Broncos Defense Not Ready for Primetime

With all anger still simmering at the surface after the Chargers loss last Thursday night I decided to postpone writing about it. I’m sure many Broncos Fans felt the same as I did about the game going in, that another win was imminent.

As we learn every Sunday there are no locks, no gimme’s and that on any given Sunday anything can happen. You never assume anything and you must take them one at a time. You must be able to win the games you’re supposed to win at home late in the season to solidify your position in the playoffs.

Peyton Manning and company were coming off a short week and an impressive win over the Titans last Sunday on a cold day in Denver. He was a completely different QB than the one in the Patriots game a few weeks ago when it was apparent his game and his psyche were on ice.

But from the opening snap of the Chargers game it was obvious they wanted the game far worse than the Broncos did. The Broncos defense and special teams were horrendous. They let Ryan Matthews one of the must inconsistent RB’s in the NFL run wild for 127 yards. The Safety’s and Corners particularly Rookie Kayvon Webster gave up big pass plays to help keep drives alive. The Front 7 of the Broncos did get 2 sacks on Philip Rivers but for most of the game they couldn’t get to him. The tackling by the LB’s at the second level was as bad as you’ll see. Danny Trevathan seemed to be the only player that was willing and able to make some stops.

The first half turned into a field position game and the Broncos started drives inside their own 20 to many times and had too many 3 and outs. Manning was being contested on every passing play and the Broncos running game could never get any traction. Despite the bad start the Broncos made a run in the 4^th Q but came up short.

The worse part of the loss came when Rivers was on the NFL Network after the game talking smack and hamming it up with the panel. You’d think his team had just won the Super Bowl the way he was acting but it was nothing more than an opportunity for him to enjoy the spotlight for 20 minutes because he knows that his team won’t make it to the playoffs. He likely won’t get another nationally televised interview because all he and his team can do now is be a spoiler. I can’t stand Rivers and his appearance after the game on the NFL Network flipped the switch that ignited my mushroom cloud.

Thankfully this Sunday the Broncos got a reprieve as the Dolphins did them a big favor and beat the Patriots. They still hold the #1 seed going into the last 2 games and must hold onto it. After seeing just how bad the D can play against one of the bottom feeder teams of the NFL if the Broncos have to go on the road to face New England my money would be on Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Let’s hope the Broncos can close the deal by beating the Texans and Raiders and securing home field. Wouldn’t it be a disaster if the Broncos tanked and fell into the Wildcard Spot if they lost them both? The Chiefs are not going away and are playing good football right now.

The other hope is that Fox and Del Rio can come up with a better defensive scheme so when the playoffs start Manning won’t have to score 50 points to win a game.   

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Book Review

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Guilt and shame are their own form on justice. I was amazed just how many themes this book covers and Dostoyevsky did it brilliantly. Must read for any lover of classics.

View all my reviews

Manning "Manned Up" as Broncos secure Playoff Spot

With a game time temperature of 18 degrees in Denver yesterday the big question going in was could Peyton Manning break the huge chunk of ice frozen around him regarding his past performances in cold weather games. Instead of using an ice pick to chip away at that criticism he used a massive sledge hammer. He shattered that ice into tiny shards and in the process with the help of his teammates secured a playoff spot.

Matt Prater kicked a 64 FG in the cold to set a new NFL Record.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the first 2 ½ quarters of the game yesterday but when I did drop in during the 3^rd quarter it was very clear that Manning was in complete control of his game. He didn’t look anything like that cold, unconfident and sometimes weak armed old QB in New England a few weeks ago.     

He was in total command, his passes were crisp, on time, he was never sacked and the OL gave him plenty of time to dissect the Titans D. Manning was sensational; he was a remarkable 39 out of 59, for 397 yards, and 4 TDs. After a slow start in the 1^st half he came out in the 2^nd and played as well as he has in any game for the Broncos. Each of the his stud WR’s Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Erick Decker and TE Julius Thomas caught a TD pass. The combination of Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball had 155 yards on the ground and both of them scored a TD. It was a well executed and balanced approach by the O.

