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Grading The Week: Christian Braun, Peyton Watson proving Nuggets’ kids are all right after all

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Grading The Week: Christian Braun, Peyton Watson proving Nuggets’ kids are all right after all


No one’s ever asked the kids up in the Grading The Week offices to help them with their taxes, but those wise apples sure know how to work a calculator. When it comes to the Nuggets, we were stoked to see Calvin Booth’s roster math start to finally add up.

From Nov. 3-8, despite losing franchise cornerstones Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon to injuries, Denver went 3-0. Yeah, Nikola Jokic carried the flag, the way only a generational MVP can, with 27 points, 15 rebounds and 14.3 assists per game. Michael Porter Jr. averaged 21.3 points, 4.7 3-pointers and 7.0 boards.

But you know what else happened? The Nuggets got almost as many non-Joker points in those three games from players 25 and younger (146) as they did from those 26 and older (153).

Nuggets’ electric youth movement — A-

Holy smokes, Calvin’s kids can play! And play well!

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Off-guard Christian Braun picked up the baton for both Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in one swing, averaging 20.7 points, 2.7 treys and 6.0 rebounds. Julian Strawther averaged 9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Swingman Peyton Watson stepped it up, averaging 14.0 points, 4.7 boards, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals.

And Watson provided perhaps the most emphatic (and symbolic) moment of a great week for the Nuggets’ youth movement when on Wednesday night he rallied from two missed free throws to swat away a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot to salvage a 124-122 victory.

Look, nobody on the GTW crew is thrilled at the idea of the Nuggets missing Gordon for an extended stretch. But if it forces coach Michael Malone to trot out the young guns who’ve become part of his roster’s core, it might turn into a blessing in disguise. Especially given that Malone doesn’t really have much of a choice.

Tad Boyle lands his 300th at CU — A

Sure, it took longer than anybody hoped. And yes, it had a bunch of uncomfortable … er, teaching moments. But a tip of the cap for the umpteenth time to CU men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle for picking up his 300th career victory with the Buffs on Friday night.

Poetically, it came in double OT against scrappy UNC, a program where Boyle cut his teeth as a head coach for four seasons before joining the Buffs for the 2010-11 campaign.

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Since #RollTad settled in BoCo, the CU men have won 20 or more games 10 times; reached the NCAA tourney six times (COVID-19 kept them from a seventh); and finished fourth or better in their respective conference race four different times, including last season, when the Buffs were third in the final year of the “old” Pac-12.

Context: From 1960-2010, in the 50 years before Tad arrived, CU had been selected for five berths in the Big Dance — an average of once per decade.

Team GTW brings this up because as good as the new-look Big 12 — no blue bloods, no Oregons, USCs or Washingtons — has been for Deion Sanders and Buffs football, it could prove fairly harsh on Boyle and his rebuilding roster in 2024-25. The Big 12 isn’t a great football league. On paper, it’s setting up to be a beast of a basketball league.

Best show patience with young Buffs who’ll have to learn on the fly while traveling to hoops hornets nests such as Stillwater (Jan. 18), Tucson (Jan. 21), Lawrence (Feb. 11), Ames (Feb. 18) and Lubbock (March 5) this winter. Friday night confirmed that CU’s got a long, long way to go. Boyle’s resume should assure you they’ll get there. Eventually.

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Denver, CO

How Atlanta Falcons can Attack Denver Broncos Defense

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How Atlanta Falcons can Attack Denver Broncos Defense


The Atlanta Falcons head west with their collective feathers between their tails after a rough Saints loss. However, it’s time to lock in on the Denver Broncos defense. Surprisingly, a team coached by an offensive-minded coach in Sean Payton actually deploys a balanced defense at all three levels.

The Broncos have the No. 4 scoring defense and the No. 5 overall defense in the NFL heading into Week 11. That unit is a big reason why Denver is a surprising 5-5 with a rookie quarterback and an NFL-high $82 million in dead money on their salary cap.

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The Falcons need to leave Colorado, avoiding a two-game slide, heading into late-November. On paper, Atlanta can match up well with Denver. Now, let’s see how that could look on the field on Sunday.

