Mile High Monday: Growing weary of “Teddy vs. Drew” after just 10 days

The Broncos have gone through 10 days of training camp so far. I’ve seen all but two days of practice and generally I’m discouraged by what I see. Denver ll be off to hold joint practices with the Vikings this week, as things continue to heat up with the regular season drawing near.

I like the Broncos defense, the Broncos receivers and the Broncos running backs. However, I think the pace of practice is slow and generally boring most days. We’ll see if the team can get a spark up in Minnesota.

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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Thanks for the Memories

It was a Broncos weekend at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Former Broncos Steve Atwater, John Lynch and Peyton Manning were all inducted and their speeches on Saturday and Sunday were an incredible trip down memory lane.

Atwater, the “Smiling Assassin” on the field, is one of the nicest human beings you’ll ever meet. I’m so happy for him because he has been long deserving of this honor. Atwater was one of the most-intimidating players to ever play the game and he played with little regard for his personal safety. Not only was he a hard-hitter, Atwater was a fierce leader who is beloved by his former teammates and he’s as humble as they come.

Lynch played the final four years of his storied NFL career with the Broncos. Like Atwater, Lynch flew around the field and patrolled for backs or receivers who wanted to make a big play. Lynch was a quality player on the field and the type of man everyone can look up to off the field. His knowledge and passion for the game are immense, and that’s why he’s been so successful as the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers.

Manning is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game. He was only with the Broncos for four seasons, but they were Super Bowl contenders every year. The Broncos made two Super Bowl appearances with Manning, winning Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season. I believe the best Manning/Broncos team was the 2012 unit, but in his first season in Denver things fell short in the Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens. He set multiple records in 2013 with the Broncos and is one of the most beloved players in NFL history.

I think Manning is going into ownership someday. However, after listening to his speech on Sunday, I think he could be the next commissioner of the NFL. Once Roger Goodell is done as the commissioner, Manning would be a prime candidate to take over. We’ll see what the future holds for Manning but he’s going to succeed in football no matter what he does.

The Sheriff saved his best message for last. 👏

📺: @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/41ijlNul2K

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 9, 2021

Now, with 10 Broncos in the Hall of Fame, I hope we get more Broncos inducted. Randy Gradishar should have been in years ago. Hopefully he’s the next – but not the last – of old school Broncos who have long deserved to get honored as one of the best to play the game.

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I’m Sick of It

“Teddy vs. Drew 50-50” is the name of training camp this year and after 10 days of practice, I’m sick of it. Every day except two, things have been close between the two.

On Sunday, during the team’s scrimmage that was closed to the public, Drew Lock won the day but he struggled late. This is something we usually see in the opposite order. Lock has regularly started cold and finished strong in practice. On Sunday, he did the opposite and now he needs to put it all together, so he can beat out Teddy Bridgewater.

The practices, no matter how close or how far apart, are not going to decide who is the starting quarterback. The preseason games, specifically the first two will carry the largest weight when it comes to grading these passers.
The joint practices in Minnesota will also hold quite a bit of weight but not what the games will. This upcoming Saturday, the Broncos will have their first preseason game. I’d guess that Lock is going to start that game and, like Sunday’s practice, he needs to get off to a hot start.

Bridgewater is the same player almost every day. He did have a three-interception practice, but outside of that, he usually is the same on the field. He’s steady yet unspectacular as a passer. That means Lock must not mess things up with picks or bad decisions and he should be a starter. I’m done watching these two compete, and I just want the Broncos to decide.

TRAINING CAMP 2021 | Despite struggling late in practice, Drew Lock separated himself from Teddy Bridgewater on Day 10 of #BroncosCamp with some special throws | #TeddyVsDrew pic.twitter.com/ozdGWloSwY

— 104.3 The Fan & DenverFan.com (@1043TheFan) August 8, 2021

Let’s hope the Broncos can decide sooner rather than later. The faster the team knows who their leader is going to be, the better it will be for them – and me. I’m sick of hearing about how close things are, just decide and move forward to get more wins – much-needed wins with so much on the line in the 2021 season.

