Notes from South Beach. …
The key to the Broncos’ season? Leave it to Al Wilson to sum it up in one word.
“Turnovers,” Wilson said.
Wilson will launch his seventh NFL season today. The Broncos in his previous six seasons have committed too many turnovers and not forced enough to win a single playoff game, much less a Super Bowl.
“You can throw all that other stuff away,” said Wilson. “We just haven’t forced enough turnovers. We’ve played well, but this league is about turnovers. That’s the area where we just haven’t gotten it done. It’s still a mystery to me, but maybe this is the year.”
Which brings us to one of the strangest stats of the Broncos’ 2004 season, when they finished minus-9 (29-20) in turnovers. They were close to even on the road, forcing 12 and committing 14. At Invesco Field, they forced eight – one a game – and committed 15. …
The Broncos just completed an undefeated preseason for the third time. So, is that a sign of good things to come? Not necessarily. They finished 11-5 in 2000, losing a first-round playoff game at Baltimore. In 1982, they followed their unbeaten preseason with a 2-7 record in a strike-shortened season. …
True, but strange: The Broncos’ road winning percentage is .475 since 2000. That’s higher than the 1990s (.425) or the ’80s (.473), when John Elway was, more often than not, their starting quarterback. …
Maybe it was fate that led Pete Rose down the wrong path. Rose, on Fox’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period”: “I was born the day Lincoln was shot and the Titanic sank.” …
What, you think Notre Dame’s schedule is tough? Check out Temple. The Owls play, count ’em, eight teams coming off bowl seasons. …
I see where Bill Belichick wore a navy blue shirt during Thursday night’s opener. What, he has abandoned that gray sweat shirt he borrowed from the Unabomber? …
Joe Theismann on his “Monday Night Football” gig, starting next season: “If you’re going to work for ESPN, you know you’re never going to be afforded an opportunity to do a playoff game or a Super Bowl. So this was it. This is my Super Bowl.” …
Theismann, by the way, is predicting the Redskins will play in the NFC championship game. Right after Andy Reid poses for Cosmo, I presume. …
Enough already with the e-mails punking my pick of the Vikings as the surprise team in the Not For Long. Anybody noticed that they’ve accumulated 13 first- and second-rounders on that defense? …
Here we go again. The Broncos are favored by the Las Vegas wiseguys. Happened 15 times last season, with less than stellar – 6-8-3 against the spread in ’04 – results. …
Oh, by the way, the Broncos win today. And while I’ve got my crystal ball handy, the Chargers lose. …
Didn’t like it at the time, dislike it even more as time goes on. The Rockies giving away Shawn Chacon, that is. New York writers have taken to calling Chacon the ace of the Yankees’ staff. …
T-shirt spotted on a Cheesehead at last Saturday’s Wisconsin-Bowling Green game: “The liver is evil and must be punished.” Oh, all right, so it doesn’t have anything to do with sports. Lighten up, bubba. The Broncos haven’t lost a game yet. …
Still not sold on Jake Plummer? It could be worse, sports fans. Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, the other Hall of Famers from the Quarterback Class of ’83, have been replaced by Gus Frerotte and J.P. Losman. …
Panthers special-teamer Rod “He Hate Me” Smart henceforth wants to be known as “He Love Me.” Uh, OK, Rod. …
Al Davis in the press box and the Rolling Stones on stage? You wonder why the NFL, as part of its opening-night extravaganza, didn’t break out throwback leather helmets. …
Turns out hitting .333 will get you to the Hall of Fame in football, too. Case in point: Davis, whose Raiduhs are 11-22 since their Super Bowl appearance. …
News: Dave Wannstedt, dumped by the Dolphins, loses first two games at Pitt. Views: So it wasn’t the porn-star mustache. It was his coaching. …
Happy birthday to 41-year-old Ellis Burks, one of my all-time favorite Rockies. Betcha he still could outhomer most of the current cast of Rox. …
And finally, three words to live by this morning: Let’s geaux, Saints!
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM, and on Fox Sports Net’s “Insider Edition.” He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
