The Case for Shannon Sharpe

On the eve of the Pro Football Hall of Fame announcement for the class of 2011, I am proudly making the case for Shannon Sharpe, who is the best tight end in NFL history.
I shouldn’t have to make a case for Sharpe to be in the Hall of Fame. He should’ve been a first ballet Hall of Famer. Fast forward 3 years later, Denver fans are anxiously awaiting the announcement knowing he could get screwed for a 3rd time.
Sharpe is an 8-time Pro Bowler, 4-time first team All-Pro, and is a 3-time Super Bowl Champion. He had 815 receptions, 62 TD catches, and accumulated 10,060 receiving yards during his career, and when he retired he was 1st in all 3 of those categories for all tight ends in NFL history. He had 19 games with at least 100 yards receiving. He retired as Denver’s all-time franchise leader in receptions, only to have his record broken by Rod Smith later on. Sharpe is one of five to have a 50-catch season 11-times (Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, Andre Reed, and Jerry Rice). Ironically, Jerry Rice was enshrined in the 2010 Hall of Fame, beating out Sharpe in votes, which makes sense. Jerry Rice is the best wide receiver in NFL history. This year, he goes up against Cris Carter and Andre Reed, who are also Hall of Fame finalists. Not only did Sharpe retire being the best tight end in NFL history, he has something that Reed, Carter, and even fellow tight end Tony Gonzalez all do not have; championships.
I won’t dive too much into the fact Denver constantly gets short-changed in who represents them in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s amazing to me how Denver is 1 of only 8 teams with back-to-back Championships and only 1 player from that team is in the Hall of Fame (Floyd Little played in the 60’s and Gary Zimmerman retired after Denver won their 1st Championship following the ’97 season). There are a handful of great Denver players from those Championship teams as well as other deserving players from previous eras who deserve the nod from the Hall! For Sharpe, it’s not a question of if but when. Let’s hope when is tomorrow.

New Regime

The Broncos are headed in the right direction! Since I last posted about the Broncos, they lost 3 of their final 4 games, concluding the 2010 season at 4-12, hired John Elway as Vice President of Football Operations, and hired John Fox to be their 14th head coach in franchise history.
The Broncos finally changed their leadership model. The head coach no longer has final say in personnel decisions. It marks the first time the Broncos have held this model since Pat Bowlen took over the team in 1984. Now, President Joe Ellis, Vice President John Elway, and General Manager Brian Xanders make all the decisions. I can understand why it was difficult to find a quality head coach. The sad truth is 2 years ago Denver's head coaching vacancy was the most attractive. Now after McDaniels was fired, Denver is near the bottom of most coaches' list. Not many people were interested in cleaning up this mess. Let’s be honest. This is a major rebuilding project. The Broncos are most likely 2-3 years away from being in playoff contention, and that is assuming they draft well in future drafts. Two of the more well known former coaches currently working as commentators (Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher) would want personnel decision-making power in the new positions they will eventually take over. Additionally, some prospective head coaches may have been a little nervous taking over a coaching position with Elway as VP. As much as I love Elway (he is by far my favorite athlete of all time) he still has never held this position at this level ever before. He will basically learn on the job. I think he will do great but I can understand why his lack of NFL front office experience would turn prospective coaches away. This limited Denver’s list of candidates to Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, and former Panthers head coach, John Fox.
John Fox is by far the most qualified candidate who is up to the challenge of bringing the Denver Broncos back from being chumps to champs. In his 8-year stint with the Carolina Panthers, he compiled a 78-74 record (5-3 in the postseason), 3 postseason appearances in 8 seasons, and led them to Super Bowl XXXVIII. In fact, he took over a 1-15 Panther team only to lead them to the Super Bowl 2 years later. He is a defensive mind who will instantly improve Denver’s 32nd ranked defense.
I am excited for this year’s draft. Maybe Denver will draft for defensive front 7 help for once instead of trying to build through free agency. Come draft time, all eyes will be on Brian Xanders. He was the lone holdover from the McDaniels regime, which is unsettling to a lot of Bronco fans. Under his watch the last 2 years the Broncos have failed miserably in the draft. Xanders conveniently claims now that McDaniels made a lot of the personnel decisions when he was coach. So what did Xanders do during that time? What was he getting paid for? Brian Xanders has a lot to prove as a GM! It was Elway’s decision to retain him. Let’s hope Xanders blossoms out of McDaniels’ shadow. If he doesn’t, that will set the Broncos’ progress back even further. The Broncos cannot afford to have any more draft blunders. In order to recover from the stripping of talent caused by Josh McDaniels, the Broncos must draft perfectly for the foreseeable future.

Cargo

Congratulations to Carlos Gonzalez and the Colorado Rockies for agreeing to a 7- year $80 million contract extension! This off season the Monforts have proven they are now about winning more than making money, which is refreshing! We need the Rockies because the Broncos are in re-building mode with a new regime, the Nuggets are on the verge also being in rebuilding mode with the pending Melo trade, and the Avalanche have shown to be young and inexperienced (although they show flashes of brilliance!).
Cargo had a 2010 for the ages! He was the National League batting Champion, he was a National League Gold Glove Winner, National League Silver Slugger Award winner, he was a Two-time National League Player of the Week, and he managed to hit for the cycle vs the Cubs (who else would it be against?!) back on July 31st! Now that the Rockies have Cargo and Tulo for the next several years we should continue to be contenders in the National League. Hopefully the Monforts will continue to be generous with their money and sign Ubaldo Jimenez to an extension before his contract ends in 2014. Sorry Yankees and Red Sox. You weren’t able to steal Tulo and Cargo from the Rockies. Looking forward to seeing both teams in the World Series in the next 7 years.

