Sometime between training camp and the start of the regular season, when the Broncos were searching for a starting quarterback and an offensive identity, a couple of the offensive linemen had an idea about altering their approach.

“Our attitude changed. We wanted to be road graders, bulldozers,” left guard Max Garcia said. “That’s the mind-set we try to instill across the offensive line.”

Those are only words until they are confirmed on the field. The memories of the vast criticism some of them received throughout the 2015 season were still there. They believed they were better.

So in their first regular-season game, against a stout Carolina front seven, it wasn’t surprising to the Broncos’ offensive linemen that they won the battle at the line of scrimmage on numerous occasions, opening holes for running back C.J. Anderson and fullback Andy Janovich.

“The mind-set is just to kick the crap out of the guy in front of you,” Janovich said.

The Broncos ran for 148 yards in their season opener, the sixth-best effort in the NFL for Week 1. For perspective, the Broncos had 171 rushing yards through their first three games last season.

Anderson, who had 92 yards rushing, 47 yards receiving and two touchdowns — including an almost perfectly blocked 25-yard screen reception against Carolina — wasn’t ready to bathe in the praises. He attributed his mother for keeping him grounded with lengthy critiques after every game.

“If I get one day my mom to say, ‘Hey, you’re 100 percent on my sheet,’ I might retire,” he said.

The Colts pose another challenge Sunday. Indianapolis gave up 116 yards rushing, two touchdowns on the ground and 4.8 yards per carry to Detroit in its opener.

“Our whole goal is to be consistent,” Anderson said, “not to be one-hit wonders or play Jekyll and Hyde with our offense.”

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Center Matt Paradis, whose performance was dubbed “monstrous” by Pro Football Focus, was credited for being loud and confident at the line. Coach Gary Kubiak pointed out Michael Schofield’s transition from tackle to right guard. Left tackle Russell Okung and right tackle Donald Stephenson controlled the edges, while Garcia and Janovich opened up holes inside.

“It may not look good in the first quarter. It may not look good in the second quarter. But you keep calling those plays, you keep working hard, you keep coming off of the ball, eventually something is going to break,” Stephenson said.

Although playing in the trenches is often about toughness and winning one-on-one battles, it’s essential to have chemistry and play the right assignments. Garcia said that was the biggest problem last season when they faced the Colts. Injuries presented consistent shifts along the line, and miscommunication was rampant.

“It was a lot of missed assignments,” Garcia said. “As a unit, there was one person, not one particular person, but one person on a lot of plays that messed up, and that’s why the play wasn’t successful. Yeah, (the Colts) did a great job, but a lot of it last year was on us.”

So Sunday, the Broncos’ offensive line expects less worry about being in sync and more focus about being the road graders and bulldozers they set out to be this summer.

Stronger start

How the Broncos ran the ball in the first five games last season compared to their season opener against Carolina:

Year | Game v. Opponent | Total rushing yards | Rushing touchdowns | Yards per carry |

2015 | Week 1 vs. BALT. | 73 | 0 | 3.2 |

2015 | Week 2 at K.C. | 61 | 0 | 2.8 |

2015 | Week 3 at DET. | 41 | 1 | 2.2 |

2015 | Week 4 vs. MINN. | 144 | 1 | 6.0 |

2015 | Week 5 at OAK. | 43 | 0 | 2.4 |

2016 | Week 1 vs. CAR. | 157 | 2 | 5.1 |

Cameron Wolfe, The Denver Post