Slippery Slope to Climb after a Uninspiring Homestand

The Colorado Rockies think they got what it takes to make it to the playoffs, and rightfully so.  The team continues to woo fans one minute and leave them in disappointment another minute later.

This recent ten game homestead was the best opportunity for the Rockies to gauge where they stand heading into the homestretch of the regular season.  When the homestand began, they were sitting at 46-51, sitting 5.5 back of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Things got off to a decent start for the Rox against the Chicago Cubs as they took two of three in the series. 

Then came the Miami Marlins, the team that is sitting with the second worst record in the MLB.  Coming into the series against the Rockies, the Marlins hit a eight game stretch without sending in a run.  The Marlins found the remedy in pitcher Drew Promeranz.  Promeranz continues to struggle since being called up from AAA Colorado Springs.  Promeranz went 4.1 innings deep, giving up three runs, including two in the first inning to let the Marlins win 3-1. 

In the sweet confines of Coors Field, against the talent-depleted Marlins squad, the Rockies struggled to get the bats warmed up, scoring more than two runs only once in the series.  The back end of the rotation continues to be a problem.  Juan Nicasio has come around, since being shelled by the Red Sox, Nicasio has pitched nineteen innings, giving up eight hits, one run with fifteen strikeouts. 

Pomeranz hasn't done anything to show that he deserves to be up in the big leagues right now, Roy Oswalt has struggled since being called up from AA Tulsa, and Jeff Francis on occasion was able to limit his runs given up to less than two on few occasions.  Despite the fact that when they do get solid pitching from the back end (i.e. Nicasio) they don't get the support needed by the bats.

In Jhoulys Chacin's last outing, he gave up three runs in eight innings.  The Rox offense did little to help out their own guy.  Carlos Gonzales, Troy Tulowitzki, Michael Cuddyer and Todd Helton went a combined 2-15.  As a result, the Rox lost on a day where Chacin would have used some reinforcements, but none were found in a 4-2 loss to the Fins.

As a result, the Rox finish their homestand 5-5 where realistically, they could have and needed to finish 7-3.  Had they done so, they would be sitting at .500, and sitting at four games out of the lead.  Now they sit at 51-55 and six games back.  Given the teams stance on making impact moves to get talent, where they currently sit, don't bank on the Rox to either buy or sell.  They will continue to hope their own talent will work out and not expand the payroll to get better talent to help compete with the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West, a division that is still open for anyone to win.

Colorado Rockies traveling down a "Rocky Road"

The Colorado Rockies come into the last series before the All-Star break at 46-50.  The first half of the season started off with a bang with the Rox storming out of the gates with a 13-4 record.  Let's be honest, the record caught everyone off guard, especially experts who saw this as a team that was in complete disarray when they let Jim Tracy go, brought in former Rockie and high school coach Walt Weiss to manage the team, along with the fact they we bringing back arguably one of the shakiest rotations in the MLB, and even for the Rox, in team history as well.

After hanging around the top of the standings in the NL West for the longest time, the team has hit some rough times recently.  Hopes were riding high that after the hot start, they could find someway to win the west for the first time in club history and make the postseason.  But going off just what was recently observed with what this team was working with coming into this season, there had to be realistic goal(s).

The main goal for this team was to just improve from last season.  Easier said than done right, YES  Last season, the Rox had an atrocious pitching staff.  Worst ERA (5.22), BAA(.290) .OBP(.357) and the least amount of quality starts at 27, the next worst was 73.  The club stuck with young and/or pitchers in Jhoulys Chacin, Juan Nicasio and Tyler Chatwood.  The three pitchers were a combined 10-14 and a ERA just north of five.

Thus far, the trio has done much better.  Chacin is 9-4, given the team 18 QS and has dropped his ERA by almost a full point.  Chatwood, after being sent down to the minors came back up early in the 2013 season and has made significant improvements, the biggest being his ERA dropping from 5.28 to 2.58. Lastly is Nicasio, although he threw a gem against the resurgent LA Dodgers, going 7 innings deep and holding the Dodgers scoreless, he still still boasts a 4.89 ERA and 1.39 WHIP.

