Happy Tuesday!  A bit of a change this morning in the way I do HT.  Each story will be listed below using a quote from the story.  It should be enough to give away what the story is about, and should be a creative way to list the stories.  If you have a submission for Horse Tracks, please email me at milehighreport@gmail.com

DENVER POST

I know you're ready for some football, but are you ready for this football stat? The Broncos are the only NFL team from the Mountain or Pacific time zone to win a game in the Eastern Time Zone in 2008.

There's a reason safety John Lynch is a safe bet to be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while fellow Broncos alums Dennis Smith and Steve Atwater won't get a sniff at enshrinement.

After disappointing performances by the run defense and too many costly turnovers by the offense in a four-game stretch spanning all of October, Shanahan decided it was time to stop playing it safe.

Providing his ball carriers look both ways before crossing the street, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan hopes to go an entire week without bringing in a new running back.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

Ten is a nice round number, a nice place to stop and stare at what has transpired thus far in the Broncos' season.

Ask Jay Cutler at virtually any juncture of the Broncos' five-week funk, beginning in late September, about the reasons behind Denver's struggles, and the quarterback barely would let the inquiry reach the question mark at sentence's end.

Of the 247 members of the Hall, exactly seven are identified exclusively as safeties: Jack Christiansen, Ken Houston, Paul Krause, Yale Lary, Emlen Tunnell, Larry Wilson and Willie Wood.

Lynch, who was on the 2005 Broncos team that lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game at Invesco Field at Mile High, said his only regret was not being able to win a Super Bowl in his time with the Broncos.

ESPN.COM

The Denver Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys have taken the same exact path to 6-4 records after 11 weeks. Denver and Dallas have won and lost in the exact same weeks.

Courtesy of Tampa Bay's PR department, here are an of assortment of AFC West figures on the retirement of John Lynch.

MISCELLANEOUS

Facing his old team for the first time, Elam kicked and kicked well against the Denver Broncos. But the game didn't result in a victory or a chance to make a difference at the end.

Many around here think I am the eternal optimist, but that really isn't the case.  If you go back, way back, to last season you'll find my posts were not all cheery and rosy.  However, during the off season I must, as a fan, take on a different persona.  I must cheer on and rah rah my favorite team in the anticipation of the upcoming season.  The off season in my mind ends in two days with our first preseason game, therefore, it is time to get serious.

I have some major concerns about this team that I have really only hinted at over the past few months.  You could call some of them "IFs" or just simple deficiencies.  Whatever you might call them, these are the things that I beleive will be the difference between another 8-8 season and a 13-3 season. 

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Here's a Tuesday morning edition of Horse Tracks.  Enjoy!

Jim Armstrong fantasizing about the Broncos trading for Favre.  See here

Here are some notes from yesterdays team camp, the news on Jarvis Moss is disheartening.  See here

Brandon Marshall picking up right where he left off in 2007.  See here

Reggie Rivers gives his take on our troubled star wide receiver.  See here

Montrae Holland struggling to get to his target weight, but he appears to be working hard at it.  See here

Tony Scheffler is apparently going to be a stud in 2008.  See here

Dumervil wants to be the anchor at DE.  See here

DeWayne Robertson came to play hard for the Broncos.  See here

Jason Elam still a Bronco in my heart, but I'll be hexing him when Atlanta comes to town.  See here

Here's a report on the AFC West's rising stars.  See here

Here is an NFL Power Poll: Brett Favre style?  In any case, the Broncos are ranked 18th which ticked me off, but still better than other power polls I have seen thus far.  See here

Add-ons:

Klis Mailbag, I don't agree that Elway was bigger than the Denver Broncos.  See here

Kiszla demanding a ruling from Goodell now.  See here

Speculation that Abdullah may be the starter.  See here

Take care and have a great Tuesday!!

July is always a special month for me.  Contained within is my birthday, the start of Denver Broncos Training Camp, my favorite holiday Independence Day,  and the resetting of the game tape.

Resetting the game tape is as simple as rewatching all the previous season's games as a primer for the upcoming analysis that training camp inspires, and then, for all intents and purposes, shelving the tapes to a reference only status on the bookshelves in my office.  Their old spot on my desk gets reserved for fresh new game tapes from the upcoming season, as I officially say goodby to the past and prepare for the future.  And part of that tradition has been to compile for myself a list of notes regarding what I felt were pivotal plays and defining moments of the previous season.  I would look at these notes and ask myself, "Will we be able to expect these things next year?" or "Have we seen the last of that?"

With my somewhat recent discovery of MHR I can't think of a better place to store those notes for posterity.  I invite you along over the next several weeks leading up to training camp, for a final glimpse at some very specific happenings from 2007, some good, and some bad.  After picking arguably the ten best and ten worst moments, I found that I could hardly choose between them to assign a ranking, so instead I have chosen to delve into them relatively chronologically, while bouncing back and forth between best and worst moments.  When it is all said and done, the ranking will be left up to you, the tried and true MHR faithful.

Moment #1 -- One of the Best

--"Toro, Toro, Toro!"

Week one in Buffalo gave us a lot to think about.  A run defense that looked just as bad as it had appeared to be in preseason, a running game that looked like it would be able to dominate, a return game that seemed anemic at best and a young QB who kept his cool when the going got tough.

But as far as first games of the season go, the big concern on most fans' minds was:  "How long will it be before we can actually win on opening day?"  And in true 2007 fashion, we bucked one trend only to come face to face with the makings of another trend that was far, far worse.  Consider the following:

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The Candidates  -

Jason Elam -- K -- 1993-2006
Darren Parker -- P -- 1992
Chris Normon -- P -- 1984-1985

The Greatest Bronco To Ever Wear #1 -

via starbulletin.com

Jason Elam, K -- 1993-2006

Some of these are going to be slam-dunk, no-brainers.  Jason Elam was a stalwart for the Broncos for 15 years before leaving this off-season to play for the Atlanta Falcons .  While it is sad to think someone who has meant so much to the Broncos over the years would not be able to finish his career in Orange and Blue, I'll choose to think of all the things he was able to accomplish as a Bronco and just how good he was at a position that is so critical to the success or failure of a football team.

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For those of you who listened to MHR Radio last night, a lot of this will be re-hash.  Feel free to move on to the next post.  If not, then I hope to bring some enlightenment to the Jason Elam situation.  The Broncos, both internally and externally, have been getting killed for letting Elam walk.  One of the most consistent kickers in NFL history, and one of the last link to the Broncos' "glory years", Elam was an obvious fan favorite.  He has become, it seems, the ultimate example of everything that is wrong in the Broncos front office.  A pariah of sorts, with his departure signaling a `gloom and doom' scenario.  I suppose it is to be expected, coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in recent Broncos history, with Elam being responsible for a majority of the bright spots.

While I hate to see any of "the greats" leave the team, we also must keep it in perspective.  My first thought when it became apparent that Elam was unlikely to return was simply, "who cares, he's a kicker".  That may seem like an ignorant thought, the thought of someone who doesn't know much about football.  Kickers are vital, just ask Patriots fans.  They aren't that critical, however, that any team should overpay to keep them.  Even Jason Elam, as consistent as he has been over the past 15 years, becomes expendable at some point, and the Broncos made the right move in letting him leave.  It is better to part with a player 1 season too soon than 1 season too late.  Ask the Chiefs.  Elam is a perfect example.  

Hopefully I can explain.

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