Subject: Denver Broncos

• Broncos owner Pat Bowlen's explanation for the Jay Cutler trade

  A Flickr photoBroncos owner Pat Bowlen with 2008 Hall of Fame enshrinee Gary Zimmerman. The controversy over the Denver Broncos' decision to send quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago for some draft picks and party-starter Kyle Orton has apparently made the folks in the team's ticket office fearful that fans may start to abandon ship. Hence, an e-mail to season ticket-holders sent out a short time ago under the signature of owner Pat Bowlen, who offers an "explanation" for the move. He denies charg

  April 3, 2009

• Keep it positive, Bronco fans!

  A Flickr photoC'mon, Broncomaniacs! The glass is half full! Okay, at first glance, it looks the Broncos got the royal screw in the Jay Cutler trade. But I offer you three reasons why this could be one of the better deals Denver sports has seen. 1. We no longer have Cutler! This seems like a bad thing, but it is not. It is a good thing. Because although it's probably true that Broncos owner Pat Bowlen lied to Cutler, the quarterback's true colors showed here. His feelings are so fragile that th

  April 6, 2009

• Check out our slide show of mediocre Broncos quarterbacks through the ages

  Remember Broncos QB Steve Tensi? With the departure of Jay Cutler and the arrival of former Chicago Bears signal caller and famed party-starter Kyle Orton, the Denver Broncos may be returning to the sort of lackluster quarterbacking that marked the team's darkest eras. Many of these QBs have been forgotten over time, while the lameness of others is forever tattooed on our brains. For a slide-show refresher course on ten of the least successful hurlers to stick their hands between a Broncos cent

  April 7, 2009

• Another blow to Broncos fans: Jack Elway quits football

  A Flickr photoJack Elway, wearing his dad's number 7, is getting off the bus for good. Okay, so Jay Cutler gets traded to Chicago, and his likely replacement, Kyle Orton, seems to be more of a player off the field than on. But at least Broncos loyalists knew that in a few years, a certain someone would be ready to rescue us: Jack Elway, son of John. Young Jack had done a good job at quarterback at Cherry Creek High School and was currently attending Arizona State, where he was no doubt refining

  April 7, 2009

• YouTubers ratchet up the guilt on John Elway, other Denver celebs over child soldiers

  On April 25, InvisibleChildren.com is staging events in 100 cities to bring attention to the abduction and forced recruitment of child soldiers -- an unspeakably cruel practice that's all too common in many parts of the world. In Denver, participants will gather at the main gate of Coors Field prior to "abducting" themselves down Broadway, past the State Capitol. They'll eventually wind up at the Pavilion at Cheesman Park, "where we will wait to be rescued" -- and they want celebrities to be s

  April 15, 2009

• Broncos powerless in NFL power rankings

  A photo from DrunkAthlete.comKyle Orton fueling up for action. Now that the spittle-flecked anger has died down from the whole Jay Cutler-to-the-Bears brouhaha, how do NFL prognosticators rate your Denver Broncos in the months prior to the start of the 2009-2010 season? Not very highly, to say the least. This week, Adam Caplan, who writes for Scout.com (a Fox Sports site), weighed in with his "NFL Power Rankings Version 1.0," and by his reckoning, the Broncos are the 24th strongest squad in the

  May 15, 2009

• From Mile High to Monolith, breaking down Denver's summer music fests

  The Mile High Music Fest returns to Dick's with Tool, Widespread Panic and the Fray. With so many music festivals to fill up your summer and drain your pocketbook, we put together a handy rundown of Denver's fests, in order of their appearance on your calendar. Which are you looking most forward to? What should concertgoers know about each? Use the comments section below -- and enjoy the summer. Built to Spill headlines this year's Showcase.Westword Music Showcase Dates: June 13 Venue: Numerou

  May 26, 2009

• Broncos' schedule: Is a 6-10 prediction too optimistic?

