The Lead
By the end of this week, you will know who the Broncos have drafted in the first round.
But it's only Monday now.
In the meantime, maybe you spent some of your weekend watching the first two episodes of ESPN's highly anticipated documentary series on Michael Jordan's final season with the Bulls. "The Last Dance" features previously unaired exclusive footage from behind the scenes of a tumultuous and historic season as Jordan and the Bulls chased a sixth ring.
It got me wondering: If there was one Broncos season like that where a film crew documented every waking moment during a championship run, which one would you want it to be?
The first championship season would have been entertaining enough. Cameras would take you inside everything, from seeing how the Broncos wooed division rival Neil Smith as a free agent to experiencing the revenge tour in the playoffs. Can you imagine being in the room after the AFC Championship when John Elway called his mother and told her they were going back to the Super Bowl and hearing her say, "Oh, do we have to go?" after her son's previous three Super Bowls had ended in so much pain.
Or maybe Elway's "Last Dance" would be best. The 1998 season wasn't as full of drama as the previous one as they went 13-0 to start the season, but there was still the question of John Elway's return for a 16th season to try to defend his first title and Terrell Davis' quest for 2,000 yards — and Bubby Brister's brief run leading the offense as Elway recovered from an injury early in the season.
What about Peyton Manning's "Last Dance," though? That was a season certainly with its fair share of adversity and drama. You could get an inside look at Peyton Manning's struggles with injuries and his road back to the field or how then-head coach Gary Kubiak marshaled the team through that uncertain time when Manning was out. Then you have all the characters around them — Wade Phillips, Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, T.J. Ward, Evan Mathis and so many others.
Which one would be your pick?
Below the Fold
9NEWS’ Mike Klis went back through recent draft history to see what teams have done at 15th overall — trade up, trade down or stay put — and then examined those options to the Broncos' current situation.
Meanwhile, ESPN's Madden NFL Celebrity Tournament is proceeding with its Broncos delegation cut in half. Melvin Gordon, after beating Saints DE Cam Jordan in the opening round, is moving on to face Ravens WR Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, Drew Lock faltered in his first-round matchup with UFC fight Daniel Cormier. We'll have to ask him later why he didn't go for the onside kick with 11 seconds left in the game.
In an ESPN interview, Peyton Manning recalled his recent conversation with top quarterback prospect Joe Burrow about the challenges he'll face in his rookie season. "[W]hat I tried to encourage Joe and all the other rookie quarterbacks [is] that your rookie year is not going to be the same as your senior year in college. But if you learn how fast the defensive backs are, how soon you have to get rid of the ball, understand defenses, you can become a better player and really get it going the year or two after that."
