SB Nation - Ryan McBean

Previewing the Enemy: Denver Broncos

Rated-R Superstar — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:37:54 -0000

Earlier this season, Denver won a topsy-turvy 23-3 game in Oakland. [via www4.pictures.zimbio.com]

Unfortunately for us loyal fans of the silver and black, the season isn't over quite yet. With Bruce Gradkowski out, our already slim chances just became even slimmer. Coming off of a blowout loss at the hands of the Washington Redskins, we next face our hated rival in the Denver Broncos. Denver's real season hasn't even yet started. Sitting at 8-5 and atop the AFC Wild Card, the Broncos in great position to grab a playoff spot. I'll admit that I did in no way see this coming from this Denver squad. They've definitely proven a lot of people wrong as they continue their final push into the playoffs. A familiar opponent to us, let's see what we're up against this Sunday.

Let's take a look at their schedule and see how they've fared so far.

Week 1: @ Cincinnati Bengals -- W, 12-7
Week 2: Cleveland Browns -- W, 27-6
Week 3: @ Oakland Raiders -- W, 23-3
Week 4: Dallas Cowboys -- W, 17-10
Week 5: New England Patriots -- W, 20-17 (F/OT)
Week 6: @ San Diego Chargers -- W, 34-23
Week 7: Bye Week
Week 8: @ Baltimore Ravens -- L, 7-30
Week 9: Pittsburgh Steelers -- L, 10-28
Week 10: @ Washington Redskins -- L, 17-27
Week 11: San Diego Chargers -- L, 3-32
Week 12: New York Giants -- W, 26-6
Week 13: @ Kansas City Chiefs -- W, 44-13
Week 14: @ Indianapolis Colts -- L, 16-28

Wow, the Broncos have really cooled off after a great 6-0 start. Just 2-5 in their last seven games, the Broncos still have good wins against teams like the Cowboys, Patriots, Chargers and Giants. They're no slouch.

Let's take a look at the Bronco offense first.

Pass Offense Rank: 225.2 yards/game; 19th in NFL
Rush Offense Rank: 123.2 yards/game; 12th in NFL
Total Offense Rank: 336.4 yards/game; 19th in NFL
Scoring Offense Rank: 19.7 points/game; 20th in NFL

I bet this guy feels like an idiot now. [via stfusports.files.wordpress.com]

Head coach Josh McDaniels is pretty close to being an offensive genius. A disciple of Bill Belichick's, the 33-year-old McDaniels really knows how to run a team at least offensively. There was controversey before the season started, especially revolving around star wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Still, he's around and there aren't any qualms circling around him. In the offseason, the team waved goodbye to Jay Cutler. It may have been the best thing they've done after all.

Kyle Orton, QB: No, he doesn't have the big arm that Jay Cutler does. No, it's not a problem at all. Coming over from the Chicago Bears in an offseason trade that sent Cutler packing to Chicago, Orton has flourished in Josh McDaniels' system. Orton is completing a career-high 63 percent of his passes and will break a career-high in touchdowns and yards before the season concludes. He's a smart quarterback. He doesn't make mistakes. He can make the play, too. What more do you want?

Knowshon Moreno, HB: A rookie from Georgia, Knowshon Moreno didn't immediately step into the starting role. Lately, he has been getting the bulk of the carries. Moreno has carried it an average of 18.2 times over the past five weeks for an average of 82.8 yards. He has also scored three times during that span. Moreno has pretty much taken over the feature back role, although he won't catch many passes out of the backfield.

Correll Buckhalter, HB: Buckhalter was brought over in free agency from the Philadelphia Eagles and has done a pretty good job this season despite not getting the bulk of the carries. Overall, Buckhalter has posted a 5.3 yards per carry average and has been very reliable carrying the football. Like Moreno, though, Buckhalter isn't a threat out of the backfield to catch the ball having no more than three grabs in a single game in two months.

Brandon Marshall caught an NFL record 21 passes last week against the Colts. [via a.espncdn.com]

Brandon Marshall, WR: What more can be said about Marshall that hasn't already been said? At one point, we didn't even think he'd be a Denver Bronco. Now, he's tearing up the league. Amongst AFC pass-catchers, Marshall is tied for the conference lead in touchdowns (9), is third in receptions (86) and is seventh in yards (1,008). He is probably headed to a Pro Bowl. In case you missed it, last week against the Colts, Marshall had an NFL record 21 grabs for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It'll be fun to see him matched up against Nnamdi Asomugha.

Jabar Gaffney, WR: Josh McDaniels brought Gaffney over from New England to play in his system in Denver. Gaffney is averaging about 39 yards per game when he does catch a pass as he was shutout in Week 10 and Week 13 each. Still, Gaffney must be accounted for along with the rest of the weapons that go unmentioned during this preview, such as Brandon Stokley. At any given week, one of those these weapons can step up and hurt you.

Eddie Royal, WR: More dangerous in the return game, Raiders fans know all about this speedy little man from Virginia Tech. Last year on Monday night, Royal had a huge coming out party in the opening game. After a great 2008 campaign, this season has been bit of a disappoint for Royal; however, he still makes an impact. As previously mentioned, Royal is a threat in the return game -- both kicks and punts. Not quite as dangerous as someone like Joshua Cribbs of the Cleveland Browns, just ask the Chargers about Royal's prowess.

Daniel Graham, TE: Yet another former Patriot is calling Denver home. With Tony scheffler's status in doubt this Sunday, Graham becomes even more keyed-in on in the passing game. Graham isn't Orton's favorite target or anything, but last week, Fred Davis hurt us with his two touchdown receptions. With all of the guys Orton has to throw to, limit as many of them as you can. Stopping Graham isn't high on the priorities or anything, but just don't let the people who shouldn't beat you hurt you.

Let's shift gears to the Bronco defense now.

Pass Defense Rank: 183.3 yards/game; 2nd in NFL
Rush Defense Rank: 107.4 yards/game; 14th in NFL
Total Defense Rank: 290.7 yards/game; 3rd in NFL
Scoring Defense Rank: 17.7 points/game; 5th in NFL

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has completely transformed the defense. [via a.espncdn.com]

Man, where do I begin with this defense? Last year, they were outright terrible. Ex-49er head coach Mike Nolan steps in, implements a 3-4 defense with the right personnel and viola. Some no-name defensive linemen Kenny Peterson, Ryan McBean and Ronald Fields have stepped in and played well. At the linebacking core, D.J. Williams and Andra Davis are very solid in the middle. Elvis Dumervil, playing the outside linebacker spot and even defensive end, he has become a sack machine. He leads the entire NFL in sacks with 15. With all of that said, the rushing defense is still just a tad above average despite improvement -- dramatic improvement. The secondary is where the defense shines with the pass defense. The team gets great rush on the quarterback and the defensive backs are very skilled. Veterans Brian Dawkins at safety and Champ Bailey at cornerback lead the defense.

Conclusion: Well, it's quiet simple: Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden and all the rest of you running backs need to be ready to carry the load. With Bruce Gradkowski out and Zach Miller's status in question, it only makes sense to pound the rock. Denver's rush defense is ranked 14th, significantly worse than their pass defense which is only worse than the Jets'. JaMarcus Russell or Charlie Frye -- we're all collectively praying for McDonald's instead of Fasto Burger which can be seen on That '70s Show -- will have a tough time. The young wide receivers are up against a tough secondary and it's just setting up for disaster, really. Again, we're going to have to establish some sort of ground game. Use 'em often and use 'em all with the exception of Gary Russell as he should be used in the flat. I don't know what else to tell you. We could be in for a long day. This could easily turn into a 41-6 rout.

Feel free to leave your predictions or even your own thoughts and ideas about the Denver Broncos and how we can earn a win our fourth win of the season on Sunday.

*-All stats are through Tuesday, December 15, 2009. (Happy 44th, mom!)

Poll

Do you feel more confident in a win, less confident in a win or about the same in a win after reading this preview?

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Reed Hoffmann - AP

11 days ago: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle (12) has a pass attempt blocked by Denver Broncos tight end Richard Quinn (81) during a fake punt attempt at the start of the second half of their game, giving the Broncos the ball deep in Chiefs territory in their NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Browse more photos »

Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of ST&NO. After being sick last week, and running an abbreviated version on Wednesday, I am back in full effect this week. I feel kind of like Stringer Bell in season 2 of The Wire, when Avon Barksdale was locked up, and their supplier cut them off. Stringer said he needed to put out a smoker to hold the towers, and I feel like a smoker is similarly needed this week with ST&NO. After all, I can't really do what Stringer actually did, when he couldn't get his raw dope, and change the name. Nobody is going to read a column called Death Grip, you know? (Really, I don't know what kind of drug addict would buy dope called Death Grip, but that's neither here nor there.) Anyway, here comes the high test stuff, with the same name as always. So fill up your coffee, get comfortable, and let's get right to it. Ready.... BEGIN!!!

1. You have to like how the Broncos looked Sunday, even in spite of 3 turnovers by Kyle Orton. They once again beat down a bad team, which is what good teams have to do. They shot a hole in the terribly inane thinking that they couldn't win in Kansas City in December, and they strengthened their hold on the 5th seed in the playoffs. Helping matters, the Steelers and Ravens both lost to fall to 6-6, so their two competitors who beat them head-to-head lost some ground. I fully expect Jacksonville to choke, and I am starting to think that Miami is going to sneak into the 6th spot, actually.

In any case, the Broncos are in a pretty good place right now. Peter King declared them to be toast two weeks ago, done, kaput. On Monday, he called them a psycho team, and ranked them 10th in the Fool 15. I am still feeling good about this Indianapolis game, and I am sure that the Broncos match up pretty well with the Colts. Coverage is the only way to beat them, and the Broncos are back to covering as well as anybody. I fully expect the Broncos to run for 150 yards against the Colts too, if they can keep the score within striking distance.

