SB Nation - Rod Smith

Brandon Marshall named AFC Player of the Week

John Bena — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:34:18 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

3 days ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, left, catches a pass over Indianapolis Colts safety Tim Jennings for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. Marshall had 21 receptions for 200 yards in the game. The Colts defeated the Broncos 28-16. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall will be named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for games played during the 14th week (Dec. 10-14) of the 2009 season, the National Football League informed the Broncos on Tuesday.

Marshall's selection as AFC Offensive Player of the Week is the second such award of his four-year NFL career. He also received the honor for his effort in Week 2 of the 2008 season against San Diego.

During Denver's game at Indianapolis on Sunday, Marshall posted an NFL-record 21 receptions for a career-high 200 yards with two touchdowns. His 21 catches surpassed Terrell Owens' previous league record of 20 receptions, which he totaled for San Francisco vs. Chicago on Dec. 17, 2000.

Below are a few notes on Marshall's performance against Indianapolis:

His NFL-record 21 catches vs. Indianapolis give him two of the top-four single-game receiving totals in NFL history. His 18 grabs (166 yds., 1 TD) vs. San Diego on Sept. 14, 2008, tie for the third-highest single-game total in NFL annals.
His 21 catches represented his eighth career game with at least 10 receptions, marking the most by a player through his first four seasons in NFL history.
The former University of Central Florida star was targeted 28 times, which represented the highest such total in the NFL since at least the 1994 season.
His 12 receiving first downs were the most by an NFL player in four seasons and tied for the fourth-highest total in the league since at least the 1994 season.
His 200 receiving yards represented the third-highest total by a Bronco in club history and were the highest total by a Denver player in five seasons (Rod Smith, 208 yds., vs. Atl., 10/31/04) as well as the highest total by an AFC player this year.

Marshall is Denver's fifth AFC Player of the Week winner this season, joining cornerback Champ Bailey (Wk. 4 vs. Dallas), quarterback Kyle Orton (Wk. 5 vs. New England), wide receiver/returner Eddie Royal (Wk. 6 at San Diego) and kicker Matt Prater (Wk. 12 vs. N.Y. Giants). He is Denver's 45th AFC Offensive Player of the Week winner since the award was initiated by the NFL in 1984.

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:30:18 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

about 1 month ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall is stopped by Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall during the third quarter of the NFL football game, Nov. 15, 2009 in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Here we are again, with another loss to contend with. This one is worse than the last two, because this one looked like a sure victory when we were marking off W's and L's on the schedule. Of course, if Kyle Orton didn't get hurt, it probably is a W, and the Broncos are still sitting on a 1-game lead over the Chargers. Since that's not the way it played out, we have to do the other thing.

We'll get into the details, from soup to chocolate cake, and make some sense of all this, because that's what we do here. We'll explore what happened, we'll find some things to feel positive about, and we'll have some fun. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!

1. There's a certain interconnectedness to a football game, and its outcome, among all phases of the game, and all 45 active players. I've talked about this many times before, and John Bena called the loss a team effort in his postgame writeup. I would call this a team effort whose final score is mostly attributable to the poor second half play of the offense, and mostly, of Chris Simms.

What I mean by that is this. Over the first 6 games of the season, the Broncos led the league in scoring defense. They were especially strong defensively in the second half of games. That trend has been turned on its head the last 3 weeks. The last two weeks, especially, I believe that the main reason why the defense struggled in the second half was that they were on the field for too many plays, due to the struggles of the offense. Each side of the ball needs to help the other. The Broncos have been getting shut down on offense, and worn down on defense, and it's been difficult to watch.

Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth were going on and on Sunday night about how the Colts led the NFL in scoring defense heading into this week. If you've watched the Colts, they don't even have a particularly good defense, if there is any chance you can run the ball against them. They have allowed so few points because they deliberately shorten the game when they're on offense, and because once they get a lead, the strength of their defense comes to the fore. They rush the passer well with four men, and drop 7 men into cover-2. If you stay out of situations that are favorable to Indianapolis, you can gash their defense.

This is what has been happening to the Broncos as well. Remember - in the first 6 games, the offense did its best work in the second half of games. They possessed the ball, they took their time, and they methodically controlled the games. When the defense was on the field, they were fresh, they substituted frequently, and they made plays to get off the field quickly.

Kyle Orton played great in the first half Sunday, just as he'd played very well in the first half of the Pittsburgh game, (outside the one interception). For all the hollering that went on about his lack of deep throwing, he threw a couple very nice deep balls for TDs to Brandon Marshall, and he just barely missed another to Eddie Royal. That opened the field vertically. He also did a very nice job on a few bootleg throws to Tony Scheffler, and a crossing pattern to Marshall. Those plays stretched the field horizontally.

The Broncos had Washington where they wanted them. Remember, they moved the ball on the possession where Correll Buckhalter fumbled, and they had the 17-play drive at the end of the first half, to take the 3-point lead. The Orton injury changed the entire complexion of the game. Simms simply couldn't complete a pass, and didn't seem to know where to go with the ball, and a lot of good work by Knowshon Moreno was wasted.

Most teams will struggle when they lose their starting QB. That's a function of the fact that there aren't 32 good QBs in the NFL, let alone 64 of them. I came into this game thinking that the Broncos are in good shape with Simms, if they needed to use him. I hope that he shows better if he has to play against San Diego, after a week of first-team reps. I still do tend to think that Simms can play.

You hate to have a game get away from you because your backup QB couldn't cut it. The only thing worse would be if two games got away for that reason. I expect that Josh McDaniels will have Simms ready to go next week, and that the gameplan will play to his strengths, if they need to use him.

You have to be careful not to let one game unduly affect an evaluation of a team. All the time, teams lay eggs in games, and lose (or nearly lose) to teams they should blow out. Look no further than New Orleans on Sunday, who seemingly tried to lose to St. Louis. Not to say that Dallas should have blown out Green Bay, but they shouldn't have gotten dominated like they did, either.

There's a lot of Chicken Little stuff going on here, and the one thing that will stop it is a victory against San Diego next week. Yes, I know that the Chargers are on a winning streak and the Broncos are on a losing streak. Remember when the Broncos had won 6 in a row, and the Ravens had lost 3 in a row? The Broncos can beat San Diego, which we know, because they already have this season. If they win that game, they'll re-take command of the division, with a one-game lead, and a sweeping of the head-to-head matchup.

2. In the big-time matchup of the week, the Colts got a win against the Patriots, and on Monday, Bill Belichick is being blamed by everybody who doesn't like him personally (AKA just about everyone). The fact is, Belichick has never curried favor with the media, and reporters tend to be critical of you every chance they get, if you don't pay them their due deference.

Joe Biden could tell you all about how that works. He never trusted the media after their treatment of the death of his first wife and daughter in 1972, and it always hurt him later, particularly in his two Presidential bids. John McCain and Barack Obama both have very deft touches with the media, and longstanding strategies of providing them a lot of access, and it was no accident that both were the nominees of their parties in 2008. If you're going to be a public figure, there's a clear benefit to cultivating relationships with reporters. The thing is, not everybody has the stomach for it, and Belichick is one of those guys who doesn't. Brett Favre benefits immensely from his relationship-building efforts, to the point of it being sickening most of the time. I heard somewhere recently that Favre spends hours with the TV guys on Saturday afternoons, as long as they want to hang out, and they really can't help but love on him.

Back to the lecture at hand, I would have done exactly the same thing as Belichick in that game situation, in going for it on 4th and 2 from his own 28. Why did he do it? Because he was pretty close to certain that he would lose the game if he punted, that's why.

Let's say you go by the book, and punt. Over all 2,293 punts in the NFL in 2008, the average net change in field position was 39.53 yards. The right call, if you ask Peter King, or others, was to punt, and give Manning the ball at his own 32, with about 2 minutes, and all 3 timeouts left. I say that that is choosing to lose the game in a way that will leave the coach blameless, as far as the idiot media is concerned. Well, he trusted his defense, and he played the percentages; it's not the coach's fault. Except he didn't play the percentages.

