Dang it, I meant to start this earlier in the day but now my day is winding down and I want to head home. As I always say (and rarely live up to) I'll keep this one brief.
Congrats to the CSU Rams on a big win over Utah State on Saturday night. Beating Utah State might not sound like much but the Aggies of Utah State coulda woulda shoulda beat Auburn in their first game of the year. Unfortunately The Mountain decided not to show the game but based on what I read CSU forced four turnovers, the big one being a fumble recovery on a dropped punt on the Utah St. 15 yard line with 2:17 to play. CSU scored a TD and the two-point conversion to send the game to OT. In the second OT CSU scored a TD and extra point to put them up 7. After scoring on a 25 yard run, Utah St. decided to end the game on the next play by going for two. Aggie running back Robert Turbin, he of four TDs on the night, was stoned by the Rams defense and CSU left Logan with a W. Pete Thomas continued his struggles and averaged a pitiful 3.9 ypa. Something needs to change and hopefully before league play starts.
Easier game this week against San Jose State in Fort Collins for Homecoming. Rams 38 SJS 24
CU didn't fare as well in Columbus and lost to Ohio State 37-17 and now their road losing streak is at 19. They open up Pac 12 play on Saturday in Boulder against the Cougars of Washington St. I think CU will get a W this week in a shootout. CU 38 WSU 31
After dominating the game Denver still managed to lose to Tennessee by a score of 17-14. Of course the play everyone is talking about is the fourth and goal from the six inch line that Denver was not able to punch into the end zone. A field goal would have put them up 7 with just over 13 minutes to go in the game. Of course a TD would have put them up 11 and the game may have been out of reach for the Titans. After a terrible play action play call on first down the Broncos gave the ball to Willis McGahee three straight times and couldn't manage to get the two yards to paydirt.
After another week of fans begging for Tebow the Broncos head to Green Bay to play the Super Bowl champion Packers. The line is 13 (just like it was for Super Bowl 32) but I don't think Denver will be able to keep it that close. They will get some of their injured starters back but not the one that would help the most in Champ Bailey. Denver is in desperate need of a win in the next two games (@ GB and at home against SD) otherwise they will head into the bye week 1-4. If that's the case there may not be much choice but to start Tebow for the remainder of the season and get into draft mode. Sigh. It's looking like another season of "wait until next year" and it's only week 4.
Beautiful weather this weekend, have a great one!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Welcome to My Hammy
Once again I meant to update this on Monday while my football thoughts were fresh but work got in the way. It has a funny way of doing that. This post will be a short one because I just have too much work to do right now.
Let's start with the CSU-CU game. How pitiful did CSU look? The defense actually played pretty well considering their best two players are out but the offense was just terrible. Pete Thomas didn't complete as many passes as I thought he would although his yards per attempt were along the lines of my prediction. I was expecting an average of 4 ypa but he ended up at 5.6. That puts him at 6.2 for the season which is second to last in the conference. He looks just like Tim Tebow in the pocket which is not a good thing. I'm not referring to the Tim Tebow running out of the pocket but Tim Tebow when he decides to throw. Thomas, like Tebow, always seems to check down to the safe receiver and gain minimal yardage. Outside of a 34 yard completion to TE Crockett Gilmore his longest completion was 12 yards. 12 yards! WR Charles Lovett had a 23 yard touchdown completion on his only attempt of the game (and probably career.) At some point he needs to trust his arm and his receivers and throw the ball down field. I am sad to say I am still seeing no improvement in the team and I'm sure Coach Fairchild is a little nervous about his job...as he should be.
CSU 17 Utah St. 35
CU got a win last week (as mentioned above) and have the tough task of facing Ohio State in Columbus. I don't know much about the Buckeyes other than they have a bunch of suspended players and a new coach. That being said I still think they will be able to beat CU but I think it will be a close game.
