Week 4: Broncos vs. Titans Preview

Week 4 is here and for the Broncos that means a road trip out to Nashville, Tennessee to take on the running attack of the Titans. This also means a big test for the Broncos defense and a good time to see how well this team goes about making improvements after a tough loss against Peyton Manning and the Colts on our own turf.

Offense:

As usual the QB face off is always interesting to debate and compare. Denver's starter, Kyle Orton had a career-high 476 passing yards against Indy and while it's great news he can throw, the lack of Denver's running game is just flat embarrassing. We'll talk about that later. Orton has actually been pretty accurate and reliable in our 4 games now, after having a little over a year to adjust to McD's system. I'm very confident in Orton and if we can balance out our running game with our passing game, we'll be fine. On the other hand, we have a shall we say "moody" Vince Young for the Titans. After having a "meltdown" on the field against a tough Pittsburgh defense in week 2, Young was pulled and veteran backup Kerry Collins took over behind center. When it comes to these 2 quarterbacks, Orton & Young, Denver's starter has the better stats and leadership to lead his team to a win on Sunday.

While the QB situation is fairly easy to decide, the RB situation is pretty much plain & simple. The Titans have a running attack with one player in Chris Johnson while Denver has several potentially good running backs who can't seem to find a gap & run or get injured at the most inopportune time. It was announced today that Knowshon Moreno will indeed miss Sunday's game so we must find a way to establish a running game with Bucky, Maroney & Brown. And with Chris Johnson in their backfield, Tennessee is 14-4 when he rushes for 100 yards. Johnson also had a "comeback" so to speak with his second 100-yard game (125 yards to be exact) this season last week in their win over the Giants after he was held to just 34 yards against the Steelers. Our defense has LOTS of work to do to hold this guy down. Plain & simple, Chris Johnson must be stopped.

The Broncos receiving corps are about as solid as they come. With a couple of vets and a rookie that can make any Bronco fan say "Brandon Marshall who??". It's no wonder why we've become #1 in passing yards (350) but again, we need a running game to balance it all out. The Titans have a few WRs as well that are good weapons but they have mostly relied on CJ to gain yards.

Key note: While containing CJ is on top of the to-do list, our red zone offense needs serious help. Against Indy, we managed to get in the red zone 5 times, yeah FIVE times and we come away with 1 TD & 2 field goals. Makes me so mad. The Colts D clearly held their own but the effort we put into trying to get 6 points is hardly called effort. I love the idea of going for it on 4th & goal but it shouldn't even take that last chance to get that ball in the endzone (without penalties might I add). This team has had plenty of troubles with red zone offense over the years... get with it already.

Defense:

Our defense has gotten a bit sloppy, they're main focus should be on stopping the run. Although, our pass defense (23rd) is actually worse than our run defense (10th). And depending on how well we cover the receivers vs. how we stop CJ, Vince Young will either be throwing more passes or we'll become a door mat for Johnson to run all over and wipe his cleats on. It should also be noted that Tennessee's pass defense is 7th in the league, which mean if we don't get a good running game going and have to stick to passing, we are up for an even bigger challenge. Champ Bailey looked pretty solid against Indy, I'd love to see him get a pick-6 straight from Young.

Key note: Our list of problems has increased in just one week... no running game, injuries, turnovers & now an embarrassing red zone offense. Turnovers have been torture to this team and sealed our losses to Indy & Jacksonville. Winning the turnover battle is key, just like fixing our red zone offense & running game problems. Injuries are just something we have to deal with.

Injuries:

Well, there is actually some good news in this department. CB Andre Goodman and OL Ryan Harris will be back for Sunday's match-up, thank goodness!! As for the usual bad news, for the second week in a row RB Knowshon Moreno will be out nursing a hammy injury. Most likely he'll be back for the Baltimore game... we'll need him for that one, no questions. Also, Spencer Larsen (ankle) and Wesley Woodyard (hamstring) will miss the game. Brian Dawkins (ankle) is also on the injury report but is listed as probable for the game. I'll bet ya anything he'll play, he's a fighter.

On the other side, the Titan's defense was dealt a pretty bad card with CB Jason McCourty out with a forearm injury, which he had surgery on Tuesday. Their defense will also be without DE Jacob Ford (knee) and DT Tony Brown (knee). Their defense will have a big challenge if our offense can get a good thing going.

I haven't really decided if this will be a close game or a blow out, of course, I'd love to see Denver rout these guys while holding CJ to less than at least 70 yards. It's not that big of a stretch. I'm gonna be bold (surprise, surprise) and go with 38-30, Broncos win it. Crush 'em boys!!

Here are some good links, a really good one from Orton.

Because Orton says so 

Tough challenge

Broncos – Titans Preview

And as promised, I have some trivia questions for you all. Gonna find out how Bronco-savvy... Bronco-smart you boys are.

• Against what team did running back Terrell Davis equal an NFL record with 2 two-point conversions in 1997?

• Opposing teams converted only 29.5 percent of their third-down opportunities against Denver in 2003. What were the only two NFL defenses that were stingier on third down?

• Who played more seasons for the Broncos than any other player?

Good luck! ahaha

Keep the faith Broncos Country...
GO BRONCOS in 2010!!!!

Having some fun with images.

Hey guys I managed to get a few hours of free time and I was wondering what could I do to fill in this time? So I thought I would play with some images of gridiron players. Here are the results from my few hours of play.

Also I had a number of ideas for this one, but they ranged from dirty to dirtier, so I decided to open it up to you guys. Hit us up in the comments with your ideas for captions of this picture.

Also I thought it would be good to add these pictures (sorry Princess). This is the reason it makes it OK for older men to watch other men run around in tights.

That is it from me, remember if you can't read an image just click on it and it will enlarge ~ Aussie Out!

Broncos Vs Colts - Post Game Recap

The Broncos took on the Colts today in Denver. The Broncos had a moment silence before the start of the game in memory of Kenny McKinley who we lost tragical this week. The Broncos also gave new HOF inductee Floyd Little his ring today at half time. This was a really good game that I thought the Broncos could win. I really felt that the Broncos could upset the Colts and it wasn't till the Colts scored their last TD that I felt Broncos would not win. But there was some really good things to take away from this game.

vs

	1	2	3	4	OT	Final
Den	0	3	10	0	-	17
Ind	6	7	7	7	-	27

Was late and tired so copied some of this analysis from other sources, but is pretty much what I wanted to say.