It's a good Tuesday to be a Broncos fan. Our team is in in the midst of a season which we can only consider to be a success up until this point. They've come together as a team, learned how to win close games against good teams, learned how to blow out bad teams, and figured out their brand new schemes. They've seemingly bought into one of the main Patriots mantras, that Durability is more important than Ability. Everybody is working hard to Do Their Job. This is when it's good to be a fan of a team, and when it's good to be a fan of a team, it's great to be alive.

2. Information From My Eyes - Denver at Kansas City

a. Kyle Orton had a C+ game, but I felt like all three turnovers he committed were a result of him being somewhat greedy. He's supposed to be the guy who checks it down when nothing is there, isn't he? I hope that film provides a good reminder for him to do so.

b. Knowshon Moreno improves every week, and he's really looking decisive lately. You can tell that he has had a big dose of Bobby Turner's foot in his backside this year. For a pick I didn't love when it was made, I have really come to be happy with Knowshon.

c. I was pretty worried during Kansas City's 20 play first quarter drive, because the tackling and gap discipline looked pretty bad. The Broncos sure stiffened by the goal line, though, and they set the tone for the rest of the game's defensive performance.

d. I meant to talk about setting the edge last week, but I forgot to. My brother Chris felt that Matt Millen made too much of the concept during the Broncos-Giants game, but I disagree, because it's all-important to the way the Broncos run the ball, and the way they defend against the run. The Broncos have been fanstastic in their own running game with setting the edge the past two games, led by Daniel Graham. He is getting out and winning his battles outside, and giving the runners a sealed edge to run inside of. Many of Correll Buckhalter's big runs on Sunday came just inside of Graham.

On defense, the idea is the same, but the defender wants to push the edge man back into the inside, and close off the outside lane. Mario Haggan has been doing this as well as any LB in the NFL this season. He has really found his niche as a physical, upfield run player. Ryan McBean makes a lot of plays in this way, as well.

Winning the physical battles at the edge is the key to everything for the Broncos, and they lost those battles during the losing streak. Since they've gotten back to winning, it's been no accident that they're winning at the edge on both sides of the ball.

e. The kick return where Eddie Royal faked a reverse to Brandon Marshall was interesting. I expect to see them actually hand that off one of these weeks.

f. Alphonso Smith needs to knock off the sucker penalties.

g. Spencer Larsen is an appreciably better blocker than Peyton Hillis. He just thumps guys, and it goes well with the work that Graham and Richard Quinn are doing at TE.

h. Tony Scheffler had a huge 3^rd down drop in 2^nd Quarter, and it was exactly the kind of play that has prevented the Broncos from being an elite offense. You have to make plays when they are available to be made. At least Scheffler blasted the return man on the ensuing punt.

i. Tamba Hali is a good fit for the 3-4, as I have been saying since the preseason. He's aggressive, quick, strong, and as a lifelong down DE, he has very good technique. The first sack he got on Ryan Clady was all technique. The Broncos did take advantage of Hali's aggressiveness on both TD passes, though, and also on the 49 yard bubble screen that Brandon Marshall had.

j. I saw where somebody said we should thank Phildelphia for Brian Dawkins and Correll Buckhalter. Miami is due a thank you card for Andre Goodman and Renaldo Hill, as well. If Goodman were just a little better tackler, I'd be even happier, but everybody should have noticed by now that the ball just seems to find its way into his hands.

k. Matt Prater has developed into one of the best kickers in the NFL. It's time we all realize that, and appreciate his work.

l. My biggest problem with Mitch Berger is that he takes too long to get the ball off. He had yet another seeing-eye punt on Sunday, which inexplicably missed a dead-to-rights block. Upgrading the punter position has to be a huge priority in the offseason.

m. It was great to see Peyton Hillis running the ball again, and he reminded the world that he can do some damage with it. Hopefully, the performance will get him some snaps on offense, because he clearly has something to contribute.

n. I really like Darcel McBath as a matchup safety. He is always around the ball when he is on the field, and I think his pick was a triumph of player evaluation. Draftniks considered him a reach, but he was hard to spot on some abysmal Texas Tech defensive units. He clearly has the goods, though; it jumps off the screen at you.

3. Information From My Eyes - Other games

a. I watched most of the San Francisco-Seattle game, and you know that means I will have some Alex Smith thoughts. He played great on Sunday, and did everything the team needed from him to win, short of missing one open receiver on a deep out in the 4^th quarter. It was the first 300 yard passing game of his career, and it should have been a lot more. His teammates dropped at least 9 passes in the game, including 3 TDs, by Delanie Walker, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree.

b. Speaking of Smith, I meant to clear up an uttlerly stupid comment made by the always-brilliant Solomon Wilcots during last week's game. The head cold I was feeling made me forget to mention it, I guess. Wilcots noticed that the 49ers were (smartly) using Smith in the shotgun very frequently, and he said (I'm paraphrasing) that Smith was very comfortable, because he had used the exact same offense throughout college.

That's very interesting, Saruman, except, he didn't. This gets to my constant annoyance about the term "Spread Offense." There is no one monolithic spread offense. There are college teams which do some similar things formationally, with a lot of WRs, and many plays with the QB taking snaps from the shotgun, but the actual plays vary greatly. The 49ers aren't doing anything that is much like the Urban Meyer offense he played in at Utah. There are no option plays, and no shovel passes. The pass routes are actually tending to be much more horizontal and timed than the stuff he did in college.

A bunch of WRs and a shotgun setup does not mean you're playing a "spread offense," and saying that you're playing a "spread offense" doesn't mean the same thing from one place to the next. Smith is most comfortable in his footwork and reads from the shotgun, and he has time to get the ball out before he gets crushed behind the Niners terrible O-line. Smith has been sacked only once in the last 2 games. My only concern is that they've abandoned the run too much, and need to stick to it much more.

c. I remember thinking that Seattle looked pretty good against the Broncos in the preseason, but as I watched the game today, I was thinking that I really don't like the way their team is constructed. They have 3 terribly overpaid guys at WR (Deion Branch, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Nate Burleson), and not much talent at RB or on the offensive line. The only players I really like at all on their defense are Brandon Mebane and Aaron Curry. They have a lot of money invested in Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill at LB, but I think both guys are just solid players (Tatupu is currently hurt, obviously.) I think they ought to go to a 3-4, if they can get a good NT in the offseason. (A few should be available.) The guy they have, Colin Cole, is more of a backup caliber guy. They could stand up Patrick Kerney, and use Curry in a blitzing role, which he is best suited for. Of course, their secondary will still be lousy, unless they address it.

d. Chad Henne looked really good on Sunday. I had the Miami-New England game on the smaller TV, during the Broncos game, and just about every time I looked over, he was making a play for his team. If he keeps it up, he'll be able to easily afford tattoo removal before too long.

e. ST&NO favorite Sean Smith had an interesting game on Sunday. He gave up an 81 yard TD to Sam Aiken on a play where he had perfect bump and run coverage but didn't find the ball in the air, and fell down trying. Later, he got beaten by Aiken on a double move, and Tom Brady overthrew him by about a foot. He got beat on a perfectly covered play, and got lucky on a busted coverage play. Such is the nature of being a CB playing a lot of man-to-man. By the way, Smith continues to look like he'll have a long career as one of the best man coverage players in the NFL.

f. I really liked what the Giants did on defense Sunday against Dallas, and I picked them based upon some moves I heard about during the week. For one thing, they moved a good CB, Aaron Ross, to FS, and benched the abysmal C.C. Brown. For another, they took a big-name guy, Osi Umenyiora, out of the starting lineup, and replaced him with Mathias Kiwanuka. Osi struggles against the run, and the Broncos continually ran at him on Thanksgiving night. The Giants correctly identified their top priority as containing the Dallas running game, and made the move to the stouter Kiwanuka.

The effect was that both guys played really well. Umenyiora was actually used quite a bit in coverage, and he did pretty well. He's really a lean, athletic guy, and he did well in that role. He also recovered a key fumble, and returned it for a bunch of yards. The Giants held the Cowboys to 45 yards rushing on 23 carries, and it's the primary reason they won the game.

g. Don't give too much credence to this "Tony Romo/Wade Phillips can't win in December" stuff. Romo, particularly, played pretty well Sunday, and the loss wasn't on him. It was on a few defensive breakdowns which led to big plays, and the aforementioned lack of an effective running game.

Remember the one about correlation not necessarily reflecting causality? There is a real danger to putting too much stock in facts which Peter King insists on incorrectly referring to as factoids. The December record for the Cowboys the past few years is a case in point. It doesn't necessarily foretell what will happen this year, and even if the Cowboys lose a bunch of games this month, it may have nothing to do with the month. Remember, a football game is an independent event, which is comprised of many individual independent events. What happened in the past is meaningless.

h. Another example of this foolishness with meaningless statistics, while we're at it, was any credence being put into the fact that the Broncos were 1-16 all-time in Kansas City, during the month of December. Where to begin with this?

Well, in the most obvious place, of considering the significance of recency. If no players or coaches (or even owners) remain from the time when a game was played, that game has no meaning. A game in 1972 was played between the Chiefs and the Broncos, but not THESE Chiefs and Broncos. A rational person realizes that that game may as well have been between any two teams.

Another idea I had about this, that I wanted to share, harkens back to my days as a Finance major at THE Cleveland State University. There was a required class, Financial Markets and Institutions, which was really a BS class. It was taught by a really overweight, smelly, tenured professor who breathed really heavily, and the dude didn't ever teach anything, ever.

