I Spy, You Spy

Another week and another embarrassing loss for the Denver Broncos.  For the second week in a row the Broncos scored a touchdown on an easy, efficient first drive only to be held out of the end zone until the fourth quarter.  After taking a quick 10-0 lead the Broncos found themselves down 33-13 starting the fourth quarter.  Although they had the ball with a chance to tie (or win) at the end of the game I'm at the point where I'm glad they weren't able to complete the comeback because I want to see the coaching staff replaced.
Not just the head coach but also the McDefensive coordinator Don "please stop calling him Wink" Martindale.  Just as I mentioned last week why does the defense continue to rush only four, ineffective pass-rushers and give the quarterback six seconds to find an open receiver?  Only after they found themselves down by 20 points, with 15 minutes to go, did they finally decide to put some pressure on Bradford resulting in only 63 yards allowed, one sack, and 3 points.
Speaking of the head coach, where is this offensive genius that everyone keeps talking about?  After a touchdown with 5:45 to go in the first half put the Rams ahead 14-13, Denver's resident genius proceeded to call deep pass after deep pass (all incomplete minus a 9 yard screen pass) running off only a total of 1:59 in two possessions (most of that time was letting the play clock expire before a punt and two punts with returns.)  The terrible time management (along with an Eddie Royal fumble) gave the Rams enough time to put up 12 more points to put the score at 26-13 at half.  I think Pat Bowlen should cut McD's pay by half because, apparently, he only decides to gameplan for the first and fourth quarters.
Finally, if bringing over the hoodie along with a bunch of crummy ex-Patriots wasn't bad enough, McD also brought over another Patriots tradition: cheating.  Video director Steve Scarnecchia (who was involved in Spygate while working for the Patriots) was fired for illegally video taping six minutes of the 49's walkthrough practice before the teams played on Oct. 31.  Although McD says he did not see the video, he kept the news quiet once he found out leading to $100,000 in fines for McD and the Broncos.  Hopefully no other punishment will be handed down but when the Patriots got busted for this they lost a first round draft pick.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to finish 4-12, get the #5 pick in the draft only to have it stripped away because of this?  Does Bowlen really need any more justification for firing McD?  If so please re-read the preceding paragraphs.

Weekly Hillis update:

Week 12: Peyton Hillis: 26 carries, 131 yards, 3 TD
Week 12: Denver Broncos: 18 carries, 119 yards, 1 TD
Season: Peyton Hillis: 199 carries, 905 yards, 11 TD
Season: Denver Broncos: 249 carries, 873 yards, 8 TD

In happier news we had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Montana.  After arriving in Bozeman to -28 F wind chill, we had a two hour, white knuckle drive to Angie's sister's house in Helena.  Once there we had a fun time of eating, drinking, and watching the new Harry Potter movie (which was awesome...why can't the last one come out sooner?)  Although it seemed to go too fast it was so nice to have four full days of vacation where we didn't have to travel.  The men were even able to fit in a pre-baby celebration that could have gone on all night had we not been responsible for bringing home dinner.  Baby girl did wonderful on both flights (although she did require non-stop stimulation and attention) and had such a good time playing with her cousin.  There was no doubt that she got in a full dose of playing because she took a four hour nap as soon as we got home only to wake up for 2 hours, do some eating and playing, and then back to bed for the night.  Fortunately we made it through security both times without having to have the full body x-ray or pat down.  I guess my "Don't touch my junk" t-shirt will have to go back in the closet until next spring.

It's How Cold?

Well, my predictions last week, for the most part, were pretty accurate.


Predicted: CSU 34 Wyoming 27  Actual: CSU 0 Wyoming 44  (More on this later)
Predicted: Kansas St. 31 CU 38  Actual: Kansas St. 36 CU 44 (Buffs will be bowl eligible if they beat Nebraska)
Predicted: MSU 24 UM 17  Actual: MSU 21 UM 16 
Predicted: Denver Broncos 17 San Diego Chargers 34  Actual: Denver 14 San Diego 35 (sigh)


Thankfully CSU is done for the season so here are my picks for the weekend:


CU 24 Nebraska 20 (Doesn't sound like Taylor Martinez will play)
St. Louis Rams 24 Denver Broncos 31 (I don't know why I punish myself by thinking this way)


What a bad ending to the season for CSU.  Just a few weeks ago I was optimistic after a 19-24 loss to San Diego St. which was a game CSU should have won.  Now, after losing the last two games by a combined score of 93-10 (the last coming against a bad Wyoming team) I'm staring to wonder if the players have given up on Fairchild.  I doubt they will get rid of him this offseason but next year is bowl game or bust.  I wonder if Sonny Lubick's phone has been ringing.