  At what point will the Broncos wipe this smile off Josh McDaniels' face? Even before the hiring of new coach Josh McDaniels and the loss of quarterback Jay Cutler, even casual NFL fans knew that the team was facing a brutal 2009 schedule -- and the breakdown provided by BetFirms.com makes it clear just how difficult it'll be for the Denver squad to reach mediocrity, let alone playoff contention. The nameless prognosticator predicts that the Broncos will finish with a 6-10 record -- well below t

  June 9, 2009

• The Broncos dismiss the Boss... Bailey, that is

  Boss Bailey. At this writing, linebacker Boss Bailey's page remains on the Denver Broncos' website -- but that won't be true for long. Yesterday, the team cut him loose. And while that makes sense (he's still rehabbing from the sort of microfracture surgery that makes comebacks slow and difficult), it's still disappointing for fans. Prior to his injury, Boss was among the few Broncos defenders (along with his brother, Champ) to make an impression, and if he was healthy, he'd be precisely the ki

  June 18, 2009

• Broncos season tickets wait-listers: Get ready for your consolation prize

  Broncos fans on the team's season-tickets wait list get their annual consolation prize today: a chance to buy two-game packages (one of which has to be to a pre-season game) before the rest of the sweaty, beer-stained, orange-bleeding general public. Beginning at 10 a.m., wait-listers in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico who got a code in their email box yesterday will have "the opportunity" to spend hundreds of dollars (tickets are $45 to $125 each) to catch the team from what are typically thi

  July 17, 2009

• Denver ranks 13th among best cities for singles

  From Forbes.comDenver: The best city for single ghosts trying to catch a train?​ Forbes.com -- America's go-to source for tax law updates, breaking commodities news and sexiness -- has named Denver the 13th best city for singles. "With a brunt of popular sports teams -- Broncos, Nuggets, Avalanche and Rockies -- as well as a lively bar scene, Denver isn't just for skiing," the website says. "Popular spots for singles include the Denver Art Museum, P S Lounge -- which is more of a dive ba

  July 29, 2009

• Can't go to Broncos training camp? Read Stefan Fatsis's A Few Seconds of Panic instead

  ​The Broncos start training camp today, and, sure, you could go watch. But unless you sneak into the locker room and hide behind Brandon Marshall's ego, going to camp won't give you even a hint of what life is really like for the Broncos. For that, you'll have to hit your favorite bookseller. Almost exactly three years ago today, the Broncos started the 2006 training camp with 3/4 an extra body in camp: Author Stefan Fatsis, who somehow had managed to persuade the team to let him go throu

  July 31, 2009

• Top Ten other injuries Brandon Marshall can fake

  This is not Brandon Marshall's happy face.​ Although Broncos wideout (and past Shmuck of the Week) Brandon Marshall has made it mondo-clear that he wants to be traded, he's attending training camp anyhow -- presumably because he doesn't want to fork over thousands of dollars in daily fines if he skipped out on the sessions. Yesterday, however, he reportedly tweaked his hamstring toward the end of practice, making his participation in future scrimmages doubtful, at least in the immediate f

  August 3, 2009

• Clownin' around with Brandon Marshall

  The behavior of Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall, whose "hamstring injury" over the weekend followed obvious signals that he'd rather undergo several weeks of continuous dental work that participate in the team's training camp, clearly isn't to the liking of YouTuber garyhoosier. He's created a video set to the classic sounds of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "Tears of a Clown" that juxtaposes ignominious references to Marshall's past -- his quote about hating Denver, a showboating glove s

  August 4, 2009

• Who will be the Broncos' Twitter MVP?

