Mile High Monday: Aaron Rodgers in Denver looking less and less likely

Vacation time – for me and the NFL – is winding down. I’ve been off air since before July 4, but will return to the airwaves with Nick Ferguson on Wednesday, July 21.

I like getting away from it all and clearing my mind before things get really crazy. I’m a busy bee and have several projects I’m working on for my independent comic book company (Smokin Gun Comics), so this has really been mostly a “work/vacation,” but I do miss talking football on The Fan.

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.

***

The Closer We Get

It seems like the closer we get to the start of training camp, the further the prospects of Aaron Rodgers getting traded to the Denver Broncos move away. Perhaps it’s just me being paranoid, or perhaps it’s because the reality of Rodgers not coming to Denver is settling in.

I still believe that the middle of August is when we’ll see some movement in this situation – if Rodgers does not show up to Packers training camp at the end of July. As we get closer to that date, it seems like Rodgers may actually cave and show up to play one more season in Green Bay. I’m hopeful the Broncos can get in the mix, but the Packers first have to break/crack and realize they must trade him away. The chances of this happening increase dramatically if he stays away.

When Peyton Manning recently commented on the Rodgers situation, it was a kick to the gut for people like me.

Peyton Manning can't see Aaron Rodgers not playing this year ⤵ pic.twitter.com/LjmJyTfA32

— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2021

Now, take a look at one of the latest tweets about Rodgers from Adam Schefter.

Aaron Rodgers simply wants out of Green Bay 😬 pic.twitter.com/Gjru47JjFs

— PFF (@PFF) July 13, 2021

These different perspectives are only driving the fan base crazy. Let’s be honest, the situation is driving me crazy, too. The Broncos have a quality roster. They have a great defense, an improved offensive line, a strong rushing attack and so many passing game weapons that they’re falling out of the pockets of general manager George Paton. Trading for Rodgers would cost a lot, but it would be well worth the price because he would instantly make this roster a Super Bowl contender.

The countdown is getting close to the biggest deadline of all – the start of camp. We’ll see what Rodgers does at that time.

***

Never Too Early

The start of the regular season is right around the corner, but I’ve always got interest in my favorite time of year – draft season. The NFL regular season is a grind – it’s fun, but it’s a grind and I can get lost in the film study that takes hours upon hours (two full days) each week. The draft season is a grind – but it’s one where I get to travel and hang out with my friends in the scouting community. This is where I build relationships and learn a lot about teams behind the scenes to get an idea of what direction they want to go in the draft.

I’m keeping an eye on college prospects during the NFL regular season with an idea of how my board is going to shape up when it comes to film study after the season is done.

The 2022 NFL Draft is shaping up to be heavy on defensive talent. Cornerbacks and pass-rushers abound in this class, the latter being great for the Broncos if they get Aaron Rodgers and shore up their quarterback position. This quarterback class is not as strong as the 2021 class, which is bad for the Broncos if they don’t get Rodgers.

Looking at a couple of quarterbacks in particular, Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma) and Malik Willis (Liberty) are players on my watch list for 2021. I have fun watching college football in the fall, and over the winter I will get to grinding the tape. Until that time, these quarterbacks are on my early radar for the upcoming year. I really like some of the defenders in this class too but will be fixated on the quarterback class on Saturdays.

The Top-50 2022 Draft prospects

Who will be the No. 1 overall pick? https://t.co/w9GVYHqbrr

— PFF (@PFF) July 17, 2021

I’m not going to be breaking down these prospects fully until we get to mid-December. However, it’s good to have a list of players put together on a “watch list” for the 2021 college football season. All football fans, college football fans, and draft fans should all have guys like Rattler and Willis at the top of their list.

***

An Interesting Comparison

Ask some Broncos fans and Jerry Jeudy had a bad rookie season. Ask other Broncos fans and the word “bust” might get tossed out. Ask yet even more Broncos fans, and you could hear how Jeudy should get traded away ASAP.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Danny Kelly, from the Ringer, recently made an interesting comparison between Jeudy’s 2020 season and Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf in his rookie season (2019). While Jeudy was catching passes from young quarterbacks with little experience, Metcalf was catching passes from superstar quarterback Russell Wilson.
His second season in the league, Metcalf took the league by storm with 83 catches for 1,303 yards and a whopping 10 touchdowns. So, what could Jeudy’s numbers look like in his second season?

TAKE THIS FOR WHAT YOU WILL:

Jerry Jeudy rookie year:
113-52-856-3
16.5 Y/R
12 drops
39 1stD
13.5 aDOT
157.6 PPR FP

DK Metcalf rookie year
100-58-900-7
15.5 Y/R
8 drops
39 1stD
13.0 aDOT
187.1 PPR FP

Jeudy QBs: Drew Lock, Driskel, Rypien, Hinton
Metcalf QB: Russell Wilson

— Danny Kelly (@DannyBKelly) July 13, 2021

The production from Jeudy is going to largely depend on who wins the starting quarterback job for the Broncos in training camp. If Teddy Bridgewater wins the job, it’s great news for Jeudy. The talk of OTAs and mandatory minicamp was the strong connection that those two had on the practice field. If Drew Lock wins the starting job, then he’ll have to make a concerted effort to build better chemistry with Jeudy than he had last season.

Jeudy is not a bust – although his rookie season was disappointing. With better/improved quarterback play and natural maturity as a player, Jeudy could really show in 2021 that he’s a key cog for the Broncos offense for years to come.

***

King James/King of the Movies

I was not impressed by LeBron James’ new movie “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and it’s not because I’m a huge Michael Jordan fan and nothing will ever be better than the original “Space Jam” movie. Far from it. I just thought James turned in a ho-hum performance in his new movie that was clearly a vehicle to promote HBO Max and was at least half an hour too long.

I think James has the capability of being a better actor, but the struggles of working with green screen characters didn’t work for him. James was much better as a supporting character in “Trainwreck” years ago. This time, as the leading man for this franchise, James missed the mark on the big screen.

Even though I was disappointed with this movie, often distracted by other things as the movie did not capture my attention – millions of people paid to see it and tuned in both in theaters and at home on HBO Max. This new movie was made for kids, and a lot of parents took their kids to see this movie and not Marvel’s “Black Widow” which had a significant dip in its second week of release. With one big week under his belt, we’ll see if James and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” can maintain momentum.

#MovieMath is UP!

King James is King Box Office with #SpaceJam2 opening weekend

but he got a major assist from #BlackWidow's 2nd weekend drop 😬

How bad is it?! Why did it happen?!

FULL BREAKDOWN!https://t.co/7q01Js5FN1

— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) July 18, 2021

Did you go see “Space Jam: A New Legacy” in the theater or on HBO Max and if so, what did you think? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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