Week 8: Broncos vs. 49ers (in London) Preview

Just to be nice and so I don't have to suffer going over the details, I won't mention any of last week's so-called "game". Ancient history if you ask me. So we move on to week 8, a game that will be played in London, England against the San Francisco 49ers at Wembley Stadium.

Offense:

This week it will be a QB battle of Kyle Orton and SF's Troy Smith who the 49ers head coach decided to replace the injured Alex Smith with instead of the original back-up David Carr. Can't tell you much of anything about Troy, other than his 3 years spent in Baltimore, since he hasn't played one down this season (his first) with the 49ers. It almost seems like he's a rookie getting thrown into the starting lane. I think this is a great shot for our defense to rally together and really put some pressure on a QB who hasn't played in over a year. Granted, this will be a far from easy test but this is as good of an opportunity as any to get a struggling defense back on it's feet.

Orton on the other hand will definitely need to keep his eye out for a few key players on the 49ers defense... more like, Denver's Oline needs to watch out for these guys to protect Orton. Our front 6 have given up more sacks than I'd like to account for on Orton and it's time we shut down an opposing defense. Orton is at his very, very best when he is protected in the pocket and not rushed around like some lost girl on the playground. Drives me nuts when he gets rushed and he just holds onto that ball forever and ever! Getting riled up already. lol

One of the biggest playmakers Denver needs to watch out for is RB Frank Gore. He's rushed 135 times for 573 yards (avg. 4.2) and one TD. And that's just his rushing stats. He has also 37 passes for 341 yards (avg. 9.2 yds a carry) and 2 TDs. Without question, our defense has got to hold this guy down. We're 30th in the league in stopping the run, Lord help us when we come face to face with #21. He can and will do serious damage if we let him. As for our running game, it... is... veeeeerrrrryyyyyy... slooooooolllllyyyyy... cooooommmmiiiiinnnngggg... toooooo.... liiiiifffffeeee. lol Having Knowshon Moreno back made a big difference last week. He was in all game. I hope he is free from harm with this last hammy injury (tellin' ya, put these guys up in bubble wrap!!). I am still waiting for him to find a gap and break free for the end zone. This weekend would be a great time for that to happen *hint, hint*.

Still loving our WR corps... they were covered very well last week but they can make a big difference as well this week. SF is 15th in the league in pass defense, right smack in the middle of the pack. I envision Brandon Lloyd getting quite a few passes thrown his way, but I'd also love to see Thomas in there. Wasting precious talent & time putting him on punt return duties. A very talented WR has been getting injured for returning punts... does McD have any idea how stupid that sounds?? Good gravy. Put him to REAL use on offense catching passes and let Squid take a good portion of the returns (so long as he can catch the ball and hold on to it). Alright, enough of my venting about what McD could do better. Wasting my breath here.

SF also has some power receivers that our D needs to keep close. Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan and RB Gore are the top 4 receivers for the West Coast team. They are just as threatening to our defense as our receivers are to their D. Denver is still 3rd in the league in pass offense, we need to keep it up but still balance it out more with our run game, if at all possible. For the love of football... Moreno, PLEASE stay healthy. We need you man.

Defense:

With the return of Brian Dawkins and Andre Goodman, I think the Broncos can have something to be upbeat about on defense and the team as a whole. Dawkins without a doubt plays a major role on defense, let alone the team. Having him back on the field will get everyone back in the game. I really, really want to see this defense put some major pressure on Smith, bury him 6 feet under over and over, get his pretty little uniform all dirty with mud & grass, make Mike Singletary regret putting him in as a replacement... need I say more to get my message across?? And for Pete's sake, stop Frank Gore. Stop their run game, period. If you look at San Francisco's offensive stats alone, it would seem like a walk in the park for our defense but I can assure you it won't and shouldn't be. I want to see this team fight for it to the very last second.

The 49ers defense is mostly stuck in the middle, makes sense since they've only won 1 game so far this season. 14th in stopping the run, 15th in pass defense, 13th in yards allowed and 23rd in points allowed. Patrick Willis, Nate Clements & rookie Taylor Mays are just a few names our offense should be aware of but our Oline should definitely be on the lookout for Parys Haralson & Travis LaBoy who have 3 sacks each. They will be hungry for more and we can't afford to let them get to Orton or force the pocket to collapse and have him run around with the ball like a lost little girl. Play smart football Broncos... smart football!!

Special Teams:

I want to see Squid take more returns. Catch the ball. Run the ball. Hold onto the ball. Nuff said. lol

Injuries:

Good news for Denver is Brian Dawkins and Andre Goodman will most likely be back for the game on Sunday. Bad news is, Denver still has some big playmakers out like Robert Ayers (foot) and Wesley Woodyard (hammy). Also, WR Eddie Royal was hit with groin injury and was limited in practice but he did travel with the team to London, so maybe that's a good sign he'll get to see some play time. Just don't aggravate the injury even more. We need his Royal-highness out there.

QB Alex Smith & Center Eric Heitmann are definitely out for the game. CB Nate Clements (ankle), RB Anthony Dixon (hammy) and CB Tarell Brown (back) were all limited in the 49ers Wednesday practice in London, while TE Vernon Davis (ankle) missed the Wed. practice. LB Ahmad Brooks (knee) had full participation in practice.

Some of these injuries could be the difference in how the game goes and ends. Interesting as always.


I would love nothing more than to say this should be an easy game considering SF is 1-6, and despite having a good RB who has put up some big numbers, their run game is 27th in the league. They are dead last in putting up offensive points, 21st in offensive yards and 16th with pass yards. Seems like such an easy feat with those numbers but stats aren't everything to a team.



