p.s.

Oh and as Jory said (I forgot to mention in my earlier post how Athena and I were talking about Humboldt needing to take further political action to stay on the front of the scene after we read the news): Way to go Denver! Now you are really the Mile High City!!

Also, to the rest of the country who hasn’t gotten it yet: Get it together and quit arresting/persecuting innocent adults who are interested in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!

Comment Response

It's been a busy holiday weekend at our house so I'm a little behind on comments (and I noticed there are some good ones to get to). I figure I'll do a response post and reply to everyone tonight to get caught up. Also, I'll be posting pictures and info on the family site about the holiday and Matrim's tumbling soon.

Jory: Thanks for the title for my Big F*ing Post. ; ) So, I checked the Dictionary.com for the definition of criminalization...ROFL! Pretty damn funny! I'll have to use that site from now on! (I'd only ever heard of in the word decriminalization even with the one dictionary we have here and two spell check programs.) Athena is starting to need the extra rest, but she doesn't sleep like she did last time. She was at a full 12 hours/night for at least the last few months, the first time. :) So far everything is going really well.

Joey: Oh yeah! I can't believe what our bastard administration is letting happen to our soldiers. The news you don't hear about how it is next to impossible to get out of the military, even after you've done your time of service, is absurd. My cousin got out of Iraq to find out that he had to become a recruiter (with high recruiting standards!) in his home town if he wanted to get out without going back to Iraq for more duty.

Tom: Oh, how I hate that! I've lost at least 1 post and 2 good long comments to phantom shit happening, and that was even knowing that it might happen! Now I'm always saving every few minutes and/or working off-line as much as possible to keep that from happening. So far, so good since I started to do that.
So that record we set against the Eagles was nice! It's always good to see the Broncos holding a good record instead of hearing about the bad ones! Oh, and I forgot to comment in my Bronco posts about how we blew setting that turnover record (5 games straight with no turnover has never been done in NFL records) against New York! I saw that coming and even warned Athena as the play started to unfold. Here comes some desperate pitch on the return to try and save the game, and we throw it right into Giant hands to blow the record!
Yep, I get that Rocky Mountain channel too. I noticed it a few weeks back when surfing through the ridiculous number of channels we have. I watched one of the shows with those Bronco guys and we could definitely do better! The cooking segment would be great! Almost everything I cook either has beer, thc, or both involved so I think it would be perfect for gameday! LOL

Athena: Coaches have to get up too early in the morning! I could be an announcer since it would only be Sunday I'd have to get up early. ; ) And I don't think I could keep the cussing down enough to be on any channel but HBO...! So I'm afraid you and Matrim will be my only audience for now. :)

Everyone: So, the other day when we were carving our jak-o-lantern I told Athena we should carve him a Hitler mustache as that would be scary! ; )
Talking about that reminded me about this: Ok, I can't remember who all was there for sure (except I know Jory was), but does anyone remember the Hitler Mustache conversation? It went something like: I asked how people thought it would go if I cut myself a Hitler mustache (not because I like anything about him, just wondered about the mustache style being taboo) and roamed the streets of SLC. We laughed and discussed the consequences and made some jokes at the time.
Well, my point is this: Over the last few years I've seen jokes being made that we had already done and discussed about the Hitler Mustache (which must have been 8 years ago now, give or take). It seems to me that this is the case with several topics. It's almost like all the crazy conversations we had (especially while trippin' LOL) got sent out into the collective consciousness and now they are all bubbling back up. It will only be a matter of time before the conversation (once again I can't recall for sure who all was there...) about making all the beautiful, stupid people be nude slaves for the rest of us will be coming up somehow. ; )

Broncos 2005

This Season (2005)-

Ok, you might not believe it, but if you even asked Athena (who has been sitting beside me listening to me try to coach the team/coaches through the television) the Broncos would be 8-0 right now!

First, check my post (if you haven’t) about last season and you’ll see some of my concerns for this season. I noticed that the team has worked out, or at least been working on, most of their major problems. Here’s my breakdown of this season and I’ll do the negative first this time.