  ​As training camp gets into full swing and the football season looms ever closer, our beloved Denver Broncos are stuck in what's known as a "rebuilding" year. As a team in flux, the orange and blue face many questions. Can Josh McDaniels succeed as a head coach? Will Kyle Orton be able to execute McDaniels' offense? Will the defense improve enough to stop anybody? Why is Brandon Marshall such a punk ass? All legitimate questions, yet they pale before the one, big question of the year: Who

  August 7, 2009

• Shmuck of the Week: Yep, it's Jay Cutler

  A photo from back when Jay was working on a losing record as a Bronco.​It may yet prove to be the case that being able to throw a football really hard does not make you a good NFL quarterback. In fact, it may require intelligence and grace and a good offensive line, and Jay Cutler does not have any of those things. His most recent baffling sound bite, in case you missed it, involved saying this about his old and new fan bases: ""Denver's like a 6 and Chicago's like a 9." Let's ignore the

  August 7, 2009

• Win-total predictions for Broncos in 2009: Take the under

  Warning: We'll run this photo of Kyle Orton and a "friend" any chance we get.​The general consensus among Denver Broncos fans with whom I've spoken is that the team is going to suck like the world's largest Hoover in 2009. But plenty of Vegas types are considerably more optimistic. Right now, the line calls for the Broncos to chalk up seven wins in this season -- hard to imagine unless a kindly gypsy woman magically transforms Kyle Orton into John Elway circa the late '80s for at least hal

  August 13, 2009

• Will this year's Broncos make us pine for the past?

  Your 2007 Denver Broncos.​I visited the Denver Broncos' official website this morning and discovered a "team photo" button on the "team" page. When I clicked it, however, I was surprised to see an image of the 2007 squad, complete with Mike Shanahan doing his weird little squint in row six and Jay Cutler up front wearing predominately orange. Is this the Broncos' way of letting us know they wish they could turn back the clock just hours before tonight's 2009 preseason debut against the Sa

  August 14, 2009

• Twitter Tuesday: New media in Denver

  ​Back again with more great Twits to follow for your burgeoning Twitter feed. As always, follow us at @denverwestword, @cafewestword, @westword_music and @casciato. @ChannelMassive: Gaming is rapidly becoming one of the main pastimes of our society. And since most mainstream media still just doesn't get it, you need smart, savvy folks to tip you off to the scene. Smart, savvy folks like the fine people of Channel Massive, a group of locally based podcasters who just released their 100th p

  August 18, 2009

• A Taste of Colorado plays head games with a vendor

  August 20, 2009

• In "10 Best Places to Grow Up" list, Denver kicks the crap out of Plano, Texas

  A Flickr photo​Another day, another list ranking American cities -- the latest being a U.S. News & World Report survey pinpointing the ten top communities for raising children. Yes, Denver made the top ten. Its blurb reads: "Whether they prefer snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains, biking through America's largest city park system, or heading over to Invesco Field at Mile High for a Broncos football game, Denver is a wonderful place to be a kid. Also among the country's safest big cities,

  August 21, 2009

• Denver Blogs: Talk about a freaky Friday....

  Is anything scarier than seventh grade?​We're on the lookout for good blogs. Know where any are? A woman's daughter is embarking on the worst year of her life: seventh grade. The horror, the horror.... (Mile High Mamas) The Art Directors Club of Denver has created a free booklet called "Get the Work You Want." Which is fine for you guys -- but what about the rest of us? (Denver Egotist) Brandon Marshall might have slept through the last day of Broncos training camp. Bet the idea crossed

  August 21, 2009

• Kyle Orton looking like Brian Griese 2.0

  Kyle Orton.​Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton received mostly positive reviews for his performance in Saturday's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks -- so much so that most of the local media, in particular, seemed to ignore the fact that the Denver crew lost 27-13. But while Orton's stats were certainly an improvement on his Broncos debut against the San Francisco 49ers, when the main debate in succeeding days was whether he'd been better or worse than newly minted Chicago Bear Jay C

  August 24, 2009

• Denver Blogs: Up they go

  Photo from Denver Infill.​ Our daily roping of wild Denver blogs. Got any good ones corralled? Photographic evidence that development trudges on in Denver. (Denver Infill) Who will save our national parks? (5280) A happy birthday to Denver's best Broncos blog. (Mile High Report)

