Notes for Derby Day. . . .
Do you Knowshon?
Another ex-Dawg does. That would be Terrell Davis, the greatest R.B. artist ever to pass through this dusty old cowtown.
T.D. on Knowshon Moreno, the Broncos’ top draft pick: “He’s got great body control. He’s not the fastest guy, but other than that, he has everything. He reminds me of Adrian Peterson. He treats every carry like it’s his last one. He doesn’t seem to know how to keep things in perspective. But I don’t have any doubt he’s going to be a great running back.”
Question is, will Kyle Orton or Chris Simms help or hinder him?
“If they use those three- and four-receiver sets like New England did, you’re talking five or six guys in the box,” Davis said. “If that’s the case, he would be great. But in the end, it all comes down to who’s throwing the ball. If the quarterback struggles, it’s going to affect Knowshon.” . . .
OK, so I borrowed that “Do you Knowshon?” off a T-shirt spotted at the Blake Street Tavern in LoDo. Which reminds me. Will you people kindly quit stealing my one-liners before I have a chance to think of them? . . .
This just in. BCS coordinator John Swofford, appearing before Congress on Friday, was spotted pointing a finger at a camera and proclaiming, “I have never used common sense when considering a playoff system. Period!” . . .
By the way, I could tell you what Coach J-Mac was thinking when he traded two third-rounders to draft a blocking tight end at the end of the second round, but I’d have to kill you. Plus, I have no earthly idea. . . .
What’s wrong with this picture? The Hornets sign James Posey to a ridiculous four-year, $25 million contract, then watch ex-Hornet Chris Andersen, playing for crushed Pepsi cans in Our Town, dominate them in the playoffs. . . .
Memo to those four Hornets players on the No. 1 tee box: You can take off those George McFly “Kick Me” signs now. . . .
This is where I’m supposed to tell you that Mark Cuban is an obnoxious rich guy who ought to sit up there in the visiting owner’s box and keep quiet. Right, like I’m going to do that. Have you checked out the state of the newspaper industry? Mr. Cuban, sir, I’m available for adoption at your convenience. I don’t have a lot of skills, but I can type fast, I’m learning how to text, and I’m a people person. . . .
Sure enough, looks can deceive. How do we know? Because George Karl says, “Kenyon (Martin) and I are actually made a little bit alike. We’re angry, competitive people, and when we don’t have success, we don’t know how to keep our mouths shut.” . . .
How much has Our Man Chauncey changed the culture at The Can? Here’s Karl on last year’s Nuggets: “Professionalism, defense, selfishness, the rationalizing of bull(feathers), pointing fingers. . . . Whatever you want to throw on the table, we were managing problems and attitudes more than we were managing basketball.” . . .
Tim Warsinskey, Cleveland Plain Dealer, charted the high schools of each of the 256 NFL draft choices. The leaderboard: Texas (39), California (28), Florida (17) and Ohio (16). So why take the time to crunch such inane numbers? Simple, says Warsinskey. “I don’t have a life and need to get one soon.” . . .
OK, OK, so given the state of your 401(k), the last thing you need is my Kentucky Derby picks. Well you’re gettin’ ’em anyway. The sane side of my brain likes Friesan Fire. The other side prefers Advice. Tread lightly and proceed with caution. Which, come to think of it, is probably how the two nags will run. . . .
They say it’s your birthday: Kickball bloke David Beckham (34), Dwayne “Da Rock” Johnson (37), Jamaal “Silk” Wilkes (56) and singer Arnold Dorsey (73). . . .
So who’s Arnold Dorsey? He was known as Engelbert Humperdinck in the 1960s and ’70s. I just figured anybody who would willingly change his name to Engelbert Humperdinck deserved a little love in the paper.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
Wow! Ten years since Elway
Time flies when you’re being mediocre. Today is May 2, 2009, a decade to the day since John Elway announced his retirement. A show of hands, please, among those who thought the Broncos would have just one playoff win to show for it since that day.
Anybody? Not that the Local 11 haven’t been the same since Ol’ No. 7 walked away, but the Broncos were 10-4 in playoff games in his final 10 seasons. Since then? Try 1-3.
Speaking of that lonely playoff win, my research staff — (Me, Myself & that other dude) — has determined that Mike Shanahan is one of three coaches in NFL history to endure a 10-year span in which his team won one or fewer playoff games.
The others? Steve Owen, who coached the Giants back in the day, and George Halas, who had pictures of his owner. The owner’s name? George Halas. File photo
Five fearless predictions
The Nuggets and Mavericks open their Western Conference semifinal series Sunday at the Pepsi Center. Five predictions for the series:
5. Chauncey Billups will hit seven out of nine 3-pointers in the opener, and some reporter will ask him why he’s in a slump.
4. J.R. Smith will miss back-to-back 3s in Game 2, whereupon Mavs owner Mark Cuban will be overheard yelling “Neener, neener, neener” from his courtside seat.
3. The Nuggets will win the first two games, and one of their players will say, “No one has given us any respect all year long.” And he’ll be right.
2. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle will look in a mirror in the visitor’s locker room and shout out, “Damn, I look more like Jim Carrey than Jim Carrey does.”
1. The Post will run a headline that reads “Mavs Contract Bird(man) Flew.”
