Strictly My Opinion
Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
by Ted Bartlett on Nov 3, 2009 6:30 AM MST
in Strictly My Opinion
104 comments
Happy Tuesday, friends, if you can manage one. Welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Well, this was bound to happen, right? Since Sunday afternoon, I have been thinking about what the right tone is to take with this week's ST&NO. I still haven't decided, and it's Monday at 5 PM as I write this paragraph. I guess I am just going to go with it, and play it like it feels. We had an ugly loss, and to top it off, there were only 4 late games, and no Sunday night game, so I didn't see a lot of live football, at all. We'll make do, because that's all we can do. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire y'all. Ready.... BEGIN!!!!
1. The two plays which set the tone for yesterday's game happened at the beginning of each half. On the Broncos' first play from scrimmage, Jarret Johnson came in untouched and unrecognized off the defense's left side, and creamed Kyle Orton for a big loss. As I watched the play happen, I couldn't help but think that the Broncos may not be well-prepared if they weren't expecting a lot of blitzing.
As the second half got underway, Lardarius Webb took the opening kickoff back 95 yards for a TD. That took a manageable 6-0 halftime deficit to 13-0, and essentially dictated that the Broncos start playing come-from-behind football. You see the picture of this play, and I used it because it sticks in my craw (whatever a craw is), and I want it stick in yours, too. I guarantee it bothers the coaches and players. You can't have that happen and expect to win.
104 comments | 18 recs |
More ways to get your Denver Broncos fix
by John Bena on Nov 2, 2009 11:00 PM MST
in Strictly My Opinion
1 comment
There is now another way for you to follow all the action here on MileHghReport. Sprint - the NFL's official telecommunications sponsor - is also now a proud sponsor of SB Nation.
What's in it for you? As part of SBN's deal with Sprint, many of our posts are now being fed to Sprint's NFL Mobile Live program that is available on most Sprint phones. To access our content, just go to the Denver Broncos section of the program - where you will see "SB Nation" labeled as one of the headings. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
NFL Mobile Live also gives you free access to the radio broadcasts of every single regular season game right on your phone. In fact, you even get a choice of listening to either the home team or road team broadcasts. So for those of you not in the Denver area, you can hear Dave Logan and Eddie McCaffrey call the Broncos games right from your cell phone. But again, this is only available through Sprint and their NFL Mobile Live program.
Sprint has also partnered up with the NFL to give out 17 trips to this year's Super Bowl - which will come from Land Shark Stadium, of course - via their new Sprint Can't Miss Plays of the Week. You simply just click here and vote each week on what was the play of the week. Every time you vote, you are entered for a chance to win one of those 17 Super Bowl trips.
Just another way we are trying to be YOUR SOURCE for Denver Broncos News, Thought and Comment, no matter where you are!
1 comment | 0 recs |
Broncos Thoughts & Musings, Part 2: What is Kyle Orton's Future in Denver?
by Emmett Smith on Oct 29, 2009 5:00 PM MDT
in Strictly My Opinion
69 comments
One of the great stories so far this year is the synergy between Josh McDaniels and Kyle Orton. It doesn't take a football genius to see that they are nearly perfect for each other. As always, McDaniels likes to keep things understated. There are no stars in his locker room. When he coached Tom Brady, he would regularly make a point of calling him out in from of the team, as did Bill Belichick. the message was simple - no one is above the rest of the team. Orton is exactly the guy to take that approach with - he is one of the rare players who wants to know where his game is weak, no matter the wins.
"He tries to get better," McDaniels said of Orton, who has improved to 27-12 as an NFL starter (17-2 at home). He knows he's not where he could be if he continues to improve and he sees there are plenty of things he can fix and get better at. He has played better and better each week," McDaniels acknowledged. "There are no limitations in terms of him running our offense."
Given the numbers Orton is starting to put up, that's a very interesting thought. Orton was named AFC offensive player of the week after his performance in a 20-17 overtime win against New England. He completed 35 of 48 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Then he went into San Diego and outplayed Philip Rivers, with a QB rating of over 100, 2 more TDs and another goose egg on INTs. Considering that he both can and will improve, the Broncos are going to be a headache for every team they play.
