Denver Broncos Prediction

There's not much to talk about as far as the Bulls' offseason goes, compared to next year when D-Wade jumps on the D-Rose bandwagon, and I'm getting the itch to write about something...so why not about my first love, the Denver Broncos. I'm mainly writing this to document my opinions so I can a) test my predictions and assessment of a team and its players/coaches and b) prove that my predictions are right so my main man, Mike Uyeda can confidently pick the Tony Scheffler's of football in his fantasy football draft. I've been known to be somewhat biased in my opinions of the Bulls and Broncos, and this will put all our careless accusations to the test. Let me just say, before I get into the Broncos, that the Bulls will finish top 5 in the east this year and it disgusts me that some are questioning whether they make the playoffs. They clearly overvalued Ben Gordon, but I will get to all these things when the time is right.

I look everyday to read anything on the Broncos...it could be about practice, assessments, their diet, their family, their childhood...anything. And there's never enough and the commentary or breakdown of their roster is always weak and not detailed enough. How are Broncos fans supposed to feel like they're getting something they can't get at ESPN? If I watch every Broncos game and pay attention to it meticulously, wouldn't I know more than the analyst at ESPN who quickly breaks down film in segments? There's a flow to the game, there are nuances of players, the way their bodies react after 8 catches, a fatigue point in a game, momentum, resolve, that numbers and clips will never show. Not sure if the rest of your fantasy draft will be any good, but at least your Bronco knowledge will be good and better than draft gurus out there.

QB - Kyle Orton...3 interceptions on the first 3 drives. No need to panic here. It looks like his arm will be weak and will have trouble with 3rd and long situations. He is still a smart quarterback and has proven to be capable enough to win games. The Broncos will not win or lose depending on Orton's play, but rather those surrounding him.

Prediction: 3400 yds, 24 TD, 10 INT

RB - Correll Buckhalter...the guy knows what he doing. He will make many big plays for the Broncos this year, the big plays that are not easily noticed. The shift of his body for a couple extra yards on the outlet throw, the blitz pick up, the timing he releases out of the backfield, almost like the Brandon Stokely of our backfield.

Prediction: 480 yds rushing, 370 yds receiving, 3 TD

RB - Knowshown Moreno...he actually is the next Terrell Davis except Josh McDaniels won't run the classic running formations and pound the running game. He looks more like a mini Brandon Jacobs right now. From day 1 of training camp, it's clear he is a very strong runner. Injuries/holdout will lead to a slow start, but by the 4th game, he will be taking the majority of the reps in regular running situations.

Prediction: 950 yds rushing, 160 yds receiving, 5 TD

FB - Peyton Hillis...arguably the most talented fullback in the NFL, perhaps in the last decade. Peyton is a straight football player and would be successful at HB, FB, or TE. Not your sexiest back which is why he doesn't get the most carries, but he makes the most out of every opportunity. When we get in the 5yds or less zone, we should just run Peyton all day, or pass it to him. If Kyle does this, he won't be turning the ball over in the redzone no more. He runs hard, is smart, is focused, plays every play like it's his last, humble, confident...the perfect Bronco.

Prediction: (barring any injuries to top 2 HB) 280 yds rushing, 200 yds receiving, 5 TD

WR - Brandon Marshall...after having character issues out of college, Brandon Marshall realized he was a beast in the NFL and had the ability to dominate at this level. Somewhere he realized that he had to control his anger and issues in order to be a Bronco and a pro. Rod Smith was his mentor, Shanahan had faith in him, and he flourished. But like my girlfriend says, people don't change. She's always skeptical about those who go from extreme to extreme, gangbangers to pastors, straight to gays (she never said this, I just threw this in here), fat to skinny...she thinks they will all go back to their original sin...self. Brandon Marshall is making her look right. If he hasn't figured it out by now (he's gotten like 10 chances), he's not gonna get it. And I thought OJ got away with the most obvious crime years ago, but Brandon Marshall just outdid him with being not guilty on domestic violence or whatever he was up against. He clearly beat the shit out of Watley, but because she was crazy ass girl, the jury said let him go. I've accepted it, now you need to accept it. Do not draft Brandon Marshall like I did in the 3rd round. He is not going to be involved. The Patriots of the west do not have space for babies like 15 or 6. 6 is gone, and 15 will be gone shortly. It's like negotiating with terrorists...you give in once, you'll have end. Even if Josh and the team want him back, they can't just out of principle. He'll be the next Javon Walker, the next TO, the next David Boston (not sure if he was an asshole, but he looked really strong and I imagine he probably beat up a couple ho's back then and now)...B Marsh clearly has the most physical ability in the NFL though...best combo of hands, strength, length, speed, agility...easily best YAC ability for a receiver.

