Finishing Your Career Like John Elway Is Beyond Dreaming

To the credit of Brock Osweiler, the young man has waited a long time to show us the skills that he brings to the table as a quarterback, but in reality this team could just as easily win the Superbowl with Trent Dilfer if it had to.

That is the name that comes to mind whenever you are talking about the "game manager" tag that usually only becomes a key aspect of the conversation when you have the kind of defense to make it part of the conversation.

Like Baltimore did back then, Denver has that defense, and no matter how great the shadow cast by the name Peyton Manning (his game these days is hardly shadow worthy), the biggest shadow of them all is coming from the Denver Broncos defense.

In many ways, it was the shadow of the defensive excellence that has made Peyton's mediocre play so very intolerable.  Now, it will be the thing that demands Osweiler repeat his no turnover Chicago Bears performance against every other team on the schedule and in the playoffs if he hopes to join Trent Dilfer on the list of  game managing, Superbowl champions.

Running the ball is not always about the yards.

To the back handed credit of Brock "The Unknown" Osweiler -and my repeated criticism of Peyton "The Audible King" Manning- sometimes just running the play that the coach called is the best play.

For over a decade now, coaches on teams with experienced quarterbacks have had to decide how much "Peyton Manning" freedom they would give their quarterback to audible in and out of plays as they see fit.  Manning was the blueprint, and in essence, coaches have had to decide whether the offensive coordinator or the quarterback would establish the offensive identity.
                            
In Denver, WE HAVE PEYTON MANNING and the limits on how much Manning gets to effect the play calling began.........never.  Well, it actually did start a little bit last year when our previous Offensive Coordinator (Adam Gase) would yell at Manning for changing out of run plays EVERY time a defense gave a fake look.
                   ______________

What's the biggest difference between a Denver Broncos team with Peyton Manning versus one without him?  PLAY CALLING
                   _______________

This year, Kubiak has played the tug-o-war of play calling with Peyton like John Fox and Adam Gase did because Kubiak is the head coach and the play caller too.  When Manning didn't stop turning the ball over, and just so happened to have enough of an injury to use as his excuse, Kubiak finally benched Manning and took 100% control over play calling.

In other words, the identity and experience of Kubiak as a play calling head coach has never really been seen by this team or this community until the Chicago Bears game.  Actually, even Kubiak was stuck in a post Manning fog until late in the second half when he finally started running the football and playing to the strength of the team- the defense.

He was adamant about that point in his post game speech, and he has actually claimed the necessity of it (ball control and defense) even when he didn't insure the consistency of it under Manning.

This team has had a defense and a running game for four years that deserved an 80% to 20% run to pass balance that Manning just do well.  The biggest difference between our defense in four years is an older Chris Harris Jr. and Aquib Talib versus Dominique Rodgers Cromardie who gave Denver easily as much as Talib has- minus the eye poking.

By maintaining an 80-20 balance from here until the final game, Denver should be the last team standing.  Sure, Kubiak could have vicarious dreans for Brock, the backup who could actually replace the legend and become one himself.  Many times in the past, Kubiak himself was cast in the role of replacement to John Elway during injury, creating similar controversy when Elway wasn't performing up to par. That should be the least of his concerns this time around. (unconfirmed reports from 104.3 The Fan radio show say Elway is actually more in favor of Osweiler than is Kubiak)

Whether Osweiler plays well in a few games and not so well in others, creating a way for Manning's smooth return, or if Osweiler lights up the sky and blocks Manning from an easy return to action, THIS TEAM MUST RUN THE BALL.....PERIOD.

Personally, I would prefer a healthy Manning with 20 years of experience and knowledge to finish out our 80-20 run to victory so long as the men in the locker room agree with me.  Running the ball more consistently would not only make Manning appear to be a better quarterback, it will make him a better quarterback.

If the Denver Broncos are to win in the end, whoever hands the ball off will still only be credited for being the game manager of an all-time great defense.  That won't be great for the Manning legacy, but it will beat the heck out of not winning at all or winning with Osweiler handing it off 80% of the time instead.

Trying to finish your career like Elway did is a fairy tale, and fairy tales only happen once.

What's Wrong With Peyton Manning? Who Still Cares?

Back in those 'so called' good ole days, when Peyton Manning was lighting up the stat sheets and keeping all of you part time Denver Bronco fans- full time Fantasy Football fanatic- happy and healthy in your league standings, the criticism against Manning was minimal at best.

In fact, I often felt kind of lonely and sort of mean writing posts that declared to hell with Peyton Manning and all of his fancy smancy trick offensive calls.  Sure, it was going to put the defense on the back of their heels, for a little while.  If coached by Bill Belicheck, Manning's mystical offense loses its power and control, looking like the dead run and shoot style from the now defunct USFL.

Yeah, Manning looks like some hot scheme gone cold just like the run and shoot.  He can still exploit the less experienced NFL secondary players, but even they have the film from that Superbowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks, who have functionally written the doctrine on defeating Manning.

Screw you too Brew.

If you chart it, we have basically seen some version of that approach every since that fateful game.  Win or lose, its the better way to go with Manning and the geriatric scoring bares that out.

Was that a dig at Manning's advanced age as an NFL quarterback?

Screw you Peyton Manning.

No, no!  This time its a good screw you Manning versus last years cursing of all that "Omaha, Omaha" crap that hasn't kept Peyton from being one of the NFL's greatest turnover artists and not Manning the Magician that he still thinks he is.

This time I say screw Manning because we truly don't need him to win anymore, giving him the potential to be the most respected game manager in the NFL; which is also an ultimate disrespect to all-time great passers.

