thedenverpost--2020-12-12--Week 14 NFL Picks: Mahomes nears NFL record as Kansas City visits Miami

The Chiefs are a seven-point favorite in their return to Hard Rock Stadium , where they beat San Francisco in last season ’ s Super Bowl .
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes can tie an NFL record with a sixth consecutive game of at least 315 yards — he ’ ll go for 375 in a win over Dolphins .
New Orleans at Philadelphia Taysom Hill is undefeated in relief of quarterback Drew Brees — two wins over Atlanta sandwiching a win over the quarterback-less Broncos .
The Saints ( 10-2 ) are a seven-point road favorite and the Eagles , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t close to being at the Saints ’ level .
Why are the Cardinals favored by two points ?
Arizona is reeling — 1-4 in its last five .
The Giants ( 5-7 ) have won four straight games and have the NFC East tie-breaker over Washington .
Big Blue ’ s defense , which has allowed 20 , 17 , 17 and 12 points during win streak , dominates .
Around the AFC : Texans assemble all-star panel to select general manager , coach All-star panel .
Houston Texans owner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soliciting help to find a new general manager and coach .
The Texans announced former receiver Andre Johnson , San Antonio Spurs CEO R.C .
Buford , former Arizona general manager Rod Graves ( now with the Fritz Pollard Alliance , which promotes NFL diversity ) and Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Jimmy Johnson and Tony Dungy have joined the effort .
McNair also hired the consulting firm Korn Ferry , the same outfit hired by Jacksonville owner Shad Khan in 2017 … and he ended up promoting interim coach Doug Marrone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moves is , “ I don ’ t trust myself to make the right hire … and I have somebody to blame if this doesn ’ t go right.
” Steelers leaking oil .
Pittsburgh may go from starting 11-0 to not getting a first-round bye and going on the road for the AFC title game .
The Steelers blew a 14-point lead in Tuesday ’ s loss to Washington and now play Sunday night at Buffalo , which sliced and diced San Francisco ’ s defense last week .
The loss @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bud Dupree to ACL injuries could cripple the Steelers ’ Super Bowl aspirations .
Just as big of an issue : Pittsburgh ’ s run game is broke ( 14 rushes-21 yards last week ) , but it gets running back James Conner back from the COVID-19/reserve list .
Loser goes home .
Indianapolis ( 8-4 ) , which holds the AFC ’ s seventh playoff spot , travels to 7-5 Las Vegas and in what is likely a playoff elimination game for the Raiders and maybe the Colts .
Indianapolis is tied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the Titans have the tiebreaker .
Las Vegas won ’ t catch Kansas City .
The Raiders host the Colts , Chargers and Miami ( 8-4 ) in the next three weeks .
Win all three and they should make the playoffs .
Colts quarterback Philip Rivers is 18-10 all-time against the Raiders ( 47 touchdowns/22 interceptions ) .
Around the NFC : Carson Wentz ’ s fall lands him on bench in Philadelphia Wentz fall complete .
The stunning decline of Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz reached rock bottom Tuesday when he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wentz leads the NFL with 15 interceptions and a 72.8 rating for the 3-8-1 Eagles .
Wentz ’ s four-year , $ 128 million extension hasn ’ t even kicked in yet .
If they cut Wentz in March , the Eagles would absorb a $ 59 million “ dead ” cap hit .
“ I think Carson Wentz can be an exceptional quarterback in this league and he ’ s proven that , ” embattled coach Doug Pederson said .
“ We got to continue to battle and fight and work with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the confines of the offense , the structure and just get him back to being Carson Wentz.
” Perkins ’ impact .
Former Giants , Alabama and Buccaneers coach Ray Perkins died Wednesday at age 79 .
He played with Joe Namath and Ken Stabler at Alabama .
He succeeded Bear Bryant as the Tide ’ s coach ( 32-15-1 record ) .
But a big part of Perkins ’ legacy is having Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick on his Giants ’ staff .
“ I loved Ray and he was a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the Giants ’ website .
“ He ’ s the only reason I was in pro football .
He ’ s the one who brought me into the league.
” Bears free-falling .
In the 2017 draft , the Bears traded four picks to San Francisco to move from No .
3 to No .
2 and selected quarterback Mitchell Trubisky .
At No .
10 , Kansas City took Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson went to Houston two picks later .
Watson travels to face Chicago/Trubisky on Sunday .
The mishandling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ryan Pace ( on his second coach after John Fox was turfed a few years ago ) and coach Matt Nagy ( two years removed from winning Coach of the Year ) under fire .
Chicago ( 5-7 ) has lost six consecutive games , its longest skid since 2002 ( eight straight losses ) .

Game of the week
Kansas City at Miami
The Chiefs are a seven-point favorite in their return to Hard Rock Stadium, where they beat San Francisco in last season’s Super Bowl. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes can tie an NFL record with a sixth consecutive game of at least 315 yards — he’ll go for 375 in a win over Dolphins.
Chiefs 34, Dolphins 24
Lock of the week
New Orleans at Philadelphia
Taysom Hill is undefeated in relief of quarterback Drew Brees — two wins over Atlanta sandwiching a win over the quarterback-less Broncos. The Saints (10-2) are a seven-point road favorite and the Eagles, even with the move to Jalen Hurts, aren’t close to being at the Saints’ level.
Saints 38, Eagles 17
Upset of the week
Arizona at N.Y. Giants
Why are the Cardinals favored by two points? Arizona is reeling — 1-4 in its last five. The Giants (5-7) have won four straight games and have the NFC East tie-breaker over Washington. Big Blue’s defense, which has allowed 20, 17, 17 and 12 points during win streak, dominates.
Giants 17, Cardinals 12
Around the AFC: Texans assemble all-star panel to select general manager, coach
All-star panel. Houston Texans owner Cal McNair is going all out in soliciting help to find a new general manager and coach. The Texans announced former receiver Andre Johnson, San Antonio Spurs CEO R.C. Buford, former Arizona general manager Rod Graves (now with the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which promotes NFL diversity) and Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Jimmy Johnson and Tony Dungy have joined the effort. McNair also hired the consulting firm Korn Ferry, the same outfit hired by Jacksonville owner Shad Khan in 2017 … and he ended up promoting interim coach Doug Marrone. What McNair is basically saying with the moves is, “I don’t trust myself to make the right hire … and I have somebody to blame if this doesn’t go right.”
Steelers leaking oil. Pittsburgh may go from starting 11-0 to not getting a first-round bye and going on the road for the AFC title game. The Steelers blew a 14-point lead in Tuesday’s loss to Washington and now play Sunday night at Buffalo, which sliced and diced San Francisco’s defense last week. The loss of linebacker Devin Bush and edge rusher Bud Dupree to ACL injuries could cripple the Steelers’ Super Bowl aspirations. Just as big of an issue: Pittsburgh’s run game is broke (14 rushes-21 yards last week), but it gets running back James Conner back from the COVID-19/reserve list.
Loser goes home. Indianapolis (8-4), which holds the AFC’s seventh playoff spot, travels to 7-5 Las Vegas and in what is likely a playoff elimination game for the Raiders and maybe the Colts. Indianapolis is tied with Tennessee in the AFC South, but the Titans have the tiebreaker. Las Vegas won’t catch Kansas City. The Raiders host the Colts, Chargers and Miami (8-4) in the next three weeks. Win all three and they should make the playoffs. Colts quarterback Philip Rivers is 18-10 all-time against the Raiders (47 touchdowns/22 interceptions).
Around the NFC: Carson Wentz’s fall lands him on bench in Philadelphia
Wentz fall complete. The stunning decline of Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz reached rock bottom Tuesday when he was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts. Wentz leads the NFL with 15 interceptions and a 72.8 rating for the 3-8-1 Eagles. Wentz’s four-year, $128 million extension hasn’t even kicked in yet. If they cut Wentz in March, the Eagles would absorb a $59 million “dead” cap hit. “I think Carson Wentz can be an exceptional quarterback in this league and he’s proven that,” embattled coach Doug Pederson said. “We got to continue to battle and fight and work with him individually and work with him within the confines of the offense, the structure and just get him back to being Carson Wentz.”
Perkins’ impact. Former Giants, Alabama and Buccaneers coach Ray Perkins died Wednesday at age 79. He played with Joe Namath and Ken Stabler at Alabama. He succeeded Bear Bryant as the Tide’s coach (32-15-1 record). But a big part of Perkins’ legacy is having Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick on his Giants’ staff. “I loved Ray and he was a very close friend of mine,” Parcells told the Giants’ website. “He’s the only reason I was in pro football. He’s the one who brought me into the league.”
Bears free-falling. In the 2017 draft, the Bears traded four picks to San Francisco to move from No. 3 to No. 2 and selected quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. At No. 10, Kansas City took Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson went to Houston two picks later. Watson travels to face Chicago/Trubisky on Sunday. The mishandling of the quarterback situation has general manager Ryan Pace (on his second coach after John Fox was turfed a few years ago) and coach Matt Nagy (two years removed from winning Coach of the Year) under fire. Chicago (5-7) has lost six consecutive games, its longest skid since 2002 (eight straight losses).


