“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.” Robert Burns, in “To a Mouse,” written in 1785
Ol’ Bobby Burns, a Scottish poet and songwriter best known for his hit single “Auld Lang Syne,” likely knew a little about golf but nothing of tackle football. He certainly couldn’t have predicted, more than two centuries later, that 25 million people would hang in there long enough to witness the Broncos improbable, come-from-behind win over the Rams on Sunday Night Football.
Still, the 18th century scribe might have offered a wise warning to Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb. The modern translation of Burns’ second-most famous work reads something like this: “The best laid plans of mice and men can still go wrong.” And truer words – as it pertains to Webb, his head coach and his quarterback – have never been written.
If the Broncos indeed have a plan coming into a game, as Burns so accurately penned, it goes wrong. Written less poetically, the plan sucks.
In three first halves of football this season, the Broncos have scored a catnap-provoking 10 points. In the first half, the Broncos have gotten progressively worse, scoring a touchdown against the Chiefs in Week 1, a field goal against the Jags in Week 2 and getting blanked in front of the entire country against the Rams in Week 3.
Somehow, Denver sits nicely at 2-1.
Spotting the NFL’s best offense a 16-0 halftime lead is generally a bad idea. Asking any offense – much less one that produced a crappy 67 yards, five first downs and zero points – to somehow comeback and win sounds like a recipe for disaster. Fifteen second-half first downs, two Talanoa Hufanga interceptions and 30 points later, that recipe tasted as sweet as grandma’s apple pie. Broncos 30, Rams 26.
Ironically, the way in which Bo Nix and the Broncos win football games is becoming a maddening, yet nearly predictable, pattern.
Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh famously pioneered the practice of scripting the first 12 to 25 offensive plays – he called them “openers” – to start a football game. Walsh was like a surgeon, plotting opening scripts that yielded an NFL regular season .609 winning percentage and three Lombardi Trophies.
Mike Shanahan, a sturdy branch off the Walsh coaching tree, employed the same practice. Shanahan often inferred that his script was the first move in a four-quarter chess match, each play providing clues as to how his Broncos would discover weaknesses and opportunities, eventually and mercilessly beating most defenses.
Is Davis Webb, the Broncos first-year play caller, the Bobby Fischer of scripting openers?
In the first half, Webb looks like he’s more suited for Chutes and Ladders. By the time the final gun sounds, with the help of King Comeback, Webb is calling checkmate.
After the Broncos offense had finally warmed up, an occurrence that’s becoming worth the wait, SNF color commentator Cris Collinsworth suggested that Webb “was probably a series or two away from having Sean Payton call his plays.”
After the game, Payton wasn’t about to say whether or not he’d considered yanking Webb’s newly acquired duties, but he certainly voiced concerns.
“I’m uncomfortable with how we play at the start of games, if that’s a fair answer,” Payton offered.
Then again, it’s difficult to say whether the Broncos opening-half blunders are entirely on Webb. More than likely, there’s enough blame to go around.
“Obviously, it starts with me, or it starts with a group of us before it ever gets to Bo, and that was one of our big points of emphasis coming into this game. We knew kind of the type of offense they had, and we felt starting, that was going to be important for us – and yet it didn’t happen,” Payton said. “So, I’m pleased with how we responded, but you asked a great question and we can’t – it’ll cost us in bigger games.”
Here’s an idea, coach(es).
Scrap the script.
Coach Webb, take the week off. Heck, tailgate up until kickoff if you want. Show up with that colorful, laminated chart and start firing from the hip. Coach Payton, don’t bother writing “Run the Ball” on Webb’s to-do-list this week. Heck, don’t even scribble the first-15.
That silly stuff might have worked for Walsh and Shanahan, but it’s not working for you.
Go unscripted. This best laid plan is the worst.
Draw it up in the dirt and let Bo go.
Why not? No plan might be the best plan for these Broncos.
Unscripted Mile High Sports.
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