'Tis the Season

The Holiday season is in full swing but the Broncos season is winding down. It's time for the boys in blue to either hang up the stalkings or keep the menorah lit for a few more weeks because the most important question for them this week isn't which kind of Mercedes they will be giving their wives for Christmas, it's determining what kind of football team they are going to be in these final two weeks.

The Grinch showed up a little bit early and ruined Christmas for the Broncos when non-other than the Oakland Raiders slid down the chimney of Invesco Field and delivered a last second loss to the naughty Broncos. Yes, it was a pathetic display of execution and the Broncos ultimately gave away that game but I'm not really that mad. Disappointed? Sure. Mad? Not really. I didn't want the Broncos to get a free pass into the playoffs just because they (supposedly) had two easy victories due to the Raiders and Chiefs being the 2 of the last 3 teams the Broncos faced. I didn't want them to barely beat the Raiders, get steam rolled by the Eagles and then get a default win against the Chiefs. I want the Broncos to face some diversity and earn their way into the playoffs because if they can't hold onto the Wild Card than honestly, I would rather have them miss out of January football and get a better draft pick. Seriously, I'm not kidding. I'm in it to win it and I am not satisfied with just limping into the playoffs and getting steam rolled by the Colts because I have been through that many times with Mike Shanahan.

So, if the Broncos want to make the playoffs than they need to beat the Christmas-red hot and green jersey Eagles this week in Philadelphia. Not an easy task at hand but if the Broncos want to be known as one of the best than they must beat one of the best. The Eagles have proven to be one of the best December teams throughout the past 5 years and the Broncos have proven to be one of the worst December teams throughout the past 5 years so the odds are clearly against Denver. But like shown in last weeks game winning drive that was orchestrated by non-other than the 3rd string, all time NFL draft bust JaMarcus Russell, anything is possible on any given Sunday. If JaMarcus Russell can look like John Elway than the Broncos can look like a championship team for at least one week. Right?...

Players to Watch

Brian Dawkins

Who else? Every eyeball in Lincoln Financial Field will be affixed to Dawkins when he makes his first appearance in Philadelphia since leaving for Denver last off-season. Dawkins, of course, spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Eagles, going to seven Pro Bowls and helping lead his former team to five NFC Championship game appearances. Dawkins is also the Eagles' franchise leader in games played (183) and is tied for the franchise lead in interceptions (34). Fans will recall "Weapon X" for his physical style of play at the safety position, and he will likely be employed close to the line of scrimmage, in an attempt to stifle his former teammates. It is sure to be an emotional afternoon for Dawkins, his former teammates and the fans alike, but the bottom line is that both teams need Sunday's game and there won't be any lack of effort on the field.

It's also a game for Dawkins to show up his old team and show them the mistake they made for letting him go. I get what the Eagles from office was thinking. Well kinda. They didn't want to commit a lot of money into a guy that is 36 years old because frankly, 36 year old's are on the downside of their careers. Well, not according to Brian Dawkins who is having one of, if not the best season of his career. He already has a career high in tackles (100) and now he is putting together a year that mirrors some of his best Pro Bowl seasons. Not to mention all the other emotional intangibles and fan support that the Eagles are missing out of. In a season of giving, I just want to thank the Eagles front office for giving us Brian Dawkins. Merry Christmas.

Knowshon Moreno

Dawkins isn't the only former Eagle returning to Philadelphia of course. There's also Correll Buckhalter, who has run for 582 yards at a 5.2 yards-per-carry clip. But Buckhalter has been hampered by an ankle injury and Moreno has had to carry the load over the past few weeks. Moreno needs to guide this running game like Randolph was forced to guide Santa's Slay as in he needs to bounce back from his, dare I say, pathetic game against the 30 ranked rushing defense in the Raiders. Rushing for 2.2 yards per carry and accumulating a mere 3 yards of 12 carries after the first quarter just isn't going to cut it against a stout Eagles' run defense – 10th in the league – that allowed its first 100-yard rusher in 21 regular season games last week. Buckhalter looks like he will be healthy enough to play but if he can't stay healthy than Know-show Moreno needs deliver a present. Or maybe, McDaniels is feeling the Holiday spirit and finally unwraps his gift by using his best kept secret weapon in Peyton Hillis. But I think that is asking for too much this Christmas from McDaniels.

The Broncos Offensive Line

The whole Broncos offensive line has really played bad these past few weeks. Besides Ryan Clady, the rest of the lineman would all receive coal from me this year if I was Santa. Tyler Polumbus has been getting destroyed, Chris Kuper is clearly not what he was a year ago, Russ Hochstein is proving why he is a career backup and Casey Weigmann, well maybe those talks of retirement in the offseason should have been a little but more serious. Once a strong point for this ball club, the O-line needs to make a serious push (hehe) if the Broncos want to get back into the playoff race.

Key Matchups
Winston Justice and Jason Peters vs. Elvis Dumervil

The Eagles' offensive line has finally had time to play together on a consistent basis and the results are showing. Peters has played up to his All-Pro level despite being hampered by a knee injury and he headed to the playoffs for the first time in his career. After shutting down a 49ers pass rush that was coming off a four-sack game against the Arizona Cardinals, Peters now gets to take on the league's leader in sacks. The 5-11, 248-pound Dumervil fell to the fourth round of the 2006 Draft because of size concerns after a productive career at Louisville. He's proved his detractors wrong with 41.0 sacks in his four years, and the switch to linebacker has taken his game to an extra level. Dooms Day Dumervil needs to come up big in this game because if you give McNabb and wide out DeSean Jackson some time, they will make you pay. There is a reason why DeSean Jackson has already set an NFL record with eight 50+ yards touchdown plays.

Brandon Marshall vs. Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel

Brown and Samuel are both playing at a Pro Bowl level and they've combined for more interceptions (13) than any other duo of cornerbacks in the league. They're also the perfect foils for each other. Samuel is a gambler who breaks off coverages to read the quarterback and go for the big play. Brown is the fundamentally-sound, physical cornerback who rarely misses a tackle. Because Samuel and Brown don't switch sides of the field, they will both have their hands full this week with Marshall, who is second in the NFL with 93 receptions. Marshall is a physical marvel and beast in the open field. At 6-4, 240 pounds, he can run with any quick corner while bullying them down to the turf when the corner comes up to make a tackle. Marshall has finally put a complete season together this year and is looking to finish the year with another 100+ catch season. What better present to give yourself than to break Rod Smith's franchise mark in catches over 3 seasons and also lead the league with 3 straight 100+ catch seasons? Oh, not to mention adding a few more zero's onto your pay check in the offseason....

'Tis the season of giving right? Well give the Broncos fans a real Christmas gift and make the playoffs.

McDaniels > Shanahan

If Mike Shanahan is a good coach than Josh McDaniels is a great coach. At the tender age of 33, McDaniels gets it. He approaches the game from a "win or die" mentality and is all business when it comes to running this organization. He's smart, he's young, he's a dick, he's a hardass, he's the guy I want running my team. He doesn't have that charismatic charm that the media loved with Mikey but charisma doesn't win you football games. What wins you football games is by not being a dumbass and making the right moves in the offseason. You can see it with this Broncos team who is 3-0. But wasn't Shanahans team last year 3-0 at this point?? Yes, but they were a mediocre football team that was ready to (and did) fall apart in the upcoming weeks. This years Broncos team is build to last and they would have unquestionably crushed last years squad.

Josh McDaniels' press conference yesterday might have been the most impressive I have ever heard from a Broncos Coach. His comments really struck me, and to be honest, impressed the hell out of me.
First, McDaniels was asked how he would keep his team humble after starting 3-0...

"Just show them the film. Show them the film. We have got a 50-play cut-up we are going to watch during the squad meeting, and it is not all bows and ribbons. They see it. They saw it every week that we have played so far that, ‘Boy! If we had only done these five or six things better, it could have been an even better performance, and we could have won by a bigger margin.' When players see that, you don't have to convince them that they need to improve. They know that they have got to get better. The biggest thing that you can do is take the things that we didn't do well in the film and go out there on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and go out there and actually emphasize it and put a period in practice where we have to do this better. Yesterday, our field-goal protection was not very good. We are going to work on field-goal protection on Wednesday Thursday and Friday this week. They will learn how important that is and they are going to see how important it is when they see it"

That is exactly the answer I want to hear. Think about it, the Broncos started 3-0 last season but they proceeded to fall apart, finishing 5-8. If anyone should feel uncomfortable being 3-0, it is Denver Broncos fans. I looked back to some comments Mike Shanahan made after the Broncos beat the Saints last season to go to 3-0. Here is what Shanny said about Denver's defense who had just given up 32 points:

"I am not alarmed at all because if you get that kind of effort overall, good things are going to happen. We just have to get better on third downs. They were 8-14 on third downs, and they had a third down and 12 and a third down and 7 when it was 21-3 and that game was almost over. You just have to be on with your zone drops and you have to make a tackle here and there. It is something we can work on, especially with that type of effort. That was as hard as we have played in a long time."

