There’s a new Sheriff in Town, his name is Tim Tebow

I’m sure, like many of you Die Hard Broncos Fans out there, getting swept by the Raiders would have been the big Hurt Locker story not just of the week but maybe the entire 2010 season. Am I right?

I know for me personally the loss, in combination with the sweep, any other year would have really ticked me off. It would have set me off on a long and very angry nuclear rant. Despite forcing 2 first quarter turnovers the defensive effort the Broncos gave in this one was another of the all time worst I’ve seen against the Raiders.

Don’t get me wrong “any” loss to the Raiders is a devastating ass kicker.  The truth is had Orton started this game, the Broncos still would have lost and by a wider margin.

Rather than reviewing all the boring, crappy plays by maybe the worst defensive unit (the tackling was horrendous) in Broncos team history, let’s deal with Tebow’s first start and his future with the Broncos.

From the opening snap of the game his sheer presence and demeanor alone made you know something different was in the air. Was I the only one to notice the difference in the intensity of the offense? Granted that change wasn’t going to be enough to help the Broncos beat the Raiders, especially since Studsville called an unbelievably predictable conservative game; but the intensity was at a higher level because Tebow’s was.

First and foremost Tebow is a warrior who has no fear. What he lacks in polish he makes up for in heart, blood and guts. Despite being rough around the edges and inexperienced, he exhibits confidence.  I think people forget how important an intangible self confidence is in the game of football. It’s part of the reason he was a winner in college. He’s no quitter and I’ll bet we’ll never see him give up on a game in a Broncos uniform either.

Tebow ran for a 40 yard TD, his first as a starter. No worries Broncos Fans they'll be many more.

Too many talking heads say Tebow’s college career is irrelevant. Really? He’s played in 2 National Title games and he’s a Heisman Trophy winner, but that’s irrelevant? This doesn’t mean his great college career will automatically translate to success in the NFL but having a resume like that is very impressive.

He has a better arm than people give him credit for. His scrambling and running ability is a tremendous asset, which the Broncos will need with this young OL and terrible running game going forward. Those two aspects of his game combined with his other qualities certainly demands that he replace the cloddish clunker that is the lame duck Kyle Orton.  

Here’s how Tebow has described himself, “I’m a football player who happens to play QB.” Can anyone disagree after watching the game yesterday?  I can’t wait to see him play this week against the Texans lousy pass defense. He should have a big day if Studs will use that bean on the top of his neck and let Tebow throw the ball.

Tebow starting has renewed my dying Broncos spirit. My ashes lie in a heap, just like so many Broncos Fans a week ago, but Tebow begs to make it a whole new day, a whole new week and whole new season next year. I was actually back to screaming and yelling at the TV yesterday, something I haven’t done in a long time. For 2 years I’ve sat in angry silence mainly muttering obscenitie

and when the moment was right yelling a loud one but this game was different. Change is coming and the orange and blue blood transfusion is flowing through my veins again. 

I’ve never been a blind homer, and I know it’s just one game but I have a feeling Tebow with a little help on D next year is going to bring back the pride and glory of our beloved Broncos.

Broncos humiliated by the Cardinals, thankfully I was spared

Yesterday morning I was up at 6 a.m. because I couldn’t sleep. I’d left open the bedroom window for a little fresh air so I could sleep better. I just don’t do well if I’m too hot when I sleep. The wind was blowing so hard yesterday morning that the curtains were flying at a 90 degree angle and the door to our bedroom even though it was closed was thumping as wind inhaled and exhaled out our the bedroom.

A Broncos Fan at the Cardinals game knows what time is and I agree.

Though I could have used some more sleep I lifted my sorry old carcass out of bed, made some coffee, checked my fantasy lineups, and then turned on the TV to watch the NFL pregame shows.

As soon as I turned on the TV which was around 8:30 a.m., I got the dreaded news all DirecTV Fans hate to see on their TV screens, NO SIGNAL! I knew immediately it was because of the very strong winds and the rain blowing sideways that assisted in the moving of my dish. I stepped outside to go check and see if my dish was still even upright. My dish is mounted to a wooden pole on the windward side of my house so when I made my way through the wind and rain I could see the dish wiggle ever so slightly against what was truly a Gail force wind.

It didn’t help either that I have one of the new HD dishes which are much bigger and have a bigger surface area than the old DirecTV dishes. I said a few choice four letter words and come back inside to get out of the weather and thought, “Well, I’m screwed.”

The wind had been strong enough to move my pole even though it was reinforced with concrete. I knew that any hope of watching the Broncos game was out. None of the Sunday Ticket channels came in including NFL Network or ESPN.

Around 1:30 after I had sat in front of the TV crossing my fingers hoping the wind would stop I said one or two more choice four lettered words and said to myself that it’s just not going to happen. For the record this is first Broncos game I haven’t seen for so long I can’t even remember. Back to the late 70’s I think.

As it turned out I spent a nice day with the wife. When she got up late yesterday afternoon, we decided to go out and have Mexican food and then go buy a Christmas tree and put up the decorations.

We didn’t get started on the tree around 9 p.m. Putting up decorations is no small job; Jenny over the years has collected more trinkets than 3 families. All together we have 6 large plastic tubs and 3 or 4 cardboard boxes of decorations to put up.

It took us until around 4 a.m. this morning (7 hours) to get it all in place. I have mixed feelings about Christmas for a lot of reasons but Jenny’s personality always makes whatever we do fun so I got into the Xmas spirit as we worked to get it done. Our new house looks very beautiful and it ended up being a fun day with Jenny.

