Still Keeping Score

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...