Angela Rae Harris's Blog, page 31

John Franklin-Myers takes blame for Broncos’ defensive woes: ‘It’s on me.’

ENGLEWOOD – Now it’s John Franklin-Myers’ turn to point the finger at himself. 

Head coach Sean Payton on Monday took the blame for a special teams call that resulted in a critical leverage penalty on outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman in the Broncos’ 29-28 loss at Indianapolis the day before. The infraction allowed Spencer Shrader to win the game with a 45-yard field goal on the final play after he had missed a 60-yard attempt. 

The loss to the Colts also featured Denver’s vaunted defense giving up a whopping 473 yards a week after allowing just 133 in a 20-12 win over Tennessee in the opener. 

“If anyone has to take the blame, it’s on me because I feel I can play better,’’ Franklin-Myers told The Denver Gazette after Thursday’s practice at Broncos Park about the team’s defensive issues. 

The defensive lineman is off to a rough start in his eighth NFL season. After being rated the NFL’s No. 12 interior defender by Pro Football Focus in 2024, he is ranked No. 80 after two games this season. 

In the loss to the Colts, Franklin-Myers played 42 of the 71 defensive snaps. He didn’t have a single tackle and was disappointed he “missed a couple.” 

“I expect more out of myself,’’ said Franklin-Myers, whose Broncos (1-1) play Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers (2-0). “I always feel like there’s more to do. The fans deserve it, the teammates deserve it, and my family deserves it.” 

Franklin-Myers suffered a knee injury against the Titans and sat out a Sept. 10 practice before the game at Indianapolis. Franklin-Myers had a brace on his right knee after Thursday’s practice, but said the injury has not been an excuse for his play. 

“It’s cool,’’ he said of his knee. “I’m a soldier.” 

Franklin-Myers last season played 46% of Denver’s defensive snaps while starting 16 of the 17 games he played. With defensive lineman Malcolm Roach on injured reserve and out for at least the first four games with a calf injury, Franklin-Myers played 61% of the defensive snaps in the first two games. 

Franklin-Myers said he is “much appreciated about” his increased role but knows more is expected from him. 

“Getting the snaps is the first step, and making my routine plays and not missing those tackles is the next step, and I’m going to be better,’’ he said. 

Greenlaw, Engram sit out 

Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw and tight end Evan Engram both sat out practice Thursday, putting their availability in doubt for Sunday’s game. 

Greenlaw, who suffered a quad injury July 31, didn’t play in the Broncos’ three preseason games or in their first two regular-season games and hasn’t taken part in a full practice since the start of the regular season. He worked on a side field for the second straight day. 

Engram has a back injury that apparently was suffered against the Colts and sat out his second straight practice. He has not been seen either day during the practice period open to the media. 

Linebacker Justin Strnad, who sat out Wednesday’s workout due to a foot injury, took part in Thursday’s practice on a limited basis. 

Safety Talanoa Hufanga, who was limited in practice Wednesday with a chest injury, was a full participant Thursday. 

Strnad steps up 

Denver’s sack leader through two games is not Nik Bonitto or Jonathon Cooper, outside linebackers who had 13.5 and 10.5 sacks, respectively, last season. 

It’s Strnad, who has looked good replacing Greenlaw. He has one sack in each of the first two games. 

“It’s nice (someone in) our room is leading the team in sacks,’’ said fellow inside linebacker Alex Singleton. 

Strnad, a fifth-round pick by the Broncos in 2020, didn’t play a single defensive snap in 2022 and 2023 before he took over for Singleton last season after he suffered a season-ending torn ACL injury in Week 3. 

“He’s awesome,’’ Singleton said of Strnad. “He’s playing great. I love watching him play. I think he did well last year when he played for me. … He’s a mainstay and I’m really happy for him.” 

Another chance for Thomas  

For the third straight year, wide receiver Thayer Thomas began an NFL season on a practice squad. But he’s happy now to be with the Broncos. “It’s been awesome,’’ said Thomas, signed to the squad before the opener against the Titans. “I was kind of upset just about how things ended in Minnesota, and just having this opportunity was truly a blessing.” After being undrafted in 2023 out of North Carolina State, Thomas spent the past two years on the Vikings’ practice squad and had been hopeful of making the 53-man roster this season. But he was waived, and when it came to getting an invitation to again be on their practice squad, he said the Vikings put him “kind of on hold.” He later jumped at the chance to come to Denver. “I couldn’t be happier to be here,’’ said Thomas, who called it a good opportunity to learn from some of the Broncos’ top receivers.  

Briefly  

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph called Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert “probably the MVP” in the NFL after two games. Herbert has thrown for 560 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. “He’s a special athlete,’’ Joseph said. “He’s playing at a high level right now.” … Not practicing the past two days for the Chargers have been tight end Will Dissly (knee) and defensive back Elijah Molden (hamstring). They put star linebacker Khalil Mack on injured reserve Wednesday with an elbow injury, and he must miss at least four games. … The Chargers, who swept the Broncos last season, are a 2.5-point favorite in the battle for first place in the AFC West. 

Thousands remember Charlie Kirk at Colorado State University vigil Thursday

Thousands gathered into Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium Thursday evening to remember the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In the first official event hosted by Turning Point USA—the youth advocacy group Kirk founded—since Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University last week, supporters, students, and free speech advocates littered a crowd dotted with red hats. Many wore USA-themed clothing; some waved American flags.

