Arial Ace

His first game as a member of the New Orleans Saints was on September 25th 2006; the Saints first home game since the Louisiana Superdome, their home, had been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. After the imperfect storm demolished the gulf coast and left thousands in New Orleans without homes, food, or water, the re-opening of the Superdome had far greater meaning than just a franchise's attempt to rebound from a 3-13 season the year before. That game against the rival Atlanta Falcons embodied the resilient spirit of the people of New Orleans, and their determination to stand together no matter what adversity came before them. And in the previous off-season, the Saints organization signed a quarterback to be the man to lead them through an emotion packed regular season. He was too undersized to be a first round draft pick. His arm was not strong enough to make all of the deep throws. And too many questions surrounded his torn labrum that was sustained in his final season with the San Diego Chargers.

All of the adversity that surrounded Drew Brees made him the perfect man to be the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in 2006. Drew Brees did not throw a touchdown pass in the Saints 23-3 thumping of the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, but he helped bring something far greater to the Saints fan base than just accolades; Drew Brees brought the gift of hope to a franchise encased in mediocrity throughout it's existence. 

The field was the same, the opposing team was the same, the stage was the same, and the final result was the same as the regular season opener in 2006; yet the feel from last nights game was completely different than Brees' first game as quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. The game in 06 had a sense of team unity throughout the stands, while last night's game had vibrant sense of anticipation focused on one player. Five years ago marked Drew Brees' first home victory as quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, last night marked the day when a 27 year old record fell in the big easy. 

December 26, 2011 will forever be remembered as the game when Drew Brees broke Dan Marino's record for most passing yards in a single season.

The stats from Brees' game had Saints fans beaming, as usual. Brees completed 23 out of his 39 passes with four touchdowns and two interceptions, and 307 passing yards on a night in which he needed 305 to surpass Marino's mark. There were a few throws in which Brees pressed a bit, being slightly more aggressive and a hair less efficient than Saints fans were used to. But at the end of the night, those few throws did not matter. And with 2 minutes and 51 seconds to go, Brees found his former Charger teammate Darren Sproles for his fourth touchdown of the night and NFL immortality. 

Brees' record breaking touchdown pass lead to his linemen bull rushing their quarterback, the announcers re-emphasizing the importance of the record, and the deafening cheers from the fans that could be heard all throughout the French Quarter. Every camera in the Superdome turned towards number 9 and countless flashes filled the stadium in a moment that appeared frozen in time. The point after attempt that capped off the 45-16 win and kept the Saints in the hunt for the NFC's number two seed was a formality that did not even draw the attention of the cameras. Everyone in the football world was more concerned with watching Brees hug his teammates, coaches, and get his picture taken than the rest of a blowout. 

But perhaps the most amazing part of last night was not Drew Brees the quarterback who broke an almost three decade old record, but rather Drew Brees the man who surpassed the 27 year mark. 

Every post game interview that Brees conducted embodied the utmost class and humility that a professional athlete could have shown to the media. In a night that was all about Brees' individual accomplishment, the man of the hour reiterated the importance of the team's win, the team's hard work, and called the record a great team accomplishment. And perhaps the most telling moment of the evening came in the post game speech Brees gave to his team in the locker room. Where one of the NFL's most prominent athletes said to his teammates, coaches, members of management, and everyone else associated with the 2011 New Orleans Saints "There may be only one name that goes in the record book, but it's all about you guys." 

In the day of the twenty four hour media cycle and era of sports statistics, nobody would have blamed Brees for focusing the night's reaction on his individual hard work and the importance of the individual accomplishment. But unlike many of the athletes in today's world of sports, Brees tried his best to defer attention from himself. That kind of team focused attitude showed everyone why Brees had been so loved in the big easy for so long. Ever since being signed to the big deal in 2006, Brees worked to put the improvement of the organization over the significance of his individual performance. And with 52 other players and even more members of the franchise not wearing pads all getting praise for their hard work by the man of the night, the true character of the team, and Brees appeared as sincere and as genuine as they come.

