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Slow start, but Denver gets the ball rolling in the 2nd half
Denver struggled out of the gate on Saturday on a chilly night in Buffalo, but they put it together in 2nd half getting back to ball control Broncos football. The running game started clicking in the 2nd half behind the legs of Mike "Sarge" Anderson who ran for 97 yards and 2 scores. With their 28-17 victory, the Broncos clinched a playoff spot. It feels so nice to get invited to the dance!
Rod Smith had his finest game of the 2005 season, grabbing 11 balls for 137 yards and a highlight reel TD catch off a pass deflection. The touchdown reception brought back memories of Easy Ed McCaffrey hauling in a deflected pass from John Elway at the end of a game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in 1996. I really hope "Old Man" Rod gets the Pro Bowl honor next week. Chad Johnson and Marvin Harrison are guaranteed to get two spots and Reggie Wayne, Chris Chambers, Hines Ward and Deion Branch give Rod some stiff competition for the other two slots. Most likely, Rod will be left on the outside again because he is not a flashy, egomaniac wideout. He's a steady lunch pail guy who doesn't take anything for granted and leaves everything out on the field every week. In his postgame KOA interview, Rod deflected attention from his big day and gave Ashley Lelie credit for hauling in his big play 40 yard reception that setup a Broncos touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Typical Rod. After #7, Rod is the second greatest offensive player in team history and he will go down as one of the top 3-5 most beloved Broncos ever.
My favorite play of the game was tight end Wesley Duke's 1 yard reception in the 3rd quarter. Mike Shanahan spread Duke out wide in tight formation to get a mismatch on a shorter linebacker and Jake lobbed it up there for him to go get it. It was like posting up to a power forward in the paint! You have to credit Shanahan and Gary Kubiak for utlizing all the talent on the 53 man roster and taking advantage of mismatches. Just two weeks ago, the same coaching staff let athlete Bradlee Van Pelt run a quarterback draw to take advantage of his running ability he showcased at Colorado State. I don't think its fair to start talking about Antonio Gates when mentioning Duke, but its nice to know that Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster helped develop Gates in San Diego the last two years. I don't know if Duke will ever be a starting tight end in this league, but he is a red zone threat for the postseason. Watch out AFC!
Saturday night was a satisfying win, but the Broncos know that clinching a playoff spot means nothing to them. DE Trevor Pryce said recently that Denver doesn't care about winning the division; they expected to win it. With Cincinnati on their tail, Denver needs to win out to assure themselves of the first round bye and the #2 seed. With all the stiff competition in the AFC, I feel the #2 seed is Denver's meal ticket to get to XL in the Motor City. They are 7-0 at home this season. Who knows? New England could beat the Colts at the Hoosier Dome in a potential 2nd round showdown.
For all the naysayers who think Denver can't defeat the Colts:
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We still have KC before we get you at home, but prepare for doom. The Chargers are rolling...and may be the 1st ever potentially 11-5 team that won't make the playoffs. Shame. All other powerhouse teams seem to be falling off before the playoffs, cept New England. Were gonna whup yer ass and send you limping into the playoffs. Our schedule is more brutal than any teams, and we proved it against Indy. We had the hiccup against Miami, that killed us. You and your grandfatherly WR's are gonna fall in the house that Murph built. Screw the donks!
12/20/05 1:13 AM
To respond to some of your points:
-The 1985 Broncos were the only 11-5 team in NFL history to miss the playoffs. In 1984, the Broncos went 13-3 and a year later they won the AFC Championship.
-If Denver is a "powerhouse" team that is falling off, why haven't the Chargers caught them? A team winning six of their last seven games doesn't sound like a squad losing steam.
-San Diego's schedule was tougher than Denver's by one game. They shared 14 of 16 common opponents.
-Chargers' #1 wide receiver is Keenan McCardell and the Broncos are the team with the "grandfatherly receivers"? Rod Smith is an old man but he still schooled Quentin Jammer all day in week 2 with first down receptions. The only way Jammer is going to stop Rod is by resorting to his usual, illegal physical contact tactics.
-Yes! "Screw the Donks!"
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