Drew Lock did something unforgivable.

I never want to hear the words Lock and Leadership in the same sentence the rest of this season.

I don’t know who he let down more: a suffering nation with hundreds of thousands dead or every single one of his teammates.

We said this back half of the season was about watching Drew and seeing how he performed and made decisions. Well, Drew – we saw. All of America saw.

I think the correct term to describe this game is “bummed”. I feel more let down from this loss than I have from any other this season. It *beeped* me up seeing a team I love give all its heart knowing it was doomed from the start. No blame can be put on the O-line, Running backs, or Kendall Hinton for what they left out there. The NFL decided to put a *beep* product out there and they will now take the backlash for it, and it seems like most football fans are in agreement that the NFL was in the wrong. Respect goes out to Kendall Hinton and what he was put through this week. He showed great work ethic. He made Broncos Country proud today. Thanks for the platform to vent, and I wish you all the best as you continue to provide Grade A coverage of a disappointing season. Schwiedz out!

I’d like to thank the NFL for totally screwing us over. Every other team that’s had major covid issues has had their games pushed back but they expect denver to just go out with no QB on the field. The titans were found to have violated to covid regulations and were fined for it and their games were still pushed back. Even if mistakes were made by the players the game still should have been pushed back. I didn’t like what Vic said in his post-game interview where he put all the blame on the players and acted like the NFL did nothing wrong. Maybe I’m wrong guys, tell me if I am.

Fellas,

Is it just me or does it feel like the Broncos are at a crossroads. The ownership situation, Drew Lock struggling to show he’s the guy, Von Miller’s future in doubt, the rest of the AFC West having a franchise QB. There just isn’t much to celebrate in Broncos Country. The team can either go into this no-mans-land of instability and draft somewhere around 6-15 every year, or they can realize they need to figure out the ownership and get somebody who can right the ship. Do the Bowlen children see that the team needs this and they don’t care, or is the legal system preventing them from actually doing something? How say you?

Here is something I don’t understand and hasn’t been discussed in detail. Drew Lock and the rest of the QBs had bad judgement on Tuesday. There is a 5 day quarantine period after exposure to the virus. Jeff Driskel tested positive on Thursday. Why did the quarantine period for the other QBs begin on Thursday and not Tuesday? Sure, they practiced until Thursday but it’s not like the virus wasn’t active if they had it. If the quarantine period begins from the time of exposure then the 3 QBs would have been available Sunday, not Tuesday.

In NY if I am called for a contact trace then I must quarantine for 10 days. If I’m called 6 days after a possible exposure, because of the long process it takes for contact tracing, I begin to quarantine at that time BUT I am allowed to go back to work 10 days after exposure, not 10 days after the call. Just a little odd the way the quarantine rules played out here.

Also did Patrick Mahomes quarantine for 5 days after he hugged Stephen Gilmore on Monday night football? Just wondering.

Well I know this is going to be a resounding theme this week, but the broncos got screwed. The very least the nfl could have done was push the game to Monday to give the broncos a day of practice for Hinton to learn some plays. What just happened was so stupid and so inconsistent with how the nfl has handled Covid situations this far. It seemed like a punishment for not following protocols, but Albright tweeted out that the three QBs were exposed while eating and other than that wore their masks (he also stated that a video of this was sent to the nfl.) Having gotten that rant off my chest, mad respect for Hinton. Guy came in and hadn’t played QB in 3 years and had no practice snaps and came in and did what he could. Doesn’t matter how bad his stats were guy has the heart of a champion and I hope he has a future with the broncos. Happy we got screwed Monday and Go broncos!

Sorry about the double comment but forgot to say I loved the effort by Bolles to save a touchdown, especially in that game he could have just let them score and nobody would have questioned it. Love the attitude he showed and glad we locked him up

When Stephen Gilmore tested positive on Weds, Oct 7th the NFL pushed back the Patriots game against the Broncos to Monday night, before ultimately rescheduling it for a week later when more positive tests were revealed. So with this precedent already set, why didn’t the NFL push back the Broncos game when Driskel tested positive on Weds last week and then the rest of the QB’s were found to be in close contact? IIRC, Gilmore was even seen eating dinner out at a restaurant with Cam Newton without a mask, prior to Cam testing positive. This just feels like the NFL only cares about high profile teams and gave Denver the shaft.

