Delayed reaction

by spock on Nov 7, 2008 10:06 AM MST

Just got home from work a little while ago. When I left it was halftime with Denver trailing 20-10, and I hadn't heard anything in the interim. I was oh so tempted to crack open the paper I had picked up on the way home, to see how badly the Broncos lost. Instead, I resumed watching the game, cringing at the thought of what was to follow, wondering about my own masochism for putting myself through it. Then, after trading field goals, Royal's big play. Do they have a chance? No, don't get your hopes up. It'll only hurt worse. And then the turnover. The defense actually forced a turnover. Ohmigod! And the Broncos drive down and score again. And after Cleveland scores to retake the lead, the Broncos drive down and score again, thanks to an amazing fourth down effort from Hillis.

Some post-game impressions. One, it was so good to see the Broncos, led by some of their youngest, least experienced players, pick themselves up off the ground when all seemed lost, when the season seemed to be circling the drain. Two, some of the defenders need to have stenciled on their foreheads, "Just do your damned job." Early in the game I watched Winborn come crashing in from the left, trying to get in on the play, and losing contain as the runner went thataway. Later in the game I saw Ekuban do the same thing. Just do your damned job! Three, Hillis is the real deal. So is Woodyard. So is Spencer. We already know about Royal and Clady. Ryan Harris has been solid. Moss is beginning to show signs of life. Many other young plaers are showing promise. Our recent drafting has been brilliant and we are building the nucleus of a powerful football team.

Four, much of Cutler's recent struggles and interceptions appear to be due to miscommunications with his receivers, especially Marshall, and the fault is less Cutler's than Marshall's. But it has made Cutler hesitant and less effective. Let's hope they're back on the same page and Denver's offense is back on track. Five, the scenario I casually threw out before the game, Spencer at fullback blocking for Hillis at tailback, might be surprisingly effective and not just a stopgap. Finally, six, way to go Broncos! As always, Cleveland is good for what ails us.

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

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I'll bet you're glad you decided not to cheat.

And I’ll bet it was sweet.

If this be Hell, let us make the most of it!

by Trinidad Jack on Nov 7, 2008 1:30 PM MST reply actions

Am I ever

I thought I knew, with a sick certainty, what was going to happen, but the Broncos blew up the “plot” in the second half. Seeing them come back, without knowing ahead of time that they were going to, was sweet indeed.

"In the empty spaces - lacunae, vacuums, pauses, voids, black holes - new things begin. We are born anew from the unexplored space, the badlands, the outlaw territory." - Sam Keen

by spock on Nov 7, 2008 3:42 PM MST up reply actions

I tried something new...

…. I was sick to my stomach in the 2nd quarter, watching us drop like flies – and after hearing Collinsworth talk so much about how BAD the Broncos were on defense (the truth hurts) I decided to press MUTE and get my blood pressure back in check. At that point they were basically calling the game for the Browns… 10 points was seemingly a blowout??

No kidding – 2 min later the bomb to Eddie (I want half Eddie!) Royal. Wow. Then the fumble.

I so wanted to hear Collinsworth’s changed tune but I did my part and left that puppy on MUTE the whole way through. What an amazing experience. So quiet… never done that before.

by jimmyray on Nov 12, 2008 4:16 AM MST up reply actions

All I remember from the commentary....

of that game was, “Blah blah blah QUINN blah blah blah Brady Quinn Blah blah blah Quinn…”

You’d think there wasn’t another team on the field.

"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe

by Steve Nichols on Nov 12, 2008 2:16 PM MST up reply actions

nice post--I'm glad you decided to watch

The best defense is a good offense!
I hope.

by Mike Clark on Nov 7, 2008 3:33 PM MST reply actions

Thanks - so am I

It was a revelation seeing them come back, and it was great to see the offense clicking again. It’s nice when your offense looks inevitable, and the other team’s doesn’t. It was like watching the whole team rise from the dead.

"In the empty spaces - lacunae, vacuums, pauses, voids, black holes - new things begin. We are born anew from the unexplored space, the badlands, the outlaw territory." - Sam Keen

by spock on Nov 7, 2008 3:56 PM MST up reply actions

I agree

I also thought it was fun to see our ‘now very young’ defense step up and make a few critical stops.

The best defense is a good defense!
And last week's young players. Yes!

by Mike Clark on Nov 7, 2008 9:07 PM MST up reply actions

I had a similar experience

As the game started, my wife had just returned from a week away and we left to get some dinner (since my 12 year old and I cleared the cabinets). I started the DVR to catch the rest of the game.

When we got back from dinner, my son turn on the game (mid-way through the third quarter when it was 23-10 Browns). I had a feeling of dread but started from the beginning anyway. Imagine my relief when we got past the 23-10 point and the offense started to come alive. After Marshall’s catch to seal it my son and I were high-fiving like we won a playoff game or something!

"It's all over Fat Man" - Tom Jackson to John Madden 1977 AFC Championship Game

"I love your analysis of our team. Its kinda like watching a spider monkey trying to figure out a jar of peanuts.. you know whats going on.. you know whats in there, but to actually figure it out, is just a bit beyond your mental skills..."
- Bronco Dano

by DesertBroncoFan on Nov 7, 2008 3:55 PM MST reply actions

I can imagine

how difficult it was watching the game from the beginning knowing it was gonna get to 23-10, and how nice it was to see them turn it around from that low point. I thought a key play, besides the obvious ones, was Stokely rushing up to B-Marsh and keeping him from pulling another stupid. It was a heads-up "play" on Stokely’s part, and Marshall, to his credit, listened. That was a great interview after the game. I think it reinforced the feeling of many of us that, as foolish as he’s been, Marshall is at heart a good kid. How many of the league’s orima donna wide receivers would have come right out and admitted that it was their fault that the QB threw a pick?

"In the empty spaces - lacunae, vacuums, pauses, voids, black holes - new things begin. We are born anew from the unexplored space, the badlands, the outlaw territory." - Sam Keen

by spock on Nov 7, 2008 4:07 PM MST up reply actions

Certainly not T.O.

He would have blamed the QB for not reading what he was going to do was wrong and should have forced it in because he would have got it anyway and then he would have said that the QB was gay…

"It's all over Fat Man" - Tom Jackson to John Madden 1977 AFC Championship Game

by DesertBroncoFan on Nov 7, 2008 4:20 PM MST up reply actions

Very well said

War is behavior with its roots in the primal sea: eat whatever you touch, or it will eat you. John Fowles.

by bradley on Nov 7, 2008 4:37 PM MST up reply actions

the plot

same here with that, they indeed seemed to be following the plot. when royal scored, i said “watch them return it to midfield now. it seems everytime we get momentum, something bad happens to take it away. don’t kick it to cribbs.” well, cribbs gets stopped at the fifty. exactly. that is when i abandoned hope. then something strange happened. they called a penalty on the other team. someone on the other team gets injured. 3rd down, game still slipping away, though. “who’s covering winslow? double him.” first-down, again. wait, no! strip. broncos ball. 4th-1. game on the line. watch our o-line get blown off the ball on short-yardage, again. hit in the backfield, of course. no, wait. second effort, lunge, first-down! after that, i was sure we could pull it out, the 2 near-picks one 1 drive notwithstanding. gigantic win, another year off of my life, but i’ll take it. we just need to hold the fort until some reinforcements arrive(champ, d.j., mccree, even a healthier scheff and young). still very much alive, folks. go chiefs!

hear me, perpetrators of bread crime, your punishment is at hand.
taste my blintzkrieg!

by davecheffy on Nov 7, 2008 9:26 PM MST reply actions