A recap of the Denver Broncos’ 2018 Season

By: Adamo Marinelli

December 28th, 2018

    For the first time since 1971-1972, the Denver Broncos have posted back-to-back losing seasons. In 2017, they started 3-1 and finished 5-11; in 2018 they started 2-0 and will finish 6-10 or 7-9 depending on if they beat the Chargers on December 30th.

    In the 2017 offseason, the Broncos went out and signed QB Case Keenum to a 2 year, $36 million deal in hopes of solving their QB problems. They traded Trevor Siemian to Minnesota, Brock Osweiler to Miami and cut Paxton Lynch. Also, Chad Kelly, potentially the future QB of the organization, was cut after he was arrested for drunken misconduct in late October of 2018. So that leaves Case Keenum as the starter and Kevin Hogan as the backup.

    Compared to Keenum's 2017 campaign with the Vikings, his 2018 campaign has been lacklustre with only 17 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, but he has played okay enough to give the Broncos a chance to compete this season. He is no franchise QB but he is a good transition QB. He has regressed back to his normal production of numbers. Last year with Minnesota was his good year. The numbers might not have looked that great on paper but keep in mind, Keenum’s offensive line went through a lot of changes throughout the year, he lost his favourite tight end targets in Jake Butt and Jeff Huereman to injury, Demaryius Thomas was traded away, Emmanuel Sanders got hurt and Courtland Sutton, Deshaun Hamilton, Philip Lindsay, Royce Freeman and Matt Lacosse are all rookies on the offence. Even Lindsay was injured on Christmas Eve against the Raiders; so Keenum did his best with what he had. He also threw most of the interceptions because Vance Joseph told him to take risks and throw the ball downfield. In the six games he played conservative, he threw no interceptions, had no turnovers and added five touchdowns. There were very few deep shots down the field during this conservative play but it was done when necessary. When he took risks, he had 12 TDs and 14 INTs but the play action worked better. He also set up the run game better when he was conservative because defences weren’t sure if the play would be a run or pass. If he threw it down the field, everyone would block up front and it would be an obvious pass, not run. Keenum also added two rush touchdowns and led two game-winning drives against the Raiders and Chargers and could have had three more against the Chiefs, Texans and Browns if it wasn’t for a crucial penalty or sack.

    The quarterback wasn't the only problem this year for the Broncos. There were disputes over ownership and Pat Bowlen’s brother, Bill, is suing CEO Joe Ellis and two other trustees who Bill claims have been taking advantage of his brother, Pat Bowlen during his battle with Alzheimer’s. He claims they’ve been overusing their power, and he thinks Joe Ellis and company shouldn’t have that much power because the agreement was signed when Pat was in his battle against Alzheimer’s. Hence Bill thinks the agreement should be void, which is a recipe for disaster. If management is bad on your team, you cannot expect to win.

    Also, the coaching staff didn’t have a great year. Vance Joseph, the head coach is now 11-20 with the Broncos, a franchise low record since Josh McDaniels went 11-17, in the 2009 season and the first 12 games of 2010. That is unacceptable for a second-year coach. Joseph is expected to be fired at the end of the 2018 campaign. The guys still respect Joseph and want to win for him, so expect a huge effort against the Chargers, but it’s too late, the damage is done; Joseph is coaching his last game as a Bronco. The OC and DC are questionable to return.

    The OC Bill Musgrave is in his first year with the Broncos but his play calls weren't creative enough to use Keenum's excellent abilities outside the pocket with play actions and bootlegs. In his defence, the offensive line, wide receivers, and tight ends were all ravaged with injury, but the NFL is a performance league, and he hasn’t held up to par. The pass offence is middle of the pack being 17th in the NFL, but his rushing offence is top 10, thanks to Philip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. He has to keep running the ball to open up and effective passing game.

    The DC Joe Woods also seriously underperformed this year. Granted the secondary was really banged up, they had 12 starters in the secondary this year, third-most behind the Packers and the Eagles. Also apart from three games where the defence gave up 200+ rush yards in each game, the rush defence has been pretty good. The pass rush has been great too, the team has recorded 43 sacks, tied for 4th in the NFL and the secondary despite being banged up has played pretty well considering they played against pretty elite talent at the wide receiver position like Antonio Brown, Deandre Hopkins, Keenan Allen, Larry Fitzgerald, Tyreek Hill, etc. Covering tight ends though is something the Broncos cannot figure out how to do and it’s killing them: Will Dissly, Travis Kelce, Jared Cook, Antonio Gates, etc.

    The Broncos have been riddled with injuries at a variety of different positions that negatively affected the outcome of this season.

    Firstly, the Broncos lost three tight ends, which is three fewer weapons for Keenum to electrify this offence. Jake Butt was injured with a torn ACL in walkthroughs after the Broncos’ week three loss to the Ravens. He would have been a massive game changer in the passing game if he stayed healthy. Jeff Heureman, playing in his second season was also injured in the 24-17 win against the Steelers. He lifted the Broncos’ offence in both the passing and blocking game. It was unfortunate to see him get injured. Troy Fumagalli, drafted by the Broncos this year also was lost to an injury before the season started. It’s too bad. He would have had a great rookie season. This negatively impacts the Broncos’ pass game.

     Secondly, the Broncos lost 3 offensive linemen in a matter of weeks: centre Matt Paradis, guard Max Garcia and guard Ronald Leary. This caused the Broncos to have plenty of scrambling on the offensive line. They moved guard Connor McGovern to play centre, moved Garret Bolles to right guard from tackle, moved Billy Turner to left guard (Turner is the team’s 3rd LG this season), they kept Jared Veldheer as right tackle, and added Elijah Wilkinson as right guard in an all-important, must-win game for the Broncos against the Chargers. The new offensive line played amazing, allowing 0 sacks against the two-headed pass rush monster on the Chargers: Melvin Engram and Joey Bosa. They kicked it right into high gear when it mattered. They played their hearts out. They also allowed only 3 sacks in the next game, 2 against Pittsburgh and 1 against the Bengals. Despite injury all season long, they played well. There were a few games where they allowed 4-5 sacks, and there was 1 costly sack against Cleveland that ended the game but other than that, the line played great.

