Why does www.denverbroncos.com suck so bad?

[cmhargrove]

I was just going through my "favorites" this morning and hit denverbroncos.com again. They haven't put up a peep about AL Wilson. That sucks. It is becoming less of an informational site, and more of a propaganda machine.

Am I expecting too much from the team site?

I just thought breaking news about the former team captain might be in order.

[Man-Goblin]

Most likely they haven't put anything up because they will not be officially cutting him until later this week.

[Florida_Bronco]

I stopped visiting long ago unless I had something specific that I needed from that site.

[HEAV]

Andrew Mason is a fruit!

[dbfan21]

Andrew Mason is a fruit!

No kidding. How did that geek get the job? He may be the brains behind the online articles, but at least get someone to conduct the player/coach interviews that didn't get his ass kicked behind the dumpster in high school.

His use of "big words" in his articles is annoying. Not that I can't understand him, it just seems he sits next to his computer with a thesaurus and tries to impress people with his vocabulary. What's the point of fancy verbage...just report the news!

Here's a perfect case in point:
Scheffler also noted that his weight gain wasn’t by coaches’ edict; rather, it stemmed from a desire to play more than just on obvious passing downs.
http://blog.denverbroncos.com/mason/

Why use the word, 'edict'? Just say, 'announcement'. Who uses that type of language in today's normal conversation?

[SonOfLe-loLang]

i usualyl just go there to watch press conferences

[BroncoBuff]

RealPlayer is not so cool ...

[Kaylore]

I was just going through my "favorites" this morning and hit denverbroncos.com again. They haven't put up a peep about AL Wilson. That sucks. It is becoming less of an informational site, and more of a propaganda machine.

Am I expecting too much from the team site?

No, but I think you're expecting the wrong things. They are great for interviews with players and coaches as they have the best access. What they aren't good at is scoop type information.

As the official media source of the team, they don't want rumors or other information leaked out, so you will only see stories posted on the team site after things have been made official, which is usually several days after Adam Schefter's reported it on NFL network.

[Blueflame]

The official site could use some help in the area of web design as well...

[Sodak]

Bottom line is that DenverBroncos.com sucks. I don't even bother with it.

News breaks here first.

[watermock]

Shanahan doesn't make "announcements"...Shanahan pronounces "Edicts"...as he is God incarnate as the Emperor. All fear his eagle eye that sees all, knows all. Ha!

He's also coated in kevlar. All fall to knees and worship the Kevlar King. That includes you Florio.

[watermock]

Real player sucks salty balls.

"Do you want to make real player your default player?"

"NO!"

Then it made itself the default player anyway. That installation reminded me why uninstalled it before. It's a tick. I flicked it off and put it into the dust heap of uninstalled software. I'm surprised it didn't fight the uninstall. POS crap IMO.

[Odysseus]

The web developer has a death grip on the Broncos organization and no matter what you say or show to the Broncos organization nothing is going to change. This mediocre hack is never going to get this website to where it should be and until the Broncos open it up for competition nothing is going to change.

[Watchthemiddle]

I don't have a problem with the actual site, but the message boards are a little weak for me. Was a long standing member there for a long time and form some reason, people over there are extremely sensitive and like to tattle. Go figure!!

[TheSportsGuru]

Just ditto to everything....which is why I had to do my own thing....

[Bob's your Information Minister]

You guys don't know how good you have it. KcChiefs.com sucks hard compared to Denver's website. The hi-resolution photographs you guys get every week make me drool.

[watermock]

Jesus.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

Donuts make me drool.

Fixed it

[Kaylore]

Out of curiosity is there a team site that most here would like the Broncos site to emulate? I'm assuming there is something better out there that is making our team site look so awful to most of you.

[Los Broncos]

I only go there during the season for merchandise, i come here for all my team news.

[Los Broncos]

Fixed it


Thats messed up ROFL!