Kyle Orton

Orton had a great game, he finished by going 37 of 57 for 476 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Now, not all was good with Orton. He threw an ugly pick where he stared at Gaffney the whole time. Also, his red zone efficiency is bad. His throw to Thomas on 3rd and 1 at the goal line was atrocious. He totally overthrew him. His throw to Brandon Lloyd on 4th and 3 was terrible. You can't have a miscommunication with your receiver when the game is on the line. Lastly, some of his throws were poor decisions. On one 3rd and 10 play, Orton threw to a RB who was being heavily guarded at the line of scrimmage. Nevertheless, Orton is still the man in Denver. On the year, Orton has thrown 83 of 125. That is a 66% completion rate. He has thrown for 1,078 yards and 4 TD's. He is on pace for a 5500+ year.

Receivers

Two receivers had a big game thanks to Orton's hot form. Brandon Lloyd grabbed 6 passes for a team high 169 yards and 1 TD. He now leads the team in yards with 339 yards. He is arguably Kyle Orton's favorite target. He is 6 yards away from the amount Eddie Royal had all last year. He is almost half way to the amount of yards Gaffney had in 09.The other receiver that had a big game was Jabar Gaffney. Jabar caught 12 passes for 140 yards on Sunday. He now is second with 189 yards and tied for 1st with 17 receptions. The Broncos spread the ball well.

O-line Protection:

The Broncos O-line protection today was really good. They managed to shut down Freeney and Mathis and gave Orton a real nice pocket. The only sack they did allow was on a play where Orton had forever to get rid of the ball but didn't, that sack is on Orton not the O-line. Now they just need to be able to block on the run to open up those lanes for the RBs.

Run game:

The run game wasn't great today, I really thought there were some gaps for the Broncos to run. But the Colts are a fast D and shut down Maroney quickly. This area needs to improve so we can be a more balance team. We can't have Orton throwing almost 60 passes a game. We may have good receivers but we need the threat of the run to help the pass.

Run defense:

Well, after 3 weeks, the Broncos rank 10th against the run. Opponents are gaining an average of 94.3 rushing yards per game. Opponents are also averaging less then 4 yards a carry. Our run D is top 10 while our pass D is bottom 10. Our run D held the Colts to just 40 yards. This was a really good game by the front three, Williams, Bannan, Thomas and Vickerson really managed to seal up the lanes today and that forced them to pass on us.

TE coverage:

Our TE coverage today on Dallas Clark was great, he didn't do much today and when he did he got hit hard. Haggan and McBath worked well to shut him down. Also what about our TEs? It isn't a big concern with our receivers but we need to see more catches from these guys. And Daniel Graham you have to catch the ball not drop it.

Cox and Bailey:

I actual thought Cox had a good game. When you think he is a rookie playing against Peyton Manning. Cox made a number of good plays knocking away balls. But the two mistakes that Cox did make lead to touchdowns. Also the fumbled punt wasn't good, but Royal looked sharp in kick returns.

Redzone:

Was, well terrible, you get all the way down there you need to score. There was possibly two or three touchdowns left on the field today and that could have made a big difference. I think we really miss LenDale White in those situations. We really need to score more points to beat good teams like the Colts.

Looking ahead:

Next week the Broncos take on the Titans in Tennessee. And our run D will need to be top notch to stop Chris Johnson. Will be an interesting game and I think the Broncos really could get a win there.

Former Broncos:

Did you see some of the former Broncos running around? Torain had 7 carries for 46 yards. The other was Hillis who had 22 carries for 144 yards and a TD. Hillis looks huge and runs the ball hard, we are missing him now.

Week 3: Broncos vs. Colts Preview

Week 3 is already upon us in the NFL and the drama has yet to cease for the Broncos.

Monday, September 20, 2010, Broncos Country lost another brother to a terrible tragedy. 2009 NFL Draft pick Kenny McKinley died earlier this week of an apparent suicide. Before his untimely passing, the Broncos were high off a stellar win over the Seattle Seahawks. Now, this week in preparation for an AFC Conference rival, the Broncos have their hands full more than they already did.

In past games, the Colts have pretty much dominated over the Broncos. Last year's game was close with Denver intercepting 3 of Peyton Manning's passes, yet Manning & Co., went on to outdo our efforts with 4 touchdowns. In addition to the loss of one of our players, we are still facing the inevitable injury bug. Oh, how this thing "bugs" me.

First off is the injury that could be most hurtful to us, Champ Bailey. After Denver's big home opening win, Bailey walked off the field with the aid of crutches due to a "heel injury". The Broncos said he will be a "game-time decision", which would leave our young guns to take on the powerful Manning offense, however Bailey will most likely play in Sunday's game. Andre Goodman was also injured but like Bailey, he is expected to be ready by Sunday... 2 game-time decisions. Also, it was announced today that starting RB Knowshon Moreno will be out this game with a hamstring injury leaving our only three options left at RB to play on Sunday - Buckhalter, Andre Brown & Laurence Maroney. Welcome to the "pass-happy" Denver Broncos! ahaha... ok, onto the preview.

Offense:

We start off with the match-up of Kyle Orton & Peyton Manning. Almost two complete opposites at quarterback. Like a lion & chipmunk or peanut butter & roast beef... LOL don't ask, I was just going with the flow. Orton has established himself within the Denver organization, but the NFL hasn't exactly welcomed him as a starting QB in the football world, therefore we are left with very interesting match-up with Orton and a Super Bowl MVP. With last week's win over Seattle, Orton's overall rating went up to 109.3 with Manning at a usual steady 121 rating. For both QBs, week 2 proved to be a big week but Orton's stats are quickly overshadowed by what Manning can do on the field. While Orton had a good game with 3 TDs & 602 yards... Manning on the other hand had 6 TDs and 688 yards.

To most people this is a very obvious contest, with Manning at the helm everyone will be taking the Colts side. We actually have a very capable chance of winning this game. If our Oline can hold its own like they did last week and protect Orton in the pocket (he'll be there quite a bit with pretty much no running game), we got a fighting chance at this game. As for our very sad running game & now Moreno out this week, we got a bigger problem. Three RBs and none of which I'm very confident in but when they do get on the field I hope they can at least hold onto the ball & not cause us more problems with fumbles. There is no room for those mistakes in this game. The Colts do however have a running game, with long-time trusted RB Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. Both of win can find ways to break free with the help of their strong Oline.

