LINCICOME: Beware: There is no shine on this Broncos victory
By Bernie Lincicome, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published October 5, 2008 at 6:29 p.m.
Photo by Matt McClain © The Rocky
Tampa Bay's Ike Hilliard catches and is then brought down by a pair of Broncos defenders Jamie Winborn, left, and Champ Bailey during the second quarter of the Broncos 16-13 win over the Buccaneers.
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Cutler takes a knee.
There may be more reassuring words for the Broncos, but those will do for this week, the close of a game that was never in doubt as much as it was in traction, a game that just sort of ran out of motion.
And with the game clock blinking backward to the final double zero and the final score of 16-13, Tampa Bay helpless to stop it, Jay Cutler knelt and that was that.
"You have to find a way to finish," said coach Mike Shanahan.
It would be better to not be looking for a way so often, feeling around in a grab bag as the Broncos have been doing, going for two against logic, benefiting from an inept official and now managing to keep the ball until the other team has no more timeouts.
"We got the 'W,' " said Brandon Marshall.
In all of this there is an element of good fortune, not programmable into a game plan and hardly reliable. How good these Broncos are, what is their true identity, is a mystery bigger than who put the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder.
This day it was defense, mostly, more the placekicker, somewhat the offense, but all of it together plus a general ineptness of old friend Brian Griese, who had to leave the game before Tampa got a touchdown. In truth, both teams played with the imagination of broom straw.
The Broncos managed to kick one more field goal than did the Buccaneers, and to pick the one it would be Matt Prater's 55-yarder (which could have been 70) but the ones from 40 and 27 counted the same.
Jason Elam did this sort of thing for years and years and now Prater has done it once.
For the Broncos kicker to win a game and the defense not lose it - giving up a 90-yard drive late can be forgiven when it is harmless - the mounting miasma of the offense tends to get lost.
This was not the high-energy, multipoint scoring machine of September, when Jay Cutler was the new Brett Favre and Brandon Marshall the new Terrell Owens. They have foregone their aliases.
Possibly the Broncos are settling into a pattern where all the parts support all the other parts, adjusting to that bottom line Shanahan is so fond of. Yet, in the last two weeks, the offense has scored two touchdowns (Prater has kicked seven field goals) and Cutler has been ordinary.
Instinct is to commend the defense and it is not entirely undeserved. For most of the game, the Broncos defense resembled genuine professionals, not to forget that defense is so much easier when the other team has little offense.
"There's been a lot of talk about the defense not stepping up to the plate," said linebacker Jamie Winborn, "but we came through today."
Let's say they did what they should have been doing all along.
"This proves that we are a good defense and we can do it week in and week out," said linebacker Boss Bailey.
However this all turns out for the Broncos defense, if next week it reverts to traffic cones and museum mannequins, if it again becomes the enabler it has been, it will always have Sunday.
(Riddle me this, caped crusader. What's the difference between a Broncos linebacker and a hockey mom? One winks and one stinks.)
Passes were covered, runners were tackled, quarterbacks were sacked, footballs were intercepted - if fumbled immediately back by defensive tackle Marcus Thomas, still you have to run before you stumble - and even baby steps are welcome.
"We knew they (the defense) were better than that," said Cutler. "There is just too much talent over there."
The return of Griese melted into the general murk of the day, mattering very little at all.
The inevitable Griese moment came midway through the third quarter, ending with Griese collapsed under Champ Bailey with an injured elbow in his end zone and Jeff Garcia left to carry on as quarterback.
As Griese had often done when with the Broncos, he held the ball too long, misread open receivers, finally threw the ball into danger and was nearly intercepted.
With San Diego losing to Miami, the Broncos are in clear control of whatever happens from here.
"We want to play our best football come November," said Marshall. "The football season starts in November."
No it does not. If it did, this squeaker and the two others, even the mortifying loss to the Chiefs, would not be written down and saved. The goal is to make November matter, and so far, somehow, it still does.
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October 5, 2008
7:08 p.m.
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deepwater805 writes:
23 out of 34 for 227 yds and a touchdown is pretty darn good. Considering the Brandon had two guys in his back pocket all day means that he did his job, even if he didn't have the numbers. He took defenders away from others who were able to make plays. So, to say that Jay and Brandon have "forgone their aliases" is misleading, and frankly, not true. Both were highly instramental in the win. That's win as in W. Besides, there's lot's of football left this season.......
