustin Ranch, Calif.
Les – Have patience with Cutler. He is already making improvements. As for the nuances, they’ll come. This guy is going to be good, but it is going to be rough at times. As for the third-place schedule, Kansas City is also struggling. So, Denver could finish 9-7 and still be in second place.
Anyway, only two games, one home and one away, are affected by the finish.
When is Mike Shanahan going to be held accountable for the disastrous mess he has created for the Broncos? The time has come for Pat Bowlen to take off the rose-colored glasses and realize that Coach Shanahan has produced a grand total of “ONE” playoff victory since John Elway left nine seasons ago. As of Sunday, the Broncos may be the worst team in the NFL.
— Scott Bihr, Fort Myers, Fla.
Scott – Shanahan is plenty safe. In fact, the team will sign him to a contract extension shortly after the season is over.
This is and should be Shanahan’s team. The guy is one of the best coaches in the NFL. The Broncos have several young players, and Shanahan will stick around to see them develop.
What are the Broncos going to do about a pass rush and special teams? Both are among the worst – if not the worst – in football. No matter how good the rest of the team is, if you have two aspects of your team that are as bad as these two, it brings down the rest of the team.
— Brad Casey, Longmont
Brad – A pass rusher will be an offseason priority. However, finding a quality pass rusher is perhaps the toughest position to fill in the draft. So it wouldn’t be a given.
As for the special teams, yes, it needs a dramatic upgrade. But special teams is more a matter of scheming than personnel in
many instances.
Shouldn’t we put some energy into drafting or trading for a FRANCHISE running back? You can put Jay, Jake or Jane in the QB spot, it won’t matter if no one respects your RB situation.
— Clarence Jeter, Long Beach, Calif.
Clarence – Denver, as always, will likely look for a running back in the offseason to team with the Bells. Watch for Denver to try adding a bigger, more bruising back. That is a missing presence.
Is it me or does Jason Elam hurt his legs a lot doing things other then kicking? Against Seattle, he hurt his leg simply running. I also remember him hurting his hamstring once before making a tackle. You’d think a kicker’s legs would be in such good shape that he wouldn’t get hurt much. Just a thought; Elam’s great in my book.
— Matt McMullen, Philadelphia
Matt – Elam has been hurt making football plays. No matter how strong his legs are, if he is getting tackled – as he was against the Seahawks on the fake field goal – he has a chance to get hurt.
Here in K.C., if our head coach benched Trent Green for some rookie QB and cost us our season, the season-ticket holders at Arrowhead Stadium would want his head on a stick. What do you think the season-ticket holders at Invesco Field at Mile High will do if the Broncos miss the playoffs?
— KCBH, Kansas City, Mo.
KCBH – Probably kick and scream for a few days and then send in their deposit for next year’s season tickets.
Is it safe to say that the next “Elway” is actually a CB who wears No. 24?
— Mike Miller, Broomfield
Mike – Champ Bailey is the Broncos’ best player and one of the best players to ever play for Denver. So, if you mean the next John Elway because of his greatness, well, yes, he is the best player on the team. But Bailey, because he is not a quarterback, will never have Elway status.
I just wanted to know how the Denver Broncos fly. Do they fly by a private jet or like us regular folks?
— Sandip Chandra, Reading, England
Sandip – They fly on a private charter. The team leaves in the afternoon before the game and then heads directly to the airport after road games. They always arrive the night of the game.
Bill Williamson is in his third season as a Denver Post NFL beat reporter. To drop a question into his Broncos Mailbag, which runs each Tuesday of the 2006 NFL season, .
