THIS WEEKS PICKS

21 CHARGERS @ BILLS 27

17 VIKINGS @ BEARS 21

24 STEELERS @ BENGALS 13

24 TITANS @ CHIEFS 10

27 COWBOYS @ RAMS 17

14 RAVENS @ DOLPHINS 17

24 49ERS @ GIANTS 28

31 SAINTS @ PANTHERS 24

21 LIONS @ TEXANS 28

27 JETS @ RAIDERS 20

34 COLTS @ PACKERS 31

20 BROWNS @ REDSKINS 27

14 SEAHAWKS @ BUCCANEERS 24

34 BRONCOS @ PATRIOTS 17

A tale of two cities

"President, call in the National Guard! Send as many men as you can spare! Because we are killing the Patriots! They need emergency help!"

Those words have rarely been used by teams playing the New England Patriots over the past seven or eight seasons; however in 2008 they are becoming quite common.

The Denver Broncos travel to Foxboro this week to take on the Patriots, both teams struggling to find their identity this season. The Patriots coming off possibly the best regular season in history, only to run into the battering ram New York Giants in the Super Bowl, have been devastated by injuries, old age, and inconsistency. The Patriots lost their leader Tom Brady in the first quarter of the first game this season, Lawrence Maroney their leading rusher from last year is battling a shoulder injury, Matt Cassel is playing with no confidence and their defense looks old and slow. The Broncos coming off a 7-9 regular season, missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season started out looking like the 2007 Patriots, however mistakes and inconsistency have people wondering how good they really are.

The Denver Broncos (4-2) and the New England Patriots (3-2) were two of the original AFL franchises started in 1960. The two teams have combined to play in ten super bowls the Broncos are 2-3 and the Patriots are 3-2. Denver and New England have played 39 times with the Broncos leading the series 24-15. The first game ever played by the Denver Broncos was against the Patriots in 1960, Denver won 13-10. Since 2000 New England has been the class of the NFL going 94-39, playing in four super bowls winning three, conversely during the same span Denver has gone 81-53 yet to get to the big game. New England however has struggled against Denver going 2-5, none of those five loses were bigger than the 2005 divisional playoff game, where Denver handed the Patriots there first playoff loss since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady came into power.

One matchup to look at are the two Quarterbacks Matt Cassel vs. Jay Cutler.













Matt Casell has compled 92-142 for 910 yards 3 td's and 4 int's he also has been sacked 19 times. Jay Cutler is 146-228 1694 yards 12 td's 5 int's, only being sacked twice. Advantage Cutler.

The Broncos look to have the edge is this game.
Predection: Denver 34 New England 17

Here we go again! The sun has set on Week 6, yet another week of incredible comebacks, big upsets, and of course controversy. As the final seconds ticked away in Denver’s loss to Jacksonville there was a sour taste in the collective mouths of Bronco fans. The offense was not up to par with three turnovers, the defense gave up miles of yardage and some of the coaching decisions were shall we say, not great. However, those are forgivable and can be overcome during the course of a game. The taste that will not go away is that of Referees deciding the potential outcome of an NFL game with horrendous officiating (again).

The Broncos coming off two weeks of offensive mediocrity started out with a bang. The drive started on their twenty yard line, ten plays and eighty yards later it was 7-0 Denver. The drive was crisp, clean and flawless; finally the offense is back in synch. The first time out on defense it looked as though they had carried the momentum from the Tampa game over to this week, forcing a Jacksonville fumble, and the rout appeared to be on.

Staring at a blow out win and demoralizing a team that has given the Broncos fits over the past few seasons, the Broncos offense came back out with swagger and confidence. As Cutler was scrambling left looking for an open receiver the worst thing that could happen, happened , the collective wave of warm air that swept across the brisk afternoon in Denver was 70,000 excited fans exhaling here we go again.

The Broncos were able to hold Jacksonville to a field goal, however there was a sense that this game was going to take a terrible turn for Denver. The first half was a back and forth battle between the two teams, Denver had a chance once again to take control of the game, however as Michael Pitman dashed down the sideline to give Denver a first and goal, the official tagged Ryan Clady with a phantom holding penalty, taking away all the momentum that was gained. The third time The Broncos could take control Brandon Marshall fumbled on the ten yard line. There are only so many things that team can overcome, even with all the calls and momentum on Jacksonville’s side, Denver was only behind 10-7 at halftime.

