Just had ESPN on while working on today’s Top 10, and Jim Trotter of the San Diego Union-Tribune says that Chargers G.M. A.J. Smith wouldn’t mind finishing with a 9-7 record and Wild Card berth. In fact, it almost seems that he likes the idea. Here are Trotter’s words:

“In two of the past three seasons, the Chargers have won at least 12 games and the Division Title, and yet when they opened the playoffs at home they lost both games. Smith told me that he believes that this team can go out on the road, have an “us against them” attitude; that they can win a game and generate some momentum that can carry them deep into the playoffs. And right now the other recipe hasn’t worked, so you have to wonder if he may be right.”

This is the funniest thing I’ve heard all week… why don’t you just admit, Mr. Smith, that your home field advantage sucks? If you’d rather play somewhere else than at home, you’re nuts. The 2005 Steelers are such a remarkable story BECAUSE they did it on the road… just like the 1997 Broncos had to play in Arrowhead, in Three Rivers Stadium to get back to the Super Bowl. It’s not the kind of thing you count on happening every time you make the playoffs as a 6th seed.

If you want to gift wrap the AFC West for us, Mr. Smith, I won’t complain. We were taking it from you anyway. It’s just another example of a losing culture in San Diego that doesn’t know how to win championships.

Who the heck is Tom Shaw?

Well, for 13 years Tom Shaw has been training potential NFL players. He currently runs “Tom Shaw Performance Enhancement” at Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, FL. His 4-6 week Performance Enhancement program helps prepare players who are entering the draft by increasing their speed, power, agility reaction and quickness. The athletes work on specific tests that they’ll run at the combine and individual workouts leading up to draft day.

But unlike many similar programs, Shaw is a true Master of his craft. He has trained 6 of the last Super Bowl MVP’s, 94 players who were selected in the first round of the draft and six #1 overall picks. His clients have included Deon Sanders, Drew Bledsoe, Michael Vick, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Derrick Brooks and many, many more.

Needless to say, I think Mr. Shaw has a very good handle on NFL talent. And that makes his comments prior to the 2006 draft all the more poignant…

“I had Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Tom Brady. All those guys trained with me, a whole group of great quarterbacks. I never say this about any athlete, because people are always saying ‘I’ve got the best guy, I’ve got the best guy,’ but Jay Cutler has the potential to be better than every one of those guys.”

“He’s a great talent, he’s got a great arm, his hand will go around the ball like Tom Brady. He throws a great football whether it’s 4 degrees or 80 degrees. You can’t say that about Donovan or Peyton or Eli. When it’s windy, their ball flutters.”

“Jay Cutler, this kid has potential to be as good or better than all of them. He has all the tools. He runs fast. He’s the strongest quarterback I’ve ever worked with. He’s got the great attributes of all the good ones. He reads. He wants to learn about offenses and defenses. I don’t see anything negative abut Jay Cutler.”

– Tom Shaw, NFL Trainer

…I’ll let that sink in for a moment (feel free to re-read those quotes again)…

Let’s review — The very top NFL trainer in the country, who has worked with great QB’s like Peyton and Brady says that JAY CUTLER has the skills to be better than ALL of them… wow, that’s heavy.

And just think — Tom Shaw didn’t know Cutler was going to end up working for one of the best QB coaches in the league!

I think we can expect great things from our new ball-slinger this year… and for years to come.

Tom Shaw’s Website: HERE

Quotes available HERE

I’ve been sitting on this little tidbit for a couple of weeks… but now I feel I must share it with you all.

My deep, dark terrible football secret is that I have never been to Denver. Not ever.

I know, it’s shocking — even embarrassing. Here I am, completely obsessed with all things orange and blue and I’ve never made it to the holy land of Bronco Country — the Mile High City.

Well, that’s about to change! This October I’ll be making my first pilgrimage to the bronco fan’s version of Mecca, INVESCO Field at Mile High. And it will not be for just any game. I have the great fortune of attending the San Diego home game!!!!

I will only have 24 hours in Denver (including the game), as I am immediately off for business on the West Coast the following week, but for those few hours I will get to step foot in the shrine of my football faith. I will get to partake in the sacred tailgate feast at the foot of the great stadium. I will dawn my team colors and adorn myself with badges of my faith. I will finally join my voice with the masses of other believers in the monk-like chant of IN-COM-PLETE. And, for the first time in my life, I will get to feel what it’s like to be among +80,000 people who all love the broncos!

