For those of us that are fans of this decision, it feels like we got that new (ok... used, but still cool) bike for Christmas. And while the highlight is undoubtedly the moment the wrapping falls away to reveal the shiny gears and surgically repaired frame, there are other great moments before you ever strap on that helmet (public safety announcement) as you start to think about all the places you'll go, and how those places will look different from the saddle of that new bike.

So before Peyton even laces it up, I find myself starting to think about the 2012 Broncos and what might look a little different. Join me ATJ...

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After a long (or far too short depending on how you define it) off-season of partisan QB speculation, draft critiquing, and wringing of the hands over our free agent signings and waiver claims (or lack thereof), it's football time, gentlemen and ladies: the "on-season," as in "bring it on!!"

What better time for a fun--if not totally frivolous--post, a non-divisive, interactive little time-capsule that we can pull out at season's end over a couple of adult beverages for a good laugh or a waxing philosophical about what might have been. To play, just rub up that crystal ball and contribute your three iron-clad predictions about the Bronco season to come. They can be major predictions, minor ones, off the field, on the field. Anything's fair game. The more specific and improbable, of course, the greater the props if you prove correct. Join me in the comments if you like....

With only one day until the season begins, I renewed the group from last season called Mile High Report for the free pick em game "Survival Football" on Yahoo Sports. Pick one NFL winner a week. If your team wins, you stay alive. Last one standing wins (a whole lotta nothing).

To join the group, click here.

Group I.D.:  26180
Password: Broncos (of course)

You need to have your week one pick in by game time tomorrow....

Gentlemen (and Ladies), let the NFL season begin!

This post started out as a comment, but then blew up like JaMarcus Russell in the off-season and needed its own little post. Actually it's really just a question. One I've had before, but was reminded of again by a comment by Tomahawk44 (from Arrowhead Pride) in Sayre's post today about the Bronco's acquisition of Chief-waived Kolby Smith:

I think its more of the Broncos picking the brain of a player from a division rival....

I realized that I'm kind of curious about this brain-picking process, and how it works in the real life of the NFL. Maybe others are too. If so, join me below the jump...

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For what it's worth...I've been listening to sports radio here in the NW today, and Brandon Marshall has been a very popular topic of conversation. The consensus in the Emerald City is that the Seahawks will not have to give up a first round pick to land Marshall. A very short explanation after the jump for all those of you reading this on small screens...

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An open letter to Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Black and Gold braintrust...

Dear Mike,
I truly think you're one of the top coaches in the league, and so forgive my presumption, but it can't possibly have escaped your notice that losing to the Broncos this evening would be the BEST thing the  Steelers could do to boost their playoff fortunes for the second half of the season:

Exhibit A: Those cats in Cincinnati nearly made the costly late error of beating the Broncos on opening day, but realized the error of their ways in the last 30 seconds and did the only prudent thing, tapping the ball to Brandon Stokely to preserve defeat.
They now control their destiny in the AFC North.

Exhibit B: The Cowboys were a team struggling to find their identity in Week 4, when Terence Newman made the play of their season, allowing Brandon Marshall to haul in his game winner and set off on that sublimely choreographed romp through the Boys secondary.
They now sit firmly atop the NFC East.

Exhibit C: The New England Patriots were destined for an AFC East dogfight with the Jets until finding their way in Denver in Week 5.
They're now a shoe-in for the division crown, and have rediscovered their championship swagger.

Exhibit D: The San Diego Chargers were reeling from inconsistent defense and a spotty running game before their special teams stepped up against the Broncos in Week 6.
They haven't lost since and will be a force to be reckoned with down the stretch.

Exhibit E: In a stunning show of contempt for deferred gratification and an utter collapse of discipline in the 4th quarter, The Ravens lost their way last week, and paid the price yesterday against Cincinnati.
They've been reduced to an impotent afterthought in the AFC North.

So Mike, you're a man among men, and a master motivator. I'm confident that you can find a way to fire up your troops and get them to bring their Z game tonight and "just lose baby."*

Sincerely,

A Fan

*After all, you wouldn't want to follow the advice of Al Davis these days, would you?

Seriously, Good luck this evening Steeler fans, and may the best team win....!!

Dear Mike,
I truly think you're one of the top coaches in the league, and so forgive my presumption, but it can't possibly have escaped your notice that losing to the Broncos this evening would be the BEST thing the  Steelers could do to boost their playoff fortunes for the second half of the season....

Exhibit A: Those cats in Cincinnati nearly made the costly late error of beating the Broncos on opening day, but realized the error of their ways in the last 30 seconds and did the only prudent thing, tapping the ball to Brandon Stokely to preserve defeat.
They now control their destiny in the AFC North.

Exhibit B: The Cowboys were a team struggling to find their identity in Week 4, when Terence Newman made the play of their season, allowing Brandon Marshall to haul in his game winner and set off on that sublimely choreographed romp through the Boys secondary.
They now sit firmly atop the NFC East.

