Broncos Gameday Recap: Game 8 - vs 49ers in London

49ers 24 Broncos 16

Painful first half, glimmers of hope, ceiling falls in, too little too late at the end. For Broncos fans, it was less painful than last week, but at the end the Broncos once again came up short.

I'm running out of ways to express my disappointment in this Broncos, but let's just try to sum up briefly all the things that went wrong.

Time of Possession: 49ers - 33:34 Broncos - 26:26

Turnovers: 49ers - 0 Broncos - 2

Broncos 3rd Down conversions: 2-10

Broncos Missed Extra Points - 1

Exciting Game Changing Broncos Touchdowns overturned by Penalty - 2

Total Rushing Yards: 49ers - 143 Broncos 59

The Broncos had a shot in this game, they really did. However, there is just something missing with these guys that it's hard to put a finger on...Oh wait, it's talent. Talent is missing on this team. Fortunately, our boy wonder coach fixes that problem by trading away good running backs for 3rd string quarterbacks, trading away 3 valuable draft picks for a quarterback who apparently is only good at running for 2 yards, and chasing away mega-talented wide recievers and quarterbacks. (Well, calling Jay Cutler mega-talented may be a bit of a stretch at this point, but you gather my point. And that point is saying Josh must go.)

Positives:

Brandon Lloyd: I don't know where this guy came from, but if you were fortunate enough to pick him up on waivers for your fantasy team week 1, you've been well rewarded. Seven catches for 169 yards in London on Sunday for the NFL's leading receiver. That's right, he's number 1 right now.

The Broncos didn't lose by 45 this week: I don't know if that qualifies as a positive, but I'll take it.

Negatives:

Stupid Penalties: The Broncos had a beautiful flea-flicker for a touchdown, only it didn't count because of a chop block call that seemed to be mostly bogus. Then there was an obvious clip in the back that called back a punt return touchdown. Either score would have had a profound effect on the game. Sigh.

Run Defense: They are barely trying at this point, it feels like.

The Mojo of the Broncos: It feels like they are waiting for something terrible to derail each game now. And as soon as it happens, it snowballs.

Final Thought:

I'm sorry it took two days to get this up, but the fact is that I'm getting fed up with the effort, the coach, and my team in general. At this point, I'll consider a 5-11 finish to be a resounding success. Hopefully next season we can get things pointed in the right direction, but right now, there is no joy in Broncoville. Ah well, I remain a faithful fan (if a somewhat lazy recapper), despite the terrible results of late. Go Broncos!

NFL Weekend Preview: Week 8

For some insane reason, the NFL thought these two teams would make for a compelling game to send overseas.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...it was NFL Week 7. For the first time that I can remember, I hit a game on the nose as I predicted the Panthers would beat the 49ers 23-20, and what do you know? That was the exact score! Of course, before you start anointing me Nostradamus 2, I also picked the Broncos to beat the Raiders 27-0...so I was only SLIGHTLY off of the the 59-14 Raiders win. Egads. Well, here is my latest attempt at pretending I know what is going to happen before it actually does....

Dolphins at Bengals - After getting screwed a week ago against the Steelers, the Dolphins take their revenge on a different AFC North team. If the Bengals were a game show contestant, they'd be about to learn that they were going to be getting a copy of the home game. Dolphins 31 Bengals 17

Jaguars at Cowboys - Who sucks more in this one? I don't want to pick the Jags on the road, considering they are a somewhat dreadful team, but then, do I really want to pin my hopes on...

...THIS GUY?

I don't like doing it, but I'll go with the Cowboys since they are the home team and I'll just pretend like Jon Kitna ISN'T playing a major role in their chances. I won't be surprised if the Jags end up winning, but egads, is this a terrible game on paper. Cowboys 19 Jaguars 16

Redskins at Lions - It's weird, but despite the fact that the Lions are 1-5 and the Redskins are 4-3, I still feel like the Lions are the better team. Lions 33 Redskins 26

Bills at Chiefs - My Cleveland friend Adam has been touting the Chiefs as great all season. I don't share his opinion of their greatness, but I think they win the AFC West by default due to lack of interest by anyone that should be opposing them in harmony with one of the easier schedules in modern football history. The cupcake tour rolls on with the horrible Bills coming to town. Buffalo gave the Ravens a handful last weekend, I don't see them having two good games in a row like that. Chiefs 30 Bills 13