Next up is our passing game, which we have plenty of weapons to account for. Rookie WR Demaryius Thomas had an awesome first NFL game with 97 yards & a touchdown. He will be a huge help to our offense. The other WRs we have in stock include Eddie Royal, Brandon Lloyd (who seems to be Orton's favorite weapon at the moment), Jabar Gaffney, Matthew Willis and rookie Eric Decker who has yet to see any worthy playing time with the offense (he's been stuck with our special teams). Not to be left out are the weapons Manning constantly throws to... Reggie Wayne & Austin Collie. Both of whom with give our secondary a serious fight. The entire Indy offense is not to be underestimated at any time. Our offense will need to put together long drives in order to keep our defense off the field to keep from wearing down so fast. The defense will be given a real challenge on Sunday.

Defense:

Believe it or not, Denver & Indy are pretty close when it comes to defensive stats. Both defenses will give the opposing offense a tough time, especially at the first of the game. As mentioned before, Bailey & Goodman are dealing with small injuries but in Denver that's nothing to take lightly. Its almost a sure bet they'll both be ready to play. There's been some talk about Dawkins, and how he's still one of the biggest secondary threats in the NFL. Another big playmaker that will make a difference for Denver in this game, who is will also be making in his 201st career start. Impressive. One match-up that will be interesting to watch is LT Ryan Clady for Denver facing off with Indy's top DE Dwight Freeney. Both Pro-Bowlers are big playmakers for their respective teams.

At the end of the day, this is being called an easy win for Indy while Denver is the usual suspect for being underdogs. For sure this will be a close game at the start, but depending on penalties and turnovers, one team is going to start a dominating effect and that will be the team to go on and win. We have home field advantage this time we play the Colts, so at least we'll have the home crowd in our corner.

Special Teams:

Denver's ST upped their game from week 1 but will need to keep a handle on the ball on kick/punt returns and we need to get better at placing the ball between the 10 & endzone to give Indy a bad start.

Will be a quiet start in the 1st quarter, as the game goes on they'll figure each other out... enter: smart football. The second half is where the game will really start to pick up and I think it will go one of 2 ways. It will stay close throughout the game or one team will start to really dominate and take it home from there. We'll see who the winner is come Sunday afternoon. Even with Denver as the obvious underdogs, but right or wrong I will always pick them to win. Broncos win it, 34-31.

Keep the faith Broncos Country...
GO BRONCOS in 2010!!!!

For fun since there was a piece on Dawkins, I decided to put a video with highlights on him since he's been in Denver with 2 other preview vids.

Dawkins Highlights

Can The Colts Be Stopped?

Broncos vs Colts Preview

In Memory of Kenny McKinley – 1987 – 2010

Injured Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead late today the 20th of September. Authorities were called to McKinley’s apartment in Arapahoe County at about 4 p.m. this afternoon were he was found. They found McKinley in the second-floor master bedroom, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. He was reportedly experiencing depression after being placed on injured reserve and was also going through financial issues.

Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson confirmed McKinley's death, and said he was waiting on a field report from investigators before releasing more information this evening.

Robinson said authorities were called by a female friend of McKinley’s who discovered the body after returning from an errand with his child. The sheriff declined to say if authorities found a suicide note.

"It was apparently a suicide, but we're still investigating," he said.

It is very sad that such a young and talented man took his own life. He must of been in a terrible time in his life and was struggling to deal with his demons. This is a very sad day for Broncos Country as they have lost another one of their beloved sons.

"Everyone with the Broncos is shocked and saddened by the loss of Kenny McKinley," President and CEO Pat Bowlen said. "He was part of the Broncos family and will be greatly missed by our organization. My most heartfelt condolences go out to Kenny's family and friends."

"Kenny had a promising future on the football field, but more importantly, he was a great teammate whose smile and personality could light up the room," Head Coach Josh McDaniels said. "This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

Like Coach McD said Kenny was a guy that always had a smile on his face and seemed to be enjoying being a Bronco.

An NFL source told The Denver Post that McKinley had been in Atlanta visiting family recently but had returned to Denver on Sunday. McKinley is survived by a young son, Keon.

McKinley recently visited Columbia, S.C., where he watched his alma mater play the University of Georgia on Sept. 11. He was announced to the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium and received a large applause.
"I saw him here. He came to the Georgia game. He seemed in good spirits," South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier told The Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier Monday night. "He had a great smile, like he always had. I don't understand it, if it happened the way they say. It's hard to comprehend.

"Kenny was certainly one of my favorite all-time players," Spurrier added. "He was one of them. He was a wonderful guy. It's hard to figure out how, or why, this happened. He's one of my all-time favorites — everything about him. He had a wonderful smile. It's a sad day."

The news of McKinley's death spread quickly at the end of South Carolina's practice Monday. Players who normally sprint off the field upbeat walked slowly with their heads down.


"Kenny, he had a big heart, a love for life. It's just very shocking," said Andrew Bondarowicz, McKinley's agent. "I'm really at a loss for words.

The Life of McKinley

McKinley was born in Mableton, Georgia to parents Ken and Karen. He graduated from South Cobb High School in Austell, Georgia in 2005 as a multi-position player, but he primarily played quarterback. During his senior year, he passed for 1,470 yards and 16 touchdowns and rushed for 750 yards while scoring 12 touchdowns. He ran for 400 yards and eight touchdowns while throwing for 1,575 yards and 12 scores as a junior in 2003. He earned all-county honors as a junior and senior. He was rated the 29th-best athlete in the state of Georgia and the 54th-best athlete in the country by Rivals.com.

After leaving South Cobb High School McKinley attended the University of South Carolina. As a true freshman in 2005, he worked his way into the starting line-up at wide receiver and also handled the punt return duties. He started six games and ranked third on the team with 25 catches for 291 yards and returned 18 punts for 83 yards. He caught three passes for a season-high 58 yards in the win at Arkansas, including a 42-yard reception for his first career touchdown, which proved to be the game-winner.

