Basha High School: Beyond The Gridiron

For Mackenzie Blackwood, boring is better. Blackwood is one of the best athletes in the NHL, regardless of position. His athleticism allows him to make jaw-dropping, how-did-he-get-that-one saves. His path from prospect to potential Vezina Trophy candidate was non-linear, and included some dark days. But, beyond some better fortune with his health, one of the biggest realizations in his development was his ability to make flashy saves was not going to make him the consistent goaltender he wanted to be. “Goalie is a hard position mentally.

Nik Bonitto is eligible for a contract extension. And even though George Paton hasn’t engaged in those discussions yet, he made it clear that he wants the All-Pro edge rusher in Denver for the foreseeable future. “Obviously we’d love to have Nik here long term,” Denver’s general manager said on Wednesday.

Even 53 weeks later, Sean Payton’s disgust with his first season as the Broncos head coach is palpable. Even after a 10-7 regular season and return to the playoffs — albeit a brief one after Sunday’s wild-card loss to Buffalo — established a new benchmark for success, the sins of the past lingered in the coach’s mind. Even as Payton said Wednesday that he was adamant about only looking forward, the extent of his optimism about the future is measured perhaps most colorfully by considering just how cloudy January of 2024 was. “We’re a lot closer than we were a year ago,” Payton said Wednesday in Denver’s season wrap-up news conference.

There’s a strong belief within the Broncos organization that the franchise’s revolving door of quarterbacks — 14 starters since Peyton Manning retired — has ended with Bo Nix in command. The rookie quarterback led the Broncos to a 10-7 regular-season record and their first postseason appearance since 2015. Even after Denver’s 31-7 wild-card loss in Buffalo, Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner was unequivocal in his assessment of Nix at the team’s end-of-season news conference on Wednesday. “It’s obvious that he’s the guy,” Penner said.

The Broncos’ stadium future remains undecided and owner and CEO Greg Penner said Wednesday that the team is considering all of its options. Penner, speaking after his team finished a 10-7 season that included a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, noted that ownership has visited with municipalities besides the city of Denver. “I’m sure you’ve all seen some rumors recently,” Penner said.

USTIN, Texas — Texas junior quarterback Quinn Ewers declared for the NFL draft on Wednesday, ending a Longhorns career in which he led the program to a Big 12 championship and twice to the College Football Playoff but was not always embraced by a fan base eagerly waiting for Arch Manning to take over. Ewers passed for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns in a career that few Texas quarterbacks can match.