Today was seriously frustrating, and Lock’s not progressing playwise the way we would like. His stats are nearly the same as josh Allen through the same number of games, so at least it is possible to turn it around.

I know some people will say there are no excuses but I do wonder how much is attributable to a combination of the extreme youth, patchwork o-line, missing #1 receiver, and new OC and system in a year with no regular offseason.

One question I do have is whether it’s just me or does Denver’s offensive scheme really lack easy plays? It seems like every completion is either a guy outmaneuvering his coverage or a tight window throw. With good offenses you see all sorts of separation from scheme and easy short passes and throws with room to run. I used to think it was receivers but I’m starting to think it’s the scheme. What’s your take?

First and foremost, I’m sure a lot of Broncoland will be rightfully disappointed by the result of this game and the season thus far, however, I just wanted to say thank you to Ryan, Zac, Mase, and everyone involved that makes DNVR and the community possible.
Thank you!

Im glad you guys like my hot take last Monday. I’ll repeat it again now that we seem to be in agreement.

I do not trust Elway to make another coaching and QB selection. His management of this rebuild has been an utter disaster.

Unfortunately, he will not be gone until after the ownership dispute is solved. Therefor the broncos will not return to glory until Brittany or someone else has control of the team.

Pretty depressing I know. But I think it’s the truth.

Ughhhh.. mornin boys,

We talk about no one being like Patrick Mahomes and I think we can all agree on that. I will say though; when I look around the league at Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, and Tua I see that you don’t have to have Mahomes to be where you need to be. Those Qbs I mentioned are the new standard and will be the ones to carry the NFL into the future. You could almost even include Baker and Teddy on that list. Even in the early stages of all their careers (some of which we are still experiencing) they look/looked like pros. At no point this season have I ever thought to group Drew in there. After today I realize it could be possible that he won’t ever learn from his mistakes. He is looking exactly how he did in college to me now. I think I have my QB beer goggles on cause Trubisky and Darnold are starting to look appealing.

Boys, I’m glad I have you and this community to share in my despair …

-LCB

This team is a freaking joke. The coaching staff is a bigger fiasco than the previous regime. We lose in all three phases of the game..almost every game. The offense, what offense? Now you can’t completely blame the defense for the 30 points per game they give up when the offense is a consistent three and out or a turnover waiting to happen but c’mon, keep it in the 20s. And our special teams is anything but special.

And I’m sorry guys but Drew Lock is not the answer, not even close. He has the same chance of reading a defense as I do reading Madarin Chinese: none. John Elway tried to hand this kid keys to a Ferrari with all the toys he got him this off-season but Drew doesn’t even appear to know where the ignition is. This season was about learning if he’s the guy. Well unless he figures this out and figures it out quick, we’re going to start saying let’s see if Rypien is the guy.

I say we get rid of Fangio and the staff and bring in an OFFENSIVE MINDED head coach to either try to turn around Drew Lock or mold a new qb of the future. We tried to zig when everyone was zagging with the Vic hire. Clearly we were wrong. Move on. You can’t be afraid to move on from people. When you get the right ones they figure it out quickly and you know it immediately. McVay, Shanahan, McDermott, LaFluer, Kingsbury, all coaches who took over and quickly figured it out in the past few years. Move on.

We’ve said it all year this year is an evaluation of Lock so that’s what I’m doing. I know that it is only one play but let’s break down Drew Lock’s INT at the end of the half. We are still in it, just had a TD wiped but still with an opportunity to bounce back from adversity and keep the season alive. Instead of making any sort of read, he completely made up his mind he was going for Jeudy. Raiders were playing a soft man free defense and just based on the alignment of the free safety, Juedy should have been immediately eliminated upon a simple pre-snap read. He glances at Hamler (who actually is open) and fires it to Jeudy, who is covered by Heather already (who picks him off) and also #44, they were always there and didn’t disguise anything. That throw should have never happened. That’s something in the film room, I would love to hear his explanation about what he saw. I know there’s defencincies on this team but the mistakes just are extremely concerning. Im really questioning even at his best what is he? Maybe the 20th best QB in the league? Time to stop making excuses for him, no excuses for not reading defenses and never throwing from a solid base. These results are predictable when you do this.. I genuinely love this team and I dont think I’m a bad fan for being tired of this 5 year hangover. I feel like we are really flirting extreme ineptitude. Im never going to give up on these guys but honestly, I can’t even stand to watch UNLV games anymore (who I played for) because they have gotten so bad. It makes you feel like your missing good football by subjecting yourself to inferior play 24/7. I dont think we are there yet but we are flirting with it.

