Josh McDaniels: Denver’s Arrogant Ruler with an Iron Fist

Josh McDaniels is an interesting man.

At first look, the young head coach seems pleasant—he smiles at press conferences and speaks to the media in a straight-forward fashion—a far cry from his old boss Bill Belichick’s passive-aggressive approach.

McDaniels is obviously intense; a character trait that he’s showcased numerous times on the sidelines in his first year as the Broncos’ head man. After beating his ex-boss and ex-team in the New England Patriots, McDaniels ran down the sideline pumping his fist in excitement. During Denver’s Thanksgiving game the head coach passionately berated his players with a curse-word laden tirade—a tactic that arguably worked and hyped up the players who eventually pulled off the win.

But Josh McDaniels doesn’t always get the approval of all his players, something that if left unchecked could result in a perennial problem down the road.

From Day One of the McDaniels’ regime he’s made it known that he’s in charge and the Broncos are going to do everything his way. He hired Brian Xanders as GM and the two handed out double digit pink slips to former Denver players. He made it known that he thought Matt Cassell would be a better fit than Jay Cutler and ended up trading arguably the best player the Broncos had when he took over.

Then there was his month-long dispute with Brandon Marshall that got so ugly the receiver was showing his displeasure with the coach in skipping practices or showing up to show off his new found ball-batting skills.

But everything seemed resolved, or at least kept quiet for almost the entirety of the regular season, until now.

Marshall, who injured a hamstring in practice, is being benched by McDaniels. “He’ll be deactivated from the game Sunday. That’ll be a coaching decision,” explained the head coach at Friday’s presser.

When asked why the star receiver will be deactivated, McDaniels dodged the question saying, “Our word for the week has been accountability. We’re lookin’ to put the 45 guys on the field that want to play together, want to help us try to win and qualify for the playoffs and we talked about it as a group this Wednesday that’s what’s going to happen this week. Anybody that showed any indifference to that we’ll play without them and we’ll play well anyway.”

“We’re building a team. And if you have players that aren’t going to put that ahead of everything else then that can be detrimental to your club.”

“We’re all accountable to give our very best effort to Pat Bowlen, to this organization, to this city, to all the people that support us.”

“We’re playing Sunday with the guys that want to play, that want to be accountable to each other and want to help us accomplish what we want to accomplish.”

He repeated the last stanza around five times during the press conference when asked about any further details about Marshall, and when asked about why pass-catching tight end Tony Scheffler will be benched as well.

So the real question is this: What happened?

Scheffler was hurt when he heard the news of McDaniels shopping him in the offseason and he’s likely quite upset with the lack of opportunities to be effective within the offense. Really, Scheffler has a legitimate gripe as he’s only caught 31 passes and two touchdowns this season.

But McDaniels also has a point; football is a team game and selfish players have no place on his team.

As for Marshall, I’ve heard from multiple sources that the player said something out of line to the coach, although what exactly was said is unknown as of now.

And as McDaniels is making another stand while knocking the starters down a notch with his iron fist, he’s starting to leave a sour taste in the mouths of some fans.

Marshall and Scheffler are arguably the two best pass-catchers the Broncos have, and with Eddie Royal likely a no-play due to injury, Denver’s pass attack will be mediocre at best.

To think that “the offense won’t change,” as McDaniels said, is ludicrous, borderline arrogant and if the Broncos can’t produce points he will be questioned all offseason.

Besides that, McDaniels is showing that he may have a problem connecting and earning the respect of his players.

Could it be that McDaniels is too callous because he’s so driven toward the goal of winning a Super Bowl? Or could it be that McDaniels’ ego and desire for ultimate power are turning people against him?

Only time will tell, but if McDaniels can’t adapt and work on his interpersonal skills, he will be the one missing games after being shown the door by Mr. Bowlen.

 

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Broncos-Eagles: Why Brian Dawkins Return to Philly Is the Smallest Story

Brian Dawkins was an absolute beast when he played for the Philadelphia Eagles—he covered well, and hit hard enough to blow up any receiver. But above anything else, Dawkins was the unquestioned leader of the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball.

He started his career in Philly, played 13 years there and was named to the Pro Bowl seven times while an Eagle. All his wonderful play led to him not only being one of the most feared safeties in the modern game, but Dawkins also became a huge fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love (which can show their hate for the Eagles at times).

But really, B. Dawk’s return to Philly is a less significant story line among many good ones in this Christmas weekend game—most notably pending playoff positioning for both teams.

For the Eagles, a win against the Broncos and a Cowboys loss means they would clinch the NFC East and secure a Wild Card round home game. Beyond that, while the Saints (13-1) have basically sewn up home field throughout the playoffs, Philly could still take home field up to the NFC Championship game with two wins and a Minnesota loss.

For the Broncos, the game is more meaningful than that, as Denver must win both their last two games to secure a playoff spot in this year’s muddled AFC. In fact, the Broncos could actually clinch a playoff position with a win and losses by four of the 7-7 teams (JAX, MIA, NYJ, and PIT). Either way though, this game is the biggest of the season for Denver—a definite must-win if they want to make the playoffs this year.

The Broncos are coming off two tough losses in a row that have made their last two must-wins, meaning the playoffs start today if the Broncos want to still be playing in two weeks.

Of course, as the season rolls into Week 15 every team in the NFL is dealing with injuries and that includes the Eagles and Broncos.

Philly will likely be without the services of Michael Vick and safety Quintin Demps, as they are both listed as questionable. But, veteran running back/kick returner Brian Westbrook has been cleared to come back and play for the first time since Nov. 15, even though he will play in a limited role only.

