Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla answered questions about Denver sports in a live Lunch Special chat on Monday. Here are the highlights:
Kiz, how did everyone miss on Phillip Lindsay? He looked really good in yesterday’s win.
Kiszla: I watch a whole lotta college football. Do I grade every player on every snap? Nope. But I do know this: At the college level, I thought Phillip Lindsay was a more impressive running back at Colorado than Royce Freeman was at Oregon. And the Broncos drafted Freeman in the third round.But the word from NFL scouts was this: 1) Lindsay was undersized (well, duh), and 2) He was not necessarily great against great opposition. Well, he’s proving a whole lotta scouts wrong. And it’s not a fluff story, it’s real, to steal a line from Broncos coach Vance Joseph.
Kiz, love your work. Is this CU football team the real deal? Beating CSU was expected, but taking down Nebraska was huge! Should we expect a bowl game this year?
Kiszla: Thanks much. And thanks for reading. Tell your friends to . Is CU team for real? Well, I know this much: The arm talent of quarterback Steven Montez is NFL caliber. And, so far this year, Montez has taken a much more serious approach to his craft than in earlier years, when few on the CU campus had more fun than the QB (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Maybe a bigger deal: The emergence of Laviska Shenault. He’s 6-foot-1, 215. Great speed, great hands. That’s an NFL player. For certain. At beginning of season I thought 6-6 and bowl game was reasonable goal for the Buffs. Now, they can strive for me. How far can CU go and how high can Buffs climb in the polls? That’s up to how much the defense can improve.
Kiz, can Von Miller continue this insane pace and rack up 48 sacks this year? Seriously, he looked amazing yesterday. What did he do in the offseason?
Kiszla: Von Miller is one of few NFL players alive that can both record 3 sacks in a game and wear pink skinny jeans after the game … and do both with style. 48 sacks in a year? Well, even Miller isn’t that big of freak. But 20 sacks? Possible. And if he gets 20 sacks, the Broncos are going back to the playoffs. Guaranteed. What did Miller do in the offseason? Maybe it’s what the Broncos did … John Elway got Miller help in Bradley Chubb. Add a healthy Shane Ray back in the pass-rush rotation and it’s impossible for foes to consistently double — or triple — team the Vonster. As we saw in Super Bowl 50, Miller is the most important player on the Denver roster.
What’s your thought on moving Adam Jones to the No. 2 cornerback spot and putting Bradley Roby back as the third CB? Denver got killed several times deep.
Kiszla: Let’s put aside, at least for a moment, the history of Pacman Jones off-the-field troubles. When the Broncos brought in a corner that’s turning 35 years old late this month, it screamed that the coaches and front office were not happy with the way the secondary looked. I made mention repeatedly during the preseason, and sometimes to the annoyance of “media” members paid to spin everything in the Broncos’ favor, that Bradley Roby was getting torched by rookie Courtland Sutton in practice. This was a sign Sutton was the real deal. But it was also a sign that if Roby was having trouble covering Sutton, the regular season would see him targeted by opposing offensive coordinators. Roby is a solid football player. But as I’ve said from Day 1, I think his future in this league might be at safety.
Where does Devontae Booker fall into everything now? Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman look like they’re the clear 1-2 punch for the Broncos.
Kiszla: Newsflash: Things can change over the course of a long NFL season. Injuries happen. Stuff happens. (I do a pretty fair imitation of Captain Obvious, don’t you think?) But what you saw from Devontae Booker in the season-opener will be his role until something changes. He will be given a carry here or there to give Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay some rest. He will be used some in pass situations, as both a blocker in the backfield and a receiving target. If Freeman and Lindsay both struggle in a game, Booker will have a chance to get back in the active rotation … at least for a quarter or two.
Jake Butt or Jeff Heuerman? Did either one stand out more than the other for you on Sunday?
Kiszla: I admit. I don’t get the Broncos love affair with Jeff Heuerman. Nothing against Heuerman, but Butt is a better option. Now, that being said, Butt does have his limitations. He’s good at finding the soft spot in the zone. He’s good at bringing in the football. But he doesn’t have the skills to be a game-breaker on anything close to a regular basis. While Case Keenum should have a competent target when looking for the tight end, this isn’t a Pro Bowl position for the Broncos. And, as I recently told our old friend, former Nuggets coach and fantasy-football geek Doug Moe, Keenum’s favorite target this season on third down, and often in the red zone, is going to be Emmanuel Sanders.
What are you thoughts on Case Keenum? He showed flashes of brilliance and flashes of terribleness. Regardless, after last season, it’s nice to watch a Broncos game where Denver is actually able to move forward down the field.
Kiszla: Case Keenum will have better games than the season-opener against Seattle. And he’ll have worse games. But this game was a microcosm of what Keenum is … and isn’t. The more I watch Keenum, the more I see Alex Smith. Keenum is good at reading the defense prior to the snap, good at checking down, good at working the middle of the field. He can keep a play alive with his feet. But his arm talent is mediocre, by NFL standards. As coaches have been telling you all offseason, and as Keenum repeated after throwing three interceptions against the Seahawks, Denver needs him to manage the game. He’s not a top 10 QB in this league. But he’s low maintenance, which the coaches love, provided Keenum doesn’t try to do too much. Can Denver ride Keenum to the Super Bowl. No way. No how. Carrying the Broncos to the Super Bowl is Von Miller’s job. Keenum is here not to mess it up. He’s a big improvement over Trevor Siemian. But don’t expect brilliance, be happy with solid game management from Keenum. Please. And thanks.
