Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag each week during the regular season.

Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.

Conventional wisdom says you have to establish the run, because it prevents the defense from pinning its ears back and coming after the quarterback as well as blitzing on every play. But couldn’t the argument be made that conventional wisdom does not take into account an offensive line that is superb at pass protection but only so-so at run blocking? Conventional wisdom also does not take into account a quarterback who is the best ever at reading blitzes and getting rid of the ball quickly. Run the ball when it’s working but stop playing to your weakness and go with your strength. When does conventional wisdom become stubborn foolishness?

— Steve Green, Bend, Ore.

Steve – You laid out your issue well. Let’s begin by saying that after the Broncos broke all the NFL offense records last season by passing the ball, they got destroyed by Seattle in the Super Bowl, 43-8.

So what do you do? Do you keep passing, keep setting records, knowing in the end it’s not enough?

You do not. You try not to take away from the team’s strength, which is Peyton Manning. But you also know there has to be a reason why Manning — arguably the best quarterback to ever play — only has one Super Bowl ring. And in his lone Super Bowl season of 2006, Manning threw three TD passes against seven interceptions in four postseason games. Which tells you his Indianapolis Colts won it all because it was a rare time when it wasn’t just about Manning.

So you take what Manning does best and you tinker. Last year, the Broncos on first down ran the ball 51.3 percent of the time and passed it 48.7 percent. In the NFL, the Broncos ranked 16th in run-pass balance on first down.

This year, the Broncos ran more than they passed on first down during their first two wins, but they passed far more than they ran on first down against Seattle, which happens when you fall behind, 17-3 at halftime.

Overall, the Broncos have run the ball 44 times on first down (51.2 percent) this year and passed 42 times (48.8 percent), which ranks 19th in league in terms of run-pass balance. It’s still a small sample, but the truth is the Broncos are passing on first down a tick more than last year.

Now here’s the kicker: On second down, the Broncos are passing more than any team in the league through three games — 73.33 percent of the time. Probably because those first-down runs have too often resulted in second-and-9.

Where people, me included, got bent out of shape with the Broncos’ conservative play-calling Sunday was in the second quarter, when the Broncos ran on third-and-9 and third-and-10. The Broncos were out beyond their 30 both times.

Never, ever saw back-to-back run calls in those situations before in the Peyton Manning era. But here’s what happened: On the first third-and-long run, Manning made an unfortunate audible. A pass play was the call but instead he gave tight end Virgil Green the ball, who ran on a play when a lineman didn’t pull. Green got no gain and a game-ending concussion.

On the next third-and-long, Manning had not yet called a play at the line of scrimmage. He was about to signal for a pass play when Manny Ramirez snapped the ball. Crowd noise was the factor there. Manning had the ball with no play called. Busted. Manning fed running back C.J. Anderson, who took the hit for a 2-yard loss.

So the Broncos weren’t conservative-minded on those plays. It just looked that way.

Mike – Isn’t Peyton Manning’s improbable touchdown to tie the score at 20-20 with 59 seconds left with no timeouts proof that John Fox’s decision to kneel down during the AFC playoff game two years ago against the Ravens was wrong? And does it also prove that Fox’s game plan is unduly conservative? Fox has a top QB with the best receiving corps in the league — what gives?

— Thomas Cho, Phoenix

Thomas – I can see where Manning’s 80-yard, 59-second drive against Seattle is evidence Fox should not have kneeled down with 31 seconds left in regulation against Baltimore.

We’re not talking apples to apples, though. The Broncos were trailing the Seahawks by eight points and had no choice but to go. The weather was perfect for completing passes to the wide-open Emmanuel Sanders for 42 yards and Jacob Tamme for 26.

Against the Ravens, the game was tied, overtime was in the hip pocket and the weather was brutally cold. Manning couldn’t have scrambled and thrown the ball on a line for 42 yards through that cold, and with his arm not regenerated to what it is now, against the Ravens. The risk of turnover was greater than the chance of moving into field-goal range, in Fox’s opinion. And mine, for that matter.

As for the conservative play calls, Fox doesn’t call the plays. Adam Gase does, with Manning having final-say options at the line of scrimmage. Watch other games. The Broncos are one of the least-conservative teams in the league.

Mike – The Broncos offensive line’s performance so far this season is unacceptable. Don’t you believe it was a mistake to let Zane Beadles go and replace him with Chris Clark?

— Cal Roth, Morrison

Cal – The Broncos do miss Beadles’ athleticism. Aside from Ryan Clady, Beadles was the Broncos’ most athletic lineman. I think it’s one reason why the Broncos’ screen game hasn’t been as effective this season.

But Beadles was also arguably the Broncos’ least physical lineman at the point of attack. In the end, the Broncos had no choice but to let Beadles go because he commanded a five-year, $30 million contract through free agency.

In general, a team can only allocate top market value to two of its five offensive linemen while keeping its payroll cap in balance. The Broncos have already designated Clady (five years, $52.5 million) and Louis Vasquez (four years, $23.5 million) as their franchise blockers.

