A "Successful" Broncos Season is what?

First, you have to separate what is defined as a great season and a “successful” season. In 1996 the Broncos were a 13-3 team, had home field throughout and then proceeded to lose to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. After this one was over I didn’t call that Broncos season a success at all. After this one no hard core Broncos fan and no one in the media called that season a success either. It was such an epic failure that there was talk after the game that the great Elway might retire.

I consider that loss the worst defeat in Broncos team history, #2 was the Washington Redskins Super Bowl loss, then at #3 the epic fail by Jake Plummer when he blew his wad in 2006. The SB losses to the NY Giants and San Francisco 49ers were devastating but both teams were better than the Broncos so it wasn’t a big shock when we came up on the short end.

I remember the Jaguars game like it was yesterday. The day before the game I bought a brand new 32 inch Hitachi Color TV. I invited about 10 friends over to watch the game. I was absolutely convinced the Broncos were going to win the whole thing that year because they had the best regular season record in the AFC and I believed at the time no one could stop them. That one hurt, hurt bad, it crushed Elway and the City of Denver. Did they win a lot of games that year and put up great stats? Oh yeah but to call that season successful is bad joke.

The same would be true of the Redskins loss in the Super Bowl. The Broncos got a second chance after losing to what was a far better team than them in the Giants the year before. The Broncos were the best team in the NFL during the regular season in 1988. The Redskins were lucky to be there.

They let the Bucs QB Doug Williams and RB Tim Smith have career days when both wouldn’t even be backups on most teams. For whatever reason a pretty good Broncos D up until that point unraveled, especially in the secondary that didn't help matters either. Tony Lilly, who can forget Lilly getting beat like a school boy on every pass play.

Then of course there’s 2006, a team as it turned out that was one player, a QB, away from a SB.

After the last Super Bowl win in 1998 Mike Shanahan would go onto have what some would call “successful” seasons. None of them translated into a Super Bowl win however and the memory of the last one has turned into a 13 year wait for another.

The game is played to win championships period. If the Broncos blow a chance here with home field advantage with Peyton Manning at the top of his game and the D playing as well as they have in years I wouldn’t call it a successful season.

THEY MUST WIN THE SUPER BOWL! GO BRONCOS!!

Tebow should not waste away in NYC

Tebow is wasting away with a horrible Jets team.

Tim Tebow says he wants to start or he wants to be traded or released from the Jets and who could blame him. In hindsight Tebow probably wishes he hadn’t went to New York. I’m sure Rex Ryan feels the same way. In all the years I’ve watched NFL games I’ve never seen a single worse performance in a game by a QB than Mark Sanchez in the Titans game.

He made some of the worst throws I’ve ever seen and you might go as far as saying it was the worst performance by any position player in any game in NFL history. Nothing can excuse the dreadful game he played. The irony is as bad as he played he still had a chance to redeem himself and win the game in 4th Q in the final minutes and then fumbled a snap, it wasn’t the best in the world for sure but one he should of handled it.

50 turnovers in 2 years aren’t going to promote job security. IMO his career in NYC is over and if the Jets don’t trade or outright release him at season’s end their making a big mistake. Frauds in the NFL can hide for only so long, The reason the Jets had a good team the last couple of years was because of a good D. When it crashed this season Sanchez was finally exposed.

That said Ryan made a huge mistake by not putting Tebow in the lineup at about Week 5 or 6 after it was apparent that Sanchez’s confidence was completely gone.

IMO Tebow today no matter what haters say about him is better start at QB even with all of his warts than Sanchez or say QB's like Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, Ryan Lindey, John Skeleton, Nick Foles, Chad Henne, Christian Ponder, Brandy Quinn, and Matt Cassel. I would argue he’s even a better start than guys like Carson Palmer or Ryan Tannehill.

You can bet your backside many of the teams listed here with these subpar starters at QB would have loved to have Tebow on their team and gladly given him a shot to start, learn and grow on their teams.

I’m convinced that Tebow’s story has yet to be written. Someone someday is going to give him a chance to be a starting QB in the NFL because he’s a winner, a warrior and a team guy through and through.

I’m happy to see the Broncos have what has turned into a great season but the Peyton Manning story has yet to really be written too. Peyton Manning MUST win a Super Bowl in Denver, it’s the only way I’m ever going to say it was the right move to sign him. The Tebow trade and the Manning signing are 2 separate stories but will always be connected and in my mind until Manning wins a Championship for the Broncos nothing is settled.

Good luck Tebow, I’d really like to see the day when you get an honest chance to show what you can do as a starter not just because you’re talented and could help a team win games but because you also earned the right to be one.

Media Frenzy not good for the Broncos

First let’s begin with this important point. I'm thrilled the Broncos clinched the AFC West. It's been an amazing season for Manning, the Broncos and the fans thus far.

Still... I don't like the media hype surrounding them right now; I think it could be a hex or a curse. Never count your chickens before they've hatched. The Broncos haven't won anything yet.

We've won the AFC West several times, we've won playoff games and we've won AFC Championship games. None of that is new right? Let’s say they advance that far is it good enough?

