Mason's Morsels

I never met Brett Favre, though I’ve heard some stories. But I remember where I was when he took his first snap as a Green Bay Packer.

It’d be hard for me to forget, seeing as how I was there.

Sept. 13, 1992, was one of those Florida summer Sundays where not even a liberal dollop of supposedly sweatproof 50 SPF could prevent you from looking like a boiled lobster after just under four hours in the sun, where $20 of water and pink lemonade wasn’t enough to keep hydrated and cool. The high temperature was 89, but in the concrete bowl of Tampa Stadium — which basically became an open-air kiln on days like these — an on-field thermometer registered 109.

The Buccaneers were drilling the Packers, both on the scoreboard and in physical punishment. Days of defensive dominance like these would someday become routine for the Bucs with the acquisitions of John Lynch, Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin to guide them. But with a defense featuring Keith McCants, Mark Wheeler, Ray Seals, Darrick Brownlow, Darrell Fullington and Milton Mack, this sort of performance was a tad unusual.

The pressure left Green Bay starter Don Majkowski running for his life until he was finally unable to escape, bowing to injury in the third quarter. Trailing hopelessly, the Packers turned to a second-year quarterback from Southern Mississippi.

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And so we are given a rematch of a game that was so significant it aired on three networks – and ironically, said rematch will air on the one over-the-air broadcast partner frozen out of that televised trifecta of Dec. 29. If Fox wants to share the air, maybe the Dumont network could be revived for such a purpose.

NEW ENGLAND 21, SAN DIEGO 12

Perhaps it’s appropriate that the Patriots sealed their fourth Super Bowl trip of the decade and sixth in the last 22 years with a final score that was a palindrome. After all, any way one disseminates the unbeaten New England side – forwards, backwards, sideways, upside down – the conclusion is the same, one of greatness that until this year seemed unattainable.

But this game might have been their most unsightly to date, punctuated by three Tom Brady interceptions that all-but gift-wrapped the game to the visiting Chargers, who proceeded to return the gift by marching to four Nate Kaeding field goals and nothing more.

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SAN DIEGO (13-5) AT NEW ENGLAND (17-0)

WHEN: Sunday, 1 p.m. MST
WHERE: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
TV: CBS

Philip Rivers is resolute and defiant. Those two characteristics have made him seem a tad possessed in recent weeks — particularly in his rapport with Colts fans last Sunday at the RCA Dome — but are often to his credit, and in a different manifestation helped him become the No. 4 overall pick in the draft after a fairly phenomenal matriculation at North Carolina State.

But with the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting that he suffered a partial tear of his right anterior cruciate ligament, one wonders if his defiance might get the better of him.

What is more significant than Rivers’ official “doubtful” status is the fact that he was limited in practice. It’s tough enough to go against the Patriots with a full week of preparatory work. Can one really expect to be ready when that work is truncated?

San Diego’s best bet might be to go with Billy Volek, who led them to the game-winning score in the fourth quarter last week and played with a crispness that kept the Chargers’ offense at its typically productive pace in spite of the absences of LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates.

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Everyone misfired on Colts-Chargers … and we now have a two-way deadlock for first place heading into the conference championships:

THE PREDICTIONS SO FAR:

ANDREW MASON: 4-4

MIKE RICE, NEWSRADIO 850 KOA: 4-4

KYLE MONTGOMERY, BRONCOTALK: 6-2

JOHN BENA, MILE HIGH REPORT:: 6-2

JONATHAN DOUGLAS, BRONCOTALK: 4-4

GREEN BAY 42, SEATTLE 20

“Is it snowing there?” queried a friend back in Colorado via text-message as the Packers and Seahawks battled in a gorgeous snowfall that is surprisingly rare for playoff games at Lambeau Field.

Where I was — elsewhere in Wisconsin — the landscape was wintry, but the skies were dry.

There was no snow beyond a few flurries in Madison, which is 135 miles south-southwest of Green Bay. But by dining at the locally renowned State Street Brats, a favored establishment among University of Wisconsin students and state-government officials alike, I gave myself the next-best experience to being at Lambeau, replete with Brett Favre jerseys galore and the ubiquitous “Go Pack Go” cheer being played over the speakers throughout the restaurant.

