Today’s question about the Broncos comes from Jamie.
Q: I keep hearing that the Broncos need to be more aggressive on offense, especially after losing 45-10 at New England in the AFC semifinals. How much more aggressive do you think coach John Fox will be in the 2012 season?
A: An offense’s personality tends to show up on first-and-10 plays. The Broncos led the NFL in rushing in the 2011 season. On first-and-10 plays, the Broncos ran the ball 57.7 percent of the time. That ranked No. 2 among playoff teams, behind the Texans (58.4 percent).
The Bengals ran the ball 56.8 percent of the time on first-and-10 plays. They had a rookie quarterback, Andy Dalton, who passed for 3,398 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Six of the 12 playoff teams ran the ball more than 53 percent of the time on first-and-10 plays. Two, the Ravens and the 49ers, played in conference championship games Sunday. They advanced to the NFL’s final four without a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
The Patriots, who have a three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback in Tom Brady, threw the ball on 55.4 percent of their first-and-10 plays this season. The Giants, who also have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Eli Manning, threw the ball 57.2 percent of the time on first-and-10 plays.
The Broncos won’t be more aggressive on offense until Tim Tebow’s completion percentage improves. Tebow was 8-5 in starts this season and had a six-game win streak, but he completed only 46.5 percent of his passes. That ranked last among the league’s starting QBs.
Jeff Legwold: jlegwold@denverpost.com
