SB Nation User Blog: papigrande

VOTE '09: Who do you want to be the next head coach?

papigrande — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:03:23 -0000

I'll keep this short and sweet. Out of all the candidates presented so far, who would you hire to be the next head coach if you were Pat Bowlen? Hopefully all of us already know a little about all the candidates, and fanposts like Boydy's and Guru's are good resources for a little research. I'm just going to put up the poll.

Before you vote, though, keep a few things in mind.

Money. We already owe Shanny $20 million over the next three years, and a big name head coach (cough Bill Cowher cough) would set us back quite significantly, possibly forcing Pat Bowlen to skimp on other things.
Age. Raheem Morris is a talented up-and-comer, but then again he's younger than half the players. In the same light, guys like Cowher or Spagnuolo aren't going to stick around forever.
Past experience. This one is obvious. Look at what the guy did in his last job with the players he had there. Did he sign those players or did he make the best of someone else's crop? Also, did he implement his scheme or did he take over someone else's?

Now get out there and VOTE!! It's the patriotic thing to do, after all.

The Bills will play hard, and I'm not sure what the Broncos will play for, after learning they've...

papigrande — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:21:50 -0000

The Bills will play hard, and I'm not sure what the Broncos will play for, after learning they've clinched the AFC West shortly after the opening kickoff.

Peter King's breakdown of Bills-Broncos game

More lazy MSM BS. Had Peter King, in all his wisdom, read anything about this game anywhere, he would have noticed that Mike Shanahan is turning off all the TV's with the Chargers game on them so the Broncos will stay focused.

I vote that we from now on refer to the MSM as the BSM.

Someone appears to have stolen our domain name.

papigrande — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:23:30 -0000

Someone appears to have stolen our domain name.

THEmilehighreport.com? Old-School Living For Today’s Man? WTF? 0.o

Ryan Clady Gets MSM Love

papigrande — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:28:02 -0000

Ryan Clady Gets MSM Love

Thank you, Bucky Brooks, for being the first MSM guy to realize that Clady kicks @$$. You win a prize. Here's a sample from the article:

"When the Broncos selected offensive tackle Ryan Clady in the first round of April's draft, few expected the rookie to play at an all-star level during his first season. But after watching the former Boise State star shine during his first year, several scouts are already hailing Clady as a perennial Pro Bowler."

HOW EV AH!!! (Stephen A. Smith) the article concludes with:

"He has been good, but not great, in my opinion," said an AFC West scout. "He is solid in pass protection, but only a marginal run blocker at this time. I don't see him as a Pro Bowler in 2008, but I can see him developing into a Pro Bowl-caliber player in a year or so."

WTF!!!!!!!!! Good but NOT GREAT?!?!?! AFC West scout, my ass. I'll bet that was a faders scout, and that would explain why they SUCK!! Their scouts SUCK!! Or, it was a Chiefs scout, and that is why they SUCK!! Or a dolty dolt scout and that's why they SUCK!! Did you not watch the Chiefs game and see what he did to those linebackers??? Or the Jets game?? Runners going to Clady's side are averaging over 5.5....... you know what, maybe it's not even worth it anymore. Bucky, give me your prize back.

Peyton Hillis, we salute you! Hats off to Peyton and let's see him get ready to be the feature back...

papigrande — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:27:35 -0000

Peyton Hillis, we salute you! Hats off to Peyton and let's see him get ready to be the feature back next year.

The Other Tackle Named Ryan

papigrande — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:19:56 -0000

On this site, we all know who Ryan Clady is. We all know that he's having not only a tremendous rookie season, but one of the greatest seasons an offensive tackle has ever had. We all vote for him in the Pro Bowl at least 30 times per day (right?). But what about the guy on the other side of the line? Ryan Harris is having a pretty damn fine campaign this year as well. Like Clady, he's in his first year of a full-time starting NFL job. Also, he's only a year older than Clady. I'm going to use this post to try to bring our other solid bookend into our attention a little.

Statistice for the offensive line are very hard to come by, and when you discover them, you'll find that they're about as hard to read as our legendarily incognito behemoths in the trenches. Instead of pretty statistics like "yards per carry" and "quarterback rating," you get "adjusted line yards" and "sack rate." The O-line is as hard to statistically document as any position in professional sports, but the stats are out there, and they are telling.