(And by the way, from being at Lambeau Field once before, I can only offer this thought on the “Go Pack Go” cheer — cut it back a bit. It’s like going to games at Oklahoma or Tennessee, where one hears “Boomer Sooner” or “Rocky Top” after every … single … play. Two-yard run off tackle? Strike up the band! Less is more, everyone.)

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SEATTLE (11-6) AT GREEN BAY (13-3)

WHEN: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. MST
WHERE: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.
TV: FOX

You have to love Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for not merely acknowledging, but providing a Vermeil-worthy embrace the proverbial elephant in the room as soon as his team’s divisional-round trip to Green Bay was assured:

“We want the ball, and we’re gonna score!”

That sentiment, uttered upon winning the coin toss at overtime of the teams’ wild-card duel four Januarys ago, will likely adhere to his résumé for the rest of his days — since his Seahawks did not live up to that proclamation that day, and lost on a touchdown return of an errant throw by Hasselbeck himself.

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8:52 P.M. MDT: The 77,160 tickets distributed tonight are a Broncos record. The in-house attendance was 76,645.

8:52 P.M. MDT: Packers nearing midfield; they now sit at their 49 … Second-and-6 … Crowd trying to get noisy again … A slew of flags fly as the Packers take a delay-of-game penalty.

8:54 P.M. MDT: Swing pass picks up eight … third-and-3 at the Denver 48 … empty backfield … Favre loses the football out of his hand … He recovers it, but the Pack will have to punt as they face fourth-and-9 from their 46.

8:55 P.M. MDT: Touchback on the punt; Broncos at their 20 to begin this drive with 12:37 left.

8:58 P.M. MDT: Vince Vaughn in the house. “What a great stadium this is,” he said. I should have worn my Speaker City T-shirt.

8:59 P.M. MDT: First Brandon Stokley plays pass defense to prevent an interception, then he slides for a 16-yard reception to move the Broncos to their 48.

9:00 P.M. MDT: Penalties shredding the Broncos tonight … this one, a holding penalty on Brandon Marshall, scuttles a potential game-breaking run by Selvin Young … not sure about the call, but it stands. Andre Hall runs three yards for a first down on the next play (the downfield holding put the Broncos in first-and-2) and Denver now sits at the Green Bay 42.

9:02 P.M. MDT: Well, that was the wackiest three-yard loss I’ve ever seen … if NFL Films still made the “Football Follies,” that Brandon Marshall aborted-throw-run-cutback-fadeback-run would have earned an instant place. Tremendous effort by Marshall to salvage a two-yard loss out of a play that could have set the Broncos back 10 or even 12 yards.

9:05 P.M. MDT: Matt Lepsis called for a false start.

9:07 P.M. MDT: Broncos punting on fourth-and-6 … Teams have combined for 21 penalties tonight … Todd Sauerbrun places it perfectly; it bounces at the 5 and is downed at the 3 by Curome Cox. 8:15 remains in the game.

9:10 P.M. MDT: And just like that, the Packers are out of the goalpost’s shadow; an 18-yard pass to Greg Jennings moves the Pack to its 21.

9:12 P.M. MDT: Third-and-9 for the Packers coming up here at the Green Bay 22 … Biggest defensive play of the game? We’ll see … Favre in the shotgun … and he finds Donald Driver for 17 yards … Favre has this habit of being like Mola Ram, the antagonist in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom — he rips your heart out of your chest and then holds it up and shows it to you before you die.

9:17 P.M. MDT: Denver’s defense finally gets the stop, but with a field goal required, it’ll be a tall order; Glenn Martinez fielded the Jon Ryan punt at the Denver 7-yard-line. The Broncos have two timeouts and 2:27 with which to work.

9:19 P.M. MDT: First-and-10 … Cutler lobs one for Scheffler … incomplete, but Atari Bigby takes the pass-interference penalty. That’s 17 yards. 2:21 left.

9:20 P.M. MDT: Selvin Young goes nowhere. Second-and-10 coming up after the two-minute warning.

9:22 P.M. MDT: Cutler short for Martinez … incomplete. Third-and-10 looms.