First of all, let's get this nonsense about trusting your defense dispensed with. You should always trust your defense. Former defensive players like Tedy Bruschi, Matt Bowen, and old friend Tom Jackson love this line of thinking, but it's utter horse (manure). You should only trust your defense if you think they are likely to make the stop, and win you the game. If you think they aren't, then it's a fool's errand to trust them. You say to them, hey, realistically, you guys probably weren't going to stop Peyton Manning, which really doesn't make you much different from any other team's defense. There is no room for blind machismo, or making a statement, or worrying about hurt feelings; this is about winning football games, nothing more.

I didn't spend a great deal of time on it, but I took a look at every game recap for the Colts since 2005. (I think 4 ½ seasons is a reasonable sample size.) Since then, including the postseason, Manning has had the ball late in the game, trailing, on 19 occasions which I counted. He came through to either tie or take the lead 15 times, which is a 79% success rate. (In 2007, he was 1-for-4, which was pretty aberrant for this sample. Two of those misses were against the strong 2007 Chargers, whom the Colts struggled to pass-protect against.)

Here's the deal. Statistically, you have a 60% chance of picking up 4th and 2, but that probability is almost certainly greater, due to the fact that you have an outstanding offense, and the Colts have an average-at-best defense. If I were Belichick, I would have put my conversion probability at 70% for that play. That same source says that an average team returning a punt, given those field position- and time parameters, scores 53% of the time. We already know Manning succeeds 79% of the time, because he's one of the greatest QBs ever.

You can choose to probably win, or you can choose to probably lose, in one moment. What do you choose?

Belichick chose to probably win, and came up on the side where the probable outcome wasn't the actual outcome. Serious poker players know exactly what I am talking about here. Sometimes, you play the hand correctly, and you go all-in with the best cards, but you lose anyway. It's a fact of life. You accept it, and you don't complain about it, because you know you made the right call, regardless of the outcome. The next time you're faced with the same situation, you do the same thing, again, because it was the right call.

When I got home Monday night, all I saw and heard was TV talking heads second-guessing the decision. Stuart Scott pretty much butchered the stats, but he actually cited our friends at AdvancedNFLStats.com. The shockingly anti-intellectual Steve Young promptly claimed that the stats aren't legitimate (except they are). We got to hear from Tedy Bruschi how he'd feel as a defensive player on the Patriots, as if that's germane to anything at all. Trent Dilfer's blood boils when he hears the "other side" of the argument, AKA the correct side. Blah, blah, blah. (Sorry, brief possession by an ex-wife-like-entity again.)

Just imagine the reaction if Kevin Faulk had made the 2 yards. The stories today would have been about the stones on Belichick, and how he is such a great coach to make a risky call. It would be like Mike Shanahan going for 2 in the Hochuli Game last season. (Shanahan correctly thought that was his best chance to win. He felt he had a better-than-50 percent chance of scoring the conversion, and he knew that he had a 50% chance of winning a coin toss, and about a 98% chance that the Chargers would score in overtime, if he lost the toss.)

I'm no great defender of Belichick, the man, but when he's right, he's right. If it's an average QB, and an average offense, you might punt in that situation, but against Manning, that's always going to be the wrong call on 4th and 2. Once again, Belichick is smarter than the average bear, and smarter than every member of the football MSM.

3. Information From My Eyes - Broncos at Redskins

a. All four deep throws Orton made were good throws. Eddie Royal misjudged the one incompletion, and Brandon Marshall got out-fought by DeAngelo Hall on the second, but both were definitely well-thrown balls.

b. That fake field goal was a debacle, but I don't personally blame Mike Priefer. My goat on that play is Darrell Reid, who was telling Marcus Thomas to cover Mike Sellers, while he decided to contain the left edge of the offense, as the play flowed right. Alphonso Smith caught some initial blame, but I disagree there. He was in deep center field, and flowed with the play, like anybody would coach him to. Who knew Hunter Smith could throw back across the field?

c. Ryan Clady got beat badly once on Sunday. That doesn't happen often at all, obviously. That's the first sack he allowed that I would say was fully on him.

d. From the department of good news, Matt Prater doesn't seem to be having a second-half slump this season.

e. I was very impressed with Knowshon Moreno's vision and quickness on Sunday.

f. I've already made my evaluation of Mitch Berger, so everybody knows where I am at on that one. I saw somewhere where Frank Schwab, some beat reporter, speculated that Mitch Berger's 65-yard punt might save his job. If a kick that went about 42 yards in the air, and rolled 23 on the ground can do that, something absurd is going on.

g. I had a busy workday Monday, which set my schedule back, and is unfortunately going to preclude me from taking the time to do Between The Lines this week.

On watching the game a second time, though, it occurred to me that the bulk of Washington's success in running the ball was on zone-blocked plays. As I think about it, the Broncos haven't faced much of that this season at all; really just Oakland, who does it crappily. That's really something to work on, because the lateral movement seemed to unsettle the Broncos defensive line.

h. D.J. Williams got blocked a lot, and took a lot of bad angles. Again. This is getting to be an annoying habit.

i. Andra Davis continued to be a bright spot. He is a terrific blitzer and has a great sense of timing for delaying his rush. His missed tackle on that Devin Thomas catch and run in the 4th quarter was bad, but he otherwise graded out very well.

j. On a painful second pass watching the game, Chris Simms lacked timing with the receivers, as much as anything. Every throw was a little late. It seems like Orton may be able to play next Sunday, but if it's Simms, I hope a week's worth of reps will help him build some timing.

4. Information From My Eyes - Other Games:

a. I was really curious to see the Buffalo-Tennessee game, and I recorded the Short Cut overnight, and watched the game Monday evening. Why would I care about this game? Well, the two teams played in the Hall of Fame Game, way back when it was still warm in Cleveland, and my girlfriend at the time called at halftime to break up with me.

In that game, the Bills couldn't block Tennessee, and the Titans looked like a Super Bowl team. So, I wanted to watch Sunday's game, because I wanted a good sense of where these two teams are. Tennessee probably isn't going to make the playoffs, after starting 0-6, but they've righted their ship, and they'd be trouble if they did make it. Their defensive line is still nasty, and I continue to be impressed with the job William Hayes is doing in replacing Jevon Kearse.

b. On the other side, the Bills still are below average on their offensive line. Their two highly-drafted rookies, Eric Wood, and Andy Levitre, particularly struggled, as they both had in the preseason game. Levitre even ended up playing some LT, due to an injury, and he really struggled outside. Wood got pushed backwards consistently in the passing game, and he's been generally pretty good as a rookie. The Bills need to shore up their offensive line in the offseason, and I am sure their new head coach will make that a priority, if they hire a competent one.

c. I am ready to make a pronouncement. If Vince Young couldn't run, he'd be the second coming of Trent Dilfer. He really isn't much of a thrower of the ball, and he leaves too much air under his throws. You can get by with him in a run-heavy offense, which is what the Titans really are.

Because he can run, he adds a useful element, and the team is really dangerous on option plays, and QB runs. His running ability can dictate that teams play man-to-man defense, and keep a guy out of coverage to spy him. Really, the Titans are back to being the 10-6ish team they were in 2007. I think they'll ultimately decide to stick with Young for next season, and look to build up the interior of their offensive line, and their back 7 on defense.

d. It seems like forever ago, but I did watch the Chicago-San Francisco game intently last Thursday. I think my first thought that I'd like to share is that the Bears defense played like they had some pride. I think Tommie Harris playing well made a huge difference. He is really the key to their whole scheme. I ripped him, and them, last week, and I told the guy from WCG who took exception that I'd say when they played well on defense. They did.

e. I don't really feel like I should say anything about Jay Cutler, because this column aims to stay away from saying obvious things. I'll just say it must be nice to have so many apologists when you mess up. He's like the second coming of Ronald Reagan with how teflon he is.

(Tangential ST&NO story - Reagan is a member of my fraternity. When he died in June of 2004, I was a senior at CSU, and President of my chapter, and I was asked to go on local television, to talk about Reagan as a fraternity man. Our guys did a fundraiser, and jumped on a trampoline for 54 straight days in the 80s, to break a Guinness record, while Frater Ronnie was POTUS. He sent us a congratulatory letter, so I focused on that with the news chick, Angie Lau. I had nothing but nice things to say, as Ronnie was definitely a good fraternity man.)

f. Peter King is really proud of himself for naming San Francisco's Aubrayo Franklin a midseason All-Pro as a NT. When Franklin got that scoring-area INT early on last Thursday, I kind of groaned, because I knew there was going to be some crowing about it.