CU 24 OSU 31
The Broncos game was a strange one. Already missing 4-5 of their starters Denver lost 2 more key players (Royal and Thomas) in the first quarter. Denver still played pretty well for the most part and managed to hold on by 2 points against a below average Bengals team. The defense had no pass rush at all other than a big play on the second to last play of the game but the game was beyond frustrating. After multiple big stops by the defense on third and shorts, the offense managed to come in and go three and out four times in the second half (and a 3 and fumble by Orton) when a couple of first downs would have allowed them to run out the clock. I'm not too optimistic about their chances in Tennessee this week and I think Chris Johnson will finally break out of his slump in a big way. If Denver loses this one they need to turn the calendar a couple times until they can find the next winnable game on the schedule. A road game in Miami might be their best chance in October otherwise we're looking at a game in KC on 11/13, a game in Minnesota on 12/4 or a home game against KC on 1/1. It looks like we're on track for 1 win/month which would put us at 5-11 for the season. Sigh.
Denver 13 Tennessee 27
I have always been skeptical when I hear that a player is out of a game due to a pulled hamstring. I mean come on, how bad can it be? Answer: it can be very very painful. As I was rounding first base on Tuesday night admiring my line drive down the third base line I heard a strange "pop" followed by a bolt of lightning in my leg. It turns out I suffered a grade 2 pulled hamstring. I can't image ever jogging again let alone jump, sprint, dash, cut, weave, or even walk without a limp. I long for the day when I can bend over and tie my shoe without a sharp pain in my leg. I know I'm a wimp and it will heal soon and could have been much worse but I will no longer roll my eyes when I hear a player is day-to-day with a pulled hamstring. Consider me month-to-month.
Have a great weekend!
Let's start with the CSU-CU game. How pitiful did CSU look? The defense actually played pretty well considering their best two players are out but the offense was just terrible. Pete Thomas didn't complete as many passes as I thought he would although his yards per attempt were along the lines of my prediction. I was expecting an average of 4 ypa but he ended up at 5.6. That puts him at 6.2 for the season which is second to last in the conference. He looks just like Tim Tebow in the pocket which is not a good thing. I'm not referring to the Tim Tebow running out of the pocket but Tim Tebow when he decides to throw. Thomas, like Tebow, always seems to check down to the safe receiver and gain minimal yardage. Outside of a 34 yard completion to TE Crockett Gilmore his longest completion was 12 yards. 12 yards! WR Charles Lovett had a 23 yard touchdown completion on his only attempt of the game (and probably career.) At some point he needs to trust his arm and his receivers and throw the ball down field. I am sad to say I am still seeing no improvement in the team and I'm sure Coach Fairchild is a little nervous about his job...as he should be.
CSU 17 Utah St. 35
CU got a win last week (as mentioned above) and have the tough task of facing Ohio State in Columbus. I don't know much about the Buckeyes other than they have a bunch of suspended players and a new coach. That being said I still think they will be able to beat CU but I think it will be a close game.
CU 24 OSU 31
The Broncos game was a strange one. Already missing 4-5 of their starters Denver lost 2 more key players (Royal and Thomas) in the first quarter. Denver still played pretty well for the most part and managed to hold on by 2 points against a below average Bengals team. The defense had no pass rush at all other than a big play on the second to last play of the game but the game was beyond frustrating. After multiple big stops by the defense on third and shorts, the offense managed to come in and go three and out four times in the second half (and a 3 and fumble by Orton) when a couple of first downs would have allowed them to run out the clock. I'm not too optimistic about their chances in Tennessee this week and I think Chris Johnson will finally break out of his slump in a big way. If Denver loses this one they need to turn the calendar a couple times until they can find the next winnable game on the schedule. A road game in Miami might be their best chance in October otherwise we're looking at a game in KC on 11/13, a game in Minnesota on 12/4 or a home game against KC on 1/1. It looks like we're on track for 1 win/month which would put us at 5-11 for the season. Sigh.
Denver 13 Tennessee 27
I have always been skeptical when I hear that a player is out of a game due to a pulled hamstring. I mean come on, how bad can it be? Answer: it can be very very painful. As I was rounding first base on Tuesday night admiring my line drive down the third base line I heard a strange "pop" followed by a bolt of lightning in my leg. It turns out I suffered a grade 2 pulled hamstring. I can't image ever jogging again let alone jump, sprint, dash, cut, weave, or even walk without a limp. I long for the day when I can bend over and tie my shoe without a sharp pain in my leg. I know I'm a wimp and it will heal soon and could have been much worse but I will no longer roll my eyes when I hear a player is day-to-day with a pulled hamstring. Consider me month-to-month.