How would you describe the defense? It held Seattle to 25 points and sacked Russell Wilson six times but we are giving up big plays.
Kiszla: I would describe the Denver defense like this: Von Miller is a Vonster. But the secondary is a mess. Chris Harris Jr is great. Justin Simmons is a safety on the rise (especially when he rises up for a pick). But the No Fly Zone is dead. I do a radio segment every Saturday at 8:15 a.m. on 1600 AM (another shameless plug). I was asked last weekend my biggest concern about the Broncos heading into the season. While most folks had tabbed the offensive line as the biggest area of concern, I picked the secondary. And I saw nothing against the Seahawks that changed my mind. TGFV. Thank Goodness for Von.
Fantasy football time: Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders and why?
Kiszla: You don’t have a draft after the first week of games, do ya? Now that would be one whack league. But if you have to pick between Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders from your roster, you go with Sanders. All. Day. Long. And. Every. Week. Sanders is Case Keenum’s favorite target. By far. Sanders was Keenum’s favorite target in training camp. Sanders was Keenum’s favorite target in Game 1. Sanders should lead Denver in receptions because … wait for it … he is Keenum’s favorite target.
Were Keenum’s interceptions his fault? Too many gutsy plays being called perhaps?
Kiszla: Case Keenum’s interceptions were all on Case Keenum. He’s not a gunslinger. He’s not Aaron Rodgers. Case Keenum has to play within himself. Been trying to tell folks that. Maybe one or two will listen after seeing what happens to Keenum if he tries to do too much.
Any division rivals to watch out for?
Kiszla: The Chiefs had a big first week. Is quarterback Patrick Mahomes really that good? If so, KC is winning this division.
It seems like once again the Broncos linebackers struggled with covering tight ends. This was a big problem last year and I didn’t see any improvement yesterday. How can they improve on tight end coverage?
Kiszla: Get new linebackers. I think Brandon Marshall and Todd Davis are righteous dudes. But I’ve harped on inside backer as a position of weakness on this team for a while.
In light of all the improvements from the Broncos (quarterback, wide receiver, running back and punter upgrades included), what are the major (new) weaker positions this year than 2017-2018?
Kiszla: Secondary. See my earlier answer.
How’d the Broncos manage to pull this game off despite multiple interceptions by Keenum?
Kiszla: The Vonster is not a man. He’s a football cyborg.
Buffs, Rams and Broncos all win with fourth-quarter comebacks. What a weekend.
Kiszla: I had the great, good pleasure of covering the Buffs and Broncos victories in person. Now that required a 4:30 a.m. wake-up call on Sunday. But it was well worth the sleep deprivation.
Marquette King placed a couple of punts well yesterday. But where’s big leg that going to make 60-yard punts commonplace at altitude? Haven’t seen one yet.
Kiszla: Watching Marquette King in camp, what impressed me most was his ability to make the ball kick left or right toward the sideline when placing it inside the 20 yard line. You saw the kick left versus the Seahawks. Those booming 60 yarders? They are in King’s leg. But he will also hit some end-over-end punts that will be head-scratchers. King is a unique individual … and a little nutty. But it’s going to be fun to watch him work.
Lets talk a bit about the Rockies! Tough series with LA. Wished we could have pulled it off on Friday with the bases loaded in the seventh and another failed effort in the ninth, but still 0.5 games up in the division. Big series against the D-Backs. What do the Rockies have to do to pull of their first division victory?
Kiszla: It all comes down to pitching. Kyle Freeland deserves to be in the Cy Young conversation. German Marquez can be lights out. But the back end of that rotation, especially Tyler Anderson, is taking on water and giving up runs at an alarming rate. Can manager Bud Black find a work around? Can the Colorado offense start winning instead of losing 9-6 games? Those two questions will reveal if the Rockies win their first division title.
Quite the contrast with the LA Dodgers, huh? They’ve got what was accurately called a “line change” when they’re substituting players. Their bench and their bullpen seem to reflect a $200 million payroll. But we’ve got some good hitters, just not as deep. Question: Do we have enough pitching to get to the playoffs? My heart says yes and my head is taking xanax.
Kiszla: I prefer two fingers of bourbon to calm the nerves at the end of another night at Coors Field when the outcome changes in the final frames and the deadline to file my column is 10:05 p.m. But I feel your anxiety. Get used to it. It’s only going to get more intense from now until October. We wouldn’t want playoff race to be any other way, would we?
Can three and a half effective starters — Antonio Senzatela is up and down — lead the Rockies into the playoffs?
Kiszla: Three and half men. See what I did there? Three and half starting pitchers are enough in the playoffs, but it’s no more than 50-50 that Rockies have enough starting pitching to grind through the final 20 regular-season games to make the playoffs.
Kiz, I know you used to love traveling to San Diego every Broncos season. Now that it’s not an option anymore, where are you looking most to visiting this year?
Kiszla: Some fans in New England will never forgive NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for Deflagegate. I will never forgive Goodell for letting the Chargers leave San Diego on his watch. Road trips I’m looking forward most to at this point are the Big Apple in early October and San Francisco (although not the drive to Santa Clara) in early December.
When you’re not riling up readers and watching sports, what’s on your TV screen?
Kiszla: Rile up readers? Moi? Never. I do watch sports on TV. Too much sports, especially this time of year, because I’m a college football junkie. But, to tell the truth, I’m not big on TV otherwise. I love listening to music. Live (recently saw Jason Isbell at Red Rocks, Carseat Headrest at the Gothic) or streaming online (Phosphorescent in my ears as I type this).
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