  August 24, 2009

• Dodger Talk host treats Denver like a joke

  Ken Levine.​Ken Levine, the host of the Los Angeles Dodgers post-game radio show called Dodger Talk, is a comedy writer whose TV credits include Cheers, Frasier and The Simpsons -- good shows all. But Denverites may not be terribly amused by his latest offering, a blog headlined "Things To Do in Denver When You're Not Dead," in which he characterizes the place as a high-altitude Hooterville. Levine starts out by whining about his hotel, because it offered a view of the bus depot, and the

  September 1, 2009

• Denver Magazine's latest cover inspires some disturbing images

  September 3, 2009

• Another Perfect Day in Denver, before the economy went to hell

  And now, for your viewing pleasure, a look at the way Denver attempted to sell Denver back in 2002, when the International Chamber of Commerce's 34th World Congress took place here. Entitled Another Perfect Day in Denver, the video, produced by the Mayor's Office of Economic Development & International Trade, is narrated by John Elway, who happily delivers lines that can be cheesy figuratively and literally; at one point, he holds up a sandwich and declares, "Denver's where the cheeseburger was

  September 9, 2009

• Bill Simmons, ESPN's Crack Cocaine Guy, picks Broncos to go 10-6, make playoffs

  ​If you're searching for some optimism for the forthcoming Broncos season, look no further than the NFL manifesto posted today by ESPN.com's Bill Simmons, wherein he picks the Broncos to be this season's no-one-saw-this-coming surprise team. His take: Nobody believes in them because they lost Shanahan (24-24 since 2006) and Cutler (17-20 career record). Was that REALLY a disaster? They hired the architect of New England's record-setting 2007 offense (McDaniels) and traded for a QB with a

  September 10, 2009

• Denver Blogs: Oh, NFL Sundays, how I missed thee

  Can this guy keep the Broncos from sucking?​Our daily round up of local blogs. Enjoy, and happy Friday. Is the pessimism of Broncos fans waning, or do the Bengals just suck? (Or could it be both?) (Mile High Report) It's environmentalists vs. outdoorsmen in a battle of who loves the wilderness more. (Colorado Independent) Bring back the Union Station arch! (Denver Infill)

  September 11, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, September 11, 2009

  Photo by Rob LeeSetting the stage.​Yeah, I hate typing that date, too. Today in Backbeat Online: • Our top 5 Monolith can't-miss acts. • Q&A with Frank Turner. • Q&A with Jinji Thompson of the Skyline Surrender. • Monolith Q&A: Monotonix. • MP3 Freeloader: DJ MU$A offers new mixtape, Techno Savvy. Today in Cafe Society: • A classic Denver Food & Wine Classic. • The DeKuyper Mix Master Bartender Contest will come to order. • Cheba Hut is a hit with Greeley judge. • Food

  September 11, 2009

• Broncos MVP in win over Bengals: Jesus Christ

  "The goal posts may not be shaped like a cross, but they're still holy."​Yesterday, the Denver Broncos beat the Cincinnati Bengals 12-7. But the victory wouldn't have taken place without divine intervention. With well under a minute to go, struggling quarterback Kyle Orton heaved a pass in the direction of disgruntled wideout Brandon Marshall, but Bengals defender Leon Hall got to the ball first. Hall could have easily swatted the ball into the turf, but he didn't -- and instant replay rev

  September 14, 2009

• The Broncos and Colorado Lottery: Both a gamble

  ​The Colorado Lottery has hooked up with the Denver Broncos for a new scratch game. At first blush, it's an odd alliance. After all, the National Football League officially discourages gambling (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Upon further consideration, though, the synchronicity between the organizations is too striking to ignore. Not only are there no guarantees when it comes to either of them, but the odds of winning a cash prize through the Lottery -- one in 3.9 -- are significantly higher

  September 15, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, September 15 edition

