Tatum Bell back to Denver, are you kidding me?  This is the third or fourth article I’ve read on the subject.  With Travis Henry facing a possible suspension, the rumor spreaders are at work trying to construct a scenario where the Lions would trade Bell.  Looking for potential suitors with running back issues, every article out there mentions the Bucs (of course), and the Broncos.

Been there, done that, no thanks.  Not in a million years.  The story popped up in the news feed of the BroncoTalk sidebar, so I felt it needed to be addressed.

The discussions between our readers and authors have been great. I’ve been swayed a bit to their side – protesting a lack of effort on the field is a fan’s right. Absolutely. I didn’t see the end of that game because CBS dropped coverage, but from what I’ve heard there were players laughing on the sideline, not giving their effort on the field. That is a post all it’s own (trust me, I’ll be working on it with the long bye ahead).

Just check out this article from a Chargers beat writer from the San Diego Union Tribune. The article addressed Norv Turner, of course (what else is there to talk about in San Diego?), but used our home field advantage as Exhibit A:

Denver is not just the toughest place to play in the NFL, but in football, period. It’s 5,280 feet in the air, always sold out, and loud. The Broncos have an incredible home-field advantage. And yet Norv and his kids basically had the Invesco joint deserted by the end of the third quarter.

ESPN’s Tom Jackson, who played for the Broncos, Sunday night took one look at that empty stadium and said he’d never seen anything like it in Denver.

What he said about our home field advantage used to be true. As recently as two years ago. Do the Broncos have to be good for the home field to rock?

I hope not. I hope these fans would scream their heads off at the opponents in the depths of a 20-game losing streak. Being a fan goes beyond the wins and losses.

No one KNOWS if the players quit out there. You can’t tell me with absolutely certainty that they weren’t trying. But I can tell you with absolutely certainty that Tom Nalen was, torn bicep and all.

As fans, we’re being tested. Are we devoted enough to take the good and the bad, and still rock the house come game day? So far we have failed that test. Plain and simple. Go down 14-0, it’s time to get LOUDER, not start booing the home crowd. Down big in the third? Rally around the team, don’t turn your backs on them.

I’m begging you, season ticket holders, BRING THE EDGE BACK TO INVESCO! The Magic/Mystique back to Mile High. This used to be one of the best home fields in the league, and it wasn’t that long ago. Physically, emotionally, this team is beaten and broken. Will we recover this season? – no one knows.

But we’ll have a lot better chance of turning this thing around with a thriving crowd than empty stands.

No more pictures for these, or descriptions for the top 10… at least not this week. Simplifying it to save myself some time.

I will talk about one team in particular though – the Jacksonville Jaguars. They moved up huge, from 12 to 4, all in one week when I came to a simple realization – this team is good. Really, really good. They remind me more and more of the 2005 Denver Broncos – a very stout run defense, complemented by a shutdown corner and promising looking rookie defensive back. A quarterback who may not shock you with his arm, but knows how to take care of the football. And a great running game.

The Jaguars’ Kryptonite is coming to town this week in the Houston Texans, and as high as I am on Houston this year I already have a feeling I’ll be taking the Jags. I have a feeling the Jags could even give the Colts a run for their money in the AFC South. We’ll see.

TEAM – (W-L) – Last Week

1. Indianapolis Colts (5-0) – 1

2. New England Patriots (5-0) – 2

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) – 5

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) – 12

5. Dallas Cowboys (5-0) – 3

6. Green Bay Packers (4-1) – 4

7. Baltimore Ravens (3-2) – 15

8. Washington Redskins (3-1) – 14

9. Tennessee Titans (3-1) – 7

10. Seattle Seahawks (3-2) – 6

11. Arizona Cardinals (3-2) – 10

12. San Francisco 49ers (2-3) – 17

13. San Diego Chargers (2-3) – 22

14. New York Giants (3-2) – 16

15. Chicago Bears (2-3) – 24

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) – 8

17. Houston Texans (3-2) – 13

18. Detroit Lions (3-2) – 9

19. Oakland Raiders (2-2) – 18

20. Cleveland Browns (2-3) – 19

21. Carolina Panthers (3-2) – 21

22. Buffalo Bills (1-4) – 27

23. Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) – 20

24. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3) – 23

25. Denver Broncos (2-3) – 11

26. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3) – 25

27. Atlanta Falcons (1-4) – 26

28. New York Jets (1-4) – 28

29. Minnesota Vikings (1-3) – 29

30. New Orleans Saints (0-4) – 30

31. Miami Dolphins (0-5) – 31

32. St. Louis Rams (0-5) – 32

All but one team in the AFC South makes its appearance before the Chargers, who top the divisions in my list. Agree or disagree with this list? Leave me feedback via the comments below.

