SB Nation User Blog: Zappa

I'll be out of town this weekend...be back Sunday! SB Nation really should set up a "bulletin bo...

Zappa — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:21:28 -0000

I'll be out of town this weekend...be back Sunday! SB Nation really should set up a "bulletin board" for community members. That would have been the perfect place for me to post this little notice. Not that anyone cares, but I'll miss you guys. ;) "I love you man!"

http://www.co.shasta.ca.us/

I need Bronco fans as friends on MySpace

Zappa — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:23:01 -0000

I need Bronco fans as friends on MySpace

I'm looking to add fellow Broncomaniacs to my friends list. My profile is private because I only have close personal friends included on my page. Since I consider all Bronco fans to be close personal friends, I hope to expand my friends list to include Broncoland.

Gambling 911 has Broncos as underdogs

Zappa — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:12:13 -0000

Gambling 911 has Broncos as underdogs

Apparently, oddsmakers are betting on the silver and black to beat the Broncos on opening day. This would be completely ridiculous if the Faders hadn't surprised us last year in Oakland. not cool.

Street Creds AFC West breakdown

Zappa — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:09:06 -0000

Street Creds AFC West breakdown

I have seen worse. I still think they are overrating the Chargers. PAPER TIGERS!

The San Diego Chargers...A Paper Tiger

Zappa — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:37:57 -0000

Everywhere I go I hear about how great the San Diego Chargers are. Even here at MileHighReport.com, the most sacred place a Bronco fan can go, the Charger worshipping is getting out of hand! Are the Chargers good? Yes. Are they as good as everyone says they are? I don't think so.

via www.origami-instructions.com

The Chargers are a Paper Tiger. Their leaders are immature and selfish. No amount of talent can make up for those two weaknesses. San Diego is supposed to be this vaunted team stacked with talent and depth. Where exactly? What depth are you people referring to? We can all recognize that this team has gotten into the heads of our beloved Broncos, but have they gotten into the heads of the Bronco fan as well?

Here is the most recent depth chart I could find for the Chargers. It was last updated on March 21, 2008. Looking through the list, I don't see any worthwhile backups that could start on any other team except for maybe Billy Volek. I wonder if the Chargers got this stigma because of Michael Turner. For the Broncos, we got several backups that have been NFL starters for other teams. Colbert, Parker, Manuel, Wiegmann, McCree, Boss Bailey, Pittman have all be starters for other teams. Some more than others, but the point is that the depth on the Broncos team is still much, much deeper than what the Chargers are fielding in 2008. In any case, the mantra of the "incredible" depth of the Chargers has been decidedly disproven.

So what about talent? Apparently, the Chargers are one of the most talent laden teams in the NFL. I'll name those players who I think definitly fit into this category. LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Shawne Marriman, Luis Castillo, Antonio Cromartie, and Darren Sproles on special teams. That's two offensive guys, three defensive guys, and one special teamer. On the Broncos, I see quality talent in Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Champ Bailey, DJ Williams, Elvis Dumervil, and Eddie Royal on special teams. Sure Eddie Royal hasn't even played a game yet, but there is no denying the threat he will pose from day one returning kicks. However, for the sake of fairness I will exclude him. I still count three offensive guys and three defensive guys. I am also curious to see how great LDT will do without Lorenzo Neal. Everywhere I look, the Chargers appear to be nothing more than an over-hyped, over-rated paper tiger. Sure, a paper tiger can still give you nasty paper cuts, but blowouts should not occur to the Broncos in 2008. At least not when facing this hollowed out, arrogant football team.

I know I have written about this before, somewhere, but it's now time to compare these two teams yet again, because I obviously did not get through to many of you the first time.

Phyllis Rivers vs. Jay Cutler

I just don't see any category that Rivers beats Cutler in. Arm Strength. No. Accuracy. No. Game Management. No. Leadership Skills. No. Rivers is just a punk who acts childish in victory and in defeat. I am sure many will disagree with accuracy or with game management, but I think these two are about even in the accuracy department and Cutler edges Rivers in game manamgement because of his late game heroics. The Broncos win our at the starting quarterback position.

Billy Volek vs. Patrick Ramsey

Volek has the potential to be a solid starter in this league on many other NFL teams. Ramsey has been a starter for another NFL team and did not live up to his first round status. I still think that they rank pretty evenly because of Ramsey's experience accounts for about as much as Volek's potential.