Game managers are not respected in a world that finds no fantasy football value in such a thing.  Those of us who recognize the slippery slope of competitive addiction that lies in fantasy football or any one of those Facebook games, can still watch NFL football and our beloved Broncos for the value of the experience.

High scoring starts of previous seasons, that ended with stress and concern about how to close out a tight battle with a worn down defense that has played too many minutes because we show no commitment to run, kinda sucked for me.  Offensive production that amounts to points on the board may seem valuable no matter how you get them, but all points are not created equal.

Time of possession is a point of another sort in the game of football, and tilting the field for a rested defense is not only similar to scoring, that is virtually an Aquib Talib interception away from 6 points in this era of Bronco football.

If Peyton Manning- who used to humbly step to the podium and say he didn't really care how the team accomplished a win back when he was usually the reason for the win- actually doesn't really care how the team wins, it is now time to put up or shut up and follow the diagram for success no matter where it seems to be taking this team.

The last guy to get us over the top (Terrell Davis not John Elway), seems to think the same kind of stuff that I feel regarding what we are seeing out on the field.

According to Davis, "I see things a little different than some. I see a team that can get in an ugly brawl and win".

Why does it matter that Terrell agrees with me?  It doesn't.  It only matters that he is agreeing with me while using those recognizable terms that only come to bare in the championship moments of sports.

Inevitably, every sporting event- that doesn't involve the massacre of one team over another- gets compared to THE ultimate sporting event, the one in which your arse is truly on the line.

Boxing comparisons are supremely cliche but represent the only vernacular we have when sports ascend into the realm of war.  MMA doesn't quite translate the same and Bruce Lee is that hero we don't even dream of being like, so we dare not compare his one finger punch to anything that happens on a field or court. But, boxing?  Everyone can relate to a good fist fight and might have even dreamed of what it feels like to win one.

Superbowl legend from the Dallas Cowboys Michael Irving, stated it in an interesting way.  He said (I will paraphrase) if you want to hurt a team you attack them at their weakness.  If you want to utterly destroy them you attack them at their strength.

No matter what teams are doing to take attack the strength of Manning's offensive exploits when firing on all cylinders, nothing they do to Manning can disrupt the undisputed strength of this team- its defense.

I called this defense special even before Manning started playing poorly enough to bare that witness as well.  Only real, Orange Crush-like Bronco fans who actually care about defense, recognized the constant call to action that the defense had to answer in previous seasons, carrying Manning through what has become increasing moments of predictability.

Manning will never be the best player on this team for as long as he remains on this team.  Manning is still in the top ten list of best players on the Denver Broncos team, and Brock Osweiler is not even in the top 20 or 25 considering players who recently stepped up and impressed in the absence of injured starters.

If all you really have left in Peyton Manning is someone who can be the consummate game manager for a team that probably needs one more than any team has needed one in recent years, then this Denver Bronco team just found its QB for this year and the next.

What's Different With Denver's Defense?

Manning can reduce the mental error and turnovers, and needs to do it for the sake of his career and legacy.  How he closes the book on his career is soon to be determined.  Will he get a title and ride out like Elway did?  Can this team actually get better with rookie Shane Ray or old man Demarcus Ware out of the lineup?

Speaking of what do you see, despite injuries of their own, this Bronco fan sees a team that has played well on defense for the past two seasons culminating in this breakout year in which our number one acquisition in the off-season was not any one player, but one very special coach.

Wade Phillips is the only real difference between the defense we now laud and the under schemed, over utilized defense who are essentially the exact same players as before. Between Phillips and a stellar special teams unit, the Broncos are as good as every other undefeated team out there, who all have some areas of needed improvement despite their spotless records.  Fix our capable but sputtering offense and the Broncos would clearly be the best team in a league unsure who the best team actually is.

When things get tight, hold strong Bronco Fans.

This defense and its new coordinator deserve exactly what they are getting right now- the culmination of several years of good work gone mostly unnoticed. They are a marriage made in football heaven, and the reason why I would take these Broncos, including our more than capable QB Peyton Manning, into battle against any team with the absolute confidence that we can win.

None of my old screw you Manning posts had any confidence that we could actually win without Manning performing at least marginally well. Now I really really mean it.

Broncos Building A Championship Or Bust Foundation

To run or not to run.

That is the question that has betwixt'ed the Broncos for the past few season, maybe for as long as Peyton has been at the helm.

Years of Manning's marvels have littered the league and the record books with evidence of a quarterback who knows how to unravel a defense,  and an equal amount of evidence of how he did it as well.  When the method didn't change, the evidence of how began to mount in favor of the defense; nothing more telling and tolling than the empty backfield and the declaration of hope that it gave hopeless defenses who used to face off against Manning without a clue of what he'd do next.

Nobody conquered Manning.  They all survived and  a few overcame him in the end.  An army can win battle after battle, but will only be remembered when they storm the hill and overtake the castle.  Those great teams from Minnesota and Buffalo that nearly won four titles, but failed on them all, are historical blurs for a select few fans who lived to watch it happen. For a few years after they finished, we actually showed a great deal of respect to Minnesota's QB, Fran Tarkenton or Buffalo's Jim Kelly.

Modern fans don't get reminded at all about teams and players that did a lot of good stuff, but couldn't get it done.

Dan Marino could be in the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate.  But he didn't win.  As a result, only those who watch him on his Sunday football show even know his name anymore.  And none of them put him into the GOAT argument like we did right after he finished playing.  If you are too young, Dan Marino may as well be Dan Fouts for all the aerial success that each had that never amounted to Superbowl victories.