Gone!

Monday was the best day of the year. What a huge burden off Denver's shoulders. McDaniels was fired and I was close to inciting riots in the streets of suburban Denver as if we had won a Super Bowl. McDaniels was the one who got tear-gassed. McDaniels was a thorn in our side. Glad he's gone. Although the damage is done he can do no more harm from now on. No more draft-day blunders. No more free agent signings of New England Patriot rejects. No more shipping our talent elsewhere (we have no more). No more dink and dunk predictable bubble screens. No more hoodie on the sideline!
If the Broncos can get out of paying McDaniels the remainder of his contract due to spy-gate II look for them to sign a big name GM and coach. If they end up having to pay McDaniels they will probably end up having to hire a smaller name coach.
My choice is to bring in John Elway as VP of football operations, Ted Sunquist as GM, and Gary Kubiak as head coach. Gary Kubiak was Denver's offensive coordinator from '95-'05. His last year with the Broncos was the last year we were in the playoffs. We haven't been back since. Kubiak would make Denver's run-game relevant again. Kubiak would bring back the zone-blocking scheme. Kubiak would bring back the play-action bootleg. I love Kubiak because he is a true Denver Bronco, being Elway's backup and then his coordinator later on. Kubiak has proven he can coach up a left-handed quarterback and be successful, as he was Steve Young's QB coach on the 49ers, winning the Super Bowl in '94. I'm sure he can do the same with Tim Tebow.
If Bowlen and Ellis choose not to go my suggested route of leadership hopefully they don't pick the new head coach. Their newly picked GM should make the decision.

Troy Tulowitzki

Congratulations to the Colorado Rockies for signing Troy Tulowitzki through 2020! Just when Denver fans were hitting rock bottom with the Broncos having a nightmare of a season, Carmelo Anthony's impending departure from the Nuggets, all of the injuries happening on the Avalanche, the Monfort brothers pull out their pocket book and sign the Rockies' best player. Tulowitzki is the best shortstop in baseball and the Rockies will be contenders as long as he is playing for them. It's nice to see the Monforts finally look past the failures of Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle and shell out some cash for once! Not only did they take care of Troy Tulowitzki, they also gave Jorge de la Rosa a two year extension. de la Rosa actually could've gotten more money from other teams like the Pirates but utlimately decided to stay here- because he likes living in Denver and he knows the Rockies are World Series contenders. It is refreshing to see a super star athlete want to stay here and it is also refreshing to see that athlete be a pitcher!
I am still not completely sold yet on the Rockies' financial committment to winning a World Series. Financially, it makes sense why the Tulowitzki deal was done. It's simple. Troy Tulowitzki puts fans in the seats. He's a fan favorite. Ownership also wanted to show the Rockies faithful we aren't major league baseball's farm team. In order to keep fans coming back ownership made sure he will be a Colorado Rockie for his whole career. If I could say one thing to the Monforts it would be this: don't stop at Tulowitzki. Carlos Gonzalez signed a 1-year, $406,000 contract with the Colorado Rockies on Mar 5,2010. The way he played last season, he's definitely worth more than $406,000. Ubaldo Jimenez is under contract through 2014 for $10 million over the first four years, and could reach $22.75 million. Ubaldo's contract isn't as urgent but it shouldn't go unnoticed. Signing Tulowitzki was a great start. Keep going. Until then, I'm off to buy a Tulowitzki jersey!

Cheater

Josh McDaniels is a cheater. As everyone already knows, the Broncos were caught video taping the 49ers walk through in London a few weeks ago. Fined $100,000. Ironically, the last time that happened, New England was the culprit and McDaniels was involved. McDaniels' best friend "Sneaky Steve Scarneccia" (as D-Mac calls him) was the video director for the New England Patriots when they were caught spying on the Rams on their walkthrough in the Super Bowl back in 2001. When McDaniels was hired by Denver he brought "Sneaky Steve" with him and no one said anything. And what a surprise! We were caught cheating! Of course McDaniels denies he had anything to do with it. He also denied jumping the gun to trade Cutler. Give me a break. When I first heard about the cheating I was worried the NFL would strip Denver of a draft pick as punishment and then I realized McDaniels doesn't know how to draft anyway.
This is the perfect time to fire McDaniels. Not only has he made the Broncos losers and cheaters, he's turned them into the laughing stock of the NFL. Any games the Broncos win under McDaniels in the future (if there are any) will be second-guessed by everyone. McDaniels has tarnished the Broncos' reputation. Since the Broncos started 6-0 last season, the Broncos have gone 5-16. Let's not forget about a 59-14 home loss to the Raiders and losses to inexperienced quarterbacks like Troy Smith and Sam Bradford who've looked like Pro Bowlers playing against our defense. That's what happens when you waste your draft picks on the "sexy players" such as Knowshon Moreno, Tim Tebow, and Demaryius Thomas instead of defensive front 7 and better offensive linemen than Zane Beadles and JD Walton. The Broncos can't control the line of scrimmage to save their lives and it's because of the stupid decisions Josh McDaniels has made. Since McDaniels has taken over in the draft we have seen Clay Matthews, James Laurinitis, Brian Orakpo, Rey Maulaluga, Ron Brace, Terrence Cody, BJ Raji, and Mike Iupati all go elsewhere- Ballin' with other teams and they were within Denver's grasp in the draft. Not only has McDaniels failed miserably in the draft, he's managed to give away any and all of our remaining good players!
The Broncos may be able to fire McDaniels and not be on the hook to pay him because of spy-gate II.
The Broncos need to win at least 3 more games this season bringing our win total to 6-10. Since the NFL expanded to the 16 game season back in '77 only 2 teams haven't gone worse than 6-10. Denver and Pittsburgh.
On a positive note, as of last night, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen finally broke his silence amid this disaster and gave Josh McDaniels the dreaded vote of confidence! He's well on his way out now!

