Orange Colored Glasses: Week one … a different drive home
“I trudged south on York until it became University and solemnly paraded home along with the drunks filtering homeward from the game toward Englewood.”
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I will never forget my drive home from Phil’s house in January. It was ugly and sleet filled and cold and miserable. I had the windows all open to let the chill in and the radio in my truck was off. The last thing I wanted was to listen to some sports radio person breaking down the game.
I trudged south on York until it became University and solemnly paraded home along with the drunks filtering homeward from the game toward Englewood. Through the DU stretch bar patrons wandered silently through the crosswalks mostly staring at the ground. Denver’s energy had been sucked away. The cold realization that the rest of the winter would be Broncoless was settling in. The Ravens were headed to the AFC Championship game. We weren’t.
I watched tonight’s game at Phil’s house, too. He prepared chicken mole street tacos and stocked the fridge with PBRs. My buddy Renaud headed over there with me after we were done talking pre-game on Mile High Sports Radio (Renaud filled the last segment by replaying the Press Box interview with Shannon Sharpe from Thursday morning). Thanks to the lightening delay we were seated on Phil’s puffy couches in time to hear the National Anthem.
Even though I had picked the Broncos to win (41-27 was my call) I was nervous as all heck. I am a fan first – a smart ass second. The first quarter elevated me from nervous to scared and by half way through the second I was feeling defeated.
I didn’t know Manning would throw FIVE touchdowns in the second half.
I have never seen a second half turnaround like that one. The Broncos should bottle whatever attitude changer they were selling in that locker room. It seemed like whole new team emerged in the second half. And I am talking in all three phases of the game.
It was the offense, though, that exceeded expectations most clearly. A star was born tonight in young Julius Thomas (if he can stay healthy). Hats off to my pal Cecil for foretelling that. And Peyton Manning was, well, a Hall-of-Famer. His seven TD performance was simply a thing of beauty. As I saw somebody smart Tweet this evening, “does it really matter if Peyton Manning has a strong arm or not?” I gotta say “not really”.
So far, so good for the Von-less, Elvis-less, Champ-less Denver Broncos.
In a game that was beyond nationally televised the Broncos fired a warning shot across the world. They will be a team to be reckoned with. You can bet that Eli knows it.
The drive home from Phil’s house tonight was a different one than I took back in January. It was warm. My windows were open again but this time my radio was on. I flipped around the dial. I cranked it up. Everybody was gushing over my Broncos. I couldn’t wait to get home and write about it.