During his sophomore year in 2006, McKinley started all 13 games and recorded 51 receptions and 880 yards. That ranked second on the team behind another soon-to-be NFL player Sidney Rice. His best game was an eight-catch, 110-yard effort against Auburn, the first 100-yard receiving day in his career. He had another great game when he had a three-catch, 112-yard performance in the Liberty Bowl that included a pair of fourth-quarter, 43-yard touchdown receptions. He also returned 17 punts for 151 yards, an average of 8.9 yards per return (seventh in the SEC) with a long of 21 yards. And was also given the Carolina Hustle Award following spring drills. He averaged 17.3 yards per catch that year.

Before the start of McKinley's junior year in 2007, Sidney Rice decided to forego the remainder of his college eligibility to enter the 2007 NFL Draft. This made McKinley's the Gamecocks’ top returning wide receiver in 2007.

He would go on to earn first-team honors from the SEC coaches (All-SEC), the Associated Press and CollegeFootballNews. He was second-team All-SEC by Rivals.com and honorable mention All-America honors from CollegeFootballNews.com.

Despite playing with turf toe most of the year, as the Gamecocks’ #1 receiver, McKinley not only led the team but led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in receptions (a school-record 77), receptions per game (6.42) and in receiving yards per game (80.7). He also was number one at South Carolina in yards (968) and touchdowns (9). He had four 100-yard receiving games in 2007, including a school record 14 catch performance against Tennessee where he had a career-best 151 yards. He has a number of standout games against Clemson, Georgia and Mississippi State. He had four 100-yard receiving games, three against SEC opponents and one against Clemson, and has six in his career. He was given the Ernest A. Brooks Memorial Award for the MVP of the Carolina-Clemson game and shared the Joe Morrison Award as the Offensive Player of the spring with Blake Mitchell.


In 2008, McKinley entered his senior year as an All-America candidate that was in position to break every South Carolina school career receiving records. He began the 2008 campaign ranked tied for fourth in career receptions (153), sixth in career receiving yards (2,139) and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (15) in Carolina history. The school records were held by Sterling Sharpe (169 receptions and 2,497 receiving yards) and Sidney Rice (23 touchdown catches). Despite being out of the lineup for a three-game stretch due to a right hamstring strain, he set school career records for receptions and receiving yards, while also closing out his career second on the school's all-time touchdown catches list. McKinley also placed his name in the SEC record books. He finished the 2008 season with 54 receptions, 642 receiving yards and 4 touchdown catches. His 207 total receptions placed third in conference annals, becoming just the fifth SEC player to amass more than 200 catches in a career. He also became the 12th player in league history to record more than 2,700 receiving yards (2,781).

His head coach Steve Spurrier had called him the best receiver he has ever coached.







Leading into the 2009 NFL Draft there was a number of scouting reports out that had been projecting McKinley as a 3rd to 4th round pick. And they had a similar analysis, here are a few on McKinley:

The Good: A tall, fluid receiver who displays great footwork and change-of-direction skills in all areas of his game. Gets up to speed quickly and plays a lot faster than his times indicate. Transitions very well in and out of his breaks and showcases the burst to separate on all levels of the field. Pays close attention to detail and runs sharp, precise routes. Extends well and has the hands to make plays away from his body.
The Bad: Has a thin, frail-looking build and lacks power on contact. Struggles as a blocker, and if he can’t beat press coverage cleanly, he struggles fighting through the hand battles. Needs to displays better concentration over the middle.

Positives: Good initial quickness off the snap. Not a real physical player, but uses his hands and lateral quickness well to get a clean release off the line of scrimmage. Savvy route-runner. Good short-area burst and is a cognizant route-runner. Varies his speed and utilizes his good body control to generate separation against tight coverage. Reliable hands for the reception. Strong hands to snatch the ball out of the air. Good body control to contort in space and make the difficult reception. Knows where the sticks and sidelines are. Can take a pop and hang on. Wastes no time getting upfield after the reception. Good vision in the open field and can generate positive yards after the reception.
Negatives: Lanky, almost skinny build that could use additional mass, but not at the expense of losing speed, another area of concern. Lacks the straight-line speed to challenge deep or to break away after a short or intermediate reception. Can be caught from behind. Characterized as a tough player, but can be intimidated with a good pop early. Can get alligator arms going over the middle.

Injuries had never been a problem for McKinley, but they are starting to creep up so that could be a concern among NFL scouts. He had surgery on his big toe during this past off-season, but was ready to go well before the start of the regular season. He strained a hamstring, however, early in the year and that sidelined him for three games. McKinley is back now and still has 28 catches for 333 yards and three touchdowns despite missing that valuable time. He does have damaging speed, but not size (6'0 and 185 pounds). McKinley is extremely quick off the ball, runs great routes, and has breakaway speed with a 4.40 time in the 40-yard dash. McKinley will probably have to bulk up a little bit to be a major factor at the next level, but with that speed he could be a standout slot receiver and a significant contributor on special teams. A third or fourth round pick appears likely as long as he stays healthy.

McKinley was good at the NFL combine. He was a top performer in the 40-yard dash, Vertical Jump, Broad Jump, 3-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle. He had a 40 yard dash of 4.44 secs, a vertical jump of 37 inches and a 20 yard shuttle of 4.10 secs.

McKinley would have to wait in the draft until the 5th round where he was drafted by the Denver Broncos. He was 5th pick drafted in the 5th round (141st overall) during the 2009 NFL Draft.

As a rookie McKinley saw time in eight games in 2009. He saw most of his game time on special teams, where he returned kicks, he had seven kick returns for 158 yards. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second last game of the season and had surgery in the offseason. He was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury on December 28, 2009.

McKinley did recover and participated in the team’s offseason workouts but got hurt again during the first week of training camp and was placed on IR with a knee injury. The team placed the 23-year-old, second-year pro on the team's injured reserve list in early August.

The Reason

No one will truly know the reason why McKinley took his own life. It was reported that he was depressed from being on injured reverse (IR) again. And that he was also struggling with financial issues. Others have said that the pressure of being such a big college star and that his NFL pro career had been such a challenge had got to him. His agent had said that his second stint on IR had been very difficult. "It's a difficult situation, you go from being a super star in college and his pro career has been a challenge," Bondarowicz said. "These guys, they're made of steel on the outside, but for a lot of them, the challenge of being at your best and living up to all the expectations is a difficult situation. Some people are better equipped and have the support system."

