Nicholas Orlin and Shawn Murphy jointly sued the city and up to five unknown police officers in January 2022, seeking damages for eye and facial injuries they sustained in those incidents while protesting against police brutality on May 30, 2020. Those payments were approved as part of the Denver City Council’s consent agenda on Monday afternoon.

Both men have also received payments from the city of Aurora in the same case, according to their attorneys.

An amended version of the complaint identified Aurora police officer Cory Budaj as the person who fired the projectile that injured Orlin and Aurora police sergeant Matthew Brukbacher as the one who fired the projectile at Murphy.

Orlin and Murphy did not know each other but were both near Lincoln Park at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Lincoln Street that evening, according to the lawsuit.

Orlin was knocked unconscious by an unknown hard projectile after covering a tear gas canister with a traffic cone, according to the suit. A short time later, Murphy was shot in the face with a hard projectile after he kicked away a tear gas canister.

In both instances, officers did not issue warnings before firing, according to the plaintiffs’ attorneys. Both men suffered from vision problems and facial disfigurement after the incidents.

The two settlement agreements with the city of Denver designated $210,000 for Orlin and $255,000 for Murphy.

Orlin already had been granted $100,000 through a settlement with Aurora. Murphy received $175,000 from that city, according to attorney Birk Baumgartner, adding up to total compensation of $310,000 and $430,000 for the two men, respectively.

The men were jointly represented by the Denver firms Baumgartner Law and Beem & Isely. The men have dismissed individual suits against the Aurora officers.

“I wouldn’t call it justice. I would say it is absolutely accountability,” attorney Danielle Beem said of the settlements Monday.

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Rookie quarterback Bo Nix? He’s got plenty to correct after throwing for 138 yards on 42 attempts in the Broncos’ 26-20 season-opening loss at Seattle on Sunday.

Payton, though, reiterated the need for everybody else to help the 24-year-old more than they did in Week 1.

“I just watched a play where he climbs the pocket,” Payton said on his Monday conference call. “There were some bloody looks and he’s off schedule, throwing off the wrong foot. But I would say he’s doing what he has to on that play. There’s a dagger that opened up, but we’re not good in protection.”

The play Payton’s likely referencing came midway through the fourth quarter. Nix in preseason practices and games looked very comfortable with the dagger concept — where an outside receiver runs a deep in-cut into a void created by a slot receiver running a clear-out vertical route.

Earlier in the game on the same concept, Nix had a clean pocket and threw the ball on time, but airmailed Courtland Sutton on the in-cut. This time, Sutton came open again but Seattle rushers Leonard Williams and Boye Mafe ripped past guards Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers, respectively, and buried Nix as he let the ball go.

The ball hit the turf harmlessly.

So Nix missed the first opportunity, and protection cost the second. That’s essentially the story of the afternoon for the Broncos.

Overall, though, Payton wasn’t going to criticize the way Nix played. He had a long list of issues with the Broncos’ offensive outing, but if he was displeased with Nix completing only two passes that traveled more than 10 yards downfield in the air or forcing two throws to Sutton that ended up intercepted, he didn’t say so.

“Certainly, I saw a three-step (drop) and a hitch instead of a five and a hitch on a certain play. We’ll get that cleaned up,” Payton said of Nix. “But overall, when he’s climbing a pocket or he’s on the move extending a play, there are times where the ball’s going to get away from you.”

Payton was not happy with Denver’s pass protection, saying that after he watched the film, “It’s kind of what I thought I saw from field level. It wasn’t good enough.”

Nix was pressured on 36.7% of his 49 dropbacks, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That tied for 11th highest in the league through Sunday’s games.

He took two sacks, scrambled five times for 35 yards and a touchdown and otherwise was on the move frequently.

Payton wasn’t done there.

“Our red-zone offense wasn’t nearly as good as it needed to be and we did have some drops early on,” said the veteran coach, who also thought Javonte Williams and Audric Estime had chances in the run game but didn’t have their eyes in the right spots. “I think when I watch this tape offensively, we need to be better around (Nix) and we will be.”

Bolles OK: Payton on Monday added confidence to his Sunday assertion that left tackle Garett Bolles had avoided serious injury to his ankle.

“All the X-rays were negative,” Payton said. “MRIs were negative. Good news there. Obviously, there’s a contusion. That’s what I know, and that’s a positive.”