… it will be a ‘holy’ new experience! :)

An infamous game in Broncos history

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love the NFL Network. Lately you get the feeling that our “real” rivals in the AFC West are the Chargers – but historically, the Broncos have the least reasons to hate our San Diego foes. It’s the Raiders we are born to hate, and even though they have sucked for awhile, I can help you quickly invigorate the hatred in your blood.

Tune in to the NFL Network as “NFL Classics” re-airs the original broadcast of our November 28, 2006 LOSS to the Oakland Raiders at home this Thursday night. 25-24 was the final score in this weird game where the Broncos just didn’t seem themselves, and the 11-point underdog Raiders beat us in Denver. We wore our orange jerseys for the second times (unimproving to 0-2 in the alternates), and its most infamous play just happens to be my favorite picture of Al Wilson (right).

Easily one of the worst games in recent Broncos history. Again, the game will re-air in its NFL Classics debut this Thursday, July 19, at 8 PM EST.

A recent article in the Gazette features a story on new Broncos special teams coach Scott O’Brien, who aims to improve a source of weakness on the Broncos over the past several years. O’Brien is considered as much of a guru in his area as Shanahan is to offense and Assistant Head Coach Jim Bates is to defense.

Again, for the full story, go to http://www.gazette.com/articles/special_24821___article.html/teams_broncos.html.

Pick ’em Mondays on BroncoTalk continues, and today the AFC South is under debate. This is the first division I’ve covered that will face the Broncos this season, meaning that at some point during the season we will play the Colts, Jaguars, Texans and Titans. And while the top dog is easy to determine, ranking the bottom 3 wasn’t nearly as easy. You could make a case for each and every team to make it to spot 2 or 3 – but in the end, like I try to do for all of these, I look at talent over last year’s wins. On to the picks!

Click here to read the rest of this entry »

So, I was surfing TV Guide to find something to watch this weekend. Without football, the pickings are rather slim! I’m a big fan of educational shows, so I decided to check out the History Channel and Discovery. That’s when I ran across a special they’re running today that completely pissed me off — and I had to post about it. It’s WAY off topic, so I apologize up front. I’ll be back to my normal Broncos ranting tomorrow — Promise!

“Yo Mama’s so fat, she’s taller lying down!”

“Yo Mama’s so fat, she’s got more Chins than the Hong Kong phone book!”

OK seriously, we’ve all heard the ‘Yo Mama’s so fat’ jokes…. But this weekend the Discovery Channel is taking it one step further. Not content to simply B-slap your mama, their scientists are ripping on a 3000 year old mummy. And this is not just some junky 3000 year old mummy. This mummy is Egypt’s greatest female Pharaoh — Hatshepsut.

Hatshepsut, for those of you who missed this chapter in 18th dynasty Egypt, was the favorite daughter of popular pharaoh, Tuthmose I. She ruled for over 15 years and left behind more monuments and works of art than any Egyptian queen to come. She has historically been considered a beautiful and charismatic leader with a very keen political intelligence.

So, why would the Discovery Channel choose to pick on this powerful Pharaoh? …well, it was discovered recently that she was fat.

“First of all, the mummy was not just overweight, she was obese.” — Donald Ryan, Egyptologist

“The picture emerging from the mummy is not only unflattering, but would indicate rather poor health.” — Gino Fornaciari, professor of forensic anthropology at the University of Pisa

“Huge and pendulous, Hatshepsut’s upper girth immediately caught the attention of mummy experts.” — Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Wow… I’m surprised they didn’t throw in “Yo Mummy so fat, she had to super-size her sarcophagus!”

The Discovery Channel commentary on their upcoming show actually reads:

“Egyptian scribes often described Hatshepsut, the ‘Foremost of Noble Ladies,’ and the most beautiful woman in the land.

Reality might have been rather different, at least during the last years of her life. Bald in front but with long hair in back, the mummy of Hatshepsut shows an obese woman just over 5 feet tall, with rotten teeth and perhaps a skin disease.”

Wow – – That’s harsh!

I’ll just note that this woman was over 50 year’s old when she died (which was VERY old for that time), that bad teeth were more common than lice, and that the ‘skin disease’ they’re referring to has been debated heavily among experts (as several mummy show skin discoloring that might be from the mummification process).

So, why mention all that along with her height and weight? I think it’s simple. The Discovery Channel thinks that Americans love to make fun of fat people.

Hey, you can’t blame them. Watch The Biggest Loser. Watch Norbit, or Shallow Hal. Watch reruns of Jerry Springer (who features skinny men fighting on stage with fat ladies every week). America is obsessed with seeing fat people (preferably women) making a fool of themselves… it’s kinda sick really.

