Still Keeping Score

The dearth of quality NFL quarterbacks is making tomorrow's 2024 draft far more interesting than it should be. Hey, tell me if you heard this one before, "The Denver Broncos need a quarterback." As the Yogi Berra proverb reminds us, "It's like deja vu, all over again." The seemingly endless quarterback shuffle is on deck for Denver in yet another NFL Draft. With the twelfth pick in this year's annual aim for talent, fans have no idea what to expect. This is a Broncos Country that is still adjusting to new uniforms and the addition of a Wilson at quarterback. No, Russell Wilson isn't back, it's the other Wilson, who has had an even rougher road than the guy Denver is paying 85 million dollars to NOT be here. Forever a football town, the Mile High City may finally be considering changing to hoops or a hockey place. Baseball may even be a threat if the team found an ownership group that knew something about...baseball. Fans have heard about 2,397 ru...

A little over one year ago, I jumped on the speculation bandwagon about potential landing spots for the Colorado Buffaloes after the PAC-12 watched as the two huge founding schools, USC and UCLA, left the conference for the Big-10. Thirteen months later, the Buffs awaited news of a new PAC-12 contract, and that news never arrived. And while their final fate isn't official, the Colorado board of regents meet in a couple hours to vote on returning to the Big-12. History recalls the Buffs joining the Big-6 to form the Big-7 way back in 1947, which then became the more familiar Big-8 Conference a decade later when Oklahoma State (or Oklahoma A&M at the time) signed up as well. The conference was a storied one with the likes of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State with the aforementioned Buff and Okie State. The Big-8 won 11-NCAA football National Titles during that time, six by Oklahoma, four by Colorado's arch rival Nebraska and one by the Buffs in 19...

 I last discussed the super conference scenarios for the Colorado Buffaloes on this particular blog 11-years ago. At that point, the Pac-12 was looking to expand after Texas A&M bolted from the Big-12 to the SEC. Several Big-12 teams looked to move over to the recently expanded 'conference of champions' to join Colorado and Utah in that once, happy, healthy, collegiate sports alliance. Looking back, the Pac-12 should have expanded then and a year or so ago when Texas and Oklahoma announced they were finally following Texas A&M to the SEC. Hindsight, as we often say here, is 20/20 and now that's what college football may look like with a pair of 20-team super conferences led by the Big-Ten and SEC. While not officially official, it sounds like the two richest programs in the Pac-12 are bolting for the Big-10, as early as 2024. For the new look Pac-10, and Washington looking to see if they can find a way to follow USC and UCLA, the rest of the west may be on the outsi...

Watching the Colorado Avalanche hoist the toughest trophy to conquer in all of sports for their third such victory in franchise history, it offered chance for this one time sports editor and radio guy to reflect on the hard earned respect the NHL has won from me over the years. For clarification, I've always loved hockey. From the moment I pretended to have ice skates on a frozen pond, sliding around and hitting a tennis ball with a neighbor's hockey stick, it was frozen joy any winter I got to 'play' with anyone who was brave enough to get out on the ice with other kids armed with sticks. I was only 14 when I saw the tape delayed epic Miracle on Ice when the USA vanquished the Red Army on skates for Olympic glory in February of 1980. I was grateful to witness one of those sports David and Goliath moment that stick with you forever. Those happy moments aside, my relationship with the NHL was, to put it in modern social media vernacular, complicated. Living in Denver at ...

Coach Don Shula had a great run.  But the world lost a unique influence today with his passing. At least he was a very positive influence on me, and likely dozens of the players he coached and legions of football fans. Better research from other writers will do a far better job covering all of the accolades Don Shula compiled over a lifetime of football. Among those stats, I learned just today that the he also intercepted 21 passes in his brief career playing for three NFL teams over six seasons before he jumped into the coaching ranks. Shula never claimed to be an exceptional athlete, so I imagine a number of those interceptions were because of how well he understood the game. That understanding helped him become the youngest NFL coach in history by the time the Baltimore Colts hired him in 1963. It was Shula's time in Baltimore that endeared him to my Maryland family. In particular, my grandparents continued to be fans of the coach even after he left the Co...