Jones debut solid: Safety Brandon Jones debuted in game action Sunday after missing all meaningful preseason action with a hamstring injury.

He rotated some with Devon Key, but the free-agent addition from this spring played 46 snaps overall and looked comfortable

“We were pleased with, call it his ‘re-entry’ into a game,” Payton said. “I mentioned during the week that it was a little concerning. The worry is also a recurrence of an injury with someone who maybe hadn’t played as much.

“He’s really smart mentally, and he’ll be able to clean off some of the rust. Overall was pleased.”

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Keeler: Broncos, easily. I mean, yeah, the Buffs are as one-dimensional as a Pauly Shore flick, but we’re too far down the stream to change horses now. The worst-kept secret in BoCo is that Shedeur Sanders — not Pat Shurmur, not Sean Lewis — makes the big calls on offense. The takeaway from Nebraska postgame? There’s no one No. 2 trusts more with the ball in his hands than himself. While that might work for CU in the D-optional, pass-happy Big 12, Bo Nix is in a different league. Literally. Bo needs more help, man. A lot of help. From everywhere. Now.

Renck: For me the answer is simple: the Broncos. Why? They are built to run. They guaranteed $126 million in contracts to right tackle Mike McGlinchey, left guard Ben Powers and right guard Quinn Meinerz to win at the line of scrimmage, to create, as center Luke Wattenberg called it, “a physical identity.” Yet Nix threw the ball 44 times in the opener. Worse, he was the Broncos’ most dynamic runner. Javonte Williams averaged 3.2 yards per carry over the final 10 games last season and posted 2.9 yards a pop vs. Seattle. He was more explosive in training camp. But is he better? Is he a starter? The eye test — even in a blink — says Audric Estime could be the team’s most dynamic back. Coach Sean Payton reiterated Monday he “didn’t do a good enough job” but explained the run issues involve scheme, better technique by linemen and improved vision from running backs.

Keeler: The downside of “going young”? Cutting sure things. Cutting veteran sure things, especially. Samaje Perine has lost a step, but at least those steps are usually chugging forward. Think Young Bo could’ve used the sure-handed Tim Patrick to keep the chains moving? It’s Sean’s show. Sean’s locker room. But Sean’s offenses in recent years have looked a heck of a lot better when they’re using the run to set up the pass, and not vice versa. Stat to note: Since 2020, Sean Payton teams are 18-5, and 4-2 with the Broncos, when picking up 120 rush yards or more, and 11-16 when it’s 119 or fewer. If Estime turns this engine over and holds the fort as a pass protector, that might be your guy.

Renck: CU is abysmal on the ground, with its running backs collecting 75 yards on 25 carries through two games. Stop the madness with Charlie Offerdahl. He can pick up a blitz. OK. Cool. Make him the backup and expand his role on special teams. Dallan Hayden needs more reps. Feed him and see if it puts the offensive line in rhythm. The Broncos’ situation is more alarming because they want to run. The Buffs do not. They say they do. But they don’t. And until they value balance over Sanders’ passing stats, nothing will change.

Keeler: I’ve been stomping for Hayden for two weeks now, to no avail. Meanwhile, Dylan Edwards is averaging 9.5 yards per touch at K-State, where he’s already scored three times in two games for the Fighting EMAWs. The Buffs sure would love that kind of explosion out of the backfield right about now. And young Bo could use it even more.

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologists captured the wolf on Aug. 30 and it died on Sept. 3, the agency announced Monday. Biologists had found the wolf, identified as 2309-OR, in poor condition, with several injuries to a hind leg and severely underweight, according to CPW.

“CPW staff believes that it was unlikely the wolf would have survived for very long in the wild,” the agency said in a news release.

State wildlife officials decided in August to capture the Copper Creek pack after the male wolf killed and maimed multiple cattle and sheep in the Middle Park area. The removal of the wolves from the wild was a setback for the voter-mandated effort to reintroduce the apex predator to the state’s landscape, beginning with the release of 10 wolves in the state in December.

Another of the reintroduced wolves died this spring. The state’s known wolf population now stands at 14: eight survivors among the reintroduced adults, plus the four pups from the Copper Creek pack and two adult wolves remaining from a pack established earlier by wolves that migrated from Wyoming.