But one cannot admire the record that Drew Bress surpassed without acknowledgement of the prior record holder Dan Marino. Marino was an all time great quarterback who was never quite lucky enough to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Just because Brees broke the record does not mean that he is better, nor should we waist our time trying to compare the two. Marino played in an era in which pass rushing linebackers first dominated the league compared to the Brees' time of NFL spread offenses. The times were different, but both men handled this situation with class, dignity, and a respect for the history of the game. Marino congratulated Brees on breaking his longstanding record via Twitter and Brees responded via Twitter by saying all of the right things about Marino. Both of these men played the quarterback position at it's highest level and both of these men set single season passing records in their different decades. Both Brees and Marino should be celebrated for what they accomplished instead of stacked up against each other to determine who was better.

As the NFL regular season starts to fade into the history books, we fans must appreciate the NFL's history books being rewritten by Drew Brees. Moments like what we saw last night come around rarely in today's world of instant gratification. And now, New Orleans' new favorite son will have the Saints marching into the 2011 playoffs after a long climb up to the summit of record mountain.

Top 5 Underrated Every Day Things (That Only Become Relevant During Finals Week)

Bare with me on this one.  I'm taking a break from writing some of the most ridiculous requirements for essays I've ever had to put up with.  Also, because I strongly dislike people who complain with 24/7 pessimism over trivial life problems I'm going to say: Yes finals week sucks, but there are plenty of other people out there worse off then me, so life is good.  

For added emphasis (Taken from the Veterans Against Occupy Wall Street Facebook Page)

Ain't nothing to it but to do it, so here we go (also, I'm going to have to keep this one short---I have a 15 page take home due tomorrow at 5)  ((P.S.  I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to those of you in my European History class who decided this paper would be easier than a normal hour long test--xoxoxoxo Smooty):

#5 Techno

(Source)

Yes, I shit you not--Techno.  To the folks who say "Say Heck No To Techno", try writing an essay to John Mayer.

As for me, I don't like listening to music made by narcissistic toolbags. (Source)

I have no idea what it is about Techno, or why it works, but electronic music has been my absolute go-to during finals week.  I literally listened to "Best Techno 2011 (Hands Up Mix 20)"--seen below--on a loop for 12 hours while finishing two papers this past week.

[Uploaded by SweetHandsUp]

12 hours.

Which brings me to my next point....

#4 Not Sleeping

(Source)

Sleep is really over rated.  I'm not weird bragging here either....seriously, 2 hours of sleep per day during finals week is all you really need.

#3 Brisk Air

aka What you immedietly feel once you enter Sweden's Ice Hotel (Source)

Are you starting to become brain dead because you've been listening to loops of techno and having only 2 hours of sleep per day?

Solution!

Walk outside.

If you're not in "we like to be warm 24/7-land", the brisk air (with only a t-shirt/shorts for the maximum effect) will be like getting an adrenaline needle to the face.

Which is really what one needs during Finals Week.

#2 There is no #2 because I have to write this final and I'm wasting my time.

You're Welcome.

#1 Dimes

Not to be confused with DimePiece Magazine, which subsequently popped up into my Google Images search for spare change.  It is not a magazine about currency.

Yes Numero Uno.  Dimes.  Why?

Because once you've run out of money on your meal plan for overpriced food that destines you fail....for the fourth time...You can only get food from the vending machines.

Which subsequently, won't handle quarters for some reason.  If you manage to scrounge up a dollar bill and put in two (to get the strangely priced $1.10 candy bar), it'll refund you....in quarters...and ask that you put in "exact change".

Yeah.

Seriously.

Thus=Dimes are #1.

--Fin--

Uplifting Finals Week Post

Greetings and Salutations everyone.

If you are reading this it is because you are either

A: Burned out from finals week and just trying to look at something other than your assignments for 10 minutes.

Or

B: Procrastinating doing your assignments and in turn allowing them to get larger and larger so they stress you out more.

Don't worry, this is not some grand old lecture stressing the importance of finals week. Nobody likes Finals week. Not you, your teachers, your friends, your families, and certainly not me. But hey, as long as you are taking time out of your busy schedule reading this post, then the least I can do is make it so you feel uplifted in some way. And what better way to do that than by sharing a few stories with you that show that there is hope for us all.

Story Number 1 (Ironically found during my Radio and TV. News-Writing Final) Comes from the Huffington Post.

