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Typical away game turnout and Woody Paige complains about it 
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Paige: Whose stadium is this, anyway?
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
Posted: 11/10/2009 01:00:00 AM MST
The Stealers appropriated the stadium, purloined three passes, took the dais and stole "Monday Night Football" from the Broncos.
Steal Deal, 28-10.
The Steelers came with the no-huddle; the Broncos replied with the all-muddle.
A revolting number of the Broncos' players and coaches and a repulsive number of the Broncos' alleged "fans" were no-shows and no-clues.
The 20,000 season-ticket holders who sold their seats — in every section, on every level — to the Steelers' true loyalists should be ashamed. That wasn't a home game for the Broncos. It was a neutralized site.
With 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the stadium had been emptied out — of orange pompom party poopers. All who remained were Women & Men In Black waving the Terrible Towels in victory.
Sick effort, Denver. If you don't want your tickets, at least scalp them to people who bleed orange, blue, mustard and brown.
Super effort, Pittsburgh. The Steal City can snatch a stadium as well as the Continental Army captured Fort Ticonderoga. While the Steelers' masses were cheering Ben Roethlisberger's three touchdown passes, the Broncos' (reduced) faithful were booing Kyle Orton's three interceptions.
Sick effort, Broncos, who played the chumps to the Steelers' Super Bowl champs. The Broncos brought the Paper Curtain Defense and Monochrome Offense.
The Stealers stole an Orton pass for an interception returned for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. The Stealers stole an Orton pass in the fourth quarter and scored in three plays for a 21-10 lead. And, for bad measure, the Stealers stole Orton's final pass of the game.
"Once we went to the no-huddle (offense)," Roethlisberger said, "it turned things around."
The opposing team is supposed to wear out at altitude, but Pittsburgh got friskier as the game wore on. The Broncos are supposed to be running the no-huddle, hurry-up offense to wear down the opposing team. But Josh McDaniels wants to shorten games, not lengthen them, with his dink-a-dink-a-don't offense.
The Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall must have felt a rush of oxygen. He blew past the Broncos for 155 yards. Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno were in no rush — 14 carries for 27 yards.
The Day-Glo Orange shoes of Brandon Marshall were no match for the gold feet of four Steelers receivers who had 20 receptions.
"We became one-dimensional," McDaniels said.
How about none-dimensional?
The Broncos are 6-2 at the midway juncture of the season but should have a better-feeling texture, because few outside or, even, inside the locker room believed the Broncos would be so lofty on Nov. 9. But the performances in Baltimore and at home (home?) this month have been more septic tank than antiseptic salve.
The Broncos have been outscored 58-17 and have permitted the Chargers to get back in the race.
Just as alarming, the Broncos have not scored in five of their past eight quarters; they have yet to score a touchdown on their first possession this season (but did burp a field goal after the opening kickoff against Pittsburgh); and the only touchdown scored on Monday night was not by the offense, but on a scoop-and- score fumble return.
One offensive touchdown in two games! That efficient offense managed by Orton has become ineffective and unmanageable. New school has become old-fashioned.
"We just can't listen to all this stuff," said Robert Ayers, who did score the Broncos' only touchdown, and he isn't a running back. "Good teams recover from things like this."
What may help the Broncos recover most is not an improved offense or a return of the defense that was MMA tough in the first five games. The Washington Redskins will help most.
The Washington offense is as mobile as a monument.
"We lost to two good football teams," Orton said. "Move on and get ready for Washington." He didn't call Washington a good football team.
This was a night when the Broncos' followers could have ripped the players. But it also was a night when Marshall could have been praised if he had chosen to rip on the fans. Marshall once criticized the crowd for leaving early. Part of the crowd didn't arrive on Monday night.
The Steelers' tailgate party in the parking lot was even larger than the Broncos'. The Steelers travel well. One young man told me he had ridden a bus from Pittsburgh for 36 straight hours to get to the game. "I am afraid to fly, so I'm the John Madden of Steelers Nation." Only his bus has Greyhound on the side. But his long ride back to Pittsburgh will be sweeter now.
