Denver Broncos News

Horse Tracks: Will the Broncos regret not drafting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater?

Scotty Payne — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 11:00:04 +0000

Good Morning Broncos Country!

In the months leading up to the 2014 NFL Draft, many experts believed that Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater would be the number one overall pick in the draft. He was destined to be the Franchise quarterback for the Houston Texans

Unfortunately for Bridgewater his stock quickly began to fall during the winter and spring months leading up to the draft. He struggled through his Pro Day workout and "unnamed scouts" had questions about his build.

Those questions and concerns dropped Bridgewater from being the number one overall pick to rumors of him potentially falling out of the first-round all together.

Well, those rumors ended up being a reality for Bridgewater who was still on the draft board when the Broncos were on the clock with pick 31.

The Broncos were coming off a season where they made it to the Super Bowl, and quarterback Peyton Manning broke just about every single-season record held by a quarterback. They also had their still unproven "quarterback of the future" Brock Osweiler still on the roster.

So those reasons led to the Broncos to pass on Bridgewater and select Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby with their 31st overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Vikings traded up and selected Bridgewater with the very next pick.

Roby has turned out to be an excellent pick for the Broncos who now have one of the better secondaries in the NFL because of Roby.

With that said, will the Broncos ultimately regret passing on Bridgewater in the long-run?

I say this because the Broncos future at quarterback has more questions than answers right now.

Peyton Manning is only a few months away from turning 40 years old, and Brock Osweiler is one tall question mark who is in his final year of his rookie contract. It's unclear if either of the two quarterbacks will even be on the roster in 2016. This would leave the Broncos mighty thin at quarterback.

Meanwhile, Bridgewater's career has started off decently. In 15 career starts, he has totaled 3,424 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He has a 65% completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 84.4.

So let me ask you Mile High Report, do you think the Broncos will end up regretting that they didn't draft quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in the long-run?

Horse Tracks:

PFT on NBCSN looks at how the Vikings should attack the Denver defense | ProFootballTalk
Week Four includes a fairly compelling matchup between the 2-1 Vikings and the 3-0 Broncos. Both teams were written off after Week One, with Denver winning ugly against Baltimore and the Vikings losing in putrid fashion at San Francisco.

Are the Denver Broncos the logical landing spot for Bears RB Matt Forte? | Mile High Sports

Uh-oh: Three out of five Denver Broncos OL starters don’t practice fully on Wednesday | Mile High Sports

Cam Newton pushing Panthers with MVP-caliber performance - NFL.com
The Panthers were supposed to be sunk on offense. Instead, Cam Newton has the team at 3-0. Gil Brandt explains why the Carolina QB is the NFL's MVP through Week 3 -- and potentially beyond.

Andrew Luck (right shoulder) limited in Colts practice - NFL.com
Andrew Luck's rough start to the season may have gone from bad to worse. The Colts quarterback was limited in practice Wednesday with a right shoulder injury, coach Chuck Pagano told the media.

Drew Brees resumes throwing; status unclear - NFL.com
Drew Brees is throwing again, but his status for Sunday remains a mystery. "It's safe to say he is going to throw every day now," Saints coach Sean Payton said of his star quarterback.

Newton: 'I should never have to question my safety' - NFL.com
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton tried the "On to Cincinnati" move when the topic of Ed Hochuli came up on Wednesday -- tried being the operative word.

Saints acquire Michael Hoomanawanui from Patriots - NFL.com
The winless Saints are starting to make moves in an effort to turn their season around. New Orleans acquired Michael Hoomanawanui from the Patriots in a trade Wednesday.

Andre Johnson believes his time will come with Colts - NFL.com
Andre Johnson is off to a dreadful start in his first season with the Colts after a Hall of Fame-level run with the Texans. Is Johnson still getting used to his new setting, or is this the end for the one-time star?

Victor Cruz aggravates calf in return to practice - NFL.com
Victor Cruz's return to practice didn't go as well as the Giants hoped. The wideout aggravated his nagging calf injury Wednesday.

Kiko Alonso avoids ACL tear, could return in one month - NFL.com
Kiko Alonso has not played his final down of 2015. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that, following a second opinion, Alonso's ACL was deemed intact.

Arian Foster will be a game-time decision Sunday - NFL.com
Arian Foster could see his first game action of the 2015 season on Sunday when the Houston Texans take on the Atlanta Falcons. Coach Bill O'Brien said the running back would be a game-time decision.

Rex: 'Doesn't look good' for LeSean McCoy this Sunday - NFL.com
Rex Ryan admitted Wednesday it didn't look good for LeSean McCoy's chances of suiting up Sunday against the Giants. The running back has been dealing with a hamstring injury. Here's the rest of Wednesday's injury news.

Andrew Quarless (knee) moved to IR boomerang - NFL.com
The Packers are putting Andrew Quarless on the shelf for now, not for good. The team announced Wednesday that the tight end has been placed on injured reserve with the designated to reserve tag.

Scout sees brighter draft future for Jared Goff than Connor Cook - NFL.com
A scout sees Cal's Jared Cook as having a brighter NFL draft future than Michigan State's Connor Cook, while another questions the potential of an Oklahoma star. See more in Sources Tell Us.

Adrian Peterson of Minnesota Vikings says he was ready for NFL after high school
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson believes he could have made the jump from Palestine (Texas) High School senior to NFL rookie if he had had the chance to do so.

Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay Packers says he's not worthy of Michael Jordan comparison
The Packers' backup quarterback said he sees Aaron Rodgers as the Michael Jordan of the NFL, a comparison Rodgers himself says he's "not worthy" of.

Marshawn Lynch of Seattle Seahawks (hamstring) 50-50 for Monday Night Football
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is dealing with a hamstring injury that, according to a source, makes him "50-50" to play Monday night against the Detroit Lions.

Hurricane Joaquin forcing NFL to explore options for Eagles-Redskins | ProFootballTalk
NFL officials are exploring options involving Sunday's Eagles-Redskins game in case Hurricane Joaquin impacts the D.C. area this weekend, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Poll

Which player would you rather have right now?

Minnesota Vikings defense looking to take Peyton Manning down hard

Tim Lynch — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 06:30:02 +0000

Minneapolis Fox 9 Sports Anchor, Dawn Mitchell, joined Eric Goodman and Zach Fogg on Mile High Sports' Afternoon Drive and talked about the viciousness of the Minnesota Vikings front seven and how they intend to come after Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos offense.

Mitchell talked up the Vikings front seven pretty good in this interview, but her words tend to align with what I've seen from this unit so far over the last two games. They don't quite have the physicality from top to bottom on the defensive side of the ball as the Broncos do, but they are looking like the second best defensive unit in the NFL through three games.

On the Vikings front seven wanting to put the hurt on people

"You know, it's funny for me to hear that only because I know them as people. And I know they are classy gentlemen. But when they get on the field, I think you're absolutely right. They're not doing it dirty, you know, I think you and I have talked in the past about this isn't a bounty on anyone's head. They're clean, they're classy, but they rattled two really tough and solid quarterbacks in a row in [Matthew] Stafford and [Philip] Rivers. Those quarterbacks came up a little woozy. I mean they kept getting back up, but it was one wave after another. If it's not Linval Joseph, Tom Johnson, and of course, Everson Griffen, you've got Brian Robison. It's formidable."

On Vikings defense believing they can make a name for themselves against the Broncos

"Absolutely. I think you hit the nail right on the head. They have a chip on their shoulder. It's not like I'm the undrafted kid out of college chip on their shoulder. This is we're good and we're know here in the Midwest, but we're not getting our props, yes this is a chance for us to show who we are."

On if the Vikings front seven hold back if they have a clean shot at Manning

"No, they won't hold back. Again, they won't be cheap, but they will probably salivate at that chance. That's where they take their pride in. Now it's not all about sacks for them. Mike Zimmer has been making that clear. It's not all about sacks, but this is our bread and butter. If you are on the front line, you are going after Peyton. And if you have a clean shot, you're taking him down."

How can the Broncos offense match up?

Given what we've seen from the Broncos offense so far, I'm not sure how to answer that question. I suppose my answer would be, Manning will find a way. His veteran leadership and knowledge of the game is an instant advantage in a game like this where two elite defenses square off. Teddy Bridgewater, I don't think, is quite up to that task. If he plays like he did last week, I really do think the Broncos are going to go sack crazy on him. This is a match up that doesn't favor either offense, so it's best to go with the Hall of Fame mind over the second year inexperienced starting quarterback.

The more I see of Teddy Bridgewater last week, the more I think the #Broncos defense gets 10 sacks on Sunday.
— Tim Lynch (@TimLynch1978) September 30, 2015

Bonus listen

Eric and Zach wonder if the Minnesota Vikings are more like the Denver Broncos than we all thought. I think on defense there are certainly some similarities, but the Vikings have a ways to go before they catch up to the Broncos on that side of the ball. Conversely, the only similarities I see on offense is that both units have struggled to open the 2015 season. Outside that, I can't really see any similarities yet.

Kiszla: Superstar Adrian Peterson's swagger good enough to stagger foes

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 03:47:52 +0000

Who does this Adrian Peterson guy think he is?There's swagger in the way Peterson runs and talks and laughs.

Report: Broncos to visit with offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus

Scotty Payne — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 02:38:28 +0000

The former Bronco could provide some depth at offensive tackle.

According to Mike Klis of 9NEWS, the Denver Broncos will visit with recently released offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus on Thursday.

Broncos to visit with offensive tackle Tyler Polumbus http://t.co/BH03oVN9oU #9news #9sports
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) October 1, 2015

Polumbus was recently released by the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday.

According to Klis, Polumbus is expected to take a physical with the Broncos on Thursday and could sign with the team, and potentially be active for Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings if signed.

The Broncos are a little banged up at the offensive tackle position. Starting left tackle rookie Ty Sambrailo suffered a shoulder injury Sunday night. This injury held him out of practice today, and Head Coach Gary Kubiak said "he hopes" that Sambrailo practices on Thursday. His status for Sunday's game is in question.

if signed, Polumbus would provide depth at an offensive tackle position that's young and inexperienced. Sambrailo has only started three NFL games and struggled. Also, Second-year player Michael Schofield has yet to play an NFL snap. If Sambrailo sits out Sunday, expect to see Schofield protecting Manning's blindside.

Polumbus has started 57 games during his career and has plenty of experience in a zone-blocking offense. He played for Mike Shanahan, ex-offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, and with Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta.

Pistol proved 'Bad News' for Lions, not Peyton Manning's Broncos

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 01:24:24 +0000

The Broncos have played long enough through organized team activities, August and the regular season to know it makes sense to stay in the pistol formation.

John Elway: "These victories are taking it out of me"

Tim Lynch — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:34:59 +0000

Eric Goodman and Zach Fogg on Mile High Sports' Afternoon Drive discussed a Facebook post from John Elway after the Denver Broncos defeated the Detroit Lions 24-12 on Sunday Night Football. The transition from an offensive powerhouse to a defensive powerhouse isn't always an easy one.

I don't know about the rest of you, but these victories are taking it out of me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I'll take them.
Posted by John Elway on Monday, September 28, 2015

Ironically, this is exactly the kind of team that can win a Super Bowl for you. It's going to be exciting, it's going to be nail biting at times, but this defense is what is going to lead the Broncos and ultimately, Peyton Manning, to the promised land. As Eric and Zach put it below, this is the "kicking and screaming" Elway wanted. Well, he got it and we're not complaining either, John.

So which team would you rather have, Broncos Country? The old Broncos would either blow a team out and coast to the win or face a real test and falter like they did against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. These Broncos are struggling to find an offensive identity, but are playing a style of defense that certainly seems poised to rival that Super Bowl champion Seahawks unit of 2013. Personally, I'm perfectly happy for the Broncos defense to keep grinding up opposing offenses for victory after victory.

Peyton Manning asked about long throws, jokingly references 'Bad News Bears'

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:34:02 +0000

Peyton Manning during the Broncos' 24-12 win over the Lions last Sunday. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)Peyton Manning can't help but to make light of the persistent questions about his

Vikings' Mike Zimmer says DeMarcus Ware has found fountain of youth

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 23:55:40 +0000

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer coached Broncos linebacker DeMarcus Ware for his first two seasons (2005-06) in the league, in Dallas.

Does the Denver Broncos' offensive line need a new look?

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 23:35:15 +0000

Denver Post NFL reporter Troy E. Renck responds to your questions in the Broncos Mailbag. In this installment, Troy tackles seven Q's, including one about if the Broncos should tweak their offensive line.