The class met in a computer lab, and consisted of 4 group analysis projects. We were given a bunch of parameters of a hypothetical economic environment, and we had to choose the 3-year period of the last 30 years, which was most predictive of the behavior of whatever financial instrument we were analyzing. We then used data from that 3 year period to analyze and project the performance of that instrument, and built a 6 slide PowerPoint discussing quantitative and qualitative reasons for our analysis. That was a 4 credit class.

Anyway, I was thinking that a reasonable thing to do might be to look into whether there was ever a time in semi-recent history where the two teams profiled like these two do, AND they played a game at Arrowhead in December. I didn't find any instances where the Broncos were a playoff caliber team, the Chiefs were a complete doormat, and the schedule played out this way. You could say I was not surprised at all by Sunday's result.

i. Chris Johnson is very dangerous, but I am not one of these people who is jumping up to call him the best RB in the NFL. For one thing, I think he makes the Titans a finesse running team. They do a ton of zone blocking for him, and he runs to the edges all the time, but without the kind of one-cut decisiveness that Broncos runners have always been coached into employing. Really, Johnson is a bit over-patient, in my opinion, and it's his exceptional burst and speed that let him mostly get away with it. I also continue to have my doubts about Johnson's ability to handle the heavy workload he gets, over a number of years. The Titans would be smart to get a legitimate second guy to take one third of the carries, because they apparently don't think LenDale White is that guy.

j. The Titans blew one on Sunday, and the way they did makes me feel even better about the Broncos' prospects for winning in Indianapolis next week. At halftime, the Titans had 2 more yards, and 6 more minutes of time of possession than the Colts, and Indianapolis led 24-10. The Titans also had 2 turnovers. Nate Washington dropped a perfect deep ball. There were plays available to be made, and the Titans failed to make them.

k. I watched the Steelers debacle against the Raiders, and all I can pin their problems on is missing Troy Polamalu. I think their defensive play-calling is less aggressive without Polamalu, and they're letting QBs have more time to throw the ball than the Steelers are known for doing. Bruce Gradkowski had some real good chances to get the ball downfield at times. It just gets back to the concept of a defense needing all its parts to be effective.

l. This stuff about Gradkowski being the answer for the Raiders is silly. He's a solid backup, and a try-hard guy, but he's not a starter for a winning football team. He lacks accuracy and arm strength, isn't particularly mobile, and just looks kind of underwhelming when you watch him.

m. Everybody knows I am generally not the biggest D.J. Williams lover, and I am going to reveal a closely held secret today, since I wanted to make this a smoker. My main problem with D.J. always has been that he isn't Steven Jackson. Back in 2004, I was fired up for the Broncos to draft Jackson, and a lot of Mel Kipers thought they would. They had just traded Clinton Portis, and I wanted a new RB.

When the Broncos took D.J., I was mad, my brother Chris will tell you. No matter what he ever does, I may not get over it. Anyway, I believe that Jackson is having the best season of any RB in the NFL this season, if you consider his circumstances. He has no QB, no line, not much at WR, and he continues to produce at a very high level. He's still only 26 years old, and he continues to be a great player.

n. Cedric Benson was back to his workhorse ways this week, and Larry Johnson was back to sitting on the bench. I continue to be impressed with the run blocking of Bengals LT Andrew Whitworth. He was a star at LSU, and was believed to be more of a guard, which is why he went in the second round. He has been blowing guys off the ball, though, as a LT. He's been similar to Jake Long, but better this season.

o. Matthew Stafford is clearly a tremendously tough kid, because he's been getting killed every week for the Lions, and he keeps coming back. He has a ways to go from a decision-making perspective, but he has to have the respect of his teammates, and you can't minimize the importance of that to a QB.

p. A lot has been made of the Michael Vick sighting in Atlanta, but the truth of the story is that he played a lot of garbage snaps in a blowout. The best thing you can say about him is that he showed he still has good run skills, and decent throwing skills. He completed both of his throws, but the long ball was kind of a duck thrown into a crowd, where Reggie Brown made a play on the ball. I do think he's going to get a look in a place like Carolina, which has no prospect of drafting a QB early.

q. Some pundit in the ESPN-o-sphere was recently trying to hypopulate that the Falcons were better off with Chris Redman at QB than Matt Ryan. As much of a non-fan of Ryan as I am, that's stupid. There's a good reason Redman was out of the league for more than 3 years, and that it took nepotism from his college coach, Bobby Petrino, to bring him back. He's been solid in some of his appearances, but there's no team in the NFL right now, for whom he is an upgrade over their starter.

r. If you remember back to the 2008 Draft, no WR was selected in the first round, and the first one chosen was Donnie Avery by the Rams. All the draftniks called Devin Thomas the best prospect, and had him going in the first round, and he eventually went one pick after Avery, 34^th.

He's playing fantastic football lately, and his rise really kind of started in the Denver game. Thomas is showing the qualities of a number 1 WR, and whoever his coach is next year, he is really going to benefit from it. Having a big, physical outside player like Thomas opens up the field for a guy like Santana Moss. Washington's recent offensive improvement has a lot to do with the light bulb going on for Thomas.

s. Percy Harvin didn't actually play RB at the University of Florida, and as a UF alum, Cris Collinsworth should know that. Collinsworth was trying to say that Harvin never ran any routes in college, and that couldn't be further from the truth. He didn't exactly run a full tree, but he ran many crossing routes, slants, and go routes. He has incredible run skills for an outside player, but he's a natural WR, make no mistake about it.

t. I hadn't gotten a look at Kurt Warner's wife in awhile, and she seems to have really upgraded her hair-sylist over the years. Back when Kurt won a Super Bowl, she looked like the kind of mom I would see wearing mom jeans, dragging around a bunch of kids at Wal-Mart, if I shopped at Wal-Mart. It's okay to wear mom jeans and shop at Wal-Mart, lest I offend anybody who does, but it's different for the MVP's wife.

u. Do these Gap ads with dancing beautiful people doing cheerleader cadences and wearing plaid make anybody want to go buy plaid clothing? I am interested in marketing and advertising, so if you're a ST&NO reader who finds those ads effective, I'd appreciate you saying so in the comments. My hypothesis is that they don't work well for anybody who reads this column.

v. My other holiday season advertising analysis is as follows: I think the Best Buy caroling store clerks suck, but at least people who watch football tend to buy stuff at Best Buy. I bet they're trying to snag a wife or two with those ads. The Open Hearts collection at Kay Jewelers is of very little interest to the average male football fan, who tends not to care about Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman's mommy's trite advice. Kay ought to stick to their ads which say, "Your wife will give you some incremental action for a couple weeks, if you buy her a diamond. The bigger th diamond, the more action." It communicates the needed psychological message to men better. I do like the Go Forth Levi's ads, and I think they're very effective, vis-à-vis the football watching audience whom they're aired for.

w. The Cardinals are for real, again, and the main reason they are is that they have legitimate stars at every level of their defense. Darnell Dockett has been a star, and Calais Campbell is turning into one at DE. Karlos Dansby is terrific at LB, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Adrian Wilson are both big-time players too. The underrated guy who I like is Antrel Rolle. He was kind of a bust as a first round CB, but he's terrific as a matchup safety. He's very smart, and can match up man-to-man with inside WRs or TEs. He also has excellent ball skills. The Cardinals could beat any team in the NFL on a day where both their offense and defense are clicking, because their personnel is definitely good enough on both sides of the ball.

x. Watching the Packers version of the 3-4 Monday night, I was struck by the difference between what they're doing, and what the Broncos do. Denver's scheme is much more similar to what the Cardinals, Ravens, and Jets are doing, where the pass rush is fairly conservative, and setting the edge and keeping contain responsibilities is often the main concern. If you watch what the outside rushers do for the Broncos a lot of times, they're not coming full-steam at the QB. Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, and Darrell Reid are often asked to do more wrestling with O-Linemen than they are asked to run around people.

The Packers play more like the Steelers, where they're speed rushing off the edge. The point I am getting to is that Clay Matthews is a great fit for what the Packers are asking him to do, where Ayers is more of a fit for the Broncos scheme, despite his lack of sacks. Ayers has just missed a lot of sacks, and with better technique, he'll get there. He's doing a lot more than running around people, though.

y. Jermichael Finley is enormously talented, and is really starting to come into his own for the Packers. You can see that Aaron Rodgers is really developing a lot of trust in him.

z. The Packers are really protecting Rodgers a lot better than they were in the early part of the season. I've been very critical of Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher both over the past two years, but they've been an upgrade over the bums they replaced. Tauscher even caught his first NFL pass on Monday night, off a deflection.

aa. Rodgers is really starting to remind me of Rich Gannon in his Raiders years. He's so calm, and he goes to the right place with the ball all the time, with accuracy. He's playing as well as any QB in the NFL this season if you consider what he is doing independently.

ab. Lardarius Webb is so dangerous returning kickoffs. The Ravens, again, found a gem in the Draft

ac. Everybody knows I am a Joe Flacco fan, but he needs to remember never to throw the ball late down the middle. The officials tried to give the Ravens the game with all those late pass interference penalties and Flacco blew the game with his late interceptions.

4. Most regulars know that I am a Florida Gators fan, so I was pretty disappointed in the result of the SEC Championship game. Alabama deserved to win, because they made every play that was available for them to make. Florida made plays with very few of their opportunities, and that's what happens.