Some Cons: My biggest concern of the season was, and still is, the play/play calling of the offense. While we are miles from the repetitive mess of last season, we’re still not there yet. There is still too much reliance on running up the middle or faking it for the boot. Still too many dumb plays called, like the fade (which miraculously has actually worked a couple times this year) and the quick throw to a receiver at the line of scrimmage.

Our red zone performance could still use a little more improvement, even though it is vastly better than last year.

I’ve seen many terrible 3rd down plays called! (Wonder why we have one of the worst 3rd down conversion percentages in the league?) A couple games back we called a play on important 3rd downs, 2 different times, that made me want to tear my hair. We split Bell out as a wide receiver and made him the primary target. I don’t mind trick plays (in fact I love them!) but that was just retarded, and even more so to try it again when it failed the first time.

Bell has to get himself conditioned to be able to play a whole game if we needed him. At this point, he’s weaker than Portis was. He only has enough gas to get about 15 carries a game, after that he gets tired and slows down. This is one of my biggest problems as I REALLY like Bell! I’ve been trying to yell through the TV. (doesn’t work that well) for the coaches to give Bell more touches since week 1! He is electric to watch (when he’s not tired yet) and he makes defenses change their whole play/demeanor when he’s on the field. Everyone has to try keeping an extra watch on him and that means less attention to receivers, play-action, boots, and misdirection of all kinds, which can then be run much more easily and effectively. When Bell is running his best he’s that Barry Sanders/Terrell Davis type back that I really want to see and enjoy having on our team!

Some of it was Anderson not running hard enough (maybe getting back up to speed from missing last season), some of it Bell not being able to handle a larger load, and some of it the play calls, but he was getting over 2/3s of the carries and only averaging about 3.5 yards per carry for the first 5 or 6 games.

Of course, blowing week 1 was a con and a shocker. I cannot believe how we folded over for that one.

I have been none to happy with the officiating in a few of the games this season. I think the refs deserved as much of the credit for the Giants comeback as any of the Giants did.

I don’t like our lack of urgency I see on the field too often (mostly offense). Too many times the Broncos have come out swinging and gotten up early on the opponent, only to have to cling to the lead through the second half because the offense (rarely defense) falls asleep.

Champ Bailey needs to quit getting his ass handed to him then calling injury. Either heal up and be ready to go or sit the bench! I HATE Terrell Owens and I wanted nothing more than to see him shutdown and shut-up for a game! Stupid Bailey let him make the play to get the Eagles back in the game last Sunday!

All the DBs need to quit f*cking looking at the pursuit of the QB! The Broncos D line and blitzers have hurried and hit opposing QBs repeatedly, but there’s always one joker who has to fall asleep on his man and let him open at the last second before the sack!

Ashley Lelie needs to get it back together! No more dropped passes (hell Jake’s confidence doesn’t need that shit)! I want to see him get more aggressive than his name sounds when that ball is up in the air!

The usual stupid penalties that need to be eliminated to be a post-season contender.

Where is Rice? Why the f*ck did anyone think that Watts or Adams is a better number 3 receiver than Jerry Rice. Even if Rice rarely makes a catch, he’s still more useful than either of those two. Number 1, is the leadership and confidence a player of his standing can bring. Number 2, he makes defenders pay attention to him which no one gives a shit about Adams or Watts stepping on the field. Number 3, he probably has forgotten more about conditioning and playing the game than either of the two options we went with, combined. Yes, I know we lose a special teams player, but since when has our special teams been anything even close to special!

Lastly, Jake Plummer has to find that winning confidence and keep it up. He could also do an even better job at knowing when to maybe use his legs for yardage instead of just buying time. And stop throwing those weak floaters over the middle that are suicide for a receiver to make the play on! (Except for the Putz, as I enjoy watching his dopey ass get pounded!)

Some Pros: Jake Plummer is playing (not great) but more up to his potential than any time so far. He’s limited his INTs and is throwing with a little more accuracy and confidence in general. He is using his head better this year too (knowing when to throw or take the sack, when to run for yards, and cutting down the number of general f*ck-ups.)

