Kyle The Better-Than-Marginal: The Growing Legend of Neckbeard

Don't let the title fool you. This piece isn't just about Kyle Orton. In fact, you could say it is 90% inspired by Josh McDaniels. After all, he is the main reason behind the remarkable play of the Denver Broncos this season. It's not necessarily the success, Denver has been a winning organization for years now, but it is the way they are winning. With a dominant defense and a balanced offensive attack that commits few errors. McDaniels and D-coordinator Mike Nolan have instilled a grit that has been lacking since the days of the Orange Crush.

Nolan, the architect of the Baltimore D that was feared for so many years, arrived along with an army of NFL veterans on the defensive side. Much like the defense of McDaniels' former team, every player was handpicked for a specific role. Some Bronco veterans have shifted roles to better fit in with Nolan's defense of choice, the 3-4. Former DT Elvis Dumervil switched to OLB and has thrived, tallying 10 sacks through 7 games, good enough for second in the league. Dumervil has been the Broncos' best pass rusher since 2006 (his rookie season) but his best year was 2007 where he had 12.5 sacks and 34 total tackles. Dumervil has 24 tackles in the first 7 games.

Consider the following stats:

• The Broncos are 1st in total D this year, giving up 266.7 yards per game. Denver was 29th last season, allowing 374.6 yards per game.
• Nolan's 3-4 defense is 6th in the NFL in pass defense and 3rd in rush defense. Denver finished 2008 as the 26th ranked pass defense and the 27th ranked rush defense.
• Denver has given up 13.7 points per game, good enough for 2nd in the league this season. Last season they finished at 30th in the league, having given up 28 points per game.
• Denver has a turnover differential of +6, good enough for 6th in the league. Last season, they finished tied for dead last at -17.
• Denver has thrown 1 INT. In contrast, Detroit's quarterbacks have thrown 16. Surprisingly, Brett Favre's Vikings are second in the league, having only thrown 3 INTs.
  

The offense has contributed consistency. The 2008 Broncos were prolific on offense but short drives and turnovers often put the defense in situations they couldn't dig out of. With Orton, Denver has traded gaudy numbers for dependability. Through 7 games, Orton has thrown 1 interception, an end of the half hail mary that was picked off by Randy Moss of all people (Moss has as many INTs this season as Bronco TE Tony Scheffler). He has shown competence while running McDaniels' offense as well as the ability to know when to make a throw and when to throw the ball away. Against New England, he showed that he has the ability to sustain a game winning drive, when he picked the Pats D apart with precision throws and quality decision making. Rookie RB Knowshon Moreno and former Philly backup, Correll Buckhalter have run the ball with tenacity and have shown the ability to be decisive when hitting holes, gaining yards on every rush. Many questioned McDaniels' choice to draft a RB when he already had a gaggle of them on his squad (with Peyton Hillis returning and the signing of Correll Buckhalter, J.J. Arrington, and LaMont Jordan) but Moreno has cemented himself as one half of a dynamic running duo. The two have melded into one runner, capable of playing an entire game at 100%, wearing down opposing defenses after 3 quarters of constant pounding.

At 6-1, Denver looks good heading into their Week 9 game against Pittsburgh tonight. It's always a battle against the Steelers; Denver's heart will be tested after last week's loss to Baltimore. We'll know after tonight whether Denver truly belongs amongst the elite of the NFL. San Diego has recovered from their early season woes and if Denver loses, the Chargers will only be a game back.

I leave you with an audio clip of the pregame speech given by Brian Dawkins prior to Denver's first game against the Bengals. If you're looking for a catalyst behind Denver's defensive improvement, look no further.



-PSon

NFL players unhappy with Custom Jersey option on NFL.com

-PSon

Draft Thoughts

Loser Jet Fans – Death, taxes, and drunken Jet fans sobbing on National TV. This year, ESPN cameras were able to catch two Jet fans looking so outraged by the Mark Sanchez selection, one of them was almost in tears. Presumably they were amped for the Kellen Clemens era in New York. That's right people, you know you're watching the NFL Draft when you see a shot of two guys who came straight from the jersey shore (you'll know by the wife beaters under their Namath jersey and rings on their forehead from crushing beer cans); one will be immediately outraged by the pick, the other will await the first guy's reaction.

Darrius Heyward-Bey – His reaction to hearing his name called was indescribable. His family was going crazy around him while he just stared out in shock. Heyward-Bey was the 3^rd or 4^th best wide receiver on Kiper and McShay’s boards but the Oakland Raiders selected him at pick 7, 3 picks before Michael Crabtree who was considered the best receiver in the draft and a possible top 5 pick. According to ESPN, Heyward-Bey’s weaknesses are “pass catching” and “route running”. Thankfully for him, one of those will be eliminated since JaMarcus Russell’s biggest weaknesses are “pass throwing” and “decision making”. I can’t imagine there is a worse feeling than being drafted, then hearing analysts say you have “bust written all over you” for the next 15 minutes.

Michael Crabtree – The only thing worse than being drafted by the Raiders is having the Raiders pass you up for an inferior player at your position. Crabtree’s face was somewhere in between being relieved and being slapped full on in the face. Luckily for Oakland fans, they won’t have to drive far to see the guy they should have picked tearing it up in San Francisco. Crabtree’s suit looked like it came straight out of Craig Sager’s collection.

Aaron Curry – Great pickup for Seattle. Curry looked genuinely happy to have been selected by an NFL team and was the only guy other than Michael Oher to weep after being selected. It's refreshing to see this kind of appreciation from high draft picks.

Beanie Wells – Great pickup for the Cardinals and great situation for Beanie. He dropped a little further than a lot of people had him but he goes to a team that was a few minutes from winning a title, that also doesn’t have a real playmaker at running back.

Percy Harvin – Text I got from a friend (who is a Vikings fan) following this pick: “the Vikings love stoners.” Thankfully for them, that’s not all he is. Harvin gives them another playmaker and should take much of the offensive burden away from Adrian Peterson. His arrival should also serve to open things up a little more for Bernard Berrian down the field. Listen, when you have Sage Rosenfels, you gotta let him sling the ball around.