The decision to recapture the pack came with risk and uncertainty, CPW Director Jeff Davis said in an interview. Wildlife officials did not want to remove the male wolf while the pups and the female wolf relied on his hunting for survival.

“We’re trying to balance the fact that we have so few animals on the landscape, and (we have) our mandate to restore a sustainable population of wolves while avoiding and minimizing impacts to the ranching industry,” he said. “There was an opportunity to remove the animals from the area of conflict, kind of reassess what the next steps are.”

An outside agency will investigate the cause of death of the male wolf and release a report, Davis said. He expected the investigation to take between 45 and 60 days.

The rest of the recaptured Copper Creek pack — a female wolf and four pups, one more than previously known — were captured and will be held in a facility for eventual rerelease.

The pups were underweight but otherwise healthy and taken with their mother to a “large, secure enclosure with limited human interaction,” according to CPW.

Citing a concern for the safety of the wolves, Davis declined to provide more details about the facility — including whether the facility is public or private and whether it is in Colorado.

Rerelease planned later in fall

The agency plans to release the remaining pack together between mid-November and December, once the pups have reached adult size, Davis said. Biologists will collar the pups before release, he said.

The pack will be released within the same broad area where the wolves were set loose in December, Davis said. The zone stretches north to south between Kremmling and Aspen, and east to west between Loveland Pass and Rifle.

CPW officials will speak with local elected officials and landowners in possible release areas before it occurs, according to the agency.

Davis and other CPW officials began discussing the possibility of removing and relocating the Copper Creek pack in early August, he said. The agency announced its decision to capture the pack five days after the operation was underway.

CPW began attempts to capture the pack on Aug. 22. Its biologists captured the wolves using leg-hold traps over the next two weeks, in this order:

• Aug. 24: adult female, 2312-OR
• Aug. 30: adult male, 2309-OR
• Tuesday: male pup, 2401
• Wednesday: male pups, 2403 and 2405
• Thursday: female pup, 2402

Wildlife officials continued to work in the area until Sunday to ensure all pups were captured.

“After three more days of operations, CPW felt confident there were no additional pups on the landscape,” according to the agency’s news release.

CPW veterinarians do not believe the leg-hold trap caused the injury to the now-deceased male wolf’s leg, Davis said.

The leg had puncture wounds high on the inside of the back right leg, which a leg-hold trap could not inflict on an adult wolf, Davis said. That leg was atrophied and the hair on the paw had grown long, indicating that the foot had not been used regularly for a long time, Davis said. Veterinarians administered antibiotics to the captured wolf to treat infection from the wound.

State deviated from its own plan

CPW’s wolf management plan states that relocating wolves to halt depredations “has little technical merit,” since the wolves could return to their previous territory or simply start killing livestock in their new area.

Davis acknowledged that the relocation decision strayed from the plan, but he said it was a necessary choice when trying to balance the mandate to restore wolves and also “take a little bit of steam or temperature out of the ranching community by removing the conflict.”

The majority of the 24 cattle and sheep killed and maimed by wolves since reintroduction were attacked by the paired wolves that formed the Copper Creek pack, CPW officials previously said.

“This isn’t necessarily exactly what our plan says, but this is a little bit of a perfect storm event, so it requires some flexibility and unique solutions going forward,” Davis said.

The four pups had not been involved with the livestock but were approaching the age when they would begin hunting with the adults, Davis said. It’s unclear whether the female wolf has killed or injured any cattle or sheep, he said.

Had the male wolf survived, he would have been held in captivity permanently, CPW officials said at news conference Monday afternoon.

While it is difficult to digest the death of the male wolf, the relocation was the best option for CPW at the time, said Rob Edward, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project, which supported reintroduction. Now that the pack has been relocated, CPW can pivot to focusing more on preventing depredation by coordinating earlier with ranches that have a wolf presence nearby.

CPW also can make sure ranchers have easy access to nonlethal deterrents, he said.

“Now we can turn our attention to why CPW had to relocate these wolves — and what they can do better as they implement the will of the voters,” Edward said.

Despite the death of two of the 10 animals released in December, CPW officials remain optimistic that the reintroduction program will succeed.

“I’m not concerned about the overall success of the program,” Eric Odell, CPW’s wolf conservation program manager, said during the news conference.