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--Why WhatsApp matters: Changes happening to app worth watching

By Shira Ovide , The New York Times Company WhatsApp is being remodeled in front of our eyes .
Watch what happens , because even if you don ’ t use the messaging app , the changes could reshape the direction of the internet .
Perhaps never before has an online property been so popular and made such little money .
More than 2 billion people worldwide use WhatsApp regularly to text or make phone calls , but it scarcely generates any money for Facebook , which has owned WhatsApp since 2014 .
That ’ s because WhatsApp is mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t make money from that group chat with your cousins .
This looks set to change .
Haltingly , including by agreeing to buy a customer service startup Monday , Facebook is trying to use its trademark playbook to remake WhatsApp into an inescapable way for businesses to interact with us .
If Facebook figures it out , WhatsApp could change how we shop and use the internet forever — as the company ’ s main social network and Instagram did .
If not , Facebook will own a spectacularly popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for our digital lives and determine which businesses thrive or don ’ t .
To understand WhatsApp , you need to know about Facebook ’ s three-step playbook and why it ’ s breaking down .
First , Facebook makes a nice space for people to hang out with one another .
That was the original Facebook social network , then it bought spots like Instagram and WhatsApp .
Once lots of people are there and comfy , Facebook lets businesses in to mingle with people and maybe try to sell running shoes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company finds ways to make those businesses pay to reach people .
That ’ s the ticket to riches .
With its main social network and Instagram , businesses pay Facebook by buying ads .
Facebook ’ s other messaging app , Messenger , has started down this path , too .
But Facebook has decided that advertisements probably aren ’ t the way to go for WhatsApp .
And it doesn ’ t exactly know what else to do when it has to deviate from its three-step plan .
The first two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The app isn ’ t widely used in the United States , but in many countries it ’ s the go-to way to stay in touch with friends and family .
And businesses are using WhatsApp to take product orders or respond to customer questions .
It ’ s just that Facebook hasn ’ t quite figured out how to hone these habits , refine them , spread them to more companies and make money from them .
That last step is tricky .
It ’ s heartening , really , to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dark a little .
With the planned purchase of Kustomer , a ( ridiculously named ) startup that helps businesses do customer service by chat apps , you can see that Facebook wants WhatsApp to be a version of customer call centers .
It ’ s also trying to make WhatsApp a 21st-century Sears catalog , or maybe a digital currency .
It all seems plausible .
Sure , WhatsApp could be the best forum for airlines to rebook your flights and for you to check out Levi ’ s jeans and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
WhatsApp could be the only online presence for many companies .
Or maybe none of this will catch on widely .
I don ’ t know , and maybe for the first time in its history , Facebook doesn ’ t know , either .
The direction of WhatsApp matters , because it ’ s about us .
Think about how Facebook and Instagram changed how many of us interact with one another and find information , influenced how businesses get us interested in their products and maybe rewired our brains .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but potentially more profound , because the app is most popular in countries where internet habits are relatively new .
WhatsApp in India could change the entire retail industry in ways we can ’ t imagine .
It could influence how governments plan their currencies .
Or , again , WhatsApp could stay wildly popular but never fulfill the hopes Facebook has for it .
I ’ m not sure which outcome we want , but I ’ ll be paying close attention either way .

The New York Times News Service Syndicate

By Shira Ovide, The New York Times Company
WhatsApp is being remodeled in front of our eyes. Watch what happens, because even if you don’t use the messaging app, the changes could reshape the direction of the internet.
Perhaps never before has an online property been so popular and made such little money. More than 2 billion people worldwide use WhatsApp regularly to text or make phone calls, but it scarcely generates any money for Facebook, which has owned WhatsApp since 2014.
That’s because WhatsApp is mostly a personal communications app, and Facebook doesn’t make money from that group chat with your cousins. This looks set to change. Haltingly, including by agreeing to buy a customer service startup Monday, Facebook is trying to use its trademark playbook to remake WhatsApp into an inescapable way for businesses to interact with us.
If Facebook figures it out, WhatsApp could change how we shop and use the internet forever — as the company’s main social network and Instagram did. If not, Facebook will own a spectacularly popular failure. The outcome will set trends for our digital lives and determine which businesses thrive or don’t.
To understand WhatsApp, you need to know about Facebook’s three-step playbook and why it’s breaking down.
First, Facebook makes a nice space for people to hang out with one another. That was the original Facebook social network, then it bought spots like Instagram and WhatsApp.
Once lots of people are there and comfy, Facebook lets businesses in to mingle with people and maybe try to sell running shoes or bedsheets. Step three, the company finds ways to make those businesses pay to reach people. That’s the ticket to riches.
With its main social network and Instagram, businesses pay Facebook by buying ads. Facebook’s other messaging app, Messenger, has started down this path, too. But Facebook has decided that advertisements probably aren’t the way to go for WhatsApp. And it doesn’t exactly know what else to do when it has to deviate from its three-step plan.
The first two steps have gone swimmingly with WhatsApp. The app isn’t widely used in the United States, but in many countries it’s the go-to way to stay in touch with friends and family. And businesses are using WhatsApp to take product orders or respond to customer questions.
It’s just that Facebook hasn’t quite figured out how to hone these habits, refine them, spread them to more companies and make money from them. That last step is tricky. It’s heartening, really, to see the big and mighty Facebook fumbling in the dark a little.
With the planned purchase of Kustomer, a (ridiculously named) startup that helps businesses do customer service by chat apps, you can see that Facebook wants WhatsApp to be a version of customer call centers. It’s also trying to make WhatsApp a 21st-century Sears catalog, or maybe a digital currency.
It all seems plausible. Sure, WhatsApp could be the best forum for airlines to rebook your flights and for you to check out Levi’s jeans and buy a pair in the chat app. WhatsApp could be the only online presence for many companies. Or maybe none of this will catch on widely. I don’t know, and maybe for the first time in its history, Facebook doesn’t know, either.
The direction of WhatsApp matters, because it’s about us.
Think about how Facebook and Instagram changed how many of us interact with one another and find information, influenced how businesses get us interested in their products and maybe rewired our brains.
WhatsApp is that all over again, but potentially more profound, because the app is most popular in countries where internet habits are relatively new. WhatsApp in India could change the entire retail industry in ways we can’t imagine. It could influence how governments plan their currencies.
Or, again, WhatsApp could stay wildly popular but never fulfill the hopes Facebook has for it. I’m not sure which outcome we want, but I’ll be paying close attention either way.


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--Longtime renewable energy advocate, entrepreneur named to state public utilities panel

Eric Blank , a veteran of the renewable energy industry , has been appointed to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission .
If confirmed by the Colorado Senate , Blank will succeed PUC Chairman Jeffrey Ackerman , whose term expires in January .
Gov Jared Polis announced the appointment Friday .
“ Eric has a deep understanding of Colorado ’ s energy system and will play an integral role at the PUC in advancing the market and consumer-driven transition to a cleaner , more affordable renewable energy future , ” Polis said in a statement .
Blank ’ s four-year term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a degree from Yale Law School and a master ’ s degree from the London School of Economics .
He cofounded Community Energy Solar , which has built solar projects in Colorado and other states .
During the 1990s , Blank spent 10 years leading the clean energy advocacy work for Western Resource Advocates , an environmental group that operates before public utility commissions in Colorado and five other states .
“ Eric has a number of impressive qualifications for the position , in particular , his background in business and his legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We look forward to considering this well-qualified nominee when he comes before the Senate , ” said Senate President Leroy Garcia , a Democrat from Pueblo .