So now to the unseen Cardinals game…

As it turned out I didn't miss much but just another crappy performance. I said in a post on the Denver Post message board yesterday before the game that if the Broncos probably wouldn’t win the game if they couldn’t stop the run. They couldn’t and the Cardinals Beanie Wells rushed for 148 yards and 2 TD’s. The Broncos D is in total shambles as if we needed another game to understand that right?

That and the dismal O is just as bad maybe worse. Orton did start the game and aren’t we glad, he had 3 INT’s and passed 168 yards. Wow! And he’s the best QB that gives the Broncos the best chance to win? Really? I know the O line has had problems and it doesn’t help that Rookies are staring but the Broncos could only generated 288 yards of total offense against one of the worst D’s in the league? Come on! How low do we have to sink?

Tebow should have opportunity to start the last 3 games of the season. Studsville is playing for a job so he’s convinced himself Orton will give them the best chance. I don’t buy it.

What Tebow lacks in experience, he more than makes up for with his physical tools. I can’t believe that Bowlen wouldn’t pressure Studs and make him start Tebow in at least one game before the end of the season. Tebow’s held a clipboard long enough, START HIM NEXT WEEK!

I just talked to the Direct TV guy he’ll be here Thursday to so I can watch the Broncos get swept by the crappy Raiders next week. The Football God’s had my best interest in mind this week but my love/hate relationship with the Broncos will be set to be continued next week. Maybe there will be another wind storm.

Paying 3 Coachs Better Than The Alternative

Pat Bowlen shouldn't worry about paying 3 coaches next year if he fires McDaniels at the end of the season. What he stands to lose if he doesn't fire him could set the Broncos back another 5 to 10 years. I don't care how the Broncos finish, to many times bad teams in this situation who have nothing to lose play a little better and close out the season with wins.

 Bowlen needs to think long term not just about the remaining 2010 season and get fooled into believing that wins by a team who ducked out and quit weeks ago could save McDufus. The Raiders game was the boiling point, no other Coach in Broncos history can claim such a mind numbing loss. Even if he didn’t have this loss on his resume the aggregate body of work McDaniels has produced deserves a firing by any reasonable measure.

Paying Shanny, McD and a new Head Coach is cheap compared to the alternative.

The AFC West really has no dominate team and a win over the Chiefs or Raiders is no indication the Broncos will have turned the corner. Even a win over the Chargers should be no lock on job security. Philip Rivers may be the single most talented player in the division right now but the Chargers are far from being an elite team who’ll make a strong playoff run.

Today in the AFC the AFC West is THE bottom feeder. The Chiefs have been the beneficiary of a crappy transition for both the Chargers and the Broncos and I don’t believe for a second the Chiefs have any hope of going far in the playoffs. Their defense is one of most inconsistent in the league.

Their offense has improved but I don’t see them beating better teams in the playoffs.

Frankly I think if you were having a discussion about who the has the best chance of going all the way to the big show and winning it the teams in the NFC have the best chance.

With the ongoing talks for a new labor agreement and a possible strike endangering the 2011 season I believe an even stronger case could be made to fire and rehire a new Head Coach. The transition is going to be difficult whether the players strike or not and at least if the Broncos fired McD in January the new staff could begin to evaluate and formulate a new program to bring back a team we can all be proud of again once it’s over.

From the Ashes of a video and a Chiefs Loss a new Era begins...

(I figured I'd post this even though it doesn't come close to equaling the big news today. Keep in mind I started this at 1 p.m. before the firing news broke. The blog does have some value I guess,  it was just one more sorry episode in the many that got Josh McDaniels his walking papers.)

Frankly, I knew the game was on ice for the Chiefs at the start of second half. The Broncos D make a nice goal line stand on KC’s first offensive series. The bumbling Broncos offense gets the ball back then proceeds to go 3 and out. The Chiefs get the ball on the next series and the Broncos force what appeared to be a fumble but the Refs call it grounding instead. Another bad break in season of record bad breaks for the Broncos I suppose.

It was one of the many bad breaks, along with boneheaded plays, lousy tackling, poor pass coverage, poor pass rushing, unimaginative offense game plans, penalties etc, etc the Broncos have made in all the games this season. When you’re down and having a bad year the breaks and the bounces NEVER go your way. It’s like living in an avalanche of ineptitude.  If you continue to make mistakes the sheer number of mistakes just automatically catches up to you and can't be overcome it’s as simple as that. You combine that with terrible Coaching and it’s a recipe for disaster.

The wicked little troll in the Hoodie is Dead. Long live the Broncos!!!

So now let’s fast forward to arguably McDummy’s biggest Coaching mistake of the entire season, the one where his brilliant mind decides punting the ball on 4th down late in the 4th quarter is better than going for it instead.

On their own 49 yard line on 4th down with 2:32 remaining in the 4th quarter and with the Broncos still holding 2 timeouts and the two-minute warning they punt? McD thought it was better strategy to punt the ball away and hope they could hold them to a 3 and out? Is he nuts? Had the Broncos D played well enough to stop them on 3 plays at the end of the game? No.

What did the Broncos have to lose by going for it on 4th at this point in the season? It was really their last mathematical chance to have a miracle shot at winning the division and they punt it? Nothing showed the unbelievably bad judgment McD has exhibited all season than in this single situation.

Newsflash!

Just read the news at 4 p.m. Pacific.

McDaniels fired by Bowlen! My work here is done. Yes!!!