No defense yet has found a way to even come close to containing Tatum Bell. He has ripped off phenomenal runs in almost every game so far, (sometimes more than 1 a game)! He’s electric and great at running to the outside and running screens, especially. He’s also tough enough to run up the middle, but best done as a counter or a delayed draw to spread the D.

Mike Anderson has taken his role of wearing the D down, seriously the last 2 games. If he runs strong and wears them out just a little, Bell can come in and blow them out of the water. He has to run hard and get close to 5 yards a carry to make the one-two punch successful.

Rod Smith is the go-to-guy when you need a catch! Another quality year from our old, un-drafted wide receiver.

The offensive line has been rejuvenated this year with the better play calls and quality backs running the ball. We just need to keep using their strengths even more and stretch the field when we run.

The play calling (while not up to where it should be yet) has stepped up dramatically from last season.

While the D line hasn’t got the sack numbers they could/should yet, they have been playing great! Teams haven’t been able to run for much and QBs have been harassed all game long! I think the sacks will come; we just need to keep doing what we’re doing there. I think we had a D line that played above it’s potential last season, so I didn’t mind that we only kept Pryce.

The blitzes this season have been welcome! The defense is playing so well that we can afford to blitz nearly every down, and many times more than one player.

The DBs have played fairly well, especially considering the youth of our players and the injuries so far. Williams and Foxworth are coming along nicely for rookies. John Lynch is playing his usual solid defense and the linebackers are too.

Our fullback, Johnson, is playing great! Several key first downs and TD receptions to accompany his good blocking.

I have seen several games where the officiating was up to par. Keep that up, Refs, because I HATE when they try to play the game instead of letting the players play.

Summary: Overall I really don’t think we learned these lessons fast or well enough to even have the record we do. I don’t think there was a game we played well enough to really win, except maybe the last one against the Eagles where we reestablished dominance in the 4th quarter and, as Tom pointed out, set a record for 300-yard passer and 2 100-yard rushers. I hope the Broncos can get firing on all cylinders here and go into the playoffs with some momentum. I hate to waste all the potential to be the best team in the NFL because of a few fairly, easily correctable things. Lets keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best! (I say Broncos vs. Colts for AFC championship this time, if the Broncos go into the post season with momentum.) ;)

Broncos 2004

First, man I’m glad we pulled through against the Eagles, Sunday. We managed to do exactly what I wanted to them for the first 1/3 of the game. Somehow, we fell asleep and almost lost another good lead in the second 1/3 of the game, but managed to recover and get back up to speed by the end.

OK, this is my breakdown of what happened to us last season and what we had/have to do to/not do this season to achieve success. I’m posting about last season so you can see where I’m coming from this year. I will post this season info next.

Last Season (2004)-

Some Pros: As usual, the coaching staff and players pulled together as Broncos to give us another winning record.

Before the season even began, I considered the trade of Clinton Portis (who I did mostly like and still enjoy checking up on him) for Champ Bailey to be a good move. First, because I was sure that our running attack would still be considerable with the talent we had behind Portis. Second, Portis rarely had the stamina/conditioning to finish a game. He spent too much time unable to go. Third, because a “shut down” corner, who plays physical, never hurts. Last, I knew we would need better defense (especially because of our offensive failures) to be a post-season team, and I don’t recall ever thinking we had a good CB crew. (Although O’Neil and James seem to be tearing it up over in Cincinnati this season.)

On my Madden game, I had obtained John Lynch, Champ Bailey, and Courtney Brown. So, it was nice to see them making the same moves that I did with 2 of them, this season, (LOL and then we grabbed Brown for 2005). I like the way Lynch plays. Not the fastest (thus the good corner comes in handy) but a smart, hard-hitting, blitzing, run-stopping safety who is fun to watch (like Atwater).

Solid Line-Backing! Fast, aggressive, and smart. That has been a strong point for several seasons now. The Ian Gold thing was crazy but it’s good to see him back.