  Photo by Nancy LevineHolly Hartnett.​It's about that time. Today in Cafe Society: • Behind the Bar with Holly Hartnett of Venue. • Under Fire: Caramel Groundhog Day. • Guess where I'm eating? • Denver's newest road trip: Interstate Kitchen & Bar. • Oktoberfest is for sale. Will someone buy it a drink? Today in Backbeat Online: • Four is the magic number for Slayer and U2. • File under: comedy gold from Monolith. • Boulder electro-savants Savoy are giving it away. • Fres

  September 15, 2009

• Stone Fruit Martini at Venue

  September 17, 2009

• Denver Blogs: For your grilling pleasure...

  Our daily round-up of local blogs. A Denver-born iPhone app is on fire. Literally! (Actually, figuratively!) (Denver Egotist) How Denver will rebound from the recession. (5280) The Broncos aren't as bad as you think. According to this guy. We'll see. (HuffPo Denver)

  September 16, 2009

• Gambling with Homer: Down a Franklin but still feelin' good

  My girlfriend. Ha! I wish!​Hello, sports fans. My name is Homer Duggins and I've been a monster Denver devotee for, like, my whole life! When I was a kid, I totally asked my parents to paint my room blue and green for the Denver Zephyrs, and I wore black and gold to school every day for a year after the Buffs won the national championship in 1990. Man that was great. So this year, I've decided to put my money where my mouth's been -- and believe me, my mouth has been in a lot of places! I

  September 18, 2009

• Fear factor, Denver style: The top ten scary stunts

  September 24, 2009

• Get a read on the Sports Book, LoDo's new sports bar with a twist

  September 24, 2009

• Denver Blogs: Hockey season starts tonight -- yes, hockey

  ​Another day, another rundown of what's happening on local blogs. Mile High Hockey has a cool salute to Joe Sakic in advance of tonight's Avs opener. From Colorado Independent's Joseph Boven: A new certificate program will give community college students an opportunity to enter the New Energy Economy, and the governor's office has developed a guide to that new frontier. At Mile High Report, blogger broncobear loves what he sees in the Broncos, and he's giving all the credit to Josh McD

  October 1, 2009

• Gambling with Homer: Breaking even in Rocktober

  ​Homer Duggins is the biggest sports fan in Denver and Westword's gambling, uh, "expert." Read his dispatches every Friday in the Latest Word sports section. What an incredible week it was for Denver sports! Good thing it's chilly now too, because it get really hot wearing my Sakic jersey on top of my Helton jersey on top of my Royal jersey. But it's worth it. Do you know why? Because I love the MILE HIGH!!! And did I mention that I'm only an Abe Lincoln from breaking even. This week is

  October 2, 2009

• Top ten reasons I'm eating crow about the Broncos

  Yeah, I predicted that the Broncos would win four games this season -- out of sixteen, not out of four. I couldn't be more thrilled to be eating crow after yesterday's game. My top ten reasons why: 10. When the Cowboys took an early 10-0 lead, I expected the Broncos to fold like the French government during any peace negotiations held since the founding of Paris. Didn't happen. 9. The Broncos' point production from turnovers has been off-the-charts and totally out-of-character this season --

  October 5, 2009

• Gambling with Homer: The Broncos are Super Bowl-bound

  ​Homer Duggins is the biggest sports fan in Denver and Westword's gambling, uh, "expert." Read his dispatches every Friday in the Latest Word sports section. What's that noise? It's a little whisper I keep hearing, a whisper becoming louder and louder, blowing on the wind until it becomes a roar drowning out every other sound. The noise? I think you probably already guessed, didn't you? SUPER BOWL!!! That's right. You know you've thought about it, and if you haven't, well, then I've thou

  October 9, 2009

• Why Rick Upchurch belongs in the Broncos Ring of Fame

  www.rickupchurch.com​Rick Upchurch was the best at what he did when he did it. But the former Denver Broncos return specialist isn't in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Nor is he in the Broncos' own Ring of Fame at Invesco Field. This fact was all the more glaring Sunday when the team introduced its fifty all-time best players during its home game against the New England Patriots, part of a larger celebration of the NFL's history. Upchurch's name was the first one called.