I never have felt like Franklin jumped out, so I watched him closely, and my review is mixed. He didn't play a lot of snaps, so I wonder about his conditioning. He did play pretty stout against the run at times, and I felt like he was a good player overall when he was on the field. I could easily name 10-12 interior defensive players who are better, though. I guess it's fun to have a guy who is your guy, though.

g. Is Marc Bulger a veteran QB? I have always thought he was, but his command of clock management seemed really bad on Sunday. The Rams had a pretty good shot to beat the Saints, and Bulger and his receivers blew it. Man, I can't tell you how much I would hate to be associated with that team, in any capacity. It's got to be so disheartening to have no talent, be almost completely uncompetitive, then have a chance to beat an undefeated team, and blow it. Can you imagine what it's like to be a fan of such a team?

h. Reggie Bush had a really big game for the Saints on Sunday, stepping up from his usual "highly-paid-decoy" role. It's interesting to speculate on how the Saints value him. Obviously, they don't think he's a full-time RB, but he's paid like he's Adrian Peterson. I'd be happy to have him as a swing player, between RB and WR, but he's a backup at both positions, and I'd only pay him backup money. We'll soon see what the Saints think, because if I recall correctly, his contract is pretty well back-loaded.

i. Josh Freeman continues to look like he's the real deal for the Buccaneers, and Raheem Morris continues to look like he's gotten his bearings as a Head Coach. Both did a nice job in Sunday's game, despite Miami's comeback victory.

j. Speaking of Miami, I want to address the "Wildcat." The Dolphins are the only team which has had a lot of success with it, and every time they have a game with limited success, somebody speculates that the "trend" has run its course.

The thing is, Miami doesn't treat it like a trend. They treat it as a key part of the way they play offense, which puts their best players on the field together. They are committed to it, and they will continue to run it. They trade the disadvantage of being formationally unlikely to throw for the advantage of having 2-3 players who are good ball-carriers, who might get the ball in the running game. Other teams are finding that the direct-snap game maybe doesn't work for them. For Miami, it will continue to be an important part of their gameplan.

k. Joey Porter has had a pretty sub-par year, and he was a healthy scratch on Sunday. That raised some eyebrows, and Tony Sparano wouldn't comment on it. It actually parallels Adalius Thomas basically being shut down by the Patriots. Both teams are showing that having a big name and a big salary doesn't guarantee playing time, if you aren't producing on the field. Expect both players to be released after the season.

l. Another game I decided to watch on Monday was Jacksonville at the Jets. The Jets miss Kris Jenkins terribly, and their defense is nowhere near as good as it was when he was healthy. They are having to scheme to stop the inside run, and to keep Bart Scott and David Harris clean, and these things used to just happen. I expect New England to blow them out this coming week.

m. I can see why people like Mark Sanchez, but I continue not to be a fan. He's well-coached, and he has excellent fundamentals. I just think he's very limited as a natural thrower of the ball. I consider him to be a poor man's Matt Ryan, which is another way of calling him a middle class man's Chad Pennington.

Sanchez plays in a windy place, which I have noted before, and that's going to always be an issue. Another issue is that the offensive scheme he is playing in is very vertical, and Sanchez is a poster boy for the West Coast Offense. Rex Ryan inherited Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator, but I don't think Schottenheimer and Sanchez are a very good match. I have to wonder if the Jets don't make a change in the offseason, to bring in somebody to make the passing game's design more horizontal. Mike Shanahan could do wonders with Sanchez, although he won't be going to New York.

Really, as I think about it, if Sanchez and Jason Campbell could trade offensive coaching staffs, they'd probably both be much better off. Two owners traded teams once; why couldn't this happen?

n. There was a crazy sequence in the third quarter, where Sanchez threw an interception to Quentin Groves, then Maurice Jones-Drew fumbled at the goal line, and then Braylon Edwards fumbled at the end of a 41-yard catch. It was a whole lot of ugly going on at once, like the perennially sloppy tendencies of the Jaguars were rubbing off on the Jets.

o. Torry Holt was a great player for many years, despite playing for some obscure St. Louis teams. Really, you could make a case that he was a better player than a few Hall of Famers. (How about Art Monk, Steve Largent, and Lynn Swann to name a few?) I would go so far as to say that he was better than any WR the Broncos have had in my lifetime, a little ahead of Rod Smith.

My point in giving Holt credit, is that I have to say that I think he is getting pretty close to the end of the line. He has really struggled to get any separation, in the times I have watched him this season. He had two strong games, against St. Louis (bad defense) and Seattle (garbage time in a 41-0 game), but I haven't been impressed with his recent work.

p. I loved the call by the Jaguars to have Jones-Drew take a knee and run the clock out. His apology to his fantasy owners made me cringe, though. I may be 7-3 in the official MHR league, but fantasy football is at odds with my beliefs about football, and I have a hard time reconciling the two things.

q. I couldn't talk myself into watching the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game. Sorry, I know it was a key game, but a game with zero offensive touchdowns offends my sensibilities. (Just in case you were wondering why I had nothing on this game.) I'm sure it was ugly, and I feel fine, personally, having seen the highlights. When I walk into a smelly restroom, I get out as quick as possible. No need to hang around for half an hour, to have a good idea what happened there.

r. Jake Delhomme had a dangerously solid game on Sunday. It was the type of fool's gold performance that makes the regime think they are okay with him as their QB, and really, Jake has been having those games his whole career. The Panthers are suddenly 4-5, and back in the picture for a Wild Card spot, but I really believe that they need a better QB if they ever want to really compete for a championship.

s. Matt Ryan struggled mightily again on Sunday, and his two interceptions were a lot of the reason the Falcons lost the game. His first INT, in the second quarter, led to a TD which set the Falcons behind 21-10. The one he threw in the 4th quarter was converted 3 plays later into the TD which put the game away for Carolina.

Don't get me wrong; Ryan is mostly a good QB, but he has definite limitations, which I have highlighted in the past. He really struggles to beat tight coverage, and he's seen a lot of it lately.

t. Speaking of Hall of Fame-caliber guys who look washed up, old friend Jason Elam seems to have really lost his fastball. He's now 9 for 14, and he's only 3 for 6 between 30 and 39 yards. I would be surprised if he kicks after this season.

u. I always thought Beanie Wells was soft when he was at Ohio State, and he didn't do a lot early this season to change my mind. Lately, though, he's shown a lot better, and he's a big reason why the Cardinals are 6-3, and squarely in control of the NFC West. I've also been more impressed with the play of RT Levi Brown than ever before. He's been blowing some people off the ball in the running game.

v. The Chargers have been really tough in the scoring area lately. Of course, the Eagles helped them out by not even trying to run the ball down there. You have to make the defense think that they have to defend everything, or else they are at a distinct advantage. Only getting field goals of 18, 25, and 25 yards on visits deep into San Diego territory was the difference in that game. A defense can get shredded, as the Chargers did, and if they toughen up in the scoring area, they make up for it. A lot of Donovan McNabb's 450 yards were low-quality.

w. The Chargers sure are paying Darren Sproles a lot of money not to participate very much on offense. He's a lot like Reggie Bush, in being a highly-paid decoy who is never going to be much more than what he is.

x. Hey, Adam Schefter. From a money guy, "large" means thousand. When you say "two hundred fifty thousand large," that means $250 Million. He said that on Monday Night Countdown (Served by Applebee's... really). People misspeak all the time; I just wanted to make sure he knows what "large" means. This is coming from a helpful place.

y. I have to hand it to the Browns. They played really well on defense Monday night. Their offense is just so terrible, that it's no use. Those defensive players are playing for jobs next year, whether it be in Cleveland under a new regime, or elsewhere. Guys who show some pride and effort on bad teams will have some good film for their agents to shop them with. Guys who pack it in will be out of the league, like so many guys who played defense in Denver last season.

z. I actually like to listen to MNF nowadays, as I finish ST&NO every week. The main reason is that I actually think that both Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden are value-adding to listen to. The guys at Mickey Mouse-land spent so many years looking for a good third man, with such horrible results, and they've finally found a good 3-man booth. I actually don't like Mike Tirico, who is good at basketball, but bad at football play-by-play (much like Joe Buck is great with baseball, and abysmal with football).