Much of our offensive line is a talented unit, who has played together and is good at running the Broncos scheme. Which is to be smaller and faster and more agile in order to spread the field and make sure to give the back that one hole to cut through. This has really been our strongest point over the years with Shanahan (especially with no Elway). This is not an O line that is built to stand and go toe-to-toe with bigger D lines, but one to be fast, aggressive, smart, and crafty. If we get this part right, it almost doesn’t matter which back we run with and it also takes the pressure off Plummer (which is a MUST!).

Rod Smith is there to do, hopefully, his usual quality performance. Ashley Lelie is exciting to me since I’m an ex-receiver and love to see the long-ball. I am hoping that the running game opens the passing game because Plummer has some good targets to hit. I’m not too excited about our Putz choice for tight end. He looks like a gomer to me and I’m hoping he proves me wrong (I’m also an ex tight-end so I watch them closely as well).

Really a lot of positive stuff and the possibility to go far last season, I thought.

Some Cons: Injuries to many players and many were season-ending injuries. Trevor Pryce and Mike Anderson were hard ones to see go down.

We somehow let our old O line coach slip away to Atlanta!

Jake Plummer. The major problem is we have had to waste time trying to retrain him. We brought him over from a 6-year (I think) tradition of losing. He has more career INTs than TDs and a general lack of poise that scares me. They spent too much time in AZ trying to get Elway-like performance out of him (having him try to carry most of the team on his back for years) instead of trying to utilize his strong points and giving him some weapons.

There were many of the games that the only reason we were not blown out was the strong, smart play of our defense. Time after time, I was waiting for the offense to show up and even carry part of their load…

Offensive Play Calling! Now this is what I think is the biggest factor to our failings last season. Somehow, when we ended up with no Anderson, we re-worked the line-up and called Droughns’ number. Now, I don’t have anything against him, he’s a hard runner. It’s just that he’s a little too slow and doesn’t fit our running scheme as well as I’d like (I want a back with Terrell Davis power and down-hill running, and the speed and evasiveness of a Barry Sanders).
With Droughns as our starting back, our offense was almost completely predictable. I would bet that it was at least 75% of the time that the offensive play called was Droughns between the tackles (even between the guards on most of them) or faking that and Plummer rolling out. Now that worked well enough over the first part of the season because Droughns ran hard and our O line was able to open some holes. However, by mid-season, it was obvious to everyone what to expect from our O and opposing teams were able to come prepared to counter it. Especially when running between the guards is something we used more as a trick play, since we normally tried to stretch the field more and use the speed and agility of our O line.

Now, I know people might say, “What are you talking about? Our offense was great. Another 1000 yard rusher, Ashley Lelie with the highest average yards per catch, Plummer passing Elway’s single-season yardage record,” etc. To that I say, yes all those things are true, but game for game we still played like shit. We only moved the ball if it was between the 20’s and a lot of that came in the first half of the season before the opposition tightened down. Plummer threw more INTs again than TDs.
Our red-zone performance was so crappy I wouldn’t even call it a performance as we usually did anything but! Over, and over, and over I begged the coaches to call something other than our only 2 plays, especially in the red-zone. Alas, we did not. So many times, I watched in horror as we tried to stand our little O line up and bull our way to the TD instead of playing with speed, finesse, agility, and some trickery! (The only trickery we really tried consistently was the play-action boot and that doesn’t count since it is one of our 2 plays.) Oh, and screw the reverse and the fade both! Those have never worked for Denver (well the percentages are abysmal). We had nearly as many turnovers as TDs from the red-zone. Also, I’d like to see a stat that shows the correlation between Elam missing a field goal and us losing the game. I would bet we lost the majority of times that Elam missed one.

Summary: So with these negative points, the Broncos tended to beat themselves as often as the opposing team beat them. There’s no way to beat the Colts, (especially at their stadium) when you play like that, and that’s how we got blown out of the post season after scraping to get in. Hopefully the 2005 season goes better!