O-Line

[CoryWinget81]

Tyler Polumbus broke down the play on 104 the fan the other day. He said that Risner tried to pass off his guy to Bolles but Bolles set too far out and so risner had to stay on his guy which allowed 48 to come inside unblocked.

The injury, I blame on Lock. He should have stayed on the ground instead of trying to get up.

You blame the injury on Lock, who had Watt less than 10 feet away from him in less than a second from the time the ball was snapped. You blame the injury on Lock, who had to scramble for his life after the RT basically just stamped Watt's express pass to the QB?

If ONE, .....ONE....offensive lineman does their job on that play we probably still have our starting QB.

[broncos SB2010]

You blame the injury on Lock, who had Watt less than 10 feet away from him in less than a second from the time the ball was snapped. You blame the injury on Lock, who had to scramble for his life after the RT basically just stamped Watt's express pass to the QB?

If ONE, .....ONE....offensive lineman does their job on that play we probably still have our starting QB.

read my previous post.....I had thought Lock had hit the ground then tried to get back up. that is a mistake for a QB to do that. he wasn't actually on the ground, that was my mistake.

[WYBRONCO]

Cushenberry is struggling right now, though in his defense, we have played some darn good DL's the first few weeks and he had no preseason games to transition. Risner seems to be getting beat more often this year too. Wilkinson is struggling, Glasgow wasn't super in this last game and Bolles is better than last year but still needs to quit holding.

Yes I think Shurmur needs to let Vannett help out on 3rd and forever. Freeman needs to actually chip block instead of faking it and watching our QB get destroyed. We need to establish a run plain and simple. If we can't do that we will be sitting constantly in please come kill my QB downs.

[L.M.]

I believe it was Bolles who let the defensive player through who injured Lock.

Watt blasted through Wilkinson in only one second forcing Lock to move -- this was the problem in the first place. Lock might have actually been able to throw a pass before Dupree got there if Wilkinson was a little more competent.

[broncos SB2010]

Watt blasted through Wilkinson in only one second forcing Lock to move -- this was the problem in the first place. Lock might have actually been able to throw a pass before Dupree got there if Wilkinson was a little more competent.

very true
..

[L.M.]

Our main problem is right tackle and that would have been fine if James would actually play instead of sitting at home playing Xbox

Opting out aside, no sane person would bet money on this injury-prone guy playing a full season or even most of one. He was a extremely risky and highly unreliable signing from the get go, and some provision should have been made to acquire quality depth at RT, especially after that became painfully apparent last season.

[darryn16]

Too slow. We need more wideouts who run quicker, the fans around here love that. Weren't we like the off-season champs after Elway double dipped at wideout in the draft ? Anyway, as Eminem once said, "snap back to reality". 4 straight losing seasons is on the way thanks to Mr. Elway, he has yet again failed, is this the nail in his coffin though ? Or is covid-19 and no time to prepare heading into the season the excuse he gets this year for why the team looks horrible from top to bottom ?

Sadly I think this will be the deciding factor in Elway sticking around for another year.

[atwaterandstir]

Just read from Andrew Mason per PFF Bolles has given up 3 QB pressures this season. We have faced some really tough defenses already so this is actually pretty impressive.

[BroncosFanInPA]

Sad thing about the line struggling is munchak is supposed to be a great line coach, but I don't think he cares because he only took the job because he has family in the area.

I don't think his heart is in it right now

[Peerless]

Just read from Andrew Mason per PFF Bolles has given up 3 QB pressures this season. We have faced some really tough defenses already so this is actually pretty impressive.

Gotta give credit to where it is due. I haven't heard much of Bolles name during the game, and that is a good thing.

Reading some of the data per PFF is also a nice relief when talking about Bolles... He was ragged a a lot (and it was reasonable), but he's seem to turn it around thus far.

[beastlyskronk]

Tyler Polumbus broke down the play on 104 the fan the other day. He said that Risner tried to pass off his guy to Bolles but Bolles set too far out and so risner had to stay on his guy which allowed 48 to come inside unblocked.

The injury, I blame on Lock. He should have stayed on the ground instead of trying to get up.

Polumbus can say what he wants but regardless of how Bolles sets he still needs to let that DT go and pick up Dupree. That isn’t a foot race Bolles or Lock can with with Dupree who is a freak athlete. You block inside out, take your chances with Bolles not blocking the DT and pick up Dupree. Lock fairs a better chance against a DT rounding the corner than he does against Dupree full speed in a straight line.

[beastlyskronk]

Sad thing about the line struggling is munchak is supposed to be a great line coach, but I don't think he cares because he only took the job because he has family in the area.

I don't think his heart is in it right now

Or he devoted so much time to getting Bolles up to speed that some others got lost in the sauce.

Cush is going to struggle, he’s a rookie and has faced Jeffrey Simmons, Cam Heyward, and Vita Vea through 3 weeks. Those guys are all all pro caliber interior pass rushers. He just has to weather the storm and rely on his technique. He’ll get better, he has all the tools to be a top flight C, he just needs time. Once he starts to improve Risner and Glasgow will look better as well. There’s no saving Wilkinson though, he needs TE help and RB help on every play. You just can’t expect a RG to be able to kick out to RT and perform. We’d probably have a better chance switching him and Risner.