Despite all the heartache Bronco Country has witnessed from this team, I'm still a firm believer they will turn everything around and put on a great game for not only us adoring fans but for the UK. They will be the ones to give football and the NFL a good name around the world when they come back home with a 28-20 victory.

Broncos vs 49ers (in London) Preview

Trivia Questions:

1) What uniform number did running back Otis Armstrong wear (1973-1980)?

2) Who had the Broncos' longest reception of 2003?

3) How many punts did Rick Upchurch return for touchdowns in his 9 seasons with the Broncos (1975-1983)?

Good luck & GO BRONCOS!!!!!

Broncos heading to London

Hey everyone, if you did not already know the Broncos are flying out to play against the 49ers in London. I also had enough of looking at the Raiders loss, so I think we should move forward and look forward to the 49ers game. I still believe we have talent on this team and can win games, but we need that motivation and some heart to win the games. And it will be an interesting game as the 49ers have not be playing well. This is a must win game for the Broncos because if we lose this one the season is pretty much over.

Well I thought it would be interesting to look at London as I doubt none of you guys have been there. So lets look into some interesting stuff about London.

• London stands on the southeast of England and is the capital city of United Kingdom.
• London is the most densely populated area in Britain and is the ninth largest city in the world.
• London is formed by two ancient cities - City of London and City of Westminster, both cities forming the region of Greater London.
• During the time of the Roman Invasion, London was known as Londinium. In Saxon times, it was known as Lundenwic and during the kingdom of Alfred the Great, its name was changed to Lundenburg.
• Contrary to what many people believe, ‘Big Ben’in London is not the name of the clock or the tower, but a 13-ton bell inside the clock. The tower is known as St. Stephen’s Tower.
• The best thing to come out of England is Ali G.
• The city of London is home to four World Heritage Sites - the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and Kew Botanical Gardens.
• Thames River in London is the longest river in England. It begins life as a trickle in a Gloucestershire meadow and flows for more than 135 miles, before reaching London.
• The London Eye or Millennium Wheel of the city is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe.
• There are five international airports in London, with the Heathrow airport being the busiest airport in the world.
• The London Underground, built in 1863, and popularly called ‘Tube’, is the first metro of the world.
• The Canary Wharf Tower is the tallest building in London.
• London is one of the three command centers for the world economy, and has the sixth largest city economy in the world after Tokyo , New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Paris.
• Buckingham Palace, The Queen’s official residence built in 1702, was earlier the site of an infamous brothel.
• The Great Fire of London in 1666 created widespread devastation, causing major reconstruction work all across the city.
• London is a multi-ethnic city and domiciles people speaking over 300 languages.
• Windsor Castle of London is the largest and oldest castle of the world that is still in use.
• According to rumors, ghosts of King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth
  
  I, Mad King George, and Charles I still haunt the Windsor Castle.
• There are more than 100 theaters in London. Moreover, about sixteen percent of the country’s restaurants and food joints are located in London.
• The women there are quite unattractive.

So a whole heap of useless crap you didn't need to know but now do, so the next time you have a trivia night on London you will be set. Haha ~ Aussie Out!

Broncos-Raiders Post Game

I don't even know what to say to yesterday's game. My mind is rolling with thoughts of anger, it's probably best I don't say much, so I won't. I don't know about the rest of Bronco Country, but after witnessing a massacre, yesterday's game was the worst game in Bronco history, in my opinion. Worst part is, it was against our arch nemesis, our biggest rival and we let it happen. I didn't think I'd live to see the day my beloved Broncos would do so little to fight for a win. I'm still in shock at how they "played". I wouldn't even know what to call it.

Since there was SO much that went wrong, for my own sanity I'll stick with pointing out the bright spots and leave it there.

Offense:

Orton had 2 touchdowns to Moreno... which helped us not get shut out. I'll take the 14 over zero any day.


Defense:

Denver had 2 sacks on Campbell and put a little more pressure on Boller late in the game.


Misc:

We're not the only ones in the AFC West that are stuck at 2-5. We lost and we took the Chargerettes down with us. lol Gotta admit, that's pretty funny considering everyone had SD sitting on a pedestal and crowned AFC West champs before the season even started. I'm just thankful we aren't the only ones in the West that are holding a losing record.


And for my own sanity again, I can't hold on to a game like this... be so angry about it. What's done is done. This is definitely a game this team can't hold on to and let it interfere with the rest of their season. We got our butts handed to us in our own house by our biggest rival and that I will remain P'OD about but it's about freakin' time this team get over the losses and move on already. Learn from the mistakes (there's plenty of them) and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!! Feeling sorry for themselves will only make things worse. And for the love of God, play like a TEAM.

From a very faithful fan, this season is not over yet. Can't wait to see the game from London against the ailing 49ers. They may be having a bad season, but learn from this game, don't ever underestimate ANY opponent. Crap will happen if you do.

GO BRONCOS IN LONDON!!!!

Week 7: Broncos vs. The Raiders Everyone Loves To Hate Preview

The time has finally come for the beloved Broncos to take on their most hated rival, the Chokeland Faiders. And as you can see from above, they already declared themselves losers for Sunday's match-up. ahaha, shocker! It will be an exciting showdown between two teams that go waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back... to a history that will never be forgotten and a rivalry that is one of the strongest in the league.