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NEW YORK (AP) — James Earl Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.

His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York’s Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.

The pioneering Jones, who was one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama and worked deep into his 80s, won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a Broadway theater was renamed in his honor.

He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for a Broadway run of “The Gin Game” having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.

“The need to storytell has always been with us,” he told The Associated Press then. “I think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn’t get him.”

Jones created such memorable film roles as the reclusive writer coaxed back into the spotlight in “Field of Dreams,” the boxer Jack Johnson in the stage and screen hit “The Great White Hope,” the writer Alex Haley in “Roots: The Next Generation” and a South African minister in “Cry, the Beloved Country.”

He was also a sought-after voice actor, expressing the villainy of Darth Vader (“No, I am your father,” commonly misremembered as “Luke, I am your father”), as well as the benign dignity of King Mufasa in Disney’s animated “The Lion King” and announcing “This is CNN” during station breaks. He won a 1977 Grammy for his performance on the “Great American Documents” audiobook.

“If you were an actor or aspired to be an actor, if you pounded the payment in these streets looks for jobs, one of the standards we always had was to be a James Earl Jones,” Samuel L. Jackson once said.

Some of his other films include “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Greatest” (with Muhammad Ali), “Conan the Barbarian,” “Three Fugitives” and playing an admiral in three Tom Clancy blockbuster adaptations — “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger.” In a rare romantic comedy, “Claudine,” Jones had an onscreen love affair with Diahann Carroll.

Jones made his Broadway debut in 1958’s “Sunrise At Campobello” and would win his two Tony Awards for “The Great White Hope” (1969) and “Fences” (1987). He also was nominated for “On Golden Pond” (2005) and “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” (2012). He was celebrated for his command of Shakespeare and Athol Fugard alike. More recent Broadway appearances include “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Iceman Cometh,” and “You Can’t Take It With You.”

As a rising stage and television actor, he appeared in “As the World Turns” in 1965, one of the first Black actors to have such role on daytime TV. He performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival Theater in “Othello,” “Macbeth” and “King Lear” and in off-Broadway plays.

Jones was born by the light of an oil lamp in a shack in Arkabutla, Mississippi, on Jan. 17, 1931. His father, Robert Earl Jones, had deserted his wife before the baby’s arrival to pursue life as a boxer and, later, an actor.

When Jones was 6, his mother took him to her parents’ farm near Manistee, Michigan. His grandparents adopted the boy and raised him.

“A world ended for me, the safe world of childhood,” Jones wrote in his autobiography, “Voices and Silences.” “The move from Mississippi to Michigan was supposed to be a glorious event. For me it was a heartbreak, and not long after, I began to stutter.”

Too embarrassed to speak, he remained virtually mute for years, communicating with teachers and fellow students with handwritten notes. A sympathetic high school teacher, Donald Crouch, learned that the boy wrote poetry, and demanded that Jones read one of his poems aloud in class. He did so faultlessly.

Teacher and student worked together to restore the boy’s normal speech. “I could not get enough of speaking, debating, orating — acting,” he recalled in his book.

At the University of Michigan, he failed a pre-med exam and switched to drama, also playing four seasons of basketball. He served in the Army from 1953 to 1955.

In New York, he moved in with his father and enrolled with the American Theater Wing program for young actors. Father and son waxed floors to support themselves while looking for acting jobs.

True stardom came suddenly in 1970 with “The Great White Hope.” Howard Sackler’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play depicted the struggles of Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, amid the racism of early 20th-century America. In 1972, Jones repeated his role in the movie version and was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor.

Jones’ two wives were also actors. He married Julienne Marie Hendricks in 1967. After their divorce, he married Cecilia Hart, best known for her role as Stacey Erickson in the CBS police drama “Paris,” in 1982. (She died in 2016.) They had a son, Flynn Earl, born in 1983.

In 2022, the Cort Theatre on Broadway was renamed after Jones, with a ceremony that included Norm Lewis singing “Go the Distance,” Brian Stokes Mitchell singing “Make Them Hear You” and words from Mayor Eric Adams, Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson.

“You can’t think of an artist that has served America more,” director Kenny Leon told the AP. “It’s like it seems like a small act, but it’s a huge action. It’s something we can look up and see that’s tangible.”

