Quarterbacks: Jay Cutler and Patrick Ramsey (2)

Cuts: Darrell Hackney (1)

Full Backs: Cecil Sapp and Peyton Hillis (4)

Cuts: none

Running Backs: Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Ryan Torain and Michael Pittman (8)

Cuts: Anthony Aldridge (2)

Tight Ends: Daniel Graham, Nate Jackson, Tony Scheffler, Mike Leach (12)

Cuts: Chad Mustard and Brett Pierce (4)

Wide Receivers: Brandon Marshall, Darrell Jackson, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley and Clifford Russell (17)

Cuts: Keary Colbert, Glenn Martinez and Marquay McDaniel (7)

Offensive Linemen: Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Tom Nalen, Chris Kuper, Ryan Harris, Casey Wiegmann, Kory Lichtensteiger, Erik Pears and Dylan Gandy (26)

Cuts: Mitch Erickson and Tyler Polumbus (9)

Defensive Tackles: DeWayne Robertson, Marcus Thomas, Alvin McKinley and Kenny Peterson (30)

Cuts: Nic Clemons and Steven Harris (11)

Defensive Ends: Elvis Dumervil, John Engelberger, Jarvis Moss, Ebenezer Ekuban and Tim Crowder (35)

Cuts: Paul Carrington and Larry Birdine (13)

Linebackers: DJ Williams, Boss Bailey, Nate Webster, Niko Koutouvides, Louis Green, Spencer Larsen and Wesley Woodyard (42)

Cuts: Jordan Beck, Miguel Padilla and Jamie Winborn (16)

Corner Backs: Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, Domonique Foxworth, Karl Paymah and Jack Williams (47)

Cuts: Tyrone Poole and Wale Dada (18)

Safeties: Marlon McCree, Marquand Manuel, Hamza Abdullah and Josh Barrett (51)

Cuts: Roderik Rogers and Vickiel Vaughn (20)

Kicker: Matt Prater (52)

Punter: Sam Paulescu (53)

Cut: Brett Kern (21)

There you have it… Mike Shanahan and the Denver Broncos must decide by 2:00 PM today.

Am I off my rocker? Think Denver’s not getting rid of Anthony Aldridge, Jaimie Winborn and Keary Colbert? Let me have it in the comments.

In their final tune-up before the regular season, the Denver Broncos (1-2) close out the 2008 preseason on the road against the Arizona Cardinals (2-1) on Friday. Kickoff at University of Phoenix Stadium is set for 7 p.m. MST, and the game will be televised locally on KCNC-TV (CBS 4). Live coverage is also provided by the NFL Network. KOA 850 AM will provide radio coverage, which can also be heard on Sirius Channel 125.

The Broncos will end their preseason against the Cardinals for the fifth consecutive year and travel to Arizona after losing 27-24 at home to Green Bay in their most recent action on Aug. 22. With the starters riding the bench, expect a super-sized helping of Darrell Hackney tonight. #2 QB Patrick Ramsey isn’t expected to play unless needed after suffering an injury against Green Bay in Week 3.

Denver faces a Cardinals squad that posted a 24-0 victory at Oakland in its last game on Aug. 23. Arizona, which has won its last two games, held the Raiders to 2.9 yards per play (56-165) in earning the shutout win.

Weather Report

Check out Jonathan’s thoughts and predictions for the game. Feel free to discuss the game here! Go Broncos!

Before we move on to the regular season we have to play our toughest game of the year – our last preseason game. I say that because more players are cut after this game than any other single game of the year… and that makes it tough.

This is a game that every non-starter of the Broncos must see as their best (and possibly last) time to show the world what they can do. This weekend every team must cut their roster down to a trim 53 man squad. That means Friday night’s game against the Cardinals will be the last time some of our players wear a Broncos uniform. However, even if they don’t make it onto our roster, having a great game tomorrow evening might get them a spot on another team. I expect that we will see a lot of heart-felt football passion on NFL fields this weekend and I wish everyone good luck!

And with that, let’s get to some thoughts and predictions…

*****

The Niko Show -
Nate Webster has won the starting job… so he will not play tomorrow. That means Niko Koutouvides will get to run the defense for much of the game. Since the race is over, this will be a GREAT game to watch Niko as he is not auditioning – just playing.
We’ll also get plenty of time to watch some of my preseason favorites like Jamie Winborn, Wesley Woodyard and Jordan Beck.