KC no Masterpiece

Sunday's game vs Kansas City was my 7th straight Broncos/Chiefs game attended since 2007 and was up there with one of the best. The Chiefs came in here atop the AFC West as 1-point favorites and the Broncos came out and made a statement. I wasn't too upset seeing coach Todd Haley snub McDaniels a postgame handshake afterward. I read articles that Haley was upset because he felt McDaniels ran up the score, showing poor sportsmanship. I remember looking at my brother in the 2nd quarter when the Broncos were up 35-0, and saying "we're a 2-6 football team. This is not over!" I was glad McDaniels kept the peddle to the metal. His job was on the line. Why would he have risked blowing a 35-point lead by benching his starters for the 2nd half only to show good sportsmanship? Forget sportsmanship, win the game and win convincingly. Make a statement. That's what they did. If anything, keeping the starters in the game showed respect to the Chiefs because we knew the game was not over. The Chiefs are a good football team. When the Raiders came into Denver and beat the Broncos 59-14 McDaniels still shook Cable's hand after the game. McDaniels took the loss like a man (he's lost his fair share as the Broncos' coach so he knows how to act after a loss, I guess).
Sarcasm aside, the Chiefs came in here with the NFL's best rushing attack and the Broncos managed to hold them to 51 rushing yards. On top of that, Moreno had his 1st 100-yard game of his career, with 106 yards rushing. 49-29 was a great score. What was most impressive was the Broncos' offensive line. What was once the Broncos' weakest unit at the beginning of the season is now one of their brightest spots now they are healthy. Having Zane Beadles at left guard and Ryan Clady at left tackle is just not fair to opposing defenses. Throw in Chris Kuper at right guard and Ryan Harris at right tackle also. JD Walton at center is coming along as well. Lets hope he can continue to snap the ball (see the game vs the Jets). If the offensive line can stay healthy, watch out. November and December may be months to remember for the Denver Broncos- for the first time in recent history. For now, faith in the Broncos is restored.