Offense:

Orton vs. ????. Yep, that's right, we have no clue (neither do the "coaches" for Oakland) who will be the QB opposite Denver's defense. We'll get to that funny fiasco later. As for Orton, what can I say. He's been real solid for us, despite our 4 losses. Up till the Jets game he had a 300-yard game streak going. I can see him getting back on track with that this Sunday. While the Raiders rank 8th in pass defense, that doesn't necessarily mean they will be able to control our WR threats.

As long as our young Oline can protect Orton in the pocket and give him all day long to throw the ball, we'll be able to get the show rolling early on and stay ahead of the game for once. Orton is the #2 league leader in passing yards, just 66 yards behind Crybaby Rivers in SD (gag!!!). I have full confidence in Orton in any game, but this game is the time to really take control of our own destiny. We are playing a rival team, a team that should never be underestimated but we are also playing a team that, well... sucks. (Thanks to good 'ol Al).

So now that funny little fiasco in Raider nation. The two quarterbacks for Oakland that have been taking turns taking snaps have been limited in practice this week, leaving them with one other QB option, Kyle Boller. However, neither Gradkowski or Campbell have been ruled out. No one is sure or even has a clue as to who will be their QB on Sunday. Glad to know we aren't the only team with crazy drama going on. On the other hand, they have the 10th ranked rushing offense in the league with RBs Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. McFadden has gotten the majority of the handoffs but both RBs have proven to be threats to any defense. Even scarier, Denver is the 25th ranked rush defense... we all know what that means. We have had a very tough time putting together our own run game on offense AND stopping the run. Denver has had a few shining moments but both aspects could be a lot better.

While its kind of comical to see Oakland not have a QB they are really confident in ready to play Sunday, they have a run game that can make up for all that. Our defense is going to have to be extra prepared for whoever they put behind center and be prepared for the two RBs ready to cause trouble. Denver will be seeing Moreno back for a second week since returning from his hammy injury and we need him to be at his best. We could be seeing a lot of him too, considering Oakland is 30th in stopping the run. Just for the record, when they played Tennessee, Houston & SF, they let their top RBs run for over 100 yards. This is our golden opportunity to get our running game back on track to where it should be. I would love nothing more than to see Moreno have a 100 yard game (and a win). ;)

With that said, I think this is also our golden chance to have a balanced offense for once. Something this team needs SO bad. I love our passing stats and so on but we need balance more than anything. Our WRs will have good games on Sunday... Brandon Lloyd will be the prime target for Orton as he has been, but he will also be well covered (probably by Asomugha). I do hope though that Thomas will be able to get a few reps... he's someone that can make those unbelievable, jaw-dropping catches even when he is well-covered.

Another area to look at is the inclusion of Tim Tebow in our run game. Last week he had 6 carries for 36 yards and 1 touchdown. Not exactly the stats you expect to see from a QB but I'd rather see him on the field doing anything rather than warming up a bench just for the fun of it. He has started to be included in the overall plan for this team and all I can say is "its about time!". He's a big guy, (with big guns, lol), with the obvious build of a QB and when he put in a game to get some rush yards, he's a tough one to take down. We just need to be careful using him too much, but that shouldn't be a problem seeing as how in the game against the Jets it was the first time we saw him on the field since week 1. We need to look to Moreno to get our run game on track. He had a good game last week... keep it up man!

Both teams are oddly matched... Denver's offense excels at passing but has yet to establish any kind of decent run game and they will be up against the league's 3rd to worst rush defense but the league's 8th ranked pass defense. Look for Denver to start establishing a run game worth talking about. Oakland's offense is just the opposite. They have a strong run game but one of the bottom 10 pass offenses but they will be facing a defense that's not very strong in stopping the run or passing game. But like I always say, anything is possible. It will be an awesome, wild showdown between bitter rivals. Ahh, the joys of football!


Defense:

Denver's defense showed their best performance in last Sunday's match against the Jets since their win in Tennessee nearly 3 weeks ago. After that game they were run over by the bulldozer that is the Baltimore Ravens offense. From there they have picked up their game quite a bit, given the circumstances they faced like having to play without 5 major key defensive players including our very own Weapon X. And for the second straight day (Wed & Thurs), all five of those players missed practice. Denver's ailing defense will have to depend on the back ups again this week in hopes of stopping Oakland's run game and their overall offensive push.

In addition to all that, Denver has 2 more big defensive guys that are listed as questionable for Sunday's game - Champ Bailey & Kevin Vickerson. Without Champ, our defense could be in serious trouble and no doubt they will be tested dearly. Oakland doesn't have near as good of a pass offense as Denver has established but with Champ possibly out, they will test the waters to see what they can muster up and to test our CBs on their best receivers. There will be no room for mistakes like the PI call on Hill last week. We simply cannot afford those mistakes and calls. Denver has no choice but to play smart football this weekend and to get a win out of this game. Against this particular rival, I expect Denver to be at their very best. Remind Oakland of who's house they are playing in and let them know that aren't welcome to come in THE Mile High City and walk out with a win.

Oakland's defense has one bright spot and that is their pass defense (8th in the league). Other than that, they have struggled to stop their opponents from putting up points, putting up big yardage and stopping the run. Our offense needs to take advantage of their weaknesses and show 'em who's boss. Depending on how the game goes it could easily be a close one the whole way or just as easily be a blow out. I prefer for Denver to blow them out of the water. haha Cream those turds!! lol

One thing I really want to see from our defense is more pressure on the QB, whoever that may be. We have to stop giving opposing QBs enough time to do their jobs. So far D.J. Williams leads the team with 2.5 sacks. While that's better than nothing, we have put more pressure on the Oline to get to the QB. Another Oakland player to watch out for is rookie LB Rolando McClain. He hasn't had any INTs or sacks yet, but we can't give him that chance. Denver's Oline will need to be extra prepared for anything as will our defense.