[Cito Pelon]

No kidding. How did that geek get the job? He may be the brains behind the online articles, but at least get someone to conduct the player/coach interviews that didn't get his ass kicked behind the dumpster in high school.

His use of "big words" in his articles is annoying. Not that I can't understand him, it just seems he sits next to his computer with a thesaurus and tries to impress people with his vocabulary. What's the point of fancy verbage...just report the news!

Here's a perfect case in point:
Scheffler also noted that his weight gain wasn’t by coaches’ edict; rather, it stemmed from a desire to play more than just on obvious passing downs.
http://blog.denverbroncos.com/mason/

Why use the word, 'edict'? Just say, 'announcement'. Who uses that type of language in today's normal conversation?

Probably because the two words don't have anywhere near the same meaning.

[Sodak]

Out of curiosity is there a team site that most here would like the Broncos site to emulate? I'm assuming there is something better out there that is making our team site look so awful to most of you.


I haven't compared the Den site to any others, but as a fan, I know it has very little to offer. Certainly not what I would expect for a fan site.

There's no REAL news. Nothing, Just fluff, feel good corporate-esque BS.

It's almost like watching a post-game show with interviews. You know the players aren't going to say anything outside of a canned response.

[watermock]

Beezer in in coverage...on BOTH teams.

He can only ankle ackle.

[cmhargrove]

Out of curiosity is there a team site that most here would like the Broncos site to emulate? I'm assuming there is something better out there that is making our team site look so awful to most of you.

I just looked.

I think www.miamidolphins.com is pretty cool. Most stories, viedos, even cheerleader stuff can be accessed from the front page. They have a draft countdown clock - cool!

The best site I saw looking forward to the draft was www.buffalobills.com
Look at their draft section over to the right side, they have cutout faces and question marks, and the countdown clock. I would say quite a bit more interactive thhan the Broncos site.

However, I was originally commenting about the Broncos site not publishing news until sometimes a week late.

[No1BroncoFan]

The official site could use some help in the area of web design as well...
Amen. The navagability of their site is terrible!

Ben

[DeuceOfClub]

*sigh*
You guys overreacting.

The official Broncos site is one of the best in the NFL. Is it perfect? No! But it doesn’t “suck” as well.
I’m sure most of you understand that the ‘official’ stands for something. You will not find breaking news or rumors over there. And it will keep the company line.
But they keep it up to date. And the Audio / video section alone worth the visits.

You may dislike Mason’s tone or expression but he must be one of the most hard working ‘official’ media persons employed by an NFL team.
The sounds bite are available almost immediately (unless after away games, which is understood) and there are new stories and articles daily.
Occasionally Mason will also visit the MSB and contribute. (at least he used to)

On top of that the ‘tradition’ section is great. Not all the information is easy to access but it’s there. From all time rosters to players by jersey numbers to Broncos records.

Some of you maybe forgot but the website had a major facelift about a year ago and looks much better now.

One more thing about RealPlayer (Terrible) since we brought it up many times in the Broncomania MSB. RealPlayer offered the NFL and the teams to host all videos and audios for free as long as they use them exclusively. This is a purely economical reason.

And if you think you have an idea how to improve something, drop a PM to AM, on Broncomania, maybe you can help all of us enjoy a better site.




And if you are still not convinced we are pretty “lucky” just make a short visit to the official site of the Raiders (“team of the decades”) the Chargers (kept putting San Diego on top of the division in 2005 even when they were 3 games down) or the Chiefs (they just had a major facelift this offseason from unbelievably awful to just bad)

[s0phr0syne]

*sigh*
You guys overreacting.

The official Broncos site is one of the best in the NFL. Is it perfect? No! But it doesn’t “suck” as well.
I’m sure most of you understand that the ‘official’ stands for something. You want find breaking news or rumors over there. And it will keep the company line.
But they keep it up to date. And the Audio / video section alone worth the visits.