So guys I haven’t listened to the pod yet so maybe you guys have some more info that I dont know about yet but was it Fangio’s or Shurmur’s stravacraft Phil S*** in because I don’t see any other reason he wasn’t out playing more.

That’s it. I’m out on Drew. I can’t keep believing in him with no improvement week after week. The book is out on Drew, send pressure – he crumbles and throws an interception.
The Broncos will NOT win another game this season.
Put that in your DNVR bets show.

Vomit.

First Comment Long Comment: Here is the thing: the Broncos have been 3-6 in the last four seasons and John Elway has yet to pull the trigger on truly overhauling this team. My concern is that if the Broncos finish with 7-8 wins this season we will be back here next year because we keep ‘not rebuilding’. Trust me, I understand that the offense is young and we have been PLAGUED by injuries. Understandable. But the core of this team has been inept since the 2016 season. Every move feels like a bandaid (in particular at the QB position). While Drew Lock may pan out (and he is very young) there is something in this team that lacks the requisite DNA it takes to win. John Elway has not been willing to pull the trigger on a top-flight 21st century quarterback and it shows. While Zac is the never-ending optimist and has his concerns about Justin Fields you have to swing eventually. Not swing in the 2nd round but swing for a top-10 pick at QB. Passing over Josh Allen and Quenton Nelson in 2018 are looking like worst and worst decisions as each game passes. Now we have Shelby Harris, Justin Simmons and Garrett Bolles on the last year of their contracts and they are also the 3 best players on the team. Plus, Elway has radically mishandled the Phillip Lindsay situation. Hired Vance Joseph over Kyle Shanahan. Hired Vic Fangio over Eric Bienemy. All of these decisions are biting the Broncos in the backside and cause me to have GREAT concern as a lifelong Broncos supporter and don’t know if Elway has the vision to change it. Thank you for all that you do. Go UNC Bears.

Sad to say this but Lock is not our guy. Let him finish the year and get a new quarterback. I think his record clouded our judgment on him. When you think about it he easily could have been 1-4 instead of 4-1. He has a pass interference against the Chargers that won him the game, he played a lions team without Stafford, and a Shelby Harris pass deflection.
Even if he improves can he compete with the other quarterbacks in the division. I mean you could make an argument that Mahomes, Hebert and even Carr are all playing like top 10 quarterbacks right now. I hope he proves me wrong but I don’t think he is our future. How does elway expect to find the guy when is not willing to spend on the position. He has spent the 26th pick in the first round , two second round quarterbacks, and gave Keenum $18 million and traded for Flacco. All of these resources spent and the best quarterback you have had is a seventh round pick in siemian. We can’t just keep trying to find a cheap option hoping for the best.
Trade up and get Lawrence or fields, trade for Stafford or Rodgers.
We are going to need to spend if we want the guy.

After that game I have no words; so instead I will say that I finally pulled the trigger and joined the DNVR Family with a year long subscription. I will say, and please don’t judge me for this, but for my free shirt I had to go with Nolan being Nolan. I really hope the broncos can get back on track but after that game I don’t know what is going on, offense is stagnant and the two plays right before halftime completely shifted momentum. Defense gave up way too much on the ground and let Booker have a beautiful revenge game. Special teams is special teams #fireTomMcMahon. I hope we can get back on track but looks like it will be a struggle to get there. Hope everyone is staying positive and testing negative.

I’m wondering if maybe the best thing the Broncos could do for Lock is bench him. Put him on the sidelines for a game or two and let him process things.

What I see is a player that’s acting increasingly desperate and frustrated. Somebody who makes mistakes and then tries to fix it only to make it worse. His play in this game was nothing short of a meltdown.