Eric Blank, a veteran of the renewable energy industry, has been appointed to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
If confirmed by the Colorado Senate, Blank will succeed PUC Chairman Jeffrey Ackerman, whose term expires in January. Gov Jared Polis announced the appointment Friday.
“Eric has a deep understanding of Colorado’s energy system and will play an integral role at the PUC in advancing the market and consumer-driven transition to a cleaner, more affordable renewable energy future,” Polis said in a statement.
Blank’s four-year term will start Jan. 11. He has a degree from Yale Law School and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics. He cofounded Community Energy Solar, which has built solar projects in Colorado and other states.
During the 1990s, Blank spent 10 years leading the clean energy advocacy work for Western Resource
Advocates, an environmental group that operates before public utility commissions in Colorado and five other states.
“Eric has a number of impressive qualifications for the position, in particular, his background in business and his legal experience would be assets to the PUC. We look forward to considering this well-qualified nominee when he comes before the Senate,” said Senate President Leroy Garcia, a Democrat from Pueblo.


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--Former Interior Secretary Salazar sees conservation as a way to close divides: physical and social

Throughout his career in Colorado state government , the U.S. Senate and as Secretary of the Interior , Ken Salazar has focused on the natural environment and the people who rely on it .
His motto was “ Fighting for Colorado ’ s Land , Water and People ” during his successful campaigns for state attorney general and the Senate .
The motto took on broader significance when former President Barack Obama chose him to head the Interior Department .
“ That ’ s always been at the heart of who I am , understanding the importance of rivers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildlife , ” said Salazar , whose family ’ s roots are deep in Colorado ’ s San Luis Valley and northern New Mexico .
Salazar , now a partner with the international law firm WilmerHale , was intent on keeping his focus on conservation .
Two years ago , he co-founded the Salazar Center for North American Conservation .
It is his hope that with the country more polarized than ever , Americans can find common ground on the most pressing environmental problems — climate change , land use , water quality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can bring together diverse ideas and people .
“ I think the area of conservation , how we protect our lands , our air and our water , can be a great unifier for a very divided world and a very divided nation , ” said Salazar .
Conservation projects , which often have support from city dwellers , can create economic opportunities in rural areas .
Salazar mentioned the establishment of the Great Sand Dunes National Park , which has significantly boosted tourism in the San Luis Valley .
In 1992 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitutional amendment that directs state lottery revenue be used for open spaces , trails , parks , waterways and wildlife .
Salazar , then head of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources , spearheaded the proposal .
With the center , Salazar said he wanted to create a clearinghouse for some of the best conservation policies and practices .
He and Tony Frank , chancellor of the Colorado State University System , co-founded the center , which will be housed at the CSU Spur complex being built at the National Western Center in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ center ’ s co-chairmen , said the program is as much about bridging divides between people and urban and rural communities as it is about ensuring that landscapes are connected so wildlife can migrate and rivers can flow where they need to go .
Frank said it was clear that Salazar wants the center to work across barriers and borders .
“ Not just geographic borders , but bureaucratic , the interface between government and ( nongovernment organizations ) , academia and all these different groups.
” Salazar said he wanted to locate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is recognized across the country and the world for its work on conservation .
He contributed money left from his Senate campaign to establish the center as well as to programs at Colorado College and Adams State University .
Putting ideas and research to work on the ground , as envisioned by the center , fits with the university ’ s mission as a land-grant institution , Frank said .
In the late 1800s , the schools received federally controlled land to provide agriculture , science and engineering education and to work with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what our faculty members are doing and apply it to make things better for Colorado today , I think that absolutely furthers our mission , ” Frank said .
The center is also working beyond Colorado ’ s borders , with people in Mexico and Canada .
As part of its second annual symposium , the Salazar Center in September awarded a $ 100,000 prize to the Borderlands Restoration Network , which works to restore and improve habitat for bats that feed on and pollinate wild agave plants on the Arizona-Mexico border .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sustainability for producers of bacanora , a liquor made from agave , to encourage conservation .
“ Last year , we offered the Connectivity Challenge .
It was to really ask folks from around the continent to bring their best ideas to us about how to scale innovations in landscape conservation , ” said Beth Conover , the center ’ s executive director .
“ We ended up with 46 really remarkable proposals.
” Conover , formerly with the Gates Family Foundation , said the center is concentrating on both big landscapes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Denver sustainability office .
“ Moving forward , we ’ re looking at cities , where green space and climate resilience overlap , ” Conover said .
The center has an agreement with Denver to help with the city ’ s work on climate change .
Conover said green spaces and trees can help lessen the effects of climate change .
Access to the outdoors and nature is also good for people ’ s health .
And the connections can be made between city life and healthy waters and public lands , Conover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who live in cities see the relevance of conservation issues to their lives ?
Cities are where most of the people live and a lot of the big-picture questions about public lands and policies about natural resources seem remote , ” Conover said .
” But you can draw the connection between the smoke you ’ re breathing from the wildfires and the water quality from the watershed upstream .
There are a lot of connections there .
”

Throughout his career in Colorado state government, the U.S. Senate and as Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar has focused on the natural environment and the people who rely on it.
His motto was “Fighting for Colorado’s Land, Water and People” during his successful campaigns for state attorney general and the Senate. The motto took on broader significance when former President Barack Obama chose him to head the Interior Department.
“That’s always been at the heart of who I am, understanding the importance of rivers, water, land, open space and wildlife,” said Salazar, whose family’s roots are deep in Colorado’s San Luis Valley and northern New Mexico.
Salazar, now a partner with the international law firm WilmerHale, was intent on keeping his focus on conservation. Two years ago, he co-founded the Salazar Center for North American Conservation.
It is his hope that with the country more polarized than ever, Americans can find common ground on the most pressing environmental problems — climate change, land use, water quality and quantity — and that the center can bring together diverse ideas and people.
“I think the area of conservation, how we protect our lands, our air and our water, can be a great unifier for a very divided world and a very divided nation,” said Salazar.
Conservation projects, which often have support from city dwellers, can create economic opportunities in rural areas. Salazar mentioned the establishment of the Great Sand Dunes National Park, which has significantly boosted tourism in the San Luis Valley.
In 1992, voters approved Great Outdoors Colorado, a constitutional amendment that directs state lottery revenue be used for open spaces, trails, parks, waterways and wildlife. Salazar, then head of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, spearheaded the proposal.
With the center, Salazar said he wanted to create a clearinghouse for some of the best conservation policies and practices. He and Tony Frank, chancellor of the Colorado State University System, co-founded the center, which will be housed at the CSU Spur complex being built at the National Western Center in Denver.
Salazar and Frank, the center’s co-chairmen, said the program is as much about bridging divides between people and urban and rural communities as it is about ensuring that landscapes are connected so wildlife can migrate and rivers can flow where they need to go.
Frank said it was clear that Salazar wants the center to work across barriers and borders. “Not just geographic borders, but bureaucratic, the interface between government and (nongovernment organizations), academia and all these different groups.”
Salazar said he wanted to locate the center at CSU because the school is recognized across the country and the world for its work on conservation. He contributed money left from his Senate campaign to establish the center as well as to programs at Colorado College and Adams State University.
Putting ideas and research to work on the ground, as envisioned by the center, fits with the university’s mission as a land-grant institution, Frank said. In the late 1800s, the schools received federally controlled land to provide agriculture, science and engineering education and to work with communities.
“Whenever we can take what our faculty members are doing and apply it to make things better for Colorado today, I think that absolutely furthers our mission,” Frank said.
The center is also working beyond Colorado’s borders, with people in Mexico and Canada. As part of its second annual symposium, the Salazar Center in September awarded a $100,000 prize to the Borderlands Restoration Network, which works to restore and improve habitat for bats that feed on and pollinate wild agave plants on the Arizona-Mexico border. The network is developing a certificate of sustainability for producers of bacanora, a liquor made from agave, to encourage conservation.
“Last year, we offered the Connectivity Challenge. It was to really ask folks from around the continent to bring their best ideas to us about how to scale innovations in landscape conservation,” said Beth Conover, the center’s executive director. “We ended up with 46 really remarkable proposals.”
Conover, formerly with the Gates Family Foundation, said the center is concentrating on both big landscapes and urban areas. She developed the Greenprint Denver sustainability office.
“Moving forward, we’re looking at cities, where green space and climate resilience overlap,” Conover said.
The center has an agreement with Denver to help with the city’s work on climate change. Conover said green spaces and trees can help lessen the effects of climate change. Access to the outdoors and nature is also good for people’s health.
And the connections can be made between city life and healthy waters and public lands, Conover said.
“How do you help people who live in cities see the relevance of conservation issues to their lives? Cities are where most of the people live and a lot of the big-picture questions about public lands and policies about natural resources seem remote,” Conover said. ” But you can draw the connection between the smoke you’re breathing from the wildfires and the water quality from the watershed upstream. There are a lot of connections there.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--Grading the Week: A note for Nuggets coach Michael Malone — the more Bol Bol, the merrier