Special Teams:

With WR Eddie Royal possibly missing the game as well, Denver should and possibly will look to rookie DB Syd'Quan "Squid" Thompson to take on punt returns. He got his first regular season NFL action against the Jets and came right out and showed why he will be a key player for us in the future with his first NFL interception. We will be seeing double duty from him since we have become short-handed on defense but I hope to see him excel with punt return duties as well. We saw him in pre-season take punts and he has what it takes to get our special teams back to a respective spot in the NFL. I hope to see a big game from him on defense and ST. It also wouldn't hurt to have him take a few kick returns too. Let the kid do his thing.


Injuries:

The never-ending injury bug just can't seem to leave Denver alone. Getting on my last nerve. The injuries we have that are of big concern are still the five guys we had to play without on defense and again all 5 will be out for the week 7 match-up: Dawkins (knee), Ayers (foot), Woodyard (hammy), Goodman (quadricep) & McBath (ankle). From there the list has grown a bit with Royal (groin), Bailey (ribs) & Vickerson (groin) all listed as questionable. Our defense has a lot on their plate to deal with. Good riddens!

Good news is, Oakland's injury report is longer than ours! ha The 4 guys out for them are: DT Henderson (foot), LB Howard (knee), WR Schilens (knee) & LB Goethel (back). The six questionable players are: TE Myers (concussion), RB Bennett (hammy), S Branch (back), QB Campbell (knee), QB Gradkowski (right shoulder) & RB McFadden (hammy). This will be a weird, weird game. Shaking my head over here. lol

Here is the Bronco-Raider Preview video and trivia questions.

Broncos-Raiders Preview

Trivia Questions: And just for fun, you all should just take wild guesses first before you go look up the answers on Google or wherever. I want to see how close your guesses are to the real answers.

1. How many times did John Elway pass for 3,000 or more yards in his Broncos' career?

2. How many times did Clinton Portis rush for 100 or more yards in his firs two NFL seasons ('02-'03)?

3. What player holds the the Broncos' all-time record with 65 career touchdowns?




Just thought I'd give you all a good laugh. We already know it, but you know the Faiders are pathetic when they have to advertise like this to get a decent GM. LOL, the idiocy that is the Raiders. Too comical.

Discussion - Helmet-to-Helmet Hits, Concussions and more!

Hey guys and gal, I think it is time we had a bit of a discussion on this topic of Concussions and helmet hits as it is a big story right now. So jump into the discussion and provide your perspective and we will debate away this issuse as we lead up to the Broncos Vs Raiders game on Sunday. ~ Aussie.

Broncos Vs Jets - Post Game

Well guys and gal I don't have any time to post up a full game review as busy, busy at the moment. So I ask you guys and gal to add to the comments below your perspective on the game. I will add mine when I have the chance, thanks ~ Aussie.

Week 6: Broncos vs. Jets Preview

Week 6 is already upon us and it will be very interesting to see where the Denver Broncos will sit in standings after this game. This Jets game is the first of 2 more consecutive home game Denver has before it heads to London, England on October 31st to take on the 49ers. But for now, the Broncos have one too many things on their plate and it will take all they have to fight off a Jets defense that LOVES to blitz and will most definitely test the state of our offense, which believe it or not, is our strongest point right now.

Offense:

I start off with Kyle Orton vs. the USC product, Mark Sanchez. I don't want to bring up too many bad memories of last week's butt-kicking the Broncos took from Baltimore, and despite all that Orton has respectively kept his composure. With a tough Baltimore defense in his face, he held on and managed to bring back to Denver his fourth consecutive 300-yard game. I say if he can do that while facing the relentless attack of Baltimore, he most certainly can do the same against a similar Jets defense. Orton has proven to be a fearless quarterback and I love seeing that from him. He's been strong, I've never doubted him. The red zone attack of our offense needs big improvement and Orton should take a good heaping of responsibility for that but it takes a total TEAM effort to get that ball in the end zone, and that includes our coaches and their play-calling.

And while the Jets are as notorious for their blitzing defense as Denver has been for their passing attack as of recently this season, I'm still very, very confident in Orton and our offense to get the job done this weekend. They need to focus more on what THEY need to do instead of putting all the focus on what the Jets are going to do. Granted, it should be balanced out for obvious reasons but they seem to have put more focus on what their opponents are going to do. Putting some of that focus on executing plays and moving the ball would help their cause a little more. Basically, balance out the focus on the opponent and what our offense needs to do to get points and we'll be an offense with some fight in them.

On the other side, we have 2nd-year QB Mark Sanchez who's been having a good season so far, except for his 2 Monday night games, which were not his finest hour. 8 TD's, ZERO INTs, ZERO sacks, no fumbles,902 yards with a 91.7 rating and they've won 4 straight games after starting the season 0-1. So basically, his Oline has protected him very well and he's got an offense that will be hard to contain if our defense lets all the adversity take the reigns. With 5 critical key defenders out for Denver, the replacements in our secondary will need to be top-notch on Sunday stop these guys. And here's the biggest reason why, they are the #1 rushing offense in the NFL.... and who you ask is their starting RB?? None other than LaDainian Tomlinson. Denver will once again meet face to face with this running back who gave us such problems and headaches when he played for the Chargerettes back in the day. And the dude still has plenty left in him with 76 carries for 435 yards (averaging 5.7 yds a carry, which is more than I can say for our sorry run game) and he's got 3 TDs to add to it. Not to mention they lead the league in rushing yards per game (165.2). Makes you shake your head in confusion when you look at our run game. Unbelievable. Just look at it this way: our defense will be taking on the #1 rushing offense in the league while the blitzing Jets take on (or manhandle) the league's worst rushing offense.