The Steelers and zealots were thieves in the night, and the Broncos and their advocates (those who didn't sell out) stood there and meekly accepted it.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or [email="wpaige@denverpost.com"]wpaige@denverpost.com[/email]
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
Posted: 11/10/2009 01:00:00 AM MST
The Stealers appropriated the stadium, purloined three passes, took the dais and stole "Monday Night Football" from the Broncos.
Steal Deal, 28-10.
The Steelers came with the no-huddle; the Broncos replied with the all-muddle.
A revolting number of the Broncos' players and coaches and a repulsive number of the Broncos' alleged "fans" were no-shows and no-clues.
The 20,000 season-ticket holders who sold their seats — in every section, on every level — to the Steelers' true loyalists should be ashamed. That wasn't a home game for the Broncos. It was a neutralized site.
With 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the stadium had been emptied out — of orange pompom party poopers. All who remained were Women & Men In Black waving the Terrible Towels in victory.
Sick effort, Denver. If you don't want your tickets, at least scalp them to people who bleed orange, blue, mustard and brown.
Super effort, Pittsburgh. The Steal City can snatch a stadium as well as the Continental Army captured Fort Ticonderoga. While the Steelers' masses were cheering Ben Roethlisberger's three touchdown passes, the Broncos' (reduced) faithful were booing Kyle Orton's three interceptions.
Sick effort, Broncos, who played the chumps to the Steelers' Super Bowl champs. The Broncos brought the Paper Curtain Defense and Monochrome Offense.
The Stealers stole an Orton pass for an interception returned for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. The Stealers stole an Orton pass in the fourth quarter and scored in three plays for a 21-10 lead. And, for bad measure, the Stealers stole Orton's final pass of the game.
"Once we went to the no-huddle (offense)," Roethlisberger said, "it turned things around."
The opposing team is supposed to wear out at altitude, but Pittsburgh got friskier as the game wore on. The Broncos are supposed to be running the no-huddle, hurry-up offense to wear down the opposing team. But Josh McDaniels wants to shorten games, not lengthen them, with his dink-a-dink-a-don't offense.
The Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall must have felt a rush of oxygen. He blew past the Broncos for 155 yards. Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno were in no rush — 14 carries for 27 yards.
The Day-Glo Orange shoes of Brandon Marshall were no match for the gold feet of four Steelers receivers who had 20 receptions.
"We became one-dimensional," McDaniels said.
How about none-dimensional?
The Broncos are 6-2 at the midway juncture of the season but should have a better-feeling texture, because few outside or, even, inside the locker room believed the Broncos would be so lofty on Nov. 9. But the performances in Baltimore and at home (home?) this month have been more septic tank than antiseptic salve.
The Broncos have been outscored 58-17 and have permitted the Chargers to get back in the race.
Just as alarming, the Broncos have not scored in five of their past eight quarters; they have yet to score a touchdown on their first possession this season (but did burp a field goal after the opening kickoff against Pittsburgh); and the only touchdown scored on Monday night was not by the offense, but on a scoop-and- score fumble return.
One offensive touchdown in two games! That efficient offense managed by Orton has become ineffective and unmanageable. New school has become old-fashioned.
"We just can't listen to all this stuff," said Robert Ayers, who did score the Broncos' only touchdown, and he isn't a running back. "Good teams recover from things like this."
What may help the Broncos recover most is not an improved offense or a return of the defense that was MMA tough in the first five games. The Washington Redskins will help most.
The Washington offense is as mobile as a monument.
"We lost to two good football teams," Orton said. "Move on and get ready for Washington." He didn't call Washington a good football team.
This was a night when the Broncos' followers could have ripped the players. But it also was a night when Marshall could have been praised if he had chosen to rip on the fans. Marshall once criticized the crowd for leaving early. Part of the crowd didn't arrive on Monday night.
The Steelers' tailgate party in the parking lot was even larger than the Broncos'. The Steelers travel well. One young man told me he had ridden a bus from Pittsburgh for 36 straight hours to get to the game. "I am afraid to fly, so I'm the John Madden of Steelers Nation." Only his bus has Greyhound on the side. But his long ride back to Pittsburgh will be sweeter now.
The Steelers and zealots were thieves in the night, and the Broncos and their advocates (those who didn't sell out) stood there and meekly accepted it.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or [email="wpaige@denverpost.com"]wpaige@denverpost.com[/email]
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