Gut Reactions
Immediate analysis of NFL games and news
Gut Reaction: Week 3 - Broncos @ Seahawks
You’ll be tempted to look at the final score today and feel some sort of moral victory.
You’ll hear all the pundits next week. It will go something like this. The Broncos had to show they could hang with Seattle, they’ll say. And they did.
The Broncos never quit, they’ll say. They can build on this.
As Marcellus Wallace might say, that’s just pride f#$king with you.
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Gut Reaction: Week 2 - Broncos vs Chiefs
It’s one thing to say you want to keep Peyton Manning off the field and control the clock.
It’s an entirely different thing to actually get it done.
Give the Chiefs credit. They barely gave the Broncos the ball in the second half, and they converted a ton of long third downs.
It got so bad, John Fox later joked his defense was operating as a “ball-control” defense.
Gut Reaction: Week 1 - Broncos vs Colts
If you only watched the first half of tonight’s game, you would have assumed the rest of the season was a waste of time. 
Hand the Broncos the AFC.
If you’d only watched the second half, well, you would have assumed the same thing. The only difference?
You’d hand the Broncos a top-ten draft pick.
And that was pretty much the game. It remains to be seen just how great this Broncos team is, despite the lofty predictions and expectations.
Crazy, stupid season.
Gut Reaction: Texans @ Broncos, Preseason Game 3
Tonight in Denver, fall was in the air.
For the first time, it felt like football.
For the first time, I got antsy for the preseason to end.
Or maybe it was just the thought of Wes Welker headed to the locker room with a possible concussion.
As least Welker will have another week to heal. Otherwise, I’d say let’s skip Dallas and get right to the Colts.
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Gut Reaction: Broncos @ 49ers, Preseason Game 2
It’s too bad the preseason means about as much as a political campaign ad. If things were different, the Broncos would be the hottest team in the NFL right now. In consecutive weeks, they’ve dispatched the 
Seahawks and 49ers, arguably the two toughest teams in the NFC.
Still, it’s okay to keep hope alive. The Broncos are going to be the frontrunners for awhile—at least until the playoffs.
And don’t forget, they’re still short veterans Chris Harris and Von Miller.
Who said politics can’t be fun?
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Gut Reaction: Broncos vs Seahawks, Preseason Game 1
As much fun as it was to watch the Broncos beat the Seahawks, it was hard to make much of this preseason game.
Lighting came. It saw. It kicked everyone’s ass.
By the time the rain delay was over, the starters barely had time to take some plays off.
What do we do with this game, one that doesn’t matter to anyone other than bloggers, cheerleaders, and small-college roster hopefuls?
We mock, that's what.
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Gut Reaction: Broncos draft Corey Nelson with pick #242
If Corey Nelson hadn't partially torn his pectoral muscle early last year, he would have gone higher in today's draft.
If the NCAA hadn't denied him a fifth year of eligibility, he would have gone higher next year. If he was a little larger and a little taller--well, you get the drift.
But none of that happened. The super-athletic linebacker is now the property of the Denver Broncos.
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Gut Reaction: Broncos draft Matt Paradis with pick #207
At this stage in the draft, you're looking to find depth anywhere you can get it.
The Broncos' selelction of Matt Paradis isn't going to blow you away. He wasn't even the best center in a below average conference (Mountain West).
His size is suspect to be on the interior of the line; he's not particularly quick or fast; his reach is also not great.
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Gut Reaction: Broncos draft Lamin Barrow with pick #156
I'm trying not to view this pick in light of the fact that the Broncos wanted C.J. Mosley and were willing to trade up to get him.
So given the context of the pick, getting an above average inside linebacker from the best conference in America ain't too shabby.
Apparently, the Broncos would have taken him with pick #131, but wanted to trade down and get some value with the hopes Barrow would still be there.
Mission accomplished.
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Gut Reaction: Broncos draft Michael Schofield with pick #95
There's nothing fancy or pretty with this pick of Michigan tackle Michael Schofield. It was simply made with depth and flexibility in mind.
Like Orlando Franklin before him, Schofield is a tall and powerful run blocker who can grind dudes into the ground if he has leverage.
It's the same reason why he could also flex to guard for the Broncos if needed.
And as we all learned last year, there's no assurance the Broncos will finish the year with their tackles intact.
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