    After Demaryius Thomas was traded, Emmanuel Sanders was the only main veteran wide receiver left on the team. After he was injured in practice on December 5th before the week 14 game against the 49ers, the team’s starting wide receivers were all rookies: Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick as wideouts and Daesean Hamilton played in the slot. The production was great before Thomas got traded, even after Thomas was traded and it was just Sanders leading all the rookies because teams didn’t know if the Broncos would run or pass the ball which helped their young pass game and young run game under Freeman and Lindsay be very effective. Once Thomas and Sanders were out of the picture, teams knew the Broncos would be run heavy and were able to load the box and stop Lindsay in his tracks. Lindsay had less than 100 yards and no touchdowns in the game against the 49ers and Browns. However, he was better against the Raiders, before he left the game with a moderately severe wrist injury. It will require surgery and 3-4 months of rehab, the undrafted free agent will miss the regular season finale and his first Pro Bowl.

    Not to mention, the Broncos’ secondary was very injured this year. Chris Harris Jr. got hurt with a fractured fibula on the Bengals’ first offensive drive. This was the worst of the many injuries in the secondary; he was the glue holding the secondary together. When he was not on the field, the Broncos secondary deteriorated a lot. The Broncos have been injury riddled in the secondary, they’ve had over 13 starters in their secondary due to all the injuries, only behind the Eagles with 14. Including Chris Harris, they’ve had: Bradley Roby, Isaac Yiadom, Brendan Langley, Adam Jones, Justin Simmons (a safety who had to move to nickel corner with all the injuries), Will Parks, Darian Stewart, Dymonte Thomas, Shamarko Thomas, Craig Mager, Jamar Taylor and Horace Richardson. That is a lot of players to start in one season. The Broncos after parting ways with DC Wade Phillips and cornerbacks Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward have seen their “No Fly Zone” defence which helped Peyton Manning’s electrifying offence win Super Bowl 50 turn into a defence that has been walked all over for the most part this year. The Broncos are not playing with enough confidence as they used to and they do not have enough star-power at the position like when they did with Talib, Harris Jr., Ward playing together, says Louis Riddick, an ESPN analysis and a former NFL defensive back. Teams like the Chiefs, Buccaneers and Saints have also allowed an average of 300+ receiving yards per game for the majority of the season like the Broncos, but in an offensive heavy league in 2018, who can blame these secondaries, especially when riddled with injury. “I think (offences) are being aggressive,” [Vance] Joseph said. “Offensive football, right now, is hard to stop.” 10 teams, including the Broncos, have an opponents passer rating of over 100 all season long. Denver’s run defence played excellent all year except for 3 200+ rush yard games from a single running back (Kareem Hunt, Isaiah Crowell and Todd Gurley) and their pass rush is tied for fifth in the NFL with Baltimore, Green Bay and Arizona with 43 sacks on the season. Von Miller has 14.5 of those sacks and needs two more to reach 100 regular season sacks and rookie Bradley Chubb has 12, he needs three more to break the single-season rookie sack record. But with may mobile QBs like Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson, your team needs a secondary to compete, no matter how good your run defence or pass rush is.

    The Broncos also had a lot of rookies like Courtland Sutton, Deshaun Hamilton, Philip Lindsay, Royce Freeman and Matt Lacosse and new players from other teams coming in free agency. A young team with a lot of rookies not only makes it hard to develop chemistry on offence and defence but it also decreases play efficiency. Teammates of 5 years on defence would know who covers who and what happens if there is a cross route or a switch. A QB and a WR who’ve been on the same team for five years know what the other person will do, the quarterback knows the route the receiver will do and can take more risks when throwing him the ball, the QB also knows if the receiver will change routes and the receiver will know if the quarterback throws him the ball earlier or later and if the QB changes up the play call. It’s hard to do this on a team mainly built around rookies on both offence and defence. The Broncos have the 5th most rookies in the league on their team. Same applies with traded players from other teams.

  Furthermore, the Broncos have also had very tough schedules the past two seasons. In 2017, they had the toughest strength of schedule, being at .573, meaning the teams they played in 2016 had a combined record which had a winning percentage of .573. In 2018, it was their strength of schedule was top 5, at .519, which is a disadvantage for the Broncos.

    Also, the Broncos lost some games they could have and should have won, some to inferior competition. They beat the Steelers in amazing fashion, had extraordinary comeback wins against the Raiders in week two and the Chargers, a hard-fought win against the Seahawks and a blowout win against the Cardinals and Bengals, but the win column should be bigger. They lost to the Chiefs twice, and they had a chance to win both of those games. The first game, they shouldn’t have blown a 10 point fourth quarter lead by playing defence with a huge cushion from the line of scrimmage, which isn’t good when playing a QB like Mahomes who can throw the ball fast. However, the Broncos had the chance to win it, but Keenum overthrew Thomas on a 3 and 10 from around the Chiefs 25 which fell incomplete. The Broncos failed a hook and ladder on the next play. The Broncos also could’ve won the second matchup against the Chiefs, but too many penalties throughout the game, but the Broncos down by 7 in their final drive and the Broncos couldn’t get into the end zone. The Broncos also should have beat the Rams. They lost 23-20, but the Broncos had a touchdown called back because Sanders was down at the 1-yard line. It was the wrong call -the refs have been terrible against Denver all year making ridiculous calls like this one - but its okay, just punch it in with Lindsay. However, on top of that, the refs threw a 15-yard flag for taunting because Emmanuel Sanders was throwing his hands up in celebration. Even though his hands were gesturing towards the defender, he didn’t mean any harm, that is a weak call. Surprise, Broncos had to settle for a field goal on that drive. Those 4 extra points off that denied touchdown would have given the Broncos a win. Also, they should have beat the Texans, but Vance Joseph’s inability to manage a game clock is another problem. Late in the first half, Vance Joseph attempted a 62-yard field goal to tie the game 13-13. Brendan McManus missed and the Texans with 18 seconds and two timeouts left drove an incredible 11 yards to get into field goal range before they extended the lead 16-10 at the half. Then at the end of the game, Joseph’s incompetence was as bright as day: he had a first down at the Texans’ 36-yard line with 44 seconds to go in the game, down 19-17 with two timeouts. Instead of running several plays, at least two run and a pass to make the field goal easy for McManus, who’s already missed one today, he decides to run only 1 play, wasting 30 seconds of clock, a play which Lindsay gained a mere four yards. With three seconds left, McManus missed a game-winning 51-yard field goal. He probably could have hit that, but shame on Joseph for not getting closer. Finally, they should have beat the 49ers but they just didn’t show up to play and tight end George Kittle owned them going for 210 yards and a receiving touchdown. The same thing happened with the Raiders on Christmas Eve, the Broncos were simply outplayed. And in Cleveland, the Broncos were penalised way too excessively, which ultimately cost them the game after a Jabrill Peppers sack on a Broncos 4th down from midfield to end it officially. Same deal with the Ravens, the refs were terrible as they have been all year against the Broncos. Lindsay being ejected for jumping into a pile to grab a fumble was called “punching” and a blocked kick touchdown return was called back because of an illegal block in the back, which was nowhere near the play is absolute malarkey. The Jets, mainly Isaiah Crowell just outplayed Denver. The Broncos had no answer for him: he rushed for 219 yards and a touchdown on the ground. In the regular season finale against the Chargers, expect the Broncos to play hard and play spoiler to the Chargers’ hopes of getting the AFC’s first seed.