October 5, 2008
7:26 p.m.
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pwsbronco writes:
Hey Bernie, why do you even bother writting about a team you hate so much is beyond me, but how you still have a job just complety stumps me.
This day would be perfect if you were fired and run out of town......
October 5, 2008
8:28 p.m.
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surffisherman writes:
Hey, RM NEWS, you need to fire this clown!! It's the same thing every week.
Bernie, move to Oakland and write your columns in a town that would appreciate the venom you spew.
Shheeez, to say our linebackers STINK. Have you been watching the same team I have?
October 6, 2008
3:02 a.m.
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TheSlinger writes:
weren't the bucs top 5 in all major offensive categories? and you say "the other team has little offense" ?? do you just smoke crack, smash your nuts with a hammer then write articles? and i guess the chiefs were a juggernaut too. get your mind right bernie
October 6, 2008
5:38 a.m.
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gahoaglund writes:
LINCICOME: Beware: There is no shine on this victory
SHOULD READ:
LINCICOME: Beware: There is no truth in this story
where do you come up with your so called facts? Glad I don't live in your gloomy universe....wherever that is
October 6, 2008
5:59 a.m.
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dj_in_japan writes:
Bernie - where to begin?
I have never commented on an article in the past, regardless of how egregiously written, but after reading your heavily and unnecessarily negative review of the Bronc's rather good game against a tough 3-1 opponent, (did you happen to remember that?), I felt compelled to remind you of some professional football basics.
Each and every NFL team is made up of coaches and players who are world-class, (if not always emotionally mature, in the case of players, but that is another story), and who put it on the line each week. Only one team can win, (generally speaking). That is one of the reasons why we have the expression "any given Sunday," Bernie - EVERY team can lose on any Sunday and EVERY team does lose even the gimmies from time to time. Even the best of teams. Expecting perfection is just pointless.
With rare exceptions, good teams do not pulverize their opponents every week throughout the season. Good teams struggle against other good teams and find ways to win. I agree with comments elsewhere that Denver was pretty much in control of the game following their touchdown. So if we took a knee to take the win it was because our team put itself in a winning position. The game didn't run out of motion, you fool, it ran out of time, and the Broncos orchestrated a win based on their overall game strategy and execution - again - against another strong 3 -1 team.
Frankly, your article seems to reveal more about your emotional state than anything at all about the Broncos - Bucs game I watched and thoroughly enjoyed as a Broncos fan over here in Japan.
You referenced the professionalism of the Broncos defense in your article - care to examine your own as an alleged sports newswriter?
October 6, 2008
7:59 a.m.
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ashanab writes:
Fire Lincicom!!!!!
Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!Fire Lincicom!!!!!
October 6, 2008
8:31 a.m.
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TXBRONC writes:
Come on Bernie, Jay didn't look ordinary. He was going up against one of the best defenses in the League. It was said all week that Jay was going to have to be patient and take what the defense gave him and not turn the ball over. I don't know about you but I didn't expect Jay to light up the Buccaneer defense. Did you also consider that Marshall dropped one pass that was deep in the Bucs end of the field and fell down on another? Jay's stats would have been even better had that not happened.
October 6, 2008
9:19 a.m.
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Mile_High_Magic writes:
Unbelievable, Bernie. A Tampa Bay offense ranked 5th in the NFL in total offense is inept in your universe? The only stats that really matter, though, are wins and losses. You can be smug all you want, but not even you can take the luster off another W.
I just wonder what you will say when the Broncos go through the AFC and win it all this season? I imagine it would go a little something like this: "Far be it from me to be the bearer of bad news to Bronco Country, but this Super showing was far from adequate. A year removed from Goliath's demise at the hands of true Giants, these Broncos left their legions wanting in a three point victory. This margin of triumph was not quite what Shanahan had in mind. But fret not. There is always next year."
October 6, 2008
11:23 a.m.
mbg51 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
October 6, 2008
11:29 a.m.
BroncoRick69 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
October 6, 2008
1:11 p.m.
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RockyMts69 writes:
Maybe Bernie suffers from 'shaken baby syndrome'...
October 6, 2008
1:45 p.m.
