Flacco points to the O-line as the Broncos' impetus for offensive intensity

Does the Broncos' offensive attitude and intensity begin with the starting five? Joe Flacco seems to think so.

Over the last two days, the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers held joint-practices leading up to their Monday night preseason game. A great evaluation period for both squads, these practices offer a chance for players to get out of their comfort zone, so to speak, and go against unfamiliar competition.

The Broncos' offense has been struggling, especially early on, to get much going against a new and improved Niners' defensive front, the likes of which carries a handful of former first-round picks including standout defensive lineman DeForest Buckner.

A lot of the issue that's been addressed as a lack of intensity from the Broncos' offensive line. Denver's offense looked "choppy" at times on Friday, leading to a staunch message from offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.

"My message to the offense is we have to meet their intensity obviously," Scangarello said following Friday's practice. "Part of it is they’re playing a different style than they’ve played in the past and they’re doing a good job of it and it’s different for us, so you’re not game-planning necessarily for the practice. We have to adapt and adjust.”

The Broncos' O-line is still a work in progress, but figures to be a massively improved unit with the additions of rookie second-rounder Dalton Risner at left guard, free agent right tackle Ja'Wuan James and coaches Mike Munchak and Chris Kuper. Even without projected starting right guard Ronald Leary on the field due to a protracted recovery from a torn Achilles, the group looks much better on paper than in years past.

However, with a perennial Pro Bowler wreaking havoc along the defensive interior, things haven't been going as planned for the Broncos this weekend.

"He’s [Buckner] one of probably the three or four best interior players in this league, so yeah, he’s always going to be tough to block and if you’re not planning around him, he’s going to cause problems.” Scangarello said.

Regardless, the intensity issue along the O-line needs to be addressed immediately. QB Joe Flacco, while not a complete statue in the pocket, isn't the most mobile player. Buckner is among the league's elite and subsequently, there have been issues with getting the Broncos' offense going as a whole thanks to the up-and-down play from the front five.

However, it's not just the starters. All three O-line groupings have struggled to adjust to the Niners' speed and intensity this weekend, something that could get stuck in the craw of Broncos fans over the course of the 2019 season. However, Scangarello is confident that his offensive line units can easily step up to the task of becoming more physical.

“I just hope that the speed of how they play up front," Scangarello answered when asked on an easy adjustment for the offense to make. "It’s entirely different than what they see every day in practice. And that’s how it is week-to-week in the NFL, and when you’re playing with three groups of offensive lines, a couple of those guys haven’t gotten as many reps lately as well, too. It’s different. You have to adapt and adjust and that’s the league and that’s how it is week-to-week, so for us to adapt and feel comfortable and match that speed and intensity, we’ll be just fine."

This is a major storyline for the Broncos to be aware of as training camp and preseason continues to move forward. If the offensive line can't gel and get more intense physicality sooner rather than later, there could be some issues getting the offense started when the regular season begins. Just ask Flacco himself

"Listen, a lot of it starts up front," Flacco said Friday. "You have to get those guys going and make sure that we set the tone early—usually that's the way it goes. The defense always comes out with a little more energy. And even in games, that's how it is. What good offenses do is they put a good first drive together and they get everything set to their pace and their tone. That carries them for the rest of the game. I think we just have to learn how to do that a little bit.”

While it's encouraging that the Broncos feel like they 'won' the second day of their joint-practice sessions with the Niners, keep an eye on the offensive line groupings on Monday night. Kickoff is 6 pm MDT. 

Follow Lance on Twitter @SandersonMHH.