[broncos SB2010]

Polumbus can say what he wants but regardless of how Bolles sets he still needs to let that DT go and pick up Dupree. That isn’t a foot race Bolles or Lock can with with Dupree who is a freak athlete. You block inside out, take your chances with Bolles not blocking the DT and pick up Dupree. Lock fairs a better chance against a DT rounding the corner than he does against Dupree full speed in a straight line.

What he was saying is that when the stunt showed up, bolles should have picked up the DT who was passed off by risner and then risner would have been free to pick up Dupree looping around. That is how Olinemen deal with stunts, because as you said, they can't win that foot race.

Bolles set too far out and away from Risner and so they weren't in position to coordinate their blocks for the stunt....according to Polumbus.

[samparnell]

Or he devoted so much time to getting Bolles up to speed that some others got lost in the sauce.

Cush is going to struggle, he’s a rookie and has faced Jeffrey Simmons, Cam Heyward, and Vita Vea through 3 weeks. Those guys are all all pro caliber interior pass rushers. He just has to weather the storm and rely on his technique. He’ll get better, he has all the tools to be a top flight C, he just needs time. Once he starts to improve Risner and Glasgow will look better as well. There’s no saving Wilkinson though, he needs TE help and RB help on every play. You just can’t expect a RG to be able to kick out to RT and perform. We’d probably have a better chance switching him and Risner.

Chemistry is lacking, so far. Bolles and Risner only played together last year and their cohesion seems to be developing. No Spring Practice or preseason games didn't help Cushenberry. He's a rookie and he will improve. Glasgow is new as well. The only way to get cohesion/chemistry it to keep the same five together.

However, after last year and this season, so far, never thought Wilkinson was a starting T. Maybe in a pinch, but not week after week. If he and "Route 66" were switched, the question would be whether Wilkinson can pull. On a line that angle blocks, one generally wants the right side including the C to be good down blockers, and the LG should be able to pull to the opposite TE hole and get there before the RB on G Power or Sweep. Eli had seven starts at RG in 2018 and did OK. Can't remember if he ever pulled from that spot.

The shuffle that would affect O-Line chemistry/cohesion the least would be to try Demar Dotson at RT. That move seems more likely than swapping RT/LG. If Shurmur wants to throw more, and if Dotson is a better pass blocker than Wilkinson, we may see that switch. Dotson might need Vannett next to him all the time for run blocking.

IMO a more balanced attack is needed. In week one, when Denver was on the GL and needed to score in short yardage, they lined up in Tight Wing I Left. Vannett was tight left, Butt was Wing and Beck was 20/Fullback. Butt and Vannett blocked down, Beck kicked out and Dalton pulled and led. Thought that should have been the formation on 3rd & 2 against Pitt last week IMO.

All of the I formations offer a whole series of angle blocked run plays. Single Back formations (12/13 personnel with H-Back) offer lots, too. Can't remember the last time I saw an NFL team run Guard hole Trap. That takes a lot of practice reps because it's so tight and quick the ball can end up on the ground. Need a quick FB for it. Line up Lindsay as the 20/FB in the I with Gordon as 30/Tailback. Against a split front, you trap the play side DT. Against an odd front, you trap the play side inside backer. Also, Off Tackle, Wham the B gap on tight side and Wham G the weak side and Sweep.

A balanced attack with a lot of angle blocked run plays accomplishes several things: it allows the O-Line to fire out and hit; it sets up PAP; and, it keeps D off balance, because if half the plays are run and all the pass attempts are play action, the O-Line steps the D reads all look like run plays. Against a blitzing defense a balanced attack gets them out of blitz mode and punishes them physically. If I'm going three and out, I'd rather do it running the ball than throwing passes all or most of which are incomplete. At least the O-Line would get to do some hitting and the clock would keep running.

In the event Risner was put at RT, chemistry with Bolles would be different anyway. So, instead of Wilkinson to LG, how about put a real hitter in there - Netane Muti. If he can stay healthy, he'll be a G eventually. That may not happen this year, but it's a thought. I think this O-Line needs to be given the opportunity to fire out and hit. Let them get in the kitchen and make some pancakes. Balanced attack would also help the backup QBs and would be nice for Buzz, too, when he returns. O-Line frustrations are often solved by a generous dose of hitting.

[Hadez]

Just read from Andrew Mason per PFF Bolles has given up 3 QB pressures this season. We have faced some really tough defenses already so this is actually pretty impressive.

I am not ready to give the guy a multi year contract that a starting LT will earn....but I am willing to give the guy credit where credit is due.

The Center and RT are currently our biggest problem on the OL and it is not even close. I am ready to call the coaching horrible for not being able to find another RT to play.

I do not care what the credentials are of Munchak and Shurmur....they are going to stain their reputation if they keep playing Wilk. He was bad in 2019 and he is even worse in 2020.