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Just Listen

The old saying goes, “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason” and that message resonates today perhaps more than ever.

George Foster, former Broncos first-round pick, was commenting on a Pro Football Focus video where they thought Rams superstar Aaron Donald lost the rep in camp. Anyone watching the clip with a football background can see that it’s not a “win” for the blocker or Donald. Foster, a player who knows the position well, expressed his opinion and was met with the standard Twitter backlash.

Instead of listening to a pro’s pro like Foster, this random Tweeter decided to pop off for clicks or likes or clout or whatever. It’s a sad state of humanity that people troll on Twitter living through the number of likes they get on a flurry of tweets a day. Foster has a ton of knowledge, like a lot of former players, and listening to him talk football (as I’ve talked to him a few times) can be quite educational.

I love listening to our offensive linemen on The Fan. Mark Schlereth is a mentor of mine, and I got my chance on air because of him back in 2003 when he was on 760 The Zone. Orlando Franklin has great insight having played with both Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning. Tyler Polumbus won a Super Bowl with Manning and I was happy to do his first-ever show on The Fan years ago.

I study the game like many do not. However, I know I won’t know everything, and I certainly don’t know what these former pros know. I like to talk ball, but I really like listening to the experience and knowledge these guys can drop based on their playing days. It’s too bad that people on social networking don’t listen more and instead think Twitter is the foundation of their identity.

Trolls looking for “Twitter cred” remind me of people from chat rooms or message boards on the early days of the internet. Having a low member number on SuperHero Hype doesn’t mean your opinion on the first appearance of Gwenpool is the gospel. I regularly roll my eyes when I see people, even those with 100k-plus followers and a blue checkmark, try too hard on Twitter. We all need to be better, and that means more listening.

"Death of the Expert." We need to be more respectful of people who are more educated & experienced in particular fields than we are. Doesn't matter if it's football, education, medicine, et al. I'm not going to dismiss your opinion, but not it's not the same as a former NFL OL. https://t.co/h7rETmrUTm

— NFL Philosophy (@NFLosophy) August 8, 2021

If you want to learn, and we all can learn every day from nearly everyone, then just listen. It’s a skill that more people need to master, and one that I continue to work on every day. I want to know as much about football as possible, and I know that I still have much to learn despite how much I study this game on a daily/weekly/yearly basis.

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Results May Vary

I’m always up for a good comic book movie – emphasis on the word “good.” This week on HBO Max “The Suicide Squad” was released. It’s not a reboot of the first movie but more of a soft reboot/continuation of “Suicide Squad” which as released in 2016.

The new movie with the similar name is being widely acclaimed for having a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 92 percent. There are a lot of critics who are promoting how great this version is and how much better it is than the original. I watched it this weekend and was not impressed.

This movie is violent and vulgar, which sometimes can be done well (see any Deadpool movie) but this time falls short. The director, James Gunn, did a great job shooting this film and it is eye candy to be sure. However, the plot is boring and predictable and the violence, toilet humor and the characters are a bit much.

It’s an unpopular take compared to what critics are saying, but as a lifelong comic book fan this movie does not hit the mark. If you’re younger, then this movie probably hits a lot of boxes for you. If you’re not a big comic book nerd like me, then the shortcomings of this movie are unlikely to be as prevalent for you.

Everyone has their own opinion, but “The Suicide Squad” is just not for me. I may watch it again, but only in the background when I’m doing other things. It’s far from a masterpiece – and it’s far from keeping my attention fully. Critics love it, but the box office results were not a good sign.

#MovieMath#TheSuicideSquad opens at a surprising $26.5 Million

FULL BREAKDOWN

The Numbers
The Reasons
& The Potential Ramifications!#DC #DCEUhttps://t.co/hNInGP5aif

— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) August 8, 2021

Did you watch “The Suicide Squad” and if so, what did you think? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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