San Diego RB vs. Denver RB

Obviously, any team that has LDT will rank among the tops in the league. But what happens if he gets hurt? The Broncos have the depth right now to suffer two, even three injuries and still have a quality running back available to come in and play. I hope this doesn't happen, but I feel better knowing we'd be okay. Charger fans should be worried about what happens if LDT goes down for any significant time. Sproles wouldn't last long being the feature back. San Diego gets the edge here if LDT stays healthy, but the Broncos get the edge if LDT misses more than four games in 2008.

San Diego WR vs. Denver WR

The Chargers have next to nothing at this position. They'd have a bunch of no names playing if either of their starters lose any playing time. The Broncos on the other hand have a solid mix of proven veterans and rising stars on the roster. BMarsh obviously is our go to guy. Stokely in the slot and several guys fighting it out for the other starting spot. Of course, Eddie Royal and Sammie Parker could prove to be reliable deep threats heading into the season. The Broncos should light up the scoreboards this season, even in such a talented AFC West in regards to defensive backs.

San Diego TE vs. Denver TE

Basically this comes down to Antonio Gates versus Tony Scheffler and Daniel Graham. Together I think we beat Gates easily. The depth alone of having two solid starting tight ends proves to be more advantageous than having one super stud who could leaving a gapping hole in your offense if hurt.

San Diego OL vs. Denver OL

This is my most glaring question heading into 2008. I'll have to give the edge to San Diego, but only because I am not sure what I am going to get from our OL this year. My gut tells me it'll start gelling after the first month of the season, but only time will tell. Either way, our depth alone is impressive when compared to last year.

San Diego DL vs. Denver DL

Now this is San Diego strength on defense. They obviously beat us on the line, but we have the youth and talent potential to be great as well. It all depends on how our line works together. Is Jarvis Moss going to live up to his first round status? Will Marcus Thomas continue to develop? Many questions and not enough answers, so San Diego gets the nod in this area even though it appears on paper that the Broncos may have tremendous depth on the line.

San Diego LB vs. Denver LB

The Broncos have too many questions on defense to win out here either. San Diego has Shawne Merriman and even though we have DJ Williams, he is again going to be starting at a new position next to two new starting linebackers for the Broncos. The Chargers get the nod here as well.

San Diego CB vs. Denver CB

By virtue of depth and Champ Bailey, the Broncos beat out the Chargers. Sure the Chargers Cromartie and Jammer played at a higher level last year, the Broncos Bly and Bailey are hungry and look to become a dominating force this season. Top it off with probably the deepest depth of any team in the league at the CB position and the Broncos handily win out at this position.

San Diego Safeties vs. Denver Safeties

This position was a glaring weakness in 2007, but by adding solid veterans like McCree and Manuel the Broncos have turned their secondary into a formidable force. The Chargers look somewhat thin at the position and again lose out to the Broncos in the depth department. Edge to the Broncos again.

There you have it. The Chargers are not the greatest team on the face of this great Earth. They are not even in the Top 5 as far as I am concerned. They are an immature team with talented starters and very little depth. I predict a 9-7 season for them this year. The question for Broncos fans is simple, will our guys be angry enough and hungry enough to overcome the mental block they have had when it comes to matching up against the Chargers. As it stands right now, the Chargers OWN us...and will continue to OWN us until both the Bronco players and the fans realize that the Chargers are nothing more than a Paper Tiger. Let us be the shredding machine for that paper.

Poll

Do you agree that the Chargers are a "Paper Tiger"?

I know people around here think that I think Selvin Young is the second coming of TD, but I reall...

Zappa — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:11:59 -0000

I know people around here think that I think Selvin Young is the second coming of TD, but I really don't think that. I'd be remiss to compare any running back to TD. TD is a once in a generation running back.

I think my whole thing with Selvin Young is that I see much of the same kind of explosiveness in him as I used to see in TD. Durability issues aside, Young's rookie highlight reel above reminds me alot of TD's highlight reel from 1995. Sure TD had more yards, but he also won the starting job before the start of the season, Selvin never won the starting job until we cut Henry a week or so ago.

My point is, I see the potential. The potential to be a very good running back in the NFL. TD had that same potential, but the difference is that TD took that potential and turned it into something never seen before. His name belongs in the same group as Walter Payton, OJ Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, or Gale Sayers. TD was even better than our beloved Floyd Little. I put Floyd on the same level as the Emmit Smiths or Marcus Allens...still great, but not quite up to the level of specialness of the TDs or Walter Paytons of Barry Sanders of the world.

