Good day, Broncomanics! Did you happen to see the rainbow to the west of downtown this morning? Simply awesome.
So you see, there really is life after the home team desecrated Invesco Field at Mile High by losing 59-14 to the hated Raiders on Sunday.
Not that I’m ready to let go of the debacle. There’s simply too much juicy material to sink our teeth into. With that in mind, I’ve got some lists for you as you nurse your Monday hangover.
The five worst moments from Sunday’s game:
1. Darren McFadden’s 57-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The Broncos defenders, including Champ Bailey, simply quit.
2. Knowshon Moreno’s end zone dance. Memo to the youngster: Don’t celebrate when your team is behind 38-7 in the second quarter.
3. Leaving Tim Tebow on the bench. The rookie quarterback still hasn’t thrown a pass. Coach Josh McDaniels, what are you waiting for? Most of the fans stuck around hoping to see a player show some life and passion.
4. Opening TD by Raiders tight end Zach Miller. He moved through the Broncos’ defense and like the Invisible Man. It was clear the Raiders coaching staff had a much better game plan than the Broncos.
5. Watching Raiders fans party. It was like watching the Red Sox take over Coors Field after Game 4 of the 2007 World Series.
NFL’s five worst teams:
1. Buffalo Bills. They are 0-6 and the NFL’s only winless team. The Bills are on pace to give 528 points, or five fewer than the record 533 surrendered by the 1981 Colts.
2. San Francisco 49ers. No. 2 with a bullet after losing to woeful Carolina on Sunday.
3. Carolina Panthers. By beating the 49ers, they moved up one spot.
4. Detroit Lions. They didn’t lose Sunday because they didn’t play. The Lions are 3-35 since start of 2008 season.
5. Denver Broncos. They average 358.6 yards per game, but just 19.7 points. They are giving up 28.4 points per game, 30th in the league. They are soft as evidenced by the Ravens and the Raiders bullying them.
Five Denver Post headlines (proposed by me) that went unused:
1. Apocalypse Now
2. Fiasco at Invesco
3. The Black Hole
4. Orange Mush
5. Quittin’ Time
Five Best Readers’ Rants
1. “This is like watching Joe Louis box Pee Wee Herman”
— Darth Tyger
2. “I just want to know one thing: why did CU play twice this weekend?”
— Tannim
3. “My tax money built that stadium, I want my money back.”
— dswanson
4. “Somewhere in the NFL lies a place where illusion and fantasy create a confidence not warranted in any realm ruled by objective reality; another dimension where a coach can create fantastic stories that have no basis in reality. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but mostly in one man’s mind. You’ve just entered: ‘THE BRONCO ZONE'”
— vercing torix
5. “The good thing is the horse didn’t gallop on the field for the Raiders. He would have died from exhaustion.”
— kmooch
Trivia time
Can you name the starting quarterback for the Broncos when they lost 51-0 to the Raiders in Oakland in 1967? (Answer below)
Polling
The Denver Post poll posted shortly after the Raiders mercifully finished off the Broncos asked fans if they believe McDaniels can keep the team from quitting this season. With more than 7,400 votes cast, nearly 83 percent believe the team has already quit on the coach.
Quotable
“We whipped them physically (and) mentally. In the first quarter, they didn’t want no more. For real. The offensive linemen, their eyes were like this (makes huge circles with his fingers). Big. I told (Richard Seymour when it was 14-0) ‘If we score one more time, they’re going to quit.’ And that’s how it played out.”
— Raiders defensive tackle
Tommy Kelly, to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Trivia answer
The quarterback was none other than “Colfax” Steve Tensi. He completed 2-of-12 passes for a grand total of 17 yards.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