• Mr. Suspension was released yesterday – but not the one you’re thinking. DE Kenny Peterson failed to make the roster after his four game suspension, despite season-ending injuries to Nalen and Jackson. – Rocky Mountain News
• Jim Bates isn’t going anywhere.  At least not yet. – Denver Post
• Travis Henry‘s team of lawyers met in Denver and got to work. – Denver Post

Talk about adding injury to insult… Straight from the Monday presser, Center Tom Nalen, the anchor of our offensive line, has been lost for the season, along with up and coming tight end talent Nate Jackson. The former suffered a biceps tear that requires surgery and four months of recovery (not career-ending), while the latter suffered a “bad tear” to his groin and will require some time to heal.

Coach Shanahan declined to indicate how Nalen’s loss would be compensated, although I would expect either LG Chris Myers to move to center or C Greg Eslinger to be signed from the practice squad. I would prefer to see Eslinger given his shot and keep Myers at left guard, where he’s been improving week to week.

This is nothing short of a huge blow to the Broncos, especially considering Ben Hamilton is not available as Nalen’s backup. We’ll have more later.

“If you’re going to be a Broncos fan, be a Broncos fan. Don’t boo us when we’re down–that’s bandwagon. When we start winning, then what? We make our mistakes and we’re going to lose… and you all stay in those seats. I love you all to death, but at the same time, that’s not first class. We win here. You guys know that we win, and you have your ups and downs in football.” — Brandon Marshall 10/7/07

When I was working in Tampa I helped premiere a little indie documentary that followed a few Tampa Bucs fans two years prior to their Super Bowl win. These are fans that believed in their team without a Super Bowl ring. These are fans that filled a stadium for 14 straight losing seasons. These are fans like I remember Denver fans to be back before our Super Bowls…

The scene from that film that will forever define being a fan for me happened after one terrible loss on the road. One fan left his house at 1am in the rain to go to the Buc’s headquaters to catch the team bus as it arrived from the airport. That fan stood in the pouring rain for over an hour so that he could hold up a hand-made sign that read “The 12th Man still believes!”

That, my friends, is a football fan.

If you truly only want to see your team win, you’re not a fan – you just like watching the game. If you can’t keep your seat and cheer for the home team even when they’re down (sometimes by a lot), you need to turn over your seats to people who will. If you want to boo and throw things, stay at home.

This team needs to see that it’s fans have not abandoned them. This team needs to have the moral support of fans that believe even in the ‘dark’ times. This team needs an upgrade at 12th Man.

For all you ‘fans’ that left this game in the third quarter… You have NO RIGHT to celebrate Denver’s next Super Bowl victory.

Shame on you.

• Tom Nalen has a hurt bicep and could miss some significant time, even up to a year. Champ Bailey says he should be good to go after the bye. – Denver Post
• One reporter suggests the Chargers coaches had to have known the Broncos would have done everything to stop the run, and their gameplan against that worked perfectly. – Denver Post
• Others have suggested the Broncos fire Jim Bates right here, right now. I still think that would do more harm than good midseason. – Denver Post
• In attempt to prove his innocence, Travis Henry is willing to take a polygraph test and hair follicle test. – Denver Post

There’s one particular play today that illustrates everything that is currently wrong with the Broncos’ defense. Early on, we were getting beat because one guy was out of place here, one guy was out of place there, but I don’t think that’s what killed us today. No, what killed us today was the defensive play-calling.

Do you doubt me?

It’s 2nd and 33. The Chargers have dug themselves into a bizarrely deep hole. The defense is giving the Broncos a chance to get back into the game and be competetive again. 2nd and 33 is a nearly impossible situation to get out of, right?