In short “Manning Manned Up” and proved he can be a real warrior in tough weather conditions and he deserves every bit of praise for this win.

That said, I hate to be a broken record again but Manning has been in this position many times in his career. He’s got to be considered maybe the best regular season QB to ever play the game but in the playoffs he still has one of the worst records there is when you stack him up against other NFL QB greats.

They still have to play them one at time and beat the Chargers this week and work towards the next step which is to secure home field throughout the playoffs. The final step will be taking the Broncos to and winning the Super Bowl. When he, with the help of his teammates, can accomplished that feat his legacy will have been a truly amazing one.

Much will depend on how well they play D down the stretch. The Broncos will have to improve defensively, especially in the secondary. As of this week of the 32 teams in the NFL they’re giving up 274.3 passing yards per game which is 29^th in the league. They’re 26^th in the league in points allowed with 26.5 and they’re giving up a total of 374.2 yards per game which 25^th in the league. Their best ranking is against the run, they’re ranked 7^th giving up just 99.8 yards per game. That stat should be taken with a grain of salt because in most games teams have had to play from behind and air it out to keep up with Manning’s O.

Giving up 28 points to a below average team like the Titans at home is not what John Fox had in my mind when he returned to sidelines this week. He more than anyone understands that won’t be good enough come playoff time. At times it's like they relax a little bit because they know Manning is on the bench and they know he can rack up a score in a hurry if they need it. In the NFL you can't take plays off.

The D did have some injuries this week to Rahim Moore, Derek Wolfe, and Kevin Vickerson. Duke Ihenacho, Champ Bailey and Wesley Woodyard (still hurting from his neck injury) played banged up but that’s no excuse. Every team this late in the season has injuries to deal with on both sides of ball and the good team’s find ways to win with their bench.

The next step to a Championship is to beat the Chargers this and move closer to home field throughout. It’s been an amazing season but there’s still work to be done.

U.S. Students Spiral Downward While Political Correctness Climbs Upward

I read this published story from the NBC News website yesterday entitled (US teens lag in global education rankings as Asian countries rise to the top, 12/3/13) and was appalled just how far down the ladder American children are from the rest of the world. Here’s an excerpt:

“Roughly half a million students in 65 nations and educational systems representing 80 percent of the global economy took part in the 2012 edition of  Program for International Student Assessment or PISA, which is coordinated by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD.

The numbers are even more sobering when compared among only the 34 OECD countries. The United States ranked 26th in math — trailing nations such as the Slovakia, Portugal and Russia. What’s more, American high school students dropped to 21st in science (from 17th in 2009) and slipped to 17th in reading (from 14th in 2009), according to the results.”

I couldn’t help but get irritated by this story then I stumbled onto another story on facebook yesterday. I remember seeing it online a year ago on the www.examiner.com website and it made me ponder after reading the first story. Even if this is a dated and many of you have already heard of it, it is still relevant and systematic of the educational problems in America today and connects with the story above. The title of this story is (Portland school sees racism in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 9/10/12). Here’s an excerpt:

In an effort to combat perceived discrimination, one Portland school seems to have gone off the deep end by suggesting peanut butter and jelly sandwiches carry racist connotations, Twitchy reported Monday.

 

Verenice Gutierrez

According to the Portland Tribune, Verenice Gutierrez, principal of Harvey Scott K-8 School, "picks up on the subtle language of racism" on a daily basis.

"Take the peanut butter sandwich, a seemingly innocent example a teacher used in a lesson last school year," the Tribune said.

“What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches?” Gutierrez asked.”

A Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich could or should be considered racist, are you kidding me?

How did she get a job as a Principal? What college did she go to, where did she get a degree, The University of the 3 Stooges, the 1984 Politically Correct Language College? No one denies that racism is still present in our society and we must be sensitive to it but it's the parents job to teach their kids about race not administrative bureaucrats. What about telling kids they can't say sandwich in school because it might be racist, doesn't that violate freedom of speech?