The top of this resurgent staff though is one that was absent last season is Jorge De La Rosa.  He suffered a torn ligament in his elbow late in 2011 causing him to have Tommy John surgery and sit out most of the 2012 season.  This season, De La Rosa is posting some of his best numbers of his career and flashing the talent he was showing before he got injured in 2011.

The offense has been inconsistent, and that is due in part to a ever changing lineup.  This is a result of injuries early and often to the team.  This team is powered through the bats of Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer.  They have only seen the lineup together at most for 64 games out of the 94 played thus far.  Its no secret that this is a offense when healthy can be dangerous, they sit in the top ten in .AVG, Runs, .OBP and Slugging Percentage.  Fowler had suffered a bone bruise and Gonzalez suffering upper back and finger injuries in late June while Tulowitzki was out roughly six weeks with a broken rib.

Going into the home stretch for the Rox will be to get some reinforcements for their starting rotation.  The back end has been rough.  Colorado signed Roy Oswalt to a minor league deal and brought him up in June.  His first start had mixed results. Even though he struck out eleven, he gave up nine hits and 4 earned runs.  Since then he's given up eleven runs with twelve strikeouts. His ERA is north of seven and has a goose egg in the win column.  Nicasio still hasn't proven to be a solid back end of the rotation solution, and Oswalt hasn't picked up the slack from Jeff Francis.  The team still lacks a true No.1 pitcher.  The Rockies missed out on Ricky Nolasco due in part to not willing to pick up a portion or all of his contract from the Miami Marlins.

They are going to have to possibly shell out some cash and give up some prospects in hope of getting a top pitcher that is on the market.  Given the way the organization runs, it may be tough for them to come up with enough cash to satisfy the needs of another team or player to make a trade happen.  Most likely they will have to look for another back end rotational pitcher and hope to power their way through at the plate to win games.

Nuggets starting to take on new look

Denver Nugget fans don't have to be dangled a mile high now waiting for the new staff to be put into place.  Recently, the Nuggets hired assistant GM Tim Connelly from the the New Orleans Pelicans (formerly the Hornets).

After interviewing several candidates that included former coaches Lionel Hollins, Vinny Del Negro and late candidate San Antonio Spurs assistant Brett Brown, the Nuggets have finally made their decision.  Late last night, news had broke that the Denver Nuggets had chosen Pacers Assistant Head Coach Brian Shaw to become the heir replacement to George Karl. 

Shaw finally gets his first chance at being a head coach in the association.  The pressure to finally land that elusive first job is finally over for Shaw and he has never felt so relieved he told the Denver Post.

"It's been a grind, to say the least, but I'm just very appreciative of the opportunity to lead this team. ... It's been years, 11 or 12 interviews I've gone through. And I've felt I've been prepared by the best of the best."
 

Yes, Shaw has been prepared by the best.  Shaw has been apart of five championship teams in his NBA career.  He comes in having been a player with the LA Lakers that won titles in 2000 and 2001 and then as an assistant under Head Coach legend Phil Jackson from 2010-2012.  He was an assistant under Jackson from 2005-2011 and left after Jacksons retirement.  He interviewed for the Lakers position but was passed over for Coach Mike Brown, and he then in turn took a position with the Indiana Pacers staff for 2011 and 2012. 

His name has been tied to many coaching vacancies in recent years, but speculation that having fallen from the Jackson coaching tree may have been a knock against him in that he may implement the Triangle offense wherever he may go.  But with this opportunity he has with the Nuggets, he understands that this isn't a team built for such, his early observations show that he is going to keep doing what they do best.

"Running was one of them. And I'll continue to build on things they did well and get more of a feel for the personnel and what I think will be conducive to everybody's ability."

