More Fun at the Expense of Broncos Management

I am not a Denver Bronco fan or hater.

But for some reason, I have had lots to post about on the Broncos.

And with my last 2011 post, why not offer another thought on the team formerly known as the Orange Crush:

Wouldn't it be ironic tomorrow if Kyle Orton leads the Chiefs past Denver, the Raiders win, and the Broncos do not make the playoffs?


This would be a final punch in the stomach for Broncos management that has seemingly fumbled through the 2011-12 season.

I refer to decisions like these:

--Tout Tim Tebow as the starter prior to the season and generate excitement around ticket sales.  Yet he ends camp as the third-stringer.

--Put Kyle Orton on the trading block and then can't quite reach a deal with at least the Miami Dolphins that would have brought a good draft pick or two.

--Apologize to and then hold onto Kyle Orton, he wins the starting job, and then is benched after losing 4 of the 5 games that he leads the team.

--Unable to move the former starter before the trade deadline and then cannot get anything for him this season, Orton watches games from the sidelines.

--Once Tebow's winning streak is in full swing, Orton requests to be released.  The team does not have to grant his wish; especially since he could be signed by someone that they may play later.  Someone in their division.  Someone who can end their season.  You know, like the Chiefs in Week 17.

--They release Orton anyway, and he is signed by those Chiefs.

Whatever happens Sunday, Broncos management should be criticized for providing the Chiefs with a capable NFL quarterback that could result in a defeat and no playoffs for Denver.

A game that might have looked quite different if Orton were still holding a clipboard on Denver's sideline--as in facing Ricky Stanzi (a rookie who has never started an NFL game) or undrafted journeyman Tyler Palko (who has a less than 60 quarterback rating this year).

One and Done

Well it was good news/bad news for me in fantasy.

I lost my last regular season game, but still made it to the playoffs (9-5).

Unfortunately, I faced a team that had a hot scoring week, and RB Frank Gore will not be able to score enough tonight to help me win.

I was hopeful that RB Felix Jones, who I proudly drafted with my 5th pick only to watch him be a fantasy bust this year, would score bundles against my lowly Buccaneers. 

And, the Cowboys won easily and Jones had good yardage totals, but he did not score a TD. 

So as I play for 3rd place next week, I'll have plenty of time to rethink my drafting in the off-season.

I hope your team is doing better.   

On Karen Kornacki

At the Chiefs news conference on the firing of head coach Todd Haley, KMBC reporter Karen Kornacki questioned management as to why the move was made so close to Christmas. 

She then suggested that firing the coach could have waited until the end of the year; as it would have benefited Haley's family.

Well, Kornacki is taking a load of ribbing online.

In contrast to Kornacki's belief, I think former coach Haley's family may be the happiest group ever to welcome home a newly unemployed dad during the holidays.

Instead of barely seeing the guy this Christmas, Haley's family will now have lots of time to spend with him--and the sizable payout he'll receive due to the contract being terminated will bring even more smiles.

This is a coach who has been paid millions, and will likely have little problem finding a new job in the off-season.

He will be just fine.

And, Kornacki is tough and will weather this storm.

At least this controversy did not involve her being shot in the face with a pellet gun by Kansas City Royals outfielder Emil Brown again as she was interviewing another player.       

End of the Fantasy Season

This is the last regular season game of my fantasy football league and 7 out of the 10 teams have either clinched a playoff birth or can still advance to the playoffs depending on the results.

Though my top three draft picks have been less than impressive this year (RB Mendenhall, RB Gore, and QB Rivers), I am still fighting for the playoffs with a 9-4 record. 

Unfortunately, my last game is against my son's team--he always seems to go on a late winning streak, and is doing just that in 2011.

Last year, all I needed was a win to make the playoffs on the last game, and I was playing the worst team in the league.  Instead, I lost and my son made the playoffs instead.

Just to make his dad look bad, he even advanced to the Super Bowl only to finish as the league's runner-up.

Perhaps this year, I can take bragging rights from him. 

If not, it will be another long off-season of Dad whining.  

On Beating the Packers

I have grown weary listening to football experts discuss whether the Saints are built to beat the Packers in the playoffs.

The pontificators always answer "No" to this type of question, and argue that the Saints are a dome team dependent on an impressive and complex passing game for lots of points--a strategy that typically does not translate well for a visiting team challenging those "cheese-heads" on a frigid Wisconsin Sunday. 

They also list the Saints defense as questionable with their 18th NFL ranking in "Points Allowed Per Game."

So what is wrong with this explanation?

It fails to address that the Packers are not built like a team that wins in cold weather either. 

Every liability that New Orleans has, could be characterized as a weakness for Green Bay as well.

The Packers are a high-octane passing team with a superstar QB and fantastic receivers.

Both teams depend on throwing to their TEs to create match-up problems.

Neither team runs the ball exceptionally well--I think the Saints have the advantage here with the four good backs.

And what about defense? 

The Packers are only ranked 14th in the league in points allowed.

In "Total Yards Per Game," twenty-nine other team defenses are better than the Packers (the Saints are ranked 25th overall).

In sum, neither team has a great defense, running the ball is not a strength for either, and both would likely prefer to play in a comfy dome somewhere where they can score 70 points by passing. 

So, the next time you hear "the Saints are not built to defeat the Packers in the cold weather", I say flip the argument on them and have them explain how the Packers are constructed to win in January.