Beadles in bonus and salary is making $7.5 million this year. Clark is making $1.9 million. In fairness to Clark, he played nothing but left tackle in college and through his first six NFL seasons. The footwork and arm technique at left tackle are exactly backwards at right tackle.

It’s not quite as difficult as a left-handed hitter trying to hit right-handed. But Clark should tighten up as the season goes along.

Mike – Does the NFL penalize or reprimand officials for their work on a weekly basis? Watching the game vs. the Seahawks on Sunday, the officiating crew seemed to get several calls incorrect (against both teams). Most of them were obvious to see on TV when they happened, not just on slow-motion replay.

— Ryan, Tioga, N.D.

Ryan – Officials are graded on each game. The higher-ups will point out that Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright was so far offside on that third-and-1, he could have thrown a block for Ronnie Hillman. It will be pointed out that Emmanuel Sanders was mugged on the deep pass down the left sideline in the third quarter. It might be pointed out that Seahawks safety Earl Thomas should have received some sort of flagrant penalty for his targeted blast on Wes Welker during Kam Chancellor’s interception — although I read somewhere that technically it was a legal play.

To me, the officials have become more tentative with the increase of reviewable plays. You’d think they would be more assertive knowing they have the review as a backup. To the contrary, they seem hesitant knowing review could expose them.

The exception, of course, is the over-officious types. The officials who call by letter of the rule book. Don’t get me started on those guys.

Hi, Mike. Love the mailbag and your great work. I am writing after the Seattle game, which I thought was a relative success despite the loss. Why did the Broncos not use some type of “spy” on Russell Wilson? Throughout the game he extended drives by gaining critical first downs on broken plays. Is the Seattle offense so multifaceted that the Broncos defense couldn’t devote one player for that role or something else? Thanks!

— Eric, Lansing, Mich.

Eric – Actually, the Broncos used Von Miller some as a spy in the first two games against Andrew Luck and Alex Smith. And after Luck and Smith sliced up the Broncos’ defense in the second half of each game, it was decided the spy tactic wasn’t such a good idea.

Not so coincidentally, Miller had his best game against the Seahawks when he had more freedom to rush. Denver’s D did a nice job against Wilson until the overtime, when a couple defensive ends lost containment.

I’m a huge Broncos fan living in Seattle. I wore my orange to both Sunday’s game as well as the Super Bowl. You get to see a lot more in person than you will see on TV. It’s really apparent that the Seahawks have a big advantage over the Broncos in their emotional leadership on defense. We know Peyton is the leader on offense, but who is Denver’s emotional leader on defense?

— Greg Devey, Seattle

Greg – First, sorry about your trip to New York. Second, great question. DeMarcus Ware is a cerebral type. Middle linebacker Nate Irving is the quietest guy on the team. T.J. Ward is a new guy. Von Miller will always be a kid at heart.

I’d say defensive tackle Terrance Knighton is the leader up front, Danny Trevathan is the man among linebackers and Ward has a chance to most establish the defense’s identity through his rock-’em, sock-’em play.

The primary defensive leader, though, is Jack Del Rio. He’s a defensive coordinator with a strong presence. Del Rio’s the man on defense.

Disappointed in Manning/others complaining about overtime rules. Seahawks had to go 80 yards; Broncos defense had 80 yards to stop them and couldn’t get it done. Let’s be honest: If shoe was on other foot and Broncos won toss, you Denver folks wouldn’t be clamoring to change OT rules. Denver played a great game as did the Seahawks. Your carping about rules (which are same for both) demeans your team. What’s your opinion, Mr. Klis?

— Dale McIntosh, Lynnwood, Wash.

Dale – Manning wasn’t around for that playoff game during the 2011 season when the city of Denver deliriously shook from its moorings after Demaryius Thomas took a crossing route pass from Tim Tebow on the first play of overtime and ran 80 yards into the Broncos’ tunnel for victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers’ season ended with the coin flip. To which Denver said: Tough cookies, Big Ben.

Yes, it can be argued the Broncos-Seahawks game came down to the coin flip. But it’s better than it used to be. Used to be all the team winning the flip had to do was get a couple first downs and kick a field goal. A touchdown on one series is supposed to be difficult. Difficult enough to earn a reward.

A few months ago, you answered one of my concerns by saying that a 10-6 battle-tested team would be better suited for the playoffs than last year’s. I still believe we can be much better than 10-6, but I have much more faith in our ability to play big games now. It’s becoming clear that this won’t become a record-setting year, but Sunday’s game looked like true championship football, and I’m hoping Denver will have the final word in February. We didn’t win Sunday, but I do believe we did enough to shut Sherman & Co. up!

— Matt, Austin, Texas

Matt – It’s all about expectations. The sky was falling when the Broncos were 2-0. Sunshine has peaked through the Broncos’ forecast now that they’re 2-1.

At the end of regulation Sunday, the Broncos had improved 35 points against the Seahawks from their previous meeting in the Super Bowl. Win or lose, a 35-point improvement has a way of restoring faith.

Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag. Listen to Mike Klis on “Klis’ Korner” on Monday-Friday at 102.3 FM ESPN.