This comment section is going to be a broken record but I too feel the NFL did us dirty. I am completely appalled at the decision for us to go out there with no QB on Sunday. It is a disgrace to the integrity of the game and the NFL used it as a teaching moment.

Green Bay, Tampa Bay, LA, Seattle and all their fans should be angry knowing the Saints redeemed a free win on their punchcard… and let’s not push away the fact that if Denver had even just one more win on their record that this decision by the NFL couldve also cost them a playoff spot.

I understand this stems from the Broncos QB room and isnt the NFLs fault, but the NFL did a total piss poor job in handling the situation and the result was the biggest competitive disadvantage I’ve seen in any sporting event ever. Not to mention we are going to receive the same fines and draft pick loss as the other violating teams, the only difference being we didnt get our game pushed back to be given a chance.

I feel so bad for those players today and everyone watching. The Broncos just seem to keep drilling through rock bottom like there is gold beyond it.

Hey DNVR Family,

I have to say that I am with RK on this one. The NFL is all about putting out the best product for it’s fans. How is a team that has no QB the best product? I am not saying that Drew, Brett, or Blake should of played but they could of moved the game to Tuesday so Hinton could have more time to be prepared. If the roles were reversed with the Saints, I feel like they would have pushed the game back.

Would love to see Hinton get some reps in the future at QB and maybe he can be our Taysom Hill.

I only have one thing to say about Phillip Lindsay: PAY THE MAN.

Thank you and stay AWESOME my friends.
RC
Soldier in the DNVRmy

Top o’ the morning dudes.

So lemme get this straight. The Broncos are allowed to play 16 full-contact football games with teams from 13 different cities, unmasked, yelling and spitting and sweating everywhere, getting in eachothers’ faces, tackling, hugging, etc…

but God forbid our QBs take a short break from wearing masks in a closed off, socially distanced setting to eat some food.

Bottom line is: If the NFL really gave a damn about the virus spreading as much as they pretend to, there would be no games at all right now. Orrrr they’d implement the bubble system.

Based on what I know, it seems the Broncos were blatantly ignored and unfairly treated. With all this so-called “investigating” the NFL does into virus protocols, why aren’t the ones in charge investigated for their obviously biased decision-making?

We all know damn well if this same situation happened with the Chiefs the NFL would do everything in its power to coddle them and make sure their game was postponed.

Apologize for the length. Im peeved and I had to vent. Hats off to Kendall Hinton today for persevering through the sh**-sandwich he and the Broncos were force-fed.

Screw you, Roger Goodell. May there be endless poo in your Christmas stocking.

-Colin-

The NFL just spit in the faces of fans everywhere. What a joke! The NFL made itself look bad by forcing the Broncos to play that game. Why were the Broncos so heavily watched and traced during this? Two saints O-lineman were positive and not able to play. Were they investigated as heavily as the Broncos? How were they not considered close contact exposures during practice all week? Why aren’t the Ravens being punished? They clearly can’t being following all protocols to the letter with 18 players being positive. Where does it end? Sorry for the rant but my goodness, RK is correct saying the FANS were the ones who payed the most which is crazy considering the fans are the reason this league exists. Thanks for sorting this stupid situation out for us. Go Broncos and go DNVR.

hey guys

i think i speak for most of the fanbase when i say hinton deserves to stick around on the 53 and get a legitimate look at receiver, no? it’s the least the broncos could do!

The NFL’s entire approach to covid has been MALPRACTICE.

I’m not against teams being put into an awkward position because of covid outbreaks. I commented here months ago that it would be interesting to see a team forced to play the wildcat. I was clearly wrong but it would at least be fair if the NFL enforced the rules consistently.

What I’m against is the selective rules enforcement by the NFL. They could have delayed the game by a couple of days and tested, potentially allowing a quarterback to clear. They could have moved the game back.