Stewart on Broncos' ball-hawking defense: 'This is how we practice'

Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 23:08:11 +0000

If you ask the Broncos defenders about their miraculous play in the first three games of the season, they don't consider it quite so miraculous. After all, this is what's expected of and by this group. But like free safety Darian Stewart points out in this exclusive interview, "it is special."

Everything you need to understand about how this Broncos defense is able to bring about one stunning win after another can be summed up in Darian Stewart's reaction to Adrian Peterson coming to town this Sunday.

"Oooooohhhh boy!" says the newest addition to the Broncos secondary.

We'll be in attack mode on Sunday. We don't have a choice. -Darian Stewart on matchup with Vikings' Adrian Peterson

It's not bravado.

It's not disrespect for one of the best running backs in the NFL.

It's not hollow confidence.

No. It's genuine excitement at the opportunity to shut down another great player, another contender, maybe even another non-believer.

"[Peterson] can do it all, we definitely respect him," Stewart told Mile High Report in an exclusive interview Tuesday. "We just gotta attack behind the line of scrimmage, can't let him get started. We'll be in attack mode on Sunday. We don't have a choice."

And that right there is why this Broncos defense is different - why it is getting fans excited, offenses worried and the national media intrigued.

In their minds, there's no other choice but to attack.

Edge rushers like Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett are demonizing quarterbacks. D-lineman like Sylvester Williams and Malik Jackson aren't waiting for wobbly passes to swat down, and linebackers like Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan aren't waiting on running backs to come to them. Cornerbacks like Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby are not lurking until a receiver catches the ball. And safeties like T.J. Ward, David Bruton Jr. and Stewart aren't hoping for a lucky turnover.

These defenders are making those passes wobbly, forcing those balls on the ground and causing those turnovers. They are creating their own luck.

We on a mission. Another week to be great! #NoFlyZone pic.twitter.com/FaLbkyMUZU
— Darian Stewart (@darianstewart26) September 23, 2015

But Stewart and his fellow defenders don't consider it luck. This is what they plan for.

"You definitely have to be in the right situation, but we practice for this," said the sixth-year NFL veteran who played four seasons for the Rams and last season with the Ravens. "We have practiced this since day one, so it is second-nature in a game."

And that's the difference between previous Broncos' "defend-mode" defenses and this Wade Phillips-inspired "attack-mode" defense.

"Our thing is play fast and finish, just play fast and finish, whether it's the first play or the last one," Stewart said.

It's a lot of ball-hawking on that defense. We just have a bunch of playmakers, guys who are hungry. -Darian Stewart, Safety

And when Stewart says the defense plays this way because it doesn't have a choice, he's not talking about having to save the offense. He's talking about getting to help it.

"It's a lot of ball-hawking on that defense," Stewart said. "We just have a bunch of playmakers, guys who are hungry, want to make plays. And we feed off each other. It's crazy."

Make that crazy good.

In the first three games, the Broncos' No.1-ranked defense in the NFL has 11 sacks and 10 turnovers, including six interceptions. Despite having to deal with the likes of Justin Forsett and Jamaal Charles so far, the Broncos are ranked sixth in defending the run. Last week against probably the top wide receiver in the league, the NoFlyZone secondary kept Megatron to 77 yards and no touchdowns. And for the coolest stat of the week - 31 of the Broncos' 74 points through three games have come thanks to the defense's takeaways.

Stewart has been responsible for two of those takeaways so far.

"Not too bad, eh?" says the 6-foot, 214-pound safety with a laugh.

Recording a +3.4 overall Pro Football Focus rating and Top 10 safety ranking after last week's win over the Lions, the former South Carolina Gamecock has been showing off his skills week after week.

Joining the team in the Mile High city via free agency in an offseason that didn't seem to have the splashy "big-time" acquisitions as the previous year when John Elway signed Ward, Talib and Ware, Stewart quietly went about his business - learning Phillips' 3-4 scheme and studying his playbook.

It paid off big-time in the first regular season game when the Huntsville, Ala., native saved a win for the Broncos, snagging an interception in the end zone that could have easily been six points and a comeback win for the Ravens.

This photo of @darianstewart26 and @D_Brut30 for the game-winner is (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/6IRXvSlfRq
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) September 14, 2015

Even Stewart was impressed with the play that began by a deflection from fellow safety, Bruton Jr.

"Watching the film, I was like, ‘Daaang! Yeah, I just did that.'"

Yes he did.

The fact that Stewart's pick came against his former team - a team he had snagged an interception and fumble recovery for during its Wild Card playoff victory over the Steelers last season - was just poetic.

"It was amazing. It felt good doing it," Stewart said, acknowledging many of the Ravens players are his friends ... just not on game day. "They're the enemy until the end of the fourth quarter."

The following week against the Chiefs, Stewart and Bruton tag-teamed again when Bruton hit Jamaal Charles on the Broncos' 9-yard line, causing a fumble. Stewart came up with the ball and saved a potential score once again.

In last week's matchup in the Motor City that featured interception clinics by Roby and Bruton, Stewart was once again a force to be reckoned with despite no recorded takeaways. He had forced - and recovered - a fumble in the second quarter that was overturned, but the ferocious play with high intensity was still there.

You put a great scheme with great players, great coach and it just works. We've got smart football players in there. -Darian Stewart on the success of the Broncos defense.

"It's exciting, man," Stewart said of the defensive wins the last three weeks. "Especially the two road wins, man. That locker room...it was crazy."

So what is the defense's secret this season? Aside from Stewart and Antonio Smith, the first-team D is basically the same as last year. Is it the scheme? The new defensive coordinator? The players?

"It's all of it," Stewart says emphatically. "You put a great scheme with great players, great coach and it just works. We've got smart football players in there. We love what we do, and we love to play for each other."

Credit Phillips for much of that. There have been flashes of defensive greatness ever since Miller joined the team and Elway started adding playmakers to the fold.

We've been waiting for brilliance, and this season has promise for the true second coming of the Orange Crush.

The Broncos timely turnovers and sacks reminds me of the Orange Crush and a few of the defenses that I was a part of.
— Karl Mecklenburg (@KarlMecklenburg) September 18, 2015

There is no doubt, no fear, no question with this group - it's a No. 1 defense that can take its team to the Super Bowl.

"Absolutely," Stewart says of the possibility. "We're just going to keep winning games, keep forcing as many turnovers as we can. We put ourselves in position, we work at it, and we visualize it to make it happen."

Aiming to be recognized as one of the best to play the game motivates Stewart, who looks forward to a life of coaching high school football once his pro days are done. But right now he's interested in playing one game at a time all the way to February.

"It's a great ride with them boys," Stewart says of his new team. "I'm just trying to do my part to lead by example."

The 27-year-old Stewart, who is expecting their first child in mid-November, is too young to really appreciate all the defensive greats who have donned the Orange and Blue before him. But growing up playing safety in high school and college during John Lynch's Pro Bowl days made the former Buccaneer-turned-Broncos safety a huge favorite of Stewart's.

Walking the halls of Dove Valley every day, Stewart has definitely been brushing up on his Broncos' defense history of such high-caliber defenders like Steve Foley, Tom Jackson, Randy Gradishar, Steve Atwater, Dennis Smith and so many others.

But Stewart is also about this defense making its own history.

"I've been reading about it," Stewart says of the storied Orange Crush. "We're definitely trying to keep it going."

Because for this group, there's really no other choice.

WATCH: Should the Broncos acquire Matt Forte from the Bears?

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:46:04 +0000

Woody Paige, Les Shapiro and Chad Brown discuss Matt Forte on The Sports Show on Sept.

Broncos tailgating: The big recipes before the big game

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:27:29 +0000

Brad Buckalew is a strapping guy who could dwarf some NFL players, and while he has never strapped on an orange helmet, this is his 20th season in an orange jersey at Denver Broncos games.

Sylvester Williams fined for hit on Lions QB Matthew Stafford

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:01:13 +0000

The Broncos elbowed their way to the top of the defensive rankings with a blend of aggressiveness and intimidation.

Ty Sambrailo, Broncos tackle, 'day-to-day' with shoulder injury

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:48:30 +0000

Left tackle Ty Sambrailo was the only Broncos player not out at practice Wednesday as he battled a shoulder injury.

Eye on Minnesota Vikings ahead of Denver Broncos Week 4 matchup

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:44:07 +0000

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen made 1½ sacks of Phillip Rivers, marking Griffen's third consecutive game on the sack stat sheet.

Adrian Peterson on Broncos: Vikings need to 'hit them in the mouth'

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:43:03 +0000

The Broncos will face their biggest offensive threat to date when six-time All-Pro Vikings running back Adrian Peterson comes to town Sunday.

Denver Broncos can flex their muscles in the wide open AFC

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:41:33 +0000

Know This: Each weekday, a Denver Post sports writer shares some knowledge. In this installment, Cameron Wolfe looks at the Broncos' chances in the AFC West.

WATCH: Peyton Manning draws Bad News Bears comparison

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:35:32 +0000

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning drew a comparison with the Bad News Bears when asked by a reporter about a couple good pass plays he made against Detroit last Sunday.

Broncos vs. Vikings injury report: Ty Sambrailo and Louis Vasquez nursing injuries

Tim Lynch — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:09:10 +0000

The Broncos offensive line has suffered growing pains. Now they're just suffering pains.

Editor's Note: FanDuel is running a $2,000,000 fantasy football league in week 4. The top 90,800 teams win cash with $150,000 paid to first place on Sunday. Join now!

The Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings are both nursing injuries are key positions. The Broncos have three offensive linemen who either did not participate in practice today or who were limited, while the Vikings had two wide receivers who were held out of practice as well.

For the Broncos this is especially bad news since the Vikings are the second best pass rushing defense in the NFL right now and the thought of having Peyton Manning under constant duress and an anemic rushing attack could spell disaster. Fortunately, the Broncos defense matches up quite well to the Vikings are that unit is completely healthy right now and as dominant as ever.

We should be in for a real treat defensively. Hopefully we will see some offensive progression as well.

Denver Broncos

Player	Pos.	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Game Status
Ty Sambrailo	OT	Shoulder	DNP
Peyton Manning	QB	Day Off	DNP
Louis Vasquez	OG	Knee	DNP
Evan Mathis	OG	Hamstring	LIMITED
Omar Bolden	CB	Foot	FULL
Kenny Anunike	DE	Knee	FULL
Juwan Thompson	RB	Neck	FULL
Kayvon Webster	CB	Ankle	FULL

Minnesota Vikings

Player	Pos.	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Game Status
Charles Johnson	WR	Rib	DNP
Andrew Sendejo	S	Knee	DNP
Justin Trattou	DE	Foot	DNP
Jarius Wright	WR	Hand	DNP
Audie Cole	LB	Ankle	LIMITED
Xavier Rhodes	CB	Concussion/Neck	FULL

Vikings' Adrian Peterson, Teddy Bridgewater, Mike Zimmer weigh in on Broncos

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 19:38:10 +0000

Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson take the field for a Week 4 matchup in Denver. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post; Getty Images)The Vikings (2-1) take on the Broncos (3-0) in a Week 4 matchup at

Denver Broncos Power Rankings Around the Web for Week 4

Amy Richau — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 19:30:02 +0000

The Broncos are a solid top five team according to these Power Rankings around the web.

ESPN: 4 (last week 5)

The Broncos are tweaking their offense for Peyton Manning. Just four snaps under center in Week 3 (55 in Weeks 1-2) and 29 snaps from the pistol (one in Weeks 1-2).

MILE HIGH REPORT: 4 (last week 3)

Thoughts: No commentary from Tim Lynch as he drops the Broncos after their best game. Conspiracy!

NFL.com: 5 (last week 5)

Watching Manning push himself out there on every play reminds me of Nolan Ryan grunting on every one of his fastballs late in his career. Speaking of fastballs, Manning might not carry any in his repertoire at this point, but he ain't carrying no clipboard or TV remote, either.

SB Nation: 4 (last week 3)

The Broncos beat another quality opponent this week in the Detroit Lions.

CBS Sports: 5 (last week 6)

It's funny how much better they look now that Coach Peyton Manning is running the offense. That defense could end up being special.

Fox Sports: 3 (last week 3)

The Broncos, who have 11 sacks, continue to generate more pressure than any other team in the NFL -- according to Pro Football Focus, the defense has an eye-popping 75 total quarterback pressures through three weeks. With Peyton Manning back in the shotgun -- where he feels at ease -- the Broncos offense seems to be finding its footing.