Panthers at Rams - Chances are very good that the Rams are legitimately a decent team these days. Less likely that Carolina is. I'll take my second Missouri team in a row, here. Rams 20 Panthers 14

Packers at Jets - The "Spurned by Brett" Bowl goes down in New Jersey this weekend. Both teams appear to be better as a result of no longer employing Favre, although the Jets seem to have their house in much greater order than the Pack. The Jets defensive strength gets to go up against the weak offensive line and terrible running game of Green Bay. All in all, I see bad things ahead for the boys from Wisconsin. Jets 34 Packers 21

Broncos vs 49ers (in London) - Apparently we are still upset with England to be giving them this game. 1-6 Niners vs. 2-5 Broncos (coming off a 45 point dismantling at home, by the way.) Either we think the Brits have no clue about what they are watching, or we are convinced they are so starved for NFL football that they will watch anything. (Yes, the Broncos are my team. No, I'm not delusional enough to think that they are anything remotely approaching a major draw.) If nothing else, I hope it goes better than the most famous matchup between these two franchises back in XXIV...

Twas a rough day for Broncos Country.

I'll be watching and hoping that my boys can bounce back from giving up 59 to the Oakland Raiders, if they're going to do it playing a crappy Niners team on a neutral site in Europe is as good a place as any, I guess. Broncos 19 49ers 10

Titans at Chargers - The Chargers have looked like stale crap thus far this season. I think they are in a hole too deep to pull their way back past Kansas City, but I think they are due. Plus, the Titans lost at home to my Broncos, so I have a hard time being completely sold on them. Chargers 31 Titans 27

Buccaneers at Cardinals - I find it hard to believe I live in a world where neither or these teams have a losing record. I don't believe in either of them, but I guess I'll go with the Bucs, as I believe in the Cards even less than Tampa on the road. Buccaneers 17 Cardinals 13

Vikings at Patriots - Would Brett Favre have to be actually missing a limb to decide not to play a game? Also, can we make that happen? I predict that the purple princess keeps his games started streak intact and also continues what has been a somewhat nightmarish season going on the same path by getting obliterated by a Patriot team that appears back to the smoke and mirrors style of play they won with so regularly before their insane 18-1 season. Patriots 41 Vikings 10

Seahawks at Raiders - Raiders are not that good, the Broncos were just that bad. I have a hard time believing they will bring it that strongly two weeks in a row. I'll take the Hawks in a squeaker. Seahawks 20 Raiders 19

Steelers at Saints - Not sure what is wrong with the World Champs, but I know for certain that playing a game against the Steelers is not the cure. Steelers 24 Saints 13

Texans at Colts - Prepare for the end of days...I'm predicting that the Texans run the table this season against the Colts, and I'm almost certain that is one of the signs of the impending apocalypse. Texans 30 Colts 27

Week 7: 8-6
Season to Date: 58-46

Broncos Gameday Recap: Game 7 - vs Raiders

Raiders 59 Broncos 14
The first of many, many, many embarrassing moments for Denver today.

Inexcusable. Embarrassing. Disgusting. Worthless. Heartless. Hopeless. Gutless. Pathetic. Other than that, no problem.

Somehow the Broncos lost by 45 to a team run by THIS guy!!

FIFTY-NINE POINTS?!?!?!? TO THE RAIDERS!!! THE BLEEPING OAKLAND RAIDERS!!!! THE TEAM RUN BY AN UNDEAD CRAZY PERSON? A TEAM THAT HASN'T WON MORE THAN FIVE GAMES IN A SEASON SINCE 2002!?!?!?!?

I'm not going to put a whole lot of effort breaking down that miserable excuse of a football game that took place at Invesco Field today. There is nothing worth reliving here. The Broncos didn't try, so why should I? Here is the readers digest version of what I regularly do in the recap:

Positives: None. Not a one. Seriously, nothing positive worth mentioning. Move along...

Negatives: Did you see the game? Did you see the final score? The entire afternoon was a negative. The Broncos were outscored by 45 points at home by a team that is terrible and has been terrible since we were only in the second year of the George W. Bush presidency. It is fine to lose a game, but to get throttled like you're a High School JV team is unacceptable.

