DENVER — For all you mean-spirited social media trolls who found perverse joy in watching a man get knocked on his rear last week, it’s a good bet Alex Forsyth has more guts than you do.
Yes, Forsyth was dumped by Kansas City’s Leo Chenal, who then blocked a short field goal attempt to preserve the Chiefs’ 16-14 victory against the Broncos last Sunday. But who hasn’t been knocked on his rump from time to time? Everyone has.
Who has been knocked down, only to get back the following week and play on the same field goal unit – if one very big step over – that converted 6 of 6 kicks in a 38-6 victory? Only Forsyth has.
After the Broncos’ thumping of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Forsyth spoke to 9NEWS about the final play of the Chiefs’ game – and the heavy criticism he received – for the first time.
“It was awful,’’ Forsyth said, “I felt really bad. I felt like I let my team down. Words can’t really describe how crappy I felt, like I let everybody down. Obviously, I don’t want to feel like that again.”
First chance they got, several of his Forsyth’s teammates – namely Bo Nix, Quinn Meinerz and Garett Bolles – spoke up in strong support of the second-year offensive lineman from Oregon. Head coach Sean Payton said the final-play mishap was on the coaches, not the player.
“It’s great to have these teammates,’’ Forsyth said. “They supported me and we corrected the things we needed to correct.”
Specifically, Payton and Broncos’ special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica flip-flopped the positions for Forsyth and Matt Peart. Forsyth moved from the left “tight end” spot – which can be a sacrificial-type role because he lines up in the usual path of the jailhouse break block attempt – to the wing position, which covers the speed guy around end.
Peart as a 6-foot-7, 318-pound offensive tackle has a much larger body mass than the 6-foot-4, 312-pound Forsyth, who is by trade an interior offensive lineman, and therefore can absorb more pass-rush punishment.
“Just changing up the technique,’’ Forsyth said. “We were trying to move on, learn our lesson and we just changed up the technique that we were using and it really benefitted us this week.”
Penalty for a cause
Midway through the third quarter with the Broncos leading 28-6, Bolles was flagged for unnecessary roughness, drawing the ire of his coach. Bolles did intentionally hit Falcons outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie well after the play. But what Payton and many others may not have realized is Ebiketie from the ground was also holding onto the legs of Broncos’ quarterback Bo Nix well after the play.
“I’ve got to be smarter in those situations,’’ Bolles said. “But my job is to protect my quarterback and when I saw he wouldn’t let go of my guy … I should have done a little bit better earlier in the play but he wouldn’t let go of my quarterback so I tried to take him off because the last thing I want is for Bo to get hurt. So I did what I had to do.
“I need to be smarter because we’re going to play in bigger situations than that and play in bigger games than that. And I have to be better because guys look up to me but also it’s my job to protect my quarterback. And when his legs are down there and the guy is hanging on his legs – get off of him, or I’m going to jump on you, I guess.”
Penalty aside, no Falcon pass rusher came close to beating Bolles on the edge. Nix was only sacked once, and that was after right tackle Mike McGlinchey inadvertently stepped on the quarterback’s foot.
Simmons return
Justin Simmons' return didn't go as hoped. He played most of the game in a two-deep coverage and Nix picked the Falcons' secondary apart with intermediate throws.
“It was emotional. Obviously, I played the last eight years here. A lot of good memories and it was bittersweet,'' Simmons said. "First, I’m thankful for the warm embrace with the fans and got to see some of my old teammates. It stinks being on the opposite side and coming away with the loss, a bad loss at that.
"We didn’t execute nearly well enough on defense to give us a chance to win this game. That’s a credit to their offense and how they were operating. It makes the whole thing bittersweet, but I did want to say thank you to the fans and the people that I got to see. The staff that I’ve known and gotten to know the previous eight years. I am super grateful and I’m also standing up here with a heavy heart of a really tough loss.”
PHOTOS | Broncos vs. Falcons