McKinley had his demons but these were unknown to the people that were close to him. This is a sad story about a truly gifted man, what ever the reason for this we may never know.

When people commit suicide, they are in horrific pain, unlike that of anything other people can even fathom. They may not show it. They are mentally ill.

It is not an act of "selfishness." No more than a brain tumor is an act of selfishness. Nobody chooses either one. It is a choice made by the cruelty of chance.

In the mind of the clinically depressed self worth is deconstructed to the point that it is a SELFLESS act to end one’s life. One truly believes that one’s existence is an insurmountable burden to those who care. This belief system grows as brain chemistry reinforces the negative thinking until the only way to ease the burden to those one is closest to, including children, is to remove oneself from the equation through suicide. Of course all would be better off without the burden of the suicides existence.

In the world of football, there little places to turn to express these self destructive emotions. Strength and pain tolerance are prized. Depression is often viewed as feminine or self indulgent in the world at large so in this particular sport it could be seen as a source of mocking and ridicule. But there needs to be people on every team that guys like McKinley can talk to. This is just a tragic story.

Check out this Tribute Video on DenverBroncos.com

Remember Him

Don’t just remember Kenny McKinley for this one act out of desperation. Remember McKinley as the guy that also had a simile on his face that brimmed from ear to ear. That he had a terrific college career and broke college records that were held by Sterling Sharpe. Remember McKinley as the talented young man that had so much in front of him and what he could have been. Remember him as the loving father that left behind a son. Remember him for the person he was and the life he lived, not the decision that he made. May all our thoughts and prays go out to his family and his son ~ Aussie Out!

RIP #11

Broncos Vs Seahawks - Post Game Recap

The Denver Broncos took on the Seattle Seahawks today at Invesco Field in Denver. The Broncos were solid all day and managed to come away with the win. The Broncos lead by 17 to nothing at half time due to a number of turnovers caused by the Denver defense. It was a good game by the Broncos and showcased some of the talent that we have on the team, and that includes a certain rookie, but more on that later.

vs

	1	2	3	4	OT	Final
Den	7	10	7	7	-	31
Sea	0	0	7	7	-	14

Passing Game:

The Passing game was really good for the Broncos today. Orton threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns and spread the ball to 7 different receivers. There were a number of big plays today. There were two that stood out for me. One was the yards after catch on a pass to Knowshon. It was a short pass and Knowshon made a number of people miss and hurdled another for a big gain. The other play was the trick play where the ball was handed off to Knowshon who headed off right. He then turned and passed the ball back to Orton who caught it and then turned and found Royal streaking across the middle of the field and up the side line. Royal had a big gain and dove to the 1 yard line.

Run Game - Short and goal:

The run game for the Broncos was ok, but could be way better. The Broncos didn't even get 100 yards on the ground. I did noticed that Knowshon may get 3 or 4, 3 yard runs and then get stopped for a lose. I think the Broncos need to get into a roll with the run just like they are with the pass. The other problem with the Broncos run game was the short and goal plays. The Broncos would use every down to try and run the ball in. I believe they had 6 attempts for two touchdowns from the 1. I am hoping that our run game and goal line situation improves with the addition of Maroney.

Turnovers and Defense:

One of the bright spots from this game was the ability of the secondary to get turnovers. Champ, Dawkins and Cox all made good grabs and ended drives that could have finished in scores. Cassius Vaughn also picked up a fumble on STs and was solid in coverage.

The defense as a whole was good, they gave up 100 yards on the ground but they managed to keep the passing game in check. I am still worried about the speed of the linebackers, they are big but mostly slow. DJ is good but the others have no speed, unless Moss is on the field. To let Hasselbeck walk right into the endzone with getting touched is a joke (if you watch this play again, watch Ayers at the bottom of the screen, he has his back completely turned to the play.)

Rookie Thomas:

Today's game was Demaryius Thomas debut and he came out in a big way. He was slow to start but after he made that first catch it was love at first sight with Orton. He would go back to Thomas over and over in the second half and Thomas was good. He showed good speed and made his first TD grab. He finished the day with a stat line of 8 receptions for 97 yards and a TD. The only problem I see with Thomas is that he can out run Ortons deep ball so he would have to come back and get it.

Orton's Beard:

If you watched the game closely, or have seen the BTV video on DenverBroncos.com Orton has shaved the neck beard off. He now looks really nerdy.

Injuries:

There were a number of injuries in the game. Ayers had to go off for a while with an injury but did return late in the game. Andre Goodman also was taking off the field and did not return. And the worst of all was that Champ was taken off with an injury, believed to be an high ankle sprain. He was on crutches after the game, but he may play against the Colts.

Dawkins and DJ:

If you watch that video on DenverBroncos.com you will see how pumped and awesome Dawkins is, you will also see DJ getting fired up and pumping up the linebackers, that is something I want to see more of from him.

Next week:

The Broncos take on the Indianapolis Colts at home. The Colts are coming off a big win over the Giants, 38-14. The game should be close, it will be interesting to see if the Broncos can tango with a top team like the Colts.

That is me done ~ Aussie out!

Week 2: Broncos vs. Seattle Preview

Week 2 is already here with the Denver Broncos hosting the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener at Invesco Field.

Last week we saw a "so-so" performance from the Broncos as Seattle went on to completely dominate in their crushing win over the 49ers. As usual, Denver has their work cut out for them if they want any chance at putting up any kind of competition against Seattle. From what I saw against the Jags last week, the Broncos weren't atrocious on the field but I have seen better football from them in the past. But with Pete Carroll as the new HC in Seattle, it's no surprise they are on fire coming into the season and Denver has no choice but to seriously "up" their game tomorrow.

Offense:

Kyle Orton vs. Matt Hasselbeck is one match-up to look for on Sunday. With a rating of 108.3 over Orton's 89.8 and overall performance of both QBs, Hasselbeck (with 1 rushing TD) has a stronger advantage of conducting his offense to get the win. He has a strong Oline protecting him in the pocket giving Seattle better opportunities whereas our Oline is still facing Clady's healing injury (among other things). Things were in such bad shape for our Oline in Jacksonville, Clady was uncharacteristically responsible for 2.5 sacks on Orton. Clearly he is not 110% just yet. Look for Seattle's defense to try to exploit his side whether or not Clady plays to try and take advantage of one of our many weak spots. Orton held his own pretty well if you ask me against the Jags and is right now our strongest option for QB and I believe with the home crowd in his corner, that will encourage him even more to conduct our offense to get more TDs but most of all, to play smart football.