Anyway, nobody can deny that that game was a bonanza of future NFL players. I wanted to share some thoughts on about 10 guys who I think could go in the first 2 rounds in April, from the two schools.

a. Carlos Dunlap DE Florida Top 5

Mel Kiper downgraded Dunlap to 14^th on his Big Board after his DUI, but that's not going to mean anything when he compares favorably to Mario Williams in testing and measurements. His college film is better too, and he can play in any type of front. He and Ndamukong Suh will be the first two defensive players drafted.

b. Joe Haden CB Florida Top 10

Haden is by far the best CB in the nation. His play was a lonely bright spot for Florida, as he shut down the extremely talented Julio Jones. Haden is fast, fluid, smart, strong, and he has excellent ball skills. He compares as a prospect to Darrelle Revis.

c. Terrence Cody NT Alabama Top 20

He's not fat anymore, and he's covering a lot more space laterally than he did a year ago. His athleticism really flashes for such a huge man, and his strength is terrific. He punked Florida into not even trying to run their dive series. I'm a big fan of this guy.

d. Brandon Spikes ILB Florida Top 20

Spikes is not an elite athlete, but he's an elite player. He's downhill all the time in the running game, and he strikes guys as hard as any college player you'll ever see. He's also as naturally gifted and instinctive in pass coverage as Ray Lewis, and he's a similar type of emotional leader. What intrigues me most at the NFL level with Spikes is his natural pass-rushing skills. He really can get after a QB. He'll only run a 4.65 or 4.7, but he'll be an every down player, and make a bunch of Pro Bowls, trust me.

e. Rolando McClain ILB Alabama Top 20

McClain is big, fast, and smart. He's a bit less of a playmaker than Spikes, and more of a cerebral guy than an emotional one. He'll be a very good 3-4 ILB for many years in the NFL.

f. Tim Tebow QB Florida Top 25

Scouts don't like him that much, but coaches love him. Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy, and Bill Belichick are all on record as thinking he'll be a big-time QB in the NFL. I am pretty sure the Jaguars are going to take him in the first round if he's on the board. Even Florida Governor Charlie Crist (an FSU guy, actually) was in the media Monday calling for it to happen. There is no doubt in my mind that he can play at the NFL level, despite his divergence from norms. He's the second coming of Donovan McNabb to me.

g. Aaron Hernandez TE Florida First Round

Hernandez is a junior, and he's not a huge or great in-line blocker. He's a tremendously gifted receiver though, as good as any who has been draft-eligible in many years. He is extremely dangerous after the catch, which is rare for a guy his size (6-2, 250.)

h. Javier Arenas CB Alabama Second Round

I really like Arenas as a CB, but I love him as a return man. I think he projects as a solid #2 CB, and a Pro Bowl caliber special teams player. His short, stout build works against him as a CB, but for him as a ball carrier.

i. Riley Cooper WR Florida Second Round

Who? He's the tall white guy who has been wearing #11 the past two years. (He wore #86 the first two, when he was primarily a special teamer.) He's been called the fastest Gator in a 60 yard dash, and as Gary Danielson noted on Saturday, nobody seems to be able to cover him, especially when they try to press him. Cooper had his way with Arenas several times, and he dominated Patrick Robinson from Florida State the week before. He's 6-3, 215 pounds, and very strong, which he puts to use in beating press coverage, and he's a dominant blocker outside. He projects as an outside-the-numbers deep threat type, and special teams ace, and when he runs a 4.35 at the combine, he's going to shoot up boards. The only question is if he'd rather play baseball instead (he's part of the Rangers minor league system already.) I think his future is brighter in football.

j. Jermaine Cunningham DE-OLB Florida Second Round

Cunningham projects as a starter at the NFL level, probably as an OLB in a 30 front. He plays much bigger than his size, and takes on blocks well. He kind of reminds me of Mario Haggan, actually.

k. Mike Johnson G Alabama Second Round

This is the type of guy I'd like to see the Broncos take in the second round. He is a strong and experienced drive blocker.

You can add in a few more Gators too, who seem less likely to declare at this moment, if they do. The Pouncey twins, Mike and Maurkice, project as late first or second round picks as interior offensive linemen, and S Major Wright looks like a second rounder to me.

5. I meant to mention this last week too, and I wanted to make the point. Matt Millen was a terrible general manager, but he is an outstanding in-game color analyst. There is nobody on TV who adds more value to a fan's understanding of what is going on than Millen does.

During the Broncos-Giants game, he pointed out how Kyle Orton was calling out the Mike. The average fan doesn't know what a Mike is, so Millen mentioned that it generally means Middle Linebacker. He also went on to mention that the reason Orton is calling out a Mike is to communicate to the protection that that player is the fifth player to account for. A lot of times it was a defensive back, but Orton was communicating who he thought was the most likely fifth rusher.

After the Monday night game, he was talking about how the Packers have shored up their protection, particularly against the double A-gap blitzing that Baltimore loves to do. It's a little bit hard to separate the man from his art, but you have to. He's outstanding on TV, and should be listened to.

My friend Tony from Norwich sent me this link last week, where the Sporting News rated the best sportscasters. I found it interesting, so I thought I'd share it, since it's germane to this rant. I think they have some total losers on their list, primarily Al Michaels, Verne Lundquist, Dan Fouts, and Mike Patrick. Lundquist is the worst play-by-play man ever, if you ask me.

Just prior to the start of the SEC Championship Debacle, Verne was getting down to business. Paraphrasing, he said, "I don't know what Alabama is doing, but Javier Arenas isn't on the field to return this kick." As number 28 warmed up on the TV screen, waiting for the kick to arrive. I threw my Gator hat across the room, and Tweeted:

He misidentifies players constantly, and gets a lot of rules-related topics wrong too. Gary Danielson is excellent, but Verne is a 9,000 ton anchor dragging him down.

6. I got a reader email which forced to be a little introspective last week, and I need to address something real quick, as a result of it. The reader didn't sign the message, but the crux of it was that he/she felt like I am really full of myself, and that that was "repugnant." (Repugnant was his/her actual word.)

I didn't thnk I would ever need to do this, but I am going to explain the central concept of ST&NO, so there's clarity among us all. The premise of this feature, for which I am sure I have written well over 100,000 words during the past year, is that insightful analysis can be, and should be, combined with humor, personality, and entertaining writing. Every week, that's what I try to bring to the table, and I work hard to make this a coherent, continuous, unified narrative, which everybody can feel like they're part of.

Now, I am definitely not known for false humility. What good does it do to pretend to lack self-awareness, for the comfort of insecure people? I know my work is very good, and if I didn't think it was, I think I'd be an A-clown to spend so much time on it. Everybody who does this has some ego about their work, believe me.

Believe it or not, watching 6 games on a Monday night, and then writing for 6 hours after that, after working all day, can get pretty boring and tiresome. It is work, just like what I do in my office all day. I choose to do this work because you, my readers, reaffirm that you want to read it every week. It's not worth the effort to just do it for myself.

Now, understand that I'm not going to change anything, really. Not being Joe Milquetoast is frankly a subtle part of the humor of ST&NO, and it's a true picture of who I am as a person. I'm not at all meek, and I'm not looking to inherit the Earth, or any other damn thing. I'm here to work hard and personally earn what I get. When I say I am a high-talent, high-work ethic accountant, it's because that is a demonstrable fact. You'll recall that I said it as part of a larger point about football and the media environment. I have thought all week about whether I am inappropriately arrogant, and I really think that the answer is no. I think I land in a reasonable place, really, given the givens. So, I am going to keep writing, I am going to keep doing work that I am proud of, and I am going to do it to add value for you, and for future readers who aren't even aware of ST&NO yet. I humbly thank you all for being my readers and commenters, and that was the type of humility that I do value; the genuine kind.

7. Retired for John Elway.

8. Okay, I need to end on a good note, and I am going to bed at 1 AM Cleveland time, on Tuesday morning, so I can think and dream on what that note should be. I'll be back in 5 1/2 hours to finish up, hopefully with a great idea. Ready..... STOP

Okay, I am back. Ready.... BEGIN!!! My alarm wakes me up to the local low-brow morning radio show, Rover's Morning Glory. Through my adventures with the snooze bar, I got to hear a lot of stilted Tiger Woods chatter, because apparently, his wife split, and he had some other blond woman over who left in an ambulance this morning.

He's being an idiot, from the sound of things. I don't know who is advising him; maybe T.O.'s publicist who said he had 25 million reasons to live? Tiger ought to just fess up for everything, like David Letterman. When you're in the mud, you might as well just get everything out there voluntarily, because there's no more incremental damage he could take. If you're Wee-Bey, and you're already going to prison for life for six murders, you might trade copping to a few more for a sandwich. The number ceases to matter, as long as it all comes out now.

Tiger's reputation is fried in this moment, so he might as well say, look, yes, I was out fooling around with a lot of other women. I am not even sure how many, but it was more than several. This is a flaw in my character which I am working hard to overcome. Elin and I appreciate you giving us the benefit of some privacy, as we work through a very hard time in each of our lives. (Then, you quit having women over for awhile, and even if you don't, you make sure none of them leave your house in an ambulance.)

By not deflating the story with an "it was a lot / I have a problem" blanket statement, Tiger is letting each new revelation, by each self-serving former mistress, hurt him individually. Duji, the radio chick, was saying there are 10 who have now been identified. That's really not that many, if you're just a regular guy who is serious about philandering. A very average man could do that in a couple months, pretty easily. If you're Tiger Woods, you could have 10 in about 3 days.

Remember the haters? Well, a lot of people love to hate Tiger. He's there with Roger Federer, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, and Jeff Gordon in that way, as guys who are so talented, and so polished that relatively untalented and unpolished people are apt to hate them. (Gordon ought to have a Gillette commercial, too. I bet they figure people who like Gordon already use good shaving equipment.) It's really an ugly trait, to root for the failure of the most talented people, but a lot of people do it. Let's drag everybody down to our own level.

