Mile High Monday: Fant down, Gordon in rhythm and Sly returns

The Broncos finally got the first win of the season! The game wasn’t really as much of a blowout as the final score indicated, but Denver was able to beat the Jets by a score of 37-28 on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 4.

Some fans are upset the Broncos actually won the game. That’s a ridiculous notion for a multitude of reasons. I celebrated the victory over the Jets for the primary reason that there might not be too many W’s left on the Broncos schedule.

I like when the Broncos get a win – even if it’s against a hapless team like the Jets. You only get 16 regular season games, and every win counts. I’m the biggest draft guy in the Denver media and I do not want to think about the draft in late September/early October.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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And Another One

The Broncos have been bitten by the injury bug time and time again this season. They are arguably the team most impacted by injuries in 2020 – and there are a ton of injuries across the league. On Thursday night, the Broncos saw another talented starter go down with injury.

Tight end Noah Fant suffered an ankle injury against the Jets and it could force him out of the lineup for at least one game. In fact, Fant is not expected to play in Week 5 against the Patriots.

Fant was having a breakout season with the Broncos. He flashed some talent in his rookie season, but it was an up-and-down year in terms of production and play. This year, the second-year tight end has taken his game to another level. It seems like every week Fant is a big part of the game plan and he is coming through with consistent production.

Broncos’ TE Noah Fant has a sprained ankle that is expected to sideline him for Denver’s next scheduled game against the Patriots, but he will he considered week to week, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 3, 2020

Raise your hand if you’re sick and tired of these injuries for the Broncos. I know my hand has been raised for some time. Fant’s injury is just another unfortunate occurrence for this team. We’ll see how the offense looks without him, but things are just not going to be the same without Fant on the field. Hopefully, Fant will get healthy and miss as little time as possible.

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Rhythm Runner

We finally saw Broncos starting running back Melvin Gordon rush for more than 100 yards in a single game for the first time in the 2020 season. Earlier in 2020, the Broncos made Gordon the sixth-highest paid running back in the league with an average annual salary of $8 million. After three games, however, Gordon had looked okay, but not like the type of running back a team should pay that kind of money to.

Against the Jets, all that changed. Yes, it was against the Jets. Yes, most of his 107 rushing yards came on one 43-yard touchdown run to close out the game. I get all that, but it doesn’t change the fact that Gordon was able to get those numbers in a game that was kind of a “must win” for the Broncos.

Gordon is what I call a “rhythm runner.” These type of running backs have littered the NFL for years and years, so Gordon is nothing new. A running back who needs to get into a rhythm can work well when you get him 20-plus carries. This allows him to get into a groove and find the weak spots in a defense as the game goes on.

Regularly, “rhythm runner”’ do not produce a high yards-per-carry average with their early carries. However, as the game goes on those two- to four-yard runs turn into 10-, 20-, 30- and 40-yard (or more) runs. That’s exactly what Gordon has shown during his pro career and certainly in the game against the Jets.

👊 107 rushing yards.
👊 Two TDs.

The top 📸's from @Melvingordon25's breakout game » https://t.co/yK2sxsRRdo pic.twitter.com/BiKhXxhVys

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 4, 2020

Gordon has been able to get a bulk of the workload over the last couple of games because of the turf toe injury suffered by co-starter Phillip Lindsay. This upcoming game against the Patriots could see the return of Lindsay to the field. What will Gordon look like when Lindsay returns to the lineup? Only time will tell.

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Welcome Back

Free-agent defensive tackles Darius Kilgo (Patriots) and Sylvester Williams (Chargers) were signed to the practice squad of the Broncos over the weekend. Kilgo was with the Broncos back in 2015 and 2016 and appeared in 18 games during that time. He tallied 11 tackles in Denver and has bounced around to four different teams since leaving Denver. Now, Kilgo is back to provide depth on the defensive line.

Williams is an eight-year veteran, but he spent the first four years of his career in Denver. Broncos fans will remember him as he was the team’s first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Williams was a starter for the Broncos in both Super Bowl 48 and Super Bowl 50 before moving on in 2017. Since leaving the Broncos, Williams has bounced around to five different teams.

He has to be one of the few (if not the only) players who are on a team’s practice squad after being a first-round pick for the same team. Williams was not a bust for the Broncos in my opinion. Instead, he was what I would categorize as a “solid yet unspectacular” player who never seemed to latch on with another team like he did with the Broncos. He was always good to talk to, and Williams did flash at times for the Broncos on the field.

This is neat. Broncos signing former Bronco D-linemen Sylvester Williams, Darius Kilgo to practice squad per sources. Sylvester started in 2 Super Bowls for Broncos – 48 that didn't go well; 50 which couldn't have gone better. Kilgo played 2 yrs for Broncos. Welcome back.#9sports

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) October 3, 2020

With all these injuries, we could see both Williams and Kilgo back on the field for the Broncos. I’m glad that both are back in the building.

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Shown the Ropes

I have made some great friends along the way in my lifetime. My best friend – my brother, really – Eric Hoffman is a long-time friend who I grew up with in Grover, Colo. When we were in college, Eric and I created a comic book character called “Gravis” and built a comic book universe around him that has more than 150 characters within it.

We have self-published our comic book and now are writing it as a TV show for pitch videos (since in-person pitch meeting are not a thing in Hollywood due to COVID-19) for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Universal, etc. Over the weekend, we were invited to showcase our comic book properties at the All C’s Expo in Denver. It was our first comic book convention, and it was the first time we’ve been out in the public promoting our book.

In order to get shown the ropes, I contacted my friend Mike Lorenzo. He’s a long-time seasoned veteran of the comic book convention circuit and told us what to expect in this sort of outing. It was great news when Mike told me that he could join us at our table and feature some of his artwork, as well. In addition to beautiful watercolor fan art, Mike has done some original artwork for the Gravis universe.

Dynamic trio here with @smokinguncomics @MikeLorenzoArt #comicbooks pic.twitter.com/s8oXAq8OxL

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) October 4, 2020

We had a great time hanging out and spending time with fans. It’s fun to pitch your work to fans and see their reaction to your properties. Having Mike and Eric there by my sides (in addition to Eric’s son, Jonathan, and my daughter, Avery) was a fantastic experience. Not only did we get to talk to fans, but we also talked among ourselves about the latest seasons of The Boys and Umbrella Acadamy – both comic book properties which made their way to the TV screen. Both Eric and Mike told me I need to watch “Utopia,” so that means I should wrap up my writing and get that started!

Are you excited about this new wave of TV shows about comic book properties? Hit me up on social media and let me know.

Follow @CecilLammey