It’s only been a few days since the Broncos edged out the Texans, but it’s a prime-time matchup with a hated rival — and the boys will be wearing the Throwbacks — so life really just couldn’t get any better.
And helping us figure out this Jekyll & Hyde team (or at least offense) is season ticket holder and Sunday morning waffle lover, Arimaris. And those waffles are working because Arimaris has some seriously good advice for our head coach — Keep. It. Simple. Stupid.
Ok, he didn’t add the “stupid” part. No one thinks Sean Payton is stupid. But sometimes the opposite. Like most of us, our strengths are often our weaknesses, and when you are an offensive “genius” sometimes you forget that your young offense isn’t ready for all that.
But WE are ready for all this UFG greatness…and a little Samuel L. Jackson:
“There are Raiders. There are Broncos. There’s an enclosed space. There’s piles and piles of hate. And there’s YOU! So let me ask you, ‘Are you ready for some football?”
Week 10: Broncos v. Raiders on TNF
MHR – The win over the Texans was not easy. Was that what you expected? How are you feeling about this team’s progress at this point in the season?
Arimaris: I think the team struggled over the Texans because of poor play calling more than anything else. That has been the number one issue on offense. Sean Payton loves his screens and wide runs, and against the Texans, that is a foolish mistake. To me, the reason we suddenly are better late in games is Payton doesn’t have the ability to be clever anymore and has to keep it simple and aggressive. As for the team as a whole, I am excited because the talent is there on both sides of the ball. The challenge is going to be that our offense is still learning how to play together and we have a head coach who is too clever for his own good. If he remembers that simple can be good, we are going to be even better.
MHR – Last year the Broncos finally beat the Raiders – and based on the team’s records and performance currently, it would seem that should carry over. But we all know how tough AFC West matchups are and how hard the Broncos like to make easy games. Before we get to specifics, what is your No. 1 worry about beating this Raiders team (if there is one)?
Arimaris: My number one worry is exactly what I said before, the play calling being too clever. The Raiders have some good individual players on defense, but they also have a ton of holes. Keep it simple. Run the ball consistently. Use the quick and crossing routes and let the receivers run after the catch. Just beat them down with simple concepts and it’s a win. If we allow them to stay in the game by trying to do what we have done against weak teams like the Jets and Titans, we are going to have a tough game. It should not be tough, but I think that we need to make it simple to ensure it isn’t a tough game.
MHR – The Raiders finally have stability at the head coaching position and have several playmakers, including a rookie running back that many wanted in Denver – Ashton Jeanty. Although he hasn’t been as impressive as many thought, he has accounted for nearly a fifth of the Raiders’ total first downs and has scored six touchdowns, both through the air and on the ground. What is the best way to stop him and what is your confidence level in the Broncos’ run defense right now?
Arimaris: I was frustrated when the Raiders drafted Jeanty because I truly hoped he would fall and we pick him up. I think RJ Harvey is a poor man’s version of him, so the fact Jeanty went to the Raiders was painful, but Harvey is fine. As for stopping him, I don’t see this as a priority. I think if we just play consistent defense the worst he can do is rack up some yards, but with our players he is going to be slowed down enough that it isn’t an issue. The reality though is that he is one of the best playmakers they have so it would be nice to see Greenlaw, and I think our own 1st round pick in Barron, covering him when he is out on a route. Then just be disciplined and make the tackle when he runs.
MHR – Brock Bowers is a dangerous tight end, and after three weeks out for a knee injury, he came back with a vengeance, getting over 100 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Jahdae Barron has shown some skill covering tight ends and Dre Greenlaw has been great in the two games he’s played; do you think they can shut down Bowers on Thursday night?
Arimaris: Yes. I think that Joseph is smart enough to use Barron and Greenlaw to slow down Bowers and Jeanty enough that they are not able to impact the game. I also think they probably get some yards and even TDs, but the key will be slowing them down enough to let us win.
