I think Shanahan is a Top 5 coach in the NFL and it may have been his duties as Head of Football Operations that dropped his coaching ability down several notches.  In the past, he was saved by one Gary Kubiak who had the foresight to see how untenable the situation was becoming in Denver when he left in 2005; almost prophetically seeing the eventual demise of the Denver Broncos. 

Or perhaps more likely, Gary Kubiak's departure actually caused the wheels to fly off this team which led to the eventual dismissal of Mike Shanahan.  I think Kubiak may have been Shanny's butt saving assistant all those years.  Being just a head coach is one of the most demanding jobs on Earth, yet being head coach as well as GM could easily be impossible.  Kubiak made it possible for a decade, but when he left Shanny no longer had anyone he could really rely on.  Not only that, he began to pay for past mistakes in the draft and free agency. 

For what it's worth, Shanny is a top notch coach and he will be successful wherever he goes.  Hopefully he will be able to just concentrate on coaching so that his naysayers will realize just how good of a coach he really is.  I would even say he would make an excellent GM, if that was his only job.  Trying to be both head coach and GM is too much for any man, even Mike Shanahan.  The Mastermind will be back and hopefully we won't have to see much of him in the future.  We all know how he handled the Raiders all these years....

As for the future, I think Pat Bowlen has his man already and moving Raheem Morris' interview up two days only reinforces that belief.  I expect an announcement the day after the Morris interview - that will satisfy the Rooney Rule - and a new era can begin in Denver.  You can call Bowlen many things, but once he thinks he has his man he doesn't change his mind.  Many might even see this "interview" with Morris as a lip service tribute to the Rooney Rule, but really it's just Bowlen doing what is necessary to hire the guy he wants to hire.  NFL owners do not have the freedom to be racist anymore, the business is too competitive for petty things such as that.

Please bear with me; the rant does have a purpose.

Give it up.  Our season is finished.

The Denver Broncos had a three game lead with three games to go and they blew it.  This is a monumental collapse.  Imploded.  Choked.  F.U.B.A.R.  Tell you one thing, this team absolutely hates to do things easy.  It's always got to be difficult. 

The only good thing I got coming out of this is that the media and the Chargers and their fans have already crowned San Diego division champs.  Which is appropriate since the Broncos really are dead in the water right now.  I see NOTHING that inspires me going into this weekend.  San Diego rightly deserves to win.  They actually WON every game they needed to in order to give them a SHOT at winning this division.  They have earned this chance, while the Broncos have blown their chance.

I will watch this game, but I have zero confidence in the Broncos ability to win this game.  ZERO.  I can't really blame them...we lost another running back this week.  What is that?  Like 8?  9?  It really is a tall order for us fans to expect to get into the playoffs with such decimation at such a key position.  Yet here we are, one game(still) away from the division title.  It will all come down to Jay Cutler.  Either he wins it for us or he loses it for us.  In the end, he will either be a hero or just a great football player who was asked to do way too much for an injury riddled team with no running game and no defense.  Win or lose he will still be my MVP for 2008.

That ends my rant.  Whatever tone this rant gave you all; know that I am both angry about and understanding of the situation this team has found itself in.  It is hard to balance the two feelings because they totally contradict each other...but it is what it is.

A message to San Diego Charger fans: Be glad you are healthy.  The Broncos have done far more with far less this year and you had better be prepared for the shit storm you will find yourselves in next year.  And it ain't over yet!!!

For Everything Bills Related, Check Out Buffalo Rumblings

It is obvious I am no Nostradamous.  In fact, Nostradamous is no Nostradamous.  His quatrains are so vague and meaningless that no one can say with any degree of certainty that his predictions have come true.  That said, I had dream last night.  A terrifying dream.  I dreamt the Buffalo Bills came into Denver and handed the Broncos their first loss of under seven points all season.  The dream ended with Lindell hitting a 50 yard field goal with time running out under the screams of his coaches, "Toro Toro Toro!" to win the game 31-30.  

The nightmare is driving me crazy this week.  I just want the Broncos to clinch the division, get some playoff experience and build on that going into next season.  In a strange ironic twist, I also picked the Chargers to win in Tampa Bay this weekend.  The ultimate nightmare would be for the Broncos to lose out, which would sour my mood for ten months or more.  The Denver Broncos need to take care of business and I mean right the hell now!  For the record, I will be picking Denver to WIN this week...because I refuse to accept anything else.

As for the best match up between these two teams throughout history, I'd have to pick last years thriller.  I give you guys the quick low down as I am not in the mood really to be nostalgic about the Broncos.  I am still raging over this past weekend.

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I had a horrible week with my upset picks last week, but I still finished in third place in my money league with 12 wins.  My biggest...and only...win was picking the 49ers to beat the Jets.  I've got another big week with upset picks.  I'd sure like to win another $50 before the season ends!

Last Week: 1-4
Overall Record: 17-21

*NOTE* For those who wonder, I look at the percentages from Yahoo! and take a look at my picks and compare them to what everyone else picked on that website.  If a team has under 30% then I would consider it a high risk pick, a team that has been picked between 30-40% would rank as a medium risk, and 40% and up would be a low risk pick.