For Denver, wide receiver/kick returner Eddie Royal will miss the contest due to his neck strain, and fullback Spencer Larsen is out as well. Royal has been underutilized in 2009, with only 37 receptions and zero touchdowns, but his 23.9 yards per return will definitely be missed. Fan favorite Peyton Hillis will step in for Larsen, but will still likely not see many chances in the offense since Josh McDaniels uses the fullback almost solely as a blocker.

The last huge storyline of this game is coaching, and there is a massive contrast when these two teams are compared.

The Eagles have one of the best coaches in the NFL leading their team in Andy Reid. Reid’s Eagles own 107 regular season wins with a .611 winning percentage—second best only to Bill Belichick. Reid is the commander of his team, the seasoned vet with five NFC Championship appearances, the fearless leader of a team that has no fear in him.

On the other hand, the Broncos head man is Josh McDaniels in his first year leading a team. McDaniels and Denver went 6-0 to start the season, but only 2-6 since—and most of the onus lies on coaching. In large losses to AFC opponents Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, the offense was mediocre at best and pathetic at worst. Last week against the Raiders, McDaniels had many coaching blunders, multiple mistakes that cost the Broncos valuable points.

If Denver hopes to win this game, and if McDaniels wants to avoid his first losing season in his football life (he told Woody Paige preseason), then he’s got to be on top of his coaching game today.

All in all, the Broncos task of beating a strong NFC team in the Eagles in Philadelphia today is a tough one to say the least, but nothing is impossible in the NFL. Denver can beat the Eagles, and they must to stay afloat in the AFC playoff hunt. One thing’s for sure, all of Denver will tune in to see what happens at 2:15 MT today.  

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Josh McDaniels Misses the Memo: The Raiders Are the Rivals

The Denver Broncos came out as the favorite at home against a “weak” opponent in the Oakland Raiders. Even though they had all the victories on paper, Josh McDaniels’ boys found themselves in a good ol’ fashioned AFC West battle.

Denver was 8-5 entering the game atop the muddled AFC Wild Card slugfest that has emerged and basically needed two wins to secure a playoff spot in McDaniels’ first year.

They had already won more games than most thought they would, and any prognosticators who predicted they would be in this position might have been further than fanatic.

And while McDaniels and Co. might have seen this game as a walk-through against an inferior opponent, as the Raiders stood at only 4-9, they forgot to look at the deeper implications of the contest at hand.

The Broncos/Raiders rivalry is alive and well, one of the best in professional football (even though many Oakland maniacs argue the contrary) and part of what makes it so great was there to be witnessed on the field of New Mile High Stadium on Sunday.

For one team, it was a must-win that would further cement their playoff hopes, and for the other, a chance to play the spoiler. The Raiders haven’t put up much fight all season, but in Denver, they went all-out every play and completely embarrassed the Broncos.

Sure, Denver had all the momentum early in the game, but they couldn’t convert drives into touchdowns—and the Bronco’s overall offensive woes Sunday were due to McDaniels’s McBlunders.

Denver’s first drive started rather successfully, as the play-calling was balanced until McDaniels got much too conservative and started over-thinking the game.

On 1st-and-10 from the Oakland 13, LaMont Jordan ran the ball up the gut for a fast six yards, but the next play was McDaniels’s first big mistake of the game.

He told the offense to hurry up and quickly get to the line—all to run a QB sneak for a measly one yard.

On 3rd-and-3 from the six-yard line, McDaniels chose not to even attempt to attack the end zone and instead ran Knowshon Moreno ineffectively for one yard again.

End result: Another failed attempt at getting into the end zone. The Broncos went up by three, but it should have been seven.

On their second drive, Denver had the ball in favorable position again, but McDaniels out-coached himself and his team again.

A 24-yard pass from Kyle Orton to Brandon Marshall started the drive, and Moreno gained five yards on the next.

Then the McGenius made himself look like a McMoron.

On 2nd-and-5 from Oakland’s 12-yard line, McDaniels called in his trickiest of trick plays—a screen to the most valuable player on the offense, tackle Ryan Clady.

Sure, Clady caught the ball, but he was immediately blown up, hit hard in the knees by safety Nnamdi Asomugha, and lost three yards. Plus, Marshall forgot to line up off the line, and Clady illegally touched the ball.

Besides that, Clady could have been seriously injured, and losing him would mean losing the Broncos anchor on the O-line.

Later in the drive, McDaniels called a screen to Eddie Royal on 3rd-and-15 instead of giving the team a chance to pick up a first down and continue an important drive.

Again, the Broncos had to kick a field goal. Again, their offense was sabotaged by the preposterous play-calling of McDaniels.

The Raiders then scored 13 straight points and took all the momentum into halftime.

Denver rallied to score 13 straight of their own, but their last field goal needed to be a touchdown instead. Brandon Stokley caught a short pass and turned it up field for 63 yards. And even when Denver had the ball with a 1st-and-goal at the two yard line, they couldn’t hit paydirt.

Multiple Broncos’ players have been vocal about the scoring slump, including Daniel Graham and Brandon Marshall. Marshall told the Denver Post, “It’s been hurting us all year. Our offense, we’ve just been mediocre, if that.”

Graham said, “You never want to settle for field goals. They did a good job of stopping us and getting us out of the end zone. We have to do better. We have to get seven.”

In all, Denver is only 20th in the league in scoring and could only manage to put up 19 points against a team that allows 23.9 per. If they can’t score against that poor of a defense, what makes the Broncos think that they can put up enough points against the greats of the AFC in the playoffs?

Just to get to the playoffs, the Broncos likely have to win their last two games, at Philadelphia (10-4) and home against the Chiefs (3-11), a dubious but not impossible task. From here on out, every game is a must-win for Denver, and it could act as a great learning experience for the young head coach.