Prediction: (if he plays 16 games with a team) 65 receptions, 720 yds, 5 TD

Prediction '10-11: 110 receptions, 1500 yds, 12 TD

Eddie Royal...ahh, the new number one receiver, humble, Bronco for life, smooth in running routes, disciplined, great hands, no moment too big for him, YAC ability, stronger than last year, nice traps, versatile. If he had 97 receptions as a rookie, scary for what he'll do this year. Denver's Patriot offense is based on quick throws, quick reads, and efficiency. The pass is often the run as well. Figure Eddie will multiple double digit reception games, so if your league values receptions at all, he is 1 round upgraded already. How many other receivers in the NFL will produce like Eddie is week in and week out? Respectful, hard working, confident, lining up in slots for mismatches...take him 5th round at the latest.

Prediction: 115 receptions, 1250 yards, 7 TD

TE: don't even bother looking this way with Denver this year...Tony Scheffler, waste of talent in this offense...trade him and BMarsh and get something decent and a couple picks in return.

OL: Madden NFL 2010 is ridiculous. How do you have Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris under an 80 rating? don't they realize this line gave up the fewest sacks in the league last year? Ryan Harris gave up less than 5 sack all year and he's a 78 rated tackle? Ben Hamilton in the low 80's? That's just silly...this line will still get it done, especially with the quick passing scheme, and still make our running attack effective. I guarantee that Cutler gets sacked more than Orton this year. Casey, Clady, Harris, Hamilton all deserve Pro Bowl spots. But they won't get it, because they're too light...and white...except Clady.

DL: Weak. I still think Marcus Thomas should be our starting defensive end and I have no answer as to why he is not getting more reps with the ones. Ronald Fields is not the answer at nose tackle and we need to go get one who is fatter, meaner, and cockier than fields. They will be the cause of our weak run defense, but they'll do just enough to free up our edge linebackers to get some sacks in the pass rush.

LB: DJ Williams will be a tackling beast again this year. Dumervil looks like he'll be fine on the edge and the guy is just a football player. I'd be shocked if he isn't close to 10 sacks this year. Andre Davis will be solid as well, but still we are lacking that one All World linebacker that can intimidate and take over games defensively (Urlacher, Willis, Ray Lewis, Merriman, any Steeler linebacker)

CB: Champ Bailey...he was and is still the best corner in this league. Asoumghua is amazing, but still not Champ Bailey amazing. Champ is the best all around cornerback since Rod Woodson and is healthy this year. What's great is that he will have Andre Goodman opposite of him and Alphonso Smith at nickel. This will be the best 1,2,3 CB in the league this year.

S: Brian Dawkins...Weapon X, the guy is crazy, focused, awareness 99, and an emotional leader and the heart and soul of this defense from the day he stepped off the airplane in Denver. He'll be going to the Pro Bowl with Champ and already the defense is ten times better than last year's scrubs we played back there (Marquand Manuel?). Renaldo Hill was part of a great Miami defense last year with Goodman, so this secondary is going to be just fine.

K: Matt Prater...he'll still boom 50 yarders all day, but his accuracy sucks and is not a pressure player. With that being said, he'll improve on last year's accuracy and be much more reliable down the stretch to finish off a decent year. 28 FGM/35 FGA

I could have broken this down so much more, but I think Brandon Marshall took too much out of me. Also, I have to take him off my desktop wallpaper...I put him there after hearing "not guilty" but now must take him off as he is guilty of being a little bitch.