Currently, my 3-0 Broncos are stuck in the middle of an approach that calls for running even when it doesn't result in large production.  It is hard to argue with the record, yet easy to question the run game results, assuming of course you are the naturally paranoid type of person who needs to question such things of an undefeated team.

I could address the question of the run game by reminding Denver's critics of the defensive stalwarts that opposed us to open the season. Baltimore, Kansas City and Detroit- teams with well developed defensive identities of their own-  are teams that also like to run the ball and play good defense themselves.   Yet, that would sound like an excuse since way too many of us have insisted that running is the only way to really win in the end.

We and thee (Broncos), are equally aware of the necessity of running the ball, which is why this year appears to a be run game that isn't working instead of one that got abandoned altogether long before games end as was the case many nights under John Fox.

Save for the close out, 10 minute possession in the Baltimore game that was rich with running, the results in the run game have appeared to be less than stellar.  But, if you factor in the time of possession victories that have insured a fresh defense; one that is currently number two in total takeaways on a team that is leading the NFL in turnover differential, then the scenario appears more like a star rising to meet its stellar stature.

These Broncos are bullies by intention.  It may not appear that way with our 55 yards per game run average, but they've destroyed opposing run games and created key turnovers whenever opposing run games have titled the field against us (11 turnovers, 10 takeaways through 3 games).

Manning is taking a few too many hits and had a few too many turnovers himself while slow footing it out from under center, so Coach Gary Kubiak has been forced to compromise his run dreams by adding way too many pistol sets (QB in the shotgun with running backs behind the QB) in an attempt to keep opposing defenses somewhat honest.

But that also places our running backs an additional few yards behind the line of scrimmage versus a normal "underneath the center" run attack. creating a stronger necessity for a crafty and capable running back to cause misses and make up the lag. Until the running backs improve their pass blocking, the whole plan will have to adjust a bit explaining an offense that is sputtering beyond the run game.

CJ Anderson is nursing injuries from that first game beating he took, and Juwan Thompson just joined him on the beaten and battered list, but Ronnie Hilman is still fresher, running for his future, and seems to create those necessary misses that has kept opposing defenses honest.  Even with dinged up backs and marginal production, there has been no disrespect or disregard for Denver's run game.

In fact, the opposite is true in that teams have committed mightily to stop our run, opening up Denver's pass game to just enough breathing room to win games for us.  From my point of view, the passing game is much more shaky when you consider the easy connections we nearly made and the impressive catches we've had to make to fill the void and save games.

But even that is some nit picky, bull crap paranoia.

Yo Bronco fans!  Chill out and stop
playing fantasy football with your
home team players.

For me, the signs are so clear that I've lost my room to criticize, and thus my reason to write a bunch of paranoid postings like we pundits have correctly crafted to condemn the home team for 3 years straight.  Sure, they could get better in areas, but the last three Peyton Manning seasons have placed a huge premium on looking good over being good when being good matters most, in the playoffs.

This team appears to have come up short if you consider the mere presence of Manning as a reason why we should have won at least one of the last three Superbowls.  The true narrative is that we've only played for one of three and lost the only Superbowl we played in rather resoundingly, looking like a team that really had no reason to be in that game in the first place.

I don't know if this team will win it all.  What I know is that they are seriously building to become one that can. No, I've never built a championship football team, but I've seriously played with enough building blocks to trust the quality of this design.

John Fox No Longer Denver Broncos Coach. Is Adam Gase Up Next?

All signs point towards the hiring of Adam Gase as the next head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Is Gase Up Next (....and is
 Manning okay with that)?

Why not? By season's end, we not only  came to know who Gase is, we started to forget who John Fox was as well.  Reminder: John Fox is just as afraid of the big moment as is the current starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos.  As a result, John Fox is a former Broncos coach and  Adam Gase, the guy most responsible for the mid-season transformation of the Broncos, is likely to be the guy who takes over.

The loss of Fox doesn't bode well for the future of Jack Del Rio who's vanilla approach to defense gave the best quarterbacks in the league way too much time to think.  These two old school coaches saw Denver as their next best hope for career resurrection and they remained arm and arm throughout the trials of expectation and the travails of coming up short. If reports about John Fox being a candidate for one of the open NFL head coaching positions are true, Del Rio might be well served to follow his friend Fox.  Before Gase, two previous offensive coordinators were gobbled up by the head coaching circuit and Gase will become the third in a row with or without the intervention of Elway who had better hire him or watch him work from another sideline next season.

Gase might become another beneficiary of coaching the great Peyton Manning, but he is also the first coach since Tony Dungy to remind Peyton who the boss is.  Manning has been given such freedom throughout his years as a quarterback that his decision to continue playing, after multiple surgeries on his neck, was as much a function of his support from management as his freedom to "Be Peyton".  Elway offered a reasonable attraction for Manning when it came to managerial support, but he could only continue to allow Peyton to be Peyton to the extent that it fulfilled the larger objective.  Elway's off season focus on the defensive side of the ball should have clarified the larger objective, but Gase had to deliver the message to Manning because Fox simply wasn't smarter than Manning when it came to coordinating offensive attacks.

So Fox had to go.

Fox might not be much smarter than Del Rio either because Denver's vanilla defense rarely found a sprinkle of nuts or candy on top.  Although players seemed supportive of Fox overall, winning was never something they seemed to do for the sake of the coach.  Fox was a great team builder, but an average button pusher in the heat of the moment.  If he gets another job, he will always be forced into great game planning  because on the fly adjustments are not in his wheel house.  Better coaches seem to work circles around Fox who's predictability is becoming legendary.