Personally, no it isn't enough. Winning it all is the only thing; it's the only way you can call the season a total success. Being a "good" team and falling short like the 29 others may be good for some teams and fans, even for some Broncos fans but not for me. We've been second best before and that stinks. 12 years is a long enough wait for an organization that should expect nothing less than a win in the final game.

The bar must be set high winning the whole thing has to be an obsessive hunger that the owner, the coaches, players and the fans have burning in their guts. We have 2 Super Bowl wins we must have another one nothing less will do.

The team I see still has a very tough road ahead to win that war. Without Willis McGahee I think the odds drop for the Broncos.

Moreno has shown signs of life but his past history as the lead RB has not been the answer. I don't see Knowshon Moreno running for a 100 yards against a good team like the Ravens even without their studs on D. He'll probably hit the wall this week and in the playoffs if he's our guy, the outlook diminishes considerably.

Maybe Manning and the improve D can carry the Broncos but without the legitimate threat of a running game and play action Manning's dink and dunk passing game becomes less effective.

This is far from being in the bag my friends. There are plenty of great teams that could kick the Broncos ass in a shoot out in the playoffs. A good balance of passing and ball control smash mouth football and great D wins Super Bowls. Ask Manning, he's been there twice, once with a great running game and once without. He's 1-1 after a long career and all the bulky stats, the yards, the completions and the TD passes.

So guys, be optimistic but realistic. We need to keep playing them one at a time and when the first playoff game comes we must expect the best in all 3 areas of the game to win and advance. Staying healthy and luck plays into but it to be the team that wins it all a team must create its own luck.

Worse offensive and defensive teams than the Broncos have won the SB. Let's hope it's our turn because we're the best, let’s not settle for second.

The 3rd ring is the thing.

Denver Broncos Defense: The Unsung Heroes

Von Miller INT seals the deal for the Broncos.

It was awesome to see the Broncos clinch the AFC West Title. Peyton Manning deserves credit but the pick 6 by Von Miller was the nail in the coffin. I didn't expect the Broncos to win this many games so I have to eat my words on the early predictions I made. The AFC West may be the weakest division in football but as much as the media wants to crown Manning as MVP of the league to many overlook how well the Broncos Defense has played this season.

Some of you may or may not have noticed I haven't doled out much praise for the Broncos the 2nd half of the season. Today they do deserve it, Manning deserves it, and the D most certainly deserves it. I still feel in my gut and in my heart that until Manning hoists the Lombardi over his head the signing can't be called a success despite his great regular season comeback.

Maybe to some that's asking too much but since Manning cost the Broncos so much in so many ways and since his window of opportunity is so small nothing else will do. Call my expectations to high but that's how this armchair QB sees it.

The Broncos have to get one of their RB's to produce because without the threat of a running game I don't see them going deep in the playoffs. Thomas has made a big jump as a WR and the rest of the Receivers have done a serviceable job but it won't be enough.

Clinching early is great too but no guarantee of a championship. Manning's Colt teams did it many times and he only has one ring to show for it so the Broncos must not get complacent or take any games off the rest of the season. If they finish strong they could be the second highest seed in the AFC and get all their playoff games at home except the AFC Championship Game if the Texans get that far. So the remaining games matter and they must continue to improve in all phases of the game.

Congrats enjoy the win today Broncos Fans but they still have work to do, like taking the Oakland Raiders to the Slaughter House on Thursday. GO BRONCOS!'

Good Times, Great Vacation in Mexico

Marlin Fishing in Mexico.

We had a great time in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The beaches were beautiful, the weather was fantastic and the food was superb. The best part was getting to know Paul and Beth Rodriguez and my dear friend Linda Sweet and her Husband Steve. We had a lot of laughs together.

Jenny caught a 20 pound Dorado that was the nicest fish we caught all day. Someday I will get a Marlin. I think the next time we go to Mexico we'll probably go to Cabo because I heard big game fishing is much better there.

I love the Mexican culture, and the people. They work hard, they play hard, and they have a pride and a dignity that some Mexican-Americans in the States just don't have nor can appreciate. I was impressed with their manners, demeanor and patience with us the whole time we were there. It was a great lesson in humility for me.

I have to say that I drank more beer in PV than I have total in the last 10 years of my life. It was very hot and humid so the beers went in the body and out the pores as soon as you drank one. I thought when I got on the plane to fly back to Oregon I was going to have to make a pit stop at a Rehab center before I went home.

The other cool thing that happened there was after putting it off for years and years I finally got some long overdue dental work done. The first Monday I was there I spent 8 hours in a dentist chair. I had a 4 tooth bridge made for my uppers, a 3 tooth partial for my lowers, a root canal and a crown made plus 6 cavities fixed. I also had my teeth whiten. Altogether I spent nearly 16 hours over a 3 day period getting my teeth fixed.

It was a grueling experience to say the least but the cost savings was unbelievable. The estimate I received from a Denist here in Astoria minus the teeth whitening was nearly $12,000. All the work I just mentioned came in under $2500 and that included the whitening. Not a bad savings is it? And both the bridge and the partial fit perfectly by the way. It seemed unreal to me that they could get both pieces made in the less than 3 days by a lab. It would have taken at least 2 to 3 weeks minimum in the States to get done what I got done in 3 days in Mexico.