    Despite it has been another rough season for the Denver Broncos, because of injuries, bad referees and bad play calling and time management, it is also their second consecutive losing season; last year they finished 5-11 and this year they are 6-9 so far (the Broncos haven’t had consecutive losing seasons since 1971-1972), the Broncos can expect improvement with all their injured players being back to start the 2019 season. Also, Vance Joseph is expected to be fired at the end of this season, with Joe Woods and Bill Musgrave, so change is coming soon in Denver.

Marinelli Podcast - Inaugural Episode

---Week 16 Matchups and Playoff Implications---

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Marinelli podcast. I’m your host, Adamo Marinelli and today, I will preview all of the week 16 matchups in the NFL and all the playoff implications. Incredibly, 14 of the 16 games this week have serious playoff implications. That hasn’t happened in a while; so without further ado, let's get started.

The first game of the week is a 4:30 pm start on Saturday, December 22nd between the Titans and the Redskins. The Titans have a must win on their hands because they are fighting with the Dolphins, Ravens, Colts and Browns for the AFC’s final wildcard spot. The Redskins are in the hunt with Minnesota, Philadelphia and Carolina for the final wildcard spot of the NFC so a win would be very beneficial. Titans win.

The second Saturday game between the Ravens and Chargers is an 8:30 kickoff. This game is important in AFC playoff implications because with a Ravens win and a Steelers loss against the Saints, the Ravens can overtake the Steelers for the division lead. If the Chargers win and the Chiefs lose, the Chargers can become the first seed; the Chiefs would have to play a home wildcard game, which they are 0-6 in their last 6 home playoff games. Chargers win.

The next game is Buccaneers visiting the Cowboys. The Buccaneers have been eliminated from the playoffs; this game is meaningless for them, however, they can play spoiler to the Cowboys who can clinch the NFC East with a win this weekend. They’re only one game ahead of the Eagles in the division and if they want to win the division, they must win this week. Cowboys win.

The next game sees an NFC North divisional clash between the Vikings and the Lions. With a Vikings’ win and an Eagles’ loss to the Texans, the Vikings can clinch the final wild-card spot. The Vikings have the final NFC wild-card spot and are trying to hold off the Eagles, Panthers and Redskins. The Lions have already been eliminated from the playoffs but can play spoiler. Vikings will win this game.

The game between the Falcons and Panthers also has playoff implications. While the Falcons have already been eliminated from postseason contention; the Panthers, who lost six straight games after starting 6-2, are fighting for their playoff lives against a beat up Atlanta Falcons’ team, whose defence is the most injured part of their team. Panthers win.

In the next game, the Texans visit the Eagles. The Texans have a 10-4 record, good enough for first place in their division, and the second seed in the AFC. With a win against the Eagles, the Texans will clinch their division and a make their third playoff appearance in four years. If they win and the Patriots lose, the Texans will clinch the second seed. The Eagles need to win and they need the Vikings to lose to grab the sixth wildcard spot. If the Eagles lose and the Vikings and Cowboys win, the Eagles are eliminated from the playoffs. Texans win.

Another of the 14 games with playoff implications is when the Giants visit the Colts. The Giants are officially done from the playoffs, and because they won 4 of the last 6 games, they look to be out of a top 5 draft pick. So not only could they not make the playoffs, they won’t be getting a great draft pick either, but it will still be a top 10 pick. The Colts are 8-6, good enough for the 7th seed in the AFC. The Colts would have to win on Sunday and have the Titans, Dolphins, Ravens and Browns to lose to take the final wildcard spot. Colts win.

The next game sees the red-hot Cleveland Browns, who are still alive in the playoff race in late December, which hasn’t happened in a while, host the injury-riddled Cincinnati Bengals who have already been eliminated from the playoffs. The Browns have the 10th seed and are 6-7-1; it is a long shot for them to make the playoffs: they need to win out, need the Dolphins, Colts, Titans, Ravens and Steelers to lose 2 of 3 games and they need the Colts vs Titans game to end in a tie, but it could still happen which is awesome! Browns win.

The Bills have been eliminated from postseason contention but can play spoiler when they visit Foxboro to play the Patriots. The Patriots have lost 2 consecutive games and have looked lifeless in those 2 games. Their offence has struggled, Brady has made abnormal mistakes and their defence is soft. They have looked the worst they have looked in a while in those 2 losses, but have the Bills and Jets to close out the season. That could get them the second seed, if not third. Patriots win.

The Packers and the Jets game has no playoff implications: both teams have been eliminated from the playoffs. For the Jets, it is understandable as they have a rookie QB who’s learning the system and needs time to be a starter. However, it’s disappointing for the Packers because they said last year was bad only because Rodgers was injured. If this season is what the Packers do with Rodgers, they are in a lot of trouble. They don’t have a second wide receiver behind Davantae Adams, a running back because Aaron Jones is out with injury and their defence isn't that great either. Jets win this game.