Have a great weekend!
Friday, September 16, 2011
I'd give them all up for another foot.
Boy how time flies. I had every intention of updating my blog after every Broncos preseason game but life moves fast as you all know and here I am finally writing on September 16th. I don't have a lot of time right now so I'll try to hit the highlights.
I can't even remember now what we did in August but I do remember that we went to Seattle for Labor Day. Baby girl did wonderful although we robbed her of a few naps. We woke her up on Friday morning at 6:00am so we could head to the airport and she was awake the entire day. As we were on our way home from dinner that night we asked her if she was tired and her response was "no nap." In fact, just the other day she told Angie "I need a nap." You've got to love having a kid that puts themselves down for a nap.
I had a whole list of things to talk about after watching the disaster that was the Broncos game on Monday night. My boss was in town all week so I didn't get a chance to update my blog Tuesday morning which is probably a good thing. I have probably calmed down a bit since I went to bed mad at 12am Tuesday morning but there are still a few things I need to vent about. First of all, I bet my blog is probably in high demand after watching holding penalty after holding penalty. I think I saw first and twenty, first and fifteen more than I saw first and ten. I know it was the first game but is our offensive line really that bad/dumb that they don't know what holding is? Also, how bad were the last 24 seconds of the first half? Orton throws a idiotic interception and then we follow that up with a (just as idiotic) 15 yard penalty. Since when did we become the Raiders minor league team? Oakland would have run out the clock but the 15 yard penalty allowed them to take the chance of getting into field goal range and let Sebastian Janikowski taint Jason Elam's NFL record long field goal. Add to that the Broncos lost by...yup...three points.
One last rant regarding the Broncos. What happened to that defensive pass rush that looked so strong in the preseason. Apparently Denver's preseason opponents played their third string offensive lines because Denver couldn't manage to put any pressure on Jason Campbell. Not that Oakland needed to pass the ball when they could run at will. When you allow almost 5 yards per carry when you KNOW the offense is going to run the ball you have serious issues. I still think Denver will win this week but my preseason prediction of 7 wins is now down to 5.
Denver 24 Cincinnati 13
OK one last rant. I am in the Tebow camp. Not because I think he's a better QB than Orton but because I think the team responds to him and I think he actually cares. I also want to see what he can do so we know if we need to draft a QB next year. Actually, I think it's pretty clear that we do need to and will draft another QB but the question is how early in the draft.
**UPDATE** I'm a bit of an airhead apparently. The reason I brought up the worlds's favorite third string QB is because I was a little annoyed with the Denver fans on Monday night. Yes Orton was having a stinker of a game. Yes Tebow could have probably avoided a couple sacks. I'm not so sure the outcome of the game would have been any different but I'm not a big fan of our fans chanting "Tebow Tebow" during the game. Have a little class and support your starting QB for crying out loud. Maybe Tebow is the answer but let's let the coaches make the decision. Oh yeah, to the folks thinking about spending 10 grand on a billboard in LoDo asking for Tebow to be the starter. Save your money or give it to Tebow's charity. If Orton continues his poor play and we start 1-3 or 0-4, Tebow will be in soon enough.
CSU vs. CU this weekend. I'd love to say that the 2-0 Rams are going to crush, and basically end the season of, the 0-2 Buffs but I have not been impressed with the Rams. The loss of Mychal Sisson is devastating for the defense. I can see the Buffs running up and down the field over the Rams' defense while Pete Thomas completes 32 passes at 4 yards per completion in garbage time. I hate to say this but:
Buffs 38 Rams 20
I just heard an interview with Sonny Lubick and they asked him about the game CSU lost to CU 31 - 28 at Folsom Field after the Rams had the ball at the CU 1 foot line with 20 seconds to go. Instead of kicking the tying FG and sending the game to OT Sonny decided to go for it. He gave the ball to CU reject Marcus Houston who was promptly stoned at the goal line. I thought going for it was the right call but I hated the play call. Anyway, according to the story the team chaplain was trying to comfort Sonny after the game and said something about how he's still got his friends and family. According to Sonny, his response was "I'd give them all up for another foot."