The general sentiment out of the first week of Nuggets training camp : Bol Bol remains a work in progress .
The general sentiment out of the Grading the Week offices : Bol Bol remains the most exciting young prospect in the entire Colorado sports landscape and we can ’ t get enough of him .
So , let us make this plea to Nuggets coach Michael Malone with Denver set to begin its preseason Saturday night : Give us as much of the 7-foot-2 unicorn as we can take this winter … then give us more .
Because , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing as too much Bol .
We want to luxuriate in his sweet-shooting 3-point touch , delight in his guard-like ball-handling and wallow in him swatting away opponents ’ shots like a dad playing one-on-one with his 8-year-old in the driveway .
When asked earlier this week what his goals are for this season , the 21-year-old ’ s response was near perfect : “ Personally , just to play a lot more , ” he said .
“ And hopefully win Rookie of the Year.
” To quote Patrick Swayze from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s still time to do the right thing , Pac-12 .
If , and when , Colorado beats Utah , and USC follows with a victory of its own over UCLA on Saturday night , the conference seemingly incapable of doing the right and obvious thing should finally do the right and obvious thing .
Put the Pac-12 ’ s only two undefeated teams in next week ’ s conference championship game , and give us the best possible matchup that we deserve .
The current North Division leader , Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play due to that state ’ s rigid COVID quarantine protocols .
And the one behind them , Oregon , has lost two games in a row and is in no way deserving of playing for a conference crown .
The only games the Buffs missed this fall were due to other teams ’ inability to play , including , as has been well-documented at this point , the very one that might finish ahead of them in the South Division standings ( USC ) .
If ever there was a year to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
Let the Buffs and Trojans settle this on the field .
This “ C ” has nothing to do with the Daz , or his Dudes .
No , this “ C ” stands for “ cursed.
” How else can you explain a football team being unable to play half its scheduled games , with the last cancellation ( Saturday ’ s home finale vs. Utah State ) having nothing to do with COVID-19 ?
A player boycott ?
And it didn ’ t come from the program that recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impropriety and abuse ?
Unless CSU is able to find an opponent for next week — at this rate , Rams fans , I wouldn ’ t get your hopes up — the team will have played just one game over the final five weeks of the season .
Between the program ’ s two “ pauses , ” four canceled games and the aforementioned investigation , not a whole lot of positives happened this season in FoCo .
Just like everyone else , 2020 can ’ t end soon enough for the @ @

The general sentiment out of the first week of Nuggets training camp: Bol Bol remains a work in progress.
The general sentiment out of the Grading the Week offices: Bol Bol remains the most exciting young prospect in the entire Colorado sports landscape and we can’t get enough of him.
Bol Bol — A
So, let us make this plea to Nuggets coach Michael Malone with Denver set to begin its preseason Saturday night: Give us as much of the 7-foot-2 unicorn as we can take this winter … then give us more.
Because, good sir, there is no such thing as too much Bol.
We want to luxuriate in his sweet-shooting 3-point touch, delight in his guard-like ball-handling and wallow in him swatting away opponents’ shots like a dad playing one-on-one with his 8-year-old in the driveway.
When asked earlier this week what his goals are for this season, the 21-year-old’s response was near perfect:
“Personally, just to play a lot more,” he said. “And hopefully win Rookie of the Year.”
To quote Patrick Swayze from the movie “Ghost”: Ditto.
Pac-12 — D-
There’s still time to do the right thing, Pac-12.
If, and when, Colorado beats Utah, and USC follows with a victory of its own over UCLA on Saturday night, the conference seemingly incapable of doing the right and obvious thing should finally do the right and obvious thing.
Put the Pac-12’s only two undefeated teams in next week’s conference championship game, and give us the best possible matchup that we deserve.
The current North Division leader, Washington, might not even be able to play due to that state’s rigid COVID quarantine protocols. And the one behind them, Oregon, has lost two games in a row and is in no way deserving of playing for a conference crown.
The only games the Buffs missed this fall were due to other teams’ inability to play, including, as has been well-documented at this point, the very one that might finish ahead of them in the South Division standings (USC).
If ever there was a year to get weird, it’s this one.
Let the Buffs and Trojans settle this on the field.
CSU Rams — C
This “C” has nothing to do with the Daz, or his Dudes.
No, this “C” stands for “cursed.”
How else can you explain a football team being unable to play half its scheduled games, with the last cancellation (Saturday’s home finale vs. Utah State) having nothing to do with COVID-19?
A player boycott? And it didn’t come from the program that recently completed an internal investigation into allegations of impropriety and abuse?
Unless CSU is able to find an opponent for next week — at this rate, Rams fans, I wouldn’t get your hopes up — the team will have played just one game over the final five weeks of the season.
Between the program’s two “pauses,” four canceled games and the aforementioned investigation, not a whole lot of positives happened this season in FoCo.
Just like everyone else, 2020 can’t end soon enough for the Rams.


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--First COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in Colorado within days, but picture beyond initial shipments is c

First COVID-19 vaccines to arrive in Colorado within days, but picture beyond initial shipments is cloudy