Knowshon Moreno - Moreno was a widely criticized pick, not for reasons relating to talent or value, but because of need. Denver’s inability to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone last year led many people to believe that they would use their 2 first round picks as well as most of their other picks on defense. The worst thing that could have happened in my mind is that they would use both picks to trade up for an offensive player. In Moreno, the Broncos get a very strong, versatile back in the mold of Marshawn Lynch. It should be noted that Moreno only played 2 years of college ball which means he took a minimal number of hits and he will be surrounded by other runners and won’t be expected to carry the ball 40 times a game. This bodes well for his longevity. Here’s the analysis from NFL.com:

Positives: Tight-skinned athlete with good overall musculature. Good quickness to the hole. Reads the defense and anticipates where the hole, including cutback lanes, will appear. Exceptional lateral quickness and elusiveness in tight quarters. Very rarely tackled by the first defender. Good acceleration past the initial wave of defense and into the secondary. Good spin and stiff arm, and has phenomenal leaping ability to jump over tacklers. Attacks the line of scrimmage and is a tougher interior runner than given credit for. Can drop his shoulders and has good leg drive. Runs through a lot of tackles due to his competitive drive and toughness. Keeps his legs churning and will spin away from tackles. Soft hands for the reception. Natural receiver who poses intriguing possibilities to be split out wide. Good quickness and effort as a route-runner; isn't just a threat on dump-offs in the flat or screens. Provides a pop in pass protection. Extreme competitor who can put the team on his shoulders. Wants the ball with the game on the line.

Negatives: Questionable top-end speed. Lacks the prototype size and bulk some teams are looking for in a bell-cow runner.

I was not necessarily happy when this choice came down but I also was not completely upset as Moreno is a game changing running back who despite being only a sophomore last year, was on a lot of preseason Heisman lists. I am one of the people who didn’t think the Broncos needed a running back, after all they still have Peyton Hillis and Ryan Torain leftover from last year and they signed free agents Correll Buckhalter, Lamont Jordan, and J.J. Arrington. I think this was a case of McDaniels wanting to grab the highest guy on his board. I think he probably wanted to use at least one of his picks on a D lineman but the guy he targeted (possibly 9^th pick B.J. Raji or 11^th pick Aaron Maybin) was taken. Perhaps he knew that one of either Brian Orakpo (who I hoped they would take at 12) or Robert Ayers would be available at 18 so he took the chance to draft a franchise caliber running back. While Peyton Hillis played well last year, don’t kid yourself into thinking he is a franchise guy. McDaniels has an excellent stable of running backs and he has a perfect player for every conceivable situation, much like what he had in New England. It cannot be overstated how important it is to consistently be able to throw fresh running backs at a tiring defense. Not to put a positive spin on things but the Kyle Orton played reasonably well last year behind a poor line, worse receivers, and a very good, pass catching, rookie running back. With the addition of Moreno, the Broncos now have a good line, better receivers, and a very good, pass catching rookie running back.

It should be noted that Moreno has already garnered some good will in Denver; he personally contacted Darrent Williams' mother to ask if he can sport the late CBs old number (27) as his college number (24) is property of one Champ Bailey. Darrent's mother agreed on the condition that Moreno spend some time each month at the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center. Way to show some character.

Denver's Draft - The Broncos addressed some defensive needs by using the 18th pick on a DE/LB hybrid, Robert Ayers as well as grabbing 2 DBs in the 2nd round and a third DB in the 4th round. Ayers is a good pickup as the Broncos will be running a 3-4 defense this year. They can slot him in at outside linebacker or play him on the line. Alphonso Smith and Darcel McBath (the two 2nd round picks) are both ball hawking corners who should help improve Denver's poor turnover differential. Besides Moreno, Alphonso Smith is the Broncos draft pick I'm most excited about. Also worth noting is WR Kenny McKinley and QB Tom Brandstater. McKinley is a polished route runner who could pay dividends in the future and Brandstater might be the steal of the draft, as a tall, athletic QB that Josh McDaniels can possibly groom into a franchise player.

-PSon

The People vs. Jay Cutler

I'm going to preface this by saying I loved Jay Cutler. I've given him the benefit of the doubt every time he was questioned. In fact I have written many fawning posts on this blog, professing my undying support. That all ended the minute he locked himself in his room and refused to open the door. In addition, I have many friends who are Bears fans and I have not ceased to mock them over the years for the historic Rex Grossman/Kyle Orton QB tandem.


The championship seasons of 97 and 98 are long gone and the Broncos have struggled since then with just 1 playoff win. That win came during the Jake Plummer led (his last full season as starter) 2005 campaign where the Broncos amassed a stellar 13-3 regular season record. They upended New England in their first game and lost handily to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. Plummer was benched the following year during a somewhat disappointing season. The benching was controversial at the time given the fact that Jay Cutler was only a rookie and the Broncos were still in playoff contention. They were in the hunt for the playoffs all the way up to their last game against the pitiful San Francisco 49ers. The Broncos embarrassingly lost that game in OT when all they needed was a tie or win to secure a playoff spot. Of course Cutler was just a rookie so while Denver fans were upset, the future looked bright and Cutler's youth served to shield him from criticism.

Cutler's first full season as Denver's starter resulted in a 7-9 finish, the first time since 01-02 that the Broncos missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons and the first time since 99 (the year after Elway left) they finished the season with a sub .500 record. Last season was Cutler second as the full time starter. He put up great numbers with a slew of great wide receivers, a couple of good tight ends, and a dominant offensive line led by rookie Ryan Clady.

The injury troubles for the Broncos were widely reported. At one point in the season they started 8 rookies on O and D. They lost 7 running backs to season ending injuries which might lead you to believe that Cutler was forced to put up big numbers without any help from his running backs. Bronco running backs rushed for 1862 yards last year. In contrast, Chicago running backs gained 1673 yards on the ground. When you add receptions (by running backs), the total yards gained by running backs is nearly identical for both teams (2275 to 2276). Looks like Orton and Cutler received the same help from their backfield.