Well, it looks like the Broncos are who we thought they were.  I'm not sure what that Kansas City game was but I'm not expecting to see another one like it.  I do think they can beat St. Louis at home this weekend but other than the Arizona game I don't see any more wins on the schedule.  The game against Houston on 12/26 might be a battle of coaches auditioning for offensive coordinator jobs.  I won't waste too much time on the Broncos but why did they consistently rush three against Rivers?  Is letting the top quarterback in the league have six seconds to find an open receiver really the defensive game plan?  The few times they put pressure on him he was forced into bad passes which led to punts.  Oh, and nice tackling on the Crayton touchdown.  There's nothing like a 5 yard loss turning into a 40 yard touchdown.


On a happier note, have a very Happy Thanksgiving.  We're off to Helena, MT (via Bozeman) where the temperature is currently -9 (feels like -29.)  I hope no school buses get in our way!

At Least We've Got Monte

Not much time to update today but here are a couple predictions sure to go wrong.

CSU 34 Wyoming 27  (Bronze Boot back in Fort Collins)
Kansas St. 31 CU 38 (Amazing how teams respond after their coach gets fired)
MSU 24 UM 17 (Sorry Griz...at least you've still got Monte http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfOIB8wNNBU)
Denver Broncos 17 San Diego 34 (reverse psychology)

Tea For Two and Two For Tebow

As expected my predictions last week were way off.  I was one for three.  If I was playing baseball that would be a great average.  CU got a win at home against Iowa St. but CSU got crushed by BYU.  They wrap up this season in Laramie as they battle for the Bronze Boot in the Border war.  I think I would have been awarded four points for that one in Scattergories.  This is a big game for CSU and Coach Fairchild as they don't want to enter the offseason and recruiting season on a three game losing streak and the same 3-9 record as last year.  Although they do seem to show some signs of improvement and have a good looking young quarterback the Rams need to turn things around big time next season if Coach Fairchild wants to keep his job.  I'm looking for them to go at least 5-7.  How sad when you root for your team to finish just under .500.

Speaking of teams under .500 how about them Broncos?  I'm still not sure what to think of the 49-29 beat down of the Chefs.  Great googly moogly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSAXLayoMKI if you haven't seen it in awhile.)  I'd like to think the Broncos found a running game now that Ryan Harris is healthy and they have moved back to more zone blocking but we'll see what happens Monday night in San Diego.  Hopefully they won't have to rely on special team touchdowns by Eddie Royal for the majority of their points (like last year) but if that's what it takes I'll be happy for a win.  Heck, I'll  just be happy if someone knocks the smug look off Phillip Rivers' face.  Are there many more players you root against than Phillip Rivers?  Maybe Brett "Cameraphone" Favre, Tom "Cutyourhairyouhippie" Brady, or Ray "DidpeopleforgetIkilledsomeone" Lewis can compete for the title but "Crymea" Rivers is up there.  But I digress.  It was nice to watch a game where the winner was never in doubt and I wasn't considering breaking my TV.  It was also nice to see my future brother-in-law score not one but two touchdowns.  Congrats Tim Tebow on the first passing touchdown of your career.  So far this year Tebow has 13 plays (12 rushes and 1 pass) and 4 TDs.  Not too shabby.  Oh, and Todd Haley, you're a crybaby and a poor sport.  I hope we punk you in a few weeks in Kansas City.

Back to Ray Lewis for a second.  Is it just me or are sports fans about the most forgiving people in the world?  Look at people like Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, and Michael Vick.  About a year and a half ago the only thing I heard regarding Vick was that he would be a cancer to any locker room and now every sports talk personality can't stop gushing over what a great person and player he is.  Don't get me wrong, I'm the same way, especially when the guys plays for my team (although I will NEVER EVER root for Todd Bertuzzi even if the Avs were to sign him) but sometimes it drives me crazy to hear people flip flop on their opinions based on a player's recent stats.  Maybe it's not such a bad thing though.  Perhaps we should all learn a lesson and be as forgiving to people we know personally, not just sports starts.