  October 12, 2009

• Wake-Up Call: When animals attack

  ​ When we learned that Joe Rogan, former host of Fear Factor, had moved to metro Denver, we offered up our top ten list of very scary things for newcomers to Colorado. Number 4? Animal Encounters: "As houses sprawl across formerly uninhabited areas, the animals that used to live where your patio is now are fighting back. Keep your eyes open and your pepper spray at hand to fend off everything from bear attacks and elk migrations across the freeway to coyotes in your doggie dish." The day

  October 14, 2009

• America is waking up to the idea that the Broncos don't suck

  Kyle Orton at Sunday's post-victory press conference.​So I was sitting in an A&W in Virginia on Sunday when I received a text from one of my daughters: The Broncos were tied with the Patriots in overtime. Because my cheap phone isn't Internet-enabled, that meant my only chance of hearing the action was the radio in my rented Kia -- a long shot at best, given my location. But I gave it a try anyhow, and after switching to AM, I set the tuner at the beginning of the dial -- and within second

  October 14, 2009

• Broncos fans: If you've forgotten why you hate Philip Rivers, here's a reminder...

  I know, I know: Philip Rivers is one of the most talented young quarterbacks in the NFL, blah blah blah. But he's also a classless dick -- the kind of dick Broncos fans would love to see caught in a zipper à la Little Ben (Stiller) in There's Something About Mary. For proof, eyeball this clip of his behavior at the end of a lopsided win over the Broncos in 2007. Sure, the target is Jay Cutler, who's kind of a dick himself (yes, I enjoyed watching him come up short to the Falcons yesterday). Bu

  October 19, 2009

• Behind the Bar with Michael McGill of Osteria Marco

  ​Michael McGill grew up in Kansas City and moved to Boulder for college, where he poured his first drinks. He has been behind a bar since 1998, and today can be found managing the bar at Osteria Marco in Larimer Square. Now serving: Michael McGill. How did you get into bartending? I was serving tables at a sports bar in Boulder when one of the bartenders was sick and I got thrown behind the bar on Super Bowl Sunday 1998, when the Broncos won their second Super Bowl. It's still the most m

  October 20, 2009

• Who deserves the most blame for the Broncos' loss to the Ravens: Josh McDaniels or Kyle Orton?

  This smile wasn't on display much yesterday.​No one's deep-throating any shotguns following the Broncos' 30-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens yesterday. The Broncos had been lucky to be 6-0 -- hell, they were fortunate to be 1-0 -- and they were more than due for a reality check. But the way the game developed raises worries for the future. Specifically, the offense was so focused on not committing any more mistakes after Knowshon Moreno's early fumble that it never made anything happen -- or

  November 2, 2009

• Denver Post beat writers told to stop making game predictions

  Mike Klis can still report -- but not prognosticate.​For as long as most of us can remember, beat writers at the Denver Post have been allowed to make game predictions about teams they cover -- but no more, because of a decision by the paper's editor, Greg Moore. The dictate went public Friday afternoon, when Broncos writer Mike Klis appeared on Mile High Sports Radio, at 1510 AM, with hosts Nate Kreckman and Joel Klatt, who hooted at the very idea of a prognostication ban.

  November 2, 2009

• 10 cities more stressed out than Denver

  A Flickr photoThe thought of figuring out who's more stressed out than we are is stressing us out!​It's been a month to the day since the Daily Beast declared Denver to be the fifth-smartest city in the United States -- and apparently the folks at the American Psychological Association think our incredible brainpower is working against us. An APA survey says Denver is America's most stressed city. If true, these results would leave us feeling even more nervous and anxious than we already

  November 4, 2009