While McDaniels’ offense has been hyped as one of the most proficient and complex ever, he must learn to simplify now or Denver will be sitting home early, missing the playoffs.

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Terrell Davis and Shannon Sharpe Should Be Horseshoe-Ins for Hall

Terrell Davis and Shannon Sharpe are hands-down one of the greatest duos to play for the Broncos and the best Denver players to ever do it at their position.

And even though they were both named to the NFL‘s All-Decade team of the 90s, one former Bronco may have a harder time getting into Canton’s hallowed hall than the other.

 

Shannon Sharpe should be nothing more than a shoe-in for Pro Football’s Hall of Fame—he revolutionized the NFL tight end position forever, taking a sixth offensive lineman and turning him into a threat on the offensive end.

Sharpe was dominant in a pass-catching role, receiving HOFer John Elway’s bullet passes from 1990-98, and from other less notable QBs from 1999-03. During his 14 year career, Sharpe caught an amazing 815 passes for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns—all of which were all-time highs for tight ends in NFL history when he retired.

While not speedy (my Dad used to always say he looked like he was moving in slow motion), Sharpe was as dangerous as any receiver in the NFL during the 1990s. Many times opposing defenses would line up a linebacker against the massive tight end, a matchup that was irrevocably eaten alive by Elway and Sharpe. He was amazing across the middle, was the Broncos’ best possession receiver, and could score at-will with an Elway naked bootleg on the goal line.

Sharpe also blocked for five different 1,000-yard rushers in Denver, including Terrell Davis from 1995-98, and he is one of only four players in NFL history to have 11 or more 50-catch seasons (Jerry Rice, Andre Reed, Chris Carter). He also won three Super Bowls and had three 1,000 yard receiving seasons. Sharpe was so good; ESPN named him the No. 7 draft steal of all time .

But what Sharpe is remembered for the most is his big personality, which gave him his big mouth and big touchdown celebrations.

His most famous quote came in a Nov. 1996 Denver drubbing of New England as he was caught by NFL Films proclaiming, “Mr. President, call in the National Guard! Send as many men as you can spare! Because we are killing the Patriots! They need emergency help!”

Sharpe was not shy about asking for the ball either, as NFL Films interviewed him and Elway explained how Shannon would constantly come back to the huddle to say, “I’m open John, throw me the ball.”

When he couldn’t be heard over the eardrum-busting Mile High maniacs, Sharpe showed his delight nonverbally. He came up with two different TD celebrations, both of which helped make him a fan favorite. His original celebration was a mere flex of his bulging muscles as he earned the nickname “Hulk.” The second was more innovative, as he danced around and made it look like he was riding a bucking bronco in the end zone.

And while many believe he’s an absolute no-brainer for the hall, one stat may go against his quest, as there are only seven TEs in the HOF currently.

Realistically, Sharpe will have a bronze bust of his chiseled jaw and smiling face in Canton soon, but what chance does Terrell Davis have?

Davis is more the long-shot of the two, although his greatness should not be ignored. Even though TD technically played for seven years in the NFL, his first four were the masterpiece of his career.

From 1995-98 Davis’ rushing yards increased every season and he amassed 6,413 total yards in those years, including 56 touchdowns. While being only the fourth ever player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season, he was the NFL MVP in 1998 and was the major reason why John Elway and the Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls.

But as they say, sometimes the brightest stars burn out the fastest, which couldn’t be truer about Terrell Davis.

In his hey-day, no one could stop TD, let alone slow him down. He was never really a threat to go for an 80-yard dash down the sideline, but Davis hit holes quicker and harder than any back in recent memory. He exploited the idea of a “one cut and go” running system, with running backs coach Alex Gibbs, which became Mike Shanahan’s calling card in the NFL for almost a decade.

Likely the best run I ever saw TD make was in Super Bowl 32 against the Green Bay Packers. Davis hit the hole in the O-line quickly like usual, then as a safety dove at him, TD spun quickly to get away (:42). Then a few yards down the field, he juked a guy so hard he fell over and Davis walked in for the score.

And while Davis was proving he was the best running back in the game in 1997-98, he came up with a little TD celebration of his own—The Mile High Salute. The salute is the best celebration in the history of the Broncos, something respectful done with a fellow teammate after a successful drive. Davis supposedly started doing the salute in honor of his father who was in the military, and the small gesture pumped up the Broncos faithful in a huge way.

In total, Davis’ 7,607 career yards and 60 touchdowns are two of the 47 Broncos franchise records he holds and he added three pro-bowls to his resume as well. But, neither of those numbers rank him even in the top-25 among running backs and many say his career was too short.

I say, a player’s career length should not keep a player out of the HOF, especially when he was the best player at his position—arguably the best player in the NFL at the time. Terrell Davis definitely belongs in Canton along with Elway, Sharpe, and their lineman Gary Zimmerman.

The ironic thing about it all is that while both Sharpe and Davis were great on the field, they couldn’t be more different in character. Sharpe was the loud and proud, larger than life figure—the personality of the Broncos—while Davis was a reserved, quiet perfectionist that let his game do all the talking.

And now that the two are in the top-25 finalists to get into Canton in 2010, the writers must silence Sharpe and speak up for Davis and make sure both Broncos greats are in the Professional Football Hall of Fame—if not this year, then soon.

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AFC’s Wild West Creates Weird Week for Denver Broncos Fans

Most weeks, the best result for a Broncos fan would be if every other team from the AFC West were to lose and Denver to grab a win. In Week 11, almost the opposite was true in one of the weirdest weeks to be a football fan from the Mile High City.

As the Broncos lined up to face their most competitive division rival in the San Diego Chargers, both teams were tied atop the West and the contest was set up as the biggest game of the season for either squad.