People like Gutierrez are very dangerous and are actually dumbing down our kids with this PC gibberish, advancing racism and divisiveness rather than helping to improve it. Educating children is difficult enough, why would educators waste their valuable time and the kids time with such utter nonsense? Gutierrez and others like her seem to be driven to set up a new politically correct language of which is of their own creation rather than focusing on education.

No wonder American kids are coming out of school 26^th in the world in Math, 17^th in Reading and 21^st in Science according to a statistics of 65 of the world’s top developed economies conducted by the OCED in 2012. The PISA study spells it out in black and white, the US has a second rate educational system which has been true for years now and it has nothing to do with amount of tax payer funding as this survey indicates. In the United States what we have today is clearly a managerial and educational system failure and not a student or financial one.

My take on both stories in total is we need to better educate teachers and administrators and leave the PC Police out it. This among other things, like breaking the teachers unions, changing the tenure system, setting higher educational standards for teachers and eliminating the NEA will help improve the quality of education. Parents have a bigger responsibility in this than anyone and need to take an active role in stressing how important a good education is to their children. 

The responsible is clearly in our hands to change the culture and management that is in charge of bad school districts and what curriculum should be focused on. Wasting the value time of educators and students with sensitivity training is not their responsibility. Speaking of jobs if we keep on the current course the undereducated unskilled students may not end up in the work force at all or worst yet may not have the money to buy racist food like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  

The Chiefs Wrecker was Decker

Eric Decker had a career day in Kansas City.

The Chiefs game was a very important one for the Broncos for 3 reasons. The first was that if they could beat the Chiefs for the second time they would have the inside track to the AFC West Title and take a 2 game lead over them with 4 games remaining. The second was that if they won they’d maintain a 1 game lead over the Patriots for the all important position of home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

But the most important reason for winning had to be rehabilitating Peyton Manning and his confidence. After coming off a lack luster performance the week before against the Patriots Manning needed to regain his composure and win a big game on the road against a divisional opponent.

The game didn’t start out well for him; the 2 interceptions in the 1^st half gave the Chiefs an early 21 to 7 lead. The devastating 108 yard kickoff return by the Chiefs Knile Davis, then the follow up drive by Alex Smith for another TD after the second Manning  INT had the Chiefs Fans at Arrowhead Stadium in full roar. It could have been the turning point of the entire season for him and the Broncos and gave momentum to the Chiefs if the lead held up in the second half.

But Manning was not going to give up that easy. He came back with an impressive drive late in the 2 Quarter when he threw what turned out to be the 1^st TD pass to Eric Decker who would later catch 3 more in the 2^nd half. The Broncos were able to go into half time only down by 7.

As Manning and the Broncos Offense have proven all season they own the 3^rd Quarter. Manning threw 2 TD’s to Decker in the 3^rd and only took 44 seconds off the clock in the 4^th to give Decker his career high 4^th TD catch. The 21 consecutive points were enough for the Broncos to hold onto the victory despite a valiant effort by the Chiefs.

It was Decker’s day to be sure but Knowshon Moreno made some key plays and Montee Ball rebounded from the big fumble last week to run for 117 yards. Demaryius Thomas didn’t record a TD but racked a 106 yards.

Thankfully the biggest news was Manning had his redemption and the Broncos jumped back into the top spot as the best team in the AFC but it wasn’t easy especially on Defense.

The Broncos secondary didn’t play well even with the return of Champ Bailey at Left Corner. He was actually benched on the final drive of the game. RCB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was out with a shoulder injury. Corners Chris Carter Jr., Quentin Jammer and backup Kayvon Webster who had a bum ankle didn’t cover well, and neither did Free Safety Mike Adams. You have to wonder how the game may have turned out had the Chiefs Receivers not dropped so many passes. The 2 big drops by Donnie Avery were killers but Dwayne Bowe and TE Anthony Fasano both dropped catchable balls too. Going forward you have to wonder if the Broncos can improve on this part of their Defense because at the moment it’s their Achilles Heel.