The facet of the game in the trenches that mainstream sports fans and media most closely scrutinize is pass protection. The only widely used statistic to guage an offensive lineman's performance is sacks allowed. Therefore, this is what I will analyze first. As a team, Denver's o-line is tied for the league lead in sacks allowed with eight. However, ridiculous as it may seem, that is an inflated statistic by one factor: the well documented fumble-that-wasn't-and-then-it-was-a-fumble-again against San Diego. Officialy, that is a "team sack" and counts against our sacks allowed total for the year. To use a term I learned at Harvard Law, that is BS. Call that play whatever you will, but it certainly was not the offensive line's fault that the ball slipped out of Cutler's hand. So for the sake of argument I am going to regard our sacks allowed total as seven, which would be a league-leading total.

Amazingly, those sacks come on 452 passing attempts, which means that every time Jay Cutler goes back to pass, there is about a 1.55% chance of him being sacked. At that rate, Cutler goes 64.6 pass attempts between sacks. Seven sacks in 12 games is about one sack every 1.71 games. At that ridiculous pace, the Broncos would finish the season with 9 sacks, which would shatter the team record of 15, set in 2004, and tie the 1966 New York Jets and 1991 Washington Redskins for the fourth-fewest sacks allowed in a season (The record is 7, set by the 1988 Dolphins). By contrast, the most sacks ever allowed in a season was 104, set in 1986 by the Eagles.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that our o-line is pretty damn good. Now, on to Harris!

It has been well-documented on this site that Ryan Clady has only given up 0.5 of our seven sacks allowed this year. In fact, Clady is one of only three tackles to have started every game this year without giving up at least one sack. The other two? Michael Roos of Tennessee and Clady's counterpart on the other side of the line, Ryan Harris. Clady and Harris each have only one-half sack given up all year.

Harris actually got off to a slow start in his football development, as he didn't start playing until eighth grade, as his parents thought it to be too dangerous for him. When he first tried out, the other kids on the team made fun of him because he didn't know how to hit.

My parents didn't really want me to play. It was funny because I showed up in my pads and everyone made fun of me because I didn't know how to hit. I guess I've come a long way since then.

Right you are, Ryan. Coming from a pass-happy school at Notre Dame and blocking for fabio wonderkid (right Guru?) Brady Quinn, it is easy to assume that Harris was well-adapted to pass-blocking in the NFL. And, if you did assume that, you would be right. Harris has been a standout pass blocker since he attended Cretin-Dermlin High School in Minnesota, where he earned first-team All American and a full ride to Notre Dame.

Harris's choice of the prestiged Catholic university was somewhat eyebrow-raising, considering he is a devout Muslim and has been ever since converting from the Church of Unitarian Universalism in his early teens.

Religion has played a key role in Harris's development as a person throughout his entire life. He actually had a choice of which faith to pursue early in his life before converting to Islam in middle school.

Growing up, I read from the Torah, the Bible, and the Koran. It was different. I was never really taught a religion growing up. I was able to choose freely and I'm very thankful for that.

However important his religion has been to him, he cannot partake in one of Islam's most important traditions: Ramadan.

I have to keep up my weight, so it's not something I can do. But there are other things I can do. It's very similar to Lent. You can give up other things. Some people stop watching TV or things like that. For me, it's making sure I get all my prayers in and read more Koran.

However strange Harris's Muslim practices may have seemed to his Notre Dame teammates, they never let religion be a factor in his social acceptance. Harris stated that his college teammates were "wonderful in the fact that they accept me for my beliefs and allow me to practice my faith." It seems that religion was never a distraction for Harris in college. Then again, he isn't one to be distracted anyway.

Another factor in the Clady love has been his ability to avoid the penalty. In his 12 starts, Clady has just three penalties for only 20 yards. Say what you want about whether these calls were legitemate, beause to Clady's three ticks, Harris has zero. That's right, Harris has not been penalized at all, all year long. Not for lining up offsides. Not for a chop block. Not even a phantom holding call has been thrown his way, so perfect is his technique.

Where technique is concerned, it is impossible to concoct a stat that would determine a lineman's effectiveness in this area. If only we had access to the grade sheets given out after each game that give pluses and minuses for assignments made and missed...

To get back on the stat train, I'm now going to look at the adjusted line yardage (ALY) ammassed by the two tackles. To be honest, I have no idea how to come up with the formula for ALY, or how widespread its use is in determining an o-lineman's effectiveness. But I do know that it is indicative of rushing success on a particular side of the line. Plus, it's on the page at footballoutsiders, so I am going to use it.

As a team, the Broncos rank first in the NFL in ALY, rushing for 4.97 adjusted yards per carry. They have also been "stuffed" behind the line on only 18 percent of run plays, ranking first in the league in that as well. As one would expect, both Clady's and Harris's numbers are indicitave of our overall rushing success.

