For Denver Broncos fans who want college football at the I-A level to develop a playoff system, MSM and BCS are equally egregious profanities whose sacrilege spits on the faces of all great competitors the gridiron has ever seen, such as Bill Walsh and Vince Lombardi.

With that said, legislation has been introduced which perhaps will bring the BCS to an end. Still, even if this doesn't occur, a bright and wonderful future awaits REAL FOOTBALL (i.e., the NFL) as the Denver Broncos are not that far from serious title contention.

One of our allies in the MSM, who actually sees us for what we are, is one of the brightest football analysts on television, Marshall Faulk.

Perhaps some of you noticed that prior to last Sunday's game against the Colts,  Faulk, the former Rams and Colts star, rocked a smart orange tie and predicted the Broncos would win.

He also picked us to beat the Giants and has selected us several times this season notwithstanding the ignorance manifested by his colleagues Jamie Dukes and Rod Woodson.

Perhaps Faulk is our ally because while matriculating at San Diego State he was often shunned by the MSM for playing in a "weak conference" and never appreciated for his true greatness. Thus, I believe Faulk sees our true potential and allows the stats and film to tell the story rather than hype and hoopla.

In short, I'd just like to thank Marshall Faulk for not being like his colleagues and using his brain. Perhaps if more of the media did this, the world would be a better place and everyone would appreciate the true greatness of our Broncos! Thanks again for reading and it's all about MARSHALL, MARSHALL, MARSHALL.

As one who loves team sports (especially the NFL!) and my Broncos, it's always disappointing to see the Broncos lose. Nevertheless, there is value in it, provided that defeat is handled in an appropriate way.

Continue reading this post »

I will be brief in today's post. Let me just say as we prepare to meet the Colts in Indianapolis Sunday, I love this team.

Mr. Bowlen, as I've stated previously, is the best owner in sports. Kyle Orton is class, as is Brian Dawkins. Vonnie Holliday has an awesome motor, Correll Buckhalter is the epitome of this team: underrated yet dominant!

Tony Scheffler is the best security blanket a quarterback can ask for and Spencer Larsen can do anything asked of him.

Now, with all of this said, let's have our good be better than the Colts' good. GO BRONCOS!!!

If there is one element in the NFL that transcends all, it has to be parity. Parity, combined with momentum, enabled the New York Giants to vanquish the New England Patriots, thus preventing the only unbeaten NFL season in almost 40 years.

I have all the respect for the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, especially their respective quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Nevertheless, in all honesty, it' s important to remember that if the Giants could beat the Pats that fateful Sunday with astronomical stakes on the line, no one is invincible under any circumstances.

Yes, Peyton Manning, (who in my humble opinion, will be the greatest quarterback to play the game once he hangs the cleats up) is going to be difficult for the Broncos to contain, but even #18 makes mistakes. The key is to capitalize on them.

If not, the Broncos risk  giving up big plays to Manning's underrated friends Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai. These guys become remarkable under the guidance of Peyton, so if the Broncos are to play their best, they must find a way to get significant pressure on Manning. If so, the Colts' young wideouts will be outmatched, I believe, against the likes of Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins and Andre Goodman, among others.

As for the Broncos' offense, it bears mentioning that none other than Kyle Orton handed the Colts a loss at Lucas Oil Stadium's first-ever regular season game. Of course, this can happen again when one considers Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney, Tony Scheffler, etc. are better than the misfits Orton was forced to play with last year.

With all of this said, I believe the stage is set for a great game. In closing, I really am glad to have Josh McDaniels' unconquerable spirit on our side. We will not flinch heading into Indianapolis, so we can all be assured that the Colts will get our best shot.

Much is at stake in this game so may the best team win. Here's hoping that team is orange and blue. GO BRONCOS!!!

For more than 20 years, I have been proud of my Broncos. From the days of studs like John Elway, Simon Fletcher, Shannon Sharpe and Steve Atwater to present times with Kyle Orton, Tony Scheffler, Darrell Reid and Brian Dawkins, I've never been ashamed to wear the orange and blue every weekend, win lose or draw.

This is because while other teams have been embroiled in significant (self-imposed, let me make that quite clear) controversy, we've stayed aloof of much of that, thanks to Mr. Bowlen, the greatest owner in sports!

Thus, it's like my parents have told me all my life when disciplining, or even exhorting me to be a better individual, "Brad, we expect better from you than the rest."

I think that's what we expect of our Broncos. Not only do we want them to beat the trash out of their opponent every week, we want them to be dignified. In other words, we don't do what the Chargers and their loser friends do when we win. Thus, we can expect a lot more class atop the AFC West (hopefully this year) in the near future once San Diego is consistently dethroned.

I just love having the likes of Brian Dawkins and Darrell Reid here. Not only do they wreak havoc on the field every week, they're out helping those in need in the community. This is a far cry from the likes of Travis Henry and Daryl Gardner. How often did we win and look good with those losers?

The truth is the Broncos are at their best on the field when the players on the roster are studs on the field and gentlemen off it. I love this team in every way, so let's go 8-4 and much like the Chiefs fans on Arrowhead Pride, let's show class.

GO BRONCOS!!!

This is a topic I have every right to speak at length upon as I am a professional journalist, Southern Utah University graduate, class of 2006, in case you were wondering.  Although we did not have the pedigree of the University of Missouri's or Northwestern University's journalism schools, I was taught well. For instance, my copy editing teacher threatened to flunk me, despite a semester's worth of work that scored well into the 80s, should I leave a major factual error on the final project, an article from the Provo (Utah) Daily Herald.

This, of course, instilled within me, a meticulous and solid work ethic which caused me to ascertain that all that I wrote (or copy edited) was accurate, precise and bereft of any deception. When looking upon this latest report that Kyle Orton has torn ligaments in his ankle, I think accuracy, precision and trustworthiness have all been violated by the tool who wrote of his injury.

Now that the Broncos have dropped three straight games, the MSM is swift to beat their chests and proclaim to the world that they were right about our alleged fraudulence. This, once again, depicts another flaw in the national press. They hate the Broncos.