Another match-up on offense is the long-long-long awaited debut of Demaryius Thomas on the field. It is very possible we could see the Georgia Tech receiver in Orange & Blue tomorrow. He has been recovering from a reoccurring foot injury - I would love to see this kid play against the 'hawks. Too much talent to be sitting warming up a bench. Along with the rookie, we have Brandon Lloyd as a WR option that nearly stole the thunder from the Jags with what should've been the game-winning TD. This guy is shining very well in McD's system. Also we have the possible return of Eddie Royal, who suffered a "quadriceps" injury last week, you an almost be assured we'll see him back on the field in the home opener. Also in the WR mix for Denver is Daniel Graham (who I didn't see much of last week), Jabar Gaffney (3 for 34 yds & 1 TD) and just maybe they'll play Eric Decker for some plays where he could actually be useful instead of Special Teams. Meanwhile, Seattle's top receivers from week 1 are Mike Williams (4 for 64 yds) & John Carlson (3 for 36 yds) who recorded receptions but no TDs... two of their touchdowns came from 9-year vet Deion Branch (3/11 with 1 TD) and 2nd year WR Deon Butler (1/13 & 1 TD). Their total rushing yards (165) from week 1 were almost doubled by Denver (274), but don't underestimate Seattle. They will be fighting for not only a win but to spoil our home opener.


While I like it better when we pass the ball we have to face reality with our running game. Am I the only one that gets royally annoyed with they try to run the ball up the middle every flippin' time???? Drives me crazy. This is definitely one of our weaker areas. But you have to give credit to Moreno for playing as well as he did (15 for 60 yds & 1 touchdown ) and not getting any extra time to play in pre-season. Biggest concern we face here are no real solid backups and we have the hardest time trying to get anywhere down the field running the ball. I'm still waiting for the moment Moreno gets the chance to break free and run all the way home. That would be a sight to see. Our best bet for a back up is Buckhalter who is also recovering from an injury he sustained at the beginning of training camp. After that, I'm not to keen on our options for running the ball. In more drama for Denver, they picked up Laurence Maroney from the Patriots this week. There has been a lot of mixed feelings over this (rightfully so) but I'll stick with my gut and say until this guy has played for US and gets a fair chance in Denver, I won't stick him on the back burner. Its very likely he could do well here despite his history with injuries. On the other side, there is Julius Jones (8 for 18 yds) and Justin Forsett (7 for 43 yds) who were the top rushers for Seattle last week. Both can pose a big threat for our defense.

Overall, I think our offense has a decent chance at taking control of the game but I remind everyone that Seattle completely dominated their home opener. With Pete Carroll in charge, our defense will have to prepared for anything and a tough game. Our offense needs to manage the time better so our defense doesn't get wiped out from being on the field too long.

Defense:

I will say our defense has held its ground despite losing a critical key player in Elvis Dumervil for the season due to a pectoral injury. We all can agree we miss seeing him hit the QB on the field but we have no choice to make do with what we have. Not that I want to revisit the dark moments from last week's game but I have to say it just because it frustrated me to no end. I will be looking to see how well our offense manages the game on their side because it affects the defense physically & mentally. They know it but they never seem to do anything about it. It was more than obvious our D was wearing thin even in the 4th quarter after a 30 minute break due to lightening. We had a lot of mistakes on both sides of the ball, especially with Ryan McBean's 2 unacceptable face mask penalties. That I believe killed the game for us. This team still has the knack for getting penalties and they add up fast. It's ridiculous how many penalties we get in one game. Count on losing more games if that keeps up.


Our brightest moment for the defense came when Robert Ayers got his first career sack on QB David Garrard. Jump for joy everybody!! lol While that was so much I can hardly contain myself, Seattle's defense managed to get 2 sacks and 2 INTs (1 INT-turned -TD for 32 yards). We had a few moments ourselves where we almost had a few interceptions but it didn't happen. I do believe the Seahawks can be contained and while it may not look like it statistically, Denver can be the one to put an end to their 1-0 start. I wouldn't put it past Denver's D to really "Hassle" the "Beck"... hahaha, ok sorry bad joke - probably the only one that got the joke. lol Moving on.......

I hope to see strong games from our starters - defense putting pressure on Hasslebeck while Orton & Co., start managing our offense & time better. Special Teams... uh, what can I say? Not sure it will happen but I would love to see the Squid get a chance or two or three to take punt and/or kick return. The kid is good and very talented. I like what I saw from him in pre-season. I would also say the punts could've been handled better... we gave the Jags one too many opportunities to catch the ball and make a run for it, while a few punts to us went far past the end zone or landed us close to our own end zone. Princess no likey!! I can only hope our boys got a wake up call last Sunday and can make some drastic improvements tomorrow.

League stats with comparisons for tomorrow's game:

***As of now, the Broncos are 14th in the league for points (17) while Seattle is 5th (31 pts)

***Denver is 9th for yards (363) while Seattle is 27th (242)

***Denver is 6th for passing yards (274) while Seattle is 21st (165)

***And big shocker, Denver is 22nd for rushing yards (89) while Seattle is 26th (77)

Obviously, both teams have weak running games but any of the RBs playing tomorrow are capable of breaking free for the long run. Seattle's passing game is far behind Denver when you look at the stats but nevertheless, it will be a test for Denver's secondary. Hasselbeck will need to be contained but unlike last week, all the focus should NOT be put on one particular player. That's the mistake they made when they put all the focus on Jones-Drew and underestimated Garrard. I want Seattle to make that mistake with us. Orton is clearly a very underestimated & underrated QB in this league given his history in Chicago, but Orton continues to improve every time he plays a game. If our Oline can give him the protection he needs, our offense will have a great game. The defense can't afford to let down their guard and there is ZERO room for penalties. We've had enough penalties to last 3 games. Cut it out already! There's my 2 cents.