9:23 P.M. MDT: Fourth-and-2 now arrives after an 8-yard-pass to Brandon Stokley. Denver calls timeout with 1:37 left.

9:25 P.M. MDT: Here’s the ballgame … Cutler and the Broncos break the huddle … he is in the shotgun … Stokley in motion … high snap … he gets it … finds Stokley near the left sideline for the first down and seven yards, and he gets out of bounds. Broncos can reset at their 39 with 1:32 left.

9:26 P.M. MDT: Shotgun … Cutler witth the pocket collapsing … overthrows Stokley, who wants interference but won’t get it.

9:27 P.M. MDT: Cutler finds Brandon Marshall … and like the Seattle game last year, he bounces off defenders and goes for a ride up the rigth sideline … defensive holding on Charles Woodson is irrelevant, and the Broncos are in field-goal range with 1:16 left.

9:28 P.M. MDT: Cutler and the Broncos at the Packers 26 … shotgun … he gets it to Marshall again, who dances his way down to the Green Bay 14.

9:28 P.M. MDT: Clock ticking … down to 44 seconds … Cutler marshals the team … under center … snap at 37 seconds … hand it to Selvin Young who dances through Green Bay’s defense for an absolutely improbable 9-yard run, turning a 3-yard loss into a gain that now has the Broncos at the Green Bay 5. Twenty-five seconds left. Denver takes its final timeout.

9:30 P.M. MDT: Too much going on to adequately process right now … but the Marshall catch-and-run and Young’s little run … well … let me just say this: WOW.

9:31 P.M. MDT: Cutler looks for Marshall in the left corner, incomplete. It’s the kind of pass you have to call, because while you want a touchdown, you can’t risk a turnover here.

9:32 P.M. MDT: Oh boy … rushing the field goal team on the field after a run … tied … Elam drills the kick. Overtime in Denver. Can’t take many more of these games.

9:33 P.M. MDT: Coin toss … Packers call heads … and they win it.

9:35 P.M. MDT: A low line-drive kickoff … very returnable, but Andre Hall blows the return up at the Packers 18. Crowd going bananas.

9:36 P.M. MDT: Favre to Jennings past Dre’ Bly up the left sideline … 82 yards, ballgame.

8:20 P.M. MDT: Fairly crucial 30 minutes forthcoming here for the Broncos. Their defense needs to keep the Packers from mounting clock-gobbling drives; their offense needs to return to its first-quarter form. In the first quarter, Denver ran 24 plays to Green Bay’s four; in the second Green Bay ran 27 plays to Denver’s seven.

8:23 P.M. MDT: Alvin McKinley’s second holding penalty of the night costs the Broncos a three-and-out stop. Green Bay moves to its 33.

8:24 P.M: MDT: A 16-yard pass from Favre to James Jones has the Packers at the Denver 49 … Crowd is very tepid; not much noise.

8:26 P.M. MDT: Pack going back(wards) … now at the Denver 40 … third-and-19 … Crowd making some noise again … screen pass to Vernand Morency gets about two yards, maybe three. Green Bay will punt. Broncos ‘D’ got the stop it needed.

8:30 P.M. MDT: A promising drive so far … A pass to Brandon Marshall, a Selvin Young carry and an illegal-contact infraction on Al Harris has Denver at the Green Bay 43.

8:32 P.M. MDT: Cecil Sapp gets the ball for the first time on a 4-yard reception … Broncos have third-and-3 at the Green Bay 36, in the heart of No Man’s Land (perhaps too far to kick, but too short to punt) … Cutler keeps it himself for seven yards to the 29.

8:34 P.M. MDT: A screen play to Young loses six yards as the Packers have the play disgnosed perfectly, with Johnny Jolly shoving aside Chris Kuper. Young had no chance … Third-and-15, and Cutler finds Glenn Martinez, who’s growing into a pretty nice clutch receiver. He picks up 18 yards and the Broncos are in the red zone for the third time tonight.

8:35 P.M. MDT: But the Broncos exit the red zone after a holding penalty against Erik Pears, which nullifies a short pass to Andre Hall that would have taken Denver inside the 10.

8:36 P.M. MDT: Young picks up seven to the right side, but Martinez is called for holding … Some boos fly as the Broncos are now back at the Green Bay 31. Broncos now have first-and-25.