“I didn’t always agree with the man, but I respected what he was doing and I just felt like it was a loss,” said Duane Ahnsen, standing on the edge of the stadium’s mezzanine, a black t-shirt contrasting his long grey beard. “He was a man trying to do his best to create dialogue. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter red, blue, conservative or liberal, we’re all under the same flag as Americans and we should use words more than vitriol.”

The event, originally scheduled as a stop on Turning Point’s American Comeback Tour, was moved to the stadium for increased security after Kirk was shot the week before.

Police and campus security surrounded the venue as attendees entered through security checkpoints. Some law enforcement rode on horseback as a drone hovered overhead.

At a podium on the football field’s turf sat a black and white portrait of Kirk, dressed in a suit with his right fist in the air, bordered on both sides by flower bouquets. The stadium’s jumbotron, too, showed a photo of the late activist.

The crowd at Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium sits down after a standing ovation during a vigil for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk hosted by Turning Point USA, the youth activism group he founded, on Sept. 18, 2025, as a photo of Kirk is displayed on the stadium jumbotron. (Michael Braithwaite / The Denver Gazette)

As evening shadows crept forward, a handful of speakers, some members of Turning Point themselves and some who had been close with Kirk, spoke about how the events of the previous week affected them and encouraged those in attendance that the organization’s mission was only beginning.

“Over the last few days, we’ve witnessed an organic, grassroots response to Charlie’s assassination, not led any a media tour or any particular organization, but all of you courageously saying ‘we are Charlie Kirk,'” said Isabel Brown, a CSU alumna and Turning Point contributor. “No one will ever be able to replace the giant shoes of Charlie Kirk as the leader of the youth conservative movement, but we are all Charlie Kirk, and those who doubt the strength of his message are in for a rude awakening.”

Brown, as well as other speakers, which included Gabe Saint, the president of the University of Wyoming’s Turning Point chapter, and Heidi Ganahl, who ran for Colorado governor against Jared Polis in 2022, received thunderous applause several times throughout their speeches. They sometimes had to pause to wait for the end of a standing ovation.

Gabe Saint, the president of the Turning Point USA chapter at the University of Wyoming, speaks to a crowd at Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium during a vigil for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 18, 2025. (Michael Braithwaite / The Denver Gazette)

In addition to the adults dressed in pro-USA and pro-Donald Trump attire, a handful of children in attendance were as well. One, a baby boy named Elias with a flag-themed outfit and red bow on his head, was held by his nanny, Kaia Mioes, on the side of the crowd heading for the exits at the conclusion of the event.

“It’s devastating that he had to die, it shouldn’t have happened,” Mioes said, wiping away tears with her left hand while she bounced Elias up and down in her right. “But seeing people go to church for the first time, seeing people buy Bibles for the first time, seeing people go into this light and realize the truth makes it all worth it.”

Dressed in a white sweater with an American flag on the front and a matching white cap with “Make America Great Again” written in gold lettering, Mioes noted how Kirk had been a role model for her, and that his words helped convince her to abandon the Democratic ideas she was raised with in favor of those of the Christian faith.

“I hope for revival, I hope people will continue to give their life to Jesus and learn the truth, Mioes said. “This, what we are all gathered here for tonight, is what he wanted, and it’s sad that it takes a death, a murder, to get to this, but we are all here.

A funeral for Kirk will take place on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. President Trump confirmed he will be in attendance.

The crowd at Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium listens to a speaker during a vigil for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk hosted by Turning Point USA, the youth activism group he founded, on Sept. 18, 2025. (Michael Braithwaite / The Denver Gazette)The crowd at Colorado State University’s Canvas Stadium applauds during a vigil for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk hosted by Turning Point USA, the youth activism group he founded, on Sept. 18, 2025. (Michael Braithwaite / The Denver Gazette)

Broncos’ J.K. Dobbins looking to rush for 100 yards against his former Chargers

ENGLEWOOD — It’s not exactly a Joe Namath-caliber guarantee, but J.K. Dobbins has set his sights on doing something against his old team.

The running back is in his first season with the Broncos after playing last year for the Los Angeles Chargers. He has a goal in mind when facing them Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

“Hopefully, I’m going to touch 100 (yards) this week,’’ the six-year veteran said after a practice Thursday at Broncos Park. “However that may be. However many touches that may be. I’m going to try to touch 100 this week, for sure. It would only be right. I’m back to where I used to play.”

Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs the ball during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)

After signing with the Broncos last June as a free agent, Dobbins has had games of 16 carries for 63 yards in Week 1 against Tennessee and 14 attempts for 76 yards in last Sunday’s 29-28 loss at Indianapolis. He began last season with the Chargers having games of 135 and 131 yards rushing but hasn’t had a 100-yard effort since that second one on Sept. 15, 2024.

Dobbins led the Chargers last season in rushing with 905 yards while missing four games due to a sprained knee, but it remains unclear how much they wanted him back after he became a free agent in March. The Chargers that month signed free-agent running back Najee Harris away from Pittsburgh on a one-year, $5.25 million deal and then in April took running back Omarion Hampton with the No. 20 pick in the first round out of North Carolina.

The Chargers, though, did place a little-used unrestricted free-agent tender on Dobbins, which meant if he remained unsigned by training camp, they would have exclusive negotiating rights with him. That became moot when Dobbins on June 11 signed a one-year, $2.065 million deal with Denver that could be worth more with incentives. Dobbins then called the Chargers’ tender “a little weird” and said “they got to see me twice a year.”