The Jaguars took a 17-7 lead early in the third quarter when Maurice Jones-Drew galloped through the Bronco defense for a 46 yard touchdown run. Denver however answered with a 39 yard field goal by Matt Prater, to cut the deficit to 17-10. The next Jaguar possession is when the officials decided that Jacksonville should win the game. Following a Jones-Drew run that Champ Bailey stuffed out for a loss, Jacksonville faced a third and seventeen, the Broncos had regained the momentum all they had to do is stop the Jags and would have good starting field position for the drive to tie the game. David Garrard took the snap, was flushed out of the pocked and ducked out of bounds with only a gain of only four yards. Once again there was a yellow hanky on the field, illegal contact on Dre Bly, for anyone that saw the game, that was completely absurd, The Jaguar receiver shoved Bly to the ground yet Dre was penalized. Jacksonville ended up scoring on a pass from Garrard to push the lead to 24-10. Late in the fourth Quarter with Jacksonville facing a second and eight, the officials strike again. Marlon Mcree was called for pass interference on a play where it appeared the official had pre determined he was going to throw the flag long before the play was completed. Final score Jacksonville 14 Denver 17 officials 10.

On a day that started out so promising for the Denver Broncos, the only thing that fans can take comfort in was that the Broncos despite playing Jacksonville and the officials still had a chance to win. Something has to change; in an era where technology dominates it’s ridiculous that bad human judgments can change the outcome of a Game. Perhaps that was poetic justice for a certain officials blunder earlier in the year.

Broncos VS. Raiders (good vs. evil)

Late march 1987, My Dad had joined the air force, we were struggling for money, he wanted to do something important with his life, so joining the military was what he thought would be the turning point him and for our family. I was born in Mississippi, raised in Louisiana, as a 9 year old kid; I was told we were moving to Colorado. Where the hell is Colorado I thought, my mom told me I would love it, I would see snow for the first time, and now we are going to be Denver Bronco fans. At that time I was more interested in transformers and G.I Joes, My grandpa, a lifelong Steelers fan told me that I would love John Elway; he may be the best quarterback in football. I did not care all I wanted in the world was not to go to hell aka Colorado. This brings us back to march 1987, it was our first night there, the day we arrived it was around 60 degrees or so, I woke up the next morning there it was, she did not lie, SNOW!! If she did not lie about that maybe this whole Denver bronco thing was legit as well. I watched my very first Bronco game, John Elway was slinging the ball around, Sammy winder was running wild, Mark Jackson could run as fast as superman, I don’t even remember who won that game, but those bright orange jerseys, the baby blue helmet’s, a life long fan was born, and with that a true hatred for the raiders.

There are a few things growing up in Colorado that you must learn at an early age. Don’t eat the yellow snow. Pikes Peak IS the tallest mountain in the world no matter what anyone tells you. Never put away your winter coat even in July, keep out your shorts and tank tops, even in January. John Elway is the greatest football player ever! Finally there are 2 weeks every fall, DO NOT wear silver and black to school, or you will get beat up. The raiders are pure evil, dark uniforms, dirty players, and crazy fans. Satan himself would not even dare to step foot in the black hole. The rivalry is perfect, you have the clean cut, classy, professional Denver broncos, against the kick you while you are down, spit in your face, cheap shot raiders. When the raiders come to mile high they will get bombarded with snow balls, when the broncos go to Oakland, look out for pitch forks and sling blades. The rivalry is one of the oldest and most intense in sports, equal to Cowboys vs. Redskins, and Yankees vs. Red Sox. This Sunday in Oakland the broncos look to continue their recent dominance of the raiders, but this game is maybe one of the most important chapters in the history of the match up. The broncos are one game back of the chargers in the AFC west, and must win to keep up, one guarantee though, Al Davis would rather die than lose to Denver, and he would love play the role of spoiler. If the raiders only won two games all year, but both of them were against the broncos, Al Davis would probably be showering himself with bubbly. Mike Shanahan and Pat Bowlen don’t exactly have warm fuzzy feelings about the raiders either. It should be an exciting game, remember week 2 if it were not for a well planned time out, and not so clutch Sebastian Janakowsky Denver would have lost. Broncos take the rematch 31-17.

*INSIDE THE NUMBERS*

- The Broncos are averaging 354 yards a game 7th in the NFl
- The Raiders are giving up 337 yards a game 20th in the NFL
- The Broncos Defense is giving up 350 yards a game 25th in the NFl
- The Raiders Offense is averaging 302 yards a game 22nd in the NFL
- Denver is scoring 21 points a game however they are giving up 26 points a game
- Oakland is scoring 18 points a game while giving up 21.
- Denver is -1 in turnover ratio , Oakland is -8


NEWS & NOTES

*Travis Henry and Selvin Young both have practiced this week and are expected to play

*Dante Culpeper will get the start, however don’t be surprised to see first round pick Jemarcus Russell, Lane Kiffin wants to have Russell start his career at home.

