Let Russ Stew: Broncos Chargers Preview

Quarterback Russell Wilson has played well enough of late that Denver fans must have assumed a playoff berth was incoming. What a story that would be: ‘aging Super Bowl champion who the team partially mortgaged their future to acquire finally starts to deliver, once aging Super Bowl champion coach arrives and starts knocking heads together.’

Oh well, the money isn’t working out: Wilson has been benched. You read that right. Perhaps the old saying fits: “the fattest pigs are first to the slaughter.”

It’s hard to pity any AFC West team, and even harder to pick against the Broncos at home in thin atmosphere. Even with a backup quarterback. On to the Broncos Chargers preview!

The Giff Smith Chargers shot their load last week against the Bills, coming up short and firing Sebastian Joseph-Day (for reasons still mysterious). This week the Bolts prove who they really are, which is “better than they showed at Las Vegas, but not as focused and intense as they were against Buffalo at home.”

If this prediction is wrong and the Chargers come to play, then the narrative will shift to “why wasn’t Smith promoted sooner?” Can’t wait.

Prediction: Broncos 17-Chargers 13

Greek Uncles from Chicago

Abram Sexson and Panos Mamalis

“A mule is neither horse nor donkey.” Barba Vassili would espouse this wisdom to classify a certain type of honorable, enduring, thick skinned type. He taught me that to be a humble mule was a badge of honor. Less pomp than a stallion and more intelligent than a donkey.

That said the true test was the Patron Day of Saint Charalambos wine test. The young mules would be saddled and strapped down with 54 liter (14.3 gallon) glass carboys of Uncle Stavros’ wine and sent up the mountain to the remote church.

At 55 kilos(121 pounds)each you had a great mule if it could manage 3 carboys of precious cargo up the steep incline without incident. Vassilis’  speckled gray Argos (Greek for slow) was the standard. Slow and steady he managed this trek 27 years before contracting blindness and dying. It is said Vassili’s lucky backgammon dice that jingle in his left pocket are carved from Argos’ pelvis.

The Chargers are headed up the mountain to Mile High in a test of the mules. In this battle of thick skinned equines, who will separate, Stick or Stidham? Who can certify that they are worthy, enduring mules; not stallions but verifiably more than donkeys and humbly deserving of our respect.

The Bolts lended further credence to the New Coach Theory: the week after firing your head coach, your team defends their honor playing harder and often covers the spread or wins the game outright. The Chargers surprised many with their performance last week against the surging Bills. The Broncos appear to have made a management decision to give up on the playoffs and have benched Russ for Stidham. The Chargers are playing for pride and contracts and a place with “Argos” in mule lore.

Chargers 17 Broncos 20