Think about that for a second. His team had just given up 32 points, and he was not concerned because there was 'good effort'?? I'm sorry Mike Shanahan, I didn't know this was an elementary school gym class where if you just went out there and gave a small bit of effort you pass the class with an A+. I think that the sprinters in the Special Olympics give good effort too but that doesn't mean any of them can challenge Usain Bolt. I just don't get how you can have such a huge sense of satisfaction when your team only won because Mike Gramtica missed a game winning field goal. See the difference?

McDaniels' decision making goes wayyy beyond player personnel. Even thoguh he hasn't even been in the league very long, he know's what coaches to bring on board with him. Especially, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. Nolan has been a huge success and shows just how confident McDaniels is to bring in a former Head Coach. Another hire, one on the offensive side, can't be ignored either. McDaniels took a lot of heat for dismissing Jeremy Bates and bringing in former Panthers QB coach Mike McCoy. Sure, McDaniels call the plays on offense, but has anyone seen how the Panthers have looked on offense this season? Anyone notice how badly Jake Delhomme has played? The Panthers are missing McCoy, and the Broncos have him. Right now I would put this coaching staff up against any in the NFL.

Just to show how good this team really is, ask yourself who the worst player is on this 53 man roster. Go ahead, I'll give you a minute........ Do you need more time because honestly it's a tough call because every player is pretty good. This jsut shows how well coached and put together this footballteam is. Who are we going to draft? Because every position is pretty solid. All the picks will just be upgrades. This is nlike last years team where I could name tons of scrubs who didn't deserve to even be in the NFL. And Shanahan even started these talentless clowns. So with that, let's play a little game called "Where Are They now?" Here is a look at where the former starters on offense and defense are now:

2008 Broncos Defensive Starters:
Dre Bly: Backup cornerback for the 49ers.
Niko Koutouvides: Third string MLB for Tampa Bay
Nate Webster: Unemployed.
JamieWinborn: Unemployed.
Dewayne Robertson: Unempoyed.
Ebenezer Ekuban: Unemployed.
Tim Crowder: Unemployed.
John Engelberger: Unemployed.
Marlon McCree: Unemployed.
Calvin Lowry: Unemployed.
Nic Clemons: Unemployed.
Boss Bailey: Unemployed.
Louis Green: Unemployed.
Marquand Manuel: Back up safety for the Detroit Lions.

2008 Broncos Offensive Starters:
Tatum Bell: Unemployed. (well employed at the Arvada mall selling cell phones)
Ryan Torain: Unemployed.
Michael Pittman: Unemployed.
Selvin Young: Unemployed.
PJ Pope: Unemployed.
Anthony aldridge: Unemployed.

That's a whole lot of players who didn't even get to see training camp this year. Oh, and let's not forget to add one more person to that list.

Mike Shanahan: Unemployed.

Tracking the AFC West

(Sorry for the pixelated image. I suck at cropping pictures.)

Denver (2-0)
Oakland (1-1)
San Diego (1-1)
Kansas City (0-2)

Denver - Their defense has taken a complete 180 degree turn from last year. I wouldn't be surprised if they are a top 10 defense by the end of the year. Dumervil is currently leading the league in sacks (4 sacks today alone), Champ looks healthy, Dawkins doesn't show any signs pointing to the fact that he's 35 years old, Goodman is a huge upgrade from Dre Bly, Woodyard is suddenly a playmaker/difference maker and the D line can actually stuff the run. The offense has definitely taken a step back with Orton but the Broncos can still move the chains a bit. Buckhalter is solid, Moreno has the pop to make big plays and Hillis is always a nice insurance policy. Not sure what the deal is still with Marshall. He looks sluggish and he doesn't have much rhythm with Orton. Stokley seems to be the go-to-guy for this offense which is fine because Stokley is a reliable wide out but he isn't a play maker like Marshall. Marshall needs to step up because he is losing a ton of respect and money. This is a well coached team all across the board - special teams, defense and yes, even offense. Orton just isn't Cutler, sorry guys but he made some nice throws today and he doesn't gamble. He's not afraid to throw the ball away in order to avoid the sack and I prefer this style over the Jay "I'm not settling for a field goal so I'll throw it across my body, on the move, and into triple coverage" Cutler anyday - especially when we already have the lead. Look at last week - the Broncos had the lead all game, Orton played smart, didn't make any risky throws, preserved the lead and the Broncos won. Meanwhile, the Bears had the lead going into the 4th quarter, Cutler threw risky passes and he throw a game losing pick on the final drive to lose the game. It's examples like this that make me side with McDaniels on why he didn't think Cutler was mentally capable of running his offense.

FYI, notice how Tony Dungy and Josh McDaniels are the two people who have never fully thought Cutler was a franchise QB and have doubted him. Then notice how Tony Dungy and Josh McDaniels have both coached, thrived, set all time passing records, and won Super Bowls with the two best quarterbacks of our era in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Just throwing that out there.....

Raiders - Defense is stellar now with the addition of Seymour. Funny how one player completely turns a D line from dog shit to good. McFadden looks 100% healthy and Cable is finally utilizing him like he should. I'm surprised to see DHB getting so much action already but I guess when Louis Murphy and Johnny Lee Higgins are your other wide receivers, than a unpolished DHB isn't a bad option. Once Schilens get back and those young wide outs get better acclimated with Russell than this could be a pretty decent offense. Unfortunately, Russell's accuracy is still shaky (7 for 24 today...) but with an improved O-line and some tall red zone targets (Miller, Schilens, DHB) this offense will put up some points to go along with a good defense. I think they need to pound the ball even more with Bush/Run DMC because it's not like they are playing from behind and need to pass the ball so much.

San Diego - Still the most talented team in the division. Rivers is the clear cut best QB in the division and he has consistently proven he can throw the ball whenever he wants (436 yards today against the Ravens. Wow.). Not to mention San Diego might have the best receiving core in the division right now. Vincent Jackson is becoming an elite wide out, Gates is Gates, Naanee has a lot of talent and it's showing it, Chambers doesn't need to be a playmaker - just a compliment, and Sproles is electric when he gets the ball in the open field (what a luxury it is to have Sproles waiting in the flats when no one else is open). The defense has a ton on injuries and I'm not sure Merriman will ever return to his old self but once the defense gets healthier than you know they have the talent to be very good. They're run defense is a bit spotty but when you have a QB that can score at will than a lot of teams won't be running too much. Oh, and LT still is a very good back. He had some good runs last week and he can keep his legs fresh all year with Sproles taking away some carries.

Kansas City - They D line is really improved. Tank Tyler is legit at nose tackle and he's getting a lot of penetration which is opening lanes for Dorsey, Jackson, and their line backers. Still a pretty raw defense but they play physically which will always force turnovers. Their offense is going to be sub par to bad all year. Cassel is nothing too special right now, Larry Johnson looks really good sometimes but he also looks really bad sometimes, Bowe takes plays off, they have no tight end and their other receivers are just average. They will finish last in this division and have a top 10 draft pick but it's not all bad because their going to be good in a few years and Haley knows what he is going. If I was a Chiefs fan I would be pretty worried about the fact that the Chiefs gave Cassel 63 million without him proving he's worth it yet. Dare I say that Brodie Croyle looked A LOT better last week in Baltimore than Cassel did this week at home?......

10 Typical Guys You Will See At Every Fantasy Football Draft

My draft night is tonight and I am sitting at work (with no boss nor any real work to be completed) so I was thinking about the typical cast of characters that are going to log into your draft room tonight while you guys battle it out for another years worth of fantasy football bragging rights. For those of us who participate, the draft is both an unofficial holiday and serious business. These two hours determine which carefully constructed roster of talented athletes will be making up for our own woeful athletic shortcomings over the course of the next three months. Here's the ten I have came up with:

10) You Stole My Pick Guy
Whereas the Fantasy Vet "can't believe you took Maurice Jones Drew because it's a non-PPR league," this guy can't believe you took MJD ... because he was his very next pick! This guy finds it absolutely mind blowing that two friends using the same finite pool of news and statistics, would end up liking the same elite player. If it's a live draft, he'll be glad to show you his copy of the Top 200 Fantasy Players he printed off of at work, where he's marked all of the names with a check mark, double check mark or smiley face. Of course, it's tough to feel bad since he grunts and whines about at least one pick that was stolen from him in each round.