The real question is whether or not Manning is willing to press on while being pressed down beneath the thumb of head coach Gase?  Despite the obvious success that the run game revealed to Denver Bronco players and fans, Manning seemed to be having less fun at football when the game plan adjustments took the ball out of his hands.  During the playoff loss to the Colts, Manning passed up on 20 yards of open field that would have allowed him to run  (don't laugh) and convert an important third and 5. Instead, Peyton failed to thread the needle to a well covered Emmanuel Sanders.  Those who later claimed that he didn't have the legs to run might have missed the 4 yards that he quickly ran from the middle of the pocket just to attempt the pass to Sanders.

Manning loves to remind you how physically mobile he can be when necessary, but fails to recognize how mentally immobile it reveals him to be from a holistic approach to football.  Manning's mobility is limited to whatever it takes to complete a pass, so the only thing the Colts had to employ against a pass happy Bronco team is the Seattle Seahawks Superbowl blueprint of pressing the outside receivers.  Denver's desperate cry for a healthy Julius Thomas was as much a game plan giveaway as is his presence on the field which immediately denotes something other than a run play.  Thomas, who is notoriously poor at run blocking, became the visual equivalent of an empty backfield for Denver's defensive opponents, and the Colts salivated at the opportunity to make plays when such offensive declarations provided them.

Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson have likely decided that it is time to send all of the old guard out to pasture, not just Denver's aging Bronco, so Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers had best be ready for a real fight in the conference finals.  As for Manning, he is no longer the glue of his team and might soon become the kind of glue that an old horse fears the most.  While the Broncos could use his ability to help them transition into the future, he is likely too proud to finish his career as the game manager that C.J. Anderson and a well stocked defense need him to be, but too old to try and start again somewhere else.  With such an abrupt exit from the playoffs....again, whether or not Manning returns to the field next year is probably a question that even Manning himself has not figured an answer for.

As a matter of decision making, Manning should know that Gase will remain in his face and C.J. will become the chosen Mr. Anderson who fixes this matrix.  Denver also becomes a leading candidate for the acquisition of Jameis Winston(FSU)  or Cordale Jones(OSU), college quarterbacks with the kind of stuff that might impress someone like the great John Elway who has to recognize that his true challenge will be overcoming the great quarterbacks who threaten to own the league for years to come, and that Brock Osweiller is not equal to any of them. Will these great college players fall within the reach of Denver or will Denver be forced to trade (maybe even Manning) for a chance to find its future quarterback?

Stay tuned.

Tony Romo For MVP? The Notion Alone Might Secure Dallas A Crown

For the love of Peyton, I actually started to think of my own team, the Denver Broncos, as Americas new team.  And then the Tony Romo for MVP conversation brought me out of my Mile High cloud.

Make no mistake.  The Dallas Cowboys are, and may forever be Americas team.  The roots of sports fandom run so deep that they create upshoots that appear throughout the world.  Michael Jordan is much more than an American sports hero and the Bulls are the NBA equivalent of the NFL's Cowboys as a result.  Cowboy fans may have quieted themselves over the past decade of mediocrity, but their silence was that of a malignant tumor waiting for any positive sign of the greatness of old.  Winning as the Cowboys have won in the past is a hard elixir to ignore once its sweetness has caressed your palate.

Jerry Jones probably have squeezed the hope out of every chance his team has had to return to the pinnacle of greatness by managing his organization with an iron fist that seldom yields the nectar of champions.  Whether or not his iron fist has finally squeezed out a running game of consequence and a defense that will complement shall unfold in the coming weeks.  Demarco Murray has performed so well that Tony Romo even thinks he is just better at football now. His team clearly didn't trust their MVP quarterback to let him go without the broken hand on Murray who played in yesterdays game with an injury.

So does the emergence of the C.J. Anderson run game in Denver mean Peyton Manning is worse or better as a quarterback because his team is winning without his typical exploits too?  Are we really of the notion that Tony Romo can read defenses better than he used to, and that run game thing is only fortunate to be along for the ride?  Romo has never been a horrible quarterback, and the Dallas Cowboys have never been a horrible team,  They have been consistently projected for greatness because the 8-8 mediocrity simply didn't fit the talent on paper.  The emergence of the Cowboys during this season comes when most of the analyst had given up on the notion of them being anything better than average.

One week ago, the Cowboys were actually on the fence between winning the division or being left out of the playoffs altogether.  That fate fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, but not until last night when the Cowboys trounced the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Redskins pulled of an upset victory over a conference rival in the Eagles.  Not a moment before that unexpected occurrence has anyone mentioned Tony Romo as a potential MVP and suddenly he is leading the conversation?

The real reason for this debate is the reason Romo and the Cowboys are likely to be one and done in the playoffs.  The true MVP's of the league; Manning, Watt, Gronkowski, Brady, are either playing defense or playing on teams with an exceptional defense backing them.  Seattle titled the axis of power in the league and every team with a great quarterback has had to adjust to the demand of winning from the defensive side of the ball as a result.  Doing this demands an efficient run attack in order to win the TIME OF POSSESSION war that insures great defenses remain great on every play.  Overworking any defense will expose them, which is why the likely odds for a Superbowl matchup will be a Superbowl rematch including the two teams with the best defenses and the best run game/quarterback play to support said run games. (Sorry New England, but Gronkowski can't run the ball too....can he?)

Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch will be assigned to insure that the Legion of Boom remains sonic while Peyton Manning and C.J. Anderson will be responsible for unveiling their defense to a national audience hopeful that the John Elway influence will make this game more entertaining than the last.  I expect Manning to be unleashed in the second half of this years Superbowl game since he will essentially have been under wrap for nearly half of the season, but Wilson is always waiting to unwrap his talents.  If Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray make it through, it will be only because Romo shocked the world and outfoxed the defending champion Hawks, which I consider highly unlikely. If the lack of D in Dallas forces Romo to open up again and take the kind of chances that typically produced Cowboy mediocrity, the Legion of Boom (or some other playoff team) will spell his doom.

Foreshadowing the NFL.  Romo wins MVP while Broncos
and Seahawks repeat last years matchup.

Denver has the D to win it all, but Denver's defense will need to be other worldly because the wheels and skills of Wilson are slowly elevating themselves to a realm that we may have never witnessed in one player.  Elway had great mobility and an arm to boot, but even he couldn't make people miss so eloquently as does Wilson.  The end game ability of Wilson is a direct by-product of his willingness to win ugly or win off of the exploits of his run game and his defense, if need be.

Absent any lasting injuries to either teams key players, this match up is virtually etched in stone to my eyes.  Even the offensive barrage that I see happening in the second half of this epic Superbowl rematch lives in my imagination like a foreshadowed prophecy.  I fear the Seahawks quarterback more than I trust my own, but thanks to the Denver  D, the Broncos will avenge their loss by winning the Superbowl, but one day prior, Tony Romo will be named MVP of the league even though he won't make it to the Superbowl along the way(voting happens at the end of the regular season).

Barring an exceptional final game performance from one of the other top five MVP alternatives to Romo, Romo will win MVP because America's team won't be home for post-Christmas revelry this year. Romo will win it because every other candidate will have reasons why they haven't outshined an opportunity to recognize America's team again.  The Cowboys and Tony Romo will truly be lucky to even win one playoff game with the weaknesses in their defense, but Romo might still be handed an MVP trophy; not because he deserves it, but America's team does.  



POSTSCRIPT:

While listening to Dan Patrick talk about the belligerence of Marshawn Lynch, who chose to answer every  post-game question from reporters, with the words "thanks for asking that question", and nothing more, Patrick declared that Lynch should be suspended.  I wonder if DanPatrick thinks Bill Belichick or Greg Popovich or even Phil Jackson during his zen moments should be fired for being belligerent towards the media?

I think not.


ONE MORE THING!

Can't wait to watch the (6-9)Atlanta Falcons and the (6-9)Carolina Panthers fight for the division crown next week.   #dontchangeAthing

Peyton Manning Who? Defending the Gospel of John

Just a quick reminder.

Peyton Manning is the quarterback that threw all of those passes to the league leading receiving duo, Demarius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.  Add the early season exploits of Julius Thomas who dominated touchdown receptions even afer he was out for several weeks with injury and Manning was setting a pace to annihilate the record books that he already destroyed  last season.

Another quick reminder.

During those games I boldly declared the Denver Broncos defense to be the most complete and therefore BEST defense of them all.  As it stands today, Denver's D ranks #4, but no other team with a top 5 defense has the top receiving corp as well.  With national concern raging over the spiritual transformation of the Broncos, skeptics who question this type of miraculous change quickly pursue reasonable explanations as to how sinners can become saints and how Manning has relented to the "run the ball", defensive Gospel of John.

C.J. Anderson's has evoked claims of blasphemy towards those who dare call him another Terrell Davis, but the numbers and the first defender who keeps falling on their face makes you wonder if C.J. (Christ Jesus?..) is the hope of Denver's football salvation. The Gospel of John included the potential to strike you with a timely pass in between T.D.'s exploits, but it also might have involved a quarterback sneak or two just to remind you of who was the Hall of Fame player and who was not.

In Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers, the Broncos ran the ball all the way down field and within 2 yards of scoring a touchdown, and tried their best to let their Hall of Fame QB finish it off in the only way that he can.  It resulted in a 3 point score instead of a touchdown, but it mostly resulted in a deepening question of "what's wrong with Peyton" and what happened to the flag football team that he use to be the leader of?

Is his arm finally showing the results of age?  Is he injured in some way that the team doesn't care to reveal so they've been babying his ailments with the support of a run game? What gives?

The real question that fuels this concern is whether or not the Broncos can win it all with or without the finely tuned weapon of their lead gunslinger and will he have rusty bullets when it comes time to pull the trigger in a real gun fight?

Will Manning frown his way to a championship victory?

With all due respect to everything that he has accomplished in the league, and for my team over the past few season's, SCREW PEYTON MANNING.  He had better be glad that Father John Elway had the foresight to compile the BEST DEFENSE IN THE LEAGUE.  If  Aqib Talib is actually healthy again and can bring his field knowledge to bear in the takeaway game then we are even better than I expected when I first made the claim.  Talib's defensive player of the week selection (8 tackles and 1 interception) says he is. Had the Broncos chosen to prepare for December and January football when they were still lighting up the skies, Denver's defense would easily rank at the top of the league. The fact that they are 4th in defense and  are the most dangerous offensive team in the league is exactly what Father John envisioned.  If he had to place the championship hopes of  his team into the palms of an old quarterback, he probably would rather put a uniform on himself.

Manning's dismal results in the playoffs are worthy of consideration and alternative planning.  Some guys are simply way too wired for success to properly embrace it at significant moments.  Having the courage to fail miserably is the pinnacle of true success.  Manning simply doesn't seem comfortable enough with failure to pull the best out of himself when the risk of failure is at its zenith.  He is hardly alone in this malady since very few us are able to rise above our greatest fears without choking up a bit, but Manning is on track to be considered the most accomplished choker of all-time.