Peter King: 4 (last week 3)

Smart for Gary Kubiak to let Peyton Manning go to his comfort zone—the pistol formation, five yards behind the line of scrimmage. It makes no sense for the plodding Manning to have to drop back like he did in his prep school days in New Orleans.

PFF: 3 (last week 3)

While Aqib Talib and Chris Harris have both been having great seasons, Bradley Roby as the nickel cornerback has the lowest yards per coverage snap at 0.21. On 76 coverage snaps he’s only allowed three catches for 10 yards, 5 yards and 1 yard.

Which teams are in your top 5 for the season so far? Let us know in the comments!

Poll

Who should be ranked the #1 team this week?

Looking Back Broncos: Memorable Vikings games?

Jess Place — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 18:15:02 +0000

One of the most classic matchups of all time. Or not.

One of the most classic matchups of all time. Vikings. Broncos. The mere mention of these two teams in the same breath hearkens the mind back to such memorable games like...

Well, there was that one... Uh...

Okay, I admit it. There are really no 'legendary' games between these two teams. However, there are matchups that will make you say, "oh yeah, I kind of remember that." Here's an in-depth look back those mildly notable games.

Let's be honest: part of the reason the Broncos don't have a hands-down favorite memorable game has to do with the fact that AFC teams and NFC teams met only sporadically before the NFL realigned divisions in 2002. Before then, the Broncos and Vikings met just ten times with Minnesota winning all but four of those games.

November 18, 1984

Up until this date, the Broncos and Vikings had played close, competitive games. John Elway changed all that, outscoring the Vikings, 42-21. Elway carpet bombed Minnesota at Mile High Stadium, throwing five touchdowns to Sammy Winder, Steve Watson (twice!), Butch Johnson and Ray Alexander. Running back Gerald Willhite also had a rushing touchdown. This game was well in-hand by halftime.

November 24, 1996

Everyone remembers that the 1996 season ended in disappointment with a playoff loss at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars. One of the side effects of that loss is that few people remember the games that led to their terrific 13-3 record. Of all those games, this Vikings game was one of the more exciting ones. Although he did score a touchdown, Terrell Davis struggled, racking up just 68 yards in 19 attempts. Elway's arm took up the slack and was 27 for 36 attempts with two touchdowns. On the other side of the field, Brad Johnson (of Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl fame) was 24 of 35 attempts for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

With the Broncos down by three points in the closing minutes of the game, Denver was driving. On third and goal with 26-seconds left on the clock, Elway's pass was tipped into the air and found its way in the soft supple hands of Ed McCaffrey who fell into end zone for the game winning touchdown. Had the ball bounced any other way, the Vikings could very well have intercepted the ball, killing not only the win, but all hope of a game-tying field goal.

October 19, 2003

Moss' catch and lateral

With apologies to Brian Griese and Brandon Marshall's freak injuries (read about Griese's here and Brandon Marshall's here) Jake Plummer's was the most unexpected. In the week leading up to the Vikings game, Plummer broke a bone in his foot by getting off his couch (read about it here). Yes, his couch. Broncos fans would get to watch a woefully ineffective Steve Beuerlein and Danny Kanell play against Minnesota. The Broncos would go on to lose this game, 20-28. However, the real heart-wrenching moment came in the second quarter. After Randy Moss caught a deep bomb from Minnesota quarterback Dante Culpepper, it appeared that Denver defensive back Nick Ferguson had the future hall-of-famer just short of the goal line. That's when Moss no-look-lateraled over his shoulder to running back Moe Williams who streaked into the end zone untouched.

Also of note in that game was that Steve Buerlein broke his pinky finger in probably one of the grossest minor football injuries of all time.The reaction from Phil Simms and Jim Nance is pretty awesome.

So, looking back, what can we expect from this Sunday's Broncos game against the Vikings? Maybe we'll see more exciting acrobatic plays like McCaffrey's miraculous catch and Moss' ridiculous lateral. It would almost be a let-down to not have any. Here's hoping that Manning can carpet bomb the Vikings like Elway did in 1984. Let's also keep the injuries to a minimum. No icky finger injuries this time, either please. Broncos win in another close one.

Goodbye BroncoTalk

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:00:58 +0000

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

— That song that, ironically, never ends being stuck in your head.

I started BroncoTalk in November of 2006 — days before the Denver Broncos decided to bench Jake Plummer. So this blog has survived quarterbacks Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Chris Simms, and Tim Tebow.

Like many an NFL defense, it will not survive Peyton Manning.

—

Folks, after a lot of thought, BroncoTalk – Denver Broncos Blog and News is coming to an end. That’s the bad news. The good news?

We’re moving. To Mile High Report.

Yes, “we.” As in, most of the BT Staff.

John Bena (The Sports Guru) is stepping down, and SB Nation approached me to take over as lead blogger. I accepted.

This isn’t an early April Fools joke. (I was half-hoping the deal would get finalized March 31st… that way we could announce it on April 1st… then really trip people out April 2nd after they all assumed it was a joke.) We’re not RaiderTalk-ing people here. We’re really moving, to the Big Dog of big dogs in the Broncos blogosphere.

So why would I give up BT to run MHR? It wasn’t an easy decision, but there are reasons. I’ll be transparent and lay them out here.

Running BroncoTalk interfered with Writing BroncoTalk. As far as the site and business go, BT has always been a one-man shop. I pay for the domain, the web server, maintain the code that runs it, and have been responsible for layout. I deal with advertisers and contacts around sports media myself. As the blog grew, this aspect took up more time than actually writing. At MHR, there are large groups of talented people to handle all of those facets. I’ll have support. I’ll be free to write.
MHR is bigger. A bigger audience and bigger community.
And, of course. I’ve never B.S.’ed you guys. It’s a financial move for me as well.

What does this mean for BroncoTalk as it is now? The BroncoTalk domain and site will remain as long as I see fit. It will stand as an archive of Broncos content. They did not buy BroncoTalk. But they did buy my exclusivity. I will no longer be actively updating BroncoTalk.

Who’s all leaving? Among BT Staffers: Josh Temple, Mr. East, Ian Henson, Christopher D. Hart, and Big Pete have agreed to move over to MHR with me. Others are still on the fence, either by my choice or theirs. Jon Heath won’t be able to come over at this time due to his contract at Bleacher Report. Be sure to support him over there.

Could someone else run BT? That’s something being considered.

Should I go over and check things out at MHR? Damn straight.

If you like the way I run things here, come on over to MHR. I’ll be running things that way over there too. I’ll be responsible for community guidelines, staff, and content/direction just as I have been here at BroncoTalk. But I’ll have a ton of support in the form of SBNation crew and the MHR staff in place.

Thank you.

Thank you, BroncoTalk readers, commenters, and emailers for an unbelievable six and a half years. Every comment, critique, piece of feedback, tweet, and email means the world to me. None of this would have been possible without you.

Is it the end of an era? Hell no, it’s the end of one guy writing for this one site. And from this end, a new beginning.

See you on the other side!

Broncos teammates tweet in support of Dumervil

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 05:14:55 +0000

In the last few hours, as Elvis Dumervil mulls over contract offers from the Ravens and Broncos, something pretty cool has happened.

Dumervil’s Broncos teammates have come to his support, via Twitter.

Ryan Clady, Zane Beadles, Von Miller, and Duke Ihenacho have all tweeted or re-tweeted updates on Twitter with the hashtag #KEEPELVIS92, publicly announcing their hope that Dumervil will return to the Broncos. Check out the trend after the jump.

@ryanclady #KEEPELVIS92

— Coach (@grhbroncos) March 22, 2013

@ekd92 #KeepElvis92 #KeepElvis92 #KeepElvis92 #KeepElvis92 #KeepElvis92 #KeepElvis92 #KeepElvis92 #KeepElvis92 #StayElvisStay @zanebeadles

— Daje Moffet (@TheDexMachine) March 22, 2013

#KEEPBATMAN92 #KEEPELVIS92 #KEEPBATMAN92 #KEEPELVIS92 #KEEPBATMAN92 #KEEPELVIS92 #KEEPBATMAN92 #KEEPELVIS92 #KEEPBATMAN92 #KEEPELVIS92

— Polly Case (@DIEHARDBRONCFAN) March 22, 2013

Thank you @millerlite40!! Let’s get this trending #BroncosCountry!!#KEEPELVIS92 #KEEPELVIS92 #KEEPELVIS92 #KEEPELVIS92 #KEEPELVIS92

— David Kromelow (@dkrom59) March 22, 2013

Note: Those were all RT’ed by the Broncos players listed above. If there’s a way to directly link to the RT instead of the original tweet, I don’t know it.

Even Broncos cheerleader Candace Wilson got in on the action.

C’mon Elvis! Please don’t make me retire my favorite swimsuit. #KEEPBATMAN92 #KEEPELVIS92 #broncos #DBC twitter.com/DBC_Candace/st…

— Candace Wilson (@DBC_Candace) March 22, 2013

If there is bad blood between Doom and the Broncos, some love from his teammates (and Candace) is definitely a good way to overcome it.

Report: Dumervil may be nearing decision

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:37:12 +0000

Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil participates in practice on the first day of training camp on Thursday, July 26, 2012. (BroncoTalk.net photo)

The saga of Elvis Dumervil, NFL free agent, may be nearing its end.

While the Denver Broncos met with free agent defensive ends Dwight Freeney and John Abraham Thursday, the Baltimore Ravens have extended Dumervil a contract offer, Mike Klis of The Denver Post reports.

The Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Pittsburgh Steelers have also expressed interest in Dumervil, though none of those teams have reportedly made a contract offer.

Klis reports that the Broncos’ offer contains more early money than the Ravens’ contract — but will that be enough to smooth things over for Elvis? After a home playoff loss, a public dismantling by John Elway, WTFax, and a healthy paycut, it all may be just too much for Dumervil to overcome.

I always believed Dumervil bled orange and blue, but in this case, he may have already bled too much. Keep your fingers crossed, Broncos fans.

Foresight throught Hindsight through Foresight: Did we predict the Broncos playoff loss

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:53:12 +0000

Back in December, when everything seemed to be wonderful here in BroncoLand, I wrote an article that nit picked the Broncos. I said that they played down to their opponent’s level, didn’t have a killer instinct, and missed too many field goals.

My article was generally panned because again, the Broncos were flying high! The general perception was that we didn’t play down to our opponents, that Matt Prater would be fine, and that having a killer instinct didn’t matter as long as we kept racking up the W’s. At the time I wrote that, it was foresight. I foresaw trouble brewing. I warned about possible playoff turmoil because of it. Then the playoffs happened, and although I was too depressed to mention it, all I could think about was “I saw this coming!”

Hindsight showed that my foresight was dead on. In the Raven’s playoff game, we certainly played down to our opponent’s level. Yes, I know that they won the Super Bowl so it’s hard to play “down” to the level of the world champ, but lets all be honest here, we were the best team in the NFL and when the Ravens hoisted up that Lombardi Trophy, all any of us could think of was “THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN US!!!”

So my foresight said we’d be playing down to our opponent’s (Ravens) level…. Check
I also stated that Matt Prater needed to screw his head on straight because he missed far too many “easy” field goals. Well, Matt Prater was 0/1 on his FG attempts (he made all 5 PATs). So ……. Check

Finally, killer instinct! This is where I got the most push back. I was accused of being a Patriots lover for heaven’s sake! All I was saying is that we lacked a killer instinct. I said that we didn’t put fear into anybody. I said that we let teams hang on and believe they had a shot. I said that we needed to beat teams down and not let up. Fear did not exist in our stadium. Hope always remained with the Ravens, and what happened?…. I won’t rehash that because the loss is still too painful. But that hope that they had a shot was why they were able to take the game into overtime…. Wait, that isn’t entirely true …. Our LACK OF A KILLER INSTINCT is the reason why they took the game into overtime. We had so little killer instinct that John Fox said we were too “stunned” to take the field! Too stunned?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Are you F’ing kidding me? It is that sort of mentality that got us beat. We had ZERO killer instinct the entire season and especially in the playoffs. I said it would get us beat, and it did. So …….. CHECK

Ok, so simple math says that I went 3/3 in my prognostication. So what does this have to do with the future? Here is some more foresight: The Broncos will have a killer instinct in 2013. Peyton Manning and Adam Gase have a great relationship, and Gase is now his Offensive Coordinator. Gase has stated that we will be faster and more aggressive this coming season. John Elway is loading us up for bear, and realizes that the debacle that happened last year is not acceptable. Elway himself wouldn’t have ever allowed Dan Reeves to pull that kneel down BS, so you can bet your mortgage that he pulled John Fox into his office and said something to the effect of “I’ll have your back publicly, but if you ever pull that crap again, you won’t be here for another game!” Elway didn’t put up with that spineless crap as a player, so he certainly won’t put up with it as the man in charge of the franchise!

