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IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

MILEHIGHREPORT.COM 

When the Broncos win, fans can easily see their team positioned for a run at a high seeding in the playoffs.  When the Broncos lose, fans quickly turn to despair and end of the world predictions. The truth is that Denver remains a team in transition, and as such, will win some surprising games and lose some games that looked easy on the schedule.  For fans wanting to avoid a heart attack, Chalk Talk recommends staying the course, and looking at the season as a whole.  If you really want to get excited, stay the course and continue to use next year as the measure of great things to come.

Despite poor play against Oakland, Denver remains atop the AFC West by two games, and still has a schedule (comparable to SD) that allows Denver to set it's own destiny.  Denver has enough time to fix problems, heal injuries, and make adjustments to make a run at the end of the season.  Looking at the NYJ's game in detail, we can see a microcosm of what Denver needs to do to improve.

Let's look at how to play against a team like the Jets, and why the keys to beating the Jets are exactly the things Denver should be doing in general.

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Feel free to use this space to comment on the early games!

They are:

PHI at BAL

HOU at CLE

TB at DET

BUF at KC

CHI at STL

NYJ at TEN

NE at MIA

MIN at JAX

SF at DAL

(PIT beat CIN on Thu's game).

Stay tuned for Guru and Friends picks, and the game day Broncos threads!

 So you're sitting there wondering which game to watch, and Denver isn't available.  Which team do you cheer for if you want the outcome to help Denver?  No problem; MileHighReport.com has you covered.

Remember, this has nothing to do with which teams we like or hate.  It is purely based on what outcomes best position Denver for the playoffs, and a good seeding once there. 

We're also rating the games on how important they are for Denver fans.  For instance, a Denver game, or a game that features a Denver division rival, gets near a 5, while a less important game gets a 1.  So given a choice of several games, you now know which one is more important to watch!  (Teams for Denver fans to cheer for are in CAPS). 

Let's feed the schedule into MHR's Super Computer and see what results we get...

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IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

MILEHIGHREPORT.COM

For Everything Raiders Related, Check Out Silver & Black Pride

As I write this report, I'm battling some kind of illness that MHR's own Dr. BroncoBear needs to look into.  I seem to be suffering from something that is a cross between ebola, anthrax, and the bubonic plague.  Fever, vomiting, stomach cramping, swollen lymph glands, headache, and the worst sore throat ever.  For that reason, this is the hardest final draft I've written for MHR.  One thing keeps me from crawling into bed and resigning myself to an engagement with my Lord and Maker however...

That's right Baby....

It's time for the epic good versus evil match-up that we've all been waiting for.  Yep.  Twice a year the Heavens and the bowels of Hell open up to cast forth the armies of rightousness (the Denver Broncos) and the demons of darkness (the Oakland Raiders).  To some of the more unbalanced fans in our midst, these two games hold more significance than even the Superbowl itself.  But to all of us, something in the fabric of time, space, dimension, and destiny has gone awry if Denver doesn't manage to beat the grotesque, morbid henchmen of the dark overlord himself, Darth Al Davis.

And so dear readers, come with me into MHR's Chalk Talk this week as we break down the match-up between the angels and the demons, and see why good should triumph over evil, or (Heaven Forbid!) why evil has an apple's chance in Eden.

Read on...

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Just how important was the win by Denver on Sunday in Atlanta?  Perhaps more important than one might realize on first glance.

First, while Denver may appear to be an "on again / off again" team, they have managed to find themselves ranked fourth in the AFC.  Only TENN, PITT, and the NYJ's rank ahead of Denver in the conference.

Still not impressed?  How about this number: While TENN is clearly out in front in the AFC, PITT and NYJ are only one game ahead of Denver.  That's right.  Denver, somehow, is only a game out of second place in the AFC.  That's a first round bye in the playoffs baby.

Now let's not get ahead of ourselves.  Denver is a banged up team, and not terribly consistent.  On the other hand, there's a lot of positives, and I want to share them with you.

Read on...

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IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

MILEHIGHREPORT.COM

First, let's take a look at where Denver is, and where Denver is going.  There are several ways to evaluate a team.  Looking at Denver this year, one can find many areas of positives and negatives.

The average view:

The Broncos rank 15 of 32 teams in the NFL.  They are the seventh ranked team in the AFC.  If the playoffs were held today, Denver would be the fourth seed, and play at home against a wildcard team with a better record (Baltimore).  All in all, an average team with a likely chance of going to the playoffs and being eliminated early.

The bad view:

Denver is a team with injuries and IRs, and wasn't doing so well with it's starters anyway.  According to MHR's injury report as of 11-11-08, the following players are doubtful (Webster), questionable (N. Jackson, McCree, S. Young, C. Bailey), and out (Nalen, Sheppard, Pittman, Russell, Ramsey, Torain, Alridge, A. Hall, B. Bailey) going into the next game.

The happy view:

Denver leads the AFC West, and can still go 11-4 (that is, if you live in La La Land).

