Return of the Mailbag

Once again, I've been asked by no one at all to take over the Denver Post's Broncos Mailbag this week while Klis dries out in a methadone clinic. Let's get right to it. Geoff, you're up.

Herc - Wow. Have you ever seen a quarterback thread the needle as often as Jay Cutler does? That TD pass to Daniel Graham was unbelievable -- defenders were everywhere. I think his nickname should be "The Tailor."
-- Geoff Ankeney, Olympia, Wash.

The Tailor? Jesus, that's terrible. The guy has the word "cut" in his name and the best you can come up with is The Tailor? Why not just call him The Seamstress and get it over with?


Hey, Herc. Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that Peyton Hillis and Spencer Larsen would be leading the Broncos to wins. Accident or trend? Thanks.
-- Pat, Pueblo

Of course it's an accident, dipshit. You're aware that four Broncos RB's are on IR right now, yes? And that every starting LB is injured as well? OK. Just making sure you weren't in a coma for the first nine weeks of the season. These guys were forced into duty. You think they'd be starting where they are if everyone else wasn't already hurt? Of course not.

What happened to Niko Koutouvides? Didn't the Broncos pick him up this offseason as a free agent to play middle LB? Why is Larsen playing both ways if we gave Niko so much money?
-- Jeff, Reno, Nev.

Sheesh....we didn't exactly break the bank for the guy. $2.6M is peanuts in today's NFL. It's not like we forked over $11M guaranteed for 7 seven games and 15 receptions. But, yeah. Niko clearly sucks. Major disappointment.


On TV, they said the game was a sellout, but I saw a lot of empty seats at the Georgia Dome. How was the crowd, and do the Falcons not sell out games despite turning things around so fast?
-- Chris Y., Colorado Springs

Atlanta has some of the worst fans in the country...for any sport. They're front-running bandwagoners. They can't even sell out playoff baseball games. Empty seats are not surprising there and announcing sellouts when 1/3 of the stadium is clearly empty is pretty disingenuous. It looked like the club level seats in the third quarter at New Mile High.


Hi, Herc. With the retirement of John Lynch, do you think the Broncos could make him a defense coach? He always seemed to be around the coaches during games, and we would need his passion on that side of the ball. Any chance?
-- Eric, Montreal

Oh for fuck's sake! What is everyone's goddamn fascination with this guy? Can someone explain this? John Lynch should run for governor! The bishops of Rome should seriously consider John Lynch for the new Pope! It's ridiculous.


Why no faith in P.J. Pope at RB? Last year he was in the running for the top RB spot at Green Bay until an injury led to his release. He was ahead of both Brandon Jackson and Ryan Grant. Give the kid a shot!
-- Todd, Cincinnati

Agreed. But he's too small and he got dinged up on Sunday. He got a few carries and he got hurt. Doesn't bode well for his future, especially with Tatum looking as good as he did.


We have an ongoing debate here over the NFL's greatest cornerback -- Champ Bailey or Deion Sanders? Are there any thoughts out there among sports writers or NFL coaches on this?
-- Mike Lee, Santa Fe

With all appropriate love for Champ Bailey, this one isn't really close. Deion was on another plane. He shut down an entire half of the field for the better part of a decade. One of the best kick returners ever, too. Champ tackles better, but Deion was far superior.


Many have been rough on Karl Paymah, including me. However, the more I watch him play, the more I think he would make a fine free safety. He tackles well, reads well and keeps the play in front of him, just like a good safety. I know they tried this with Domonique Foxworth, but I think they should give Paymah a shot at safety once our other CBs get healthy. What do you think?
-- Dwayne, Inola, Okla.

Paymah's been beyond terrible this year. I don't see how a move to safety would hurt him. Speaking of Foxworth, wasn't it awesome how he was repeatedly abused by Cutler on Sunday? Yes. It was.


That's it for this installment. Tune in sometime for...something. Maybe