Winning isn't everything. Some times it's even entirely besides the point. Such was the case when Wakana Ueda, a blind 11-year-old from Japan, crossed the finish line of the Honolulu marathon after 14 hours, 3 minutes and 12 seconds on the course.
Competing in her first marathon on Sunday, Wakana almost dropped out due to physical exhaustion. "Before the halfway mark, her leg was cramping up, and she was thinking about quitting many times," Wakana's mother told Hawaii News Now. "But because the team supported her, she was able to finish."
When Wakana crossed the finish line, she immediately embraced her mother with tears in her eyes. That the top finishers had come and gone hours earlier hardly seemed relevant. In fact, the accomplishments of the men's and women's winners seemed downright insignificant in comparison. After all, the top male finisher Nicholas Chelimo had won the event in 2010. He'd been there and done that. Although the Honolulu win was certainly the most significant for 25-year-old Woynishet Girma, the top female finisher, her exuberant stride across the finish line didn't pack the emotional wallop of the conclusion to Ueda's inspiring effort.


Story Number 2 comes from NPR.org

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.
But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.
He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.
"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.
As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."
The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"
Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.
"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.
Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.
"The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'"
"No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'"
Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?"
"Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said.
Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says.
The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to.
When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you."
The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know."
Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me."
Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch."
"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."




Story Number 3 comes from Amazing News.org. A news website that goes out of it's way to tell us what is going well in the world.

In March the Fukushima power plant saw one of the largest nuclear disasters of the past few decades. Ever since the meltdown teams have been working to clean up the mess and reduce the radiation and today a group project centered around sunflowers is brining hope to an area that is desperately in need of some.

In the aftermath of the disaster a local monk planted thousands of sunflowers in the fields and open areas surrounding the power plant and the affected town; now those sunflowers are beginning to sprout and blossom all across the city. Amazingly sunflowers are not only beautiful and able to lift the spirit of the local residents but they are also capable of actually removing much of the radiation from the ground.

Sunflowers apparently use cesium as a food source and after a major radioactive event much of the left over radiation is excess cesium. The sunflowers in Fukushima are in fact reducing the radioactivity levels in the city all while brining some joy to the town. Of course Fukushima is not the first place this trick has been used; the city of Chernobyl also had thousands of sunflowers planted immediately after the disaster in order to accomplish the same thing. Currently there are an estimated 200,000 sunflowers in Fukushima and more are expected to be sprouting throughout the year so residents are surely going to start feeling better about their situation soon.

These stories are all fairly short, speak for themselves, and offer different perspectives as to what the important things in life really are. Enjoy reading these stories as you break from your studying and I will even leave you all with some uplifting and motivational quotes.

The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.
Arthur C. Clarke

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
William B. Sprague

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

The Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.
Vince Lombardi

I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.

Vince Lombardi

 

 

Happy Studying everyone.

 

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Damn. Sorry I've been away from this so much, I've had a lot of classes and finals to deal with lately.

Anyway, one thing I have to talk about is Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.

Personally, I tend to chalk myself up to the “First-Person Shooter” or “Tactical Shooting” style of video gaming.

Countless Bond villains and their cronies, zombies, aliens, terrorists, corporate agents from the future, and conventional armed forces have all been felled in the world of virtual reality under my very itchy index fingers.

So when I first heard about Elder Scrolls: Oblivion…needless to say I laughed my ass off.  My friends were playing one of those silly RPG’s!  They would end up becoming obese, sensitive to light, and total wall flowers as they spent the rest of their lives outside of school in their mother’s basements.  Pshh…so it got a 9.3 out of 10 on IGN.com, big whoop! I was a tactical guy who trusted that my M4 carbine and its 4x scope could dispatch my enemies quickly and more efficiently then a “level 32 mage class Wood Elf” ever could.

Google Images=Hilarious

Somehow, and don’t ask me because I don’t remember, I ended up playing that damn game.

This is what happened next. (Source)

In you case you didn't pick up on that, I got hooked. I don’t know what it is that I like about Elder Scrolls so much…I’m a Sci-Fi fan, but I never took myself as the fantasy kind of guy.  The storyline however was compelling, for the main and side quests alike, and the graphics were great (for the time)---the attention to detail being stunning.

So when I heard about Skyrim, and saw the trailers…I didn’t have the same mindless shoot ‘em grunt attitude about the game.  I bought Skyrim right before Thanksgiving….and I am absolutely addicted.  It has been said that during times of economic repression, fantasy movies, tv shows, and video games sky rocket in sales and popularity.  I can see why.  It is so easy to sit down and forget about all of the negative-stressors in your life when playing Skryim.  Your memories of brutal weeks of stacks and stacks of essay drafts quickly fade away within minutes of gameplay.  You are one Ranger-riffic badass, and you have a whole world…even a culture to discover. 

