Seven weeks of guessing

Matthew Hill, Special to the News

Published October 23, 2006 at midnight

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Editor's note: These would-be columnists were whittled down from 146 hopefuls in our Last Columnist Typing contest. One columnist is eliminated per week — a la Survivor — until one is left at the NFL season's end. The winner will cover an event alongside the pros.

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Want to know the Broncos’ future? The inquisitive fan has options. There’s no shortage of men resembling Dave Christie willing to break down future games and give you predictions with confidence. Some are so sure of their prognosticating skills that they’ll go as far as to "guarantee" picks. What this actually means, I am not sure, but for $1.99 a minute, you can ask for an explanation and get the winning info.

If handing over a small slice of your paycheck to some guy who would rather sell you his winning picks than use them to make weekly killings in Vegas makes you nervous, you could go another route. Turn on SportsCenter and wait for Berman to make his appearance as The Swami. Berman gives fans the benefit of his expert opinion, and it’s totally free of charge. The only problem is this actually involves listening to Berman . . . something that ranks just above having your teeth cleaned on the enjoyment scale for anyone too young to remember Woodstock.

The truth is no fan, sportscaster, palm reader or columnist really knows what will happen any given week in the NFL.

Instead of focusing on what we don’t know, we should look to what is certain.

The Broncos defense is good. The defense’s speed, experience and attitude give the Broncos a chance each week. The Broncos have dominated NFL offenses, illustrated by allowing an NFL-low 44 points through the first six games. The Bears and Ravens, generally recognized as the bullies of the NFL, come in second and third, allowing 59 and 69 points, respectively. Teams that give up an average of a touchdown and extra point per contest will win a lot of games.

The Broncos offense has not been very good. Only the 1-5 Raiders have put up fewer points. The offensive struggles have left many fans confused and placing the blame on the shoulders of Plummer. After three consecutive quality seasons, Plummer is starting to look like a quarterback who has lost confidence. I don’t know if Plummer losing his swagger is a result of three years of abuse from Elway-mourning fans or spending too much time looking over his shoulder at Cutler instead of looking downfield at his receivers. I do know that he threw seven interceptions last season. Sunday he reached that total after six games. Combine that with only four touchdown passes, and there is no denying his role in the offense’s lack of production.

The next two months will reveal a great deal about the Broncos future. Will the defense continue to keep the opponent out of the end zone when the Colts and the Seahawks come to town? Will the offense be able to score enough in its two games against balanced rival San Diego? Will the Broncos be able to come home from always hostile Pittsburgh and Kansas City with wins? Will Plummer’s poor play continue? Nobody knows . . . but I’ll give you my opinion for $1.99 a minute.

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