A Jeremy Bloom Sighting!

Jeremy Bloom worked out for the Broncos this Tuesday. According to the Denver Post, Bloom showed good skills as a receiver and had a strong overall workout. It could benefit the Broncos to bring in a player like Bloom to return punts and kicks. He showed some explosiveness at Colorado, and even in the preseason for the Eagles. Anything is better then Dominik "Deer Boy" Hixon and Glenn "I look scared" Martinez. I will be sure to update the status of Bloom as more information becomes available.

Denver Nuggets Season Preview

The Denver Nuggets begin their 2007 - 08' season starting tonight at the Pepsi Center against Kevin Durant and the Seattle Supersonics on ESPN. The expectations for the Nuggets are sky high and I think everyone in the city of Denver is really excited to see this team perform up to those expectations. What can we expect from this team? Is a world championship out of reach? Let's break it down.

Offense - Offensively we are going to be a tough team to stop. The Nuggets fast paced style will put a ton of points on the board and should be even more improved from last year with a full training camp with Iverson. It will be difficult for opponents to match up with us, because both Carmelo and AI are two of the best offensive players in the league.

-Carmelo is the key to the offense and even with Iverson, the offense should be run through him. His offensive game demands a double team, because really no one in the league is able to match up with his size and quickness. Once the double team comes, look for Carmelo to get the ball out of his hands quickly to the open man.

- Allen Iverson brings several different elements to the offense. First off, we need to get the ball into his hands immediately when we begin the fast break. He is still (I believe) the fastest player in the NBA from end to end. He creates not only shots for himself, but he sees the court exceptionally well on the break. Secondly, look for Iverson to become more of a play maker/distributor when we settle into our "set offense." If he can penetrate the lane he can dish to the likes of K -Mart, Nene, Najera, or Camby all of whom can finish very well around the basket. If the help defender doesn't come to stop AI in the lane, you know he will be able to finish the play.

- Nene really came into his own as a low-post scorer for us late in the season and into the playoffs. It took Nene a while to get himself in playing shape after his knee surgery, but once he did, he became a beast. It's important for the Nuggets to pound the paint, and Nene is the best option we have (besides Melo'). Nene developed a nice baby hook and an up an under move last year. Look for him to command more double teams when he gets the ball low in the post. Nene is also an underrated passer as well.

-The rest of the Nuggets offense must come from what I like to call the "Open Looks Club." These players will be the beneficiary of either A.)Iverson's ability to penetrate and bring over the help defender or B.) Melo's unique offensive game that forces teams to "shade" or double to his side of the court when he receives the ball. These players include the bigs of Martin, Camby, Najera, Nene and the shooters and I don't mean Marcus Camby (His jumper from the top of the key is as ugly as it is erratic). The shooters I mean are Chucky Atkins, Kouba Diawara, Linas Klieza, JR Smith, Von Wafer and Bobby Jones. These players have to be able to sink the open 3 point look to keep defenses honest. If these players can consistently hit the open shots, our offense really becomes unstoppable. It's important that the Nuggets take an unselfish approach on offense, if we are constantly getting the ball to the open man, look for this team to be the highest scoring in the NBA this year.

Defense - The numbers show that the Nuggets were towards the bottom of the league in points against/given up. A lot of analysts (eh...um..Charles Barkley) conclude that the Nuggets can't stop anyone and they have to outscore their opponents to win. A deeper look into the numbers show that we played at the fastest pace, meaning that we like to get up and down the court creating an increased number of opportunities for both us and the opponent. According to John Hollinger, ESPN NBA Analyst the Nuggets ranked 9th in defense efficiency when pace was factored into the equation.

The leader of our team defense is Marcus "Gumby" Camby. He is the reigning defense player of the year after he averaged 11 rebounds a game to go along with 3 blocks pg. He is the strength of our defense and sets us up on that end of the court. To give Marcus some help we will have the big bodied Nene to body up the bigger power forwards and centers. Nene has the ability to become an excellent defender because of his size, strength and quickness. It will also be great to have Kenyon Martin back in the rotation, who gained a reputation as a great defender before his last couple injury riddled years. Eddie "Hustle" Najera also can come in and give us some great energy off the bench. Carmelo isn't going to wow you with his defensive prowess, but he has been getting better year after year. In fact, Coach K praised Melo's defense early this summer when he was playing for US in the Olympic qualifier. We definitely have a solid frontcourt when it comes to the defensive side of the court. Most of our problems will come from our undersized backcourt of Allen Iverson and Chucky Atkins/ Diawara/Smith/Klieza. Teams that have big ones and twos will attack either Iverson or Atkins when they are on the floor. We do have Camby lurking if they try to get inside, but it is certainly an issue and something to watch. If players like Diawara, Klieza and Smith can come in and make an impact on the defensive side of the court, look for Coach Karl to give them more minutes.

Let's hope that both sides of the ball come out to play this year. I am hoping for the Nuggets to come out strong this year. If we can get on a role early, look for this team to win between 52 to 57 games. If we do that, we will probably land a 2 or 3 seed and have a chance to do some great things in the playoffs. As of now, I am predicting a record of 54 - 28 and a trip to the western conference finals. GO NUGGETS!!!!