Now, to be fair, I hate the Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers with all the vitriol that any other Broncos fan does (not to mention the Cowboys and Patriots), but in the event that I should ever become a national NFL reporter, I promise to cast aside all my previous suppositions, for my paycheck comes from the league and therefore, I must be fair to all its teams.

How then, is it permissible for buffoons like John Clayton and Jamie Pukes to have such hatred for the Broncos? Did Mr. Bowlen tell them to "go to hell?" Not likely. Thus, we see a great and obnoxious conundrum in place.

The only clue concerning Orton's status is Coach McDaniels says he felt better than Wednesday. Hmmm, so Orton feels better than he did earlier in the week, but his prognosis worsens. In the words of Metallica: the MSM lies so much it believes itself, at least pertaining to the Broncos.

In closing, the time has come for the Broncos to lay the wood against the Dolts and much to the chagrin of the MSM (and Woody Paige), assert themselves as the class of the AFC West.

Thanks again for reading and of course, GO BRONCOS!!!

Today, I begin by waxing philosophical, even though I'm not Aristotle. In order for diamonds and other precious gems to be created, pressure must come among the rocks. Those rocks that can't handle the pressure fragment and become worthless. However, after sufficient tempering, everything else becomes a precious stone.

That's how I feel about the Broncos. We are a rock, and while I'm disgusted with fans threatening to delete their accounts should we lose to the Dolts (for the record, we are NOT losing to the Dolts...), they're the little pebbles that crap out when the pressure gets a little too intense.

Of course the time has come to shine and we're about to bust out again and show the NFL how resplendent, potent and sharp we really are.  There's a reason teams such as the Dallas Cowboys always falter down the stretch. They get off to solid starts every year but falter down the stretch because Tony Romo is a fraud and Wade Phillips shows once again why he remains the only coach since the merger in Broncos history to have a losing campaign in Denver.

Now, the same could be said for us the past few seasons, but already, this is a team with more passion, integrity and excellence than last year's embarrassing rendition. Gone are diva queen extraordinaire Jay Cutler and his stupid decisions. Thank goodness for that!

In his stead is the humble, erstwhile and consummate team player Kyle Orton, who will shake off the ill effects of an ankle injury to torch stooges such as Antonio Cromartie and Quentin Jammer repeatedly. 

As for the Chargers, yes, they are on fire, but if we got to play the Chiefs and Raiders back to back, I"m sure we'd have sufficient energy to defeat a solid team like the Eagles in the third game. It bears mentioning that if it weren't for Philadelphia's ineptitude in the red zone, San Diego probably would have been deflated last week.

With our ability to run the ball again, expect the play action to be open and I would love to see Cromartie try to contain a motivated Marshall. As we learned in Week 2 last year, Cromartie can do nothing to stop Marshall. Eddie Royal, the newly-christened Charger killer needs to step up for us, and go ahead, Eric Weddle, be on Jim Rome's radio show Wednesday. This week,  not even Rome's  jungle karma will avail you against Tony Scheffler.

All good teams meet affliction in the course of a season, but the time has come for us to snap out of our funk. Too much is at stake to let the Chargers and their pseudo-fans get the last laugh.

Those of you who are fortuitous enough to go to the game Sunday, PLEASE do not sell your tickets to Dolts fans. This game is in Denver and our Broncos need undivided fan support. Let's get down to business and dismantle the Chargers. Norv Turner has been masquerading as an NFL coach for long enough. The charade's over, Norvbert and the emperor has no clothes.

Finally, in closing, I'm pleased to see that the majority of Broncos fans have remained loyal. Let's keep up the good work and prepare for what will still be a successful season. In all honesty, in the back of my mind this offseason, I thought 11-5 was possible. Let's make my vision a reality. GO BRONCOS!!!

To begin this thread, I have to call out my dear facebook friend and National Football Post genius Michael Lombardi.

While those of us who are no longer under Jay Cutler's spell can call him a foolhardy, gambling, error-prone signal-caller, his enchantment enslaving the majority of the MSM is still as potent as sniffing paint for degenerate junkies.

If you read Lombardi's Tavern Talk post on the NFP today, you know that Lombardi crushes on Cutler the same way I do on Ana Ivanovic or Natalie Morales.... With that said, if Ivanovic sucks it up at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open, I'd say so and if Morales ever talks like Daffy Duck or Sylvester the cat on the Today show, I'd say she sucks as well. Just something to think about.

Anyway, moving on, the Broncos, by the logic of analysts who know their stuff (such as Lombardi and Jim Rome as I've previously mentioned) have not fallen far perception-wise. The team knows quite well it's incumbent upon them to take control of the game early and allow Kyle Orton to beat Washington downfield with magnificent play-action execution. 

I'm hoping that Ryan McBean is able to play against the Skins, as I trust he'll make a big play to help us win the game. At times, I just get these feelings as I thought in last year's game against the Falcons, Daniel Graham would score the winning touchdown.

In closing,  those of you who are based in the greater DC area, make a good showing. When I watch the game at FedEx Field, I want to see orange and blue in the stands. Finally, I know that most of us appreciate Mr. Bowlen, but I'm sure that after this game, we'll hold him in even higher regard as we see just how decimated a franchise can be when the owner is a moron like Dan Snyder.

When I write again, I'm fully confident the Broncos will be 7-2. Keep the faith, brethren and sisters who bleed orange and blue and may peace be with you this day and always. GO BRONCOS!!!

I have no intention to attribute quotes to anyone, so I'll paraphrase my thought here: the true measure of a great person is how they maintain their composure in a time of adversity or affliction.

Although I wasn't in the mood last Monday evening,  I watched Josh McDaniels' press conference and was impressed with the stoic resoluteness he showed when facing  the press after our disappointing loss to the Steelers.

To me, there is no doubt he is in control and whether the quarterback is Kyle Orton, Chris Simms, Tom Brandstater or whoever, he'll be able to win. This man is a winner. Losing has never been part of his DNA, nor do I expect that to start now.

I'm sure geniuses on MHR know this, but in case you're not one of them, here's something that should be well-known. John Carroll University, a small Jesuit institution of higher learning in suburban Cleveland, not only brought the NFL Josh McDaniels, but Don Shula, as well. For good measure, another JCU alum who will figure this weekend is Washington Redskins tackling machine London Fletcher.

