Our Timing is Off
October 31st, 2009 | by Bryan Douglass |The season is killing me.
There is a reason I despise the Halloween season… I hate fake pagans (anyone that is oh so happy to tell you they are a pagan isn’t), the annual arrival of the early snowstorms in Denver proved inevitable once again, and as usual, I have too many sports overlapping at once and thus the Stable is neglected.
The only joy I find: the eventual fight I start with some ill-fated high schooler that thinks my house is the one he should hit up for candy at 10 o’clock…
… some habits die hard.
We can only hope the Broncos enjoy the thrill of the fight as well, ’cause this week… THIS week… is as troubling as any we have seen for Josh and the boys thus far.
Before we launch into it, let’s review the links from the week.
Elvis Dumervil checked in with the NFL Network this week. To be honest, it doesn’t include Rich Eisen or Warren Sapp or Michael Irvin or… well… it’s done by some talking head the Network insists on pushing out there in the middle of the day. It almost ruins the entire damn interview, and to be honest, I think Elvis is fightin’ the urge to laugh at the guy the entire time.
The Royal Treatment was awarded an additional free taco this week, honored as the NFL’s Special Teams Player of the Month. Fantasy owners may not appreciate the title – we’d be much happier watching Royal get work done as a receiver of passes rather than punts and kickoffs – but the Mile High faithful have every reason to rejoice. We normally rail against the use of primary targets in special teams but Eddie has proven special, and as long as it works it is hard to suggest you go in another direction. The Daily Camera agrees.
Putting one eye forward, it sounds like the Broncos may have a bit of luck on their side when the welcome Pittsburgh back to town next week.
Our friend Kyle from BroncoTalk.net notes they could see gifts from the gods of faith this week.
Brandon Marshall is going serve as a guest host for the Sports Soup show on Versus next week (we’ll do what we can to find a clip when the time comes… have a hard time believing the members of Bronco nation won’t sniff it out).
As expected, the Broncos made a change in special teams, signing veteran punter Mitch Berger to fill the void left by the release of Brett Kern. I have to admit… if this is your most concerning downfall this season, I can live with it.
Lindsay Jones with the Post took the story started by the Mile High Report and ran with it, following on the history of the elusive Josh McDaniels football card.
Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey was chosen by teammates to represent the Mile High as the team’s nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award, which recognizes players for both their on-field play and their off-the-field contributions in the community.
The propaganda machine at Dove Valley put the spotlight on offensive lineman Russ Hochstein, one of the more underappreciated moves made by Josh this season.
Kim at Predominantly Orange wants to help you realize why you should be proud to bleed orange rather than purple.
Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com has pushed Denver to the #3 spot on his latest Power Rankings and feels one more win puts them in the discussion with New Orleans as the best in the land.
Speaking of PFT… remember Keary Colbert?
Current Raven and former CU Buff Justin Bannan stopped in to talk with D-Mac and Alfred this week on 1FM04.3 The Fan.
Want to know the source of fear this week?
I keep seeing this play in my dreams. You don’t have to be a fan to know… Ray Rice is a killer.
This week’s salute to the best in wagering entertainment for the week from KissingSuzyKolber.com.
And since we are there, he’s a fun one from KSK on Rivers versus Orton that I missed last week.
Another must-see event for fans of the wager.
The Kid spent some time with Jim Rome this week.
The folks in the Springs are ready to throw support behind The Kid as well.
During the bye last week I caught our own Ryan Harris on the radio hanging out with the South Bend voices of football, enjoying a visit with his alma mater Notre Dame. I’ve searched and searched for the audio on that interview for you… it was solid, but alas my efforts are for naught. My apologies, and if anyone knows where I can get it (he was in the booth during halftime), I’d be more than appreciative.
Ron Jaworski agrees… this week is going to be the best we’ve enjoyed thus far. He predicts the Ravens will pull it out 20-21 and offers some outstanding insights (as always) in his blog. BTW, the Sports Xchange (a syndication network) seems to agree.
This may have been my favorite read of the week. The Kyle Orton fans of the world will enjoy it as well.
If you are doing early Christmas shopping for The Stable, you can start here. Of course, in a moment of honesty I might admit I’d rather have this.
Check out this box score. This really happened.
Guess what? Larry Johnson is an asshole. Who knew? Oh… yeah… we all knew. And we also know it doesn’t matter, and so does Jason Whitlock.
This week’s Walkthrough from Mike Tanier at Football Outsiders… we hit this every week and suggest you do the same. Mike also hits on the weekly matchups for the New York Post.
Here’s the latest press conference from King Josh as the Broncos wrap up practices for the week.
Stable-approved Post member Jeff Legwold checks in with a look at my favorite Denver Bronco.
The National Football Post wants you to know just how influential the Denver defense has been thus far.
Here’s the latest on this week’s injuries from the Tim Lynch at the Mile High Report.
While the Stable is worried about Ray Rice, Jeff Legwold is worried about Derrick Mason… and we are all worrying about Joe Flacco.
Speaking of the Post, Mark Kiszla came in this week to tell you what you’ve known for about five weeks now.
Here is what the Baltimore Sun is thinking about coming into Week 8.
Emmett Smith with the Mile High Report ponders the future of Kyel Orton… and THIS Emmett Smith (not Emmitt Smith) is actually worth listening to.
Josh McDaniels sat down with ESPN’s Suzy Kolber this week (thanks to the milehighfootball channel at YouTube for the hit).
We got back to Kyle from BroncoTalk.net for a bit of insight on the inner works at Dove Valley, namely the business of the weekly gameplan and how Josh utilizes the playbook.