So all in all Jenny and I had a great time and now it's back to the real world. When we landed in Portland Sunday night it was raining cats and dogs. When I looked at the forecast on the way home it called for rain for the next 7 days. The sunny days in Mexico may be gone but we'll have memories of it forever. Thanks Linda for giving us a gift of a lifetime.

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest: On Stage in Astoria

Saturday night I went to see the stage production of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest at the Astor Street Opry Company in Astoria with Jenny. It was our 3rd trip to the ASOC and again I was amazed by the quality and depth of the acting by the members of the cast.

After watching this stage version I found that it was a better story than the movie because in the play the supporting actors have bigger roles and add a different dimension that was missing from the movie. Don’t get me wrong the movie is one of the best ever but when it’s on stage, the acting and characters breathe a different light into it that you immediately notice and appreciate.

For instance the funny basketball game was abbreviated and played inside the common area of the institution. The fishing trip is omitted, and the World Series scene was completely different, brilliantly done and it gave the other actors in the cast more lines adding to the humor and scope of the scene.

One of the very cool and well done parts of the play is how McMurphy (Played by Steve Wood) deals with the idea of electroshock therapy and then what happens once he gets it. In the play he openly challenges Nurse Ratched (Played by Deborah McEuen) to give it to him. There’s a good piece of dialog that goes on in that particular scene that wasn’t in the movie.

Dr. Spivey (Played by Bob Goldberg) had an interesting part and dialog, adding humor and believability to the play. Again something that isn’t included in the movie version.

Another good piece of writing was how the whole suicide scene of Billy (Played by Eric Keto) is crafted. In the play you don’t see him after the fact as per the movie but instead it’s all happening off stage and I believe that sometimes what you don’t see is far more tragic and horrible than what you do see. When left to the imagination scary things become way more terrifying.

Personally for me the most memorable addition to the play that I really loved was the between scenes dialog of Chief Bromden (Played by Barry Sears.) The Chief has a very important role in the play and has far more conversational dialog. The last scene of the play with the Chief and Mr. Harding (Played by Dan Driscoll) was some of the best acting I’ve seen on stage in Astoria. Taking nothing away from Steve Wood’s performance as McMurphy, Barry Sears stole the show.

Markus Brown directed this production and I have to say he did an excellent job with a very tough play, many characters and quick difficult transitions. Markus is a carpenter by trade and the set he designed and built had a very professional look and feel to it. It really looked like a mental institution. The Lighting designed by Mick Alderman, another friend, was awesome and really added to the production and the drama of the play.

Since Markus is a friend and 2 others involved with the play were friends this will be the hardest part of my review but since I think Markus would want an honest opinion I’ll share what I considered some of the few weaknesses of the play.

I thought that Steve Wood (McMurphy) had a little trouble in the beginning getting his feet under him but as the play went on however he got much stronger and more confident. By the end he was amazing. The same could be said of Dan Driscoll who had some trouble with lines and I think tried to often in the beginning to be a little to deliberately witty. He too grew more confident as the ship got underway.

Deborah McEuen definitely had the hard nose and strong personality down pat as Nurse Ratched. In her portrayal she seemed angrier and clearly showed more emotion in her face, eyes, voice and demeanor than the actress from the movie version. In the movie Louise Fletcher plays it like ice, cold, unemotional, deadpan and with almost dead eyes. Deborah was excellent in the role she just played it from a different emotional prospective which I assume is what Markus wanted.

I thought Jason Hippert as Cheswick, Brian Allen as Martini and Eric Keto as Billy were all fantastic in their supporting roles as well.

Steve Wood was excellent as McMurphy and all the actors did a great job for Community Theater but I thought Barry Sears as the Chief will be the character I’ll always remember. Maybe it was because I had no idea he had so many lines in the play but he was truly amazing.

Overall it was an excellent and entertaining evening and I completely respect and admire the cast and crew of the play. I highly recommend you go see it this weekend if tickets are still available. Markus my hat is off to you, good work my friend.

Broncos Comeback One for the Ages

This ranks as one of the all-time choke jobs.

I thought when Eric Decker did his little somersault and then soon after when Peyton Manning threw the pick six it was all over. The Decker blunder is headed for the bloopers Hall of Shame. I admit it, I couldn't stop rewinding the play and laughing at him. Thankfully he redeemed himself with the nice catch and TD run in the second half.

The meltdown by Philip Rivers was epic. The 5 turnovers in the second half were unbelievable. I just wonder how Rivers and the Chargers can recover from this devastating loss.

I'm trying to remember any game recently where a comeback was so swift and so completely mind numbingly catastrophic. It's been a long time and it’s about time a game like this went in the Broncos favor.

What a game! The Broncos D rose up; Manning rose up and pulled the Bolts down from the sky like dead ducks.

Wow! I still haven't caught my breath. It just does not get any better than this. Hopefully this win gives the Broncos some strong momentum going into the second half of the season.

GO BRONCOS!!!