The Jaguars at 4-10, are having a very rough season and are officially out of the playoffs. This comes after going to the AFC Championship game last season. This game has no implications for the Jaguars but the Dolphins are still alive in the AFC playoff hunt and need a big win to stay alive in the hunt for the last wildcard spot because the Dolphins are currently ninth seed in the AFC. The Jaguars with their deteriorating defence, and offence with a non-productive Blake Bortles and Leonard Fournette. Dolphins win, keep playoff hopes alive.

The 49ers with a 4-10 record are only competing for the 1st overall draft pick this year and their season kind of ended after QB Jimmy Garapollo’s ACL injury. The Bears, at 10-4, have clinched their division and a playoff spot as the third seed, but if they win and the Rams lose, they will take the 2nd seed from the Rams, because they beat the Rams in the head-to-head matchup.

When the Rams visit the Cardinals, they look to take advantage of a 3-11 Cardinals team who have been eliminated from the playoffs for several weeks. The Rams have the second seed in the NFC at 11-3, have clinched a playoff spot already by winning their relatively non-competitive division minus the Seahawks; but they want the first seed in the NFC. That might be hard to get after losing to the 12-2 Saints head to head and losing while the Saints won in week 15. If the Rams win this week and the Bears lose though, they lock up 2nd seed and a first-round bye. Rams win.

Another very important game for both sides is when the Steelers make a visit to the Super Dome to play the Saints. The Steelers beat the Patriots 17-10, after losing three straight games to AFC West opponents starting with a loss to the Broncos in week 12. They are 8-5-1, only a half-game ahead of the Ravens at 8-6, and it isn’t a must win by any means, the Steelers have the Bengals in week 17; whereas the Ravens have the Browns. A win and a Ravens loss would help the Steelers clinch the division. The Saints are 12-2, have already won their division, clinched a playoff spot and with a win this week and a Rams’ loss, they will lock up the NFC’s first seed. Saints win.

In Sunday night’s game, kickoff is at 8:20 pm, the Chiefs will meet the Seahawks in Seattle. Seattle at 8-6, would clinch the 5th seed in the NFC with a Seattle win and a Vikings’ loss. Whereas, the Chiefs would likely lock up the 1st seed in the AFC with a win and a Chargers’ loss this week. The Chiefs, if they get home field advantage throughout the playoffs this year, hopefully, won’t lose again and make it 7 straight losses. Chiefs win.

The last game of the week is on Monday Night Football between the Broncos and Raiders on Christmas Eve. This is the second and final game with no playoff implications this week but it is still interesting to talk about. The Raiders, are having a terrible season at 3-11, under John Gruden. They’ve traded away arguably their best defensive player in Khalil Mack and their best offensive player in Amari Cooper. Gruden hasn’t had very much luck in the first season of his 10-year tenure and Raiders fans can only hope for improvement. The Broncos, apart from some amazing wins against the Chargers and Steelers have had a disappointing season: for the first 12 games or so, they had one of the toughest schedules in the NFL. Arguably, if their schedule was a little easier, if the Broncos avoided one or two costly mistakes that cost them a loss against the Rams, Chiefs twice, the Texans; or if the Broncos actually won games in which their opponent is worse than them, which they had a hard time doing this season, they would have had a better record. They are also having a bad year because of a lacklustre coaching staff, and many key injuries to both the offence, particularly the line and the receiving core and their defence, notably the secondary where they have had over 10 starters this year. Either way, their record should have been better than it is, but right now it is 6-8 and the Broncos are out of the playoffs but are trying to avoid back-to-back losing seasons since 1971 and 1972 with a win on Monday and next Sunday. Looking ahead to next year, Vance Joseph will likely be fired at the end of the season, which means change is coming in Denver and soon. Broncos win, but not in blowout fashion by any means.

Note: The YouTube video for this article will be out soon. Just spent time with family and I'm having some technical difficulties.

We Welcome Another NHL Expansion Team

By: Adamo Marinelli

Wednesday, December 5th, 2018

    It is official. Seattle has become the NHL’s 32nd franchise after the league unanimously approves the expansion bid.

    Their inaugural season will be in 2021-2022. This means the next expansion draft will be June of 2021. That expansion draft will have the same rules as the Las Vegas one.

    The Seattle organization will play in KeyArena, the old home of the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics who moved to Oklahoma and became the Thunder.

    The arena hasn’t been used in a while, so many renovations will have to be made. The NHL hopes that the $800 million renovations will be done by 2020, but with a huge task at hand and an unclear completion date, the parties involved decided a later date would be ideal, probably the start of 2021.

    Seattle’s team is unnamed and they will receive a name at a later date. However, it is likely that the Seattle Metropolitans, their 1917 Stanley Cup winning name won’t be coming back considering there is a division with that name.

    There is a poll on Twitter where fans can vote for the name of the team. The NHL wants to involve the fans as much as they can and having them choose from a select group of names is a great way to do so.

    It is astonishing how Seattle has already secured more than 30,000 deposits for season tickets since submitting its expansion application this past February.  

    “The league’s expansion decision was only made possible because Seattle will possess the three pillars essential to the success of any franchise: terrific committed ownership, a thriving market, and a state-of-the-art venue”, said Gary Bettman, in a press conference.

    Those three reasons are why Seattle was chosen over Quebec. Undoubtedly, there is a great market, arena and ownership in Quebec but it is better in Seattle, and by picking Seattle over Quebec, it avoids adding another Canadian team who has to pay their players in American dollars which gets very expensive and can drive up ticket prices and affect the salary cap.

    Besides, with the addition of Seattle, both the Eastern and Western conferences now have 16 teams. Arizona will be moved to the central division and Seattle will be in the Pacific division.  This is better than having 17 East teams and 15 West teams if Quebec was added.

    The NHL and Gary Bettman, the commissioner, are thrilled that NHL hockey will exist in Seattle, a city with a proud hockey history and the first American city to ever win the Stanley Cup, the Seattle Metropolitans. He is excited to experience NHL hockey in one of North America’s most innovative, beautiful and fastest growing cities.

    This was an excellent move for the NHL, but maybe Quebec can rejoin the NHL again sometime soon also. That would be fun!

Domestic Violence In Cleveland

By: Adamo Marinelli

Tuesday, December 4th, 2018

    Kareem Hunt was released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday after a video was published to TMZ that shows him shoving and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February 2018.