My foresight shows greener grass ahead, and no, I’m not talking about Amendment 64. I think the Broncos will score more points this year, have a larger margin of victory, and make it to the Super Bowl. We signed Wes Welker to upgrade the slot position (sorry Stoke, you’ll always be my boy though), shored up our Offensive Line, and aren’t being intimidated by Doom’s garbage. The Broncos are showing the spine and intestinal fortitude during this offseason that leads me to believe that we’ll be mentally stronger next year. If my predictions are even half as accurate as my aforementioned predictions, then the 2013 season will be a Super season indeed.

Lets hear it Bronco fans. It’s time to take a break from the Dumervil Saga and talk about optimism moving forward. Sound off in the comments below.

Comparing Dumervil, Abraham and Freeney

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:54:30 +0000

The Denver Broncos have expressed interest in three free agent pass-rushers: John Abraham, Dwight Freeney, and their own former defensive end Elvis Dumervil. The Broncos will meet with the first two on Thursday; they have an offer extended to Dumervil at present.

So how do these free agent defensive ends compare? Let’s break it down —

Player	Age	Height	Weight	2012 PFF Score	2011-12 Sacks
Elvis Dumervil	29	5-11	250	-5.5	20.5
Dwight Freeney	33	6-1	268	-1.4	13.5
John Abraham	34	6-4	256	18.4	19.5

Most notably, Abraham excelled overall according to ProFootballFocus. Abraham is the most well-rounded player; neither Dumervil nor Freeney, both smaller edge rushers, even come close.

So who should the Broncos sign? Take the poll in the left sidebar on the home page or after the jump on the story page, and dish it out in the comments.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Report: Broncos bringing in Freeney, Abraham

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:07:07 +0000

Dwight Freeney (Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos may be moving on without Elvis Dumervil.

The fax fiasco that led to Dumervil’s release Friday has left the Broncos in need of a pass rushing right defensive end, and with an unanswered offer to Dumervil on the table, the Broncos are meeting with free agents Dwight Freeney and John Abraham, The Denver Post reports.

Freeney, 33, has 13 1/2 sacks over the past two seasons. Abraham, 34, has 19 1/2 in that span.

Dumervil had 20 1/2 the past two seasons. The report indicates he will begin lining up meetings by week’s end.

While the Broncos may still be able to work something out with Doom, it looks more likely we’ll be seeing someone new lining up at right defensive end. Who would you prefer, Broncos fans?

Rumor Mill: Denver Has Made a Higher Offer to Dumervil than Baltimore

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:24:16 +0000

Per Les Shapiro of Denver’s ESPN Station 102.3, The Broncos have made a higher offer to bring back Elvis Dumervil than what is currently on the table from the Baltimore Ravens. This is pretty unfounded at this point, so it comes down to how good of a source Les has. That said, it appears the organization is holding to their word that they’re intent on keeping Doom in the Orange and Blue. We’ll keep you updated as this progresses.

Per @lesshapiro,offer Elvis Dumervil has received from the #Broncos is better than the one from the #Ravens

— Les and Tom Nalen (@LesAndTomNalen) March 19, 2013

Broncos, Dumervil still in talks

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:52:11 +0000

Update, 2:51 p.m. MT: Elway says the team has “made an offer” to Dumervil. Your move, Elvis.

Somehow, through it all, the Denver Broncos and Elvis Dumervil are still on speaking terms.

The fax machine relationship clearly wasn’t working.

After a second denial by the NFL to reconsider the Broncos and Dumervil’s case, and after Dumervil fired his previous agent and hired Tom Condon, the team and their defensive end are still in talks, The Denver Post reports. Dumervil, a free agent, has also heard initial interest from Pittsburgh, Houston, New England, and San Diego, as well as serious interest from Baltimore, who are thought to be the frontrunners along with Denver.

Hiring Dumervil will be a long shot for the Broncos after they took a $4.9 million cap hit to release the three-time Pro Bowler, but as long as they can get creative with the way they structure Dumervil’s 2013 money, the possibility still exists.

Kraft: We Offered Welker More Money

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:07:30 +0000

(Photo courtesy of @BroncosTV on Twitter)

The NFL, well their owners and general managers, have convened in Phoenix, AZ, for the annual NFL Owner’s Meeting. This is why free agency has gone mostly quite so far this week.

Mostly.

Robert Kraft was not very quiet yesterday. Kraft is the owner of the New England Patriots and has been for 19 years as he is quick to point out. Being vehement about his tenure is not the only thing that he is exact about, he likes to point out exacts in the form of contract numbers as well… Especially when they may be different than what a former employee or that former employee’s agent may have revealed to the press.

In this case that former employee is a current Denver Broncos wide receiver — Wes Welker. Kraft is immediate to say that it is the Patriot’s policy not to discuss contracts, but for Welker he will make an exception. Welker being a man that has done so much for New England’s football team in jersey sales, ticket sales, licensing fees, statistics, trips to the Super Bowl and continuing the Patriot’s sold out streak for the 19th year in a row. Why wouldn’t an owner, a billionaire, want to talk about the amount of money that his company offered the man to stay. The wealthy often love to discuss monetary matters to the press, what could be more couth?

*The notes in brackets are mine:

“I really believe in this case, his agents misrepresented, in their mind, what [Welker’s] market value was [is?]. When you come right down to the bottom line, he accepted a deal in Denver which is less money than what [the Patriots] offered him. In fact, he has a one-year deal in Denver for $6 million [note: Welker has a two year deal for $12 million]. Our last offer, before we would have even gone up and before we thought we were going into free agency, was a $10 million offer with incentives that would have earned him another $6 million if he performed the way he had the previous two years. But in Denver, he’s going to count $4 million against the cap this coming year [note: Welker will count $6 million against the cap this year] and $8 million the second year [note: Welker will count $6 million against the cap the second year]. There is no guarantee that he plays the second year there [note: there is no guarantee that he will play the first week in Denver]. He will get $6 million the first year. Our deal, he would have gotten $8 million the first year – our last offer to him.

“So in fact, our offer was better than what in fact [in fact] he got from Denver. I’m just really sad about that. Everyone in our organization, including our head coach – I sat in a number of meetings, we discussed this very carefully. Just to clear up any misconception, we wanted Wes back.”

Of course they did, who wouldn’t want Wes Welker on their football team?

So, Kraft seems a bit confused about the deal that Welker got from the Broncos, but it doesn’t change the fact that Kraft is pointing out that New England offered Welker more money than Denver did. At least in the first year of the contract. Welker’s contract for 2014 with the Broncos is not guaranteed, as Kraft points out, but would it have been with the Patriots? Kraft never said. What he did point out (incorrectly) is that Welker will count $4 million against the Broncos’ salary cap in 2013 and $8 million against the Broncos’ salary cap in 2014 and apparently this wasn’t something that the Patriots were going to be able to match.

So either Kraft is confused, wrong or lying.

Kraft went on to say that Welker did reach back out to New England, calling both Kraft and Patriot’s head coach Bill Belichick to inform them of Denver’s offer.

“Wednesday [note: March 13th, the day Welker signed with the Broncos], I personally got a call from Wes and he told me about this offer from Denver. He called Bill as well. We met and we chatted. We have a lot of people, we’ve committed a lot of money to this inside position – you have [Rob Gronkowski], you have [Aaron] Hernandez, you have Danny [Amendola] now – it was just unfortunately a little bit too late.

“If [Welker] had called one day earlier, he would have been with us. And so that, is the Wes Welker story. I’m very sad about it and I wish he would have been with our team.”

One day earlier of course would have been Marth 12th, the day that NFL free agency began. An offer on from Denver to Welker on the first day of free agency in 2013 may have been offered, but Welker likely would have needed at least a little time to consider his options.

“If [Welker] had come to us and said ‘the gap was the $2 million’ [note: the only $2 million dollar gap up to this point seems to be the fact that Kraft believes the Patriots were offering $2 million more than the Broncos for the first year] – which on the surface everyone believes that’s what it is – that would have been closed in a second,” Kraft continued on, shortly after indicating that Welker did in fact come to not only the owner of the team (him), but to the head coach of the team as well.

“I really think, and I’m not saying … he has a great agent but I think they way overvalued; as they should,” although by this point in the interview Kraft has stated that the Patriots had offered the free agent wide receiver more than the Broncos had. “I think our modus operandi has been OK. On the other hand, I think this is a situation that we really wanted to happen with Wes and it’s very unfortunate.”

Very unfortunate indeed. For New England, because if the Patriots did in fact offer Welker more money, then Welker chose the Broncos for some other reason — likely the fact that he believes that they have a better chance of winning the Super Bowl.

Carter Pleads Not Guilty

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:23:37 +0000

Carter is currently in Haitin with the Mission of Hope organization.

“An absolute misunderstanding,” is what Andrew Leavitt, the Denver Broncos third year safety Quinton Carter’s defense attorney, is calling this ordeal.

“He was confused when he made the bet,” Leavitt told The Associated Press. “He didn’t know how to play the game. He wasn’t trying to cheat anyone.”

Carter was arrested on March 9th, in a Las Vegas casino when security officials say that they have him on video adding a $5 chip to three bets after the dice had already rolled. For that he faces three felony charges of committing a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment. Each of the three charges carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

A North Las Vegas judge has postponed action on the case until April 18th, the 2013 NFL Draft will begin on April 25th.

On top of those three charges, there is a warrant charging him with failure to complete counseling after a 2011 misdemeanor marijuana possession case from 2011. Leavitt said that the counseling was completed, but that Carter never turned in proof to the court. Also pointing out that he has since taken an extra counseling course in hopes that the charge will be dropped.

Carter is currently in Haiti passing out food to families that are poverty stricken, orphans and people who are still being effected by the 2010 earthquake. The trip was organized by former NFL kicker Jay Feely through Kelli Masters Management and Mission of Hope.

Super Bowl XLVI revealed!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:58:00 +0000

The Patriots and the Giants. Things just work out sometimes.

* * *

Two new teams, the England Patriots and the York Giants, will play for the NFL title in Super Bowl Forty-Six in two weeks. I can't wait.

The matchup comes too late, and after too imperfect of a season, to make up for the wounds inflicted by the Giants in early 2008. The Patriots' undefeated season, a 16-0 masterpiece in which they set the league's single-season scoring record, broke at the hands of the upstart Giants in that year's Super Bowl.

The way the Giants won made their win feel especially flukish...Eli Manning, known more for his entitled attitude than his athleticism (the only player to which his moves have ever been compared favorably is his brother Peyton), somehow scrambled free of a Patriot pass rush in the closing minutes, and lofted a pass down the middle of the field to David Tyree, who caught the key throw against the top of his helmet. Then a touchdown pass to Plexiglass provided the winning points.

New England's Tom Brady, quarterback of the team since taking over in 2001, is the best football player of this millenium, and it isn't particularly close. His accuracy is unparalleled, but he's best known for relentlessly spectacular play in the clutch. But in 42, the Patriots couldn't move the ball and finished with only 14 points. It's disrespectful to suggest the Giants didn't have a lot to do with that. But honestly, I'm still not sure how much the Giants had to do with that. The Patriots came into that game uncharacterstically arrogant, surprising for a team that, if not humble, was always hungry and well-prepared.

The real loss that game wasn't that the Patriots didn't win (still hard to find too much sympathy for them) or even that long-suffering San Diego fans had to watch Eli hoist the Lombardi Trophy. No, it was that the 1972 Dolphins got to stay in the record books as the only perfect regular and postseason team. Asterisk asterisk asterisk, they only played 14 games in the season back then, and those Dolphins had one of the easiest schedules of all time, particularly for a Super Bowl team, etc.; still it would have warmed the soul to see those champagne-swilling jerks finally fade off into their long-overdue sunset. You know why Joe Montana is so cool? Because he wasn't pumping his fist all over the news that night when the Giants kept Brady from matching him with a fourth Super Bowl ring. (Neither pumped Terry Bradshaw but he kind of takes the cool out of the argument, kind of like how rooting for John Elway keeps me from calling Eli spoiled as often as I'd like to.)