When it comes to our receivers and passing game, it's a whole new ball game. Denver is second in the league when it comes to a passing offense with 333 yds whereas the Jets sit at 25th in the same area (172). And if the Jets don't have their star CB Darrelle Revis, it could be an interesting game. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'd love to run over these guys just because they are without one player but they've also got a tough defense. However, their weakest area is pass rush (allowing an avg. of 234.6 pass yds), 23rd in the league. All I can say is, if we don't get much of a running game going on Sunday, we have to do all we can to exploit their weak spots and if that means taking advantage of their weak pass rush, we gotta do it. If the Broncos want to win, which I believe they really do, they need to put up a strong fight. End of story. Do whatever it takes but leave out the stupid penalties and turnovers!!

Defense:

Still no word on whether the Jets' star CB will play against Denver on Sunday, it will be a different game if Darrelle Revis does indeed play or not. While he could make a big difference in how well Orton and the offense moves downfield and scores points, I remind all of Bronco Country that even without Revis, the Jets defense still harbors very good defenders. First off, they have a Dline that loves to blitz and they will be doing a lot of it to try to get to Orton. All I can say, is I hope our very young Oline is very prepared for these guys. They need to read them like a book and out-smart them. No room for big mistakes. So like I mentioned earlier, our offense needs to balance out their focus on things... put an equal amount of focus on picking up the Jets' Dline to protect Orton & give him time to throw (he'll be doing a lot of it) but also put just as much focus into what the offense needs to do to not fizzle out drives so often. And it takes a TEAM to do this. They have got to start working together to get the job done. It's that simple. These guys are pros, they need to start playing like pros.

As for Denver's banged up defense, it will be an even bigger challenge than what they faced in Baltimore mainly because we will be without 5 key defenders. It will interesting to see how both defenses do considering both secondaries for both teams are dealing with the injury bug. I don't know what it's going to take for our defense to get their act together, I would hope that in a time of adversity such as this, that our backups will look at it as a BIG opportunity to prove themselves. They've got to put pressure on Sanchez, give him hell!!! Don't give him all day to look for a guy to throw to... put pressure on him, make him make mistakes, force turnovers, read him like a book and pick him off (counting on you Champ). Our defense hasn't been the strongest this season but before the Baltimore game I thought they were handling things very well given the teams we were up against. Our biggest feat will be to stop the run. Oh dear Lord, STOP THE RUN!!!

LT still has plenty of gusto in him and if we let him, he'll run all over us... don't let continue to do so. We let him do it when we played against him twice a year. Stop this guy. Put pressure on him too. The Jets will be running the ball a lot; we got to be ready for anything when you have LT on the other side. He's having a good season so far... so give him a VERY bad day on Sunday. I think if we can manage to hold him under a 100 yards, it will do us a world of good. I would be very impressed by our D if they can do that. Not only will our Oline be a young & inexperienced one (but also very talented) our defense will be a group of young guns as well, with the exception of Champ. I look forward to seeing Champ in this game. If Denver's front office is holding off on his contract to see what he has left in him, this game would be a good start to show them that they'll want to keep #24 around for awhile.

Another interesting note for this game will be Champ vs. the Jets offense and Jets CB Antonio Cromartie (acquired in a trade with San Diego) vs. Denver's offense. Cromartie has played against Denver for the past 5 years now (Sunday will make it five) but this Denver offense is much different than last year's. Granted on the surface, we haven't had much of run game for years now but we weren't this bad at it last year. This season, Denver is chock full of receivers that go beyond just talent. It's very possible we could see Cromartie put on to cover Orton's favorite weapon, Brandon Lloyd, but Lloyd has shown to be too good of a receiver to let one guy get in his way. I honestly, can't wait to see that match-up (if it happens).

I guess this is the time to be thankful we don't have much of a running game because the Jets are 4th in the league at stopping the run. Our best chance at controlling this game is our pass attack and our solid receivers. After the week 5 loss to Baltimore, I've read a lot of comments saying that stats don't win games. And while that is pretty much true, we'll see how well that goes when "statistically" Denver's 2nd ranked pass offense takes on the Jets' 23rd ranked pass rush defense. To a lot of people those are just numbers, very true... but there's a reason for those stats. Stats alone don't win games... just like the talent on the Jets team can't win games alone. It takes more than talent and stats to win a game. And with hard work & a good fight, the Broncos will show the East Coast team how its done in the West. muwahahaha

Special Teams:

For the past two games, Denver had decided to put rookie Demaryius Thomas on kick return duties and in last week's game he got a big hit put on him causing him to miss the rest of the game. And with that, Eddie Royal is said to take over for him in the upcoming Jets game. We probably won't know if Thomas will see any action in Sunday's game till game time. McD is so weird & confidential about injuries, who knows what he'll do.

While both teams are pretty much even when it comes to punt returns, the Jets have yet another weapon when it comes to kick returns. Brad Smith has put up big numbers (no touchdowns) but his longest run was 86 yards... I don't care to see anything like that on Sunday, unless we're the ones running 86 yards or better. Smith also has 13 catches on returns for a total of 419 yards (an average of about 32.2 yards per carry). We need to play more defense with these guys put an end to their little game. I'd love to see Prater put a kick return somewhere around the 10 or 15 yard line and have it bounce back a bit further towards the goal line and our guys put on some magic and stop it before it goes into the end zone. Prater always either kicks it out of bounds for an automatic touchback at the 20 or lets the returner catch it and gain a few more yards. I want to see Sanchez and his offense struggle and our special teams can help out with that.