For me, the biggest difference in terms of my gameplay style between Oblivion and Skyrim is the combat. 

First of all…I didn’t exactly play Oblivion to its final extent.  Yeah..I played the game and fell in love with it, but I definitely cheated my way around combat.  The best thing about PC-gaming is you can access all sorts of back doors in a lot of games simply by pressing the “~” button.  Go ahead! Consult a cheat website and type in what you want unlocked, killed, or put in your inventory! Fanboys of RPG’s...I apologize if my comments have forced you to rip out patches of your hair and scream “by the nine divines” at the top of your lungs. 

You cheating asshole!!!!!!!!!!! (Source)

Yeah…all the daedric missions, all the Gladiator battles, even the entire cave and ruin explorations….completed with a simple click, typing of “kill” and hitting the enter.  Now hold on a second here…this is only when that “I hit this guy 30 times with a freaking broadsword and he isn’t dead yet” got tedious.  The rest of the time I was running around in “God” mode.

AGGHHH!!!!!!!!! You're even more of an asshole than I thought!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, that should provide all of you with an ample enough background into my excitement for Skyrim.  There was an automatic and distinct difference however. I actually planned to play the game with no cheating.  I bought the 360 version, and I have to say….it is so much more satisfying to play the game out like it’s meant to be played rather than cheat you’re way through it.  

I won't hand out any spoilers, so no worries there; in the first place, I'm nowhere close to completing the main quest simply because I've gotten caught up in exploring, doing side quests and focusing on the needs of my own character.

But basic premise wise, you're about to be executed for crossing the border (because you got accidently captured among some rebels) when a big-ass dragon shows up out of nowhere and RTFUs all over the place.  Needless to say, you find out along the way that you are a "Dragonborn".  Basically meaning you're Highlander x1000, and when you kill dragons you take their soul..which in turn allows you to speak, or shout, the dragon language.  Each shout basically works as a spell, but is totally more badass than some wimpy mage bullshit.

When you think Highlander...you don't think BOBD.

If my half-ass attempt at explaining this didn't do anything for you, just watch IGN.com's walk-through below.

In essence, you're the Skyrim equivalent to the US Army Rangers.

Anyway, I just have to say that this is a must buy.  If you're in college it might be best to not bring it back to school with you. I logged a ridiculous amount of hours on Thanksgiving Break alone...and I know I wouldn't be able to focus back at school if it was here.

There's a ridiculous amount of awesomeness to be found in Skyrim.  Forget the Main and side quests, you could spend days making your own potions, creating your own armor, or enchanting your weapons.  Hell you could spend weeks just reading every damn book in the game back to front.  There's a whole culture to be found in Skyrim. 

Some aspects of the game are more enjoyable if you're a long standing Elder Scrolls game player, but for the most part I've found things easy to follow so far and the controls are user-friendly to new gamers.  

Something new gamers may get stuck on is the puzzles you'll often find in dungeons.  For the most part these are simple enough, and you'll get the hang of most of them, but I admit so far I had to look at IGN's walk-through to get through one of them.  The answer was to up my screen brightness in order to find the symbols I needed in order to get to my objective.

I'd love to say 10,000 more things about this game because it really is just that freaking awesome..but I'm going to leave it here and recommend strongly that you buy this game yourself and create your own memories of the game. 

P.S. I have finally played MW3, so expect that there will be an upcoming MW3 vs. BF3 post.

--FIN--

Tim Tebow: The Man, The Myth, The Quarterback

When the first floorboards of the illustrious Radio City Music Hall in New York City were first laid down in 1929, John D. Rockefeller envisioned a complex so superior to it's surroundings that the American people would be able to look at that building and see a symbol of hope. The project took eleven years and continued to be funded throughout the Great Depression, but when the final coat of paint was applied the building that stood before New York City was the palace for the people that it's constructors had envisioned.


Even 70 years after the final floorboards of Radio City Music Hall had been laid down, the essence of what this national landmark stood for had embraced the opportunity to showcase exceptional young college football players who got to live their childhood dreams of becoming professionals. The 2010 NFL draft provided another 254 college athletes with the chances to make something of themselves in the NFL. One of the 32 employers of these young men, the Denver Broncos were once one of the most illustrious franchises in NFL history traded a second, third, and fourth round draft picks in order to move into the first round.

