The Seven Deadly Notes. . . .
George Karl was asked every question under the sun during his training camp-opening presser Friday. What’s that? OK, OK, I admit it. I didn’t have the heart to ask him this one: Um, George, did you work on any new inbound plays over the summer? . . .
Karl says defensive stopper Dahntay Jones will be replaced “by committee.” Great. Next time, they’re going to gang tackle Kobe Bryant. . . .
Karl, on whether Ron Artest will be the bomb with the Lakers: “On my coaching staff, three guys think he will, three guys think he won’t.” . . .
Chauncey Billups, who would know, tells us his ex-Pistons teammate Arron Afflalo is going to surprise some folks. “You guys are going to love Arron,” said C.B. “He’s a worker. A lot of people don’t know how good he is.” Look for Afflalo to reprise Jones’ D-it-up role, with a better shooting touch as a bonus. . . .
Straight from the Broncos’ injury report for Sunday’s game in the Black Hole: Kyle Orton, probable (finger); Chris Kuper, questionable (ankle); Brandon Marshall, questionable (ego). . . .
So, you’re thinking the Broncos are lucky to be 2-0. Sorry, but the scoreboard doesn’t agree. They’ve played 120 minutes, during which they’ve led for 82:36, been tied for 32:38 and trailed for 4:46. . . .
Expert Broncos-Raiders analysis you can’t get just anywhere: First team to double digits wins. This bad boy has 10-9 written all over it. . . .
Is it just me or do you find it weird that Jerry Jones built himself a billion-dollar stadium instead of giving Texas Stadium a, ahem, facelift? . . .
Trust me, my fellow Coloradans, we’ll get through this economy. How do I know? Because we just survived the Buffs’ throwback uniforms and the Browns’ road unis in the same weekend. . . .
NFL Network analyst Mike Martz, on the state of the Broncos/AFC West: “Mike Nolan’s got them playing defense. Don’t hand this off to the Chargers yet.” . . .
In case you didn’t know, the real dawg pound is in the Browns’ offensive huddle. Dating back to ’08, the Mistake by the Lakers have scored one offensive touchdown in eight games. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Why exactly are they paying the coaches? . . .
By the way. Darrius Heyward-Bey, the kid the Raiders drafted in the first round and showered with dead Presidents? He has one more hyphen and one more catch than you and me. . . .
Who knew Albert Pujols would be watching Yorvit Torrealba for hitting tips with runners in scoring position? Or maybe you haven’t noticed my man Yorvit’s average with RISP. That would be a cool, cRISP .500. . . .
Rox pitching coach Bob Apodaca, on Jason Giambi: “If I had to give you an opinion of him just watching him on TV, I never would have thought he was the player he is. He’s a shy guy, and he’s a great teammate. He’s been a huge addition to our team.” . . .
How huge? Before Brad Hawpe’s three-run homer Tuesday night, Giambi had more RBIs (11) in September than Hawpe (0) and Todd Helton (9) combined. . . .
Spotted outside Folsom Field before CU’s dubya over Wyoming: baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount. For the record, that brewski I had with him was research material. . . .
Get mad now, ask me how: The Rockies have announced plans for fans to purchase playoff tickets on the Internet. . . .
Granted, I haven’t totally formulated this opinion, but I’m getting closer every week: Steve Fairchild, the best college coach on the Front Range. . . .
Trivia answer: Josh McDaniels. Trivia question: Who is the only member of the Bill Belichick head coaching family tree to win his first two NFL games? Nick Saban (Miami), Romeo Crennel (Cleveland) and Eric Mangini (N.Y. Jets) all split their first two. …
We’re two games into things, so it’s officially time to roll out our first On Pace For note of the NFL season. The Broncos allowed 219 second-half points in 2008. This year, they’re On Pace For 56.
Contact Jim Armstrong at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com, or catch him weekdays from 7-10 a.m. on The Score with Armstrong and Shapiro on Mile High Sports Radio, 1510 AM.
