Hi folks! What a ride this season has been. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been around too much lately. The main reason I have been away for so long is not that I don't care about MHR. Actually it's the opposite. I just started a new job a few weeks ago and I have been busy training and learning my new role. Unfortunately I am restricted from browsing certain sites while at work and by the time I'm home I have two little ones taking up the rest of my "free" time. One of the drawbacks from working at the job I am at is the limited radio signal available in my office. I normally prefer to listen to AM radio during the day, but I can't get a single station. My only option is FM now and my preference is to listen to talk radio. Here in Albuquerque there is only one option available for me. ESPN.

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Wow, what a wild season!  After eight weeks of the season in the books we come back to where it all started....playing the Oakland Raiders.  I wrote a fanpost before our first game called "Renewing the Rivalry" where I talked about how our Broncos and how some of us fans have not taken the Raiders very seriously for the last several years.  Once the game happened, we saw that Denver had a number of chances to win, but penalties, fumbles, a poor run defense and horrible red zone play where we settled for FG instead of TDs cost Denver a chance at starting 1-0.  Kyle Orton was the starting QB that night and dropped a ball during a play that would have potentially scored a TD.  Eric Decker scored on a punt return to get the Broncos back in the game.  It was at least it was close unlike 2010, but it was still a loss.

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Hello there folks!  What better way to get a start on the 2011 season than on a Monday night when Denver Broncos host the Oakland Raiders.  We all know what happened in 2010 against Oakland.  Needless to say it was the worst performance against our hated rivals since 1994.  Many of us witnessed the the hapless bumbling at home letting them run up the score, crap all over the field and both times led to the firing of Denver's head coaches.  Wade Phillips got canned in 1994 and Josh McDaniels in 2010.

Something happened between 1994 and 2010.  We brought in a coach that understood and hated Oakland.  To this day Shanny is still owed money from Al Davis for his services in the late 1980's.   Even when the Broncos fielded some mediocre teams (which has been the case many times in the last decade), almost all the time we enjoyed Denver getting the best of Oakland.  For many years we witnessed and enjoyed making them the conquered fader nation and took glee in their hapless ways.  Something changed in some of us.  We quit taking Oakland seriously, some of us fans started taking pity (that idea makes me vomit) for their fans.  When that happened, the rivalry fizzled for us Bronco fans.

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I feel I need to get this off of my chest.  I have seen nothing but Orton vs. Tebow posts, fanshots and links since the offseason started. The debate is heated and the fanbase is split into three (those for Orton, those for Tebow and folks stuck in the middle just wanting the Broncos to win).  I have noticed some similarities (not the exact same, but close) between Tim Tebow and our current AFC West tormentor from San Diego, Philip Rivers.

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Hi folks!  I have decided to provide a respite from the Denver Broncos QB fight/debate/peeing match and show you some other items of Broncos Country to remind all of us where we are, why we love our team and the state/region that this team calls home.....

via www.ifgroup.cc

via fc06.deviantart.net

This is God's country.....

Who wouldn't want to live near this?  I got spoiled when I lived in Colorado and I have been trying to move back ever since!

So take the chips off of your shoulders, take in a deep high-mountain breath of fresh air and remember why you love this state and the Denver Broncos.

PS:  Feel free to add your favorite Colorado/Rocky Mountain pics in the comments.
 

I posted this the other day.....too many news breaks last week....

Hello there folks!

It is a new season and the Denver Broncos will have their pre-season games broadcast on New Mexico's CW, channel 19 in Albuquerque.  New Mexico's CW covers a majority of New Mexico and SW Colorado including Durango, Cortez and Pagosa Springs.  Please check your local listings.

The games and times are as follows:

All times are MDT

August 11
6:30pm - Broncos at Dallas Cowboys

August 20
6:30pm - Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills

August 27
6:30pm - Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks

September 1
8pm - Broncos at Arizona Cardinals

GO BRONCOS!

Hello there folks!