This is a big game for us even though it's only the 2nd week. We need to start winning and more so because this is our home opener. This is a very BIG deal! Jim Saccomano on DB wrote an interesting, fact-filled blog post about our home opening record . Worth a read. Well, my guess for last week's score was a bit off (being sarcastic there) but I'll give it another go. It will be another close game but the Broncos take the win, 23-20.

Good luck again... GO BRONCOS!!!!
Keep the faith Broncos Country

Extra highlights from Denver-Jacksonville game

17-yard run by Moreno

Orton to Lloyd 41 yard pass

Broncos Trade for Laurence Maroney

"We only had one negative run all day, but we feel like we left a lot of yards on the field in the running game," McD said this after the weekends game and the Broncos made a move in the hope of solving the problem. It was reported today that the Broncos will get Laurence Maroney and the Patriots’ sixth-round pick in 2011, while New England will get Denver’s fourth-round pick in 2011.This trade is pending Maroney passing his physical.

Maroney was the Patriots' first-round pick, No. 21 overall, in the 2006 draft. At the time, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan also coveted Maroney, who was a classic, one-cut, downhill zone runner at the University of Minnesota. Instead, Shanahan traded up from the No. 15 slot to No. 11 and selected quarterback Jay Cutler.

The former first-round pick accumulated 2,430 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in his first four seasons in the league, adding 40 catches for 409 yards and a touchdown. The fifth-year back has played in 45 regular-season games in his career -- starting 14 -- and started two of the seven postseason contests in which he played. He has contributed as a kickoff returner as well, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after returning a kickoff 77 yards at Buffalo on Oct. 22, 2006. For his career, he averages 25.9 yards per return. He has returned three kickoffs more than 40 yards, and 29 more than 20 yards.

But the Broncos will get a RB whose career has been hampered by injuries and inconsistency, particularly in the last two years. A shoulder injury limited him to three games in 2008; four lost fumbles in 208 touches overshadowed the nine touchdowns he scored last year (most in short yardage).

When he was healthy late in the Patriots’ 16-0 regular season of 2007, he was terrific; he closed that regular season with two 100-yard games in three weeks, then added another two 100-yard efforts in the divisional playoffs and AFC Championship. During the six games between Week 15 and the Super Bowl that year, Maroney averaged 97.7 yards per game and scored seven touchdowns.

McDaniels has been looking for a No. 3 running back who could compete for the 1B role since the first day of training camp, when 1A back Moreno and 1B Buckhalter went down with injuries.

Maroney clearly fits new Denver coach Josh McDaniels’ style. McDaniels was Maroney’s offensive coordinator in New England prior to coming to Denver last year. When it was rumored this summer that Maroney would be put on the trade market, Denver was a logical potential destination because of his history with McDaniels and Denver’s issues at the position.

Maroney fell out of favor in New England this season. He missed the Patriots’ season opener with a thigh injury. 

Maroney may not deliver immediate improvement to the Broncos' running game, given his thigh issue. But his familiarity with McDaniels' offensive system also means that Maroney should be full speed ahead once he gets healthy. The Broncos will have to make a roster move before Maroney's first practice with the team today. With Andre Brown having been claimed off waivers I believe he still has to be on the roster, which would mean Ball is the odd man out, unless someone else is let go.

Maroney is a big back and may be useful but he is another running back with an injury history.

ESPN.com had this to say about the Trade:

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. discussed the move and how it could affect Denver: “I can’t say I think it’s a bad trade. I don’t think Moreno can be trusted to stay healthy and Buckhalter is just a guy. So, Maroney can help and this deal makes sense. Clearly, McDaniels knows him and sees something in him. Still, I don’t see the guy who was a first-round pick in 2006. I think he may be on the decline some. But he has some physical burst. All three could be used in a rotation. This doesn’t make Denver a great team, but it doesn’t hurt them, either. It’s not a bad trade.”

Patriots Fan View:

These are a few things that I found on DB.com that the Patriots fans had said about the trade:
“Good bye Laurence. You wrote your own ticket out of town with red zone fumbles and too much dancing at the line of scrimmage.”

“What a bum and a waste. Plenty of talent but no guts. I’m sure he’ll wear out his welcome in Denver soon enough.”

“BUUUUUUSSSSSSST”

“Good riddance. ”

“mcdaniels is probably the only head coach in the league who wanted him.”

“sorry to see a first round pick go, but maroney could talk the talk and couldn’t walk the walk….
plenty of talent and no drive or heart.. good luck kid..”

“The Patriots are freaking brilliant. A 4th rounder for a guy they were about to cut. A guy who was a colossal disappointment. How do they get teams to agree to trade with them? ”

Other things to read:

Rookies remind Champ of Williams

That is it from me on the subject, I won't pass judgement on him until he plays for us ~ Aussie Out!

Sources: DenverBroncos.com, MaxDenver.com, DenverPost.com, ESPN.com

Broncos Vs Jaguars - Post Game Recap

Hey guys and gals, I didn't get to watch the game as it started at 3:00 am this morning for me, but I have been going over what I did see in highlights and taking a look at the stats. Also reading over people's observations and what they thought. So here is my recap of the game and notes that I saw.

vs

	1	2	3	4	OT	Final
Den	0	7	7	3	-	17
Jac	0	7	10	7	-	24

Well the Broncos lost in the first game of this season. Just going down to the Jagurs who were at home. This game was very close and was back and forth the whole game. The Broncos had a chance to tie the game late but could not get the score. This is a game the Broncos could have won and had a number of chances to win but turnovers and penalties would kill drives. There are several things the Broncos can do in the coming weeks to get better and hopefully get a win.

It was interesting to see that Tebow was the number 2 QB today. Just shows how far Brady Quinn has fallen from 1st round pick. Tebow saw a little action, running twice for two yards. Both were running plays straight up the middle.

I think one of the biggest bright spots from this game was the play of Orton and his receivers. Royal, Gaffney and Lloyd all had solid games. Orton had almost 300 yards passing and most of those yards went to these three receivers. I think the future is bright in Denver because of these receivers and the addition of Thomas and Decker, who are yet to see any time with the starters. The intercept late by Orton was a big buzz kill.

The pass rush was none exist this game and there wasn't that aggression we expected to see out of Wink calling plays. But it was good to see Ayers get his first regular season sack this year. One a game will be good for us if Ayers can keep it up. But in general the pass rush needs to improve.

