Mile High Monday: The Broncos need to scrap their plans on offense

The Broncos are off to a horrific start in 2020. They are now 0-3 after falling to the Buccaneers on Sunday. Not only are they looking like a bad football team, they have the look of a team that needs to undergo major changes after what could be another losing season.

I like when the Broncos are playing well. I have a lot of fun covering this team, and I’ve been around them as a credentialed media member since 2004. I cannot remember a time that seemed bleaker when it comes to their present – and their future.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Three Wide a Mistake

The Broncos were blitzed relentlessly over the last two weeks. The Steelers showed the rest of the league what the Achilles’ heel of the Broncos offense is – pressure. The Buccaneers wasted no time in applying pressure on the Broncos offense by rushing the quarterback early and often.

Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is known for his love of three wide-receiver sets. That’s something we were all excited about before the start of the regular season due to the players on the roster like Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. Now without Sutton, the Broncos offense lacks punch and those talented rookie wide receivers do not have time to fully develop in the route tree because of the pressure applied to the quarterback. The usage of three wide-receiver sets means the Broncos have to do a better job of handling the blitz – something they have struggled to do.

Another sack — yes, in three wide….I love innovation, passing, spreading it out….but if protecting the quarterback can't be done in that set — four years and counting — i'm saying enough evidence to move on to something else…

— Jeff Legwold (@Jeff_Legwold) September 27, 2020

Shurmur’s offense features a lot of “11 personnel” and that is basically the base formation of what he likes to do. He needs to scrap that plan or at least alter it dramatically given the number of hits and pressures the quarterbacks have been under. We’ve gone through three games and the Broncos have already played three quarterbacks. Part of that is injury (Drew Lock) and part of that is the design of the offense which does quarterbacks no favors if they are not well protected by the offensive line.

Simply put, things need to change on offense. Perhaps using more two tight-end sets would help protect the quarterback better. It’s not what Shurmur wants to do, but he needs to call plays based on his personnel and the Broncos do not have the players they need to run the offense he wants true to form.

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Let it Rypien

We saw the Broncos bench starting quarterback Jeff Driskel in the fourth quarter of the game against the Buccaneers. It was a move that was a bit of a surprise, but Broncos head coach Vic Fangio wanted to see if second-year pro Brett Rypien could get the ball out of his hands quicker than Driskel.

In limited playing time, Rypien did go 8-of-9 for 53 yards and one interception. He generally made quick decisions and got rid of the football before the rush got to him. While Driskel was sacked five times against the Buccaneers, they only got to Rypien one time. He did stare down his intended target in the end zone (Jeudy) when he threw his interception, but Rypien did look comfortable for a player getting his first chance to throw a pass in a regular season game.

Except for that interception a very impressive first drive of his NFL career for rypien. Was way more exciting to watch than Driskel. Shows his inexperience on INT throw. You gotta be able to hold that safety with your eyes before throwing that seem route specially on red zone

— Orlando Franklin (@OFranklin74) September 27, 2020

The Broncos are going to make a quick decision at the quarterback position since they have a short week. Why not Rypien? They go up against the Jets on “Thursday Night Football” and Rypien did show enough to make you want to see more. The game was not too big for Rypien, and the Jets are certainly not going to present the same challenges that the Buccaneers did.

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Shaq Attack

The Broncos used to have a great pass-rusher as a reserve player when Shaq Barrett was on the roster. Instead of signing him to a long-term deal when his rookie contract expired, the Broncos let Barrett hit the open market in 2019. He didn’t get a ton of interest and ended up signing a one-year, $4 million deal with the Buccaneers. Then, Barrett led the league in sacks with 19.5 last season, which led the Buccaneers to place the franchise tag on him this offseason.

While he entered the game against the Broncos with zero sacks, Barrett was being a disruptive player and opening rush lanes for his defensive teammates. It was not a surprise to see Barrett get his first sacks of the season against the Broncos on Sunday. Barrett finished the game with 2.0 sacks and a safety. After that play, Barrett did the sack dance of Broncos defender Bradley Chubb – the player the Broncos basically chose over him.

Shaq Barrett after that safety 🧐🤔#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/opFUrHK8GL

— Ryan Greene 📷 (@RyanCBS4) September 27, 2020

Barrett is having fun with his new team, and the Buccaneers are in a Super Bowl window this season. Playing on the franchise tag, Barrett is set to break the bank as one of the NFL’s best. I wish the Broncos would’ve found a way to keep him in Denver.

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Fun with Prints

In addition to writing (and talking) about football non-stop, I also think about, draw and write comic books in my free time. I don’t have much free time outside of family and football, but spare moments are usually spent drawing, writing or at least thinking about my comic book universe.

Last week, I approved the art prints I had made for upcoming shows and conventions. It’s cool to create art, and it’s incredible to see that printed up on high-quality paper. I still have “pinch me” moments from time to time when it comes to creating comic books. I still cannot believe that I have a self-published comic book, and I cannot believe that I have an opportunity to shop this superhero universe around Hollywood.

I made one dream come true when it comes to covering football as my job, and now I want to make another dream come true. Seeing these prints for the first time was a super cool moment for me last week.

Just approved the prints for the @AllCsColorado show! (2 of 10 different prints shown) #comicbooks #comicbookartist #comicbookmovies pic.twitter.com/ArfP4gVYKH

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) September 25, 2020

I love drawing and writing my independent comic book universe which features over 150 characters. Do you read comic books? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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