The NFL had modified roster roles for exactly this reason and every team should have been playing like the Broncos just did from week one. The Patriots should have been without Cam Newton. The Ravens should have played on Sunday with whatever team they could field.

Instead we get this arbitrary definition of an “outbreak”. Seemingly you’re better off as a team if you have an outbreak. Really though you’re better off if you’re a team getting good ratings. This isn’t about rules and competition this is about ratings and money. It always is with the NFL.

I’m going to be enraged if it turns out any Broncos were injured because of this debacle.

I’d bet the house, car, and bank account that not having ownership in place is the main reason this happened as it did. The NFL saw an easy opportunity to make an example of this team, without having to deal with pissing off a strong owner. Straight bully mode, if you ask me.

Why are people jumping on Drew Lock here? What did he do wrong?? It was Rypien who’d been dangling his bits near someone unclean. Drew trusted his team mates, and his team mate let him down..

Also, am I the only Broncos Fan who enjoyed the game?? I quite liked it, well the first half anyhow. It was fascinating. I know most of you would find it painful, but up until Phil got injured, I thought we were going to win it.

A couple quick questions:

1. There is a lot of contradicting information floating around about what actually happened to cause the suspension. Can you provide the details of who did what and how this happened?

2. Now that Phil is a starting QB, does that play a factor in his contract negotiations?

3. Mr. B

4. You have to respect Kendall Hinton for going out there and giving it his all in a less than ideal situation. I’d love to buy his jersey for a weird moment in Broncos history, but the Broncos likely won’t put it out there for sale. Can you find out if there’s a charity he supports? Would love to support the kid and the effort he put out there.

Nothing to really say about this game that has not already been said. How does the NFL give Ryan Tannehill an unsportsmanlike penalty for spinning the ball by an opponent after his touchdown but Tyreek Hill does a backflip into the end zone and he gets nothing?

What the most awkward holiday gathering experience you’ve had to endure?

Love
The Count

Loved the discussion last week about which Toy Story character Drew Lock is right now. I didn’t have a chance to comment, but I figured it out. Drew is like Forky from Toy Story 4 right now cause he’s trash. I’m mostly kidding, but hope you guys get a laugh out of that.

Like others I think Kendall should be given some extra looks and opportunities to make the roster as a WR, guy has so much heart and grit and did this team a favor. Speaking of favors, it looks like Shurmur sure didn’t do Hinton any favors. I would think a high school coach with a grasp on reality would give their WR-starting-at-QB some screen passes, quick slants, etc. and try not to force them to throw downfield that often cause that’s an interception waiting to happen (no offense Hinton).

Maybe there were easy reads open in the flats or something on the plays Hinton was throwing and he didn’t see them, but Shurmur’s play-calling helped set up third and long situations and only then did they let Hinton throw for the most part, no easy completions. It seems like no matter who the QB is, Shurmur is going to force them to do what he wants (usually what the QB isn’t good at), winning be damned.

Dense is the very kind word that comes to mind for Shurmur

MY BOYS! I have a potpourri of thoughts this morning. In the parlance of Kevin McAllister from the motion picture, “Home Alone, “The NFL, your product, woof!” Thankfully, I did not watch yesterday’s game, if you want to call it that, live. On the FOX broadcast, Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth reminded us of Emmanuel Sanders’ quote of being in wide receiver heaven upon signing with the Broncos. Yesterday, had to be both wide receiver and quarterback hell for the Broncos franchise and their fans, which I am not attributing in any way shape or form to Kendall Hinton, who filled in the best he could when placed in a terrible spot. We keep talking about rock bottom. I don’t know if anything can be worse than yesterday, including zero passes completed to a wide receiver. We can all but kiss Jerry Jeudy breaking the Broncos’ rookie receiving yardage record goodbye. Thankfully, no fans were permitted to attend, or it could have gotten even uglier. And it’s only fitting that that the one pass completed by the Broncos yesterday ended up being a screen. My question for today is do you think that under similar circumstances, the NFL would have meted out the same draconian, heavy-handed discipline to the Chiefs had its third string quarterback contracted COVID-19 and then Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s other quarterbacks been deemed high-risk contacts? I have serious doubts that the NFL would, and therein lies a major problem. The NFL is inconsistent. It’s sad that the NFL often acts like the Broncos are a second class franchise, who haven’t accomplished much of import or made major contributions to the league. The NFL and this season are both a joke. At this point, I don’t really care if the remainder of the season crumbles like a house of cards, but I’m sure the NFL will engage in all sorts of mental gymnastics to ensure that their preferred teams find a way to play a full season of games and playoffs. DNVRMY SALUTE!