As I step off my soapbox I hope you all have a good week.  Is it really Thanksgiving in a week?

The Wheels On The Bus...Move Way Too Slow

I've always had a hard time trying to get Angie to watch NBA.  She thinks the games are too boring because either 1) they turn into one-on-one battles, 2) the players are lazy and at times don't try, or 3) both 1 and 2.  I wish I could disagree but it is getting harder and harder to argue against those points.  I even got us tickets to see Carmelo vs. LeBron James during their rookie seasons and it turned into exactly that; Carmelo vs. LeBron, not Cleveland vs. Denver.  Take the game Tuesday night against the Pacers when the Nuggets gave up 54 points in the third quarter.  Indiana shot 20-21 in the third quarter and would have been perfect if Josh McRoberts (what did you expect from a Dookie) hadn't launched an errant 3 pointer with less than 2 seconds to go in the quarter.  I know all teams have off nights but c'mon, the only way I can see giving up that many points is by not playing any defense and being lazy.  I don't want people to think I'm negative about everything so I will give the Nuggets credit for beating the previously unbeaten Lakers last night.  Didn't see that one coming.

Call me crazy but I'm predicting that both the Buffs (vs. Iowa St.) and Rams (vs. BYU) will win this weekend.

Broncos are playing Kansas City this Sunday at Invesco Field.  I'm giving Denver a 70-30 chance in this one. And by 70-30 I mean the stadium will be filled with 70% Denver fans and 30% KC fans.  As if the defense couldn't get any worse against the run, captain D..J. Williams was arrested for his second DUI and will most likely be suspended.  Final score KC 38 DEN 24.

The following question might sound appalling at first so please read the entire story before you judge me.  When is it okay to honk at a school bus?  I would normally give a school bus a bit of leniency when it comes to driving slow but my patience was definitely tested earlier this week.  I was driving to work in the morning and decided to take a different route because I needed to get gas.  As I approached my turn and moved into the right turn lane a school bus suddenly swerves into the turn lane just in front of me, the turn apparently coming out of nowhere.  Maybe the driver was distracted by some screaming kids, no big deal.  Then I notice that the bus is empty except for the driver and one adult (or very large kid) near the back.  OK, maybe the guy is taking a driving test, as a kid that rode the bus I appreciate that.  The initial speed limit is 45 and the bus is going 35.  Understandable right?  I'm sure the bus takes awhile to get up to speed.  After about a half mile the speed limit increases to 55 (which is one reason why I decided to go that way) and the bus speeds up to...40?  He continues to drive 40 and I feel myself getting hot.  I check the heater and it's not on.  I check my seat warmer and that's not on either.  Hrmmm, I guess I'm starting to get annoyed.  As I see the line of cars get longer and longer in my rear view mirror I find some comfort in the fact that I'm not the only one that thinks this bus is going really slow.  Pretty soon we start to approach the stoplight of pain.  You all know this stoplight.  It's the one that stays green for about 3 seconds which is usually enough time for the guy in the front of the line to put down his cell phone and get through and then turns red so nobody else can make it through.  It's also the light that is always timed so that you get there right as it turns yellow and you can't make it through without having to close your eyes because "it's not illegal if I don't see it."  Amazingly enough we're pulling into the left turn lane just as the arrow turns green so things should work out perfect for once.  Well it would have been perfect if the bus hadn't started to slow down about 200 feet before we hit the turn lane.  I mean come on, at that point we were going  so slow I could have stopped my car, walked up to the driver's side window and put the bus into park.  Anyway, after waiting the 20 minute light cycle we finally made the turn and drove 20 in a 40.  I finally got to a spot where I could pass the bus, shot the driver the dirtiest look I could muster, and shot past the bus at 40 mph.  In my mind I imagined that, to the bus driver, I looked like a NASCAR driver passing the cars at pit row.  Well this story ends the way all stories like this do; I end up getting stopped at the next red light and watch as the now ant sized bus grows larger and larger in my mirror as his 20 mph finally gets him to the light, immediately behind me.  Wonderful.