8:40 P.M. MDT: A short pass to Selvin Young allows the Broncos to regain some traction, but they are in third-and-14 at the 20 … Cutler in the shotgun … Packers fans making some noise … Cutler in a boatload of trouble and he is sacked by Aaron Kampman. Packers brought four men on the rush.

8:41 P.M. MDT: Jason Elam’s 45-yard attempt is … good. Broncos have 10 points from three red-zone forays; they trail 13-10 with 3:00 left in the quarter.

8:46 P.M. MDT: Packers will start at their 10-yard-line to begin this drive … Crowd getting into it again.

8:47 P.M. MDT: Packers have a first down in spite of Domonique Foxworth’s best efforts to sling Greg Jennings backwards.

8:49 P.M. MDT: Favre working the short middle on this drive … Packers now at their 31 … Last play of the quarter sees him go outside to Jennings up to the 45.

7:20 P.M. MDT: Broncos begin the second quarter at the Green Bay 1 after Andre Hall closed the first period with a 6-yard bull-rush in which he carried some Green Bay defenders.

7:21 P.M. MDT: Disaster strikes as Cutler doesn’t get a handle on the snap … Nick Barnett recovers … Cutler pulled back and didn’t have a grip on the football … Remember, this is Chris Myers’ second game starting at center in place of Tom Nalen. A horrible missed opportunity for the Broncos; Packers take over at their 1.

7:23 P.M. MDT: South stands on their feet … DeShawn Wynn gets nothing as he slams into the left side of the line of scrimmage.

7:24 P.M. MDT: Pack out of trouble as Favre finds Donald Lee … Tony Kornheiser describes the fumble at the goal line as “a microcosm of their season.”

7:25 P.M. MDT: Alvin McKinley charged for holding … They’re just getting around to giving the Packers’ starting offense? Well, this is only their seventh play of the game.

7:27 P.M. MDT: ESPN’s Michele Tafoya reports that John Lynch is being examined on the sideline; the team trainers are looking at his hand and neck, she says.

7:28 P.M. MDT: Pack offense percolating now; another pass to Donald Lee has the Packers at the Denver 41.

7:29 P.M. MDT: Domonique Foxworth at safety and he is playing way, way deep, with Nick Ferguson cheating to the line of scrimmage on first-and-10 from the 41 … Press-box announcement: Lynch is probable to return with a pinched nerve … As that announcement is made, Ryan Grant slams his way up the right side through Broncos defenders for 24 yards to the Denver 17.

7:30 P.M. MDT: Antwon Burton is down on the field … Packers running back DeShawn Wynn is questionable to return with a shoulder injury … Broncos called for 12 men on the field; Packers now have first-and-5 at the Denver 12 … Burton walks off the field slowly but under his own power.

7:32 P.M. MDT: McRib is back.

7:33 P.M. MDT: Ryan Grant slams through a hole up the right side for six yards … Packers in first-and-goal.

7:35 P.M. MDT: Burton will return; he sprained his right ankle … Packers have third-and-goal at the 4 … empty backfield … four wide receivers, one tight end … Broncos call timeout; according to Ron Jaworski — and my admittedly quick count — they had 12 men on the field.

7:38 P.M. MDT: Inside handoff to Grant … great tackle by D.J. Williams to hold him up at the 1-yard-line … Green Bay brings the field-goal team out here … watch the fake, perhaps?

7:39 P.M. MDT: No fake … Mason Crosby drills the short field goal … A 98-yard Packers drive, but the Broncos hold them at the end.

7:42 P.M. MDT: Cutler had Daniel Graham on second-and-6 from the Denver 24, but he one-hopped the pass … third-and-6, and Cutler goes across the middle, but the pass is incomplete; Brandon Marshall and Glenn Martinez were in the area.

7:44 P.M. MDT: Charles Woodson tackled by Steve Cargile after a three-yard return of a 38-yard punt … a net of 35 yards as the Packers take over at their 41.

7:45 P.M. MDT: Inside handoff to Grant by the Favre … an interesting-looking play, but effective for nine yards … third-and-1 at midfield … Nate Webster slams Grant to the ground, but not until after he’d gained four yards.

