Elway blocked from criticism
Blame game. It’s no secret the Broncos’ offensive line isn’t getting the job done. But it seems most fans blame coach Gary Kubiak or even quarterback Trevor Siemian, while no one’s blaming the man who assembled the offensive line. It seems like the golden boy is exempt from criticism. General manager John Elway gets praised for smart signings, but everyone ignores his bad ones. Shouldn’t he have to take some heat for the O-line?
Rob, whistle-blower
Kiz: The offensive line is a problem Elway tried to address. Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson didn’t work out. Hey, stuff happens. But here’s the real big stuff: How long can Elway keep a championship-caliber defense together? How committed to winning will the next generation of Bowlen ownership be? And does Elway really want to be general manager for life in Denver? Stay tuned.
Behind the 8-8 ball. Kiz, it seems your preseason prediction of an 8-8 record for the Broncos will be achievable.
Max, keeping score
Kiz: Oh, when the Broncos started 4-0, irritable staffers here at Kickin’ It Headquarters exchanged so many combative emails on our private server it made Vladimir Putin laugh when he read them. But nobody’s laughing now. The flaws we detected in the defending champs have proved to be real.
Treasure safety. We Colorado Buffaloes fans were saddened by the death of Rashaan Salaam. His brother told USA Today that if Salaam’s brain had been examined, evidence of CTE would have been found. Then there was the block below the knee on Broncos cornerback Chris Harris by Tennessee wide receiver Harry Douglas. It seems many lesser penalties, such as holding and pass interference, are called, yet helmet-to-helmet hits are ignored. The NFL’s safety concerns seem overshadowed by the almighty dollar.
Walter, retired orthopedic surgeon
Kiz: The death of Salaam saddened me, and it had nothing to do with how many touchdowns he scored for the Buffs. It seemed fans preferred to fondly remember Salaam at age 20, rather than confront his struggles after the cheering stopped. Are our football heroes really that disposable?
No fan of Nuggets. The Nuggets are a complete mess. Trading Kenneth Faried would be a Band-Aid. They need to gut the roster. Build with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Juancho Hernangomez and Jusuf Nurkic. The rest of these players are expendable and the epitome of mediocre. Danilo Gallinari is a shooter who can’t shoot and Emmanuel Mudiay is a monumental bust.
Michael, long-suffering fan
Kiz: Well, don’t get your hopes up. Rather than gut the roster, it seems Nuggets management believes this team can sneak into the playoffs and sell that achievement to a significant free agent in 2017. The unsuccessful courtship of Dwyane Wade last summer was practice for a bigger score ahead. Is this approach aggressively confident or foolishly optimistic? You tell me.
This makes cents? And today’s parting shot is a shot in the dark from an unhappy Broncos customer seeking a 50 percent discount (or at least free dessert):
If the Broncos’ offense only shows up to play half a game, do they still get full pay?
Jack, Greenwood Village