Injuries:

This list keeps getting longer and it ain't good.

Rookie Thomas went out with a possible concussion but he practiced on Friday. He will probably be a game time decision but he looks and sounds healthy, I'd love to see him on the field with the offense catching some passes. This kid is the new "beast". In other good offensive news, starting RB Knowshon Moreno practiced for the second day in a row and is very likely we could see him on the field Sunday. Kind of on the fence about that one considering the Jets pretty much have the run game on offense and stopping the run on defense covered. And I don't want Moreno in there if he's not close to 100%. We need a run attack and he's our best chance... we can't afford to have him out all season.

Not to sound like a broken record, but again, Denver will be without 5 key defenders (half of our complete injury report of 10 players). The five that have been ruled out for Sunday include: Brian Dawkins (knee), Andre Goodman (quadricep), Robert Ayers (foot), Darcel McBath (ankle) and Wesley Woodyard (hamstring).

On the Jets, Darrelle Revis is questionable for the game. The other 5 injured Jets players include 3 defenders - LB Calvin Pace (foot), Safety Jim Leonhard (biceps) and LB Jamaal Westerman (ankle) - all of which are probable for the game.

With all that said, this game could go a few directions. I think either way it will end up being a close game in the end, maybe even go into overtime. Denver has got to fight for this win, no questions asked. The season is not half over yet but each loss adds up fast and we can't afford to win a bunch of games. They should take this season one game at a time but at least set a goal to do better than 8-8. Setting a goal like that would and should give them more momentum to do better and play better. Fight for it boys and play like a TEAM!!!

Broncos win it by a field goal, 24-21.

Broncos-Jets Preview

GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!

Broncos - Ravens: Post Game Report

I wasn't able to watch the game, instead I got to sit back and laugh as the Chiefs lost their first game of the season. Saw that one coming. That alone made my day, other than the lone 2 touchdowns my beloved Broncos scored in their 31-17 loss to Baltimore.

It was a sunny day in Baltimore yesterday but not for the Denver Broncos as they were more than a struggling team against the #1 defense in the league (at least I think so).

Other than our many, many problems we need to fix quarterback Kyle Orton continues to make his critics eat their own words. Even against the league's #1 pass defense, Orton found his favorite weapon, WR Brandon Lloyd, in the end zone for 2 long-bomb touchdowns. Kyle was also good for 23 of 38 pass attempts for 314 yards, ZERO INTs and the two Lloyd TDs. In addition, Orton completed his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game, including a 44-yard pass to Lloyd with 35 seconds left in the game. The highlights of this game stop here.

Things that went wrong, include but are not limited to (ahem)....

*Losing a fumble, that was probably turned into points for the Ravens. I didn't see the game so I don't know for sure, but still we had a turnover and in football, one turnover is one too many.

*We did ourselves in with 10 penalties for 90 yards... RIDICULOUS!!!!

*Still no running game at all. But if you want to think positive, you could take a look at last week's run game total yardage (19 yds I believe it was) and compare that to yesterday (a whopping 39 yards!! hip. hip. hooray.) I cannot wait to get Moreno back... this so-called running game of ours is nauseating.

*Defense got man-handled yesterday. In our first 4 games our defense has been VERY good about stopping the run... till yesterday. Ray Rice used us as a doormat and ran all over our D for 133 yards and not to mention 2 TDs. In combination with their other RB Willis McGahee who ran for a total of 67 yards and yet another TD. Together they racked up 200 rushing yards on our defense and I remind you again how bad our RBs are... together they put up 40 pointless yards.

*Injuries still keep coming our way. At least 3 Broncos went out of the game yesterday with injuries. The 2 big ones are FS Brian Dawkins who went out with a knee injury, at first it was said it shouldn't be too serious but now I've read on our rotoworld widget that he's already been ruled out of next week's game against the Jets. The other big injury is rookie WR Demaryius Thomas who (from what I've heard) got hit big time on a kick return and his injury has yet to be stated clearly although I've heard rumblings of a possible concussion. Whatever the deal is, he hasn't been ruled out yet for next week so we'll just have to wait and see. Also, OLB Robert Ayers left the game early and did not return due to an unknown injury and last but not least CB Andre Goodman left the game early due to aggravating his thigh injury. They've both been ruled out but we all know things can change in a week.

So while my head is now swimming with how these guys are going to face all this adversity and fight in each game from now on, they have their hands full.

If no one has seen it yet, I suggest you go on to DenverBroncos.com and read Coop's post about this game. He said it all and it didn't require him to write a book to make his point. lol

Here are the lone highlights of yesterday's game. Let's hope the Broncos can do MUCH better than just 2 TDs when they play the Jets at home and then show the Raiders how it's done in the Mile High City. They may have beaten SD yesterday and now all 3 of us are sitting at 2-3 but when they come to Denver in 2 weeks, it's game time baby!!! grrrrrrrr

Orton to Lloyd For Diving TD Catch

Orton to Lloyd Again for 2^nd TD

That second TD to Lloyd at the end of the game was not only awesome but it tops the list this week in this video as the best catch of week 5.

Week 5: Broncos vs. Ravens Preview

Following last week's rally over the Tennessee Titans to avoid a 1-3 start to the season, the Broncos now face an even bigger challenge when they head to Baltimore this weekend. Actually, I think saying "an even bigger challenge" is an understatement for this struggling team. Here's an insight as to what the Broncos are up against on the East Coast come Sunday.