Prediction: I think Nate is a good choice for starting MIKE LB. I never really bought into the mystique of Niko. And I don’t currently think he’s just ‘slow & steady’ rather than ‘passionate & wild’ (no offense TSG). However, with that said, I think we could see Niko’s BEST game so far Firday night. I know it will only add fire to a MIKE controversy among fans and the Denver media, but I have a feeling that’s what’s on tap.

*****

Backup D-line: Rotation
With Dewayne Robertson, Marcus Thomas, Elvis Dumervil and John Engelberger all scheduled to sit out this game, we’ll get to see a lot of our backup playes on the D-line.

Prediction: I am pimarily interested in what these guys can do because it will hint at our true depth along the line. We tend to rotate these linemen to keep them fresh and to adjust for passing vs rushing downs. That means we WILL be relying on players we see tomorrow evening to step up and fill in. A good preformance from our second and third teamers along the D-line will go quite a way toward proving to me that we have the needed depth to win the war of the trenches this year.

*****

O-line Backups: Why the heck give up Holland? -
The O-line doesn’t rotate in and out like the D-line does (unless you count TE’s), so our depth at these positions has more to do with safe-guarding our team against injury. However, since the Broncos traded away Montrae Holland (the best backup we had), who does that leave us with behind the starters.

Prediction: We need to see some players step up this weekend so I don’t lose any sleep over our (apparently) thin O-line. Someone (I don’t care who) impress me! Please!

Tony Scheffler’s Night -
Last week I predicted Nate Jackson would have a highlight reel catch and he caught a nice TD versus Green Bay. This week I look for Tony Scheffler to step it up. Tony has been running behind Jackson and Daniel Graham this off-season, but I think he’ll get plenty of looks from Ramsey and Hackney this weekend. It will be important for Scheffler to step up and deliver when his chances come around.

Prediction: I think Tony is Cutler’s favorite TE target, so I don’t believe Tony is on the cutting block. However, he needs to prove to Shanahan and his coaches that he can be that explosive player they believe he can be. I look for him to have a very good night. Look for him in the endzone on Friday.

*****

Wideouts on the bubble – Stokley & Russell have a big night -
Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall will be taking the night off. Behind them we have Darrell Jackson, Brandon Stokely, Glen Martinez, Clifford Russell, Keary Colbert and Marquay McDaniel. Jackson and Stokley are getting a final roster spot. Martinez will also likely get one. That leaves us some interesting battles between the remaining WR’s.

Prediction: I see Stokley making some big plays this weekend, but more importantly, I’m looking for Clifford Russell to impress some people and carve out a roster spot.

*****

Hackney vs Ramsey -
Patrick Ramsey needs a good outing to silence his nay-sayers. Darrell Hackney needs a tremendously awesome night if he wants to knock Ramsey out of his spot and take the #2 slot behind Cutler. Even then, I don’t foresee it happening… Ramsey’s experience will likely make him more appealing to the Bronco’s head brass than Hackney’s preformance in the last preseason game.

Prediction: Much to most of our fan’s dismay, I think Ramsey will have a pretty good night on Friday. Either way I don’t think the fans or the media will let it die, but there you have it.

*****

BONUS PREDICTION #1: Anthony Alridge breaks away and it’s off to the races!
I know it’s against 3rd and 4th stringers, but how cool would it be to see this kid blow past the DB’s and take one to the house?

BONUS PREDITION #2: Special Teams Shocker! -
Just like TD in Tokyo, there is always a chance for a player deep on the depth chart to make a big impression with the coaches. No where on the team is it more likely to happen than on Special Teams. So, watch those coverage units folks!

*****

P.S. If you want to catch the Denver game nationally, you’ll need to catch it on the NFL Network at 10pm (EST).

GO BRONCOS!

(Photos 1, 3: AP/Jack Dempsey. Photo 2: Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

BLOG BLITZ

• Our pal Stefan Fatsis gives this season preview.  [Deadspin]
• The Annual Super Bowl Buzz Kill focuses on Denver. [The Hater Nation]
• Bill Williamson runs down the AFC West cuts.  [ESPN]
• Nick went 3-for-3 on his WR chopping block prediction.  [Thin Air]
• Guru gives his take on the Webster vs. Niko Koutouvides decision.  [Mile High Report]
• Travis Henry – one passionate Democratic supporter.  [Kissing Suzy Kolber]

Create-a-caption’s are getting their own posts, permanently methinks. I’d like everyone to be able to discuss the blitz itself if they want – i.e., what’s the buzz around the Internet on our Broncos.