Anyway, the Giants ruined the party for everyone. Bunch of jerks. Here's hoping it won't happen again. As a big Brady fan I've wanted to see him play in one more Super Bowl for years. I would've loved to see the 49ers or, of course, Tim Tebow's Denver Broncos make it, though the Niners would've made rooting interests a little tougher. As someone who was disappointed to a surprising degree when the Broncos lost last week, I found it hard to pay too much attention today. I'm relieved to get a game with such a clear hero and villain (Josh McDaniels aside). So while it's not the Super Bowl I deserve, it just might be the one I need right now.

* * *

The Super Bowl 'twixt these aforementioned teams will be played Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 4:25 p.m. Mountain time in Indianapolis. The game will be broadcast on NBC and, pleasingly, on NBC.com.

Davies out; Cougars next?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:54:00 +0000

As you’ve probably heard by now, the BYU men’s basketball team has suspended its leading rebounder, Brandon Davies, for the rest of the season for an honor code violation.

The move comes as somewhat of a surprise in college basketball circles, as the Cougars are ranked No. 3 in both polls, and No. 1 in RPI. This is the best BYU team in years, and one that can hardly afford to lose such a key performer. Before tonight’s loss to New Mexico, the Cougars were regarded as a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which starts in two weeks.

After watching Saturday’s win over San Diego State, I’ve taken the Cougars seriously as contenders for the national championship. Jimmer’s great, and they play with a poise rare amongst Cougar teams I’ve followed.

However, the reactions of BYU fans are puzzling to me. I’ve seen more than one student there say how proud they are of the school. When said students aren’t basketball fans (and they haven’t been, so far), such expressions of pride underwhelm me. If you have no interest in BYU basketball, then of course you’re okay with the program getting its legs cut out from under it. It takes no courage to support the sacrifice of something you don’t care about, so why thump your chest on Facebook?

I do like the BYU basketball team, certainly more than I like the Honor Code Office, and I’ve gone back and forth today on this. The timing is just awful. But while I’m not surprised by the school’s decision, I’m not especially buoyed by it. BYU did exactly what you’d expect it to if you paid any attention to the school. Being a BYU fan and finding satisfaction in the school not putting winning first would be like a USC fan expressing shock that his football team did put winning first. It’s just what they do.

That’s not to say other schools’ values are just as valid as BYU’s. I’d rather have the integrity the Cougars showed than the anything-goes philosophy of many other athletic departments. But anyone could value other things above winning, and then not win.

The fact is, the Cougars are playing a different game from everyone else. It really wouldn’t make sense for a state university to set the same standards of personal conduct that a university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would. It’s fair for BYU students to be proud of BYU for being BYU, but as a sports fan that doesn’t do much for me.

Of course, if the Cougars do win it all, or even make the Final Four, that would be truly impressive, and it would make sense to hold up the school as a model for all athletic departments. It’s just hard to see that happening after an 18-point loss.

My only other thought is how bad I feel for everyone involved in the team. Tough draw for the coach. Downer for Jimmer Fredette, a truly great collegiate star whose athletic peak might be this season. I hate to think this will cost him his moment of glory in the NCAA Tournament. And I feel sad for Davies, who may well have cost his teammates the high point of their basketball careers, but who is already paying dearly in public humiliation for his private failings. At any other school, his only job would be to beat his opponents; but at BYU, playing well and living right are both just part of the game.

The day the music died

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 05:15:00 +0000

Seven years, seven months…actually, almost eight months, if you’re keeping track. That feels right, but also way too short.

I started following the NBA around the 1996-97 season. I jumped on the Bulls bandwagon and will never regret it, but my favorite team was my hometown one, the Denver Nuggets. They went 21-61. The next year they were 11-71. I learned early on how few players actually made it big, even the most hyped. Antonio McDyess was one of the two real talents we had in those lean years, but his temperament and durability made him a disappointment. Still, I loved those teams: inside enforcers like Tommy Hammonds and Danny Fortson, the promising Bobby Jackson, the high-flying Darvin Ham, and even Nick Van Exel.

The other talent was a young point guard named Chauncey Billups who I once saw, in person, hit a three from about halfway between the three-point line and halfcourt to beat the shot clock. Like it was nothing. I remembered pulling for us to get him in the draft, but when he was on the team I didn’t recognize how good he could become, which probably made it easier to handle when we shipped him to the Magic.

Being a Nuggets fan, the draft was always the highlight of my year…until it happened. In 1998 I hoped against hope that the team would see the potential in Vince Carter, but we picked up the equally athletic Raef LaFrentz instead. I never thought I’d get over Carter, who I followed intensely in Toronto and whose dunks in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest I can still recall, but five years later I would. Missing Carter gave us a shot at someone much better. (Besides, we should’ve taken Pierce or Nowitzki anyway.)

From there it was guys like James Posey, Nobody Blocks Your Shot Like Your Mamadou, and the immortal Tskitishvili. We were clearly destined to be terrible forever, though I was never quite comfortable admitting it.

Then came the one bright hope of awful NBA teams everywhere: LeBron James. I think he first popped up on my radar as a sophomore in high school, and it was a long wait for him to enter the draft, but he finally would in 2003.

I was so excited for the draft, I started reading up months before, particularly the prospect profiles on nbadraft.net, where I learned about Syracuse’s Carmelo Anthony, who really wasn’t that far behind LeBron as a prospect. So all we needed was a top two pick, especially after Carmelo lead his team to the national championship and won the Most Outstanding Player trophy in the NCAA tournament.

On draft lottery night, of course, the Nuggets ended up with the third pick of the draft.

But almost immediately—I could be wrong, but I think it was the same night—I saw Joe Dumars, personnel man of the contending Detroit Pistons, who’d ended up with that second pick, on TV talking up Darko Milicic. Darko is exactly the kind of guy the Nuggets would have picked high in the draft: tall, with tantalizing potential, capable of scoring multiple times per game against 45-year-old Yugoslavian chain-smokers in Europe. Clearly, he was just one low-post move away from the All-Star Game.

It was pretty set going into draft night that Melo was ours, and I think it was on draft night that I saw Carmelo in a national ad campaign, I think with Kirk Hinrich and Chris Bosh for the new version of NBA Live. I couldn’t believe it—a Nugget was a star all across the country.

That first year might have been the most exciting NBA season of my lifetime. Everyone remember LeBron’s Nike ad, portraying his first game, where he froze up under the pressure, then exploded for an off-camera basket and flashed a smile? Yeah, he was ready, but I remember Carmelo having a fantastic season as well, and I remember the night of their first head-to-head meeting. Nuggets-Cavs games would be showpieces for years, I just knew it. Then the Nuggets made the playoffs, which they hadn’t done, ever, since I’d been interested. Carmelo had a rough game or two, and I remember one of my friends saying he choked, which struck me as just stupid. At that point, at his age, to do what he did? He’d accomplished more than even MJ had at that age, if you ask me.

You know how the rest of the story goes. For years, the Nuggets were exciting, and could compete with anyone, but they struggled to get out of the first round. (Didn’t keep us from some memorable moments, like when I went to Kobe’s first game back in Colorado after some legal trouble, when Carmelo scored a bunch and we blew the Lakers out.) Then, in late 2008, we got Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, a move I didn’t appreciate at the time, mostly because I still though of A.I. as the 2001 Answer, but which was a brilliant move. Billups had proven himself as a clutch performer on the title-winning team in Detroit, which upset the Lakers in 2004 despite Darko.

The next spring was beautiful, the most exciting basketball run I’ve ever followed, when the Nuggets decimated the New Orleans Hornets, beat the Dallas Mavericks (thanks in part to Carmelo’s winning three in Game Three), then hung with the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals for a few games before L.A. closed it out. Nuggets fans debated who was more critical to the team’s success, Carmelo or Chauncey, and while I differed from most (Melo was finally coming around and deserved credit), it was so exciting just to discuss it. Plus there was the Birdman, J.R. Smith playing lights-out in the first two rounds, and the atmosphere at the Pepsi Center. It was incredible.

Yes, we lost to the Jazz last year, and with an aging Billups our window was tiny…but still. What a team! And somehow we got Ty Lawson, too, who could, just maybe, learn enough from the master that we wouldn’t miss him too much.

Well, tonight that all ended, as Carmelo and Chauncey were sent off to the New York Knicks. As a Tar Heels fan, hurray, we got Raymond Felton…but some guys should never leave their teams, and Chauncey defines that category. A star player in Denver, the best baller in CU history, and an NBA star who just wanted to finish his playing days here. (One of my friends thought he heard of the possibility of a buyout that would bring him back here…I hope that’s true.)

Regardless of that, this is my worst day as an NBA fan, and I’m not sure I will ever follow the league the same way again. Or at all. Don’t delude yourself into thinking we got fair value in return. We didn’t, the Knicks owned us, and it’s going to be a long road back. The Nuggets may even remain in contention to make the playoffs the next few years, but if you think we’re the threat we once were, you’ve lost your mind.

(Postscript: I always thought Carmelo's playoff struggles were overblown, as he had so many game-winning shots in the regular season and played fine in '09 when he had a team around him. Thankfully I went to a Bulls game at the Pepsi Center over Thanksgiving and saw Carmelo hit a buzzer-beater in person for the first time. He's legit.)

The NFL hates you.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:27:00 +0000

It's no joke. It seems like the more devoted of a fan you are, the less the league cares about your continued patronage.

The best example is the league's blackout policy, a wonderful gift from the league to its teams granting them added market pressure to charge whatever ridiculous amount they want for tickets. If a game doesn't sell out, the home market doesn't get to watch it on TV. (Basically, a 75-mile radius around the stadium doesn't get to see the game on TV if all the tickets aren’t bought first.)

The NFL, like a needy girlfriend, says, "Hey, fans, you like us? Prove it." Then the league asks us to prove it again and again, week after week, year after year.

I live within 75 miles of what should be John Elway Stadium, but Broncos fans are pretty much shielded from this stuff, right?

Not all of them. One of my friends is as supportive a fan as the NFL can have: he's a Broncos season ticket holder and an NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber. That means he can watch every game every week. Or, I should say, almost every game. When the Broncos travelled to Oakland this year, the Raiders (who destroyed us at Mile High) couldn't sell out the game, so despite a) holding season tickets to the road team and b) paying for the largest amount of football broadcasts available for sale, he couldn't watch the game. I mean, this guy loves the league, just hands them money all the time, and they still snatched away a little chunk of the season to spite his neighbors.

If the NFL can hate that guy, trust me. They hate you.

Further, don't expect the next NFL season to start on time. If they cared about maintaining the relationship they'd built with you over the years, I'd feel differently, but the owners haven't exactly struck me as eager to rush to the bargaining table. And why should they be? The TV deals are going to pay them, games or no games. Their only motivation to return is money; surely they'll make more this year if there's no lockout, right? But I doubt they'll pass on the opportunity to crush the players union.

And let there be no mistake: the owners are the villains in this. First, a lockout (which is what it seems we're headed for) is the opposite of a strike: it's when factory owners lock out the workers to keep them from working. I point this out because when baseball was headed for a labor stoppage in 2002, or when the NHL had its lockout, everyone blamed the greedy players, because the average person is an idiot.

Second, football players already have a pretty horrible deal compared to other sports, what with the non-guaranteed contracts, short careers, and terrifying medical futures. And yet, the other leagues are all still minting cash, so it’s not like the NFL teams need to make conditions any more favorable to themselves. Football players know the deal going in, perhaps, but that hardly makes owners' grab for additional profits any more just or palatable.

Yet we still hear horrific ideas like an 18-game season tossed around.

Two things I would love to see: a) the owners bear the brunt of the blame for any games that are missed. Even if I didn't think they deserved it, the publically-recognized athletes always get an undeserved share of the criticism. And b) some city that financed an NFL stadium go after the team for economic damages when the team starts skipping home games. The welfare for the wealthy that is publically-financed stadiums is at least mildly unconscionable, but if the citizens are going to take all the risk of building sports fortresses because of the (perhaps overblown) promise of economic growth in their city, well, they should get something back if the owner decides to just stop holding games. And if we can't get money from the teams somehow, find a way to put a targeted tax on whatever it is football team owners buy. Hmmm, perhaps on football teams themselves. Of course, the current Congress will probably just shut down the government again until the billionaires are taken care of, but that's the risk you run. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that Super Bowl, because I think it's going to be the last NFL game you're going to see for a while.

Screw Carmelo

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:20:00 +0000

If Carmelo Anthony wants out so badly, let’s make him stay.