Father John could pursue the doctrine of Thomas (Julius or Demarius) and he certainly saw the value of Emmanuel (Sanders) and C.J. (don't call me Christ Jesus) Anderson, but all of these valuable pieces of the puzzle are not the focal point of the picture.  Denver's defense is where the money was spent and where the future lies.  Brandon Marshall will need to hurry back and continue to remind us that we forgot all about Danny Trevathan, the player he so capably replaced, but super safety T.J. Ward is a special player that can plug that hole a bit until Marshall returns to the line-up.  Ward is certain to repeat as a Pro Bowl selection and might need to be locked up long term similar to the way Chris Harris Jr. was locked up with a long term contract.

Every week seems to be a new question of who is best, the front 4 or the secondary.  Denver's secondary took a lead after last week, but due to the consistency up front, the debate rages on.

What is no longer worthy of debate is the Gospel of John.  This is a formula for victory and now, only backsliding will pull this team from their destiny.  Denver might have to travel through New England to win  it all, but they seem unafraid of the journey because defense and run games travel very nicely.

Thanks for everything Peyton, but the more we forget about you the better.

Coach Fox and Coach Manning Confess Their Faults. Is Father John Watching?

Analyzing coach speak is an art of a particular kind.  Sometimes you are forced to digest the bits and pieces of crumbs that come from the tight fisted, poker players like Belichick in New England or like John Fox used to be before last weeks butt kicking by the Patriots.

When you do a proper assessment of the Broncos, you have to listen closely to all of the coaches because they don't actually share a unified voice out in dove valley.  Their head coach and dude in charge, #18, has loads of NFL records including being the quarterback to run for the fewest yards in the history of earth.  He may seem unflappable at times, but he uses his distinguished accomplishments to snub his nose at the critics.  My point is not to deny Peyton Manning the right to snub his nose at me or anybody who denies his greatness.  My assessment of this coach is that, good or bad, he is listening to everything that is being said about him.

What does that mean?

"Running the ball is football religion.  Nothing is more
powerful than something you can not stop." - Elwayian Proverb

If Manning has decided to NEVER run the ball HIMSELF, it is a conscious snub for certain.  Had Manning NEVER won a Superbowl like his coach John Fox, he might be compelled to listen to him. He does not.

Or maybe he does, in which case Fox is overriding Adam Gase, the Offensive Coordinator who notoriously met Manning out on field several weeks ago because he kept emptying the backfield and  declaring the run game...or the lack thereof.  The humility to run the ball week in and week out will be the most uncomfortable career experience that Manning shall endure on his way to a championship season.  He can endure a game or two of ball control offense, but under stress (ie., any game against the Patriots/Belichick/Brady) Manning reverts to his comfort zone.

Gase has finally introduced himself recently in the nature of the running attack that started to become the buzz of the NFL up until last week.  Coach Manning and Coach Fox both quickly took ownership for their failure to execute the age old formula for winning tough games on the road; run the ball and control the clock.  Coach Gase seems to be in good graces\ with the doctrine of John (Elway), so he is the only voice in the news this week that's is blaming poor execution on the field and not himself like the other two coaches have suddenly begun doing.

Few should have expected the Broncos to go on the road and win that game, but the surety of the run attack that they had developed in the previous games was reminiscent of high level little league football with the 3 or 4 teams that have a quarterback that can pass.  The teams that pass too much rarely win the Superbowl, even in little league, while teams that never pass seem to get shocked by a timely passes in here and there.  Whether little league or NFL, balance is the key to the chess match, and the chess match is the key to the crown.

No matter how ugly the page, every team has to be on the same sheet of paper to truly be successful.  Elway wrote the script for championship journey's at the latter stages of one's quarterbacking career. His doctrine is law and he is not leaving it to chance that EVERYONE, including coaches, recognizes the plan.  Paying for one high profile defensive player is a nice addition- adding three is a definitive statement to the entire league.  Emmanuel Sanders might prove to be the best free agent acquisition, but he was a less expensive swap that happened to work out.  This team was built to play defense and defensive approaches begin with  the run game.

The Broncos had better return to a run-first, defensive approach or Coach Fox and Coach Manning will be sounding more and more like they are preaching the Gospel of John.  Elway is a "no excuse" kind of person and the compulsion to take ownership for your own crap is Elwayian for certain.  The more Manning and Fox face the music says they've spent time in Father John's confessional box.  And what did Father John prescribe for his flag football loving quarterback and the coach who allows it?

Tell the world how bad you played in the game, even though you produced nearly 500 yards, and tell assistant coach Fox to review the Seattle Superbowl tapes in which his team didn't even step off of the plane, and then both of you take ownership for fixing the problems instead of doing your customary asshole interviews.

If this team needs a divine intervention to make it all the way, father John is going to do his part. To that I say, Amen.

Denver Broncos Hopes Tied To Change At Offensive Coordinator

Last season has come and gone (I think), and a new season has begun for the expectant Denver Broncos and their fans.  Two seasons ago, it was a bird from Baltimore that poked us in the tail feather just when it appeared we had overcome those pesky Ravens. Last seasons massacre by the hands of a different bird has almost erased the memories from Baltimore, but its possible that Bronco fans have never forgotten anything. Could that Jacksonville Jaguar defeat from the Elway years still be fresh on the brain of some?