    The Chiefs said in a statement that Hunt was dishonest with them when they initially talked about the alleged crime back in February and when the video came out that proved he lied to them, the Chiefs immediately released him.

    Despite the fact that no criminal charges are being laid on Hunt, because the investigation was ended by the Cleveland police a month after the incident, the NFL is continuing its investigation of the situation and has placed Hunt on the “Commissioner’s Exempt List”, meaning he can not play in or attend games or practices while the NFL is doing their investigation.

    Apparently, the woman called Hunt the ‘N word’, however, that still doesn’t give him a right to act violently in response to what she said. Other non-violent measures could’ve been used.

    It appears that serious fines and suspensions are coming Hunt’s way. Hunt was also involved in a separate incident in June of 2018 where he allegedly punched a man at an Ohio resort.

    “I want to apologize for my actions. I deeply regret what I did,” Hunt said in a statement issued to many news outlets shortly after he was released from the Chiefs. “I hope to move on from this.”

    Hunt was released from the Chiefs, he went unclaimed off waivers yesterday and is now an unrestricted free agent and even if he is signed somewhere he cannot play until the NFL’s investigation is over - so at least not for the rest of this year - and who knows if he will ever get another chance in the NFL. It is unlikely.

    This is disappointing, considering Hunt led the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 2017, with 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground helping Kansas City make the playoffs only to lose in the wildcard game to the Titans. He was also a threat in the receiving game with Tyreek Hill with seven touchdowns and about 800 yards through the air. This year, he had another great performance, with seven rushing and seven receiving touchdowns and 824 rush yards this season with about 400 receiving yards too. He only fumbled the ball once in his career and it was on his first carry in his first game in the 2017 opener against the Patriots. He has been perfect ever since.

    It’s truly a shame to see such amazing and God-given talent go to waste because of irresponsible decisions made off of the football field.

Thank You Demaryius Thomas!

By: Adamo Marinelli

October 31st, 2018

    Yesterday, on the trade deadline, the Denver Broncos traded wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Houston Texans for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Both teams also exchanged seventh-round picks in 2019.

    Thomas, 30, the longest-tenured Bronco in franchise history had two years left on his contract and was guaranteed $14 million next season in 2019. That is part of the reason the Broncos traded him.

    Thomas was without a doubt a very talented wide receiver who has had plenty of success in Denver; his best moment was arguably the 80-yard walk-off touchdown catch from Tim Tebow in the 2011 AFC wildcard playoff game against the Steelers. However, he’s had many other amazing moments in a Broncos’ uniform.

    Thomas was an amazing receiver, but with his age increasing and a large salary due to him in the 2019 season, the Broncos decided to send him to the Texans for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft. Besides, with the emergence of rookie receivers in Courtland Sutton, Daesean Hamilton and Tim Patrick as well as a talented young rookie running back duo in Philip Lindsay and Royce Freeman and a strong tight end core including Jeff Heuerman and Matt Lacosse, the Broncos’ offence will still be pretty good with QB Case Keenum and veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders at the helm.

    The Broncos could have probably gotten a first round pick for Thomas, but considering the Texans are absorbing his $14 million cap hit, a fourth-round pick is fair.

    With the extra cap space, the Broncos can invest in an area of need, whether it be in the secondary, or for a long-term QB after Keenum.

    You can watch Demaryius Thomas’ first game after leaving the Broncos…on Sunday, November 4th, 2018, against Denver in the Mile High City.

How good can the Broncos expect to be in 2018?

By: Adamo Marinelli

September 8th, 2018

    One day before the Broncos kick off their 2018 campaign, I will briefly analyse the Broncos’ roster and explain how well they can realistically do in the 2018 campaign.

    Starting with their offence, the Broncos finally found a reliable QB in whom they trust to lead them to success. The Broncos’ three starting QBs in 2017 had thrown a combined 22 interceptions and their offence amassed 34 turnovers which is horrible and doesn’t help a team win games. Keenum only had seven interceptions last year with the Vikings and added 22 touchdown passes, which means he will do an excellent job protecting the ball and scoring points. In Minnesota, he did a very good job while being pressured with a completion rate of 66% under pressure. The Broncos starting offensive line has improved greatly -- especially with the addition of right tackle Jared Veldheer -- allowing only two sacks this preseason. They allowed the third most sacks in 2017 in comparison.

    Their wide receivers have only improved now that they have a reliable and consistent QB. Playing with three QBs is hard as each QB runs the offence differently. Now with Keenum as the starter, Demaryius Thomas should be back to normal, averaging about 1,000 yards a season, Sanders should be back to his elite self with his ankle injury from 2017 fully healed and with two new explosive wide receivers in Courtland Sutton and DeaSean Hamilton, both rookies picked in the 2018 draft ready to make an impact, the receiving game should be amazing. Keenum helps that, but talented wide receivers speak for themselves.

    The Broncos released RB C.J. Anderson in the offseason, and it looked like the Broncos running game would struggle. However, after rookie RB Royce Freeman -- who was picked up in round three of the 2018 draft -- had an explosive preseason scoring three touchdowns and rushing for more than 200 yards in four games, and with the veteran Devontae Booker and the undrafted free agent out of Colorado state, Philip Lindsay in the backfield, the Broncos’ RB depth is pretty good. Also, the Broncos’ tight ends have improved, now having Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt working together with draft pick Troy Fumagalli on the IR.

    Overall, the new look offence in Denver, led by QB Case Keenum, a born leader, looks pretty effective and appears to be a threat for opponents in 2018. The Broncos haven’t had a real leader at the QB position since Peyton Manning left, so Keenum is very helpful. Is he their guy?

    The Broncos’ defence is also exceptional. Their front seven is one of the best in the league and with DE Bradley Chubb on the other side of the line as OLB Von Miller, it will be a nightmare for opposing QBs and offensive linemen all season long. They also have Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, Domata Peko, Shelby Harris, Brandon Marshall, Todd Davis and Demarcus Walker among others as defensive linemen, defensive ends, nose tackles and inside linebackers who will be effective rushing the passer and stopping the run. The Broncos were top five in run defence, giving up only 1430 rush yards in 2017, only projected to get better. The Broncos pass rush was also top 10 in 2017, and it’s only going to improve with Miller and Chubb.