So, while we were disappointed to lose Monday, the time has come to reassert ourselves as contenders in the AFC and there is no better man to lead us there than Josh McDaniels. This Thanksgiving, let us all be grateful for our marvelous coach who will lead us back to our rightful place atop the AFC and later, the NFL. Thanks as always for reading and of course, GO BRONCOS!!!

The way I see it: this weekend, there is a perfect storm blowing into Landover, Md of orange and blue content. The Redskins, once masters of the NFL, have fallen on hard times in the past 10-15 years. Everyone from John Riggins to Michael Lombardi has lambasted this flagship franchise and their criticisms have been well deserved by the burgundy and gold.

How does this relate to the Broncos? Simple, the best way to get rid of an annoying, sickly fly, is to get out the swatter and pin its lifeless body against the wall.

In the words of the immortal Bill Parcells: "you are what your record says you are." To me, that suggests the Broncos are a good team, not the best in the NFL or even the AFC at this point, but still dang good, nonetheless.  The best way to confirm our magnificence is to take the Redskins out early and win going away.

All records indicate that Ryan Harris is out this week, so with a seasoned (somewhat) Tyler Polumbus in the lineup, the time is right for him to dominate against Washington. I believe that Knowshon Moreno will come out with a chip on his shoulder and he and Correll Buckhalter will pound the Skins' defense all day long.

Once our running game asserts itself again, watch Kyle Orton find plenty of time to carve up the Washington secondary, which consists of, you guessed it, DeAngelo Hall (a.k.a, the nail to Eddie Royal's hammer as we all learned in the 2008 season opener when Hall played for the Raiders).

Some people are saying this is a trap game for the Broncos. I say such a thing is impossible because we all know dang well that Josh McDaniels will have Denver ready to smack the Redskins around after two shoddy performances in the last two weeks.

We have not lost to the Skins in the greater D.C. area since 1992 and I expect us to win at FedEx Field, but only if we remember who we really are and Washington continues to be its own worst enemy. The Broncos, of course, will play a huge role in Washington's demise if they come out and play their game.

Thanks for reading and of course, GO BRONCOS!!!

I will admit that Monday night's game was not Kyle Orton's best effort, nor were the Broncos playing their best football of the season. However, lest I be disrespectful to the Steelers (who pummeled us), they were the better team and the 4th Quarter was once again not our best effort, ala the Baltimore game.

Nevertheless, we are 6-2 and things are still propitious if we can look to the future, assess our mistakes and move on. I did not evaluate this game the morning after as the outcome was too frustrating for me, but let's evaluate what the Steelers did well.

First of all, while we did get significant pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and made him commit several mistakes, the defense wore down and Rashard Mendenhall got stronger as the game went on.  After the Steelers took a 14-10 lead, they began keying off on us and showed why they're virtually impossible to beat when they have a second half lead.

I'll give the defense a mulligan for this one as Orton's interception to Troy Polamalu virtually sealed our fate, along with Mike Wallace's touchdown reception. Thus, we need more from our offense.

I think Ryan Harris' injury is more significant than anyone cares to admit and I hope he returns swiftly. The Steelers were able to get just enough pressure on Orton to force him into uncharacteristic mistakes. However, giving props to the Steelers is done for now.

It is not time to bench Orton. It is time for the Broncos' running game to return, thus making play action more of a threat. Orton was doing fine in the first half, but a couple of bad breaks and horrendous execution did us in. Meanwhile, the Steelers controlled the clock in the second half and were much more productive than we were in the first 30 minutes.

We need to keep the defense fresh and the best way to do that is to control the ball in the first half, even as we did against Pittsburgh, but being more productive when we move the ball down the field. If we can go up 17-0 on the anemic Redskins, they're pretty much dead as they've not amassed more than 17 points all season.

If you'll notice a common trend in our wins, Elvis Dumervil wreaks his havoc in the second half when we've taken the lead, or at the least moved within a touchdown of our opponents. When we sense blood in the water, Doom does his thing and Orton leads a drive down the field to earn victory.

It seems no one exercises true football acumen with us, all of our victories are flukes and all of our defeats (all two of them, mind you) expose us as fraudulent hoaxes. Everybody is waiting for the Chargers to come in and hammer us, thus seizing the AFC West once again while Josh McDaniels is the worst coach in modern NFL history.

All of this, of course, is nonsense. Yes, we have played below our talent level the past couple of games, but the Ravens and Steelers deserve credit for that. What we do now is going to determine our prospects in both the short-term and the future. We desperately need to get back to our foundations of success by eliminating turnovers and running sufficiently enough to keep defenses honest.

I will not lie: Monday, Knowshon Moreno was a colossal disappointment and he needs to justify his selection in the draft by playing better. This is not the University of Georgia, unlike fake football where there is no true national champion, in the NFL, you have to hit the hole and cut upfield. He should really evaluate what Buckhalter does and emulate it.

Perhaps now's the time we see Peyton Hillis return to action, but we'll see what happens. Assuredly, his running ability can do nothing but help us. In any case, it sucks to be the Redskins this week as we're going to come out mad and dictate the tempo early and often.

Thanks again for reading and keep the faith everybody. GO BRONCOS!!!

Shalom Friends, (that's what Jim Nantz would say if he knew any Hebrew when he begins his broadcasts).

Anyway, it's interesting that Ty Law has come in for our secondary (pending his physical, of course,) but I think it will be a good thing. I'm fortunate to have lots of living grandparents and great-aunts even though I'm approaching 28 this coming June. Whenever we have family reunions or I visit with one of them, they provide plenty of wisdom and they're lots of fun to talk to.

That being said, we have not only one of the league's hardest-hitting secondaries (thanks Brian Dawkins!) but some of the smartest, savviest guys one can imagine. The Steelers' Mike Wallace may wish he could switch places with his 60 Minutes namesake after he sees fearsome sights from Law, Champ Bailey, Andre Goodman, Renaldo Hill, Alphonso Smith and Dawkins.