The Hillis Are Alive

Has it really come to this?  I heard/read comments to the tune of "at least the Broncos didn't lose this week" at least five times this weekend.  While I share the same sentiments I hate the fact that as Broncos fans we are now happy when we don't lose simply because we had a bye week.  Before the season started I looked at the second half of the season as a great opportunity for the Broncos to finish strong and, potentially, make a run for the division title or even a wildcard spot.  Now I'm not so optimistic.  With five division games left (3 on the road) as well as games against the surprising Rams, the unpredictable Cardinals, and the formerDenverBroncosJVbutnowcanbeattherealBroncos Gary Kubiak-led Texans, I'm expecting a repeat of the first half record to finish at 4-12.  I now find myself rooting for teams like the Cowboys, Panthers, 49ers, Lions, Bengals, and Bills to improve our draft position for next year.  I won't be surprised, however, so see the Broncos finish and inspired 5-3 to put their record at 7-9 which will ensure a first round pick in the 8-12th pick range and another season for McDoofus.  Obviously I would love to see a coach like Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden come in but at this point I'd take about any NFL or college coach...well except for Dan Hawkins.  "It's the NFL, it's not intramurals."

Speaking of Mr. Hawkins, how does this guy still have a job after blowing a 42-17 lead with under 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter?  After scoring on the first play of the fourth quarter, CU was outscored 35-0 to lose the game 52-45 stretching their road losing streak to 15 games (not counting games played on a neutral playing field.)  Their last true road win was October 27, 2007 in Lubbock, Texas.  I'm not sure that Bill McCartney is the answer (times and kids have changed in the last 16 years) but something has to change.

Well, last week I predicted CSU would win a game where they were a heavy underdog and, while they covered the 20 point spread, they lost a close game to San Diego State 24-19.  After dominating the entire first half in terms of yards and time of possession, they still found themselves down 7-6 going in to the locker room.  There were numerous wasted scoring opportunities, the most glaring an overthrow by WR Lou Greenwood after a beautiful double reverse where QB Pete Thomas was wide open at the 5 yard line with nobody within 20 yards.  The saying goes that there are no good losses but I was encouraged to see CSU's defense play so well on the road against a very good Aztec team.  CSU still has winnable games against BYU and Wyoming and finishing the season 5-7 (4-4 in MWC) would be wonderful after a 3-9 2009.

OK I have avoided this topic as long as possible but Peyton Hillis has now outrushed the entire Denver Broncos roster 644 yards to 538 despite having only 17 carries in the first two weeks combined.  It is so frustrating that every person in the city of Denver knew Hillis could play but McDon'tknowfootball didn't want to listen since Hillis wasn't his draft pick.  Relegated to special teams duty last season Hillis was traded to Cleveland in the offseason for his lack of toughness.  Lack of toughness?  Anyone that considers a guy who went 22 carries for 144 yards against Baltimore and 29 for 184 against New England as lacking in toughness needs to have his head checked.  Lucky for us that person is our head coach.  Well, at least we got Brady Quinn out of the deal.

The following section involves potty talk so for those of you that are sensitive about this subject please do not read any further!

There is a topic that has been on my mind for quite awhile and I think it's about time I say something.  I'd even like to escalate this as far as getting a PSA put out there.  Maybe Matt Damon and Ben Affleck would be interested.  Or Mark Wahlberg.  The issue I'm talking about is urinal etiquette.  There is nothing more creepy than when you walk up to an empty set of urinals and pick the one on the end only to have someone come up and use the one directly next to you.  For crying out loud choose the one on the other end.  At least leave an empty urinal as a buffer.  And while you're at it, please quit talking on your bluetooth headseat for the two minutes you're in the bathroom.  I can guarantee that 99.9% of us don't want to hear you do your business while you're talking to us on the phone let alone hear the flush of the urinals/toilets around you.  And for those of you that think you can just skip flushing the urinal/toilet so the person on the phone won't know what's going on, we know what you're doing and think it's even more disgusting that you don't flush or wash your hands.  You disgusting pigs.  Blech.

You mean he's not coaching the Rockies?

Not much to report today although the news of the day is that Randy Moss was picked up by Tennessee.  I have to say I'm happy that the Broncos showed some restraint and opted to not put in waiver claim for Moss even though he was a member of the Patriots earlier this year.  I think the Vikings were smart to release Moss.  They are 2-5 and really have no chance to make the playoffs, especially considering Favre probably won't make it through the season.  I guess he should have spent more time rehabbing his ankle and elbow and not so much time taking pictures with his cell phone.