With the first Coloradans due to be inoculated against COVID-19 next week , state leaders are scrambling to prepare for one of the largest mass-vaccination campaigns in history — a national effort unfolding so rapidly Colorado officials still don ’ t know how many doses they ’ ll receive beyond the next two weeks .
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization to Pfizer ’ s two-shot coronavirus vaccine Friday night .
The first shipment of 46,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine should arrive in Colorado between Monday and Wednesday , state and public health officials told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to be followed sometime during the next week by 95,600 doses of Moderna ’ s vaccine , which is still waiting FDA approval .
“ Our challenge right now : We haven ’ t heard from ( the Trump administration ’ s ) Operation Warp Speed what our third week and further distribution will be , ” said Colorado National Guard Brig .
Gen. Scott Sherman , who is leading the state ’ s vaccine distribution task force .
“ It ’ s been extremely difficult and fast-paced , ” he added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subsequent doses will come in weekly batches of as-yet-unknown quantities , with Colorado expecting 1.69 % of any available vaccine , a figure based on the state ’ s population .
Colorado leaders face multiple hurdles — ranging from the ultra-cold temperatures required to store the Pfizer shots to vaccine hesitancy — in distributing the COVID-19 vaccines .
That ’ s not to mention any unknown challenges that may arise in delivering the shots to the state ’ s rural and mountain communities in the middle of winter .
All of which will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Coloradans outside Phase 1 of distribution , which begins next week and first will prioritize health care workers interacting most closely with coronavirus patients and those living and working in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities .
Those next in line will be other health care workers , first responders and people who work in home health , hospice and dental settings .
This phase of distribution is expected to last at least through the winter , and by spring shots will be available to the much larger group of individuals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of essential workers and those with medical conditions that put them at high risk of complications from COVID-19 .
When the state health department revised its vaccine-distribution framework this week , it didn ’ t rank or prioritize any of the groups listed within Phase 2 because officials are awaiting further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices , said Jill Hunsaker Ryan , executive director of the sate Department of Public Health and Environment .
Earlier this month , the CDC committee said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be the first to receive any COVID-19 vaccines that become available — a recommendation adopted in this week ’ s changes to Colorado ’ s plan .
“ So for Phase 2 , we pretty much created the bucket of individuals , ” Hunsaker Ryan said , adding that eventually the agency will prioritize who will go first in that second group and potentially in the final phase .
People currently due to be inoculated in Phase 3 , set for next summer , include anyone aged 18 to 64 without high-risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placement in the first tow phases .
Public health officials are no strangers to vaccine distribution , but with the COVID-19 shots they are tasked with delivering a vaccine that is new while battling a global pandemic still raging throughout the state .
On Friday , the state health department reported 3,513 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,559 people were hospitalized statewide with the disease .
More than 3,800 people have died with COVID-19 in Colorado since the pandemic began .
“ All of us want to end the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have in-person learning for our children , have a robust economy — and the only way to do that is through herd immunity , ” Hunsaker Ryan said .
She estimated that 70 % of people will need to have immunity to reach that point .
But the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines will take months — at least into the summer — because of how constrained the supply is , meaning Coloradans will need to keep wearing their masks , washing their hands and social-distancing .
State health officials on Friday identified the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive portions of the first two shipments of COVID-19 vaccines .
The state also has nine hubs across the state that will receive additional doses to redistribute to other providers .
The hubs , which include Children ’ s Hospital Colorado in Denver and Vail Health , have ultra-cold freezers to store Pfizer ’ s vaccine .
This is where the doses of vaccine will be broken down into fewer quantities before going to smaller hospitals that don ’ t have the ability to store the shots at the ultra-cold temperatures required .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hospitals and local public health agencies in thermal boxes filled with dry ice .
At the hubs , the vaccine vials will be put into ultra-cold storage , then before delivery to another provider , the thermal containers must be replenished with dry ice .
The vaccine will be delivered from the hubs to providers by couriers and the Colorado National Guard , Sherman said .
Earlier in the week , the state simulated the delivery of Pfizer ’ s vaccine from Denver International Airport to Vail Health to test how prepared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shots .
“ Another challenge we have is using these ultra-cold storage containers , ” Sherman said .
“ They can only be opened twice a day.
” Pfizer ’ s vaccine is particularly difficult to store and ship .
The vaccine has to be stored at about -75 degrees Celsius , or -103 degrees Fahrenheit .
The vaccine can also be stored in a refrigerator at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius , or 35.6 to 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit — but only for five days , so it will have to be administered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will have to schedule the vaccines among staff so that people can take time off if they suffer from side effects , such as a fever .
And in smaller , rural communities , people may have to drive 30 minutes to an hour to get both shots required for the vaccines , Sherman said .
“ This is a massive and complex undertaking and I think it really shows the best of what state government has to offer , ” Hunsaker Ryan said .
“ It ’ s really a herculean effort @ @

With the first Coloradans due to be inoculated against COVID-19 next week, state leaders are scrambling to prepare for one of the largest mass-vaccination campaigns in history — a national effort unfolding so rapidly Colorado officials still don’t know how many doses they’ll receive beyond the next two weeks.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization to Pfizer’s two-shot coronavirus vaccine Friday night.
The first shipment of 46,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine should arrive in Colorado between Monday and Wednesday, state and public health officials told The Denver Post. That’s expected to be followed sometime during the next week by 95,600 doses of Moderna’s vaccine, which is still waiting FDA approval.
“Our challenge right now: We haven’t heard from (the Trump administration’s) Operation Warp Speed what our third week and further distribution will be,” said Colorado National Guard Brig. Gen. Scott Sherman, who is leading the state’s vaccine distribution task force.
“It’s been extremely difficult and fast-paced,” he added.
State health officials have said any subsequent doses will come in weekly batches of as-yet-unknown quantities, with Colorado expecting 1.69% of any available vaccine, a figure based on the state’s population.
Colorado leaders face multiple hurdles — ranging from the ultra-cold temperatures required to store the Pfizer shots to vaccine hesitancy — in distributing the COVID-19 vaccines. That’s not to mention any unknown challenges that may arise in delivering the shots to the state’s rural and mountain communities in the middle of winter.
All of which will influence when the vaccine will become available to Coloradans outside Phase 1 of distribution, which begins next week and first will prioritize health care workers interacting most closely with coronavirus patients and those living and working in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
Those next in line will be other health care workers, first responders and people who work in home health, hospice and dental settings. This phase of distribution is expected to last at least through the winter, and by spring shots will be available to the much larger group of individuals in Phase 2, which primarily consists of essential workers and those with medical conditions that put them at high risk of complications from COVID-19.
When the state health department revised its vaccine-distribution framework this week, it didn’t rank or prioritize any of the groups listed within Phase 2 because officials are awaiting further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the sate Department of Public Health and Environment.
Earlier this month, the CDC committee said health care workers and nursing home residents should be the first to receive any COVID-19 vaccines that become available — a recommendation adopted in this week’s changes to Colorado’s plan.
“So for Phase 2, we pretty much created the bucket of individuals,” Hunsaker Ryan said, adding that eventually the agency will prioritize who will go first in that second group and potentially in the final phase.
People currently due to be inoculated in Phase 3, set for next summer, include anyone aged 18 to 64 without high-risk conditions or jobs that qualify them for placement in the first tow phases.
Public health officials are no strangers to vaccine distribution, but with the COVID-19 shots they are tasked with delivering a vaccine that is new while battling a global pandemic still raging throughout the state.
On Friday, the state health department reported 3,513 new cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,559 people were hospitalized statewide with the disease. More than 3,800 people have died with COVID-19 in Colorado since the pandemic began.
“All of us want to end the pandemic, get back to more normal life, have in-person learning for our children, have a robust economy — and the only way to do that is through herd immunity,” Hunsaker Ryan said.
She estimated that 70% of people will need to have immunity to reach that point.
But the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines will take months — at least into the summer — because of how constrained the supply is, meaning Coloradans will need to keep wearing their masks, washing their hands and social-distancing.
State health officials on Friday identified the more than 150 health-care locations that will receive portions of the first two shipments of COVID-19 vaccines. The state also has nine hubs across the state that will receive additional doses to redistribute to other providers.
The hubs, which include Children’s Hospital Colorado in Denver and Vail Health, have ultra-cold freezers to store Pfizer’s vaccine. This is where the doses of vaccine will be broken down into fewer quantities before going to smaller hospitals that don’t have the ability to store the shots at the ultra-cold temperatures required.
The Pfizer vaccine will be delivered directly to hospitals and local public health agencies in thermal boxes filled with dry ice.
At the hubs, the vaccine vials will be put into ultra-cold storage, then before delivery to another provider, the thermal containers must be replenished with dry ice. The vaccine will be delivered from the hubs to providers by couriers and the Colorado National Guard, Sherman said.
Earlier in the week, the state simulated the delivery of Pfizer’s vaccine from Denver International Airport to Vail Health to test how prepared it is for the arrival of the shots.
“Another challenge we have is using these ultra-cold storage containers,” Sherman said. “They can only be opened twice a day.”
Pfizer’s vaccine is particularly difficult to store and ship. The vaccine has to be stored at about -75 degrees Celsius, or -103 degrees Fahrenheit. The vaccine can also be stored in a refrigerator at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, or 35.6 to 46.4 degrees Fahrenheit — but only for five days, so it will have to be administered quickly.
Other challenges include: Hospitals will have to schedule the vaccines among staff so that people can take time off if they suffer from side effects, such as a fever. And in smaller, rural communities, people may have to drive 30 minutes to an hour to get both shots required for the vaccines, Sherman said.
“This is a massive and complex undertaking and I think it really shows the best of what state government has to offer,” Hunsaker Ryan said. “It’s really a herculean effort.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-13--CU laid a stinker on national TV, but it’s too early to bail on Karl Dorrell. Or Buffs seniors who m

CU laid a stinker on national TV, but it’s too early to bail on Karl Dorrell. Or Buffs seniors who made 2020 count.