• Jay Cutler, I am your fan.  [Rocky Mountain News]
• Despite injured digits, Elvis Dumervil and Marquand Manuel should be ready to go for the season opener.  Starters are done until Week 1.  [Denver Post]
• The team’s blog discusses the new depth chart, where Brett Kern sits at punter and Nate Webster has the starting Mike linebacker job.  Check the full version here.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• Samie Parker headlines the team’s first cuts – also gone are Lorne Sam and Josh Mallard.  [BroncoTalk]
• Some praise, some not, from our old friend Woody Paige.  [DPO]
• Michael Pittman just wants a shot after an impressive Friday showing.  [DPO]
• There were positives to be had from Friday’s exhibition match, but tackling still needs fixing. [DPO]

CREATE-A-CAPTION

Nate Jackson celebrates his TD. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments… Yesterday’s winner after the jump.

Friday’s winner: jibbons.

“Have you seen my baseball?”

Remember to leave your comments for the top photo. Happy captioning…

Cutler ended the night with 115 yards pass (completing 6 of 13) and scoring 2 TD’s.

The important things to take away from this game are:
* Cutler bounced back nicely from some early misfires.
* We scored on each 1st team possession.
* Cutler ends his 2008 preseason work with zero INTs.
* Our starting O-line didn’t give up a single Cutler sack this preseason.

Patrick Ramsey‘s second unit was less impressive. He did end up with a TD pass to Michael Pittman in the fourth quarter, but he also was repeatedly failed to feel the pressured coming and that eventually resulted in an interception. Our second and third unit drives ended like this: PUNT, PUNT, DOWNS, TD, INT, DOWNS.

Players that impressed me:
* Peyton Hillis – Important 1st down catch when we started our drive from the 1 yard line.
* Cliff Russell – Ended up second in receiver yards behind Marshall and definitely out played Keary Colbert.
* Nate Jackson – Stepped up big time and made plays.
* Selvin Young, Andre Hall and Michael Pittman – All three did well.
* The Future of the Franchise (Cutler/Marshall) – Every time they connect… magic happens.

DEFENSE:
On defense our night was a bit rougher. Versus the run we did very well, with our first unit defenders holding Green Bay to only 23 yards rushing. In fact, the Packers didn’t break 100 total yards rushing and averaged less than 3 yards per carry. With those stats you’d expect a blow out win, but the ground game only tells half the story. In this case it was the Packer’s passing game that tore us up and resulted in this loss. Repeatedly, Aaron Rogers connected with his passers at will. Rogers ended up going 18 of 22 for nearly 200 yards and a TD.

Part of the good run defense and lousy pass coverage might be explained by the extra backs Denver had in the box all night long. That defense works well to stiffen the line, but it relies on your corners to make one-on-one coverage. With Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, you’d think that won’t be much of an issue… however, it was last night.

Another low point was the lack of pressure on the Packer QB’s. When you rush an extra man, you’d expect additional pressure, but that also wasn’t the case. Elvis Dumervil had a sack before leaving with a broken finger, but most of the time Aaron had plenty of time to air it out to his receivers.

To be honest, it reminded me a lot of that terrible Play-off game versus the Steeler’s when our blitz-happy defense got picked apart with quick passing and great blitz pick-up. I’m not necessarily worried, but I think this is something to watch as we get ready for the season.

Time for you to SPEAK UP! What did you see that you like (or didn’t like) last night? Are you more or less impressed with 2008 starters? With cuts coming up…. who stays and who goes?

With starters expected to see their most extensive action of the preseason, the Denver Broncos host the Green Bay Packers on Friday in their final home exhibition game of 2008. Kickoff at INVESCO Field at Mile High is set for 7 p.m. MDT, and the game will be televised locally on KCNC-TV (CBS 4). NFL Network will provide a delayed broadcast of the game starting at 10 p.m. MDT nationwide. KOA 850 AM will provide radio coverage, which can also be heard on Sirius Channel 140.

After an impressive showing against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, the Broncos hope to keep the momentum going in their ever-important third preseason game. Meanwhile, the Packers are looking to bounce back after a rough outing with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2, losing 34-6.

With the departure of long time quarterback Brett Favre, some inside and out of the Packers organization are considering this a “must win” game, the hope being that a win will rally fans and teammates around new QB Aaron Rodgers. The Broncos will surely be tested against a squad that beat the Broncos in overtime in 2007.