“It’s in the past,’’ Dobbins said about that Thursday. “I’m here. I’m a Bronco. Trying to do well this year. I’m trying to be everything that I did last year for those guys. They hit me with the tag. It doesn’t matter any more. It’s time to play ball.”

Dobbins insisted the Chargers wanted him back after last season.

“They did, yeah, of course,’’ he said. “But we just didn’t see eye-to-eye and business is business. They did what they had to do. I did what I had to do. They absolutely wanted me, but we just didn’t see eye-to-eye business-wise.”

Asked if that had to do with salary, Dobbins said, “Something like that.”

Dobbins stopped short of saying it will be a revenge game Sunday, and spoke fondly of the Chargers’ fans.

“I had a special season last year, so it’s a special place to me, SoFi and the fans and L.A., but I’m just going there to win the game,’’ he said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to win the game.”

Broncos defensive end John Franklin-Myers heard what Dobbins said Thursday, but believes Dobbins indeed is seeking revenge.

“I don’t think he needs a speech or any motivational talk this week,’’ Franklin-Myers said. “I want revenge just as much as he does for him.”

Dobbins has been a popular guy this week on the Broncos (1-1). Several players have talked about having sought him out to get pointers on the Chargers (2-0).

“Obviously, he’ll know some stuff,’’ said tight end Adam Trautman. “But they can always switch it up, and they’re not stupid, and they know that we have a guy that they had. He’ll definitely give pointers, I’m sure, to the defense more specifically.”

Dobbins spent just last season with the Chargers, and that he missed only four games was actually regarded as a positive. After being taken by Baltimore in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Ohio State, he had an injury-riddled four seasons with the Ravens.

Dobbins did play in 15 games as a rookie and rushed for 805 yards while averaging a sparkling 6.0 per carry. But Dobbins then got into just nine games in the next three seasons, having injuries that included a torn ACL and torn Achilles tendon.

With the Broncos looking to keep wear and tear off Dobbins, 26, he appeared briefly in just one preseason game and didn’t have a carry. He has been solid in the first two regular-season games, scoring on a 19-yard run in the 20-12 win over the Titans and on a 5-yard run against the Colts.

“He’s been everything we’ve hoped he would be,’’ Trautman said.

Dobbins entered the season having a higher career yards-per-carry average than the legendary Jim Brown, 5.249 to 5.219, which he called “crazy to hear.” Having averaged 4.633 yards per carry in the first two games, Dobbins has dropped behind Brown with a 5.209 average but he has vowed to up that number.

“The average is the average because I put in the work,’’ said Dobbins, who has 459 career carries for 2,391 yards, numbers far less than the 2,359 attempts for 12,312 yards  Brown had for Cleveland  from 1957-65. “And it shows up on the field. … I was at 6 (yards per carry) at one point. So I’m going to try to get back to that.

“I can do things better to get more yards.. We’ll see. I’m going to keep climbing and keep working on it. … I can break more tackles. I can break more long runs. … Hopefully, I get back to (6 yards per carry). That would be amazing.’’

Well, if Dobbins can average 6 on Sunday, he would need just 17 carries to get to 100 yards.

Thunderbirds will be faster, tighter than ever, at Loveland air show Saturday

Will the Air Force Thunderbirds be doing things any differently when they take off this weekend from Loveland’s Northern Colorado Regional Airport, elevation 5,020 feet, than they would for one of their performances closer to sea level?

Absolutely, said Maj. Josh Burress, who had just climbed down from Thunderbird 2, after the precision team roared into Loveland Thursday.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at Loveland’s Northern Colorado Regional Airport Friday. The Great Colorado Air Show is Saturday and Sunday (Mark Samuelson/Denver Gazette)Maj. Josh Burress pilots Thunderbird 2 with the Air Force Thunderbirds this Saturday and Sunday at Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland

“It’s a big impact on the performance of the jet,” Burress told The Denver Gazette. “The ground speed is higher, there’s a little bit of a delay, the controls aren’t as effective.”

The speed difference from the pilot’s view is substantial, adding on another 50 miles per hour to a pass that might be at 300 miles per hour in Miami or San Diego.

“Whereas at sea level, the jet does anything you want,” Burress said.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at Loveland’s Northern Colorado Regional Airport Friday. The Great Colorado Air Show is Saturday and Sunday (Mark Samuelson/Denver Gazette)

The six pilots and their Lockheed Martin F-16s will be the main attraction at the Great Colorado Air Show, running Saturday and Sunday in Loveland. Air Show officials assured that there are on-line tickets remaining for the event (GreatColoradoAirShow.com) and would have them this weekend, as well.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at Loveland’s Northern Colorado Regional Airport Friday. The Great Colorado Air Show is Saturday and Sunday (Mark Samuelson/Denver Gazette)

“We have a new and really tight show for you,” Burress said. “It’s actually updated in last five years.

Burress, who flew combat missions in other Air Force jets including the A-10 Thunderbolt before moving to the Thunderbirds a year ago, said that the team took advantage of the COVID break to work with Walt Disney Co. to restructure the performance.

“They’re the experts and they know exactly how to capture attention and for how long,” Burress said.

Included are new strategies for acts that build to a crescendo, he noted.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at Loveland’s Northern Colorado Regional Airport Friday. The Great Colorado Air Show is Saturday and Sunday (Mark Samuelson/Denver Gazette)

Will this Thunderbirds performance really differ much from previous shows over recent decades? The Air Force team began using early models of the F-16 back in 1983.

In spite of the different performance characteristics of putting on a show for a mile-high audience, Burress said that the visual effects will be virtually indistinguishable from shows in other settings.

