In the Broncos final preseason game, they head north to Minnesota. Two big stories out of Vikings camp this year: Brett Favre and Brett Favre. Because this appears to be Favre’s last season in the league, and thus, his last time playing against the Broncos, he makes this week’s clip of the week. Favre was mic’d up last season when the Vikings played the Detroit Lions. Here, you will get to see the goofy, serious, and outspoken side of Favre on the field.

The long awaited annual NFL preview from Sports Illustrated came out today. They see the Broncos finishing the 2010 season with a 7-9 record, 3rd in the AFC West, with the Chargers and the Raiders ahead of them.

Along with these predictions, Senior writer, Jim Trotter, wrote a piece about Kyle Orton explaining how Orton is ready to lead this Broncos team.

“Based on his performance in the preseason and at training camp, [Kyle] Orton could be poised for a career year. If he plays well, that would also allow the Broncos to bring along [Tim] Tebow at a controlled pace, and it would reaffirm [Josh] McDaniels’s message that hard work pays off.” (Sports Illustrated)

Sporting News was also especially harsh on the Broncos, predicting a last place finish and a 4-12 record for the team that went 8-8 last year.

While Sports Illustrated and Sporting New has their take on how the AFC West will play out, others have the Broncos finishing in a better position.

Locally, Mark Kiszla, of the Denver Post thinks that the Broncos have a great chance at making the playoffs.

“The division title is there for the taking by Denver. San Diego has lost its mojo, Kansas City isn’t quite ready for prime time and Oakland remains hopelessly lost in an Al Davis time warp.” (Denver Post)

Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Weekly believes the Broncos are true contenders in the division.

“I still hold that Denver is the primary threat to San Diego in the AFC West, and that puts the Broncos in the division-title discussion, for San Diego, while the superior team, can be prone to losing focus in the regular season. Some will say the Chiefs or Raiders might be ready to pass the Broncos in the pecking order, but I don’t believe it, as both clubs have shaky passing offenses and porous defenses. Yes, both clubs defeated the Broncos in Denver toward the end of last season, but I’m not going to put too much stock in those results.” (Pro Football Weekly)

Man Cave Sports believes that the Broncos will come in 2nd in the AFC West.

“The Broncos have a brutal first half schedule playing: at Jacksonville, Indianapolis, at Tennessee, at Baltimore, New York Jets, and at San Francisco. They will likely finish around .500 due to the difficulty of their 2010 slate.” (Man Cave Sports)

While many so-called experts see a Broncos team that has been hammered with injuries, many are failing to see the potential that this team has.

Based on what I’ve witnessed in training camp and in preseason games, Kyle Orton has improved dramatically. He’s more confident in the offense and Josh McDaniels has shaped the offense around Orton’s strengths. Defensively, the secondary is one of the strongest in the league. The guys on the D-line still have much to prove. However, they all have been established on other 3-4 AFC defenses.

Schedule wise, the Broncos play all of their tough games at home and all of their easier games on the road. Sporting News must have an autistic dog on site to make a 4-12 prediction for the Broncos.

It’s time for you to chime in.

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Broncos:

• A tougher than normal decision for Josh McDaniels regarding defensive backs.
• A word about Syd’Quan Thompson – the playmaker.
• Broncos play the big linebackers  in the nickel and dime making roster cut downs unique.
• Justin Fargas had a short stay in Denver.  
• Ryan Harris and Eric Decker will feel at home on Thursday.
• John Elway and Tim Tebow are now on the same trading card.
• Looking at the film of a Tebow led offense.   
• Kyle Orton is ranked middle of the pack in John Clayton’s rankings for starting NFL QBs.

AFC West:

• Matt Cassel is ranked well behind Kyle Orton in Clayton’s QB rankings.
• The Raiders are having some injury problems of their own.
• Despite what you may think, the Chargers offense is going to be great (again).

Random:

• Dennis Rodman today. Pretty much what you’d expect.
• A motorcycle with one wheel. Unicycle unique.
• A list of the nine most annoying sports broadcasters.
• Shaq takes Boston. Who would’ve thought he’d be such a journeyman.
• A back flip fail on live T.V. Good stuff.

