I just read, in an article posted by John Bena, the MHR Guru, about the horrible house fire at the home of Steelers running back coach, Kirby Wilson. I'm certain I speak for all Broncos fans, in fact for almost everybody everywhere when I say that our thoughts and prayers go out to him, his friends and family, to you members of Behind the Steel Curtain and all the other members of Steelers Nation during this dark time.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not even close to being a genius when it comes to football. I'm just a life long fan of the game and especially the Broncos for close to fifty years now. But even so, I occassionally get ideas and one has been rolling around in the back of my head for quite a while now, so I thought maybe, if I brought it out in the open and shared it with you guys here at MHR who understand the game a lot better than I do, maybe you could either punch some holes in it or perhaps make it even better. At the very least, it won't be rolling around and making noise in my head anymore.

I know you've heard it at least a hundred times before: what will the Broncos do if Tebow ever gets hurt? They'd have an entire offense crafted around Tim Tebow but that kind of offense won't fit their back-up quarterbacks. It would be a disaster in the making not unlike what the Colts are suffering through right now without Peyton Manning. And that is a good point.

Can you imagine anybody else on the roster, either currently, or even in the past who could step in and run the Bronco offense the way Tim Tebow is running it now? Certainly not the recently departed Kyle Orton, and I mean no disrespect toward the man, but he is the quintessential drop back quarterback. Or how about Brady Quinn? Maybe..., well, no. John Elway? Probably, but only because he was such a great athlete. And I don't think he'd be too happy about it though. How about our good buddy up in Idaho? I like to think so, but I'm not sure.

But what if, instead of fighting this different style of play, the Broncos embraced it totally?

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I've been watching Tim Tebow now for the last couple of years, mostly during his career as a Bronco but also some of his games during his college career as a Gator.  Like most everyone else, I've been wondering what kind of NFL quarterback Tim Tebow might turn out to be.

He always reminded me of some player I used to watch back in my younger days, but I could never quite put my finger on who it might be.  Then today, it finally struck me and I thought I might pass my recollection on to you, the other faithful followers of the Mile High Report to see what you think.

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Both sides have been dragging this labor dispute out.  What we fans really want is for this ugly mess to end.  We've been ignored because they think we're powerless.  What we need to do is find some way to pressure the two sides to come to an agreement as soon as possible.  In most cases, season tickets have already been sold and those who haven't bought them yet don’t want to lose their rights, so we’re not going to get much presssure that way.  After the parties finally do what we want them to do, work out their differences and get back on the field, it wouldn't be very realistic to expect fans to give up watching the first game of the season, though it would make a magnificent statement.  And I don’t think it wouldn’t be constructive to punish the sides after the fact.  But what about this?

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I'm sure most of you know by now that I am C.C., computer challenged, so I'll just tell you that I read a story over at Foxsports.com that says the NFL and the players' union have agreed to mediation in their labor dispute.  Not as good as the arbitration I suggested a couple of days ago in Guru's comment section, but much better than nothing at all.

Mediation isn't as good, in my mind, as binding arbitration, and it may take longer, but it is a step in the right direction and so maybe there is hope that this might actually get done.

What do you think?

Hello Panther fans,

My screen name is Trinidad Jack and I usually frequent Mile High Report (Denver Broncos).  First of all, I want to congratulate you on the hiring of your new head coach.  I think you've made an excellent choice and I predict your team is going to have a lot of success in the future.  I regret the Broncos weren't able to get their act together early enough to make a serious run at his services but at least I'm relieved he's no longer going to be our worry twice a year anymore.

However, the real reason I'm contacting you...

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It seems like it's happened several times this season.  I can't put my finger on the exact time I first noticed, early on though.  The situation always seems eerily similar.  The game is tight.  Not much time is left on the clock.  The Broncos have the ball for their last opportunity.  Often they also have the momentum.  Maybe they've just made a couple of spectacular plays that get me worked up, get me to thinking, hoping.  They're driving.  They are one play away from the score that will force the game into overtime or win it outright.   

And then something bad happens. 

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First of all, let me congratulate the Chiefs and all their fans.  The Chiefs played a hell of a game on Sunday and deserved the win.  They really took it to my Broncos.  But the real reason I created this post had something to do with a visit I made during the preseason.

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Hey, I know I'm a guest here but I just want to acknowledge LaDainian Tomlinson's class act when he passed Jim Brown on the all-time rushing list.  He pointed to the owner's box, where Mr. Brown was watching, as a gesture of great respect to the "Greatest Running Back of All Time."  It makes me feel hopeful about the future the younger players repectfully acknowledge the pioneers of the game.