“You’re going to see a Thunderbird team that’s flying the closest we’ve ever flown and quicker than we’ve ever done it,” Burress said.  That includes in formations where all six jets fly in tight formation, at times overlapping each other’s wingtips by as much as four feet

“It speaks to our blind trust in each other,” Burress said.

In addition to the Thunderbird headliners, show goers will see to other performance teams, parachutists, a minijet, and individual high-performance aircraft demonstrations.  

The best viewing will be from ticketed areas at the airport — but even a viewer planning on going into a holding pattern miles from the runway would get an eye and ear full.

“Even at a parking lot, I highly recommend coming out,” he said.

Next weekend, Sept. 27 and 28, the Thunderbirds head for Pueblo.

Broncos riding with Wil Lutz despite FG miss — ‘like Jamal Murray in the fourth quarter’

ENGLEWOOD — The “Collapse at the Colts” was even worse than you thought.

The Broncos’ special teams did just about everything wrong in the fourth quarter of a 29-28 loss at Luca Oil Stadium last Sunday — and that’s coming from the coordinator himself.

Darren Rizzi confessed their sins Thursday, saying the Broncos were “aligned incorrectly” and “didn’t execute the play that was called.” And that was before Dondrea Tillman earned a penalty flag for leveraging that gave the Colts a second go at a game-winning field goal.

“That’s on me,” said Rizzi, shouldering the blame and echoing the sentiment of head coach Sean Payton prior to the Broncos playing at the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman (92) rushes into the backfield during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)

While the Broncos would be justified in having a bone to pick with the flag that turned Colts kicker Spencer Shrader’s attempt from a 60-yarder (no good) into a 45-yarder (good), they didn’t take the bait. Neither Rizzi nor Payton whined about the officiating crew’s decision to throw a flag in that moment.

“The leveraging call, was it (by) the letter of the law a foul? Yes,” Rizzi said, taking the high road. “Are there many of those throughout the year that don’t get called? Yes. 

“I get it. It’s because the play is an escalated situation (with the game on the line).”

Rizzi has been a special teams coordinator at the college or NFL level since 1994. The past two weeks surely have tested his patience — and the patience of Broncos fans watching the unit stumble and bumble through tight games.

Pro Bowl return man Marvin Mims Jr. muffed a punt late in a Week 1 win against the Titans. Then there was the forgettable meltdown in Indianapolis, and we haven’t even gotten to Wil Lutz’s missed field goal.  

One of the most reliable kickers in the NFL, Lutz doinked a 42-yard field goal off the right upright, breathing oxygen into Indy’s comeback bid. The Colts then gut-punched the Broncos with a loss that will haunt Denver for a while.

Rizzi was fierce in his defense and support of Lutz, who had been successful on 14 of 15 field-goal tries from 40-49 yards during the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Broncos. But not last Sunday.

“It’s no different than (when) Jamal Murray’s a 93-percent free-throw shooter. In the fourth quarter, once in a while he’s going to miss one,” Rizzi said.

After affirming his belief in Lutz as a clutch kicker, Rizzi shed light on Lutz’s weekly routine. Wednesdays and Fridays, Lutz kicks in situational drills that replicate pressure situations. 

“Kickers are a lot like starting pitchers (in baseball),” Rizzi said. “You have your off-days and your throwing days and your rehab days.”

It figures his kick at Indianapolis will not be the final time the Broncos will need Lutz to ice or win a game. All but one game involving AFC West teams so far this season have been decided by one score. 

“The best part about Wil is he wants to be put in those pressure situations both in practice and in games,” Rizzi said.

Missing 25-year-old hunters found deceased in Colorado

According to a heartbreaking update from Saguache County Search and Rescue, missing 25-year-old hunters Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko have been found deceased. Recovery options have been completed.

Additional information related to their deaths was not included in the press release on the matter. The two were last heard from on September 11, reportedly seen the following morning, as well.

Per a report from CVILLE RIGHT NOW, the men were last known to be off of the Los Pinos trailhead in a part of Conejos County that’s Rio Grande National Forest land.

The following statement was posted on September 18 on a GoFundMe page related to the search effort:

“It is with a broken heart and through tears that I give you this update. Andrew and Ian have both been found deceased. Their bodies were discovered earlier today by Colorado Search and Rescue. I will provide another update tomorrow.”

Sincere condolences go out to those impacted by these tragic deaths.

STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (Click here)

Rateliff feels the love at Americana Awards

‘South Park’ goes dark; a look back at Redford’s final film in Colorado

The Americana Music Awards were Nashville’s coronation of Denver’s favorite musical son.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats won Album of the Year for “South of Here,” prompting the ever-humble singer to say: “I’ve never won an award after all these years, and we are rarely nominated, so this is a blessing.”

Well, that’s not entirely true. As intrepidly reported here, Rateliff was presented with Denver School of the Arts’ Randy Weeks Community Arts Leadership Award in May. But he’s probably talking about, you know – Grammys and such.

Later on Instagram, Rateliff told his 307,000 followers he was “truly surprised and blessed.” He also shouted out Brad Cook, who produced the album. “A big thank you to my brother  @bradleywcook for helping me see myself,” he wrote. “We love and appreciate all of the fans that have continued to listen and support us.”

He went on to say: “I’ve had the opportunity to carve out a space for myself and for my band. “And I encourage you all as musicians to continue to create what feels best to you in your heart and continue to examine your own feelings, and observe the love you feel and the loss you feel, and bring it to the audiences that are here to share their hearts and their feelings with you.”

