Mason's Mailbag No. 1: Defining a successful season for Joe Flacco

In the words of George Costanza, “I’m back, baby!”

If you want in on the next Mailbag, leave your questions in the comment section below!

#askmase O-line holds, running game in top half of the league, what does a successful season for @JoeFlacco look like then?

— Adam Lucas (@Chefadaml) September 4, 2019

It would include the following:

• A completion percentage of 64 percent or better; Flacco hit that each year from 2015-17, but fell back to 61.8 in 2018.
• Twice as many touchdowns as interceptions, with a minimum of 22 touchdown passes. That would be his highest touchdown tally since 2014, the season in which he ran Gary Kubiak’s scheme. (Flacco was on pace for 24 touchdowns last year before a hip injury forced him out of the lineup after eight games.)
• An average of at least 7.0 yards per attempt, a figure that Flacco has not reached since that 2014 season.
• Finally, although QB wins ARE NOT a statistic, the overall record matters. If he doesn’t meet all of those statistical benchmarks, but the Broncos win 10 or more games and his passer rating improves toward the territory of his 2014 season — 90.0 or better — then it’s a successful year, and you can settle in for at least another year of Flacco.
• Or, of course, Flacco could have a season like his last four, but everything else clicks so well that the Broncos make the playoffs anyway, and then he recaptures the magic of January and February of 2013.

The key is for the Broncos to be successful at least in part because of Flacco. Simply riding a strong defense, O-line and running game is not enough. When there are opportunities for Flacco to be a primary reason why they win, he must seize them. If he does, he’ll likely hit those benchmarks anyway.

https://twitter.com/jedbrill/status/1169285930995388417

Give it time. There were times in practice that they looked in perfect sync. And it’s all going to come down to execution, which was lacking at times during the 49ers preseason game in particular, when Lindsay had to contend with defensive linemen pouring through as he received handoffs from Flacco. This isn’t an issue of being in out of sync; it’s a matter of winning the matchups at the line of scrimmage.

Where you worry is if the holes are there and the running back can’t find them. That’s where the sync issue comes into play. And if we see those hiccups Monday night, that’s when it would be fair to wonder if more preseason playing time for the first-team offense might have helped.

@BSNBroncos @MaseDenver #askmase how common is it for Rockies to be featured in these types of events? Nice work @Dalton_Risner66 https://t.co/ni0PKDw7ho

— Adam Lucas (@Chefadaml) September 4, 2019

It’s very common to see rookies at these events. Many players come to the Broncos with a background of community involvement in their college towns.

The embedded video in the tweet you cited features left guard Dalton Risner. His participation in this type of event comes as no surprise. Last year, Risner was one of three finalists for the Wuerffel Trophy, an award given to a college-football player for his charitable endeavors and service to the community at large. He started his RiseUp foundation while he was still at Kansas State. As he begins his rookie season, he has a buffet of chances to give back and he intends to take advantage.

“We have a great community-service team here that has so many events and just sets me up with all of these opportunities. I didn’t have that at Kansas State. I kind of had to do that by myself,” Risner said. “But I think it’s just extremely important to realize the platform that we have. It’s not a platform that I got for myself. It’s a platform that God gave me, and I want to use that platform to impact as many people as I can.

“Of course, football is my No. 1 priority right now, but if I can impact kids and make them smile along the way — and they think I’m cool for whatever reason, because I play NFL football, I don’t know why — that means a lot to me.”

It takes splendid time-management skills to balance community involvement, football and a full course load, as he did at Kansas State. But in the pros, there’s a different kind of time management, given that days at the team facility can stretch from 7 a.m. to after sundown for some players who put in extra study time before going home. Evenings at home are often filled with film and tablet-playbook study.

“The type of commitment you have at the NFL level doesn’t compare to the commitment you have at the college level. We’re here a lot longer, in meetings longer, stuff like that,” Risner said. “It’s more dedicated because you don’t have school. This is our job now. There’s a little more time commitment.

“At the same time, after games on Tuesdays are kind of our days off, and that’s when they say we can do community work. In college, you never really got a whole day off for community work. I think there’s pros and cons to it, but there are going to be plenty of opportunities to get out in the community this year, and I know you guys will see me out there for sure.”

Best burger in town? #askmase

— Wyatt Potter-Seymour (@Wyatt0614) September 4, 2019

For a classic greaseball-type of burger served in an old-school environment, My Brother’s Bar near Coors Field is the go-to. Get the JCB or the Johnny Burger if you want something with a little kick; both include jalapeño cream cheese. I’ve had some terrific burgers at the Highland Tap & Burger locations; their new spot in DTC is the most convenient one for me. If you’re going vegan, Highland T & B’s take on the Impossible Burger is the best I’ve found in the area so far.

(Yes, I have eaten Impossible Burgers, Beyond Burgers and other manner of veggie burgers more often in recent months. You can thank the influence of my radio co-conspirator, Ryan Edwards, for that. That being said, I’m still on the beef-burger train; I’m just being judicious. No more two beef-burger days like I had been known to stack up on road trips.)

Also check out the Stanley Beer Hall in Aurora; their Stanley Cheeseburger is massive but simple — two patties, a pickle, caramelized onions, American cheese and Russian dressing. There’s probably a joke in there but I’m going to let that hanging curve sail past me and wait for another pitch.

Do you eat cereal? If so, do you drink the cereal milk AFTER the cereal has been eaten? #AskMase

— Keith Bryan (@kei1hbryan) September 4, 2019

Yes, and always. There are few things better in life than milk that has had sugar-laden cereal floating in it for 10 minutes. On Saturday morning, I slurped every last drop of the milk filled with the residue left behind from a serving of Reese’s Puffs. ‘Twas delightful.