Broncos:

• There’s a surprise. Someone from Kansas City thinks Floyd Little shouldn’t have been selected for the HOF.
• Some lessons the Broncos can learn from this year’s Super Bowl.
• Kyle Orton is the best prepared Bronco on the team, says teammates.
• The odds for the Broncos to win the 2011 Super Bowl? 50:1. 
• Pat Bowlen opens up about Brandon Marshall.   
• Josh McDaniels also wants Marshall to come back next season.
• Tim Tebow in a Broncos uniform? Just say no!

AFC West:

• AA remembers Derrick Thomas on the 10 year anniversary of his death.
• Similarities between the Raiders and the Saints? Hmmmm… 
• The Chargers will see a lot of off season changes, but here are some reasons why they may not trade their guys away.

Random:

• What would your at-bat music be? Some bloggers weigh in.
• One of the best Super Bowl commercials, in my opinion.
• Make sure your “in case of emergency” contact knows how to spell.
• Create a caption here for this shot.
• Chris Cooley joined the boys from College Humor to shoot some interviews for OCNN during Super Bowl week.
• Just in time for Valentines Day?

As football fans, we’ve been very lucky. The past few Super Bowls have been so close and competitive that it almost makes you forget that your team isn’t playing in the big game. Historically, it was the $2.6 million commercials that got most of the attention as the game was a time to grab a beer from the fridge or chat it up with friends. Before yesterday, for the 43 Super Bowls that had been played, 21 were decided by 2 or more TDs.

Unfortunately, as Broncos fans, we’ve been on the sour end of many Super Bowl blowouts. The Broncos first three Super Bowl appearances were lost by an average of 22.6 points per game. Then as we know, our back-to-back Super Bowl wins were won by 11 points on average.

This year’s Super Bowl was expected to be a close game. Experts expected a high scoring, Manning-ending TD to cap off a Colts victory. Instead, the city of New Orleans doesn’t know when the party for the Saints will end and Mardi Gras will begin. Beads abound, Drew Brees high on his mound, and Tracy Porter found - a Manning pass to solidify the Saints first ever Super Bowl win. After Porter’s pick, it was a Big Easy win for a city that got behind their football team right after Hurricane Katrina. As evident by the Saints performance over the past few years, the team got behind the city as well.  

There ain’t no more Aints and Lose-iana can be Louisiana once again because as far as most everyone is concerned, the Saints played the better game and deserved to win. 

In a brief tale of the tape, here’s the low-down on some big name players: 

Drew Brees, however, was the main character in this too good to be true Hollywood script. After leaving San Diego with a bummed shoulder, not many were interested in the QB. Miami took a brief interest, but it was New Orleans that signed him while saying a silent prayer that he would return to form. Not only did he come back, but he came back a better player. Brees is now considered one of the elite QBs in the league, and I would put him on the same scale as Manning and Tom Brady. He went 32 for 39 passing for 288 yards, and 2 TDs. Mistake free and all that jazz won New Orleans its first professional sports championship ever.

Who Dat nation can rest easy. Nawlins, don’t be fooled. The first rest day that they’ll get will come on February 17th when the confetti and beads are all that’s left after a 10 day long party. The Big Easy will take it easy not because of a natural disaster, but because of a natural healer; Saint ‘Saints’ of the diocese of New Orleans.

As you’ve heard, Floyd Little got the call, but Shannon Sharpe will have to wait another year. With Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith being automatics this year, I wasn’t too surprised Sharpe didn’t get in. I’m not worried about Sharpe. He’ll get in.

Congratulations to Little, however, for all of his football accomplishments. Floyd Little played for the Broncos for nine season, making the Pro Bowl five times, winning an NFL rushing title, and two consecutive AFC rushing titles all in a time when the Broncos offensive line was a mess and there wasn’t a solid QB under center.

Without Little leading the Broncos, the team could’ve been located to another city. When Little retired in 1975, he was the 7th all time leading rusher in the history of the NFL. All I can say is it’s about time Little got into the Hall.

The NFL season winds down this evening as the final game of the ‘09 season is played. We couldn’t have asked for a better matchup with the two top teams battling it out for the coveted title of Super Bowl Champion. I hope this is an offensive showcase, one of the highest scoring games in NFL history, and all arrows point in the direction of that happening. Peyton Manning is always good at figuring defenses out at the start, and barring a Drew Brees freeze, Brees can easily heave the ball for a few TDs.

For the sake of the city of New Orleans, I want the Saints to win. The city deserves the ultimate football party, Brees deserves it, and Peyton already has a ring.

