He’s got the coach. He’s got the receivers. And now it appears he’s got the offensive line.
If Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson can’t make this work, then it might be time to close up the private office.
Broncos free agency — B+
This much is clear after the first week of NFL free agency:
After reeling in free-agent right tackle Mike McGlinchey and guard Ben Powers with $139.5 million combined in contracts on Monday, new head coach Sean Payton is hell-bent on re-establishing a run game that was way too ineffective, way too often in Wilson’s first season in Broncos Country.
If Payton and Company had only solved their never-ending right tackle conundrum this past week, the Grading the Week staff would’ve been happy enough. But to add another guard well-regarded for his run-blocking, as well as underrated third-down back Samaje Perine out of Cincinnati, is icing on the cake.
As much as Russ might’ve wanted to cook, there’s little doubt he was most effective during his time in Seattle when the Seahawks leaned heavily on the run game.
Control the ball and give Wilson time and space off play-action, and a lot more of those beautiful deep balls should follow.
And if they don’t? Well, at least we’ll know who exactly to blame this time around.
Regis Jesuit student section — A+
Those who regularly read this column — assuming you actually exist — may have noticed its absence the past two weeks. (And maybe celebrated it?)
The reason: As is our wont, the Grading the Week staff set up temporary offices inside venerable Denver Coliseum the past two weekends to luxuriate in the glory that is the CHSAA state basketball tournament. And, of course, we loved every minute of it.
The Denver East boys’ basketball team was 32 minutes of gravity-defying delightfulness, Grandview sophomore Sienna Betts was singularly brilliant and the Monarch-Arapahoe girls’ basketball semifinal should be bottled and sold as a miracle drug.
But we’ll save our biggest tip of the cap for the Regis Jesuit student section, which had its very own Moses parting the “Red Sea” as well as a collection of appropriately snarky, disproportionately loud chants it could unleash upon Denver Coliseum at a moment’s notice.
It was obnoxious. It was intimidating. It was perfection.
Denver, basketball town — A+
We’re well aware of Denver’s recent Hockeytown, USA push, but this must be said: The Mile High City is more than happy to embrace good college basketball if you’ll let them.
If the ridiculous ticket prices for Friday’s first-round NCAA Tournament games at Ball Arena weren’t indication enough, then the 19,000-plus who showed up for each session in downtown Denver hammered the point home. Denver is a basketball town, too.
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