In fact, let's look at how ridiculous this game was from a statistical viewpoint, with no commentary needed.

Total Plays:

Raiders 74
Broncos 50

Rushing Yards:

Raiders 328

Broncos 75

Turnovers:

Broncos 3

Raiders 0

Touchdowns:

Raiders 8

Broncos 2

Time of Possession:

Raiders - 38:39

Broncos - 21:21

Final Score:

Raiders - 59

Broncos - 14

This was more embarrassing than losing 55-10 to the 49ers in Super Bowl 24. At least that was a good team. This was a 2-4 team playing with little confidence. I've been defending Josh McDaniels, but this is unacceptable. Pat Bowlen should blow this whole thing up. Fire McDaniels, Fire his whole coaching staff, do it tonight. Immediately.

That team gave up and showed zero pride and zero heart. The Broncos are the laughingstock of the league tonight, and with good reason. McDaniels is 4-13 in his last 17 games, and it's harder to mail in a game any harder than the Broncos did today. They gave up 59 points in 3 quarters of play, and it could have been 75 points if Tom Cable didn't take his foot of the accelerator in the 4th quarter. If you were a betting man and somehow were able to get the Broncos plus 44 points, you STILL would have lost.

This is hard to stomach. At one point early in the fourth quarter in order to try and keep an audience that had no reason to keep watching this hot garbage, one of the announcers on CBS tried to promote the rest of the game by saying, "Will the Raiders crack 60? Stay tuned to find out!"

In the fifty years of the Raiders, this is the most points they have ever scored in a single game. There is no silver lining in this game. This cannot happen again. If McDaniels still has a job tonight, he has to figure out a way to beat the 49ers next week in London. I'm sure the NFL has to be pleased with their decision of which game to send overseas next week. A 1-6 team versus a 2-5 team that just lost by 45. Egads.

This season is quickly being flushed down the toilet, and the great vibes that came from a very competitive game against the Jets last week are long gone. This Broncos team appears to be very broken, and my faith in the man that has been tasked with fixing it is very low. I wasn't expecting a ton from the Broncos this year, but I kind of hoped we could keep a home game against the Raiders within 40 at the very least.

Oh well, I may be a disgusted Bronco fan, but I'm still a Bronco fan. This too shall pass, and hopefully SOMEDAY they'll be a good team again. It's just that doesn't seem likely at this point. I remain faithful to my franchise, even if today was one of it's lowest moments. Go Broncos. (Maybe next week we'll actually show up.)

Craig Explains the Universe: Episode 6 - Dinosaur Hat

Super Mario Brothers Song Tournament: 1 Seed vs 8 Seed

The 1 Seed - Super Mario Japanese Beatboxer Hikakin.


vs.

The 8 Seed - Super Mario Accordion


Click here to go to the voting page on the Dameshek.com Message Boards and cast your vote.

Vertically Striped Radio - Episode 78 - 10-23-10 - The Rent is Too Damn High

After hearing news about a croc on a plane and a woman marrying herself, we decided to settle in to discuss the New York gubernatorial race...where clearly the rent is too damn high. Face and the Whale gave their thoughts on the coolest candidate I've ever seen.

We had the first round of the Super Mario Bros. music tourney with Japanese Beatboxer Hikakin going up against an Accordion version of the song.

Face and I also unveiled the Magnificent Seven: Top 7 All Time Major League Baseball hats. It pains me who I had to put at number 1.

We finished up by discussing the smartest and dumbest places in America...or at least that is how I positioned it.

The Vertically Striped Music recommendation was "My Time" from the band Minus the Bear.

NFL Weekend Preview: Week 7

Yup, it's this weekend. Favre vs. Rodgers III. The circle is complete.

For the second straight week I improved my pick percentage. I feel ready for a perfect week. Not that I'm going to go perfect, but I'm READY. Also, although it doesn't even have any relevance to this post. "Yankees, Yankees, Yankees! They lose all their games!" Good luck to the Rangers in the World Series, and thank you for making sure New York doesn't go back to back. A grateful nation salutes you.