The Cutler situation has been a nightmare for Bronco fans ever since the day Mike Shanahan was fired. Cutler was very close with Shanahan and let it be known that he was not happy with not being consulted about the situation. He wanted the rest of the offensive coaching staff held intact. Then McDaniels was hired and he brought his own coaching staff with him, surrounding himself with people he thought he could work with and people he knew would excel at running his system. Cutler and McDaniels clashed right from the outset. Mike Shanahan was a great offensive coach who allowed Cutler to put up big numbers and surrounded him with weapons to do it. He's always been good at that. Unfortunately the same could not be said about the Broncos defense, evidenced by the coaching carousel of defensive coordinators over the past 10 years. The defensive problem was compounded by poor drafting as well as trades and acquisitions that netted washed up veterans; either guys who excelled in good situations with other teams or guys Shanahan thought he could turn into successful players. Perhaps the poor defense was Cutler's ultimate trump card. He was free to sling the ball around the field to receivers who could make plays; the losses were placed solely at the feet of the defense because who could argue with the numbers.

Ultimately it was Cutler's sense of entitlement that was his undoing in Denver. Cutler never reached the playoffs as starter for the Broncos, even when it was handed to him in 2007. Cutler finished his Broncos career with a losing record. Cutler has a reputation around the league for being a front-runner and whiner. He played poorly against the Broncos' biggest rivals, especially the San Diego Chargers who have treated Mile High Stadium as home-sweet-home the last few years. There were teams that were considered big players in the Cutler sweepstakes who had stars speak out AGAINST Cutler, that's how little respect he holds in some corners of the NFL. Orton may not be the most physically gifted QB but his Chicago teammates respected him and his attitude is reminiscent of Jake Plummer's (nevermind Plummer's faults). When Plummer was benched in favor of Cutler, instead of pouting he did what he could to help Cutler succeed. Orton played to his strengths in Chicago and we know that McDaniels has a history of succeeding with QBs who play within the system.

The dominance of Chicago's defense is well known, Cutler has that going for him. However his success rides on the shoulders of sub-par receivers, a sub-par offensive line, a good tight end, and a good young running back. A large chunk of the Bears' receiving yards went to their running backs last year as their offensive line didn't give Orton much time to look downfield. Maybe that's a good thing as his receivers were likely covered and overmatched. Will Cutler be ok with throwing screen passes and check downs all day or will he force the ball into bad matchups and covered receivers (a problem he had in Denver)? Orton was sacked 27 times last season. Denver's O line held opposing defenses to 11 sacks. If the Bears choose to change their offense to suit Cutler, will they provide enough protection to give him time to look downfield? In case he doesn't know, Lovie Smith is not an offensive mastermind. What will Cutler do after his first poor outing in Soldier's Field? If he thinks Denver is tough, wait until the boos are raining down during a cold game in Chicago.

Josh McDaniels has repeatedly said that the Broncos have a lot of issues they need to take care of. A lot of changes were needed to make Denver a Super Bowl contender. Nevermind being one win away from making the playoffs, had they made the playoffs last year they would have been embarrassed by Indianapolis. In Denver, it's not enough to just make the playoffs and it's certainly not enough to miss them. You can't win the Super Bowl every year but there is a difference between not winning it and not having a chance to win it. A good franchise puts themselves in the hunt every year. In order to do that, change is needed. Denver has signed many free agents this offseason, filling holes at cornerback, safety, defensive line, and running back. Players who haven't contributed have been released. New coaches were hired, there are no longer single points of failure. Mike Nolan was hired as the defensive coordinator and will bring in a new 3-4 defense, replacing the antiquated one of Shanahan's tenure. The Cutler trade has given the Broncos more room to work. They received a replacement QB as well as three first-day picks (including 2 first rounders). The Broncos now have 2 first round picks this year that they can use to fill holes on defense. In contrast, New England received only a second round pick for Matt Cassel earlier this year. Make no mistake, the Bears gave up a lot for Cutler. There is a lot of pressure for him to succeed and he has not dealt with that so well in the past.

Key points regarding the Cutler trade:

• The Broncos' offense, while prolific, was extremely inefficient last year. They were ranked 2nd in yards per game yet they were 16th in points per game (at 23.1).
• Chicago's offense was 26th in yards per game and 14th in points per game (at 23.4).
• Cutler finished the season with 4526 yards, 25 TDs, 18 INTs, 38.5 pass attempts per game, and a QB rating of 86.
• Orton finished with 2972 yards, 18 TDs, 12 INTs, 31 pass attempts per game, and a QB rating of 79.6.
• Cutler was sacked 11 times and fumbled 4 times.
• Orton was sacked 27 times and fumbled 3 times.
• Cutler's percentage of TDs per attempts was 4.1, Orton's was 3.9.
• Cutler's percentage of INTs per attempts was 2.9, Orton's was 2.6.
• Denver scored 80% of the times they were in the red zone (inside the 20 yard line). They scored TDs on 54.5% of their trips.
• Chicago scored 90% of the time and scored TDs on 56% of their trips to the red zone.
  

Cutler is and will always be a gunslinger. The future of the Bears rides on whether they can surround him with enough talent to make up for poor decision making. The numbers say that Orton has the tools to succeed in the right system. He won't put up the same passing numbers but by minimizing turnovers and managing the game, he won't have to. I will take an efficient offense over a prolific one any day. The Broncos picked up a capable quarterback and 3 good picks for a quarterback that did not want to be here. Sometimes you get what you ask for.

Here's to hoping Denver does not draft a QB in the 1st round. Draft DEFENSE.

-PSon

Jason Campbell needs to start acting like a franchise QB

It was reported earlier this week that the Washington Redskins were shopping their franchise quarterback Jason Campbell in an attempt to acquire embattled Denver Br--err, Chicago Bears QB, Jay Cutler. How did Campbell respond? By showing up to offseason workouts with the rest of his teammates. Campbell may be a good guy but he will never be a franchise quarterback acting like this. He needs to get out of the gym and start cutting some onions if he wants to make it in this league.

The following picture points to Campbell's most glaring flaw.

VoML has put together a photo of what Campbell should look like.
-PSon

NFL happenings while I was getting my butt kicked in Florida

This past weekend was a blast and certainly deserves its own post so I'll hold off on talking about it too much. For now I give you the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the first weekend of free agent signings in the NFL. It should be noted that I am an unabashed homer.