    The Broncos’ safeties will be an interesting unit to watch this season. They have a lot of skill in pieces like Darian Stewart, Justin Simmons, Will Parks and Dymonte Thomas, but with Su’a Cravens being put on the IR until at least week eight, there are a few holes in the safety position, especially in coverage. Stewart and Simmons are experienced veterans that can cover but covering tight ends is Cravens’ speciality and without him, that forces the Broncos to improvise.

    Their cornerbacks also took a blow by trading Aqib Talib to the Rams. They still have Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby, but the Broncos are known as the team that normally always has three CBs on the field, especially in the No Fly Zone days. Despite the talent of Harris and Roby, the Broncos had better CBs with Talib than without. The Broncos brought in Tramaine Brock and Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones to help the cornerback depth as it seems like Isaac Yiadom and Brendan Langley, who both gave up plenty of big plays in the preseason aren’t ready for the NFL just yet.

    Despite, the secondary projected to be the biggest concern for the Broncos, it is still likely going to be an average unit at least. The pass rush, run defence and causing turnovers are all strengths of the Broncos defence.

    Overall, after an abysmal 5-11 year in 2017, the Broncos have the pieces to be a playoff team in 2017. Speaking as a Broncos fan, I say we can win our division because the Chargers have been overhyped every year only to choke it away, the Raiders have no defence now, after they traded Khalil Mack to the Bears and the Chiefs starting QB is Patrick Mahomes, who’s only played in one game in his NFL career. Also, the Broncos schedule is not as hard as it was last season and with a new QB, better offence and a changed but still talented defence, the Broncos could win 11-12 games, enough to win the division. Realistically speaking, however, I say the Chargers win the division at 11-5 or 12-4 and the Broncos finish 10-6, enough to get a wildcard spot. I say, their floor is 8-8 and their ceiling is 11-5, but 10-6 and a playoff appearance is a nice middle ground for a well deserving and improved team like the Broncos.

Erik Karlsson: Latest Trade Rumors (Updated Version)

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 31st, 2018

    After a quiet July in terms of trying to trade all-star defenseman Erik Karlsson, GM Pierre Dorion and the Senators would prefer to trade him before the regular season starts ending a year-long saga and freeing him from the organization’s perpetual state of dysfunction.

    The Senators in a last resort attempt to sign Karlsson after they failed to trade him before the trade deadline, offered him an eight-year contract extension worth $80 million, an average annual value of $10 million on July 1st, the first day of eligibility to resign their franchise defenseman. Karlsson’s team rejected the deal, considering the deal is well below market value for a player who is considered the best defenseman in the NHL. After that, a month long hiatus of silence surrounding Karlsson trade rumours happened in July. Then, in late August, trade rumours began to resurface.

    As of now, it appears Karlsson will be going to a western conference team. The favourites to land Erik Karlsson are the Canucks, Golden Knights, Stars and the underdog Sharks. The Tampa Bay Lightning appear to be out of the conversation, despite being a favourite to land Karlsson at one point. Although, he’d be a logical fit in Tampa Bay. One should never count out Steve Yzerman, but the Tampa Bay Lightning have to address many complicated contract issues on their team before they make another huge deal. So, Karlsson would likely be traded to one of those four western conference teams by the beginning of the regular season.

    The Senators would likely be trading Bobby Ryan and his seven-year contract at about $7,250,000 a year with Karlsson to get rid of the contract. For a franchise defenseman (despite his bad season last year) and a pretty talented forward, the Senators should be able to get two amazing current roster players back, and a first-round draft pick.

    According to Sporting News: “If Ottawa is unable to move Karlsson before the 2018-19 season starts, they run the risk of losing power at the negotiating table with another team, or even playing out the season with Karlsson on the roster, and then having him walk in the summer of 2019 for nothing....and Ottawa already having unsuccessfully tried to move him prior to the 2018 deadline.”

    In my personal opinion, that is not true. Karlsson didn’t have a very productive season last year, which is why he wasn’t traded at the deadline. Also, if the Senators keep him on the roster for this season, and he has a spectacular season up until the trade deadline, and is very productive, then his market value will be even higher than ever before and he’d be worth a lot more than he was asking for during this past trade deadline and offseason. As a result, when the Senators trade Karlsson and Bobby Ryan at the 2019 trade deadline, Karlsson would be at his peak value and they would be able to get two amazing current roster players, a first-round draft pick and a handful of talented prospects for Karlsson and Ryan. I think trading Karlsson at the deadline (maybe even with Ryan) is a better plan than trading him before the season starts as long as you know you have plenty of good offers when the deadline comes around. If not,  take what you can get before the start of the season.

    However, if Karlsson stays with the Senators and doesn’t have a good season this year, then the Senators will not be able to trade him before the 2019 trade deadline and if they do trade him they might not get as much as they deserve in return for Karlsson. As he is a superstar and they should get a lot back for him. But, even a superstar, after a couple bad seasons, especially in a row, is in danger of having is market value deteriorating. They also probably won’t get any trade offers for Karlsson in the 2019 offseason, so Karlsson will walk as a free agent in the summer of 2019 and the Senators won’t get anything in return while being stuck with Ryan.

    But Karlsson having a bad year this season is very unlikely, last year’s lackluster performance was just a fluke, he was playing with a foot injury that he received before 2017’s amazing playoff run. He played in the playoffs despite the injury which worsened his condition and by the time he returned from surgery in late October, he had missed a month of the season (11 games) and still wasn’t 100% healthy. Karlsson is a superstar, after all.

    However, Karlsson is a superstar. Teams that want to trade for Karlsson know what they’re getting in Karlsson. A superstar. An elite talent that plays his hardest every game. One of the best in defenders in the NHL. Him having a good year is not a fluke. Him having a bad year is a fluke. He only had a bad year because he was injured this season, an injury that lingered from last year. He is consistent year in and year out. Not only is he an elite defenseman who makes lots of plays and gets lots of assists but he is also very good on offence and knows how to score goals. And he does. If he has one bad year, like this past year, it doesn’t matter. He’s still a superstar and all 30 other NHL teams would love to have him. And they’d give up more to get him sooner rather than later.