5. I know the Bengals have always been willing to take on troubled players, but it's hard to imagine what they are thinking in reportedly bringing in Larry Johnson. As LJ was to be the key RB on the Shallow Thoughts team in the official MHR Fantasy League, I can tell you that his performance has been garbage this season. Some of his bad performance can certainly be attributed to bad offensive line play in Kansas City, but Johnson is clearly lacking quickness to the hole, and the leg drive he had in his prime. I just don't see what value the Bengals are going to get out of him.

I've reached midnight, and unfortunately, I need to call it a night. My company is in the process of being acquired, which has caused me to be much busier than normal at this time of the month, and I have an early morning meeting Tuesday. I hope you enjoy this edition of ST&NO, and have a great week. I'll see you all again next Tuesday, hopefully with time to give you my normal output.

Champ Bailey wins Broncos' Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

John Bena — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:10:10 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

4 months ago: Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey takes part in drills during a football training camp session conducted in Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver on Monday, Aug. 10, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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The Denver Broncos selected cornerback Champ Bailey as their Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award recipient for the second consecutive year, it was announced. This prestigious award historically recognizes a player for outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community.

Bailey's name will be submitted to the NFL as the Broncos' nominee for the national Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award, which is announced annually at the Super Bowl. He was selected by a committee of representatives from various business departments within the Broncos' organization and Stadium Management Company from a group of finalists that included tight end Daniel Graham, tackle Ryan Harris and outside linebacker/defensive end Darrell Reid.

Bailey was honored for his years of service supporting the Denver Rescue Mission and most notably the Broncos Youth Center located at its Crossing Facility, which provides long-term rehabilitation and transitional housing. The 11th-year player and eight-time Pro Bowl choice will receive a $10,000 donation from the Broncos toward a charitable cause of his choice.

Graham, Harris and Reid also will receive $2,000 donations toward a charitable cause of their choice.

Additionally, the organization honored several other players for their work in the community. Safeties Josh Barrett and David Bruton, tackle Ryan Clady, cornerback D.J. Johnson, defensive lineman Kenny Peterson, tight end Tony Scheffler, cornerback Jack Williams and inside linebacker Wesley Woodyard were named Denver Broncos Community Ambassadors in recognition of their "up-and-coming" community leadership.

Recent Broncos nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award include Bailey (2008), cornerback Domonique Foxworth (2007), wide receiver Rod Smith (2006 and '04), safety John Lynch (2005), linebacker Ian Gold (2003) and wide receiver Ed McCaffrey (2002).

Quarterback John Elway (1992) is the only Broncos player to win the national award, which was first given in 1970 and renamed after the Chicago Bears' Pro Football Hall of Fame running back in 1999.

Horse Tracks 10/14/09 - Bowlen says BMarsh is on his way to payday; 5-0 Broncos 3.5-pt underdogs at San Diego

Douglas A. Lee — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:55:54 -0000

NFL - Broncos’ Bowlen heaps praise on Marshall, McDaniels - Steve Wyche
"Brandon understands that he’s got a year left on his present deal, but if he keeps playing the way he is, he’s going to get a very significant raise — a much better contract," Bowlen said. "That’s the way it goes, and Brandon has accepted that."

DPP - Gasp! 5-0 start began in "dog days" - Mike Klis
"A lot of attention is paid to our conditioning," Broncos defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday said. "As a veteran player, I hate it. We do a lot of running, a lot of cardio work. But it helps us. If coach implements something, and it works, you can't complain too much about it."

DB - Staying Grounded - Mike Rice
"We improved from week four to week five," Orton said. "Now the goal is to humble ourselves again and improve from week five to (week) six. I know all these vets that we have. We’re going to come back and work even harder this week and be a better team (in) week six."

LTC - Clean Living, Hard Hitting - Brian Howell

LTC - Denver defense deserves accolades, but offense doing its fair share, too - Brian Howell

CSG - Bailey's technique: Don't try this at home - Frank Schwab

CBS - Coordinators lack limelight, offer plenty of results - Clark Judge
"If there was an award for Assistant of the Year -- which there isn't -- and they handed it out five weeks into the season, Nolan would be the runaway winner. His influence on the Broncos has been that dramatic."

DB - Charging Into San Diego - Patrick Smyth

PFW - Week Six matchup tidbits

SI - Nolan's success in Denver shows some coaches are better assistants - Ann Killion

DB - Supporting the Drive for Life - Gray Caldwell

DB - Broncos Team With Bonfils Drive for Life - Broncos TV

DB - Orton Named Offensive Player of the Week - Broncos TV
Highlights from Sunday

DPP - Broncos hope to contain big receivers of run-challenged Chargers - Jeff Legwold

CBS4 - Rod Smith's Prediction For Eddie Royal Comes True - Jesse Sarles

CSG - Owner Bowlen pleased with Broncos's 5-0 start, coach - Frank Schwab

CSG - Opponent watch: San Diego Chargers - Frank Schwab

DPP - Analysis: Eli, Orton best in 4th quarter - Jeff Legwold

DPP - DBs lead league in age, breakups - Jeff Legwold
"Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler, who left Sunday's game early with a back/hip injury, is expected to be evaluated throughout the week, and it's possible he may be limited some in practice."

DPP - Q&A: Taunting in NFL explained - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Numbers: Don't bet against the Broncos

USAP - Despite Being Perfect, Denver Broncos Underdogs On MNF at Chargers
There's no letdown when you're a 3.5-point UNDERDOG

DH - With Cutler & Orton playing well, fans can't pass up hyping their favorite QB - Bob LeGere
And here it is..."Cutler has done more with less, and he is the more talented quarterback." No, actually he's done less with less.

AZC - Young: Got Broncos Fever yet? We do
"Our Broncos call goes right up there with our predictions of a Diamondbacks NL West Division title, a Cubs World Series victory and a pullback in the S&P 500 once it passed 1,010."

PBP - Miami Dolphins talking points: Dolphins miss Renaldo Hill - Edgar Thompson
"Was Renaldo Hill better than the Dolphins thought?"

NBCDFW - Know Your Wade Replacements: Mike Shanahan - Drew Magary

AFC West News

SN - AFC West: Denver's McDaniels new member of "Mile High Club" - Shawn Clarke

ESPN - How I See It: AFC West Stock Watch - Bill Williamson

SDUT - Scouting report: Chargers vs. Broncos - Jay Posner

NCT - CHARGERS SCOUTING REPORT: Denver Broncos - Scott Bair

NFP - Bolts need a charge now - Brad Biggs

KCS - Haley wants to put more emphasis on successful no-huddle package - Kent Babb

OT - Poole: Russell not acting alone

NFL News

NFL - Commissioner Goodell addresses Cable case, labor negotiations

NFL - Colts' Irsay says he wouldn't approve Limbaugh as owner of Rams
Let's keep this in mind - NFL ownership is not a right. The NFL is a private entity and basically a club; the owners have every right to decide who can own a franchise.

NFL - Back for more: Veteran LB Seau agrees to rejoin Patriots

NFL - Cowboys sign veteran Rossum in effort to boost return game

NFL - Bills sign two former Rams to join injury-battered defense

NFL - Tyree, the hero of Super Bowl XLII, lands with Ravens

NFL - Figurs signs with Bucs, reunites with ex-college coach Morris

NFL - Torn ACL sidelines Dolphins backup RB Cobbs for the season

NFL - Seahawks' O-line shuffled again: Frye goes on IR; McIntosh signs

NFL - Bengals cut St. Louis, sign Harris in switch of snappers

NFL Opinion

FOX - Schein 9: It's ugly and crowded at bottom of NFL
"That would be this guy. I picked Denver to win three games. The Broncos are 5-0...How good do you feel for Josh McDaniels, maligned by everyone (starting with this guy) for botching everything during the offseason? And the players, from Holliday to Brian Dawkins, use motivation, including from this guy, when we rip Denver."

NFL - Hot seats, hot starts highlight first quarter of the season - Vic Carucci
"The Denver Broncos. Are they a fluke? Not at all. Can they sustain their success? Absolutely."

