Terrance Knighton , which led to this G-chat Monday morning between myself and another reporter:
Me: “How much does ‘Pot Roast’ weigh?”
Another reporter: “Fluctuates, but he’s usually in the 330s.”
Me: “Pounds or metric tons?”
The great Terrance “Pot Roast” Knighton is as big as Albuquerque, and his stuffing of offensive lines has become legendary in Denver. , we saw “Air Roast” jump — well, “jump” — to deflect an Alex Smith pass, then get corralled by Broncos teammate DeMarcus Ware (incidentally, that was the lone snap of the game in which Ware wasn’t in Smith’s face, it seemed). Knighton graded out well, yet again, by Pro Football Focus in Denver’s win, and it was his third batted pass of the season, second-most for NFL defensive tackles.
OK, but dunk?
On Twitter, Knighton had told a fan to We know that Pot Roast is with Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant, but I could be friends with Usain Bolt and that doesn’t mean my increasingly rotund body won’t be out of breath after taking the stairs up to my girlfriend’s apartment.
Though, Knighton’s did say: “He could dunk off the (standing) vertical (jump). He was our center, but I could have played him at point guard. He could move. He could handle the ball. He was a great passer. Really saw the floor well. But we used him inside. He had that rump. We used to tease him: ‘You can put a tray on there and eat off it.””
Incidentally, what could sell a basketball shoe better than the image of an NFL lineman dunking in their kicks?
Here’s guessing the Broncos won’t allow their prized tackle to do any basketball activities until, give or take a day, never. But it’s a fun storyline as the legend of Pot Roast grows with each game (and with each Pot Roast).
Here’s our hero after Sunday’s win: “I told (DeMarcus Ware) it was an alley-oop. The guy that always catches the ball, he gets the attention. That’s something we actually practice, tipping the ball and the guys going up and getting it. DeMarcus was in the right place at the right time. He challenged the leaders on this team to make plays and they did.”
On his teammates doubting his jumping ability in the past: “I’ll get them on the basketball court when I get a chance. We know (Alex Smith) likes a lot of short passes and they go over the middle. I just got my hands up. All year we’ve been talking about creating turnovers and the ball getting into our hands. Right now, we’re just happy it fell our way.”
Finally, this was cool: Sports Illustrated has its writers nominate someone for Sportsman Of The Year. One writer suggested Pot Roast, and for a .
Chew on this
• Q for Colorado State fans (in the “30 for 30” voice): What if I told you in August that your team would have a dream season … but your coach would bolt for a bigger school in December?
Would you take that bet?
That’s basically where we’re at right now, as that Jim McElwain is a leading candidate for the Florida job. Two storylines to follow: First, The Post’s Terry Frei, who confirmed that , documented that there is a $7.5 million buyout for McElwain to leave. I don’t think Florida would’ve reached out to the coach if it wasn’t prepared to make the payment. Second, the notion that Florida wouldn’t take him because they don’t want to go down the path of another Nick Saban disciple. As for that notion – c’mon.
• Please take the time to read – we spent the season with Denver’s worst high school football team, and documented its emotional turnaround.
• Check out this perspective shared on Facebook by Dave Plati, the longtime Denver and CU sports guru: Doing the Broncos’ miscellaneous stats — never have seen anything like this in 30+ years of charting yards by down.
Kansas City was 1-of-9 on third down (not all that rare for a team to go 1-fer), BUT:
One play for positive yardage; two incomplete passes, one rush for no gain, five plays for minus yardage (including three sacks). When all was said and done: nine plays, minus-29 yards. That’s some serious defense, especially against a fairly potent offense.
• You’ve never heard of Annie Kunz, but you should. She was this incredible athlete at Wheat Ridge, who led her soccer team to the state title and, in the same sports season, also won a race at state track. Now she’s at Texas A&M, and to their first college soccer “final four.”
• You’re getting old. Your childhood hero is pushing 50. Happy 48th, .
Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or
Visit each weekday near noontime for a serving of dish concerning Colorado’s sporting landscape from a Denver Post sports writer. Care for another helping? Scan .