What resulted though, was a dysfunctional and distraught Denver team getting drubbed by the new leader of the division—the Chargers.

 

Chris Simms started at QB but was completely ineffective in the game. He went 2-4 for 10 yards and fumbled momentum away on the first drive of the game after seven straight successful running plays in a row.

After Simms’s third unsuccessful drive in a row, he was benched in favor of the injured Kyle Orton. Apparently Orton felt good enough to go in the second quarter, but not to start the game. Regardless, Orton did not hear a boo today, as New Mile High Stadium erupted in a cheer of excitement for the quarterback that was unwanted until he was injured last week.

Orton marched down the field, 60 yards with three passes, but the Broncos were again halted by a turnover, this time by Knowshon Moreno on the six-inch line. And although Denver was down, they were not out at 13-0 going into the half.

The Broncos finally came up with some momentum to start the third quarter but were held to a field goal. Then, something completely unexpected happened—Josh McDaniels had a momentary lapse in reason.

He decided a surprise onside kick was in order, and it even almost worked until Josh Barrett alligator armed the ball and let it slip through his mitts. The Chargers jumped on the loose pigskin and had less than half the field to go to score the touchdown that put them up three scores with less than 22 minutes left in the game.

It turned out it didn’t matter, because the Broncos couldn’t even score again, and the Chargers poured it on for 12 more points to win 32-3.

 

In all, the Broncos offense lacked balance, made the switch to Orton too late and left him in too late, and McDaniels took way too many risks too early.

Denver ran only 17 times all day, compared to 33 pass attempts, meaning they ran only 10 times after Simms fumble in the first drive of the game. While Orton can pass decently enough, constant passing gives the defense a better chance at stopping throws. And the Broncos averaged over 6.8 yards per rush, showing they should have stayed with a more balanced attack.

Even though Kyle Orton gave the Denver team and crowd a shot in the arm, he was put in too late in the contest to really make a difference. If you’re going to put an injured quarterback in, let him start and give him the chance to win the game. McDaniels must have felt the Broncos needed to abandon the game plan completely, even though they were only down two scores, and Orton passed over and over again.

And if Orton was really too injured to start, he should not have been behind center to finish the game—especially with the Broncos next game in four days against the Giants on Thanksgiving.

To go along with McDaniels mistakes in play-calling, he further looked like a rookie head coach by gambling too early and too often on Sunday. First, McDaniels missed on the onside attempt, then, on the Broncos’ next drive, he went for a 4th-and-5, which came up incomplete.

Sure, the field goal would have been from 57 yards, but kicker Matt Prater has a big enough leg and Denver needed points not more disappointment.

In the end, teams are 29-0 this season when they are on the positive side of a 3-0 turnover differential and coughing the ball up took away Denver’s chance of winning Sunday. But besides those miscues, the Broncos also committed nine penalties and the coaching staff was a complete no-show against the Chargers in a midseason playoff game.

 

And now, as Denver was sitting atop the AFC five weeks ago, the Broncos have slipped to seventh and out of the playoffs if they were to begin today.

Luckily for Denver, both the Chiefs and Raiders won Sunday against current AFC playoff teams. Oakland beat Cincinnati, meaning the Bengals are only one game ahead of the Broncos and Denver would have the head-to-head tiebreaker. And since Kansas City defeated Pittsburgh in overtime 27-24, the Broncos are tied with the Jaguars and Steelers at 6-4.

Denver would have to leap-frog Pittsburgh in the standings though, since the Steelers beat the Broncos two weeks ago.

So, things could be worse for Denver heading into a very short week in which they face the also 6-4 New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day.

Let’s face it; Kyle Orton must play on Thursday for two reasons. First, he has to save face with the fans and gut out a performance despite being hurt. And second, the Broncos have seemingly no chance if Simms has to go the whole game.

At some point, the struggling Broncos have to catch a break, or they will be broken.

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The 2009 Denver Broncos: Shades of Super Bowl Years, or Last Year?

Okay, Broncos fans, reality check time is upon us.

Sure, Denver started out 6-0, and literally everything went the Broncos way in those games.

First, Brandon Stokley caught an 87-yard tipped ball for a touchdown to beat the Bengals in Week One. Next, when the Broncos played the Cowboys, Champ Bailey stopped back-to-back passes that could have tied the game up.

Then, Kyle Orton led Denver on a 98-yard drive to tie the game against the Patriots, and took the Broncos down the field to have Matt Prater win the game in overtime.

The cherry on top of the good luck sundae was Eddie Royal taking both a kickoff and a punt back for a touchdown, and Denver won against the division rival Chargers 34-23.

The hot start was reminiscent of many great Broncos’ starts, as every time they’ve gone 5-0, Denver has also gone to a Super Bowl. But, like last year, was Denver counting its chickens before they were hatched?

The Broncos started 4-1 in 2008, only to fall to 4-4. And even when they thought the division was wrapped up at 8-5, Denver lost the last three games and the AFC West to San Diego.

Now, the Broncos are looking at a possible relapse into their downfalls of last year, and are finding new ways to lose in 2009 as well.

Denver’s defense led the Broncos to their six-game winning streak, but now it looks somewhat soft. All game, at any time, the Steelers were able to pass on Denver’s D, even though the pass rush was better than most weeks.

And really, one could argue that the defense kept the Broncos in the game. Kenny Peterson forced Ben Roethlisberger to fumble and Robert Ayers took the ball to the house to take the lead 10-3. Then, as Pittsburgh was threatening to score while up four points already, when Andre Goodman picked a pass off at the goal line.

But the defense did seem tired at points, and allowed the Steelers to stretch their lead to 11, at 21-10, and eventually Pittsburgh put in another score to win 28-10.