You may dislike Mason’s tone or expression but he must be one of the most hard working ‘official’ media persons employed by an NFL team.
The sounds bite are available almost immediately (unless after away games, which is understood) and there are new stories and articles daily.
Occasionally Mason will also visit the MSB and contribute. (at least he used to)

On top of that the ‘tradition’ section is great. Not all the information is easy to access but it’s there. From all time rosters to players by jersey numbers to Broncos records.

Some of you maybe forgot but the website had a major facelift about a year ago and looks much better now.

One more thing about RealPlayer (Terrible) since we brought it up many times in the Broncomania MSB. RealPlayer offered the NFL and the teams to host all videos and audios for free as long as they use them exclusively. This is a purely economical reason.

And if you think you have an idea how to improve something, drop a PM to AM, on Broncomania, maybe you can help all of us enjoy a better site.




And if you are still not convinced we are pretty “lucky” just make a short visit to the official site of the Raiders (“team of the decades”) the Chargers (kept putting San Diego on top of the division in 2005 even when they were 3 games down) or the Chiefs (they just had a major facelift this offseason from unbelievably awful to just bad)


I'm glad that I read all the way to the end of the thread before responding because I think you said everything that I wanted to say. I feel like Andrew Mason tries pretty hard to do the best that he can; I've personally never had a problem navigating that site, and I love all the interviews and stuff that he posts. Using the official site in conjunction with CBS4's site gives me all the player interviews and stuff that is similar that I could ever want. He's also a pretty nice guy and I think he'd be receptive to some constructive criticisms or ideas that you had.

[orange 4 life]

I was just going through my "favorites" this morning and hit denverbroncos.com again. They haven't put up a peep about AL Wilson. That sucks. It is becoming less of an informational site, and more of a propaganda machine.

Am I expecting too much from the team site?

I just thought breaking news about the former team captain might be in order.

maybe theyre not too keen on focussing on the loss of another captain.

we've now lost 3 captains this offseason (plummer, wilson, and burns) and the
last time we lost captains from all 3 squads in the same year was '99. that didnt go so well.
lets hope its better this time around.

[Sodak]

*sigh*
You guys overreacting.

The official Broncos site is one of the best in the NFL. Is it perfect? No! But it doesn’t “suck” as well.
I’m sure most of you understand that the ‘official’ stands for something. You will not find breaking news or rumors over there. And it will keep the company line.


No. It does suck. Hard. The only thing you can expect from the site is the expected. They tow the company line, and keep on towing, and towing.

I don't think they've even admitted cutting Mike Anderson yet.

Denverbroncos.com sucks.

Sorry man. I do expect better, and should not settle for less.

[fdf]

. . . Why use the word, 'edict'? Just say, 'announcement'. Who uses that type of language in today's normal conversation?

For one, "edict" has a very different meaning than "announcement." If you are searching for a simple word that is a synonym for "edict", try "order."

[Odysseus]

*sigh*
You guys overreacting.

No. We are not. I don't care how crappy the other NFL teams websites are. I remember ALL of the sites upgrades and makeovers and a lot of it is like putting makeup on a pig. They need to dump Real Player as the player of choice and use Windows Media like everyone else. There are a half dozen friends of mine who could put together a better website for the Broncos but they will never have the chance because whoever the developer is for that site he has the Broncos by the balls because they won't even take a look at anyone or anything else. The guy could die and pass the website to his kids. The Broncos are not looking.

As a season's ticket holder it pisses me that they would skimp on one of the easiest and cheapest things they can fix.

Where are the links to players web pages or the charities they support?
Why can't they incorporate more java based applets and tools?
Why can't we expect that page to run faster and with better access to links?
They could double Broncos merchandise sales with a smarter web guy.
Why can't they get Andrew Mason back behind a desk somewhere?
Why is there zero feedback loops to the web developer?
Why can't they get rid of real players?
Why do the Broncos have to have so much control over their product? When did fans become just something you see at the stadium?

