Terrell Davis Left Out The Hall of Fame Once Again

The 2016 NFL Hall of Fame class was voted on Saturday night. Brett Favre highlights the class. He is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game and was a lock to make it in on his first year of eligibility. He was joined by Orlando Pace, Marvin Harrison, Ken Stabler, Dick Sanfel, Eddie DeBartolo and Tony Dungy.

Favre, Pace and Harrison definitely deserved to make it. Tony Dungy was known for pioneering the Tampa 2 so I think he also deserved it based on innovation. It does seem like Sanfel and Stabler made it because of their deaths between voting. Both deserved it, but their inductions were expedited, by their unfortunate deaths.

Terrell Davis was once again left out of the hall. The Hall of Fame continues to be a farce as long as Jerome Bettis is in the Hall of Fame and Terrell Davis isn't. It baffles me that one of the best running backs to ever step on the field is left out because he only played four full seasons. Too bad he couldn't be mediocre for five plus years like Bettis, then he could be towards the top of the all-time rushing list because clearly thats all that matters to the Hall of Fame voters.

The accomplishments of TD are unmatched by most other running backs: One League MVP, one Super Bowl MVP, 2000 rushing yards in one season, in which he sat out the equivalent of 8 quarters because of blow outs, three time first team all-pro, two time offensive player of the year. TD was also the best post season running back of all time bar-none. He averaged 142.5 yards rushing per game in eight career playoff games. He increased his total rushing yards in each of his four healthy seasons.

Steve Atwater and John Lynch were also finalists, but neither made it. Atwater should also be in, but for some reason, it is extremely hard for safeties to make it into the Hall of Fame. He was a huge difference maker at safety and just about every player feared going over the middle during his years in Denver.

It will be a while until Lynch makes it in. He wasn't as good as Atwater and I think it will be at least another five years before he even makes it in. Out of the number of Broncos players left out of the Hall of Fame, Randy Gradishar and Karl Mecklenberg should go in ahead of Lynch.

Super Bowl 50

We have had two weeks of talk, but now the game is actually almost here. This is Denver's 8th time going to the Super Bowl, which tied the record for most appearances in the big game. Carolina is still seeking their first Super Bowl win. They have had only one other Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXVIII against the New England Patriots. They lost a thriller when Adam Vinatieri with four seconds remaining.  One thing to remember for both teams is that it is an honor to get to the Super Bowl, only two teams do each season. Many Broncos fans doubted they would even make the playoffs after the mid-season Chiefs disaster game. Fans should relish in the fact that they got to see one of the greatest passers to ever play the game play in Denver and get the team to two Super Bowls. However, we all know there will be an empty feeling if they fail to win the final game for the second time in three years.

A lot is at stake for Manning's legacy. If the Broncos win, he is solidified as one of the best to ever play the position, but if they lose many people will bring up that he only won one Super Bowl when talking about his legacy. I don't think that it is fair that one game will decide how fans look back at Manning. He is one of the best quarterbacks in history who has been on the unlucky side in a lot of playoff games, which is affecting his legacy. It should be the onus of the media and fans to have a nuanced view on quarterbacks instead of just looking straight at win/loss.

The media has exhausted all of the possible talking points for the Super Bowl. Therefore, I will talk about fun things that still pertain to the game, namely betting.

All of my prop bets are under the assumption that the Broncos will win because I don't want to win money of they don't win the Super Bowl. However, there is one bet that seems like it could work if the Broncos win or lose. Will Peyton Manning cry at any point during the broadcast? Obviously I want to see tears of joy when the clock hits zero, so I bet that he would. I could still win this if the Broncos lose because I am sure that he won't be stoic if he loses his (or what will probably be) final game.

I have a couple of bets on who will win Super Bowl MVP. So far I have put money on Von, Emmanuel Sanders and Brandon McManus as my bets for MVP and I will still probably put another name or two into the mix. Probably Demaryius and Talib. I also have a bet on CJ Anderson as the first touchdown scorer since I think the Broncos will focus on the run a lot.

