Tradition Tuesday: Scoping the Choncosphere, 11-25-08

This blog's rough focus? Chiefs/Broncos football? Who in da' game? Banky, Cecil, and Seven? Why two on one? 'Cause that's how them Donkey fans be. Why I keep be puttin' up with it? I's gon' be there when KC gets its first win at the 'Ves'. What, could a fan of a 1-10 team have to say leading up to Raiders and Broncos games, both on the road? Not much. That's why I be readin' what everyone else be writin', and linkin' to it, after the jump.

In all seriousness, we are less than two weeks away from The Tradition 2008, Take II. Cecil and his wife, barring any decisions to take up residence in Ireland, will be there. Seven, and his wife in bloom, have vowed to stop in Colorado Springs to purchase a grill en route. I know not why; they already own 14 of 'em. The wife and I will arrive after a flight consisting of me arguing with her about why she can't "spend Sunday shopping, whatnot since this season is awful and pointless," all of which will occur after I've given the one and only Mayor McVesco instructions on a) how to get to the stadium, b) how to do so with a complete-and-actually-checked-off checklist, c) how to rally his troops so that they may all park and partake together in the same lot, d) how to make ribs, e) the best way to properly estimate how much beer will really be needed, f) how to understand why his team is so entirely gay. I suppose I'll have to, at some point, obtain some shoes that won't leave my feet frostbitten near the famous tamale stand as well. This game will put a wrap on year eight of the Tradition, and I'll make fun of some folks for guaranteeing some stuff later. For now, here's mine: The Chiefs will have won at least one American football contest at InVesCo Field at Mile High Stadium by January 1, 2011. Hey -- they don't call me Risky Business Banky for nothing.

Let's go ahead and introduce the Derrick Thomas-for-Canton debate. Again. I personally won't waste any energy this year on this topic, because everybody else in ChiefsNation will, and then they'll be upset when he doesn't get in again. Chiefs Warpath has the list of semi-finalists for viewing.

They also have a "Top 10 Signs You're a Raiders Fan" list.

My favorite is number three:

"You watch a Chiefs-Broncos game just so you can root for injuries."

Our friend Kim at Predominantly Orange has a breakdown on the division. I don't suppose that's a good read for anyone that's a fan of AFC West teams. But it's there, and portions of the intro sum it up:

"There is a lot of heartache in the AFC West right now...Either way, it’s an ugly division, and whoever makes the playoffs will have no effect on the NFL’s playoff picture after the first round."

Ever the scoopmaster, Chris at Arrowhead Pride has published a piece with tidbits from the San Diego State community/messageboarders discussing the (practically non-existent) possibility of Herman Edwards leaving the Chiefs to coach the football team he played for in college. Oh, if only!

Anytime you make a visit to the casa de Hercules Rockefeller, you're in for some cutthroat, hilariously honest Denver Bronco assessment. After the Chiefs' week two loss at home to the Raiders, I was furious to say the least. His take on Denver's Sunday home loss to the silver and black: no different. Careful, lest you step in a pile of profanity. Or seven.

Chris Kolb drops in for his weekly rant at Arrowhead Addict. His Thanksgiving-week post examines the recent gobblings of a couple turkeys: Al Davis and Carl Peterson.

While the main course is on the table, let's talk side dishes. Ian over at BroncoTalk will contribute to this Thursday's dinner; he's bringing the stuffing:

"Denver will win against the New York Jets next weekend and I will spend this week trying to show you why. The thing is, I don’t call Denver wins, I never guarantee a win, but I promise that Denver will beat the Jets..."

My stepmom always told me not to let my eyes be bigger than my plate when it comes to serving yourself helpings at the table. I think Mr. Henson has tried to fit an entire pumpkin pie on the same plate as his entree fixins:

"When Denver has had the lead in the AFC West following Week 11 (which they do now) they’ve gone to the Super Bowl. Every time (except once) whether they won or lost that Super Bowl is another subject entirely. The only year they didn’t go on to the big game was the 1978 season."

I'm not trying to start a beef with Mr. Henson here; I simply doubt the boldness of either statement. First, no way this team beats the Jets on the road. They were obviously not clicking on all cylinders Sunday at home versus the Raiders, but while that was going on, the Jets were taking care of the then-undefeated Tennessee Titans. Now would be a good time to throw in the "anything can happen"s and the "any given Sunday"s, but I just don't see it happening. Regarding the SB quote, it's an interesting fact, one with little relevance to this season, because you might as well lump 2008 in with 1978; lead or no lead beyond week 11, Denver ain't even sniffin' the conference championship game this year.

And since we've spent a few phrases on the Raiders in this post, we might as well link to this bit on the Chargers. I suppose if you had to write on this division with regard to the entire season, I'd load up the pastry bag with pureed cranberry sauce and pipe "hard to figure out" across my plate.

And that's all I have to say about that.