The wide world of notes. …
Third is the word.
Third down, that is. That’s when the Broncos all too often bring a knife to a gunfight.
Fixing their issues on third down is the final piece to the Broncos’ puzzle. Their running game on a bad day is among the NFL’s best, but that doesn’t do them any good when it’s third-and-7.
Last week we gave you a stat that, more than any other, puts the Broncos’ offensive issues in perspective. They finished 22nd in the league in third-down conversions at 36.2 percent – 46.1 percent when they run, 30.6 percent when they’re forced to throw.
My thanks to the number crunchers at the Elias Sports Bureau for shedding some light on that latter figure. Turns out the Broncos were 27th among the NFL’s 32 teams in converting third downs through the air.
The Bronx converted 41 third downs out of 134 passing attempts. The Colts converted 67 out of 138 for a league-leading 48.6 percent. The Panthers and Bengals were next at 41.4 percent, followed by the Patriots at 40.8 percent.
And here you were wondering why Mike Shanahan is interested in Terrell Owens, baggage and all. …
Owens in a Broncos uniform? Believe it when you see it. Then again, the word from the get-go was that Shanahan would have interest only if all the planets were aligned. As in, if there wasn’t a bidding war, if only a few teams made Owens an offer, if he would sign for relatively cheap in hopes of resurrecting his career. Don’t look now, but given the NFL’s labor mess, that very scenario could play out. …
Not that the Mountain West hoops tournament could make for great theater, but the conference has staged six previous tournaments and had six winners, including one top seed. And don’t be shocked if the trend continues this week, what with Air Force not having been among the previous champions. …
The Falcons will have more than some home-state love going for them. They earned the No. 2 seed, which has been money in the previous six conference tournaments. MWC second seeds have won 10 out of 14 games, including a 6-0 record in the quarterfinals and 2-0 in the championship game. …
Now for the fine print: Air Force has lost 13 straight opening-round games in the conference tournament. …
Monday morning, ESPN.com brackets guru Joe Lunardi had Air Force in the NCAA Tournament. By Monday afternoon, he had dropped the Zoomies from his Dance card. What, they had a bad day of practice? …
A name to remember: Quarterback Josh Freeman, Kansas State’s top-rated recruit. Seems Freeman had orally committed to Nebraska, only to bail at the eleventh hour. The development prompted this zinger from Bill Callahan in the Lincoln Journal Star: “We want players who want us because we feel Nebraska is a special, special situation. If you’re a prima donna, if you’re a drama queen, there’s no room for you at Nebraska. You can go to K-State.” …
If you believe in following the money, then you believe Team USA will win the World Baseball Classic. According to The New York Times, the U.S. players have the highest combined salaries at $151 million, followed by the Dominican Republic at $136 million, Venezuela at $103 million and Puerto Rico at $85 million. …
So Bjorn Borg is peddling five Wimbledon trophies and a couple of rackets to hustle up some quick cash. Sorry, but I’m saving up for one of Barry Bonds‘ syringes. …
Syndicated columnist Norm Chad on the Outdoor Life Network’s sagging NHL ratings: “OLN no longer uses Nielsen ratings for its NHL games, it simply asks viewers to sign in to its guest book.” …
And finally, happy 36th birthday to Jason Elam, the man with the golden toe and a golf swing to match.
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN radio 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
