@MarkKnudson41
Strike One: Melvin Gordon catches a short pass, starts to make a move, gets hit and fumbles the football. Stop me if you’ve heard one this before.
Yes, the former Charger standout turned Denver Broncos running back has a fumbling problem. And his mistakes early this season have hurt his new team. That’s not debatable.
Fans of local prep/college star Phillip Lindsay weren’t happy when the Broncos gave Gordon a phat two-year $16 million free agent contract. Gordon was a two-time Pro Bowler while a Charger and a thousand yard rusher once.
Lindsay, the former Denver South and CU Buff star running back plays the same position as Gordon but doesn’t make that kind of bank (yet) even though he’s twice been a 1,000 yard rusher and also made the Pro Bowl in his first two seasons.
And every time Gordon makes a mistake, the Lindsay fans take to social media to lament the Broncos signing him. The basic refrain: “Those carries should go to Lindsay, he’s better than Gordon.”
But that’s missing the bigger point.
The Broncos need both running backs if they want to win.
Despite his great career at CU, Lindsay went undrafted. Why? Because size matters for a running back. Listed at 5’8” and 190 pounds, Lindsay is small by NFL standards. And small equates in the NFL to less than durable. Lindsay simply isn’t the kind (size) of running back who can touch the ball 25 times in an NFL game and survive to tell about it. Case in point: In the midst of what was shaping up to be his second straight 100-yard game in the Broncos 43-16 loss to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Lindsay – who missed the first three games of the season with a foot injury – got hit hard by Chiefs defensive back Daniel Sorenson and suffered a concussion.
Re-enter Gordon.
The 6’1” 215 former Wisconsin Badger is far more suited to pound the ball between the tackles, and has already had a 100-yard rushing game himself in the Broncos win over the New York Jets. Despite his fumbling issues – two more such mistakes greatly aided a Kansas City offense that doesn’t need any help – he has a significant role to play.
To this point, you can’t argue that the Denver offense looks better with Lindsay in the backfield. But in order to the Broncos to be able to utilize the shift former Buff the way they’d like to, he can’t be on the field every play. Remember, the best ability is availability.
So Gordon also has to make a contribution. That’s three critical fumbles in his brief five-game Denver career. That’s got to change, and fast. Being able to trust Melvin Gordon is the only way for Denver to get the best out of Phillip Lindsay.
Strike Two: Most times, when a league or division rival gets into the post season and your team doesn’t, it’s considered okay to briefly shift your allegiances to that rival for the good of the league, right? Like the way every SEC team cheers for every other SEC team during the college bowl season.
So why is it so hard for the great majority of Colorado Rockies fans to cheer for the Los Angeles Dodgers…like…ever?
Certainly there’s a little bit of envy involved. We want what they have, right? We want the huge mega-market media rights deals that allow LA to have the cash on hand to make a few mistakes in personnel and still send a juggernaut out on the field every night. Example: If the Dodgers had signed Ian Desmond to the exact same contract the Rockies did, they’d have cut him loose by now, written off the money and not skipped a beat.
Colorado simply can’t afford to do that. Like most franchises with normal sized pockets, the Rockies have to live with each and every personnel misstep.
And the Dodgers have had all that success to be envious of, too, right? Well, sure. Barack Obama was just starting his second term as POTUS the last time LA didn’t win the National League West. But keep in mind that the San Francisco Giants won three World Series titles during the past decade and Rockies fans don’t carry anywhere close to the animosity toward the Giants that they do toward the Dodgers.
That’s probably it right there. The Dodgers haven’t had that kind of ultimate success that their chief rivals up the coast have had…yet they act like they have. That’s the rub.
As someone who has experienced Dodger arrogance during my playing days and as a media member, I completely understand how and why most Rockies fans can’t stand the guys in blue. They ooze arrogance. Spend any time around that team and you come away feeling like they think they invented the game and are doing you a favor allowing you to participate.
The Dodgers are really really really easy to hate.
In truth, they didn’t invent the game, but they might be re-inventing it. And for that, they deserve to be credited, even if it’s begrudgingly.
LA could be one of those old fashioned “buy a championship” teams like we’ve seen from time to time, especially in the NBA (like the current champion Lakers) and a few times in baseball – old New York Yankee teams or the two titles won by the (then) Florida Marlins two decades ago. But they aren’t. Instead, LA does it the way teams like the Rockies should, by having a great draft and develop minor league system. Rich or not, they are showing everyone else how to do it right.
Rockies fans can be envious of the bank account, but the Dodgers success isn’t about money. It’s about drafting and developing their own core of talent. It’s about making moves they don’t have to try to fix later. Free agents aren’t the focus like they are in so many other places.
Here’s a quick rundown: In the 2012 draft, the Rockies picked David Dahl (a good young player who can’t stay healthy) with the 10th pick in the first round. The Dodgers drafted Cory Seager (one of the game’s best shortstops) with the 18th selection.
In 2013, future MVP Cody Bellinger went to LA in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Colorado drafted Jon Gray #3 (very solid pick) Ryan McMahon #42, Sam Moll #77 and Jordan Patterson #109 before Bellinger was selected.
In 2014, Colorado tabbed Forrest Wall at #35, while LA picked up Alex Verdugo at #62. (They traded Verdugo to Boston for Mookie Betts last winter. Verdugo is one of Boston’s best players.)
In 2015, LA grabbed Vanderbilt standout pitcher Walker Buehler at #24 after Colorado had drafted Brendan Rodgers #3 overall.
In 2016, the Dodgers drafted Gavin Lux at #20, catcher Will Smith at #32, and pitcher Dustin May in the third round. Colorado landed high school pitcher Riley Pint #4 overall.
And while the Rockies have spent big money on guys like Ian Desmond and Daniel Murphy, the Dodgers have made modest investments to acquire journeyman like Chris Taylor, Justin Turner, Max Muncy and Kenley Jansen. Who has gotten the most bang for their bucks?
It’s about drafting and developing and making good player personnel decisions. And the Dodgers do it better than almost anyone else.
And it’s still A-OK to hate them.
Strike Three: What would make the 2020 “season” a success for Steve Addazio and the Colorado State Rams?
After Game One was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in New Mexico, perhaps just getting to play the remaining seven scheduled games would make this once-in-a-lifetime season a “success.” Certainly winning four of those seven would be looked upon favorably by CSU faithful.
But there are other less noticeable things to consider, too.
For instance, under center, transfer senior Patrick O’Brien will see his long journey through college football finally come to an end. It may or may not earn him a chance to give it a shot at the next level, but in any case, he won’t be around next fall when (presumably) Addazio’s second season will kick-off with higher expectations. Who will be the quarterback in September of 2021?
Redshirt junior Justice McCoy – a dual threat quarterback with next to no game experience to this point – would be atop the depth chart right as things stand right now. Might Addazio try to dip into the graduate -transfer market for a QB? He didn’t recruit McCoy and has historically favored the more traditional “drop back passer” style QB.
That’s just one of the issues that will need to be addressed. What kind of offensive “style” Addazio employs at CSU will also be a question…this year and next.
This glorified exhibition season will provide all college football coaches a chance to see what they have and what their immediate needs are moving forward. In this strange year, expectations are next to nothing for guys like Addazio – and CU’s Karl Dorrell too. That all changes next season. So, it’s fair to wonder how much of this season will be used to prepare for next year, when the stakes are higher.