There is a bet out there asking, will Ted Ginn Jr. drop a pass? I sure he is due for one big drop during the game, though I hope he is blanketed so that Cam will not target him downfield often. There is another bet where the over/under on amount of times the word "dab" or "dabbing" is set at two. I don't think there is anyway Nantz and Simms say it two times or less and i'm sure it will even be mentioned right before kick-off. Simms might even forget he said it and then say it again the next sentence. Now as a Broncos fan, I hope it doesn't go too far above two because that likely means Cam is in the end-zone a lot.

There is one very morbid bet that is available. Will there be an earthquake during the game? The only option is yes. This would be an awful thing to bet on because who in their right mind is celebrating that if they are right?

I have two bets that actually directly pertain to the score of the game. Before the season started I took 12/1 odds that the Broncos will win the Super Bowl. I also bet an alternative line that listed the Broncos -3.5 favorites at +300. I didn't bet on the spread or the money line though because I don't want to win money of the Broncos lose and I already have basically a head to head bet when I bet the Broncos winning the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season.

I hope everyone does well on their bets, unless you bet on Carolina, then I hope you lose all of your money.

I am coming into this Super Bowl with very little nerves because what could happen? They lose by 35? I saw that two years ago. With this years defense though, that won't happen unless the offense turns the ball over a ton of times. This will be a close, low scoring game no matter who wins.

My final score prediction is 24-20 Broncos. Manning will ride out on top and one of the best defenses ever will finally be fully recognized.

Denver Broncos Defensive Outlook For Super Bowl 50

The Broncos have had the number one defense in the NFL this season and they have continued their success in the playoffs by holding both the Steelers and the Patriots below 20 points. This unit has been very impressive, especially early in the season when defending short fields because of turnovers, 3 and outs and bad punts was the norm for them. They have not had to deal with most of those issues for a around two months, save for the first half of the Chargers game. Which has allowed them to play with more ferocity.

This unit forced a lot of turnovers over the first half of the season, which made up for the many times that the offense gave the ball away. However, they subsided in the second half of the season, but hopefully the two pick on Brady in the AFC Championship Game are a sign of things to come on Sunday.

The Broncos pass rush harassed Tom Brady from the time the game started, but it will be tougher to get after Cam Newton. Von Miller and Demarcus Ware were able to get upfield and behind the tackles on a lot of plays because they didn't have to worry about Tom Brady taking advantage of the running lanes that type of style lends itself too. With Cam and the Panthers running game, they will not be able to use the same style of pass rush without getting burned. Although they will have to adjust their pass rush, they can still be super effective. Ware and Miller both have very good bull rushes that can put pressure on Cam even without utilizing their speed.

They Broncos will have more freedom to blitz (or dog) against the Panthers compared to the Patriots because they won't have to worry about their receivers making plays. This should make up for having to take a conservative approach on the outside pass rush. Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson will have to do their part in containing Newton as well. Both cannot get themselves outside of their pass rushing lanes because of Newton's ability to move inside and outside of the pocket. Wolfe's ability to defend against the run will be invaluable to the defense when it comes to the Panther's dynamic running game. Expect to see Sylvester Williams a lot more on Sunday than you did in the AFC Championship Game. His capacity to run-stop will be called upon time and time again. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Darius Kilgo off of the inactive list for the first time in a while just because he is another big body who can slow down the Panther's running game.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jonathan Stewart finished the season third in broken tackles, behind Adrian Peterson and Doug Martin. The Broncos defense does wrap up well, but they will have to make sure to bring him down. They cannot afford to give Carolina any extra rushing yards on plays that should have been stopped.

Many people thought before the season that Carolina's offensive line was going to be one of the worst in the league. Ryan Kalil and Michael Oher were probably the only known names on that line outside of Charlotte and people only knew of Oher for non-football reasons. However, they have come together as one of the best units in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Although, they don't have one individual name that one could point to as one of the best at his position in the league, they have come together fabulously as a unit. The key for the Broncos will be to try to confuse them with intricate blitz schemes. Sending different players on blitzes and dropping some back, could confuse the line enough to get some key hits and sacks on Cam Newton. Dropping Von and Ware into coverage occasionally should keep them guessing as to where the pressure is coming from.