9) The Clueless Guy
He has a vague notion of what the National Football League even is and hes pretty sure it has something to do with a ball and maybe sports. He'll make his presence known in the third round when he starts asking after the availability of whichever long-retired player was most recently on Dancing With The Stars. When you invited clueless guy into your league a few years back, you were hanging precariously at eleven participants with the draft 4 hours away and you needed to get to 12.

8) The Superfan
The superfan shows up for the draft wearing his favorite team's jersey, and might give off the impression that he was drafted by them in the off-season since he uses the first person plural when referring to how good "our offense looks." He will be shocked and outraged when you take his team's best player one pick ahead of him in the early rounds. But the late rounds are where the super fan really does his damage. He's spent the summer reading up on how his team's fourth string wide receiver might be due for a break out season and seems completely unaware that every sports writer in every NFL city is writing that same article about their team's fourth string wide receiver. The most surprising thing about the Superfan is how shocked he'll be when his team sucks.

7) The Hurry Up Guy
Let's Hurry It Along Guy starts heckling everyone who takes over 30 seconds to make a pick soon after the second round winds down. His tactic ends up making the draft an hour longer with all the time people spend asking him to kindly shut the fuck up but does he care? Nope, it's all about letting people know that he's got somewhere very important to be on a Tuesday night at 11PM.

6) The "I Only Play For Money" Guy
You may recognize him from his work as "The Guy Who Went Perfect in His Dad's NCAA Office Pool" last March. This player will compete in your draft because he's friends with the other people in the league but he will go out of his way to talk about how he's not really taking your league seriously because there isn't any money on the line. If there is money on the line, he's in some other league with a $7,000 buy-in and he'll remind you several times throughout the draft that in his other leagues, he's got a much better team.

5) The Awful Pick Guy
He won't say much during the draft but every couple of rounds he will make a point to tell another player what an awful pick he just made. "Awful pick, bro," or "He sucks, that's a terrible call," are the most phrases from this guy. If anyone ever calls him on being an asshole, he'll usually claim that he's just "trying to rattle a few cages." But no matter how much he claims to be the "I'm just stirring up some friendly trash talking" guy of fantasy football, Awful Pick Guy is usually just an asshole.

4) The Guy Who Drafts Michael Vick
The Guy Who Drafts Mike Vick will snag him in the eighth or ninth round and then boast about what a steal the pick is and how this is the year Mike Vick puts it all together. He'll throw out some obnoxious prediction like "Vick is gonna throw for 4,000 yards and rush for another 1,000. You guys just watch." Then mid-October hits and Vick is either splitting carries as a Wild Cat QB or aiming for a season that consisted of a third of what your friend had originally predicted. You'll recognize the Guy Who Drafts Mike Vick from your fantasy baseball and basketball drafts where he was The Guy Who Drafted Tracy McGrady and Jason Giambi.

3) The Funny Guy
The Funny Guy can be expected to draft Dante Culpepper very early just so he can name his fantasy team "Salt-N-Culpepper." This year he'll definitely be drafting the Bears' Adrian Peterson and then later offering him up in trades for first rounders. He'll also be drafting players with funny names, like Steve Breaston, Chad Ochocinco and Visanthe Schiancoe. When asked why he drafted Breaston so early, he'll likely tell you, "He was the breast available option."

2) The Auto Drafter
There are excusable reasons to miss your fantasy draft. Guys have to work, have exams, their girlfriends find out about the other girl they have been sleeping with. But there's always that one guy who can't be bothered to be at a computer for two hours out of the year, every year. Yahoo! or ESPN will make all of his selections for him, and he will spend the rest of the season bitching about how he was "totally going to take (insert whatever player kicked his ass the previous Sunday)." His list of "guys I was totally going to take" contains at least 15 players who were gone by the fifth round.

1) The Stats Guy
Stats Guy likes to tell you that "the late rounds are where you can really get a lot of value if you know what to look for." He was thinking about taking the same quarterback as you "until I realized that he has a sub-.500 completion percentage against the Cover 3." Usually, his apparent belief that Chris Mortensen and Ron Jaworski don't have shit on him stems from the fact that he's read the 2009-2010 pro football prospectus from cover to cover. They will also rip on everyone's draft pick who did select the player that should have been selected. For example, "Nice pick dude but you left so and so on the board." "Have you seen the division that guy is playing in? Easily the 2nd best defensive division in the league. Good luck." "Bro, did you not see that he's out 3-4 weeks with a strained plantar foot?? It was all over ESPN news at 6 am this morning."

Is it sad to say that I'm probably best described as the stats guy?....

I Have No Defense for the Broncos Defense

I want to say the Broncos will be a better defense. When your at rock bottom, you can only go up. Right? Well, that might not be the case this year when the Broncos take their 32nd '08 ranked defense and plummet even more. Right now, I would rank them 33 out of the 32 NFL teams. The first depth chart of the season was released yesterday and it doesn't look very pretty. Here's my take on our current starting defense:

DE - McBean: Has ZERO tackles in his 2 NFL seasons. Enough said.
NT - Fields: Sucked in San Francisco and will probably suck here. Sure, he knows Nolan's system but he couldn’t land a starting spot with the 49ers - who have a mediocre NT. Nose tackle is the most important position in a 3-4 scheme and were deploying a guy that has averaged a mere 18 tackles per season in his 4 year career. Blah.
DE - Peterson: Couldn’t start on the leagues worse D line last year and he's supposed to anchor a DE spot in which he is not familiar with? I think he’s actually better suited to be a 3-4 DE than a 4-3 DT but Kenny now his skills are being swapped. Last year he was a decent pass rushing DT who wasn't very strong against the run and now he's going to be a run stuffing DE who's not going to be rushing much? This will be a fun one to watch.

OLB - Dumervil: Has never played OLB in his life and now it being asked to fall back into coverage during passing situations? Ouch. I'm already having nightmares of Antonio Gates absolutely abusing Dumervil on a slant route. But like Peterson, Dumervil might benefit moving to a 3-4 scheme. He won't be rushing out of a 3 point stance, nor having to bull rush or stuff the run with his 5'11 frame but the bottom line is Dumervil is nothing more than a situational pass rusher on a good team. Not really starting material.
ILB - Andra Davis: Hasn’t done much during the past 3 seasons on a bad Cleveland Browns defense. Don't understand how a 3-4 ILB can start 16 games but yet only manage 67 total tackles. Are you sleeping during the plays Davis?
ILB - DJ Williams: The only guy I really trust in this front 7. I expect DJ to be atop the league in tackles and play much like Patrick Willis but that will only come if the guys on the line in front of him do their job by plugging holes and taking on blockers (which they haven’t proven they can do).
OLB - Crowder: Another 4-3 DE who has never played OLB. He looks completely out of place when I watch him and hasn’t ever proven he can generate a consistent pass rush. Must I add he wasn’t even active for 8 straight games last year and no, that’s not because of injuries. Made a whopping ONE tackle last year.

LCB - Bailey: Still a top tier all around corner when healthy but let’s not forget he is 31 years old and missed 6 games last year.
SS - Dawkins: Signed more for his leadership and intangibles than his actual production. He can still play and play well but he’s not the Dawkins of old.** 36 years old... **
FS - Hill: Solid veteran to have around. Nothing flashy and not much a play-maker but solid veteran to start before the young guys prove themselves.
RCB - Goodman: Like Hill, a solid veteran to sign until either Jack Williams or Alphonso Smith take his job. A upgrade over Dre"fumble feet" Bly but with Bailey on the otherside and our lack of a pass rush, Goodman is going to be picked on.

This defense just doesn’t have the talent to be very productive. When you literally have EVERY spot on your defense up for grabs (besides 3 spots - Champ’s, DJ’s, Dawkins’) you know this defense is in shambles. How maybe spots are up for grabs in the Steelers camp? One? Two? Not very many. Good teams don't have position battles. Bad teams do. I like our crop of young players with Alphonso Smith, Jack Williams, Robert Ayers, Carlton Powell, Darcel McBath, Marcus Thomas, and Wesley Woodyard but this year is going to be a rebuilding process that will take some time. Hopefully some of our draft picks can finally step up and give us a glimpse of the future. But as it stands, I cannot defend this defense to be anything more than crappy.