Exhibit C: The New England Patriots were destined for an AFC East dogfight with the Jets until finding their way in Denver in Week 5.
They're now a shoo-in for the division crown, and have rediscovered their championship swagger.

Exhibit D: The San Diego Chargers were reeling from inconsistent defense and a spotty running game before their special teams stepped up against the Broncos in Week 6.
They haven't lost since and will be a force to be reckoned with down the stretch.

Exhibit E: In a stunning show of contempt for deferred gratification and an utter collapse of discipline in the 4th quarter, The Ravens lost their way last week, and paid the price yesterday against Cincinnati.
They've been reduced to an impotent afterthought in the AFC North.

So Mike, you're a man among men, a genius among genies, and a master motivator. I'm confident that you can find a way to fire up your troops and get them to bring their Z game tonight and "just lose baby."*

Sincerely,

A fan

*After all, you wouldn't want to follow the advice of Al Davis these days, would you?

Editor's Note - I thought this posst was an excellent example of how to have doubts about the Broncos, specifically Kyle Orton, and do it in a PRODUCTIVE manner.  Excellent Post! - Guru

Note: I wrote this post during the bye week, when the Broncos' record was still without a blemish... Only getting around to posting it now...

When I read BroncosNL's post this week about which of our upcoming free agents we should prioritize, I was surprised to watch the ripples in my mind created by Kyle Orton slipping like a stone to the bottom of the list. Now I don't consider myself an Orton basher, and have been very happy with his development over the season. But when I dug a little deeper, I realized that there's a question burning in me like a southbound habanero burrito, and at risk of courting a little controversy and criticism, I'm really curious to hear what the MHR masses think.

My question is quite simply this:

How much of Orton's success is his own, and how much is directly and unequivocally attributable to the wundercoach, Josh McDaniels.

(Let's jump)

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I started a MHR group in Survival Football (pick one game correctly each week to avoid elimination).

You can join it here.

Group number: 20649

Password: MHR

This does enforce the rule that you can  pick each team no more than once during the season...

Pick the Broncos Week 1, and receive the "Hey Koolaid!" Orange Star...

Anyone welcome to join.... (14 words to go... did I mention that anyone's welcome to join? Thought so...)

For anyone interested, Klis is getting updates from reporter Lindsay Jones from the Atlanta courtroom where Brandon's 2009 season may be decided. The 6-person jury was appointed by 10am (4 women, 2 men, for whatever that's worth), and opening arguments are over and done with. Looks like updates are being posted here.

I sure hope 1) that justice is served and 2) that Marshall is deemed innocent. He's still a big factor in this offense's potential effectiveness.

I am!!

If there are any other Bay Area MHR regulars/newbies/lurkers who are planning to attend the game at Candlestick on Friday, let's meet for a frosty beverage beforehand or to compare notes (and for a frosty beverage) afterwards.

Also, if anyone has things they'd like me to look for and report on in Game One, I'm happy to take scouting requests. I'm not the most experienced observer--I've watched a lot of football, but mostly in a follow-the-pigskin kind of way--but am really looking forward to watching different aspects of the team's performance in this first outing. I'll take some notes and try to report on all the obvious stuff--QB play, whether the d-line is holding their own, how the young secondary guys look, and the back-up receivers--but I'd welcome advice or requests about other things to look for.

And if anyone wants a Michael Crabtree autograph, let me know...lol

Ready for some football!!

Apologies to those of you who have tired of the "The MSM is a bunch of idiots" motif, but this one is such a perfect little example--to the point of parody--that I couldn't pass it up....

So, over on the 4-letter network's blogsite, the training camp "Power Rankings" are out, and the home team weighs in at a predictable 27th out of 32 teams. Fine. Cut it out and put it in that box over there.  We already know that we're going to need a bigger bulletin board well before the sun sets on the preseason. The guys are already in the locker room measuring the wall....

What is just classic, however, is Pork Chop's "rebuttal." He's been displaced as the voting expert on the AFC West, but feels the need to weigh in anyway--in a column called "Breaking Down the AFC West Power Rankings":

Our pre-training camp power rankingss have been released.

We have streamlined the voting process. I no longer have a vote. AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky is the AFC representative.

I still have an opinion though, so here goes:

Could it be?  A possible original opinion from the MSM? Hold onto your hats, ladies and gents...

Kuharsky ranked the Bolts 6th.  Williamson's "dissenting" opinion: 6th-8th .....

The Chiefs show up at number 28. Williamson concurs: 28th-30th

The Raiders at number 30 get some love from PC, who feels they're underrated ("this team is not the third worst team in the league" he declares) and adjusts them to 25-28th (conceding that they're maybe the 5th worst....)

And the Broncos? Instead of #27, he's got them at 24-26....

I think Denver was slightly under ranked, but I understand why. There are a lot of questions about this team after a controversial offseason.

Now there's an opinion to hang that hat on..... Way to "break down" those power rankings.....!