It is a new season and the Denver Broncos will have their pre-season games broadcast on New Mexico's CW, channel 19 in Albuquerque.  New Mexico's CW covers a majority of New Mexico and SW Colorado including Durango, Cortez and Pagosa Springs.  Please check your local listings.

The games and times are as follows:

All times are MDT

August 11
6:30pm - Broncos at Dallas Cowboys

August 20
6:30pm - Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills

August 27
6:30pm - Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks

September 1
8pm - Broncos at Arizona Cardinals

GO BRONCOS!

Hello folks!  Hope you are enjoying the week before Memorial Day.

I'm sure this has been written and discussed many times since the NFL lockout started.  We have seen ups and downs so far.  The ups have been the NFL Draft, but that is about it.  From the fans point of view, it has mostly been downs.  We have seen de-certifications, injunctions, stays and the largest items: appeals, mediation and soundbites between players, owners, the commissioner, the NFLPA head and their respective attorneys.  The folks that don't seem to be listened to are us the fans.  Many NFL fans have tweeted, emailed, snail-mailed and called the players and teams respectively.  There have been a few messages that the fans have been telling the parties involved in the lockout.

We want football!

Shut up and play!

Get a deal done!

I am aware of some fans siding with the players or the owners.  It is especially showing with everyone's own partisan political perspectives.  Having this point of view only leads us the fans to fighting and bickering over who is right and who is wrong and blaming judicial appointments made by current and past presidential administrations is quite silly.  Political debates have been raging since the beginning of time and we need to be very wary of this lockout devolving into a rhetorical war of politics between fans.

This is a critical time for fans to unite against the lockout (and I do think that is the case) now.  Right now, our beloved Broncos as well as the rest of the teams are sitting in neutral with time being wasted.  I don't know about you, but I want to get these guys working again.  We still need help on the team and it would be nice to have free agency and player trades so Denver can rebuild the roster and get the EFX era underway.

The last thing I want this fall is having nothing to do or enjoy on Sunday afternoons.  My wife would love it, but I would go cuckoo!  All I have to say to all the money people involved in this lockout is......

SHUT UP AND PLAY FOOTBALL!

Hello folks!  I am here in deep thought after the Super Bowl and the end of the 2010 season.  Something that jumped out at me during our disastrous 4-12 campaign and in the Steeler loss.  That something is offensive line continuity.  For Denver, it was a combination of injuries, inexperience and shuffling lineman in and out of the lineup.

By now we all the story of Denver's OL for 2010.  Ryan Clady partially tears a patella tendon while playing basketball, Ryan Harris gets hurt in the last preseason game and was even a healthy scratch for a couple of games, J.D. Walton and Zane Beadles were rookies.  Russ Hochstein and Stanley Daniels filled in at LG at different intervals of the season to disastrous results.  Combine those variables and you have a recipe for one of the worst running attacks in the NFL and a losing season.  This was not the only reason for the losses, but it was a key issue. I talk with Tim Lynch on a regular basis and during the season I kept hammering the point that without an OL that was together and consistent, you never have success at any level of football.

Before the first Kansas City game, Denver averaged 67 yards rushing in eight games, with Moreno having a measly 252 yards.  After the bye week, we finally witnessed our five best linemen in the right positions.  The line awakened and the yards added up.  The team amassed 1006 yards in the final eight games.  Out of the four wins, the Kansas City game was easily the best outing for the OL.  The rushing ranking went from 32nd to 26th at the end of the season.  Those numbers were embarassing, but it shows improvement.

There is a glimmer of hope for Denver for the future.  The OL is young and gained valuable experience.  Ryan Clady will be healthier and the only change that could be coming is Ryan Harris.  When Harris is healthy, he is one of he best, but his history had shown us that he is very fragile.  Beadles will hopefully stay at LG and I like what JD Walton has done at C so far.  Another offseason of working out and bulking up will help these two make improvements in their game.  One thing that is hanging out there is the CBA.  If the CBA is not resolved in time, these guys will be on thier own for improving themselves.