I would first like to link to this story that came out this weekend about the 4 people (2 of them being NFL players) who went missing in the Gulf of Mexico when their boat capsized. One of the men was found clinging to the boat but the other 3 are still missing. My thoughts go out to all three men; the thought of being alone on open water is too scary to think about.

The Good

• After the Broncos hired Josh McDaniels, people in Denver knew change was imminent (not necessarily a bad thing); within two weeks, McDaniels had seemingly cut half the team so I was pretty anxious to see what the Broncos would do this weekend. On Saturday I arrived at our hotel after a brutal day in fairly intense heat and popped open my laptop to check out who the Broncos signed that day. Brian Dawkins was the first name I saw and that's really all I needed to read. The Broncos had gaping holes in the secondary and that was before they cut Dre Bly last month. They finished out the weekend with most of those holes filled (Dawkins, Renaldo Hill, Andre Goodman) and they signed LB Andra Davis and a couple of potential nose tackles as well. Former Brian Westbrook fill-in, Correll Buckhalter was also signed and should get a shot as the feature back or part of a platoon.
• Kansas City picked up Matt Cassel (and Mike Vrabel) in a trade which serves as a tell-tale sign that Tom Brady is looking like he will be ready for the 2009 season. Good for KC although it still remains to be seen whether Cassel is a great QB or just a product of the New England system.
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh to Seattle. Great pickup for Matt Hasselbeck who should experience a resurgence after an injury-filled 2008 campaign.
  

The Bad

• Dan Snyder once again shows that he is filthy rich and will throw money at anything with football skills. The Redskins kicked-off free agent season with a 7-year, $100 million offer to Haynesworth. Yes this is the same guy who stomped on CU grad Andre Gurode's head. He's a game-changing player when he's healthy and playing within his head but with a giant contract and a coach who has already been having problems with superstar players, this could spell disaster in D.C.
• Brandon Marshall was arrested again, this time in Atlanta. No word yet on why but this doesn't look good as he has already been suspended by the league for off the field behavior.
• Vonnie Holliday after being cut, "There's no loyalty in this league." True. The NFL is notoriously bad about chewing players up and spitting them out. Contracts are not guaranteed so NFL teams can cut healthy players at any time without paying out the remainder of their deal. It is truly a business, at least more so than the other 3 major U.S. sports organizations (NBA, MLB, NHL). Sadly, nothing will change though as the NFL is currently in the best shape out of the 4 partly because teams aren't ever truly locked into weighty contracts and guys are forced to play hard or they will be unceremoniously released.

The Ugly

The Jay Cutler situation in Denver. In one corner we have Jay Cutler, the Broncos' rocket-armed quarterback; centerpiece of Denver's high-octane offense. The man in the other corner is Josh McDaniels, the recently hired head coach of the Denver Broncos and former disciple of Bill Belichick. It is being alleged that McDaniels has been shopping Cutler in the past couple of weeks in an effort to attain Matt Cassel, the quarterback he tutored last year in New England. It is no secret that Cutler has been less than thrilled with the Broncos' direction this off-season. Cutler was close with fired coach Mike Shanahan as well as departed offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates and it is being reported that he asked to be traded after Bates' departure. Scary times. I love Cutler but I think he needs to grow some thicker skin. He's not the quarterback he thinks he is but with McDaniels' help he could be the best.

I leave you with a message from Brian Dawkins:



-PSon

Sour Grapes It Is (This is really going to sound like I'm a Cards fan)

The prevailing image for me during Arizona's 23-27 loss to Pittsburgh in last night's Super Bowl was Larry Fitzgerald with his helmet on and gloves hanging from the bars on his facemask, pleading, "No, no, please no..." as officials reviewed Santonio Holmes' game winning catch with just over 30 seconds left in the game.

This Super Bowl, one of the greatest I've ever witnessed behind the Broncos' 1997 win over the Packers and last year's incredible Giants/Patriots affair, was characterized by great plays and iffy calls. I'm not sure what it is about these Steelers but they sure bring out the worst in referees. The Cardinals were flagged 11 times for over 100 yards worth of penalties, 2 of which where very bad calls in my mind (roughing the passer and defensive holding) which resulted in first downs and sustained long drives for the Steelers. The Steelers were hit with a couple of indefensible personal fouls (on the player's part) and a holding penalty in the endzone that resulted in a safety (the guy had a good shot at knocking the Roethlisberger pass down if not for the hold).

The Cardinals got beyond those calls and eventually took the lead in the game with just over 2 minutes left. It was a well designed play with the two inside receivers running out patterns to make the safeties cheat towards the sidelines, Warner then hit Fitzgerald (being covered by James Harrison???!!!) with a 10 yard slant and ran right past the two safeties for a 64 yard TD to go up 23-20. Pittsburgh's next drive was very well executed, Roethlisberger avoided sacks a number of times and made the plays when it mattered. The big play was on a long Santonio Holmes catch down the sideline where it looked like Roethlisberger faked the DB on that side out of his zone with a very nice pump fake and threw it to a wide open Holmes. A few plays later, Holmes made a great toe-tapping catch in the corner of the endzone to take a 4 point lead. The Cards still had a chance though with 2 timeouts and just over 30 seconds left.

I have a serious problem with how the officials handled the last 15 seconds of the game. The Cardinals hit two passes to the middle of the field to take it to the Steeler 44 yard line with 15 seconds to go, no timeouts. The Steelers got good pressure on the next play but Warner ran away from it and as he was attempting to heave a pass to the endzone, his arm was hit by Woodley and the ball came loose. Immediately I thought it was an incomplete pass as it looked like his arm was going forward. The refs called it a fumble and awarded the ball to Pittsburgh. I thought, "It doesn't really matter because they have to booth review it." The play was that close. In fact, on further review I still thought it was an incomplete pass (I'm sure Pittsburgh fans would say the opposite). When the ball was awarded to the Steelers, Lamarr Woodley took his helmet off and started to celebrate, drawing a 15 yard penalty. Next thing I knew Roethlisberger was kneeling the ball and the game was over. An official appeared to wave his hands from side-to-side for some reason, not sure if they always do that or something else was going on but the game was over and I was extremely confused.