NFP - Tavern talk: Don’t discount experience - Mike Lombardi

SI - State of Cleveland Browns; Red Zone channel; NFL mailbag - Peter King
"I'd be asking: What's your defensive plan, and how can I be sure that Bob Slowik (Shanahan's chosen defense coordinator when he gets a new gig) is the man for the job?"

NFP - Why Snyder wants Gruden - Matt Bowen

Y! - Fuss over Vick much ado about nothing - Mike Silver

SI - Chad Henne, Mark Sanchez, Matthew Stafford lead young NFL QBs - Don Banks

CBS - Teams with first-year coaches need to tread lightly - Charley Casserly

SN - Scouts' view: Look for big things from Braylon Edwards - Dennis Dillon

NYT - In N.F.L., 32 Voices Louder Than Limbaugh’s - George Vecsey

Y! - Limbaugh must take bad with good - Dan Wetzel

Y! - Limbaugh's act won't work for NFL - Jason Cole

PFW - Week Six power rankings

CBS - Power Rankings: Bristling with weapons, beware of Eagles - Pete Prisco

NFL - Expert Rankings: Week 5

ESPN - NFL Power Rankings Week 6
"The Broncos will have their mettle tested in Week 6 when they visit the No. 16 San Diego Chargers, who opened our regular-season rankings seeded fifth."

PFW - MVP Meter: Early leaders to square off

PFW - Rookie Meter: Young Colts on the rise
"There's no longer any question, Moreno is the Broncos' No. 1 back."

NFP - Scout’s notebook: defensive review - Wes Bunting

SN - Mock draft: SN projects 2010's top NFL picks - War Room Scouts

Horse Tracks 10/13/09 - It's Chargers Week. There will be no letdown.

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:44:11 -0000

These are not the Broncos of recent years. Bill Belichick's teams do not have letdown games, and certainly not against divisional arch rivals. They lose games occasionally, but it's not because they overlook their opponents. Josh McDaniels and Brian Dawkins will not allow this team to take the Dolts lightly; besides, there is plenty of motivational material on film. The Broncos may have upset the Pats on Sunday, but they did so with plenty of room for improvement; they must stop putting the ball on the ground and clean up special teams. Philip Rivers is 5-1 versus Denver (and should be 6-0, thanks to Hochuli). Which brings us to today's fun fact of the day - the 2008 Broncos allowed 52 points to the Dolts in closing out the season. The 2009 Denver Broncos have allowed 43 points in FIVE GAMES.

DB - Week 6 - Mon: McDaniels - Broncos TV

CHFF - All hail the Horseshoe
Cold Hard Football Facts loves Kyle Orton. Fascinating read. Thanks to Bear for the link.

DPP - Broncos' game at San Diego could be difference maker - Jeff Legwold
Pat Bowlen has added the hoodie to his wardrobe...where are the pictures?!?!?!

DPP - Broncos' receivers rediscover 2008 form - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Analysis: Broncos need to polish special teams - Jeff Legwold
"They are tied for last in the NFL, with the winless Rams, for average drive start after a kickoff (21.6-yard line) and they fumbled away one kickoff when Peyton Hillis committed a turnover on the opening kickoff against Cleveland."

NFLFH - Broncos' Talented Eddie Royal Slowly Adjusting to New Role - Thomas George
This is why Rod Smith is the man - "It's like a worker who one day walked into Microsoft and the next day walked into Mac -- the whole building and attitude and philosophy and structure have changed with Josh." Said D.J. Williams, "We have fewer players worrying about making the Pro Bowl and getting individual honors and more guys putting the team first." Thanks to Elizabeth for the link!

CBS4 - Elway Likes McDaniels' Style On The Sidelines - Matthew Buettner
"He just keeps going to the right guys, putting the ball on the money, and doing the right things, which wins football games," Elway said. "He outplayed Brady yesterday in his system and was just doing some great, great things."

DB - Confident While Committed - Zach Eisendrath
"Those guys fight for each other," Rod Smith said. "Talking to some of the players, they said, ‘The one thing I love about our team is that it’s unselfish.’ Everybody on this team is really thinking about the guy next to them, and they’re making some things happen."

CBS4 - Broncos' Chris Simms Encourages Blood Donation - Libby Smith

CSG - Celebration shows McDaniels' strength - Frank Schwab

CSG - Coach gives Broncos day off for hard-working win - Frank Schwab

DPP - Breakdown: Pats fail to adjust - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Q&A: Broncos prefer to wear throwback jerseys only twice - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Spotlight on: Broncos tight end Daniel Graham - Lindsay Jones

DP - Broncos now in fast company - Jeff Legwold

AP - Knowshon Moreno Overcomes Fumble With A Few Fine Runs - Eddie Pells

DPP - Former CB Crockett impressed with current team - Mike Klis
"That is probably about as poor as you can play in the kicking game and win a game in the National Football League," McDaniels said. "It was disappointing. Our special teams have been a strength of ours so far this season and certainly weren't yesterday."

DB - Ask Champ Bailey...

KDVR - Chris Tanaka: I was wrong about the Broncos

ESPN - Tedy Bruschi's thoughts on the New England Patriots' Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos

WEEI - Upon Further Review: A look back at Pats-Broncos - Christopher Price

ESPN - Will Denver's fast start reflect poorly on Shanahan? - Bill Williamson
Depends...is Bob Slowik still attached to Shanny's hip? Would YOU hire Mike Shanahan and allow him to bring Bob Slowik along as his DC?

LTC - Mile High five - Brian Howell

LTC - McDaniels can’t hide glee over beating former team

INDT - Drew Litton: Belichick gets schooled

DH - Orton gets my respect, but come on - Mike Imrem
What's that smell?!?! Sour grapes???

AFC West News

DPP - Broncos primer: The San Diego Chargers - Lindsay Jones

NCT - By any color, Chargers face a must-win game - Jay Paris

SDUT - Chargers feel urgency of Monday's game - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Chargers' real problems aren't Norv or A.J. - Nick Canepa
Mmm Hmm. That's because A.J. is always good for a quote...

KCS - Running game with LJ has ground to a halt - Adam Teicher

SFC - RAIDERS MELTDOWN / From Week 5 to futility - Ray Ratto

OT - Inman: Cable issue is at hand

NFL Results

NFL - New York Jets 27 at Miami Dolphins 31

NFL News

NFL - On second thought, 49ers CB Bly sorry for his showboating
What a clown. Anyone wonder why the 2007 and 2008 Broncos' defenses were so bad?!?! No, I know Bly wasn't a bad player for the Broncos. But with that attitude? That garbage can bring a whole team down...

NFL - Bills coach Jauron feeling pressure as injuries, losses mount

NFL - Titans CB Harper sidelined up to six weeks with broken right forearm

NFL - Concussions could end season for Niners' Lewis, Ulbrich

NFL - Niners release veteran Rossum to make room for rookie Crabtree

NFL - NFL opens probe into Browns rookie Davis' season-ending injury

NFL - Veteran OT Tauscher returns to Packers, who need help on line

NFL Opinion

USAT - Replay: McDaniels' Marshall plan bearing fruit for Broncos - Jarett Bell

CBS - Prisco Grades: Week 5
"Still doubting the Denver Broncos? Not anymore. Still questioning Josh McDaniels? Not now. You can't doubt them anymore like I have. I'm done. "

Y! - Love affair for Falcons' Ryan is growing - Mike Silver
"We won’t drink the kool aid!!!!" – Text Sunday evening from Broncos defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday, resisting the hype that will intensify after Sunday’s victory over the Patriots

NFL - Lopsided results show huge disparity between best and worst teams - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Tavern talk: A win for Vikki Zimmer - Mike Lombardi
"Knowshon Moreno is tough to tackle, and he made more yards after contact Sunday. "

NFP - Diner morning news: Trades are coming - Mike Lombardi

NFL - Six from Sunday: With four teams still winless, 0-16 is a possibility - Pat Kirwan
Kirwan thinks it was unfair the Pats didn't get the ball in OT. Waaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Y! - Jets assistant battled through cancer, leg ailments - Jason Cole

NFP - Is this Favre’s best team yet? - Matt Bowen

NFP - Three No. 1s, many millions spent - Andrew Brandt
"Josh McDaniels wanted Orton more than he wanted Jay Cutler, Jason Campbell or anyone else who was offered to him for Cutler."

