Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos offense is, for lack of a better word, ridiculous - absolutely ridiculous. Ridiculous, as in, ridiculously good - as in ridiculously talented, ridiculously prodigious.
But, is it possible that Peyton and the Broncos offense could be - and hold onto your chairs here because this might be pretty jarring - even better? And that they would be, if only one main component of the unit - the offensive line - were actually playing up to snuff?
"It's worse than bad - it's horrendous," Mark Schlereth, the ESPN analyst and ex-Broncos Pro Bowl offensive lineman, said on Nate Kreckman's 102.3 ESPN show, according to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post. "I watch every game of every team every week. It's bad technique-wise, athleticism-wise, toughness-wise. If I was grading, giving an F would be kind."
Well then.
"The Broncos won't beat anybody come playoff time, nobody, unless we're healthy at the receiver position, running circles around people, and No. 18 is just shredding people. If there's a we-have-to-run-it situation, if there's a third-and-2, we might as well punt, because we're going to get shoved in the backfield."
The Broncos lead the league in fewest sacks allowed with 11, but their offensive line is also the most penalized unit in the league, according to Tim Lynch of SBNation.
The Broncos have made four changes to their offensive line combination over the past five games - two of which have been losses. This past Sunday, in a defeat at the hands of the St. Louis Rams, Manning was sacked twice and hit four times, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reported.
The Broncos also only ran the ball nine times - nine - all game long. The discrepancy in that run-to-pass ratio and the high percentage of times that Manning is pressured points to an issue with the guys up front that could become much more problematic as the season wears on and the weather gets colder.
Schlereth used AFC West opponent Kansas City as an example of a team to emulate when it comes to offensive line play.
"I just watched (division rival) Kansas City, basically lay it on Seattle, and their O-line is fun to watch. And then I just watch (the Broncos) stuff, and I just want to throw up..."
Schlereth was also clear about what he thinks the only course of action can be for John Elway and the rest of the Denver front office.
"We can sit here and dance around the subject, but they need to fire them all and start over."