Happy Halloween

The Broncos are a disgrace right now! And it's all because of the stupid decisions Josh McDaniels and Brian Xanders! The Raiders who were 2-4 came in here last week and beat us 59-14 at home. It wasn't like Montana and Rice were on that team, or any other future hall of famers for that matter! The Raiders beat us with their backup QB in our house twice in a row under McDaniels' watch! (Jamarcus Russell last year Jason Campbell this year). McDaniels is 0-4 vs the AFC West at home up to this point. On top of that, the Broncos lost to a 1-5 San Francisco 49er team which now makes the Broncos 2-6 on the season. We all knew the Broncos would have their struggles rebuilding but this is not rebuilding. This is total destruction from within the organization by Josh McDaniels and Brian Xanders.
McDaniels has completely dismantled this team since he's been here. He traded Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, and he traded Peyton Hillis for a backup QB who will never see the field (Brady Quinn) all because he didnt like Hillis. Hillis is lighting it up in Cleveland right now. Top 5 running back in the NFL (believe me, I have him on my fantasy roster). Where does Denver rank in the NFL in rush yardage? 32nd! That's right, we are last in the NFL in rush yardage. Not only did he let Hillis go but he also let Ryan Torain walk, who coincidentally is a stud in Washington! Lets also give Tyler Polumbus an honorable mention. Another "Shanahan-guy" who McDaniels didn't like, he let walk, and now is flourishing elsewhere (Seattle). With all of the pass-protection problems Denver is having and a 32nd ranked rush offense, having Polumbus on our team probably wouldn't hurt. McDaniels has proven he doesn't know anything about how to draft. He traded all of our draft picks for Tim Tebow (non-starter), he drafted Alfonso Smith (gone), Robert Ayers (still has a lot to prove), Knowsho Moreno (always hurt and tired, has yet to have a 100 yard game), Demaryius Thomas (un-proven WR who cannot stay healthy). McDaniels has drafted the likes of Richard Quinn, Eric Decker, Seth Olsen, Darcel McBath, Tom Brandstater, who have rode the bench up or have been traded or cut by now. Drafts can either make or break teams and 2-6 says it all! McDaniels is 10-14 as the head coach of the Denver Broncos and since starting the season 6-0 in 2009 we are 4-14 under his watch.
Was McDaniels sent by New England to destroy the Broncos? Maybe. Prior to McDaniels' arrival the Denver Broncos had a record of 125-78 from 1997-2008 (including postseason), while New England had a record of 143-66 (including postseason) in that time span. Denver was the biggest threat to New England in all years under Shanahan, including 2005, when Denver sent New England home in the playoffs for the 1st time in the Brady/Belichick era. Once Shanahan was fired, was it possible Belichick made a plan to send McDaniels to Denver to infiltrate and dismantle the Broncos for years to come? Why did we trade our 2011 4th round pick to New England for washed up Laurence Maroney? Why did we trade our 2010 5th round pick to New England for the damaged goods of Le Kevin Smith? Why did we cut one of the best long-snappers in the NFL in Mike Leach, just to sign Lonnie Paxton from New England? Not to mention former Patriot, Jabar Gaffney, who signed signed a four-year, $10 million contract with Denver. Gaffney is a decent receiver, but $10 million dollar-decent? Or how about the fact Denver traded their 7th round pick in the 2010 draft for Russ Hochstein? If McDaniels drafted right, or knew how to coach he wouldn't need all of these New England rejects! The only New England Patriot I would want to suit up for the Denver Broncos is Tom Brady, which is not happening. So everyone else who New England dumps, comes to Denver, which raises suspicion. New England is getting rid of their damaged goods AND stacking draft picks for their future while Denver gets rid of their future by trading for New England's washed up players! Oh yeah, let's not forget how McDaniels waived our up and coming young safety Josh Barrett and sure enough 24 hours later, yours truly picks him up.
It's obvious McDaniels is the wrong coach for the Denver Broncos. He's done his damage to our team. The only way Denver can get better is to fire McDaniels at the conclusion of the season and hire a proven, winning coach head coach; not a coordinator. Two coaches come to mind: Bill Cowher who has a head coaching record of 149-90-1, including 6 AFC Championship appearances, 2 Super Bowl appearances, and 1 Super Bowl Championship. The chances of him coming to Denver are slim, seeing as he lives in North Carolina, and the Carolina Panthers will soon be looking for a head coach themselves. Jon Gruden is other head coach Denver should consider. Gruden has an overall record of 100-85, including 1 Super Bowl Championship vs the Oakland Raiders. Gruden hates the Raiders and he likes Tim Tebow. Seems like a good fit. One thing I pledge not to do. I am not one of those fans cheering for the Broncos to lose so that McDaniels gets fired. Hopefully things get turned around! It just looks ugly right now!

NFL's Top 100

Apparently, the same panel who voted the NFL’s top 100 is the same panel that has been screwing very much deserving Broncos out of the hall of fame for all these years.
Elway only led Denver to 34 comeback wins in the 4th quarter & overtime, which tied him for third with Johnny Unitas. He had 148 career wins, placing him second to Favre in NFL history. 300 career touchdown passes which places him 5th in NFL history. He is only one of 4 QB’s to pass for at least 3000 yards in 12 seasons, next to Favre, Marino, and Manning. 2-time Super Bowl Champion and Super Bowl XXXIII MVP. All of these stats equal 23rd in the NFL’s top 100?
Elway isn’t the only one screwed here.
If Tony Gonzalez made the list Shannon Sharpe not only should be on the list, but he should be higher than Tony Gonzalez. Shannon Sharpe reinvented the tight end position. Sharpe was an 8-time Pro Bowler, 4-time first team All Pro, 3-time Super Bowl Champion, member of the 1990’s All-Decade team, he had over 10,000 career yards, and 62 touchdowns in his career. He deserves to be in the top 100.
Terrell Davis deserves to be in the top 100. He accomplished everything any NFL running back would want to accomplish in an NFL career. Super Bowl XXXII MVP, 2000 yard rusher, 1998 Season MVP. Two-time Super Bowl Champion. Enough said. If the argument against Davis is longevity, then why is Gale Sayers on the list? And why is he ahead of Elway?
Hall of fame left tackle Gary Zimmerman belongs on this list too. 7-time Pro Bowler, 5-time First-team All-Pro selection, he was a member of both NFL 1980’s and NFL 1990’s All-Decade Teams!
How about Randy Gradishar? He was a 7-time Pro Bowl selection, 5-time First-team All Pro selection, 7-time All-AFC selection, and he was the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. As great as Jack Ham and Jack Lambert were, Randy Gradishar stands just as tall as they do in the history books. He doesn’t have the championship rings like they do, but individually he’s right there. Gradishar has been screwed by the Hall of Fame committee year after year. From what I am hearing he is eligible to be on the Senior ballet this year which increases his chances of getting in.