As I watch the Broncos line up, I see a safety move forward. 8 in the box. “Hmm,” I say to myself. “What are they doing,” the Chargers’ fan with whom I am watching the game asks. Then, just before the snap, I see another player creep forward — I didn’t catch if it was the other safety or a corner, but I suspect it was the other safety.

Almost in unison, we both shout, “Nine in the box?! What the hell?” Yes, my Chargers’ fan friend is extremely reasonable about stuff like this. He’s a football fan first, and a Chargers’ fan second. (Also, he hates Norv Turner.)

And lo, Vincent Jackson runs straight out.

Who does he have to beat? Sure, Bailey’s out of the game, but it’s 2nd and 33, we should at least be in a nickel, because we don’t care if they get 10 yards, right? So if we assume Bly is covering Gates as their #1 (early in the game I noticed Baily following Gates around; he actually lined up over Gates in the slot on at least one occasion), then Foxworth should be covering Jackson, right? Perhaps not the greatest matchup, as Foxy is a bit small and Jackson is a big receiver. But certainly an adequate matchup as Foxworth has decent man cover skills and Jackson isn’t Johnson (Calvin or Chad). So it should be good.

No, for some god-awful reason, Ian *(&#ing gold is covering Vincent Jackson.

On the out route, Jackson easily beats Gold and goes for the first down.

There’s absolutely no excuse for that. That’s not our players. Ian Gold can’t be expected to keep up with a wide receiver for 33 yards. And since the safeties crept forward to stop the run, he had no support.

No excuse. We had the Chargers pinned back. If there’s ever a time to play it safe, that’s the time. So what if LT gets 10 yards? Bully for him, it’s still 2nd and 20-some odd. Play everyone off. Rush four, maybe send one more because some pressure would be nice. But there is no need to put the safeties in the box.

I am thoroughly disgusted. That play was the most obvious screwup, but they totally beat us on matchups. Our defense seemed incapable of shifting guys around and they would get Gates covered by Gold and every time, completion. Shanahan had better have Bates for lunch. The defensive play calling needs to improve, and it needs to improve now. There is entirely too much talent on this team to end up under .500, but as it stands right now, that’s where we’re going.

I’m really at a loss for words right now.  Hard to do that when you own a blog, but I’m beginning to sway towards the message boards when it comes to the final record of this team.  We will be lucky to finish .500.

Random thoughts, in no particular order:

I still can’t believe people want to fire Shanahan… that is ridiculous.  He will always be my coach.

Bates, on the other hand, needs to be shown some accountability.  Whether that’s his job in Denver or not, I don’t know, but in the middle of the season that does sound extreme.  This is the worst Denver defense I have seen in quite a long time.  I never wanted Coyer gone in the first place.

The Oakland Raiders now lead the AFC West at 2-2, the others all rest at 2-3 and 1-1 in the division.  Wow.

Philip Rivers completed passes to a total of 3 different players.  Way to spread the ball around Phil.  Way to make him, Denver defense.

We held Ladainian Tomlinson to about 3 yards per carry.  Too bad Michael Turner went for 14 per.

Three game losing streak… if the Saints just showed us anything, it’s that even a bye can’t cure all that ails you.

It really, really, really sucks that Jonathan’s first game in Denver was a blowout the other way.  I feel bad for him.

All of Denver is saying, “Well, at least there’s the Rockies.”  What, like the Broncos are an afterthought?  Pardon my PG-13 French, but that’s bullshit.  Plain bullshit.  Don’t give up on this team, stay a fan through the good and the bad.

I’m out for now, I’ll have much more later.

Discuss the game here folks – from what I’ve seen of the picks, the Chargers are the favorite from all of the national media.  Let’s prove that the National Media know jack squat.

For whatever reason, I just have this gut feeling that our defense will step up today.  I don’t know why, I’m just glowing about the Broncos’ chances this week, more than since Buffalo really.

Simeon Rice is deactivated, for whatever reason.  Broncos fans have figured out by now Shanahan likes to mix it up on game day – we’ll see how this turns out.  I’ll post my thoughts from time to time, Jonathan will be hollering at the game and pelting fake fans with beer cans, and Earl might drop by with some thoughts too, so if you’re surfing the Broncos sites during the game be sure to drop by and let us know you were here!

Let’s go Broncos!