Citing his stutter as one of the reasons he wasn’t a political activist, Jones nonetheless hoped his art could change minds.

“I realized early on, from people like Athol Fugard, that you cannot change anybody’s mind, no matter what you do,” he told the AP. “As a preacher, as a scholar, you cannot change their mind. But you can change the way they feel.”

___

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

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Class 5A

Class 4A

Class 3A

Note: All stats taken from Maxpreps.com.

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PITTSBURGH — In the mood for a quick and easy dessert that ushers summer sweetly into fall?

The end of August and beginning of September are typically when peaches shine the brightest at Pennsylvania farmers markets and in local groceries. Georgia may call itself “The Peach State,” but Pennsylvania grows a lot of the fruit, too — nearly 40 million pounds each year with an annual value of approximately $20 million.

Some of the most celebrated fruit wear a “Chambersburg” sticker. Devotees say the Franklin County soil in which the trees have been planted for more than a century makes its peaches especially sweet and juicy. Having eaten quite a few over the years, often out of hand, I’d have to agree.

You can certainly hit the sweet spot with an old-fashioned cobbler or peach crisp, but the fruit is just as tasty in a crunchy parfait. Most often I make the treat with yogurt for breakfast, but if you layer the individual glasses or bowls with fresh whipped cream instead — here, gently spiced with cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar — it’s a pretty terrific way to end a meal.

Homemade granola (so easy!) adds a wonderful crunch.

For more color and variety, add a handful of fresh blueberries or raspberries if you’ve got them.

While you can use any variety of peaches — freestones are probably the easiest to prepare — make sure the fruit is ripe but not overly squishy; there should only be a tiny bit of give when you (very gently) squeeze it.

To easily remove skin, cut a small X through the skin of the bottom of the peach, blanch in boiling water for about 10 seconds, then place in ice water. The skin should slide right off.

Peach Parfait

PG Tested

For granola

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups mixed raw nuts and/or seeds, such as cashews, pecans or walnuts
• 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
• Generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For whipped cream

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

For parfait

• 4 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced thin
• Fresh cherries or mint sprigs, for garnish

Prepare granola: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend well.

Add oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Toss well, so that all the ingredients are lightly coated. Pour granola mixture onto your prepared pan and spread it out in an even layer.

Bake until lightly golden, about 24 minutes, stirring halfway. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely. (The granola will further crisp up as it cools.) You should end up with about 6 cups of granola — more than enough for the parfaits with some left over for snacking.

Prepare whipped cream: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip heavy cream, brown sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3 — 4 minutes. Use immediately, or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours

Assemble parfaits: Using a large spoon or pastry bag, fill wine or parfait glasses about 1/4 full with the spiced whipped cream. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup granola on top of the whipped cream, followed by 1/4 cup sliced peaches. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Garnish with a fresh cherry and/or mint sprig, and serve immediately.

Serves 4.

— Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

©2024 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The alert is planned for 11 a.m. Thursday. The test will be sent to all mobile devices located within the city and county of Denver, regardless of where the phones are registered or if they have out-of-area phone numbers. State and local tests are not enabled by default, however, so users will need to turn it on their phones’ settings to receive it.

The test is being timed in recognition of National Preparedness Month and is being conducted by the Denver Office of Emergency Management. The alerts are designed to send warnings about imminent dangers, including severe weather, public safety and other local emergencies. The test alert should be clearly marked as such.

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Quarterback Bo Nix under center. Running back Javonte Williams behind. Just one receiver in the formation but three tight ends.

Set up at the Seattle 20-yard line, Williams blasted for 9 yards as he wound back behind the left side of the offensive line and past an effective kickout block by tight end Adam Trautman.

Instead of stamping an early identity, though, the first play ended up fleeting in a 26-20 loss to the Seahawks. Rather than sticking to the run game when it worked early, head coach Sean Payton and the offense got tilted toward throwing the ball even before they fell behind and ultimately ended up with 49 drop-backs against just 20 non-quarterback runs.

“Heck no,” Payton said afterward when asked if that was the plan going in.

Denver churned out 5.1 yards per carry on its first nine Week 1 attempts. The Broncos held the lead at halftime despite failing in the red zone three times and generating just 27 total yards on their three field goal drives.