There are a lot of things this website offers that you cannot find at other websites but that doesn't mean the site is good. It's average at best. It took that guy three years of complaining before he upgraded.

[Kaylore]

I just looked.

I think www.miamidolphins.com is pretty cool. Most stories, viedos, even cheerleader stuff can be accessed from the front page. They have a draft countdown clock - cool!

The best site I saw looking forward to the draft was www.buffalobills.com
Look at their draft section over to the right side, they have cutout faces and question marks, and the countdown clock. I would say quite a bit more interactive thhan the Broncos site.

However, I was originally commenting about the Broncos site not publishing news until sometimes a week late.

I'm not a fan of that Dolphins one, but the Bills one is pretty good, I agree. I wouldn't mind seeing a similar format. I do have to point out thus far you're the only one that pointed to a site that you think is better, and also that, assuming you checked every site, you only had two that you would like to see the Broncos emulate. Does that mean you didn't like the other 29?

And kudos for the Mason props, Deuce. I've met Andrew and he's a good guy and really does work very hard to get things up to the minute. The other thing to consider is that just because he works on the team site that doesn't mean every player on the team has to, or wants to talk to him. He does what he can.

[Odysseus]

I'm not a fan of that Dolphins one, but the Bills one is pretty good, I agree. I wouldn't mind seeing a similar format. I do have to point out thus far you're the only one that pointed to a site that you think is better, and also that, assuming you checked every site, you only had two that you would like to see the Broncos emulate. Does that mean you didn't like the other 29?

And kudos for the Mason props, Deuce. I've met Andrew and he's a good guy and really does work very hard to get things up to the minute. The other thing to consider is that just because he works on the team site that doesn't mean every player on the team has to, or wants to talk to him. He does what he can.

I have a lot of respect for Andrew Mason because he really does get treated like a kicker around that place. It would be funny if he hadn't invested so much of himself into putting forward what he does.

Tell me what you think about the Falcons and Bengals sites. I know the guy who developed the Falcons site. I have not looked at all 31. I know these guys are despite their crappy teams they have a decent site not great.

I don't think many of the NFL teams have put any effort or energy into their sites at all so comparing crap with other crap is kind of short term in my view.

FYI: When you are out there doing your camp reports it would be fun to see what reaction you get wearing an Orangemane polo shirt.

[Kaylore]

I have a lot of respect for Andrew Mason because he really does get treated like a kicker around that place. It would be funny if he hadn't invested so much of himself into putting forward what he does.

Tell me what you think about the Falcons and Bengals sites. I know the guy who developed the Falcons site. I have not looked at all 31. I know these guys are despite their crappy teams they have a decent site not great.
Of the two I prefer the Falcons one. The Bengals one is too busy and has too much script everywhere. One thing I do wish our site had is the menu bar across the top of the page horizontally. I don't care for the list down the left side. There is a lot of negative space wasted on our site as well.

I don't think many of the NFL teams have put any effort or energy into their sites at all so comparing crap with other crap is kind of short term in my view.
I suppose so, but even so I think if someone is going to say "this sucks" they should explain why by showing an example of what can be improved and how it should look or at least offer suggestions if there aren't any examples in the world.
FYI: When you are out there doing your camp reports it would be fun to see what reaction you get wearing an Orangemane polo shirt.
We've been trying to get hats, T-shirts and Polos for years. I think Meck even put a bunch of money toward it. I know people here would buy them and it would be a good way for Taco to earn some money back toward running the site. Alas, despite all these requests, it is to no avail. I think this year I'll go make my own and if Taco doesn't like the logo I pick he can suck it! ;D

[dbfan21]

For one, "edict" has a very different meaning than "announcement." If you are searching for a simple word that is a synonym for "edict", try "order."

Look it up online. I am not off-base with my interpretation of that word.

Yes, it does mean 'order', but it also can mean announcement, proclamation, etc....

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/edict

The point I was trying make was that he uses unnecessary words. Just tell it like it is, without the frills. This is football, not PhD-level linguistics.