Bengals at Falcons - Atlanta rebounds from a tough loss last week against the Eagles in a big way. Falcons 27 Bengals 10

Redskins at Bears - Feels like a low scoring snooze fest of a game to me. Bears 13 Redskins 6

Rams at Buccaneers - At the beginning of the year, who would have thought that neither of these teams would have a losing record when this game happened? The Rams will have a losing record after it's over, though. Buccaneers 24 Rams 19

49ers at Panthers - West coast team flying East to play a team that they should probably beat. I'm not so sure they do. I refuse to believe in the 49ers. The dreadful Panthers get their first win. Panthers 23 49ers 20

Bills at Ravens - There aren't a ton of hard and fast rules in NFL predictions, but when the worst team in the league goes on the road to play one of the top 2 teams in the league, I think it's probably wise to take the home team. Ravens 38 Bills 3

Eagles at Titans - I have the Eagles as the best team in the NFC right now, and yet, I think they'll have trouble against a middle of the pack AFC team this weekend. I am still going to take Philly to win, but I think it'll be close. Eagles 17 Titans 16

Jaguars at Chiefs - I don't want to pick this Chiefs team, but the Jaguars are not good enough to take on the road to me. Chiefs 27 Jaguars 14

Steelers at Dolphins - Steelers are due for a random letdown game, why not in Miami? Dolphins 19 Steelers 16

Browns at Saints - I read that Bill Simmons feels like the Browns can with this game. I don't share his convictions. Saints 23 Browns 16

Cardinals at Seahawks - I like the Hawks to level the Cardinals record at 3-3...and I also think the Cards don't sniff over .500 for the rest of the year. Seahawks 24 Cardinals 14

Patriots at Chargers - The Chargers have been dreck on the road, but have been pretty decent at home. The Pats usually seem to have San Diego's number, but the Chargers need this one. Chargers 26 Patriots 23

Raiders at Broncos - Broncos should win, but I don't know that they are good enough to blow anyone out. I'm going to pick this one with my heart though. Broncos 27 Raiders 0

Vikings at Packers - Favre Bowl III. I'm not going to hype this one any more than necessary, as it's probably going to get plenty already seeing as how it is THIS game. Packers 29 Vikings 13

Giants at Cowboys - Are the Cowboys really this bad? Sure, why not? Giants 21 Cowboys 7

Week 6: 9-5
Season to Date: 50-40

Powerlines: Week 7 NFL Power Rankings

What better analogy for the NFL season can there be than a dog with tiger stripes? Okay, there are probably a lot of better analogies, but I like this picture, so deal with it.

So, here we are six games through the year, and it appears we have ourselves a horse race. It feels like there are ten or eleven teams with a shot to win the title this year and clearly no one is running away with the thing. It's kind of fun to be watching an any given Sunday league*. For your information, the numbers in parentheses are the team's record and plus/minus rating.

*Any given Sunday is not a guarantee of competitiveness, and does not necessarily apply to the Buffalo Bills.

1. Steelers (4-1 +54) - This team became much harder to cheer for once Ben Roethlisberger returned to the fold. The NFL is deep in the middle of a season of ultra parity, but if any team is going to be dominant this year, it feels like the Steelers have the best chance.

2. Jets (5-1 +58) - Got lucky in Denver, but this Broncos fan finally admits that it was okay for the ref to throw the pass interference flag in the fourth quarter. I still think he should have let it go, and that is an awful way for a game to be decided, but I must admit, the Jets are a good team.

3. Patriots (4-1 +38) - Tom Brady talking smack to the Ravens might be more intimidating if he didn't look like a 16 year old pop music star while he was doing it. Still, "They talk a lot for beating us once in nine years." is a glorious quote.

4. Ravens (4-2 +17) - I think Tom Brady better watch out if the Ravens meet up with the Patriots in the postseason. I have a feeling the Ravens will get their second win in the past 9 years against New England if that happens.

5. Colts (4-2 +38) – It seems like the Colts are winning on muscle memory. They appear to often be very average, and yet they get it done more often than they don’t. I think this season is the beginning of the end for Indy, though. They’ve had a very nice run, though.

6. Eagles (4-2 +33) – It’s a rare luxury to have two quarterbacks that you can trust, and the Eagles appear to be in that luxurious situation. The Browns, Cardinals and Panthers are exceptionally jealous. Also, how much better is the AFC than the NFC? We don’t get our first NFC team until number six, and even then I am hard pressed to say who the best team in that lesser conference is.