Broncos vs Titans

The Denver Broncos had the Colts within their grasp. Until the 4th quarter. As earlier mentioned in my last post, in order to beat Peyton Manning, it would take risk. Our risks didn’t pay off, going 5-15 on 3rd down and 1-4 on 4th down. I appreciated the aggression by McDaniels but I disagreed with the play-calling. Denver’s redzone failures can be attributed to our inability to run the football. It seemed like McDaniels gave up on the run at moments instead of being fully committed to the ground; two times where McDaniels called a play for Orton to float it to a receiver, falling incomplete. Orton played a good game, throwing for 476 yards, but it only produced 13 points. It sure doesn’t help seeing the Broncos with their non-existent run-game and the same week witnessing Peyton Hills (traded from the Broncos for basically nothing) rush for 144 yards with Browns against a very formidable Ravens defense. So far in 2010 the Broncos are a stellar 30th in rush yards. You think the Broncos could use Peyton Hillis?
Okay, I’m done being negative. I like Denver’s match up vs Tennessee this week. So far the Broncos have proven to defend the run well (10th best in the NFL). We’ll need our best run-defense of the year vs 2000 yarder Chris Johnson. If Denver can contain Johnson I like our chances vs Tennessee who has a 30th ranked pass offense. Offensively, Denver is 1st in the NFL in pass yards, and Brandon Lloyd is actually 2nd in the NFL with 339 yards. We all know what Denver needs to do offensively to win the game; establish a respectable ground game and score in the red zone.

Broncos vs Colts preview

The Broncos have their hands full this week; in more ways than one. To start, my condolences go out to Kenny McKinley’s friends and family. Tragic. Not only do the Broncos have to deal with the death of their teammate, but they also have to deal with the Indianapolis Colts, whom they haven’t legitimately beaten since October 3rd 1993. Denver’s last two wins vs Indianapolis were in 2003 and 2004, which both games were thrown by the Colts so they could prepare for the playoffs. Peyton Manning is 7-2 vs Denver (including those 2 meaningless games). How can Denver win this Sunday? Keep Peyton Manning off the field. That means converting on 3rd down by running the ball and spreading the ball evenly on offense through the air, keeping Indianapolis off balance defensively. Indianapolis is very good on defense with all star pass-rushers Rashean Mathis and Dwight Freeney. Ryan Clady should be able to neutralize Freeney on the left side, however we might have issues on the right side with Ryan Harris unable to play due to injury. Facing Mathis might be too much for rookie Zane Beadles, so Denver must line up in the “bunch” formation utilizing Daniel Graham and Spencer Larson to help block these monsters. If the Broncos expect to score points we must keep Kyle Orton’s jersey as clean as possible. One thing Denver can lean on is the fact that Kyle is 1st in the NFL in QB rating on 3rd down (138.3) with 2 TD’s, a completion percentage of 73.7, and 181 yards. He is 8th in the NFL in winning percentage among active starting NFL Quarterbacks with at least 40 starts (30-20, winning pct .600). Cutler is not on that list. Defensively, Denver must create a pass rush. Robert Ayers must produce. He has shown improvement but must continue to wreak havoc in the pocket. Denver must find a way to hit Peyton Manning, considering the fact cornerbacks Andre Goodman and Champ Bailey are banged up. If they are unable to play, it will be up to rookie cornerbacks Perrish Cox, Syd ‘Quan Thompson, Cassius Vaughn, and veteran corner Nate Jones. Peyton Manning has a history of torching rookie cornerbacks and torching the Broncos so if Bailey and Goodman can’t go, it will be extremely difficult to win. In order to win this game, I come back to the fact that Denver must keep Peyton Manning off of the field as much as possible, not just by converting on 3rd down, but also through special teams; similar to how the Saints onside kicked in the Super Bowl. To win this game it’s going to mean taking risks like aggressive blitzes and onside kicks for chance to get the football back in Orton’s hands. For the sake of being positive I’ll mention some good historical stats, but honestly they have no bearing on this game! Since 1996, Denver is 1st in the NFL in the 1st month of the season with a record of 39-15 (ironically, Indianapolis is 2nd at 33-16). Since 2002, the Broncos are 14-1 at home in September (our one loss was vs Jacksonville on September 23rd, 2007).

The Rockies are in great shape right now. It's their favorite time of the year and they find themselves 4.5 games back from leading the NL West and 5 games back from leading the wild card. Ubaldo Jimenez finally got his 1st win since the all star break, bringing his total to 18 (1st in the National league, 2nd in the majors). After so many bailouts from Ubaldo early on in the season, Colorado's bats were able to return the favor yesterday vs the Reds, with 10 unanswered runs spanning from the bottom of the 3rd inning through the 7th inning, propelling Colorado to a 10-5 win.15 of Colorado's remaining 25 games are at home, which is a good sign since they are 44-22 at home up to this point in the season, 4th best in baseball. Carlos Gonzalez continues to play lights out with a .340 batting average (1st in the National league, 2nd in all of baseball), 31 home runs (5th in the National league), and 97 RBI's (3rd in the National league), which makes all Colorado fans forget about Matt Holliday. The Rockies currently are tied for 3rd in the National league in total runs this season with 645. This time last year the Rockies were 78-60 which is 5 games better than where they stand today. This means the Rockies must keep their bats going and continue not to leave games up to the bullpen. I like the Rockies' bullpen but they don't seem as strong as last year. The only positive has been Manny Corpas not blowing games. I'm sorry Manny, I hope you get better soon from your injury but with you not playing, it is simply addition by subtraction. Street had 35 saves last year, whereas up to this point in 2010 his save total is at 15, with many other opportunities left on the table. The season is far from over, and it looks like the Rockies' best hope for a postseason birth is going to be winning their 1st division championship in franchise history. And from the looks of San Diego losing 10 of their last 11, they aren't the team to worry about; it's San Francisco.