Since we all know Hines Ward likes to mix it up with defenders, the acquisition of Law would give us another tough guy who will not be intimidated by #86's antics. As for Santonio Holmes, you're a good kid, but keep your head on a swivel, my friend.

The jury is still out on Mitch Berger as I think if the Broncos don't have to punt that much, his presence will be a moot point. All you really need from a punter is good hang time and enough 40-45 yarders to keep opposing offenses at bay.

In my utopian game Monday, Kyle Orton will once again go over 300 yards, Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno will run for a combined 420 yards and Ben Roethlisberger will pay the price for holding onto the ball long enough to get your order at my local McDonald's. (before the Falcons-Saints game, I went to buy a 3rd pounder not to go and my order took 5:20, I timed it. Pathetic!)

Incidentally, on Michael Lombardi's post on the National Football Post today, he mentioned that the Broncos are 22-1 odds to hoist the Lombardi (no, it's not named after Michael for those scoring at home) trophy in Miami next February. Those with better chances, according to the oddsmakers, include New England and Dallas (who we have already defeated) as well as Pittsburgh and the New York Giants (who we both should beat before the end of the month).

I know that Vegas bookies know their football really well (New Orleans and Indianapolis currently have the best odds, not surprising), but I wonder if bias against the orange and blue has clouded judgment somewhat.

Let's rejoice in Josh McDaniels' continual quest to improve as we the fans will be the true winners for watching this classy, hard-working organization in their orange unis. GO BRONCOS!!! Oh yes, and as always, thanks for reading.

Yes, that loss to the Baltimore Ravens was disappointing, but much like previous colds or cases of the flu and (for most of us) collegiate exams, all that nonsense is in the past.

Every loss in the NFL should be tempered with perspective. First of all, if losses in the NFL aren't consistent, they're not a problem and should only be remembered for the lessons that can be gleaned therefrom in order to help a team play better.

With our 30-7 beatdown at the hands of the Ravens, I'm sure that already Josh McDaniels, Mike Nolan and the other coaches are done looking at the film and have expunged the loss from their minds, while remembering what can be done better.

I think it's a fair assessment that the Broncos know they are much better than those impostors wearing the orange and blue last week and with the outstanding orange jerseys being broken out, the real team will return.

That means Ben Roethlisberger should expect plenty of pressure, while the Steelers' defense will become well acquainted with Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler and for good measure, Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Stokley in a really frustrating way for the black and gold.

Of course, while some have said Darren Sharper should be considered as league MVP, a better version of him resides in Denver named Brian Dawkins. With Dawkins' motivation serving as an impetus of success for the Broncos in the early portion of the season, his peerless leadership will be essential in leading the Broncos to victory.

While the MSM continues to hate and my "friends" being more willing to talk football with me after a Broncos loss, I'm sure there will be no one to talk to save fellow Broncos fans Tuesday morning as all the haters will have climbed under their shells again.

The way is set before us, the circumstances are propitious and Kyle Orton will overcome his slight ankle injury to lead the Broncos to a big win.

Keep the faith Bronco Country and of course, GO BRONCOS!!!

Undoubtedly, when Pittsburgh fans read this headline, they'll be offended and call me out for my "arrogance." I hope I'm being presumptuous but having visited Behind the Steel Curtain, I fear this will not be the case. Yes, Pittsburgh is the defending Super Bowl champion, but like any other team they have their flaws and the Broncos may be able to expose some of them.

Of course, this will only happen if the Broncos remember what got them off to a 6-0 start and fail to suffer a comparable collapse as they did against the Ravens.

First of all, the Broncos' offensive line must dominate as it has often in previous weeks and seasons. Tyler Polumbus is the spotlight man, and I fully expect him to play well in the absence of Ryan Harris. Josh McDaniels and his assistants are experts at getting Broncos reserve players to play their best when called upon.

It would also benefit the Broncos to get some turnovers against the Steelers. Since Ben Roethlisberger has a well-renowned reputation for holding onto the ball for extensive periods of time, it will be quite helpful for the Broncos if Elvis Dumervil, Brian Dawkins, D.J. Williams and company are able to force some Big Ben fumbles.

From what I've seen on film (watching games on Tivo, while my expertise is nowhere near as great as the likes of Brian Billick, Mike Mayock or even Darren Sharper), the Steelers' Mike Wallace isn't always the most disciplined route runner, so perhaps Andre Goodman and Renaldo Hill can effectively jump some routes when Big Ben goes his way and get crucial picks.

On offense, I'm pretty convinced Tony Scheffler is a tough matchup for any Steelers safety or linebacker, such as Lamarr Woodley or even Troy Polamalu. (in all honesty, Scheffler vs. Polamalu is perhaps the greatest potential matchup this game could see). Thus, if our illustrious offensive line does their job and gives Kyle Orton plenty of time to throw, I fully expect to see Scheffler getting plenty of work.

Finally, in closing, I do not disrespect the Steelers, but I do believe there are areas where the Broncos can be successful against them. Please, if there are any Steelers fans who read these words, do not misconstrue them as anti-Steeler propaganda. To be precise, there are only a handful of teams I truly despise in NFL annals, and three of them are our AFC West rivals. For the record, the Pittsburgh Steelers are not on their list.

Let's have a good game (we're wearing our orange, YESSSS!) and may the best team come out on top.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Shalom, Saints fans! Perhaps some of you remember me from previous threads, but I am a proud Broncos fan (I'm ready for my squad to wear their orange jerseys Monday and knock the tar out of the Steelers!) who has felt compelled to write an article on CSN today.

The impetus of my thoughts: Drew Brees.

Thus far, Brees has tossed for 16 touchdowns, six interceptions and 2,006 yards on the season and continues to impress both on the football field and the community both in and out of the Gulf Region. To me, it's still interesting how fate brought Brees to New Orleans.

In 2005, the New Orleans Saints were in one of the more challenging times in franchise history with Hurricane Katrina's decimation of the Gulf Region and horrible play on the football field marring the local headlines. As for Brees, in a game featuring my Broncos against Brees' Chargers, John Lynch incurred a serious injury upon Brees which caused him to receive little interest from most teams in free agency the following offseason.

