November 26th- Gusamania week two, brother!! After watching Gus you've got to admit that
he's the MOST EXCITING PLAYER IN THE GAME. Who else can have this big an impact on the
entire game? He's either going to mess up royally, or do something nifty. Either way, you're
going to say "Hokey Crap", or use a phrase with more vulgairty... but you'll
remember it.
The new Donkies record holder brought Gusamania to Seattle this week. Gusamania
was threatening to blow the roof off the Kingdome. Someone beat him to it, as they
blew the roof off the Kingdome a few months back. Leave it the Seahawks to ruin
a stadium while NOT being IN the building, itself. Thus, the Seahakws have
returned to the quasi-NFL stomping grounds of Husky Stadium. The same stadium that
has made Ryan Leaf and Warren Moon look good.... scary place. In fact, if memory
serves me, the last time the Donkies played in this stadium (1994), Leonard Russell had
a career day.
In short, weird stuff can, and has happened at Husky Stadium.
Since it's
Seattle, it rained. The cameras were covered with either raindrops or
steam. The former made it seem as if foreign objects were on the field. The latter,
which they used for closeups, brought to mind images of meeting Jon Kitna in
a steamy room. Yeah, this IS a scary place. It must have been
"free blue poncho" week, because the entire stadium was full of Seattle fans, decked out in
said garment. They were all huddled about 20 rows up the stadium, so it made it look
like nobody showed up. Okay, so that's being generous... nobody showed up.
Gusamania struck in the second quarter. Michael Sinclair picked up a Gus fumble and
returned it 134 yards for a TD. And here I could have sworn that Griese was
NOT playing this week. This was actually fun, because we got to see Tony Jones
in a flat out jog, err, srpint. Hey, when yer about 290 and can bench press a tractor, you don't
need to run. Also of note later on, Howard Griffith ran the ball for 1 yard in
the second. Cool, this
now brings his Broncos career rushing total to about 6 yards!
And it kept raining. Mike Anderson and Deltha O'Neal had back to back fumbles.
Chad Brown reminds us that he used to be someone in Pittsburgh, and runs back
Anderson's fumble for a TD. Suddenly, the Seahwaks have 17 cheap points. Eerily
reminiscent of the 1990 Buffalo meltdown, where the Bills scored 21 points in
about 19 seconds.
But somewhere in the fourth quarter, the Broncos simply decided that this was not
going to happen. Jimmy Spencer made a break on a poorly thrown
Jon Kitna ball (ooo..THERE's something you don't say everyday!) and ran in for a
quick six points. The Seahawks could have scored 35 points in the 4th, and the Broncos would have
scored 38. Simple. Much like last week, they could have easily rolled over and let
Seattle throw a party. But it didn't happen. Maybe Mike Holmgren was telling his team:
"just let 'em score, so we can get the ball back", the same strategy he used in Super Bowl
32, with Green Bay.
In one of the strangest moves in awhile, they rotated Rod Smith in at running back.
Imagine the surprise when he not only busted for a first down, but kept going and
scored a TD?! Not to be outshined, Mike Anderson, the former Marine,
got his carries, too. With the
game on the line in the 4th, Anderson took the ball at the 20 and shot forward for
a routine off tackle left. 80 yards and six points later, the Marines had landed. A
few tense defensive plays later and the Broncos had pulled off another squeaker, 38-31.
~~Somewhere in here, they broke coverage for about five minutes to show us some
gal in a red suit talk about counting votes or something...live coverage of
papers being signed ROCKS!! I suppose this was important somehow. ~~
You can be pessimistic about this, which I usually am. But, when you give up 5 turnovers,
start four back-ups (Frerotte, Friedman, Spencer and Anderson), play on the road, in the
rain against a
division opponent..and STILL find another way to win? That's either a shitload of luck,
creativity or just pure guts. In the NFL, you can't seem to tell any of those three attributes
apart. I'll just be happy and think it's "pure guts". At 8-4, this team is on the
playoff bubble and has to outlast the Colts, Ravens and Jets. We may not WIN
the AFC or even one game..but at least make it a respectable season by getting into the
big party.
One last Seattle note. I miss Sam Adams playing for the Seahawks. Everytime I'd spot him on
the field, I'd turn to whoever was there with me and say, in my best Jim Cook impersonation:
"Y'know, the big beer companies spill more beer in one day, than Sam Adams makes
all year long". snif... I hope the Broncos play Baltimore. Isn't that where Adams
went to?
FINAL CUTS
DAMN BERMAN! On Thanksgiving I was joking with my dad about the Chargers and their winless
streak. We tried to remember the last winless team, and knew it was the Bucs im the 70's. Just like the undefeated 1972 Dolphins
get together and have a party when the last undefeated team goes
down every year... we were wondering if the Bucs have been doing the same every year? Maybe they
all gather at John McKay's old house and down some bubbly? Well, I watch
NFL Primetime tonight, and I'll be
damned if Chris Berman doesn't make the same joke!! Only difference was, he mentioned
Lee Roy Selmon instead of McKay. I'm ahead of my time, I tell you, a prophet!.... || ... If Dennis Miller ever steals my Maa Tanuvasa joke, I'm suing, dammit! And no, I'm not
telling you my Maa Tanuvasa joke. I need to protect some ideas!... ||
... Here's another idea: you know the players have been doing those pre-taped intros on
MNF and the ESPN games? Let's hook up one player a week for Monday Night and get him
in the booth. It could be a guy who's playing one of the Monday/Sunday teams, the following
week. So, if the Raiders play the Chiefs on Monday, and the Broncos the next week: get
Trevor Pryce in the booth.
Of course, this would have to be on cable or HBO, then. Why? Well, you may
remember a live interview with Greg Lloyd, when he mentioned his Steelers would "go
down there, and WIN the fuckin Super Bowl!"... || ... Saints in first place? Great, now this
can be another year where they won't win a playoff game!