In Shaw, he may be the best fit with the Nuggets, both Del Negro and Hollins left their teams on bad terms, leaving a bad taste in previous team's mouth.  With 47 year old Shaw, you have a fresh start with a young team whose average age was just under 25 years old, third youngest in the NBA, and that's with guys like Andre Igoudala who is 29 and Andre Miller who is 37.  This is also a squad who just eclipsed it's highest win total in franchise history with 57 wins.

Shaw also has been known for being a players coach, and having helped the game of Paul George over the last couple seasons.  George in his first season in the NBA averaged 7.8 PPG & 3.7 RPG.  Since Shaw's arrival, his PPG total increase to 12.1 and 17.4, and also averaged 19.2 in the 2012 postseason.  His RPG also increased from 3.7 to 5.6 to 7.6. 

It will be up to Shaw to work with a young squad that has shown potential with plenty room for improvement, has some playoff experience, and work with management to develop it's young guns such JaVale McGee.  It will be up Shaw to do what Karl could not do, win a title and bring the Larry O'Brien trophy to the rocky mountains.  But given the talent that the Nuggets have, the youth of Shaw, the experience of having won a title as a player and a coach, Shaw may be the best fit and hire for the Nuggets and this young squad moving forward.

Where do the Denver Nuggets go from here?

As you already know, the Denver Nuggets have once again been eliminated from the playoffs with another early exit out of the first round.  The 2012-13 Nuggets team set a couple team records this year.  First, they set the new record for wins in a season (57), which was previously set back in 2008-09 (54) lead by then Carmelo Anthony.  The Nuggets also set a franchise record for consecutive wins in a row with at fifteen.  Great accomplishments that mean nothing at the end of the season if you can't get out of the first round of the playoffs.

Aspirations were high, optimism was certainly there and the talent on this roster lead many to believe that under the management of team owner Josh Kroenke and General Manager Masai Ujiri that the "sky was the limit" in terms of potential. 

We begin the 2013 offseason looking head, and the road appears to be cloudy, murky...and uncertain.  Recently, Ujiri was brought in for a interview with the Toronto Raptors, the club that first gave him his shot at working basketball operations.  Ujiri came to Denver in 2010 after serving as assistant GM Toronto.  After have been apart of the debacle of trading PF/C Chris Bosh to
Miami, he came into another "superstar" situation...Trade franchise savior Carmelo Anthony.  With the drama that came along for the season, Ujiri played his poker face well, and didn't bluff when working with the New York Knicks.  The Nuggets received Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors' 2012 second-round pick, the Warriors' 2013 second-round pick and $3 million in cash. 

He also got swept up in the trade talks with the LA Lakers, 76'ers and Orlando Magic in which Denver was able to acquire perimeter defender and three pointer shooter Andre Igoudala.

The Nuggets managed to get younger and continued to be competitive.  The team continued to grow under the coaching of Head Coach George Karl.  Karl was unable to get many of the veterans to listen to him when he came in to coach the squad almost a decade ago now.  But now having a young team and his resume as a winning coach, he got the team to buy in, playing "team basketball" and playing defense.  This past season, the Nuggets finished near the top in defensive efficiency, fourth in steals per game, first in offensive and twelth in defensive rebounding, eighth in assist/turnover ratio with the second highest amount of possessions per game.

Things seem to be built for a contender, right?!  Since 2004, Karl has only had this team advance out of the first round only once, in 2009-09 to the Western Conference Finals.  So with the question is, with the talent of this team that seems to be sky high, yet consistently find themselves falling face flat, what next?!

With Masai Ujiri gone, mangement must find someone who will replace and continue the work that Ujiri has done to keep this team from "rebuilding".  But what other changes can we see?  Coaching change as well?  Depends on what the next general manager has planned, and how Josh Kroenke plans to spend money.  Josh is not like his father Stan, who was playing well over the luxury tax to get the Nuggets to the top, including in 2008-09.  Younger Kroenke's plan is to keep the Nuggets under the max salary cap as much as possible and win under those restrictions.  This can lead a team to "do more with less".  But as a new G.M. comes in, he's going to want his own guy.  Could King George be on his way out?  Has this team hit its limit with him on the bench?  Currently, Karl has one more season left on his contract, and coupled with uncertainty of a new G.M. and their plans, who knows what happens to Karl, and Kroenke made it be known as well.  Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported this.