A more sensitive league leader may have pushed the upcoming NFL Draft back a month or two. That said, I'll be the first to selfishly admit, I'm glad the commish is of singular mind when it comes to promoting the game that keeps a roof or two over his head. As the horror show COVID-19 global pandemic is likely moving toward it's peak level of damage to humanity here in the United States, sports fans will have tiny beacon of escapism to look forward to amongst the carnage. Despite a number of NFL general managers asking for the event to be pushed back, Commissioner Roger Goodell says the show must go on. On one hand, the NFL seems to lack empathy, or a sense of fair play as teams are on various stages of lockdown, depending on which state they are in. Those are absolutely legitimate concerns. However, for a nation that's had to stay in quarantine away from other people for nearly two months in some places -- an NFL Draft presents some evidence that the world w...

It's a comparatively small Colorado football community over the last few decades, especially former players and coaches who remember when the Buffs won all the time. In that small world, the Buffs apparently have found someone who was a part of those good old days with the selection of Karl Dorrell. While the hiring remains unofficial, the pile of internet sources seems to agree the Buffs went with a former CU assistant with 14-years of PAC-10/PAC-12 coaching experience, coupled with some solid NFL stints with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. And yet, some voices yelling into the internet void remain unimpressed, wanting to go with -- according to the modern vernacular -- another sexy hire. Did fans really want Alabama offense coordinator Steve Sarkisian, despite the fact the last hot name/sexy beast of a hire just packed his bags for East Lansing, Michigan? Both Sarkisian and Mel Tucker used the Buffs to pad their bank accounts, and yet some fans seem t...

At the time I sat down to scribble these words out, there was nothing official from anyone yet. However, the word seems to be that Mel Tucker is one and done in Colorado. He's off to the much greener Spartan green pastures of Michigan State. I suppose they figure if he can recruit at Colorado, he will have it easier at MSU. It's sad but true. I'm not a part of the angry mob forming around Tucker's sudden departure. He couldn't turn down double the salary and double the resources. To quote Jack Barsch from the Ralphie Report , "I can't get mad at a man who gets that sweet of a deal. Any one of us would take a doubling of salary, plus everything else that makes his life easier." I'm not mad at Mel either, but this departure is a stark reminder of how tough it is to win at Colorado and keep winning at a place that has half the resources of most top flight programs. Some fans don't quite grasp the inequities of NCAA football and how uphill...

It ended early on a Thursday night. All of the hopes and dreams of the Denver Broncos merely improving their place among other NFL teams compared to a season ago have been put away. The white flags are being flown at half-mast at Dove Valley. I haven't actually seen white flags at Broncos headquarters, but the team has certainly surrendered. With the trade of one of the last few members of the Super Bowl 50 champions, it's abundantly clear that Denver has given up on winning in 2019. After a modest two game winning streak and some aspects of the team coming together ahead of their clash with the division rival Kansas City Chiefs, the Broncos strangely folded like a house of cards before half-time. Or folded like a cheap suit. Or a lawn chair. Or folded like Joe Flacco holding on to the ball too long. Anyway, there was a lot of folding going on last Thursday night. I like Flacco. I think his reputation as a Super Bowl champ will always be a highlight as he helped his...

I'm ancient enough to remember the glory days. The days of old Mile High, where the boot stomping on those creaky metal stands would make a rumble that literally rattled opposing teams on the field below. And the fear was probably because of the way the stadium moved at times, it looked like it could fall over. Ah, but the noise level was incredible. I probably have some as of yet undetected hearing damage from attending some of those classic games. In that era, quarterbacks would rotate in from afar with the occasional hopeful draft pick and the Broncos would compete the best they could. Charlie Johnson was the first of the old guys I remember, guys with a strong arm throwing from an invisible wheel chair. The barely mobile types like Steve DeBerg or Craig Morton, but they had some wisdom and a little zip on the ball. Old man Morton and a strong defense took the Broncos to their first Super Bowl. That first appearance on the big stage didn't go well, but the Bronco...

