Yes, oh yes it would.

Sounds like a home town discount. We’ll need that since I doubt Marshall or Elvis will be as generous.

reminds me of a foster child who is thankful to be hugged and tucked into bed at night because he never got that kind of affection at his first home. Kinda sad, but I’m glad he’s in a good, healthy environment now. Welcome home, Kyle.

we will definitely be ramming it down their throats all game. :-)

Smith was excellent in the Cincy game and was also strong in the Cleveland game. He missed the next two games with injuries and had a hard time last week with Welker (like most CBs). I think Smith is right where he needs to be as a high draft pick. He has impacted games with positive plays.

Ayers is another story. I’m not seeing as much from him. He has flashed a time or two, but when I focus on him, he has several plays were he is a nonfactor. I’m far from sold that OLB is where he is best suited to play in the NFL. He looks more like a classic 4-3 DE to me. He has not found his stride or niche with Denver.

Now that Woody has declared that they won’t have an impact until late season, if at all, I fully expect both to have big games on Monday. Probably a pick 6 for Smith and a sack of Ayers.

Glad you posted this — because I was going to.

Every time I want to give Woody credit for dropping the clown shtick and demonstrating that there’s a real person underneath, he comes up with something like this.

I don’t know what to say.

Smith erased any doubts about himself early in the season, but he’s been injured and that makes it hard to demonstrate much of anything. He’s clearly not a bust (nor even a disappointment) on pass defense, besides being excellent at run support, and he’s shown ability in the return game, although he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities there. It’s hard not to dismiss Paige as completely and utterly clueless, but I can’t explain his cluelessness since he shows himself capable of much more.

Ayers has shown plenty lately, so Paige’s comments are almost as baffling here. He came in to the season with a disavantage because of his late signing but he’s been progressing nicely lately, and that progress has surpassed what is reasonable for this point — (and it’s also been noted by the coaches, as mentioned in a recent article).

I don’t usually ‘go negative,’ and I’ve outlined my reasons for that previously, but Paige is someone I can’t stand and never could. My Colorado roots go a long way back and I’ve watched him for decades, with various levels of revulsion. Yellow sports journalist such as Paige operate on an ethical principle of expedience, and the goal is to generate conflict whenever possible. Conflict sells.

Comments such as “I’ve been told that by someone on the inside” are devices used to establish credibility. The current coaching staff ISN’T offering up any tidbits to the media so it’s presumably a lie. If Paige wants to cite someone and the words to this effect then he can, but otherwise he’s using an ‘insider scam.’ Paige is capable of writing honest articles based on actual information (although that’s not as easy to come by with this coaching staff) but that requires work and having actual information in his possession. It’s far easier to allude to a problem he’s invented and milk the controversy that develops. And this is why I’ve always had a low, low opinion of him.

A final note — I’m not trying to indulge in hating Woody Paige here. My opinion has been developed over a long period of time and is carefully considered. Ignoring his behavior and rationalizing it as something else is no better than judging prematurely and harshly. Being fair in one’s opinions sometimes leads to a negative appraisal. Paige has had many, many opportunities to demonstrate his character and shown on a great many occasions what kind of person he is. The question is not whether I’m being judgmental but why he’s that way.

A final, final note — I was looking at the defensive tackle totals yesterday and I invite others to do so (on NFL.com). Do a comparison of how other rookies have done (in similar positions) and you’ll get a picture of Ayers and Smith are doing (also see pass breakups, etc.). There are two points; one, they’re doing well, and two, rookies don’t contribute much in their first season and shouldn’t be expected to. Paige is playing on our level of knowledge and beliefs concerning rookies (i.e., people tend to believe they do more). Also, look at how some of the other potential draft picks we debated taking are doing. It should go a long way towards alleviating any regrets people have that we didn’t draft some other prospects.

Which one do you mean? If it’s the one on DB.com, it’s the one titled “Showing His Smarts”