Here Come Hard Knocks: HBO Series Reveals Challenges for Broncos’ Opener

I love HBO. Year after year, their shows remain just a bit juicier than the stuff found on network television. Maybe it’s because they can get away with more. Maybe the swear words, violence, and adult situations are the key to superior entertainment in America today.

That is certainly the case with Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals. One thing’s for sure, if the Denver Broncos aren’t using this show as a means to study their first regular season opponent, they definitely should be.

Now, I realize Hard Knocks doesn’t give away everything. The Bengals’ leadership is smart enough to keep all their real secrets to themselves. However, there’s no denying that teams who participate in this series year after year also reveal their mentality, their attitude, and most importantly, the frustrations with which they are dealing.

Similar to the way that some investment analysts look past fundamentals (the “numbers” behind a stock), much, if not more, can be predicted by things other than systems, playbooks and former stats. Hard Knocks is a great examination of the humanistic, emotional side of the team.

The first thing to look at is the way the Bengals are attempting to soothe the sting of last year’s dismal 4-11-1 season. “Everybody knows how excited we are. We can’t wait to get to work and get that bad taste out of our mouth from last season,” stated head coach Marvin Lewis during the team’s training camp kickoff party.

The slogans “Fight Back!!” and “Sacrifice!!” are constantly repeated and even printed on t-shirts handed out to the players at the start of camp. The point is to never underestimate the recently humiliated, which can be said for both the Bengals and Broncos.

The personalities of the players and the relationships they’ve created with each other can also be very telling. Let’s look at two of the most important players, Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco.

You’ll notice there’s a world of difference between their effect on the franchise and that of wide receiver Brandon Marshall and ex-Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler. While the petulance, selfishness and greed of Marshall and Cutler have dominated Denver headlines this offseason, Palmer and Ochocinco have brought more positive attributes to their preseason environment.

Both are extremely funny, which helps a great deal in keeping the team relaxed and unified. Although Ochocinco’s antics have been a little distracting in the past, there’s no denying his work ethic. The show does a good job of showing how he is, for the most part, able to balance both lightheartedness and seriousness. The things that come out of Palmer’s mouth are hilarious.

At the same time, his skills as a mentor and communicator, even while injured, are helping him manage an offense that is anything but a circus. Numerous other coaches and veteran players are doing their part to create a relatively healthy locker room atmosphere. Anyone with a decent amount of football knowledge can tell you the huge importance of this.

Like any other team, things aren’t perfect for the Bengals. As I said before, players like Ochocinco are a double edged sword. As much as a talented player’s high energy, celebrations and all around mojo can make a team gel, too much of the same can create interruption and overconfidence. Cincinnati’s time in the spotlight on HBO has shown several possible deterrents to a successful opener against the Broncos.

With the likely possibility of Brandon Marshall playing in the opener, an interesting matchup of big headed wide receivers is in the cards. The balance between good showmanship and a good old fashion sideshow could very well wind up tipping in the direction of the bearded woman.

The only difference is that this bearded woman is an NFL receiver who likes to twitter, run his mouth, and pout when the chips are down. If Ochocinco gets in a groove, Broncos beware; but if Denver’s eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey comes out strong like he should, 85’s energy, in the form of frustration, will work just as effectively against the Bengals.

If you think Ochocinco is Cincinnati’s biggest bad boy, then I would have to say “Child Please!” Enter Chris Henry. This guy makes B-Marsh look like an upstanding young gentleman.

His rap sheet includes marijuana possession, driving without a valid driver’s license or insurance (2005), concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm, reported connection to an alleged sex crime, a DUI in Ohio (2006), providing alcohol to minors, allegedly failing a court-mandated drug test, allegedly assaulting a 16-year-old boy with teammate Reggie McNeal, allegedly assaulting a valet attendant, violating his probation (2007), and finally, allegedly punching a man and throwing a beer bottle through the window of his car (2008).

On the show, Henry is less than convincing while explaining how he’s going to stay out of trouble. In a preseason game, Coach Lewis has to scold him for celebrating in front of the opposing team’s sideline. Needless to say, Henry might just be a source of negativity for a team that is trying to “fight back.”

While he won’t directly affect Denver in the upcoming matchup, Andre Smith is yet another piece of evidence that points towards the Bengals tendency towards a chaotic franchise and locker room. Smith was suspended from the Sugar Bowl for allegedly dealing with an agent other than his own.

He then proceeded to show up to the NFL Combine and Alabama Pro Day overweight and otherwise out of shape. After holding out through the first three preseason games, Smith fractured his foot just two days after reporting to practice. This whole situation reflects badly on both parties.

Shame on the Bengals for once again drafting a player with a checkered past. Shame on Smith for being more focused on money than on the actual game of football.

Vegas bookies are keeping a close line on this one, with the favor slightly on the side of Cincinnati. My guess is that those same professional score predictors have used HBO’s Hard Knocks as at least one piece of evidence.

That said, when the word “allegedly” shows up too many times in the bios of your players, it’s safe to say that the season will be a gamble. Denver has shown slow but constant improvement. Will it be enough to eclipse the tacky, yet unrefined talent amassed on the Bengal’s sideline?