The Americana Awards “are definitively not the Country Music Awards,” one local journalist wrote of the epic concert event held Sept. 10 at the Ryman Auditorium. The Americanas are  known for uplifting artists “who are regularly overlooked by the mainstream country music industry despite overwhelming success and critical acclaim.”

Rateliff’s single “Heartless” was also up for Song of the Year, an award that went to a supergroup called I’m With Her for “Ancient Light.” MJ Lenderman won for Emerging Act of the Year. The host was the actor John. C. Reilly.

Also up for Album of the Year were “Lonesome Drifter” by Charley Crockett; “Foxes in the Snow” by Jason Isbell; “Manning Fireworks” by MJ Lenderman; and “Woodland” by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Earlier, Rateliff performed a song with Welch and Rawlings.

Just two nights later, Rateliff was back on the road celebrating the start of his 10th anniversary tour marking the 2015 release of the band’s first, self-titled album. He is this very night (Thursday) playing in Madison, Wisc.

“We had no idea where the record would take us,” Rateliff said.

To celebrate, he has released the demo version of the song “Trying so Hard Not to Know.”

“It was the first song I wrote and recorded for the project, a sound that changed our lives,” he said. On Oct. 10, the album that started it all will be re-released, along with 11 demos.

ICE agents detain Dora the Explorer after a raid at Denver’s Ball Arena in Season 27, Episode 2 of ‘South Park,’ as seen in this screenshot via Comedy Central. The show did not air an original episode as scheduled on Wednesday.

‘South Park’ goes temporarily dark

Did you notice? In the midst of its most controversial and consequential season yet, “South Park” did not air a scheduled new episode Wednesday night on Comedy Central. But the animated series’ creators were quick to squelch any speculation of censorship. “This one,” Matt Stone and Trey Parker said in a statement, “is on us.”

The postponement came just a few hours before airtime. Stone and Parker, who have rewritten the rules of TV by producing biweekly new episodes essentially in real time – often tinkering right up until airtime – lost this week’s game of chicken.

“Apparently when you do everything at the last minute, sometimes you don’t get it done,” they said. “We didn’t get it done in time.” They went on to thank Comedy Central and their fans for being understanding (presuming that they were) and said: “Tune in next week!”

The backstory: Parker and Stone recently signed a deal reportedly worth $1.5 billion to produce 50 more episodes of “South Park” for Paramount. The pair immediately produced a season-opener mocking President Donald Trump’s $16 million lawsuit against Paramount … and his anatomy. Critics accused Paramount of capitulating to Trump as it was completing a blockbuster merger with SkyDance.

Legendary actor Robert Redford talks to the crew working on the set of a Netflix film, “Our Souls at Night”. The film was being shot at a house in Old Colorado City on Monday, Sept. 12, 2016. Photo by Jerilee Bennett,The Gazette

Redford’s time on ‘Our Souls’

The 2014 film “Our Souls at Night” was a very big deal for many reasons. It was Robert Redford’s last film with Jane Fonda, and his second-to-last (on camera) himself. It was filmed entirely in Florence (near Canon City) and Colorado Springs. But mostly it was remarkable because the beloved source novel about two old folks falling in love was written by Colorado’s own Kent Haruf after receiving a death sentence from lung cancer.

When he was told he had about a year to live, Haruf and his wife left their cabin up in the mountains in favor of their house in the town of Salida. A friend hauled Haruf’s tool shed back to Salida and plopped it in the backyard, where it served as Haruf’s daily writing retreat. He banged the story out on his manual typewriter for about an hour every day. He died just a few days after finishing the story. The next year, Fonda and Redford teamed up on producing the film adaptation, which was released in 2017.

“Bob made a real difference in all good ways,” Fonda wrote on her Instagram after word of Redford’s death on Sept. 16. “He represented an America we must now fight to protect. He revolutionized independent filmmaking and made us swoon in so many movies.”

Fonda went on to say she fell madly in love with Redford making the newlywed comedy “Barefoot in the Park,” Redford’s first starring film, in 1967. So she truly bookended his career.

“Our Souls at Night” put a number of Colorado actors to work, including John Ashton, Randy Moore, Jordan Leigh, Laurence Curry and Brock DeShane – (not to mention stars Bruce Dern, Judy Greer and Iain Armitage, soon to be known as Young Sheldon). 

Ashton and Moore played proprietors of the local hardware store, and they got some alone time with Redford. “I’m supposed to be a little bit surprised when this guy comes into a hardware store for art supplies, because he’s looking to be a painter,” said Ashton, who received some very specific instructions from director Ritesh Batra.

“He says to me, ‘OK, now you are really going to want to hear him say why he’s buying these art supplies. So don’t hand them over to him too quickly. Make sure he gets the idea that you want to find out more about what’s going on with him.’”

Imagine that! Getting to be Robert Redford’s personified acting prompt.

“That was kind of fun,” Ashton said. 

Fonda was an open book in saying she had been wanting to check in with Redford these past few months “to make sure we were all right between us. But I didn’t act on it soon enough,” she wrote. “Lesson learned. When people are our age – late 80s – don’t wait!”

Jane Fonda, Iain Armitage (soon to be known as Young Sheldon) and Robert Redford in ‘Our Souls at Night’ in 2016.

Springs actor on new sit-com

The cast announcement for Fox’s upcoming comedy “Best Medicine” includes a prominent Colorado actor: Jason Veasey, a graduate of Coronado High School in Colorado Springs and the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. He was in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical “A Strange Loop” and had a fun role on the TV series “Only Murders in the Building.”