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Dynamicdave writes:
Lincicome, what is your major malfunction? Why do you continue to slander and misrepresent the Broncos? Same Adams is not afraid to converse, one on one, with the fans. You, on the other hand, write dribble, lies and garbage and refuse to give a reason for your stupidity. You never defend yourself or your actions. Were you abused as a child? I'm willing to bet you were a mamas boy. Spoiled at home and beat up at school. It would explain much about you.
October 6, 2008
2:15 p.m.
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BleedingOrangeBlue writes:
Sounds like another case of a non-athlete with an axe to grind. Funny, the Broncos play a game of "we'll take what they give us" and win against a very good defense but then get ragged on, if it was the other way around, I'm sure this article would find a way to say how poor their defense is - either way this guy would find a way to spin this negatively. I guess conservative but intelligent game-plan's don't make much sense to this writer, looks like you had some time to kill and just wanted to get a rise out of a few people. A true waste of this paper's and their readers' time. The temper of this article seems as if he wants the Broncos to lose, as if he's annoyed that they are 4-1. Blowouts or squeakers, guess what, 4-1 is 4-1. In the NFL you take the victories no matter how they come, or is this your first time covering this league? Its as if the Broncos should apologize for their record and ask for a win to be taken away for this writer to be pacified.
Cutler ordinary yesterday? Hmmm, 227 and a TD with a 96 rating and 67% on his completions, while playing with an obviously abridged playbook. Yeah, I'll take that every week knowing he's averaging two TD's a game and leads the NFL in passing yards besides being the 7th ranked QB in the league. Should he apologize for that, will that make things better?
Sounds like you got stuffed into your locker once to often by your high school football team. I'd like to see you strap on a helmet and pads step onto the field and then tell DJ Williams that he stinks, I've got a feeling that you'd be a little shy and wait until you got behind the safety of your keyboard to start talking tough. Sounds like you should come over here and write in NY/NJ, these writers have mastered the negative sports take that you seem to thrive on.
October 6, 2008
4:48 p.m.
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1somelikeithot writes:
Doesn't seem like you have any fans Bernie. It's not because you tell the truth and the truth hurts, you just write crap. You never played sports did you? You are so sad.
October 6, 2008
5:34 p.m.
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metalman5050 writes:
U need to move to Oakland and cover the faiders. At least then there would B some truth to your words!
October 6, 2008
6:21 p.m.
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bbrown writes:
Dearest Bernie (simpleton),
You clearly have no clue what you do. I agree with all that say "GET OUT OF DODGE"! You have always been Bronco biased and always will be. You also are the reason I mainly read the Denver Post's sports writers. Go to another place, king of the half-wits!
October 7, 2008
8:28 a.m.
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incognitoboy writes:
bernie seems to have leaked some of his famous venom into the keyboards of a few readers.....nice trick, bernie!
for those of you who don't get it yet, and that's most of you, bernie doesn't hate the broncos, at least not overtly, and he does his job quite well, actually, since his job is to bring a glass-half-full-possibly-half-broken atmosphere to the denver sports reporting scene, and when you all get mad and respond with such misguided contempt it merely shows his bosses that he is indeed doing his job, and doing it well.
remember how howard cosell was so reviled by fans of monday night football? everyone considered him a blowhard, but couldn't wait to tune in and see what would come out of his mouth next so they could gather the next day at the watercooler and rip his lungs out with coworkers. bernie has the internet version going on here.
i don't always agree with everything bernie says, either. but i almost always enjoy reading what it is, and the comments/venom he inspires. i've been annoyed occasionally and spewed a little of my own, but i keep coming back. does that make me a glutton for punishment? maybe.
it makes you all one too.
October 7, 2008
9:24 a.m.
Suggest removal
mbg51 writes:
After reading the other comments on this page I am amazed that my previous post was removed. I do admit that my use of the term “idiot” was childish and not called for, but with other comments including “king of the half-wits,” “a$$,” “you just write crap,” “refuse to give a reason for your stupidity,” “Were you abused as a child?,” “mamas boy,” “Maybe Bernie suffers from 'shaken baby syndrome',” “moron,” “Fire Lincicom!!!!!,” “do you just smoke crack,” “smash your nuts with a hammer,” “If YOUR imagination could rise to the level of "broom straw" your column might have more worth than a place to paper train a dog,” and “Riddle me this, can you figure out what the middle one is for? >>>.!..<<<...d*-~b.”
In light of these other comments that have been left on this page, I am stumped as to why the use of “idiot” was really that offensive. Please clarify… thank you.