Lindsay Jones got some time with Josh as well, talking about the physical test ahead.
Mike Klis, another Post soldier, found his feature syndicated on Fox Sports this week, discussing the art of the salary cap and Denver’s ability to use it to their advantage.
Kris Burke with the Bleacher Report thinks the Broncos can continue to overachieve.
Stable-approved Post member Dave Krieger is ready to adjust expectations.
This week’s Bad Beats (a view of the world of the NFL from the chair of the degenerate gambler) from Deadspin, another weekly favorite.
It sounds like the entire team will be healthy for the visit to Melo’s hometown.
The Ravens are worried about stopping Brandon Marshall.
And Bill Simmons is worried about stopping bullets…
Ok… thought we would be wise in our continued efforts for efficient sharing of knowledge and news and build on an idea we commenced last week. To round out the weekly offering of links we have gathered and organized some of our favorite hits of the week and we’ll present them OCD style, and we’ll start with the second edition of the…
The Bill Williamson Buffet
(The AFC West blogger for ESPN is a former newspaper man from the local scene making good and he comes up with a long list of hits for the Denver faithful each week.)
… the AFC West Mailbag for the week, including a question from Troy who hails from a town near and dear to my heart, Dekalb, Illinois (and no, I’m not really sure how to explain his source of inspiration).
… Bill’s three AFC West Players to Watch, including our own Kyle Orton.
… the By the Numbers feature for the week, a simple statistical review of the AFC West after seven weeks.
… evening news and notes from October 28th, including a bullet on Brian Dawkins, Ronnie Fields, and other injury concerns of various degrees.
… this week’s AFC West Blogger Blitz. And while I’m here… who do I have to grease to get these posted on the Worldwide Leader’s YouTube station? You have an entire channel devoted to your site. You posted two of the Blitz clips from this week and ignored the one we wanted. How many people work on the Bristol campus? Can’t find ONE to post these things?
… an in-depth look at our Denver Broncos and their chances of continued success moving forward (at least for this season).
… Bill’s “Needs Improvement” feature of the week, noting Denver’s special teams.
… Bill’s chat transcript of the week.
… an update on injuries from Thursday’s injury report.
… an outstanding post on the quarterbacks of the AFC West.
… Bill’s Final Word from Friday.
… updates on injuries from the Friday night injury report.
… the AFC West weekend mailbag from just a few hours ago.
We love you Bill. Safe travels (he’s heading out to see Raiders/Chargers this weekend).
Let’s move on to our new feature…
The Stable Game Previews Buffet
From Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com (on his spot with the Sporting News)…
From Jim Trotter with Sports Illustrated…
(With a straight face I tell you… I typed “Peter King NFL” into Google Images and this is one of the first pics it gave me… and to be honest, I’m willing to roll with it. Sometimes you can’t look a gift horse in the mouth, ya’ know?)
From Peter King with Sports Illustrated…
From Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News…
From Cris Collinsworth, Warren Sapp, and Phil Simms on Showtime…
From Adam Schein with Fox Sports…
From Pete Prisco with CBSSports.com…
From the NFL Capsules with CBS Sportsline…
From the National Football Post…
From the great MJD at the Shutdown Corner…
And for the Mile High faithful, from Predominantly Orange…
And this brings us to our final weekly collection better known as…
The Fanball Buffet
(Just a list of my favorites from the mothership.)
- Last week’s Projections Report from Kyle Elfrink.
- IDP Waiver Wire Wonders from Christian Rivera.
- Goal-Line Gossip from Danny Goldin.
- Buy Low – Sell High from Steve Sheiner.
- Target Analysis from Jason Collette.
- Fantasy Cup College Lineup Edge from my good friend Don VanDemark.
- Strength of Schedule Analysis from Rick Hawes.
- Start ‘Em and Sit ‘Em from Ryan Boyer.
- SnapDraft Picks from Seth Trachtman.
- Flex Rankings from Ted Carlson.
- IDP Stat Analysis from Mark Hooper.
- Office Pool Picks from Ryan Houston.
- Fantasy Football Tip Sheet from Rick Hawes.
- Quality Games Review & Preview from Bob Lung.
… and my moment of self promotion.
- Any and everything golf at Fanball.
- My true moment of glory, 5 Questions Owner’s Aren’t Asking.
- I haven’t posted yet today but will be sharing late this evening at the Buffalo Wild Wings All-Star Blogger Fantasy Challenge (though, to be honest, it’s not going well).
- Also enjoyed about 10 minutes with The Sports Edge this week on 590AM The Fan in St. Louis (you’ll find me in the Audio player from 10/28).
(Special thanks to TheSection300 Channel on YouTube for the clip. We’ll be coming back for more fellas.)
Normally I would follow with The Stable’s “Glass Half Empty, Glass Half Full” offerings. However…
(a) … we’ve already gone WAY too long.
(b) … I have to run to the Sooper to get candy for the kiddos that come through, along with some Guinness and a couple of Phillies to get me ready for Fight Club.
… and (c) I must admit, at this moment, I’m struggling to wrap my head around this matchup. I am more excited for this game than any other I’ve watched (not including college) this season, and I want to give it a full post of its own.
I’ll be back later this evening, probably running into early tomorrow morning, with a full plate of thoughts, hopes, and predictions for the Week 8 battle with Baltimore.
Until then… thanks for stopping in.
Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Bill Williamson Buffet, Denver Broncos, Fanball Buffet, Game Preview Buffet, Links, Week 8