There’s a reason why we need to know who Andre Goodman is. There’s a reason why other teams need to know who Andre Goodman is. That reason? Champ Bailey.

Andre Goodman spent his first year in Denver playing opposite Champ Bailey at right corner. Before coming to Denver, he played for Miami for three seasons and Detroit for four seasons.

Read between the lines. Just like the rest of the Broncos secondary, this corner isn’t a young whippersnapper anymore. At 32-yeas old, the Broncos have relied on Goodman in a unique way. No QB in their right mind is going to try throwing in Champ Bailey’s direction. The nine-time Pro Bowler keeps the left side of the field on lockdown. That’s why Goodman worked extra hard for his money last season and will need a repeat performance this season.

Goodman had 5 interceptions and 17 pass defections last season. The year before, in Miami, he had 5 interceptions, 19 pass deflections, and a forced fumble. In three preseason games this year, Goodman has 11 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 INT.

Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2002 draft out of the University of South Carolina, Goodman battled a few injuries early on in his career. However, he’s started all 16 games for the past two seasons as a Bronco and as a Dolphin.

As young guys like Perrish Cox, Syd’Quan Thompson, and Alphonso Smith (all drafted within the last two years) attempt to have a successful NFL career, they’ve got no two better corners than Bailey and Goodman to study under. During training camp, both Bailey and Goodman would constantly talk to the young corners, especially after they made a mistake.

As Bailey and Goodman wind down their careers (hopefully finishing as Broncos), they are regarded as one of the best secondary duos in all of football. Don’t believe me? They combined for 118 tackles, 8 INTs, and 32 pass deflections last year alone.

Andre Goodman as been the Robin to the Batman, the Hutch to the Starsky, the Pippen to the Jordan, the Pauly D to The Situation. In the eyes of Broncos fans, Goodman and Bailey have a similar effect as a Xanax pill has – they reduce anxiety when a ball is thrown deep along the sidelines.  

With the help of Champ, Goodman has looked like a stud and with the help of Goodman, Champ has looked like, well, a Champ.

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Put a tally mark up on the blackboard for the Broncos first win of the 2010 season. This ain’t Detroit! Yes, it may be just preseason, but a win is a win. A win means that the first, second, and third stringers played better than the Steelers’ first, second, and third stringers. 

The horrible hankies ”terrible towels” didn’t have much of a chance to glimmer in the orange and blue encrusted crowd. A lead that the Steelers could never catch up to cemented itself in the record books as a 34-17 Denver win – also the Steelers first loss in the 2010 preseason.

The Denver defense played a major role in the win. Both Andre Goodman and Syd’Quan Thompson had a pick-6 a piece. Perrish Cox also recorded an interception. Second year man, Robert Ayers, picked up some slack on the linebacker front, tallying two sacks for a Dumerville-less defense. While Ben Roethlisberger saw limited action and the defense was working mostly against Dennis Dixon, I think it’s something the Broncos can hang their hat on. Keep in mind that the Broncos were also without Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey.

The Steelers actually beat the Broncos in passing yards and rushing yards, thus showing just how important the defense was for the Broncos tonight. The Steelers had 175 yards rushing and 180 yards passing. The Broncos had 128 yards rushing and 140 yards passing.

 The Broncos rushing game, which has been in question this preseason due a slew of injuries, had its best rushing night of the year. LenDale White and Lance Ball got the bulk of the carries combining for 22 carries for 109 yards and 1 TD. Ball broke out for a huge 43-yard run boosting the team’s average per carry. Regardless, the Broncos are anxiously waiting for Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter to return to start the regular season. 

Tim Tebow made his long awaited debut in front of a thunderous crowd at Invesco Field. He came in earlier than expected - just into the third quarter. Tebow went 5-10 for 72 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. After taking last week off to marinate his ribs in treatment in the training room, Tebow looked strong. While visions of #7 are engrained in our minds, the “Chosen One” still has a lot of work to do and a lot to prove before he starts in this league. He’s off on the right foot, however.  

Brady Quinn capped off a short night as the Broncos QB going 1-2 for 2 yards. He was sacked twice for a loss of 14 yards.

