As we head into week three of the NFL season us Bronco fans, While very happy to be 2-0, are in need of a game well in hand by mid fourth quarter. Asking fans to endure a steady diet of games causing us to play peak-a-boo with the TV set is not cool. We are hopeful the team learns to treat the red-zone like a kiddie slide and not act like John Candy at the climbing wall in Stripes.

I personally never want to experience the horror I suffered through during the Raider game. Sunday is my bread and butter day and I try to maintain the healthy attitude that missing games is ok. A Bronco win makes my day great no matter how the rest of the day is going. Suffering through a loss...well that is softened a bit knowing I earned money instead of wearing a path in front of the TV.

Anyway, here is my guess as to how I came to be thrown into the depths of depression by the end of the Oakland game:

A lady leaves the game in Denver and is tearing down 6 th avenue during the overtime period. Minutes earlier I sneak a peak at a TV and see the Broncos tie the game at 20. After that I am back at work and have no way to know what's happening. About 10 minutes go by and the lady has the game on the car radio and turns if off when she hears Dave Logan say the Raiders OT kick is good. Sherushes into the place I am working with her Bronco shirt AND ticket in plastic hanging from her neck. I say to myself "Wow she was there she'll know"!

Needless to say I started my long mourning process that I only deal with when Oakland beats us. It lasted until my wife responded to my unhappy face text with a: WHAT? We won in OT 23-20! Shanny upping his record to 20-5 against the Raiders since coming back as head coach is a great thing but personally sticking to Al Davis like that is #1 on the all time sports list of what is priceless! Mike is basicly the Raider's personal gremlin and not even $250k would turn that karma off in my estimate.

The Raiders ended the 2002 season by walking out of the Super Bowl spotlight after a huge defeat by the Buccaneers. The team had won three straight AFC West titles and the city of Denver had a legitimate concern the Black and Silver was back.

I go back to about 1980 as a die-hard, commit-all-team-facts-to-memory Bronco fan. So, like all Bronco history buffs, I know what a bad memory the term " Pride and Poise" brings.

Since 2002 a lot has changed -- every other AFC West team has claimed a division title and the Raiders have won less than one of every four games. That's a fantasy collapse Bronco fans would have never thought possible. In the 66 games since opening day 2003 the Broncos are 44-22 while the Raiders are still looking for sweet number 16 at 15-51. Let's hope Denver keeps the foot on the gas and closes the wide gap it faces in all time games head to head.

For some strange some reason I have become somewhat obsessed with the Broncos ranking in the NFL since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Keeping up on that stat for a long time (It of course ranks second to World Championships) it's been most interesting to see what it would take Denver to reach the top and, having been so far behind in the past, what it would take to pass Oakland.

Well, that happened during the 2005 season when the Broncos passed not only the hated Raiders but the Cowboys and 49ers also. They sit pretty right now in the third of 32 spots and if anyone cares to learn more about their chances of being number one please email me.