Denver media are pouring it on.

Denver Post: Broncos lose to Seahawks because rookie coach Nathaniel Hackett was clueless in Seattle

Mile High Report:  Denver Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett’s late game management was inexcusable

 

On PFT, Mike Florio made a point...that Hackett's been up in the booth.  Today he's down on the field.  It's quite different, it's noisier.  It's harder to think straight.  Obviously the end of the game...but he also noted all the delay of game flags. Wilson was apparently signaling for the play several times.  Another point:  the new owners didn't hire Hackett.  The Broncos spent a ton on Their Guy at QB, in terms of $$ and draft picks.  I don't think they're in as much of a win-now mode as the Rams of last year, particularly after the Miller trade, but they're close.  And when the decision-making and overall performance are that sloppy...Hackett just landed himself on the hottest seat in the NFL, after one game.

Having said all that, Russell Wilson is a seasoned veteran. He has to know what's going on with the clock and how many timeouts the team has. That he was on the field leading that catastrophe and didn't realize until the last possible second that they needed a timeout—they still had all three at that point—is not a mistake you'd expect of a seasoned veteran. 

 

Russell Wilson, you got your big payday. Now it's time to start earning it. You're not **** Case Keenum. 

 

In the good days, the Denver Broncos have always found ways to win games. These days, it seems they're always finding new ways to lose them.

And Hackett's saying now, yes, he should have.  ESPN stats also notes that McManus has the leg...but he's 1 for 5 from 60+.  4th and 5 is a lot closer to 50-50.

 

From what they're saying...I'm hearing that Hackett was locked into the 46 yard line.  Which means rigid thinking.  I can believe that's the cut-off, for one play left, or it's too long to go for the first...but that became locked into "we go for it from here."  And that's a major blunder...it isolates only the one aspect, when there are others that are also significant.

 

The axe fell on a player already.  The Colts cut their kicker outright.  It's noted on ESPN that they *didn't* bring him back last season after a hip injury.  Then, he shanked 2 kickoffs out of bounds...the first after Indy ties the game with 2+ minutes left, and the second on the kickoff to start OT.  Obviously, these were HUGE opportunities...ball on the 40...but the Texans squandered them.  The he misses a 42 yarder that would've won the game in OT.  What's odd, to me, is that they didn't bring him back after recovering, despite 83+% FGs and 94.5% PATs...which is just about league average.  Over 2 years.  The kicker they used to fill in last year was Michael Badgley...he was a UFA.  (Badgley's issue looks to be lack of range.  He's only got 19 kickoffs, despite almost 200 made FGs and extra points;  he's also just 3-10 from 50+.)  

So they're stuck now...they've signed 2 kickers, one who's been in a total of 16 games over 6 years with 6 different teams.  The other is just out of college.  So I'm thinking there's back story there with Blankenship, the kicker they just cut.

 

The rumors get to start EARLY this year...ooooooooooohhhhhhhhh.....................

And rightfully so.

 

Peyton Manning nearly lost his mind watching the Broncos during final minute of shocking loss to Seahawks

6 hours ago, Pariah said:

And rightfully so.

 

Peyton Manning nearly lost his mind watching the Broncos during final minute of shocking loss to Seahawks

 

That was both hilarious and painful to watch.  Shannon Sharpe said it best.

The hits just keep on coming.

 

Former NBA exec: Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett should play video games to refine late-game coaching

Though there is an interesting take here putting some more context into that situation.  I would believe it more completely if there hadn't been so much time (and time-outs) at the start of the final series.

Looking back on the Donkeys' performance on Monday night, I can't help but think of the legendary John Robinson.

 

Reporter: "How do you feel about your team's execution?"

Robinson: "I'm in favor of it."

But the defense shut them down in the second half.  The offense outgained the Seahawks by a huge margin.  Clearly, without the red zone TOs, it's a completely different game, so I'm not gonna go for a full-on Robinson.  

 

The major take, for me:  they weren't ready to play.  They weren't ready for game speed, for game intensity.  The coaches weren't ready either.

 

Ohhh...so I'm saying it's Hackett is Josh McDaniel redux.........................

 

Sorry bout that, Mr. P...............

Then again, maybe it was just the Antimatter Phlegm uniforms.

Anyone notice Thursday night football streaming only?

Yup.  I'm too cheap to buy streaming, which is the honest truth behind my saying that we boycott such things.

11 minutes ago, slikmar said:

Anyone notice Thursday night football streaming only?

 

Yep.  No one else wanted to pay the kind of money Amazon's shelling out, particularly for a slightly limited slate.  Last week was an NBC game;  there's no Thursday game in week 18;  and Thanksgiving night is also NBC.  TNF ratings have never been very good;  most of the matchups have been eminently forgettable.  Amazon may be using this as a visibility enhancer for the rest of Prime Video, tho...put Prime Video front and center onto the viewing public's mind.  So if they lose a bit?  It might not really matter to them.  This aspect doesn't exist for CBS or Fox.