Broncos: win the AFC West 9-7 record

Knowshown: AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year

Raiders suck.

Bulls Look As Good As Chris Paul...In Street Clothes

With Chris Paul sidelined due to a groin injury, NBA fans did not get the chance to see the #1 and #2 point guards of the future go head to head for their first time.  As expected, without Paul at the helm, the Hornets looked disinterested and looked like they threw in the towel as soon as Tyrus had three dunks to open up the game in the first quarter.  His fourth double double in a row and inspired defense sparked the Chicago Bulls to a 4-2 road trip record.  The fact that Tyrus is growing into a consistent factor in the NBA deserves its own blog, and when he scores over 20 and grabs over 15 rebounds with 3 blocks, the blog will be written.  

Aside from Luol taking a well deserved night off (6 points), most of the ingredients to a competitvie Bulls outing was there last night: Derrick Rose was aggressive, shooting early and often to the tune of 21 points, Ben Gordon put up a good amount of 3's, Noah was extremely active with 16 and 9, Hinrich did nothing and everything, Thabo did nothing and everything, Aaron Gray was limited, Hughes was inactive, Noce hit some threes and made some out of nowhere scores that he seems to have a knack for.  And although my championship intramural teams probably could've beaten the Hornets last night (I've played Peja's father at my college gym once or so it seemed), we'll take anything at this point...I do see and feel the sentiment that fans are being reminded of the playoff Bulls not a few years removed that was energetic, confident, unfazed, and had different contributions every night.  Regardless, things seem to be headed in the right path and if these Bulls can hit that stride soon, a 6th seed in the East would not be a joke.

It is important to point out one great coaching move that Vinny Del Negro executed at the end of the 3rd quarter that involved a benching of a certain Bull.  Yes, Ben Gordon.  After a Derrick Rose turnover, Ben Gordon was the last guard back and half walked half daydreamed to make an attempt to stop the fast break.  His laziness was accentuated by Tyrus Thomas sprinting back from underneath the opposite hoop to almost getting his 4th block of the game.  Now as the years have gone by, I find myself getting back on defense as often as Ben Gordon, and while I appreciate that he didn't put his efforts in anything other than shooting last night, there was something annoying about it.  Maybe it was the fact that he plays so many minutes without earning it...or isn't there some rule where if you suck at defense, at least try your best if you're the last man standing?  I may hang out my own three point line when I play defense, but if it's a fast break and I have a chance to disrupt a 2 on 1 break by myself and get all the glory for a defensive effort, I'll be going after that play as hard as Sweetney would go after Dunkin Donuts.  Thankfully, Vinny benched Ben for the longest rest of the game and hopefully suspended him from working out his arms for two days.  

Now, with all the trade desires and speculations:  Everything I have heard up to this point has been dreams like the fantasy trade offers I get every year, or don't end up helping us at all.  Hughes for Simmons--wash.  Hinrich for Channing Frye--wash.  So after thinking about it and verifying that this would work through ESPN's trade machine, I have thought of the most realistic and beneficial trade request that Paxson should pull if he had a spine.  

Bulls Get: Chris Bosh, Anthony Parker

Raptors Get: Derrick Rose, Larry Hughes

Bulls Lineup:  PG Kirk Hinrich SG Ben Gordon SF Luol Deng PF Tyrus Thomas C Chris Bosh