"Denver president Josh Kroenke gave Karl a vote of confidence after the season, telling the Denver Post that, 'George is under contract for next year. At this point in time, we haven't really given any thought to making any change whatsoever. As we do at the end of every season, we'll have internal meetings and George will obviously be a major part of them.'"
 

Lets be real, Phil Jackson isn't walking through the office doors in Denver unless he had full control of the team, and that may not be enough as well to get someone of his stature in here.  But as a segway to another regime, does Denver turn to another established coach to lead this young team?  This is a Nuggets team that has talent but doesn't have that voice, that leadership to guide them.  One report that has come out is that several teams have been in contact with coach Larry Brown about returning to the NBA.  The Sixers and Nets have been in contact, but there is a third mystery team out there talking to him.  Is it Denver?  Could be.  Management knows they have solid talent but they still haven't seen the team advance. Karl has been in Denver for almost 10 years now, sometimes a new voice is just what is needed to get teams going.  Brown is a proven coach, his most recent coaching stint in the NBA was with the Charlotte Bobcats, who went 44-38 and made it to their only trip as a franchise to the postseason.  Imagine what he can do with the third youngest team and a team that has playoff experience. 

But would he fit well with Andre Igoudala?  Lets not forget, he might opt out of his contract and command 18 million per season.  Does Iggy show Denver some love and stick around, or does he give the Nuggets the "Iggy Shuffle" and try to find greener pastures.  The 2013 pool of free agents is good, but not great.  After Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith and maybe a aging Manu Ginobili, it is filled with players that are solid role players or "as beens"at this point, no franchise players.  So for the Nuggets, their number one, two and three priorities is to recruit, convince and keep Iggy in Denver. 

Until we see what happens with the signing of a new G.M. and with Karl, everything maybe on hold for the Nuggets and as we get closer to next season, we might have a better idea of what is too come in the mile high city.

Broncos "Leaps" into the #2 seed with Ravens beating.

Lets start by summing up the day in one sentence.  RB Knowshon Moreno is running straight ahead towards eight time pro-bowler and all-pro safety Ed Reed, and as he lowers his head for the tackle, Moreno leaves his feet and hops over Reed to keep the play going, leaving everyone in shock that Reed just got "punk'd!" 

The Broncos have struggled in recent history against the Baltimore Ravens, including going 0-5 in Baltimore.  The injury riddled Ravens still are considered a threat, and this having a "must-win", having the chance to lock up the division, was ready to get up for this game.

The Broncos and Ravens we locked into a defensive battle in the first quarter.  Through the first right combined drives, there was six punts, and turnover and field goal scored by the Broncos.  Again, the biggest issue Denver has is getting off to a fast start, particularly against the good teams they have played all season long.

The Broncos on their last drive of the first quarter were able to put together an eleven play, 78 yard drive lead by running back Knowshon Moreno.  Moreno, who is filling in admirably for the injury Willis McGahee, ran the ball for 71 yards on 17 carries in the first half, 118 yards for the game on 22 carries and a touchdown, helped give the Broncos build a lead.  After having been in the doghouse with Head Coach John Fox earlier this season, Moreno's play has taken notice amongst his peers says wide receiver Demaryius Thomas 

"I’ve been watching Knowshon since college. I played against him. I know what the man can do. It’s crazy what he’s done since he’s been back. I’m happy for him, and I just hope he keeps doing it."