Tiger needs to go on Oprah or Letterman (probably Letterman is better, given the circumstances.) If he gets all the way clean, and then disappears off the public radar for a few months, this can be stopped pretty effectively. The TMZ's and their ilk will still try to keep it going, but it will fade pretty quickly when there is no new news. Letterman already isn't being actively cast as a philanderer. Tiger can come back in the spring, with a pre-packaged narrative about how these trying times have caused him to re-invest himself in his golf game, win a few tournaments (people will perceive him to have slipped, even though he was recently playing fine), and turn this into a redemption story. Americans love redemption stories, after all.

That's all I have for this week, friends. Have a great one, and as always, tell me what you think in the comments. ST&NO may be ending for now, but the discussion is just beginning.

State of the AFC West Week 10

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:32:00 -0000

Those standings look a little strange don't they? First of all, it's kind of funny that the top two and the bottom two teams have the same records. Second of all, it's starting to resemble last year's standings more and more. For the second year in a row, it looks like the division will come down to the second match-up between the Chargers and Broncos. The game will be played in Denver this season but the momentum of the teams in certainly the same. The Chargers have won 4 in a row and the Broncos have lost 3 in a row. This season there will still be games to be played but the losing team will essentially have to win out to win the division. The Raiders and the Chiefs will actually play a big part as potential spoilers; the Broncos play the Chiefs twice and the Raiders once more. If the Broncos lose on Sunday they will have to sweep those three games and I don't expect those two teams to roll over with a big chance to play spoiler against a division opponent. The Chargers play the Chiefs once more at Qualcomm after the Broncos game which will be their last divisional game.

Click the jump to see where all the teams are at

AFC West Standings

	W	L	PF	PA
Denver	6	3	167	151
San Diego	6	3	237	202
Oakland	2	7	88	217
Kansas City	2	7	142	215

(updated 11.17.2009 at 1:16 AM PST)

Kansas City Chiefs: Things aren't getting any better for the Chiefs. As you have probably already heard, WR Dwayne Bowe was just suspended four games for testing positive for PEDs. Bowe is probably the Chiefs' best player and losing him is going to be a big blow to their already meager offense. You have to wonder if the Chiefs knew this was coming when they claimed Chris Chambers. Matt Cassel will probably have even more trouble completing passes now. But hey, at least they beat the Raiders and got their first rushing TD of the season right? It doesn't get any easier for the Chiefs as their next three games are vs. Steelers, @ San Diego, vs. Denver. Their next divisional game is @ San Diego for which there are still 7,000 tickets remaining. With both games left against Denver and one more against San Diego the Chiefs will surely try to play spoiler within the division so they still have a big chance to decide the division.

Kansas City Chiefs Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jamaal Charles	leg	11/16/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mike Vrabel	knee	11/16/2009
Dantrell Savage	ankle	11/16/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Devard Darling	knee	09/01/2009
Jarrad Page	calf	11/04/2009
Mike Goff	shoulder	11/11/2009
Jackie Battle	shoulder	10/14/2009
Colin Brown	undisclosed	09/05/2009

Oakland Raiders: So the Raiders have lost 7 straight at home against the Chiefs, no big deal right? Well, since the middle of the 2007 season, no team in the NFL has been worse than the Chiefs. On a good note, the Raiders did have a fantastic day on the ground, especially RB Michael Bush who had 119 yards on 14 carries. I still really wish the Chargers had ended up trading for him. The routine stayed the same for the Raiders; Jamarcus Russell played poorly compounded by constant drops by rookie WR Demetrius Heyward-Bey. Russell was benched again in favor of Bruce Gradkowski who played even worse. Head coach Tom Cable, who probably won't be head coach much longer, hasn't yet announced who will be his starter this Sunday. Maybe it will be Charlie Frye. Hey at least P Shane Lechler kicked for 531 yards right? Now they get to play the Bengals, Cowboys, and Steelers. Their next and last division game is week 15 against the Broncos.

Oakland Raiders Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tommy Kelly	ribs	11/16/2009

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Javon Walker	hamstring	11/16/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
John Bowie	knee	09/30/2009
Oren O'Neal	ankle	10/14/2009

Denver Broncos: Mr. Hyde showed his face last Sunday when the Broncos lost to the Redskins. Losses against the Ravens and Steelers are understandable but the Redskins are really, really bad. Another thing happened on Sunday that hadn't happened in Bronco land all season, injuries. RT Ryan Harris is already out for this Sunday's game and QB Kyle Orton injured his ankle and is questionable for this Sunday's game vs the Chargers. From what I've heard and read they are basically going to play it by ear and see how much he can practice if it all. It's not out of the question that he plays after not practicing all week, they need to win this game and they know it, especially coach McDaniels. Back-up QB Chris Simms had an awful time after Orton left the game and while I'm sure he'd be better after a week of practice he certainly isn't Tom Brady. During their game on Sunday, on that fake punt, the Redskins did everything to show that a trick play was in the works. The Broncos still couldn't stop it. Clearly the Broncos have strayed pretty far from where they were after beating the Chargers. Their next division game is this Sunday against the Chargers; if they lose it will probably be too late to get back on track to win the division. I'm not sure SBNation's injury widget is very helpful....

Denver Broncos Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryan McBean	knee	11/16/2009
Josh Barrett	hamstring	11/16/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Nick Greisen	knee	08/05/2009

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers were able to establish a running game and stop the run in one game on Sunday, which is something they will need to continue if they want to succeed going forward. Unfortunately, the run defense came at the expense of the pass defense, although that was also a function of the defensive game-plan against QB Donovan McNabb as well as the lack of a great pass rush. The Chargers had a great pass-rush over the previous games; injuries to Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips probably didn't help things. Hopefully they are feeling better this Sunday and getting pressure on whomever is the Broncos QB; the Broncos quick WRs can do crossing routes just as well as the Eagles WRs. If C Nick Hardwick is able to return this Sunday it will be a huge upgrade on pass and run blocking. If we get ahead early I think LT will have another big day and will soften up the Bronco's secondary when we need to pass the ball. The Broncos have given up a huge amount of rushing yards in their last 4 games and I still think the Chargers are at their best when LT is pounding the ball up the middle. After this Sunday against the Broncos, the Chargers have their last divisional game against the Chiefs, and then a game against the Browns which should be nice. As far as injuries, it looks like Jeromy Clary and Tim Dobbins will be able to play, and hopefully Travis Johnson, too, since the DL by committee thing has worked out pretty well so far.

San Diego Chargers Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Travis Johnson	leg	11/16/2009
Jeromey Clary	ankle	11/16/2009
Tim Dobbins	knee	11/16/2009

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Nick Hardwick	ankle	11/16/2009
Jyles Tucker	ankle	11/16/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryon Bingham	arm	09/05/2009
Jamal Williams	triceps	09/19/2009
Antwan Applewhite	hamstring	10/20/2009
Brandon Hughes	knee	09/02/2009

Poll

Which team is more dysfunctional right now?

Chiefs

53 votes

Raiders

414 votes

467 votes | Poll has closed

Horse Tracks 11/14/09 - Ryan Harris out; LK Smith starting in place of McBean, who is listed as questionable

Douglas A. Lee — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:21:32 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends! My brother-in-law Brock (who's a big Packers fan) asked me an interesting question the other day, about whether I thought Mike Shanahan could end up coaching Green Bay next year. At first, I gave him a quick "Are you nuts?!" but after thinking about it my curiosity was piqued; great young QB, decent defense, coach and GM under fire - O-Line and running game in need of fixing - perhaps a Shanny/Gibbs special. Last night, some talking head mentioned a possible reunion with Cutler in Chicago, with Lovie Smith now on the hot seat. Personally, I've had Shanny heading to Dallas next year in my mind all along; but now what if Wade and the Boys go deep into the playoffs? Would Shanny really work for Dan Snyder in Washington? What do you folks think?

NFL Films - Week 10: Broncos vs. Redskins Preview - Video

DB - Week 10 - Fri: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Becoming a Champion Corner - Chris Gentilviso
"There were no changes to the Broncos’ Week 10 Injury Report on Friday. On the Redskins’ side, after not participating in either Wednesday or Thursday’s practice, RB Ladell Betts (ankle) was a limited participant on Friday. He is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at FedEx Field. A non-participant in Thursday’s session, P Hunter Smith (right groin) was a limited participant on Friday. He is also listed as questionable."

DPP - Paxton's streak to hit 100 games - Mike Klis
"Josh Barrett, a safety in the Broncos' "big nickel" package and a key special teams player, is listed as doubtful for the game Sunday because of a strained hamstring. Right tackle Ryan Harris will miss his second straight game with dislocated right toe. DE Ryan McBean is questionable (knee)."

DP - Harris out; McBean questionable for Sunday - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Champ reflects on deal that seems long ago - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Q&A: Is punter Mitch Berger the next player on the Broncos' hot seat? - Jeff Legwold

ESPN - Down the stretch with Denver, San Diego - Bill Williamson

DPP - Analysis: Redskins linebacker Fletcher leads team in tackles - for a good reason - Jeff Legwold

DB - Traveling Toward Success - Gray Caldwell
A profile of Le Kevin Smith, who will be starting his second NFL game (his first was Monday) tomorrow in Washington.

LTC - Broncos’ Jordan being patient - Brian Howell

CSG - Broncos working on defensive rebound - Frank Schwab

Y! - NFL: Broncos Troubles - Video
Jason Cole calls Jay Cutler "great," while Charles Robinson compares McD to Mangini. Mike Silver reminds everyone that Denver's defense is formidable.

Redskins News

WP - Redskins Gameday: Week 10, Redskins vs. Broncos - Doug Farrar & Paul Tenorio
A breakdown of Sunday's matchups, plus a neat animation of the Broncos' Wild Horses formation.