Booth reviews came about because the NFL wanted to make sure calls were correct in the last 2 minutes of games. They didn't want to have games decided by incorrect calls. I've seen some of the most obvious plays be reviewed because they wanted to be sure they got it right. With the Super Bowl on the line, they failed to review this play and cost the Cardinals a shot at the endzone. The unbelievable part is that because of Woodley's penalty, the ball would have been placed at the 29 YARD LINE! The Cards would have had one shot to the end zone from 29 yards out. If you don't think they have a legitimate chance to score from there you're crazy. Even in a hail mary situation, the Cards have the best jumper in the game along with 2 other physical receivers with great hands. The worst part about this whole situation is that none of the announcers mentioned it. It pains me that none of the game announcers or any of ESPNs talking heads made any mention of the non-review. I can't wait to listen to Rome or Simmons to see if they mention it but I would bet money that they do.

Either way it was an incredible game. The Cardinals showed that they can play with anybody, including the best team in the league with one of the greatest defenses of all time. What really lost the game for the Cards was the 100 yard return by James Harrison to close out the 1st half. If he didn't score, the Cards win. If Warner doesn't throw a pick, the Cards win. If Tim Hightower doesn't get blocked in the back on the play, the Cards win. If Kurt Warner fell over and made Harrison trip over him, the Cards win. I actually had a problem with Holmes winning the MVP partially because of this play. While it was predictable the either him or Roethlisberger would win it, I don't know how you don't give it to Harrison. That return was the longest play in Super Bowl history. If he didn't flash in front of Boldin in time or if he hadn't caught the ball, the Cards would have kicked a field goal at minimum. Harrison also drew many damaging holding calls against the Cards' left tackle and pressured Warner all night. Holmes' catch was a great one and they needed it to win the game but he had 131 receiving yards on the night. Harrison had 100 return yards as a D lineman and he made the game's defining play.

-PSon

Super Bowl Predictions

• 
  

• Hines Ward will play but will do nothing except level an unsuspecting DB.
• Anquan Boldin will have a monster game. 2 TDs and 100+ yards.
• Larry Fitzgerald will have 1 TD max and under 75 yards receiving.
• Kurt Warner will complete more than 30 passes but only one will be over 30 yards.
• Ben Roethlisberger will have a minimum of 3 turnovers and one will be a fumble.
• Arizona will not crack 50 rushing yards.
• There will be 5 turnovers in the game.
• There will be 8 sacks in the game, 5 of them will be on Roethlisberger.
• Steve Breaston will have at least one monster return or catch.
  
• Adrian Wilson will lay a harder hit than any of the Steelers' DBs.
• Mitch Berger will punt a ball under 30 yards but he will also make at least one tackle.
  
• Jeff Reed will hit 3 field goals.
• The Arizona D will make a monster play when it looks like all is lost.
• Heath Miller will be Pittsburgh's leading pass catcher (whatever that means to you).
• Pittsburgh will run a trick play in which Nate Washington will be prominently involved. It will go for over 50 yards.
• Arizona will run a trick play and it will not work. Troy Polamalu will play a prominent role in breaking it up.
• Arizona will score first and be up at halftime.
  
• Final score: Arizona 27, Pittsburgh 23
• I will crush a decent amount of booze and Teddy's famous pulled pork.
  

I am ready for some football.

-PSon

Academy Awards Results!

Trent Dilfer wins Best Actor for his role in pretending like he played a part in the Baltimore Ravens 2000 Super Bowl win.










Jeff Garcia given the Best Supporting Actor nod for his riveting portrayal of a heterosexual male.

















-PSon

Philly in the Super Bowl? Not in the... Cards (sorry)

I was originally planning on doing a sort of list of thoughts I had during the game but a lot of it ended up being recaps of big plays that happened. Not funny and not interesting. Instead I decided to make a list of the things I learned during the NFC Championship game.

