Now What (?).

BroncoTalk Family,
It’s been a while, indeed. Feels like it’s been, say, 4 months exactly or so since we’ve last talked.
I’ve been on a Broncos sabbatical. A cleansing of sorts. Removing many of last seasons toxins from my body. Yearning for a rebirth, I stepped away from the madness with this mantra in mind: Only come back to the world of mania when I’m truly ready, and not a moment before.

It has been so long I had forgotten my BT password.

Which, by the way, does anyone else find it difficult to remember every single password required by every single website that one would frequent? I spend more time visiting Forgot Your Password? pages than I do on the actual sites. Just me?

Upon retrieving my login password, I found the single post I attempted during my vacation. Aptly titled Now What?, it was written and left to rot on January, 25th 2010. The last paragraph read as follows:

We get to torture and tease ourselves with what if’s and mock drafts. Fully loading every scouting report and insider tidbit. We get to wade through multitudes of Tebow conversations and columns. All telling us the same thing…he can’t play QB in the NFL, but wouldn’t it be exciting to take the risk?

And yes, yes it would.

I found this and had myself a stupendous, holy shit moment.

I took the time to heal. Four months to mend my broken heart, bone-dry brain and saturated liver. Four months to immerse myself in another sport that I’ve never been good at, basketball. Four months to forget about the endless hours spent amateurishly postulating the inner workings of an entity I know nothing more about than any other basic human with an internet or cable connection.

The four months have been good to me, but now, now my friends, the four months, they are over. I’ve officially been sucked back in.

Wendell Pierce in Treme

Since we last talked, I watched one, and only one post-season football game in which The city of New Orleans finally won a super bowl. NOLA has now become the infatuation of writer David Simon, which has manifested itself in his new show Treme, which in turn has become my new obsession. So bear with me on my many future references. Not a bad 2010 so far for Nawlins.

Speaking of creepy weirdos, how about Ben Roethlisberger? At least our starting QB has never been photographed getting wasted in public with a gaggle of college coeds. Uh. Uh…
On a side note, I’m not seriously comparing what Roethlisberger did to a few party pics taken of Kyle. He has only been professional since arriving in Denver and will be, I think, a very important piece in the progress of this football team.

While we’re on the subject of trading franchise quarterbacks, I hear Donovan McNabb has a new happy home with Shanny in Washington. To put things in perspective, let’s all reflect on what it would have felt like to trade Cutler to the Chargers.

Alright. Enough of that, my gag reflex was starting in.

How about our team? What’s new? Did I miss anything? Fill me in.

I know we’ve made some coaching changes. Just haven’t wanted to use the mental space to fill in all the blanks, to make all the connections. The coaching staff is playing a big game of twister right? Linebacker coach on Defense, spin, Tight Ends coach on O-Line, spin. Does any of it make a difference, yes & no. We still have to decide if McDaniels is right for this team, if he isn’t, position coaches will make little to no difference.

We traded a few more players, no? Everyone knows the specs. No need to regurgitate happenings that were hard enough to swallow the first time. Let me say this though, the Broncos are now minus two in the Players Who Don’t Want To Be Here column.
Plain & simple.
Ultimately, I don’t know how that’s a bad thing.

I heard something about us shocking the world… On the first night, on the biggest stage that the NFL draft has ever seen, the Denver Broncos took it all. Nevermind the other talented play-maker taken three picks prior, or the seven more picks that were yet to be made. The NFL wasn’t alone in thinking that a prime-time draft was going to draw a crap load of attention, the Broncos were on board that train of thought as well, and they snatched it all up and ran with it.

I guess if I was about to become a millionaire I'd buy matching shirts for my boyz too. Welcome Timmy!

A guttural noise left my mouth seconds before the first member of the Turquoise Shirted Tebow posse could pull the Denver draft cap over his dome.
A scream of disbelief/joy/fear/excitement/one too many tall Coors

I attended day two of the draft at Radio City Music Hall donning a handmade, gaff taped Tebow Broncos jersey.
(Why? Because why the hell not?)
While walking out the door of those hallowed halls, I saw an acquaintance who happens to be a Colts fan. He asked me how I felt about the pick. I muttered and stammered, spinning my wheels, showing a clear delineation of my exhilarated uncertainty. He thankfully stopped me seconds into my fit with these words of wisdom, “You picked that horse, now ride it.” I suppose that is the only way to approach these next few years we will all spend with Timmy and the circus, let’s just have some fun.

Our best player went down right? While the kinetic energy of the draft was still swirling around the Broncos and their fans, a story broke that would slow down the molecules a bit. A twitter feeding frenzy that almost literally knocked the wind out of me, started early yesterday afternoon with reports of Ryan Clady possibly missing the 2010 season entirely. Bit by bit, information slowly trickled through the wire, speculation ran rampant, and conspiracy theories were formed. At the end of the day we were left with little information and even littler hope. Albeit, the three to four month prognosis is better than a lot of people hypothesized, most are skeptical that the All-Pro left tackle will make the field in the coming season. I know there is panic running amok through the Broncos community about our big man, and while I hold no reservations in saying this is a major blow to a team that was trying to put the pieces in place, I do realize that the only thing to be done from the standpoint of a fan is to think positively and exercise extreme patience. He will be OK, the team will be all right.

Beadles-Mania may come a little earlier to Denver than expected is all.

So what has changed since I’ve taken a few steps back from the fire?
Seems like the same old roller-coaster I got off a long four months ago.
Seems like as good of a time as any to hop back on.

Keeping in line with the ups & downs the Broncos have made us all accustomed to, look for my next post in which I’ll be making 5 Bold Predictions With No Basis Whatsoever. In the meantime, let me say, it’s mighty good to see all of your shining cyber faces again.