Denver Post Broncos writer Troy Renck posts his Broncos Mailbag on Wednesdays during the season.
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With C.J. Anderson and Juwan Thompson suffering injuries against the Lions, what will the Broncos do about their running back situation? Will Kapri Bibbs get a chance to come up to the 53-man roster and can he get significant playing time?
— Seth Winters, Denver
Seth: Coach Gary Kubiak remains pleased with Kapri Bibbs’ progress on the practice squad. They will continue to monitor his situation. As of now, there are no plans to activate him because the Broncos believe Juwan Thompson will be healthy enough to play after suffering a neck injury against the Lions. Thompson participated in practice on Wednesday, an encouraging sign for him to play this Sunday. If Bibbs continues to impress, he will get his chance, either here or with another team. He is an NFL back but unfortunately it requires patience until he receives his opportunity.
WATCH:
Troy, are the offensive line struggles simply an issue of cohesion, or is there more to it? I know Matt Paradis and Ty Sambrailo are still very inexperienced, but how about Louis Vasquez? Evan Mathis? Are they struggling individually? And should we expect a bigger role from Max Garcia soon?
— Ian Johnson, Oklahoma
Ian: The offense line played its third game together last Sunday. That is part of the issue. Zone blocking requires great communication, adjustments and nuance. The Broncos’ group is finding its way. Matt Paradis and Ty Sambrailo have struggled, not unexpected given their inexperience. Paradis has shown improvement, while Sambrailo continues to search for traction and is now dealing with an shoulder injury that prevented from practicing on Wednesday. If Sambrailo can’t play, the Broncos will have to figure out a game plan with how to use Ryan Harris and Michael Schofield. Harris played his best game of the season last Sunday, Louis Vasquez was solid and, perhaps most importantly, Evan Mathis is up to speed. He has improved dramatically from week-to-week, just as he said he would. Perhaps he misjudged how long it would take him to ramp up to game shape after joining the team in late August. Regardless, he’s on the right track. It showed in pass protection for the entire group as Manning, using the pistol formation, was sacked just once against the Lions. As for Max Garcia, the Broncos remain bullish on him. To play much this season, however, it would likely be at center before guard.
WATCH:
Considering the poor play of Matt Paradis, shouldn’t the Broncos consider signing an experienced center like Brian De La Puente? Or this could “backfire” like what’s happening with Evan Mathis?
— George Herbert, Sao Paulo, Brazil
George: The Broncos’ decision to sign Mathis late backfired in the season’s first week. But he has improved over the last two games, and should only get better. As for Paradis, if he doesn’t continue to trend upward the Broncos would likely look internally for help. James Ferentz and Max Garcia would be candidates to play center. Switching too much creates major issues. They want to give this group a chance to gain cohesion. Constant change is death to a zone-blocking scheme.
WATCH:
I’m getting sick and tired of watching Denver’s offense not scoring in the first quarter. It’s always last-minute scoring. I hate that. The offense is just relying on the defense too much. Owen Daniels missed to many opportunities. Look at Tom Brady, he always scores in the first quarter. Can the Broncos’ offense start each game with a better game plan?
— Silvia Novita, Colorado Springs
Silvia: They need to start fast. Or faster. It’s always disappointing when a team fires off slow because those plays are scripted with grand designs on success. That said, the defense continues to keep the Broncos in the game. It’s like pitching and defense in baseball. Do those well and you only need a couple of big hits a night to win. I sense some of that with the Broncos. They tilt a little more conservative knowing the defense will afford them opportunities later. That said, the key to starting better is balance. The Broncos remain one dimensional. It is hard for the game plan to improve dramatically if the Broncos don’t become — at the very least — an ordinary rushing attack.
PICK SIX:
It seems like Denver has already met their takeaway total from all of last year in the first three games. How have the first three games compared to Jack Del Rio’s vanilla defense?
— Cody Hemmen, Arvada
Cody: The Broncos own as many takeaways now as they did after nine games last season. The difference is startling. Del Rio built his defense around stopping the run. And the Broncos established a franchise record in rushing yards allowed per game last season. It didn’t translate into much impact. The Broncos failed to produce takeaways or big plays. Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense suits the personality of the players. They are told to attack the quarterback, to look for opportunities to strip the ball. It can leave the defense vulnerable to big plays, but the aggressiveness has completely changed how the Broncos are defined. They are defense first, a style that usually plays well in any weather any time of the season.
2015:
I was studying the schedule and I was wondering why do the Broncos play the Patriots every year during the regular season?
— Ron, Reno, Nev.
Ron: There’s a formula. Not created by Pythagoras. The league. It’s simple. Sort of. Sort of not. Here’s my best explanation based on what I wrote last year after talking to league official: “Denver plays at New England every season. So goes the grousing in the Mile High City as the Broncos prepare for their third consecutive regular-season road game in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday. The stretch represents a quirk in the scheduling format that will even out over time if both teams mirror performances, an NFL official said. Take solace Broncos fans, if the Broncos and Patriots finish in the same spot in their divisions New England will travel to Denver in 2015, 2016 and 2017. (They are playing in Denver this season as you all know). The format seems tilted to New England because of its fortunate timing. The scheduling formula established with realignment in 2002 created these rotations.
In 2012 and 2013, the Broncos and the Patriots won their divisions and, in that specific scenario, the format called for the AFC West winner to visit the AFC East winner. The Broncos returned to New England in 2014 as part of a broader scheduling format: AFC West teams Denver and Oakland visited the Patriots and the Patriots travel to San Diego and Kansas City.
The schedule is designed to be viewed through a 24-year rotation, the league said, where every team plays each other home and away. The Patriots have become a frequent Broncos’ opponent because of matching division finishes.”
Got it…. The good news for Broncos’ fans? The Broncos and Patriots matched division finishes last year so the Broncos host New England Nov. 29, and will do so in 2016 and 2017 if they continue to finish the same.
STATS:
Keeping the offense on a short leash, building the defense up, keeping the score close so they play with aggression and turnovers. It’s easy to see what Gary Kubiak and John Elway has planned now. You win with defense and handle pressure in the playoffs. This is the reason that John Fox was let go. What say you?
— Gabriel Benson, Waterloo, Iowa
Gabriel: It is an interesting observation. Fox has never met a punt he didn’t like. He’d much rather have his defense win a game. But his defenses here weren’t build to win as much as keep the Broncos in the game. They weren’t aggressive enough. Fox was let go because he and Elway no longer saw eye-to-eye on the team’s performance in big games, the development of young players and multiple members of his coaching staff. The Broncos will continue to play cautious offensively, in my opinion, while the group figures out its identity. The Broncos have proven they can win ugly, and the only thing that can undermine that is offensive turnovers and short fields.
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Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or