Nuggets Offseason Review

Since I am too depressed to discuss the gut wrenching loss from last night's Monday night game. I will discuss the Nuggets offseason. We are just around the corner from the start of the NBA season, are you excited? I know I am! Let's get started.

Key Additions

• Chucky Atkins - Our biggest offseason acquisition played for the Memphis Grizzlies last year and had averages of 13.2 ppg and 4.6 apg. Chucky shot 43% from the field and 37% from downtown. Of course with the Nuggets we cannot begin the NBA season without an injury to one of our key players. So, it begins with Chucky Atkins as he will be out 6 to 8 weeks with a severely strained groin. When Chucky comes back he should be a solid veteran presence who can hit big shots and stretch the defense. Chucky will most likely man the point guard position when he gets back and AI will then shift to shooting guard.
• Kenyon Martin - We have now missed Kenyon's presence in our lineup for 2 straight seasons. The biggest question mark is if Kenyon can come back after two microfracture surgeries. All reports from camp suggest that Kenyon is in great shape and is ready to help this team win some games. I have my doubts, but only time will tell.
• Steven Hunter/Bobby Jones - We acquired Steven Hunter and Bobby Jones in a trade with the 76ers for Reggie "Nut Grabber" Evans and Ricky "waste of a draft pick" Sanchez. Steven Hunter gives us added depth in the center position, if and when Marcus Camby goes down. Bobby Jones is a big, athletic two guard who shot pretty decent from downtown in preseason. I don't know if he will see much burn, but he has to be a better shooter then Kouba Diawara right?
• Von Wafer - Von Wafer is an interesting prospect that the Nuggets signed from the Colorado 14ers (NBADL). He played extremely well in the summer league and was a top scorer in the developmental league last season. He has a smooth stroke from downtown and is very athletic. He should push J.R. Smith for time at the shooting guard position while A.I. runs the point until Chucky comes back.

Key Losses

• Steve Blake - I know many Nuggets fans liked what they saw from Steve Blake last season, but I was not one of them. Steve played as good or better then we could of expected after we traded Earl Boykins for him. I just don't think that Steve's play was good enough at the point guard position for the Nuggets to resign him. This was never more evident when we played San Antonio in the playoffs last year. He played with no confidence and really couldn't hit the open shot when we needed him to. Blake is a competitor and plays hard every night, but I just don't think he is more then a backup point guard in the NBA. Enjoy Portland Stevie B!
• Reggie Evans - There is no doubt that this guy can rebound the basketball, he was at the top of the league in rebounds per 48 minutes. At times during the 06 - 07 season when we had our difficulty rebounding the basketball the Joker would come in and give us a boost. But, with Kenyon, Nene and Eduardo on the roster there was a logjam at the power forward spot and we no longer needed his services. Honestly I am glad he is no longer on the roster. I just couldn't respect the guy after he grabbed the Kaveman's nuts. Sinora!
• Ricky Sanchez - HA HA...Yeah Right.
  

Overall, I think the Nuggets management made enough moves, within the parameters of what they could spend, to upgrade the roster significantly. The key will be K-Mart, if he can come back and give us 20 -25 minutes a night of hard nosed defense, rebounding, and effective SHOT SELECTION then we could have a chance to really do something in the postseason. It's up to K - Mart to decide if he wants to contribute to this team in a manner that can help them win. That means coming off the bench and not needing plays run for him to be effective. As I said before, time will tell.

Ol' Man Favre throws a Dagger in the hearts of Denver sports fans

What a tough loss for the Broncos in a hard fought battle. The Donks gave up touchdown passes of 79 and 82 yards. The first came right after we drove down the field and scored a touchdown on a pass from Jay Cutler to Tony Scheffler. The second was the first play of overtime after we couldn't punch the ball in from the 2 yard line during regulation. Both plays were significant in that the first was a huge blow to our momentum and the second obviously ended the game. Those two plays as well as Cutler's fumble on the 1 yard line were the three big plays that turned the game. We had a chance to win but, we just couldn't make the plays when we needed to. Green Bay and Brett Favre did. Needless to say its been a tough couple of days for Denver sports fans.

Henry Inactive Tonight

Travis Henry is inactive for tonights game against the Packers. Selvin Young will start in his place. This would have been Henry's 2nd to last chance to play for the Broncos before the league reviews his positive drug test. Let's hope that Selvin Young can be a balla tonight.

Broncos vs Packers - A Monday Night Showdown

Packers( 5-1) - Broncos (3-3) - Game Preview

- After the Rockies ended up getting swept by the Bo Sox, its time for Denver fans to turn their attention to their underachieving Broncos. Hopefully the Broncos can rebound from a poor start to their season and come away with a big win against a high quality opponent. Denver may have already started on the right path to turning around their season with a big win at home last week to a very tough Pittsburgh team. If we can carry that momentum into tonight's game I think we have a chance to play pretty well.