I mean, when did it become OK to ridicule a person simply for the way they look? When did it become acceptable to mock a person with a blood-sugar disorder (as they are claiming she had)? Aren’t these people scientists? Aren’t they students of history? Don’t they know that, until VERY recently, being ‘full-figured’ was a sign of beauty?

And while I understand that the Discovery Channel is doing this for the ratings, I think it’s utterly stupid to apply modern aesthetics to ancient culture. Humans have had different standards of beauty throughout the ages, and it’s ridiculous to think that 3000 years ago, those Egyptians had Hollywood’s attraction to rail-skinny women!

I’ve always been a big fan of educational programming, but both Discovery and the History channel have both been sliding toward more sensationalized trash than truly educational shows. And I think the Discovery Channel making rude comments about a important historic figure based solely the fact that she doesn’t look like Cameron Dias is going too far.

Call me crazy, but I’ll take a big beautiful woman any day of the week over a skinny Hollywood stick that looks more like a walking skeleton than a real woman.

The Jay Cutler Era has begun in Denver… and that sentence alone perfectly illustrates the high expectations of the fans at Mile High. If you surf the net like I do, you’ll see comments on message boards saying things like, “This is the most excited I’ve been about a Broncos season since 1998!” Whenever there is a story on Cutler on ESPN, SI, or the NFL Network, the words “John Elway” are undoubtedly mentioned as well. I’ve seen stat comparisons of Cutler compared to John’s early years… I’ve read about “opening up the playbook” in multiple articles… I’ve heard all the comparisons to the greats, including Brandon Stokley‘s recent comparison of Cutler to Peyton Manning. I’m starting to feel like John Lynch, in this mini-camp statement:

I heard someone saying the other day that they feel like they’re going to be able to do things they haven’t done since No. 7 was around. Every time someone says that I cringe. It is just not fair to Jay.

Thank you, John – I tend to agree. I’ve been guilty of it myself – virtually every time I mentioned Cutler, I too mention John. And it’s not fair… not matter how promising the kid looks. But the real question is – can Cutler handle all the pressure Denver fans, and the entire NFL media for that matter, are putting on him?

Jay Cutler is getting more than defensive pressure this year.

Work Ethic

Pressure has always been a part of the job description for “Denver Broncos quarterback.” A big part of handling that pressure is work ethic – and Jay Cutler seems to have that. Just consider recent Broncos quarterbacks Brian Griese and Jake Plummer – both had talent and ability, and both had success on the field (both earning a Pro Bowl each). But neither had the drive to be great – they didn’t put in the EXTRA work.

Good news for Broncos fans is that, by all accounts, Cutler seems to be the consumate worker. From the same article, this time quoting Offensive Coordinator Mike Heimerdiner:

The work ethic [Jay] has and the way he sees things, it’s hard to not like the guy. We met even before he started playing last year, and then when he started playing, we had a lot of 6 in the morning meetings before anybody got in here. …

There are quotes like this everywhere, giving Broncos fans reason to be optimistic. Cutler will work hard, something every team needs in its quarterback.

Leadership

Being a quarterback means being a face of a franchise – and Cutler has filled in that role to date well. He has even already formed his own charity! The Jay Cutler Foundation is up and running in his second year, showing his willingness to put in the extra effort off the field. And he doesn’t seem to shy away from the leadership role – a sharp contrast to fellow young QB Eli Manning, for example, who always seems to be among the “marching ants” in New York, a boy among men like Tiki Barber and Michael Strahan last year. He’s smart (Vanderbilt), headstrong, and committed. He’ll be the leader of this offense, despite the fact that he’s among the youngest on the

Talent and Ability

I will spend two sentences on this one… Jay Cutler is hugely talented, and has the potential to be listed among the greats. All one has to look at is this play, from the Arizona Cardinals game (in which I was attending):

Dealing with Adversity

All this said, it remains to be seen how Cutler will deal with adversity – like a 4-game losing streak, or an injured receiver or runningback. Will he step up to media criticisms – will he get up after two sacks in a row (something I am a bit concerned about after the 49er’s game)? Putting it into perspective, a fellow blogger over at MHR:

While his physical tools are enough to excite me, it’s the non-physical aspect of Cutler that really has me pumped. The Broncos have had physically gifted quarterbacks under center since the retirement of John Elway. Brian Griese and Jake Plummer both had the physical ability to be solid NFL quarterbacks. What they lacked, and John Elway had in gallons, is that fire to be great, that desire to be the best, to do whatever it takes to win. You got the feeling that Griese and Plummer were football players but didn’t enjoy playing football. Jay Cutler loves football. He wants to be great, wants to win, and is willing to do whatever it takes. What made John Elway great was how he handled adversity, how he handled the bad times. Griese and Plummer couldn’t handle the bad times. It remains to be seen how Cutler responds when things get tough…

This post goes on to say that he believes Cutler will step up. I think he will too… but no one is sure.