And with the 25th pick of the 2010 NFL Draft the Denver Broncos selected Tim Tebow, quarterback out of the University of Florida.

But still there were questions as to why the Broncos drafted him.

Did Denver draft a player who was regarded as a man of impeccable character and one of the nicest guys that they would ever meet?

They did.

Did the Broncos think that they were getting a player with a heavily decorated track record that included being a two time SEC Champion, two time Maxwell Award winner, two time first team All American, Heisman trophy winner, and two time BCS National Champion?

They did.

Did the Broncos think they got the steal of the draft in a class that included Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh, Eric Berry, Joe Haden, Rolondo McClain, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Dez Bryant?

That remains to be seen.

And this is only the beginning of the microcosm that is Tim Tebow.

Ever since Tim Tebow first hit the field in 2010 and especially in a lockout shortened training camp in 2011 he got he has been praised, scrutinized, approved, criticized, ripped to shreds, praised, counted out and brought back in again ad nauseum. Mere mention of Tebow in a conversation was like striking a match and throwing it at a gasoline covered giant lint ball that would result in fiery debate. At one point or another, everybody and their grandmother had a different opinion on Tim Tebow, and all of them were right.

Tebow's number's are intriguing for all the wrong reasons. The statistics simply do not lead us as football fans to a concrete conclusion as to if Tim Tebow is a good or bad quarterback. Here are some examples of the off putting statistics that cause such a stir among the brotherhood of football fans.

• Tim Tebow has not thrown for 200 yards in a game this season.
• He has three fourth quarter comebacks this season; which ties him for fourth best in the NFL.
• Tebow's completion percentage in 2011 is an abysmal 45.5%
• He has only thrown 1 interception in 2011.
• Tim Tebow has gone 5-1 in six starts this season.
• His all time record against teams with records of .500 or better is 2-3.
• Tebow did not commit a turnover in four out of the six games he has played in this season.
• He has only thrown for more than 200 yards twice in a span of two seasons.

Tim Tebow puts up statistics that simply do not follow a consistent pattern that his captivated audience can follow to a forgone conclusion. Which is just one of the reasons that the viewing public cannot seem to come to a general consensus as to if Tebow is a good quarterback or not. Yes Tebow's career sampling is small, but still he has played enough to get a pretty clear scouting report.

Tim Tebow is a pretty good runner. At 6'3 236 pounds, Tebow is a load to bring down, and the two headed race horse that is Tebow and Willis McGahee has put up an average of 159.7 rushing yards per game: good for the best rushing attack in the NFL. During Denver's four game winning streak, Tebow has averaged 13 carries for 74 rushing yards per game. Now these numbers are not anything spectacular, but they are effective enough to establish the play action. Still, like every other NFL quarterback, running is not the only part of Tebow's job description.

As a passer Tim Tebow is atrocious. His throwing motion looks worse that the dead girl from The Ring. Tebow does have above average arm strength, which is a good quality to have. That being said, Tebow could be able to throw the ball faster than a speeding bullet, but when it comes to the intermediate routes, Tebow could not hit water if he fell out of a boat. Tim Tebow's career completion percentage is an abysmal 47.1 despite completing 106 passes for 1,506 yards as well as 13 touchdowns against 4 interceptions during this six ga....my mistake, those numbers are from Tebow's career line over the course of two seasons. There is nothing about Tim Tebow the passer that looks pretty, which is one of the primary reasons that so many people think he is a bad quarterback.

Football fans have always equated the quarterback position in the NFL with a signal caller that stands in the pocket and methodically picks defenses apart. Quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers are so highly regarded in today's game because they quickly and efficiently pick apart defenses with their passing as if they are preforming open heart surgery and reconstructive tissue surgery with their backs to the patient. In contrast, Tim Tebow is the intern two weeks in to his first year that causes his patient to flatline twice before resuscitating him and patching up the broken valve with duct tape. Both of these scenarios end with the patient alive, but the Rodgers, Bradys, Brees', and Mannings of the world come out with barely any blood on their scrubs while Tebow comes out looking like he went for a swim inside the patient. And if you had the choice between these two types of doctors with your beloved, which one would you have operate?