It is time for Denver to return to Bronco football and these bulldozers will go along way to keeping our QB clean and our RBs pursuing 1000 plus yard seasons for the forseeable future.  This unsung group will help us stay proud to be fans of this team.

Good afternoon folks!

I just found out that the Denver Broncos will be returning to the radio in Albuquerque.  If you live in Albuquerque or are driving through when the game is on, you don't have to miss it on the radio!  You can tune in to KDEF 1150 AM.  This is great news because the TV guys get annoying.  What Bronco fan wouldn't want to tune out the likes of Dan Fouts or Chris Collinsworth for the play by play of Dave Logan and Brian Griese?  I know I would turn down the TV.

Speaking of TV, make sure to click here to see the local TV schedule for the preseason games.

PS.  I called the station to verify that they were carrying the games this year.  The station manager said it was true and asked if I knew of businesses that could help sponsor the games.  I don't know of any businesses, but if you are a business owner in the Albuquerque area that is willing to help sponsor the broadcasts, please contact the station.

Hi Folks!  Hope ya'll are having a great weekend.

Here is my impression of last week's Training Camp....you can see more after the jump.

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Good Morning folks!

Just wanted to let Chief fans in Western Kansas know that Neil Smith will visiting Garden City next Saturday.

Here's the details...

Former Kansas City Chief and Denver Bronco Neil Smith will be at the Appliance and Furniture Mart in Garden City, Kansas.  He will be there from 10:30 AM unitl 1 PM CDT on August 7.

Here's the address:

The Appliance and Furniture Mart

1117 Fleming Street

Garden City, KS

www.amartgc.com

Good morning everyone!

This post is intended for Broncos fans in Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado....

Neil Smith, former Kansas City Chief and two time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos (the best reason to meet him), will be at The Appliance and Furniture Mart in Garden City, Kansas.  He will be there on Saturday, August 7 from 10:30AM till 1PM CDT.

Here's the address:

The Appliance and Furniture Mart

1117 Fleming Street

Garden City, KS
www.amartgc.com

Hi folks!  It's that time of year again.  New Mexico's CW, will be broadcasting the Denver Broncos preseason games this year.  Here is the list:

August 15
5pm - Broncos vs. Bengals
August 21
7pm - Broncos vs. Lions
September 2
6pm - Broncos vs. Vikings

The Steelers vs. Broncos game (August 29) will be televised nationwide on Fox.

Please take note, the station is listed on the following providers:

Comcast Albuquerque area: Channel 6

Comcast Farmington area:  Channel 12

Cable One Roswell:  Channel 5

DirecTV and Dish Network in New Mexico (northern and western) and SW Colorado:  Channel 19

For cable subscribers in Durango, KCNC is available out of Denver.  KCNC 4 is the Broncos' flagship station.

Have a great weekend and GO BRONCOS!

Hi everyone!  Just wanted to show you some pics from the Broncos Bunch Summer Kickoff that was held on Saturday, June 5 at Invesco Field at Mile High.  I took my son to the event and had a fun time.  Enjoy the rest of the pics after the jump!

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Hey guys!  Mdierk here to let you know about the summer kickoff happening this Saturday at the stadium in Denver.  It will be a great time to bring your kids to see their (and your) favorite players as well as the cheerleaders and Miles the mascot.  I will actually be there this weekend with my son.  Look me up if you can find me. 

The Kickoff will go from 10 am to 12 pm and you will need to enter from the north gate of the stadium.  There is a fee for entry, but you can get in for free if you join the Broncos Bunch.   I signed up my son today and hope you can do the same for your kids.

Have a great week and I hope I see you there!

PS.  This is my 100th fanpost.

Saturday afternoon, I had to work at a booth for a builders and remodelers show in Albuquerque.  The company I work for sells fireplaces, stoves and such.  During a lull, I headed to the concession stand to get someting to drink.  While in line, I found out that bottled water was $3 and all I had was $2.50.  So I headed back to the booth and went without for awhile.

