Mile High Monday: The Broncos fall into trap after trap after trap

Nov 9, 2020, 6:37 AM

Denver Sports Analyst

The Broncos faltered once again, this time to the Falcons in Week 9 of the 2020 NFL season. Eight of their 16 games have been played and Denver has a 3-5 record – a mark that is not good enough for what many thought we’d see this year after a 7-9 finish last season.

Many things seem off the mark with the Broncos. The fan base is split on the future of head coach Vic Fangio. Broncos fans are also split about whether or not quarterback Drew Lock is the right guy for the team to build around. It seems like the only thing that can bring everyone together is the disdain for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.

I like telling the truth about this team. Some in the media will carry the team’s water and dogmatically refuse to say anything that could be construed as negative about the Broncos. That dishonest reporting is something I cannot do.

Things aren’t great for the Broncos, but I want this team to get back to the greatness that used to be associated with them. That can only come about if they are honest with themselves about what needs to change.

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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Broncos Salad

There is a thing that is out there in the Broncos media/blogosphere that I like to call “Broncos Salad.” It’s basically when someone is lazy or flat out lies to the fan base for self-serving reasons. Some of these people who make “Broncos Salad” are trying to sell you something, and it’s bad for business if they are actually critical of the team – or of quarterback Drew Lock specifically. If you say something bad about Lock, then some (perhaps many) in the fan base will be turned off by your remarks and not buy your products.

Others who make “Broncos Salad” are trying to make nice with the fan base. Someone will do this for multiple reasons. Perhaps they are new in the media/blogosphere and will suck up to fans to increase their number of followers on social media. Perhaps they’ve said something outlandish on social media and are trying to get back into the good graces of Broncos Country. Perhaps their just lazy and want to throw some fan-friendly takes out there to get a number of “likes” to feel better about themselves.

No matter what the reason, it’s a dishonest practice.

Remember, people blindly supporting Drew Lock aren't telling the truth…usually have something to sell you. You can root for the kid to work out while also bringing up what he needs to work on. Have some nuance in your analysis. There are good things to work with, patience plz

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) November 8, 2020

I’m not going to lie to you as an analyst just because I try to suck up to the fan base. I’m not going to give you propaganda about this team or serve up some “Broncos Salad.” Too many people are backing Lock blindly without having any nuance of sophistication to their analysis.

I’m going to tell you the truth about Drew Lock.

The kid has flashed enough to make you want to see more, but his game is far from polished. Lock still has mechanical flaws that have plagued his game dating back to his days in college. He also does not yet know the entire playbook and will usually read only half the field. Lock is doing better in terms of using his eyes to move a defender, but he needs to be more consistent.

With everything he must work on, and the offense that he’s tasked with mastering, the chances of Lock working out as “the franchise quarterback” are admittedly slim. Instead, he might work out to be a quarterback like Derek Carr – a good starter, but someone you may think about replacing multiple times while you wait for him to put it all together.

It’s too early to blindly say that you completely believe in Lock. That’s a dishonest take. It’s also too early to say that Lock is a bust and the Broncos need to move on. The truth is, we need to see more – even if that more includes poor games or inconsistent performances. Hopefully by the end of the regular season, because this team is not going to the playoffs, we’ll have a better idea if Lock is the type of quarterback you want to keep building around.

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Fans Gonna Fan

There are some players on the Broncos roster that could handle criticism a little better. Lock and Phillip Lindsay (and others) have answered questions about media critics or fans booing them during a bad performance by saying, “Well, they didn’t play, so they don’t understand.”

That is such a bogus answer.

This is one of the best fan bases in the entire NFL. Broncos fans are passionate and love their team with the fire of a thousand suns. If the Broncos are playing poorly, it’s the right of the paying customer (the fan base) to voice their displeasure – either through booing at a game or venting on social networking, or on sports radio or in sports bars.

Fans are supposed to be fans! That means being fanatical about the team you love. Yes, that sometimes means even hating parts of the team you love or at least the results that the team you love is giving to you.