Days before the Broncos travel to Oakland to play the arch rival Raiders on Christmas Eve, chaos reigns supreme. Broncos Country is in full, open rebellion. From the always on the hot seat head coach, to the players on the field the to very leaders atop the organization in Dove Valley, no one is safe from the growing critique of unhappy customers. There are rumors of old coaches returning to town, rants regarding possible turns the Broncos could have taken or should have taken. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Angry callers rule the radio air waves. Former quarterback Chad Kelly due back in court. Dogs and cats living together! Losing to the Cleveland Browns may be the straw that broke the last line of defense, turning the last of the loyal fans against the home town team. If that's not enough crazy for you, there are factions of the Bowlen family pushing in different directions for ultimate control of the team. Bill Bowlen's recent legal court actions await the NFL and...

It's not easy to say farewell to one of the best players to ever don the orange and blue, but trading Demaryius Thomas is a move the Broncos had to make. After Denver picked up two quality wide receivers in the most recent NFL Draft, there was talk of trading DT or Emmanuel Sanders back during training camp. After watching the team in Dove Valley myself, I understood why those early trade rumors continued to persist. Almost all of the young wide outs were doing some amazing things, including free agent Patrick Smith. The depth was solid enough that Jordan "Sunshine" Taylor, a solid contributor from last season, was on the outside looking in and his unfortunate injury bought him some additional time on the roster to start this year. In a perfect world, Thomas would be allowed to stay here in Denver until he was ready to retire. The business of the sport doesn't allow much room for such happy fairy tale endings, even for former first round draft picks. Picked du...

Ready or not, the new NFL season is here. Broncos Country is about to find out if the most recent overhaul of the roster will be enough to return the team to winning ways. Led by the cast-away quarterback, Case Keenum and a fascinating draft class, Denver will face off against former AFC West division rivals and their Super Bowl XLVIII oppressors, the Seattle Seahawks. Most fans and local media members are attempting to temper their excitement as no one really knows if all of the changes made in the off-season can move the Broncos in a more competitive direction. Even the Vegas oddsmakers are shrugging their collective shoulders for the opening contest. The line opened with both teams as even, save for a slight home field advantage with game hosted here in Denver. I made the trek to Dove Valley during training camp and I learned a few things by watching from the grassy knoll overlooking the team practicing under the summer sun. The first thing I noticed was that a number of grump...

Of all the moves the Broncos could have made to improve at the quarterback position, they went for practical play over the spectacular. Apparently, the Broncos do have a "Plan B" and his name is Case Keenum. As the legal tampering period leading to NFL free agency opened up yesterday, Denver was linked with every single soon to be available quarterback in the league. I heard A.J. McCarron in the morning, and by the evening the name of future hall of fame quarterback Drew Brees was mentioned as a real possibility. Of course Drew Brees would have been the fun way to go and the Broncos would have been able to take a short cut through a lot of roster holes with a guy who has looked great throwing for over 70,000 yards in his career. It was a beautiful fantasy football moment that vanished into the night and there would be no repeat of the Manning-style free agent quarterback miracle in the Mile High City. I'm certain John Elway heard long before the rest of Broncos Co...

Once the last whistle sounded at the Super Bowl and well before the green victory confetti settled on the artificial turf in Minnesota, speculation season kicked off in grand fashion. Heck, the media folks were asking Eagles' quarterback Nick Foles if he thought about where he would play next year -- right after he was asked about being the ultimate surprise Super Bowl MVP of the new century. The only one-punt championship game of any era I can remember produced instant questions in a league that has been suffering a bit of a quality quarterback shortage the last few years. The Eagles shut down some of that speculation by not offering Foles to any other team. The rumored asking price was as high as two first round draft picks. It is a nice way to tell the league to buzz off while the team tries to figure out whether Foles' seven million dollar salary is too much to pay for quarterback insurance if their youthful gunslinger Carson Wentz gets hurt again. I can't blame the...