After speaking with some attendees, I noticed they had some water bottles that had some candidate's name on it.  Once the customers left, I went looking for this booth because I was completely parched.   When I arrived at the booth, a gentleman offered me a bottle of water and we started to talk about the issues.  The candidate is running for governor of New Mexico and is in a primary with four other people in his party.  (Note: I am not giving away the name of the party since it is not the point of the story, if you want to know, you can do some research on your own.)  The man I spoke with is a campaign worker for this candidate. 

Anyway, while we were talking I mentioned that I grew up in Kansas.  As soon as I said that, he asked me if I was a Chiefs fan.  I told him, nope a Broncos fan, sorry.  Not much after he said that, he asked if I have ever gone to Mile High Report.  I just grinned and laughed.  I told him that I am a staff member at the site and that I used to write Horse Tracks until my son was born.  He told me he comments on Arrowhead Pride and comes to troll on MHR.  He didn't give me his handle, but I know his first name is Matt.  

Matt was very complimentary of MHR and spoke very well of J-Man.  Just comes to show you that SB Nation is growing.  It was just a shock that in a city of 500,000 people that someone would just mention MHR out of the blue.  It is also a testament of the respect that the sports blogs have amongst each other.

Hope you enjoyed it and have a great rest of the weekend.

Note:  I did this listing on Sept 11, 2009 but didn't get much traction.  Please read and enjoy!

Hey everyone.  Just thought I would write down some descriptions of what flavor of drink would be fitting of W-L record.  With respects to Mike Clark and the 13-3 Kool aid.  Bear with me folks, it's defintely tongue and cheek....

0-16, Detroit tasted it in 2008, tastes of sewage, wouldn't wish it on your wost enemy (except for the conquered fader nation)

1-15, not much better than sewage and little more tolerable, but that doesn't say much.

2-14, a popular flavor with the Missouri Indains and conquered fader nation, causes purging of coaches and is preferred by Al Davis.

3-13, like drinking defective Budweiser in St. Louis

4-12, Woody Paige's favorite flavor for 2009, he let the Coors go warm

5-11, tastes like stagnant pond water form the Deep South, will make you nauseous

6-10, more of a hanogver cure drink (don't ask what is in that)

7-9, is more of a wannabe drink like Natural Light

8-8, not bad, not good, just plain old drinking water

9-7, water with a twist of lemon

10-6, compare it to a good tasting cheap wine (Charles Shaw)

11-5, a very nice cold, Fat Tire microbrew

12-4, a sweet champange that may give an aftertaste if not handled right (playoff wins)

13-3, the preferred choice of drink at MHR, sweet, memorable and very Orange.  Will go bad if not used wisely (playoff losses '96, '84).

14-2, had the drink once never seen it since.  A very expensive and aged bottle of chamange

15-1, great flavor and aroma, definitely a championsip level beverage.  If you forget the ice, can go bad quickly (Vikings '98)

16-0, the sweetest taste of all, worthy of gods....side effect is arrogance, can hurt badly if you do not drink with respect (New England 2007)

Have a good one.  Go Broncos!

Good morning folks!

I'm back out from hiding for a time and have been looking at the fanposts and comments in the last few weeks.  We have seen another flop of a season and everyone asking lots of questions.  Losing to the AFC West this year at HOME is revolting.  Some of the discourse has been over the top here on both sides with lots of flaming going on.

We all are disappointed that the Broncos have been stuck on .500 ball since 2006.  I know I'm tired of 8-8 all the time.  Add to the fact that Phyllis and his merry men have been running roughshod in the division and we are at a breaking point.  Some of the comments lately remind me of an assembly of Parliament in the UK.  Lots of shouting and zingers.

MHR has its share of characters here.  We have the polar opposites in the membership.  From Kool-aid drinkers who think everythying is sunshine and lollipops on the extreme to doomsday fans that thnk the world ends with every error committed by the team on and off the field.  Most of us are in the middle and swing to each side as the team goes.