One thing I think the Broncos overlooked going into this game was the play of QB Garrard. Garrard is a pro bowl QB that made us pay today. I think too much focus was put on stopping one player, MJD, that the Broncos over looked Garrard.

I think the TE coverage of the Broncos was dismal, which was always a problem in the preseason. The Broncos couldn't cover the tight ends at all, I am unsure if it was a problem caused by the Safeties or the Linebackers? I did notice that Haggan is very slow in pass coverage. He is good against the run but struggles in pass coverage. The run defense was good. We kept MJD to under a 100 yards. Ayers, Williams and Hunter are really good in run defense.

The Broncos running game I thought was good, when you consider Knowshon Moreno had not played all preseason. He had some good moves and made some good runs. But he needs support from the other running backs. The fumble and turnover by Bucky was a real drive killer since it could have resulted in points.

Probably the biggest problem and main concern I saw in this game was the Special Team coverage. We gave up to much field position in the kicking game, whether it was in the punt or kicking game. This will need to be addressed.

There was also way to many penalties in this game. Ryan McBean had a number of penalties on him and the team in a whole had too many penalties. This will need to be addressed for next week.

Well that is it from me, if you saw something else I may have missed hit us up in the comments ~ Aussie Out!

Broncos vs Jaguars Preview

Well, my friends the time has FINALLY come... the 2010 regular football season is here!! No one is more excited than me. ahaha

Alright on to the good stuff. The last time these two teams met was October 12, 2008 and it was a loss on our own turf, 24-17. Let's hope our boys can give them a taste of their own medicine come time tomorrow.

In some interesting match-ups for this game, we have the never-ending topic of quarterbacks. This time around we have Kyle Orton vs. David Garrard. Orton has come to prove himself on this team and will most definitely be able to be a strong QB for us in this game, especially now that Ryan Clady has been cleared to play after being out all summer with an injury. Our Oline will be much more stable and I personally will feel more confident with our offense now that we have good 'ol #78 back. On the other side we have a more experienced player in Garrard and he carries a very dangerous weapon, one that the Broncos would like to forget... Maurice Jones-Drew. I've pretty much blocked out the last game we had against these guys from my mind because of MJD.

Which leads me to our most important match-up: MJD and Denver's defense. The dude has legs and uses them to run like a speeding bullet. Its comforting to know we will have Knowshon Moreno back, possibly Bucky (but not very likely) but our defense has got to get control of MJD and maintain that throughout the game. We cannot afford to let him get away. Once is one time too many. I believe its obvious our defense is going to have to play very smart football to catch this guy before he is turned loose. Just to give us all reminders of how good this guy is, here's a look at his stats from last year vs. our RB Moreno.

Maurice Jones-Drew: 312 Car for 1,391 yards... Avg of 4.5 yards a carry with 15 touchdowns

Knowshon Moreno: 247 Car for 947 yards... Avg of 3.8 yards a carry with 7 touchdowns

You all can do the math.

Now, if we take a look at our offense & theirs as a whole we actually have a very close match-up. We have the edge over them on a few things and vice versa. The things our defense should pay close attention to on Jacksonville's offense coming into this game include:

**The obvious 'rush yards per game'. Clearly Jacksonville has that edge over us with 126.8 compared to our 114.8. May not seem like a big deal if you look at the numbers but that's 12 yards more and in a game we should win, 12 yards can add up quickly. 12 rushing yards could mean one more touchdown than us. Again, defense needs to always have MJD covered and don't let him do what he does best... not on us, not tomorrow.

**Next we have a match-up that has become so critical to Denver and one that we struggled with immensely last season - 3rd down conversions. Now, its not saying much but pre-season this year Orton led the NFL in 3rd down passing (139.3 rating; 13 / 16, 127 yds, 2 TDs and 0 INTs). Like I said its not saying much given that is from pre-season but if he can carry all that over to regular season we just might have a fighting chance when it comes to 3rd downs. Just to give you all a heads up on the 3rd down percentage from last year between these two teams - the Jags compiled a 45.1% compared to our 36.3%. I believe we can do much better this year, starting with tomorrow. I'm counting on Orton to not only avoid putting us in close situations too often on 3rd downs but when they do happen I'm counting on him to get us out of those close situations so that we don't have to end a drive in 3 measely plays. I don't want to see any of that 1-2-3 out stuff.

**And last but not least, one of the major parts to winning a game, Time of Possession. From last year, the Jags have literally a hair-thin edge over us when it comes to TOP, with 30:20 vs. our 30:11. When you think about it TOP is how one manages the game. Orton has come across as our "Game Manager" - well, this is one way to make that relevant. Its all about combining the smart plays with TOP to get touchdowns. I'm ready to see how Orton does in this game. All eyes will be on him.

On to the defense match-ups...

As for Jacksonville's defense last season, let's just say they weren't the best defense you could see. They have the edge over us in several areas but that's not necessarily a good thing. As you all may remember, our D started off pretty well and helped us to a 6-0 start to the season. From there after our bye week, it all went downhill. Our defense collapsed, our offense folded... we lost that team that won 6 straight games. Let's hope we got it back and can maintain that form, one game at a time.

Jacksonville may have a threat to us in Maurice Jones-Drew but their defense (according to these stats) was not very impressive. While we gave up more rushing yards per game (our 128.7 vs. their 116.4) last year, it seems as though the Jags will have more to worry about for their D than Denver??

**Jacksonville allowed more passing yards per game than Denver (235.9 vs. 186.3)

**Jacksonville allowed more points per game than Denver (23.8 vs. 20.2)

**Jacksonville allowed more 3rd down conversions (45 vs. 37.2) % and

**Jacksonville allowed more total yards per game than Denver (352.3 vs. 315)

Those stats to me stick out quite a bit. Denver has their work cut out for them but so does Jacksonville. Overall, I'd say this game is pretty evenly matched up, some areas have bigger gaps than others. My biggest concern is controlling & stopping MJD from running all over us. I can only hope our boys have decided NOT to pretend to be floor mats and let him run over them. The game will be a close one, I believe, but there is a possibility of a somewhat high score.

I'm not good at this but I'll do it anyway. lol I say Denver wins it, 28-20. What do you think?

Good luck to our boys... GO BRONCOS!!!!!!
Keep the faith Broncos Country