WP - Betts limited by foot injury but expects to play - Jason Reid

WP - Portis still feeling effects of concussion - Jason Reid

WP - Punter Smith might return Sunday against Broncos - Rick Maese
If not Smith, then Sam Paulescu (who was beaten out by Brett Kern in '08 for the Denver job) would punt for Washington.

AFC West News

ESPN - Final Word: AFC West - Bill Williamson

SDUT - Revolving door on Chargers defense - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Hardwick's return put on hold - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Merriman, Phillips may not play Sunday - Chris Jenkins

KCS - Smith could start at running back against Raiders - Kent Babb

USAT - Bell Tolls: Seymour embracing life at opposite end of the NFL - Jarrett Bell

SFC - Raiders receivers play catch-up during bye week - David White

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Mum is Cable's word - David White

OT - Chaz Schilens' return to Raiders might help bad passing game - Steve Corkran

NFL News

NFL - Friday Injury Reports

NFL - NFL not laughing about Ochocinco's dollar-bill joke, fines him $20K

NFL - League fines Bears' Cutler, Harris fined for conduct vs. Cardinals

NFL - Bengals S Roy Williams placed on IR

NFL - Mangini responds to Lewis, says Browns not being overworked

NFL Opinion

FH - Between the Lines: Who's Allowing the Most Sacks? - J.J. Cooper

NYT - A New Cast Doesn’t Slow Peyton Manning - Judy Battista

FOX - Midseason Boom or Bust: Time to trust the Cowboys - Adam Schein

SN - Week 10: 10 bold predictions on playoff picture - RealScouts
RealScouts thinks the Dolts will win the division and the Broncos will miss the playoffs...

FOX - Where have all the bad-boy wideouts gone? - Kevin Hench

NFP - McCarthy has bigger problems than a maintenance worker - Robert Boland

NFP - Ahman never should have left - Andrew Brandt

NFL - Breaking down the free-agent class of an unpredictable offseason - Jason La Canfora

NFL - Scouts give a closer look as the season winds down - Bucky Brooks

PFW - Juniors rule the WR roost again - Nolan Nawrocki

Week 10 Picks and Previews

ESPN - Sunday Countdown online: Your weekly NFL guide - Week 10

NFL - While Brady and Manning duke it out, keep an eye on Young - Pat Kirwan

SI - NFL Week 10 Viewer's Guide, including Bengals-Steelers - Ross Tucker

SI - Cincinnati Bengals defense leads way; Patriots-Colts not big game - Peter King

SI - Patriots-Colts is NFL Game Of The Week - John P. Lopez

SN - Quarterback battles highlight Week 10 action - Clifton Brown

CBS - Peek at the Week: Patriots prepared to exploit Colts' weakness - Clark Judge

NYT - Week 10 N.F.L. Matchups - Mike Tanier
"Tips if you are going to FedEx Field: 1) Do not look DeAngelo Hall in the eyes. He will think you are challenging him. 2) Do not carry a sign to the stadium denigrating the Sherman Lewis-Sherman Smith by referencing Mister Peabody, Sherman T. Potter or General Tecumseh Sherman. Also, no swimming in Sherman’s Lagoon."

ESPN - Bill Simmons Week 10 NFL picks

ESPN - NFC playoffs likely headed indoors - Adam Schefter
"Upset of the week: Redskins over Broncos -- Denver, coming off a physical Monday night loss, now travels back East to play a Redskins team that showed signs of life against the Falcons in Week 9."

Special JC Section
I don't go out of my way to post Cutler articles; after Thursday, he's one of the biggest stories around...

FH - Mel Kiper: 'I Was Right' on Jay Cutler, and Mike Mayock Was Wrong - Michael David Smith

DP - Ode to McJaygate - Mike Klis

DP - Re-ranking 2006 QB class - Mike Klis

NFP - What is the story with Cutler? - Matt Bowen

NFP - Diner morning news: It’s not all Cutler’s fault - Mike Lombardi
"Don’t be too fast throwing Bears QB Jay Cutler into the Jeff George category. Trust me, he’s not Jeff George. He was careless with the football twice Thursday night, but he’s not Jeff George."

FH - Cutler Haters, Apologists: Meet Halfway - Matt Snyder

Poll

Where do you think Mike Shanahan will be coaching in 2010?

Chicago

96 votes

Dallas

115 votes

Green Bay

30 votes

Washington

59 votes

None of the above

62 votes

362 votes | Poll has closed

Denver Broncos @ Washington Redskins; Friday Injury Report

Tim Lynch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:49:13 -0000

DENVER BRONCOS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
Josh Barrett (S)	Hamstring	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Ryan Harris (RT)	Toe	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	OUT
Brandon Marshall (WR)	Back	Did Not Participate	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
Ryan McBean (DL)	Knee	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Questionable
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Player	Injury	Wed. Participation	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Friday Status
Chris Cooley (TE)	Ankle	Out	Out	Out	OUT
Ladell Betts (RB)	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation	Questionable
Clinton Portis (RB)	Concussion	Did Not Participate	Out	Out	OUT
Mike Williams (T)	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Out	Out	OUT
Jason Campbell (QB)	Ankle	Limited Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
Hunter Smith (P)	Right Groin	Limited Participation	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation	Questionable
Byron Westbrook (CB)	Knee	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Questionable
Stephon Heyer (T)	Knee	Not Listed	Limited Participation	Limited Participation	Questionable

Horse Tracks 11/12/09 - Hochstein replaces Hamilton as starting LG; Broncos sign CB Moulton to PS after losing D.J. Johnson

Douglas A. Lee — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:57:56 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends! Just to clarify my standpoint on the Krieger/Legwold columns I challenge below - I'm not disagreeing with the premise that the Broncos need more big plays out of their passing game; of course they do. However, the way they went about trying to prove their point was sloppy and incomplete...

DB - Week 10 - Wed: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - A Little Perspective - Jim Saccomano
"You have to look at the whole picture, all the time. Very tough to do, but that’s the challenge."

DB - Forward Thinking - Gray Caldwell
"Four players appeared on the Broncos' injury report on Wednesday. Josh Barrett (hamstring), Ryan Harris (toe) and Brandon Marshall (back) did not participate in Wednesday's practice. Ryan McBean (knee) had limited participation in the session."

DB - Getting the Ground Game Going - Chris Gentilviso
"The Broncos announced the signing of cornerback Rashod Moulton on Wednesday to their practice squad. That roster spot became available once the New York Giants signed cornerback D.J. Johnson off the Broncos’ practice squad and onto their active roster on Wednesday."

DPP - Briefing: Hochstein new starter, ahead of Hamilton - Lindsay Jones
"Running back Peyton Hillis was back at Dove Valley after spending several days with his family in Arkansas. His grandmother, Margaret Ann Justice, died Friday." Our thoughts are with #22 and his family...

DPP - Law willing to put off retirement for a nickel - Jeff Legwold

LTC - Right Track: Despite setbacks, Broncos strong at season’s midpoint - Brian Howell

LTC - Broncos’ recent slide no cause to say season’s been scrambled - Brian Howell

CBS4 - 'Terrible Towel' Doesn't Sit Well With The Broncos - Matthew Buettner
"One thing I noticed when they were walking off the field they had a huge crowd of people on their side by their tunnel. That doesn't sit well with me," said DE Kenny Peterson.

DB - Week 10 - Wed: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Week 10 - Wed: Dawkins - Broncos TV

DPP - Krieger: Deep ball high on Orton's wish list
"I don't have the coach's game film, but it didn't look to me as if Polamalu and Carter were playing 35 yards off the line of scrimmage very often. In fact, we can document where they were the three times they intercepted Orton:" What a bizarre bit of research. As I recall it, 1 if not 2 of Orton's INTs came under duress. So how, exactly was Orton supposed to throw deep on these plays where (according to Krieger not watching film but considering where the actual INTs took place) the safeties were supposedly playing up? I'm baffled...

Next up - "That might help explain why more than half of the Broncos' pass plays this season — 54.7 percent — have gone for 10 yards or fewer, according to a breakdown by my colleague Jeff Legwold." This is also puzzling. You can't measure pass plays for aggression by looking at their result. You have to look at how far the ball was thrown. To wit, Kyle Orton has thrown 191 of his 269 attempts (71%) 10 yards or shorter, relative to the LOS. In 2008, Jay Cutler threw 380 of his 616 attempts (62%) 10 yards or shorter. When considering those players' personalities and skill sets, combined with the systems they play(ed) in, these numbers make sense to me. If Josh McDaniels wanted to chuck it downfield all day, he would have kept Jay Cutler.

DPP - Q&A: Orton needs new bodyguard - Jeff Legwold

DP - Woody's Mailbag: Tickets a hot topic

DPP - Analysis: Few big plays in Broncos' passing game - Jeff Legwold
"Most teams consider "big plays" to be runs more than 10 yards and pass completions more than 20 yards. In their eight games the Broncos have had 11 pass completions go for 21 to 30 yards, one play between 31 and 40 yards and one play between 41 and 50 yards." Come on Legwold - this is such incomplete research - these numbers don't mean anything without comparing the Broncos to the rest of the league!!! (I'm not saying his point is incorrect; I don't know the answer because Legwold didn't provide the proper evidence to support his theory!)

DB - Tough Night Under the Lights - Mark Cooper

DPP - Broncos game a big draw - Dusty Saunders

DPP - Numbers: Opposites attract

CSG - Poor running game creates turmoil on offensive line - Frank Schwab

CSG - Orton shaves beard in effort to help break losing streak - Frank Schwab

DB - Steelers Postgame: Report - Broncos TV
Sorry, Friends - forgot to post this link yesterday...