Offense:

Kyle Orton vs. Joe Flacco is our first match-up to look out for and interesting one it will be. As we all know Orton has been outstanding considering the position our non-existent running game has put him in. And thanks to that, Orton is the NFL's leading passer and the Broncos rank numero uno in pass yards (1,419 to be exact... IN 4 GAMES!!!!!). Ridiculous if you ask me, at this rate he will surpass all the yards (2,972) he threw for in ONE season ('08 in Chicago) before our bye week. Not that I'm not happy we're #1 in something in this league, and you got to be happy that it's not something stupid like "most penalties" or "most INTs) but while we rank number one in passing we are dead last in rushing yards. We'll get to that little conundrum later. So while we have a very reliable QB in Orton (6 TDs, 3 INTs, 1,419 yards & a 96.3 rating), our defense will be dealing with Joe Flacco (5 TDs, 6 INTs, 920 yards & a 70.5 rating)... a QB of doing a number on our defense while exploiting other weaknesses on our team yet to be known.

Both quarterbacks are strong team-leaders who can get their respective offenses to win games. Orton, however, will be facing a very tough defense... they are tough as they come, always have been... I won't even remind us all of last year's run in with these guys. He will be facing the league top ranked pass rush defense and the top ranked defense in total yardage. And to add insult to injury, their one big weakness on defense just happens to be our biggest weakness on offense, which means if we had any kind of running game at all, we could take total advantage of their 21st ranking rush defense. But also keep in mind, it's possible we could get Moreno back this week (highly unlikely I think) but either way, if we keep pressing to find a running game with the 'backs we have we might have a chance against a defense who, I remind you again, ranks 21st in rush defense. Not their strongest side but never to be taken lightly either. Also, the Ravens' defense is ranked 5th in points allowed (one of our many problem areas, red zone offense putting up points). So back to what I said nearly a week ago about our problem areas and if they don't get improved ASAP, "we're gonna be squished & creamed all over." It's simple football math.

Now the dreaded running game that has troubled Denver for too long. With Knowshon Moreno out this week with his hammy injury, we are left once again with Buckhalter, Maroney & the yet to be seen Andre Brown. And when you add them all up in 4 games we have 220 total rushing yards, which if you think about it like that it doesn't sound so bad... but then you look at our opponents and you see 404, you know we got a serious problem. Baltimore isn't all that far ahead of us in rush yards (ranked 24th). But that doesn't mean Ray Rice or Willis McGahee could really show up for the game Sunday, if you know what I mean.

Our best shot at any kind of running game right now is Moreno and without him we don't have much to go on. The only bright side I can see out of this is both Denver & Baltimore have bad running games (Denver's is clearly worse) but Denver also has the 12th ranked rush defense, by only allowing 101 rush yards. We stopped CJ last week very well holding him to under 100 yards (53 yds), same for Indy's Joseph Addai held under 100 yards (29 yds), I'll even go so far to say we held Jones-Drew to under 100 yards (by 2, he had 98 on us in week 1). Our rush D has done us proud, so far. I hope they can keep that up this week.

I have no worries about our receivers... my worry lies with Ray Lewis and his defense. Dude is crazy good at what he does. Ray Lewis is to Baltimore what Weapon X is to Denver. Crazy, wild, energetic, commands the field, powerful... and both are threats to any offense. Point is, while our receivers are (in my humble & Denver-bias opinion, lol) some of the best, Baltimore's defense is and always has been a top ranked defense. They attack and they won't be letting us complete so many passes, at least not as easily as it has seemed in our last 4 games.

This is one of our tougher games of the season because we have met our match. We have a great WR corps but they have the #1 pass defense. Right now, our receivers are our biggest weapons to winning games. I hope to Bay-Bay get more action with our offense instead of only taking kick returns... he's good at it, but that's not why we drafted him. Waste of talent to stick him with just kick returns like last week, although I do remember Royal getting stuck with that job not too long ago. I think this is the area to watch the most - our WRs vs. Baltimore's defense.

Defense:

While our offense has some issues to work out, our defense is one of our strongest points... but that also goes for Baltimore's defense. It's clear as day that Baltimore's D is much, much better than Denver's ranking #1 in two areas. I think the next key area to watch is Ray Lewis vs. our offense and Brian Dawkins vs. Baltimore's offense. As mentioned earlier, both players have a lot in common and both have something to offer their respective defenses. Denver's rush defense has shown to be strong by holding very good RBs like Chris Johnson, Joseph Addai & Jones-Drew to under 100 yards. And with a Baltimore offense with not much of a running game either, we should be able to hold them to under 100 yards as well. Again, I think the most important area to watch is our receivers vs. Baltimore's D and their receivers vs. our pass defense.

Special Teams:

No surprise, our ST's finally got run over by Tennessee's Marc Mariani in last week's game when he scored a TD off a kick return. It was the first kickoff returned for a TD by a Titans player since the 2001 season. With as wacky as our special teams have been, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I just hope its the last time that happens this season. WR Demaryius Thomas has been assigned the duty of taking kick returns it seems. He did it well against Tennessee and I don't mind, but I'd like to see him out there with the offense this week against Baltimore's #1 pass defense. I'd like to see how well he does against a strong defense.

So, if we can manage to play a decent game and hold our own, I think we can make this a close game. Otherwise, it will turn ugly and fast. I hope to see the Broncos come out strong and stay strong. Orton needs to be better protected by our Oline and our defense definitely needs to put more pressure on the QB. We have 4 sacks on the season so far, that would be 1 per game so far. Pretty sad when you consider we let Orton get sacked 6 times in one game. Good grief. Get some backbone boys!! But I will always take the Broncos side... I say it turns out to be a close game with Denver putting up a hard fight, 24-20 Broncos.