Enjoy the game!

It’s a big football weekend to say the least. The Hall of Fame class of 2010 will be decided today, and the final game of the season will be played tomorrow.

Broncos alums Floyd Little and Shannon Sharpe are finalists for this year’s class and both deserve to be members of the elite group. John Elway and Gary Zimmerman are the only two Broncos to be enshrined into the HOF thus far. Many people see this as an injustice based on the Broncos success over the past few decades. As Woody Paige points out,

“ Only two teams have played in more Super Bowls than the Broncos, who have been to six in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Dallas Cowboys have played in eight, the Steelers seven. The Patriots also have reached six. Twenty Steelers, 16 Cowboys and four Patriots are in the Hall of Fame.” (Denver Post)

The HOF selection process will only spark more future debates. You see, the selection committee is made up of 44 voters. These voters select as many as 5 players, coaches, or contributors plus 2 senior committee candidates. As the list of eligible players, coaches, and committee members grow, the number of people allowed to be enshrined is staying the same. This is how the older guys like Steve Atwater and Randy Gradishar get overlooked more and more as the years pass.

There is a certain trend in the voting process. The “glory positions” get a lot of the votes. Thus, it seems the players who were on offense have a better chance at getting enshrined. The committee also considers how long players played (the reason why Terrell Davis isn’t in there yet) and who the player was playing with. If a wide receiver was catching balls from an elite QB, he is not as highly considered. They also take winning into consideration. That’s why a lot of Raiders are still waiting for their votes (ha ha ha). Finally, they don’t want to take too many players from one team. That’s going to spark some controversy when it comes time for some of the Patriots Super Bowl team members who are awaiting their turn.

I say increase the number of players let in every year. Yes, the HOF is a very elite group, but increasing the number to 7 players/coaches/contributors per year isn’t going to make a huge difference in the status of the Hall. It’s still very difficult to get in, but it will allow more players to be inducted who deserve to be there.

Find out if Floyd Little and Shannon Sharpe make it in today. The 2010 class will be announced at 5:00 p.m. ET.

The Pro Bowl doesn’t mean much, but five Broncos players were represented during the game. While Brandon Marshall didn’t have big numbers, his lone reception for 23 yards resulted in a TD. Brian Dawkins stepped up with 3 tackles and 1 INT to help the AFC to a win. Dawkins was wired for sound, and that makes our clip of the week:

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=349&videoID=3741&type=broncosTV&year=&month=

Sunday’s battle on the gridiron comes first for Reggie Bush and Reggie Wayne, but there’s also a battle for the Milk Mustache going on between the two. The players will face off in a Body by Milk ad battle that will run this Friday (Feb. 5) in USA Today. The winner of the battle will get  a second solo ad run in USA Today the day after the Super Bowl (Feb. 8).

Bush and Wayne were chosen for the ad because they “ know that drinking lowfat chocolate milk is a great way to rehydrate and refuel after giving it their all on the field. Chocolate milk has the right mix of carbs and protein to refuel – it’s a natural source of protein so it’s great for building and repairing muscles. Plus, it’s got the added bonus of 9 essential nutrients athletes need. Both players know that staying active and eating right help give them the energy and strength they need to run through a tough defense or make that big catch.” (Body by Milk)

I have some exclusive behind the scene photos of Reggie Bush and Reggie Wayne proudly displaying their milk mustaches. Here they are:

Many NFL players have donned the stache, but my favorite has to be this guy:

Broncos:

• The Broncos had a successful Pro Bowl.
• Don Martindale is the Broncos new defensive coordinator and Dumervil and Dawkins are stoked.
• A nice piece on Elvis Dumervil and his Haitian ties.  
• The latest on the possibility of Brandon Marshall returning to the Broncos.

AFC West:

• AA thinks the Chiefs should sign Julius Peppers.
• Al Davis has his check book ready.
• Vincent Jackson was a beast in the Pro Bowl.

Random:

• An argument for why the Pro Bowl doesn’t suck.
• What the Super Bowl would mean without Dwight Freeney.
• Nick Swisher makes a cameo on How I Met Your Mother.
• Rudy Gay fires too early, so Kobe shows him how it’s done.
• What would you do for a Super Bowl ticket?
• Obama raps the State of the Union.
• The top Super Bowl commercials from last year’s game.

After taking to the John Elway vs. Brett Favre debate, I’ve decided to post a great video from the 1998 Super Bowl matchup between the Broncos and the Packers. It’s from the NFL’s Sound Tracks series and gives you a look and listen to the players and coaches during the game. Enjoy!