7. Saints (4-2 +22) – New Orleans stomped out the Buccaneers, but questions remain if this team is back or if that result was an anomaly.

8. Giants (4-2 +16) – Getting themselves on a roll, but I’m still wary of New York after the way the were rolled in back to back weeks by the Colts and Titans.

9. Falcons (4-2 +29) – The week that everyone anoints them the class of the NFC is the week they get throttled by Philly. The NFL is unpredictable.

10. Texans (4-2 -14) - If the Texans are legit, it's time to prove it, they have the Jets, Chargers and Colts as three of their next four opponents.

11. Chiefs (3-2 +16) - I still have my doubts about the legitimacy of the Chiefs, but if they are actually a good team, they need to pound the Jaguars. Good teams destroy Jacksonville.

12. Bears (4-2 +15) - The Bears have yet to beat a team that currently sports a winning record. Their 4-2 record feels a bit inflated.

13. Packers (3-3 +27) - What happened here? We knew the game against Favre and the Vikings was a big one, but it may be one the Packers have to get if they want to turn their season around.

14. Titans (4-2 +64) - How did this team lose to my Broncos? I saw it happen, and I still am confused by it.

15. Redskins (3-3 -6) - Donovan McNabb...meh. The Redskins are at .500 now, and feel like they will be at .500 ten games from now.

16. Vikings (2-3 -1) - Beating Dallas either set this team on the path back to relevance or was a last gasp of the Favrian Empire. I'm hoping it's the latter.

17. Dolphins (3-2 -23) - NFC North teams should fear when the Dolphins come calling, they have gone into Green Bay and Minnesota and came back with surprising wins.

18. Bengals (2-3 -2) - How can a team lose to the Browns and the Bucs, but beat the Ravens? Weird team, these Bengals of Cincinnati.

19. Seahawks (3-2 +1) - I'm wondering if the Hawks will keep alternating wins and losses all year? If so, this next Sunday is a loss against the Cards.

20. Rams (3-3 -10) - After being hopeless last season, this team is quickly rising to the level of mediocrity. They may be a contender in a year or two.

21. Cowboys (1-4 -9) - Team Dumpster Fire. You want to look away, but you can't help but stop and smell the burning garbage.

22. Jaguars (3-3 -57) - It's hard to rally your fans when there are only six of them, and your rally cry is, "Let's wear Teal."

23. Chargers (2-4 +31) - The curse of Norval is finally reeking it's vengeance on the Bolts. He is not a good coach, but this team should be better than they are thus far. It's a total Jekyll and Hyde team. They are gangbusters at home and a disaster on the road thus far. They have outscored their opponents 79-23 at home, and have been outscored 78-103 on the road.

24. Broncos (2-4 -16) - My boys aren't very good, but they at least put up a good struggle and fight hard...except when they go to Baltimore. Other than that, this is a lovable, if horribly flawed team. It was nice to see them actually have a running game against the Jets for a change.

25. Cardinals (3-2 -50) - This team has a winning record, but I refuse to believe that they are a good team. There is just no way. Unless you believe in Max Hall. Let's look at their rankings in the NFL: Offensive Passing 30th, Offensive Rushing 29th, Defensive Passing 26th, Defensive rushing 29th. Can you look at that and explain to me how they have won more than they have lost?

26. Buccaneers (3-2 -31) - Another of those bad teams masquerading as a winning team. Bucs are not as good as their record would indicate.

27. Raiders (2-4 -31) - Every year the Raiders get sleeper buzz, every year they don't deserve it. As an avid Raider hater, I enjoy this cycle. Can we please keep this lather, rinse, repeat cycle going?

28. 49ers (1-5 -46) - I love the denial in the 49ers camp. You have to love an owner staring at an 0-5 record and honestly believing he is going to still make the playoffs.

29. Lions (1-5 +6) - How can a team have only won one game in six tries and STILL have a positive plus minus?

30. Browns (1-5 -37) - The Browns can take solace in knowing that they are still much better than Carolina or Buffalo.

31. Panthers (0-5 -58) - The fanbase is excited...but only because college basketball season is starting before too long.