AP - Broncos' Low-Risk Offense Stuck In Low Gear - Arnie Stapleton

KDVR - Denver Broncos vs. Washington Redskins Preview - Chris Tanaka

TW - Was the 6-0 Start Just an Illusion? - Carlos Cagin

AP - Shanahan Chosen For Colorado Hall Of Fame

Redskins News

WP - Battered Redskins dig further down depth chart - Rick Maese

WP - Portis called 'very, very doubtful' for Sunday - Jason Reid

WP - Zorn rules out LJ; Haynesworth says he was fined - Cindy Boren

WP - Bailey's return puts new focus on old deal - Barry Svriuga

WP - Diesel fumes: Riggins has plenty of unvarnished opinions about his former team, the Redskins - Sally Jenkins

AFC West News

ESPN - Midseason AFC West Report Card - Bill Williamson

SDUT - No dash for cash - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Vick brings alarming talent - Chris Jenkins

KCS - Raiders won't gloat over Johnson's departure from the Chiefs - Adam Teicher

KCS - Goff will miss remainder of season - Kent Babb

SFC - Without Larry Johnson, Chiefs minus star power - David White

OT - Raiders DB Chris Johnson: 8-0 second half is possible - Steve Corkran
WOW.

OT - Raiders lineman Matt Shaughnessy improves despite adversity - Steve Corkran

NFL News

NFL - Quinn back at QB for Browns in Monday night game vs. Ravens

NFL - Bills QB Edwards will start vs. Titans, but ailing T.O. might not

NFL - Bengals' Lewis nixes Ochocinco's plan to send mustard to Steelers

NFL - Kampman played with concussion but absolves Packers of blame

NFL - League suspends Eagles CB Hanson four games for using diuretic

NFL Opinion

NYT - Thursday Matchup: Bears at 49ers - Mike Tanier

NYT - Looking at NFL Network’s Lineup of Games - Toni Monkovic

NFL - Manning-Brady duel leads a solid Week 10 list of matchups - Gil Brandt

FH - Dirty Dozen: Are Pats, Colts NFL's Best? - Dave Goldberg

FH - Coach Killers, Week 9: Packers ST - Tom Mantzouranis

SI - Marvin Lewis won't allow Cincinnati Bengals to rest on success - Paul Daugherty

NFP - Tavern talk: Phillips still has lots to prove - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Diner morning news: Quinn needs playing time - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Where is the love for Big Ben? - Matt Bowen

NFP - Wednesday whys: A string of losses for NFL - Andrew Brandt

NFP - Vick win is another issue for owners - Jack Bechta

NFP - ‘For cause’ termination: Last refuge of scoundrels - Robert Boland

NFL - Ware the key to Cowboys' resurgent defense

FH - Introducing an Athlete of the Rarest Kind - Kevin Blackistone

NFP - NFP senior position rankings - Wes Bunting

Midseason Awards, etc.

PFW - AFC midseason team reports
"Fearless prediction: Despite their thrilling start, the Broncos will have to fight off a late surge from the Chargers for the AFC West title and will finish just one game better than San Diego before exiting the playoffs in the second round."

PFW - NFC midseason team reports

SN - NFL Midseason Report: New Orleans dominates players' first-half poll
1. Josh McDaniels, Broncos (44) "I just don't think anybody expected that outcome from the Broncos in the first half. He just seems like a blast to play for and a great game-planner who puts you in great situations." — Bengals QB Carson Palmer

SN - NFL Midseason Report: 99 players provide take on league after 8 games
"I don't think anyone expected (Dumervil) to have this many sacks. He's played extremely well for them this year. He's given their defense a real presence on the edge." — 49ers C Eric Heitmann

SN - NFL Midseason Report: Tackling five big questions - Clifton Brown, Dennis Dillon, Vinnie Iyer and Russ Lande
Brown and Iyer expect the Broncos to keep sliding.

SN - NFL Midseason Report: SN's All-Pro Team - Clifton Brown

Y! - Midseason awards: Favre dazzles, Browns fizzle - Charles Robinson

FOX - Week 10 Cheat Sheet: NFL picks and predictions - Peter Schrager

FOX - NFL midseason report card: AFC grades - Alex Marvez

FOX - NFL midseason report card: NFC grades - Alex Marvez

ESPN - John Clayton looks at the best games of the second half

NFL - Best free-agent moves also were the most understated

USAT - Insider: Analysts' MVP picks split Brees, Favre, Manning - Jim Corbett

State of the AFC West Week 9

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:15:45 -0000

Well well well, here we are after week 9, a week I'd been looking forward to for awhile. I had a crazy day on Sunday which of course had a perfect ending. Last night's game was the proverbial "icing on the cake". The Chargers are now 1 game back at the halfway point of the season with 8 games to go. The Broncos still have the advantage with the 1 game lead and a win over the Chargers as a potential tiebreaker. As far as the schedules, of the 8 games remaining, 3 are easy division games (2 KC 1 OAK), but 4 are against tough teams (SD, NYG, INDY, PHI) and their game this week at Washington. On the other hand, the Chargers get the Browns and Titans, don't have to play Indy, but they only play the Chiefs one more time. As far as momentum, it is clearly on the side of the Chargers who have capped their three game winning streak with an emotional win at the Meadowlands. The Broncos on the other hand are riding a two-game losing streak that included two disappointing second halves. Oakland and KC are still out of the picture.

Jump the break for individual teams.

AFC West Standings

	W	L	PF	PA
Denver	6	2	150	124
San Diego	5	3	206	179
Oakland	2	6	78	201
Kansas City	1	7	126	205

(updated 11.10.2009 at 1:30 AM PST)

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders had a quiet bye week getting healthy and trying not to lose any football games. Running back Darren McFadden, wide receiver Chaz Schilens, left guard Robert Gallery and right tackle Cornell Green returned to practice Monday and are expected to play against the Kansas City Chiefs this week. So that's good news. Although Tom Cable won't be charged criminally, the NFL is evaluating the situation and sending out people to determine if Cable should attend anger management classes. The National League of Women (NOW) and other women's rights groups are calling for Cable's job. The Raiders next division match-up is this week's pillow-fight of the week in Oakland. Let the battle to determine the most dysfunctional team begin, too bad nobody will see it because it will likely be blacked out.

Oakland Raiders Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cornell Green	calf	11/09/2009
Tony Stewart	chest	11/09/2009
Gerard Warren	toe	11/09/2009
Jon Alston	shoulder	11/09/2009
Ricky Brown	ankle	11/09/2009
Robert Gallery	fibula	11/09/2009
Tommy Kelly	elbow	11/09/2009
Chris Johnson	groin	11/09/2009
Chaz Schilens	foot	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
John Bowie	knee	09/30/2009
Oren O'Neal	ankle	10/14/2009

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs played a close game against the Jaguars which inevitably ended in another loss. As the Chiefs march toward another top 5 draft pick, the big story is still the rapid fall of Larry Johnson which ended in his release from the Chiefs. Although they will probably end up paying him a lot of money since I doubt anyone will pick him up, this gives Jamaal Charles more opportunity to play and gets rid of a clubhouse cancer. Chris Chambers seem to have rejuvenated their offense, at least for the moment, with two TD passes. The addition seems to have helped the Chiefs and the Chargers at the same time, and Chris will probably be happier too. As already mentioned, the Chiefs next division game is at Oakland which I'm sure will be terribly exciting.

Kansas City Chiefs Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jon McGraw	thigh	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Devard Darling	knee	09/01/2009
Jarrad Page	calf	11/04/2009
Jackie Battle	shoulder	10/14/2009
Colin Brown	undisclosed	09/05/2009

Denver Broncos: Will the real Broncos please stand up? Are they the 6-0 team or the 0-2 team? Are they the second-half juggernaut or the second-half duds? Is Kyle Orton the QB who threw one INT in 7 games or 3 INT's in one game? Are they a punishing opponents on the lines or the team that didn't get ONE rushing first-down against the Steelers? The answer is probably somewhere close to the middle. Teams are starting to key on the Broncos weakness and adjusting their game-plans as such. Kyle Orton looks nervous as opposed to the pillar of strength he looked like earlier in the season. Either way, the Broncos are much better than everyone thought but they still aren't an elite team. The Steelers were clearly the superior team last night, even at Mile High. The Broncos have lost some momentum going forward but they are still healthy and still have the advantage over the Chargers. Now is the time for Josh McDaniels to adjust to the adjustments that other teams are making. Going forward, we will see if the Broncos and McDaniels are studs or duds. The game at Washington this weekend may tell us a lot about the Broncos. Their next division match-up looks to be a huge game with playoff implications at Mile High against the Chargers.

Denver Broncos Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryan McBean	knee	11/10/2009
Peyton Hillis	other-excused	11/10/2009
David Bruton	groin	11/10/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Nick Greisen	knee	08/05/2009
J'Vonne Parker	knee	08/08/2009

San Diego Super Chargers: The Bolts are flying high after an emotional victory at the Meadowlands and gaining the momentum in the AFC West race if not the advantage. They are finally getting healthy, emotionally and physically, as well and it looks like All-Pro center Nick Hardwick will make his return to Qualcomm Stadium this weekend against the Eagles. The Chargers are still a little banged up at the linebacker position; SP95 was injured in the Giants game and Kevin Burnett and Tim Dobbins are still ailing. It looks like Phillips and Burnett will play this weekend while Dobbins will sit. LB Jyles Tucker is also most likely out this weekend. It looks like the Eagles are having the same problem the Chargers were earlier in the season: inability to keep anyone healthy. If Westbrook is out and the Eagles must depend on the passing game, the Chargers could win big with improved pass rush from Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips. The Chargers are also only 2-2 this season and they need to improve their play at home. The game is already sold out so we know it will be loud this weekend. Our next division match-up is Week 11 at Mile High Stadium.