Rockies 2009 Season Outlook

***Never got to finishing this blog but I thought it's funny to look back on half way through the season***

The Spring sun is shining and it's time for the Rockies prospects to shine themselves. Spring cleaning is in order and Clint Hurdle has some cleaning out to do in the Rockies locker room. Arizona is getting hot and if these young guns don't get hot then they will see themselves back in the Springs. If their bats don't get warm then they will be bench - warmers. Alright, enough of these cheesy play-on-words lines. It's that time of year when we get a good look at all the young players that the Rockies have been developing in their farm systems over the past few years. Let's take a sneak peek of who's doing what lately:

Eric Young - had a solid season in Double A and hit .290/.391/.392 with 46 stolen bases in 403 at-bats. He also walked 61 times (13.1 BB%). That's pretty sweet but that's also in Double A. Anything below .300 versus Double A pitchers is pretty bad but he can steal a lot of bases. I think the only reason we drafted him was because he shared the same name of his father and his father did a lot of great things for us back in the Blake Street Bombers days. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the Monforts still think this Eric Young is the same as Eric Young Sr. The Monforts are very dumb and probably got very excited when they heard Eric Young was coming back to baseball. I bet they think Andres Galarraga, Vinny Castillo, and Daunte Bichette was making a comeback as well...

Omar Quintanilla - This guy just doesn't go away does he? He's like those beaten up, ugly looking slippers that you want to stop wearing but are too comfy to give up. May not have a lot of pop in his bat but he's consistent (hit over.300 last year) and is a great defender. Solid player to have around if Tulo or Barmes start getting dinged up.

Casey Weathers - the eighth overall selection in the 2007 draft. The right-handed closer prospect was having a solid 2008 minor league season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in the off-season. He’ll miss all of 2009, but "should" be ready to go in 2010 when he could make his MLB debut. Last season in Double-A, Weathers allowed 34 hits in 44.1 innings and posted rates of 5.68 BB/9 and 10.96 K/9. Obviously the control needs to improve and the time off will not help. Tommy John surgery is one of the worst surgeries that any player in any sport can have. It's death to pitchers. I am optimistic that Weathers can even make a comeback at all. The good thing is that he is still really young but it's going to take at least all of 2010 to get his groove back. Could this be another busted draft pick from the Rockies?? Let's hope not.

Dexter Fowler - the switch hitter had a breakout season in Double-A last year when he hit .335/.431/.515 with 20 stolen bases in 421 at-bats. He also made his MLB debut in 2008 and hit just .154 in 13 games with no extra base hits or walks. Some time in Triple-A will likely do him good. After stealing just 20 bases in each of the past two seasons, he could stand to run more until his power develops further (only nine homers in 2008). I hope he steals more because this kid can flat out fly. I was hoping he could have come in and replace Willy Taveras late last year but he disappointed me with his .154 average. Willy T is gone and now's his chance to show the wheels and make the roster. He's a dark horse to make the opening day lineup but you never know. Unless Podsednik or Gonzalez have a good first half, it's very likely that Fowler will be in a Rockies uniform by mid-season.

Seth Smith - after being the unsung hero in the Rockies 2007 World series run (5-for-8 in seven games) the Rockies outfielder lost his stride when called up last season (.258/.350/.435) in the 108 at-bats he posted. Now, I have never been really high on Seth Smith but he did show some potential at times. Seth Smith is that really unatheltic guy that just seems to make plays. You know that short, fat, balding guy at the gym that hits all the three pointers when you play a game of pickup. Yeah, that's Seth. I think his unathelticism will get overlooked and Hurdle will turn to the athletic studs of Gonzalez, Spilly, Fowler, and Young for opening day but you never know what's going on in the mind of Hurdle.

Carlos Gonzalez - A highly talked about prospect who has been the center peice to a lot of big trades (Holliday and Haren) but has yet to really do much. Supposedly, he can do a bit of everything and could be a 5 - tool star in this league but he looks a bit to raw right now. He has a shot at starting because our center and left field are still technically up for grabs but I don't see him beating out Spilly, Pod or Dex for palying just yet.

Jorge De La Rosa - Much like Morales, DLR has some flat filthy pitches. But can he put it together? Just like a box of chocolates, you jsut never know what your going to get. One night Jorge is throwing a gem with 10 strikeouts a no runs given up and then the next night Jorge is giving up 10 runs with no strike outs. The talent is clearly there but he needs to prove consistent.

Some intriguing prospects, none the less, but let's take a look on some players that can either make it or break it for the Rockies season:

Jason Marquis - A journey man pitcher who has had some nice years with the Cardinals and Cubs but never got passed the 3rd starter in the rotation. Looks like that's where he will slotted out this year which is fine considering we don't have much after Cookie and U-Ball. Apparently, his fast ball is sinking harder than the Titanic which would be a really nice surprised considering out Bull Pen is spotty yet again this year.

Ian Stewart - The kid can swing the bat. No doubt, but it's his defense that might merit him more playing time this year. As big as Stewart is, he can move like a short stop - big arm, quick feet, cat like instincts. The Rockies might have the most athletic infielders for their size in the league. Sure, Stewart is the future but Atkins is too consistent to bench and on a Holliday-less team, you can't afford to sit a player that has a .300+ career average and has averaged over 100 RBI's the past 4 seasons. Unless, Atkins gets traded than I see Stewart getting a number of reps at second as well.

Manny Corpas - Will he ever return to his magical '07 form? The guy went to lights out to syke out in the past year. He's just mentally not where he once was. His confidence is shot and acquiring Huston Street to be this years closer probably doesn't help him out either. The movements and velocity seems to still be there at times but he needs to prove he can stay consistent this season.

Huston Street - If his health was as consistent as his slider than he could be an All Star. He's got some filthy pitches and he has always had a low ERA but his only problem is whether the Rockies are riding him to finish games or if he is riding the pine while watching the Rockies finish games. Let's hope he can stay healthy because he would bring a much needed boost to the beatin' up bullpen.

Ryan Spilbourghs - It's time for Spilly to put down the jokes and put up some numbers. He's a good, athletic defender and a reliable hitter but I would like to see him take the next step in his hitting. Given some consistent time and a lack of true cleanup hitters, Spilly has the opportunity to break out and drive in some runs.

Clint Barmes - Much like Spilbourghs, Barmes is going to start and have a shot at proving why he deserves every day playing time. Clint isn't sexy but he's a damn good ballplayer. Very underrated defensive second baseman and a consistent hitter with a little bit of pop. Not gonna drive in 100 rune or jack 30 long balls but he can be a realiable 2-hole hitter and help out the guys who hit behind him. Clint was playing All Star caliber baseball before he got injured last year and he's going to need to revive that mentality if he doesn't want to split time with Stewart.

Brad Hawpe - What's Hawpe doing on this list? Well, he's not on this list because his playing time in in jeopardy, he's on this list because it could be a make it or break it season for Hawpe. He showed last year that he actually CAN hit against lefties and he finished the season really strong. So now with Holliday gone, he becomes the power bat in the lineup and our go to guy. I have never felt Helton or Atkins should be the 3-4 hitters and I hope Hawpe can break through because if he doesn't than our hitting might be really, really bad.

U-Ball - I think he will turn into our Ace by the end of the year. He's having a great offseason and looks to breakout. Want more? Click to the right where I already blogged about him :)

Thoughts going into the season:

The Rockies have a lot of young guys that are looking to prove themselves. The loss of Holliday hurts real bad but from the lead off to the 8th hole, the Rockies have guys that can swing the bat. Unfortunetly, their pitching is probably the worst in the division so another long season is ahead of us. Good thing Colorado has some warm summer nights in store at Coors because the wins column will be pretty cold. Let's hope I'm wrong.

By the Numbers

"With the 18th overall pick the Minnesota Timberwolves select..... Ty Lawson, guard out of the University of North Carolina. "

At first thought, I was a bit disappointed because I knew the Nugs had a really, really good shot of landing the former number 1 rated high school point guard in the nation but that all went out the door after Lawson got caught up in some trouble before last years draft. So, when the Wolves took him I thought they got really good value for the 18th pick because I think Lawson is the best overall, most NBA ready point in this draft. BUT, then ESPN announced that the Nuggets traded a future for the rights to Lawson.

Why do I like Lawson so much? Well, for one, it means Anthony "Stone Feet" Carter won't be on our team to get burned by guards half his age. But honestly, Lawson is efficient. As I looked at the numbers, I was a bit surprised that Lawson topped the list in every statistical category last year. He did play for the most potent offense but I didn’t expect him to look this good. He ranks first in a number of key categories, including overall FG% (52%), Points Per Possession [PPP](1.13), pull up jump shot FG% (47%), and %shots he was fouled on (16.1%). Though his teammates did a lot of scoring as well, Lawson functioned seamlessly as a complementary scorer. Looking past his efficiency as a shooter off the dribble, he was second in catch and shoot field goal percentage at 48%. From a purely statistical sense, no player scored more efficiently than Lawson. Not Griffin, not Harden, not Curry, not Hill, not Hansbrough, not anybody.

