Jerry Jeudy might not be the Broncos No. 1 receiver in 2023 after all

The Denver Nuggets only have to win one more game to win it all. The city and the region all have Nuggets fever, and I’m caught up in the fun as well.

I like what the Nuggets have done this year. They’ve been the best team in the NBA all year long, and they’re proving it with dominance throughout the playoffs.

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

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

***

Finish Them

The Nuggets have one more win to earn the first NBA championship in team history. Nikola Jokic has outperformed any expectations there were about him when he came to the Nuggets as a second-round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He has far surpassed even his biggest fan’s expectations because the way Jokic is playing will cement him as a top-15 player in NBA history. He’s not just a great player now, but he’s historically great and has plenty of great basketball left in front of him.

I credit Jokic for showing a killer instinct this year in the postseason. He’s always been an emotional player, but his emotions are more under control. In fact, he is laser-focused on winning a championship. So even when calls don’t go his way (and he still doesn’t get superstar treatment from officials), Jokic is keeping his cool. Any frustration he has during the game, Jokic seems to take it out on his opponents.

Add in what Jamal Murray is doing, and you can see why Denver is in a great position to win it all. I love the way this team loves this team. They work together, and each player knows the roles they are supposed to play. Nobody is going off-script during the game, and you see personal sacrifices to achieve great team success. Look at Aaron Gordon and how he patiently waits for his offensive output to come. He plays great defense, and when he has a scoring outburst it helps put the Nuggets over the top. As a basketball purist, I love this mostly homegrown team as I despise the “superteam” era the NBA had for a decade or so.

FINISH THEM#NuggetsVsHeat #BringItIn pic.twitter.com/x7en4yJLl0

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) June 12, 2023

The Heat are gassed. They’re running out of steam, Jimmy Butler is banged up, and the Nuggets do not want any window to be opened. Finish them on Monday night, so I can start planning to attend the parade.

***

Who is the New Thomas?

The Broncos have a jam-packed room at the wide receiver position. Most out there think Jerry Jeudy will be the No. 1 receiver for the team, and that’s likely a good bet. However, I want to see how guys like Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick are used in Sean Payton’s offense. In addition, rookie Marvin Mims has a great skill set and his production might surprise some this year.

After watching OTAs over the last three weeks, I’m anxious to see what the Broncos do in mandatory minicamp this week. On top of that, I want to see how Sutton looks on the practice field. When Payton was in New Orleans, he made some big-bodied receivers like Sutton into superstars with the Saints. Both Marques Colston and Michael Thomas were big receivers who made big plays for Payton’s Saints’ teams.

Simply put, Jeudy does not have that size – and a closer look at advanced data on his route tree (see Matt Harmon’s Reception Perception) reveals Jeudy is not as good on routes past eight yards, with most of his success coming on out-routes, flat-routes, and screen passes. Both Colston and Thomas made big plays for the Saints on corner, post, dig and curl/comeback routes – and these are routes that Juedy does not produce well on historically. However, Sutton is set up for success if Payton wants to use him in that role this season. Again, Jeudy could end up being the most productive receiver on this run-heavy team – but I’m not counting Sutton out because of what Payton did with Colston and Thomas.

“[I’m trying to] find ways to implement the things he did well into my game.”

How @SuttonCourtland is learning from former All-Pro Michael Thomas’ 2019 season » https://t.co/LVt2K5s8OZ pic.twitter.com/OHVZIEavuy

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) June 10, 2023

Will Sutton be the Thomas of this team? He could be, and as I’ve tweeted before he does look more explosive than he has in past offseasons. Sutton hasn’t been the same since injuring his knee back in 2019. This season could finally be the bounce-back year we’ve all been waiting for from Sutton.

***

The Streak Should Continue

The Broncos have had a losing season each of the last six seasons. They haven’t had a winning season since 2016 when they went 9-7 with Trevor Siemian playing quarterback. That year was a disappointment because they just missed the playoffs after winning Super Bowl 50. I think barely missing the playoffs would be a dream come true based off the horrible seasons we’ve had to endure over the last six seasons.

An interesting tweet from 33rd Team had the last time a team had 11 wins or more. Washington was the worst, not having won 11 or more games since 1991 – and that is pathetic. The Broncos ranked on the list with 2015 as the last time they achieved that mark. Things have been bad recently, and they haven’t been as bad as they could be.
I don’t think the Broncos will get 11 wins this year either, so the streak should continue. That’s not to say they couldn’t compete for the playoffs. I think they could barely miss the playoffs like they did in 2016, or the Broncos could make the postseason as a wild-card team in 2023. To do that, a minimum of 10 wins is a must. After the NFL schedule was released earlier this year, I predicted a nine- or 10-win season for the Broncos – and I can’t push that number any higher.

Which teams are getting to 11 wins this season? pic.twitter.com/CZwC1Ti2os

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) June 11, 2023

As excited as I am about the Broncos in 2023, I just can’t project them for a win total over 10 this season. I’d love to see them break the streak, but in this division and in this conference, getting to 11 wins is going to be difficult. Payton will get things on track, and getting to 11 wins in 2024 could certainly happen. Let’s first see what they look like this year.

***

I Was Disappointed… Kind Of

I was so excited to see “The Flash” in theaters. It was something I was looking forward to so much that I wrote about it before the NFL Draft (thinking that it was hitting theaters much sooner than it was). So, when I got the opportunity to see an early screening of the movie, I jumped at the chance.

I have to say I was disappointed in “The Flash,” but only because I had such high expectations entering the movie. It didn’t live up to the hype, and I don’t think it’s one of the best superhero movies in the genre. I do think for DC movies it’s pretty good, but it could have been great. Overall, I’m giving “The Flash” a B+ grade, but it could have easily been an A+ with some tweaking here and there.

The movie is long, perhaps too long, and there are parts of the story that could have been easily sped up for timing purposes. Everyone wanted to get to Michael Keaton’s Batman appearance in the movie, and he was in roughy two-thirds of the film. It was great to see Keaton as Batman again, and I thought Supergirl (played by Sasha Calle) was incredibly well done. Ezra Miller was okay as The Flash, but his performance seemed disjointed – likely from the editing room. The graphics weren’t the best they could be, but there were stunning visuals during other parts of the movie.

It’s “simply spectacular.” See what the hype is about and get your tickets to Spider-Man: Across the #SpiderVerse now playing exclusively in movie theaters. https://t.co/JN8ktusVUB pic.twitter.com/IQbvUQgG61

— Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (@SpiderVerse) June 4, 2023

What did you think of “The Flash”? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

***

Follow @CecilLammey