1 hour ago, unclevlad said:

The major take, for me:  they weren't ready to play.  They weren't ready for game speed, for game intensity.  The coaches weren't ready either.

 

Coach Hackett raised a few eyebrows with his steadfast refusal play his starters during the preseason. Perhaps he won't follow the same process next year.

38 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

most of the matchups have been eminently forgettable

Honestly, NFL, especially given the appearance of health of players, to have teams who play on TNF have their byes the prior week. Would improve the play and reduce injury risks. I gotta figure there is a way for this to work, given that every week now has byes.

Nope.  Every team has a bye week, but not every week has a bye.  That said, just because it doesn't work perfectly...let's not forget the 3 Turkey Day games too, and for that matter, there's 5 international games.  Fine, those are on Sunday, but 3 are in London, 1 in Germany.  The German game has the Seahawks...that's a 10 hour+ flight each way.  And they're very early kickoffs per body clocks.  The prep time for those games isn't a whole lot longer than for a Thursday game.  

 

So, yeah, it would be nice, but they're not going to do it.  Heck, I'm pretty sure they've had teams play Sunday night, on the road, then play Thursday.  I don't think they've ever forced a Monday night-Thursday turnaround, so there are bridges they won't cross, but mostly, they don't care.

 

Note that 3 of those games are NFL Network.  Not surprising.  ESPN has 1...well, fine, they can kick their pregame stuff to ESPN2.  It'll probably get better ratings.  Oh, and just to make both Mr. P and Logan jump with joy?  That one's only on ESPN+.  But hey, Mr. P...the last thing a Bronco fan wants to watch is them playing that close to Halloween.  Good golly, have they had some disasters that week..........

I've watched the Donkeys lose five Super Bowls. (Well, I didn't actually watch the fourth one because I was on a two-year religious sabbatical. But you get the idea.)

 

A disastrous performance from the Broncos is just another day at the office for me.

 

4 hours ago, Pariah said:

I've watched the Donkeys lose five Super Bowls. (Well, I didn't actually watch the fourth one because I was on a two-year religious sabbatical. But you get the idea.)

 

A disastrous performance from the Broncos is just another day at the office for me.

 

Oho, look at mister my-team-actually-makes-it-into-the-playoffs-sometimes over here.   Try rooting for actually bad teams like the rest of us.  

 

(But don't root for the Browns.  To hell with them.)

I like the Chiefs.

Yeah, Mr. P...complaining about the Broncos is like complaining that Oklahoma has yet to win a game in the College Football Playoffs.

 

(Mind, I segregate criticism about Elway's abilities to run a team.  He's never proven anything;  he fell into Peyton.)

11 hours ago, Old Man said:

Oho, look at mister my-team-actually-makes-it-into-the-playoffs-sometimes over here.   Try rooting for actually bad teams like the rest of us.  

 

I will simply point out that I'm also a Rockies fan....

 

7 hours ago, unclevlad said:

Yeah, Mr. P...complaining about the Broncos is like complaining that Oklahoma has yet to win a game in the College Football Playoffs.

 

(Mind, I segregate criticism about Elway's abilities to run a team.  He's never proven anything;  he fell into Peyton.)

 

Under Pat Bowlen, the Broncos had more Super Bowl appearances.than losing seasons. Ever since he took ill, the franchise has been the proverbial ship without a rudder. Elway looked like a genius for snagging Peyton Manning. But he also drafted Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch, so....

Someone online pointed out that the AFC South has zero wins after Week 1 ... and two teams from the division played each other.

 

They also pointed out that due to some horrible clock management on the part of a rookie head coach, the Seattle Seahawks are all alone in first place in the NFC West.

 

It was a strange Week One, to be sure.

As we begin week two in earnest today, I can't help but think that all head coaching interviews in the future will include a segment something like this:

 

Interviewer: "Okay, hypothetical situation. You're on the road and down one with under a minute remaining in the game. You're at midfield, and it's 4th and five. You have all three timeouts. You have one of the most accurate kickers in the game. You also have a first ballot Hall of Fame quarterback that your organization just dedicated almost a quarter of a billion dollars to bring to the organization. What do you do?"

 

Candidate: "Uhhhhh...."

 

Interviewer: "Great. Well be in touch."

Rooting for NYJ to win today -- do you know how unclean I feel about posting that?

15 minutes ago, Cygnia said:

Rooting for NYJ to win today -- do you know how unclean I feel about posting that?

 

I dunno, do the Jets really have anything about them that's vile?  Or just the fact that they're inept?  Rex Ryan is gone;  that was, I think, my last major issue.  

 

Speaking of inept...how bad is Indy, to be down 24 to Jacksonville?  Is the AFC South gonna challenge the NFC East of a couple years ago, for Worst Division Ever?  Was gonna make a similar comment about Washington...unnecessary, perhaps...as they let the Lions get out to a 22-0 lead, but they're doing a little something at least in the 2nd half...