“Best Medicine” is a one-hour comedy series that centers on a brilliant but cranky surgeon who abruptly leaves his illustrious career in Boston to become the general practitioner in a quirky East Coast fishing village. Series bigshots are Josh Charles, Abigail Spencer and Annie Potts. Veasey is listed as “the co-proprietor of The Salty Breeze.”

The series does not have an official premiere date.

Happy legal artsy birthday

Supporters of Colorado Attorneys for the Arts gathered Thursday at MSU Denver to celebrate a decade of providing legal assistance for Colorado’s arts, culture and creative community. Presently, more than 120 volunteer attorneys are registered to serve artists through the CAFTA, which, since 2015, has:

• Made more than 375 pro-bono, arts-related legal referrals.    

• Served more than 2,800 Coloradans through educational presentations and webinars.

• Presented workshops across the state from Telluride to Steamboat Springs.

Info at cbca.org.

No one really knows why the X/Los Lobos tour was suddenly canceled, but Denver already got ours on July 19 at the Paramount Theatre. JOHN MOORE/DENVER GAZETTE

Music news

X and Los Lobos, two legendary Los Angeles bands that launched their coheadlining “99 Years of Rock’n’Roll” Tour on July 19 at Denver’s Paramount Theatre, abruptly canceled the remainder of their dates this week. No explanation beyond: “Due to circumstances beyond our control.” Next up was supposed to be Toronto …

Cardi B has announced her first-ever headlining arena tour (“Little Miss Drama”), which stops at Ball Arena March 9. Presales begin Monday; public sale 10 a.m. Thursday at cardib.com …

The self-described “vicious, snotty, anti-authoritarian, nihilistic and insane” punk-cult fave Circle Jerks are celebrating frontman Keith Morris’ 70th birthday with a reissue of the seminal 1983 album “Golden Shower of Hits” and a new tour stopping in Grand Junction’s Mesa Theater on  Oct 10. Tickets at mesatheater.com …

Colorado is joining six other states and the Federal Trade Commission in suing Live Nation and Ticketmaster for intentionally misleading consumers about the price of concert tickets, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser has announced. He’s targeting enabling ticket brokers to skirt the law, and raking in billions in profits by charging fees multiple times on the same tickets.

Briefly …

After much deliberation, Ovation West Executive Director Graham Anduri has decided that his production of “Annie Get Your Gun,” which paused after the Evergreen High School shootings, will resume Friday (Sept. 19) and close Sept. 28 …

The innovative but tradition-based Colorado band Hot Rize (1978-90)  was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in Nashville on Thursday (Sept. 18). The members were banjo player Pete Wernick (aka Dr. Banjo), mandolin/fiddle player and lead singer Tim O’Brien, guitarist Charles Sawtelle, and bass player and emcee Nick Forster – also founder and host of eTown …

Macaulay Culkin himself will attend a 35th anniversary screening of “Home Alone,” followed by a live moderated interview, Dec. 9 at the Paramount Theatre. Tickets at ticketmaster.com.

A 40th anniversary screening of the iconic cycling movie “American Flyer” will be shown at 7 p.m. Friday (Sept. 19) at the Historic Elitch Theatre, 4600 W 37th Place,  as a fundraiser for the Davis Phinney Foundation (supporting programs that help people living with Parkinson’s. Tickets at historicelitchtheatre.org.

Mark Kiszla: Broncos can’t be great until Bo knows how to come up big in the clutch

Until we definitively see that Bo knows how to win a close game, you can Nix the idea that Denver has an elite NFL quarterback. 

While trusted by teammates and beloved by his coach, Nix has developed a worrisome habit early in his pro career. 

At closing time, he leaves the door open. 

During eight games decided by seven points or less as the starting quarterback of the Broncos, Nix’s record is 1-7. 

Bo doesn’t blink in the face of failure. But in the clutch of a one-score game, he’s still learning when to settle for the safe play or swing his hammer. 

“There’s a fine line. You’ve got to hit it,” Nix said Wednesday. “I’m always going to be aggressive, especially with our defense, knowing that they can go out there and get a stop. You can’t play the game – (and) you can’t play the position – soft. You’ve got to go out there and be aggressive. You get gun-shy, if you’re scared to make a bad play, that’s usually when bad plays happen.” 

Through two games this season, Nix looks like he’s pressing to live up to the hype. Coach Sean Payton oversold him as a top-five QB waiting to happen. Quite frankly, Nix sometimes looks as if he’s trying too hard to deliver on that promise. 

Yes, it’s early in this NFL season. The sample size is small. 

But with four turnovers in two games, including a costly interception on a forced throw during the Broncos’ fourth-quarter collapse at Indianapolis, Nix currently ranks dead last among NFL starting quarterbacks, if you put credence in advanced metrics or the analytic breakdowns of game tape by Pro Football Focus. 

While all but the most basic of football math stumps a knucklehead like me, the evidence right in front of my eyes doesn’t lie. 

Watching Nix, I see a young quarterback straining to hurry his development. He has too often fallen victim to his own impatience, whether rushing through progressions, bailing on a clean pocket early, or throwing off target at an unacceptably high rate. 

As a rookie, he was content to be a game manager. Nix didn’t take sacks and rarely forced the football into danger. 

Now he wants to be the man. 

We’re tantalized by the athleticism that can jolt you out of your seat. For example: Nix punched all the right video game buttons on a spectacular 42-yard pass to Troy Franklin in the first half against the Colts. 