The answer is easy in medicine, it is harder to find in football because generally speaking every sin committed during a game is forgiven if the team wins. And the statistical archaeologists can dig up ever stat on Tim Tebow dating back to high school, but Tebow had the most important statistic on his side in 2011: Five wins against one loss in his six starts this season. There is little question that the Broncos have had more success with Tebow at the helm, but let us remember to give credit to a swarming Denver defense.

The Denver Broncos are tied for eighth in the league in sacks with 30 this season. Rookie linebacker Von Miller and his 10.5 sacks are leading the pass rush for Denver and Miller appears to be a lock for defensive rookie of the year. In addition to Miller, the Broncos also have done a great job wrapping up ball carriers, for they rank tenth in the league in tackles made. In addition to the Broncos pass rush, they have gotten very good play from veteran defensive backs Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins. But what may be the most important statistic from Denver's defense is that they are only giving up 14.8 points per game over the last six games. It is true that Denver's defense has given up 14 fewer points per game since Tebow took the reigns? Yes it is. Still, Tebow has the same kind of impact on the Broncos defense as the other 26 cheerleaders on Denver's sideline.

Even though the defense has played very well over the course of the Broncos last six games, Tim Tebow is clearly doing something right between his wrecking ball running and clubbed hand throwing because Denver has won five of the six games Tebow started. And with Denver now a game an a half back of the idle Oakland Raiders for first place in the AFC West, it is valid to ask if Denver can pass the silver and black and make the postseason.

It is possible, but not likely. The good news for the Broncos is that they only have to play two teams above .500 the rest of the way and one of them is the Cutler less Chicago Bears. The bad news is that even without Cutler, the Bears should still be able to beat Denver and the other plus .500 team Denver plays is the New England Patriots. Still, Denver does get a Kansas City team they beat once already this year, a Minnesota Vikings team without Adrian Peterson, and a Buffalo Bills team in free fall. But what hurts Denver is that Oakland's remaining schedule looks about as winnable and they already have a one and a half game lead. Yes Oakland has to play the undefeated Packers and the 7-4 Detroit Lions, and will most likely loose both of those games. However, the silver and black get a Miami Dolphins team that Denver already beat, the same abysmal Kansas City Chiefs that Denver gets to play, and the dysfunctional San Diego Chargers. To put a percentage chance that the Broncos can make the playoffs is about 48% because they own a better division record and better conference record than the Raiders; but the Broncos need help from bad teams in their own division and or Miami  in order to pass Oakland on the final length.

Tim Tebow's success in the NFL to this point has made him the most polarizing athlete in professional sports due to his ability to make winning look grotesque. But like the iconic Radio City Music Hall, Tebow and this Denver Broncos team have a chance to become the symbol of hope that the Broncos can return to glory.

THANK YOU!!!

Well, well, well.  It has been quite a while ladies and gentleman.

I've been pretty busy with school work lately, along with a real mental wall of blog-writing block.  

So where do I start? I suppose we'll begin with Thanksgiving, and then we can go from there.

I was initially thinking I could just wrap up all of my current ideas into one big mega-package of blog, but I decided for my first post, it would be better if it was a stand alone.

The majority of The Grog's audience is obviously made up out of our Facebook friends/acquaintances, so I don't think I need to explain anything here.

26 NOV 11 marked the 1st Annual Flag Football Tournament in memory of Sean Ryan.

I want to extend, once again and hopefully on a much more reachable level, my gratitude to those of you who participated.  I’m stunned by the amount of money that was raised through team registration and concessions alone, and I think it's safe to say that everyone was floored by how many people showed up to the event.

So for those of you who played or helped out, or simply donated money, I sincerely thank you.

The games could get a little heated with some of the referee calls, but ultimately it was a TTFTKBTMISG situation that raised money for a good cause. 

Anyway I wanted to give tribute to those of you who drove for hours just to come play some good ‘ol American flag football for a kid you may have never known.  Below are all the teams that participated.  Thank you.

P.S. I don't know some of the people on the teams....so I don't know where to assign team names..thus I will assign you one unless someone messages me with corrections.

Team Unapologetically American

Team Baxter

Team No-Name

Team Old Folks

Team Leather Bound Books

Team Stache-Wilters

Team Schlumps

Team Sex Panthers

Team Off Constantly

Team No-Name

Team "Bought 50/50 Raffle Tickets after I verbally harassed them to"

Team No-Name

Team "I'm sure they had a name but I have no idea who they are"

Team "Won the Tournament"

Team Mathletes

Team...who knows.

--Fin--