The Broncos secondary will give Carolina's passing game fits. Chris Harris and Aqib Talib will be able to shut down whomever lines up across from them. Harris has battled a dinged up shoulder for the entirety of the the playoffs, but it did not seem to bother him against the Patriots like it did against the Steelers so there is reason to believe that he will be fine, especially with the extra week between games. Bradley Roby should also be able to handle whichever third-rate receiver that Carolina decides to throw at him. He is one of the best young corners in the league and would be a starter if he wasn't stuck behind two top 10 guys. TJ Ward and Darian Stewart both got hurt in the Patriots games, but they will be starting in the Super Bowl, thankfully. When they went down in the AFC Championship Game, the defense had trouble stopping anything that was thrown at them. As long as they remain healthy throughout the game, there shouldn't be much worry about this group. If one goes down, they might be alright, but if both do then Carolina will probably have a scoring party.

Ted Ginn jr. would be my biggest worry on the Panther's offense because of his big play ability. The Broncos don't have a single player that can match up with his speed so it would be smart to play off man and probably keep either Stewart or Ward back in order to protect against passes over the top. They can live with short passes to him, especially since he will drop a few. They just can't let him make the big play. Greg Olsen is the only other pass catcher that I am worried about. He is top 3 in the league at his position, but the Broncos held Gronk in check, until the starting safeties went down. He will be tough to cover, but they won't have to triple team him like they did to Gronk.

Most analysts seem to be picking Carolina and some even say that it might get out of hand quick. However, I think everyone remembers the last time that the number one defense was overlooked and everyone was picking the number one offense to win easily.

Denver Loses a Defensive Battle To Utah

The Nuggets came into Utah hoping that they would make headway in the Western Conference playoff race and Utah is working their way into 8th place in the West. They came into the game 4 games behind Utah so they need all of the head-to-head wins that they can get. Utah came into the game holding the 9th seed in the West, only a half game behind the Portland Trailblazers.

Their inability to close against the Jazz put a damper on their playoff hopes a little bit. They lost a heart breaker 85-81. They only scored 35 points in the second half and none of the players could buy a shot from the field in the second half.

This was a low scoring battle as neither team was able to top 25 points in a single quarter. Free throws were able to keep the Nuggets in the game even though they only shot 37% from the field. The Jazz did not crack double digit free throw attempts until late in the fourth quarter, but it didn't matter as they got to the line 12 times in the quarter. It also helped that they shot 8 percentage points higher from the field.

Nikola Jokic was limited in this game because he was battling a sore left shoulder. He struggled in the first half and failed to score a single point in the first half, but he settled into rhythm and redeemed himself in the second half with 8 points. I hope they let him get fully healthy. The team should not expect him to be as effective when battling a nagging injury. The All-Star break is coming up so he should be able to get some more rest then.

Gary Harris, Will Barton and Gallo played some good defense on Gordon Hayward. He only had 2 points the entire first half and he finished with only 16 after recovering a little in the second half. The defense on him was a major reason why they had such a great first half as a team.

Gallo was really the only player on the Nuggets to do much of anything on the offensive side of the ball and even he only shot 5-15 from the field. He was able to get to the line 14 times, which helped the team when they were going through cold spells from the field. He needs to have another scoring option on this team. When Jokic is going, he can be that guy, but he was hurt coming into the game and was ineffective for the first half. If Gallo had another option to defer to, he would become a much more efficient player.

The team falling apart in the second half is not a good sign for the remainder of the season. They should have put away this game in the third quarter, but they let the Jazz hang around and eventually the rest of the game got away from them. The Bulls are coming into town Friday night and the Nuggets will be looking for redemption after the way that this game ended. As I said, they can't lose more than three games before the All-Star break and still expect to contend for a playoff spot. They don't need to beat the Bulls in order to reach that goal, but it would certainly be helpful.

Denver Broncos Offensive Outlook For Super Bowl 50

Peyton Manning is walking into this game as a shell of his former self, but luckily his former self is one of the best quarterbacks off all time, so his shell is not too bad to have. His arm strength is not what it once was, but he can still get the job done because he is one of the smartest quarterbacks to step foot on a football field. He has not turned the ball over since reclaiming the starting job 2.5 games ago, which is key for the offense. As long as he is able to manage the game and not make costly mistakes, the offense should score enough points to give the defense room against their potent offense.