Broncos Country is all about making playoff runs. There was a time, not that long ago, when winning the AFC West wasn’t a big deal because it happened almost all the time. The Broncos have a standard, and this current incarnation is not performing up to that standard. Things need to change with the Broncos, and fans have a right to express their displeasure.

to my friends in #Broncos PR (best in the business!) …please coach up Drew Lock (and others) to properly express how much they don't care what people outside the locker room say…enough with this 'you didn't play, you don't know' BS narrative from players. TIA @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) November 8, 2020

I hope that these players, guys with upside and fan favorites, can stop using that phrase about not understanding because you didn’t play. It’s the weakest argument in the game. Using their logic, it basically means that anyone cannot have an opinion on something – no matter how well-informed – if they didn’t do what they are criticizing.

If you’re not a paid chef, then you cannot criticize the food you get at a restaurant. If you are not a filmmaker, then you cannot criticize a movie you watch. If you never ran for public office, then you cannot have an opinion on policies.

See how this phrase of “If you didn’t play, then you just don’t know” is complete garbage?

Obviously, very few people over the last 101 years have played professional football. Add in the fact that some former players can’t comment or form quality opinions on the game they played, and you can see the ridiculous nature of these player’s statement.

I hope these Broncos players are coached up by PR to better handle these questions. The Broncos media, myself included, are a bunch of puppy dogs. There are rarely tough questions thrown at these players unless Mark Kiszla or DMac are in the press conference. I’d appreciate if these players would just give a standard answer about how they don’t pay attention to criticism. People are going to have different opinions, and players shouldn’t waste energy on that. Speaking of which….

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Who Cares What Colin Says?

Lock fell into a trap last week after the Chargers victory. When he was celebrating the comeback win against the Chargers, Lock danced after his game-winning touchdown pass to K.J. Hamler. That dancing apparently drew the ire of Fox Sports talk show host Colin Cowherd, who then called out Lock, a player he’s previously slobbered all over, for his attempt at being cool.

First, Cowherd is a talk show host, so he’s going to say and do things that get people talking. That’s his job and he’s one of the best in the business. Second, nobody should care about Lock’s dancing after a win. Did Cowherd live in the town where the movie “Footloose” was based? Finally, Lock should not have responded to Cowherd’s criticism last week during his press conference.

Instead of taking the high road or even taking a shot at Cowherd with something like “I’ve never heard of him.” Lock instead smiled and said that his dancing was going to continue. That answer got Cowherd what he wanted – a response, and the veteran talker went back at Lock with a challenge for the young quarterback. Cowherd just wanted to see Lock beat the Falcons and then he wouldn’t care about his dancing for the rest of the season.

"I may dance on the show Monday."@ColinCowherd makes a promise to @Broncos QB Drew Lock: pic.twitter.com/7h6AKtZZgO

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 6, 2020

It doesn’t matter who is dancing, what matters is improving as a player and winning.

We’ve seen this trap before with Cowherd with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. During his short pro career, Mayfield has had plenty of ups and downs as a starter. He’s at his best when he’s not responding or caring what guys like Cowherd say. Lock fell into that trap, and it’s something I pointed out on social media on Sunday – which drew the ire from some in the fan base who felt I was reaching in my critique of Lock.

I don’t spend time worrying about what people thought about my tweet, and Lock shouldn’t spend any time worrying, talking, joking or thinking about what critics say. A dog is gonna bark, and critics are going to talk – you can’t control that. You can only control what is in your power and that is your preparation and your play as a football player. I wish Lock would not give critics the time of day – not because he needs to avoid negativity – but mostly because he needs to spend every ounce of energy on making himself a better quarterback. Simply put, these types of responses are not worth his time.

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RIP Alex Trebek

We lost a great one on Sunday. Alex Trebek, the long-time host of the game show “Jeopardy” passed away at the age of 80. A little over a year agom, he announced that he was fighting cancer, and Trebek had some health issues prior to that. His passing was incredibly sad because we lost an icon to many American homes.

I grew up watching “Jeopardy.” My mom (God rest her soul) was a fan of the show and we’d make sure to have the gameshow on during dinner. We’d all shout and try to guess the answers as the questions were asked, and I credit the show for my love of history, news and pop culture. I was an average student (at best) in high school, yet I was a member of our “Knowledge Bowl” team and would compete against other schools in trivia contests. I credit my love of Trebek’s show for those memories on that team.