69 comments | 38 recs |
Kyle Orton Shining Without 'The Glove'
by John Bena on Oct 28, 2009 11:50 AM MDT
in Strictly My Opinion
102 comments
There have been famous gloves throughout history. OJ Simpson's glove (If the glove don't fit, you must acquit) and Michael Jackson's glittery version. For the Broncos, it was Kyle Orton's signature model, and like OJ, he wasn't too fond of the glove.
Early on in the season, even though the team was winning, many were still critical of Kyle Orton. Forget the fact he was playing real, live football games in a new offense, that he hadn't thrown an interception or even that the Broncos were undefeated, those critical of Orton remained. People were wary of his pre-season performances and his supposed struggles against Cincinnati as warning signs that the Broncos would be a dink-and-dunk team - with no ability to get the ball down-field.
Personally, I withheld judgment. As we know, Orton sustained a gruesome injury to the index finger of his throwing hand during a pre-season defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears (the last time the Broncos lost, btw). I have described this injury many times on MHR Radio just to drive the point home of how serious it was - the knuckle in Orton's finger-tip dislocated so badly that the bone tore through the skin.
102 comments | 23 recs |
Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
by Ted Bartlett on Oct 27, 2009 6:30 AM MDT
in Strictly My Opinion
127 comments
Happy Tuesday friends, and welcome to another (shortened) edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. This is MileHighReport.com, the premier source of Broncos new and analysis in the entire world. I have been feeling like we're still kind of peripheral, in the eyes of the rest of the worldwide media, but we beat the bejesus out of them every day, when it comes to covering the Broncos.
As they say, game recognizes game, and correspondingly, it also recognizes groupthink and suckiness. By your being here, reading this today, and hopefully, every week, you mark yourself as having good sense, and at least a partial desire to be part of what is a collaborative learning and growth experience for us all. I'm a front-page staff guy, obviously, but I learn interesting things from FanPosters all the time. Those people are the lifeblood of the MHR community, and they should be commended for their outstanding contributions.
If you're a lurker, you obviously have the good sense to consume our front page content. I wanted to take a minute to ask you to consider joining as an MHR community member, and participating in the discussion. We always welcome people just like you, and chances are, you know something that will be of value to the rest of us, or you have a question which will spark a discussion, which has value to the rest of us. Either way, we all win.
Okay, Ted's Own Personal Membership Drive is over. My local NPR affiliate, 90.3 WCPN in Cleveland, has been doing a drive lately (seemingly, every time I am in my car), so I decided to do a quick one in Donny Deutschland this week. I don't want your money, just your participation. (For one thing, I think this is a great week for my lurking brother Chris to join.) Do a smart thing, and get down with MHR. As we say in the US Navy, welcome aboard.
OK, on to football, and whatever else pops into my head. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready....?
127 comments | 18 recs |
Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
by Ted Bartlett on Oct 20, 2009 6:30 AM MDT
in Strictly My Opinion
97 comments
Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. I had a fairly selfish weekend, leaving Cleveland on Friday and traveling to South Bend, Indiana, for the Notre Dame-USC game on Saturday afternoon. My friend Ramona has a brother who is a graduate student at Notre Dame, and he was able to get us pretty good tickets. I didn't get home until about 5 PM on Sunday, so I missed all of the early NFL games, and only got to see the second quarter on of a few late ones. I recorded the Short Cuts of the 3 most interesting early games, with a plan of watching them Monday evening, after work and before the Broncos-Chargers game. I apologize if this is a slightly thinner ST&NO than usual, but I don't ever want to be the guy who comments on football I didn't see, scanning the box scores for some stats which may or may not be meaningful. You know who I mean, all of them. Without further ado, let's get this thing moving, ST&NO style. Ready..... BEGIN!!!
1. So, I am writing this at 12:16 AM ET on Tuesday morning, with the rest of the column basically already in the can. Such is life when you have a Tuesday morning time slot, and a back-and-forth, hotly contested Monday night game. I've only gotten to see the game once, obviously, and we're in a compressed time situation, but I'm going to try hard to manage the clock well, and come with some thunder on the short track.
This is a great feeling, isn't it? Frankly, even if I had a lot of time to write, there isn't much to say that I haven't been saying all season. I've covered most "isn't this great" angles, right? It kind of makes writing a column like this difficult, when it comes to finding new material for the Donny Deutsch Big Idea. I can't even really play the disrespect card anymore.