The Bottom Line

Has there been this much pressure EVER placed on such a young quarterback? The formula is there for a HUGE AND TOTAL MELTDOWN… storied, championship franchise, yearning for the success of yesteryear… several “saviors” coming in and ultimately failing to bring us back… comparisons to the great one of years past already brewing in his second year… and a wonderfully talented team who disappointed the year before, with enough infusion of talent to potentially bring them over the top. HOLY HELL, THERE IS NO WAY I COULD DEAL WITH THAT!!

Seriously, put yourself in Cutler’s shoes. Just like John Lynch felt sorry for him, I feel similarly – just give the kid a break! Let him flourish! Yeah our team is talented, but are fans so impatient for a championship that they’re going to roast Cutler for a few bad games? He had ’em last year, but we should all know that he has more to come. And one might even happen during the playoffs, just like Philip Rivers seemed to crumble at the end of last year.

I think Cutler will be good. I think he’ll be great. I think, with this team, we definitely have the chance to win a Super Bowl this year. If Cutler can step up and play like so many think he can, we have the opportunity to be spectacular this year. And if not, our team won’t succeed as much, but Cutler will grow, and the experience can only help him in the long run.

It’s the best quarterback situation the Denver Broncos have had since Elway, that’s for sure, but he’s not #7 yet, and the crowning needs to slow down already. Of course I want him to excel and make the Pro Bowl and lead us to a third ring. And I think and believe he can, as soon as this year.

But no pressure.

AFC West Watch, my personal favorite segment, continues on BroncoTalk! The Broncos, historically, have had one of the best linebacker corps. in the league, but this year we enter with significant questions in every spot but one. Meanwhile, one team in the division boasts the league’s sack-leader, and another’s linebacker corps. was part of the NFL’s 3rd-ranked defense. The Broncos aren’t on top anymore, and it was very difficult to rank between them and Oakland as the #2. On to the rankings!

1) San Diego Chargers

The Chargers linebacker unit is likely the best 3-4 unit in the league. Led by “The Victim” Shawne Merriman, these linebackers are fast and have a penchant for making big plays. Simply consider that Steve Foley was nearly killed by an off-duty police officer (ending his career), and that his backup, Shaun Phillips, stepped in and dominated, and you see why this linebacking unit is the best in the west. Their only loss was Donnie Edwards, who I always felt was underrated – but if Shaun Phillips, a backup for years, can step in and make an impact, I wouldn’t doubt that Edwards’ backup will be just fine. No one can be certain how they’ll adapt to a new defensive coordinator, or their new linebacker coach Ron Rivera. But when it comes to talent and big plays at linebacker, unfortunately for Broncos fans, we’re no longer top dog.

2) Oakland Raiders

The Raiders defense was the one bright spot on the team last year – the entire defense excelled at stopping opposing offenses, leading them to a 3rd-rank in yardage. At weak side, they have Thomas Howard, who amassed 110 tackles in his rookie year last season. He had no sacks, picks, or fumble recoveries, but he was solid on his side and could improve this year. At mike, they have Kirk Morrison, who has over 240 tackles in his first two years in the league. Their strong side linebacker didn’t impress much, but Sam Williams will have every opportunity to make more plays.

This year will be interesting for the Raiders defense – they won’t get run on as much as they did the year before, mostly because I expect the team to be just a little bit better. Teams won’t be milking huge leads – so the pass defense and rush defense will balance themselves out (they had the #1 ranked pass defense last year, but again, this could be due to the big leads and opposing offenses playing conservatively).

3) Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos linebacker corps. could be the weakest it’s been in years. The departure of Al Wilson was the toughest loss Broncos fans have felt in a long time… it pisses me off to this day, and I just don’t know if our guys can step up. That’s the whole point – while I believe the Broncos linebackers CAN be better than the Raiders’, I don’t know if it is. No one does. Our strong side spot could be filled by incumbent special-teamer Louis Green. I feel stronger about recent acquisition D.D. Lewis, myself. Lewis is a little shorter than Green, but about 15 lbs. heavier, giving us a solid run-stopper we need on the strong side. Green is a bit speedier and taller, but I’d like to see us keep him on special teams as well. Either way, we don’t know if our strong side will be a source of, well, strength this season.