The defenses, as mentioned came to play.  The Denver defense didn't give up a first down to Baltimore until eight minutes remaining in the first half and their first third down conversion until just over three minutes remaining in the first half.  They also keep the ball out of the Ravens hands with almost a 2-1 T.O.P. ratio.  Despite all this, the Raven were mounted a drive to help close out the first half.  The Ravens had won the toss to begin the game and deferred to have the ball to begin the second half, Baltimore began to build momentum.

The drive consisted of three plays going for 10+ yards, including a 43 yard strike from QB Joe Flacco to WR Jacoby Jones to help set the Ravens up with first and goal from the four.  Flacco, starring down his receiver to his left side, throws the ball, CB Chris Harris jumps the route and returns the INT the other way, and 98 yards later, the Broncos are close out the first half up 17-0 and steal all the momentum from the Ravens.  Fox knew that his game would be decided through momentum, and the Harris INT was the "swing" of momentum they needed.

"Yeah, this game is about momentum and making plays and those are the kind of plays that change games. We knew that turnovers were going to be important in this game. We ended up +2. It’s something that Baltimore’s done a tremendous job of taking the ball away and not giving it up. They’re +12 on the season. We were -2 going into this game so we knew that was going to be a real big factor in the game."

The Broncos being a team predicated on halftime adjustments and playing much better in the second half, did just that.  First drive for the Ravens resulted in a three-and-out.  Manning took to the field and lead five play, 83 yard drive that was capped off with Manning ( 17-of-28, 204, TD) hit WR Eric Decker in stride for a 53 catch and run good for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, the defense continued to play at an elite level.  Granted the Ravens had a major change on the offense with the firing of Cam Cameron and the promotion of Jim Caldwell to Offensive Coordinator.  The Raven offense found no rhythm against the Broncos defense.  Only on third down conversion in the first half and a first down didn't come until late in the second.  The Ravens could not get on the scoreboard until their first drive of the second half, resulting in a field goal.  The Ravens offense, looking for a jolt of life, did not find it on this day.  Having gone 1-of-12 on third down conversions and only 12 first downs throughout the entire game.  They could not keep any drive alive until the fourth quarter.  This game was seen as a test for the Broncos, and for them to come out and flex their muscles left a last impression in their minds that they are ready to play with the big boys.  Elvis Dumvervil told the Denver Post that they have what it takes to beat anyone.

The Ravens, lead by QB Joe Flacco (20-of-40, 254, 2TD's, INT) and RB Ray Rice (12 carries, 38 yards) took pounding after pounding.  The Denver defense hit the Raven offense with three sacks, five tackle for losses, three pass deflections, nine QB hits and the INT return for a touchdown.  In all, 23 players recorded a tackle in this game.  The Ravens didn't score their first touchdown until the game was out of hand, at the beginning of the fourth when Denver was leading 31-3.  Denver would give up a couple TD's late and go on to win 31-17.

Denver received help as well with San Francisco holding off a late comeback by the New England Patriots.  N.E. holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Broncos after beating them earlier in the season.  But Denver now sits 11-3 while N.E. sits at 10-4.  Currently, Denver is sitting in the #2 spot in the playoffs, should they win out as they wrap the season up now at home against the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs, they will be looking at a first round bye in the playoffs.

Broncos get it done in Oakland, sights on #2 seed...

The Denver Broncos continued their strangle hold over the rest of the division this past week as they traveled to the "Black Hole" to take on the Oakland Raiders.  Coming off a big and convincing victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The Broncos had a quick turn around as they played their game on a Thursday night.

Records go out the window when these two teams play, particularly under the lights in primetime.  This matchup was no different.  The Broncos jumped out quick, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive as QB Peyton Manning connected with TE Joel Dresseen.  The Broncos following two drives resulted in field goals that put the Broncos up 13-0 going late into the second quarter.

As mentioned, when these two teams, records go out the window, and Oakland certainly showed it.  The result of the stalled drives was pressure put on Manning by the Raiders.  They managed to camp in the back field with the Broncos for much of the night.  The Raider defense played decent at times in the game, coming up with three sacks, three pass deflections and four QB hits.

