Y I'm not so worried...

here's a few reasons why I'm not so worried about the upcoming season (in fact, I look forward to enjoying Bronco football games again)...these reasons touch on various aspects of football, sports, life and bronco fandom... 

 Let's start with Orton's noodle arm...besides the fact I've seen him make all the throws a NFL QB should make, the fact he reportedly could throw 74 yrd comin outta HS, and the fact I saw him overthrow receivers and throw with zip in the Seatle Pre-Season game THIS year (for the "wat have you done for me lately" crowd)...Miami won 11 games last year with "noodle-armed" Chad Pennington...we'll see more in the RS...nuff said bout that.

"Our schedule is too tough..."...tho I agree with the assertion that we have a challenging schedule, let's realistically look at wat these teams are doing this year (especially since the preseason seems to be such a measuring stick for so many)...between the Raiders and Chiefs, I'm sure most of us see 2-4 wins (I'll say 3)...we all want to sweep the Bolts, but a split would be welcome too. I see plenty big play ability in the Chargers (still), but the window on the chargers is closing. Their Oline is tied for 3rd most sacks given up this PS with 10, injuries are a major concern to Gates, LT, Merriman, and Rivers, and Norv is known for not winning in the playoffs and they're the Chargers...The NY Giants are havin personnel issues on Defense (Umenyiora walked outta Practice the other day), some young talent (Hicks, Manningham), but no Burress, no Toomer, and inconsistent PS play by Smith, Tyree, and company have the Giants lookin shakey at WR. Same G-men who lost 17-3 to the Bears 2 weeks ago...Philly is desperate for a TE, lost the leaders of their defense in DC Johnson (R.I.P J.J) and all-pro safety Brian Dawkins (welcome to Denver), not to mention they may PR & chemistry issues with the acquisition of Vick (I ain't mad at em for it tho)...Baltimore is thin at receiver this year, lookin to place more responsibility on Flacco and dealing with a switch at DC (Ryan now HC for Jets). Ravens will be tough,, but not necessarily as tough as last year...Redskins are dealing with a QB who was shown numerous votes of non-confidence this off-season, and Portis is always an injury-risk. Though in Washington, I see this game as a possible W. Sidenote, it's amazing how so few people compare Campbells attitude to Cutlers attitude, if anything, Campbell dealt with more and showed maturity and professionalism throughout...Colts have undergone many changes with their coaching staff, Dungy gone and Caldwell in, new DC, some "advisors" added and schemes on both sides of the ball changed. I understand that Peyton is Peyton, but Sanders is usually injured, the WR corp is thinner, the D is smaller/faster (reminds me of wat Shanny was tryna build) and McD has plenty experience game planning for the Colts....Cleveland is still not sure who the QB is, they lost Winslow, Braylon drops it like it's hot, new coaching staff and schemes and it's Cleveland, so you know we got'em...and Cincy, let's talk about Cincy...Palmer is coming off an injury to his throw arm last year, not to mention a high-ankle sprain which has kept him outta practice and preseason up to date (began practicing this week and will play week 1 regardless), no Housh, injuries at TE, an apparent "goof" (Andre Smith) as a #6 pick this year who just broke his foot after a ridiculous hold-out (leaves Oline vulnerable) and not much depth at RB (Benson, etc)...

I'm not worried about the MSM anymore...sure the majority of coverage is negative or hyper-critical...our owner, coach, QB, O, D, and fans are constantly mis-characterized and mis-represented...if I was a player on the 2009 Denver Broncos, I would be entering this season with an "Us against the World" mentality and a chip on my shoulder big enough to hold a boulder...pressure breaks pipes and makes diamonds.

Most of us agree that last years Falcons and Dolphins, were the exceptions to rule...I guess the Baltimore Ravens were too (new HC, rookie QB reaching AFC Finals)...as were the Arizona Cardinals (no need for elaboration)...and the Giants that upset the Patriots...and the.....................................sports is filled with unbelievable feats and stories , that's why we watch, that's why we play, that's why it's great.

I'm pretty young still (28yrs), but I'm old enough to remember dealing with nasty Superbowl blowouts (My mother is a 49ers fan, the amount of "choke" hand signals she sent me were countless), Superbowl Glory x2, Colts kickin our ass in playoffs yearly, Plummer's original "left handed miracle"...and since then, no playoffs, many leads given up, many blowouts at the hands of real contenders, and losses to teams that need not apply...History also includes our Franchise's humble start in the AFL, we didn't have a winning season for 13yrs (1960-1973)...imagine what those fans had to deal with? (some of them are reading this right now)...how did they manage to support a team that had never finished a season with a winning record (till 1973)? This is why so many fans today seem fickle and fairweather to me.

Bottomline, I'm a proud Broncos Fan. This includes Bowlen, McD/Xanders, KO, our front 7, our "experienced" secondary, our disputed draft picks...all that...and I ain't worried 'bout nothin yall

S