The Defense Line was without Derek Wolfe and when the Broncos went after Alex Smith with a 4 man front they didn’t touch him. Even when they blitzed they still didn’t get Smith for a single sack and Smith’s scrambles kept drives alive. The D did keep Jamaal Charles to 91 yards but those yards were ones that continued drives and moved the chains.      

The Defense, mainly the Secondary, must improve in the next several weeks as playoff time approaches. If they play well and Manning plays his A Game late in the December and January cold in Denver they’ll be unstoppable.

"I LOVE WINE!" You can quote me an that...

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing. ~ Ernest Hemingway

A man not old, but mellow, like good wine. ~ Stephen Phillips

Here's to the corkscrew - a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly. ~ W.E.P. French

Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. ~ Benjamin Franklin

It is well to remember that there are 5 reasons for drinking wine: the arrival of a friend, one’s present to future thirst, the excellence of the wine or any other reason. ~ Latin Proverb

Wine is bottled poetry. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized. ~ Andre Simon

The good talk that is inseparable from a wine dinner is even more important than the wines that are being served. Never bring up your better bottles if you are entertaining a man who cannot talk. Keep your treasures for a night when those few who are nearest to your heart can gather round your table, free from care, with latchkeys in their pockets and no last train to catch." ~ Maurice Healy

What though youth gave love and roses, age still leaves us friends and wine. ~ Thomas Moore

Wine is a food. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Wine improves with age - I like it the older I get. ~ Anonymous

A full cup of wine at the right time is worth more than all the kingdoms of this earth! ~ Gustav Mahler

By making this wine vine known to the public, I have rendered my country as great a service as if I had enabled it to pay back the national debt. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle. ~ Paul Coelho

I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food. ~ WC Fields

Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know. ~ John Keats

Either give me more wine or leave me alone. ~ Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī

As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans. ~ Ernest Hemingway

I am not sure I trust you. You can trust me with your life, My King. But not with my wine, obviously. Give it back. ~ Meagan Whalen Turner

I love everything that is old; old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines. ~ Oliver Goldsmith

Beer is made by men, wine by God. ~ Martin Luther

Wine is the most healthful and most hygienic of beverages. ~ Louis Pasteur

What wine goes with Captain Crunch? ~ George Carlin

Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter, sermons and soda water the day after. ~ George Gordon Bryon

Give me wine to wash me clean of the weather-stains of cares. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wine enters through the mouth, Love, the eyes. I raise the glass to my mouth, I look at you, I sigh… ~ W.B. Yates

High and fine literature is wine, and mine is only water; but everybody likes water. ~ Mark Twain

Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized. ~ Andre Simon

 Wine is like the incarnation--it is both divine and human. ~ Paul Tillich

In the abstract art of cooking, ingredients trump appliances, passion supersedes expertise, creativity triumphs over technique, spontaneity inspires invention, and wine makes even the worst culinary disaster taste delicious. ~ Bob Blumer

Life's too short to drink cheap wine... ~ Cliff Hakim

The first kiss and the first glass of wine are the best. ~ Marty Rubin

Wine can be a better teacher than ink, and banter is often better than books. ~ Stephen Fry

A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserable wine lover. ~ Clifton Fadiman

White wine is like electricity. Red wine looks and tastes like a liquefied beefsteak. ~ James Joyce

Great wine works wonders and is itself one. ~ Edward Steinberg

To take wine into our mouths is to savor a droplet of the river of human history. ~ Clifton Fadiman

Who loves not women, wine and song remains a fool his whole life long. ~ Anonymous

The only way of rendering life endurable is to drink as much wine as one can come by. ~ James Branch Cabell

Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. ~ Proverbs 31 67

At times we ought to drink even to intoxication, not so as to drown, but merely to dip ourselves in wine, for wine washes away troubles and dislodges them from the depths of the mind and acts as a remedy to sorrow as it does to some diseases. The inventor of wine is called Liber, not from the license which he gives to our tongues but because he liberates the mind from the bondage of cares and emancipates it, animates it and renders it more daring in all that it attempts. ~  Lucius Annaeus Seneca

The juice of the grape is the liquid quintessence of concentrated sunbeams. ~ Thomas Love Peacock

Wine is a gateway drug to environmentalism. ~ Katherine Cole

Day offers two equally necessary sacraments - the benediction of morning and the absolution of dusk. In the morning coffee blesses and in the evening wine absolves. ~ Michael Foley

I prefer my water in wine form. ~ P.C. Cast

If your arteries are good, eat more ice cream. If they are bad, drink more red wine. Proceed thusly. ~ Sandra Byrd

People of balance age as gracefully as wines of balance. ~ John Jordan

The first miracle Jesus performed was instant wine making. No wonder people loved Him! He probably received a bunch of wedding invitations after that one. ~ Dillon Burroughs

Most days I juggle everything quite well, on the other days there's always red wine. ~ Rachael Bermingham

Always carry a corkscrew and the wine shall provide itself. ~ Basil Bunting

Men are like wine-some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age. ~ Pope John Paul XXIII

If you ask me, something sinister lurks in men who avoid wine, games, the company of lovely women, and dinnertime conversation. Such people are either gravely ill or secretly detest everyone around them. ~ Mikhail Bulgakov

The Nightmare in New England

I like many Broncos Fans this morning woke up with a horrible hangover trying to forget what happened last night. Forgetting and moving on in the end is all you can do in this situation because it’s only 1 game and the Broncos season is far from over.

Looking at the remaining schedule they should be more than capable of winning 3 of their last 5 games. The Titans, Texans and Raiders are all winnable games. But the games against the Chiefs at Arrowhead and a hot Chargers team at home are not going to be as easily won.

Despite that, I honestly don’t see any scenario where the Broncos DO NOT make playoffs.

You’d think that’d be enough, just to get to the 2^nd level with the possibility of getting to the 3^rd which would be a Super Bowl but in my opinion as a long time diehard fan it isn’t. Winning the whole thing is the only thing. Another playoff appearance, another playoff win, another AFC Championship title just isn’t good enough. Having another early playoff exit and calling it a “good season”, if that’s what happens this year for many fans would be satisfying enough. Having a “great season” and winning the whole thing is the only outcome that will be satisfying for me.

So as I try to clear my head today and attempt to be optimistic about the possible future outcome for the Broncos this season it’s impossible to not look back at this game last night and relive the devastation.

The Montee Ball fumble swung the momentum to NE in the 2nd half.

Football is and will always be a team game and the Broncos in the second half made numerous mistakes as a team to blow a 24-0 half time lead. The big fumble by Montee Ball, the poor pass rush, the awful pass coverage by a banged up secondary and the horrific game by Wes Welker contributed (Dropped passes and Punt Flub) to the epic meltdown.

Despite all the miscues and with the help of an amazing performance by Knowshon Moreno (A career high 224 rushing yards and 1 TD) they did have a chance to win it in the 4^th quarter.

But…the one key element to finishing the game and winning it in the 2^nd half was Peyton Manning and he shrunk with the responsibility while Tom Brady rose to it.

Manning vs. Brady

I pointed out in a pregame blog yesterday that Manning Must Master Brady and the COLD. In it I said despite having a bum ankle, a 2-9 career record against Brady in Foxboro and a 2-8 record in games that were below freezing, NOW was the time for Manning to put up or shut up. Unfortunately Brady put up and once again can say he shut up Manning in a side by side QB comparison.

If you watched the game in full you couldn’t help but notice that the cold was clearly bothering Manning. When the cameras took close ups of his red face you could see it contort not just from the cold but from his lack of confidence. On the sidelines he looked like the coldest player on the field.