When the Broncos rush off the left end, Clady's side, they average about 5.76 ALY per rush, good for second in the league. Harris's right end is nipping on Clady's heels at 5.46, which is first in the league. However, it must be noted that the NFL average for ALY is only 3.93 on the left side, compared to 4.32 on the right. The reason being that right tackles face bigger, stronger ends more suited for run stuffing compared to the lighter, faster ends left tackles face.

I can't put it any more bluntly. The numbers don't lie. We are witnessing something spectacular. These two tackles are coming of age fast. Not only are they having excellent seasons for first-year starters, they are having seasons that compare to any that have ever been produced in the history of the NFL. Magnificent seasons. All time seasons.

Hall of Fame seasons.

So next time you're stuffing the Pro Bowl ballot box with Ryan Clady love, make sure you scroll down a few names to "Harris, Ryan." Because there are two offensive tackles in Denver that are more than worth the honor, and in this town, there's more than enough room for the two of 'em.

All stats used in this post were taken from this page on footballoutsiders.com NFL records were found on nfl.com's archives page.

Broncos-Jets Highlights!

papigrande — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:49:56 -0000

Broncos-Jets Highlights!

via nfl.com

"That's the way Denver gets points."
"That's how you answer a bad call, uh, uhhh, uh, a situation that you can't control. Go back and score"

I'm going to say this one last time: fuck the national media. The MSM wanted the Jets to win this game so they could laud Favre and his merry men, and they are blaming the Broncos' hot start in this game on OFFICIATING? I'm sick and tired of this east coast BS. It's BS. Yeah, right. Look down at my other fanshot to see what they have to say about our defense. I wonder if Shanny showed them that video before the game?

NFL Network breaks down the Broncos at the Jets

papigrande — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:10:02 -0000

NFL Network breaks down the Broncos at the Jets

Looks like they were wrong a little bit. A little bit lot.

MHR Fantasy Football: Week 12

papigrande — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 16:05:38 -0000

It's week 12, the playoff picture is becoming clearer, and the Wildebeests are dominating everything, ever. So far, they are the only team that has a playoff spot locked down. Here's a look at the playoffs should the season end today:

As you can see, the Wildebeests are10-1 and one victory away from clinching the division and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. More importantly, though, it's rivalry week for the Beests. The SacTown Beavers are coming to town, and last time thesetwo teams met, it was a close, high scoring game. The Wildebeests pulled it out in the end, with a final score of 111.6-100.45. If you'll remember, that was the week that Zappa threw a hissy fit that he started Derek Anderson over J.T. O'Sullivan or Kurt Warner. He has to avoid big mistakes like that this week, as he has learned firsthand. One such mistake against an opponent of the Wildebeests' caliber and it's over.

One thing is certain: these two teams do not like each other. When asked about the rivalry, Wildebeest head coach P. Sanderson Grande said that his feelings toward Beavers GM Zappa "doesn't dissipate at all" since the beginning of the year, when he started playing fantasy football. Zappa, when asked, had no comment other than "cackle cackle cackle."

Another thing to note is that I CRUSH YOU! is the only team eliminated completely from playoff contention. Jezru has been fighting technical difficulties since the season began.

Other key games this week:

-Guru's team at the Brazil Devils. Guru can be eliminated from contention if he loses this game. The Devils have been coming up in the league, and need to win this game to stay ahead in the wildcard race.

-Russ' Team at The Fighting Manginos. Both teams face a must win this week, with the loser likely eliminated from the playoffs. Things do not bode well right now forthe defending champs.

-Blue Collar Broncos at Qatar Wars. The reason to watch this one is obvious: Whoever wins leads the division.

Other games: Toilers of the C++ at Cincinnatroit Texrams and I CRUSH YOU! at J.F.K. Mustangs.

POWER RANKINGS

1. Albino Wildebeests, papigrande, 10-1. They will. They will. Rock you.

2. Toilers of the C++, styg50, 8-3. Right now, the hottest team in the league. Styg is dominating everyone.

3. SacTown Beavers, ZappaRulez, 7-4. Are about to be 7-5.

4. J.F.K. Mustangs, davecheffy, 6-5. Finally, their PPG scored and given up makes a little sense.

5. Blue Collar Broncos, Denver_Native, 6-5. Had been the hottest team in the league until the Wildebeests' defense stoned them cold.

6. Brazil Devils, lucasfrodriguez, 6-5. Coming up in the league. They currently (barely) hold on to the 6th playoff seed.