HOPE AND CHANGE

While spending holiday time with family recently, we found ourselves embroiled in the typical, preseason Obama campaign that happens across the NFL called Hope and Change.  This is where teams begin the season hoping they can figure out why they did not win it all, and changing as much as needed to be the last team standing.  In preseason, every team is a potential champion, at least in the eyes of the fans who support them.  With that in mind, preseason arguments are usually the best of them all.  Everybody has a pretty good point at that point of the year.  Sadly, I could hardly mount a credible defense for my team during this recent family tirade.  Even with a few family defectors in the house (a Cowboy and a Raider fan at that) I still couldn't jump and scream for the home team because I was also feeling some of the same pain that sent those other family members over to the dark sides they now inhabit.

Last season just wasn't what I had hoped for, but hope was certainly in the formula.  Many have been calling for a change in the way that we do business in Denver for a long time, but no one seems willing to tell Peyton Manning. Everyone must subject themselves to the constraints of a system, but as of yet, the only system that I can decipher from the Manning lead Broncos is the same system that Manning has incorporated for the entirety of his career. The evidence of the guy that our team pays to fulfill the role of offensive coordinator remains hidden behind the audible leaning Manning, who seems incapable of getting out of the way of his immediate boss, the offensive coordinator.

I was watching the Rocky Mountain Showdown game between crosstown rivals CU and CSU. Entering the second quarter with a 7 point lead, the CU Buffaloes had marched down the field with an abundance of run plays and bubble screens to one of their hard running receivers.  When the ball had moved all the way inside of the CSU Rams 5 yard line, CU proceeded to run the ball 4 times in a row, but had to settle for a field goal as the Ram defense held strong.  Despite their failure, the Buffs and their offensive play caller had established an identity of unpredictability that will bode well as the season progresses. Should they have allowed the quarterback to go back to what got them up the field so well?  If CU were the Broncos, I can guarantee you we would never see the ball completely removed from the hands of the quarterback.  In fact, it is more likely that any defense facing Manning will employ a  formation designed to stop the run, trying to lure Manning to call the audible against it. He still might burn you, but he certainly doesn't leave you baffled as to what branding iron did the job.

The art of being unpredictable is what makes an offensive coordinator stand out in the crowd.  In a game most typically described as a chess match, predictability is never a positive trait. Considering all of the things that Peyton Manning is, unpredictable has never really been one of his traits.  If the Broncos are to rise to the top of the mountain, they need to destroy the Manning blueprint that every team in the league (not just the Seahawks) seems to own a copy of.  If they can't stand to do it during the regular season, then they had better plan to alter the image a bit come playoff time.

Ouch!  Its getting hard to be a long time Bronco fan.

Much of what made the Broncos great during the championship years was the ability to consistently give the ball to the running backs, since no self respecting team could ever take their focus away from John Elway, the trigger man, even though his trigger had obviously started to rust over.


Manning could be in a similar state of decline, but he may not have the humility to adjust.  This is why good teams employ great coaches to make the kind of decisions that great players could never make for themselves. Legends don't place themselves out to pasture and they rarely adjust their temperament.  That is typically done for them or to them.  For Elway to finally sip from the cup, he had to humbly revert to the quarterback that played under Dan Reeves for so many stifling seasons; resisting audibles and continuing to pound the rock so that the Mike Shanahan/Gary Kubiak roll out, play action play could have its greatest impact.  Whether it worked or not, and it usually did, we had an identity and it was clearly one that was NOT oozing from the pores of its team leader and quarterback.

Who is this guy, and why don't we know him more?

If I could have spelled the name of the man you are looking at right now, then I would have jumped into that family argument with confidence.  I am a nerd of the spelling bee order (7th grade champ), so spelling names correctly is never something I take a laissez-faire attitude towards.  When I typed the name "Adam Gast" trying to find information on the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator, I was despondent to discover that Google spelled the name "Gase".  (I had better edit an old post in which his name is mentioned.)

This guy, I mean, Adam Gase, is the only problem that I see with the prospect of a Superbowl championship for my team. Elway has assembled a Peyton proof defense that will likely give Manning all of the chances he needs to triangulate his laser sharp approach to dismantling defenses. Even with all of that to look forward to, I could only sit quietly and listen to family members who's butts still ache from being kicked by the Denver donkeys that should have won so much more, but have a resume of failure that is bigger than the legendary career of John Elway.  Elway authored most of those failed attempts, so even his legacy remains tarnished by the losing. Failure can foster humility, especially failure in the last game of the season, so Elway has ample reason for the changes he forced upon himself in the waning years of his legendary career. Manning knows failure, but most of it happens before the final game of the season is ever played.  The rub on Manning has been how infrequently he's even made it to the final game of the season.

And so......will the real Adam Gase please stand up?  Three years into his tenure as offensive coordinator and we still have no clue about what represents Gase football.  We wouldn't catch his face in a crowd or recognize his voice if we heard it.  This man is an utter mystery, and the fact that we still do not know him will be the reason the Broncos storm through the regular season and the playoffs, only to be outwitted by an NFC defense (they all are good) that knows the true offensive coordinator is Manning.

Maybe, just maybe, the Broncos have a crafty plan to keep Gase bottled up for another regular season and unveil him in the playoffs so that teams do not have enough time to decipher whose play calling nature will bear fruit for the Broncos and their leery fan base.  After all, if you have waited this long to get to know your community, then it doesn't make sense to give away your secret identity now and allow opponents to bank some highly tactical information.

If Gase is too small a man to impart his will, and his system, then I am disappointed that I have wasted this post on such an insignificant figure.  As the Broncos continue along the path that Manning has established since coming to town, Gase needs to consider sharing his paycheck with the Hall of Fame QB since he has already given Manning all of the credit for Denver's offensive glory.  Even the blame for the Superbowl meltdown has eluded Gase who was responsible for making the fix, yet never received blame for the fix that did not arrive.