The cold windy conditions affected his ability to make pass plays both short and more noticeably long. His balls were off target and had no zip when he delivered it. He threw too many balls into double coverage and missed throwing to open Receivers.

Manning has never been a scrambler or nifty on his feet and the bum right ankle adds to that deficiency but it can’t excuse his poor play and decision making. The truth is Manning looked like a really old man and a sometimes dead armed QB in this game.

Brady on the other hand didn't have any trouble with the chilly windy weather, looked 10 years younger, moved well on his feet in the pocket, had zip on his throws and exhibited the confidence in his abilities that he’s had from day one of his career.

Brady won this go around and maybe Manning will get another shot at him, hopefully at home in the playoffs but now he and the Broncos will have to regroup, leave this one behind and win this week in KC. Their playoff destiny still lies in their own hands, if they can have a short memory. It’ll be hard to forget this one but they will have to and so will the fans. So will I.

Manning Must Master Brady and the COLD

This is a biggest test of the year for Manning and the Denver Broncos.

Brady has 9 wins over Manning in their 13 career meetings, including the playoffs, which are the most wins for any one QB over another since 1993. Worse yet, Manning is 2-9 in games in Foxboro during his career and 2-6 against Brady at Gillette Stadium. Manning has also thrown an even 21 TD's and 21 INT’s in 11 career games in Foxboro.

Then there's this excerpt from a Denver Post article: “He’s (Manning) 2-8 in which the game temperature is below freezing (32 or below), 0-2 in any game below 20 and 2-5 in games between 20-29.”  “ He’s 8-13 in games where the game time temperature is below 40.”

For most of his career Manning had the luxury of playing 8 regular season games under a dome and he could win most of those games. Clearly, looking at his stats Manning doesn’t play well in cold weather. The current temp in Foxsboro is 28 degrees with winds up to 23 mph. It’ll probably be much colder come kick off.

Manning after the Ravens loss.

Who can forget his bad game in a frosty Denver last year against the Ravens in the 1^st round of the playoffs?

Granted the Patriots are not as good a team offensively as in years past but from a statistical point of view the odds of Manning playing well enough for the Broncos to win are stacked against him.

This is the second game of a 3 game stretch were Manning has to put up or shut up. He got the win in Denver over the Chiefs in game 1 and now must beat the Patriots in game 2. If they can win today and win next week in game 3 of the Chiefs rematch the table is set for home field throughout the playoffs and shot at a Super Bowl appearance.

Despite the odds against him in cold weather games, despite the bad ankle and despite a horrible record against Brady, today has to be the day Manning breaks out and plays a good game. It’s the reason he was brought to Denver, the opportunity is clearly his to prove his critics wrong that he’s not a choker in big games late in the season or in the playoffs.  

It’ll take a total team effort to win today but if Manning hangs out an “Epic Fail” sign in this important game the dream of a Super Bowl win becomes much more difficult. GO BRONCOS!!!

Marijuana Legalization Blossom's in Colorado

Feds raid Denver-area marijuana dispensaries and grow operations

 

A law enforcement officer walks past a pile of marijuana seized during a raid at Swiss Medical in Boulder, Colorado November 21, 2013. 
BOULDER DAILY CAMERA / Mark Leffingwell

Here’s another negative marijuana story from Colorado. You can expect many more. It seems nonsensical for the Feds to be concerned about illegal medical marijuana sales from non-licensed individuals when this was what the voters wanted. The Feds list 8 areas of enforcement in the story but they seem futile and ridiculous. In my opinion let non-licensed people sale it, what the heck difference does it make honestly? Let the chips fall where they may and let the rest of the states observe what a catastrophic mistake it was legalizing it.

Can you image trying to sort out this mess if your job in Colorado and Washington State was as a federal or local law enforcement agent? You talk about an impossible task; the confusion has to be mind boggling.

Maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually both states will literally be “going up in smoke” and the non-pot smoking taxpayers who opposed this madness will really be outraged at not just the monetary cost but also the terrible social consequences of legalization that will be brought down upon them.