    So, in one way, trading him now, before the season starts is better than trading him at the trade deadline. If the Senators trade Karlsson now, they can negotiate with teams and get a lot more in return for Karlsson, especially if they include Ryan in the trade (although at Karlsson worth $12 million a year and Ryan $7 million per year, it’d be hard for one team to absorb this amount of money, so it looks like Karlsson and Ryan will only be traded away together if a third team is involved or else Karlsson will be traded individually.) If they wait until the trade deadline, the Senators will be in a bind and might not get as much in return for Karlsson compared to what they can get before the season starts. They’ll have to accept whatever deal a team offers for Karlsson even if the Senators don’t get as much back as they give away because if they don’t accept that deal, they might not get another deal and then Karlsson will walk away from the Senators in the summer of 2019 as a free agent because Karlsson doesn’t want to stay in Ottawa, especially if he is not paid what he’s worth. But, you can still get a good and fair deal for a superstar before the trade deadline but it doesn’t happen very often considering teams are normally in a bind in the trade deadline. The more the Senators get back for Karlsson, the faster they rebuild.

    So if I were the Senators’ general manager, I’d keep Karlsson for the start of this upcoming season, if I was sure I can get a lot for let him in the trade deadline. Even if he doesn’t want to play in Ottawa, if he has a great season this year the Senators can trade him at his peak value at next year’s trade deadline (with Ryan) to maximize what they get back in the trade. And, Karlsson won’t have a bad year this season, in fact, he’ll try to make this year one of the best in his career, as he knows the better he plays this year with Ottawa, the more he’ll get paid by another team as the Senators are not going to re-sign Karlsson as Melnyk doesn’t want to spend all that money even though he’s talented. Even a superstar by playing amazing can increase their market value even more which will give him more money and the team he is traded from more players in return. If I wasn’t sure I can get a lot for him in the trade deadline or despite all the interest in Karlsson, if teams give less in return to the Senators for Karlsson because they know the trade deadline is the last chance for the Senators to trade Karlsson and if they don’t accept the trade (even if the Senators don’t get a lot in return for him in the trade), Karlsson will walk as a free agent and Ottawa will get nothing for an elite talent. In this case, I’d trade him before the season starts and make sure I get plenty in return for Karlsson instead of risking getting less than he’s worth or nothing if he walks.

    I do not work in the Senators front office, so obviously, I don’t know all the details, but this is what can happen if the Senators trade him before the season and if they wait to trade him in the trade deadline.

Denver Broncos vs Washington Redskins Recap

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 28th, 2018

    The Denver Broncos put on a show in their 29-17 win against the Redskins in week four of the preseason and had an excellent performance from all positions during the game. Even better, the Broncos first team offence and defence had their best game in the preseason thus far. The Broncos are now 1-2 thus far in the preseason, so are the Redskins.

    Case Keenum looked a little shaky in the first two games in the preseason, with only one completion for five yards against the Vikings and then improving in the next game against the Bears with eight completions on 13 attempts for 78 yards. In the third game, Keenum looked like the QB that led the Vikings to the NFC championship game last season.

    Against the Redskins, Keenum moved the ball very well, spreading it out to many different receivers and running backs extending drives and scoring points. On five drives for Case Keenum in the first half, he scored points on three of them -- a 50-yard field goal by Brandon McManus on their first drive and a rushing touchdown from both Royce Freeman on their second drive and Emmanuel Sanders on their fourth drive -- and only going 3 & out once on their third drive. On the fifth drive, he was able to get one first down with the help of a three-yard rush from Devontae Booker. On the following series of downs, he had two incompletions, the second one batted down by a Redskins’ defender and a sack that forced a punt. He finished the half, and his night, completing 12-18 passes for 148 yards.

   Despite the fact, he has not scored a passing touchdown thus far into the preseason, the entire first-string offence around him has improved greatly scoring either a touchdown or a field goal on its last five of seven possessions after starting the preseason with three consecutive three and out drives. By the time the regular season comes, Keenum will be throwing touchdown passes like it’s nothing. Another positive, the starting offence did not start the game with a 3 & out drive, like they did in their first two preseason games. The most important thing, however, is Keenum is yet to cause a turnover this preseason. He has not thrown an interception or lost a fumble. Considering turnovers and lack of ball security plagued the Broncos last season, it’s awesome to have a QB who knows a lot about ball security.

    Not only did Keenum succeed in last week’s game but so did many other fantastic players on the Broncos’ roster.

    Emmanuel Sanders had four receptions for 61 yards and one rush for 27 yards for a touchdown on a reverse handoff with a fullback block from Andy Janovich. In the Broncos’ fourth drive, where Sanders got into the end zone, he accounted for all 75 yards of the Broncos’ offence. He had two receptions for 48 yards and then proceeded to rush the ball 27 yards for a touchdown. Sanders had an amazing game, especially on this drive, running all over the field, beating defenders, winning jump balls, being a threat in both the receiving and ground game and proving he’s an elite wide receiver.

    Royce Freeman, the rookie, a third-round pick in 2018 draft showed he is the real deal and made his case to be the Broncos’ starting running back this season. Not only did he score a 24-yard touchdown, he also had 26 yards on five carries. He has now scored a touchdown in all three preseason games thus far. That is incredible, especially for a rookie.

    The Broncos’ offensive line also played an amazing game, they looked like a brick wall allowing adequate time for Keenum to throw the ball, excellent pass protection, and provided lots of holes on the Redskins’ defensive line and gave plenty of room for the running backs to work with and run through. They only gave up one sack and only had one penalty -- an unnecessary roughness call on Garret Bolles for pushing Anthony Lanier after he sacked Keenum on 3rd down, forcing the Broncos to punt for the second time. Overall, an excellent performance by the offensive linemen. They ate much better than they were last year.

    Philip Lindsay also had a very good game in three categories. He had five rushes for 31 yards and one reception for 18 yards but he also had one kick return for 18 yards. Kicking and punt returning have improved significantly from last season, Isaiah McKenzie hasn’t muffed a single punt or kick and now they also have undrafted free agent rookie Philip Lindsay out of Colorado who can return punts and kicks. They also have cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones to strengthen their cornerback depth, which may be the only position of need in Denver who is also proficient at kick and punt returns.

