Mile High Monday: With either QB, one Bronco is set for a banner season

Training camp is here and most every day, I’m traveling to UC Health Training Center to watch the Denver Broncos put in work. With so much riding on this year, camp performances are critical for guys looking for a starting job or players who want to prove they belong on the 53-man roster.

I like when the frenzy of training camp is here. I don’t have a lot of time for anything else, and my days are cramped to the brim with work, but that’s the way I like it!

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 Bias Here

I think it’s funny…and kind of sad…when people think we at The Fan have a bias against Broncos quarterback Drew Lock. Nothing could be further from the truth. After four days of practice, we have Lock with a 3-1 lead over Teddy Bridgewater.

It has been close every day but two. On Thursday, Lock struggled and did not complete a pass in team drills until the final drill of the day (in the red zone with the ball on the two-yard line). On Saturday, Bridgewater threw three interceptions, including a pick-six to safety Kareem Jackson. By merely pointing out that both quarterbacks have had one bad day, Lock supporters have taken to social media to say that Bridgewater’s bad day is much, much worse.

That’s an interesting conversation, but everyone needs to calm down. Just because Lock has a bad day does not mean that Bridgewater should start. Just because Bridgewater has a bad day (worse than Lock!) that doesn’t mean Lock should start.

And some think we're biased against Drew. LOL. Each QB has had 1 terrible day, the other practices have been close. Looking forward to seeing more battles in #TeddyvsDrew #BroncosCamp @1043TheFan pic.twitter.com/qr3JouDZfu

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) August 1, 2021

The pads haven’t even come on yet for the Broncos (that’s on Tuesday), so let’s pump our brakes on who is ahead and who is behind. Right now, it seems to be leaning towards Lock and that might make the most sense for the team as the third-year passer has the most upside of the two.

However, there’s plenty of football left and these days have mostly been close. I think the pads coming on and the joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings next week will have the biggest impact on who is named the starter for the Broncos. Add at least two preseason games, and you can see how there’s a lot of time left to go.

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This is the Year

The tight end position is not what it used to be. I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times that in today’s NFL, you need a weapon at the tight end position – not just a big-bodied blocker like years ago.

The Broncos have that in third-year pro Noah Fant.

I believe that he’s going to post career-best numbers with the Broncos in 2021. Fant has shown flashes over the first two seasons of his career, and he should benefit from better quarterback play this season. While other targets like wide receivers Jerry Jeudy or Courtland Sutton will be more likely to thrive with one quarterback or the other – I believe Fant can thrive with either one.

With Lock under center, he should be looking for Fant over the middle of the field. When the Broncos set up play-action passes or bootlegs for Lock, he should see Fant streaking across the field with him. It’s a simple throw and an effective one that has been used time and time again in the NFL. Lock already has chemistry with Fant, and the young tight end can help out when the chips are down and the young passer is under duress.

With Bridgewater under center, he’ll know how to quickly find Fant. Broncos fans have started calling Bridgewater “Teddy Two Yards” because of his propensity for checking down. Guess who that checkdown is more often than not? It’s Fant, and he could post strong numbers if Brigewater is the starter.

THIS IS THE YEAR FOR NOAH FANT.. regardless of who the QB is, Fant is going to play a large role and he's ready. He's a security blanket for Drew, and he's a consistent checkdown option for Teddy (neither a bad thing). expect big things in 2021 #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) July 30, 2021

There is no doubt in my mind that Fant could take a huge leap this year. It usually takes some time for a tight end to hit his stride in the NFL. Three years in, Fant is showing the signs of being a special player for the Broncos offense in 2021.

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Defense is Dominating

All eyes are on the quarterback competition for good reason. However, there is one thing coming through loud and clear during practice – this defense is legit.

This is something we’ve expected for the Broncos ever since Vic Fangio was hired as the head coach. A defensive genius, some say mad scientist, Fangio’s defense in Denver has yet to play up to their potential. Injuries have knocked the defense off track, and a lack of generating turnovers or pressure has meant this defense under Fangio has largely disappointed.

That’s not going to be the case this year.

The team has better depth on both sides of the ball thanks to new general manager George Paton, and that’s going to help when injuries hit on the defense. Fangio now has the weapons on defense to generate more pressure, especially with linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. Fangio also has more chances to get hands on the ball defensively with upgrades in the secondary like veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller and rookie cornerback Patrick Surtain.

VIDEO | Drew Lock eked out a win in the QB battle over Teddy Bridgewater, but the real story of Day 4 of #BroncosCamp was the defense | with @markschlereth | #TeddyVsDrew #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/zZtkHwI6bp

— 104.3 The Fan & DenverFan.com (@1043TheFan) July 31, 2021

While there will be ups-and-downs for the offense, the defense seems to be steadily improving each day we’re out there. I look forward to seeing what this unit can do when the regular season gets here.

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Happy Spider-man Day!

For some reason, it seems like there’s a “day” for everything. In fact, there are multiple “celebrations” for many days on the calendar. For example, Monday, August 2 is “National Ice Cream Sandwich Day.” Coming up, August 5 is “National Underwear Day” and August 7 is “International Hangover Day,” which I guess is celebrated each year on the first Saturday of August.

I wanted to take a moment and celebrate “Spider-man day,” which was Sunday August 1. I didn’t know there was such a day until I saw Spider-man was trending on Twitter. Fearing the worst, (some sort of cancellation movement) and hoping for the best (a new trailer for the upcoming Spider-man movie No Way Home would be nice, I chuckled when I saw Spider-man had his own day.

Spider-man has always been one of my favorite comic book characters. “Conan The Barbarian” was the first comic book I ever read, and the first superhero comic book I read was Captain America. However, quickly behind those two was when my love for Spider-man began.

Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-man, came up with the idea for the character and put him in the final issue of a cancelled comic book called “Amazing Fantasy.” Spider-man was so popular that Marvel Comics decided to give him his own book “The Amazing Spider-man” and the rest is history.

In honor of #SpiderManDay here's an appreciation of Stan Lee's thoughts on Spider-Man being a cultural phenomenon. pic.twitter.com/AKxmLRI8V2

— Mclovin (@cmolokwu11) August 1, 2021

What is your favorite Spider-man movie, cartoon or comic book? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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