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vs. Oakland Raiders (W 23-20)
Disaster averted once again. After coasting out to a 17-3, the Broncos handed the Raiders 11 points and
found themselves down by three points and needing another fourth quarter rally to save the day. This time,
the rally only tied the game at 20 to send it into overtime. In the final frame, it had appeared that
Oakland's Sebastian Janikowksi had nailed a 52 yard field goal. But side judge Byron Boston signalled a time out
and the play was negated. Mike Shanahan had called a timeout at the last possible second.
"Seabass" tried again and this time he added another disappointing fishing story to
the Raiders' scrapbook as the kick bounced off the top of the left upright. The Broncos rode Travis Henry down the
field and kicked a field goal to win.
The Donkeys didn't dodge a bullet. They dodged a nuclear missile. The south endzone at Mile High Stadium used
to be the home of weird occurences. Ask Ernest Byner. But now the north end zone seems of Invesco Field seems
to have generated its own mystcial mojo. Ask the Bengals extra point team. Or ask "Seabass". Kicks
aren't safe up there.
Losing at home to the woeful Radiers-- losers of
11 straight-- would've demolished any hopes the Donkeys had of contending. Yes, even two weeks into the season. After an apparent
third quarter TD pass to Brandon Marshall had been negated by a penalty, the Donkeys promptly missed a
field goal (yes, into the north end zone). The Raiders went right after Dre Bly and found Jerry Porter for
a 46 yard TD. They immediately followed that up with a surprise onside kick. When the Broncos got the ball back,
Gerard Warren sacked Jay Cutler for a safety. But the Donkeys and Cutler came right back..... by throwing
a touchdown pass!! Only problem was that Cutler threw it to Raiders linebacker Thomas Howard, who ran it in to
give the Raiders a sudden lead.
It didn't help that the Raiders defensive linemen forgot to eat before the game. Even during the 25 minute lightning delay, they
apparently stayed away from the buffet. When play resumed, they proceeded to eat up Broncos offensive linemen, most notably
Matt Lepsis. I believe it was Tommy Kelly who just ate Lepsis-- and Lepsis's lunch--- all afternoon. Carbohydrates be damned.
Travis Henry eventually got another 100 yard game, but it was a tough effort.
Once again, they Donkeys ran up close to 500 yards, but didn't have the points to show for it. Cecil Sapp and Brandon Stokley
both recorded their first touchdowns in Broncos uniforms and Brandon Marshall had an impressive game. Marshall
is emerging as a physical receiver and a guy who won't go down easily. Javon Walker
again recorded a 100 yard effort. But it all came down to Cutler once again. It still seems as if they're relying upon him
to make plays. Like we said last week, he'll probably be a good quarterback, but right now he's not a dominating force
or a guy who can take over the game. Like Donovan McNabb or Brett Favre in their primes. Or... Some Guy Who Used to Sell
Cars. Shanahan REALLY wants that to happen. But right now he's rushing it. Cutler's a guy who'll commit
at least one turnover a game.
There were some encouraging signs. In the third quarter, a Raider was rushing Cutler from the blindside. A probable
recipe for disater if Jake Plummer was back there and a guaranteed catasrophe if it had been Brian Griese. I could
visualize the sack and fumble. But Cutler sensed the rush, adjusted his reads and found Travis Henry for a short 3 yard pass.
In short, it didn't need to be this bad. Sure, ol' Seabass is an adventure everytime he lines up, but
the Donkeys had to rely on luck and an official's gift to win the game. If the game had been played in Oakland
or even a neutral site, it's highly unlikely that they would've been given that final timeout. Homefield advnatge
usually counts for at least 3 points for the home team. That's just what the Donkeys needed on Sunday.
Chop Blocks
...||... Special thanks to "James", who emailed me last night with the identity of "Swoll". A pro wrestler (and that's using
the term very lossely) in 1999, Swoll was billed as a former Denver Bronco. I had been trying to spot him on
only Donkeys team of the 90's, but "James" informed me that he was Randy Thornton-- a guy who played
in 1988 and 1989. So the FAQ page is being updated. By my unofficial count, that's at least four former Donkeys
who have become wrestlers: Ed "Wahoo" McDaniel, Darren Drozdov, Greg Boyd and Randy Thornton.
...||... Yeah, it was nice to have someone finally email me about a Broncos issue that did NOT
concern Renee Herlocker or Kollette Klassen. Look, I like hot chicks and all, but I'm sick of
you 18-34 year old douchebags and your eternal Internet message board games of "who is hottst NFL
cherleadur" (sic).
...||... I don't want to talk about the Patriots spying. I just want to talk about the Chargers. Who suck.
...||... There's a commerical for NFL mobile phone updates, where a guy accurately predicts every line
in a post-game interview by John Lynch. I dunno', but if I wanna' watch a video clip, I don't think
I'm going to download a frickin' interview. Also, if the interview in that commercial was "live", how did the guy
know what Lynch would say? Unless all those dweebs in that commercial are watching a DVR or TiVo recording
of the game.
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