Was it really their fault, though?

The offense was dismal to say the least in the second half, scoring zero points when their team needed it most, and only ran 19 plays after halftime. Their six drives amounted to four punts and two interceptions in the third and fourth quarters, definitely not enough to give the team a chance to win.

And let’s be clear here, the real problem with the offense, and the one position that has been affecting the entire Broncos team for the last two weeks—is quarterback Kyle Orton.

Orton has been efficient, but far from explosive in 2009, the definition of a “game manager” but he doesn’t ever have the ability to take a game over.

Orton showed in this game, that the only thing an opposing defense has to do is get within three yards of him; because Orton will take his eyes from downfield to up close if he thinks he might see contact.

Let’s face it, Orton is similar to a sloth when he tries to move in the pocket, but tonight he showed signs of “happy feet” which translates to scared play.

A quarterback cannot make solid throws, let alone read the defense when he’s afraid to be hit—therefore, the offense struggles.

Also, Josh McDaniels basically abandoned the run in the second half, and the Steelers knew they could blitz and force Orton to throw quickly.

While it seems McDaniels’ offense is the wave of the future, with its short, precision passing and misdirections—the young coach needs to gamble and go deep sometimes.

Not attacking the safeties deep allows them to suck up close to the line of scrimmage and attack both the run and the QB.

So really, the problem is two-fold—McDaniels won’t throw the ball deep, but it’s because Orton doesn’t have the arm strength.

So, while Denver may be a good team, and will likely make the postseason, they cannot win a championship until they find a franchise quarterback—something McDaniels traded away before the season began.

But, even if the Broncos had Jay Cutler, it would not necessarily mean they would even be 6-2, let alone better.

So for the Denver faithful, let’s all count our blessings and be happy the Broncos are atop the AFC West and in a position to make to playoffs this year, even if we may not compete for the Super Bowl quite yet.

Still, not a bad first year for an incredibly young head coach in the pressure-packed NFL.

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Broncos-Cowboys: Denver Wins Grind-It-out Battle 17-10, Mile High at 4-0

The Broncos (4-0) came into today’s contest against the Cowboys (2-2) undefeated but many criticized that they had yet to play against any good talent. Denver beat Cincinnati (3-1), Cleveland (0-4), and Oakland (1-3). But Dallas brought a respectable team that had averaged over 200 yards per game coming into the mile high city.

And even though some, like Troy Aikman, thought the game would be a shoot-out, it was anything but. This was a classic hard-nosed battle in which defenses shined and offenses couldn’t cope.

To start the game, the Cowboys’ offense looked strong while the Broncos’ O struggled mightily. After both teams were forced to punt on their first drives, Dallas drove down the field with three straight first downs and an eight-play 40 yard drive ending up in a 49-yard field goal. Denver forced itself into a three-and-out because of a penalty on their next drive and had to punt to Dallas once again.

The Cowboys drove with ease, as Tony Romo passed for 59 yards of the 61 Dallas went for a touchdown and the Cowboys led 10-0 after the first quarter.

Denver’s offense strained to make any progress once again and punted the ball away, but that is when the Broncos defense decided to play tougher. Reportedly, Brian Dawkins yelled at his defensive teammates and told them it was time to make a stand, and that’s exactly what happened. After starting on their own 12 yard line, the Cowboys got a first down but then after a tripping penalty, Denver made their first huge play on defense all day.

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan sent a safety blitz with Renaldo Hill, who came in untouched and forced the ball from Romo’s hands for a fumble. The Broncos recovered the ball on the Dallas nine and the next play Kyle Orton passed the ball to Knowshon Moreno for Denver’s first points of the day. So, five minutes into the second quarter and the Cowboys still led 10-7.

Neither team could do much to end the first half, as Denver kept stopping themselves with penalties and Dallas decided to go to half rather than risking another turnover.

The first play of the second half, Knowshon Moreno fumbled a ball deep in the Broncos territory, at the 27. Romo though, made another mistake and through a ball to the sideline when his receiver went inside and Champ Bailey made an amazing interception. The Denver O bogged down though and they were forced to punt again. On Dallas’ drive, Romo was sacked again on their second first down which forced them into a difficult situation and they had to punt again.

On the next Broncos drive, which started on their eight yard line, was the first time Denver had run the ball effectively all day. McDaniels showed his confidence in the rookie Moreno as Knowshon ran the ball seven times for 19 yards on the drive. But, as McDaniels gambled on a fourth and one call, Moreno, the Broncos, and young Josh came up short. Denver should have kicked the field goal, and would have tied the game with a Matt Prater make, 10-10. Instead, the Cowboys remained in the lead by three points.

On the biggest drive of the game for Denver’s defense, they came up massive to give the ball back to the offense and a chance at a game-winning drive. The Cowboys did get three first downs on the drive, but on second and 13, Vonnie Holliday sacked Romo for a four yard loss and put Dallas into a third and 17. Romo’s subsequent pass was incomplete and the defense gave Orton and the offense a chance to win the game with 2:47 remaining in the contest.

Denver went into the two minute warning with the ball on their 35-yard line, hoping to get into field goal range for the win—what they got was much more than they expected.

Kyle Orton finally risked a throw and it paid off in a substantial way for the Broncos. Orton under threw a pass that was luckily high enough for Marshall and his 6’ 5” frame to go up and grab over Dallas’ Terrance Newman. Then Marshall took off, down the field and to the middle, only to stop on a dime and reverse directions, making two Cowboys collide and cruised into the end zone. Denver finally had its first lead at 17-10 with 1:46 in the game.