What was key in the Raider defense was getting pressure on Manning, forcing him to try and take a stab at the endzone.  CB Phillip Adams was able to get his hands on a pass the was underthrown, touchback, Raiders ball at the twenty.  The Raiders took time of the clock, building momentum as the Raiders kept the Bronco defense for better than six minutes.  In that drive, Oakland went nine plays in "No Huddle" on a 14 play drive.  QB Carson Palmer went 9 for 11, 80 yards that was capped off with a six yard pass to RB Darren McFadden for the touchdown to help close out the first half down 13-7. 

Oakland came out in the second half giving the Broncos a little bit of a scare as on the first play of the third quarter, McFadden gets to the outside and runs up the sideline for 36 yards.  The Bronco defense buckled down and forced the Raiders to punt.  Manning (26-of-36, 310, TD, INT) helped moved the ball with a couple passes completed for better than 20 yards.  RB Knowshon Moreno (32 carries, 119 yards, TD) helped move the chains that eventually lead to a field goal. 

On a week in, week out basis, the Denver defense makes a play that helps blow a game wide open.  This week wasn't any different.  On 3rd and 6 from the Raider 12, LB and DPOY candidate Von Miller blew passed RT Clint Barmes to get to Palmer for the strip/sack, Bronco recovery.  Two plays later, Moreno bulls his way in to take a 23-7 lead. 

The defense gave up a touch late in the fourth quarter, but the game as out of hand as the Broncos go on to win 26-13 and improve 5-0 in the division and 10-3 overall.  The Broncos had their struggles in the game.  The running, despite having put up 140 yards on the ground, it took 39 attempts (3.6 yards per carry average) to get there.  This team is dealing with some injuries as G Chris Kuper is out for the second time of the season, and RB Willis McGahee gone until the AFC Championship at the least.  On this night, after taking a lead, it was enough to help run time off the clock to help preserve the win says Head Coach John Fox.

“I think you do what it takes to win. This is a timed game and we were trying to run some time off the clock. I think that will help us moving forward, you develop a little bit of a mindset. I think it was good for our offensive line. The blocking elements as well as the running backs to be able to do that to close out a game.”

The Broncos have some extended time off to prepare for the east coast trip to Baltimore to take on the Ravens.  Right now, the Broncos await to see what happens with the game between the Texans and Patriots.  Should Denver be able to go to Baltimore an exercise the demons with the Ravens.  Denver is winless (0-5) in Baltimore.  Last time these two matched up, Denver lost to Baltimore 31-17.  RB Ray Rice ran the ball 27 times for 133 yards and 2 TD's and as a team, 233 yards.  Should New England lose tonight, Denver will be the current two seed.  A New England win, Denver will be the three seed, a game up on Baltimore and a win against Baltimore would almost cement the Broncos in the three seed and a wildcard game at home.  A loss to Baltimore and Denver will be looking up at three teams as they would sit in the fourth spot. 

Three weeks of football left to be played, playoffs are coming into clarity, but positioning is very fluid right now and anything can happen.

Broncos struggle, win ugly in Kansas City

No matter who the opponent, every good team, once in a year, runs into a team far less superior to a good team comes out of the wood works and gives a team a run for their money.  Denver may have ran into that this past weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Denver Broncos were ten and a half point favorites against the then 1-9 Chiefs.  This game wouldn't indicated such numbers as the Chiefs came ready to play against the Broncos.

The Broncos were 14-36 all-time against the Chiefs on the road.  No matter what the circumstances, this is a rivalry that promises to be a fight to the end.  The Broncos struggled in the first quarter against the lowly Chiefs.  To make matters worse, with no RB Willis McGahee, the Chiefs were gearing up to play against the pass, and little did Denver try to punish Kansas City for doing so.  Through the first quarter, the Broncos ran the two times, and struggled to get 32 total yards in the first quarter.