    Brandon McManus also was on fire, going 5/5 in field goals, making two from 50 yards out or longer, with one from 50, the other from 56. Marquette King, the punter also had 2 punts for 94 yards, pinning the offence deep into their own territory, which is important on special teams.

    Overall, the offence was good in this game and should have an amazing season if they continue to play like they did against the Redskins, with an elite QB in Case Keenum, amazing WRs in Emmanuel Sanders, Demaryius Thomas, Courtland Sutton and Deshaun Hamilton, a pretty good running game with Royce Freeman, Devontae Booker, Carlos Henderson, Philip Lindsay, and finally they have a strong tight end core with Jake Butt, Jeff Heuerman and even Troy Fumagalli. Keenum is one of the 22 players not expected to play their final preseason game against the Cardinals but will study the Cardinals’ defence to prepare for their week seven matchup against them. Chad Kelly will start against the Cardinals on August 30th, so Keenum will also help him play well with the first string offence and will help Lynch when he plays in the second half.

    But the Broncos’ defence was also spectacular. As well as amassing 2.5 sacks -- one against Alex Smith and 1.5 against Colt Mccoy, which shows excellence in the pass rushing department but they also limited Alex Smith and the Redskins starting offence to 33 passing yards as Smith only completed 3-8 passes for 33 yards. Great pressure applied by the starting defensive line and the starting pass rushers to collapse the pocket and a great performance by the starting secondary only giving up 33 yards through the air. Chubb got 0.5 sacks as he had help bringing down Mccoy and the other half of that sack didn’t register as a sack but only a tackle, Adam Gotsis got one sack against Smith and Shane Ray with another sack against Mccoy. The Broncos will have an excellent season in 2018, as well as their offence, with an amazing defensive line, pass rushers in Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Derek Wolfe and Shane Ray amongst others as well as a decent secondary with cornerbacks in Chris Harris Jr., Bradley Roby, Tramaine Brock, and newly acquired Adam Jones and safeties Darion Stewart, Su’a Cravens once he returns from injury, Justin Simmons and Will Parks.

    The linebackers were also amazing, applying pressure to the quarterback, helping out in close pass protection and amazing in stopping the running game. After being startled by Adrian Peterson’s seven-yard run to start the game, the Broncos pretty much stopped him the rest of the game. He finished with 11 carries for 56 yards, Kapri Bibbs, an ex. Bronco, had two carries for 41 yards and the Redskins only finished with 136 rushing yards from six rushers.

    In the fourth quarter, Redskins’ QB Kevin Hogan came into the game and completed 7-9 passes for 88 yards and two passing touchdowns to bring the Redskins within 12 points, the Broncos now only led 29-17 after leading 23-3 going into the fourth quarter. This was against the Broncos’ second-team defence. The second team pass rushers weren’t able to sack Hogan however, they pressured him four times and their second team secondary including cornerbacks Isaac Yiadom, a rookie fresh out of Boston College selected in the third round of the 2018 draft and Brendan Langley, a cornerback drafted in the third round in the 2017 draft. Obviously, those cornerbacks are not NFL ready yet, but eventually will be ready to start. That’s okay, because the players on the second team defence will eventually improve enough to move up to a starter.

    Overall, it was a great game for the Broncos’ offence, defence and special teams. Head coach Vance Joseph managed the game well, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave ran the offence smoothly and was an excellent play caller, leading drives that led to the Broncos scoring points which gave them the win. Also, the defensive coordinator, Joe Woods had an excellent game, limiting the Redskins’ starting offence to nearly no production on the ground or the air. Keenum’s success in this game was owed to his talent and the collaboration of offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave and QB coach Klint Kubiak who worked together to help Keenum play well.

    In terms of injury, Broncos’ safety Su’a Cravens, with a knee injury is questionable for Friday’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals but he took the field on Monday, August 27th, for his first practice all preseason long. He should be okay to start the regular season. Broncos’ tight end Troy Fumagalli, with a sports hernia injury won’t play against the Cardinals and is questionable for September 9th when the Broncos open up their season against the season at home. The rookie out of Wisconsin has been battling this injury for a couple of months now and it seems like he’ll need time to rest and get back to full health. So it’s likely he will miss the first few weeks of the regular season. And, it looks like Jake Butt and Jeff Heuerman will be the starting tight ends for the Broncos to start the regular season. Broncos’ safety Will Parks who suffered a knee injury against the Bears exited the game but head coach Vance Joseph indicated that Parks avoided structural damage and is only dealing with a bruise. He appears to have avoided a serious injury and it’s unclear whether he will play against the Cardinals bit should be okay to start the regular season. Also, safety Shamarko Thomas did not suffer a detached retina, contradictory to previous reports and he’s still being evaluated by Broncos’ trainers and it’s not clear when he will return to the field. A detached retina would have meant immediate season-ending surgery to save his vision.

    The Redskins injuries include: running back Derrius Guice who tore his ACL and his out for the season, which is why the Redskins signed running back Adrian Peterson; running back Chris Thompson with a lower leg injury, he is questionable for their final preseason game but Jay Gruden said Thompson’s leg looks “fantastic” in practice, Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post reports after he has been held out for all of the Redskins’ preseason games despite participating in all practices since the beginning of training camp. He is questionable to start the regular season. Also, tight end Jordan Reed is questionable for the last preseason game with a toe injury is on track to play in week one of the regular season against the Cardinals. Washington has taken a cautious approach with Reed and Thompson throughout the preseason, not playing them at all, despite them participating in training camp due to their infamous injury history. Also, backup QB Colt Mccoy is questionable for their last preseason game but Alex Smith and Kevin Hogan should do just fine and wide receiver Jamison Crowder didn’t play against the Broncos and is questionable for the last preseason game and the start of the regular season with a groin injury.  

    Overall, the Broncos had an amazing game on both offence, defence and special teams and were the better team against the Redskins in their 29-17 win. They should have a pretty good year, might even make the playoffs.

    In their final preseason game, the 1-2 Redskins visit the undefeated 4-0 Baltimore Ravens and the 1-2 Broncos visit Josh Rosen and the Arizona Cardinals who are 3-0 in preseason thus far to try and finish at .500 in the preseason.