ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Twenty-four hours after the most humiliating loss of the season, Broncos coach Vance Joseph promised a shakeup. He declined to elaborate, but refused to rule anything out, including calling the defensive signals on game day in favor of the embattled Joe Woods.
"I won't share what we're going to change. But there are going to be changes," Joseph said. "Everything is under consideration."
The Broncos are saddled with a three-game losing streak that threatens to submarine their season with the Rams, as seven-point favorites, arrive on Sunday. Given how last year spiraled, Joseph shuffling the deck seems obvious, if not necessary. He knows they can't move forward as they are.
The problem is do the players trust him to steer the train back onto the tracks?
Sunday's locker room featured Derek Wolfe saying he was tired of talking "about the same (bleep) for the last two years," cornerback Bradley Roby hinting the team exposed him in man protection without help, Pro Bowler Chris Harris Jr. wondering aloud which players "would remain all in," and receiver Demaryius Thomas admitting that without an immediate rebound the playoff dream will vanish.
Against this backdrop, Joseph walked into Monday's presser at Dove Valley, trying to explain how a team could allow 512 yards, including 323 on the ground. The Broncos missed tackles, failed to win in coverage and lost their way. However, the Jets said afterward that the Broncos remained predictable. The Broncos are allowing 395.8 yards per game, seventh worst, and have lost 10 of their last 21 games by double digits.
Joseph insisted the players still have confidence in Woods, but it would be hard to make that argument in the lockerroom afterward based on the admissions. Wolfe and Harris offered raw disappointment.
Harris spoke Monday, stressing the importance of a U-turn.
"My frustration was football wise, gameplan, scheme things, trying to confuse the quarterback," Harris said. "It's nothing against anybody. We are working. We are trying to get this back on track and I am all in and trying to do whatever I can to make plays for this team."
Joseph understands the reaction of players. In particular, he said Harris and Wolfe are veterans who are playing well, making their points more salient.
"I share the frustration of the players, the fans and the organization," said Joseph, who is 7-14 as head coach. "I thought our guys played hard, but we didn’t play as desperate as we played in the last month. We showed great grit in the first four weeks, but yesterday I didn’t see the same grit from everyone."
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Want Broncos news? Denver7 Broncos insider Troy E. Renck is your source. He talks to the players, covers the games and reports scoops on Denver7 and the Denver7 app. He is a CU grad who has covered pro sports in Colorado since 1996, including 14 years at The Denver Post. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and TheDenverChannel.com’s Broncos page. Troy welcomes most of your emails at Troy.Renck@kmgh.com.