Of course these questions at strong side all branch from the Wilson cut. Filling in the void at middle linebacker will be D.J. Williams, who was EXCELLENT as a rookie at weak side, but fell off a bit when Ian Gold returned in 2005, and Williams was asked to move to Sam. One of the biggest questions in the 2007 campaign has to be, “Can D.J. cut it?” In his first season, he flew all over the field and made huge plays. He went from 114 tackles in 2004 to 55 tackles in 2005… and although he bounced back a bit last year in gaining 76 tackles, can the Broncos afford to wait a year for D.J. to adjust like he had to in 2005? D.J. will have more opportunities this year – he’ll stay in nickel packages, and his size and speed make him an ideal fit for pass coverage as a linebacker. Mike Shanahan said he’d be “surprised” if D.J. didn’t make the adjustment – for our 2007 season’s sake, I hope he’s right.

Finally, at weak side, we have Ian Gold, the only linebacker returning to his position of the year before. Gold is a solid linebacker, and he can make big plays. I always seem to notice that when Gold has a good game, he’s on fire – he’ll usually get many of his “flashy” plays in bunches during the same game. Then there’ll be a few games where he is just “there” – less tackles, less big plays, almost as if he’s taking a game off (which I don’t think he is), but he isn’t getting beaten either. He’ll be quiet for a few games, for whatever reason, then BAM. He has two sacks in two plays before you can blink. The leader of our linebackers now, Gold will be asked to do more than he might be used to. Our defense will depend on him being able to dominate his side of the field so our other two spots can make adjustments to succeed.

Being a fan and a natural optimist, I’m hopeful that both Williams and whomever fills in at strong side will be able to succeed. I think they will – but until they play the game, I couldn’t rank them ahead of the underrated Raiders defense.

4) Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs suck. It’s just plain and simple. They’ve found themselves at the bottom of all but one of these segments, and it’s no different for their linebacking unit. While I humbled myself enough to rank Oakland ahead of Denver, I won’t do it against the Chiefs, whose unit has always been bottom-of-the-barrel for several years now. They picked up Donnie Edwards, who, according to NFL.com’s Chiefs Depth Chart, will move to right outside linebacker in replacing Kendrell Bell. It was a nice pickup, and as I said before, Edwards is underrated. But I don’t know how the move from 3-4 right inside linebacker to 4-3 right outside linebacker will go for Edwards. Meanwhile, they still have one of the worst starting mikebackers in Napoleon Harris, and he’s complemented by the almost-as-bad Derrick Johnson on the left side. Just thinking of the way Tiki Barber ran all over them two years back, and how the Colts blew over them in the playoffs, brings a vengeful smile to my face. If Edwards can make the adjustment, the unit will be improved, but I wouldn’t bet my season on it if I was a Chiefs fan.

NEXT FRIDAY: (yes, Friday not Saturday, sorry) Offensive Lines.

Sam Brandon got the word yesterday that the NFL has decided to suspend him for the first two games of 2007 for violating the leagues’s conduct policy.  The NFL is refering to Brandon’s two domestic violence arrests (in June and July of 2005).  Although the misdemeanor charges stemming from the earlier incident were dismissed, the NFL’s tougher stance on behavior will likely cost Brandon the 9/9/07 Bills game and the 9/16/07 Oakland game.  

Brandon’s attorney is appealing the suspension, but I would very much doubt the Commish will be in the mood to lighten the ruling.

With Brandon out for two weeks, we can expect to see some of our backups get some more playing time leading up to the suspension (including camp and preseason).  Curome Cox and Hamza Abdullah would be the first guys to get the call.

 Article on the Denver Post: FULL STORY

Meanwhile… David Kircus was in court yesterday hearing his accuser’s version of the account that landed him in trouble with the law in May.  There isn’t much new in Jeff Krieger’s account of the story over what we’ve heard before (see previous entry), but Kircus’s defense attorney did get Krieger to admit that he had consumed at least 10 alcoholic drinks that night before the altercation. 

The main point of Thursday’s court date was for the the Judge to determined if there was probable cause to continue with a trial.  He ruled that there was, so Kircus will be arraigned next month.

Article on the Denver Post: FULL STORY