• Philly has a TE named Brent Celek (pronounced Sell-eck). I couldn't see if he had a sick mustache but if he doesn't, what an incredible waste of a last name. Celek manned up for two TDs on the day.
• Kevin Curtis is fast. I mean Don Beebe fast. I'm talking Brandon Stokley fast. This guy has the heart of Wayne Chrebet and he's as cagey as Ed McCaffrey. Just impressive. He looks like Wes Welker out there.
• Edge James is alive and well and apparently playing for Arizona, where old people go to die.
• I already knew Larry “Samson” Fitzgerald was a god among men. I guess Philly forgot their scissors today because Samson torched them for three TDs. Here’s what I wrote after all three. 1) Fitzgerald across the middle, left wide open. He breaks three tackles and gets in the endzone. The Cards look fired up. Can't say the same for the Philly D. Warner went 4-4 for 44 yards on the drive. Not a bad start. 2) Unbelievable play. Warner pitches it back to J.J. Arrington who throws it cross field to Kurt. Warner loads up with all his might and bombs it to Fitzgerald who is covered by a mere mortal. Predictably Samson embarrasses the guy, almost tripping himself by stepping on the defender’s chest, balance regained, 62 yards to the barn. 14-3. 3) Asante Samuel mugs Fitzgerald on what would have been an easy touchdown. 1st and Goal after the pass interference. Samuel then grabs his hamstring and winces like Kobe after a missed shot. Warner then throws the easiest fade route I've ever seen to Fitzgerald for his 3rd TD.
• Donovan McNabb still has wheels, and he has a sense of humor. I actually thought it was funny when he picked up the phone on the Giants’ sideline last week. This week after his TD to DeSean Jackson he busted out a sweet little dance that reminded me of my boss walking into a meeting shooting jokes from the hip*. “Hey, I see we have Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the house tonight. 62 yards to the house? I haven’t see someone taken deep like that since that donkey show in Tijuana. Heyooo! I haven’t made a pass like that since Coach Reid’s wife. Heyoooo, you I’m just kidding Andy, who loves ya?”
• DeSean Jackson is only a rookie but he’s showing signs of being a great player, further removed from the days of him dropping balls on the 1 yard line. He made an great play with almost 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter. McNabb fired a pass across the middle, it was deflected and consequently intercepted by Aaron Francisco. Francisco ran it back probably 20 yards and was run down from behind by DeSean Jackson who tomahawked the ball, causing Francisco to fumble. The Eagles recovered. All-in-all they lost 8 yards on the play but it was a 1st and 10 because of the change of possession. That could have been a game changer.
• Here’s what I wrote about Arizona’s gameplan coming in; The Cards have come out with an incredible game plan, picking the Eagles' aggressive D apart with misdirection and screen passes. Warner is getting the ball off quickly to underneath routes. Pretty incredible coaching if you ask me. Besides the long pass to Fitzgerald, the Cards have shown themselves to be content with gaining small to medium chunks of easy yardage. Key stats - Kurt Warner 10 for 11, 153 yards, 3 TDs. Larry Fitzgerald 5 catches for 99 yards, 3 TDs. 3 minutes left in the 2nd. The Eagles better find an answer for this combo soon.
• Quintin Demps is a cheap shot artist - Quintin Demps takes a flat-out cheap shot at Kurt Warner well after the play, right in front of a referee. Warner and Demps were literally standing next to each other and Demps leveled him. Hey Demps, the Cards don't need your help to move the ball on your shell-shocked D.
• NFL referees are still bad; 4th and 10 for the Eagles. The Cards blitz, McNabb does a good job of avoiding, passes to Kevin Curtis who gets tackled by Roderick Hood before the ball gets there and there's no call. Tough way to lose. There's still a chance but the Eagles have to prevent the Cards from gaining a 1st down on their next drive.
• Nobody deserves this more than Adrian Wilson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Kurt Warner. Big games from all 3 of them. Adrian Wilson spent his entire career with this team and his loyalty pays off with a trip to the Super Bowl in 2 weeks. He had 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble in the game. Kurt Warner already has a Super Bowl championship and an MVP yet nobody gave him a chance as a starter. He won the starting nod over Matt Leinart and now has led the Arizona Cardinals to their 1st ever Super Bowl. Larry Fitzgerald has played the best postseason of anybody I can remember. He caught everything thrown to him, he made plays after the catch, and he inspired teammates with his infectious enthusiasm. He also now holds the record for the most receiving yards in a postseason and he still has one more game to play.
• This Arizona team plays with emotion. It was great to watch guys like Larry Fitzgerald (probably the best WR in the league) jump around like school girls after their last touchdown. Kneeling on the sidelines as the time ran down, you could see genuine tears in his eyes as well as the eyes of many of his teammates. Adrian Wilson, who was rock solid all game, let it all out during a postgame interview. He could hardly express how he felt in words but you could see where that team’s heart and drive came from. The much maligned Arizona D stopped Michael Turner, DeAngelo Williams, and Brian Westbrook in three straight games. They are playing out of their heads right now and I truly believe that they have a legitimate shot of beating the Steelers. As long as Warner can avoid turnovers and their D can hold Willie Parker to a mediocre game, they can certainly do it. Preparation is the key to the game, they came out of the gates against Philly with a plan on how to attack what the Eagles did best on D. Can they do the same against the best D in the league?

-PSon

Titanic Mishap

A couple of things have been eating at me about the Titans/Ravens game for days. I have heard all week about the delay of game that never was. I must confess I didn't see it when it happened because I was taking a friend to the airport at the time and the radio guys didn't mention it. The two things that did jump out to me at the time was how Chris Johnson was injured and the Titans' choice to kick it with a 4th and 1 on the Baltimore 10.

I'll start with the latter. Justin Gage caught a 9 yard pass that on the radio sounded like it was close to being a first down. The ball was spotted a yard short. Now you've been slugging it out with a team for 3 and a half quarters, you've had the upper hand in yards all day but you're behind by 3 because of some untimely turnovers. Bironas has already missed a field goal. The choices are:

1. Take the short field goal with a high probability of success which will tie the game and give the other team the ball with 4:17 left in the game. Baltimore hasn't had a ton of offensive success all game but they haven't coughed up the ball either. Your D has been slugging it out all game. You lead time of possession by almost 10 minutes. They will be kicking with the wind.
   
2. Go for it on 4th down. You have a line that has had success with short yardage runs throughout the season. You have one of the biggest backs in the league who specializes in running for short yardages. He has 1 fumble thus far in the game. Your All-Pro center is out with an injury and his backup has been shaky (multiple shotgun snaps before the QB was ready). Baltimore has one of the most physical lines in the league.

Taking all the factors into account I believe (and believed at the time when I listened on the radio) that you have to go for it. You're trusting your O line to do what they've done all year, get 1 yard to save the season. It would be first and goal from the 9 yard line, max. Even if you run it a few more times and don't score, you give the Ravens (and rookie QB, Joe Flacco) significantly less time to score. Kerry Collins was solid all game, trust him not to turn it over. I think that taking the 3 points and kicking to the Ravens is saying that you don't trust your O to gain one yard and you are willing to roll the dice that whatever lucky bounce ends up coming your way. Do you really want to prolong a game like that when you're playing against a physical team like Baltimore's with a tired and bruised up D? As I listened to Bironas take the field goal I had a feeling that decision would come back to bite them in the end and it did. Baltimore put a good drive together and Stover put one through the uprights to end the Titans season.

I though the Chris Johnson injury was a bogus play by a guy I actually respect a lot, Ed Reed. I don't necessarily think it was a dirty play but watching it live, you can see that Johnson was on his way to the ground with his legs already wrapped up. Reed grabs his upper body and starts pulling him up, torquing his body back over his legs. Meanwhile, the lower half of his body was being driven the other way.

I'm not a Titans fan but I was incensed while watching this. I was upset that the announcers said nothing of it and I haven't heard anything about this all week, even though everybody seems to agree that the Titans win that game if Johnson stays in the game. I've been impressed with Johnson ever since I saw him play in East Carolina's bowl game last year against Boise State. He was a maniac with the ball and helped them pull off the upset against America's favorite small conference team. He then follows that up by tying the fastest 40 time ever at the NFL combine, a blazing 4.24. He has a chance to become one of the best running backs the league has seen so it's tough to watch him get bent backwards by 4 defenders. If he were a QB, a flag would have been thrown for sure and maybe Ed Reed is fined.

The NFL needs to look into ways to protect players from this because I've seen it happen quite a bit, just never like this. It's too bad it may have cost the Titans a happy ending to a great season. The injury sounds like a high ankle sprain. I'm glad it was just that because it could have been worse and looked that way.