7. Qatar Wars: A Noob Hope, JR G, 5-6. Could obtain first place in the division with a win this week.

8. Russ' Team, Russ33, 4-7. Tenure as defending champs could be over very soon.

9. The Fighting Manginos, DenverJhawk, 5-6. Losers of three straight, a loss would likely knock them out of contention.

10. Cincinnatroit Texrams, ejruiz, 3-8. Is showing a lot of fire as of late, just picked up a nice Mile High Salute for the trophy case.

11. TheSportsGuru's Team, Guru, 4-7. Is being manhandled. Has lost two straight, including being embarrased by the Texrams last week.

12. I CRUSH YOU!, Jezru, 2-9. Isn't crushing anything.

MHR Fantasy Football: A Week 11 Breakdown, Part 1 of 2

papigrande — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:08:21 -0000

Standings

Week 11 Recap

Albino Wildebeests 80.15, Blue Collar Broncos 73.25

Despite some... questionable...coaching decisions by Papi (Jamal Lewis over Marion Barber?), the Wildebeests continue to ride high. Michael Turner had 20.1 points as the usually high-flying Broncos were the next victim of the stampede. Optimum: Wildebeests 119.9, Broncos 103.8. Coach Ratings: Papi 66%, Denver_Native 70%.

Toilers of the C++ 110.4, Russ' Team 79.9

The high-scoring Toilers were an A+ this week, riding Larry Fitzgerald, Hines Ward, Neil Rackers, and the Panthers' D to a big win. If anyone can beat papi.......... Optimum:Toilers 117.3, Russ 83.4. Coach Ratings: Styg 94%, Russ 95%.

J .F.K. Mustangs 90.2, Brazil Devils 70.65

Frank Gore, Drew Brees, the Giants and Dwayne Bowe were on fire as the Mustangs improved to 6-5. Finally, their PPG makes sense. Optimum: Mustangs 118, Devils 78.35. Coach Ratings: lucasfrodriguez 90%, DaveCheffy 76%.

SacTown Beavers 90.35, I CRUSH YOU! 50.8

Zappa's team gets its final win before being annihalated and embarrased in front of everyone. Jezru just can't seem to get it going. Optimum: Beavers 110.25, CRUSH 66.1. Coach Ratings: Zappa 81%, Jezru 76%

Cincinnatroit Texrams 102.1, TheSportsGuru's Team 53.6

The Texrams get a massive upset that could knock Guru out of fantasy title conention. Literally everyone on Jezru's squad was on fire. Just look at the optimum! He scored 100 points and his rating was only 64%! WTF?! Optimum: Texrams 157.1, Guru 83.2. Coach ratings: Both coaches 64%

Qatar Wars: A Noob Hope 67.85, The Fighting Manginos 38.4

38.4 is the lowest point total I have ever seen. This game was a snoozer. I turned off my fantasy TV during the third quarter and went outside to play fantasy catch. Optimum: Qatar 67.85, Manginos 55. Coach Ratings: JR G 100%, DenverJhawk 69%

Week 11 Awards

The Shanny for highest coach rating in a victory: JR G with 100%!

The Norvy for lowest coach rating: Guru with 64%! GURU IS NORV TURNER.

The Rod Award for highest individual score: Matt Cassel of the Texrams with 43.2! Wait, he was benched? Oh, then Peyton Manning of Russ' Team with 27.1!

The Javon Awards for 0 total points: Billy Miller of the Mustangs, Alex Smith of the Texrams, Anthony Fasano of Qatar Wars, and John Carney of the Manginos!

The Orange Crush Award for most dominating win: The Cincinnatroit Texrams with a win of 48.5!

The Mile High Salute to the team with the highest score: Toilers of the C++ with 110.4!

The Black Hole Award for the team with the lowest score: The Fighting Manginos with 38.4!

SB Nation User Blog: papigrande

VOTE '09: Who do you want to be the next head coach?

If you were Pat Bowlen, who would you make the biggest attempt to hire for the position of Denver Broncos Head Coach?

The Bills will play hard, and I'm not sure what the Broncos will play for, after learning they've...

Someone appears to have stolen our domain name.

Ryan Clady Gets MSM Love

Peyton Hillis, we salute you! Hats off to Peyton and let's see him get ready to be the feature back...

The Other Tackle Named Ryan

Broncos-Jets Highlights!

NFL Network breaks down the Broncos at the Jets

MHR Fantasy Football: Week 12

Other key games this week:

POWER RANKINGS

MHR Fantasy Football: A Week 11 Breakdown, Part 1 of 2

Standings

Week 11 Recap

Week 11 Awards