JREDbroncofan made a good point another post: there hasn't been a poll on how we think the Broncos did in the draft, so I'm throwing one together. Of course it's too early but that's what makes it fun.

I personally give the Broncos a B-/C+. I think Wolfe is going to be great. Stayed tuned 3 years from now and I'll post a follow-up poll on my iPhone 7GS.

Manning is a Bronco, which now means the Broncos are in win-now mode.

Following are the next steps to build the team into a AFC championship contender.

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• Tebow fooling James Harrison on nearly every option run
• Letting the passing game go full throttle.
• Grit -- there was fire on that field
• Bruton looking like a legitimate starting safety out there. Dude is quick and can hit.
• DT looking like the fastest TE I've ever seen. Looks like that Achilles tendon is A-Ok
• Pass rush -- Big Ben looked like a wounded Wildebeest surrounded by Hyenas out there
• The prospect of Tebow getting a full offseason to polish his game as the undisputed starter
• A young team playing with authority. The avg. age on this team must be 24. The future belongs to us!

One quarter has passed and the team is on track to have the same record as last year, which isn't good.  But in an attempt to keep myself from totally freaking out, I'm trying to look at this team objectively and see where we are.  There's a saying in investing: "Past returns do not guarantee future results."  I think this team is different from last year's team, especially in terms of competitiveness.

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I've been disturbed by a string of recent trends in the NFL over the past few years and I fear that it may impact overall interest in the game, starting with my own.  In fact, the parallel that I think of is when Coca Cola, for no apparent reason switched a tried-and-true formula in favor of a flashy, sweeter one.  The result is regarded by most experts as the greatest marketing disaster of all time.  Why tamper with a good thing?

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It's not my intention to haunt this site with memories of old coaches and qb's, but I feel that there is something that needs to be said.  No, it doesn't directly relate to our great Broncos directly, but more in a tangential fashion.

I saw an interview with Shanahan where he basically said that Cutler needs 'a supporting cast' in Chicago to be successful.  What's funny to me is that last year the common wisdom was that Cutler was the missing piece of the puzzle for Chicago, as in that the team just needed to plug in Cutler and they'd be Super Bowl bound.  Now they're firing coaches and making hires that might suit Cutler better.  I understand that Cutler interviewed Mike Martz.   How often do you have the QB involved in hiring decisions?  Talk about the tail wagging the dog. 

What does relate to the Broncos and to us (the fans) is the fact that --despite the ups and downs of '09--we don't have to deal with this nonsense anymore.  I feel that Shanahan would have kowtowed to Cutler in the same fashion.  I don't know where Cutler acquired this messianic quality, but I'm glad at last one person saw it and didn't buy it.  I'll leave it up to you to guess who that guy was. 

It's been about a year, I think we can talk about it now.

Following are 5 things I want to see, all are rooted in the past:

1) Bring back the Orange jerseys. 
Those alternates that we see 2 times a year will do nicely for now at 8 home games.  Heaven forbid if we ever had to play the Buffalo Bills with both teams in their home jerseys.  Mass confusion would ensue --  the color and design are practically one in the same.

2) Take back that silly name for a stadium and restore 'Mile High Stadium'. 
Let's start a fan fund to buy the old name back.  Or maybe Pat will show the Denver area a token of gratitude for buying him a stadium 10 years ago and change the name back at no extra charge (as John Wayne once said in the best American film of all time The Searchers: "That'll be the day").  'Invesco Field at Mile High' is totally nonsensical -- like Ruth's Chris Steakhouse or Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam.  

3) Bring back the Rocky Mountain thunder at home games. 
Thank you RockyMountainThunder for your post from earlier today.  I too want to see the place transformed into a beer-soaked-jet-engine-loud-pain-cave where you can't hear yourself scream (like space).  No more treating these home games as precious cocktail parties for polite society.

4) Convince Rod Smith to rejoin the team as a receivers coach. 
That guy has more class than Sir Laurence Olivier and knows more football than Marion Motley Crue.

5) Bronco Ball. 
Forced fumbles, tipped balls, game changing interceptions, mystical catches, forcing good opposing players to play worse than they ever have.  Being +6 in turnovers and the Immaculate Deflection indicate that this dream is becoming a reality.

*******

And on another note: for good measure, burn incense, build a Santo, and pray that Peyton Hillis gets his swagger back!

As a football fan in general, and of course as a big time Bronco fan, I was generally pleased to hear about the signing of Mr Brian Dawkins, Safety, from the Eagles as a Free Agent in the off-season.

My initial thoughts- good leader, probably on a steep decline but enough in the tank to last a bit.  Good transition player for a year or two.

I should have done some research.

I just did.  This guy is the ying and the yang.  The alpha and the omega.  The Ayatollah of Rock N Rollah.

This man is god to Philadelphia, and Philly fans are mean, tough, and cruel.  There is a reason for this: he has made them proud for 13 years on a consistent basis with charisma, skills, and ferocity. 

He went to the Pro Bowl last year, and there's nothing left in the tank?  Hardly.

All of a sudden, I realized I'm really psyched about this guy.

With all the tears for fears spent on Cutler's next text message, maybe the best thing that went under the radar was the signing of Dawkins? 

This could be a huge win for the Broncos, yet it seems like everyone's pining for Ron Brace or Kentwan Ballmer or JoJo on the d-line, claiming this offseason was an exercise in futility.

This might be pure speculation, but if three USC linebackers are set to go in the first round, wouldn't that leave you to believe that Rey Rey, Cushing, and Matthews all had something in common?:

1) Excellent coaching
2) Above average skill
3) A damn good defensive line that enabled them to excel

I would imagine that all three have something to do with their collective and individual success.  But speculating on #3, could it be that Fili Moala might be underrated and that he is a big part of why the 3 linebackers have been so successful?

If so, what about Fili (Raven Ngata's cousin) in the second round?

As opposed to last week's, which was based on best player available, this is based more on team need.  Soon he will post his final version, which will be what his actual predictions are.  Weird method, but anyways...

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/rgosselin/stories/041809dnspomockdraft.e3cc4cc9.html

I, for one, would be very happy with Raji at 12.  I don't know anything about Ayers (predicted at 18).  Can anyone fill me in on this Ayers guy?

Thought some of you might be interested in Rick Gosselin's first mock draft:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/nfl/stories/041109dnspomockdraft.24fa77e.html

He's known as one of the more accurate predictors of team picks.  However, I am highly disturbed by his prediction that Josh Freeman will be selected at #12 by the Broncos. Freeman is 2nd round material everywhere else I've looked.

It is the strangest prediction I've seen so far.