Nevertheless, the Saints gambled and came up big. While the Miami Dolphins are managing to find ways to remain in the AFC East hunt, one could reasonably argue they'd be a clear favorite over the New England Patriots had they followed their impulse to sign Brees.

However, the Dolphins' reluctance has proved to be the Saints' gain as with all of New Orleans' weapons, such as Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson, healthy, this unit is among the most fearsome in the NFL this season.

Although Brees has thrown for well over 14,000 yards and thrown for 104 touchdowns to 52 interceptions in his tenure with the Saints (that's a 2-1 TD to INT ratio, pretty sweet!), he has done much greater things off the field.

For instance, in June 2007, he visited the Beaver (Utah) Correctional Facility, which is only two hours away from where I live, in Manti. While there, he took time to sign autographs for inmates and pose for pictures.

The last I checked, Brees is a native of Austin, Texas and matriculated at Purdue University (the same alma mater as Broncos stud Kyle Orton!) so, at least on the surface, he has no ties to Utah.

Nevertheless, he assessed a situation where he felt he was needed and while he came into Beaver quietly, he left just as he came, expecting no reward for his selflessness.

On the Monday Night Football postgame show, Steve Young, Matt Millen and Stuart Scott discussed whether or not the Saints could go unbeaten in the regular season much like New England did and they all agreed that it was possible.

While it is possible, I will not despise the Saints like I did the Patriots as this New Orleans squad consists of quality character people such as Darren Sharper and Jonathan Vilma in addition to Brees.

Hopefully, my Broncos will meet your Saints in February with a Lombardi trophy on the line at Landshark Stadium, but we'll see what happens as the season progresses. Good luck to your for the rest of the season!

Those who know me are well-versed in my love for the Broncos. From the early days of my remembrance, the Broncos wore those majestic orange jerseys and as the likes of Charlie Jones, Dick Enberg and even Pat Summerall called the action for NBC and CBS in those days, the illustrious John Elway often led us to thrilling victories.

As the years passed, the Broncos remained consistent winners (for more information on this, you might want to read my previous column, God Bless Mr. Bowlen) but after we experienced a major paradigm shift from Shanahan-Josh McDaniels in the offseason, of course the MSM crucified us, but the Broncos are not nailed to a cross at this juncture of the season.

The reason is simple: the Broncos knew their fate better than the "experts" and have proceeded to make fools of the majority of the MSM.

The beauty of all sports (except for Division I-A college football, the BCS is illegal, but more on that another time) is that teams, players and coaches can determine how successful they are simply by playing well and in the words of Scrooge McDuck: being smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies.

Obviously, the Broncos thus far have had superior intelligence (thanks to Coach McDaniels, Brian Xanders and Mr. Bowlen) and superior toughness (thanks to Brian Dawkins, Elvis Dumervil, Ryan Clady, etc.) Often, most of us fall short of our goals because we believe negative hype about us and subsequently throw in the towel.

It was easy for the Broncos to fold with all the pressure surrounding them this offseason, but the integrity of McDaniels in being true to his convictions has won him 53 proselytes who take the field every week: among them Brandon Marshall.

Obviously, we will continue to be successful because that is our nature and players like Kyle Orton, Dawkins and Correll Buckhalter simply do not have a losing disposition, much to our delight.

In Kansas City, our good friend, Michael Lombardi of the NFLN and National Football Post has reported on the Chiefs' struggles. One error Kansas City committed, in Lombardi's opinion, is allowing Todd Haley to verbally lambaste and embarrass the players on the Chiefs' squad.

As one who has been around the militant lifestyle more than I care to admit in my 27 years of life, I've come to the conclusion that the "lighting a fire under people's butts" approach really sucks and only makes things worse.

I have never seen McDaniels bombard one Broncos player this season, even though we have made a fair amount of mistakes thus far. Such behavior would only make us less likely to succeed.

So, as we go to 7-0 (I hope) against the Ravens, it will be because McDaniels has effectively assessed our performance and kept morale at a high level.  This is something that helped Indianapolis enjoy what is currently a 120-46 record in this decade with Tony Dungy replacing much of the negativity Jim Mora Sr. left in his wake at Colts headquarters.

Thanks again for reading and let's keep things positive as we cheer our beloved Broncos on to victory at Charm City this weekend.

Injuries and adversity are not only staples of human existence in general, but more particularly in the game we all love: football. While some teams the Broncos have faced have suffered significant serious injuries (such as Felix Jones and Miles Austin in the Dallas game), Denver has suffered them as well, but still played at a really high level.

Now, the Broncos receive a significant shot in the arm in a versatile jack of all trades in his second year out of Arizona, Spencer Larsen, returning from his surprise injury before the season opener against the Bengals.

Thus far, Larsen's versatility speaks for itself as he became only the fourth NFL player since 1990 to start on both offense and defense in the same game, a 24-20 win over the Falcons last season. While his stats may not be eye-popping ( a respectable 22 tackles thus far), his numerous talents will serve the Broncos well.

Obviously, Josh McDaniels has seen what players with varied and arrayed skill sets can do as Mike Vrabel flourished in McDaniels' offense at New England for years. However, Larsen, in my opinion, is a better athlete than Vrabel and can enable us to create more wrinkles against a veteran Ravens defense.

I do believe the Broncos will win this game, in a close call, and I think Larsen will go a long way toward helping us improve to 7-0.  Of course, we know Kyle Orton will bring it as will our stellar defense. Expect Brian Dawkins, Elvis Dumervil and Darrell Reid to each do their thing, but watch Larsen make some big plays just as he did last season.

Again, thanks for reading and GO BRONCOS!!!

Buon giorno, fellow denizens of the MHR realm. I sincerely appreciate all the propitious comments I've received thus far although I'm one of the shortest-tenured bloggers here. I could do this at my Web site at www.midutahradio.com/maveriksportscorner, but I'm too far removed from those who bleed orange and blue so I save all my best stuff for all of you.