*Javon Walker has not had any setbacks this week with his injured knee and is expected to start.

*Jay Cutler will be starting his 17th career game; He is 7-9 in his first 16.

*Travis Henry will have to average 84 yards a game over the final 5 weeks to become Denver’s 7th running back since 1996 to rush for 1000 yards in a season.

Broncos play Bears ( and officials)

The Denver Broncos played the Chicago Bears at soldier field Sunday afternoon; sadly they had to play the NLF official’s as well. The outcome was Denver 34 Chicago 23, Referees 14. This was a game that Denver had to have to keep pace with the Chargers who defeated Baltimore Sunday. They did their part; unfortunately they lost thanks to some (questionable) officiating; now the Broncos are a game back in the AFC west and may be out of the playoff picture.

The Broncos came into the game with a ton of confidence after winning two straight games, and playing great football. Dominance is the only word to describe the Broncos performance for 53 minutes Sunday. They out gained the Bears in every statistical category.
* Total Yards: Broncos 430 Bears 293
* 1st downs : Broncos 22 Bears 18
* Time of possession: Broncos 33:54 Bears 29:47
* Turnovers: Broncos 3 Bears 4
* Penalties: Broncos 5-28 Bears 5-50

However the penalty statistics hardly justify the horrible one sided officiating that was showcased in the game. The Broncos were called for five fouls, defensive holding, illegal formation on a punt and illegal contact on Dre Bly were the most significant. The holding came in overtime which gave the Bears a first down and led to Robbie Gould’s winning field goal. The formation penalty was called after Todd Sauerbrun pinned the Bears at their own ten yard line, instead the punt was blocked. Dre Bly gave Muhsin Muhammad a little tap on the shoulder to feel where he was going, Bly was flagged for illegal contact giving the bears a first down on fourth and long, Muhammad dropped the pass which would have turned the ball over on downs giving Denver a win. Now that we have gone over the penalties let’s take a closer look at the other officiating blunders though out the game. Tony Sheffler made a leaping catch with Adam Archuleta draped all over him, no pass interference was called, when asked why there was no penalty the official responded by saying “Archuleta did not grab his jersey long enough”. Hamza Abdullah forced a fumble on Rex Grossman, recovered and ran 90 yards for a game clinching touchdown, STOP, the call on the field was no fumble, and even though it was reversed the damage was done. The very next play Brandon Stokley made a diving catch for a first down, ruled incomplete, upon further review still incomplete, tell me Mr. Official what is the rule for a completed pass? Aren’t two hands under the ball without it touching the ground considered a completion in the NFL? Guess not. The loss can’t be entirely blamed on the officials, Devin Hester returned two kicks for touchdowns, the defense collapsed late in the fourth quarter and the offense settled for field goals in the red zone instead of touchdowns, however if the officials had done their job effectively the score may have been more like Denver 41 Chicago 20.

The outcome of the game was not what any Bronco fan wanted; however there were some positives that came from this loss. The offense played very well, the defense (for three and a half quarters) flew around and made plays. Jay Cutler had a very good game, he bounced back from early adversity to throw for 300 yards and two touchdowns, Andre Hall ran for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown, Javon Walker, even though he did not have a reception, played and looked healthy, and the Brandon’s, as I like to call them, continued playing well. The Broncos 5-6 still control their own destiny. They play at Oakland, Kansas City at home and at Houston before the Christmas Eve match up against the Chargers. If they can win out they will have a great shot at making the playoffs, where, as Rockies fans know, anything can happen. The question is can this team overcome a major disappointment like this, bounce back and take care of business? Stay tuned it’s going to be fun!

(The Brandon's)

The Miami Dolphins had the mark’s brothers, the redskins had the posse, then there were the triplets of Dallas, and of course in St. Louis the greatest show on turf. Here in Denver we already had a receiving core with a cute nickname, the three amigos. There is now a new dynamic duo in the mile high city (The Brandon’s).


Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokley are quickly becoming quite the pair in Denver. They are by far batman and robin for the Broncos, there were serious concerns in Denver when Rod Smith and Javon Walker were lost to injury, after all Brandon Marshall is a second year player and Stokley is coming off a major injury himself. Through ten games this season the tandem of Marshall and Stokley have combined for 86 catches 1212 yards and 7 touchdowns, compare that to last years top two receivers through ten games , Javon Walker and Rod Smith combined for 79 catches 1142 yards and 8 touchdowns. By no means am I implying that Marshall and Stokley are better than Walker and Smith, but looking at the numbers the Brandon’s are certainly a formidable duo.