I can't think of a better site for Broncos information.  When former players, current players, front office personnel and beat writers like Frank Schwab and Jeff Legwold want to talk to the staff (John Bena mainly) at MHR, it is a testament of what this site has become.  It is amazing what has happened since the site launched just over three years ago.  John was the only guy running the show until he asked some of the guys to help.  Before Doug took the Horse Tracks gig, John handled the duties at first and then I took over for a while till fatherhood took me away from it.  The writing here by the staff rivals any MSM sports outlet.  I'd rather come here than read through Bill Williamson's ESPN blog any day.

That's just my 2 cents.  We all want the same thing here which is a return to dominance in the NFL.  Denver is one of 20 teams that are sitting at home this month.  Let's hope the trend ends next season.  Have a good rest of the week folks!

This is my Broncos wishlist.  From how they played yesterday tells me they are on the naughty list.

Ok...here it goes!

1. Offensive Line - while it is great to have two bookend young tackles (when healthy), if your middle is mush it is worthless!  Denver must upgrade at center and left guard.  Not making short yardage plays shows this need the most.
2. Defensive Line - these guys have been getting blown up lately.  241 yards on the ground given up to the conquered fader nation is unacceptable!
3. Playcalling - Denver is getting too predictable on offense.  Time to mix it up more.
4. Short yardage game - see number one.
5. Run, don't think - Knowshson, please run to the hole.  Stop stutter-stepping and just go forward!
6. Getting as much draft and free agent help as possible for 2010.
7. Make the playoffs - Stop screwing around and finish off the next two weeks.  I want to see 10-6, not 9-7!
8. End the modiocrity - I hate .500 football.
9. No more pity for the conquered fader nation - I saw a lot of sympathy for that team this past week.  You know what they did with that pity?  They made our team look like chumps in their own house!  That is never acceptable.
10. Play like they played against the Giants every game - Does Josh have to say to the offense that "we are trying to win the MF'n game!" all the time?  He shouldn't have to.

Will we get all this for Christmas?  I hope so!

Have a great week and Merry Christmas.

Just received some sad news from the Denver Post....

Tim McKernan, known to legions of Denver Broncos fans and televsion viewers as the Barrel Man, died early today, relatives said.

McKernan had been suffering from terminal lung disease.

For more than 30 seasons, McKernan appeared at Broncos games clad in a barrel and a cowboy hat.

McKernan retired in 2007 at the age of 67. He donated the barrel he wore in his last game to the Broncos' charities.

His first barrel, modeled after an Orange Crush bottle, was on exhibit in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

There are no words to say that could properly describe Barrelman.  May he rest in peace and God give comfort to his family.

Thank you, Tim!

As angry as I am about the Broncos' performance, we need to remind ourselves that this team is 6-2.  We all got upset when the old media wrote these guys off and then they started respecting Denver again.  What did it get this team?  Nothing!

Denver lost to the top two AFC teams from last year.  That is not horrible.  I'll hit the panic button if we lose to the Missouri indians or the conquered fader nation.  This team is still learning to win and this offense is running on two of the needed eight cylinders for the engine to run right.

Moreno got exposed as a rookie.  He needs to learn to block and get some longer cleats.  I saw a lot of slipping out there.  Ben Hamilton is not cutting it now.  I'm not sure what the line is trying to do, but some zone blocking may help out.  Orton did his best Jay Cutler impression too.  The mistakes were deadly and must be cleaned up ASAP.

Don't think that Pittsburgh is out of the woods in thier return quest for glory.  They have to contend with Cincy and Baltimore.  Denver on the other hand gets to contend with Phyllis and his merry men in the west.

Time for Denver to keep working and improving and let all the old media and bandwagon folks hop off.  The sun comes up tomorrow despite us being in a nasty mood.  It is a long way to the top.  Hang in there.  GO Broncos!

Good morning folks!