In the next drive the game seemed to be over, as the Broncos made the Cowboys go for it on fourth-and-three, but Romo made an amazing play to save Dallas’ chance at the win. Romo was flushed out of the pocket but tossed a great touch-pass to Sam Hurd who took the ball 53 yards to the Denver 20. Romo then threw two short passes in a row to take the Cowboys to the Broncos’ eight-yard line but Dallas had to call their final timeout with :27 left.

Again Romo passed short for six yards down to the Denver two-yard line and Dallas had to spike the ball to stop the clock with a mere nine seconds remaining. The whole contest came down to the final two plays as this classic would have to be won as it was all day, by the Broncos’ defense.

For some reason, the Cowboys decided to attack one of the greatest corner backs in the league and today’s player of the game, Champ Bailey, on two consecutive passes over the middle. The first was easily deflected by Champ, and he got his hand on the second ball as well, along with Jack Williams’ helmet on Hurd’s belly and the ball.

McDaniels was pleased with Champ saying, “We did a nice job of denying the ball there on the last two [plays]. We blitzed them. We were going to make him [Romo] throw fast and he did and Champ was in great position.”

The Broncos defended their home stadium and improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2003.

Following the game, Josh McDaniels was seemingly ecstatic when talking about his team. “I’m proud of our team. It’s a sixty-minute game against a really good football team. I give Dallas a lot of credit.”

McDaniels on Marshall’s game-winning touchdown, “He made a great catch and an even better run. Maybe one of the best runs I’ve ever seen after the ball was in his hands. And that’s just what a great player will do and that’s was he is.”

In all, despite some struggles early including penalties leading to punts, the offense still played solidly against a good Dallas defense. Orton out-played the more hyped Romo with a 20-29 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Romo was a less efficient 25-42 with 255 yards, an interception, and a fumble.

Following the game Orton said, “I don’t listen to things about me. I play this game to win football games and compete with 53 other guys. It is not about me. It is not about what happened in the offseason. It is about working hard every week and competing our butts off. Every chance that you get to play a football game, you play as hard as you can. That is the approach that I take. If that means that I throw for 100 yards or 300 yards, I’ll be happy either way as long as we win.”

But really, the game was won by the Denver defense, not with Orton and the O.

Denver held Dallas to only 74 yards rushing on the day, a considerable drop-off from their usual 193.7 per game. The pass rush constantly confused and overwhelmed Romo, who was sacked four times in total, one of which resulted in the fumble that gave the Broncos their first score of the day.

So, now the Broncos have had their first respectable test of the year, and they passed, even if it wasn’t with flying colors. The defense showed up in a huge way even after getting down by 10 points early, and didn’t allow a single point in the last three quarters of the game. The offense, after repeatedly slowing themselves down with penalties and misfires in the first half, produced well in the second half.

After four weeks of play the Broncos sit at 4-0, more wins then some thought they could get all year, as one of only five undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. And Denver sits a mile high atop the AFC West as all divisional opponents the Raiders (6-29), Chiefs (16-27), and Chargers (28-38) all lost today.

Instead of all the “doom and gloom” that national and local media had predicted, it seems everyone in the Broncos organization has come into this 2009 season energized, and united under McDaniels’ ideology of team-first.

In Broncos Country, everything’s tinted in a beautiful orange and blue like a Colorado sunset so far in 2009.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Hey Raiders Fans: How Do You Like Your Crow? Smoked, Like Your Team?

Ah Raiders fans. They’re the only thing more entertaining than their sorry team to all other AFC West opponents’ fans.

Raiders fans are the ones that take fandom too far in the NFL, dressing up in their craziest garb from Darth Vader helmets and gorilla masks to silver and black face paint that rivals ’70s hair band KISS. Some think Oakland fans like to dress up to look more macho, as some wear shoulder pads with spikes and other decorations. Or is it that the fans are trying to make up for their team’s deficiencies?

Most likely it’s because the fans are honestly scared for their own wellbeing, as there’s no telling how out of control a Raiders player might get.

Really though, Oakland Raiders fans are the No. 1 audience on B/R, and they show out feverishly, with much fervor and ferocity. They back their team, even to the point of going onto rival team’s pages to trash talk about how the Raiders have been, are, and will be great.

Before this most recent Broncos/Raiders game, I wrote a prediction piece that also attacked Oakland’s organization because we all know they can and should return to their once great standing in the AFC West and the NFL. But as of now, and for the past 15 years, besides 2000-02, when they went to the playoffs but lost all three years.

I attempted to use statistics to explain to Raiders fans how bad they have been especially really recently, like the last seven years. I’ll say once again, Oakland has a measly 25 wins since 2003, and average of less than six a season.

But loyal “black holians,” or maybe “black hooligans” fits them more suitably, as they fought my logical statistics with a few of their own, and some more illogical comments as well.

Fingersrdrs Raiders wrote, “31-10 the Raiders beat Mr Ed the last time they played…” As Rick wrote in his piece “Raider Fan Trash Talk: A Premonition” Raiders fans can’t help but talk about the past, the last time their player did well or they beat your team, because they knew this time around could be trouble.

SR is one of the best examples of a Raiders fan that’s crazy for his team. “lol these horse fans crack me up with all these stats,were only 2 games into the season, u can throw all them stats out the window, u can think whatever you want, its about to go down in the town, black hole will be ready.”

That’s the greatest part though, Oakland natives, “real” Raiders fans, didn’t show out! The game was blacked out in Oakland because the stadium couldn’t sell out, even when a local grocer offered any fan that bought two tickets a $100 gift certificate.

Even Raider Card Addict, No. 3 in the B/R football writer rankings overall, couldn’t defend his team; just try to take stabs about the Broncos being bad since Elway retired.