First of all, after our mid-autumn recess, the Broncos return to the gridiron Sunday to face a Baltimore Ravens squad which is better than their record suggests.  The 3-3 mark Baltimore sports was once 3-0, but thanks to in succession: a drop by Mark Clayton (when I hear the name "Mark Clayton," I think of a Dolphins wideout wearing #83 that NEVER dropped anything for the legendary Dan Marino) at New England, an uncharacteristic meltdown against Cincinnati and a missed field goal at Minnesota which really should have been made.

Therefore, with all of that said, the Ravens could perhaps be the toughest test we've faced all season and thus, worthy of our full attention.

Thanks to the magnificence of NFL Replay on NFL Network, I've been able to watch Baltimore on numerous occasions and they really are a good team. For starters, there's no wonder Baltimore residents are "Wacko for Flacco."

The prolific signal-caller out of Delaware (who is pretty manly despite being a "Blue Hen" in college) has completed 64 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns against five interceptions. Additionally, the Ravens' passing attack averages 268 yards a game, good for eighth in league annals. I'm just grateful that the Broncos' strength on defense lies primarily in their secondary.

Meanwhile, Ray Rice, who has some of the sickest skills I've seen from any NFL player averages over six yards every time he touches the ball and has amassed 766 yards from scrimmage on the season. Therefore, once again our defense must play lights out as it has throughout the season thus far.

With all of that said,  the Baltimore rushing defense is a respectable seventh against the run, but 19th or lower in all other significant defensive categories.

Since we know the Broncos' offense has the potential to be explosive, this could be a shootout, but if we can remember what got us to this point and remain humble and hungrier than Gilbert Brown at Golden Corral, we should be in good shape.

I see 7-0 in our grasp, so hopefully the team realizes the vast importance of continually improving as they have through the first six weeks of the season.

I'm not big into predicting final scores, but I am confident that we'll have more points than the Ravens as the 4th Quarter draws to a close so with that said, GO BRONCOS!!!

There was a time when the Phipps family was ready to give up the Broncos in the early 1980s. From historical accounts I have found online in various places, this could have meant the Broncos going to such places as Houston or Atlanta.

Thankfully, at the last moment, a hero who grew up in the vast oil fields of western Canada, came in and snatched the Broncos from a new location and instantaneously made them one of the NFL's best organizations, not that they were that bad before.

The year was 1984 and Pat Bowlen's efforts speak for themselves. Since his purchase of the franchise, we have been to five of our six Super Bowl appearances and we have seen the likes of John Elway, Shannon Sharpe, Ed McCaffrey, Steve Atwater and numerous others who belong in the Hall of Fame waltz through the doors.

Perhaps some of you did not know this, but for all the flack we get in the media for being a "horrible" franchise from the MSM, we have been no worse than 5-11 in 1990. In that same year, the media's main crush, the Patriots, were 1-15. Just something to think about.

Since 1984, the Broncos have won 239 out of 394 games or 61 percent. Thus, Mr. Bowlen's record speaks for itself and more often than not, he makes the right call.

I was discouraged in the offseason, not necessarily because I doubted things would work out well, but with the flack Mr. Bowlen was taking . With the high character and camaraderie the Broncos possess, they're playing well, just as I thought they would but in the MSM's potshots, many of them were unfairly aimed at management.

Even though he knew it was the right call to trade Jay Cutler in all of his bewitching, yet exasperating aura, he still drafted a letter to we denizens of Bronco Country that he was sorry Cutler dictated that this be the way things would go.

However, this was not a mistake on our owner's part to let Cutler go. He knew McDaniels was the right man to lead our Broncos and he knew that with the likes of Brian Dawkins, Kyle Orton and Renaldo Hill coming via free agency interspersed with great holdovers such as Ryan Clady, Eddie Royal and Elvis Dumervil that we would excel.

Therefore, while it's well and good for our MSM friend, Jim Rome, to say everyone owes McDaniels and Orton apologies (except for those of us who have always been believers, you know who you are),  everyone should be sorry they doubted Mr. Bowlen.

I expect that after our mid-season recess, we'll resume our excellence and amass more victories but don't forget, fellow Broncos fans, the impetus of our success is Pat Bowlen. It was nice to see him soaking it all in at San Diego Monday evening.

Finally, in closing, since I'm Mormon, I don't drink alcohol, but I will buy Mr. Bowlen any soft drink he wants if I ever meet him. God Bless you Mr. Bowlen!

As cliche as it sounds, it is well for the Broncos to remember it's not how you start, it's how you finish. With that said, what a way this season has started!

For starters, I'll explore our magnificent defense. With the acquisition of stalwarts such as Brian Dawkins, Andre' Goodman, Andra Davis, Ronald Fields and Mike Nolan, we have surrendered only 66 points this season, or 11 per contest. To put this into perspective, it took the New Orleans Saints just over six quarters at the start of the season to amass that many points while it's taken six weeks for the Broncos to give up that much.

Additionally, Kyle Orton, while not the flashiest signal-caller out there does nothing but excel. His statistics thus far on the season (124 of 194, 1,465 yards, 9 TD's, 1 INT) speak for themselves and he has nothing to prove to anyone. He only has to do what he's done thus far this season.

In this assessment, I'd be remiss if I failed to give Eddie Royal credit for his numerous contributions. While the classy speedster could easily pout about his diminished looks and production, he has instead maximized his opportunities. While San Diego's kick coverage units really suck, Royal was still excellent as he became only the 11th player in NFL history (and the sixth since the merger) to return a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the same game.

Oddly enough, when Darren Sproles' 77-yard punt return for a score is taken into account, our Monday night assertion of dominance at Tijuana North is now the only game in NFL history where one team returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns and the other team also returned a punt for a touchdown. As an amateur historian (and one who hopes to work in Canton perusing NFL archives one day), this is one of the coolest aspects of our win over the Bolts.

With all of this said, I give all the plaudits to Mr. Bowlen and Josh McDaniels, who continues to equal the great Red Miller in excellence and effectiveness. With McDaniels, Dawkins and Brandon Stokley ascertaining that ego is kept to a minimum in the locker room, I have no doubt we'll finish well.