The success of Denver's running game is the key for their chances to win the Super Bowl. The offensive line probably needs to double either Kawann Short or Star Lotulelei in order to open up holes for CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman. I think the running game has a chance to be very effective against the Panthers defense. They ranked seventh in the league in rushing defense so there is some room to move. They key is to force them to respect the pass so they can't put 8 in the box without any worries.

Josh Norman will cover either Emmanuel Sanders or Demaryius Thomas. Whichever one gets lucky and is ignored by Norman should be thrown to at almost every opportunity. The risk of throwing Norman's way is too high to take that risk unless the receiver clearly wins the battle. Look for three wide receiver threats, using Jordan Norwood and Bennie Fowler, to take advantage of Cortland Finnegan in coverage.

The tight end passing game will probably be somewhat limited with Kuechley and Thomas Davis providing excellent pass coverage. The ability for the tight ends to get open will rely on sucking the linebackers in with play action plays. For that to work though, the running game needs to actually be a threat, unlike it was against New England. For some reason, New England kept biting on the fakes even though the runs were not going anywhere.

The line will have to be ready for Carolina's star-studded interior, but I am sure Vasquez, Paradis and Mathis/Garcia will be up to the task. I am more worried about Charles Johnson dominating Schofield. However, Schofield has played much better during the playoffs, which should give fans help, but he is still the weak link on the line and is the most cause for concern.

It will be interesting to see how often they switch Max Garcia in and out. I wouldn't expect much to change, but maybe Kubiak won't think it is worth the risk in the Super Bowl. However, if it were me, I would continue to do what brought the team to this point. Keep the line rotations the same in order to keep fatigue from becoming a factor late in the game.

The offense can absolutely not afford to turn the ball over. The Panthers defense is incredibly opportunistic and their offense will be sure to turn turnovers into points. The main reason that the Panthers finished first in the league in points scored was because of turnovers that the defense forced. There was a reason they failed to finish top ten in yards, but were number one in points. Manning has done a great job of not throwing interceptions since he returned from injury. I am more worried about Ronnie or CJ putting the ball on the ground.

This offense will not put up more than 30 points in this game. They should be able to get some drives going, but they will be slow burners, nothing quick. Expect them to look like the 80 yard touchdown drive against New England. Productive runs by CJ and Ronnie are needed on first and second down in order to have manageable third downs. The pass protection absolutely cannot look like it did during the second half against New England. However, I can't expect that they wont because Carolina has a much more talented line. This is why they need to have manageable third downs to ensure that Manning does not have to hold the ball too long. If they do these things, they should be able to put up around 27 points, which should be enough to win the game with this fantastic defense.

Jokic Has a Coming Out Party Against Toronto

Toronto was one of the hottest teams in the NBA coming into the game, winning 11 straight before they came to town. They are second in the Eastern Conference and are only a couple of games out of first, but none of that mattered when they stepped into Pepsi Center. The Raptors did not look like a team that rattled off 11 straight. The Nuggets deserve a lot of credit for that, they played great defense Nikola Jokic had a coming out party on the offensive side of the ball. They cruised to a 112-93 victory and righted the ship on this important seven game stretch before the All-Star break.

Jokic got off to a fantastic start and scored the first 11 points for the Nuggets and assisted on the next basket. He added two boards and a block in the quarter as well. He continued to play well for the remainder of the half and was in triple double range going into the half with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Jokic was not the only player to play great in the first half. Even Randy Foye decided to get in on the action and scored 7 points in nine minutes. Gallinari scored 10 points in the first half on 3-3 shooting and played fantastic defense to top it off as well. The team shot 54.3% from the field collectively shot 54.3% from the field and held Toronto to a mere 38.5%. The difference in field goal percentage was the main contributor to the 60-49 lead that Denver carried into halftime. The team did a fantastic job of facilitating the ball and finished with an incredible 17 assists in the first half. Mudiay, Gallo and Jokic did a great job of finding the open man.

