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IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

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This is it!  Denver would have had a hard time clinching against Carolina last week, but this week Denver has a game that they should win.

If Denver wins, Denver makes the playoffs.  If not, all the cards fall into one game, and that's Denver at SD.  While Denver is better than SD this year, it can be hard to win on the road, and hard to beat a rival division team.  I'm looking at this game as the game where Denver needs to take the big gamble and throw in players that may not yet be 100%.  With a win, we have a better chance this week and can use next week to rest key players.

Despite our problems with injuries and some weird playcalling, Denver is poised to make a playoff appearance this year.  I don't think we will do well once we get in (er, if), but playing in a big stakes game will go far in preparing our young players for the future.

There's just one catch...

The Bills aren't going to roll over and die for our benefit.

When I coached, I was blessed to be with a winning program.  My biggest concern for preparing players was getting them to take the competition seriously.  My motto was "Hard Work beats Talent, when Talent doesn't work hard".  If Denver doesn't play hard, the Bills will win this game.  This game will determine how badly Denver wants the post season.

More below the fold...

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It is obvious I am no Nostradamous.  In fact, Nostradamous is no Nostradamous.  His quatrains are so vague and meaningless that no one can say with any degree of certainty that his predictions have come true.  That said, I had dream last night.  A terrifying dream.  I dreamt the Buffalo Bills came into Denver and handed the Broncos their first loss of under seven points all season.  The dream ended with Lindell hitting a 50 yard field goal with time running out under the screams of his coaches, "Toro Toro Toro!" to win the game 31-30.  

The nightmare is driving me crazy this week.  I just want the Broncos to clinch the division, get some playoff experience and build on that going into next season.  In a strange ironic twist, I also picked the Chargers to win in Tampa Bay this weekend.  The ultimate nightmare would be for the Broncos to lose out, which would sour my mood for ten months or more.  The Denver Broncos need to take care of business and I mean right the hell now!  For the record, I will be picking Denver to WIN this week...because I refuse to accept anything else.

As for the best match up between these two teams throughout history, I'd have to pick last years thriller.  I give you guys the quick low down as I am not in the mood really to be nostalgic about the Broncos.  I am still raging over this past weekend.

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The Broncos enter the 2008 NFL Draft with the 12th overall selection. It will mark the 33rd first-round pick for the Broncos since the inception of the common draft in 1967 as well as the 12th such selection under Head Coach Mike Shanahan (1995-Pres.).  All-time, Denver has selected a player with the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft just once. In 1971, the Broncos chose Southern California T Marv Montgomery with the 12th pick. Montgomery played six seasons with the Broncos (1971-76), appearing in 57 career games (25 starts) in a Denver uniform before finishing his career with New Orleans (1976-77) and Atlanta (1978).

Below is a look at the last 10 players selected with the 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Among the players selected at No. 12 overall during this time were Maryland LB Shawne Merriman (2005, S.D.), a three-time Pro Bowler, and Oregon DT Haloti Ngata (2006, Bal.).

   LAST 10 NFL DRAFT CHOICES AT NO. 12 OVERALL
Year  Team                   Player                       Pos.              School
2007 Buffalo           Marshawn Lynch           RB              California
2006 Baltimore       Haloti Ngata                  DT               Oregon
2005 San Diego Shawne Merriman            LB               Maryland
2004 N.Y. Jets       Jonathan Vilma              LB               Miami (Fla.)
2003 St. Louis       Jimmy Kennedy             DT               Penn State
2002 Arizona          Wendell Bryant               DT              Wisconsin
2001 St. Louis       Damione Lewis             DT               Miami (Fla.)
2000 N.Y. Jets       Shaun Ellis                     DE               Tennessee
1999 Chicago        Cade McNown               QB                   UCLA
1998 Atlanta           Keith Brooking               LB                Georgia Tech

The 12th overall pick in the NFL Draft also produced Miami DT Warren Sapp (T..B., 1995), who earned eight Pro Bowl selections while being named to the 1990s NFL All Decade Team and receiving the 1999 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Florida State RB Warrick Dunn (T.B., 1997), a three-time Pro Bowler, and Southern California LB Clay Matthews (Cle., 1978), a four-time Pro Bowler, also were taken with the 12th overall pick in the draft.