Again, EFFICIENT and that's all I'm looking for in a backup point gaurd. The Nuggets don't need a leader, a scorer, a game changer, an energy guy, an anything. They just need a guy who can come in and play smart, defensive oriented, efficient ball (Lawson lead the NCAA with a 3.48:1 assist to turnover ratio...). When your two games away from the finals, all you need to do it upgrade in the areas that you sucked in. Anthony Carter sucked and the Nuggets did just what they needed to do. All AC needed to do was come in, give Chauncey a break, NOT turn the ball over nor play stupid. But he couldn't do that so the Nuggets now brought in a guy who can.

Oh, and he can do things that AC simply just can't do. Exhibit A:

Vince McMahon

So it's been awhile since I have posted. My bad. I have been really busy with finals, summer hangovers, and a new job. But I'm back now and what a better way to kick off my first summer post with a "sport" blog about the WWE?

Here's the problem: The Pepsi Center originally booked a World Wrestling Entertainment "Monday Night Raw" event for Memorial Day, but with the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, the Denver arena had to bump the wrestlers. The Nuggets and Lakers will play Game 4 of their series that night.

"I’m up the creek and I don’t have a paddle, either. I really don’t know what to do, " Vince McMahon said (chairman of WWE Entertainment). "We can’t reschedule the event. We can’t get out there as often as we would like for a television event, because we’re the second-largest traveling show in the world to Ringling Brothers. The amount of equipment we have is extraordinary." Wait. Hold on. Did he just say the Ringling Brothers?!? I honestly still didn't think they were around. I knew there were popular in the the 1920's when Charlie Chapman was headlining their shows but 2009?? Weird.

Here's McMahon's take on the whole situation.



A good business man can pronounce the name of the client his is doing business with...

A good business man settles disputes in a professional manner and doesn’t call out his business partner on live television while maucking his team...

A good business man doesn’t allow his employees to die on the job because he didn’t regulate what his employees were injecting into their bodies....

Kroenke screwed up. His fault but honestly, when you have a sold out show asking to play in your arena even though there is a chance that your basketball team might play on the same night - you take that risk! If the Lakers didn’t win or if they just didn’t take 7 games to beat the Rockets than Kroenke is looking at two back to back, sold out, national televised events at the Pepsi Center. Cha Ching! And hey, even though Kroenke messed up, McMahon said himself there will be two events that night so I guess Kroenke wins again. Plus, Kroenke owns the building and in Colorado anyone can dismiss anyone from a venue at any time (see tool, redrocks and Metallica, Fiddelers).

A good business man knows when to take calculated risks even though there is a chance of failure.....

Game... Blouses

So, it's been a while since there's been a Nugget update, but don't worry, I've been watching. The Nuggets beat New Orleans in a 4-1 rout, and now the Nuggets are in the midst of possibly sweeping the Dallas Mavericks. On saturday the Nuggs just flat out stole a win from the Mavs with Carmelo Anthony's game winning 3 pointer. Unfortunately the play will be mostly known for the controversial non-call that occurred prior to the greatest shot of 'Melo's Career. Regardless, the Nuggets are up 3-0 on the Mavs, and just need one more win to close the series out. 

So because I've been "gone," I will now reflect on how our beloved Nuggets are currently up three games on the Mavs.  First and foremost, I have to give my props to Nene. Before the series, I knew that Nene was going to have his official coming out party, and guess what, I was right. Nene, in the first two games scored a total of 49 points, going 24 in the first and 25 in the second. Dallas just doesn't have the physicality to compete with Nene. The only player on Dallas that has the size is Dampier, but the dude just can't move worth a lick. Nene's exposed this mainly on pick and rolls where he has slipped the pick, and gotten into the lane early. Dampier's bum knees haven't allowed him to keep up, and Nene has just abused the Mav's because of this. Nene has been the X-factor so far this series, and when he has played well, Dallas has had no answer. In the third game, Nene was frustrated early, and picked up a few fouls. Because of this, he never got into a rhythm, and the game was much closer than the prior two. Besides Nene's offense in game 3, his defense was flat out "Impregnable," as Mike Tyson would call it. Let's just say that Nene has been a beast all series long, and will continue to do so as long as these two teams face each other, which hopefully is only one more game. 

Now we must talk about the man of the hour; Carmelo Anthony. Melo's game winning 3 point shot in game three was unbelievable. First off, he was fouled just before he took the shot (was intentional by Dallas). Second, he was falling perpendicular to the bucket when he began his jumpshot. And last but not least, he made the frickin shot. Within the context that Melo hit that jumper is what made it so great. It wasn't just an ordinary three pointer. It was the shot that Denver needed to win a crucial playoff game in the second round. 'Melo just never fails to amaze me in crunch time. Hell, even "Mr. Big Shot" called 'Melo "Mr. Clutch," and that says something. 

Speaking of "Mr. Big Shot," he has been Denver's most valuable player so far in this offseason. Chauncey hasn't been as flashy as he was in the Hornets series, but the general has been leading his troops in every game he's played. One thing about Chauncey is that he just knows who to go to when Denver needs a bucket. With less than a minute to go in the game on saturday, and the Nuggets being down 3 points, Chauncey decided to give the ball to the struggling Nene. Of course, Chauncey made the correct decision, and Nene made a nifty layup to put the Nuggets within 1 point of the Mavs. Man, I recall many occurrences where the game was on the line, and Iverson decided that no one was more able to score than himslef. More times than not, Iverson was wrong. You could make infinite parallels with Iverson and Billups when discussing right vs. wrong. It's just remarkable that Chauncey is that far a superior player than Iverson. Without Billups, this team would be sitting on their sofas at this very moment. With him, the Nuggets are about to be in the western conference finals, and are considered to be playing the best ball in the country. Just ask Barkley who he thinks will win the title this year (Just google it). You'll be surprised.  

One of the main reasons that Denver is dominating this series is it's scoring in the paint. Denver has just destroyed Dallas in the paint in every game in this series. While Dallas can get hot with it's jumpers, Denver will always be consistent in their offense because they can get to the rack at any moment. Dallas lives, and will die with it's shooting. No team in the NBA can stay that hot throughout an entire NBA playoff game. Good teams have a blend of dominant scoring inside, and good shooting on the perimeter. Denver has both, and this is why they are being regarded so highly thus far in the postseason. 

Once again, Denver's bench has kept the team above all others. The Birdman changes the course of a game when he steps on the court. You just cannot entirely see the Birdman's value through the box score. The Birdman changes the energy, and the course of the game when he steps on the court. The paint is entirely shut down when Bird steps on the court. You come into that paint, and you step into the Bird's cage. The Bird will show no mercy, and you will not succeed. As for the rest of the bench, they have been superb. JR Smith is continuing his great play in the playoffs. One thing you can say about JR, is that he does not feel the pressure of a big time NBA game. The dude has no conscience. Anthony Carter has also been fantastic. While AC isn't our best scorer off the bench, he has surprisingly brought much needed points. AC will frustrate any fan with his erratic passes, but more times than not, he seems to make the right ones. When the Nuggets are rolling, AC is leading the fast break, and JR or Bird are flying on the wings and finishing at the hoop. The bench has been our biggest advantage thus far in the postseason. No other team can match Denver's bench production, and this is a big reason why we are 7-1 in the playoffs. 

So game 4 is on monday, and the Nuggets can close out Dallas with a win. Los Angeles is struggling against the Rockets, and the more Houston beats LA up, the better for the Nuggs. I look for Nene to come back strong, and I expect to bring out a broom shortly after (I'll find something to sweep) because the Nuggets are sweeping the Mavs.  

 

Up 2-0!

Wednesday night Carmelo Anthony surpassed one of his long bad streaks as an NBA player. He finally won more than one game in a playoff series. 'Melo played admirably, and did so in about every stat category. 'Melo had 22 points on 10 of 20 shooting, while hitting 2-5 three pointers, and had 9 assists. Cool stat of the night; 'Melo surpassed his playoff high assist mark at 5 in the first quarter! You know that you are playing well if you have pass you single game record in the first quarter. 'Melo hit his first jumper that he took, and from then on he couldn't be stopped. Shooting 50 percent by 'Melo is a very good mark for him, considering the high difficulty of shots that he takes on a regular basis. One other interesting stat; Melo didn't get to the free throw line once. Just for your information, 'Melo gets to the free throw line on average of about 4 times a game. So far he has only been there 3 times in two games, so you can see that while 'Melo hasn't been getting to the line, he has still been able to put up points at a good rate. This is a good sign for 'Melo. If he is able to knock down his jumpers at a 50 percent rate, he will open up the lane, and inevitably get layups or trips to the free throw line. Game 2 was a great game for 'Melo, and I expect this 'Melo to show up more times than not. When this happens, and other guys are knocking down shots, the Nuggets are just about unbeatable. 