-PSon

It's Good To Be King

The Broncos have hired a new coach, and that man is Josh McDaniels, former Patriots OC. I haven't had time to discuss my thoughts on the Shanny firing but I do wish him well. He's a great coach and offensive mind, there's no doubt that he will catch on somewhere else and achieve success. The Broncos have been stuck in a rut for years where they were good enough to barely make or barely miss the playoffs. A new direction was needed and I think this move will make the Broncos strong contenders in the next couple of years. I don't think we can expect huge things from the Broncos next year (not to say they can't succeed quickly) but this should be a solid team in 3-4 years.

It is currently being reported by a very trustworthy Broncos source that Mike Nolan will be Josh McDaniels' D coordinator. I couldn't be happier with this decision as Nolan has been with the Broncos in the past and has attained a great amount of success in turning Baltimore into a defensive powerhouse. He was fired as San Francisco's coach last year but for a couple of years he managed to pluck them from the dregs of the NFC where at one point they were thought to be a team that was a couple of years away. The Broncos will no doubt take a long look at their defensive personel as it has been said that Nolan will bring in a 3-4 defense. Denver's D line has been porous of late so change is iminent. As for free agents, if the Broncos bring in Albert Haynesworth I will be extremely happy, if they bring in Nnamdi Asomugha, I will shed tears.

Injury Report: - Pittsburgh v. San Diego

Phil Rivers: Probable ("Throws Like Girl"-Like Symptoms, Penguin-Foot Syndrome, T-Rex Arms)

LaDainian Tomlinson: Out (Bruised Ego, Swollen Head, Insane Jealousy)
Ben Roethlisberger: Probable (Head Through Windshield)
Troy Polamalu: Probable (Insane Rage, Intense Bloodlust, Man-Hate)

-PSon

NFL Year In Review

First off, I have to apologize for the extensive Man-Hiatus. Things were hectic for awhile. I don’t really want to go into a long explanation because that may be something for another post but in late October I (and one of the other contributors to this blog) suffered a disappointing end to something we put our heart and soul into for over 6 months (no, I’m not talking about the Rays World Series loss) and writing a sports blog wasn’t something I could deal with. Looking back, it may have been a great way to help myself get over it but since it’s something that still pains me, I’m thinking that might not be the case after all. Once I stopped, it was too hard to get back into it.

I have no idea who I think I’m writing this to but in the past month or so I have heard from friends and people who I never thought read this blog, basically asking why the blog disappeared like A Rod in a tight game. If one person thinks it’s funny, that’s enough for me. It seems like the NFL season came and went without a decent “Vagaries of Man-Love” take. So without further adieu, the 2008 NFL season in a nutshell.

• - Against all odds, Brett Favre led the Jets to a 3rd place finish in AFC East and no playoffs. His teammates fell all over each other trying to be the first one to throw him under the bus. This guy is out of a job for the time being. In a completely unrelated story, stock for Vicodin supplier Pharmas Inc. reached an all-time high.
• - Jay Cutler claimed his arm is better than Elway’s was. He also took credit for being the inspiration behind 19—classic, “Rookie of the Year."
• 
• - Larry Fitzgerald refused to reveal what is behind his superior hands, incredible ups, and unrivaled man-strength.
• - Pacman “allegedly” ordered a hit on a Las Vegas bouncer, some guy in Atlanta, and presumably Plexico Burress.
• 
• - Trent Dilfer screamed indiscriminately at America from inside their TV set. In a related story, ESPN filled their “mediocre NFL quarterback” quota that hadn’t been met since the departure of Sean Salisbury.
• 
• - Pipe down Tim Hasselbeck, I said “mediocre” not horribly inept.
• - Tom Jackson picked the Broncos to win every single week.
• - The Kansas City Chiefs’ coaching staff was implicated in a plot to make themselves relevant in the NFL playoff picture by teaching their players how to dive at the knees of quarterbacks but not how to catch a ball that hits them in the chest.
• - Brett Favre refused to throw a spiral.
• - Danny DeVito revealed himself to be the actor who played both the Penguin in Batman and also Phil Rivers in Saturday night’s playoff game against Indianapolis. Is that Phil Rivers or Byung-Hyun Kim?
  
• - Minnesota coach Brad Childress and Philadelphia coach Andy Reid make NFL history as the first head coaches that starred in the same television show to coach against each other in an NFL playoff game.
• - Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb claims he didn’t know regular season games could end in a tie. Similarly, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo didn’t know the Dallas Cowboys could win a game past November.
• - Terrell Owens ran out of ways to disparage his quarterback. He already went with the gay blast on Jeff Garcia, the choker blast on Donovan McNabb, and the virgin blast on Steve Young.
• - Detroit Lions rookie running back Kevin Smith came through on his vow to make history.
• - What is Matt Leinart's greatest fear, Kurt Warner getting injured or the keg running out 5 minutes after midnight?

Finally, I would like to send a shout out to Cash for winning our inaugural Bravo Fantasy League, Blake (former Division 1 wideout) for winning my work league, and Tim for taking me out (with a 55 point performance from Antonio Bryant) in quarters en route to the championship in my Mamabird alum league. I lost in finals in the other two. Disappointing to not win any of them but at least I can hang my hat on the fact that the two I made the finals in were my big money leagues and I won enough to pay for a decent chunk of the new bed Anna and I just bought. So that’s a TV and a bed partially paid for with fantasy winnings. Sadly, when Rome talks about “fantasy guy,” he’s talking about me but at least I can say I got something out of it (aside from months of wasted time).

-PSon

Re-Charged

The Broncos achieved a thrilling victory yesterday against their bitter rivals, the San Diego Chargers. In probably the most controversial finish since "The Tuck Rule" game, the Broncos did their best to choke a 31-17 half time lead.

It was truly a tale of two halves. Cutler threw most of his 350 yards and notched 3 TDs in the first half but Denver's offense went cold in the second. Up by one point late in the 4th, Cutler threw an ill-advised 3rd down pass on the goal line for his only INT. It set up a long receiving TD by Darren Sproles who continues to destroy the Broncos every time they play.