Luckily, I have two weeks to think of new ideas, until the Broncos take on the Baltimore Ravens. I have a feeling that I'll be talking about the 7-0 Broncos after that game, because the Ravens can't defend the Broncos, and the Broncos defense actually matches up very favorably with the Baltimore offense. Until then, let's enjoy this win, this place in the standings, and the feeling we're all feeling right now. I remember this feeling, from the late 1990s. It's the one where your team is a legitimate contender to win the Super Bowl.
ZOMG! That was a new angle in Donny Deutschland, and it just kind of slipped out, didn't it? I knew something was right on the tip of my tongue (err... fingertips). But, yes, I said it, and yes, I mean it. Let's forget about Kool-Aid, and start thinking about Lombardi Trophies. Remember, I'm the crazy man who had the Broncos on 11-5 before the season started, which would now only require playing .500 football the rest of the way. Consider this an enhancement to my original forecast.
97 comments | 11 recs |
Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
by Ted Bartlett on Oct 13, 2009 6:30 AM MDT
in Strictly My Opinion
155 comments
Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Is anybody else feeling like they could get used to feeling like this on a Tuesday? It's great to be 5-0, isn't it? Maybe Mark Kiszla is right, and we should all join him in welcoming Kyle Orton to Denver, since MHR is clearly bringing up the rear, there. Y'all know how skeptical I have been. Despite our ongoing skepticism, and community-wide propensity for all things negative, we press on. Ready..... BEGIN!!!!
1. Speaking of my skepticism, I was pretty high on this team, heading into the first game.
This is an 11-5 football team, and it's one that is only going to improve as it adds more quality talent in the next few years. I put my money where my mouth is too, donating $11 to the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, on John Bena's wife's behalf. Please do the same thing, if you can, by donating $1 for every win you think the Broncos will get this season. Things have to break right for that to happen, sure, but I think they will. Forget last season, this is a totally different thing.
Well, that caused a stir. John Bena took a beating on Twitter about it, and even my brother Chris thought I was about 4 games too generous. At this point, I am frankly wondering if I shorted the Susan G Komen outfit by a buck or two. One mea culpa though.
By the way, the Broncos five losses are to the Patriots, Giants, and Raiders at home, and the Chargers and Eagles on the road. I know a lot of people will groan at the thought of losing to Oakland at home, but let's face it, the Broncos annually lose a game they have no business losing, and I had a feeling that that would be the one. I think they can beat Baltimore and Pittsburgh, because they protect the QB, and will be strong defensively against the run. It's about matchups, in those cases. Really, I believe that the Broncos can beat any team on their schedule if they execute, and consistently do the things you need to do to win football games.
I had the Broncos going to 4-0, (in case anybody claims nobody did), before losing both (Sunday) to the Patriots and next Monday night to the Chargers. They beat the Patriots, and I am pretty sure they'll beat the Chargers too, to move to 6-0. I also don't think there is any way they lose to the Raiders, with the consistent preparation and focus they've shown, and Oakland's extreme awfulness. So, even the most optimistic reasonable guy you know may have been underselling this team.
155 comments | 22 recs |
More ways to follow MHR while on the road
by John Bena on Oct 11, 2009 12:27 PM MDT
in Strictly My Opinion
1 comment
There is now another way for you to follow all the action here on MileHghReport. Sprint - the NFL's official telecommunications sponsor - is also now a proud sponsor of SB Nation.
What's in it for you? As part of SBN's deal with Sprint, many of our posts are now being fed to Sprint's NFL Mobile Live program that is available on most Sprint phones. To access our content, just go to the Denver Broncos section of the program - where you will see "SB Nation" labeled as one of the headings. Pretty cool, if you ask me.
NFL Mobile Live also gives you free access to the radio broadcasts of every single regular season game right on your phone. In fact, you even get a choice of listening to either the home team or road team broadcasts. So for those of you not in the Denver area, you can hear Dave Logan and Eddie McCaffrey call the Broncos games right from your cell phone. But again, this is only available through Sprint and their NFL Mobile Live program.
Sprint has also partnered up with the NFL to give out 17 trips to this year's Super Bowl - which will come from Land Shark Stadium, of course - via their new Sprint Can't Miss Plays of the Week. You simply just click here and vote each week on what was the play of the week. Every time you vote, you are entered for a chance to win one of those 17 Super Bowl trips.
Just another way we are trying to be YOUR SOURCE for Denver Broncos News, Thought and Comment, no matter where you are!
1 comment | 0 recs |
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