Instead of committing to the run game with the lead and a rookie quarterback in a hostile environment, the Broncos lost their way.

Instead of imposing their will behind a big, expensive offensive line, the Broncos were dictated to by a first-time head coach.

So perhaps the better question as it pertains to the Broncos run game isn’t if a 29% designed run rate (20 non-scramble runs on 69 offensive plays) was the plan against Seattle, but rather: What’s the plan going forward? What do the Broncos want their run-game identity to be? And do they have the stomach — or talent — to forge it?

“We’re not just going to be a spread, shotgun, RPO offense only,” Payton said Monday, referring to run-pass options. “There’s times when I don’t want the ‘P’ in the RPO. There’s times when you want to be able to control the game and run it regardless of the front and the coverage.”

Denver’s run-game efficiency was at best hit-and-miss. That despite entering the season with an offensive line with four starters who are making $12 million or more this year and own four of the 11 highest salary cap charges on the roster.

Right guard Quinn Meinerz said his unit has to protect Nix better when he drops back to pass, “but also create a good run game for him as well so we can marry all these things together instead of having to drop back 40 times.”

Added Payton, “One of the key things that was important in this game was winning the run-game battle, and we weren’t able to do that. We struggled. Efficiency on first and second down was one of our keys to victory and we were anything but.”

With the ball and a 13-9 lead to open the second half, Jaleel McLaughlin was dropped for minus-4 on the first play. Three-and-out.

On the next drive, McLaughlin ripped off a 15-yard run — the Broncos’ longest rush of the day — so Payton went back to the well. Except Audric Estime picked up 2 on first down and McLaughlin was stuffed for minus-3 on second-and-8. Drive scuttled. McLaughlin fumbled on a third-and-11 reception to make matters worse.

“There’s always that balance of, man, we’re attempting to and then it’s hard to keep (doing it),” Payton said. “And so whether it’s base personnel, we’re going to look at the tape and we’re going to say this and that, but we’ve got to evaluate — us as coaches — we’ve got to evaluate the run plan and why it wasn’t as effective as we would like.

“It’s going to be hard to play quarterback, period if that’s the best we can do running the ball.”

In Payton’s tenure, the Broncos have been a purveyor of much and master of little in the run game. They’re some inside zone and some outside. Some gap and some duo. The occasional designed quarterback stuff, though none Sunday with Nix.

But in gotta-have-it moments or in that moment when they have a chance to take control of a game, they’ve rarely accomplished it. There’s a reason the team was so ebullient after a 29-12 win over Cleveland last year. They dominated a tough, physical, eventual playoff team and imposed their will while bulling to 162 rushing yards.

How many other times has that happened? Sunday was the eighth time in 18 games under Payton that the Broncos have failed to hit 100 rushing yards in a game.

They’ve still got time to make strides this fall, of course. Payton often talks about the race through the first quarter of the season as the period in which teams make the most strides in determining who they are and how to maximize that.

Whether the Broncos figure out what they want to be about on the ground will go a long way toward setting the ceiling and the floor for 2024.

One small thing to like: DE Zach Allen didn’t light up the box score, but he played 65 of 67 snaps, generated a pair of pressures, tackled RB Zach Charbonnet for a safety and overall he looks set to benefit significantly from Denver’s overhauled defensive line.

One small thing to dislike: Nix looked like he started to back out from under center Luke Wattenberg early on a first-and-goal snap from the 9-yard line on the Broncos’ best early scoring chance. The false start cost Denver 5 yards after a muffed punt and JL Skinner recovery set the offense up beautifully. The offense went three-and-out and settled for a FG and an 8-3 lead.

One number that jumps out: Just 12 offensive snaps for Marvin Mims Jr., the 2023 second-round pick. That was fifth-most among receivers for the Broncos. Matchup-driven or a continuation of his relatively quiet camp?

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The Double Play ticket for the March 23 Powerball drawing is set to expire on Sept. 19 after the 180-day window for winners to claim their prize, state officials said in a news release Monday.

The ticket was sold at the King Soopers at 8031 Wadsworth Blvd.

The winning ticket matched all five numbers – 18-24-43-46-47 – but missed the Powerball.

If no one claims the winnings, the money will go toward funding Colorado’s parks, recreation, open space and wildlife preservation projects.

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