In closing, after the bye we should get a healthy Spencer Larsen back. He is a more athletic version of Mike Vrabel and can be utilized in various ways. I'd hate to be Fabian Washington or any other Ravens defensive back having to face the likes of Brandon Marshall, Jabar Gaffney, Royal, Daniel Graham, Tony Scheffler or Stokley November 1. This is a team that will only improve so let's all enjoy it and see where the magic carpet ride takes us. GO BRONCOS!!!

This has been a really good day, even though, here in south central Utah, the weather sucks. The Broncos actually received a lot of plaudits from the MSM today as Michael Lombardi dedicated virtually all of his column at the National Football Post (you can visit it at www.nationalfootballpost.com) to our excellence against the Chargers.

Naturally, our man, Van Smack himself, Jim Rome, took plenty of time on his show to give us props for what has been a successful season thus far. The best part is, in my opinion, we haven't peaked yet.

While the Chargers had virtually no shot in this game, especially after we tightened the screws defensively and gashed Philip Rivers like a pinata at a Quincenera party just as I said we would, I think we still left some points on the board.

Of course, that's my only critique and it is rather nit-picky. As far as good points are concerned, Eddie Royal rewarded me for making him my laptop wallpaper as he returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score and a punt 71 yards for a touchdown, becoming only the sixth player since the merger to pull off the remarkable feat.

Meanwhile, the defense continued to impress as they made masterful adjustments which silenced a San Diego offense that possesses some explosive weapons.  While Peyton Manning is the best quarterback of our generation and, I believe, the greatest of all time, our defense has a shot to give him fits December 13 when we face Indianapolis in what could be a game with home field advantage throughout the playoffs on the line.

I give game balls to Eddie Royal, naturally, Elvis Dumervil, Tony Scheffler (that guy has some sick skills, doesn't he?), Andre' Goodman and Ben Hamilton (you might remember Hamilton recovered a rare fumble by Correll Buckhalter when we were in the process of closing out the game).

We did get a little flustered on several occasions, but with excellent leaders in Josh McDaniels, Brian Dawkins and the underrated Brandon Stokley, this will not be a continual problem.

In closing, let's enjoy the bye week and prepare to dismantle the Baltimore Ravens. GO BRONCOS!!!

By trade, I am a broadcast journalist in south-central Utah and a wanna-be NFL historian. This is not a platform for the greats of the past today, but perhaps future columns will be. I make my bones by providing statistical analysis for high school broadcasts and select collegiate events in Utah, so I'll share some stats about where the Broncos stand right now.

First of all, the ball control mistake-free offense Josh McDaniels has employed has placed the Broncos fifth in NFL annals at 139 yards a game. Since San Diego' s porous defense has surrendered 151 yards a game, this bodes well for us and we should gash the Charger defense like a pinata at a Quinceanera party over and over again.

As for the passing offense,we are in a respectable 15th place and with Kyle Orton having tossed only one interception on the season thus far while completing 63 percent of his passes, he plays with a confidence that belies his low profile. Incidentally, while Brett Favre is glorified beyond belief, it bears mentioning that while he averages 7.4 yards per completion, Orton averages 7.5, so there! Stupid, myopic media....

While the Broncos are a modest 22nd in points per game, just below 20 per contest, things could be much worse. Furthermore, as soon as Orton learns more of the offense (he's a quick study and an excellent quarterback as we all know) watch the point totals soar. Reportedly, defensive coordinators who will face us in subsequent weeks are having nightmares about Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler, Daniel Graham, Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter and Jabar Gaffney. My suggestion: one of my co-workers says NyQuil is a fix-all for such matters.

Of course, the strength of our team, the defense, gives up an NFL-best 8.6 points per game while we surrender only 252.8 yards a game, second only to the mighty Giants. Our pass defense ranks fifth in NFL annals and the rush defense is sixth. While it's off topic from this post, it's interesting to me that the Cardinals' defense is first against the run giving up a paltry 71 yards per contest. Who would have thought that? It just goes to show that the NFL's full of surprises.

Regardless of what the MSM thinks, our statistics speak for themselves and while we still have room for improvement, we do not have to rebuild, nor did we ever have to. Thank heaven we Broncos fans have brains and think for ourselves. Had we believed the garbage the MSM spoon feeds us, we would already be 0-5, bereft of a future.

While the future is propitious, so is the present. Thus, let's smack the Chargers around and leave no doubt as to who has joined the elitists in the NFL: the Denver Broncos!

It's not that the Broncos' running game has been horrendous in Correll Buckahlter's absence, but with his apparent return occurring this Monday night at Qualcomm Stadium against the San Diego Chargers, a rapidly improving offense has just earned an incredible shot in the arm (no, I'm not referring to the steroids Shawne Merriman took in case you're wondering).

Anyway, to honor Bradley who said I needed to break my posts into paragraphs, I will definitely honor a Broncos fan who has been in the fold since 1965, especially since I was only born in June 1982.  Let's start at the beginning, however. Before Buckhalter was injured and missed the New England game, he was averaging 7.2 yards a carry and an instrumental cog in an offense that thus far has amassed 376 yards a game this season and just below 20 points per contest.

While Kyle Orton, Knowshon Moreno and a resurgent Brandon Marshall have all been major impetuses in our offensive success, it's important to note that while the offense generally struggled against the Bengals in Week 1, Buckhalter was still making big plays as he averaged 5.8 yards a carry in our supposed "miracle" win at the Natti.

Although the Eagles perhaps felt all right about letting Buckhalter go, due to his significant injuries in five seasons with the club, he still showed that, when healthy, he could fill up the box score as he has amassed 3,448 all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns throughout his career.

As Sterling Sharpe, on NFL Network's excellent show, Playbook, mentioned: San Diego's defense  (27th against the run, surrendering 151 yards per contest) has been listless and shows no signs of improvement. Merriman can talk all the junk he wants but he has done nothing to help the Chargers play better.

When you compare this to the Broncos' lack of brashness (at least in terms of talking to the media) and resolute commitment to playing solid football, it's easy to see why we're on the verge of going 6-0 (provided we remain humble) and for all intents and purposes wrapping up the AFC West.

Hopefully, everybody enjoys and appreciates my efforts and of course, GO BRONCOS!!!