Selvin Young has all the potential to be in that second tier of great runners, time will only tell. But I can say this, I am a lot more excited about Selvin Young being our starter than I ever was with Tatum or Mike Bell. 2008 is going to be a good year to be a Bronco fan!

This is probably the best video ever found on YouTube when it comes to educating us Bronco fans o...

Zappa — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:59:06 -0000

This is probably the best video ever found on YouTube when it comes to educating us Bronco fans of the tradition of DEFENSE this organization has. At around 4 minutes in you will see why I believe John Lynch will be our starter all season long in 2008. You will also see why Steve Atwater deserve hall of fame recognition. Thank you Broncofan547!

Marshall predicts 100 catch season in 2008!

Zappa — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:26:32 -0000

Marshall predicts 100 catch season in 2008!

I take more comfort in this prediction than I do Selvin Young's 2000 yard prediction, but I think I am starting to like the confidence seeping from the team into the media.

Ring of Fame Worthiness -- Dan Reeves?

Zappa — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:39:22 -0000

As I was writing the MHR History post about the Ring of Fame, several questions popped into my head. Since those questions were not pertinent to the discussion about the history and legacy of the Ring of Fame, I decided I needed to write a quick Fan Post about it.

The first question was simply, "What makes a player worthy of this honor?" The answers were not quite as simple. A nominee had to have one or more of the following: tenure, popularity, records, impact on the team, or pure Bronconess(a vague term, but I think most of you will understand what I mean by it). Winning also had something to do with it, but mostly when selecting nominees in recent years.

That question caused me to ask, "Are there any former Broncos who are worthy enough to be included into the Ring of Fame?" Now that is a question worth examining. Right off the bat I thought of two guys who will most certainly be inducted in the first year or so of eligibility. Those two guys are Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe. While I was examining past Broncos a name popped out in my head and no matter how hard I tried to move on it kept leaping out at me. That name is Dan Reeves.

Out of all of our former coaches, Dan Reeves did the most to set the standard for this organization. Sure we all like to gripe about how he held Elway back, but look back and compare to other teams how many games were won. You'll find the Denver Broncos in the top 5 for sure. He averaged over ten wins a season(not including the 1982 strike shortened catastrophe). Think about that for a minute. Prior to Dan Reeves, the Broncos had just three or four winning seasons in twenty or so seasons of play. Since Dan Reeves, this organization has only suffered three or four losing seasons in twenty-five years!

Now I know that Dan Reeves left the Broncos in less than amicable circumstances, but I don't believe it should take away from the long term impact he had on this organization. Nor do I believe we as fans should talk about him with any sort of disdain. The guy took our team to three Super Bowls. His style of play calling and coaching helped propel a group of rag tag nobody's to the biggest game of the year, three times! John Elway was really the only perennial Pro Bowler on those teams, and I am hard pressed to believe he alone is responsible for us making it to those Super Bowls.

These thoughts brought me to my final question, "Has Dan Reeves earned a spot in our Ring of Fame?" My answer is most definitely YES. Besides Mike Shanahan, Reeves was the most influential coach in Denver Bronco history and he deserves to be the first coach honored in the Ring of Fame.

Poll

Has Dan Reeves earned a spot in our Ring of Fame in spite of the way things ended for him in Denver?

MHR Broncos History Lesson - Ring of Fame -- Class of 1984

Zappa — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:19:10 -0000

Welcome to the final edition of MHR Bronco's History for 2008. Officially anyway, I may write a few posts into this section during the regular season. I hope you've enjoyed reading this series of posts as much as I have enjoyed researching and writing them! I look forward to continuing the history lessons come next offseason.

One of the biggest topics of general discussion around here during the reloading season is the vaunted(or notorious) Hall of Fame. It's a topic that generates the most discussion and much ire in the MHR Community. It took the Hall of Fame 43 years to induct a Denver Bronco into their exclusive club. Luckily, we only had to wait another five or so to get another Bronco into the Hall. The problem is that there are at least a half dozen former Bronco players that should be honored in the Hall of Fame.

Pat Bowlen became the owner of the Denver Broncos in 1983 and he created the Ring of Fame at Mile High Stadium to honor past Bronco greats in the hopes of no doubt changing the culture of borderline disrespect the organization had always shown its ex-players. It was an attitude not uncommon in the NFL pre-80's. Pat Bowlen was a new kind of owner with new ideas about how to build a successful organization from the top down. Owners like Al Davis continued the old practices of disrespecting players, while guys like Pat Bowlen figured out ways to honor past and present players. The Oakland Raiders went into a downward spiral of mediocrity and the Denver Broncos went on to win ten Division Titles, six AFC Championships, and two Super Bowls.