Bulls Bench: PG Thabo SG Anthony Parker SF Noce PF Drew Gooden C Joakim Noah

No one appreciates Rose's skills and demeanor more than myself, but you don't get anything good if you don't give anything good.  Paxson has talked about using his high picks to package and trade and consolidate.  The problem his picks before Rose didn't have much trade value, but enough value where he was not willing to get hosed in a deal.  He finally got what he wanted in Rose, but now is too afraid to follow through with his original plan--package some picks to get an inside star to team with his core.  Don't think the Raptors would do it?  They are going to lose Bosh in 2010--this is as certain as my buddy being called Yao or Yi or Ching Chong in a pick up game.  They have Bargnani who is developing nicely and sure could use a top 3 point guard to pair with the big guy.  Just like the Lakers chose Kobe over Shaq because of age and marketability, the Raptors would jump on this deal instantly.  You could have Bosh dominating the Mavericks on Saturday and coming home to Chicago for a rousing ovation for their homestand.  It would hurt to lose Rose, but these Bulls would be a top 3 eastern team for the next 5 years...and I don't see Wade not wanting to come here as a free agent to join that team in 2010.  That's a low risk high reward trade...why am I not the GM of the Bulls?  and the Coach?  and the official Blogger for Bulls.com or the Tribune?  

4 Game Streak Out Of Reach - Bulls 100 Rockets 107

The Chicago Bulls ended their longest streak in 2+ years at 3 games in a row Tuesday night against an overpowering performance from the Rockets' frontcourt of Yao, Scola, and Artest.  Amongst other reasons to point out that led to this loss, the inability to keep the Rockets off the offensive glass proved to be to big of a hurdle to steal one on the road.  With Yao constantly demanding attention from two or three defenders, this was bound to happen, so onwards with those other reasons...nothing really surprising here, just another typical Bulls 08-09 night of basketball.

The Ben Gordon Watch:  Ben Gordon wants to be a starter, but if he doesn't chuck up 5 threes in the first 5 minutes, it's time to put the guy in a new role...like 7th man (Hinrich being the 6th). Ben was called for an illegal defense, missed a 1 ft. carnival shot, got a layup blocked by Yao, missed 1 three pointer.  It was no surprise that the Rockets got off to a good lead in the first, leaving it up to Thabo and Kirk to claw their way back to two points before the end of the half.  There is nothing curious about the case of Benjamin Gordon...he is a terrible basketball player and an unbelievable shooter and scorer, so bring him off the bench to shoot 5 three pointers per half and drive two times and then take him out.  They should challenge him to see how quickly he can take his three pointers and then give him bonus minutes if he makes 3 of them under 3 minutes.  Basically, just give him his shots and get him out the game and let out a sigh of relief that he didn't give the game away in his minutes. 

Then you have Tyrus Thomas, who really was robbed of a block against Yao that was called for goaltending.  Tyrus really is understanding where he can be affective with rebounds and blocks.  But just when you think he has it figured out, you realize he's so far from it.  Shouldn't there be a rule that prevents Tyrus from creating his own shot?  I suggest that he is not allowed to shoot the ball unless the person passing it to him yells "all day!" right before he catches it.  If he does not hear "all day!" then he must pass the ball.  There were about 5 possessions lost to his spin move, pump fake that fooled nobody, and force up a half fadeaway half prayer shot.  

After the Bulls pulled within 2 by half time, we got a look at classic Vinny Del Negro's lack of developing a sense of in game substitutions.  When he should have had a quick leash on Ben Gordon in the 3rd, he has Ben Gordon play the entire way and squander away any hope of a competitive game.  When you have the option to play Kirk/Derrick, Thabo/Derrick, Kirk/Thabo, Lindsay/Thabo...how do you go with Ben Gordon and anybody for the whole 3rd quarter as the game slowly slips away?  

This led to another scrappy effort to pull with 5 at 82-77, but too late as the Bulls almost got to the 2nd half spread of +6 1/2 (this is the only way I can get my roommate to follow the Bulls and this site with an Argentine passion) and gave that away with a 7 point loss.  Derrick Rose clearly is not okay as he was passive the whole game until the end.  One glimmer of hope was with 3 minutes to go, Rose and Tyrus had a Paul/Chandler moment on the pick and roll alley oop which they should do more of.  And although they probably won't see too much of that tonight without Chandler or Paul playing, they will have plenty to worry about if they can't straighten out the 3 biggest flaws of this season:  Vinny's rotations, the not so Curious case of Ben's play, and Tyrus' offensive limitations.  