Before every Broncos game, I think it's in my best interests to go to other teams' blogs, which has led me to boltsfromtheblue.com the past few days. While the Chargers are the defending division champions, this will be changed shortly when we dismantle an inconsistent San Diego squad. Of course, Chargers "fans," who are notorious for not selling out games when San Diego struggles (don't expect Qualcomm to be a full house Monday) are not only fair-weather, they lack the football acumen you might find among fan bases such as (of course, ours) Philadelphia, Baltimore or New York. It appears the average Charger fan has parroted the rhetoric spewed by morons such as Jamie Dukes, John Clayton and a myriad of other buffoons in the MSM. However, even as I said Jim Rome is on our side, so is nbcsports.com's Tom Curran. Curran, incidentally, was a guest on Rome's show today and said he thinks Denver can win at least one playoff game with Kyle Orton's efficient play and the defensive excellence perpetrated by such stalwarts as Brian Dawkins, Champ Bailey and Elvis Dumervil. It's always nice having friends in high places, particularly those with brains. Of course, the fools of the MSM are fabricating new excuses as to our "success" this season, even as I type this up. It's just like when I did my Mormon mission in Tucson, Ariz. and El Paso, Texas (Spencer Larsen did one too while oddly enough he matriculated at the UofA in Tucson) when people argued with me just for the sake of arguing. While many of you might not share my religious beliefs, everyone here bleeds orange and blue and knows without any shade of doubt that the Broncos will continue to do remarkable things this season. If for nothing else, Josh McDaniels will not allow the team to become pompous and prideful and generally, mistakes are minimal. I can only see Orton continuing to excel and improve while when Correll Buckhalter returns, he and Knowshon Moreno will cause headaches for all they face in the running game. As for the weapons at wideout and tight end, all defensive coordinators facing us have to be suffering heart attacks. When Brandon Marshall is right, nothing can stop him, thus opening up countless opportunities for Eddie Royal, Jabar Gaffney, Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler. If I had one suggestion for Coach McGenius, it would be to give Peyton Hillis more opportunities, but the onus is on Hillis to not get into the doghouse again. I love this, fellow denizens of Bronco Country and 6-0 is attainable. Let's go get it and put the AFC West under wraps. GO BRONCOS!!! Oh yes, and thanks to Tom Curran for joining the likes of Rome as a journalist with integrity and no bias.

As a recent proselyte to the Mile High Report (I've been a Broncos fan for at least 24 years I can remember), I've been enraptured by the prolific and solid analysis provided by the stalwarts of the blogosphere here at MHR.  This, of course, has compelled me to post myself and as I continue to write these articles, I'm grateful for the positive feedback I've received thus far. In any case, while the MSM has generally derided us, I give plaudits to may favorite radio talk show host  who has been fair to the Broncos through all the off-season drama: Jim Rome. Yes, the "pimp in the box" or Van Smack, if you will, has always thought McDaniels has what it takes to be a solid NFL head coach and thus far, the host of "the Jungle" has been spot-on. Perhaps Rome became a McDaniels fan when he admitted to Rome in an interview last spring that he always listened to his show when working with Belicheater in New England.  However the propitious relationship began, though, it has given the Broncos an ally, perhaps their only true one, in the media. I'll admit that it was difficult hearing everyone with an opinion (sans Rome) crucify McDaniels before he even coached a game. I guess that the myopic media's perception of supposed erroneous moves by Mr. Bowlen was enough to justify their (in some cases) open hatred of all things Denver Broncos. I've known the Broncos to be a hated team by the MSM throughout my life but animosity seemed to intensify throughout the offseason. However, the "miracle" at the Natti happened with Stokley making a clutch touchdown reception and from that time on, the only negative things about the Broncos are an occasional missed field goal by Matt Prater or a foolish penalty here and there. Nevertheless, these are but slight problems and can all be corrected. If any of you happen to be superstitious, Rome also provides "jungle karma" which has been reportedly instrumental in helping athletes and coaches do well in their games that evening or week. For instance, Rome interviewed Champ Bailey the week before the Dallas game and you, my fellow illustrious fans, know the rest! So, I tip my hat to Mr. Rome who is always a good listen weekdays from 10:00-1:00 Mountain time. Also, this week, I hope for Eddie Royal and Tony Scheffler to continue wreaking havoc against opposing defenses while Moreno will keep the running game solid, even if Buck can't return this week. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't wish Brian Dawkins a Happy Birthday, so have a good one Dawk! We all love you! Thanks again for reading and I reiterate: what a pleasure it is to be here. GO BRONCOS!!! 6-0 is within our grasp!

First of all, let me say what a pleasure it is to be at the Mile High Report today.The Broncos are easily the most pleasant surprise of the season thus far in the NFL and are just as legitimate as teams such as the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, perhaps even more so. The thing that I admire most about the Broncos is they find a way to, in the words of Chris Berman, "circle the wagons." In two successive games, we have seen Denver erase 10-0 deficits (and in the New England game, a 17-7 hole) and dominate the Cowboys and Patriots in the second half. That's what great teams do. If I had one little critique for the Broncos, it would be working on our goal line rushing and getting off to swifter starts. Beyond that, there is little, if anything, to find fault with. Thus, the stage is set for the Broncos to continue to stymie those who refuse to believe in them, particularly if they happen to be the San Diego Chargers next Monday. As for the Super Sparklers, Queer Felipe (a.k.a, Philip Rivers) has put up good stats but the offensive line is decimated and with no Jamal Williams, the defensive line is in no better shape. I hope we denizens of Bronco Country realize the vast importance of that game at Qualcomm next week. If we win, San Diego's season, for all intents and purposes is over, and with the Raiders and Chiefs striking fear into the hearts of no one and playing like garbage for the most part (the Chiefs' performance against Dallas being the exception), the AFC West could be virtually wrapped up. Of course, the Broncos must retain their intensity, but with stalwarts such as Brian Dawkins and Kyle Orton, I don't see how this will be a problem. In closing, Orton is better than even I thought he'd be (I thought he'd do well so good job to exceed my expectations, KO) and the Broncos will in turn, KO all opponents they face, so long as they remain humble and hungry. Thanks again for reading and of course, GO BRONCOS!!!