32. Bills (0-5 -74) - If you can't say something nice about a football team, you're probably talking about the Buffalo Bills.

Broncos Gameday Recap: Game 6 - vs Jets

Jets 24 Broncos 20

LaDainian Tomlinson and the Jets just barely squeaked by a very game Broncos team in Denver on Sunday.

"Grand Theft: Football Game." I tweeted this out as I angrily walked back to my car after from Invesco Field on Sunday. I was livid at the end of the game, and now that I've had time to digest it, I'll concede that MAYBE it was conceivable for the ref to toss a flag for pass interference on 4th and 6 which basically handed the game to the Jets. However, I still believe the ref really should have kept the flag in his pocket.

The Broncos won that game, and then a call that shouldn't have been made was made, and they lost it. It was a beautiful Colorado October day. Invesco Field was more Orange that it has ever been. The Broncos were playing with a passion and intensity that we haven't seen all year, and they were outplaying the Jets. Heck, even Tim Tebow scored his first career touchdown today. It was a game that by all rights should have been Denver's, and yet at the end, it wasn't.

Champ Bailey is still very good.

That was an awful way to lose a game that the Broncos really deserved. Then to have it end with a whimper on a bobbled snap, when we were poised for a epic finish...It just hurt. That was a entertaining game from start to finish, and to be robbed of the drama at the end was hard to take. In the end, it was a game that although it will go down as a loss in the record book, I felt better about my Broncos at the end of it. There are no moral victories in the NFL, but this game was about as close as one can get. The Broncos were a good team today, and they really should have beaten a team that has to be considered Top 5 in the NFL right now.

Positives:

Syd'Quan Thompson was just one of many Broncos on the defensive side who had a very solid game.

The Defense: The Broncos defense was stout today. Forcing a team that had previously only given up one turnover into three today. Mark Sanchez looked over matched for much of the day. The Broncos defense gave up only 319 total yards, and they were great on 3rd downs holding the Jets to 5-13 on 3rd down. Sanchez hadn't thrown an interception all season, and the Broncos took 2 from him, and almost had three or four more additional that they just dropped.

The Running Game: The running-game challenged Broncos out rushed one of the better running teams in the NFL today 145 yards to 129 yards. Tim Tebow got into the act as the second leading rusher with six carries for 23 yards. Kyle Orton also had several key scrambles, and Knowshon Moreno returned from injury to have a solid day as well. After several weeks of a dreadful rushing attack, it was nice to be competent again.

Tim Tebow knows how to celebrate a touchdown.

Tim Tebow: His touchdown run in the second quarter was electric. I haven't seen a Bronco crowd that excited about a touchdown since the Elway era. Even though he only ran for 23 yards on the day and his long run of the day was a mere six yards, every time he was on the field the excitement levels jumped. Denver has fallen completely in love with Tebow.

The Color Orange: Okay, so this may sound dumb, but the Broncos game today felt a little old school. It was officially "Orange Sunday" with that phrase being plastered all over things from souvenir cups to rally towels that were handed out. The Broncos were wearing Orange, the crowd came decked in more orange than I have ever seen at Invesco, and the atmosphere was almost collegiate. I know it has very little to do with the outcome of the game, but today's game felt a little different and more intense, and as crazy as it sounds, I felt like the fact that Orange was so predominant today transferred to the intensity of the team on the field. Yes, that is a ridiculous thing to say, but I honestly felt it today.

Negatives:

This should not have been a penalty.

Pass Interference: You can't make that call. You just can't. Renaldo Hill and Santonio Holmes were both going for the ball. You have got to let that one go. If that flag never hits the ground, the Broncos kneel on the ball a few times and walk off the field with a well deserved win. Ugh, that hurts.

The Game ended with a fizzle, as Kyle Orton was unable to corral this fumbled snap.

Kyle Orton: He's been gangbusters all season, but today Kyle was off. His passes were often off target, he seemed to be not on the same page with his receivers, and there was just something not quite right about his game today. He finished a rather poor 14-34 for 209 yards. He still played with a lot of heart, and made some big plays with his feet, but today was not his finest hour.