Weather Report

Kyle’s Five Things to Watch

1. Running Attack – While this new pass-happy offense is exciting, and Jay Cutler is obviously a STUD, I want to see the Broncos’ running game make some ground. Selvin Young and Andre Hall need to step up and pound the rock. I want to see one of these guys make a clear argument for the starting job.

2. There Can Only be One – Middle linebacker, that is. It’s crunch time for Niko Koutouvides and Nate Webster, with several reports indicating that the starter will be named after this game. Webster’s getting the starting nod, but it sounds like Kouts will see snaps with the first team as well. I’ll be watching these guys a little more closely than normal.

3. Pick up the Pass Defense – The rush defense looks improved this year, but so far, the pass defense has been a mixed bag. Let’s see how the return of Champ Bailey from injury helps us here, but I especially want to look at our pass rush against a more-than-decent Packers front five.

4. Bookends for ‘years and years and years’ – At least, that’s how Head Coach Mike Shanahan described new starting OTs Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris. I’ll be watching to see if they can repeat Saturday’s strong performance.

5. Punters and Holders – Word is that Cutler has been practicing as a holder on field goals, while Sam Paulescu and Brett Kern continue to battle for the punter job. Much like #2, tonight’s game could go a long way to determining who gets the nod.

Again, kickoff is at 7PM MDT, with the NFLN broadcast at 9! What things will you be watching? Discuss the game here!

BLOG BLITZ

• Ryan Torain talks about moving to Denver and his rehab.  [DenverBroncos.com]
• Chargers LB Shawne Merriman got his knee checked out. [BoltTalk]
• The team went water sliding Thursday.  [ESPN]
• Fan praise for Larry Johnson, or encouragement to deal crack?  [Arrowhead Addict / Sporting Blog]
• Speaking of Kool Aid, Raiders fans are drinking plenty of it.  [Silver and Black Pride]

CREATE-A-CAPTION

Lane Kiffin is happy. AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

Your wittiest, most cleverest captions in the comments… Yesterday’s winner after the jump.

Yesterday’s winner: Johnny Leatherhead.

“I think my contact lens popped out somewhere around here…but that was 4 plays ago.”

Remember to leave your comments for the top photo. Happy captioning…

On the third preseason game against Green Bay:
“I guess we (the starters) are going to play the most we have played in the preseason. I thought last game (against Dallas) our intensity and our tempo was there, so hopefully we can carry that over into this game.”

On his relationship with Quarterbacks Coach Jeremy Bates:
“It’s been great. He’s an intense guy, he’s fiery, he has an intense passion for the game and it shows in the meeting room and on the field. We bump heads a little bit, but that is to be expected. A couple hours later or the next day, we are back in the grind. I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been great. I’ve been loving his play-calling, loving what we are doing in practice and the way we are conducting the offense. It’s been fun.

“He’s mastered the gameplan. He has a great feel for defenses. He’s been with a lot of different systems, so he has a good feel of what we are trying to do. He has a good feel for just gameplans in general. He is flexible, and that’s what I like most about him. If I have an idea I ask him about it and talk to him about it. And if he likes it and we can agree on it we will put it in. It has been give-and-take, and I have enjoyed it so far.”

On being the ‘face of the franchise’:
“Any quarterback is going to be kind of the face of the community, the face of the program. There is a lot of pressure on you. You’re pulling the trigger and you’re making things happen, so that’s why they pay you a lot of money. It’s a lot of pressure but I enjoy it, and obviously things are going well right now.”

On how fast the offense is learning the scheme:
“You have to be a little bit surprised. You have the little guy (WR) Eddie Royal out there and he’s playing well, picking up the offense. (WR) Brandon (Marshall) is doing great things. The offensive line—we have all new guys up there. We have Tommy (C Tom Nalen) out, (C) Casey (Wiegmann) in. We have two guys on the outside, the tackles (T Ryan Clady and T Ryan Harris), playing at a high level. Running backs — anybody we are putting in there is rushing the ball well. Just the volume of plays and the formations we are throwing at them — it’s been incredible how everyone has picked it up.”

On if the receivers other than WR Brandon Marshall are fitting well into the system:
“Yeah, Eddie (Royal) is falling right into place, he listens. If I tell him something, he is going to do it. Right after the play, if I want to tweak it or if I want to back shoulder him, I just talk to him about it and the next play he does it. It is going well. When Brandon gets out of his suspension, we are going to need him and we are going to need a couple other guys to step up because it is going to be hard to replace what Brandon does for us on the field.”

On Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers’ situation regarding former Packers QB Brett Favre:
“I have been talking to Aaron since the whole thing has blown up. I met him in Tahoe when things started getting crazy for him. I think he is handling it great. He is a down-to-earth guy, he understands the situation and he is playing well right now. I wish him the best of luck and I am excited to see him play.”

On stepping in following former Broncos QB Jake Plummer’s retirement:
“Jake, we obviously didn’t make as big of a deal (of retirement) as Brett (Favre) did. He kind of went quietly and that is the type of guy Jake is, a first-class guy. He understood what was going on and he kind of wanted out anyway. I can’t imagine being in that situation, having a guy like Brett Favre, with what he has done on the field and all of his accomplishments, taking over for him. It is a tough situation. It is like the guys that had to take over for (John) Elway and (Dan) Marino. It is tough. They are always going to be there and you are always going to hear about Brett Favre as long as he is in a uniform.”

More on Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers:
“I met him a few times when we played and when I was down in Tahoe. He is a good guy, he is cool. We talk every once in awhile, a couple times a week just to see how things are going. If he throws a pick, I give him some trouble and if I throw a pick, vice-versa, he will probably send me a couple text messages.”

On the Broncos’ offense evolving into a passing offense:
“That is not necessarily true. If you go back and watch a lot of clips from three, four or five years ago you’ll see a lot of empty sets. They were throwing the ball all over the place, especially with (John) Elway. They threw their fair share of deep balls in empty sets. Right now, with our running game, when we get in those sets, you are going to see limited amounts of defenses. They have to prepare for our run and that kind of limits their blitz and what they can do—if we go empty—with their checks and stuff. As long as we are running the ball we are going to be able to do things like that.”

On WR Brandon Stokley:
“I don’t know if Brandon has ever been covered. On third downs, if we ever go into a three-receiver set and he gets in there, he is the guy that they have to cover and that is not an easy task for any nickel guy. He understands what we are trying to get done and he understands the defenses and where the openings are at. It’s fun having him out there, especially for a guy like Eddie (Royal) and even for a guy like Brandon (Marshall) because he has been around the league and he has been around some great offenses.”

On if there is concern in the running game:
“Not in my mind. If we run the ball like that against Dallas, I can’t see why we can’t run against anybody.”

It has been suggested that our little fan blog is a bit too optimistic about the Broncos… no kidding?

Well, we are a FAN blog for goodness sake. :)

As most of you know, for the last two preseason games I’ve been making (mostly humorous) predictions. One ‘fan’ actually accused me last week of being very unrealistic when making my predictions. In fact, it was suggested that most of my predictions were wishful thinking and a product of overestimating our 2008 team. However, even though I’m far from perfect, this week I got pretty close to nailing these predictions.

Luckily I’m not above ‘rubbing it in’, so let’s take a look…

*****

O-line Prediction: I think we see improvement from both Ryans, but not perfection. There are going to mistakes but I think we’ll see fewer penalties from Harris and more confidence from Clady. The middle of the line did well last week and I think we’ll see some running lanes tomorrow for Young and our stable of backs as well as decent pass protection. That said… I think Cutler gets sacked for the first time tomorrow – the Dallas defense is pretty good folks.

REALITY: I’ll leave the offical O-line breakdown to Kyle, but from my perspective both Ryan’s did do better this week. We had no penalties from Harris (the only one’s from the O-line were from Kuper and Scheffler). We did have running lanes (some really HUGE ones in fact), but I was wrong on Cutler’s first sack. I guess I was a little pesimistic, myself.

*****

WR Prediction: Marshall burns Adam ‘no-longer-Pacman’ Jones all night long. Look for Royal to make some fantastic move which enables him to gain big yardage and a nice highlight reel moment. Later in the game, I hope to see Glenn make some good catches and I’d love to see Stokley grab one for a critical 3rd down conversion.

REALITY: I was pretty close here… Marshall didn’t get to burn Jone’s directly, but ended up making great plays and a TD catch, Royal had a couple good grabs and snatched that pass in coverage for your highlight moment, Glenn took a big shoot after the catch later in the game (but held onto the ball) and Stokley snagged a nice 3rd down ball wth was inches from a conversion (we converted on 4th down and a play later got a TD).

*****

RB Prediction: This is Hall’s best, last chance to prove he should be the starting RB. It would take an unbelievable game for Hall to jump past Young, but it’s possible. In unbiased fairness, I think Young is positioned to have great game tomorrow. I think he’ll be locking up that starting job tomorrow evening.