San Diego Chargers Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tim Dobbins	knee	11/09/2009
Nick Hardwick	ankle	11/09/2009
Kevin Burnett	ankle	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryon Bingham	arm	09/05/2009
Jamal Williams	triceps	09/19/2009
Antwan Applewhite	hamstring	10/20/2009
Brandon Hughes	knee	09/02/2009

Philadelphia Eagles Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Max Jean-Gilles	shoulder	11/09/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Victor Abiamiri	knee	11/09/2009
Chris Gocong	other-excused	11/09/2009
Akeem Jordan	knee	11/10/2009
Brian Westbrook	ankle	11/09/2009
Quintin Demps	ankle	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Shawn Andrews	back	09/15/2009
Stewart Bradley	knee	09/01/2009
Omar Gaither	foot	10/22/2009
Cornelius Ingram	knee	09/01/2009
Fenuki Tupou	chest	09/05/2009

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos Saturday Injury Report

John Bena — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:10:18 -0000

DENVER BRONCOS
Player	Injury	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Sat. Participation	Saturday Status
Josh Barrett (S)	Hamstring	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation	Full Participation	Probable
Ryan Harris (T)	Toe	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Out
Ryan McBean (DL)	Knee	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Out
David Bruton (S)	Groin	Limited Participation	Full Participation	Full Participation	Probable
Peyton Hillis (RB)	Not Injury Related	Not Listed	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Player	Injury	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Sat. Participation	Saturday Status
Travis Kirschke (DE)	Calf	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Lawrence Timmons (LB)	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate	Doubtful
Ryan Clark (S)	Illness	Not Listed	Not Listed	Full Participation	Questionable

Horse Tracks 11/7/09 - Broncos agree to terms w/Ty Law pending physical; LK Smith to start in place of McBean

Douglas A. Lee — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:30:34 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends! The imminent Ty Law signing is certainly interesting, especially the timing of it. Law must keep himself in incredible shape, because if the Broncos don't plan on suiting him up on Monday, then wouldn't they just sign him on Tuesday? Similarly, Law was signed on a Monday last year by the Jets and played for them versus the Patriots just three days later on a Thursday. The next question, of course, is whose roster spot does Law take? My guess would be Brandon Lloyd, who's been inactive every week thus far.

DB - Week 9 - Fri: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Protecting Against The League’s Best - Chris Gentilviso
"After not participating in Thursday’s session, Josh Barrett (hamstring) was a limited participant. After being limited participants during Thursday’s session, David Bruton (groin) and Jack Williams (illness) were full participants on Friday. Peyton Hillis (not injury related) did not participate in Friday’s practice."

DPP - Veteran Ty Law signed to bolster Denver Broncos' secondary - Jeff Legwold

CSG - Another Ryan might be missing on line for Broncos - Frank Schwab
Le Kevin Smith will start in Ryan McBean's place on Monday.

DB - Balance In The Backfield - Chris Gentilviso
"If Buck is in space with anybody 1-on-1, linebacker, DB, whatever, I'm betting on Buck," said Andra Davis. "I've got that much confidence in him because he's big enough to run over a DB, but he's fast enough also to run by a DB. He's got the total package."

DPP - Nolan studied Steelers' 3-4 "D" to help Broncos - Jeff Legwold

LTC - Broncos aim for quick start - Brian Howell
""We haven’t really come to play the first half of a lot of games," tight end Tony Scheffler said."

Y! - Belichick Q&A: Every player has a trade price - Jason Cole
There's nothing Broncos-specific within this interview, but as it's a rare and insightful peek into the mind of Bill Belichick, it is an absolute must-read. Surely much of the wisdom he shares here is that which he's already imparted upon Josh McDaniels.

PFW - Broncos, Marshall: Good vibes may not last - Dan Parr
"While Marshall and the team have put the contract dispute in the background for the time being, it will reemerge sooner or later and nothing appears to have significantly changed between either party when it comes to that matter. Marshall wants a long-term deal and the Broncos don't need to give him one."

ESPN - Ron Jaworski: Denver Broncos must go long against Pittsburgh Steelers
"The Broncos simply have to try to manufacture a touchdown. They have to come out in a max-protect set, send two wide receivers down the field and see what happens. I don't see them going 80 yards in 12 plays too often against the Steelers."

LTC - Steelers’ Tomlin a good role model for McDaniels - Brian Howell

DB - Keeping Things In Perspective - Mike Rice
"Just because the Broncos lost one game doesn’t mean they’ll lose another two or three or four in a row. It also doesn’t mean a freefall is imminent."

DB - A Few Minutes With Mario Haggan - Broncos TV

DPP - Q&A: The importance of bye weeks in the NFL can be overrated - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Spotlight: Marshall clearly now No. 1 receiver - Lindsay Jones

CSG - Broncos reportedly agree to terms with cornerback Ty Law - Frank Schwab

AP - Broncos To Add Veteran Cornerback Ty Law - Pat Graham

FOX - Fearless Prediction: Steelers (5-2) at Broncos (6-1) - Sports Xchange
"PREDICTION: Steelers 24-17"

ESPN Insider - Broncos must slow Big Ben - Gary Horton
"If (Roethlisberger) is forced to more three- and five-step drops and fewer seven-step drops, it will lead to a lot of underneath routes -- that will allow the Broncos to keep everything in front of them, and the Steelers will struggle to put together multiple long drives against this Denver defense, which tackles well."

Steelers News

PPG - Steelers: No-huddle might be fun, but it does have its flaws - Gerry Dulac

PPG - Steelers: No word on Clark's status - Gerry Dulac

PTR - Woodley's play validates hype - John Harris

PTR - Starkey: Fast Willie's future clouded

PTR - Timing is right for Harrison, Steelers - Scott Brown

AFC West News

FH - Suspending Cable Good for Everyone, Including Him - Kevin Blackistone

ESPN - San Diego's Jackson is becoming a receiving star - Bill Williamson

SDUT - Emerging presence - Kevin Acee
Shawne Merriman feels disrespected...

KCS - Chiefs need Morgan to mature quickly, limit big plays - Adam Teicher

KCS - Controversial locker-room sign isn’t unique to Chiefs - Adam Teicher

NFL News

NFL - Friday Injury Reports

NFL - Colts lose Sanders, Jackson for season; Gonzalez has surgery

FH - John Harbaugh: Cowboys Are Everything That's Wrong With the NFL - Josh Alper

NFL Opinion

NFP - Goodell is put on the hot seat - Andrew Brandt

USAT - The Bell Tolls: Twitter a boon and a burden for savvy NFL'ers - Jarrett Bell

FOX - NFC East teams are struggling with inconsistency - Kevin Hench

Y! - 'Tis the season to run teams into the ground - Mike Silver

SI - Daniel Snyder running Washington Redskins into ground - S.L. Price

NFP - Diner morning news: Saints, Colts midseason favorites - Mike Lombardi

NFL - Mounting outrage, protests make this the year of the fan - Jason La Canfora

NFL Picks/Previews

ESPN - Sunday Countdown online: Your weekly NFL guide - Week 9

SI - NFL Week 9 Guide, including Texans-Colts, Cowboys-Eagles, more - Ross Tucker
"The Broncos can't afford to lose the swagger and faith they had as a result of winning their first six games...Whether or not Polamalu still has that freedom without his partner in crime (Ryan Clark) in the secondary could be a factor."

NYT - Week 9 N.F.L. Matchups - Mike Tanier

ESPN - Bill Simmons book tour and NFL picks Week 9
"I am not buying the whole "Baltimore proved how to stop Denver's offense" thing. At all. Guarantee Josh McDaniels studied what the Ravens did for 75 hours this week and made all the necessary adjustments. Beware of the altitude; beware of Elvis and Knowshon; and most of all, beware of the Neck Beard."

NFL - Five years after big trade, it's a big game for Manning, Rivers - Pat Kirwan
"Coming off a bye, the Steelers in Denver sounds like a win to me."

SN - NFL Week 9: Ten bold predictions - RealScouts
"That means you can expect a pass-heavy attack from Ben and the boys in Denver. That's not so bold, but this is ... it won't work."

CBS - Peek at the Week: Big D looking for big W in Philly - Clark Judge

FH - Week 9 NFL Picks: Not Much Belief in First-Place Broncos - Dave Goldberg
"Denver's 6-0 start this season wasn't a mirage and it's been especially strong at home where it beat Dallas and New England in close games in consecutive weeks."

FH - The Once-Over: Week 9 - Knox Barden

Poll

If Ty Law is signed today, who do you think he will replace on the Broncos' roster?

Peyton Hillis

4 votes

Brandon Lloyd

56 votes

Kenny McKinley

5 votes

None of the above

159 votes

224 votes | Poll has closed

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos; Friday Injury Report

Tim Lynch — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:11:30 -0000

DENVER BRONCOS
Player	Injury	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Sat. Participation	Saturday Status
Josh Barrett (S)	Hamstring	Did Not Participate	Limited Participation
Ryan Harris (T)	Toe	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
Ryan McBean (DL)	Knee	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
David Bruton (S)	Groin	Limited Participation	Full Participation
Jack "MF" Williams (CB)	Illness	Limited Participation	Full Participation
Peyton Hillis (RB)	Not Injury Related	Not Listed	Did Not Participate
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Player	Injury	Thur. Participation	Fri. Participation	Sat. Participation	Saturday Status
Travis Kirschke (DE)	Calf	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate
Lawrence Timmons (LB)	Ankle	Did Not Participate	Did Not Participate