That was until he brought up the storied history of the Raiders, where they have slight edges on the Broncos in many categories, and Oakland’s all-time head to head lead by 14 games was built in the ancient 1960s when the Broncos were horrible for the entire decade.

The point is, or points for that matter, is that the Raiders are not a great team, not even good and were destroyed by the Broncos 23-3, and it should have been worse.

Some Raiders fans talked bout how Richard Seymour and the Oakland defensive line was going to eat Kyle Orton and Denver’s running game alive; however, the opposite was true. Sure, Orton only passed for 157 yards, but he wasn’t sacked once, nor did he throw an interception.

As for the running game, Correll Buckhalter ran for 108 yards with a gaudy 7.7 yard per gain average, and rookie Knowshon Moreno carried the ball 21 times for 90 yards and a touchdown.

In total, the Broncos were dominant in total yards (372-137), first downs (21-9), turnovers (3-1), and average gain per play (6.8-1.8) among almost every other stat that could be measured.

The defense was remarkable as well, nabbing two easy interceptions early in the contest, only to have those turnovers translate into points, and adding a fumble recovery on three forced fumbles too. The Denver D held Oakland to 3-10 on third downs, some of which drew many boos from the black hole, or wherever most of the Raiders fans have fallen into.

Elvis Dumervil was the star of the game once again as he added two more sacks to bring his total to six for 2009, and Darrell Reid added a sack of his own. DJ Williams flew all over the field with a team leading seven tackles and a forced fumble also.

Denver played a compete game on both sides of the ball, won their first divisional game of the year, and remained undefeated at 3-0 leading the AFC West. Next up for the Broncos is the real meat of their schedule, as they start with Dallas and face many perennial playoff teams in a row.

But Denver should focus on this huge win right now, and Raiders fans should enjoy their crow and eat up. So, Rai “duhs” fans, what are you going to say now until your team plays the AFC West leaders again? Now you can’t rely on the popular, “we beat your donkey asses last year, remember, like nine months ago,” routine.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

What Should Oakland’s Nickname be? The Raiders, Faders, or Rai”duhs?”

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The Raiders, as many loyal “black holians” on B/R have told me, are the “team of the decades,” as argued by Autumn Wind. Apparently, many of them believe that the Raiders are one of, if not the greatest NFL team to ever grace the gridiron. Sure, Oakland has three Super Bowl victories, 12 division championships, and 19 hall of famers. The problem is, all of that is ancient history.

The Raiders last won the Super Bowl in 1983, that’s over a quarter of a century ago to you Oaklandaniacs. After their last Super Bowl victory and the “fat man” as Tom Jackson called him, John Madden’s retirement, Oakland officially became the Faders, as in they faded in the standings and out of the national eye. Sure, the Faders went to playoffs from 2000-02, and even went to the Super Bowl but they were dominated by Tampa Bay by 27 points.

Since then, they have returned to the spotlight, but only for all the bad reasons and have evolved into the Rai“duhs.”

What warrants such a nickname you may ask? Well, for starters, they have only won 25 games since 2002 including last week’s squeaker against the Chiefs. That’s an average of four a year, and during the span they haven’t won more than five in a year either.

What else does a Rai“duh” do you ask?

For starters, a Rai“duh” is the owner, as in a senile old man that has run his once proud franchise into a literal black hole, and hires Rai“dummies” for coaches. Art Shell was way past his time of the early 90s, Lane Kiffin proved he is better suited for college, and Tom Cable kicked the crap out of his assistant coach. (Norv Turner and Bill Callahan actually turned out to be decent coaches but the Rai“duhs” held them down)

Then there’s the players, as the Rai“duhs” almost always lead the league in penalties and only they could cheer their head coach on in practice after he broke their assistant coaches jaw.

But why write this article? I bleed orange and blue and have since Elway was beating the Browns, not that I am old enough to quite remember. One of the things I learned early on is that if you’re a Broncos fan, you’re also a Raider Hater, which I have been for years and years.

And now that I’ve got you, here’s my prediction for the Broncos game three against the “Rai“duhs” in Oakland this Sunday.

Denver has the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL and they are leading the AFC West at 2-0 as the division’s only undefeated team. Oakland has a problem scoring this season, averaging only 16.5 points per game, but their defense is somewhat solid, only giving up 17 points per so far.

 

When Denver passes the ball: Advantage Denver

Yes, I know, Jay Cutler is gone, but Kyle Orton is showing he is a decent, if not solid QB. So far he has averaged just over 200 yards and a touchdown a game. What he hasn’t done is turn the ball over in his 36 completions in 2009.

The thing is, even though Orton’s arm isn’t awesome, his receivers are. Between Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, and Jabbar Gaffney he has a solid corps, and if Brandon Marshall can learn some more plays he will be back as the No. 1 soon enough. Add in tight ends Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham, and Orton can pick and chose as he furthers his knowledge of the Broncos offense as well. Not to mention the “Rai“duhs” give up over 235 yards passing per game.

 

When Oakland passes the ball: Advantage Push

The Raiders passed decently against the Chargers, but could only muster 99 yards against the Chiefs last week. JaMarcus Russell though does look like he’s coming on, but he doesn’t have much in the form of receivers, of the five on the team, only Javon Walker has more than two years experience. Tight end Zach Miller is Russell’s favorite target with six catches for 96 yards so far.

The Broncos though, have given up a decent 186 yards per game, but have forced three interceptions in two games. In all, the Broncos turnover differential at plus-4 is second in the NFL. Champ Bailey has shown he is still one of the best CBs in the league, and Brian Dawkins can still hit very hard.

 

When the Broncos run the ball: Advantage Broncos

Denver averages 131 yards per game running, as Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno provide a nice one-two punch for the Broncos. Denver’s offensive line is solid, and they have been moving opponents with ease so far this year. The Raiders allow 125 yards per, so look for the Broncos to get anywhere from there to 150 and at least one touchdown on the ground.