7:47 P.M. MDT Foxworth still patrolling deep at safety as Lynch remains sidelined.

7:48 P.M. MDT: Burton back in the game … Packers remain ground-bound as they advance to the Denver 36.

7:49 P.M. MDT: Near-interception by Champ Bailey in the right flat … Now third-and-10 for the Packers at the Denver 36 … Packers clearly in the range of cannon-legged kicker Mason Crosby.

7:49 P.M. MDT: But that doesn’t matter right now, because Dre’ Bly slips as he tries to get position to tackle Greg Jennings on the flanker screen. Twenty yards later, the Packers are at the Denver 16 at the two-minute warning.

7:53 P.M. MDT: Packers now at the 4-yard-line after a screen pass to Vernand Morency and a face-mask infraction against Nick Ferguson … 1:52 left … Broncos have two of their three timeouts remaining, FYI … Grant takes a handoff to the right side and hits the ground just inches from the goal line.

7:54 P.M. MDT: Broncos take timeout with 1:39 left in the half as the ball sits roughly four inches from paydirt.

7:55 P.M. MDT: False start, Packers … Tony Moll, who was eligible, lifted up on the play … Grant runs for two yards on the ensuing play … Denver takes its third timeout with 1:33 left in the half … Pack will have third-and-goal at the 3.

7:58 P.M. MDT: Third-and-goal at the 8 after a false-start penalty … Favre’s pass skips beyond Donald Driver and is incomplete … Denver’s defense now has two goal-line stops … Fellow Web-ster Kyle Sonneman suggests the Packers might fake here, but Crosby drills the 26-yarder … 86 seconds left in the half. Two goal-line stands from the defense are keeping the Broncos in it.

8:02 P.M. MDT: Broncos take over at the 20 but go backwards quickly after Aaron Kampman sacks Cutler for a 10-yard loss … clock ticking down as the Broncos huddle up … Broncos keep it on the ground, giving it to Selvin Young, who picks up four yards … Green Bay takes its first of three timeouts with 33 seconds left in the half.

8:04 P.M. MDT: Three-and-out for Denver … danergous time now for the Broncos, even though an outstanding punt by Todd Sauerbrun and good coverage — total net on the play was 49 yards — helped. The Pack has two timeouts and a kicker who could hit it from 67 or 68 yards here.

8:05 P.M. MDT: Holding on the Packers on first-and-10 from their 37. That will help Denver’s cause. Just 11 seconds left in the half now … Morency runs for eight through the defense, but Jason Spitz takes his second holding penalty in as many snaps … Green Bay now in first-and-30 … and they take a knee. Halftime.

6:25 P.M. MDT: Easily the most electric pre-game atmosphere of the season was evident as I walked around the field earlier this hour during warmups. But just like last week, there are plenty of interlopers for the visitors; Packer Nation has infiltrated Broncos Country.

6:26 P.M. MDT: The national anthem comes 14 minutes before kickoff, performed by the horn section from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Lovely, and easy for most of us with slim vocal ranges to join along in song.

6:29 P.M. MDT: Looks like most of ESPN’s “experts” have the Packers. Well, it turns out to be a four-to-three margin, with Tom Jackson, Steve Young and Stuart Scott casting their votes for Denver.

6:30 P.M. MDT: Cue Hank Williams, Jr. At least that hasn’t changed, although who needs all these guest artists? Just give me Bocephus.

6:33 P.M. MDT: Tony Kornheiser is in mid-paean to Brett Favre. Well, it’s better than him going on the air and implying that Denver was 300 miles from nowhere like he did last year.

6:37 P.M. MDT: Global warming? Twenty-three years ago, these teams met in Denver for Monday Night Football on Oct. 15 and it was 29 degrees with snow. Tonight, it’s a pleasant 63 degrees as kickoff approaches.

6:40 P.M. MDT: Andre Hall touches the football for the first time as a pro, and returns the kickoff to the 18-yard-line, but a personal foul against Paul Smith pushes the Broncos back to their 9-yard-line to begin the drive.