MHR – The Broncos defense has been amazing but has certainly noticed the absence of Pat Surtain II. Now that the Raiders traded Jakobi Meyers and Tyler Lockett had a sub-par debut, which secondary-wideout matchups will be the ones to watch? How do you think the Surtain-less secondary stacks up to the Raiders wide receivers?
Arimaris: I think our secondary is going to be fine. The WRs that the Raiders are putting out there are not NFL caliber and even without Surtain, we are going to be able to deal with them. The keys are more around slowing Jeanty and Bowers because they are the real threats. If the Raiders are throwing to the other receivers, that is a winning matchup for the Broncos.
MHR – The Broncos’ offense has generally struggled to get a fast start – except against the putrid Cowboys’ defense. What needs to happen from a play-calling standpoint by Sean Payton and an execution standpoint by Bo Nix for the Broncos to get out to a fast start on Thursday night?
Arimaris: I said it before and it remains true, keep it simple. Don’t try to have four players in motion all come set and then run an end around to Franklin. Rather than trying to make a WR screen work repeatedly, just have players run a set of routes where Nix gets to read and pick the best option. And Run the ball! Not just out of the Jumbo formation, either. RUN THE BALL!
MHR – Nix is becoming a Fourth Quarter Kid. Are you ok with that or are you concerned he is too inconsistent overall? Where is your temperature on Nix ultimately still being our franchise QB?
Arimaris: I truly want to Bo-lieve, but the doubt just sticks around. The throws where he isn’t set and he airmails the ball over a wide open receiver’s head, or the deep shots where he is underthrowing his target are maddening. What is fascinating is that somehow in the 4th quarter, these issues seem to disappear. It makes me point to the play calling as a bigger concern because it seems like for three quarters Nix still has to think in the pocket and then suddenly when the plays are more straightforward, he is able to play better.
MHR – JK Dobbins has been a huge addition to the run game, and even RJ Harvey has been an important contributor already. But Payton continues to relegate the run game to an afterthought. First, what do you think of Dobbins and Harvey as our backfield? And how would you advise Payton on how to use these two Thursday night as well as the rest of the season?
Arimaris: I liked Dobbins and Harvey as offseason additions. As the season progresses, I LOVE Dobbins and I am hopeful that Harvey can continue to develop. As for how to use them, (gets out drum) RUN THE BALL, RUN THE BALL, RUN THE BALL. I truly think Payton should consider the Dan Reeves offensive approach of run, run, and pass if it is over 3 yards. Our O-Line is good enough to pull that off and doing so early in games is going to be a good thing.
MHR – Despite all the talk of a “joker” player with Evan Engram, he has mostly been underwhelming. Is that more of a QB problem? A communication problem? Or an overhyped problem?
Arimaris: Overhyped. And not even close. Would it be nice if somehow we had a Darren Sproles or Jimmy Graham? Yes. Do we have a player like either of them? No. And Engram was never going to be that player. What he is is exactly what he has always been. He is an above-average NFL Move TE. We needed him to improve the team because we did not have anyone who was like him with his level of experience and even a rookie option is not a big improvement. I actually think he has been quite solid for the team and the fact that he is doing what you want from an above-average TE is more than enough for me.
MHR – Troy Franklin – and Pat Bryant to some extent – have seen an increasing number of targets while our clutch pass-catcher Courtland Sutton has been relatively quiet despite a few important third-down conversions or the occasional touchdown. Is this just the way it is when you have so many potential targets or would you prefer to see him used more?
Arimaris: I think this is more of the key to success in Payton’s offense than having a “joker” or some other high end playmaker. When Nix has his best games he is throwing to a larger number of targets. I know that fans and fantasy players (like me!) want consistency, but the reality is that in Payton’s offense the most success comes when every player is catching passes. It’s another concern I have with some of the play calling where they are trying to force it to one player rather than making it about dealing with all the possible threats. If we are going to be successful, it is going to be because 10 different players caught a pass.
