Lightning Strikes Mile High

The Broncos aren't out, but need to step up!

After that Charger lightning storm Sunday afternoon that had Broncos rearing and running for cover, the fans in orange and blue have every right to start making plans for a January trip to Mexico.  However, looking at the Broncos playoff chances based on the overall record and AFC standings at this point in the season there is still plenty of hope for more games after the season finale at home against the Chiefs. 

If you have actually been watching the rise and fall of the 2009 edition of the Broncos it looks like local sports fans will be turning their attention to the Nuggets and Avs after recovering from an extended New Year’s weekend.  Since the bye week the Denver defense has been in an early gift giving mode handing over yardage, penalties and TDs.  It seems the once number one ranked D couldn’t even stop Hawk’s Buffs now days.  The offense is just as generous with turnovers, penalties, questionable play calling and opening lanes to the QB.  The aggressiveness, passion and focus on execution seem to have gone the way of the Canadian geese.

If you are a glass is half full kind of person and think the guys can right the ship there is still hope.  The Broncos are only one game behind the Chargers in the AFC West after splitting the season’s head-to-head match-ups and currently hold a slight edge in the tiebreaker (2-2 vs 2-3 against common opponents).  It will take more effort from the Broncos over the last six games than will be needed from the Chargers given their respective schedules.  Not only do the good guys have to go back to work with only three days to make much needed repairs, but will be hosting a Giants  team coming off an overtime win against Atlanta which put an end to their own four game losing streak.  Here’s the breakdown.

BRONCOS	CHARGERS
Giants (6-4)	Chiefs (3-7)
at Chiefs (3-7)	at Browns (1-9)
at Colts (10-0)	at Cowboys (7-3)
Raiders (3-7)	Bengals (7-3)
at Eagles (6-4)	at Titans (3-6)
Chiefs (3-7)	Redskins (3-7)

There is opportunity for the Broncos to overtake the Chargers in the division, but they will need to take care of business and get a little help from other teams. 

I’ve been hearing talk about how pathetic the Broncos are for blowing a 3 1/2 game lead after starting the season 6-0, but few are giving the Chargers credit for turning it around.  Other than the Saints and Colts which are NFL royalty at 10-0, no other team is as hot as the Bolts.  They have won their last five in a row after starting the season 2-3.  There is no other NFL team, outside of the two undefeated clubs, that can match that streak.  There are only five teams with a 4-1 record over that stretch, but eleven other teams (including the Broncos) that have gone 1-4 over the same period with the poor Browns notching a NFL worst 0-5. 

Bottom line is that the Broncos have a decent remaining schedule and enough time to turn it around to take back the AFC West lead, but it has to start this weekend at home against a vulnerable Giants team.  The hometown team is a conundrum.  Let’s hope McKid doesn’t think trading the Pats for Junior Seau before Turkey Day is the solution.

Benedict Blue Bombs

Really?! Baby blue?

As an alum of the University of Colorado I tend to be a bit biased in my assessment of the young folks walking away from Boulder with a sheepskin in their hands. Yes, I’m an admitted homie. This weekend, however, has shaken my faith in the mental prowess of those graduating from Buffland in the next several years.

A SENIOR (who should know better), started a Facebook blue boycott against the current Buffs football coaching staff.  Taylor Rhode, an

Facebook tampering

 accounting major, wanted to send a message to CU officials by coaxing students to don baby blue t-shirts to the Texas A and M game in silent protest and to show the similarities of the losing teams that wore similar colored unis in the early 1980’s. While I appreciate the historical knowledge of Buff football, Taylor needed to think outside the Rocky Mountain box – like in the direction of southern California.

Taylor, think about this for a minute. Darrell Scott just left in midseason with the expectation that he will follow his uncle to UCLA and the current Bruins coach is ex-Buffs wunderkind Slick Rick Neuheisel. Do you know the colors that the UCLA Bruins wear? It is BABY BLUE and gold!  Unknowingly you made those that played your little dress-up game look like they support a university that could very well have three guys that dissed the institution you and/or your parents are spending thousands of dollars for you to attend!

After storming the field with the lame baby blues glittering brightly in another beautiful Boulder afternoon, hopefully Taylor and his army felt like the hypocrites they appeared to be on TV.  Try just slapping some corn cobs on your head and hitching up your overalls and call it a day next time.

Bored Sportswriters Find Story at CU

Sportswriters and sportscasters that cover the Colorado sports scene are obviously jonzing for some controversy.  The Broncos have started 6-1 to quiet the McKid bashing, the Nuggets are off to their best start as a franchise at 5-0, and the baby Avs lead the NHL in points.  Couple that with the fact no local pro players (e.g., Brandon Marshall and JR Smith) have gotten into any legal trouble recently and these guys are worried their lead stories will be follow-ups to the Buffs cross country team’s disappointing second place finish in the Big 12 Championships!  Oh, but there’s more gold in them there Flatirons.  Darrell Scott just laid a big palet of fodder at their collective doorsteps by quitting the CU football team in the middle of a challenging season. 

The sky is obviously falling on Dan Hawkins and the CU football program because Scott, a back-up running back, has decided to leave Boulder to return to sunny So Cal.  Those who are shocked haven’t been paying attention.  Probably the biggest factor for the five star recruit picking CU over Texas was the fact his uncle, Josh Smith, was a rising star receiver for the Buffs.  After Smith transferred this past summer, and Scott was not only injured but backing up Speedy, it is no surprise the kid bolted the Rocky Mountains.  I’m sure 2 feet of snow in late October along with a 2-6 record didn’t do anything to sway him towards staying.

It certainly isn’t a shot in the arm for this beleaguered football team, but college players are in and out of programs all the time.  Think about the lives of five star recruits – they are hormonal teenagers with huge egos that are blown-up bigger and bigger as major schools tell them how great they are and how each of them will be the star of their respective teams (Can you say Heisman?).  Scott was no different, but the problem was he didn’t see Speedy coming down the tracks.  There were other contributors to Scott’s unhappiness in the People’s Republic. 

•  The budding star transferred into another L.A. high school for his senior year, so loyalty to a struggling program is not in his repertoire. 
• Scott was out of shape when he came to CU as a freshman after missing camp because of academics.  That lead to a slow start and probably contributed to his injuries last year.
• Hagan was hard on Scott when he got here and told him to earn a starting spot by working hard. Don’t think anyone has ever told him he actually had to EARN a starting job.
• He missed the support of uncle Josh who transferred to UCLA during this past summer to pursue a degree in media arts (he wanted to study film production). 

Sometimes a kid needs a new start, so maybe he’ll be successful on Slick Rick’s sunny campus. Meanwhile, Hawk gets no credit for recruiting Speedy who was getting offers from D2 schools and has been an amazing back especially given the poor O line play.  He gave Speedy a scholarship and gave him a chance to start despite landing Scott who was supposed to follow Salaam onto the Heisman stage.  Giving everyone on the team a fair shake should give you the best opportunity to win.

I know the Colorado sports talking heads are twisting the story around to say that it will hurt Hawkins on the recruiting trail, but I disagree.  High school kids want to play in college and with Scott leaving any incoming freshman will have a good shot at eventually starting.  Good luck at winning a national championship at UCLA in the next three years.  CU still has good depth at tailback to finish off 2009 and I would like to see junior Demetrius Sumler get a chance to carry the ball again.  Sometimes divas are best left in Hollywood.