 

When the Raiders run the ball: Advantage Broncos

Denver gives up a mere 70 yards per game, and has only given up one touchdown overall in the first two weeks. Oakland averages 103 yards and one touchdown per game on the ground. Like the Broncos, the Raiders have a two headed monster at running back in Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. If Denver can play well against the run once again, it might be time to start thinking of them as a legit defense.

 

Special Teams: Advantage Raiders

Sebastian Janikowski is a great kicker, and he always seems to hurt the Broncos. However, as I said in my preseason preview, he will blow a kick at the buzzer and the Broncos will win 21-20.

Also, Denver’s kick coverage is much improved, and so is field position over the past few years, so the advantage is minimal. 

 

So, in all, Denver will stay undefeated and continue leading the AFC West heading into the heart of their schedule and many tough 2008 playoff opponents.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

What Should Oakland’s Nickname be? The Raiders, Faders, or Rai”duhs?”

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The Raiders, as many loyal “black holians” on B/R have told me, are the “team of the decades,” as argued by Autumn Wind. Apparently, many of them believe that the Raiders are one of, if not the greatest NFL team to ever grace the gridiron. Sure, Oakland has three Super Bowl victories, 12 division championships, and 19 hall of famers. The problem is, all of that is ancient history.

The Raiders last won the Super Bowl in 1983, that’s over a quarter of a century ago to you Oaklandaniacs. After their last Super Bowl victory and the “fat man” as Tom Jackson called him, John Madden’s retirement, Oakland officially became the Faders, as in they faded in the standings and out of the national eye. Sure, the Faders went to playoffs from 2000-02, and even went to the Super Bowl but they were dominated by Tampa Bay by 27 points.

Since then, they have returned to the spotlight, but only for all the bad reasons and have evolved into the Rai“duhs.”

What warrants such a nickname you may ask? Well, for starters, they have only won 25 games since 2002 including last week’s squeaker against the Chiefs. That’s an average of four a year, and during the span they haven’t won more than five in a year either.

What else does a Rai“duh” do you ask?

For starters, a Rai“duh” is the owner, as in a senile old man that has run his once proud franchise into a literal black hole, and hires Rai“dummies” for coaches. Art Shell was way past his time of the early 90s, Lane Kiffin proved he is better suited for college, and Tom Cable kicked the crap out of his assistant coach. (Norv Turner and Bill Callahan actually turned out to be decent coaches but the Rai“duhs” held them down)

Then there’s the players, as the Rai“duhs” almost always lead the league in penalties and only they could cheer their head coach on in practice after he broke their assistant coaches jaw.

But why write this article? I bleed orange and blue and have since Elway was beating the Browns, not that I am old enough to quite remember. One of the things I learned early on is that if you’re a Broncos fan, you’re also a Raider Hater, which I have been for years and years.

And now that I’ve got you, here’s my prediction for the Broncos game three against the “Rai“duhs” in Oakland this Sunday.

Denver has the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL and they are leading the AFC West at 2-0 as the division’s only undefeated team. Oakland has a problem scoring this season, averaging only 16.5 points per game, but their defense is somewhat solid, only giving up 17 points per so far.

 

When Denver passes the ball: Advantage Denver

Yes, I know, Jay Cutler is gone, but Kyle Orton is showing he is a decent, if not solid QB. So far he has averaged just over 200 yards and a touchdown a game. What he hasn’t done is turn the ball over in his 36 completions in 2009.

The thing is, even though Orton’s arm isn’t awesome, his receivers are. Between Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, and Jabbar Gaffney he has a solid corps, and if Brandon Marshall can learn some more plays he will be back as the No. 1 soon enough. Add in tight ends Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham, and Orton can pick and chose as he furthers his knowledge of the Broncos offense as well. Not to mention the “Rai“duhs” give up over 235 yards passing per game.

 

When Oakland passes the ball: Advantage Push

The Raiders passed decently against the Chargers, but could only muster 99 yards against the Chiefs last week. JaMarcus Russell though does look like he’s coming on, but he doesn’t have much in the form of receivers, of the five on the team, only Javon Walker has more than two years experience. Tight end Zach Miller is Russell’s favorite target with six catches for 96 yards so far.

The Broncos though, have given up a decent 186 yards per game, but have forced three interceptions in two games. In all, the Broncos turnover differential at plus-4 is second in the NFL. Champ Bailey has shown he is still one of the best CBs in the league, and Brian Dawkins can still hit very hard.

 

When the Broncos run the ball: Advantage Broncos

Denver averages 131 yards per game running, as Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno provide a nice one-two punch for the Broncos. Denver’s offensive line is solid, and they have been moving opponents with ease so far this year. The Raiders allow 125 yards per, so look for the Broncos to get anywhere from there to 150 and at least one touchdown on the ground.

 

When the Raiders run the ball: Advantage Broncos

Denver gives up a mere 70 yards per game, and has only given up one touchdown overall in the first two weeks. Oakland averages 103 yards and one touchdown per game on the ground. Like the Broncos, the Raiders have a two headed monster at running back in Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. If Denver can play well against the run once again, it might be time to start thinking of them as a legit defense.

 

Special Teams: Advantage Raiders

Sebastian Janikowski is a great kicker, and he always seems to hurt the Broncos. However, as I said in my preseason preview, he will blow a kick at the buzzer and the Broncos will win 21-20.

Also, Denver’s kick coverage is much improved, and so is field position over the past few years, so the advantage is minimal. 

 

So, in all, Denver will stay undefeated and continue leading the AFC West heading into the heart of their schedule and many tough 2008 playoff opponents.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

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