The good news is, Broncos special teams coach Brock Olivo has promised to fix the persistent problems.
Oh wait, that was last Friday when he said that.
The first-year special teams coach has had a lot to explain for this season, but Sunday’s loss to the Patriots might have brought a new low. The Broncos muffed a punt, had one blocked, allowed a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and then drew penalties for too many people on the field — an utter breakdown in the kicking game.
“I’ve come up short up to this point,” Olivo said last week, before this disaster, according to Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post. “I owe it to the franchise, this staff and this team to get that thing rolling.”
That speaks to the fact the problems have been going on for some time, but last night was special indeed. The first three miscues led to 17 New England points, and a penalty late in the game kept the Patriots from having to punt, and they answered with a touchdown later in that drive.
“You can’t give up 24 points on special teams and expect to win,” Broncos safety Justin Simmons said. “It’s unacceptable. We hurt ourselves more on special teams than defense.”
That was after allowing 41 points.
Which should make Friday’s regular meeting with the media interesting indeed.