The Brandon’s road to success was not paved by a yellow brick road. Both men came from small college programs Central Florida and Louisiana-Lafayette, Marshall and Stokley were drafted in the fourth round of the NFL draft Marshall in 2006, Stokley in 1999. Marshall was taken 119th overall, some of the receivers taken before him were, Santonio Holmes, Chad Jackson, Sinorice Moss, Greg Jennings, and Travis Williams. Stokley was the 106th overall pick, there were eleven wide receivers taken before him, such players as Troy Edwards, David Boston, Dwayne Bates, Karsten Bailey and Craig Yeast to name a few. Marshall and Stokley have clearly separated themselves as “steals” of the draft, Marshall was to slow, not quick enough not enough wiggle in his hips to be a big time pro receiver, but there was another wide receiver drafted from a small school with the same wrap. Terrell Owens paved the way for players such as Marshall and Marques Colston of the Saints that no matter what the “experts” say they can become premier players in the NFL. Brandon Stokley has become the model slot receiver. Teams are now drafting and coveting players like Stokley for what he can do in the slot, he is to the slot position as T.O is to the big receiver; just ask Wes Welker and Anthony Gonzalez.

The NFL has long been a league for the “underdog”, guys like Tom Brady and Terrell Davis, men that defy the odds, become hero’s, traveled the dirt road to stardom. These people inspire us to do more than we though we ever could, give it that little extra that we didn’t even know existed. The Brandon’s epitomize that beat the odds attitude that we all strive to have, they make us look at our own lives and circumstances, and think to ourselves if they can do it so can I. The future of the Denver Bronco’s is in very good hands, these two “over achievers” are helping usher in a new chapter in Bronco history, a humble chapter, a chapter that I can honestly say I am proud to be a fan.

Remember the (Oilers) ?

The Denver Broncos host the Tennesee Titans this sunday at Invesco. This game will feature two up and coming star quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Vince Young. The game is pivotal for both teams, the Broncos are a game behind the Chargers in the west and the Titans are looking up at the Colts and the Jags in the south. There are many sub-plots in this game; Lindale White coming home to Denver, Travis Henry vs his old team, the Titans run game vs the Broncos run defense. However the most compelling is Jay Cutler vs Vince Young, forever linked together in the same draft class. Thinking about this fantastic match up of Quarterbacks it made me think about another great match up of star quarterbacks in their respective primes. John Elway vs Warren Moon in the 1991 divisional playoff game known as "The drive 2"

The Oilers jumped to a 14-0 lead with quarterback Warren Moon's two touchdown passes to wide receivers Haywood Jeffries and Drew Hill for 15 and 9 yards, respectively. Elway then completed a 10-yard touchdown to Johnson, but kicker David Treadwell missed the extra point. Moon responded by throwing a 6-yard touchdown to wide receiver Curtis Duncan to give Houston a 21-6 lead, but Denver running back Greg Lewis scored a 1-yard touchdown before halftime. In the second half, the Oilers were limited to only a 25-yard field goal by kicker Al Del Greco, which gave Houston a 24-16 lead in the fourth quarter. The Broncos then marched 80 yards to score on Lewis' 1-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 24-23. Trailing 24-23 with 2:07 left in the game, quarterback John Elway led the Broncos from their own 2-yard line to the winning 28-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining. On the drive, he converted on two fourth downs. On fourth down and 6 from the Denver 28, he rushed for 7 yards. Then on fourth down and 10, he completed a 44-yard pass to wide receiver Vance Johnson. This game was another notch in the legend belt of Mr. Elway.

Lets take a close look into the statical match up Cutler Vs Young. Jay Cutler through 8 games is 161-248 65% completion 1889 yards 9 td 9 int. Vince Young 117-192 60% completion 1100 yards 4 td 10 int . Jay Cutler's Stats are dominating those of Young's however Vince is 6-3 this year to Cutler's 4-5 record. These team match up very well with each other, the glaring advantage though has to go to the Titans outstanding run game up against the 31st ranked run defense.

This game has the potential to start a very exciting rivalry between these two clubs. If Denver can slow down the Titan running game and keep Vince Young in the pocket, the Broncos have a great shot at a win. It is vital for the Broncos to score in the red zone and establish a running game themselves of this may be another game similar to the when they lost to the Chargers. All in all I think the Broncos have the better team and a lot to prove to the home crowd. Broncos 27-Titans 17