Distinguished MHR Member Firstfan has talked about the importance of yoga.  From Dennis Dillon at The Sporting News comes this gem:

If you think Tampa Bay outside linebacker Derrick Brooks is slowing down at age 35, you’re wrong. He continues to be one of the most reliable and durable players in the NFL.

Brooks made his 197th consecutive start Sunday, the longest active streak by an NFL defensive player, and contributed five tackles (three solo, two assists). He had started every game for 12 consecutive years coming into this season and has never missed a game in 14 NFL seasons.

So what’s his secret?

“I just keep it week by week and day by day,” Brooks said. “I feel if I stay in the moment, I’ll be fine. When I try to look backwards or forwards, I think I set myself up for failure.”

During the offseason, Brooks accepted a challenge from former pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Paige and took up yoga. Paige, now a yoga instructor, flew from California to Tampa to get Brooks started, then he left him his DVD—“Yoga for Regular Guys.”

Brooks said taking up yoga has helped him maintain flexibility in his hips. “I still move fluently,” he said.

I have been able able to review games, but today I was able to see the game as it was broadcasted.  A few things stood out to me, and I want to point them out while they are still fresh in mind.

1)  I really liked the spirit I saw today.  Guys were hustling, slapping each other on the back, jumping for joy, and getting excited.  Most importantly, I was seeing this happen on the defense.

2)  I'm not thrilled with some of the runs we gave up, but overall I really liked the major improvement that I saw.  While I saw some lanes opened up with brute force, the defense fought back hard and did a great job keeping the TB run offense in check.

3)  I really liked how the defense made TB eat over five minutes on the last TB drive.

4)  I'm impressed with the balance that Selvin shows on runs.  Several times I saw him keep his feet after taking big hits.

5)  Pittman was terrific.  On one run he lowered his head a couple of times and speared his way ahead.  Not a safe way to protect your neck from injury, but it worked.

6)  No one dared throw towards Champ Bailey, and yet Bailey was in on multiple plays.

7)  Cutler is still failing to look off his passes, but he more than made up for it by taking the underneath passes.  He made at least three terrible passes that could have been intercepted, but he also made some smart decisions.

8)  The DTs (whom I always pick on) did a great job plugging gaps except on two plays.  On those plays there was some miscommunication, and a gap was left unfilled.  Other than that, I liked what I saw.  Because the DTs had a great game, the LBs were able to stuff several runs.

9)  Doom and Ekuban looked great.  A small part of the improvement was the removal of the pins in Doom's finger, but a MUCH bigger factor was the solid work by our DTs.

10)  The Offensive Line still needs some work on run blocking, but is still improving.  The pass protection remains outstanding, even facing a very solid front four from TB.

11)  I liked the play calling much, much more in this game.  More man coverage, and less zone.  Still some silly 3 man rushes, but much more 4 man rushes and some blitzes.

12)  We dished out some hard hits.  I like that a lot.

13)  The crowd sounded too quiet at first.  That bothered me.  But part of the way into the game the crowd picked it up.

14)  Hats off to our coverage units on STs!  They looked much better today.  We can win the field position war with these guys if they keep it up.

15)  Nice 53 yard field goal kick.  Gutsy call, and well executed.

16)  Shanny ball is back!  Lots of bootlegs, misdirection, and a little more running.  I also like that the ball was spread out to several targets.

Overall, the game was close and low scoring, but that's ok with me.  Our defense played a heck of a game, and we can be more than one dimensional going forward.  Is it too early to say that Denver has fixed what ails them?  Perhaps.  But I like what we showed today against a solid team, and it shows that we have the ability to play better than we have (even in the wins we've had).

Today's game showed a big step forward for this team.  Impovements on defense and STs, and even playcalling.  We're moving in the right direction.  Still, we can't rest.  We have a couple of potentialy tough games coming up, and we'll need to keep improving.

This team still doesn't look like a deep playoff contender, but it looks like it can get to the playoffs.  With SD an KC losing today, we are well situated.  We also have time to improve further.  We're a young team, so the sky's the limit.

Great job Team!

So you're sitting there wondering which game to watch, and Denver isn't available.  Which team do you cheer for if you want the outcome to help Denver?  No problem; MileHighReport.com has you covered.

Remember, this has nothing to do with which teams we like or hate.  It is purely based on what outcomes best position Denver for the playoffs, and a good seeding once there. 

We're also rating the games on how important they are for Denver fans.  For instance, a Denver game, or a game that features a Denver division rival, gets near a 5, while a less important game gets a 1.  So given a choice of several games, you now know which one is more important to watch!  (Teams for Denver fans to cheer for are in CAPS). 

Let's feed the schedule into MHR's Super Computer and see what results we get...

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IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

MILEHIGHREPORT.COM

This is going to be one heck of a ride.  We've gotten past some good teams (SD and NO), beaten down the Raiders, and got shocked by the Chiefs.  Going into this TB game, I have some things I'm confident about, and frankly, some things I'm concerned about.  TB is a 3-1 team just like we are, but with a glaring difference.  They have some balance.