BOULDER — If you ’ re a CU fan , before putting another hole through the drywall , ask yourself this , right now : Has a mulligan ever been this much fun ?
Saturday ?
Oh , yeah .
Total mess .
With Gus Johnson and favorite son Joel Klatt in the house , the Buffs ( 4-1 ) laid an egg against Utah on national television , falling 38-21 after taking a 21-10 lead at the start of the second half .
Everything this CU crew had prided itself on , the Utes ( 2-2 ) did better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three turnovers to Utah ’ s one ans were whistled for four penalties while the Utes weren ’ t flagged once . )
Blocking .
Tackling .
( Tackling , especially .
Mercy . )
Explosive runs .
Toughness .
Composure .
( No Utes penalties ?
Seriously ?
On the road ?
In a league game ?
Man , Folsom Field misses y ’ all .
Badly . )
Utah looked comfortable in the snow .
The Buffs , early and late , looked as if they were trying to play football @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the same surface , ” first-year CU coach Karl Dorrell said after taking his first loss in gold .
“ You know me better than that by now .
I ’ m not using any excuses.
” That includes one very big one : The loss of inside linebacker Nate Landman to a gruesome right ankle injury just before halftime .
Landman , the 6-foot-3 , 235-pound battering ram , came into the weekend ranked No .
3 in the Pac-12 in tackles per game ( 9.5 ) .
Dude was cleaning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Without No .
53 on patrol , CU gave up a whopping 145 second-half rushing yards to the Utes .
Defenders whiffed as they flailed at Utah freshman tailback Ty Jordan ( 147 rushing yards ) or simply bounced off of the Utes ’ 6-foot-4 senior quarterback , Jake Bentley ( 240 yards passing , 31 rushing ) .
“ I know we ’ re going to respond , our coaches are going to respond , ” noted CU safety Derrion Rakestraw , who had seven stops but got hurdled by Utah tight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ So I ’ m excited to see how we come out and play next week.
” You should be , too .
Because you know they ’ re better than that .
Dorrell knows they ’ re better than that .
More to the point , they know they ’ re better than that , too .
“ That ’ s not the best we can play , ” Rakestraw continued .
If you ’ re a CU fan , ask yourself this before you pull the rip cord on this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in July had offered you a winning season — the worst this team can finish is 4-3 , in all likelihood , if it would somehow lose out — in Dorrell ’ s first season , no questions asked , you ’ d have bitten his arm off .
If he ’ d promised you that in September ?
After the way this autumn got out of the gate , with the Pac-12 stuck on the sidelines ?
You ’ d have bitten off both arms .
In a second .
The Buffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Heck , they ’ ve been playing with it for about a month now .
Do we need to run over Vegas ’ preseason over-under on wins again ?
( Spoiler : the count was below 2 . )
Like Klatt , who was originally assigned to the Ohio State-Michigan game that got called off earlier in the week , CU wasn ’ t even supposed to be here .
But here they are .
And still on the table : A postseason contest , assuming anything more than the mega-money bowls still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Neither of those ships have landed ‘ round these parts in four years .
Are there cracks in the dam ?
Sure .
But it ’ s nowhere near a flood yet .
Of the Buffs ’ 22 starters on offense and defense , 11 — half — were either freshmen or sophomores .
Of those , eight played on the offensive side of the ball , and three along the interior of the line .
Speaking of that interior , the Utes countered with two senior defensive tackles in 310-pound Hauati @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonder the holes that we ’ re used to seeing Jarek Broussard ( 80 rushing yards , 16 receiving yards ) squirt through felt few and far between .
We were reminded that being a kamikaze quarterback is not without some risk : CU signal-caller Sam Noyer has been playing dinged up for a while , Dorrell admitted after the contest , and a shot Noyer took the fourth quarter only appeared to make things worse .
Backup quarterback Tyler Lytle celebrating his Saturday cameo by announcing after the game that he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Also doesn ’ t help .
At least in the short term .
When the seas get rough , you go as your seniors go .
This CU class , who would ’ ve been honored during a “ normal ” home finale , could ’ ve packed it in ages ago .
The Michigan State Spartans on Saturday dropped to 2-5 in Midnight Mel Tucker ’ s first campaign after blowing a 21-10 halftime lead at Penn State .
Dorrell said that his locker room was “ disappointed ” after the game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buffs succumbed to pregame or game-week hype .
Even with Gus and Joel shivering on the call .
“ I don ’ t talk about ( that ) , ” Dorrell said .
“ I think you guys ( in the media ) do it more than we do .
We had to just do the things we were capable of doing for ourselves .
A lot of it was self-inflicted today.
” Again , they ’ re better than that .
And they ’ ve got at least two more chances to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hope .

BOULDER — If you’re a CU fan, before putting another hole through the drywall, ask yourself this, right now:
Has a mulligan ever been this much fun?
Yeah, yeah, we know. Saturday notwithstanding.
Saturday? Oh, yeah. Total mess. With Gus Johnson and favorite son Joel Klatt in the house, the Buffs (4-1) laid an egg against Utah on national television, falling 38-21 after taking a 21-10 lead at the start of the second half.
Everything this CU crew had prided itself on, the Utes (2-2) did better. Fundamentals. (the Buffs committed three turnovers to Utah’s one ans were whistled for four penalties while the Utes weren’t flagged once.) Blocking. Tackling. (Tackling, especially. Mercy.)
Explosive runs. Toughness. Composure. (No Utes penalties? Seriously? On the road? In a league game? Man, Folsom Field misses y’all. Badly.)
Utah looked comfortable in the snow. The Buffs, early and late, looked as if they were trying to play football on skates.
“We were both on the same surface,” first-year CU coach Karl Dorrell said after taking his first loss in gold. “You know me better than that by now. I’m not using any excuses.”
That includes one very big one: The loss of inside linebacker Nate Landman to a gruesome right ankle injury just before halftime. Landman, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound battering ram, came into the weekend ranked No. 3 in the Pac-12 in tackles per game (9.5). Dude was cleaning up every free ball-carrier in sight.
Without No. 53 on patrol, CU gave up a whopping 145 second-half rushing yards to the Utes. Defenders whiffed as they flailed at Utah freshman tailback Ty Jordan (147 rushing yards) or simply bounced off of the Utes’ 6-foot-4 senior quarterback, Jake Bentley (240 yards passing, 31 rushing).
“I know we’re going to respond, our coaches are going to respond,” noted CU safety Derrion Rakestraw, who had seven stops but got hurdled by Utah tight end Cole Fotheringham in the second quarter. “So I’m excited to see how we come out and play next week.”
You should be, too. Because you know they’re better than that. Dorrell knows they’re better than that. More to the point, they know they’re better than that, too.
“That’s not the best we can play,” Rakestraw continued.
If you’re a CU fan, ask yourself this before you pull the rip cord on this squad and 2020:
If some fella in July had offered you a winning season — the worst this team can finish is 4-3, in all likelihood, if it would somehow lose out — in Dorrell’s first season, no questions asked, you’d have bitten his arm off.
If he’d promised you that in September? After the way this autumn got out of the gate, with the Pac-12 stuck on the sidelines?
You’d have bitten off both arms. In a second.
The Buffs were playing with house money Saturday. Heck, they’ve been playing with it for about a month now. Do we need to run over Vegas’ preseason over-under on wins again? (Spoiler: the count was below 2.)
Like Klatt, who was originally assigned to the Ohio State-Michigan game that got called off earlier in the week, CU wasn’t even supposed to be here.
But here they are. And still on the table: A postseason contest, assuming anything more than the mega-money bowls still get played, and a winning season. Neither of those ships have landed ‘round these parts in four years.
Are there cracks in the dam? Sure. But it’s nowhere near a flood yet.
Of the Buffs’ 22 starters on offense and defense, 11 — half — were either freshmen or sophomores. Of those, eight played on the offensive side of the ball, and three along the interior of the line. Speaking of that interior, the Utes countered with two senior defensive tackles in 310-pound Hauati Pututau and 323-pound Viane Moala. No wonder the holes that we’re used to seeing Jarek Broussard (80 rushing yards, 16 receiving yards) squirt through felt few and far between.
We were reminded that being a kamikaze quarterback is not without some risk: CU signal-caller Sam Noyer has been playing dinged up for a while, Dorrell admitted after the contest, and a shot Noyer took the fourth quarter only appeared to make things worse. Backup quarterback Tyler Lytle celebrating his Saturday cameo by announcing after the game that he’s jumping into the transfer portal? Also doesn’t help. At least in the short term.
When the seas get rough, you go as your seniors go. This CU class, who would’ve been honored during a “normal” home finale, could’ve packed it in ages ago. The Michigan State Spartans on Saturday dropped to 2-5 in Midnight Mel Tucker’s first campaign after blowing a 21-10 halftime lead at Penn State.
Dorrell said that his locker room was “disappointed” after the game but refuted the idea that his young Buffs succumbed to pregame or game-week hype. Even with Gus and Joel shivering on the call.
“I don’t talk about (that),” Dorrell said. “I think you guys (in the media) do it more than we do. We had to just do the things we were capable of doing for ourselves. A lot of it was self-inflicted today.”
Again, they’re better than that. And they’ve got at least two more chances to prove it. We think. We hope.


