Denver, CO
Sean Payton on postseason elimination: ‘It is what it is’
It’s a bittersweet afternoon for Broncos Country. On one hand, we’re celebrating a New Year’s Eve victory over division rival Los Angeles Chargers; on the other, we’ve been eliminated from playoff contention. The latter is not exactly the way you want to start a new year, but we’re doing better this season than last season, or the season before that, or…
You get the idea — the Denver Broncos are making progress, and I think that’s worth quite a bit.
Head coach Sean Payton discussed some of the mixed feelings about the win, saying, “It is what it is. I mean, look, we kind of had that opportunity [to win] a week ago and then ‘ugh’.”
Payton reiterated that making the playoffs is a goal at the beginning of every season, which makes yesterday’s outcome particularly “disappointing,” but that they’re now focusing on getting their ninth win.
“Obviously a good win to get, hard-fought win,” he noted, taking inventory of some of the highlights from yesterday’s game, as well as things they need to work on for January 7th.
“I thought our defense played extremely well. We had one takeaway. We stopped them on a fake punt,” he recalled, “Offensively, we did enough but the penalties—the two false starts on the one-yard line—we can get that cleaned up.”
On Jarrett Stidham’s performance, the coach was complimentary, describing him as “collected, calm,” and “playing with really good poise.”
“He felt experienced relative to a guy who hasn’t had as many minutes maybe as some others,” Payton shared, “You certainly didn’t feel that during the course of the game. I thought he was efficient in and out of the huddle.”
Of course, conversation wasn’t going to stay on just the game. Eventually the questions shifted back to the elephant in the room: Russell Wilson. More specifically, Payton was asked what he thought about Wilson’s comments on Friday.
“You asked that question on Friday,” he reminded them, adding that once the season is over, they’ll be able to ask questions to the people in charge.
The coach also stressed that Russ has been “fantastic” this week. He called out the narrative that there’s tension between himself and the quarterback, saying, “Look, I think this idea that he and I, or we, don’t have a good relationship, or he’s not a fit, all of that stuff comes from people further away from our program.”
Payton insisted that, as expected, Wilson “approached this week like we expected—like a pro.”
I want to give a big Happy New Year! to everyone reading. What are some of your reflections of this past season? What changes do you hope to see the Broncos make as we head into 2024?
Denverites looking for a stellar cup of Joe don’t need to travel far to savor the flavor of excellent coffee.
That’s according to The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops, a website that rates global hospitality establishments where coffee lovers can find better brew. The website recently announced its 2026 list of the best coffee shops in North America, Central America and the Caribbean and two local companies made the list.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters came in at No. 43, while Queen City Collective Coffee ranked No. 61. Not bad for a list that includes must-hit destinations in places like Guatemala and Costa Rica, which are known for their exports of coffee beans.
The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops decided the ranking through a mix of nominations and voting by both the public and experts. Places were evaluated based on the quality of coffee served, barista expertise, ambiance, sustainability practices, and innovation among other criteria, according to the website.
Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, which came on the scene in 2013, helped usher the so-called fourth wave of coffee locally, which focuses on honoring the beans’ agricultural roots and using techniques like pour-over to extract more flavor from each brew. The company started with a wholesale roastery and retail shop in Lakewood before expanding to Arvada through a merger with another company called Two Rivers, and later to Westminster. In 2022, Food and Wine magazine named Sweet Bloom’s Westminster locale the best coffee shop in Colorado.
Queen City Collective has certainly earned the popular vote among Mile High City coffee drinkers if the company’s expansion is an indication. Since opening its first retail location in 2018, in a spot shared with Novel Strand Brewing Co., Queen City has expanded to seven locations between Denver and surrounding suburbs, including Wheat Ridge and Aurora.
To see the full list of must-hit coffee shops across the globe, visit theworlds100bestcoffeeshops.com. For additional recommendations, check out our list of Colorado’s best coffee shops with picturesque patios and views.
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DENVER (KDVR) — With the mild winter and warm start to spring, beekeepers are seeing swarms earlier in the year and expect the season to be longer than usual.
Gregg McMahan is a dispatcher for the Colorado Swarm Hotline. It’s usually his job to send a beekeeper to collect a swarm when someone calls, but on Sunday afternoon, he decided to handle one himself.
“Nice little swarm,” McMahan said. “It’s tricky, though, because it’s hanging on a fence.”
A warm winter and spring mean swarm season has begun four weeks early.
“Never seen it like this ever,” McMahan said.
This call is to a house on Denver’s east side. When McMahan arrived, he saw a swarm had taken up residence on the fence.
“Absolutely typical, it is on the small side,” McMahan said.
He got to work, first luring them into a box when he spotted a good sign.
“See all these girls, they got their butts up, they’re fanning their wings. That’s telling us the queens in here,” McMahan said.
With the queen in hand, the rest began to follow her into the box.
McMahan said two years ago, he had 400 calls like this. Last year, only 100, the Swarm Hotline was as unpredictable as the weather, which has caused bee activity earlier in the year than ever.
“It makes it hard on the bees, you know? Two days ago, I’m collecting swarms in the snow,” McMahan said.
Rescuing them is integral to Colorado’s ecosystem. McMahan hopes people give a beekeeper a call instead of spraying them or harming them in any other way.
“They do a phenomenal amount of pollination within this state. Not only our native flowers but all the other flowers that people bring in,” McMahan said.
Slowly but surely, the swarm left the fence and moved into the box. McMahan loaded them into his truck to deliver them to their new home.
“Westminster to the Stanley Lake Wildlife Refuge, so these girls will have lakefront property tonight,” he said.
As he wrapped up, McMahan’s phone was buzzing more than the bees. Just another call to start a swarm season, he thinks, could be a long one.
“This year I’m already 20 swarms deep, so I’m expecting way more than 100 this year,” McMahan said.
To have a bee swarm removed for free from your property anywhere statewide, the Swarm Hotline number is 1-844-SPY-BEES.
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