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Walt over at www.walterfootball.com has thrown down the gauntlet for the Broncos this week.  I had been arguing my case for the Broncos with him earlier this week.  I warned him not to bet too much money on the Panthers covering their spread...ouch, he is going to be hurting with this pick!  By all accounts, the Panthers should win big...but they won't and it appears only us familiar with this years' Bronco team understands why.  I almost feel bad for Walt, but I did warn him.  lol

The following was linked from http://walterfootball.com/freenflpicks2008_15late.php

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Denver Broncos (8-5) at Carolina Panthers (10-3)
Line: Panthers by 7.5. Total: 47.5.
Walt's Projected Line (Before Week 14): Panthers -6.
Walt's Projected Line (After Week 14): Panthers -7.
Sunday, 4:15 ET - Buy Tickets

The Game. Edge: Panthers.
Injuries: Broncos: OUT: QB Patrick Ramsey (IR), RB Peyton Hillis (IR), RB Michael Pittman (IR), RB Andre Hall (IR), TE Nate Jackson (IR), OT Erik Pears, C Tom Nalen (IR), OLB Boss Bailey (IR). Panthers: OUT: LB Dan Connor (IR).

DENVER OFFENSE: The Broncos are one of the more erratic teams in the NFL. How do you explain winning at Atlanta, losing at home to the Raiders, clobbering the Jets on the road and then barely beating Kansas City in successive weeks? It really doesn't make much sense.

Or does it? Here's how I see it: Denver can beat anyone because of its terrific offense. But the team can also lose to anyone because of its abysmal defense.

The Broncos should be able to light up the scoreboard in Carolina. If you watched the Monday night game, you saw that Jeff Garcia was able to go deep on the Panthers a few times. Garcia going deep...? That hasn't happened in years!

Cutler should be able to dissect Carolina's secondary, which will open up some lanes for whomever the running back is. The Broncos should seriously do what the NCAA Football video game does and call their backs "RB #34" or whatever. They keep going down with injuries, so I think it would be cheaper to have a few set jersey numbers available for these guys.

CAROLINA OFFENSE: Getting back to Denver's problem, the Panthers will steamroll the Broncos. Getting Jeff Otah in the draft basically gave Carolina two upgrades up front because it allowed Travelle Wharton to move inside, where he has simply been dominant this year.

If the Panthers were able to rush for 301 yards against the Buccaneers, imagine what they'll do against Denver's 30th-ranked rush defense. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart could both eclipse the century mark again, setting up easy throws for the inconsistent Jake Delhomme.

Carolina's ability to cover could depend on whether or not Delhomme makes crucial errors. Given that he'll have plenty of time in the pocket (Denver has 23 sacks this year), I can't imagine him having a terrible game.

RECAP: As mentioned below, I'm not sure how much this game means to Denver. All they need is one win or a San Diego loss in these last three weeks to clinch the AFC West. There's actually a good chance that could happen by kickoff (I have the Chiefs beating the Chargers.) Carolina, meanwhile, is chasing homefield advantage.

I like the Panthers' energy coming off a big Monday night victory. Teams coming off Monday night blowouts tend to play pretty well the following week (check out the section of the site if you don't believe me.) On the other hand, I don't like Denver's energy level right now. They could still be flat off their huge upset victory at the Meadowlands two weeks ago. These things tend to linger. Just ask the Jets and Redskins.


The Psychology. Edge: Panthers.
The Broncos barely have anything to play for. In the next three weeks, they either need one win OR one loss by San Diego to clinch the AFC West. There's no desperation here. Plus, Denver could still be a bit flat from putting so much energy into that Jets victory. Carolina, meanwhile, will build off the momentum it established with a blowout win on Monday night. Remember, the Panthers have a lot to play for because they'll capture homefield advantage if they win out.


The Vegas. Edge: Broncos.
I thought more people would be on the Carolina bandwagon. Apparently not.

Percentage of money on Carolina: 62% (14,000 bets)


The Trends. Edge: Panthers.

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As you can see, I was right about the rest of the world slobbering all over the Panthers this week.  The stats really do belie reality in this situation.  It's not always the case, but people outside of Broncoland just don't understand this Bronco team.  On paper they "have nothing to play for", but in reality the Bronco players have everything to play for.  The Bronco players have publically stated they feel slighted by the media and what better way to prove yourself than against the Falcons...or Jets...or Panthers?  Our team is a young football team, which goes a long way to explain flat performances against lesser teams.  They get cocky and go out expecting win without playing very hard against teams like the Raiders or Chiefs. 

However, they have proven time and again that when they face a team they are expected to lose too this Broncos team comes out and smashes people in the mouth.  I think Walt is dead wrong in his analysis, but his analysis is in line with the rest of the nation right now as it was when the Broncos went into New Jersey and when they went into Atlanta in recent weeks.  As I said earlier, I almost feel sorry for Walt betting 4 units on the 7.5 point spread.

I would like to point out also that I like Walt.  I think he is a smart dude and I respect his opinion.  I just think he got this game all wrong.  ;-)

Besides, we have OWNED the 4th quarter in recent weeks:

I'll even go a step further and say the Broncos have owned the SECOND HALF in recent weeks.  Offensively and Defensively.  In their four wins, the Broncos have outscored their opponents 58-30 in the second half and 45-14 in the fourth quarter.  The Panthers are not head and shoulders above all of these teams listed, in fact, they recently lost IN Atlanta 45-28.  The Panthers better beware come Sunday!

For Everything Panthers Related, Check Out CatScratchReader

I sat down to decide which game to profile for this weeks' Through The Years post when I realized something; no previous match up between these two teams will ever come close to the heroic victory the Broncos will get this very weekend. Let's call this post my Nostradamus moment as I see this weekends game being a trap game for the Panthers and a "Let's find out how good we are game" for the Broncos.

I have been weary of this Bronco team much of the year and nothing from last weeks' victory encouraged me going into this week. Our team floundered early against the Chiefs and had to fight hard the rest of the game to come out with a W. Meanwhile the Panthers are coming off of a dominating performance against a playoff caliber division rival in the Buccaneers. Let me go into detail why I think the Broncos are poised to shock the Panthers back to reality this Sunday.

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