NFP - Scout’s notebook: offensive review - Wes Bunting

Horse Tracks 10/12/09 - The 2009 Denver Broncos are 5-0. Yesterday was not a dream.

Douglas A. Lee — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:08:00 -0000

That was a "Wow" win and an eye-opener, even for me. There were so many points during yesterday's game at which prior Broncos teams would have folded. After those ST penalties, after letting Brady get the ball back late in the 4th quarter of a tied game, after trailing by 10 points at halftime - those were all moments where I thought the Broncos were toast. But this team is different. They are the best-coached Broncos team I have ever seen. No, of course they don't have the talent of the '97 and '98 teams; but this team is so well-prepared and they get better after halftime, every week. Mike Nolan's defense has allowed 7 second-half points all year - the late TD to Cincy. That's it. Anyone want to tell me Kyle Orton doesn't have what it takes? Guy is 5-0 with a 97.4 QB rating. The glove came off yesterday, and how many throws did you see him miss yesterday? Folks, the Denver Broncos are 5-0 with a 2.5-game lead in the division. A win next Monday in San Diego would basically be a 4-game lead...

DB - Patriots Postgame: Report - Broncos TV
This guy BDawk - you think he's got enough energy and enthusiasm?

NFL - Broncos 20, Patriots 17 - Video Highlights
Highlights with radio calls. I'm going to watch this about 15 times today...

DB - Patriots Postgame: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Patriots Postgame: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Patriots Postgame: Marshall - Broncos TV
Gotta watch this just to see Rod Smith come by and yell "How bout them Broncos!"

NFL - New England Patriots 17 at Denver Broncos 20 - Box Score

DPP - Broncos improve to 5-0 with overtime thriller - Mike Klis

DPP - Orton plays his best game as a Bronco - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Analysis: Broncos defense doing its job - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Wild-horse formation or not, Moreno shows he's a stallion - Mike Klis

DPP - Briefs: Prater's winner an icebreaker in young NFL career
Tony Scheffler injured his back or hip yesterday and did not play much in the second half; Brandon Stokley saw limited snaps.

DPP - Bests & Worsts: Broncos vs. Patriots - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Kiszla: Marshall learned scoring move from Rod Smith
"It's so crazy, and I'm going to make sure I remind him of this," Smith said. "That touchdown (Marshall) scored, the way he came off the ball at the snap, the way he stopped on the route, is the exact same thing me and him worked on while he was suspended, when nobody was looking."

DPP - Paige: Broncos fashion way to sock Pats
"In the postgame news conference, the first utterance by McDaniels was to address some idiot. "You picked us to win four, didn't you?" That idiot would be me. I was wrong."

CSG - Broncos' defense buckles down in second half - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos are sitting pretty at 5-0 - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos notes: Royal appearance - Frank Schwab

CSG - McDaniels giving himself, fans of Broncos a reason to smile - David Ramsey
"What nearly all of us missed was McDaniels expertise as a football architect. And I’m at the front of the line of the oblivious observers."

CBS - Broncos' surprising start defies expectations and then some - Lee Rasizer

DB - Hard-Fought 5-0 - Gray Caldwell

DB - Coming Through in the Clutch - Zach Eisendrath

NFL GameDay - Patriots vs. Broncos highlights - Video
Eisen, Mooch and Deion

NFLN - Sunday Sit Down: Brandon Marshall - Video, Part 1

NFLN - Sunday Sit Down: Brandon Marshall - Video, Part 2

NFL - Perfect protege: McDaniels' insight helps his new team beat old one - Vic Carucci

SI - Kyle Orton, Josh McDaniels making believers out of Broncos, NFL fans - Peter King
"Kyle Orton is good. Josh McDaniels is a genius. A pretty emotional one, as it turns out."

FOX - Denver's new winning ways start with McDaniels - Alex Marvez

ESPN - McDaniels, Broncos mile-high after win - Gene Wojciechowski
"Unlike the great Eric Mangini-Belichick cold-shoulder-fest, it seems the Patriots (and Belichick) still have a soft spot for McDaniels. If not, they deserve acting awards for the way they greeted him at the team buses."

ESPN - Orton emerges as calm, victorious leader - Bill Williamson

SN - McDaniels has Broncos playing with confidence - Clifton Brown

Y! - McDaniels offers refreshing show of enthusiasm - Charles Robinson
"And Kyle Orton? His numbers through five games, factored along with the undefeated start, have to put him in the league’s top 10 quarterback conversation. Unthinkable, but true."

SN - Week 5 Checkdown: Broncos, Bengals are no flukes - Vinnie Iyer

AP - Josh McDaniels Beats Mentor In OT Thriller - Eddie Pells

Patriots News

NEP - Bill Belichick Postgame Presser Audio

BG - Student uprising - Michael Vega

BG - Broncos coach McDaniels relishes special win - Theresa Smith

BG - Extra Points - New England Patriots News and Analysis

BG - Denver doldrums continue for the Patriots - Christopher Gasper

BG - Gostkowski kicking himself over field goal miss - Michael Whitmer

BG - Meriweather finds out that talk isn’t cheap - Michael Whitmer

BH - Patriots’ OT defeat proves to be chilling reminder - Ian Rapoport

BH - Matt Light injury hefty loss - Ian Rapoport

BH - Can’t spell ‘outplayed’ without ‘D’ - Ron Borges

BH - Broncos pen in Tom Brady - Lynn DeBruin

BH - Jerod Mayo makes impact in limited return - Lynn DeBruin

BH - Josh McDaniels masters Bill Belichick - Karen Guregian

BH - The best and the worst of yesterday’s game - Ron Borges

NFL Results

NFL - Dallas Cowboys 26 at Kansas City Chiefs 20

NFL - Oakland Raiders 7 at New York Giants 44

NFL - Cincinnati Bengals 17 at Baltimore Ravens 14

NFL - Cleveland Browns 6 at Buffalo Bills 3

NFL - Washington Redskins 17 at Carolina Panthers 20

NFL - Pittsburgh Steelers 28 at Detroit Lions 20

NFL - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 at Philadelphia Eagles 33

NFL - Minnesota Vikings 38 at St. Louis Rams 10

NFL - Atlanta Falcons 45 at San Francisco 49ers 10

NFL - Houston Texans 21 at Arizona Cardinals 28

NFL - Jacksonville Jaguars 0 at Seattle Seahawks 41

NFL - Indianapolis Colts 31 at Tennessee Titans 9

AFC West News

KCS - Chiefs let one slip away in 26-20 OT loss to Cowboys - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chiefs don’t have talent to pull off upset of Cowboys - Jason Whitlock

KCS - Cassel offers KC a glimpse of QB it traded for - Kent Babb

SFC - Defense simply overmatched - David White

OT - Peterson: For Raiders, it's never been so bleak

NFL Opinion

SI - The surprising Bengals, Ravens' problems, more - Don Banks
"All of us who smugly predicted gloom and doom in Denver this season owe the Broncos and rookie head coach Josh McDaniels a super-sized mea culpa. That was a belief-inducing win over the Patriots on Sunday, and if there are any Broncos doubters at this point, they're a rapidly dwindling group."

NFP - Sunday rewind: Week 5 - Matt Bowen
"If you didn’t believe in this Broncos team before, now is a good time to start."

CBS - Week 5 Judgements: Look no further because McNabb's the man - Clark Judge
"It's a one-game season, with the Chargers absolutely, positively having to win next Monday's showdown with Denver at the Q. If they don't, the AFC West race ... if you want to call it that ... is over."

ESPN - Last Call: Wrapping up Week 5 - John Clayton

Steelers Drop Another Tight Game Late In 4th Quarter, Drop To 1-2

Blitzburgh — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:54:24 -0000

I told my girlfriend last night that I didn't think the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to win this afternoon in Cincinnati. Through the first quarter and a half of Sunday's game, I thought I was going to be proven wrong. Unfortunately, I wasn't. Give credit to the Bengals for keeping the ship afloat during a very rocky first half, then ratcheting up their game and executing tremendously in the 2nd half to catch up to the Steelers in the game's final seconds. My five quick thoughts about the game. First though, there's lots of people who will say the team needs to 'wake up' or 'get motivated' or 'forget about last season' or other phantom things that don't really address why the Steeler are losing close football games. Just remember how razor thin a line it is between winning and losing in this league. We're one or two plays short in consecutive weeks from winning. We could easily be 3-0. We could also be 0-3. Just trying to 'play Steelers football' isn't going to cut it. We're playing Steelers football - hard and competitive games each week. We need a little extra something to get us over the top in this hyper-competitive league - a few breaks, the return of our best player, better execution in the red zone, etc etc.