Final Preseason analysis

Finally, the 2010 NFL season is ready to start. The Broncos made their final cuts this past weekend and the 53-man roster is in tact. I was surprised by some of the cuts and other moves made. Lets start with Jarvis Green, who never played a down in Denver. Green signed a 4 year, $20 million deal on March 9, 2010, only to be released September 4th, of this year. Obviously McDaniels saw something great in Green in order to sign him, but what changed from March until September? The Green signing was a waste of time and money. The only positive thing I see from the Green signing was the emergence of Ryan McBean who eventually beat him out on the defensive line. One would have to think McBean would've stepped his game up with or without competing with Green for the starting roll. Alfonso Smith, who was acquired in 2009 in exchange for a 2010 1st round pick, was just traded to Detroit in exchange for tight end Dan Gronkowski, who originally was a 7th round draft pick. Green and Smith are two glaring examples where McDaniels failed to evaluate talent, which was why Mike Shanahan was fired at the end of 2008. Much like Shanahan, McDaniels has proven to be a great head coach and play caller, but he still has yet to convince me he knows how to evaluate and draft quality players. Last year's draft was a not good, drafting the likes of Alfonso Smith (no longer on the team), Richard Quinn (3rd string tight end), Tom Brandstater (no longer on the team), Robert Ayers (showing improvement), and Knowshon Moreno (wore down toward the end of the 2009 season). Until proven otherwise, David Bruton was the best player to come out of the 2009 draft. He is a promising safety who is great on special teams and gives us great depth in the secondary.
To McDaniels' credit, this year's draft was much better however none of these players have taken an NFL regular season snap. I love cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Syd'Quan Thompson. Both had a great preseason and if they play at that same level this regular season we have two great young corners to look forward to. Offensive linemen Zane Beadles and JD Walton also look very good. I was a little surprised to see them both take the majority of the snaps all 4 preseason games. If they play through all 16 games this regular season, they will have played 20 games in one season, which is unheard of for offensive linemen; at least since Ryan Clady did it in 2008. Wide receiver Eric Decker looked very good in the preseason and I look for him to be on Orton's radar all season. Eric Decker actually led the NFL this preseason with 16 catches. Demaryius Thomas has the build of a dominant receiver but he's been injured since Denver drafted him so I am not yet excited about him. And yes, Tebow showed flashes of greatness in the preseason, but he was playing against 2nd string defenses most of the time. He looked like a typical rookie at times against these 2nd stringers as well. I am excited for the potential Tebow has. He has a great attitude, he's physically gifted, and he has great coaching. Hopefully he will be patient learning from the sidelines until 2012.

Recovering Broncos

The Broncos’ offense seems to be coming around. Kyle Orton is the symbol of stability and it seems like most of the players are healing from their injuries. I am pretty happy with rookie left guard Zane Beadles and rookie center JD Walton on the offensive line. They have played most of the preseason games at Cincinnati and vs Detroit and didn’t look too bad. Sure, at times in the Detroit game there were hurries and sacks allowed but Denver’s two best blockers Daniel Graham and Ryan Clady weren’t in action to block Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kyle Vanden Bosh and 2nd overall pick Ndamukong Suh. Pass protection shouldn’t be a problem with Denver this year. I am more concerned with run-blocking on the offensive line. Part of that should be fixed with Denver completely going away from zone blocking to the power blocking scheme. This should make it easier for Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter, and LeDale White to gain yards.
Today, I heard news of Eddie Royal being used as a slot receiver. I think it’s a great move. He’s the best route runner on the team and he can make huge plays from short passes. We know Jabar Gaffney will be Orton’s #1 receiver but #2 is still up in the air. Demaryius Thomas was drafted to make up for the loss of Brandon Marshall but he seems to keep re-aggravating his foot injury and now appears to have a stress fracture. I predict either Eric Decker or Brandon Lloyd will take the #2 spot opposite Jabar Gaffney. We will see. So far it looks like Denver’s diamond in the rough is tight end Marquez Branson. The undrafted free agent out of Central Arkansas has looked good in preseason games so far! (3 catches for 20 yards and a touchdown vs Detroit). I am just thrilled to see signs the Broncos are healing and appear primed for the regular season in a few weeks.