REALITY: I was wrong on this one, folks. I know Young racked up more yards, but in my opinion Hall had a much better evening. I’d be interested on what you all thought about this, but I think Hall out-played Young on Saturday. Starting with his 32 yard kickoff return and then finishing off that short yardage goal-line TD, it just seemed to me like Hall was on FIRE. As much as I ‘wished’ Hall would light it up this weekend, I assumed our O-line would be running smooth enough for Young to easily lock that position down. That wasn’t the case as Hall did his best to keep the door (and the competition) open for another week.

*****

DB Prediction: I’ll give our defensive backs at least one INT on the night. I would also give the Dallas receivers a TD or two, but that’s hardly a surprising prediction.

REALITY: In the breakdown I said that our DB’s would be tested. With Champ out, Foxy ended up being the one targeted on Saturday (he got beat twice by Miles Austin - once for a TD). And while it wasn’t one of our starters, Jack Williams did come up with an INT for the game. So, that would be one INT for our guys and one receiver TD for Dallas… I’m not doing too bad at this predicting gig. :)

*****

LB Prediction: I expect Niko to have a more visible performance this time out; however, I have to suggest that Webster remains more dominate in the Middle even on the second team defense. I’m also looking forward to see Wesley Woodyard again. That guy has made my preseason game 4th quarters actually entertaining!

REALITY: Yes, Niko started and according to (former MIKE LB) D.J. Williams he did well leading the first team defense.

“He was great today. He’s a natural leader, so having him in the huddle helps me out a lot.” — DJ Williams about Niko 8/16/08

That said, Niko only came up with one tackle on the night. Likewise Webster also ended the evening with a very muted game and one tackle. I think the one thing that I remember about Webster’s game was his missed tackle of Felix Jones (Webster doesn’t usually miss those so it stood out). I think we’ll see more of both guys taking first team reps as the competition for MIKE is not over yet. Luckly, no matter who wins the starting job, we’ll have two good players on the roster providing us some needed depth in the middle. Jamie Winborn had a good outing again on Saturday as he and Wesley Woodyard both had 4 tackles (coming in second and third in number of tackles behind Foxy).

*****

D-line Prediction: Elvis Dumervil gets his first sack of the preseason. And, what the heck, Nic Clemons gets one too!

REALITY: Doom got his first sack right on cue, but Nic Clemon’s didn’t end up getting one – my bad.

In general our line did well against the run and provided some moments of great pass pressure (even when rushing three). Barber was held to 22 yards versus the first team D-line which definitely is a good sign.

*****

Back-up QB Prediction: I honestly think both guys [Johnson & Ramsey] will have average games and that will just prolong the media and fan driven discussions about both backups.

REALITY: The battle of the backups wasn’t entirely fair really. Brad Johnson played with his team’s first unit O-line to begin with so his numbers might be better than Patrick Ramsey‘s for that reason. However, either way you cut it Brad looked a bit sharper on the field. He completed 9 of 12 for 114 yards and one TD. Ramsey had 67 yards total and was 8 of 13. Neither were picked off, which means the fan/media driven saga about these two backups will continue.

*****

Speical Team Prediction: Prater nails 100% of his field goal attempts under 45 yards. If he attempts one near 50 yards out he misses it to right or left but has plenty of distance. Eddie Royal, Glenn Martinez and Marquay McDaniel all do well… no TD return though. :(

REALITY: uh… Could I have gotten any better on these predictions even if I had a crystal ball?! Prater was perfect under 45 yards with kicks good at 29, 19 and 43 yards. He also missed one (at 49 yards) with plenty of distance, however it was wide left. The returners all did well, but no TD’s on the returns.

For your fortune or to find out what your lucky numbers are, please contact me anytime. :)

*****

All kidding aside, Denver did well this game. We have things to work on but we showed improvement in almost every area of the game and Cutler (as Kyle has pointed out) was AWESOME! I think we can play the ‘prediction game’ all off-season, but until these guys come out and get it done we won’t become recognized as a top tier team in the league (by ESPN and even some fans). In the end, we have to be better than simply a great young team on paper. We need to be a great young team on Sundays.

I personally think we have the tools and the talent to make that happen. I have said for over a year now, that we will be a playoff team in Cutler’s second (full) year. I have also stated that we will go to the Super Bowl in Cutler’s third (full) year.

I guess I can only hope those predictions stand up as well as the ones from this game did!

Photos by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images (1, 2), AP/David Zalubowski