Way to go LT!

Lately, I've been involved in a lot of threads where the subject of smack talk has come up.  A lot of fans seem to enjoy rolling up their sleeves and getting into verbal slugfests.  It's not my cup of tea but I can appreciate the fact that many do enjoy it.  The problem is that so many of the sites out there have turned into nothing but smackfeasts.  That's one of the reasons I started coming here.  There are so few sites where the rest of us can go and engage in friendly discussions.  I've been thinking about this for a while and have a suggestion that might fill the needs of both kinds of fans.

Perhaps we can set aside a thread just for smack talk.  Call it, I don't know, "The Bull Pit" or "The Parking Lot" or my favorite, "The Back Alley".  Anyway, make it the place where anybody can go, take off the gloves and really lay into each other with the understanding that the rest of the site stays smack free.  Then, if somebody brings smack talk to any of the other threads you can just tell them to take it to the back alley and maybe even move the offending part of the thread there.

What do you think?

Has anyone heard that Brandon Marshall might want out of Denver?  I was looking around SBNation and noticed a fan post over at Big Blue View, the Giants site.  People over there were discussing the possibility of picking him up in a trade. Not that I buy it, but they seemed to think it was real because Marshall thinks Orton would be a big step down from Cutler.  (Sorry, I'm just not technosavy enough to create a link).

Is there any truth to this claim or is it just more off season wild speculation?

Congratulations.  I'm a Bronco fan since the Floyd Little (John Hadl) days .  But the Chargers have always been a strong second choice in my book.  It looks like your team, the Chargers are finally playing like the team they were supposed to be. And this is certainly the time of year to be playing that way.

Now go out and do something with this opportunity.  Make us proud. 

Next season may not be as easy.  

I already posted these idea in another thread, but my posting was near the end of the thread and I really wanted to say it one more time (with a few improvements).  I haven't included the name of the person who created the thread or those who responded or their comments because I didn't think I should without their permission, especially after having made a few changes.  Certainly, if they want to identify themselves and include their comments, they are, of course, more than welcome. But here goes.

The Magic Number Is Still One.  

This bears repeating.

The magic number is still one.

We knew it was very possible, likely even, that the Chargers would win and the Broncos would lose this weekend. And that’s exactly what happened. There really shouldn’t be any talk of gloom and doom. Things will work out. This next weekend it is very possible, likely even, that the Broncos will beat the Bills AND the Chargers will lose to the Buccaneers.

So keep a steady keel. Keep the faith. The Broncos are a very young team, still learning how to win, but I think, no, I believe they are going to do it and this next weekend is when it will happen.

And even if it doesn’t, well, we still get to go head to head against the Chargers with everything on the line in their back yard. Now wouldn’t that be an exciting game to watch? These are not the Wade Phillips Broncos, the ones who went to Oakland with everything on the line and lost. These are the Mike Shanahan Broncos. And they will win. Mark my words.

I just think that it’s the moments of greatest adversity that create the biggest legends.

Do you remember what it felt like in that frozen stadium in Cleveland, when the Broncos’ returners muffed the kick and it rolled inside the two yard line? I do. I remember yelling at them to get their butts back there and at least fall on the damned thing because it looked like the Browns might just beat them there. And then, when they managed to finally recover the ball, I remember thinking, “Thank God they at least fell on it.”

But I also remember thinking, there was no way they were going to be able to drive it all the way and get the touch down. I mean, I knew it was theoretically possible but not very realistic.

And then, the first couple of plays were almost like nails in the coffin. But then, by some miracle, they managed to eek out a first down. Then, slowly at first, they began to gather momentum. Pretty soon it became evident that the Broncos actually believed they could do it. With each play it became more and more evident that the Browns were begining to believe that the Broncos could do it too. And then, one by one, the rowdy fans of the Browns fell silent as even the most dedicated and ardent began to believe no force on the field that day was going to stop the Broncos from punching it into the endzone. And then it happened, and a legend was born and the legend grew to become "The Drive", one of the greatest comebacks of NFL history, a story that fans of (almost) every team tell their children about.

But none of that would have been possible without that hopeless ball placement inside the Broncos’ own frozen two yard line.

You are about to witness MHR history.  For thr first time in any forum I, Trinidad Jack, am about to attempt to insert a link.  Maestro, a drum roll please...

Formidable fives

...ta da!

I think it may have worked!  I'm amazed even if you aren't.  You have no idea how intimidated I was.