Hey guys! Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! In regards to the farce that was the game yesterday, multiple things can be true at once:

1) The Broncos QBs screwed up. There seems to be about 4 different stories of what exactly happened in the QB room and how egregious the screw up was, but ultimately, they did something that the NFL found to create a “high risk” contact. So that’s on them.

2) The Broncos QBs’ screw up doesn’t make them horrible people. I’m as much of a pro-mask, pro-COVID safety person as you will find, but I gotta admit the amount of vitriol being thrown at the QBs (Lock in particular) is a bit much.

3) There is no way the game gets played if it is the Chiefs QB room. If I believed for one minute that the same actions would have been taken for the Chiefs (or any other marquee team in the playoff picture), then I’d accept this completely. But I don’t and that’s on the NFL for how it has handled all of the COVID protocols from the beginning.

4) I’m proud of the team for going out there and doing what they could yesterday. The defense fought hard, but the offense had no chance. You can’t create entirely new plays for an offense and install those plays in 24 hours. That’s not on Fangio, Shurmur, or the players.

What happened yesterday was a complete farce. If the Steelers/Ravens game actually gets played tomorrow (and I have my doubts), that will be a complete farce as well. It didn’t have to be this way and if you want to heap all the blame on the QBs, then so be it. I’m pointing the finger squarely at the NFL.

On to the next game. Stay safe everyone.

I might be picking up a Kendall Hinton jersey sometime soon…

Anyone else see Dan Orlovskys take on this? I just think it’s pretty pathetic for all the sports “analysts” to pick and chose who can get hate for covid-19. Look at the ravens for example, they had one person break protocol, but if all of the other people who tested positive were within protocols, they in theory shouldn’t have. So while Drew lock is getting all of this hate, how come Lamar isn’t getting any of protocols aren’t being broken there. I really hope we see a situation come up like this again this season for another team like Tampa bay or Kansas City. And since precedent is set, the NFL is gonna be like, Darn we really BLEAPED up. Thanks for the rant, and thanks for still covering a game that the NFL should be ASHAMED about!

Hey Guys, I don’t usually comment but I just wanted to say you guys are doing an amazing job covering the Broncos this season and boy has there been a lot to cover. I just wanted to hear how you guys felt about Vic Fangio’s comments after the game? It kind of felt like he was throwing the QBs under the bus instead of standing up for them. It also rubbed me the wrong way that he chose to do it in a season in which Drew Lock is already facing so much criticism from his play. Thanks for the pods, keep up the great work!

Hey guys, shouldn´t the Broncos be signing a QB at this moment? (touch wood) but if all 3 QB´s tests positive we are loosing the 6 day window that it takes for a new player to enter the facility. Remember that incubation time can be up to 10-14 days
Much love

Trying to get this one in under the wire but might not make it. I was listening to the Pat Mcafee show today and he led off the show with how disappointed he was that the broncos were dapping up Kendal Hilton after the game. He mentioned it looked like we were celebrating a 31-3 loss. It seemed so incredibly tone deaf and wanted to hear your guys thoughts? What else are the broncos teammates supposed to do? Shun the guy because he only completed one pass? Congratulate the guy for attempting to play the hardest position in sports on a 16 hour notice AND NOT YOUR ACTUAL POSITION, and keep it moving! Proud of how our guys supported one another on Sunday in a terrible situation. Thanks for your hard work as always and happy holidays boys!