But his third-down mistakes during the second half, which included poor timing with tight end Evan Engram on an incompletion and an even more costly interception when he forced a ball to Courtland Sutton into coverage, contributed heavily to Denver’s failure to put the hammer down on the Colts. 

Nix yearns to be the best. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Football, however, is not a game of perfection. 

But as Sutton observed: “Bo can tie his shoe, and if it comes untied, he’s like: ‘I tied my shoe terribly right there.’” 

Maybe what a pressing young QB needs to do most in this moment is take a deep breath and swallow a chill pill. 

The Broncos travel this week to California for an AFC West showdown against the Chargers that has taken on outsized importance for a September contest because L.A. has opened the season with victories against the Chiefs and Raiders. 

“Win this game and we’re first in the division,” Denver cornerback Pat Surtain II said. 

True dat. Beat L.A. and all the sins of the collapse in Indy will be forgiven. 

But a 3-0 start by the Chargers against division rivals would be a bolt out of the blue that could put a damper on Denver’s grand design to win the AFC West before a competitive race has a chance to get started. 

Despite a homefield advantage so negligible in SoFi Stadium that Sutton must suppress a laugh when he hears the “Let’s go, Broncos!” chant echoed throughout the Chargers’ backyard, Nix and his teammates somehow managed to squander a 24-13 lead during the second half in L.A. a year ago. 

Does beating the Chargers qualify as a must-win for the Broncos? Maybe not. 

Sutton, however, told the whole truth when he declared: “We have an opportunity to make a statement.” 

Until he produces a victory that shouts his arrival as a quarterback that thrives in the clutch, it’s impossible to consider Nix to be in the same league as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Joe Burrow. 

Nobody wearing a Denver uniform has a chance to make a bigger statement in L.A. than Nix. 

In the maturation of big-time QB that Payton believes Nix is destined to be, this is no time to come up small. 

Alex Singleton’s knee feels ‘great’ nearing 1-year anniversary of ACL tear | Broncos notebook

ENGLEWOOD — Inside linebacker Alex Singleton said the Broncos “have to play better” after their defense surrendered 29 points in a road loss to the Colts.

The linebacker corps got exposed last week facing tight ends Tyler Warren and Mo Alie-Cox. Singleton was targeted in coverage four times by Colts quarterback Daniel Jones with four catches allowed for 97 yards, according to Next Gen Stats. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor averaged 6.6 yards per carry. It wasn’t pretty.

Singleton, following Wednesday practice at Broncos Park, explained why the defense is not panicked at 1-1 ahead of a Sunday road game against the AFC West leading Chargers (2-0).

“Overall, (the Colts) had some good stuff. But stuff we’re going to work on,” Singleton said. “It’s Week 2. We’ve talked about it, obviously, in our meetings. Just get ready to go out and beat the Chargers this week.”

It’s impossible to question Singleton’s toughness. Monday is the one-year anniversary of his torn ACL in Week 3 against the Buccaneers last season. Singleton suffered the injury in the first quarter. He still finished out the game.

Singleton broke his left thumb in training camp. He reinjured it during the opening-season victory over the Titans. Singleton is now playing with a light cast on his left hand and wrist. The minor distraction became a blessing in disguise.

“The knee is great. I haven’t had to think about it, which has been nice. I told people: ‘If you wanna not think about your knee, break your thumb.’ The best thing I could have done was hurt a hand to let the knee go. But it’s been great. I think this weekend is a year since it happened. But I’m 11 months post-surgery. It feels really good. And every week, honestly, it gets better,” Singleton said.

The challenge to rebound is steep considering their opponent. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, over his last two starts, enters the matchup 44 of 61 passing for 560 yards, with zero interceptions and five touchdowns.

“He’s playing really well. I think the first two games have shown it,” Singleton said. “When your quarterback’s got a hot hand like that, they’re playing to it. So, just like every week, we want to make a team one dimensional. Doing that with this (Chargers) team is gonna be fun.”

Injury report

So much for Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw having been limited last Friday in practice.

Just when it looked as if Greenlaw might be on the road to recovery from a quad injury, he sat out practice Wednesday and only did work on a side field at Broncos Park. Greenlaw, injured in a July 31 practice, sat out all of the Broncos’ three preseason games and their first two regular-season games and has not had a full practice since the start of the regular season.

Payton was asked about the Broncos not putting Greenlaw on injured reserve before the start of the season, which would have resulted in him missing four games.

“We felt like he’s kind of on our schedule and, look, we spent time on it because it’s a little nebulous relative to the injury,” Payton said. “And that’s all I’ll say.”

Also not practicing Wednesday was tight end Evan Engram due to a back injury and linebacker Justin Strnad with a foot injury. Safety Talanoa Hufanga was limited with a chest injury. Cornerback Pat Surtain II, who suffered an ankle injury in last Sunday’s 29-28 loss at Indianapolis and missed one defensive play, was not listed on the injury report.

Engram suffered a calf injury in Denver’s Sept. 7 opener against Tennessee before returning to play against the Colts. Payton declined to comment on his injury.

Tight end Nate Adkins was a full participant in practice for the first time after undergoing ankle surgery a month ago, putting him in position to make his season debut Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers. Adkins was a limited participant in last Friday’s workout.

Cornerback Pat Surtain II, who suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter against the Colts before missing one play and returning for the rest of the game, practiced Wednesday. Also practicing was tight end Nate Adkins, who missed the entire preseason and the first two regular-season games due to ankle surgery but was a limited participant in practice last Friday.