Some of you "older" members remember me from the "Horse Tracks" days.  For you newer members, I'm the guy at the bottom of the front page all by myself in Quality Control.  Because of my busy schedule (baby at home, work in a job that is busy during the fall/winter), I am not seen much other than a comment or two.  I'm still here though and reading the articles and fanposts.

I have some thoughts on the season so far.  Some of this is a rehash and some more current.  I never expected the Broncos to be 6-1 right now.  I knew that they would be better than what the "experts" predicted (ie Woody Paige 4-12....etc), but at this point to be this record is pleasantly suprising.  I've been doing more hooting and hollerin' than I have done in a long time.  It has been so much that it startles my 9 month old son, makes him cry and inflicts the ire of my wife.  I still wouldn't have it any other way.

After watching the last seven games, I think Denver is making improvements and I look forward to them playing a complete game soon.  While the game against Phyllis and his merry men was huge and thrilling, the offense is still not clicking yet.  It showed in Baltimore (man do I hate that place) that there is much work to do.  Coach McDaniels has done a masterful job in uniting the team and Brian Dawkins has been a god-send in injecting leadership and guidance with not just the defense, but the entire team.  As Dawkins has said, "RESPECT IS NOT GIVEN, IT IS TAKEN!!!".  When you hear that, it even makes me want to suit up and hit somebody.  The stadium is raucous for the first time since the days of old Mile High and it is starting to intimidate opponets.  The overall toughness is very welcome since having to deal with softness at the end of the Shanny days.  We are moving in the right direction and Cutler is still throwing picks and pouting in Chicago now.

Now for Monday night......

Since the Broncos loss, the "old media" started going back to its template.  Here are the examples:

"Denver is lucky"

"What's wrong with Dallas, New England etc..."

"Orton is not a good QB"

These same people in the old media as well as the wiseguys in Vegas are picking the Steelers to win in Denver on Monday.  My response to them:  That's fine, we have the Steelers right where we want them.

I expect a much more improved and angry Broncos team to play Monday night.  Pittsburgh is the defending champs and there will be a ton of Steeler fans at Denver.  I want the Steeler fans to leave with the same sulk and pout that the Cowboy fans endured this year.  It's tough to predict the game, but I don't think Denver will disappoint after the embarassment in Baltimore last Sunday.

Ok enough from me for now, time to go hide again....GO BRONCOS!

Hey everyone.  Just thought I would write down some descriptions of what flavor of drink would be fitting of W-L record.  With respects to Mike Clark and the 13-3 Kool aid.  Bear with me folks, it's defintely tongue and cheek....

0-16, Detroit tasted it last season, tastes of sewage, wouldn't wish it on your wost enemy (except for the conquered fader nation)

1-15, not much better than sewage at little more tolerable, but that doesn't say much.

2-14, a popular flavor with the Missouri Indains and conquered fader nation, causes purging of coaches and is preferred by Al Davis.

3-13, like drinking defective Budweiser in St. Louis

4-12, Woody Paige's favorite flavor this season, he let the Coors go warm

5-11, tastes like stagnant pond water form the Deep South, will make you nauseous

6-10, more of a hanogver cure drink (don't ask what is in that)

7-9, is more of a wannabe drink like Natural Light

8-8, not bad, not good, just plain old drinking water

9-7, water with a twist of lemon

10-6, compare it to a good tasting cheap wine (Charles Shaw)

11-5, a very nice cold, Fat Tire microbrew

12-4, a sweet champange that may give an aftertaste if not handled right (playoff wins)

13-3, the preferred choice of drink at MHR, sweet, memorable and very Orange.  Will go bad if not used wisely (playoff losses '96, '84).

14-2, had the drink once never seen it since.  A very expensive and aged bottle of chamange

15-1, great flavor and aroma, definitely a championsip level beverage.  If you forget the ice, can go bad quickly (Vikings '98)

16-0, the sweetest taste of all, worthy of gods....side effect is arrogance, can hurt badly if you do not drink with respect (New England 2007)