To my initial five reflections...

I always like to start with something positive, or at least try to, so I'll begin by saying I was mostly impressed again by the offense of the Steelers. They were balanced, good on 3rd down, protected Big Ben pretty well and eclipsed 350 yards of total offense (373) for the 2nd time in three weeks. The 2008 Steelers only accomplished that six times last season. It was also outstanding to see Willie Parker play much better football this week. Outside of his performance against San Diego in last year's playoffs, I thought he looked better than he had since Week 1 of the 2008 season when Pittsburgh whooped Houston to start the year. Parker finished with a shade under 100 yards (93 yards) on 25 carries. He looked like his burst to get to the outside was back and he also showed an uncharacteristically solid set of hands in the passing game. If he can play like this moving forward, our offense really has a good shot at gelling and playing at a high enough level to make another run at the playoffs and beyond. This offense still needs to do a better job not leaving points out there on the field, but it's only a matter of time if you ask me until the scoreboard reflects how solidly they've been playing for most of this young season.
Okay, one more positive note before getting to the bad - CONGRATULATIONS to Hines Ward for surpassing the 10,000 yard mark in his Hall of Fame worthy career. Did you see some of those names on the graphic of wide receivers to accumulate 10,000 receiving yards with one single team: Rod Smith, Marvin Harrison, Steve Largent - impressive stuff for Hines. Individual milestones probably mean very little to him during the course of the intense season - he'll look back on the accomplishment at some point, just not now I doubt. Anyway...his contributions are still very meaningful to this football team. He's not being paraded out there just to surpass milestones. He's averaging 6 catches and just about 80 receiving yards per game so far. What a gamer.
Okay, on to the bad. It all begins and ends really with the defense at this point in the season for Pittsburgh. Remember what Tunch Ilkin said to us on Behind The Steel Curtain - the NFL changes dramatically every 4 weeks. That's because teams can individually change every four weeks. This defense is largely the same personnel as last season, so it may seem hard to comprehend why they're not nearly as dominant through three games as they were most all of last season. Obviously the loss of Troy Polamalu is huge. We'll be an entirely different defense when he returns from injury. What is troubling though is the lack of pressure being generated by the Steelers pass rushers and the blitz packages being implemented. And the lack of turnovers is also disconcerting. There's individuals who could play better, for sure. Has there been a Deshea Townsend sighting this year? William Gay continues to be just decent as he gets more experience - there's some good, but plenty of room for improvement too. Anyway, this is the storyline for the 2009 Steelers moving forward: can the defense be better than they've been while Troy is out as the offense continues to work at manufacturing more points out of the success they're having on offense.
Remember guys and gals that this is just Week 3. Last year on this date we were throttled by Philadelphia and looked bad enough that there was no conceivable way to think about advancing to the Super Bowl. The team improved and persevered through the downs. This 2009 team will have every opportunity to get itself back on track moving forward. They stand 2 games behind the Ravens in the AFC North through just two weeks, but remember that Baltimore has played two early cupcakes whereas the Steelers have yet to see the Browns (who look just awful) or teams like Kansas City or Detroit. Let's see where things stand in three weeks after Baltimore (who looks simply outstanding thus far) travels to New England and Minnesota. Pittsburgh meanwhile has three of its next four at Heinz Field, beginning next weekend against San Diego at Heinz Field. They then travel to Detroit (huzzah to them for winning for the first time since December of 2007), then host Cleveland and Minnesota before their BYE Week. The NFL changes every four weeks - let's see where things stand after that slate of games, then look forward to that BYE Week to get rested up for the stretch run in the season's second half. Something tells me the attitude of the fanbase will be a lot different after this next month, and certainly I think a 4-3 or 5-2 record is well within the realm of possibility.
Stats of the game: 23 of the final 30 plays were run by Cincinnati's offense. The defense just couldn't make a play late in the game for the second week in a row. Give LOTS of credit to Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense though. Like the Bears did last week, the Bengals executed exquisitely when it really counted in crunch time. Second stat of the game: 3 of 3 on 4th down by the Bengals. All of them in the 2nd half and two of them in the game's final drive. That's one way to mask being just 3 of 12 on 3rd downs and not managing a single positive play really for the entire 1st quarter.

Much more from me on this one and about how the Steelers 2009 season is trending through three exciting and largely disappointing weeks.

Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team Released

John Bena — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:25:36 -0000

via www.sportslogos.net

View full size photo »

The 2009 NFL season marks the 50th anniversary of the Denver Broncos. To commemorate the past while embracing the future, the franchise has allowed its community of fans, an integral part of Broncos Country during the first 50 seasons, the chance to vote for their 50th Anniversary Denver Broncos Team.

From June 6 - Sept. 4, fans had the chance to make their voices heard by casting their votes online at www.DenverBroncos.com. The results are in, and here are the choices:

First-team Offense

QB John Elway

RB Terrell Davis

RB Floyd Little

WR Ed McCaffrey

WR Rod Smith

TE Shannon Sharpe

OT Matt Lepsis

OT Gary Zimmerman

G Keith Bishop

G Mark Schlereth

C Tom Nalen

First-team Defense

DE Simon Fletcher

DE Rich Jackson

DT Trevor Pryce

DT Rubin Carter

LB Karl Mecklenburg

LB Randy Gradishar

LB Tom Jackson

CB Champ Bailey

CB Louis Wright

S Steve Atwater

S Dennis Smith

First-team Specialists

K Jason Elam

P Tom Rouen

Ret Rick Upchurch

The first team will be honored in person during halftime of the team's Legacy Game on Oct. 11 when the New England Patriots visit INVESCO Field at Mile High. In addition, one lucky voter will have the opportunity to join the 50th Anniversary Team during this ceremony. That winner will be announced at a later date.

The voting process was made possible by the Broncos' online marketing partner, Akavit - the principle digital agency behind DenverBroncos.com and BroncosCountry.com. The interactive voting tool featured the Broncos' history and highlights spanning the past 50 seasons through the use of video and additional multimedia. Each player was represented by their respective biography, statistics and photographs.

Along with the first team, the Broncos are also announcing a 50th Anniversary second team.

The second team-offense has Craig Morton lining up at quarterback, with Otis Armstrong and Sammy Winder at running back, Haven Moses and Lionel Taylor at wide receiver, and Riley Odoms at tight end. Rounding out the unit is the offensive line of Ken Lanier and Dave Studdard at offensive tackle, Ben Hamilton and Paul Howard at guard and Billy Bryan at center.

The second-team defense has a line of Rulon Jones and Alfred Williams at defensive end, and Greg Kragen and Paul Smith at defensive tackle. Al Wilson, Bill Romanowski and D.J. Williams are at linebacker. Ray Crockett and Willie Brown are the second-team cornerbacks, while Steve Foley and Goose Gonsoulin round out the defense at safety.

The second-team specialists are Jim Turner at kicker, Mike Horan at punter, and Billy Thompson at returner.

Horse Tracks 9/12/09 - Shannon Sharpe gets involved in guiding Brandon Marshall

Douglas A. Lee — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:43:36 -0000

Mornin' MHR Friends! To all my fellow New Yorkers, please shoot me an email at nycbroncosfan@gmail.com if you're interested in meeting up for tomorrow's (and future) games. I know this is last minute, but I had been hoping to get NFL Sunday Ticket Online and it hasn't worked out. I watched most Broncos games last year at Sidebar on 15th and Irving; not sure if that will be the spot again this year. But please email me and hopefully we can put something together!

AP - Brandon Marshall Keeps Lips Sealed On Suspension
Shannon Sharpe got on a three-way call with Rod Smith and BMarsh and gave the young receiver a stern talking to. Big Play Shay says, "Moving forward, I don't think the Broncos are going to have any problems with Brandon Marshall." Personally, I'm thrilled these legends still care enough about the Broncos to help out, even in the absence of Mike Shanahan.

