Broncos pound Raiders and move to 3-0

The Broncos destruction of the Oakland Raiders on Sunday help improve Denver to 3-0 and it helped the Broncos quiet the many NFL critics and analysts that predicted a debacle in the Mile High city. Of course there is still plenty of work to do this season, but any Bronco fan must be thrilled with this team's start. Denver completely dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and pounded the Raiders on their way to a 23-3 win. The physicality in the run game on both offense and defense was surprising because Oakland has really been better up front against Denver the last few seasons. Also, Denver took care of business against a weaker opponent for the second week in a row and controlled the second half once again. Here are some of the points I take from this game......First, Denver's defense is playing fantastic. They are getting sacks, turnovers, and getting big stops at various moments of the first and second half. Ronnie Fields and Kenny Peterson have played great on run defense, and Elvis Dumervil has been a force on passing downs. Andra Davis has been solid in the run game, and DJ Williams has been good. Brain Dawkins is a difference maker in the secondary. Overall, the biggest difference is the tackling. The Broncos are simply better fundamentally this year. Next, the running game has been bruising this year. I can't believe how well Correll Buckhalter is running. The combo of Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno is going to be fun to watch and effective this year. Third, Kyle Orton has been solid and mistake free. If he is going to have a defense play well and get help from the running game, he can be very successful in this offense. He has done his job, and he has done it well. Finally, Josh McDaniels has done a very good job coaching this team so far. I love how he attacked and exploited Oakland's pass defense underneath on Sunday. He took advantage of mismatches with the Raider linebackers all day long. He hasn't had to make too many big game management decisions yet, but he has been aggressive, and I feel safe with him at the controls. We know there is a long road ahead for the 2009 Denver Broncos, but we have to sit back and enjoy this start. Are the Broncos for real? Who knows, but I enjoy tuning in and watching this team defy the odds every week.

Broncos move to 2-0

It was nice to see Denver actually blow out an opponent at home for the first time since December of 2007. Denver's 27-6 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday got Denver off to a 2-0 start for the third year in a row. There is a lot of work left for the Broncos, but Sunday's win was nice and it is a good sign to beat up an inferior opponent. Denver's defense continues to impress in this short season. I love the different kinds of pressure that Mike Nolan applies with this defense. The Broncos have brought a lot of different looks, and their tackling again was fantastic for the second week in a row. The offense sputtered in the first half, but Kyle Orton played really well in the second half, and the Broncos grinded out the Browns defense, and clinched the game on Correll Buckhalter's 40 yard touchdown run. Overall, it was an efficient and nice victory over a poor football team, but the weeks will only get harder for Denver. The passing game needs to get on track more, and Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal have to become factors. I would like to see more out of Knowshon Moreno as well. Hey, we started 2-0 on 2007 and 2008, and both years we didn't make the playoffs, so there is a lot of football to be played. It is nice to be in the 2-0 club though.

Onto to the Week 3 picks.....

Last Week: 8-8

Overall: 13-18-1

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

Tennessee (+2) over NEW YORK JETS

HOUSTON (-4) over Jacksonville

PHILADELPHIA (-7) over Kansas City

Cleveland (+13) over BALTIMORE

TAMPA BAY (+7) over New York Giants

DETROIT (+7) over Washington

ST. LOUIS (+7) over Green Bay

San Francisco (+7) over MINNESOTA

NEW ENGLAND (-4) over Atlanta

Chicago (-2) over SEATTLE

New Orleans (-6) over BUFFALO

Miami (+6) over SAN DIEGO

Pittsburgh (-3) over CINCY

Indianapolis (+3) over ARIZONA

Carolina (+8) over DALLAS

OAKLAND (+1) over Denver- Tough game for the Broncos this week. Oakland is big and physical up front on the D-Line. Oakland has proved the last two years that their offensive line can wear down the Broncos. I see a tough day for Kyle Orton on the road in the Black Hole. A late field goal burns the Broncs----Final Score: Oakland 16- Denver-13

Week 2 Picks!

After a rough Week 1 start, I need to pick it up for Week 2. A lot of underdogs rose up and played havoc on the favorites last week, so I think I need to start looking to pick more dogs. The only thing that went right was that the Broncos won (Thank you, Marvin Lewis and the Bengals) and I won my suicide pick (San Diego). We'll see what happens this week, but we are still a few weeks away from really figuring out the good teams from the bad teams. On to the picks for Week 2....

Suicide Pick: Washington over St.Louis

Last Week's Record: 5-10-1

Overall Season Record: 5-10-1

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

Oakland +3 over KANSAS CITY

TENNESSEE -6 over Houston

New England -3 over NEW YORK JETS

Cincinnati +9 over GREEN BAY

DETROIT +10 over Minnesota

New Orleans (Pick) over PHILADELPHIA

Carolina +6 over ATLANTA

WASHINGTON -9 over St.Louis

JACKSONVILLE -3 over Arizona

Seattle +1 over SAN FRANCISCO

BUFFALO -5 over Tampa Bay

Baltimore +3 over SAN DIEGO

CHICAGO +3 over Pittsburgh

New York Giants +3 over DALLAS

MIAMI +3 over Indianapolis

DENVER (-3) over Cleveland: Tough game for Denver after "The Immaculate Deflection" victory over Cincy. Denver's offense could get rolling against the Browns' defense. Cleveland's secondary is not impressive, although I think Denver's running will struggle again this week. Plus, Eric Mangini knows Josh McDaniels' offensive scheme from all those years working together in New England, and then facing off against each other twice a year when Mangini was with the Jets. I'm sure Brady Quinn will look to push the ball downfield to Braylon Edwards and have some success throwing the ball, but Josh Cribbs is the player that scares me the most. It seems like a player of Cribbs' nature always has a huge day against the Broncos. The game is at home, so Denver needs to get on top early and they need the crowd to get going. Denver has lost some of that "Mile High Magic" in the past few seasons. This week they get it back. If the spread was higher I would be cautious, but I'll lay the three and take the Broncos.