I used to think the Nuggets should keep Carmelo for the whole year since having Carmelo gives us our best shot at a championship for the foreseeable future. (Not that it’s an especially good shot.) But now? Let’s just keep him out of pure vengeance.

Recent rumors suggested Carmelo would only sign his extension with the Nuggets if they trade him to New York. Here’s how it works: in the NBA, a player’s current team can offer a guy more money than any other team. This is intended to give teams a fighting chance in free agency to hold on to their best players. But if Carmelo wants out of Denver so badly, let him go! I can’t see a single reason for the Nuggets to give him the max deal if he’s not going to play here.

Well, there is one reason, and that’s if we can trade Carmelo for something truly worthwhile. That’s unlikely. We could probably get some projects, or maybe one good player and some stiffs, for Carmelo, which isn’t close to fair. Neither trade possibility is inherently more favorable than just getting the salary cap space, and neither gives the team the sweet satisfaction of watching the door smack Anthony on his way out.

Some would say the team is better off without Carmelo anyway, as we haven’t won anything with him (mostly true) and he’ll never win a championship anyway (unknowable). I agree that Anthony is unlikely to be the cornerstone of a dynasty, but could he win a ring? You bet. History has many examples of swingman scorers who led a team to a title: Rick Barry, Dwyane Wade, and Paul Pierce come to mind. He’d probably need a higher caliber of teammate than, say, a young Shaq required to bring home a ring, but he could do it.

Anthony’s denied the report that he would accept a trade only to New York (though I still think he ends up with the Knicks), but the principle stands. He’s not a free agent, so he doesn’t get to pick his team, and that’s that.

Unless the Nuggets are truly blown away by a trade offer, I say let him walk. Let him play in New York for less money. It won’t crush the franchise the way the Mutombo departure did. Simply put, there’s no way the team’s braintrust is as dumb as it was in the mid-90s. Mutombo was just one in an epic list of mistakes back then. If Carmelo leaves, we’ll survive, and he’ll just have to film more ads to make ends meet.

Hey, I’ll miss the guy. But if he doesn’t want to play for the Nuggets any longer, let’s not do him any favors.

It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:25:00 +0000

Today the Denver Broncos fired Josh McDaniels as their head coach. The team (and, by extension, the league) feels worth following once again.

McDaniels got his first shot at a pro head coaching job in Denver at the age of 15. He was, it turned out, the Brian Griese of coaches. Like Griese, he followed an absolute legend, one of the best ever in the game, in Denver, where expectations run a mile higher than they should. Griese had a weak arm at a position that almost demands a strong one; McDaniels came to town without the instant respectability a tenured NFL coach carries. Both were young, promising, and disappointing. And, as with Griese’s 2000 Pro Bowl season, McDaniels showed one flash of brilliance that gave him just a little too much leash.

His 6-0 start last season was the stuff of legend, a brilliant-if-misleading spark that gave him just enough job security to make it until today. (I say misleading because three of the wins came in one-score games, and the record since suggests winning those games was as much of a result of luck as it was clutch execution.) It became clear down the stretch last season that McDaniels lacked the chops to right a sinking ship.

When the team lost some of its best guys on both sides of the ball (Brandon Marshall and Elvis Dumervil), 2010 quickly became a lost cause. It’s bad, but I stopped caring almost as soon as I started. I moved a church meeting off of Sundays so I could watch the games, but I missed most of them anyway. Life’s too short to pour your heart into a team that impresses neither in execution nor in heart.

See, if McDaniels had coached a young-but-talented team that always played with pride, that might have been acceptable. If injuries had derailed the season but gave some unknowns a chance to get experience, that might have made it worthwhile, too. But besides quarterback Kyle Orton’s statistics (and he’s cooling off), there are hardly any bright spots at all. Plus, you know. 59-14.

And perhaps McDaniels’ lot wasn’t that thankless. He inherited a Pro Bowl quarterback in Jay Cutler and one of the league’s rising stars in Marshall, both of whom he chased out of town after each showed a healthy amount of immaturity. (At the times they left, I would have kept both, though Cutler’s truly obnoxious and impossible to root for.) He got a shot to coach one of the finest organizations in the NFL, too.

Perhaps he’ll be a good head coach someday. Regardless of the future, firing him right now was the right call. McDaniels didn’t get it done or even get it underway, and I’m glad Broncos owner Pat Bowlen had the presence of mind to recognize that.

So. Who’s got next?

If our contract with Mike Shanahan doesn't allow us to order him back to the Denver sideline, I'd be happy with former Broncos assistants Gary Kubiak, Bobby Turner, or Joe Collier. But I'm looking forward to hearing who the candidates are. Any preferences? And isn't it time we start Tebow?

Elway turns 50!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:47:00 +0000

Today is John Elway’s 50th birthday. (Thanks to Adam Schefter and my friend David for pointing this out.) In his honor, let’s look back on some of his greatest moments.

Elway capped his career with a second straight Super Bowl win and an MVP performance over the Atlanta Falcons.

Here’s a cool list of moments in video form. I love watching Elway immediately give T.D. props for Super Bowl XXXII.

We can’t discuss Elway without The Drive. (And Pat Bowlen was so much cooler in his fur coat days.)

I posted it a couple years ago, but Rick Reilly once did an exceptional profile on Elway that’s worth a read today.

Dexter Manley read this play like a book:

What the heck, another one from that Super Bowl loss:

How about when Elway started turning it around in his last AFC Championship Game, flipping the routes in a crazy wind?

Elway was and always will be my favorite athlete in any sport. The two Super Bowl wins that capped his career are the coolest sports story of my lifetime. The XXXII highlights still give me chills.

I would kill to watch that game again. Seriously, NFL, I got at least $100 with your name on it if you’ll put it on a DVD.

* * *

On a side note, given that I don’t watch sports anymore, I don’t plan to post anything on this blog for at least a month. Maybe more. We’ll see how excited I am when the NFL rolls around. I’ll still be on HPE occasionally, so just drop these blogs in Google Reader or something and don’t bother checking here. Thanks for reading!

The Greatest Game Ever Played

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:23:00 +0000

Last night’s NBA Championship Game was lamer than Yahoo! Answers, a disappointment in quality of play, memorable moments, and result.

Kobe Bryant was horrible offensively. He nearly choked, settling for awful shots and firing a jaw-dropping 6-for-24 from the floor. Since his team won the title, though, clearly he did enough, I guess. It’d be interesting to see what the reaction to his game would have been had the Celtics won, though he’d probably get a free pass, like he did in 2008. Though I think the refs called the start of the game fine, they weren’t giving him calls that he usually gets, though it’s his job not to get frustrated.

The box score vindicates no one else; did anyone have a good all-around game? Kevin Garnett played great for the most part, but only had three rebounds. Pau Gasol turned it on in crunch time, and grabbed eighteen rebounds (nine offensive!), but for an elite big man he sure got swatted a lot in the first half. Rajon Rondo was good, and his late three nearly huge, but the Lakers were able to play off him in the closing minutes because he’s not a confident shooter from distance. He’s been called one of the best players in the league, but he won’t truly be until he develops his shot. Paul Pierce inspired confidence, but he didn’t quite have it last night and forced a few shots. Rasheed Wallace was solid in his role and hit that three, but could have kept the Lakers off the boards more. Ron Artest played as well as Lakers fans could have hoped. The ambidextrose Lamar Odom pleased me with his confidence from beyond the arc, where he was 0-for-3, but somehow finished with the game’s highest plus/minus rating.

I thought the coaches were pretty even: each was okay, at best. Neither tried anything risky, and neither could get his team’s offense going.

In such a rare game, where anyone can step up, win his team a title, and be remembered forever, I expected someone out on the floor to rise to the occasion. It’s a little sad that it didn’t happen.

In the dark before the darkness meets the dawn

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:15:00 +0000

The Lakers simply blew out the Celtics last night. Ideally you’d want to bookend a series with the kind of wins L.A. had in Games One and Six, but all last night’s win did is set the stage for what should be an epic Game Seven (Thursday, 7 p.m. Mountain, ABC).

I had secretly hoped for the Lakers to win last night; we’ve had only one winner-takes-all NBA championship game since Michael Jordan stopped playing baseball. So, as bad as the news from last night was, tomorrow night should be outstanding and historic.

The human drama is compelling; I’m jealous of everyone who gets to play in this game. Rajon Rondo could become a legend. Kevin Garnett could give us an Elway-in-XXXIII performance and make everyone forget how much they criticized his previous crunch-time efforts. Kobe Bryant could finally prove, to me anyway, that he’s as great as they say. Lamar Odom can show us all how far he’s come with his candy addiction. The list goes on. All I’m hoping for is a game that lives up to its billing.

U.S. ties; Celtics inch ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:04:00 +0000

This weekend I caught the U.S. vs. England World Cup game, and the last minute and a half of the Lakers-Celtics game. I'm not sure which took longer. Here are some random and unorganized thoughts on each:

Soccer is like baseball with a clock. Well, baseball off steroids, anyway. There are a lot more, "hey, something could happen" moments than there are times when things actually do happen. It lends a certain tension to the proceedings; we went nuts when the U.S. goal trickled across the line. And the final minutes were tense, but not quite like normal American sports, because you never really know when the next scoring chance will develop.

That said, the clock is huge. I love that the game starts moving, keeps moving, and ends in a timely fashion. Baseball has a huge problem with this. When it's a great playoff series (like Yankees-Red Sox in the Pedro Martinez era), I don't mind, but otherwise I start to wonder about how much of my life is ticking away watching pitchers throw to first base.

Soccer is quite good on TV, and almost great. The problem is the camera angle; for any extended action they have to pan the field because the ball can move so far so quickly. They tried showing a few seconds of the game in a close-up and it got confusing really quickly. But the slow-motion replays of slide tackles or Landon Donovan shaking a defender were great. I particularly liked the first half shots of Tim Howard, the U.S. goalie, shouting at his teammates. Like basketball, the minimalist uniforms showcase the emotional side of the game. I don't expect I really will, but I can see why people get into the World Cup now.

However, I'm sure the announcers wish they could have criticized the Americans' lone goal a few hundred more times.

Speaking of Howard, he was outstanding, and kept getting better as the game went on. He and England's Steven Gerrard (all over the place in the first half) were standouts. That's impressive because outside of Jozy Altidore's breakaway scoring chance, I'm not sure I could tell you what anyone else did.

And the Celtics took Game Five for a 3-2 NBA Finals lead. My favorite part was the Garnett-to-Pierce-to-Rondo lob-toss-lay-up that kept the Celtics' lead up late. Kobe got on my nerves even more than before. I don't understand how a guy who gets as many breaks as he does can be so mad at the refs all the time.

Apparently I underestimated the Celtics and especially Rajon Rondo. Here's hoping they finish the job Tuesday...but a Game Seven would be sick as well.

Boston ties NBA Finals at 2-2

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:35:00 +0000

So today was a crazy day. CU is joining the Pac-10, which now joins the Big 12 and Big 10 in having eleven teams. I don’t care for the move and feel particularly annoyed at the potential loss of the rivalry game with Nebraska.

USC finally got busted. Thank you! Finally, justice is served against all those 2004 stars who are still on football scholarship with the school. And Pete Carroll’s going to have a tough time getting his next job. (Oh, wait.) Actually, I did get to tell a missionary in my ward today who is a big USC fan about the two-year bowl game ban, and that was kinda fun. (I can’t even describe how self-conscious I was writing that last sentence.)

Most importantly, the Boston Celtics beat the L.A. Lakers to even the Finals. I have mixed feelings. I didn’t see the end of the game, but I saw Rasheed Wallace’s Morey Rule three-pointer with about six minutes left in the fourth. I’m excited. Boston has energy throughout their lineup, which L.A. can really lack. On the other hand, I keep having these flashbacks to the Nuggets evening it 2-2 last year against L.A. before getting steamrolled. So I am cautiously optimistic.

This post is a bit lame; please help by adding your salient comments below.

Celtics Strike Back

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:13:00 +0000

I missed the second half last night, leaving just as the third quarter started and thinking the Celtics would waste Ray Allen’s historic shooting night. In retrospect, I gave up way too soon. Go Boston!

Well…crap.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:58:00 +0000

Excited for an HPS comeback? I was, but I have nothing to say after last night. I’m pulling for the Celtics, obviously, and they were dominated pretty much start-to-finish. Other than Sheed’s straight-up block of Pau Gasol I didn’t see much to get excited about. (Oh, and I liked Doc Rivers’ $100/person motivational gimmick.) How much of a shot does Boston even have left in this series? Is it time to give up hope? I’m just hoping the Lakers get cocky and let up, which is totally possible.

