Every cartoon I draw is a judgement call. Whether it’s during the initial stages of thought process where I weed through all of the ideas I’m mulling over to find the one I think works best, or with an editor looking over roughs I send him who then helps me to pick the best one, it often comes down to the luck of the draw (no pun intended) as to which cartoon sees the light of day. I often have multiple “layers” of roughs I keep in the drawing program I use with the computer tablet I draw on, that usually get tossed once I draw the final cartoon. This time I thought, what the heck, it’s the end of the Broncos season, so why not ink and color one of the roughs I didn’t use for 9News on Sunday night. So you here you are. One from the cutting room floor. Enjoy.

It didn’t end like so many had hoped. But Bronco Nation can stand proud regardless. This was a team that was picked to finish last in the AFC West. They had a quarterback that no one said could win in the NFL. They were told they had no shot to beat the Steelers in the first round of the playoffs. Above all, this was a team that made it FUN to watch the Broncos again. Sure there are a lot of questions to be answered in the off-season but there’s time enough for that. Let me know your thoughts are about the season. I’d love to hear your insight.
Also, one more thing since we are in the midst of a long weekend holiday, I’m wondering how you feel about the changes I’ve made here on the blog. Would you rather I went back to the scroll kind of site, where the cartoons are stacked one underneath each other? I’ve considered adding a slider so you can scroll horizontally through the cartoons as well. So let me know if you have any preferences.

It’s all a matter of Faith. Believing you can when so many tell you that you can’t. For Tebow it’s a matter of personal faith. Tim and I share the same beliefs, though I must admit, after the loss of my first wife from cancer in 2004, my faith has been tested and tried and many times has wavered. But I’ve learned a few things from Tebow this year. That it’s time to believe again that life can indeed be good after heartache and hardship. That things have a way of working out. That overcoming impossible odds isn’t really impossible.
It’s what I find most intriguing about sports. I have a friend who asks me often why people love sports so much. I tell her it’s all about the human will to be excellent. The will to win and overcome defeat and adversity. It’s about the Miracle On Ice. It’s about movies like “Hoosiers” and “Glory Road”. It’s about driving 98 yards with time running out in Cleveland. Or throwing a pass on the first play of overtime to beat a 12-4 team in a game that no one in their right mind gave you the chance to win. And sometimes, most of the time, all of that takes faith to achieve. So I hope you all take this cartoon in the light it was intended. Because, It’s all a matter of Faith.

drawn for 9News KUSA TV Denver

It is a Broncos victory for the ages. One we will remember just as much as “The Drive”, as much as “The Fumble” and as much “The Helicopter”. Some will call it “The Pass”. I will refer to it simply as “On A Wing and A Prayer”. Tebow to Demaryius Thomas= TD. The nights passing yards =Tebow: 316. This has been, I think, the most memorable season in Broncos history. Yeah, I know, beating the Packers in the Super Bowl was pretty sweet. Yeah, so was beating the Falcons for the second Lombardi trophy. But, seriously, name another season that has been more fun? 77? Maybe. But this one has been so unexpected…Let me know what you think!

Nothing like a Broncos loss to put a damper on the Christmas Cheer. So if you wake up looking like this on Christmas morning my advice is don’t. It’s only a football game. There will be plenty more. But Christmas mornings…well, we only get so many of those. So go on…Have yourself a Merry little Christmas. I’ll be back next week with some new toons and a year in review!

Calendars will be going out in droves on Monday and Tuesday of next week. So sorry again for the delay