Congrats to the San Francisco Giants on winning the World Series.  I do have to admit that I was rooting for the Rangers mainly because of Josh Hamilton and Clint Hurdle.  I'm glad Hurdle was able to feel the joy of winning a WS game, something the Rockies were unable to do in 2007.

I am happy to get my phone back now that the elections are over.  Now we can go back to not answering our phone because we don't know where it is rather than not wanting to hear another political call.

Oh, baby girl has strep throat so I can expect to get sick in a few days.  I guess that's the price you pay (along with almost $300/week) for going to day care.

Christmas Morning

Hello there.  I'm not sure exactly what makes me think I have enough to say to write a blog or, more likely, that there are enough people out there that care about what I have to say.  My wife Angie does a blog and I really enjoy reading that so maybe there will be someone that will enjoy some of my thoughts.  I'm guessing most of my posts will be sports inspired (hence the blog title) but I'm sure some of my random thoughts will show up as well.  My decision to do a blog comes from the fact that I feel like I need some place to vent my frustration with the Denver Broncos and coach Josh McDaniels.  Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think.  Hopefully your comments will inspire me for future posts when I run out of things to say.  I guess officially I've already started my blog but here goes nothing...

You know it's bad when all you have to root for is "tacos for touchdowns" instead of touchdowns for wins but that is the reality of being a Denver Broncos fan.  Unfortunately even two free tacos (with purchase of a large drink) won't make me feel any better after another lackluster outing by the Broncos in their latest loss on Sunday to the previously 1-6 49ers.  After a slow first half the Broncos finally seemed to get things in gear when Tebow scored their first points of the game.  Then, shortly after, a flea-flicker actually worked for a long touchdown to Gaffney...only to be called back because of a chop block by first round pick Know-show Moreno.  It is now the norm in my house to wait at least 5 seconds before celebrating any play (even a 2 yard run by the worthless Maroney) to allow time for the announcers to spot and announce the yellow flag(s) behind the line of scrimmage for the typical illegal formation/holding/illegal motion/chop block/delay of game/(insert any offensive penalty here) penalty to cancel out the play.  After moving back 5 - 15 yards I don't even need to watch because I know the 2 yard running play is coming on first and 20, or the 3 yard pass play on third and five.  At this point I am rooting for two things (not counting the aforementioned tacos for touchdowns); a new coach and a high first round draft pick.  Keep in mind that in order for the first round draft pick to be a good pick, we need a new coach/GM first.

It was good to see CSU kick some Lobo butt on Saturday.  I have to say I am very glad we switched to DirecTV so I can finally watch CSU games on Saturday afternoons (thanks for nothing Dish Network.)  I love the fact that CSU will finally have a four year QB instead of the one and done rotation we've had the past  four or five seasons.  Early in the year I predicted a defining win for CSU and, although the ranked teams have come and gone (and beat CSU down), I still think they will pull out a nice win against San Diego St. or BYU.  I'm very excited to see what they do next season.

Again, thanks to DirecTV, Angie and i were able to watch the Montana St. vs. Idaho St. game on Saturday night.  It was a sloppy game (at least it appeared that way as we watched the second half in 2x speed) but the Bobcats did pull off the road victory in overtime thanks to multiple missed field goals in regulation by the Bobcat kicker.  The interesting thing that came out of this game was that during the winning touchdown run the Montana St. quarterback stepped out of bounds at the two yard line, unnoticed by the refs, and crossed the goal line for the score.  As Angie and I were watching the replay and waiting for the play to be reviewed and overturned we noticed the players for both teams were jogging off the field to their respective locker rooms.  The TV announcer then let's us know that the Big Sky Conference does not have instant replay and the touchdown would stand.  Good job boys, hurry back to the bus and get back to Bozeman before they change the rules.

A few random thoughts before I go:

• I've only been wearing contacts for a couple months so maybe this feeling will wane but the first of every month feels like Christmas morning when I get to throw out the old contacts and open up a pack of freshies
• Sometimes, when I'm calling in to a radio show to win a prize, I actually hang up when the phone starts ringing because I was expecting the busy signal
• FAGE strained Greek yogurt with fruit (in the side container not pre-mixed) is amazing
• After seeing baby girl as a kitty for Halloween do I now need to consider myself a cat person?