Anyway, if you follow this llink you should be able to find an article by Peter King of Sports Illustrated in an article that can be found at Fox Sports.  In it he lists his top five offensive lines.  Take a gander.  I don't think you'll be too surprised but I believe you'll be pleased.

I need some help from you guys.  Now, I freely admit I'm not really football-savy.  So can somebody out there who is explain something to me?   Many "experts" are saying the Falcons did a good thing to get rid of DeAngelo Hall.  Just as many, some of them the same "experts", are saying the Raiders did a good thing by picking him up.  How does that work? 

Or did I just totally miss the boat on this?

Again.

I was cruising over at MSN to take a look at Fox Sports and ran across a video which made a weak parody of the election process and offered the opinions of Kevin Hench and Krystal Fernandez.  (Sorry, but I'm not techno-savy enough to provide you with a link.)

Anyway, Kevin Hench made a ridiculous statement that Shawn Merriman "...could beat the rest of the guys in this division one one leg." and that the Chargers would win by at least a, "...five game cushion."

I know the Chargers are good and are the best in the division until somebody proves otherwise, but come on.  Who is this idiot?

I've noticed that some of the fan posts on this site can generate close to 200 comments.  20, 30 and even 40+ are not uncommon.  In the last couple of weeks I've been stretching my wings and looking at other sites.  It seems as if many of them struggle just to get into double digits.  Why is this?

I think a big part of it is the contributions MHR followers make.  I don't want to leave anybody out so I'll just say that we have some very football savy writers with a lot of passion who generate stories and add comments.

But another has to be the rank and file, readers who also have that Bronco passion and aren't afraid to throw in their opinions.

Another might be the respect this site seems to have for the Bronco legacy.  Even the youngest, newest fans want to hear about the good old days from us geezers. 

Still another might be the respect people on this site have for each other.  I know I'm not as knowledgable on some things as many, if not most of you on this site.  Nevertheless, I have always felt comfortable adding something my small contributions on any topic.  

I guess I feel like I'm part of a family.

Old Mile High.

I have never, and I mean never, tried anything like this before, inserting links into a post.  See what you guys make me do.  I hope it works.

For you history buffs there's a real nice article from the Rocky Mountain News about the Old Mile High Stadium here:

http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/milehigh/1223mile0.shtml

 It has brief references to a lot of the stories from Bronco history we've been talking about and a few we haven't.  I hope this stirs the pot a little.

I was wondering what that little red star on next season's schedule was, so I put my cursor on it and clicked and viola!  I was whisked over to the raider site.  I read but didn't say anything.  There's a reason but I'll discuss that in a minute.  I guess that makes me a lurker.  Is that the right term?  I didn't click on San Diego because I didn't see a red star.  I wonder what that means?  But then I clicked on the red star behind New Orleans, went to their site, surfed around a little and found a similar result. (Man am I impressing myself with all my computer savvy! lol.)

Actually, I didn't say anything at either site because they seemed kind of...I don't know... sluggish?  Listless?  It seemed like their own versions of the Guru were trying to stir things up but nothing seemed to be happening.  Where we can get over a hundred responses on a single item, the most I ever saw on any item over there was 10.  And many of those comments were... banal. 

So anyway, I clicked my heels together while saying, "Help Mr. Wizard!  I don't want to be in raiderville anymore and presto-changeo.  I was back.  Dorothy was right, "There's no place like home."  

I'm a long time (since the Floyd Little, Billy Thompson days) Bronco fan who stopped by your site, just to see what the other side is thinking and doing. I've always been a bit of a Buffalo fan too. I just want to say I'm impressed with the quality of this site; the professionalism, the sportsmanship, and the knowledge of your contributers. You do your team, and your community proud.

No matter how this game turns out I want to wish Good Luck to the Bills and may we meet again in the AFC championship game (just like the old days)!

Trinidad Jack

I noticed the continuing results of the poll tend to favor retiring Mr. William's jersey and placing his name in the Ring of Fame. The poll doesn't seem to provide for comments, but I feel the subject deserves to be discussed and so have started this thread.

I'm not saying that the most popular choice is the wrong thing to do, but suggest that perhaps the emotions of the moment are getting the better of us. The loss of Mr. Williams was a great loss to his family, the Broncos and the fans. We are all feeling the shock and the grief and that may cloud our best judgment.

Perhaps this is a poll better taken after the strong emotions of the present have had some time to cool, say, six months from now. During that time we can ask ourselves, "Should Mr. Williams be honored in the same way as the likes of Floyd Little and John Elway?" Then, if we find it is still the right thing to do, we should let the Bronco's and Mr. Bowlen know this is what Bronco fans need to honor a lost family member.