While the rest of the world prepares for the next Super Bowl this weekend, Broncos Country is already hard at work with ideas on how to get Denver back into the big game. After reading through social media responses, tuning into local sports radio and reading way too many sports blogs, it appears the fans and the armchair experts have figured it all out. But the answers are as varied as Colorado weather. Everything from blowing up the entire offense and starting over to all we need is to draft Baker Mayfield with our rare number five overall pick and we're golden. With the Broncos coaching staff volunteered for the Senior Bowl, that horribly played exhibition was covered by local media as if it was the Super Bowl.  You could hear folks really wanting Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen to our magic answer. And well, we heard how well Oklahoma signal caller Baker Mayfield impressed the crowd of credentialed reporters when the word "aura" was utilized with great reverence af...

Future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Von Miller recently claimed he could play quarterback for Denver and basically implied anyone can play that position.  However, the Broncos did try and prove him right by playing as many people back there as possible. It appears not just anyone can play signal caller in the National Football League. I also think the conversation about football in Denver should include lots of other player positions that could use some help. For example, we could spend a few weeks discussing the wildly inconsistent effort by the very offensive line. Or has the tight end spot been replaced by Where's Waldo? We might even spend some time trying to get placekicker Brandon McManus an appointment with a sports psychologist. After signing his first substantive contract, McManus has barely been able to keep his roster spot, much less earn the bonus cash. Dark humor is all the fans have left this season on the eve of the second to last game of the season. And much hum...

When the Broncos lined up to play the winless New York Giants on a nationally televised Sunday night game, optimism, and maybe a dash of overconfidence filtered up into the mile high night sky.  After all, the home team was 3-1, with two impressive division wins, and a rare romp over the Dallas Cowboys, one of the toughest teams in the NFC.  It appeared team co-captain Trevor Siemian had put the quarterback question to rest, and Denver was aiming at a return to the post-season. What a difference a handful of days can make. The Broncos were stunned by the Giants, and then shut-out in the very comfortable confines of Stub Hub Stadium in Los Angeles, with half of the small crowd clad in orange before turning the ball over five times to the division rival Chiefs on Monday Night Football. By the time the final whistle sounded, 15-days passed, from the loss to the Giants October 15th to error filled loss in Kansas City on the October 30th. It was far more trick than treat for ...

Brock Osweiler is back in town and he's on the horse he rode in on. And thus, the tension in Broncos Country escalated quickly. A mere year and one half ago, the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos watched Peyton Manning ride off into a soon to be Hall of Fame sunset. The handpicked successor to the Manning era, Brock Osweiler understandably took full advantage of a bidding war with the Houston Texans, and surprised most experts when he took the deal. To be fair to Brock, it was a really, really good deal. Four years and 72-million dollars, with more than half of it guaranteed. How good of a contract? Osweiller will earn 15 million bucks from Cleveland and $775,000 from the Broncos in a back-up role. Of course, this is the Mile High City. Quarterback talk around the water cooler is a year round exercise in these parts. In fact, just before Paxton Lynch got hurt, somebody asked me what exactly was Elway's plan with the position? The plan really was Brock. And...

Mister not so irrelevant Chad Kelly recently mentioned in an interview on 104.3 The Fan , that he is planning to wear number six for the Denver Broncos. Like most jersey numbers from a team with a history dating back to 1960, the history is a bit of a mixed bag. As many kickers as quarterbacks have donned the number, but with competition like Bubby Brister, Jay Cutler and even worn by Brock Osweiler during his rookie season, Chad Kelly could be the best six Denver has ever had. Of course we're getting ahead of ourselves, the jersey number selection isn't official yet for the newest batch of draft picks, and we aren't even sure if the brash rookie out of Ole Miss will make the final roster. But I'm thinking he will. First off, how much fun would it be to spend an afternoon with John Elway's contact list? In the old days we needed a rolodex or phone books, or little tiny hand scrawled notebooks with phone numbers and now smart phones can stack up a lifetime of d...