Highlights if you want 'em:

Celtics knock out LeBron

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:02:00 +0000

So ESPN 3 didn’t work for me at all last night, so after finally getting home I was unable to follow the game on anything nicer than a Gamecast. So I didn’t actually see the Cleveland Cavaliers’ last meaningful game of the decade. But if you did, let me know about it in the comments.

The big question: does this loss tarnish LeBron’s legacy? I don’t know. Michael’s Bulls lost to the Pistons three years in a row, and no one cares now. So I’m inclined to say it won’t, depending on how LeBron fares on his new team, of course. That said, Jordan’s Bulls didn’t choke away the best record in the league two seasons in a row, either. And how was LeBron last night, anyway?

It’s all a terrible mess

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 13 May 2010 02:37:00 +0000

…and we’re back! Saturday a friend’s dad asked me if I thought the Denver Nuggets would be well-advised to trade Carmelo Anthony this off-season. His take is that Carmelo was ineffective in Game Six against the Jazz, when it really counted, and I presume he meant ’Melo cannot be considered reliable in the future. I almost blew up at the poor guy, and threw in some unwarranted criticism of Chauncey Billups, but I still believe trading Anthony would be a huge mistake.

Game Six was the only game I saw of the playoffs this year, owing to my savvy decision to cancel cable just before the postseason started. (Hey, I still get House and Community; what else is there?) I ended up going to someone’s house where they watched the game on ESPN 3, or in other words over the Internet, where I probably could have watched the whole freaking series at my own place. (Note to self: edit out this part because it makes me look like an idiot.) Anyway, that game was a nightmare to watch: the refs were awful, Deron Williams was overly pleased with himself, and we couldn’t catch a break. Worst of all, though, the Nuggets each refused to step up and make a difference, including Carmelo. (Chauncey hit a few shots in a row where it looked like we might make a run, but it fizzled out just as quickly.)

Doesn’t matter or, rather, it doesn’t matter if you take the long view. Carmelo Anthony is the best thing to happen to the Nuggets in the last decade and a half and we’d be insane to trade him. After years of puzzling playoff ineptitude, he finally put it together with some huge games last season, including a game-winner over the Mavericks. (His struggles made no sense because he carried his Syracuse team to the national championship as a freshman, which is amazingly impressive and cemented his status as a prodigy in the sport. Compare that to your freshman year.)

The point is, we waited so long for him to put it together, and now we can stick by a guy who had one bad series. And did he? Numbers don’t tell the whole story, but Anthony, who scored 28.2 points and grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game in the regular season, scored 30.7 and grabbed 8.5 in the playoffs in just a few more minutes while improving his shooting percentages. He’s fine. So’s Chauncey, for that matter, though his age makes me think the Nuggets need to move yesterday to contend while he can still star.

So who deserves the blame? The obvious target is J.R. Smith, whose tweet after Game Four quickly became infamous. I hate piling on J.R. because everyone already is and because he was indispensable in last year’s first two rounds. He kept the Nuggets dialed in against New Orleans and Dallas whenever Chauncey was resting, particularly in the fourth quarters of games. However, he was pretty bad against L.A. last year and Utah this year.

What about Nene? The powerhouse interior man has had a star-crossed career, but isn’t it time his play starts to resemble his considerable potential?

And Kenyon Martin? Believe it or not, I think the Nuggets really did put a last year in his contract…and it’s next year. That excites me.

The problem with the Nuggets is, we’ve got a superstar scorer (Carmelo), a brilliant point guard and his understudy (Chauncey and Ty Lawson), and a ton of head cases who sometimes, but not always, play up to their potential, and probably can’t be traded for more reliable players unless we’re willing to take a talent drop-off in return. That said, I think the Nuggets need even more talent, particularly down low, to be title contenders. So perhaps it comes down to what we can get for K-Mart during next season. Your thoughts?

No one can tell me what my remorse is

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 04:40:00 +0000

Dear Readers,

The last few years I always felt like writing a “Life is Good” post, celebrating how long it had been since the New York Yankees won a World Series or were a serious threat to: it had been nearly a decade. I suppose they were a threat to win it in 2003, when I didn’t watch the Florida Marlins whoop ’em, but the Arizona Diamondbacks’ seventh-game win in 2001 didn’t just knock off the Yankees’ aura, it made the team seem utterly vincible. After a few years, though, I felt most of us had forgotten how awful it had been in the late-90’s and 2000, when the Dynasty of Inequality crushed the hopes of baseball fans everywhere else, which is to say of real fans. (Those same fans had the pleasure of being insulted every time the team’s front-office and managerial savvy were praised on TV. Oh, that huge financial advantage inherent to playing in New York? I’m sure it’s nothing! Salary cap? That sounds like communism, and what kind of all-American sport would agree to such blatant loss of freedom?) It pains me to say that I did not write that post on time, for as you know the Yankees were “finally” back on top last year after a soul-searing ten-year absence.

Now, my friends, my regret is not doing the same for the Blue Devils of Duke, who are back in the national championship game tomorrow night for the first time since 2001. Screw Duke, I hate Duke, Duke sucks. You know me as an unnaturally-occurring fan of Duke’s main rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels, but that’s not my motivation here. Duke, in the grand tradition of the Yankees, New Red Sox, and Dallas Cowboys, is overhyped, overpraised, and overappreciated. But, you say, at least I have to admit that Coach Shursheffski has done a marvelous job with the ol’ program, don’t I? Actually, I don’t. I’m more than happy to ignore any changes in the game over several decades and instead compare him unfavorably to, say, John Wooden at UCLA. And hey, at least Kareem did a thing or two in the pros. (But seriously, is Coach K. really as far ahead of every other marquee de laffay-coach as they say he is? I think not.)

Let’s go Butler!

And whatever happens tomorrow night, at least we’ll always have this year’s Super Bowl,

Mike

Unfold your victory story

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:14:00 +0000

So I was hardly excited about this year’s NCAA Tournament. Filled out three brackets this morning, but I don’t know who’s good, and I don’t really care. By the way, brackets are just awful when you can’t convince yourself yours matters.

But then the games started.

BYU just wrapped up a spectacular 99-92 double-overtime win over the 10-seed Florida Gators that reminded me why March Madness is king. Like many tourney games, it started slowly, with poor execution and a disappointing level of play. But the Cougars took a big second-half lead, blew it, and then somehow managed to win the game anyway.

My favorite part was when Jimmer Fredette got knocked down with four minutes to go in the second overtime period. As soon as the cameraman stood over him, he just looked up and waved. Totally cool under pressure, and that’s as close as I got to knowing the Cougars would win before the final buzzer sounded. My least favorite part would have been that stepback three he took late if he hadn’t made it, but it went in and he finished with 37 to lead BYU to an awesome victory.

So it’s back to the games for me. By the way, CBS and the NCAA completely rock for giving you alternative options if you can’t catch the games on TV, like their online streaming and $10 iPhone app (which has pretty solid video quality, by the way) for catching games on the go, or just seeing the game that isn’t on right now. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can’t wait until everyone sees the light.

Broncos get Brady Quinn. Next stop? Missing the playoffs

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:23:00 +0000

So you’ve probably heard that the Denver Broncos acquired quarterback Brady Quinn, late of the Cleveland Browns and previously of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in a trade involving Peyton Hillis (who I’m not in love with) and some late draft picks.

I’ve got nothing against Hillis; he’s just not one of my favorites the way he seems to be for some Broncos fans.

So how does Brady Quinn, Medicine Woman, shift the balance of power in the AFC West? Not at all! Everyone keeps asking me what I think about this trade, which is weird, considering Quinn’s dazzling career 5.39 yards per attempt, which barely beats Hillis’ 4.9 yards per rushing attempt. Let me spell it out for you: he sucks. No, he doesn’t suck at football the way I suck at getting women, but he’s yet to show any hint that he’s got the potential to turn a team around, despite his build, athleticism, and hype.

And make no mistake: turning the franchise around is absolutely what the Broncos need right now. We might’ve been gangbusters out of the gate last year, including a Week Two win over Cleveland in which Quinn threw thirty-one times for 161 yards and a pick, but we were straight garbage down the stretch, with a pair of four-game losing streaks sandwiching our only second-half wins. Overall, we were middle-of-the-pack, if anything, outscoring opponents by two points over the course of the season and finishing 8-8. But the team fell apart in ways that seemed to go beyond things that are easily correctable. And we’ll be even worse if we get rid of Brandon Marshall, our one offensive weapon at the skill positions. (That’s an odd thing to say, because Ryan Clady is nothing if not skilled, but you know what I mean.) Knowing Josh McDaniels, we’ll probably get rid of Marshall and Champ Bailey, and then next year we can trade for guys with one third of their potential. In other words, don’t anybody get excited, because we’ve got a long way to go.

A perfect Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:35:00 +0000

This afternoon I was awoken from a glorious slumber by a phone call I barely remember, and then I called back my friend David, who had also called during my nap. He told me he was heading home to watch the gold-medal Olympic hockey game and the Nuggets-Lakers game. Holy crap, how did I not know? So I switched on the TV and this is what I saw.

I picked up the hockey match early in the third period, with the U.S. down 2-1 and not really charging. I was alternately shocked how many names I did and didn’t recognize. Scott Niedermayer’s still playing? Whenever Jack Johnson’s name was called, I started to sing, “it seems to me that maybe…”, and likewise when Mike Richards was on the ice I began to reminisce out loud about what I would have done to him with a fork fifty years ago. This is particularly charming when you realize I was watching the game alone.

Meanwhile the Nuggets were taking care of business in L.A., up by eight or so.

The U.S. was getting occasional chances on goal, slightly better than Canada was, but it became clear that Canada was just playing not to give up another score. I was just hoping for a U.S. goal, or a really good U.S. chance, so the game could be worthy of its billing. Kept waiting, and waiting, and it didn’t come. Minutes were ticking off the clock very slowly, and I was wondering if anything was going to happen. The Nuggets were slowly losing their lead. I began to wonder where Team U.S.A. hockey ranks on my list of favorite teams…top 50, maybe? I of course would rather have one of my teams win gold than have another win some regular season game, but it began to appear I’d get neither.

Then the U.S. pulled their goalie. I don’t care how many hockey games you’ve seen, that never stops being fun, even if it often ends with the opponent scoring on an empty net. The Americans started pressing, forcing the issue, but we didn’t seem to know quite what to do. Come on, stop controlling the puck, get a shot! And then, holy crap, we tied it up.

There were, what, 24 seconds left at this point. The crowd seemed a little out of it, and the Canadian team in general felt shaky. I don’t know if they really were, or if they were just trying to play defense, but it felt good. Nonetheless, I thought, it would suck, but how awesome would it be for Canada to score in the closing seconds and win the gold? They didn’t, naturally, and the game went to overtime.

I switched back to the Nuggets and saw the Lakers take a lead, which later we tied, but the game started to feel over. I switch back to the hockey and IM a Canadian friend to say that they’re about to lose, but I honestly started to feel bad about it. It’s like if someone from Jacksonville had talked trash to me when they knocked out the aging Elway. I just would have cared too much to find any humor or charm in it whatsoever.

Our goalie, Ryan Miller, was playing his butt off, but Sidney Crosby broke free up the left side. I started to relax slightly, thanks to a Sports Guy tweet that he wasn’t worried about Crosby. And next thing I know, Crosby’s scoring on a point-blank, easy goal and the Canadians win the gold medal.

I’m bummed that the U.S. lost, but honestly, if you have to lose to any country in the world in anything, I’ll take to Canada in hockey. And I felt good for my friend, which I hope isn’t some sign of growing maturity or something. Seriously, though, the silver medal in hockey is great. It’s like I told a friend on the phone: if American football was an Olympic sport, we all know the most impressive country would be the one that won silver.

I switch back to the Nuggets, who were just clearly going to lose, and see Carmelo foul out while trying to establish position on Ron Artest. As Mark Jackson said, that wasn’t a sixth foul. But he was sent to the bench and well, that’s the ball game.

But I still had a great day today, since on the way to church I drove past my ex-girlfriend getting pulled over. Police, you’re okay by me. If you ever need voters to support some budget increase or something, you just let me know.

Saints triumph in the Super Bowl

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:57:00 +0000

Everyone’s been asking me the last few weeks who I wanted to win the Super Bowl, and the answer was easy: the New Orleans Saints. Why? Because I hate Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, I’d say, even though everyone says he’s the greatest player in the universe.

