Denver, CO

Report: One of the worst Broncos OCs is now calling plays for CU

Published

1 year ago

November 3, 2023

Report: One of the worst Broncos OCs is now calling plays for CU

The Colorado Buffaloes are making a major change hours before hosting No. 16 Oregon State Saturday night, as Brett McMurphy of Action Network is reporting that Deion Sanders is switching parts of offensive coordinator’s roles.

Sanders will reportedly take Sean Lewis out of the play-calling role and elevate quality control coach and former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur into the role. It will take demoting an assistant to a quality control analyst, which will be somebody other than Lewis, as he’s still expected to signal plays into quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

The junior gunslinger has shot up draft boards and is likely a first-round pick whenever he decides to leave for the NFL Draft. But he has sustained so much pressure in recent weeks, that Colorado’s offense has crumbled. Against UCLA last Saturday, Sanders needed a pain injection at halftime to quell the beating he took.

To some extent, Leiws did do good work, taking the Buffs who had scored 15.4 points per game in 2022 (fifth-worst in FBS) and has got the team to 32.1 (31st in FBS.) But this wasn’t enough for Deion Sanders who expects greatness. Lewis was hired to be an offensive mastermind after making Kent State the fourth-best offense in the sport in 2021 while he was the head coach.

🦬 @DeionSanders on how he feels the relationship between OC Sean Lewis & QB Shedeur Sanders has developed & grown.
Says, “all the coaches are doing a pretty good job.”
Sarcastically called it, “a great try”, and, “a valiant effort.” pic.twitter.com/9PJ7bYkio4
— Mat Smith (@RealMatSmith) October 29, 2023

Meanwhile, Shurmur was at the next level, unsuccessfully coaching the Broncos offense in 2020 and 2021. Among his notable history was the team carrying the ball 16 times for 18 yards, the team’s Kendall Hinton game and practicing incompletions. On top of that, Shurmur may have ruined any chance that Drew Lock would become good, stunning the young quarterback’s development. The Broncos 36.36% winning percentage with Shurmur leading the offense was the worst performance by an offensive coordinator in team history at the time.

Shurmur does have quite the resume for an NCAA OC, going 19-46 as an NFL head coach while leading the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants at points over the past decade. Shurmur is from Michigan and went to Michigan State, where he began his coaching career. After working for the Spartans for a decade, he worked at Stanford in the Pac-10, then made the jump to the NFL.

Shurmur isn’t alone as a former NFL staffer in Boulder, former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman and Broncos tight ends coach, Tim Brewster, are also on Prime’s staff.

Even with the overall numbers being decent for Colorado’s offense the cracks started to show as far back as their first loss against USC. The Buffs likely would have pulled the upset on the Trojans had Lewis not messed up. And Lewis and Sanders are responsible for the school’s most epic collapse against Stanford, scoring only seven points in the second half while the Cardinal scored 36.

While Sanders is averaging 329.6 passing yards per contest, CU ranks No. 128 out of 130 FBS programs in rushing offense.

Lewis is tied into the Buffs future plans it seems, with the way they have recruited and it was apparent he was being built up as the coach in waiting if Prime decided to leave.

The Buffaloes are home in Boulder this weekend against the Beavers for the first time since that defeat against Stanford. CU needs to win two of its final four games to be bowl-eligible for the second time in a full season since 2007.

1 p.m. Update:

Pat Shurmur and Sean Lewis will serve as co-offensive coordinators for Colorado, per an ESPN source. Shurmur will call offensive plays and assist with the offensive line. https://t.co/nPuGyaq6vu
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) November 3, 2023

***

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Denver, CO

Denver area events for Nov. 25: Pop-up holiday lounge at Union Station and more

Published

3 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Denver area events for Nov. 25: Pop-up holiday lounge at Union Station and more

If you have an event taking place in the Denver area, email information to carlotta.olson@gazette.com at least two weeks in advance. All events are listed in the calendar on space availability.

Monday

Sipping N’ Painting Hampden — “Alaska Night,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Sipping N’ Painting Hampden, 6461 E. Hampden Ave., Denver, $35. Registration required: sippingnpaintinghampden.com.

Brazilian Zouk Classes and Social Dance — 7-11:30 p.m., Mercury Café, 2199 California St., Denver, $20 class and social, $15 social only; mercurycafe.com.

Cloud Nothings — With Armlock, Famers Wife, 8 p.m., Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, $25. Tickets: axs.com.