Would benching him help? Would it just make things worse? The season is a loss at this point, but is there anything they can do to salvage Lock?

*beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep*

Hey guys,

Charlie here from the UK. Hope you are all doing well. I’m afraid it’s time we started talking about QB options. I’ve looked at the remaining schedule for the worst 12 teams, and it feels like the Broncos (who will likely finish 4-12) will end up picking 7 or 8. By this time I’d expect three QB’s to be off the board, and I can’t see the Jets or Jags allowing anyone to trade up for the first two picks.

So, what’s the plan? Do we go and offer Stafford a ton of money and get an experienced QB to lead this young team? Or do we try and trade up to #3 and roll the dice with Zach Wilson or Trey Lance?

Terrible that we’re having QB conversations yet again, but here we are.

Cheers. Stay safe.

Charlie

hey guys!

do y’all know if the broncos are still using the vr system for their qbs? it doesn’t seem like shurmur or shula have used it in the past so i’d wager that they aren’t but that might be an under the radar reason why drew is showing signs of regression.

also i liked what y’all had to say about the 49ers and how they were able to capitalize on an injury plagued season by adding a blue chip talent. the 49ers are also an example of a team that has managed to stay afloat in a division that has a top 3 qb despite having average qb play by building a great roster. now, the broncos don’t have a kyle shanahan but perhaps a sign of things to come if the broncos can continue to draft well and stay healthy.

Joined from halfway around the globe, but your show is great. But, getting up at 5am for this last 4 years is exhausting. Yeah, Broncos game start at 5am or 4am with Perth, WA. I love this team and have for decades. This has become ugly again. I have given Lock every inch of hope, but he’s playing just like he did at Mizzou.
1. Tries to make plays when not there
2. Throws off back foot and expects miracles
3. Only read his main reciever and check down.
4. Has who he’s throwing to in mind before the snap]
5. Only changes from one side of the field to the other if it’s a checkdown

This offensive line, lives up to it’s name. Cushenberry and whoever other than Dotson are getting crushed and Glasgow is up and down. Juedy is open, he doesn’t get the ball. If we don’t end up at 3-9 after the next 3 games, I’ll be shocked.

I’d be happy if we are competitiveand lose and accept a rebuild as the talent is close except the O-line and QB. You agree?

I swear Drew is Paxton Lynch with a work ethic. If that’s the case, I wonder which is the better QB? That probably hurts the brain to ponder it.. Anyhow, Drew isn’t gonna make it. Neither is this coaching staff..

Shout out to my CU Buffs for saving my weekend!

Fellas, I don’t know what to think or feel about our Broncos right now. In all my years as a Broncos fan (48 years), and I don’t remember this kind of futility. I keep thinking back to Pat Bowlen saying the goal every year is to win the Super Bowl, and doing everything he had to to make a contending team. Mr B. created a culture of winning, and over the last several years it has become a culture of losing, and the one constant has been two things the lack of ownership and John Elway.

So let’s start with ownership. Do you think at any point Brittany Bowlen goes to the trust, and says, “It’s MY time to take over let’s right this ship,” or “It’s time to give this team what it needs. It’s time to sell.” Either of these would be fine with me she would be showing she clearly has the gumption to run a multi billion dollar company. I would love for the Broncos to stay in the Bowlen family, but I just don’t know if they have what it takes to keep the Broncos competitive anymore, so I’d be onboard with the family selling too.

Now John Elway, damn I’ve been a fan of his since I was just a young boy. I will never forget how I felt when he lead the Broncos on The Drive. I had a similar feeling when he was named VP of Football Operations, and then fired Josh McD. He’s put together a good young team, and injuries have plague the team this year, but I just don’t know that I have the faith that John Elway can lead the team anymore.

Sorry for such a long post, but I had to vent somewhere. I’m so tired of the losing culture that’s been on going.