thedenverpost--2020-12-13--CSU men’s basketball battles through fatigue en route to season-opening victory

FORT COLLINS –– The Colorado State men ’ s basketball team lost plenty of valuable practice time amid its recent pause in operations , and it showed on Saturday afternoon .
Specifically , positive COVID-19 cases within the roster forced the squad to cease activity from Nov. 17 through Dec. 8 before returning a few days ahead of Saturday ’ s delayed season-opener against Division II CSU-Pueblo .
Fittingly , though the Rams concluded the action on the winning side of an 89-77 final , CSU ’ s accumulation of rust was certainly apparent upon allowing the ThunderWolves to hang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ empty Moby Arena .
Nevertheless , after suffering three cancellations before commencing the campaign , Medved ’ s group was simply thrilled to finally hit the hardwood this weekend while grinding out a win .
“ We went almost three weeks without doing anything and then to come back for a couple of days and then get out here and play , that ’ s really difficult to do , ” Medved said .
“ You could see very quickly the fatigue set in .
We were a step slow for a little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but we worked our way through it .
I thought this was exactly what this team needed.
” Despite a few stagnant stages of the contest , the Rams held their own on offense for the most part while shooting 51.7 % from the floor .
The ThunderWolves ’ ability to maintain striking distance –– and build a lead as large as five points in the first half –– pertained to CSU ’ s oft-sluggish defending .
Led by Tre Brown ’ s game-high 28 points , CSU-Pueblo capitalized on a plethora @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted a respectable 11-for-29 mark from deep at Moby .
The ThunderWolves hoarded 11 offensive rebounds as well , tallying 15 second-chance points .
“ You have to give them credit , ” Medved said .
“ They made some tough shots .
I know they made 3s , but I ’ m more concerned about the second-chance points .
That was an issue here and something we have to clean up.
” The now 1-0 Rams don ’ t walk away from the outing with much to write home about defensively .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with forward David Roddy ’ s compelling sophomore debut .
While guiding the Rams offensively , the Minnesota product seamlessly asserted his dominance in the paint on his way to a 25-point , 12-rebound double-double .
“ I think it was just the rhythm of the game , ” Roddy said .
“ Just understanding where I could score and then taking advantage of it.
” Fellow sophomore Isaiah Stevens , the Mountain West ’ s reigning freshman of the year , constructed an encouraging outing as well .
Overall , Stevens dropped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with a team-most six assists .
Defensively , the second-year guard noticeably increased his vocal presence down the stretch after the Rams entered the locker room for halftime , shockingly facing a 42-40 deficit .
“ As a point guard , it ’ s my job to lead , and I ’ m going to continue to do that so guys can follow suit , ” he said .
“ Once we get everybody talking at that same level , we ’ ll be really special.
” Considering the significant amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ valid excuse for the relatively subpar outing .
Regardless , the Rams aren ’ t taking any mistakes lightly upon shifting gears from a victory they surely could have seized more comfortably .
And they ’ ll shortly obtain an opportunity to display improvements when hosting Northern Arizona at Moby Arena on Monday evening .
“ We hold ourselves to a really high expectation and standard here , ” Stevens said .
“ So we don ’ t give ourselves any leeway .
Everything that we can improve on from this game , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it tomorrow and moving forward .
I don ’ t think we ’ re gon na live with any excuses .
”

FORT COLLINS –– The Colorado State men’s basketball team lost plenty of valuable practice time amid its recent pause in operations, and it showed on Saturday afternoon.
Specifically, positive COVID-19 cases within the roster forced the squad to cease activity from Nov. 17 through Dec. 8 before returning a few days ahead of Saturday’s delayed season-opener against Division II CSU-Pueblo.
Fittingly, though the Rams concluded the action on the winning side of an 89-77 final, CSU’s accumulation of rust was certainly apparent upon allowing the ThunderWolves to hang around from start to finish at an empty Moby Arena.
Nevertheless, after suffering three cancellations before commencing the campaign, Medved’s group was simply thrilled to finally hit the hardwood this weekend while grinding out a win.
“We went almost three weeks without doing anything and then to come back for a couple of days and then get out here and play, that’s really difficult to do,” Medved said. “You could see very quickly the fatigue set in. We were a step slow for a little while on both ends of the floor, but we worked our way through it. I thought this was exactly what this team needed.”
Despite a few stagnant stages of the contest, the Rams held their own on offense for the most part while shooting 51.7% from the floor.
The ThunderWolves’ ability to maintain striking distance –– and build a lead as large as five points in the first half –– pertained to CSU’s oft-sluggish defending.
Led by Tre Brown’s game-high 28 points, CSU-Pueblo capitalized on a plethora of open 3-point looks as the visitors posted a respectable 11-for-29 mark from deep at Moby. The ThunderWolves hoarded 11 offensive rebounds as well, tallying 15 second-chance points.
“You have to give them credit,” Medved said. “They made some tough shots. I know they made 3s, but I’m more concerned about the second-chance points. That was an issue here and something we have to clean up.”
The now 1-0 Rams don’t walk away from the outing with much to write home about defensively.
However, Medved has to feel pleased with forward David Roddy’s compelling sophomore debut.
While guiding the Rams offensively, the Minnesota product seamlessly asserted his dominance in the paint on his way to a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double.
“I think it was just the rhythm of the game,” Roddy said. “Just understanding where I could score and then taking advantage of it.”
Fellow sophomore Isaiah Stevens, the Mountain West’s reigning freshman of the year, constructed an encouraging outing as well. Overall, Stevens dropped 18 points off a 7-for-13 shooting clip along with a team-most six assists.
Defensively, the second-year guard noticeably increased his vocal presence down the stretch after the Rams entered the locker room for halftime, shockingly facing a 42-40 deficit.
“As a point guard, it’s my job to lead, and I’m going to continue to do that so guys can follow suit,” he said. “Once we get everybody talking at that same level, we’ll be really special.”
Considering the significant amount of lost preparation beforehand, CSU owns a valid excuse for the relatively subpar outing.
Regardless, the Rams aren’t taking any mistakes lightly upon shifting gears from a victory they surely could have seized more comfortably. And they’ll shortly obtain an opportunity to display improvements when hosting Northern Arizona at Moby Arena on Monday evening.
“We hold ourselves to a really high expectation and standard here,” Stevens said. “So we don’t give ourselves any leeway. Everything that we can improve on from this game, we’re definitely going to correct it tomorrow and moving forward. I don’t think we’re gonna live with any excuses.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-13--CU Buffs backup QB Tyler Lytle to transfer

On Saturday evening , a few hours after the Buffaloes ’ 38-21 loss to Utah at Folsom Field , Lytle announced his decision on social media .
“ Thank you to my teammates and coaches over the years at Colorado , ” he wrote on Twitter .
“ I ’ m appreciative for the relationships I ’ ve built the past few years and my time at this university .
After much thought , I have decided to enter the transfer portal as a grad transfer with 2 years left to play and immediate eligibility .
I am excited for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going into the transfer portal , true freshman Brendon Lewis could be elevated to the top backup spot for the rest of the season .
Lewis has not appeared in a game .
Lytle , a 6-foot-5 , 220-pound redshirt junior from Redondo Beach , Calif. , came to CU in January of 2017 after a stellar career at Servite High School .
In terms of scholarship offers , Lytle is the most highly recruited quarterback to sign with CU since Fairview ’ s Craig Ochs in 2000 .
Lytle spent his first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backup to Steven Montez .
This year , he competed for the starting job , but coaches gave the nod to Sam Noyer , who has started all five games this season and played nearly every snap .
In the fourth quarter on Saturday , with CU down 27-21 , Noyer went out with a sore shoulder , missing four plays .
Lytle completed a pass and then had a 15-yard run for a first down to the Utah 39 , but was replaced by Noyer .
That drive stalled without any points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2:17 to play , with CU down 38-21 and completed 1-of-4 passes for five yards .
For his career at CU , Lytle completed 8-of-13 passes for 68 yards and an interception .
He wound up throwing 10 of his career passes in cold , snowy games against Utah at Folsom Field , in 2018 and on Saturday .