TB is perhaps a top ten team right now in my opinion, and this game could be a solid measuring stick for just how good we are.  We only lead SD by one game in our playoff race, so it's a very significant game.

Can our young guys bounce back from a loss like pros?  Can our secondary attack an INT prone Griese?  What can we exploit, and what should we avoid?

You've come to the right place.  MHR has you covered.

Read on...

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ESPN, the site that we love to hate, is at it again.

It seems to me that SD is 2-2, while Denver is 3-1.  It also seems to me that Denver has already played SD, and beaten them.  But does that get Denver a higher ranking in the latest power poll at ESPN?  Of course not.

But this is the same group that has commericals on the radio when I drive to work that proudly spends time with Mike and Mike arguing over if one of them is wearing lip gloss.  Another commercial has someone calling poison control with an emergency, only to have some a$$ answer the phone who asks if the victim's caller can tell which WR gives the best chance for a fantasy league.  That's funny?

I wonder why they can't advertise about people with real sports insight?  It's all about joking around and avoiding much talk about sports.  Remember when MTV was about music videos, and the stars were the musicians and not the VJ's?  Remember when ESPN was about sports reporting and analysis, and the reporters were second to the athletes?  Today, ESPN is nothing more than a male version of "The View"; a bunch of ignorant panalists sitting around gossiping and pretending they know something. 

No, you don't get a link to ESPN's power ranking.

That is all.

It's time to take an honest self evaluation.  There are a lot of good things to take comfort in if you are a Broncos fan.  There are also some things that need to be faced that should keep you awake at night.  I want to look at both.

Coming from a coach's perspective, folks shouldn't panic over one game.  On the other hand, folks shouldn't get too excited over the 3-0 mark we were at before the KC loss.  What we have on our hands is a very, very good team that has some terrible flaws.  Yes, we beat SD and NO, but the games were close enough to be decided by a two point conversion and missed FGs.  We beat Oakland, but that's not much to brag about.  We also lost to KC, and that's a concern.

We'll look at what can be adjusted for and what probably can't, and where this puts the team as it continues The Quest.

Read on...

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So you're sitting there wondering which game to watch, and Denver isn't available.  Which team do you cheer for if you want the outcome to help Denver?  No problem; MileHighReport.com has you covered.

Remember, this has nothing to do with which teams we like or hate.  It is purely based on what outcomes best position Denver for the playoffs, and a good seeding once there. 

We're also rating the games on how important they are for Denver fans.  For instance, a Denver game, or a game that features a Denver division rival, gets near a 5, while a less important game gets a 1.  So given a choice of several games, you now know which one is more important to watch!  (Teams for Denver fans to cheer for are in CAPS). 

Let's feed the schedule into MHR's Super Computer and see what results we get...

Continue reading this post »

YOUR SOURCE FOR THE VERY BEST

IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

MILEHIGHREPORT.COM

  For all your Kansas City Chiefs News, check out Arrowhead Pride

Yesterday we took a look at both sides of the ball for both teams, and looked at some adjustment issues.  We also tried to come up with a game plan for KC.  Today, let's look at Denver's possibilites, as well as what we can do with system match-ups.

Read on...

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YOUR SOURCE FOR THE VERY BEST

IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

MILEHIGHREPORT.COM

  For all your Kansas City Chiefs News, check out Arrowhead Pride

Denver comes into this feeling like they are on top of the world.  They are already 3-0, and now face a division opponent that is 0-3.  With a win, Denver will have scored at least one win against each AFC West rival.  For the playoff race, this means that Denver can do no worse than tie if a tiebreaker comes down to intra-division records.

Denver may also be licking their lips in anticipation for the game.  While KC is a difficult venue for the Broncos to play in, injuries and uncertainty plauge the Chiefs.  Huard is taking the helm at QB from Thigpen, and LB Edwards is out with an injury.  Surtain (CB) is questionable.  A 4-0 start would be great for the Broncos, but it would be foolish to assume that the game is already over.

Read on...

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At this point in the season it feels pretty good to be a Broncos fan.  Cutler is playing like a Pro Bowl talent, and his targets are playing at the same level.  Perhaps the best news about the Broncos is the youth movement.

Does anyone doubt that Clady and Harris will play at offensive tackle for years to come?  How about Marshall and Royal?  The team is throwing points at opponents at a staggering rate, and the Broncos faithful are loving it.

But questions remain, even for a team out to a three and zero start.  It may not be pleasant to consider, but it bears discussion.

1. Some statistics point to an effective defense, and the case can be made that the defense isn't doing so bad.  On the other hand, teams are putting up a lot of points.
2. Does the offense need balance?  Can we really keep winning putting the ball in the air so much?
3. Are the Broncos changing their identity on both sides of the ball, leading to new era?  Is this a good thing?

Let's look at these points and bring together our community at Milehighreport.com for a discussion.

Read on...

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