The Ring of Fame is the Denver Bronco fans Hall of Fame. There comes a point where we as fans have to put more emphasis on the Ring of Fame than we do on the NFL's popularity contest called, the Hall of Fame. Not one member of the Ring of Fame doesn't deserve to be there, while there are a plethora of questionable members in the Hall of Fame. Pat Bowlen was intelligent enough and bold enough to recognize the need for a fan based Hall of Fame.

So in 1984, along the fifth level of the old Mile High Stadium, a Ring of Fame was introduced to euphoric Bronco fans everywhere as part of the Denver Broncos 25th Anniversary. With so many players to choose from, the Class of 1984 was destined to be the biggest group to be honored at one time. So the four biggest stars in Bronco history were inducted into the Ring of Fame on the day of its unveiling and with them a nearly 25 year old tradition was started. There are now twenty players and one former owner enshrined around the field, a number that continues to grow slowly with each passing year as more and more Bronco greats are honored.

Class of 1984

#44 Floyd Little, RB, 1967-75

Floyd D. Little is undoubtedly one of the greatest players ever to don a Bronco uniform. Nicknamed "The Franchise", he went on to establish most of the Bronco rushing records that would remain until Terrell Davis would break them. He retired after nine seasons of solid production as a runner and special teams returner. He gave early Bronco fans their only glimpses of super stardom.

Little was considered a shoe in for the Hall of Fame when he retired in 1975, yet 33 years later he is still waiting for that recognition. His enshrinement into the Ring of Fame must go first on this list, since in 1984 he was still the greatest Bronco ever to play the game. He would not be overtaken by John Elway for several more years as the most popular player in Bronco history.

#87 Lionel Taylor, WR, 1960-66

Lionel T. Taylor played well before his time. He epitomized how a receiver should play the game. Speed was a secondary factor to the position, Taylor believed success came from route running and hands. No other player in his era did either of those two things as well as Lionel Taylor did.

He set individual receiving records that wouldn't be broken until the new century. The first man ever to catch one hundred passes in a single season. The guy was a beast before guys like Selvin Young used the word to describe themselves. Unfortunately, Lionel Taylor too has been snubbed by the NFL's Hall of Fame. He is another no brainer first ballot inductee to the Bronco Ring of Fame.

#87 Richard Jackson, DE, 1967-72

Richard S. "Tombstone" Jackson was a true terror on the football field, earning even the respectful admiration of the hated Al Davis. If it wasn't for Coach John Ralston's insistence on doing certain drills that caused Jackson's knees to deteriorate, he may have become a certain Hall of Famer. Even though Tombstone only had four really good years, he is still talked about whenever the topic of Hall of Fame snubs comes around...even outside of Broncoland! Tombstone Jackson is and always should be the benchmark upon which all past and future Bronco defensive linemen should be measured up to regardless of his injury shortened career.

#23/45 Austin Gonsoulin, DB, 1960-66

Austin W. "The Goose" Gonsoulin wasn't quite the Champ Bailey of his day, but he was most certainly a football player and a man's man. He was as tough as nails and always fought hard on every play. He set the standard in the Broncos inaugural seasons, intercepting eleven passes. A record that still stands. He and Lionel Taylor were the only real bright stars on a perennial loser.

The Goose would help lay the foundation for the decades of tradition on the defense. An attitude of toughness and fearlessness that would propel the Orange Crush defense to the Super Bowl and the tough defenses of the 80's, 90's and 2000's. Without the struggles of these early teams in the 1960's, I doubt the organization would as great as it is now, nor would the fan base be as fanatical. We owe it ourselves to remember the past. The Goose rightfully earned his place as a first ballot Ring of Famer.

The Ring of Fame is an important part of our tradition and history. It should hold a central place in our hearts as far as recognition for our greatest players. I know we'd all like to see justice in the Hall of Fame, but it will take several more Super Bowl victories before any flood gates are opened. So until that happens, let us celebrate the Ring of Fame as the true measure of how great a former Bronco was. The list is small, smaller than the roster of former Chicago Bears enshrined in the Hall of Fame, yet the names on that Ring are legendary to all of us Broncomaniacs.

I look forward to profiling each and every member of the Ring of Fame during the 2009 offseason. As for now, it's time to profile and discuss our current members of the 2008 Denver Broncos. So I must say, goodbye to MHR History and hello to MHR training camps!

Please vote in the poll located here.