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A Boy and His Broncos

In turbulent times such as these, it’s important to get back to the roots. With players like Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler bringing us to the height of frustration, it is critical to remember why we love this team and why we continue to give them our allegiance. Let me tell you why a boy from behind the burnt orange curtain of, Austin, Texas is a true Broncomaniac.

 

When I was five years old, my dad (an ear, nose and throat surgeon under contract with the United States Army), relocated to a small town called Alamosa, Colorado. Alamosa is nestled deep in the Rocky Mountains, at the very bottom/center of the state. It is a town of potato farmers, carpenters, small time musicians, Adams State College faculty and other hard working men and women who create the lifeblood of a community of 15,000.

 

First of all, take a look at the picture I’ve provided. You’ll notice there’s no argument that this team dominates the Rocky Mountain Region. In fact, the closest NFL team is over 600 miles away. This is why the Broncos claim a strong fan base in Wyoming, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, Nevada and Oklahoma. Needless to say, the entire state of Colorado’s football identity is defined by the blue and orange.

 

When I was seven years old, hardly capable of understanding the greatness of the team I would grow to love, my dad threw a party for Super Bowl XXII against the Redskins. Wrapped up in the excitement, my sister and I painted our faces orange and blue in preparation for the game. We got destroyed. My parents’ friends left early with their heads hanging low. Two years later, the same thing happened, only this time the 49ers were the culprit. Being so young, I felt little disappointment, but developed a pride for the team that would take hold of me much later on.

 

When we played the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, we achieved the upset we’d been waiting for and achieved a goal we’d been searching for all those years. I drove my Ford Explorer downtown and , cruised up and down a packed main street honking my horn and cheering for two hours. It was the greatest solidarity I had seen in that little town. When it happened again a year later, I was so entrenched in my teenage rebellion that I was all but focused on our reign at the top. My eighteen-year-old mind was ready to leave Alamosa, Colorado, my parents, my local high school authority figures and all the things I didn’t know I would miss so much.

 

Four-and-a-half years at Arizona State was awesome. I got my first taste of live football and keg parties that didn’t end with underage kids jumping out of windows and fleeing from the cops through chico bushes. For awhile, I forgot about Mike Shanahan as he struggled to keep a once-great team afloat.

 

When I graduated and started working full time, I fell into the routine of most football fans. On Saturday I continued to root for the Devils and on Sundays I began reconnecting with the team I had forgotten about a few years before. I also realized that we were struggling more than a little bit. What really got me hyped was when Jake the Snake Plummer became our leading man and turned more than a few Arizona folks into fellow Broncos fans. You have to realize, this was a few years before the Cardinals were even respectable.

 

Luckily, some of my high school friends had also made Tempe, Arizona home and my friend Kyle Barron hosted two back-to-back playoff parties. I watched our matchup with the Patriots with great anticipation. I was amongst a host of Broncos fans from all over the country and I realized there was something special about this team; about this vibe they created. Unfortunately, we lost that second game to the Steelers. It was also the symbolic end of the Snake.

 

Since then, I have moved to Austin, Texas and grown more and more annoyed with the fanaticism of Longhorn fans. Mack Brown and his team deserve a lot of respect, but it makes you realize who your team is. Although most of my family are alumni, jumping on the UT bandwagon just doesn’t do it for me. For the last few years, the Denver Broncos have been the connection to my childhood, to Colorado and to a team spirit that, thankfully, I have rediscovered.

 

Yes, last year I had high hopes and thought Shanahan would soon put the pieces together on defense. I thought Cutler would be our next Elway. I thought Marshall would be our next Rod Smith or better. Most importantly, I maintained optimism. I was reaching the pinnacle of my Broncos fandom.

 

Over the 2009 offseason, I have been floored by the changes we have undergone. I have come to understand that a new coach was a good thing, and yes, I will give McDaniels the benefit of the doubt. I was steaming mad after the Cutler trade. I realize though, especially amidst the boos of his latest visit to Mile High, that he wanted out of Denver the second he realized he wouldn’t be coddled by a coach that revolved the team around the quarterback. In the McDaniels/Cutler blame game, an old geezer named Bus Cook has largely escaped his due criticism. Keep that in mind.

 

We’re still dealing with a superstar wide receiver that, while he is one of the keys to our team, remains a glaring distraction. We still don’t know if Knowshon will produce or be a Know-Show. However, we’ve got players that bring me back to my childhood. Players like Peyton Hillis and Eddie Royal. Players who realize they play for a team that will give back to them what they contribute. Players who realize they now play for a coach who is as great, if not more, of a mastermind of NFL offense than his successor. These are players who are proud and will not whine.

 

I want to thank Sayre Bedinger, Chaz Mattson and the rest of you for doing a great job of sharing your gifts of writing and football knowledge to the readers on this site. Most of all, I’d like to thank each and every one of you who write and read these articles because they love this team. I am thankful to the fans who look forward to every Mile High Salute and proudly send it back. I am proud to say I am at a new pinnacle of hope for this season and the future.

 

Go Broncos!!!

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