Week three of preseason is described as the “dress rehearsal.” It’s the most important game before the regular season starts because week four is comprised of resting the starters and giving the reps to backups. 

If tonight is any indication of things to come, Don “Wink” Martindale’s defense is on the road to recovery.

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The start of the third quarter is under way and what a turnaround from last year’s Monday Night game against the Steelers.

The Broncos closed out the first half with a 17-3 lead, with many bright spots on both offense and defense.

With the help of Steeler penalties, the Broncos got their first touchdown less than 4 minutes into the game. Kyle Orton and the offense started at their 40-yard line and immediately put LenDale White to the test. The drive consisted of six run plays and two pass plays capped off by a White touchdown. Eddie Royal and Brandon Lloyd had 18-yard and a 10-yard catches, respectively.

That drive got the offense off to a great start and then it was the defense’s turn to put the hurt on Big Ben and Co. While Roethlisberger completed his first pass to Mike Wallace for a whopping 48-yard gain, he never had the chance to get going after that. He’s now a cheerleader on the sidelines after his 4-6, 67-yard performance.

The Broncos secondary has been absolutely incredible despite the absence of Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. Andre Goodman closed out the half on a pick-six, and rookie Perrish Cox also had an interception and a pass deflection. Goodman and Cox were 2nd and 3rd on the team in tackles with four each in the first half.

In the second half, keep an eye out on the key position battles that are going on. Go beyond the quarterbacks. Look at the offensive line, the running backs, and the special teams guys.

Enjoy the second half!

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Brady Quinn didn’t get his career as a Bronco off to the greatest start in week one of preseason. He went 6-16 for 68 yards and 1 INT. Last week, however, he improved and went 11-17 for 115 yards. One of the great things about the Broncos bringing in Quinn is his familiarity with Josh McDaniels’ offense. Because Quinn went to Notre Dame and played under Charlie Weis, he studied Tom Brady and the Patriots even before he entered the pros. This week’s clip of the week is an old clip looking at Brady Quinn in college. Notice that Broncos right tackle, Ryan Clady, speaks about Quinn when they were teammates at Notre Dame.

The Broncos season is looking like one giant jigsaw puzzle. There may be a piece (Elvis Dumervil) or two missing, but at least the puzzle pieces are flipped upright and ready to be put together.

Guys who were either injured before training camp started or got hurt at the beginning of camp are steadily returning to practice. Most notably, Ryan Clady, is out there on the field. He’s in an orange “no-contact” jersey, but at least the big man is getting his sea football legs under him again.

Correll Buckhalter and LenDale White have also returned to practice to aid in the running game. Champ Bailey, Chris Kuper, and D.J. Williams have been practicing since Tuesday after time off for injuries. Demaryius Thomas tried to come back, but his foot was not ready to go. He had foot surgery before the draft, but recent MRI scans show no indication of a stress fracture.

As the Broncos injury situation has been the constant headache in terms of getting all of the guys practicing together, the team prepares to play their most intense preseason game of the year. They will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in a game where the starters are expected to play into the third quarter.

“We’d like to go through a halftime where they’re going to go back out there,” Denver coach Josh McDaniels said today of his starters. “I think we want to go through our normal process of halftime, like we would during a (regular season) game, so that’s the plan right now.” (Denver Post)

The third game of the preseason is typically the most important game for most teams in the league. By week four, the starters get the mental reps in, but coaches deliberately hold back as to not risk injury or fatigue. It also gives the organization more of a chance to watch the second and third string players.

Sunday’s game is a good indicator for how things will run during the regular season. Pittsburgh has won their two preseason games against the Lions and the Giants, so this will be a good test for the Broncos. The last time the Steelers came into town, they (and their fans) stole the show on Monday Night Football with a 28-10 romping that left the Broncos with their 2nd straight loss after a 6-0 start.  

Time for just a little bit of redemption.

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The NFL owners meeting is wrapping up as I type this. The owners will decide whether or not to vote upon an 18-game regular season schedule with two preseason games cut out.

There are plenty of pros to doing this from an entertainment and business standpoint. However, there are just as many cons in terms of the players themselves.