Seriously, why in the world did you bother writing this column at all?? So that seven months hence when the final snap has been snapped, and the purely subjective final "Power Ranking" is released, you can say, "I knew the Raiders would be 28th not 30th! I just knew it!!"   Strikes me as the perfect illustration of a group of "experts" that are contractually or genetically forbidden to think for themselves....

We were playing the Packers at Mile High. I knew it was a prime time game because the commercial breaks were framed by network aerial shots of an ethereal Rocky Mountain sunset with shafts of sun, towering clouds, and huge clumpy snowflakes falling. Despite the odd weather, the field was in good shape; the Broncos however were not. A week after being humiliated by the Bills on the road, we were sliding quickly into oblivion against the Packers. By the time I turned on the TV, only a minute or so into the game, the home team was down a field goal, courtesy of a turnover in our own end. Soon it was 10-0, and after only the quickest of channel surfs during the commercial break I returned to find that the Broncos had somehow managed a supernaturally fast three-and-out, and the Packers had the ball again.

To make matters worse, the visitors were starting to mock us. Lined up behind center was the 6-year old son of backup QB Sage Rosenfels. “Doesn’t he play for the Vikings?” I asked my 74-year-old mother, (a true blue-and-orange Bronco fan). Young Rosenfels could barely get the ball over the line of scrimmage, and after his first feeble incompletion, my fingers were twitching and I was pacing in front of the TV like a caged leopard in the old aquamarine cathouse at the Denver Zoo. “Why didn’t someone pick that off?!” I yelled, adding a few choice, non-MHR-appropriate expletives. “Put me in, coach!” I yelled again—this time in my head--as the carefully constructed world of my dream began to strain gently at its seams. After one play, I figured that the Pack had made their point, would have a good laugh, and Rodgers would be back in. It was only 17-0 after all (another touchdown having magically appeared on the scoreboard), and the kid wasn’t cutting it—even with the characteristic lack of pass rush from the Broncos. But he stayed in the game, and the next incompletion fell just short of my waiting hands as the pint-sized QB (number 6, in fact), his helmet way too big for him, lobbed the ball harmlessly into the flat. “I wish we still had Atwater!” I told Mom. “He’d knock that fool kid’s head off!”

But wait just a second… (the first sense that that something was amiss…) don’t we have a new coach now? Where’s McDaniels? I scanned the field, but couldn’t find him. Did he take over mid-season?? (Something was really not making sense here…) He hasn’t even had time to install the new offense! (My dream mind began to race.) Where’s B’Dawk? Who’s our QB? The dream began to shudder and creak like an aging freight train on a bumpy track, and just before it collapsed under the weight of its own contradictions, I had that sweet moment of half-conscious realization—ah, but of course,…this is just a dream!

I woke to the reassuring sensation of reality’s puzzle pieces easing back into place: the season still months away. I was also powerfully thirsty. But there on the bedside table was the tall glass of uncommonly cold orange kool-aid, just where I left it. I drank deeply….The dream is dead. Long live the dream. 13-3 baby!

From the usual "NFL Source" via this morning's "Truth and Rumors" on SI.com. Nothing new... just more talk. Will it prove out? We'll all know very soon!

The Broncos have engaged in discussions regarding a draft trade for USC quarterback Mark Sanchez, according to an NFL source. In possession of the No. 12 and No. 18 overall picks in the NFL draft, which begins Saturday, the Broncos understand they may have to move up to snag Sanchez, who is drawing interest from several teams. One possible trade partner is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who want to drop down from No. 8 overall. The problem for the Broncos is teams picking higher than Jacksonville are considering drafting Sanchez with the idea of flipping him in trade. The higher Sanchez is selected, the more lucrative his contract and the less likely the Broncos could afford him. The Broncos also made preliminary inquiries about Brady Quinn but were told the Cleveland Browns' third-year quarterback was not available for trade.

I learned about love and hate from John Madden...

I was in the stands with my dad when the Broncos beat Madden's Raiders for the AFC crown in 1977, and loved nothing more than booing the fat man roaming the sidelines throwing his arms up in a bear-like gesture when he got angry, which seemed often. He was like a cartoon villain, and as the avid teenage fan of an upstart underdog team I learned the fun of being a hater hating him and his Raiders.

In 1978--in a preseason game, no less-- the life of one Darryl Stingley was forever changed by one of those Raiders.  When in the aftermath of that vicious--if arguably unintentional--hit, Jack Tatum basically wouldn't give Stingley the time of day, John Madden spent hours at Stingley's bedside, and developed a friendship with the man that would last until Stingley's death a couple years ago. I learned from John Madden that there are things in life more important than what happens between the lines; that it is possible to compete hard and be the best at what you do, and still retain not only respect, but love for your opponent.

Since that time, over Madden's years in the booth, I've appreciated most of all his humanity. Whether you like his style or not, whether you think he's a buffoon or a still savvy football mind, for me he represents, in his cartoonish way, what's right about football and about sports. I still love to hate the Raiders. And I'll miss John Madden.