Mile High Monday: Patience pays off for Paton, Broncos

The Denver Broncos have a lot of work to do. That work was underway this last week as free agency started around the NFL. New Broncos general manager George Paton has his work cut out for him, but he’s up to the task and is just getting started.

I like what Paton has done so far. I’ve not agreed with every decision he’s made, and last week after day one of ‘legal tampering’ I wrote for DenverFan.com that I was disappointed in Paton’s start. Well, he’s finished the first week of free agency strongly and we are getting a glimpse of how he wants to do business now that he’s in charge of the Broncos.

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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Patience is a virtue

At the start of free agency, I though Paton was making some decisions that were questionable. I didn’t like how he handled the situation with Von Miller as I felt an extension should have been reached before the start of the new league year. I also thought things could have been handled differently with their restricted free agents, but when I graded him Tuesday night on “Nick and Cecil” I gave Paton an “I” for incomplete.

I wanted to see how Paton did with more time in free agency, and I’m glad I waited. The end of the week saw a flurry of activity from the Broncos, and all the moves were ‘home runs’ for Paton in my opinion.

It all started when the team signed free agent cornerback Ronald Darby. I liked Darby’s game when he was in college at Florida State, and the Broncos secondary could use an injection of speed and experience like Darby has. Darby has 4.3 speed and oily hips, so he can get in the back pocket of receivers and not let them out of his sight.

The good moves continued when the Broncos came to an agreement with veteran defensive end Shelby Harris. He’s worked hard since he came to Denver a few years ago and has been trying to get a long-term deal. Harris hit free agency last year, but the market was cool for his services. He stayed with Denver for the 2020 season and the team rewarded him this offseason with a new contract.

However, the crowning achievement for Paton this past week was when he was able to sign cornerback Kyle Fuller to a one-year contract. Fuller is a legit no.1 cornerback and can shut down the top receivers in the game. It’s only a one-year pact, but that’s because Vic Fangio is on the hot seat. If Fangio gets the team on the winning track, he’ll stick around for 2022. If that happens, and Fuller plays like we all expect him to, then I’m sure he’d want to stay. Fuller had a career high seven interceptions with the Bears in Fangio’s final year as their defensive coordinator (2018). Reuniting with Fangio could get Fuller posting big numbers once again.

OFFICIAL: We’ve agreed to terms with CB Kyle Fuller, a 2x Pro Bowler and 1x First Team All-Pro.

Welcome to #BroncosCountry! pic.twitter.com/jtOv2Z6alM

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) March 21, 2021

The end of the week was certainly better for Paton than the beginning of the week in my opinion, and that’s why you must give a guy time to show what he can do rather than rush to judgement.

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Bye bye, Phil 

Broncos fans had to say goodbye to homegrown talent Phillip Lindsay. The Broncos originally placed an original round tender on Lindsay, but after some conversation the tender was rescinded. That made Lindsay an unrestricted free agent, and he wasn’t on the market for very long.

At the end of the week, Lindsay had signed with the Houston Texans. He inked a one-year contract with them for $3.25 million. That number was essentially what he would have received from the Broncos had they placed the second-round tender on him.

The Texans made a move to get rid of Duke Johnson earlier this year. He worked as their change-of-pace back behind David Johnson, and that may be the role Lindsay will be tasked with. The Texans also nabbed Mark Ingram off the free agent market after the Ravens cut him. Ingram is a power back, but he can catch out of the backfield as well.

The role and road to playing time is a bit cluttered right now for the former Broncos starter. He could be a big part of what should be a running-back-by-committee.

Texans, RB Phillip Lindsay agree to one-year deal. pic.twitter.com/TZsqIJ0LQY

— NFL (@NFL) March 20, 2021

I’m going to miss Lindsay in a Broncos uniform. He was not only a fun player to cover but a fun player to watch on Sunday. Anyone who has bet against Lindsay has lost, so it will be interesting to see how things turn out for him in Houston this season compared to what the Broncos will have at the running back position this season.

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The relationship business

The NFL, and any industry really, is all about relationships. Fangio seems to have built a frosty relationship with some of the veteran on the team over the last two years. He never really heaps praise on any player – even the best ones – and there have been some sideline shouting matches that cameras have picked up on game day.

Harris was one player who seemed to have an issue with Fangio on the sidelines. In 2020, there was an instance where the cameras caught Harris and Fangio getting after each other as things went South on the field. Harris is a team leader and said after that incident that football family argues sometimes, and things were quickly forgotten.

After he signed his long-term deal with the Broncos, Harris held a press conference to talk about how grateful he was to the team. I was interested to ask Harris his thoughts about Fangio.

“Me and Vic’s relationship has changed. It’s evolved. We’ve gotten to get to know each other a lot more. When you sit down and talk to Vic, Vic is a cool guy. I always say if he’s not saying anything to you, it’s not a good thing (laughs). Vic is really—I feel like he grew as a head coach last year. Obviously, a rookie head coach his first year, but he took great steps as a head coach and as a leader of men. Vic is the perfect guy for the job—so smart defensively. You see around the league, there is a Vic Fangio coaching tree coming out. We’re so lucky to have a guy like Vic out there who understands this league and is so respected around the league and in this locker room.” Harris said.

Shelby Harris on his relationship with GM George Paton: “George became my best friend this week. George is my guy.”

😂😂😂

— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) March 19, 2021

I believe the Broncos players have embraced Fangio in his second year. In year one, I could see how Fangio might have rubbed some feathers the wrong way – especially since his coaching style is much different from former head coach Vance Joseph. I’ve talked to a few players this offseason who have given their full support behind the third-year head coach. The Broncos and their players are going “all in” on Fangio in 2021 to see if things finally work out.

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Just incredible

I was blown away by “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” on HBO Max. The 2017 theatrical version of “Justice League” was so bad and so much different from this cut. I was so excited to watch this original version and am happy to see how many fans are loving this epic film.

Yes, the movie is four hours long, but it doesn’t seem like it. The whole thing goes by quickly and there is plenty of footage that is different from the 2017 release. The added footage really helps flesh out the story and build the characters up to the finale.

In the original version, the Cyborg character was barely explored. In ZSJL, Cyborg is really the main character – and what a character he is! His powers and backstory and fully explored and his motivations for being the way he is, and what he becomes, is incredible. I loved seeing his character arc which was virtually unseen in the theatrical version.

The movie also explored other father/son relationships and that’s why The Flash made for a much better character. Add in how Synder shows the selfishness of Batman, working through his grief over the death of Superman, and it really was quite the spectacle.

Even if you’re not a fan of ‘comic book’ movies, you should give this a try. Maybe you don’t like Snyder’s films, but watching this could change your mind. I look at these DC heroes as Greek Gods, and they essentially earn their way to that reputation through their actions in this world. It’s a shame we are unlikely to see any more DCEU movies from this lineage. The way it ends leaves you wanting more – after four hours!

#SnyderCut Top Five Scenes!

My favorite scenes in this four hour mega hit!

Be sure to share yours too!#ZackSnydersJusticeLeague #DC #DCEUhttps://t.co/x151d2ws8X

— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) March 20, 2021

Did you enjoy Zack Snyder’s Justice League? Hit me up on social networking and let me know!

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