6:42 P.M. MDT: Nice job by Jay Cutler to work out of trouble in the backfield, but Chad Mustard has got to catch that pass … instead of a first down, the Broncos have second-and-10. On the next play, he turns to Daniel Graham, and his surer hands have the Broncos at their 21.

6:43 P.M. MDT: Selvin Young gets his first carry of the night on the game’s third play, picking up three to the left side. Broncos going with multiple-tight end sets so far instead of using the fullback.

6:44 P.M. MDT: Lots of rolling out … Broncos continue it again as Cutler goes left for the first time, and then lasers a shot to Tony Scheffler for 11 … Mike Leach seeing some rare work at tight end as the Broncos have first-and-10 at their 43. Every Broncos tight end on the 53-man roster has already seen action.

6:46 P.M. MDT: Third-and-three … and Cutler is too high for Glenn Martinez, who was tightly covered by Jarrett Bush. Todd Sauerbrun’s punt hits at the 7-yard-line and bounces quickly into the end zone. Gross of 50 yards; net of 30.

6:49 P.M. MDT: Crowd getting some stomping going during the pause … Flashbulbs popping all over the place … Champ Bailey in coverage on Donald Driver on the game’s first play, but lays off; Driver dives forward for four on the flanker screen.

6:50 P.M. MDT: Greg Jennings was open in front of Dre’ Bly, but dropped the pass from Brett Favre … third-and-a-long 6, and the crowd is roaring … Outstanding open-field tackle by Champ Bailey on Ryan Grant, and the Pack goes three-and-out.

6:52 P.M. MDT: The Broncos might just have found their punt returner … nice job by Glenn Martinez to weave his way up a narrow path near the left sideline for 26 yards following Jon Ryan’s 61-yard stratosphere-scraper. Denver takes over at its 40 5:44 into the game.

6:54 P.M. MDT: ESPN yaks about Barrelman … Broncos have second-and-8 … Tony Scheffler starting to split wide … Broncos now work Cecil Sapp into the game … Daniel Graham already has two catches, both for first downs.

6:56 P.M. MDT: Andre Hall makes the first carry of his pro career, gaining a yard to the left side.

6:58 P.M. MDT: Cutler tries to optmistically thread a needle to Brandon Marshall amdist a thicket of canary-yellow helmets … nearly intercepted. That puts the Broncos in third-and nine … and Cutler perfectly drops a cross-field pass to Brandon Stokley, who then absorbs an asteroid of a shot from Atari Bigby. A quartet of flags flood the field, and the Broncos have first-and-goal.

6:59 P.M. MDT: Second-and-goal from the 3, and Selvin Young loses 2 yards as a gross of Packers are on hand as he receives the handoff …

7:00 P.M. MDT: The Atari is broken, evidently; he just grabbed Daniel Graham in the end zone, and the Broncos reboot their goal-line machine at the 1 … and go back to the 5 after Young loses yardage again …

7:02 P.M. MDT: Success … Cutler to Tony Scheffler, touchdown. Cutler is using the rollout frequently and with great effectiveness tonight … and what the heck was Scheffler doing to celebrate that score? Looked like he was doing the breaststroke or something. 7-nil, Broncos.

7:05 P.M. MDT: Tramon Williams bounces off Broncos cover men on the ensuing kickoff return like the ball in Breakout … Packers will start at their 21.

7:07 P.M. MDT: That didn’t last long … Brett Favre finds James Jones, who had gotten one step past Champ Bailey … Bailey dove for the football but couldn’t grab it … Jones cut across the field, eluded Nick Ferguson, James Jones and a falling official — who remains down on the ground — and finished the 79-yard touchdown.

7:08 P.M. MDT: Delay on the field as Jim Howey, the injured official, is treated … 7-6, PAT pending.

7:10 P.M. MDT: A “Go Pack Go” chant filters through the crowd but is quickly booed down … 7-7 after Mason Crosby drills the extra point.

7:14 P.M. MDT: Broncos at midfield after a Packers personal-foul penalty … Green Bay tackes a holding penalty on the next play.

7:14 P.M. MDT: The official injured on the play — back judge Jim Howey — has a strained hamstring and will not return.

7:15 P.M. MDT: The Cutler-to-Stokley connection works again near the left sideline. Broncos at the Pack 31.