DP - Orton to start Broncos' opener - Mike Klis

DPP - Same as it ever was for Orton - Mike Klis
According to Klis, Kyle Orton hasn't seemed to have lost any velocity or sharpness from his throws during practice this week.

DPP - All quiet on B-Marsh front - Jeff Legwold
Josh Barrett and Le Kevin Smith are out for Sunday's game, while Russ Hochstein is expected to start in place of Chris Kuper.

DB - A Few Minutes With Josh McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Week 1: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Exciting In Its Own Right - Chris Gentilviso

DB - Embodying the Exception - Zach Eisendrath
Jarvis Moss sounds refreshed and renewed by the switch in defensive scheme. Hopefully it shows through on the field...

DPP - Q&A: Rate the rookies - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Analysis: Adjustments will be made - Jeff Legwold

LTC - Defense key to Broncos’ success - Brian Howell

LTC - Moreno eager to debut - Brian Howell

CSG - Indications are Orton will start for Broncos - Frank Schwab

CSG - For McDaniels, this is not any given Sunday - Frank Schwab

DPP - Broncos' 50th season: Long way to reach glory - Jim Armstrong
Armstrong looks back at the Broncos' early days and offers his all-time team.

DP - Bates doesn't dwell on past - John Henderson

MV - The Denver Broncos' Ed McCaffrey, 9/11 and a New York Minute

Bengals News

CE - Henry set to play against Denver - Joe Reedy

CE - No blackout for Bengals - Joe Reedy

NYT - Brothers on the Bengals - The Palmers are the ‘Other’ Quarterbacks - Karen Crouse

AFC West News

ESPN - Adam Schefter: Richard Seymour expected to arrive in Oakland on Saturday, sources say
Sure, feel bad for Seymour. But Belichick being disloyal? Come on. The guy knows what he's doing. If a player is about to go over the hill (or cost too much to retain), then by all means trade him for a valuable draft pick. That's exactly what Shanny DIDN'T do with Reggie Hayward, Bert Berry and Trevor Pryce. You can't afford to keep everyone, so trade them when you can get value; don't just let them walk during free agency. I HOPE McD is willing/able to make similar choices in future. Foresight is a much better quality than sentimentality when it comes to winning.

SDUT - DA won't file charges against Merriman

NFL - Chiefs’ Cassel feels good, but will be a game-time call

KCS - Chiefs notebook | Rookie Jackson says he’s made progress - Kent Babb

KCS - Offensive line will be put to the test against Ravens - Adam Teicher

NFL News

NFL - Federal appeals court rules NFL can’t immediately suspend Williamses

NFL - Saints' Brown to miss several weeks after second surgery

NFL - Colts safety Sanders out vs. Jags; assistant Moore to return to sidelines

NFL - Cardinals WR Boldin questionable vs. 49ers

NFL - Texans’ Schaub probable, Walter questionable vs. Jets

Y! - Sources: Tomlin, Steelers working on extension - Jason Cole

NFL Opinion

NYT - Week 1 Matchups - Mike Tanier

SI - Percy Harvin, Titans-Steelers, Carson Palmer, more NFL Week 1 - Peter King

ESPN - Final Word

SI - NFL Week 1 viewer's guide, plus NFL mailbag - Ross Tucker

CBS - Peek at the Week: Cutler-Rodgers kicks off NFC North race - Clark Judge

ESPN - 10 Spot: '09 surprise? Watch Redskins - Adam Schefter

SI - NFL ranks last in SI.com ranking of best/worst overtimes in sports - John P. Lopez

FOX - Week 1 preview: Edwards in for a wake-up call - Kevin Hench
Hench says the Broncos defense will be "awful" and thinks all they did was sign Brian Dawkins. Click here for some thorough journalism! I mean, if you think the Broncos D will be poor due to a scheme change and roster turnover, that's fine; you're entitled. But don't say they'll be "awful" because they didn't do enough...

NFP - Now it’s ‘we’ time in the NFL - Andrew Brandt
Brandt thinks the Broncos should avoid negotiating with BMarsh.

SI - Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers is NFL game of the week - Adam Duerson

NFL - Aging star RBs ready to turn back time as season kicks off - Pat Kirwan

NFL - In stacked NFC East, Redskins are division's true wildcard - Steve Wyche

NFL - As season opens, Favre making waves on and off the field - Jason La Canfora

PFW - Rice will be busy man for Ravens - Mike Wilkening

NFP - Minus Polamalu, Steelers defense still strong - Matt Bowen

Horse Tracks - 9/3/09 - BMarsh reportedly working with Rod Smith again

Douglas A. Lee — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:44:44 -0000

CBS - Why The Broncos Won't Trade Brandon Marshall - Vic Lombardi
Vic is hearing that BMarsh actually reached out to Rod Smith again this week and is working out with him. Now THAT would be great news if it's true...

ESPN - Sources: Denver Broncos want Jets LB David Harris to deal Brandon Marshall - Adam Schefter

NFL - Broncos aren't trying to trade WR Marshall, even after Jets show interest - Jason La Canfora

NYT - Are the Jets Serious About Marshall? - Justin Sablich

N - Source: Jets unlikely to land Broncos' Marshall - Bob Glauber

N - Interest in Marshall reveals Jets' thinking - Bob Glauber

NYP - JETS NOT EYEING MARSHALL - Mark Cannizzaro
Ah yes, dueling reports. Always fun...

DB - Matchup: Broncos vs. Cardinals - Broncos TV
Chris Hall previews tonight's game.

DB - Wednesday: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - A Closer Look: Broncos vs. Cardinals - Gray Caldwell

LTC - Cuts looming for Broncos after tonight - Brian Howell
Howell predicts the Broncos' cuts and final roster.

DP - Offensive line's Hamilton dealing with back pain - Legwold & Klis
Ben Hamilton has not practiced this week and is unlikely to play tonight. According to this report, Knowshon will not play; however, McDaniels had not committed either way in his presser.

DP - Broncos: Cuts coming, so look sharp - Lindsay Jones
A look at who might be on the roster bubble for Denver and what that feels like for the players.

ESPN - Source: Palmer to sit Thursday, OK for Week 1 - Adam Schefter
Bangles QB Carson Palmer will reportedly be ready for the Broncos next week.

NFP - Marshall is too risky for the Jets - Matt Bowen
Bowen thinks dealing for Brandon Marshall would disrupt the Jets' locker room.

SI - SI's 2009 NFL Scouting Reports - Peter King
PK projects the Chefs at 8-8 and the Broncos at 5-11 and in third place.

SI - Denver Broncos 2009 Team Preview, Scouting Report - Jim Trotter
Trotter focuses on Kyle Orton and Brian Dawkins in his Broncos preview.

DB - Finding Time to Skate - Broncos TV
Members of the Broncos' staff play hockey together during their rare time off.

DB - Ask Head Coach Josh McDaniels...
Question may be submitted from now til Monday for Coach McD.

DB - Success on Short Calendar - Chris Gentilviso
The Broncos' goals for tonight include no penalties or turnovers on offense, along with better defense during the two-minute drill.

DP - Paige: And thus it will be ... Broncos 4-12
Woody predicts 4 home wins and zero road wins for the Broncos. Now, before you jump on him, at least he has his reasons...

DP - McDaniels: No Marshall trade talks underway - Mike Chambers

DP - Forbes: Dallas leader of U.S. teams in value
The Broncos rank #10

DP - Broncos dodging blackouts - Mike Klis

KDVR - Broncos owner Bowlen suffering from memory loss? - Julie Hayden

CSG - McDaniels strongly denies any Marshall trade talks - Frank Schwab

CSG - Broncos preseason finale: Three things to watch against Arizona - Frank Schwab

AFC West News

SDUT - Folks around town rooting for Nwagbuo - Tod Leonard

SDUT - Vasquez to start at RG in preseason finale - Kevin Acee

SFC - Frye, Gradkowski vie for clipboard - David White

KCS - Haley uses demotion for motivation - Kent Babb

KCS - Five things to watch in tonight’s Chiefs-Rams game - Kent Babb