But the guy that changed the game for the Nuggets was Dahntay Jones. Dude is just a pest, and he is really getting under the skin of the Hornets; especially Chris Paul. Paul is only shooting 40%, and is averaging an abysmal 4.5 turnovers a game. And not only is Dahntay playing well on the defensive side of the ball, but he is also putting up good numbers on the offensive end. In game 2 Dahntay put up 11 efficient points shooting 5-5 from the field. His production has really been valuable for the Nuggets in the first two games of the series. 

Kenyon Martin played like a stud once again. He held David West to 9 of 20 shooting, even though West sat much of the fourth quarter. I keep praying that West keeps shooting. Martin also forced West into 4 turnovers. Kenyon's defense on the pick and roll has been the most impressive for me though. Chris Paul just can't get into the paint, and when he does, Kenyon is there. The proclaimed X-factor by myself for this series has gone above and beyond my expectations. Kenyon has practically shut down the Hornets' two best players. Can't ask for anything more than that. Add to the fact that Kenyon is putting up points on the offensive end as well, and you have a force out there. 

And once again, Chauncey B-B-B- Billups came through. Mr. Big Shot is playing like a stud, and the Hornets have absolutely no answer for him. Chauncey had 31 points on 8 of 15 shooting, 4 threes on 6 shots, and hasn't missed a free throw all series; he is 19 for 19 in his FT attempts. The biggest asset that Chauncey has brought to the team in this series though is his leadership and veteran presence. I recalled a fast break last night where JR was open for a three. Billups looked at JR, looked at the clock, realized that they had the last shot of the quarter, and pulled it back. Years before, I'd expect Iverson to give JR that ball, and who knows, it might have gone in? The great thing about this though, is that even in the midst of an intense playoff game, Chauncey never losses his control of the game. Years before, that was the Nuggets' achilles heal; make bad decisions under pressure. But not anymore. Smooth is the new sheriff in town. K, I'm done with the nicknames now.

The bench as a whole played pretty good as usual, but not as good as game one. Luckily 'Melo showed up, and we didn't need the extra points. The thing that I love about this bench though, is that while they may not put up the greatest numbers all of the time, they change the facet of the game. The energy that exudes from The Birdman, AC, and JR is invaluable to the team. Birdman's dunk last night was just phenomenal. The Can just lit up, and the game shifted entirely in the Nuggets favor from that point. The Nuggets' bench is the largest advantage that the Nuggets have over the Hornets, and these first two games have proven so. 

So now the Nuggets took care of business at home court. I heard a great quote by George Karl saying that a series doesn't change until a team wins on the road. Well, it's the Nuggets' golden opportunity to put a stamp on this series in the next two games. I just ask for one win. One win in New Orleans and I'm a happy camper. Make it two in New Orleans, and I will bring out a broom and sweep for maybe the first time in my life, and have a hell of a time doing it in the process. 

Game 2 Preview

So I'm supposed to be writing a final paper that is due tomorrow, but F it. Some things are just a little more important ya know? Like... Let me think... Oh yeah, the Nuggets are playing tonight! Game 2. Hornets. Nuggets. Rocky. It's on!

So ever since the game on sunday night I have been looking at some of the press conferences given; particularly by the hornets. Apparently Byron Scott, the Hornets' head coach, was asked what he thought about the defensive pressure put on by Dahntay Jones and Kenyon Martin. He had plenty of praise for Kenyon Martin's job done on David West, and gave him all of the credit in the world. As for Dahntay Jones, Scott? "I don't give him no credit, not really." Wow, is all I have to say. I mean, I guess he praised Dahntay? It was a double negative after all, so maybe he does give him credit? No. I'm not so sure about his grammar, but I got his message. The funny thing here is that if Dahntay Jones isn't getting in his or Chris Paul's head, then why is he talking about him in the first place? Why would you even let a guy like Dahntay Jones amount to something in your press conference? So I would actually go out and say that Byron Scott did mean what he said; he actually did not give him NO credit. If you're confused, so am I. 

Aside from the grammar crap, I really think that Dahntay Jones got inside the Hornets' heads, and I love it. I will admit that I have really harped on Dahntay all year, and questioned why he even got the 4 minutes in each half that he did in the regular season, but he actually played really well. I knew that he could guard Chris Paul, but I didn't think that he could get away with some of the physicality that he used. If Chris Paul gets in the paint, I expect what Erick Dampier has said, and Dahntay to knock him on his ass. You can't let these point guards get in the paint at will, and not inflict some pain. So far the Nuggets have done that; especially Dahntay. 

Now, for what I said would be the X-factor in this playoff series; Kenyon Martin (You can see a few of his defensive possessions in the youtube clip that should be located right below this post). He was nothing short of phenomenal the entire game on the defensive end. David West looked flat out flustered and lost out there on the offensive end. In one of the opening possessions of the game, Kenyon Martin established himself. David West made a good move, beat Kenyon, and went up for a turnaround fade. Martin came down with the hammer on his wrists. A foul was called, but from that point on, David West feared Kenyon. We'll see tonight if it carries over. 

I absolutely can't wait to see this game tonight, and I just hope that the Nuggs can pull it off again. I've said this before, and I'll say it again; Melo will need to show up. If Melo puts up another performance like he did on sunday, the Nuggets could be in trouble. I do hope that Melo knows that he will not get easier shots unless he passes the ball. Let the game come to him, and I know Melo can score. 

Win or lose though, it will be a long night for your neighborhood scholarly blogger. 

' Til next time...

GIT IT!!

Game 1 Highlights

Check out these custom highlights of game 1 done on youtube. Very good stuff.  The format of this video doesn't fit the page, so just click on this link if it bugs you.  

Convincing Fashion

The Nuggies pulled it off in convincing fashion tonight against their series foe; the New Orleans Hornets. With the final score being 113-84, Chauncey Billups went off for a game high 36 points which included 8 three pointers on only 9 attempts. Lets just say Denver finally got to see what "Mr. Big Shot" is all about. 

Chauncey took over the game-basically-the entire game. Scoring 16 points in the first quarter alone, and finishing the game with 20 more. This was a very good sign for the Nuggets, and we all hope that Chauncey can put a show like this every night, but I find that highly unlikely. The good thing is that it couldn't have come at a better time. Carmelo struggled mightily in this game early and often. In total Melo only shot 4-12. As a fan of the Denver Nuggets I am very concerned with Melo's play, but I am also amazed that we won this game despite him basically not even showing up. But, I will say that Melo shouldn't expect luxury every night, because I don't believe that Chauncey can pull this type of performance every night. Jump shots in the NBA are never a given. Just because one night you're just hot, doesn't mean that it will continue. Just ask JR that question. 

Speaking of JR, he also had a great night tonight. Like Melo, his night didn't start off too well giving up a few turnovers, and taking ill advised shots. The difference was in the second half though. JR just pulled the game away for the Hornets. Yeah Billups was hot, but it was JR that also fueled what was a 21 point run by Denver that pretty much ended the game for the Hornets. New Orleans did a very bad thing tonight in allowing JR to feel comfortable. If he gets comfortable, he can take over an entire series. That's bad news for New Orleans.

As far as what I believe will follow this game? I think that Karl had a very solid game plan to stop the Hornets, and I think that we'll see more of what we saw tonight. Karl decided to make Paul become a scorer. He would switch or trap any pick and roll that involved paul, and would limit Paul's options to one, which inevitably was score. Paul is still a pass first point guard, and he is not used to being the full load scorer for the Hornets. When Paul is at his best, he's getting a few buckets here and there, but also taking advantage of the defense focusing on feeding the rock to his teammates for easy buckets. Denver limited that second option. Another aspect in this game that I was glad to see was that the Nuggets were much more physical than the Hornets. The Nuggets beat the Hornets up from the opening tip, and about 3 quarters in, the tempers started to flare for the Hornets that led to some poor decisions. After a few techs, the game was about in the books, as the Hornets started making unforced errors and frustration fouls. The Nuggets actually were the mentally tougher team for once in a playoff game. Sounds crazy, I know. 

If the next game on wednesday goes any where near as well as it did tonight, I would expect this series to end quicker than most people thought. I mean, how many blowouts like this have you ever seen in the playoffs? Especially in the first game. That's not a good sign if you're a Hornet fan. I still stand by my prediction of the Nuggets in 5, but the Nuggets need to come out like they did tonight on wednesday, and don't take any game for granted. You lose one game at home, and the entire series shifts. Need to go 2-0 in Denver, and go from there. But overall, I was very pleased with the performance tonight, and I can't wait for wednesday to come. Until then, go Nuggs!

