Denver Broncos starting to look ugly

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have looked horrible all year, but at least they looked as outstanding as Buccaneers cheerleader Marlana Aref (see above) with Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks.

What team has gone from beautiful to horrible this season?

Try the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos are trying hard to become the first team ever to start 6-0 and not make the playoffs. Losing to the Oakland Raiders ... and JaMarcus Russell of all people ... was certainly a major embarrassment.

All of a sudden, the team with Kyle Orton, Brandon Marshall and Elvis Dumervil doesn’t look quite so sexy anymore.

After all, any team that could blow a three-game lead with three to play as the Broncos did to the San Diego Chargers last year is capable of any choke job.

On the other hand, the Chargers continue to look like the team most capable of eventually knocking the currently undefeated Indianapolis Colts out of the playoffs.

Not only have the Chargers booted the Colts out of two straight playoffs (and beaten them four of the last five times), the Chargers are no longer under the radar with nine straight wins.

Philip Rivers should be joining the MVP conversation. Vincent Jackson should be gaining much respect as a wide receiver, and Antonio Gates is hard to overlook at tight end.

As much as the Broncos have gone from beautiful to ugly this season, the Chargers have been just the opposite. Look out for them in January ... and maybe the Super Bowl in February!

Denver Broncos got the best of Cutler-Orton trade

Kyle Orton for Jay Cutler straight-up would have been a good trade for the Denver Broncos.

Just look at what Cutler – the biggest pouter in the NFL – has “accomplished” this season.

He threw five interceptions in the Chicago Bears’10-6 loss at the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, tying for the most by a Bears QB since Zeke Bratkowski threw seven in a 42-7 loss to the Baltimore Colts on Oct. 2, 1960.

This comes on top of Cutler’s four interceptions in a season-opening loss at the Green Bay Packers.

Orton? All he has done is lead the Broncos to a surprising first-place standing in the AFC West at 6-2. He doesn’t necessarily win games for you; but he throws very few interceptions and keeps you from losing.

This being said, one must consider what else came along in the Bears-Broncos trade back in April.

The Broncos also received first-round picks in 2009 and 2010 for trading Cutler, along with a third-round pick in 2009. In return, the Bears received a fifth-round pick in 2009 that Denver had already acquired from the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver Keary Colbert.

Cutler and the Bears already are virtually out of playoff contention at 4-5.

Orton? He needs to lead the Broncos to a win Sunday at the Washington Redskins, or the Broncos will have lost three straight and be in danger of falling into a first-place tie in the AFC West with the San Diego Chargers (if the Chargers beat the Philadelphia Eagles.)

Speaking of QBs, Philip Rivers of the Chargers is far more effective than Cutler or Orton. He rarely loses games for you as Cutler often does and he’s much more capable of leading a winning drive than Orton.

All of which could still make the Chargers the best team in the AFC West.

Prediction:
Chargers 24, Eagles 23

Denver Broncos: 1977 all over again?

Remember Red Miller, the Orange Crush and the Pony Express cheerleaders?

Looks like the current Denver Broncos may turn out to be the latest version of those 1977 Broncos.

In 1977, the Broncos won their first six games under new coach Red Miller. This year’s Broncos are 6-0 under new coach Josh McDaniels.

The 1977 Broncos featured an "Orange Crush" defense. The current Broncos feature a defense that has allowed just 10 points total in the second half of their first six games.

Back in 1977, the Broncos had an attractive cheerleader group called the "Pony Express." Equally as attractive, they are now the Bronco Cheerleaders.

When the Broncos won Monday night at San Diego, 34-23, it brought back another memory of 1977.

That year, the Broncos were 4-0 when they traveled to Oakland and defeated the Raiders, 30-7. At that time, Oakland had been dominating the AFC West.

The Chargers had also been dominant in the AFC West for several years until this year’s edition of the Broncos came along.

Kyle Orton, of all people, may be the modern-day Craig Morton of the Broncos. And the list goes on.

(For those who have forgotten, Denver’s back-up QB in 1977 was Craig Penrose out of San Diego State. He played for the Aztec more than 30 years ago; back when they were annual winners instead of perennial losers.)

The Broncos did go 12-2 in 1977 and made it all the way to the Super Bowl for the first time under a new head coach. Is history repeating in 2009?

Chargers-Broncos: Who will get thrown back?

Both teams will come into Monday Night Football wearing their crazy uniforms from the 1960s.

The Denver Broncos will wear their road uniforms with the horrible striped socks. The San Diego Chargers will be recognized by their 1963 throwback uniforms.

This game could also be a throwback game for the Chargers. If they lose, you could throw them back out of the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

But the funny thing is, every time the Chargers look like they are out of it, they seem to get back in it.

Consider how they won four straight at the end of last season to make the playoffs with a shameful (for a playoff team) record of 8-8, or how Denver collapsed with three losses at the end to choke on the division lead.

But this is a different season and the Broncos are beginning to resemble the 1994 Chargers. Both teams were picked to be also-rans; the Chargers went to the Super Bowl that year. Could Denver be the surprise team playing in February this season?

Kyle Orton won’t win you many games at quarterback, yet he manages them well enough to keep you from losing. And he doesn’t pout and hang his head like baby Jay Cutler.

Add a superior Denver defense and you see where the Broncos could be heading this year.

The Chargers? Let’s just say they have been unimpressive thus far.

Philip Rivers has been great under the circumstances at QB. But the team’s running game hasn’t gotten in gear … and the defense has performed even worse than the runners.

San Diego is 10-1 in its last 11 night games at home and desperately needs this one.

Prediction:
Chargers 24, Broncos 16

Denver Broncos: Remake of 1994 Chargers?

It all started in 1994 when Denver quarterback John Elway let the ball slip out of his hands to Junior Seau on what should have been a game-winning drive for the Broncos.

Did it all start for the Broncos in 2009 when Brandon Stokley caught a miracle tipped pass for an 87-yard touchdown with 11 seconds to go to stun the Cincinnati Bengals?

The more this season unfolds; the more it appears that the 2009 Broncos may be a remake of the 1994 Chargers.

As previously mentioned, both teams were more than lucky to win their opener. And before each respective season began, neither team was considered a contender.

The 1994 Chargers started 6-0; this year’s Broncos are a surprising 5-0.

Each quarterback was a castoff from elsewhere: Stan Humphries of the Chargers and Kyle Orton of the current Broncos. Both team had great defenses; the Broncos having allowed just 43 points this year in their first 5-0 start since their last Super Bowl season in 1998.

And if you want to test your memory, can you remember some of these “stars” of the 1994 Chargers?

Do you remember that the team’s leading receivers were Mark Seay and Ronnie Harmon? Or that the No. 2 rusher behind Natrone Means was Eric Bieniemy?

Then there was linebacker Dennis Gibson, who made the game-saving play in the AFC Championship vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The current Broncos are a long way from the Super Bowl, but they sure do bring back memories of how the Chargers came out of nowhere 15 years ago to play in their only Super Bowl ever.