Trivia Questions:

1) Who is the Broncos' all-time leader with 44 career interceptions? (Before Champ Bailey came along)

2) Three Broncos' players are among the 18 in NFL history who have intercepted 4 passes in a game. Who are they?

3) Who won more games an an NFL starting quarterback? Denver's John Elway or Miami's Dan Marino?

GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!

Titans Vs Broncos - Post Game and More

The Broncos today went on the road to face the Titans in Nashville, Tennessee. The players wore pink gear to raise breast cancer awareness. This was a physical game and was played with a bit of nastiest. QB Kyle Orton went as far to say that the Titans defense was 'cheap', taking a few cheap shots at the Broncos players. But this was a close game and went right down to the wire where the Broncos were able to come away with the win. And it was a big win away from home and it has set the Broncos up with a nice 2-2 record.

vs

	1	2	3	4	OT	Final
Den	0	10	6	10	-	26
Ten	0	10	10	0	-	20

I didn't get to watch the game but have been over all the highlights and read a number of different peoples opinions and I will be relying on those for my review. 

Probably the best player for the Broncos right now is Orton. Orton followed up his career game last year with another very solid game. He finished by going 35 of 50 for 341 yards, 2 TD's, and 1 INT. He also (sadly) led Denver's rushing with 3 carries for 11 yards. Orton has now thrown 6 TD's, but he has also thrown 3 INT. He did spread the ball around well overall, but there are periods of time when he stares down one receiver. Question now is Orton a franchise QB? And does he deserve big money?

Because of Orton's big games recently the receivers have been getting a lot of ball. And today was no exception as most of the first string receivers turned in big days.After having just an 8 catch season last year, Lloyd has exploded onto the scene for the Broncos. On Sunday he caught 11 passes for 115 yards. He now has 25 catches for 454 yards and 1 TD on the season. These are his best stats since 2005 when he caught a career high 48 passes for 733 yards and 5 TD's for the 49ers. At this rate, Lloyd will have acquired those stats by the bye week. Another receiver Eddie Royal had a fantastic game on Sunday. He finished with 8 catches for 113 yards and 1 TD. He now has 25 catches for 299 yards and 2 TD's on the year. Last season, Eddie had season totals of 37 catches for 345 yards and 0 TD's. He will easily match these numbers within the next couple of games.

The Broncos run game today was pretty much...terrible. Any time Captian Slow of the Slowest Orton leads the team in rushing you had a really bad day on the run. Buckhalter could not move the ball at all, but he made up for it with some receptions. Maroney on the other hand didn't provide anything to the team. Hopefully we can get Moreno back soon so we can have a more balanced attack then passing the ball all the time.

The Offensive Line wasn't great today and Orton was sacked 6 times and hit a number of other times. But when you can't run the ball they will pass rush more. Also don't understand why Daniels is still at LG, I would prefer Beadles to be in there. That would be our starting O-line of the future so might as well make a solid start on getting these guys some chemistry together.

The run defense really stepped it up today and sealed up the run game of the Titans. They didn't get burned by CJ at all, his longest run of the day was 8 yards. The run D only got beat for one long play and that was to the back up running back. I think this could be put down to 4 players. Robert Ayers, DJ Williams, Jamal Williams and Kevin Vickerson had big days in the run defense. Jamal collapsed the pocket and forced Young outside, Vickerson set the edge well and was a beast in getting to the ball carrier. Ayers was solid and is a great tackler and DJ was good in the run game getting team high tackles though he struggled a little in coverage on the TEs.

The defense as a whole was pretty good. They covered well and held the Titans offense to one touchdown. Dawkins was all over the field making plays and the pass coverage was good. Cox had an up and down game but he has played well so far. And Bailey is awesome as always.

The pass rush of the Broncos wasn't great, their got two sacks but Young did make some plays when the play broke down with his feet. This will need to improve for the Broncos to win more games.

Matt Prater was really good for us today, he accounted for 14 of the Broncos 26 points. His kick on the late kickoff that was recovered for a fumble was great and was placed in the perfect spot for the recovery.

Special Teams was good expect for the kickoff which was returned for a TD. There was a good block on Mays that broke that play loose but the special teams needs to play better. Also one bright spot on special teams was that Thomas was kick returner. He had a good game returning and was averaging 36 yards a return and he had one long run of 65 yards. McD had this to say about Thomas “When he catches it and gets going, that’s a big man to be running that fast and to have to try and tackle him on the kickoff team,” McDaniels said “We had a little bit of hesitation when we went out there in the beginning, but he caught them well in pre-game and he certainly made enough of an impact today that I think he will be back there again.”

Check out the highlights here, Broncos Vs Titans

Next week the Broncos face the Ravens in Baltimore before returning home against the Jets. There are a few areas for improvements, like the run game, which the Broncos will need to address but a win against the Ravens would be big for the Broncos. And I believe they can do it.

Now onto the most important news of the lot. Aussie is going on holidays! Yes that is right, I am going to Fiji for a while and will not be able to post or comment on anything. So I am looking at you guys to post some stuff up while I am gone. And I mean you guys like 80#, Doc, Jazzy, Digger because I don't want to leave Princess with all the work. I really need you guys to step up and help out while I am not here, thanks in advance for helping out.

Well guys that is it from me, I will catch you when I get back ~ Aussie Out and Go Broncos!