The Field Goal unit: Lonie Paxton flubbed a first half snap that caused what should have been an easy field goal try to not even be able to be kicked, and Prater missed a 49 yarder. Not that we can blame the loss on that, but those are six points that would have been valuable in a four point loss. On the plus side, Prater did nail a 59 yarder at the end of the half that would have been good from 67 yards.

Final Thought:

Demaryius Thomas hauls in a touchdown to put the Broncos up 17-10.

This really should have been a win, and I'm proud of my team. There are different kinds of losses. All of them hurt, but after the Ravens loss last week, I was embarrassed to be a Broncos fan. After today's loss, I was proud of my team, and am hopeful for the future. Still...a win would have been nice, especially considering how close they came. Oh well, we'll get em next week when the hated Raiders come calling. Go Broncos!

Did you bring me a Monkey?

What better way to say, "Happy Birthday, We love you!" than with the gift of a plush animal wearing licensed NFL gear?

Perhaps my favorite birthday present I received for my birthday this year wasn't even a surprise. It was SUPPOSED to be a surprise, but my son is not so good at keeping secrets. My birthday was on a Friday, and on Tuesday of that week while I was at work, my wife and kids went to Build-a-Bear and made me a Monkey and decked him out in his very own Broncos uniform.

My wife told my son Luke to not tell me about it, but he's 3. I got home from work while he was napping, and my wife and daughter went to the grocery store when I got home. About 10 minutes later, Luke woke up from his nap and the very first thing out of his mouth was, "Dad! We went to Build-a-Bear and made you a Broncos Monkey today!"

So, even though it wasn't a surprise, I was very pleased to get my monkey. He comes with his own jersey, helmet, and pants. Luke also has a Build-a-Bear Bear with a Broncos uniform, so we have decided to deck them out in their full football uniforms on Broncos Game Days, and just let them hang out in nothing but their jerseys the rest of the week. (They look a little better without the pants and helmets, but it's fun to have them in full uniform for the game.)

As you can see, Gameday at our house is serious!

Are you ready for the confusion, though? named my monkey "Bear." Yes, he is a monkey named Bear. My son's bear is creatively named "Broncos Bear." So on a Sunday at my house "Bear" and "Broncos Bear" get dressed for the game, only they aren't both Bears, but they are from Build-A-Bear. Got it?

Vertically Striped Radio - Episode 77 - 10-16-10 - We're sending our love down the mine.

The Chilean Miners were rescued this week, and the rescue brought to light many things other than just miners who had spent 69 days underground. Things like mistresses, the Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le chant, and the fact that Face Ventura has a very loose handle on the news.

Face, the Whale and Craig talked miners for awhile, and then challenged the Blogtalk record for number of times the word "penis" was said on a show as we discussed the Brett Favre-Jenn Sterger controversy.

Finally, we broke cereal down in glorious detail and Face and I each unveiled our Magnificent Seven: Top 7 cereals list.

VSR finished up with the Vertically Striped Music Recommendation of "Stall Out" by Mute Math.

NFL Weekend Preview: Week 6

One of this weekend's biggest matchups is...Texans-Chiefs?? Did someone proof read this blog post?

Finally! I'm back on the winning side of picks last week. This bizzaro NFL world plugs on, and I'm trying like mad to hold on for the ride. Many thanks and a big shout out to my cousin Tawni who called me up Friday morning to ask if I would like to attend the Broncos-Jets game with her. I found it funny that she had to ask if I was interested! You bet, cuz, and many thanks for the ticket! Anyway, here is how I see these games going this weekend...

Falcons at Eagles – Suddenly Atlanta is everyone’s NFC darlings as they have followed up an close opening day loss to the mighty Steelers with four straight victories, but before we start getting too excited about Matty Ice (Just a dreadful nickname, by the way) and the Dirty Birds let’s remember their wins have come against the Arizona Cardinals (Who might be the worst 3-2 team in history), The Cleveland Browns (need I say more?), the struggling Saints, and the winless 49ers. The Falcons have certainly looked solid, but how about you get a signature win before we start crowning you the NFC favorite for the Super Bowl. That said, Kevin Kolb is starting for Philly this weekend, and the Eagles just aren’t very good. I think if it were Vick, I’d take the Iggles, but with Kolb, I’ll pick the Falcons, but just barely. Falcons 20 Eagles 19