Mims talks Chargers

The Chargers defense stepped up in their 20-9 win over the Raiders. Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims tuned in from home.

“With the Chargers playing on Monday night, we were able to watch them live and kind of know what they do,” Mims said. “But they had a really hot start to the season. … Divisional games are the most important games you have to play, especially being their (home) opener.”

The Broncos felt some offensive progress in their Week 2 loss. Wide receiver Troy Franklin, tight end Adam Trautman and Mims all caught touchdown passes from quarterback Bo Nix. Progress stalled after halftime, though, with one J.K. Dobbins rushing touchdown in the third quarter and zero points in the fourth.

“There’s a bunch of different stuff. Some missed assignments in the run game. Some missed assignments in the pass game,” Mims said. “We had some turnovers. Some penalties that really hurt us and took points off the board. I think that’s the biggest thing. … Not being able to convert when we’re on their side in the 50.”

Briefly

Coach Sean Payton confirmed Wednesday that he will serve as one of three head coaches in March 2026 in Saudi Arabia for a competitive flag football tournament, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. Payton told reporters he got a text from retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady with the details. Payton said: “It’s significant when it comes to growing our game with the Olympics not that far around the corner.” … Wide receiver Courtland Sutton is a willing blocker. On Wednesday, he said: “To be able to watch runs break and see us move the ball efficiently and effectively down the field, it’s exciting to be a part of that.” … The Chargers have placed star edge rusher Khalil Mack (elbow) on injured reserve.

Bo Nix: Broncos must close out games, sideline interaction with Sean Payton no big deal

ENGLEWOOD – Bo Nix was hard on himself after the Broncos won their opener. So, you better believe he also was when they lost in Week 2. 

In Denver’s 29-28 loss last Sunday at Indianapolis, the second-year quarterback completed 22 of 30 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns and had a fine passer rating of 111.2. But he did throw an interception in the fourth quarter, and he wasn’t happy with the Broncos being unable to put the game away after they led 28-20 in the third quarter. 

“There were plenty of good plays, but I think I’m focused on the ones that didn’t go our way because that’s how you learn, and get better and find ways to improve,’’ Nix said after Wednesday’s practice at Broncos Park. 

The Broncos (1-1) won their opener 20-12 over Tennessee on Sept. 7, but Nix was critical of a performance in which he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Then again, Nix is always his toughest critic. 

“Bo can tie his shoe and if it comes untied, he is like, ‘I tied my shoe terribly right there,’’’ said Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton. “He holds himself to a standard that won’t allow himself to be comfortable with any form of success. He can go out and throw a 70-yard touchdown, and he’s like, ‘My feet,’ or he’s like, ‘I could have probably put it just a little bit further out to the left.’ He’s always finding ways to make himself better because that’s just who he is.” 

Nix will look on Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers (2-0) to have a good performance and get a win. The victor will take over first place in the AFC West. 

Heading into the game, the Broncos will seek to make some corrections with Nix, who has four turnovers in the first two games. 

“He’s had one or two throws that went into coverage maybe, but we’ll get that corrected,’’ said Broncos coach Sean Payton. “He’s mindful of that.” 

Payton and Nix on Wednesday both shrugged off a third-quarter interaction on the sideline between the two against the Colts when both raised their voices. 

“I think it was more about excitement, but I saw it,’’ Payton said of the interaction, which was shown live on CBS from Lucas Oil Stadium. “It was following, I think a series where we ran it pretty well. I don’t recall it ever being (contentious).” 

Nix called the interaction no big deal. 

“I think for whatever reason we’re allowing conversations to become bigger than what they are,’’ Nix said. “We often times forget that it’s a big stadium and a lot of people are talking at the same time, so you have to be a little bit louder and more vocal. So, that was just something as simple as he asked me what happened on a play, I told him, I turned, he couldn’t quite hear, turned back, and told him again. There were no issues.” 

As far as Nix is concerned, a big issue facing the Broncos is how to close out games. The Broncos led 28-23 when Nix threw an interception with 11:25 left in the game on a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage with Denver having third-and-3 at the Colts 28. 

On their next drive, with the Broncos up 28-26, they had first-and-10 at the Indianapolis 25 before two penalties set them back 20 yards. Wil Lutz eventually had a 42-yard field goal clang off the right upright with 3:15 left. The Colts then won on the final play on a 45-yard field goal by Spencer Shrader that came after a 15-yard leverage penalty against outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman while Shrader missed a 60-yard attempt. 

“We did some really good things, especially early (in the game),’’ said Nix, who threw touchdown passes of 23 yards to Marvin Mims Jr. in the first quarter and 3 yards to Troy Franklin and 2 yards to Adam Trautman in the second quarter. “We scored points in the red zone. … When we got down there, we scored touchdowns instead of having to kick field goals. … Then just in the fourth quarter, we have to find a way to get another touchdown. We had a couple of chances to put the game away, and we didn’t so that’s what we have to get better at.” 

So, Nix will be spending this week trying to see how he can improve. 

“It’s nice to be able to have a quarterback like that,’’ Sutton said of Nix being so critical of himself. “But we also have to reel him in sometimes to say, ‘It’s not all on you.’ … You don’t need to shoulder this whole burden by yourself. You have everyone on this offense, plus everyone on defense and everyone on that sidelines. We’re all rocking together.’ … He is a very tough critic of himself. It’s a good thing, but sometimes we have to remind him, ‘You aren’t by yourself, brother, we got you.”’