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Broncos CRYING Foul On Phillips

August 19, 2007 3:14 PM

Just when I'd finally made peace with the Broncos, several players went public last night with allegations that Wade Phillips coached way too hard in the Cowboys' 31-20 preseason victory at Texas Stadium.

The Broncos even attributed injuries to defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban (a former Cowboys first-round pick) and running back Travis Henry to mean old Wade, who was apparently exacting revenge for his firing in Denver 13 years ago.

Veteran safety John Lynch noted that his team stuck with its base, seven-man front, and took measures to protect its injury-riddled offensive line with conservative play-calling.

Cue the string section.

"That's not what they did," Lynch said. "They came out and game- planned us, blitzing every play. They came after us. It's no excuse for the way we played. But I think they might have broken the code of ethics for the preseason."

Apparently quarterback Jay Cutler also joined in the whine tasting event in the visitor's locker room. Never mind that he's started five games in the league, and might see a couple of blitzes at some point this season.

Contrary to popular belief in this forum, I'm more than willing to rip the Cowboys when they're in the wrong. But in this case, you have a new head coach who is trying to implement a different defensive philosophy, as Tim Cowlishaw points out.

And he had one proven pass-rusher on the field last night.

I still think the Broncos have a chance to make some noise in the AFC, but the only thing I hear right now is a bunch of sniffling.

Losing a preseason game means nothing at this point. Losing your pride is a different story.