In the spirit of Jim Mora, were talkin' about playoffs, damnit! Not just winning games. The Denver Nuggets have done plenty of that in the regular season for the past 5 years, but when the wins need to come in the playoffs, it's a whole different story. I think the Nuggets add to their record breaking season, and finally make some noise in the postseason. 

I honestly cannot believe that the Denver Nuggets are the number 2 seed in the western conference. It seems like only a year ago we were just fighting to get into the playoffs. Oh wait, we were. If someone would have told me that the Nuggets would be the number 2 seed in the playoffs, have Chauncey Billups, and playing the number 7 seed Hornets, I would have slapped the hell out of them. Truly a remarkable turnaround for the Denver Nuggets, and no one could be more happier than I am. I've been one of the biggest followers of this team basically since they drafted 'Melo in 03. Let's just say that not all of the 5 previous years have been all that pleasant. I can tell you one thing though, my girlfriend loves it when the Nuggets play good ball. I'm a dick when they lose. Haha. 

So in the first round the Nuggets are facing the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets are 49-33 this year, and have been considered as a major disappointment after their fantastic 08-09 campaign. They're, of course, led by the best point guard in the NBA (in my opinion) in Chris Paul, and have a solid, but injured supporting cast in Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic. David West is also a very good ball player, but he doesn't fit into the injured category. I really liked this team going into this year, but for some reason, they never gelled like they did last year. Injuries are a major part of it, but it's not like they're getting much healthier. Chandler is back from his foot injury, but has only played one game in the past month. 

As far as the matchups:

Billups vs. Paul:

I love this matchup. You have the old blood vs. the new blood. Billups' veteran savviness, vs. Paul's unbelievable skills. Chauncey won't be guarding paul all that much, because Dahntay Jones will have that assignment. On the other hand Paul will be guarding Billups, and I see this as a possible mismatch for the Hornets. I believe that Billups will use his strength and height to post up Paul on numerous occasions, which will inevitably get Paul into foul trouble. On the offensive side, Paul will have to go against Denver's version of Bruce Bowen in Dahntay Jones. Inevitably I see Paul doing most of his damage in the assist column, as I see the Nuggets trapping Paul out of Pick and Rolls to get the ball out of his hands, as they have done in the previous games. 

Advantage: Push

Jones vs. Rasual Butler

This matchup is about as boring as it gets, because basically neither of these guys will be guarding each other. I foresee Jones guarding Paul as I said before, and I see Butler guarding Melo for as long as he's paired with Stojakovich on the wings. Butler's a pretty decent shooter, and will probably be waiting on the wings to sink a few when Paul gets doubled, but I don't see him having that big of a series. If he does, the Nuggets will lose. Can't let the shooters get hot if you're a Nugget fan. 

Advantage: Push

Carmelo vs. Stojakovich

Again, I don't see Stojakovich guarding Melo. He'll probably be guarding Jones to start the game. As for Melo? He will most likely be guarding Stojakovich on the defensive end. Just get a hand in the guy's face early on, and Stojakovich will take himself out of the game real fast, if not the series. Dude is streakier than JR. Melo should have his best series to date against the Hornets, especially if Chandler isn't playing up to par. 

Advantage: Nuggets

K-Mart vs. David West

I think this is the most important matchup for the Nuggets. K-Mart needs to walk the fine line in the Paul/West pick and roll. Help enough on Paul, so that he doesn't get into the paint, but not too much so West has an open jumper. If there is any man that can do this, it's K-Mart. I've been critical of K-Mart all year long, but he will be very valuable to the Nuggets if he holds his end of the bargain. I think K-Mart is the X-Factor in this series. Still, West will get his points, and that's okay. Just need it to a minimum. 

Advantage: Hornets

Chandler vs. Nene

Coach Karl better drill this into his players heads: "Give Nene the ball!" We need this guy to gain his confidence back to where he had it at the start of the season. With Nene balling, this team is very hard to beat. Chandler, healthy or not will have a hard time guarding Nene. He's basically a carbon copy of Camby for all of you that don't know. Maybe a little more explosive than Camby, but you get the picture.  Lanky dude, but a good shot blocker. Nene has a huge size advantage, and is the much more physical player. 

Advantage: Nuggets

Bench vs. Bench

The Nuggets have one of the best benches in the league, and we can actually thank our current foe: The Hornets. New Orleans took it in the rear when  trading JR Smith to us for 2 2nd round picks (technically went to Chicago), and just handed the Birdman to us- thanks to a few drug convictions by the Birdman :) The Hornets have James Posey, Sean Marks, Antonio Daniels, and Hilton Armstrong. Easy choice here. 

Advantage: Nuggets

So, in my "unbiased" opinion, I think the Nuggets win this handily if they get on the Hornets early. Melo needs to feel comfortable early, and if he does so, I see this team going really far. As far as my prediction? I have the Nuggets in 5. Win the first two at home, steal one in New Orleans, and finish it off here at The Can. 

Blinded by the Light

Jay Cutler is a baby
and he got traded tonight
Blinded by the light
the Bears gave up too much for Jay
and we got the better end of the trade
Blinded by the Light

So it's official! The Denver Broncos have traded Jay Cutler and a 5th round pick to the Chicago Bears for, count them, TWO first round picks AND a third AND Kyle Orton. I love this trade and I think we came out as the winners and the Bears will ultimately regret doing this. My phone has been ringing off the hook and all my fellow Broncos fans have been yelling "Cutler for Kyle Orton!?!?! Are you kidding me?? Man we screwed up." Now, to the untrained eye I can see their displeasure but let me break to you why Jay Cutler is overrated:

1) If everyone would stop jerking off to Cutlers arm strength and actually look into the numbers then Cutler is nothing special. Cutler was 16th (that's dead middle of the pact) in the league in QB rating. Guys like Shaun Hill, Seneca Wallace, Matt Schaub and rookie Matt Ryan all had better ratings... He was also 15th in the league in completion percentage, 8th in touchdowns (despite throwing more then any QB last year except Brees) and a blistering 18th in yards per attempt. So what did Jay lead the league in? Well, he was 2nd in the league in interceptions, right behind the interception king Brett Favre, and he was 3rd the league in total passing yards. But trust me folks, don't buy into total passing yards as a productive stat because it is just an indication that he threw a lot. He was second in the league with 616 pass attempts and that came partly because A) we had a very good passing offensive line B) we had no running game and C) we were always playing from behind so we always had to throw. Just to put this into perspective, if rookie Matt Ryan (who's an average NFL QB) would have throw the ball 616 times then his total passing yards would have been projected around 5013 yards. Not to mention that Jay Cutler had an Offensive line that only allowed a league leading 7 total sacks all season and a wide receiving core that arguable had the best one, two, three punch in Marshall, Royal, and Stokley.

2) Cutler is going to exposed in Chicago. You throw Cutler on a Bears ball club that has the worse wide receiver corps in the league and a questionable O-line and Cutler is going to struggle. Jay is a gambler and that’s the last thing the Bears need right now with their strong defense leading the way. Here an interesting stat to look at: during windy games Jay Cutler has a QB rating of 74.2, 55 % completion percentage and a 1:1 TD to INT ratio. Have fun in the Windy City Jay. Not to mention that Chicago is the second coldest city to play in right behind Green Bay. Especially in the playoffs, where history has shown that the average Bears game temperature is right around 10 degrees fahrenheit. Jay doesn't play well in cold weather. In games less than 21 degrees, Cutler is 0-2 with a 72.4 QB rating, 55 percent completion percentage and has never thrown a touchdown. Brrrrr.

Before the Orton injury last year, Cutler and Orton put up nearly identical numbers.
Kyle Orton, 2008 through seven games: 1, 669 yards; 10 TDs; 4 ints (5 games without an interception); 143 completions; 230 attempts; 62.2 completion %; 7.26 per attempt; 4-3 team record.

Jay Cutler, 2008 through seven games: 1, 862 yards: 13 TDs; 7 interceptions (2 games without an interception); 163 completions; 254 attempts; 64.2 completion %; 7.33 per attempt; 4-3 team record.

3) Cutler is not a leader. Period. Leaders are born, not made, and Cutler wasn't born a leader. He constantly lets his emotions get the best of him and it would get in the way of his play. How many times did you see him yelling at receivers for dropped balls or pouting by himself at the end of the bench when he should be firing up his teammates? Or how about overthrowing touchdown passes to Eddie Royal and Brandon "sure hands" Stokley in the final minutes of the Bills game that would have put the Broncos in the playoffs?

This whole month long "he said, she said" saga with the organization further proves my point that Jay Cutler is too emotionally unstable to lead an NFL franchise. You can't go cry and then lock yourself into your room when your names appears in trade talks. That's what Jay Cutler did and now he is being shipped to a big city that doesn't take that sort of crap. Broncos fans are very passionate but they are also very mild. Bears fans are very passionate but will throw you under the bus the minute you show signs of weakness. They did it to Rex Grossman and they will do it to Cutler. If football fans were hot sauces then the Bears would be Mad Dog 357 Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce and Broncos fans would be the mild sauce at Taco Bell. If he doesn't grow up then he won't last in Chicago.