Chiefs at Texans – The Kansas City Chiefs have to be the favorite to win the West right now. (So naturally, I still think the Chargers will do it.) The Texans laid a massive egg against the Giants last week. The Chiefs are probably slightly undervalued right now as they are probably better than we think, and the Texans are clearly overvalued as they appear to be not nearly as good as we thought a month ago. However, I’m still picking the team with cows on their helmets over the team with arrowheads. Texans 27 Chiefs 24 (in OT)

Saints at Buccaneers – The Bucs are to this point in the season one of the biggest positive surprises in the NFL. The Saints have been quite disappointing in their title defense thus far. I just can’t in good conscience take the Bucs right now, though. Saints 20 Buccaneers 13

Dolphins at Packers – The Packers opened the season with people thinking they are great. I think we need to downgrade that now, though. This is an average team. Of course, the Dolphins are also a pretty pedestrian team as well. So I’ll take Green Bay over Miami in the Average Bowl. Packers 23 Dolphins 14

Chargers at Rams – It’s just past the quarter pole, the Chargers look to be in disarray and are several games behind the division leader after having just dropped a game to Oakland that was so sad it sent this poor boy into convulsions.



In other words, the Chargers are right where they want to be and here comes their late season roll…Well, maybe not, but if I had to guess, that’s what I’d guess. It helps to be playing the Rams who may be looking to the stands for Wide Receivers, as they are hurting in the “people to throw the ball to” department. Chargers finally break out big. Chargers 38 Rams 3

Ravens at Patriots – The Randy Moss trade may have been a very solid move, but I think it also signifies that Bill Belichick doesn’t think his team has what it takes this year. The Ravens look like a beast to me. I’ll take Baltimore to go into New England and thump the Pats just like they did in the postseason last year. I’ll even predict the exact same score. Ravens 33 Patriots 14

Lions at Giants – Well, the Giants have clearly been up or down…Nary a close game to this point. They have won by 13, lost by 24, lost by 19, won by 14, and won by 24. Egads and Yikes…will the real New York Giants please stand up? One thing I’m not going to do is predict a close game here, and when the opponent is the Lions, well…I think I’ll pick New York to win big instead of lose big. I realize the Lions won 44-6 last week, but this is the Detroit flipping Lions. No way they blow a team two weeks in a row, not when they have only won four games in the past two and a half years. Giants 33 Lions 10

Browns at Steelers - This has to be the lock of the week, doesn’t it? It’s in Pittsburgh, the Browns are starting a rookie, Big Ben is coming back, the Steelers defense has been eating teams alive…Explain to me the scenario where Cleveland wins this game. I thought so, you can’t do it either. Steelers 29 Browns 7

Seahawks at Bears – Can Marshawn Lynch carry the Seahawks to an NFC West title? Why not? I’ll take a goofy upset here. Seahawks 20 Bears 10

Jets at Broncos – The Broncos looked dreadful last week in Baltimore. The Jets are coming on, and yet I really want to take Denver. Not because I think they are going to win, but because I’m going to be at the game cheering them on, and I hope they do win. They aren’t going to, though. Sigh. Jets 33 Broncos 23

Raiders at 49ers – How little are the Raiders respected? The Niners are 0-5 and off to a miserable start, and yet they are six and a half point favorites over the Raiders. The Niners shouldn’t be that big a favorite against San Jose State at this point. I’ll take the underdog Raiders to win outright. Raiders 22 49ers 19

Cowboys at Vikings – The battle of the underachievers! The Vikings have been putrid, but I think there is slightly more dysfunction in Dallas right now. Plus the Vikings get to play at home. Vikings 27 Cowboys 20

Colts at Redskins – The Colts aren’t as scary as they once were, and the Redskins have looked fairly legit…at least when they aren’t losing to the Rams by two touchdowns. Still, I’m going to take Peyton Manning here, because as long as number 18 is on the field, I don’t like going against him unless I feel very strong about it. Colts 31 Redskins 17

Titans at Jaguars – Ugh, Monday night football has quite the drop off from Vikings-Jets last week. These two teams are part of the four team 3-2 logjam in the AFC South. I’m going to say that the Jags are the worst log in that jam. Titans take this one on the road moderately easily. Titans 33 Jaguars 17

Week 5: 8-6
Season to Date: 41-35