The NFL is an $8 billion business. Increasing the regular season by two games would increase revenue by about 12% or $900 million. That’s a huge win for Commissioner Roger Goodell and the business. Could this, however, bite the league in the rear end in the future? 

On the one hand, I would love to see the NFL cut the preseason in half and add two more games to the regular season schedule. From a fan’s point of view, preseason games can get boring. The starters play approximately half the time while 2nd and 3rd string players get evaluated and get the reps in. All players are more susceptible to injury before the regular season even begins.

If the league changed to the 18-game system, training camp would likely be cut short. Instead of three weeks, it might be cut to a week and a half or two. This gives teams less of a chance to evaluate the young guys or the guys that are on “roster bubble.” 

Conditioning also takes a hit. Many players all around the league (I won’t name names) have come into training camp with the remnants of too many offseason cupcakes in their bellies. It’s not the league’s fault that this happens. It’s absolutely the player’s fault. Right now, training camp and preseason games are used to get players in playing shape for the regular season. I think the reduced amount of time for conditioning combined with fewer reps in practice will dramatically reduce the quality of play in the first few weeks of the regular season.

Now, let’s look at this from the most important perspective, the players’ perspective.

Some of the veteran players don’t need as much training camp and preseason play because they’ve got enough experience under their belts to get back in the groove fairly quickly. Brett Favre has got enough experience under his belt to feed two rookies through camp just fine. That’s why he holds out until the end of training camp to make his decision about whether or not to play. I digress. The new system would favor the current veterans. It would cut down on the risk of injury and general wear and tear before the season begins.

However, once the season begins, the risk of injury would dramatically increase. For the teams that make it to the Super Bowl, they could potentially play 22 meaningful games. As it is, most players can barely make it through a 16 game season.

Most of us only see players suit up on Sundays (or Mondays). We don’t see the bruises, cuts, muscle tears, torn ligaments, and broken bones that players practice through and play through week in and week out. We don’t see the amount of treatment they receive or how they can barely get out of bed the day after a game.

My eyes were opened to the amount of pain NFL players go through after I read NFL Unplugged: The Brutal, Brilliant World of Professional Football by Anthony L. Gargano.

The book is due out in September, but I was given an advanced copy as a promotional tool.

For those of you who want to get to know the game as much as you know your mother, girlfriend, or brother, pick this book up as fast as you can.

The synopsis reads:

“Behind every glittering NFL game on television is a world of happy pain for a hundred men. NFL Unplugged lets you see that world through the eyes of the pros who live and sweat in it. Here are the places the cameras don’t go: the locker room where coaches’ speeches can deflate or motivate, the huddle where fart jokes vie with playcalling, the training camp where locusts and heat conspire to break the strongest bodies and shake the most determined minds. Now you can experience it all up close and unplugged.” 

This book is every fan’s dream. Current and former players and coaches speak about their NFL experience. Do you want to know how the Dallas Cowboys felt about Terrell Owens when he was playing for the Big D? Do you want to find out what dirty tricks players use when fighting for a fumbled ball? Do you want to know just how brutal training camp is? Do you want to know what kind of hazing went on a decade or two ago? Do you want to get a sneak peak at a players’ pregame ritual from throwing up to praying?

I was surprised to find just how many players such as Michael Strahan and Bill Romanowski got personal with their accounts of time spent in the league.

I think anyone who reads NFL Unplugged will get a better sense of what the game of football is all about and how changing to an 18-game season would have a profound impact on the players, coaches, and league in general.

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Broncos:

• The voice of John Elway soon to be heard consistently.
• Brady Quinn as the questionable QB?
• Kyle Orton’s momentum can carry this team.
• A former CU tight end is trying to make the team.
• Marquez Branson is stepping up and giving Richard Quinn a run.  
• Ryan Clady is almost back? Collective sigh of relief.

AFC West:

• Thomas Jones hasn’t been stellar in preseason play, but there’s no need for Chiefs fans to worry. 
• Tom Cable needs to get these 5 things done to stick around.
• Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding is ready to put the playoff past behind him.

Random:

• Round 2 of Pool Domination.
• Is the “Madden curse” real?
• The 10 greatest calls of all time.
• Save a horse, ride a horse-bike.