But there is a fourth view.  Forgive me for calling it the "realist" view, since everybody thinks their own view is the realistic view (including me).  In this view, the team is (unfortunately) as average as it looks.  However, it is also improving at a greater rate than most observers might think.  I hope to persuade some folks that Denver was a bad team last year, is average this year, and will be great next year.  The best news is that It was supposed to be this way from the start.  That's right.  What we are seeing is part of a bigger plan, and a strategic masterstroke.

Let's unfold the mystery of the Denver "vanilla" defense, the mystery of the offensive playcalling, and the mystery of Denver's future.  I think Shanahan's brilliance will be made clear.  I'll also be joined by MHR member (and grandparent of a new baby boy) Firstfan, who shared some great thoughts on the trench fight for the upcoming game, and his comments are at the heart of much of the analysis.

Read on...

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While working over the internet with MHR member (and MHR University doctoral student) Firstfan, I received the good news that he (and his wife, known with affection as Ole Blister) are the grandparents of a new baby boy.

Firstfan says that mother and father and baby are all doing well.

Please join the MHR Staff in congratulating Firstfan.  And because we all care about each other, use this as an open thread to discuss the following:

1. Any good news in your neck of the woods, and
2. Any personal concerns the community can wish you well on.

Have a terrific week as we get ready to roll into the Falcon's house with the Blue and Orange Army!

 So you're sitting there wondering which game to watch, and Denver isn't available.  Which team do you cheer for if you want the outcome to help Denver?  No problem; MileHighReport.com has you covered.

Remember, this has nothing to do with which teams we like or hate.  It is purely based on what outcomes best position Denver for the playoffs, and a good seeding once there. 

We're also rating the games on how important they are for Denver fans.  For instance, a Denver game, or a game that features a Denver division rival, gets near a 5, while a less important game gets a 1.  So given a choice of several games, you now know which one is more important to watch!  (Teams for Denver fans to cheer for are in CAPS). 

Let's feed the schedule into MHR's Super Computer and see what results we get...

Continue reading this post »

As we all know, Denver leads the AFC West.  With a loss against Cleveland, every team in the AFC West would have had a losing record.  Here's what I'm driving at.

While Denver can get in the playoffs by leading the division, it is critical that they win the division.  If SD can somehow creep up on Denver and take the division, Denver has almost zero chance for a playoff appearance as a wildcard.

Here's the current Division leaders (in order of ranking):

1. TENN (ACS)
2. PITT (ACN)
3. BUF (ACE)
4. DEN (ACW)

The current Wild Card Teams (by NFL Tie Break) are:

1. BAL
2. NE

Let's say SD catches us.  We are now in a race for a wildcard position.  In such a case, 3 teams have a better record than us in that race (we are at .556; BAL, NE, and NYJ all are at .625.  Worse, NE owns the head to head against us).

In other words, we drop from 4th seed in the playoffs out of six seeds, to 8th place (2 teams out of the playoff picture).  Additionaly, two teams (MIA and JAX) would be close enough to our record to beat us with a head to head tie break.

Bottom line: Denver must stay ahead of SD to make the playoffs.  If they do this, they play against a wild card team in the first round, but it's a home game.  If SD slips past us, we likely don't come anywhere close to a playoff berth.

Need some added incentive?  Pork Chop Bill Williamson, anti-Bronco "writer" for ESPN just wrote a piece about why the Chargers will win our division.  He doesn't seem to internalize the fact that Denver has the better record (even before the Thursday night victory over CLE), and that Denver has already beaten SD once.  Sure we have mutiple injuries, but even so we STILL have a better record than SD.

And no; Pork Chop doesn't get a link to his ridiculous story.

By the way, while the odds are very much against the Chiefs, and we don't like 'em, find it in your blue and orange hearts to cheer for KC to beat SD this week.  It would help Denver a lot, and I'll bet most of us dislike SD much more than KC anyway.

HT

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IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

MILEHIGHREPORT.COM

Check Out DawgsByNature for all things Cleveland Browns!

Shake it off Denver fans!  Denver lost to two good teams (NE and JAX) and has lost two games to underdogs (MIA and KC).  Still, they have beaten good teams like TB and NO, while beating divsion rivals SD and OAK.

Already, members of the Blue and Orange Faithful are floating ideas of dropping the head coach, giving up on the season, or fighting with outher fans over trivial matters.  We don't expect teams to fall apart when the going gets tough, and I expect fans to buck up too!

Where are we?  4-4.  With that ugly record we still find ourselves where it matters - at the head of the division.  All that matters is getting to the post season.  The slate gets wiped clean, and every team there is in a single elimination tournament for glory.  Do I think we have a shot at SB glory?  No, of course not.  That's not the point though.  This team is rebuilding (like it or not), and a playoff shot would be valuable experience for a young team learning to play together as a team.

This game against the Brown presents th team with many interesting issues.  Let's explore them together, and see why this game is worth watching...

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