This game was more disappointing than trying to get a PS5 during launch. I don’t trust Elway to choose a QB. I don’t trust any of the coaches to develop a system around a QB. I don’t trust the O-line to allow a QB to develop.I don’t trust any competent coach will even want to come to Denver with our front office mess. I don’t even want Justin Herbert because Denver would absolutely ruin him. Say what you will, but I miss Scangs. At least his scripted plays usually resulted in a TD. This is mostly likely rock bottom, but that’s not a hopeful thing. Most people say “You can only go up from here!”, but they forget for every Y axis there is also an X axis and we can stay horizontal for a long long time. Now all the current broncos players are walking across rock bottom on the boulevard of broken dreams.

I just don’t understand how rookie QBs like Herbert, Tua, and Murray can come into the league and immediately look great. Don’t they know Manning and Elway lead the league in INTs their first years?

There is just simply nothing about this team I like anymore. I can’t even say Phil anymore because he spends 95% of the game on the sidelines!

I’m just tired. Tired of the same uninspired game plan. Tired of the same mistakes over and over. Tired of feeling like I care more about this team than the organization does.

I’m sure I’ll get called a “bad fan” but I just don’t have the energy to care about this team anymore. That’s the problem. I just don’t care anymore.

Jesus! I never thought I’d feel the same way about the Broncos as I do about the GD Rockies!

What’s up guys? A deflated Monday morning for rainy Wales.

I have one nail left to hammer in on Drew’s coffin and it doesn’t look good. The mental application needed to be successful as a QB in the NFL does not seem to be there for Drew. A serviceable QB is not going to cut it in this division over the next decade we need a winner.

The buck should stop with Elway. He has failed to draft, sign or trade a QB. He wooed PM and bought a ticket and won the lottery. Can you answer the following? Any other GM at any franchise with the record post SB50 would they still be in a job?

Stay safe

WB170

“They will have to carry me off the field” -Drew Lock after being the raiders prison shower buddy for 60mins.
I am more in on Drew than ever. He took every bit of that loss on him and that’s more than I can say for any other QB we’ve had in a while. He was the only one out there who played every snap like he wanted to win and I don’t fault him for that. No one else did that. Don’t tell me Jeudy did because “the best route runner in the league” would have had those two points if he really wanted it.
If Noah Fant drives his damn feet in the end zone before half this is a whole different conversation.
It is not fair to pile four plus years of frustration on a head coach in his second year and a rookie QB in his first full year. The franchise has been bad for arguably 4 years but this team has been bad for a few games. You all wanna fire the head coach and QB again? Go ahead. I’ll meet you back here in two years for the same conversation.
What if I told you in his first two seasons Drew’s Td/int ratio was 18/14 and 19/24… would ya keep him?
Green Bay kept Farve.

I personally am not as worried about the growing pains of my second round QB behind an offensive line that id trade today for one magic bean than I am about my first round pass rusher that got spanked by a nobody Raiders o line. Looking at you Chubb.

Let’s all just remember that this whole year is all about finding out if Drew Lock is the guy or not. It always was and still is. We aren’t getting the answer we all were expecting or wanted but that was always a possibility.
I will say that the pairing with Shurmur is 100% NOT a fit. The pairing with Scangs was a fit. Shurmur’s QB fit is more like Rypien. Read the defense, identify who will be open, and get the ball out quickly. Not saying Rypien is starter caliber but his skill set is what this offense needs.
Drew is Jake Plummer with a better arm. And that fit is a run first, play action and bootleg Offense that takes the QB out of reading the defense. We had that offense here last year and rookie Drew went 4-1. That was something to continue building on.

I know I said I’d wait until after the chiefs Game but it’s impossible given the effort Jerry Jeudy and Noa fant make to get open and how drew just over throws them because he’s a throwing off his back foot he’s processing to slow or he can not deal with pressure …… EVERYTIME I see teddy bridgewater make the right throw on a blitz I cry inside wishing drew could do the same ….. Drew they don’t fear your athleticism or improvisation because you are inaccurate …….jeff heath had a career day(he couldn’t cover a bed with a comforter in dallas ) raiders were in last place I’m take aways you all said they give up +5 a teams average in points like WTH !!! At this point I don’t even know where to be hopeful because Drew is dreadfully bad ! …… This team is talented and can win a superbowl ….. But I need John Elway to step down or let someone else be Gm …… I need to make all the necessary moves to secure Dak(if possible) Matt Ryan , some Viable Vet on a down year that is on a team looking to rebuild and I need drew to beat them out for the job or be mentored by them but this team is built for now with a qb who isn’t ready for the big stage and it pains me to say this but gotta live in reality ……I’ll watch every week but my expectations and optimism is gone ….. I need real qb competition and I need John Elway gone SERIOUSLY !!! … What of Dak came here as a rookie or herbert ???? Would they be as successful ??? There’s something about Elway that offensively he fails to develop talent and I’m over it !!! It’s time to move on from Elway seriously! (Sorry I o he so long winded with a lot of comments but this sucks !) ??