[Dr. Broncenstein]

One word: RealPlayerandAndrewMasonSuckTehDogballs

[cmhargrove]

I'm not a fan of that Dolphins one, but the Bills one is pretty good, I agree. I wouldn't mind seeing a similar format. I do have to point out thus far you're the only one that pointed to a site that you think is better, and also that, assuming you checked every site, you only had two that you would like to see the Broncos emulate. Does that mean you didn't like the other 29?

And kudos for the Mason props, Deuce. I've met Andrew and he's a good guy and really does work very hard to get things up to the minute. The other thing to consider is that just because he works on the team site that doesn't mean every player on the team has to, or wants to talk to him. He does what he can.

I'm not trying to knock Mason, as I have stated before, I try to stay away from ad hominem attacks and stay with the facts. In all honesty, I am jealous of his job. How many of us would like to be in his spot? He has worked hard to create a niche for himself.

My original points were 1) the team could at least put up short headlines or paragraphs about important team breaking news. I don't think it's too much to ask that they put a brief headline about Al when the team has already made it official. They don't have to give fodder for lawsuits, but they should report the pertinent facts about the team, not just be a spin machine. Real Bronco fans will still stick with the team when they lose players like Portis, Plummer, and Wilson. They just deserve to know when it happens, and not have it candy coated.
2) I think the site was made better in it's recent revision, but it does lack some creativity. It is sometimes difficult to navigate. Other teams draw more interest to issues like the draft, merchandise, and are more interactive.
3) How can you not report news that is already near a week old about your team captain? There is an interview with John Lynch today about Al, and still not even one paragraph of official info. That's wrong. That's spin control - I don't like the team I love trying to manipulate its image like that. Just tell it like it is, let's move on together.

That was my point. Not just to bash, I believe I have credible issues with the "team" site.

[Sodak]

One word: RealPlayerandAndrewMasonSuckTehDogballs

It's funny how these things work really. A lot of us here used to talk about Schefter or "Scheister" and how crappy his food critiques and Broncos news was. It turns out that we were all WRONG. We didn't realize how good it was, between the Pete's Kitchen reivew on East Colfax and the new brewpub in LoDo with football tidbits sprinkled in... until we met Burger Bill.

[bendog]

Even freaking San Diego has an alltime roster. Bowlen has less respect for tradition than freaking san diego. He does, however, like own a winning team.

[DeuceOfClub]

Broncos’ All-Time roster. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=250)

Broncos All-Time Numerical Roster. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=278)

Past Pro Bowl Broncos (Needs update) (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1498)

Denver Broncos Series Records vs. Opponents. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1578)

Denver Broncos All-Time Records. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=144)

Broncos Coaching History. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1619)

Miscellaneous Statistics. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1735)

1960 Broncos. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=421)
1961 Broncos. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=474)
1962 Broncos. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=483)
.
.
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(If you find mistakes please post it in the Feedback Forum @ Broncomania, or just let me know)

[Taco John]

We've been trying to get hats, T-shirts and Polos for years. I think Meck even put a bunch of money toward it.

Meck has donated money before, but everything goes to the bottom line first: the server. If people want to donate money, I have to think of the server first, and other stuff second. T-shirts without a server are pretty much worthless.

[Odysseus]

You mean this thread is worthless without a server?

[bendog]

Broncos’ All-Time roster. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=250)

Broncos All-Time Numerical Roster. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=278)

Past Pro Bowl Broncos (Needs update) (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1498)

Denver Broncos Series Records vs. Opponents. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1578)

Denver Broncos All-Time Records. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=144)

Broncos Coaching History. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1619)

Miscellaneous Statistics. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1735)

1960 Broncos. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=421)
1961 Broncos. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=474)
1962 Broncos. (http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=483)
.
.
.