If he can't keep his cool in a post game interview after a game that didn't even mean much then how is he going to keep his cool when a playoff game is on the line? This is clearly not the guy I want in my huddle. Grow up.

Enough of Cutler, let's do what I do best and talk Bronco football. Now there are some things in this world that I just will never understand: trigonometry, The Big Bang Theory, George Karl, clouds, The Jonas Brothers, and the Davinci Code to name a few but I just don't get how we ended also landing Orton and third round pick. Not that I am complaining on bit but all the talks that I heard were for just either 1 first round pick and a player or possibly just 2 first round picks. But the Bears then throw in a quality third rounder and a quality veteran, SYSTEM, quarterback in Orton. I'm jumping for joy over here.

Sure Orton isn’t a long term solution but he is a mentally tough QB that can thrive in a McDaniels system. He won’t be anything too special but with if he can fully grasp the system and make good reads then our O-line and wide outs will allow him to move the ball effectively. Another thing I like is that Orton throws a softer ball then Cutler. Why is this a good thing? Well, because softer balls are easier to catch and when you have a wide receiver like Brandon Marshall who drops a lot of passes (third most drops in the league last year) then you want a QB with a Snuggles tissue soft touch. Ask Roddy White how much he benefited from Michael Vick's laser arm leaving the team:

Roddy White stats:
2 years with Vick: 952 yards and 3 TD's
2 years without Vick: 2584 yards and 13 TD's

And unlike Cutler, Kyle Orton is a winner. Orton is 22-13 in his career and has led a team to the Super Bowl. Yes, I know the Bears wonderful defense had a lot to with that but the fact is that Orton didn't screw up games. He's a system QB that follows instructions well and doesn't make high risk throws. That's exactly why Josh McDaniels was targeting Orton in this trade.


Plus, Orton is a mans man. He's a neck beard wearing, Jack Daniels swizzling, girl banging man. Lindsay Lohan even said he was "super hot" and she herself is "super hot" and Orton is not "super hot" by male standards. Playa? I think so. Meanwhile, Cutler had none of those traits. Cutler was the dorky virgin kid who sat by himself at lunch eating a PB & J with the crust cut off while he sat on his laptop playing War Craft. War Craft playing - PB&J eating - virgins don't translate into winners.
.
Finally, I love this trade because of the picks we got. We have FOUR first round picks in the next two years and at least three of them will be used on defensive players. Do you know how many former first round picks are on our starting defense right now? Three and those three are our best defensive players in Champ Bailey, DJ Williams, and Brian Dawkins. So building our defense, while McDaniels develops a young QB, sets us up for a promising future. Thus is why I wasn't Blinded By the Light of Jay Cutler and thought this trade worked out in our favor.

Nice knowin' ya Jay-C

According to DenverBroncos.com, Jay Cutler will now be shopped by the Broncos after numerous attempts by the front office to contact him had failed. Maybe Jay Cutler's gone over his cell phone minutes and texts and is worried about the cost? After all, he must be concerned after missing out on his $100,000 dollar bonus. Whether or not that's the reason for Cutler not answering, it doesn't matter because the words out of the rich man on top (Bowlen) seem to be sincere. 

For me, this lies on the shoulders of both McDaniels and Cutler. McDaniels shit the bed on the Cassell deal, and allowed it to get out. Cutler took it too personally, and cried like a baby for the past month. Ultimately, Cutler will regret the decision to whine like Scott Hastings puts it, "A little bitch," and McDaniels will regret ever contemplating the deal. 

McDaniels has every right to get the guy he wants for his new team, and Bowlen gave him that power when he made him equal to GM Brian Xanders. The problem is that McDaniels failed to get that guy. Now McDaniels has to pull a rabbit out of a hat, and try and get the best value out of a player that has asked for a trade. History shows that those trades don't go so well when in the Broncos' position. Regardless, McDaniels blew it when he didn't get the Cassell deal done, and in my opinion blew it when he even considered it. 

As for the Baby that will now get booed every time he comes to Denver, he will regret his rash decisions as well. Cutler may think that things are bad here, but wait until he freezes his ass off in a place like Detroit. But hey, at least he can feel at home when he continues to expand his losing record as a football player. Players go to die in Detroit, and I would be lying to you if I said that I hoped the trend stopped with Cutler.

Now the question for Broncos fans, is what the hell is next? Chris Simms? Please. He's not a starting quarterback. The Broncos need to find one in a trade, either by a pick or a player swap. Possible Draft pick possibilities are Mark Sanchez and Matt Stafford. Both players are very risky picks, especially with the amount of guaranteed money they will be receiving. Possible trade possibilities can be Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, and Carson Palmer. Obviously the options are not very promising, and Broncos fans should start putting their nuts on the table as soon as possible, and wait for the spiked bat to come down... Hard! It's not gonna be pretty. 

As for my estimated guess on who we get? I have my money on Kevin O'Connell. The backup to Matt Cassell. McDaniels has to love this guy right? Hey, he knows the system.

So, we have just about seen the last days of Jay-C in Denver. Let's just hope Denver and McDaniels makes out of the breakup like Justin Timberlake did with NSYNC, and Jay-C follows... Well, JC. 

 

Carmelo Anthony

There are times when I wonder "Why isn't Melo one of the best players in the league?" Take the other nights game against the Mavericks for example. He was magnificent. He displayed his full arsenal of shots, moves, athleticism, and just star power that the Mavs couldn't stop. There was a time in the game when I said "Just give the damn ball to Melo. He's going to score." I have preached that Melo has the best mid range game in the NBA and when he exploits this, no one can stop him. You give him room, he splashes the jumper. You press him too tight, he drives around you for the layup. For example:



But unfortunately, this isn't always the case with Carmelo. The fact is, he is lazy and selfish. He can be up their with the NBA elites but he needs to work on his effort. When he wants to, he plays hard defense. When he wants to, he is a willing passer. When he wants to, he is a very good rebounder. When he wants to, he is a good all around player. See the trend? So do I. The problem is that he already believes that he is up there with LeBron and Wade when truthfully, he is nowhere in that ballpark. Those two are up for MVP and Melo couldn't even make the All-Star team. They have both made the NBA Finals and Melo has never even made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Melo needs to get his hed straight though, if we want a serious shot at making a playoff run. It's games like tonight (42, 11, 2 stls) where he reassures faith that he is actually trying to take his game to the next level. I thought maybe all the offseason trade talks and USA Gold Medal would help boost his confidence and motivation to step up but nothing has really changed. His numbers are slightly down from last season (25.7, 7.4, 3.4 last year to 22.8, 6.9, 3.3 for this year) but then again, our team is winning more games... The one thing that Melo has on LeBron (and statistically everyone in the league..) is that Melo is clutch. He thrives under the pressure and loves big games. It's not his fault that the Nuggets haven't made it out of the first round and I think this year is finally the year that the Nuggets make a run in the West. But were going to need a heavy dosage of Anthony.

So with all that, I leave you with a video montage of Carmelo's game winning shots. I also had the pleasure to be at the American Airlines Center in Dallas to watch Melo come through, yet again, on the Mavs to squash there hopes of moving up in the western conference and avoiding the Lakers. I must say there is nothing more gratifying then walking around with your Nuggets jersey on while in a crowded hallway full of Mavs fans, right after your team just stole a last second victory.



Take that, LeBron.

J where R U?

Well, it's almost been a full month since the Cutler feud started and Cutler is still not in a Broncos uniform. In fact, Cutler has now missed more than 10 percent of the Broncos’ offseason conditioning program, which means he misses out on a $100,000 workout bonus.

Not all the news is bad, though. This Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt relationship might be smoothing out after all. Word surfaced this weekend that Cutler and coach Josh McDaniels have been communicating, which is a good sign if they hope to work together in 2009 and beyond. BUT, they have only been communicated through text message. Now at least they're talking but text messaging? Seriously?? Sending text messages back and forth is a fine way to find your friends when you’re out drinking on a Saturday night but it’s a god awful way to run a professional football team. Perhaps the walls will finally come tumbling down when McDaniels apologizes on Cutlers Facebook wall and Cutler tweets a response. Then the two of them can share a teary I-chat before finally, FINALLY, talking in person. That's wishful thinking though.

Both men, and clearly the term should be used loosely, should be mature enough to just sit down in a room and figure out if they can work together. Maybe they can’t which would be a shame but at least it would enable everyone to start the process of moving on like adults.