Mile High Holidays Drone Show — 7 p.m. through Dec. 31, Denver skies; denver.org/milehighholidays.

“American Dreams” Exhibit — Through Dec. 31, Molly Brown House Museum, 1340 Pennsylvania St., Denver, go online for prices. Tickets: mollybrown.org.

“Shadow and Light: Patrick Marold” — Through Jan. 5, Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St., Denver, go online for prices; botanicgardens.org.

“Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco” — Through Jan. 12, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, 1201 Bannock St., Denver. Go online for prices. Tickets: kirklandmuseum.org.

“Dawoud Bey: Street Portraits” — Through May 11, Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Parkway, Denver, go online for prices: denverartmuseum.org.

Monday-Dec. 28

Miracle at Union Station: Buddy’s Bar — Pop-up cocktail lounge featuring holiday décor, cocktails and a designated Hanukkah table, 4-p.m.-midnight, Galley Bar on lower level, Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St., Denver. Reservations: denverunionstation.com.

Monday-Dec. 30

Free Downtown Trolley Rides — See the downtown Castle Rock decorations, 5-7 p.m. Mondays-Tuesdays, no rides Dec. 24, pickup/drop-off points Encore Garage Entrance on South Street between Wilcox and Perry Street and Douglas County School District Parking Lot Entrance on 6th Street Wilcox and Perry Street, Castle Rock; crgov.com/2622/season-of-the-star.

CARLOTTA OLSON, The Denver Gazette

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Denver, CO

PHOTOS: Denver Broncos beat Las Vegas Raiders, 29-19, in NFL Week 12

Published

11 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

PHOTOS: Denver Broncos beat Las Vegas Raiders, 29-19, in NFL Week 12

Wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) of the Denver Broncos celebrates after the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 29-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

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Denver, CO

Raiders HC Sounds Off on Broncos QB Bo Nix’s Rapid Rise

Published

19 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Raiders HC Sounds Off on Broncos QB Bo Nix’s Rapid Rise

On Sunday, fans will be treated to a head-to-head contest between two rapidly emerging offensive powerhouses, both of whom are bonafide Rookie of the Year contenders. Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers found new homes with consecutive picks during last April’s NFL draft, and since then, they’ve performed exceptionally well in the pro ranks.

Nix is firmly on the radar of Raiders head coach Antonio Piece, but that’s even more true after yet another award-winning performance last week.

“He was a winner as a freshman. He was a winner as a six-year player,” Pierce noted of Nix. “All he does is win, come in the league. Won the quarterback battle there in Denver. Maybe they were keeping them tight on the leash early on, and now they’re not. He has full control that offense. You can see that Sean Payton gives him opportunities to audible and make some adjustments. He’s making throws, he’s running with his legs, he’s taking care of the football, and he’s winning. That’s all you can ask for from a rookie.”

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Nix presents a clear and present danger to the Raiders’ chances of squeezing out what would be only their third win of their massively disappointing season. Stopping the impressive rookie is proving to be another matter entirely for NFL defenses, especially one with a badly beaten-up roster like the Raiders.

“This is crazy,” Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo said via ESPN‘s Paul Gutierrez. “I’ve never seen this amount of injuries on any team I’ve been on.”

This week, Broncos head coach Sean Payton has pumped the brakes a little on the burgeoning hype exploding around Nix. That being said, you get the distinct feeling that Payton is more than comfortable unleashing Nix’s full array of talents at his disposal. Confidence is growing in Nix, and that’s been reflected in how Payton has opened up the playbook for his first-year signal-caller.

The juices are flowing, and Payton may have found an answer in dynamic second-year receiver Marvin Mims Jr. The mystical “joker” role within the Broncos offense seems to have been filled.

“I think we always gotta be saying, ‘Hey, are we doing everything we can to highlight his strengths?’ And so, yeah, I don’t know if he’s got the ‘joker’ tattoo, but he might be invited to the club,” Payton said via Andrew Mason.

When push comes to shove, if Nix plays lights out again, an easy win might come Denver’s way, but stopping Bowers would also ensure the victory and help in the race for Rookie of the Year honors. Payton is already on high alert, but it was also tinged with a bit of football envy when he illustrated Bowers’ “joker” abilities.

“Someone had a really good vision for him and you see all the ‘Joker’ traits, means and change of direction,” Payton said of Bowers. “It can’t be a little. It’s a high-end receiving trait and he can move, he can be outside and he can run a route tree maybe different than most tight ends.”

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