Mile High Monday: Offensive woes, tough Luck and more

The Broncos only have one more preseason game left. In a training camp and preseason that feels like forever, the finish line is in sight, as they’ll wrap up the exhibition season with a game against the Cardinals on Thursday.

I like that this part of the offseason is almost done. Let’s get to the regular season as soon as possible, and I hope they can get through this final game unscathed.

It’s been an extra-long preseason with the Broncos playing in the Hall of Fame Game. And I think that’s been more of a nuisance than a benefit for the team.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ. The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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No Touchdowns, No Problem?

The Broncos first-team offense did not score a touchdown in the preseason. I know, I know, it’s just the preseason, but this lack of touchdowns from the top unit is a concern for me.

We have yet to see Joe Flacco lead this team into the end zone – and Flacco is not going to have any more playing time in the preseason. In fact, I thought it was a mistake that most of the first-team offense didn’t play in the game against the Rams on Saturday night.

If you don’t play any defensive stars that is fine because of the way they’ve played in the preseason. The Broncos defense has looked mostly dominant during these exhibition games. The offense? Not so much.

The extra preseason game didn’t help the Broncos offense in the way I thought it would. Instead of getting more time to hone their system, the Broncos just tried to play backups and get through without any major injuries on that side of the ball. I totally understand that, but this team can’t afford to miss a beat at the start of the regular season.

Flacco and most of the first-team offense should have played more. It’s a brutal truth, but this team is not good enough for the defense to do all the heavy lifting this season. The Broncos need to have their offense put up points – touchdowns – so opponents cannot wear down their defense. We’ve seen this team move the ball with their first-team offense, but they’ve fallen short when it comes to scoring touchdowns.

I hope the Broncos can show off a better offense in Week 1 against the Raiders.

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The Secret Stash

NFL teams often try and stash talented players on their practice squad. The Broncos may try to have their own secret stash when trimming the roster to 53 players later this week.

The main player in that stash is likely going to be undrafted rookie quarterback Brett Rypien.

However, the way that he’s been playing in the preseason may have garnered him too much attention from other teams out there in this quarterback desperate league. Any player on the practice squad can be offered a contract to be on an active roster from another team. For years, the Broncos have been good at plucking talent away from other teams that are trying to stash players, like when the Jaguars lost linebacker Brandon Marshall or when the Saints lost linebacker Todd Davis trying to sneak them through.

The Broncos don’t want to lose Rypien. They were able to get him as a priority free agent after the draft this year and could be a Nick Mullens-like quarterback for them behind Drew Lock someday. With Lock’s injury, the Broncos may have to keep Kevin Hogan as the primary backup to Flacco.

The problem is that Rypien has looked better than Hogan. Yes, Hogan has a bit more experience in the league, but he’s the same old player he’s always been. Rypien makes plenty of rookie mistakes, but his upside and potential is unknown. It’s a risk to have him as the No. 2 quarterback to open up the season, but Lock should be back from his thumb injury in the first month of the season.

The only way to ensure that Rypien stays with the team is to put him on the active roster. This team is unlikely to carry four quarterbacks, and they might only keep three to begin the season because of Lock’s injury. The three they should keep are Flacco, Lock and Rypien.

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Stay Classy, Indianapolis

The league was shocked when it was announced on Saturday night that Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was going to retire. It was also a surprise that Luck had not yet officially announced his retirement and was on the sideline of the Colts game that was already underway. When Luck left the field for the intermission, some of the fans in attendance began to boo the broken quarterback.

Andrew Luck gets booed walking off the field as fans learn about his reported retirement

(via @RichNye13, h/t @brgridiron)pic.twitter.com/vbks2IIUe9

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 25, 2019

It wasn’t a great look for the fan base. This is already a sad and frustrating situation that is not going to be made better by voicing your displeasure with a human being who is just trying to make the best decisions for his life.

We also saw fans burning Luck jerseys, which is just as ridiculous. Luck was broken by the team that refused to protect him early in his career. He’s still in pain and nowhere near full strength. The quarter decided that it was best to walk away and that’s well within his rights because it’s his life.

Now, Luck is walking away from the game when he should have been one of the best quarterbacks in the league for another decade. A “can’t miss” prospect when he came out of Stanford in 2012, Luck should have ended his career as a “Mount Rushmore” quarterback. Instead, we won’t even see Luck make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame – let alone be remembered as one of the best to ever play the game.

Instead, we’ll always think “what might have been” when it comes to Luck. Selfishly, I hope that he comes back someday – or maybe plays in his father’s league the XFL. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but Luck is still just 29 years old. He’s got plenty of time to get fully healthy and change his mind. Let’s hope he finds health and happiness in whatever he does in the future.

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Thanks for the Party!

On Sunday, we held my annual Fantasy Draft Party and I just wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who came out to Blake Street Tavern for the event. It was fun to hear all the stories that people were sharing about their fantasy teams.

This game we play is all about fun, and it was great to see the smiles and hear the smack talk from Fantasy GMs who take their leagues seriously… or not so seriously.

I’ve said for years that fantasy football is as complicated, as simple, as fun or as serious as you want it to be. Finding a league with other GMs who agree with you may be tough for some. Hosting an event like this gets people together who want to learn more about football and play with like-minded people.

I truly appreciate those who attended, just like I appreciate the kind words people share about my show. There is a lot of hatred out there on social networking, none that I respond to because it would be a waste of my time. When someone shares a positive comment it certainly helps perhaps more than they know.

The fantasy football community has been good to me, and I like to pay back in whatever way I can. Thanks for riding along on this journey with me!

Follow @CecilLammey