Prediction: Bulls pull out an upset on the road without Paul picking apart the defense.  Hinrich plays more minutes then Ben Gordon, Thabo plays majority of 2nd and 4th quarters, Tyrus has been scolded and plays within his game, Noah rebounds from a tough matchup against Yao.  

And who voted that the two Asian men in the last article have no resemblance?  Show yourself, oh person of blind eyes!

Bulls Attempt 4 In a Row--Yao!!!!!!

Which one is Yao...left or right?????  This game against the Rockets tonight is dedicated to all the tall (6'1" +) Asian pick up basketball players who get called Yao Ming more than...well, Yao Ming.  One of these men is Yao Ming, and the other is a good friend of mine who has this happen quite often...

Yes, Bunch of Bulls is back, just like the Chicago Bulls are back.  You didn't really expect me to put my precious time discussing the past however many games until now did you?  I swore to some I would not follow the Bulls until:

a. Larry Hughes is traded

b. Ben Gordon is traded

c. Thabo plays 30 minutes a game

And while none of the above has happened...yet...Bunch of Bulls is back to witness the winning streaks of old. Remember the Bulls would have a top 3 record in the NBA starting in January during those playoff seasons with Skiles. 

Tonight they go up against a tall man in Yao Ming, if it's anything like their past efforts against the Rockets, the Bulls could possibly be looking at 5 in a row since Chris Paul surely cannot be back from a groin injury for Wednesday's game, right? The Bulls have played the Rockets tough every year, but it's T Mac that always hits some indefenseable shot to deflate every Bulls run, and even though he doesn't have his amazing games, he does enough to intimidate the Bulls and seal the deal in the fourth.  Yao will have his 20 points and 12 rebounds and 2 blocks, but I see the Bulls taking advantage of a slow Rockets team without the superstar forceshield that Mcgrady uses on the starry eyed Bulls.  We'll see though...come back tomorrow.  

Now I suppose you all (seven of you and the mothers of some) deserve something to fill in for the months of November, December, and January.  Where do I begin?  Tyrus Thomas blew the wind out of the sails of this site when he went 0 for 25...in the first quarter of that Boston Celtics game.  Vinny Del Negro joined him when he took Thabo out of the starting lineup.  Kirk Hinrich, best player ever, didn't help by injuring his hand and not playing basketball even more than he hadn't in the last year.  Luol still had a guilty conscience about having a contract while Ben didn't and was timid.  Joakim Noah still didn't have a friend on the team.  Drew Gooden was having the mental lapses I was curious to see and naively didn't believe existed.  Larry Hughes played.  Nocioni grew frustrated by the game when his teammates didn't show the dedication to the team or the game as he will always do...and is now easily expendable.  Ben Gordon had power issues with Rose and still pounded the ball for 20 seconds in a possession to throw up whatever.  Aaron Gray's hands seem like they are the size of Shawn Kemp's judging by his inability to hold on to a ball.  So there you have it...when every single player on the Bulls team other than the miracle in Derrick Rose is literally pissing you off, would you want to write about them, nevermind even think of them?  

There you have it...if you want to know how the Bulls did the first three months of 2008-2009, our owner summed it up the best in the best scouting report given by the Bulls organization in the last three years: "You want the grade up till today? What's the lowest grade you can give? This has been a disaster. It's embarrassing..."

And where does this leave the Bulls now?  1 1/2 games out of the playoffs, a legitimate shot to get the seventh seed and upset the Cavaliers in the first round, and regain the confidence and competitiveness that once engineered this team.  Derrick Rose is a lock for the rookie of the year, Vinny continuously talks about playing Thabo more minutes, Larry Hughes could be dead and no one would even notice, Noah and Thomas are realizing they have only a few skills and utilizing only those skills is there only means to a job in the NBA, and Hinrich seems to have gotten tired of his wife and in love with basketball yet again...and Luol no longer cares about Ben and is becoming his own man again.  With another winnable game against Houston tonight and a Paul-less Hornets tomorrow...the Bulls will be turning heads going into the allstar break...the time is YAO!

- written by Kenoy