Final Score: Denver 24- Cleveland-20

Miracle Tip Gives Denver Week 1 Stunner!

When the NFL Network does a show called "Top Ten Finishes," the 2009 season opener, Broncos/Bengals, will be in that group. Call it whatever you want, "The Immaculate Deflection" sounds pretty good to me, but Brandon Stokley's 87 yard catch off of a deflection with 11 seconds left was one of the great moments in Denver history. After all the bad things that happened to this franchise the since January, it was about time that Josh McDaniels and the Bronco fans had a break go their way. Denver's 12-7 win over Cincy on Sunday might have been one of the most important Week 1 wins in franchise history. I'm not saying that the Broncos are now going 12-4 and winning the AFC West, but sometimes you need a break and the ball has to bounce your way once a while and the Broncos got that break yesterday. I'm happy for McDaniels and the rest of the Bronco fans because this team needed a positive jolt and this ending- no matter how lucky it was- is something to cherish and enjoy for this week. Some observations from Denver's victory over Cincy: 1) Kyle Orton and the offense look out of sync and very conservative. It is obvious it is going to take a while for Orton and the rest of the offensive skill players to adjust and get moving in this offense. 2) Denver's rushing attack couldn't get going either. Nothing really worked for Correl Buckhalter or Knowshon Moreno all day long. 3) Denver's defense played really well. To hold the Bengals to 7 points and have them shutout for 59 minutes was nice to see. The defense got 3 sacks, an interception, and bent but didn't break for basically the entire game. They are not the '85 Bears, but I was impressed by Mike Nolan's scheme and the play of the defense. 4) Matt Prater made some big kicks with a 48 and 50 yarder. Hopefully, last year's debacle is behind him. 5) Special teams coverage was solid, and the Broncos played the field position game for most of the afternoon. 6) Only Gus Johnson could have an ending to a game like this. Gus' call at the end was a classic 7) A win is a win, and I'll take it. Great day for Bronco fans.

NFL Week 1 Picks!!!

It's here! The 2009 NFL season is about to get going, and it is finally time to get to the Week 1 picks. Along with the picks, I will also give a Broncos Week 1 prediction, as well as a Suicide Pool pick. A lot has happened since the end of last season both in Bronco land and around the NFL. Week 1 can be a very tricky week to select games. There are some good games on the board, and I will try to improve on my 2008 record of 118-134-11. Remember, last year I started out hot, and I fell apart after Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I can get off to a good start and sustain it all year long.

Suicide Pick: San Diego over Oakland

WEEK 1

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

PITTSBURGH (-5) over Tennessee

Miami (+4) over ATLANTA

BALTIMORE (-8) over Kansas City

CAROLINA (+1) over Philadelphia

CLEVELAND (+3) over Minnesota

HOUSTON (-3) over New York Jets

Indianapolis (-7) over Jacksonville

NEW ORLEANS (-13) over Detroit

Dallas (-5) over TAMPA BAY

ARIZONA (-6) over San Francisco

Washington (+6) over NEW YORK GIANTS

SEATTLE (-7) over St. Louis

GREEN BAY (-3) over Chicago

NEW ENGLAND (-10) over Buffalo

San Diego (-9) over OAKLAND

CINCINNATI (-4) over Denver: I can't see Denver winning this game. How could they after all the shit that has gone on this offseason? I'm not sold on the Bengals' run defense, but they have two very good corners. Even if Brandon Marshall and Kyle Orton play in the game, I think the Bengal defense shuts down the Bronco offense. Carson Palmer will be back healthy, and he will be distributing the ball all over the field to Chad Johnson, Chris Henry, and L. Coles. The jungle will be rocking and the Broncos' season gets off to a flat start with a loss at Cincy.

Final Score: Cincy 27- Denver-10

Preseason Comes To A Close

The Broncos finish off their preseason schedule with a game against Arizona tonight at Invesco. Mostly backups will play, but it would be nice to see the Broncos get their first win of the preseason. There is just something about going 0-4 in preseason that just bothers me. The big news this weekend is the roster gets trimmed to 53, and the possible return of Brandon Marshall from suspension. Look, I can't stand how Marshall acted in practice last week, but I'm praying that he comes back from suspension focused and ready to play for the Broncos in 2009. This franchise needs it badly. When I watched Denver play Chicago last Sunday Night, you could tell that their is a stigma or black cloud hanging over Josh McDaniels, the players, the fans and the entire organization. Everything has gone wrong for this franchise this offseason and preseason, and it just feels like this season could be the "Lost Season" in Denver Bronco history. Watching the offense last week showed how much we need Brandon Marshall. He can give us an element that we don't have right now. Tom Jackson said it best last week. He said that losing Mike Shanahan, Jay Cutler, and Brandon Marshall in one offseason would be devastating not only for this year, but for years to come. Hopefully, the Marshall Plan works out and something positive can finally go Denver's way. .