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Hit the Boundary

The Broncos utilize the 3-4. Vance Joseph, the defensive coordinator/former head coach wants to disrupt at all costs. He believes in heavy blitzing and man coverage behind it. As aggressive as you will find, Denver will throw caution at the wind and get upfield. The stats bear that out as they rank in the top ten league wide in several defensive categories including No. 2 in sacks.

The outside linebackers leave the sideline-to-sideline pursuit to the inside ‘backers. The edge rushers, Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper want to bend the corner, leaving the spots they vacate empty. As a result, swing passes to Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier force matchups versus Justin Strnad and Cody Barton. 

Both Strnad and Barton play well in space but lack the explosion to prevent the Atlanta backs from gaining the perimeter. Meanwhile, faking a jet sweep will draw the defense away from the far side of the first few yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Misdirection could help Atlanta open up the offense early. 

Safety Unconcerned

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For as stellar as cornerbacks Pat Surtain and Riley Moss played so far in 2024, the same does not apply to safeties P.J. Locke and Brandon Jones in pass coverage. Jones has replaced Justin Simmons well and leads the team in tackles, but he’s not as strong against the pass (when the Broncos aren’t sacking quarterbacks). Tight end Kyle Pitts in games like this, must see the majority of the targets not intended for the running backs. 

Intermittently, Pitts shows the skillset that made Atlanta select him in the first place. Too often, he vanishes into thin air. Now, against a team with strong corners but safeties and linebackers that allow roughly seventy percent of opponent targets completed, the best answer remains the simplest. 

Allowing Pitts to climb the route tree in the intermediate to deep areas benefits the Falcons. On top of that, using the crossing routes to pick or wash the defender away will work as well. 

Overview

Make no mistake, the Atlanta Falcons will line up versus a top-10 defense in the Denver Broncos. This is the best defense, by some distance, that they will have played since Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Yet, holes exists and prosperity will arise all over the field. Granted, Denver thrives against the run and possesses two excellent corners on the outside.

Yet, a veteran like Kirk Cousins can find a seam, a sliver of daylight to move the ball. While this may not end up a high scoring affair, the Falcons possess the talent to not only succeed but win the game.

Provided that they do not fall prey to playing into the Broncos; strengths, Atlanta can escape with a quality road win.

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Denver, CO

Longtime Denver newspaper columnist Bill Husted dies at age 76

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Longtime Denver newspaper columnist Bill Husted dies at age 76


Bill Husted, who shared stories about Denver on CBS Colorado’s airwaves, dies

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Bill Husted, who shared stories about Denver on CBS Colorado’s airwaves, dies

00:48

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Denver Press Club Hall of Famer Bill Husted died over the weekend after a battle with cancer.

Bill Husted in 2007

Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post via Getty Images


Husted wrote newspaper columns for both the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post over his long journalism career. He also appeared for a time on CBS Colorado a few decades ago when the TV station was News4. He was an on-the-town commentator.

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He first appeared in print in the Mile High City in the 80s and wrote articles into the 2010s.

In his obituary in the Denver Post, writer John Wenzel reports Husted died at his Colorado home in hospice care.



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Delta plane safely lands in Denver with visible damage to its nose

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Delta plane safely lands in Denver with visible damage to its nose


DENVER — A Delta plane had visible damage to its nose from a mechanical issue, but landed safely at its destination in Denver on Monday, the airline confirmed.

An Airbus A320 carrying 148 customers and six crew members — DL1648 — took off from Detroit around 12:45 p.m. Monday and landed just after 1:30 p.m.

“Crews received an indication of a mechanical issue in the nose of the aircraft,” according to a statement Delta sent to Denver7. “The flight landed safely and taxied to the gate without incident. Our maintenance crews are inspecting the aircraft. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”

Nobody was injured, Delta said. The aircraft will be repaired overnight.

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A new aircraft, an Airbus A319, will fly customers who are on flight DL2362 to Salt Lake City from Denver on Monday evening. That flight has been delayed by four and a half hours, Delta said.

Denver7 is working to learn more about what caused damage to the front of the plane.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what’s right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.





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