Offense - We will need to establish the run early if we expect to win. I don't see us being able to throw on the tough cornerback tadem of Al Harris and Charles Woodson without the help of the playaction fake. Green Bay is a very good pass rushing team and they are not afraid to blitz because they know that both their corners aren't going to get beat very often. If we establish the run, those corners and safties will start shifting their eyes in the backfield and then we can go down the field to Marshall or Stokley. I expect us to come out early and really try to hammer them with the run. It will be important for our offense to stay on the field and keep Green Bay's pass first offense out of rythym. I hope for the gameplan's sake that Travis Henry is able to play (Sore Ribs - listed as Game Time Decision), because I do not think that this gameplan will work with Selvin Young in the backfield. Also, look for a lot of screens, draws and short routes to the tight ends. Green Bay is an aggresive defense and you can catch them overpursuing. If we can establish the run early, take advantage of their overly-aggresive defense then we should have a chance to score some points and keep Green Bay's offense off the field.

Defense - I thought it was a gutsy performance from the defense last week. Although they wore down in the second half, they played pretty well overall against the run and really got a lot of pressure on the quarterback. Needless to say it was a big improvement from the weeks previous. Luckily for us Green Bay actually matches up very well with our defense. Green Bay doesn't run the ball very well or at all. They rely on short passes to convert third downs and we all know Brett Favre isn't afraid to throw the ball downfield. That being said Green Bay will try to run the ball (the gameplan will be to attack our porous run defense). I think if we maintain our gap control and force Green Bay to turn to their passing attack, it will be playing right into our defense's hands. The Broncos defense is built to pressure the quarterback and make him throw the ball early or into coverage. If we get Champ Bailey back (he is listed as questionable) I think we have a chance to create some turnovers. The key will be our young defensive front four. We really need to come out with some energy and focus along the defensive line. Look for Elvis Dumervil and Jarvis Moss to attack the veteran tackles for Green Bay and try to put some heat on Brett Favre. A big matchup will be that of Donald Lee and Ian Gold. We need Gold to show that he can still be a good coverage linebacker and take away Favre's safety valve. Also, look for Dominque Foxworth to be on the field a lot tonight, I imagine we will be in Nickel for a good portion of tonights game. He is a great young player and I hope he can take away the slot from Green Bay. It will be a tough game for the Defense, but as long as we can put immediate pressure on Favre and lock up their recievers down the field we have a chance to shut down their offense.

Special Teams - I want to see another good performance from our special teams unit. That means good tackling and NO short fields. Make Green Bay's offense work for everything they get. I would also like to see Selvin Young returning kicks, he was a returner for Texas in college and he has big play ability. It would really help for our offense to get some good field position and not have to go 80 + yards for a score. Maybe this time we won't have to rely on a Jason Elam field goal with 2 seconds left to win the game. But, if we do we know he can make the kick.

Prediciton - Broncos 27 Packers 17

Comments?

Congrats to the Rockies - What's next?

Congratulations to the Colorado Rockies on a terrific 2007 season. It was an incredible journey from start to finish and for the first time in a long while I am proud to say that I am a Rockies Fan! Included in the Rockies 2007 season was the most victories in franchise history, longest winning streak, and the first NL pennant.

I think it is also appropriate to congratulate the Boston Red Sox on a great season. They came in to the WS ready to play and showed that they were the better baseball team in almost every aspect of the game.


So what is the next for the Colorado Rockies? Can we expect this team to be competing for the pennant every year or will the Rockies simply slide back to irrelevancy?

- It's my biased opinion that the Rocks have the core assembled to be contenders every year, and it will be up to management to make sure that they stay competitive for the next 4 or 5 years.

-Item #1- We need to sign Matt Holliday to a healthy contract extension. This should be a priority for Rockies management considering he carried us all year and has become the face of the franchise. He is a big time player and needs to be paid big time bucks.

- Item # 2 - I believe that it will be in the Rockies best interest to re-sign Kazuo Matsui to a 2 to 3 year deal. I think he brings a lot to the table for this team. His defense is great and he is a pretty decent contact hitter. If he can increase his on base percentage it should help this team immensely in the 08' season.

- Item # 3 - Reconfigure the bullpen- Goodbye FUENTES - it was a good run but its time for a change of location. I believe that his value is still high and that we could get a couple good pitching prospects in a trade. I love what we have in Corpas, Hawkins, Affeldt and Ryan Speier. I think it would be great if we could resign Matt Herges (FA - who stated already that he would like to pitch in SF). I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to think that Morales could be an effective relief pitcher. We all know that he has great stuff, but he seems to unravel if he is out there for more then 3 or 4 innings. He is still young, but I think he can bring a lot to the table as a relief pitcher. My hope is there are a few available FA out in this year's pool to come in and give us some good innings next year.

- Item #4 - Starting Rotation - This is what I would like to see as our rotation next year.
- 1 - Jeff Francis
- 2 -Aaron Cook
- 3 - UBall
- 4 - Rodrigo Lopez (I am not sure if he is a FA or not)
- 5 - Jason Hirsh
Hopefully, our management can make the correct calls this offseason. It should be interesting.