Have a great weekend.
I can't even remember now what we did in August but I do remember that we went to Seattle for Labor Day. Baby girl did wonderful although we robbed her of a few naps. We woke her up on Friday morning at 6:00am so we could head to the airport and she was awake the entire day. As we were on our way home from dinner that night we asked her if she was tired and her response was "no nap." In fact, just the other day she told Angie "I need a nap." You've got to love having a kid that puts themselves down for a nap.
I had a whole list of things to talk about after watching the disaster that was the Broncos game on Monday night. My boss was in town all week so I didn't get a chance to update my blog Tuesday morning which is probably a good thing. I have probably calmed down a bit since I went to bed mad at 12am Tuesday morning but there are still a few things I need to vent about. First of all, I bet my blog is probably in high demand after watching holding penalty after holding penalty. I think I saw first and twenty, first and fifteen more than I saw first and ten. I know it was the first game but is our offensive line really that bad/dumb that they don't know what holding is? Also, how bad were the last 24 seconds of the first half? Orton throws a idiotic interception and then we follow that up with a (just as idiotic) 15 yard penalty. Since when did we become the Raiders minor league team? Oakland would have run out the clock but the 15 yard penalty allowed them to take the chance of getting into field goal range and let Sebastian Janikowski taint Jason Elam's NFL record long field goal. Add to that the Broncos lost by...yup...three points.
One last rant regarding the Broncos. What happened to that defensive pass rush that looked so strong in the preseason. Apparently Denver's preseason opponents played their third string offensive lines because Denver couldn't manage to put any pressure on Jason Campbell. Not that Oakland needed to pass the ball when they could run at will. When you allow almost 5 yards per carry when you KNOW the offense is going to run the ball you have serious issues. I still think Denver will win this week but my preseason prediction of 7 wins is now down to 5.
Denver 24 Cincinnati 13
OK one last rant. I am in the Tebow camp. Not because I think he's a better QB than Orton but because I think the team responds to him and I think he actually cares. I also want to see what he can do so we know if we need to draft a QB next year. Actually, I think it's pretty clear that we do need to and will draft another QB but the question is how early in the draft.
**UPDATE** I'm a bit of an airhead apparently. The reason I brought up the worlds's favorite third string QB is because I was a little annoyed with the Denver fans on Monday night. Yes Orton was having a stinker of a game. Yes Tebow could have probably avoided a couple sacks. I'm not so sure the outcome of the game would have been any different but I'm not a big fan of our fans chanting "Tebow Tebow" during the game. Have a little class and support your starting QB for crying out loud. Maybe Tebow is the answer but let's let the coaches make the decision. Oh yeah, to the folks thinking about spending 10 grand on a billboard in LoDo asking for Tebow to be the starter. Save your money or give it to Tebow's charity. If Orton continues his poor play and we start 1-3 or 0-4, Tebow will be in soon enough.
CSU vs. CU this weekend. I'd love to say that the 2-0 Rams are going to crush, and basically end the season of, the 0-2 Buffs but I have not been impressed with the Rams. The loss of Mychal Sisson is devastating for the defense. I can see the Buffs running up and down the field over the Rams' defense while Pete Thomas completes 32 passes at 4 yards per completion in garbage time. I hate to say this but:
Buffs 38 Rams 20
I just heard an interview with Sonny Lubick and they asked him about the game CSU lost to CU 31 - 28 at Folsom Field after the Rams had the ball at the CU 1 foot line with 20 seconds to go. Instead of kicking the tying FG and sending the game to OT Sonny decided to go for it. He gave the ball to CU reject Marcus Houston who was promptly stoned at the goal line. I thought going for it was the right call but I hated the play call. Anyway, according to the story the team chaplain was trying to comfort Sonny after the game and said something about how he's still got his friends and family. According to Sonny, his response was "I'd give them all up for another foot."
Have a great weekend.
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