True "Wild" card team

It is that time of year again. When the Rockies have slacked off much of the season and pull it together when it matters (kind of how Shaq used to in his prime). The Rockies once again have proven they can beat any team at Coors Field. Their home record to date is 41-20 (2nd in major league baseball), but no one has ever questioned the Rockies at home. Their road record is a pitiful 25-40 (tied for 9th worst in baseball). Surprisingly, the Rockies have the same road record as the Kansas City Royals! Whether the Rockies make the playoffs or not, they will look back on this season and see not one road trip going .500 or better. This makes me glad I never vacationed to see the Rockies play on the road this season. I will assume they correct their mistakes on the road and I will proudly represent the purple and black somewhere away from Coors next season.
All hope is not lost for Colorado this year. The Rockies are on a 4-game win-streak and are only 4 games back from the wild card spot at 66-60. The Rockies have little room for error from now until the end of the season. Granted, they don’t necessarily have to win 21 out of 22 but they have to play much better baseball on the road. This time last year the Rockies led the wildcard with a 72-54 record but on the road they were 36-30! Of the 36 games remaining in the season, Colorado plays 19 games at home, leaving 17 road games. If the Rockies plan on making the playoffs they must play stellar on the road winning at least 14 of their remaining 17, and continue to win at home, taking at least 12 of their remaining 19 games. If the Rockies can manage to win 26 of their remaining 36 games they will make the playoffs. The Rockies must find consistency in their bats like they have during this win streak. Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki cannot carry the team by themselves. The Rockies need continued production from Dexter Fowler and Todd Helton, as well as Ian Stewart and Seth Smith. The bullpen must be able to close out games. Huston Street has saved 2 straight games after coming out of his rut, and Joe Beimel has played very consistent lately. Rafael Betancourt disappointed me Monday night when he let the Braves back in it in the 9th inning. If Tracy leaves Manny Corpas on the bench and the bullpen consistently closes out games, the Rockies should be in great shape for October.

Elvis Out

Losing Dumervil last week in training camp obviously hurts the Broncos. Although Dumervil is Denver’s best player, all hope is not lost for the 2010 season. Josh McDaniels has built the Broncos on the philosophy of all players performing as a team, not relying on one player or super star to win. This exact philosophy is about to be put to the test. As long as Robert Ayers steps up Denver should be fine. Without Dumervil, Denver's linebackers consist of guys like DJ Williams, Wesley Woodyard, Mario Haggan, Jarvis Moss, Darrell Reid, and Spencer Larson. Since DJ Williams has played all linebacker positions with Denver, maybe Coach Martindale should consider moving him back on the outside and start Spencer Larson in the middle. Denver could also help themselves by signing Adalius Thomas to a one-year deal to fill the void left by Dumervil. Sure Adalius doesn't rush the quarterback like Dumervil but he would sure help relieve some of the pressure off the rest of the linebackers. Plus he used to play in New England with Josh McDaniels and he is a very versatile linebacker/defensive lineman hybrid similar to what Dumervil is, just not as good. Denver also has hope because our front 3 defensive linemen are all proven veterans in Justin Bannan, Jamal Williams, and Jarvis Green. Our depth is solid in our front 3 with Ryan McBean, Ronald Fields, Marcus Thomas, and LeKevin Smith backing them up. In years’ past our defensive line has traditionally worn down toward the end of the season, so not only will these guys be ready for a 16-game regular season, they also make our linebackers’ jobs easier despite the loss of Dumervil. With a strong defensive front 7 that should make our secondary’s job easier as well. Future Hall of Famers Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins will be impactful as usual, along with roll players Andre Goodman and Renaldo Hill bringing consistency to the secondary. I really like rookie Perrish Cox. He already seems more impressive than 2nd round pick Alfonso Smith whom we traded a 1st round pick to Seattle in exchange for. Now we have the defense covered I will cover our young, up and coming offense later this week.
It’s amusing how most of the national media predicts a 6-10 season for the Broncos after news of Dumervil’s injury. They predicted a similar outcome after we lost Jay Cutler, yet we still managed to go 8-8 last year. In reality, looking at the Broncos’ schedule we play 6 games vs the AFC West (otherwise known as the AFC Worst) with a combined record of 22-26 last year. Granted, each team in our division will be improved, but so should the Broncos. I expect 3-4 wins out of our 6 games vs the AFC West. Denver also faces the weak NFC West which had a combined record of 24-40 last year. The NFC West is clearly in rebuilding mode with Seattle changing coaches/regimes, Arizona losing their future Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner, and St Louis, is well.. St Louis. The team I am most concerned about out of the NFC West is San Francisco. This game is played in London in late October, which will be tough for Denver because of travelling fatigue and they are facing a team that loves to wear down their opponents with the run-game. Coach Singletary made his commitment to the run-game very clear when he drafted 2 offensive linemen in the 1st round of this year’s draft (Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis). Hopefully McDaniels has a plan to stop it or at least contain it. Denver’s clear advantage vs San Francisco is at QB, where all 3 of our QB’s are better and more serviceable than Alex Smith, who’s game is rubbish. Out of the NFC West I am expecting at least 3 wins, which brings our win total just from the AFC West and NFC West to around 6-7 wins. This leaves 6 other games (@Jacksonville, vs Indianapolis, @Tennessee, @Baltimore, vs New York, and vs Houston) to find 2-3 more wins. All hope is not lost in Denver. We should remain competitive.

Floyd Little

Congratulations to Floyd Little for being the third Denver Bronco to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame! He deserves it. I obviously wasn't around to see him play but I know he meant a lot to the Denver Broncos. Back in the 1960's the Broncos were terrible and no one cared to attend the games. His nickname was “The Franchise” because he forced the build out of Mile High Stadium and was so exciting to watch he started selling out the stadium and saved the Broncos from relocation. Mile High Stadium sell-outs are a tradition that still lasts to this day. I am on a 5-year waiting list for season tickets to the Denver Broncos. In 1971, Little was the first Bronco to exceed 1,000 yards in a single season, with an NFL-best 1,133 yards that year. In 1972 he was voted “Running back of the Year” by the Professional Football Writers of America. From 1968-1973 he led all of professional football in rushing yards and retired 7th all time in professional football history with 6,323 yards and 54 touchdowns. Little was the first Bronco to have his jersey (44) retired. Although he retired 7th all time, the top 6 ahead of him had already been voted in by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which was common for pre-merger players of AFL teams. Little finally got his turn this past Saturday when he was enshrined. His hall of fame speech was inspiring. He urged anyone who heard his voice to be a leader in whatever you do; to leave a legacy for your family to be proud of. Floyd Little never gave up; even when odds were against him in his life. 37 years after he played his last game, he still personifies who a true Denver Bronco really is.

Elvis has entered the building

Congratulations to Elvis Dumervil! News of his 6-year contract extension with the Denver Broncos was the best thing to happen since Shanahan single-handedly won our 2007 home-opener vs the Oakland Raiders by calling a timeout right before Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski kicked a field goal- allowing him to choke after the timeout. It’s nice to see the Broncos keep one of our best players instead of trading him for more unproven draft picks like we did with Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Tony Scheffler.
“Doom” deserved everything he got with his extension. Since 2006 he’s tied for 4th most sacks in the NFL [1st DeMarcus Ware (49.5), Jared Allen (45), Aaron Kampman (39.5), Trent Cole, Elvis Dumervil, and Julius Peppers (36)]. In 2007 he had 12.5 sacks and he led the NFL with 17 sacks in the 2009 campaign. Knowing he was deserving of a contract extension, he still had a great attitude prior to his extension. He didn’t hold out or cause distractions, trying to force an extension like other players do. He simply came to work and did his job.
I’m excited to see what Doom will do this season. He’s talked about punishing all teams that passed up on him in the draft, making them pay for not selecting him. Considering he was drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 draft makes 31 teams that will have to brace for devastation, much like a major city prepares for a hurricane. His recent success opens up a huge opportunity for fellow DL/LB Robert Ayers to make an impact, since teams will be focusing on containing him. If his sack total goes down and other players get the credit for making big plays, he is okay with that- as long as the Broncos win. That attitude alone speaks to what a great player he is.

Reeling Rockies

Despite the Rockies’ recent slide, all hope is not lost. The Rockies still sit at 51-48 this season. Looking back at this point in the 2009 campaign in which we captured the wild card we were 54-45. It’s not like this is September and the Rockies have 10 games left being 8 games behind the NL West lead. We actually have 63 games left in the 2010 regular season, 34 of those being home games, our home winning percentage for the season is .659, and we are 2.5 games behind the wild card lead. In fact, I am so confident the Rockies will make the playoffs I am more concerned about the Rockies’ winning percentage when I attend their games. My overall record is 3-4 this season while the Rockies are 1-5 when my poor friend and I go together (she is one of my only friends who is a baseball fan). The best fix to this problem is to attend games vs the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs (both teams are the epitome of futility). All jokes aside, the Rockies weathered the storm without Troy Tulowitzski, going 17-16 while he was gone, overcame injuries to Huston Street and Jorge de la Rosa earlier in the season, and despite Manny Corpas’ recent choke-jobs. If the Rockies sweep Pittsburgh and Chicago I will make no apologies. Maybe we’ll get lucky and see the Rockies win a laugher on Sunday along with a classic Lou Piniella ejection! That would get me back into the baseball spirit for now.

The decision

I feel sorry for Cleveland fans. Lebron James did them dirty! It wasn't just the fact he deserted his hometown, it was also the spectacle he created that was all about one thing; himself. His decision. It was a nice thought Lebron used his "Decision" aired by ESPN to donate money to charity, but Lebron will never be bigger than one team or the NBA for that matter. Sure, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's public letter to Cavs fans blasting Lebron made Gilbert out to be a psycho ex-girlfriend scratching and clawing! I don't blame him- he found out about Lebron's departure on ESPN just as the public found out. Lebron wasn't man enough to approach Gilbert in person to inform him of his decision to leave the Cavs. Gilbert had to stick up for Cavs fans and reassure them they were going to rebuild. I appreciated his passion. When I saw Cavs fans on TV rioting in the streets and burning his jersey, it gave me flashbacks to when Jay Cutler left Denver and all #6 jerseys of mine were drenched in gasoline and lit on fire as if we were Palestinian protesters.

People ask, "why be mad at Lebron's decision to play for the Heat?" Lebron is simply running away from the challenge of bringing a championship to his hometown and ending Cleveland's drought. If Lebron truly was serious about winning in Cleveland he would've taken less money in an extension, thus leaving room to sign other free agents in his hometown considering the fact he is financially set by his endorsement deals. Lebron is to the Heat as Scottie Pippen was to the Bulls; a sidekick. Lebron couldn't get it done with himself being the leader in Cleveland so his best chance to win now is as a sidekick to Wade in Miami. Lebron's name will never be used in the same breath as Jordan.