They got off to a rough start in the third quarter, but fortunately, the Raptors didn't feel like taking control of the game. Jokic continued to dominate the game and showed off some fancy posts moves on his was to a pivotal 6 straight points in the third quarter. He is going to be a star has probably earned himself at least 30 minutes per game until the season ends. Tim Connelly deserves all of the credit in the world for drafting him in the second round in 2014.  He is the best young player on the roster currently. He and Mudiay could make a great 1-2 punch in 5 years if everything goes well. He finished with career highs in points and rebounds with 27 and 14. This was probably his coming out party, look out for him to become a well known name in a year or two.

The Nuggets ran away with the game to start the fourth quarter and worked up to a 27 point lead at one point. This game is up there with one of the best game for the Nuggets this season. They did everything right: They had 60 points in the paint, 24 assists, shot 52% from the field and won the rebounding battle. There is not really one negative thing you could say about any player after this game.

Mudiay had an impressive game as well. He only had 4 points, but also had 8 assists and more importantly, only one turnover. It's always nice to see him have games where he limits his turnovers, without sacrificing his assist totals. Will Barton should also get recognition for his game as well. He finished with 20 points 7 rebounds and was a staggering +22 while he was on the court, before they let up late in the fourth quarter.

They made up for losing to the Pacers two nights ago. They are now on track again to win 5 of their last 7 games, which is much needed if they want to make their playoff push after the All-Star break. Their next game will be at Utah on Wednesday. That is a game they should win, but is tricky since they are on the road and its a divisional game.

Promising games from young players like Jokic make the games so much more enjoyable to watch. Getting a glimpse of what those players might be someday helps many fans get through seasons like these.

Monta Ellis Has It All Against the Nuggets

Monta Ellis got off to a fantastic start, which propelled the Pacers to an eight point lead after the first quarter. He scored 13 points on 5-6 shooing, while hitting all three of his attempts from three. I thought he would cool down as the game went on, but he kept hitting typical Monta shots. He finished with 32 points and he iced the game with an and-one lay in with 20 seconds left.

Will Barton was showcasing why he should be in the dunk contest early in the game with two fantastic dunks.

Number 1: https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/693593845196394496/video/1

Number 2: https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/693595635761582080/video/1

Gallinari forced himself to the line six times in the first half. His ability to get to the line and manufacture points even when the rest of the shots aren't really falling is almost invaluable to the team.

Gary Harris played an important role in the game for the Nuggets. Gary was born in Indiana so he must have cooked up something special. He was sensational in the third quarter when he played a pivotal role in helping the Nuggets get the lead back in that quarter. He had eight points in the quarter and made both of his three point attempts.

The team played fantastic as a whole in third quarter, which is when they finally got the game in hand after Indiana was doing well keeping a 6-10 point distance in the first half. They outscored the Pacers by 11 points in the quarter and it should have been even more. The front court let the Pacers get a lot of offensive rebounds in the quarter and they were able to turn those opportunities into points most of the time. The starters played phenomenal as well and Malone elected to keep them on for the entirety of the third because of their special play.

They struggled to begin the fourth because all of the bench players were cold after not playing at all in the third. They were able to get things back on track and not let the Pacers take a commanding lead. It was the starters who got the lead in the first place and it would have to be up to the starters to win the game. Every player on the bench finished with a negative plus/minus, while all of the starters finished on the positive end. They were able to tie the game 99-99, but they did not get a good shot when they had a chance to go ahead late in the game. Luckily, Monta Ellis missed the game winning shot and the game went into overtime.

They weren't able to finish the game in overtime and were not able to overcome a quick 5-0 run by the Pacers to begin overtime. They climbed back to make it a one point game with less than a minute left, but a three point play by Monta Ellis with 20 seconds left took away any chance that they had to win the game.

Nikola Jokic played a great game and finished with 16 points 11 rebounds and 5 steals. He showed fans why he should be seeing at least 30 minutes per game. If he and Nurkic show that they can play together, and I don't think there is any reason they shouldn't since Jokic can shoot from deep, they will be one of the best under 24 front courts in the league. This game showed why I cant wait to see Jokic's development during the rest of the season.

These are the games that you would like to see the Nuggets win against similar competition on the road, but a loss isn't all bad. They were competitive throughout the game and there were many points where they could have let it slide away from them, but they held on. They will need to win against either the Raptors or the Bulls in order to finish the seven game stretch before the All-Star break at 5-2.