7:17 P.M. MDT Chris Kuper might have lost a first-team job after a bad day in practice, but he is a MAN at game time. A terrific block on a screen to Selvin Young allowed the Broncos to move into goal-to-go range.

7:19 P.M. MDT: And an extraordinarily entertaining first quarter has concluded. More in the second-quarter blog.

Good morning and good Monday from Colorado, which tonight will merely be the capital of the football world, not the sporting world in general, since the hometown Rockies went down in four games to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday night.

Admittedly, it seemed as though the Broncos’ realm went on momentary backburner in the community’s consciousness in deference to the World Series. It’s quite understandable; even Head Coach Mike Shanahan talked of wanting to be able to watch the Rockies’ games when he answered media questions throughout the last few weeks. It wasn’t difficult to get caught up in the extraordinary nature of their run to the World Series — and the 4-0 sweep at the hands of the Red Sox in no way diminishes the magnitude of their accomplishment. Just like the Broncos of ‘77 — a comparison made by fellow blogger Jim Saccomano — simply being a part of the season’s final duel made the year a success beyond any observer’s dreams. Other Rockies teams might win the World Series someday, but perhaps none will be as special and magical as this group.

By the way, I did manage to make it to Saturday’s Game 3, but I’ll write about that another time.

Tonight, the Colorado sporting stage belongs to the Broncos, and perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this game between the Broncos and Green Bay Packers is the comparison at quarterback — particularly the parallels that many have drawn between Jay Cutler and Brett Favre.

Stylistically, the comparison is often made, with many considering Cutler of the “gunslinger” ilk of passer personified by Favre. Broncos cornerback Dre’ Bly said that Cutler indeed reminded him of the longtime Packers star, whom he faced twice annually from 2003-06 while playing for the Detroit Lions.

“The one thing about Jay, he might make a mistake, but he’s going to go back out there and throw the football and not let any mistake faze him,” Bly said. “That’s the kind of guy you want behind center — a guy that’s going to give you the opportunity to win and a guy that’s going to give you a chance to make a play.”

But making any comparison of a young quarterback to one whose legacy is already assured and whose resumes are already overflowing is not fair to the younger passers, who a) surely want to establish their own name and identity and b) who already exist under enough pressure by playing in the NFL.

Shanahan expressed a similar sentiment last week.

“You guys (the media) asked me to compare Brian Griese’s arm strength to Joe Montana and I did, so I said Brian Griese is Joe Montana,” Shanahan said last week. “To use a reference like that in front of you guys, I think I’ll stay away from that because all of a sudden Jay Cutler now will be Brett Favre in (Cutler’s) first year as a starter.”

Boiling down the numbers of their first 11 starts, here’s how tonight’s starting quarterbacks stack up:

Pretty comparable. Favre’s slight edge in passer rating owes to his lower interception percentage (2.22 pct. to 4.09 pct.) and higher completion percentage (shown above); Cutler has the advantage in touchdown percentage (5.03 pct. to 3.88 pct.) and yardage per attempt (7.57 yards to 6.92). What isn’t shown above are the quarterbacks’ comeback statistics; Cutler has six game-winning or -tying fourth-quarter/overtime drives in his first 11 starts, while Favre had three (although that does not include a game-winning march against Cincinnati when he entered in relief of Don Majkowski).

These numbers also piqued my curiousity as to how Cutler stacked up with other notable quarterbacks of the past 25 years in their first 11 starts. This is by no means intended to represent a complete list; rather, it is a smattering of quarterbacks who have enjoyed some measure of success — whether in terms of being a long-term starter or significant playoff accomplishment — over the last 20-plus years. Contrast Cutler’s numbers with theirs, and you’ll see that the young passer is off to an above-average start to his career:

So relative to that sample set of quarterbacks in their first 11 games, Cutler had a significantly better completion percentage (6.8 percent, to be exact), more touchdowns, more yardage, and slightly more interceptions (0.8 more than the norm of this group).

Finally, there is the inevitable comparison with the other two quarterbacks in the 2006 first round. In passing numbers, Cutler is at the head of this class:

Just some numbers to consider, nothing more.

Talk to you from the stadium later today … until then, listen to the pregame podcast and vaya con Dios.