The recipe for defeating the Broncos, keeping the Broncos fast-track offense off the field.  The Chiefs were on the field for 11:05 seconds in the first quarter, running the ball, letting the clock whine down, hitting the Broncos with 60 yards on the ground of their 92 total yards through the first fifteen.

On the flip side, the Broncos offense looked out of sync.  The Broncos first three drives culminated 47 total yards and resulted in a missed field goal, punt and interception thrown by QB Peyton Manning.  Manning tried to overthrow WR Eric Decker on the pass but, due to double coverage, Decker was thrown off his route and was not there where the pass was intended to be.  Credit the Chiefs defensive line for giving the Broncos fits as well, getting to Manning for two sacks and six QB hits.  The defense as a whole also got six tackles for losses and six pass deflections as well.

Broncos CB Champ Bailey knew that this wasn't going to be a easy game 

"It's never going to be pretty playing this team in this place, you might get lucky once in a while and get some turnovers and jump out on them.  But they've got good players now.  You can't come in here4 and think you're going to walk out with a win without fighting for in."

The Broncos didn't get on the board until late in the first half, on their last drive of the first half, the Broncos put together a 11 play, 94 yard drive that was capped off with a Manning touchdown pass to TE Jacob Tamme with 18 seconds left on the clock.

The second half faired a little better for the Broncos.  The first two drives, the Broncos were able to move the ball, racking up 108 yards of offense, including another touchdown pass by Manning (22 of 37, 285 yards, 2 TD's and 1 INT) to Demaryius Thomas thirty yards down field for the score.  Only four of Denver's ten drives resulted in points.  How did they win this game?  Defense!

The Broncos defense, virtually without LB Von Miller (2 tackles, sack and QB hit) played up to the meaning of "opportunistic football".  How so?  Penalties that occur at the right time.  Instance, 3rd and 1, Chiefs are in field goal range.  Von Miller was able to cause rookie LT Donald Stephenson to jump and be called for a false start.  Broncos then put the Chiefs in a passing situation, tackle QB Brady Quinn and put them out of field goal range.  They kept their good fortune lately of solid 3rd down defense going.  On this Sunday afternoon, they left the Chiefs convert 3-of-12 third downs (25% conversion rate).  The passing defense was superb, limiting Quinn to 13-of-25, 126 yards and a interception.  The Chiefs offense was only able to get 13 total first downs.  The defense did their part to keep this game close in game where the offense was not on their game.  This a total defensive effort to give the offense the opportunity to win.

"It's never going to be pretty playing this team in this place," said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. "You might get lucky once in a while and get some turnovers and jump out on them. But they've got good players now. You can't come in here and think you're going to walk out with a win without fighting for it."

Read more: Broncos escape Kansas City with a win behind Peyton Manning's veteran eye - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_22063604/broncos-kansas-city-win-peyton-manning#ixzz2DLoYsBmn
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

"It's never going to be pretty playing this team in this place," said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. "You might get lucky once in a while and get some turnovers and jump out on them. But they've got good players now. You can't come in here and think you're going to walk out with a win without fighting for it."

Read more: Broncos escape Kansas City with a win behind Peyton Manning's veteran eye - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_22063604/broncos-kansas-city-win-peyton-manning#ixzz2DLoYsBmn
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

"It's never going to be pretty playing this team in this place," said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. "You might get lucky once in a while and get some turnovers and jump out on them. But they've got good players now. You can't come in here and think you're going to walk out with a win without fighting for it."

Read more: Broncos escape Kansas City with a win behind Peyton Manning's veteran eye - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_22063604/broncos-kansas-city-win-peyton-manning#ixzz2DLoYsBmn
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

"It's never going to be pretty playing this team in this place," said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. "You might get lucky once in a while and get some turnovers and jump out on them. But they've got good players now. You can't come in here and think you're going to walk out with a win without fighting for it."

Read more: Broncos escape Kansas City with a win behind Peyton Manning's veteran eye - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_22063604/broncos-kansas-city-win-peyton-manning#ixzz2DLoYsBmn
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse