Bronco Madness Update:
Broncos Linebacker Darrell Reid spent his thanksgiving giving Thanksgiving turkeys and assorted trimmings, through his Footz Foundation charity to 20 less fortunate Denver-area families. Read more about it here.
The Denver Broncos had a great game last week against the New York Giants, probably their best of the season so far. Between the tough, hard hitting defense and the elusive offense, they looked exceptional all around. Take a look at the biggest moments in this video:
(Thanks broncotalk.net)
Public gaffes have been the name of the game lately for Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. First it came in a game against the San Diego Chargers where he told Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips “we own you”. Then, only a few games later he was caught by a camera yelling the eff-word to his team, without bleeping it out.
While McDaniels isn’t sorry for doing the latter, he wants to set the record straight on the trash talking with Shaun Phillips: “I was two or three steps out of the tunnel when Shaun Phillips raced up to me with his helmet off and said, ‘I’ll kick your [expletive] ass, too.’”
Earlier today, hall of fame voters put in their ballots for the semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was narrowed down to 25 great modern era players, coaches and one commissioner. They included: Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Andre Reed, Cris Carter, Cliff Branch, Ray Guy, Dermontti Dawson, Russ Grimm, Roger Craig, Richard Dent, Chris Doleman, Charles Haley, Cortez Kennedy, John Randle, Kevin Greene, Rickey Jackson, Lester Hayes, Aeneas Williams, Steve Tasker, Art Modell, Paul Tagliabue, Shannon Sharpe, Terrell Davis and Don Coryell. It will be narrowed down to a final 15 players in January.
While there is no turning back now on who the final 25 will be (plus the two senior committee players) it brings up an interesting question. What do the fans think? Even bigger than that, who would they pick instead?
Today, on NFL Network the NFL announced the semifinalists for the NFL Hall of Fame consisting of 25 candidates, that will be narrowed down to 15 in January. The final 25 consisted of 2 Broncos including Tight End Shannon Sharpe who held the record for most receiving yards for a Tight End for nearly 10 years until he was unseated by Tony Gonzalez.
The other Broncos candidate is Running Back Terrell Davis whose career ended quickly in 2000, but before that point won 2 Super Bowls, an NFL MVP and a Super Bowl MVP award. He also is one of only a few elite Running Backs in NFL history to run over 2,000 yards in just one season. There will be a documentary on NFL Network later today making a case for Davis to be inducted to the Hall of Fame comparing him to other running backs with short careers.
Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Strengths: Has a gigantic frame … Good lower body strength … Has a good motor, and above average athleticism … Great agility … Plugs up holes … Best run stopper in the class … Collapses the pocket … Great instincts, which allow him to be explosive off the snap … Very versatile and can play multiple techniques … Good amount of upside.
There was a reason I didn’t post anything after the Chargers game. While there were plenty of things to say, I felt after that important of a game, I needed to watch another one to truly explain what this team was really about. I would have came to some extreme and untrue conclusion that I would regret in a week.
But now the smoke and mirrors of 6-0 are gone. We are back to reality people. We aren’t going to go undefeated. We are probably not going to win the Super Bowl. At this point, we aren’t even sure if we will even win the division. But I for one have learned one thing: The Denver Broncos are the most passionate team in the NFL. Hands down.
The Broncos squared off against the New York Giants Thanksgiving night after losing the division to the Chargers only 4 days earlier. The Broncos Offensive Line even with our third string Right Tackle in for a good amount of the game dominated throughout, and the offense as a whole looked very sharp.
Kyle Orton threw a touchdown and an interception as the Broncos snapped their 4 game losing streak and took a step closer to taking back the division. Knowshon Moreno had probably one of his best game this year, running for 83 yards and a touchdown. He probably would have ran for more though had he not left in the 4th quarter with an arm/shoulder injury. He came back though a bit later so there is no need to be worried.
I am going to be at the game tomorrow, while I am in Colorado to visit some family and so I will be tweeting live from the game. Until then though, I am going to be breaking down the game for you all. Starting with the story line, here is the Broncos vs Chargers game handbook:
Story Line: Both the Broncos and the Chargers, who are in the same division are 6-3. The Broncos currently have control of the division because we won our last game against the Chargers, but the winner of tomorrows game will take control of the division and put the other team in a very tight spot. Let’s hope it is the Chargers though in the tight spot.
The college football season is closing, and that means that our scouting will be done for the season followed by an overflow of scouting reports. But first, I thought I would share with you my first set of Denver Bronco Draft Predictions otherwise known as my Denver Broncos Mock Draft. Last season we didn’t get one pick right, which was sad assuming the year before we got 3. But I digress… And here are my premature picks:
Round 1: Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama. I’ve been scouting McClain for a while now, but it didn’t really occur to me until today while I was watching the Alabama game at my local sports bar, that he would be a great pick for the Denver Broncos. Duh. The thing that McClain has going for him is that not only is he a great fit for the 3-4 but he could realistically play any Linebacker position that Mike Nolan would want him to. He reminds me a great deal of Patrick Willis who Nolan drafted back in San Francisco so it isn’t hard to imagine McClain playing for him. The various skills that he brings spread all across the board from pass rushing to pass coverage. And on top of all of that, he is extremely solid against the run. If he is available when the Broncos pick, no way they pass on him.
This week, Dick Jauron was fired by the Buffalo Bills and temporarily replaced by his defensive coordinator. But when he was fired, even then it seemed like Bills owner Ralph Wilson was looking for a big time coach. And are there any coaches on the market bigger than Mike Shanahan?
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN: Buffalo has contacted and is in the process of arranging a meeting with coach Mike Shanahan. Shanahan was fired earlier this year by the Broncos, after spending 14 years in Denver and winning 2 Super Bowls. He is considered to be one of the best coaches in NFL history.
We should have won this game. Actually, we would have won this game. Kyle Orton who started the game playing nearly perfect after two touchdown passes to Brandon Marshall, was injured at the end of the second quarter meaning that backup QB Chris Simms needed to go in for the rest of the game. As you might guess, he was horrible.
Woody Paige, a columnist for the Denver Post has been raving about Chris Simms saying that if the Broncos want to win we need to put in Chris Simms. He got what we want. We put Chris Simms in. And we lost. Congratulations Woody Paige.
Well we knew the Broncos wouldn’t be perfect forever. I just kind of wish that we wouldn’t have lost two straight, after six straight wins. But on the bright side, the hell stretch is over and the Broncos won’t have as big a challenge as they have the last 5 weeks here in Washington. That said, we have to take the Redskins seriously. We’ll elaborate on that later. Enjoy!
Story Line: Kyle Orton is coming off of his first game of the season with more than one interception. In fact, he had 3. The Redskins won’t be easy either, for they have one of the leagues top ranked pass defenses. So if the Broncos aren’t able to get the running game going, then the Broncos have no hope of winning the game with only Kyle Orton.
Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
Strengths: Very versatile, Can play in either 3-4 or a 4-3 at both ILB or OLB … Very solid tackler, rarely misses … Good blitzer … Playmaker … Is very decisive on the field, knows when to stay back and when to blitz … Fast for his size (6-4, 260) … Quite productive with great upside.
Nobody has had as rough a two weeks in recent memory as Offensive Guard Ben Hamilton. Hamilton, who has been a key part of the Denver Broncos offense since 2002 has had a huge fall from being one of the best Offensive Linemen in the NFL, to one of the most questionable pieces on the Broncos line.
But it has gone so far, that it looks like Ben Hamilton might be benched for the rest of the 2009 season. Frank Shwab of the Colorado Springs Gazette is reporting that Russ Hochstein who the Broncos traded for during training camp has replaced Hamilton.
We are in the final game of the Broncos “hell stretch” and it couldn’t come in more competitive form then against the defending Super Bowl champions on Monday Night football. The Steelers are in the midst of a serious battle to control the division and if the Broncos lose tomorrow, they might have to enter one. Here’s everything you need to know about Mondays’ matchup:
Story Line: The Broncos are coming off of their first loss of the season against the Baltimore Ravens. For the first time this season, the Broncos don’t feel like they are the clear cut division winners, and if they don’t win tomorrow night, then there will be serious questions about the teams talent.