(If you find mistakes please post it in the Feedback Forum @ Broncomania, or just let me know)

Thanks. Years ago, maybe when the old dpo board was functional, I found the beginning of the all time roster on the official site. Then the site was redone, and imo much less easy to use. And, I couldn't find the roster. I figured it got axed, but apparantly they finished it. Thanks for the link.

I'd say sorry to Bowlen, but I'm still pissed he didn't pony up video and puch Grads for the HOF

[Kaylore]

T-shirts without a server are pretty much worthless.
I think you're missing the point, Taco. The people at Homestar runner make enough money off their merchandise alone to not have to advertise. I don't think you're there yet, but if you made some T-shirts and then sold them, a lot of people here would buy them and it'd help foot the bill for the server.

[Taco John]

I think you're missing the point, Taco. The people at Homestar runner make enough money off their merchandise alone to not have to advertise. I don't think you're there yet, but if you made some T-shirts and then sold them, a lot of people here would buy them and it'd help foot the bill for the server.



With due respect to you, my friend... I'm definitely not missing the point on this. I used to think the way you're thinking now. In a perfect world, that's how it would work. But the football boards that I've talked to on this subject, to a man, have all said the same thing: they were lucky to break even, and didn't do so until they finally marked everything down to cost (or below cost) to get the stuff moved. Selling T-Shirts and hats isn't a money-maker. It's a marketing move. One that we can't afford until I get the server situation squared away this summer.

It's a problem for me because I do this whole thing on the side, and try to make it pay for itself, though I sometimes have to supplement it out of my pocket along with the help of some good people here who donate. If I was a millionaire, this would be a no-brainer. But I'm not. I'm just a guy with a hobby right now.

In any case, I've got an Orange Mane hat for you to wear to camp, if you'd like. I had some demos made up that I was going to move on, but held off because I had lost my job at the time and wanted to make sure that I kept money put aside to keep the server payment up.

[ludo21]

Thanks TJ for all you do man!

I appreciate this site, a lot man. Keep up the good work!

[Taco John]

Thanks ludo.

Also, for what it's worth, I think DB.com is one of the best team sites on the Internet, and am totally jealous of Andrew Mason.

[Sodak]

Kaylore would deserve a hat.

[Kaylore]

Well that sucks. I do know that the Homestarrunner guys make all their money off those pieces of merchandise and I know a lot of people here would love a shirt or something with the Mane on it. Many would wear them, and then it's free advertising walking around to boot. I guess we can make our own, though.

If you only have one hat, don't send it. I wouldn't feel comfortable sweating in your prototype. Just send me a picture and I'll rip the logo. I'd actually rather wear a T-shirt or polo anyway. It's more identifiable and looks more official.:wiggle:

[snowtrx]

At least they don't make you log in after every other page like another site I know!!!

[Odysseus]

At least they don't make you log in after every other page like another site I know!!!

Oh SNAP! He Did inT!

[Kaylore]

At least they don't make you log in after every other page like another site I know!!!

Turn your cookies on!

Also, click the remember me box.

[Rock Chalk]

Perhaps I should elicit my services to Denverbroncos.com.

Particularly in the backend department. Its been a while since I been there and checked the source, but the last time I did it was a damn messy disaster. It should be way cleaner than it is.

I dont think they even bothered with CSS which will not only save on load time but will save them bandwidth which leads to better usability by the end user as well as saving them money.

Navigation is horrible and the call to actions leave much to be desired. Its as if they kinda piece mealed the site together.

[cmhargrove]

Perhaps I should elicit my services to Denverbroncos.com.

Particularly in the backend department. Its been a while since I been there and checked the source, but the last time I did it was a damn messy disaster. It should be way cleaner than it is.

I dont think they even bothered with CSS which will not only save on load time but will save them bandwidth which leads to better usability by the end user as well as saving them money.

Navigation is horrible and the call to actions leave much to be desired. Its as if they kinda piece mealed the site together.

Yeah, denverbroncos.com has a messy backend, that's what i'm talkin' bout!