MHR – The kickers have been outstanding but special teams coverage has been mostly a nightmare. How do the Broncos fix this? Better coaching? New coaching? Bench some players?
Arimaris: The Broncos are cursed to have poor quality coaching on special teams. There was hype that we were upgrading, and I actually think Payton did upgrade our special teams coaching, but it is still not acceptable. They are making mistakes that High School coaches wouldn’t accept out of players. I think it is back to the coaching, but I also think you do not change midseason unless it is truly awful. Payton needs to step in and demand more and then replace the coaching this offseason.
MHR – How big of a deal is it that the Broncos are sitting atop the AFC West? How important is it to get this win on Thursday (aside from the usual importance) and get even more ahead of the Chiefs and Chargers?
Arimaris: Huge! The fact we are one game away from facing the Chiefs holding the top spot in the West is enormous. We need to take care of business and make sure our Broncos are facing them holding first with their lead above the Chargers intact. More impactful is that we are a couple of right calls by the officials away from holding a two or three-game lead. I did not expect that, and honestly, this is just fun!
Predictions
Note: I am terrible at predictions, but let’s go! All of these are guaranteed to be wrong or your money back!
Stats for Bo Nix? 19/30, 257 yards, 2 TDs
Stats for each Broncos RB? Dobbins 17 for 75 yards, Harvey 5 for 11 yards, 2 TDs, 3 rec for 51 yards
Number of yards receiving/TDs for the receivers? Everyone has 2 catches and at least 15 yards, except Franklin who catches 6 for 120 and both TDs as he is on my fantasy team!
Longest FG for Lutz? 52 yards
Number of sacks to Geno Smith? 0
Broncos player with the most tackles? Hufanga ,11 tackles
Who gets the first sack of the game for the Broncos? Jonah Ellis, I really like him and pull for him.
How many INTs/FF/FR for the Raiders D? 0 INT, 1 FF, 0 FR
How many INTs/FF/FR for the Broncos’ D? 1/1/1
Final Score? 31-10, Broncos win!
The Favorites
Favorite John Elway win outside of the Super Bowls? The 1987 AFC Championship game where we beat Cleveland again. It’s one of the first games I remember watching and the excitement over what was a great game still sticks with me.
Favorite Broncos win ever? Beating the Ravens on the OT TD from Tebow to Thomas.
Favorite Peyton Manning win? The comeback over the Chargers where we were down 24-0 at halftime and ended up winning
Favorite win over the Raiders? Beating Art Shell’s Raiders on Sunday Night in 1992. It was the first time I was allowed to go to a night game and the atmosphere was electric
Team you love to beat the most in the AFC West? RAIDERS!
Coach you laugh at the most in the NFL? Brian Schottenhiemer. No one has done so much with so little
Coach you most want to throat-punch? I still want to throat-punch Belichick; he is just gross
NFC team you could cheer for in the Super Bowl? San Francisco 49ers. They were my dad’s 2nd favorite team
NFC team you want to face more than any other in the Super Bowl? Dallas Cowboys. My wife is a fan and we would try to go.
Favorite game so far this season? Win over the Giants. That was nuts, and I was one of the idiots who left early
Favorite Broncos player on the current roster? Quinn Minerz
Favorite Broncos player of all time not named John Elway? Steve Atwater!
Favorite new guy/rookie on the team? Jeremy Crawshaw who looks like he is older than his years, both on the field and off
Food/Snack you have to eat on game day? Almost always waffles because Sunday is waffle day!
Favorite game analyst/commentator? Mike Turico is my favorite play by play, Romo is my favorite color guy right now, but I loved Madden back in the day, especially when he would get excited about the smallest things
Who is in your Broncos’ Mount Rushmore? Elway, Miller, Atwater, Davis
How did you become a Broncos fan?
I had no choice. My family is all Broncos fans. I am lucky that my Great Uncle was an original season ticket holder, and he passed them to my Dad, who was the only one willing to go with him to the games back in the 1960s when the team was bad.