Of all of the new faces in the crowd of the 2014 Broncos, 3rd year offensive coordinator, Adam Gase is the newest of them all.  Gase has been in Denver since 2009, a former QB coach hold over from the Josh McDaniels era, so the man has tenure that even
precedes the coach he works for, and still we don't know who he is.

This season, that will change.....I hope.

Denver Broncos Selection Of Ohio States' Bradley Roby Brings Hope For Future And Vision's Of Past.

Darrent Demarcus Williams
(September 27, 1982 – January 1, 2007)

Check the NFL pay scale and you would realize that the trend has changed relative to who gets the big coin.  Running backs used to be hot items but are seen as a dime a dozen and highly replaceable in a league in which throwing is a major commodity. The age of the every down running back is a misnomer because no every down back ever makes it to mid-season without injury.  Teams are following the blueprint of the champion and shoring up their secondary as a means of addressing a pass happy league.  Consequently, defensive backs (and great pass catchers) are expensive items in today's NFL.

I  refuse to do any draft analysis because the truth about these guys is lost in the sweat and tears of some future locker room that promises rookie players a dynamic much more demanding than simply lining up to play the game they grew to love as kids.  If you survive to remain in the professional ranks of any sport, you have to be cut from a cloth different than the average athlete.  Millions play sports, but few reach and remain professionals.

Though prospective athletes are as numerous as the stars in the sky,  special players seem to shine brighter than the rest.  Sometimes before they even step onto the field of play they begin to display their wares.  In a league that has the microscope focused on the quarterback and his targets, defensive backs and receivers are now the diva's they've seen themselves as all along. The fact that Roby is called cocky and considers himself an elite diva is not inherently dangerous.  Denver's draft (and free agent signings) give's me hope for a future gem, but it also make me dream of jewels from the past.

Dreaming of  another Demarcus.

Speaking of displaying wares, (Denver free agent signee) Demarcus Ware is an exceptional athlete who has shined brightly over the years even if he is losing luster fast.  Before Demarcus came to Denver,  there was another before him. When the Broncos took a chance on Bradley Roby,  a high caliber talent with a low caliber reputation, I couldn't help but wonder if Denver will be a great place for someone already straddled with a short leash? Drafted at #31 in the first round out of Ohio State, defensive back Roby is a world class talent with immense potential.  He fell to Denver because several teams prior decided that he wasn't worth the risk. ESPN analyst and former NFL player Tedi Brusci repeatedly used the description "knucklehead" when discussing Denver's selection of Roby.  In other words, Darrent Demarcus Williams he is not.

What those teams who passed on Roby believed is that he might be more like Brandon Marshall. Denver drafted Marshall and proceeded to watch his amazing talents wage war with his immaturity at the time.  Though Marshall has sought counseling over the years to capture some semblance of a respectable career for himself, he will always be known as the loud mouth knuckle head that got Darrent Williams murdered.


In Roby, the Broncos look to finally replace their fallen comrade, except we are taking our chances on another Brandon Marshall type hoping to replace what we already had in the fold; a top notch, playmaking cornerback with a great work ethic, leadership and understanding of TEAM. The only thing the Broncos can assure you about Roby is that he is a playmaker.  Suddenly vision's of Deltha O'Neal are flashing through my head as I envision the team that Roby will eventually thrive under. O'Neal could play, but Denver (the team and the city) grew tired of his act. The only thing carrying Von Miller through his weed smoking dilemna is the state he did it in and the immense talent that demands a second chance.  Lesser athletes would have been crucified by the wholesome image that the mile high city (go figure) demands in its athletes.

This whole draft has me lost in a dream because it begs the hope out of a hopeless hoper like me.  We hope that all of these draft picks turn out to be diamonds and not thrown onto the scrap heap of past draft day failures (Tommy Maddox, George Foster, Maurice Clarett, Dan Williams, Marcus Nash, Willie Middlebrooks, Jarvis Moss, etc, etc, etc.). Over at cornerback, I am dreaming of another Demarcus.

Darrent Demarcus Williams would be a 32 year old veteran staring at the waning moments of his career were he alive today.  He would have been the Dominique Rodgers Cromardie that we are hoping Bradley Roby can replace. Without question, Williams would have been a valuable leader for a defense that saw its captain benched for a journeyman backup last year. This season that captain (Wesley Woodyard) is no longer with the team, and the de facto captain, Champ Bailey,will finish his waning years in New Orleans and not Denver

Can Roby live up to his talent and overcome the trappings of success?  Darrent Williams lived up to his talent, but still got caught in the cross fire of gun play.

In the rattling noise of an evil spraying of bullets, Darrent Williams ascended from football player into Colorado legend, revered for his amazing spirit and infectious smile. For years it was easy to lament the fallen man while forbidden to talk about the loss of a football player because what the gunman stole from us made football pale in comparison. Although greatness always makes a way for itself, football was the reason we came to know Williams. 7 years after his death, it might be time to remember Williams the person and the player.

He was a special human being on a special journey for a special purpose.  Who know's what happens to Marshall absent the impact of the death of Williams? What I do know for certain is that great people often leave a mark, and leave this earth, sooner than later.  Darrent Demarcus Williams did both.

Bradley Roby does not have to be the second coming of Darrent Williams to fulfill his promise even if his talents suggest that he can. Bradley Roby will have to avoid Brandon Marshall comparison's so that we (and he) can truly enjoy his time in Denver.