Denver broncos hats gay & lesbian fund for colorado supports peacejam 10th anniversary ...

As anyone who knows me is aware, I am a hockey FANATIC. But, I am also a big football fan. I have spent many a Sunday at the bar, drinking beer and watching the game. So naturally, I have been watching much of the Preseason goings on and I have reached some conclusions.

1. I hope the Tuna kicks T.O.'s ass all over Dallas. The Cowboys only have room for one boss on the field. And it must be Bill Parcells. Anything else will just lead to a repeat of what we've already seen with T.O. in San Fran and Phili. That and T.O. is just an ass. I was greatly relieved when he didn't go to my Broncos.

2. Farve needs to retire. I'm sorry to all you Packers' fans, I really am. But after watching him last night, I can't help but think this year is going to be even worse than last. Farve had a fumble and an interception in the first FIVE MINUTES OF THE GAME! And the rest of the time he didn't look much better. Now I like Farve. I think he's one of the all time greatest quarterbacks in football history, but all good things must come to an end. Step aside, let Aaron Rodgers take over.

3. Gary Kubiak is what the Texans have needed. He's a no-nonsense coach, with tons of experience both on and off the field. He's also not afraid to get the face of one of his players if they're screwing things up. One of the problems with the Texans over the last few years is that no one was willing to tell David Carr to get his head out of his ass. Instead, they treated him with kid-gloves. Kubiak, on the other hand, has flat out told Carr that he is no longer a rookie and will not be allowed to make rookie mistakes. Period. And it seems to be paying off. The Texans are 2-1 so far in the Preseason. Both of their wins have been by at least 7 points, and they only lost to the Broncos by 3. There's no way in hell they're going to win their division or even get to the play offs (the AFC is way too strong for that to happen), but they will have a much better year than last year (although, with a 2-14 record in 2005, it would be hard to get worse).

4. Hard-core fantasy footballers are idiots. I play fantasy football myself, but it's just a bit of a distraction once a week or so. There are grown men who spend hours every day working on their team. Three words: Get. A. Life.

5. The Oakland Raiders are already in deep shit if they've been forced to sign Jeff George again (he was a Raider 1997). The man has not thrown an NFL pass since 2001! Only in an Al Davis universe.

6. There has been a lot of hype this Preseason about the Arizona Cardinals. Well, here's the sad truth, Arizona. The Cards will suck this season - again. They may not suck as bad as some past seasons, but they will still suck. Here's why: Kurt Warner is incredibly inconsistent and gets shaken far too easily, and Matt Leinart does not have enough experience at the pro level to really carry the team by himself. Edgerrin James is a great runner, but the O-line isn't good enough to give him the holes he needs to be truly effective. Without a good running game, defenses will key on the Cardinals' passing game. Even if one or both of the quarterbacks were perfect, again the O-line won't be able to provide decent pass protection and the secondary will know the ball is probably coming their way, meaning they can prepare for it. Yes, the Cards' defense has looked pretty good (good, not great), but you can't really expect to win with just your defense (well, maybe if you're the 2005 Chicago Bears, but no one else). Yes, the new stadium is cool and attendance will be plenty high this year (actually, it's pretty much sold out for the entire season - never thought I'd see that happen), but the team will probably still will have a losing season. Final record for 2006: 6-10.

7. Denver running backs. It seems almost every year the Broncos have a new running back who rushes for 1000+ yards in the season. And every year people are surprised. See, there's this thing called an "offensive line" and they do this thing called "blocking." Now, when your "offensive line" is "blocking" effectively, it is very easy for the running back to get 5-10 yards a carry. Denver's offensive line has been one of the best in the NFL in the last decade. Match that with a quarterback who can throw a mile, which stretches the defense, and you have a great running game with a running back of average ability. Why do you think Clinton Portis and Rueben Droughns have not been as effective since they left Denver?

So those are the thoughts I have come away from this preseason with. For the record, here are my late-August Playoff Predictions:

AFC Division Winners
Colts
Steelers
Broncos
Patriots
AFC Wild Card Teams
Bengals
Jaguars

NFC Division Winners
Bears
Seahawks
Panthers
Redskins
NFC Wild Card Teams
Buccaneers
Cowboys

We'll see come the first week of January!

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., -- The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado has donated $65,000 to PeaceJam in support of its 10th Anniversary Youth Conference, scheduled to be held September 15-17 at the University of Denver. The conference will feature as many as 10 Nobel Peace Laureates, including the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and is anticipated to attract 3,000 young people from around the world.

The mission of PeaceJam is to inspire a new generation of peacemakers, and its annual conference provides a venue for Nobel Peace Laureates to guide thousands of young people through grass-roots projects that teach implementation and organizational skills -- including project planning, presentation development and results reporting. In addition to its conference, PeaceJam reaches kids through public schools, homeless shelters and church youth groups, transcending a variety of social and ethnic demographics.

According to Dawn Engle, PeaceJam's other co-founder, says that the power of diverse backgrounds to affect change is fundamental to programs such as the upcoming Youth Conference, which is attracting young people from 31 different countries. "All youth are vulnerable to the pressures of life, and all are capable of making the world a better place. The cornerstone of the conference is to give young people the critical thinking skills they need to achieve balanced points of view," she said. "Contributions from the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado have helped us teach kids that by being genuine, being themselves and embracing the ways they are different, they can achieve great things," Engle added.

Hundreds of youth in the Denver area have participated in the PeaceJam program. Rudy Balles, a former gang leader from Pueblo, is a PeaceJammer whose apprenticeship under Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum helped him discover the meaning of diversity and open mindedness. Balles is now program director for the Gang Rescue and Support Project in Denver, helping gang members make better decisions for themselves and stop causing harm to their communities. "Violence is taught and endorsed everywhere, but peace is not. Peace needs to be discussed as a new tool to overcome violence," said Balles.

"Our own mission is to improve quality of life and strive for equality for all people -- and PeaceJam's active participation in making the world a more peaceful place to live is in perfect alignment with that mission," said Mary Lou Makepeace, executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado. "We applaud PeaceJam for all of its positive energy and achievements over the past 10 years, and we wish them great success in the years to come."

For more information about the PeaceJam Youth Conference on September 15-17, visit peacejam. Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19 years old are welcome to attend the PeaceJam 10th Anniversary Celebration and can register for the event by calling 303-455-2099 or registering online at the organization's Web site.

About the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado

The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado was established in 1996 as a program to financially support nonprofit organizations that enhance the quality of life in Colorado and promote equality for all people. Since its inception, the fund has awarded more than $16 million to hundreds of nonprofit organizations whose program areas include arts and culture, civic leadership, healthy families and public broadcasting. In addition to providing financial assistance, the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado offers training programs, workshops, technical assistance and public meeting space to strengthen nonprofit organizations' ability to grow, flourish and succeed. The organization is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information please visit gayandlesbianfund.

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