The Frankish Reich

Ladies and Gentlemen, you have successfully made it through the entirety of an imitation Preseason Game 3.

1. Unlike Week 1, they have not attempted any 64 yard field goals. 2. Unlike Weeks 1 and 2, they have not had multiple delay of game penalties. 3. Unlike Week 2, they have had a punt returner on the field every time the other team punts. Progress!

I'd be stunned if he did anything different.

And the Russell Wilson Experiment continues to pay dividends. 2-1 Broncos! 🤣

11-10 is just awesome. I mean, they should just stop this thing right now. Would that be the first 11-10 game in NFL history?

And yet ... they are one play away from taking the lead.

I can't tell for sure without seeing the All 22 or something like that. But this Broncos offense just seems rudimentary in design. Where are the routes over the middle? Crossing/rub routes? Where's the misdirection? All the stuff modern offenses specialize in. This is like 1970s football.

You have to think a FG ices this for SF. Ordinarily you'd say an 8 point lead is just a TD and 2 point conversion. But the Broncos seem completely incapable of pulling off two clutch plays.

I've seen all 3 Broncos games this year (glutton for punishment), and that's the first time I've seen Wilson actually tuck the ball away and seriously run. There have been scrambles behind the line of scrimmage and an occasional slide for a 1 or 2 yard gain, but no actual runs. And this is a guy who one season ran for 800+ yards.

Not even close. Gase. Which is not high praise for Gase, it's just an accurate statement of how awful Hackett has been

He looks tentative, almost scared out there. I don't know what happened to him last year in Seattle. He can still throw, he doesn't appear to be injured, he's "only" 33, but he just looks ... done.

Somehow still 16.5 minutes left in this stinker.

Damn. Two safeties is possible. Now I will always feel unfulfilled. He's also really annoying. Can't shut up. If they were playing well they'd say he has an infectious Ted Lasso type goofball energy. Now it's just annoying.

Baseball. Coors Field. 4th inning.

He was Aaron Rodgers bait. Nothing more or less than that. And it didn't work. I don't think he lasts the season.

YESSS!!! They put up a 5 spot! The most uncommon possible score in football

I wanted to say good defense beats good offense, but no ... I think you're right. These offenses are just crap.

Same old Broncos offense, somehow less than the sum of its parts. Keenum, Flacco, Bridgewater, Wilson ... I'm not seeing a difference yet.

Mike Shanahan's hair now almost as white as his teeth

I never ever ever thought I'd have to say this, but ... Bobby Hart really cost us by being an idiot and getting suspended last week.

Working on the farm all summer long in Firebaugh?

Hackett has a young and inexperienced staff surrounding him. There's no former coach/Leslie Frazier type to step in as interim coach if they fire him. His defensive coordinator is his old UC Davis teammate. Unless ... https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34657290/denver-broncos-coach-nathaniel-hackett-hires-veteran-assistant-jerry-rosburg-help-game-management-sources-say They say "Hackett brought him in," but I sense "Hackett was told to bring in an experienced assistant." Damn. No safety for the Broncs. For some obscure reason I can't even explain I love when NFL teams put up a score of 5.

Did you see that the Broncs brought in a 66 year old "special assistant" - an experienced special teams coach to be kind of like the "bench coach" in baseball? The guy who keeps track of things like, oh, I don't know, making sure they have a punt returner on the field when the opponent is punting? And whether your FG kicker can make a 64 yarder in Seattle but not even try a 59 yarder in Denver?

Maybe Cole Beasley will round up a ragtag team of anti-vaxxers who've been blackballed by the rest of the NFL and bring them all to Tampa for one last epic run. Kind of like those movies where Sylvester Stallone rounds up the ancient action movie stars for one (or three) last blast.

Geez, I wonder what they could do to solve this problem? - It's really frickin' cold and windy in Buffalo in late November/December, but very pleasant in September - It's really frickin' hot and humid in the daytime in Miami in September, but wonderfully warm and pleasant in December - The Bills play the Dolphins twice a year, every year. I'm kind of at a loss here. Maybe an expert schedule maker could help me figure out a solution where we play both football games in pleasant weather?