As I was explaining this over and over, I realized how weird it is to say I am rooting against a team because I hate someone. Thing is, I don’t have any reason to hate Manning. He’s a good guy or whatever. Or maybe he’s not, but he doesn’t seem to be that bad of a guy, either. And he’s very good at football. But he’s wildly overrated in any discussion of his talents as a quarterback. It’s just off the charts how much more highly people think of him than his actual ability merits. Just look at his record in big games, or the way he started going off-target in the fourth quarter tonight.

Enough about Peyton Manning, though. Tonight’s all about the Saints and Drew Brees, who cemented what should have been an MVP year with a masterful performance. (Just for the record, his completion percentage, yards-per-attempt, touchdowns, and interceptions were all better than Manning’s, and his team scored almost one hundred points more in the regular season. In fact, his team led the NFL in scoring, where Manning’s would’ve been third in the NFC North alone. But it’s Manning who gets the MVP? Too bad Brees’ dad didn’t suck in the NFL; both MVP trophies could’ve been his.)

The entire Saints team was impressive. I loved coach Sean Payton going for the touchdown in the second quarter, then following up with the surprise onside kick to start the third. I really loved Tracy Porter’s interception return. The wide angle replay, where you could see almost the whole field, was particularly telling: many of the Colts were jogging back, with minimal effort, while at least one other Saint was sprinting like a bat out of Lincoln to meet Porter in the end zone. I know it’s demoralizing, but this is the Super Bowl; you shouldn’t need any more motivation to run, to scrap, or to fight. Plays like that will forever remind me of Rod Smith chasing down Julius Peppers from across the field, saying if it had been his last play, he would’ve wanted to give it his best. And New Orleans did. The Saints came to win; the Colts came to claim a trophy, and not to lose. I was so glad to see it work out for the aggressors.

George Gore

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:31:00 +0000

Somehow I’ve never written about George Gore, the only Gore ever to play major league baseball. Though you’ve probably never heard of him, Gore was pretty sweet: an outfielder who could flat-out rake, run the bases, and had some skills on defense. He was probably a five-tool player, especially early in his career, though the standards were a little different back then.

Gore played his first eight seasons (1879-1886) for the Chicago White Stockings, the team that would become today’s…wait for it…Chicago Cubs (yes, seriously). In 1880, Gore won his only batting title, hitting .360, with league-leading on-base (.399) and slugging (.463) percentages, too.

According to Wikipedia, his last two White Stockings teams won the National League pennant, then faced the St. Louis Brown Stockings, champions of the American Association, in what then passed for a World Series. The clubs tied in 1885 and St. Louis won outright in 1886; this was the foundation of today’s Cubs-Cardinals rivalry.

Gore once stole seven bases in a single game. As near as I can tell, that record has never been broken. His 1,327 career runs rank him just outside of the top 100 all-time.

Gore’s nickname, “Piano Legs”, came from his massive calf muscles, a trait he shares with my brother John. In The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, Bill James named George Gore as having the best outfield arm of the 1880s. Gore finished with a career .301 average (just above Juan Pierre) and .386 on-base percentage (a little better than Ichiro). Told ya he could play.

More information about Gore can be found on Wikipedia, Baseball-Reference.com, and Bleed Cubbie Blue.

(If my timing confuses anyone, my nephew George was born today to John and his wife Kristina. Congratulations!)

Conference Championships

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:16:00 +0000

The games today were predictable (AFC) and sloppy (NFC), and only one moment (the Saints' FG) was as cool as Carmelo's OT free throws Saturday, but here are my brief thoughts on what we've learned about the teams:

New York Jets: None of the teams whose seasons are over did more with their potential this year than the New York Jets. Their foundation was less solid than anyone else in the final four. Mark Sanchez is limited as a quarterback, particularly in his rookie season, but the team asked just the right amount of him, especially in the postseason. Their defense and running game are very good; will Sanchez get better quickly enough that the team returns to this point next year? And will teams like the Ravens and Patriots not improve enough to challenge them? It's too early to call next year, but Jets fans have a team to be proud of.

Indianapolis Colts: In the second half of the NFC title game, it hit me: the Colts are almost surely winning the Super Bowl again. I hate that, being as sick as I am of Peyton Manning, who absolutely did not deserve this year's MVP award. Other things I hate? The fact that Bobby Turner, the Broncos' longtime running back coach, has gone to Washington. Not sure how I missed that when it happened, but there goes my weekend. (I recently gave a USC fan some crap about Pete Carroll leaving; I'm barely exaggerating when I say this is just as devastating. Love that guy, way more than Josh.)

Minnesota Vikings: Sad day for Mr. Favre, who played tough through injury, then ended a fantastic year with a boneheaded toss across the middle. The Vikings refused to hang on to the ball today, and while they're clearly very talented, they refused to play up to the moment. They had so many chances they let pass them by.

New Orleans Saints: Classic Reggie Bush-in-a-big-game moment on that muffed punt return. The Saints didn't step up and make today's game their own. Rather, they took advantage of some bad Vikings turnovers, won a coin toss, and made just enough plays to be ahead on the scoreboard at the end. You can call that winning a conference championship if you'd like, but the Colts have been on the game's biggest stage before and gotten it done, as much as it pains me to say. One last thought: the game-winning field goal in OT? That's not the kind of play this franchise makes. Their fans must be going nuts right now. Everybody loves the Saints; let's hope they have enough in them to make this Super Bowl a memorable one.

Shanahan to coach Redskins

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:47:00 +0000

Yes, that is seriously a football team’s name. Anyway, it’s official that the greatest coach in Denver Broncos history is heading to the overexposed NFC East. I twittered about this a bunch tonight so you can hit the link to the right if you want to see what I said. I appreciated more the sentiment from my Sunday Ticket host, who texted, “I feel like my ex-gf just got married.”

And go Nuggets! Crazy win against the Warriors tonight.

The Broncos are done. For how long?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:01:00 +0000

You wouldn’t put a fork in them, because you wouldn’t want to consume—you wouldn’t want to savor—you wouldn’t even want to think about this painful season one second more than is necessary. I’ll be brief.

Last season the Broncos ran out to an 8-5 start. Not unstoppable, but dangerous on offense, which for some reason makes a team look a lot better than when they’re just average on both sides of the ball with the same record. Wonder if there’s anything to that. Anyway, we just needed one win—any win—in the last three games to clinch a playoff spot. Instead we fell apart, losing by twenty to Carolina, by a touchdown to Buffalo, and by a ton to San Diego in the last game of the season, a painful and sad loss. That loss was so bad that it felt like a big factor in the dismissal of our Hall of Fame coach, Mike Shanahan, and the team’s overall letdown was surely at play in our trade of Jay Cutler, too.

This year we busted out of the gate to a sparkling 6-0 mark. However, we faltered, and were 8-5 heading into the last three weeks, before we once again lost all three. (We were also 8-4 before losing four, but don’t crush my narrative.) The fact is, we got off to a good start and then lost it all one more time.

Not that making the playoffs is good enough, or the be all end all. I don’t expect the Broncos to win a title every year or even every decade, but I like the team to provide some legitimate excitement, and I liked that Shanahan’s teams were almost always prepared. The six-and-oh start made me gun-shy on new coach Josh McDaniels, but haven’t we just spent a couple of months getting our butts beat up and down the field? And doesn’t it make that 6-0 start seem a bit…flukish?

The Raiders loss two weeks ago was the worst for me. Except for when JaMarcus Russell first stepped on the field, I just knew we were going to lose, because we were getting outplayed by a team with half our talent. Although now, I’m not sure we’re all that talented, especially if we lose Brandon Marshall, only the most or one of the most talented receivers in the game, a beast of a man who saved the Cowboys game and whose talents are wasted on a short-passing team.

Keep Marshall, find a tight end who can catch, get healthy, keep developing Knowshon, keep Elvis and Champ happy whatever the cost, force Shanahan to come back and fulfill his contract, let McDaniels follow his heart to greener pastures, and give Ron Wolf $10 million to pick some quarterbacks in next year’s draft. Do that, and next year maybe we can go 9-7.

A Sunday of Ticket

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:39:00 +0000

Last Sunday I had the inestimable pleasure of spending my Sunday in a chair at a friend’s place watching NFL Sunday Ticket on a brand-new Sony HDTV. It was a blast. I don’t think I could do it every week, but if I had more time to spend on football, Sunday Ticket is a pretty sweet way to do it.

Sunday Ticket’s a DirecTV package that lets you watch every NFL game every Sunday. For some reason, the package is still subject to the NFL’s blackout regulations. So, for example, if you live near Oakland, as my friend does, and the team is unable to sell out its home game against the Broncos, as they were earlier this year, you don’t get to watch the game on TV. (Actually, he found it on some other channel, but you’re not supposed to have that option.)

Anyway, Sunday Ticket is mostly just a ton of channels that have NFL games on them. And that’s pretty awesome all by itself, because the NFL was made for television. (I mean, unless it’s the playoffs, aren’t games better at home?) Sunday Ticket adds more, like the Red Zone Channel, which jumps among games depending on what’s happening in them, but which strikes me as a pretty stupid way to watch football. There’s also a Game Mix Channel (possibly two channels according to some website, but we only watched one), which divides the screen into eighths and lets you watch eight games at once, or really seven and the Red Zone Channel.

What’s really cool is the sound: you can highlight any of the up-to-eight games that are on and play its audio, even while watching all these other games.

Sounds awesome, right? Unfortunately it misses on several counts. First, it doesn’t really divide the screen into eighths: there are eight boxes in a four-by-two arrangement, but there are always large swaths of gameless screen above and below the games. One is a constant sponsor’s logo, next to the huge “NFL GAMEMIX” in the center of the top of the screen. (Oh, that’s what I’m watching. Thought this was C-SPAN.) On the bottom’s a ticker. The problem is really one of geometry: you could make the game views taller, but not really any wider, so they’d be the wrong shape for the TV feeds anyway. Of course, you COULD divide the screen into quarters or ninths and they’d all be the right shape, and in the case of quarters much more watchable, but whatever. Another problem is that the screen always has eight squares divided, even if there aren’t eight games on. This leads us to our next issue, which is that the channel wasn’t even working right Sunday morning, because all the squares weren’t filled, but they also weren’t showing all the games. The final disappointment is performance: it’s very laggy switching between audio feeds and sometimes doesn’t seem to want to switch at all. It’s a weird thing to complain about: the setup is practically magic, and nothing on my TV comes even close, but it’s doesn’t seem like it should be much harder to do this well than it is to do it.

So, there’s my litany of complaints. So what. The experience of watching a ton of NFL action is just beyond compare. I got to see Vince Young, so beautifully back at the top of his game, go against the Dolphins, whose Chad Henne seems just awful. I got to see a similar mismatch as the Patriots took on the Buffalo Bills. The Eagles were taking care of the 49ers, which we barely watched because the other games were so much closer. It’s a weird phenomenon: if you’d had this in 2007, would you have watched any more than a few minutes of any Patriots game, or would they just be considered lame because they were blowing everyone out?

In the afternoon we focused primarily on the Denver-Oakland and Green Bay-Pittsburgh games, since my friend and I are Broncos fans and his girlfriend, who’s like the coolest person alive, is a Packers fan. Sadly both teams lost by one point. The Broncos game was fun: lasers, a guy losing his pants, and two near-brawls. Too bad it ended in unbelievable fashion as JaMarcus Russell took them down the field. (I thought the injury to Charlie Frye would’ve saved us.) Speaking of the Broncos, that 8-5 start followed by three losses last year is starting to feel awfully familiar. The Packers game was even worse, and gave me flashbacks to last year’s Super Bowl as Big Ben led a scoring drive in no time flat to pull out a win. I can’t wait to see him back in action in the playoffs, even if he screwed up our Sunday.

The nightcap of Minnesota-Carolina was fun to watch, and it just feels right to settle in to one single game at the end of the day.

What else changes with Sunday Ticket? Well, the highlights in postgame shows are superfluous and kind of funny, a reminder that some people just don’t have an NFL experience as nice as yours. Also, the “wait, why am I watching commercials?” feeling you sometimes get using a DVR is a million times worse when you’re missing live NFL games by not remoting fast enough, rather than just wasting a few minutes.

Anyway, Sunday Ticket is sweet. I don’t think I’ll ever have it, since I’d miss too many games being at church anyway, but if you’re gonna follow the NFL, there’s no better way.