I must admit, for the first time yesterday I got nervous about Vic Fangio. The players gave up at the end and the camera cut to Vic looking dejected, with his hands on his knees, staring into the ground. His body language was really bad. What kind of message does that send to the players? Does this worry you guys as well?

There is at least a 75 percent chance that Drew Lock is not the guy.

At this point, the only way we should keep Drew is if he plays very well in 4 of the next 7 games (we’re talking 2-3 more TDs than ints each game, no more than 3 ints in those 4 games, playing consistently the entire game), 2 decent games, and only 1 more bad-ish game aka a game like the falcons, chiefs. Without seeing that kind of performance, there’s just no way anyone should argue we’ve seen enough good out of Lock to outweigh the bad.

I’ve been an ardent defender of Elway for years and I’ve thought his drafting as of late and free agency has truly been spectacular, but it’s getting harder to make a case for him. It’s disgraceful and a true sign of awful leadership when you can take a proud franchise that wins consistently for almost 4 decades and destroy it from the inside out until it resembles the worst, most mis-managed franchises of the past couple decades like the Jets. I’ll be harsher in greater detail tomorrow, trying to keep this comment reasonable in length.

And my friends consider me a positive, optimistic guy. Guess that’s just the state of the Broncos.

PS, this will be the last time I comment as Lock the Casbah, Drew Lock puns/names just don’t feel right at this time.

Granted its a much smaller sample size. But are the broncos doing the same thing to drew as the Jets have to darnold?
Keep you head up everyone

Guys I’m still on the Lock train. Let’s not forget Peyton Manning and his interception record! I would love to know if the Colts fans were calling for 18’s number after that season.
Our young and injured team is struggling like we thought it would, but I hate the idea of firing any coaches or panic buy yet another quarterback. I want to see at least one more year, and not let 2020 clear our bench more than it has.

Also, can we talk about giving Alexander Johnson a helmet sticker? Besides the Tampa Bay game, he’s consistently making me fantasy points 8+ all season, and gave me a solid 12 in that abysmal game ?

sorry to double comment but deandre baker is now a legally cleared free agent!

i know he was statistically horrible in his rookie season, fell asleep in team meetings and clearly lacked effort when he was playing but the broncos should still bring him in, right?

MY BOYS! It’s a New Order Blue [No Orange] Monday. What an embarrassing, inexplicable, atrocious loss. When the Broncos named Pat Shurmur as their offensive coordinator, they released the following blurb as part of the hiring announcement:

“Shurmur’s system incorporates the West Coast elements of Andy Reid’s offense with the vertical passing game of Norv Turner’s offense and hurry-up elements of Chip Kelly’s offense.

Broncos fans could expect plenty of three wide receiver sets, a commitment to the run, deep passes off play action and utilization of the screen game.”

Were we sold a bill of goods here? We saw one screen pass attempt on Sunday to add to the five that have been called this season. We have not seen a commitment to the run the past three weeks, and little play action. We have seen plenty three wide receiver sets, however. The previous magic that Shurmur has worked on quarterbacks and career years that they have had under his tutelage just isn’t happening thus far with Lock. To get Lock back on track, I think that Shurmur really has to dumb down the playbook and game plans for the remainder of this season. I am not being facetious when I state that a Tebowesque game plan—particularly at the start of next week’s game—may be best for Drew to regain some confidence. At a bare minimum, this team must commit to running the ball at least 30 times next week. Your thoughts on such a proposal? DNVRMY SALUTE!

