Oakland Raiders Draft Terrelle Pryor

NFL.com is reporting that the Oakland Raiders have drafted former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in today’s NFL supplemental draft.  Pryor was taken in the third round of the draft.  The Raiders will give up their 2012 third round pick in exchange for

Bittersweet Victory

The Broncos manhandled the Chiefs on Sunday, yet despite winning in December in Kansas City for only the second time ever, the win seemed empty and was without joy.  This was because earlier in the week, the Broncos lost their biggest fan, Tim McKernan, or as he is better known, the Barrel Man. McKernan had been diagnosed with a terminal lung disorder due to smoking two packs a day for the majority of his adult life. His original barrel resides in the pro football hall of fame, a testament to his dedication to the team.

My family has owned season tickets since 1965, and as such I have attended many games. I was in diapers when Tim McKernan first began to don nothing more than a barrel to games. The first game I attended I have very vivid memories of. I honestly don’t recall who the Broncos played that day, the details obviously escape many a five year old boy. What I do recall is more atmospheric; the walk in to the stadium to our bleacher seats in the south stands, the giant bucking horse on the scoreboard above us, the smell of hot dogs and beer everywhere, the sheer loudness of the raucous crowd and the man who led them, the Barrel Man. Back at old Mile High, you never saw the wave as it is now. The Barrel Man would use his megaphone to direct and on cue each section would stand as one and shout “defense!” all as one, throughout the entire stadium. For such a young child it was equally fascinating and terrifying.

Every game I attended throughout my youth included several visits from the Barrel Man. He was always friendly as long as you were making noise for the Broncos. And you knew he lived and died with what happened on the field. Had he sleeves his emotions would have been on them; cut him and he would bleed orange and blue. He was the epitome of fan dedication. As the years went on, age began to catch up with the Barrel Man. His visits to our section were not so frequent, even fewer after the move to Invesco. He missed a few games due to health issues and ultimately “retired” in 2007. He has been and will be missed dearly. Rest in peace Tim.

Missing Persons Report

Missing: Broncos Offense

Last known whereabouts: San Diego, CA

Identifying marks: 5-yard hitch, bubble screen

Possibly sighted last week caught in trap in Landover, MD

Stopping short of issuing the above APB, you really have to wonder where exactly the Broncos offense has disappeared to. Even more so, you have to wonder what’s wrong with the Broncos as a whole. There are several theories, perhaps the most humorous being the “Curse of Kern”. The only change the Broncos made during their bye week was releasing punter Brett Kern and replacing him with equally mediocre Mitch Berger. Kern was subsequently picked up by the Titans. Since then, the Broncos have lost three straight while the Titans have won three straight. While it may satisfy the superstitious, anyone believing a punter has that much influence on the outcome of games doesn’t watch enough football. In Denver’s three losses Berger has had virtually no effect on the outcome; he hasn’t hurt or necessarily helped the Broncos.

The theory that I have as to what ails the Broncos is certainly more plausible than a punter curse and is relatively simple: the Broncos defense carried the team through the first six games and is now unable to do so. The defense hasn’t played bad, they’ve actually been one of the league’s better units. Unless they are ’85 Bears good though it is simply impossible to expect a defensive unit to carry a team with an absolutely inept offense. Top that off with spotty special teams play, and it’s obvious how much the defense has carried the Broncos. Unfortunately, a few glaring weaknesses have been exposed. First, the Broncos OLBs have been prone to over-pursue plays and teams have exposed this by running outside around them for a great deal of yards. Not that this is the only way teams have been running all over the Broncos in the last three games, just the most obvious. Second, teams have been able to pick up the Broncos’ blitzes and take advantage of the holes in coverage. Lastly, the Broncos defense has done a poor job of generating turnovers, putting up goose eggs against both the Ravens and Redskins.

Upon delving a even little further into the stats, the Broncos are actually quite lucky to even be 6-3. They have only held an advantage in time of possession in four games all season; of course they had the ball more than the Raiders and Browns. Yet they had only a 43 second advantage over San Diego and a little over a minute over the Patriots, not counting OT. In every one of their three losses the Broncos held the ball over three minutes less than their opponent, and his was also the case against the Bengals and Cowboys.

Perhaps this is an indication that the Broncos have run out of luck, or that perhaps they have overachieved to this point. Although when you allow a team to show you that they are running a fake punt only to call timeout, show the fake again and throw for a TD when you knew a fake was coming, perhaps you deserve to lose. Of course that means a punter had a direct effect on the outcome of the game, so perhaps I’m wrong altogether.