“Dawk” one of the best.
“Having grown up in Philadelphia and being a bleed-green Eagles fan for 45 years, I can tell you what Philly lost and Denver gained in safety Brian Dawkins. From his work in the community to his deep faith in God, your town has not only gotten one of the best players to ever pull on an Eagles or Broncos jersey, you have a man I’m proud to say is the hero of my 15-year-old daughter. My daughter and I will be at the stadium today to welcome ‘Dawk’ back to Philadelphia and hope the fans of Denver will welcome him into their hearts.”
Paul, hopelessly bromantic
Kiz: Let’s pray Dawkins is bigger in the City of Brotherly Love than Santa Claus. While it’s reasonable to expect “Dawk” to be greeted warmly before kickoff, wonder what would happen if he makes the game-winning pick in a town that once booed and threw snowballs at Jolly Old Saint Nick.
Playoff? Wait a minute.
“If for some reason the Broncos get a bad draw in the playoffs and get bounced in the first round, we need to realize coach Josh McDaniels has established himself not only as a great offensive mind, but also a better evaluator of free-agent talent than we had in the previous administration. McDaniels can hang with the big boys. Let Mike Shanahan go to the Redskins and trade Clinton Portis for a top-flight defensive player. I’m sure the Cleveland Browns have some D-linemen they want to unload.”
Matt, McLovin’ it with McD
Kiz: Playoffs? Did the man say playoffs? Be still, panicky hearts of Broncomaniacs. Even if this team finishes 9-7, here’s guessing the final AFC playoff invitation will be mailed to Denver.
Give Cutler a chance.
“Denver fans and columnists appear to take a disturbing amount of pleasure in watching Jay Cutler struggle in Chicago. But compare Cutler’s career trajectory to other great quarterbacks. In his fourth NFL season, Cutler is projected to throw for 3,562 yards, 22 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. In his fourth pro season, some pitchman named Peyton Manning threw for 4,131 yards, 26 TDs and 23 interceptions. As a third-year pro, John Elway threw for 3,891 yards, 22 TDs and 23 interceptions. Good quarterbacks have tough years. Cutler has regressed this season, but history has shown some young QBs grow stronger from the experience, while others wilt. The jury is still out on Cutler, and Denver would be wise to rein in its sense of self-righteous vindication.”
JP, Washington, D.C.
Kiz: The ugly statistics might not tell the whole story of Jay-C’s season, but that Mr. Grumpy Face we came to know and love so well in Denver reveals why we should wonder if this adversity will lead to maturity, or just another trade demand down the road. And if you really think Cutler belongs in the same sentence with Manning and Elway, here’s the stat I really want to know: What’s the octane rating of your eggnog?
Not so sunny.
“The Broncos have one of the best receiving corps, one of the best offensive lines in football, a strong selection of running backs and an intelligent quarterback. And I watched our offense get outscored by woeful Oakland? At home? Put simply, McDaniels’ offense has to be the most underachieving unit I’ve seen in 35 years of following Broncos football. This is not exaggeration.”
Jim, Mendocino, Calif.
Kiz: Exaggeration? Nah. Let’s call it selective memory, because I’m here to make peace, not war. The Broncos are averaging 19.6 points per game this season. Not great. But want to venture a guess what the team averaged in 1977, the year that changed football in this city forever? Yep, 19.6. This year’s edition of the team is on track to score 314 points. Again, not great. But definitely not the worst. Should we mention the 304 points scored by a mature Elway during a 12-4 season in 1991? Can you handle the truth? This Denver offense very closely resembles what Shanahan trotted out late in his coaching tenure.
Parting shot
The Broncos’ “O” quite offensive against the Raiders
And today’s parting shot might be interpreted as a challenge from a disgusted fan who thinks he owns a better arm than quarterback Kyle Orton (left).
“The loss to the ‘Raidahs’ should be fully pinned on the Denver offense. Namely: Kid McD, or maybe Kid McDuh, as you said you wouldn’t call him Kid McD anymore. Kiz, how many times did Knowshon Moreno try to pound the right side of the line, only to get stuffed? How many screen passes were the Broncos going to attempt for a 1-yard gain? The inanity of our offense had me reaching for the remote. Good thing I didn’t throw it — I might have actually thrown it for more than 5 yards.”
Brian, Littleton