I would have seriously considered going for it on the fourth and short at the end of the first half given the fact that we all know how slow the broncos Offense starts. When you’re in the neighborhood you have to punch it in 3 points does nothing for this offense at this point.

Bryce Callahan is a dude! I thought he played lights out this game and depending on his age I would like to lock him up for atleast the next 2 years, however the only way that may happen is by keeping Vic around.

Thoughts on Calvin Anderson????

Oh yeah and I almost forgot, Pat Shurmur has to GO! He’s been terrible for this season and Drew Lock’s development. From letting Jano go and using Cox as a replacement, to getting rid of Scangz who had an upward tragectory, we’ve really f’d this whole thing up offensively. I believe John Elway is 100% responsible for the poor leadership choices over the past 4 years. Hindsight is 20/20 but I have no faith left in him which pains me to say smh.

Man, oh man, the offensive line is a problem. The protection up front is an absolute nightmare. When four of your five offensive lineman are healthy and you’re facing a below average defense, you should not have pressure in your face dang near every play.

Look, I know Drew Lock looks really bad and I’m not interested in making excuses for him today. At the same time, there’s really no way to watch these games and think that Drew is playing worse than the offensive line in front of him. There is pressure in his face on dang near every play, and he’s just not prepared to handle that at this point. There’s a reason he’s at his best when he throws quick passes and play action gets him the heck away from that putrid line.

What makes matters worse is that we are contractually tied to every single starter on the offensive line except for the only one that has actually been good this year. So my question for you fine folks today is, how do you go about improving this offensive line in the short term? And how do you go about improving it in the long term?

Did anyone else feel like crying yesterday..? Boy oh boy that was a rough one.. As the game came to an end I realized 4 things.
We need a new offensive coordinator.
We need a new blocking scheme.
We need a new special teams coach.
Drew Lock wont last until his 30’s in this league taking a beating like that every week.

What do you guys believe needs to happen for this team to turn everything around?

Alright, I’ve been very optimistic when it comes to Drew Lock, I’ve given him just about every benefit of the doubt but it’s at the point where we’ve seen trends that just can’t be ignored.

Is the offensive line play less than ideal? Yes. Are we battling injuries in every phase of the game? Yes. Is Pat Shurmur’s playcalling a detriment to this offense? Yes.

I understand there are a lot of issues at play here, but at the same time (maybe excluding yesterday) the Broncos don’t have the worst o-line ever, there’s still a lot of talent on the offense, and our defense consistently keeps us in games. The cupboard here is far from bare. I get that some quarterbacks take time to develop, but I think there is something to be said that by and large in today’s NFL, successful young quarterbacks tend to show promise more consistently early on than Drew has shown us. Outside of two quarters of late game football against soft coverages, Lock has been consistently underwhelming. He makes a flash play here based on superior God given talent and infectious energy, but the essence of playing quarterback is putting the ball where it needs to be, when it needs to be there on a consistent basis and that’s the one thing he has seemingly proven he cannot do.

Elway’s tendency to gravitate towards young, raw, toolsy quarterbacks has been absolutely maddening considering that we’ve haven’t had a bonafide offensive/qb guru since Gary Kubiak to develop such a player. If the FO/coaching staff want to continue as they are, they need to start looking towards polished young quarterback prospects with sound mechanics, and the ability to throw accurate passes with anticipation. We don’t need a guy to throw 80 yards across his body, we don’t need the physical reincarnation of John Elway, we need a polished, pro-ready prospect. Unfortunately for us, our defense has gotten us enough wins over the past few years of keeping us just out of range to draft that type of prospect and when we have been close, Elway has NOT made the moves to put himself in a better position to get one of those guys. Enough is enough, I think we’re at a point with this roster (and projected draft position) where if we can lock up Bolles, we MUST trade up to put ourselves in a position to take Lawrence, Fields, or Wilson. No Stafford, no Matt Ryan, no sitting in the mid-first/trading down to take a gamble on another toolsy guy like Trey Lance. Get on the phone, trade up, and get your guy. We’ve got a young core that can stack up against any in the league and the clock is beginning to tick.