Down by 7, Cutler led the Broncos the length of the field. This is when the controversy began. After rolling out on a bootlegged play, Cutler attempted to fire the ball into the end zone. The ball slipped out of his hand before his hand started its forward motion. The nearest referee blew his whistle and signalled an incomplete pass while a Chargers defender recovered the loose ball. Replays indicated it was a fumble but because the ref blew his whistle, it was a dead ball the second it hit the ground. Bronco ball. 3rd down. Draw play to the 2. Cutler fires to Royal on 4th down. Touchdown. Shanny signals for the gutsy 2-point conversion, Cutler again threads one to Royal for the 1 point lead. Heartbreak for the Chargers.

My take on the play and the game in general? The Broncos win and take a gigantic 2 game lead in the division. Should they have won? Probably not. Cutler said it himself in the post game press conference, "Fumble I think...". What can you do, the official got the play wrong on the field but Ed Hochuli (in all his beefy glory) made the correct interpretation. The Broncos got lucky twice (earlier in the game they won a replay because of equipment malfunction) and won the game. It happens. Luckily it was in the Broncos favor this time.

Cutler had a monster game once again and he acknowledged that his two blemishes almost cost the Broncos a game. He learned a valuable lesson without having to lose the game. Brandon Marshall came back from his one game "personal conduct" suspension and caught 18 balls for 166 yards against one of the best corners in the league. Cutler threw 50 balls. Marshall and Royal had a touchdown apiece. Scheffler had 2. The high octane Broncos are back. Terrible defense, terribly exciting offense. Can't wait for the next one.

-PSon

The Ascension of Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler is a man. He has answered the question as to who is the best quarterback from the 2006 NFL draft. Matt Leinart (drunk) and Vince Young (crazy) were both drafted ahead of Cutler but he seems to be the only one of the three who both cares about football enough to work to make himself better and has the mental fortitude to stand in the face of detractors and ball like he should.

Cutler put on a clinic Monday while playing without his best receiver. He hit guys in stride on tough routes and systematically picked apart the much lauded tandem of Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall. Yeah I know it was the Raiders but his real test comes this weekend against the San Diego Chargers and resident toolbox, Philip Rivers. You might remember the shit-talking clinic Rivers tried to put on Cutler as the seconds were waning in the Chargers drubbing of the Broncos. Hey Phil, Cutler is back and his swagger is more pronounced than ever.

The reason for Cutler's rise can be attributed to shedding his horribly debilitating meth addiction. The unkempt hair and mammoth bags under his eyes are clear signs of a meth-head and much like my hero Hammie, Jay has risen from the depths to take his rightful place next to John Elway in Bronco lore. An heir to the throne has surfaced.

Note: While looking for pictures of Cutler, I could only find pictures of this guy. This is the picture that made we want to vomit the least.

Folding Landry

If you haven't seen this yet, enjoy. This is what happens when you try to lower the shoulder on a 250 lb man running at full speed. Brandon Jacobs doesn't have time for your piddling arm tackles. Next time just throw yourself at his feet and hope he trips on your limp body. Getting whiplash and having your chest stepped on is not the way to prolong your career.

Same Ol' Mississippi Boy

Just to show that some things never change, Jet Favre came out of the gates with a couple of breathtaking wounded duck TD tosses. Watch this second one, the pass is only 20-30 yards but Brett heaves it end over end about 50 yards in the air. I think the receiver was confused and called for a fair catch. Maybe he was trying to save the Jets receivers from having to deal with his "rocket arm."

Fantasy Football Nation

Check out this video of Chris Cooley's Redskins Fantasy Draft which I saw on Deadspin but was also forwarded to me by my boy Popes:



This is an example of when a fantasy draft goes well. Everyone is having a good time, staying loose, not taking things too seriously. Much like my Bravo Fantasy League draft (gotta give a shout out to my boys on the camping trip... Wood Up, Stay High). Problem is, nobody is really taking the league seriously. Notice how former Colorado exhibitionist and Hawaii hero Colt Brennan provides a crowd pleasing first round pick of Ohio State hater, LenDale White.

When drafts go poorly, you're in for 4 hours of retread jokes. It's like everybody is reading the same Fantasy Football For Dummies book, complete with "joke" templates so you can fill in as needed. Here are some examples:

1. "Hey, If you need another RB, I heard (insert retired football player) is still available." Hahahahahahaha

2. "Hey guys, I heard (insert lambasted QB) is looking good in (insert team)'s camp." Hahahahahahaha.

3. When the draft reaches the later rounds, "Hey, is (insert obvious top 5 pick) still available?" Hahahahahaha

4. The obligatory "HOMER" call when a guy drafts somebody from their favorite team, even if it's the right spot in the draft or the guy has dropped a few rounds further than he should have. Hahahahahahahaha.

5. The standard name mispronunciations or lame "this name sounds like" jokes such as, "I'll take SanAntonio Holmes", or "I'll take T.J. Whosh-your-mama." Hahahahahaha, wow... good stuff.

6. "Hey, I don't see (insert name of player just taken) on my list. Oh yeah there he is, way down at the bottom." Hahahahahaha.

7. Joey Harrington jokes.

8. Ricky Williams drug references.

9. Using the word sleeper.

Here are things that are funny:

1. Guys with draft sheets and magazines that are 3 months old.

2. Guys who get too drunk.

3. Guys who draft players that are on IR.

4. Brett Favre in the first round.

5. Guys who draft the Bears' Adrian Peterson in a live Yahoo draft instead of the Vikings' Adrian Peterson. This is not to be confused with guy who makes joke about whether you drafted the Bears' Peterson or the Vikings' Peterson. That guy is a tool.

6. Guys who draft kickers in the 5th Round.

7. Guys who draft a top 5 quarterback and say, "I know I'm reaching but this guy is my sleeper, I'll take Ben Roethlisberger."

8. "I'll take (insert name of Bears QB)." If this were a Beirut draft, I'd be all about it but we're going for guys who throw TDs, not ping pong balls and INTs.

-PSon (trying not to look past the fantasy baseball playoffs)

More Than The Lion's Share

Please take the time to read this story, courtesy of Profootballtalk.com

You might have to scroll down until you get to it but you will be happy you did. Former Bronco running back Tatum Bell was allegedly upset about losing his gig so he pilfered new RB Rudi Johnson's bags. Yes folks, I am ready for some football.

-PSon