NASHVILLE, Tenn. — If Santiago the Cuban fisherman was the old man and the sea, Josh the Broncos coach is the young man and the C-minus.
Santiago had not caught a fish on the water in 84 days. Josh has not won a game on the road in 299 days (Dec. 6, 2009).
Santiago believed he could be “destroyed but not defeated.” Josh has been defeated but stands firm that he will not be destroyed.
Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, 389 teams have begun the regular season 0-4 or 1-3, and only 30 (7.7 percent) have reached the postseason.
Josh McDaniels must land a big one today.
A C-minus will not get it done against the Titans here in Music City.
On the flight from Denver on Saturday, I asked four other members of the media and five orange-and-predominantly-blue supporters to become professors and give the Broncos grades (A-F; pluses and minuses accepted; grading on the curve not) after two losses in three games.
The consensus of the 10 report cards (mine included) had the wide receivers receiving the highest grades (A-plus) and the running backs the lowest (F-minus).
Judge along at home.
Wide receivers: A-plus. The 4 Centaurs (half man, half horse) have been exceptional with 58 receptions, 854 yards and four touchdowns. The new Brandon is Lloyd with 14 catches for 339 yards (24.2 yards per). With Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney (189 yards), Eddie Royal (186) and No. 1 draft pick Demaryius Thomas (140), the Broncos may have their most proficient quartet in history. Brandon Marshall has 22 catches for 290 yards and one TD for Miami.
Running backs: F-minus. The Broncos struggled to run last season, struggled in the exhibition season and struggle so far this regular season. “Failure” was the unanimous (nonpassing) grade. Knowshon Moreno can’t stay healthy, just as he couldn’t stay healthy at Georgia. The Broncos are averaging 2.5 yards per run, last in the league. Peyton Hillis has 220 yards rushing (5.6 per) with 86 receiving. Ryan Torain has carried seven times for 46 yards (6.6).
Quarterback: B. Kyle Orton is off to his best statistical start with 1,078 yards (and 66.4 percent completion rate), four touchdowns, two interceptions and a 97.4 QB rating. McDaniels says a quarterback has to be graded on third- and fourth-down completions, success in the red zone and victories. Orton is not off to a spectacular start in those three critical areas. Jay Cutler has thrown for 870 yards (65.9), six touchdowns, two interceptions and a 109.7 QB rating. Chicago is undefeated.
Tight end: C. Daniel Graham has seven catches for 51 yards (zero touchdowns) with a couple of drops and is, as usual, an outstanding blocker. Richard Quinn is not playing. Tony Scheffler has 14 catches for 108 yards and one touchdown for Detroit.
Offensive linemen: C-minus. The Broncos finally will be at full strength for the first time against Tennessee. The running game problems also must be blamed on the line, and the unit has allowed five sacks. The unit has to improve to be mediocre. Four former Broncos starters are playing for other teams.
Defensive linemen: D. The line has not dominated. The six linemen have participated in 24 tackles, but not one ranks in the top 10 among Broncos tacklers. The line has no sacks, no fumble recoveries, no penetration. Not much here to be excited about. Trevor Pryce was cut by the Ravens, claimed by the Jets.
Linebackers: C. D.J. Williams and Robert Ayers are playing OK — Ayers has been credited with 1 1/2 sacks, Williams 1/2 — but not at an all-pro level. No other linebacker has a sack. None of the linebackers has picked a pass, and Jarvis Moss has disappeared again.
Secondary: C-minus. The Broncos have been hurt (three of the four starters injured to some extent) and humiliated for seven touchdown passes in three games. Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins and Perrish Cox have picks (the Broncos’ only turnovers). The backs made the Jaguars’ David Garrard a star. He has since been benched.
Special teams: C. Kicker Matt Prater (4-of-4) and punter “Great” Britton Colquitt (47.3 yards) have been special, but not the kick or punt return teams on either side. Cox had a terrible fumble last week and was pushed aside.
Coaching: C-minus. McDaniels, who really is the offensive coordinator, has made serious mistakes in play-calling. Wink Martindale’s defensive game plan against the Colts was superb, but he must share in the responsibility of two losses, when the Broncos have scored only 61 points while permitting 65. And Mike Priefer is not earning his keep. Who? He’s the special- teams coach.
The Broncos are below average overall at C-minus.
Santiago, at least, got an “A” for effort. “I think the great DiMaggio would be proud of me.” He finally caught a marlin. But it was eaten by the sharks. If the Broncos don’t improve fast, they will be too.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
