Later, Anthony G. Pappalardo draws a convincing parallel between skating in the 1990s at Embarcadero and music at New York’s CBGB in the late ’70s. “Like CBGB,” Pappalardo points out, “a creative scene grew from skateboarding, leading to new brands, artists, videographers and, of course, pros.”

It’s the small details, though, that truly elevate Epicenter. The photo book includes fun, fold-out spreads. The essay book includes architectural blueprints of Embarcadero Plaza. The set comes with a gigantic poster featuring scores of tiny snapshots of Rosenberg’s skate video footage from the era. There’s even an art print of some of Embarcadero’s long lost ledges, painted by Eric Merrell. The love and reverence Rosenberg holds for Embarcadero is reflected in every aspect of the set.

Epicenter is also a pertinent reminder of how quickly and often San Francisco transforms itself. The set asks the reader to appreciate their favorite features of the city every day that they still exist. A Thrasher interview quote by Greg S. Carrol from 1999 sums it up:

“There could never be another Embarcadero. Some of us spent hundreds of hours at Embarco. This just goes to show every one of you — don’t take anything for granted, whether it’s something as simple as brushing your teeth or something as fun as skating your favorite spot with your best friends, because someday it might be gone.”

‘Epicenter’ by Jacob Rosenberg is available for preorder now. An accompanying exhibition opens at GCS Agency (201 Jackson St, San Francisco) on Nov. 21, with book signings on Nov. 22 and 23.

The Denver Broncos have won eight games in a row and, after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 22-19 on Sunday, have made their case as the best team in the AFC and perhaps, the entire NFL. 

What a difference one game makes. The Broncos hung on to beat the Las Vegas Raiders 10-7 on Thursday Night Football in Week 10 and all of the talk was about how the sky was falling in Denver because the offense was so bad. That was the narrative that the national media ran with, but others were talking about the fact that all wins in the NFL count, no matter how they come. Those same folks realized that it was a short week, having to play on a Thursday night, and that the team was playing in its seventh game in 39 days. 

Maybe Sean Payton knew the Broncos could easily beat the Raiders, even in ugly fashion, and held back so he can unveil bigger plays when the team really needs them? 

There are many things to consider, but one thing is for sure: that performance against the Raiders doesn’t mean anything now. The Broncos arguably got their biggest win since winning Super Bowl 50 when they beat the Chiefs on Sunday, and now hold a 3.5-game lead over them in the division standings. 

Right now, the Broncos are the best team in the AFC. If the season ended today, the Broncos would have the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs on the AFC side, meaning they would have home-field advantage. While the team still has six games to play, there are multiple reasons why they are the best team in the AFC, not just on paper, but in reality. 

4 reasons why the Broncos are the AFC’s best team

The Broncos have beaten both teams that were in last year’s Super Bowl

Super Bowl LIX featured the Philadelphia Eagles playing the Kansas City Chiefs. Within a span of just 42 days this season, the Broncos have beaten them both. 

Both games were hard-fought, but the Broncos arguably got each team’s best shot in both of them. The Eagles were still undefeated and playing at home in Week 5, but the Broncos left Lincoln Financial Field with a 21-17 win. On Sunday, the Chiefs had their backs against the wall and many considered it a must-win situation for them. The Chiefs, who never lose those games, were also coming off their bye week. Andy Reid was 22-4 in his career when coming off the bye week. 

The Broncos overcame all of that and handed the Chiefs a loss. 

Denver has won its last 11 home games

The best teams in the league don’t lose at home. The Broncos have won their last 11 games at Empower Field and if they can get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, it will be a very difficult place for any team to come into and play. 

The Broncos have the best defense in the NFL

This is almost not even an argument at this point. 

The Broncos lead the league in sacks and could break the all-time record by a team in that category. They are allowing only 17.4 points per game and have been winning even without Pat Surtain II, who could be back in the lineup following the bye week. 

Defense wins championships and a team with a combination of having the best defense and home-field advantage will be quite difficult to beat. 

The Broncos’ two losses are by a combined 4 points

A case could easily be made that the Broncos could be 11-0 right now. Their only losses are by a total of four points, both on field goals on the last play of the game. 

Their first loss came against the Indianapolis Colts on a 45-yard field goal as time expired. Of course, that was when the Colts got to run the play again as their first attempt, a kick from 60 yards, missed badly, but the Broncos were called for a somewhat fluky unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for leverage when trying to block the kick. 

They lost to the Los Angeles Chargers the following week, but that took a miraculous throw from Justin Herbert after slipping through a Zach Allen sack. The Broncos went three-and-out on their following possession and the Chargers moved into range for a game-winning field goal from Cameron Dicker on the game’s final play. 

READ: Ja’Quan McMillian proving that team would have messed up by trading him

Both the Colts and Chargers are current playoff teams and both of those games were on the road, so they weren’t bad losses. Both games could have easily gone the other way. 

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Head coach Mike Macdonald is optimistic that Seattle Seahawks rookie left guard Grey Zabel avoided a season-ending injury during Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Stacy Rost: A Seattle Seahawks problem cost them against Rams

Zabel, Seattle’s first-round pick in the 2025 draft, exited Sunday’s loss in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with a knee injury and did not return. The North Dakota State product was injured on a Kenneth Walker III touchdown run with 2:23 left in the game when left tackle Charles Cross was pushed into Zabel’s left knee.

Zabel was tended to on the ground by trainers before they helped him limp off the field. Second-year pro Christian Haynes played left guard in place of Zabel on the Seahawks’ final drive.

Seattle’s head coach addressed Zabel’s status during The Mike Macdonald Show on Seattle Sports with Brock and Salk on Monday.

“I’ll say it’s optimistic right now,” Macdonald said. “So initial news is really positive, but let’s get out of the fog here before I start making any declarations.”

Macdonald said his optimism was based off of initial testing done on Zabel. The rookie offensive lineman was scheduled for imaging on his knee Monday morning.

The Seahawks picked the 23-year-old Zabel at No. 18 overall in April out of North Dakota State. The 6-foot-6, 316-pound lineman had played nearly every snap at left guard this season before the injury.

Zabel ranks 68th out of 79 guards with a 49.3 grade, according to Pro Football Focus. That grade does not include Sunday’s performance. He had allowed zero sacks on 267 pass-blocking snaps entering the matchup with Los Angeles.

The Seahawks are already playing without starting center Jalen Sundell, who was a college teammate of Zabel. Sundell was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury.

Listen to The Mike Macdonald Show at 9:30 a.m. on the day after every Seahawks game. Hear Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Observations from Seahawks’ 21-19 loss to Rams
• Instant Reaction: Turnovers doom Seahawks in loss to Rams
• Roster Moves: Seahawks place center Jalen Sundell on IR
• Hall of Fame Seahawks safety Kenny Easley dies at 66

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