Colorado backup quarterback Tyler Lytle is entering the NCAA transfer portal.
On Saturday evening, a few hours after the Buffaloes’ 38-21 loss to Utah at Folsom Field, Lytle announced his decision on social media.
“Thank you to my teammates and coaches over the years at Colorado,” he wrote on Twitter. “I’m appreciative for the relationships I’ve built the past few years and my time at this university. After much thought, I have decided to enter the transfer portal as a grad transfer with 2 years left to play and immediate eligibility. I am excited for what’s next.”
With Lytle going into the transfer portal, true freshman Brendon Lewis could be elevated to the top backup spot for the rest of the season. Lewis has not appeared in a game.
Lytle, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound redshirt junior from Redondo Beach, Calif., came to CU in January of 2017 after a stellar career at Servite High School. In terms of scholarship offers, Lytle is the most highly recruited quarterback to sign with CU since Fairview’s Craig Ochs in 2000.
Lytle spent his first three years at CU serving as a backup to Steven Montez. This year, he competed for the starting job, but coaches gave the nod to Sam Noyer, who has started all five games this season and played nearly every snap.
In the fourth quarter on Saturday, with CU down 27-21, Noyer went out with a sore shoulder, missing four plays. Lytle completed a pass and then had a 15-yard run for a first down to the Utah 39, but was replaced by Noyer. That drive stalled without any points.
Lytle returned to the game with 2:17 to play, with CU down 38-21 and completed 1-of-4 passes for five yards.
For his career at CU, Lytle completed 8-of-13 passes for 68 yards and an interception. He wound up throwing 10 of his career passes in cold, snowy games against Utah at Folsom Field, in 2018 and on Saturday.


thedenverpost--2020-12-13--Kiszla: Football eats its heroes. Linebacker Nate Landman suffers nasty injury as Colorado knocked f

Kiszla: Football eats its heroes. Linebacker Nate Landman suffers nasty injury as Colorado knocked from ranks of undefeated.

BOULDER — The dream of an undefeated Colorado football season ended with a sickening thud , as Buffaloes linebacker Nate Landman pounded both fists on the turf of Folsom Field , his face contorted with agonizing pain .
“ I hate to see it , ” Colorado safety Derrion Rakestraw said Saturday .
On a snowy December morning not fit for man nor Buffs , the home team had no answer for Utah , which scored 28 unanswered points to trounce Colorado , 38-21 .
But what hurts worse is how this dream season ended for Landman , a senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight to restore CU football glory .
We ’ re a nation addicted to the speed and violence of the game .
But no matter how many times we see a strong athlete crash in such gruesome pain we avert our eyes before he hits the ground , it ’ s a shock to our system , a cruel reminder that a wicked sport will break our football heroes .
With 2 minutes , 35 seconds , remaining in the second quarter , Landman fell , his leg twisting in a gnarly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instantly that medical assistance would be required .
“ He has an ankle injury … a lower leg injury , ” said CU coach Karl Dorrell , who added more tests will be required to determine the full extent of Landman ’ s injury .
But there ’ s no doubt .
Bad news is inevitable .
“ He ’ s down for at least the rest of the season , ” Dorrell said .
Nature abhors a vacuum .
An eerily silent stadium , with no spectators allowed in this season of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filled with Landman ’ s physical anguish .
Flat on his back , the 235-pound linebacker pawed at the sleeve of a CU staffer trying to calm him , his body language screaming for sweet mercy .
It sent a chill from midfield all the way to the press box , where I cursed under my breath .
After Landman departed to the locker room , carried on the shoulders of people who love him , unable to put any weight on his right leg , the fight went out of the Buffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most-talented player on this surprising team , he serves as its emotional heartbeat .
“ The locker room was in shock , ” Colorado receiver Brenden Rice said .
Without Landman , CU was unable to corral Utah freshman Ty Jordan , who ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns .
Over the course of the game ’ s final 32 minutes , the Buffs were outscored 31-14 .
“ I definitely felt for him and felt like we had to play for him , ” Rakestraw said .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get it done.
” It ’ s a compliment to say these over-achieving Buffs have more grit than talent .
Minus Landman , a CU squad with little margin for error lost its mojo , its top 25 ranking in the national polls and a shot at appearing in the Pac-12 championship game .
“ We ’ re all disappointed .
We had an opportunity , so we didn ’ t take advantage of it , ” said Dorrell , whose team fell to 4-1 in this pandemic-abbreviated season .
What should not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how far the Buffs had come before stumbling .
While Luke Fickell in Cincinnati and Jamey Chadwell of Coastal Carolina are both deserving candidates to be coach of the year , no coach in the United States has done a better job in 2020 than Dorrell .
He rescued a CU program after Mel Tucker abandoned the Buffs in the dead of night , bolting for big money in the Big Ten .
Tucker , however , did leave behind a recruiting class that included the son of the greatest receiver in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not only returned a punt 81 yards for touchdown in the first half , he bolted 61 yards with a short pass to open the third quarter with what proved to be CU ’ s final score .
The Utes barely touched 18-year-old Brenden Rice on either play .
“ He reminds me of Laviska ( Shenault ) .
He ’ s big , strong , fast , confident , ” veteran CU receiver K.D .
Nixon said .
Michigan State , whose five losses this season have been by an average of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The son of an NFL legend stayed to play for Dorrell .
I ’ d say the Buffs got the better end of that deal , wouldn ’ t you ?
If the whims of this nasty virus allows , the Buffaloes are not done yet .
One more conference game , against a foe yet to be determined , and a well-earned bowl bid await around the next bend of a road rising ahead of CU .
It ’ s a bloody shame Landman won ’ t be along for the ride @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here without him .

BOULDER — The dream of an undefeated Colorado football season ended with a sickening thud, as Buffaloes linebacker Nate Landman pounded both fists on the turf of Folsom Field, his face contorted with agonizing pain.
“I hate to see it,” Colorado safety Derrion Rakestraw said Saturday.
On a snowy December morning not fit for man nor Buffs, the home team had no answer for Utah, which scored 28 unanswered points to trounce Colorado, 38-21.
But what hurts worse is how this dream season ended for Landman, a senior linebacker who has gladly bled in the fight to restore CU football glory.
We’re a nation addicted to the speed and violence of the game. But no matter how many times we see a strong athlete crash in such gruesome pain we avert our eyes before he hits the ground, it’s a shock to our system, a cruel reminder that a wicked sport will break our football heroes.
With 2 minutes, 35 seconds, remaining in the second quarter, Landman fell, his leg twisting in a gnarly, unnatural shape. He knew instinctively and instantly that medical assistance would be required.
“He has an ankle injury … a lower leg injury,” said CU coach Karl Dorrell, who added more tests will be required to determine the full extent of Landman’s injury.
But there’s no doubt. Bad news is inevitable. “He’s down for at least the rest of the season,” Dorrell said.
Nature abhors a vacuum. An eerily silent stadium, with no spectators allowed in this season of COVID-19, was an empty vessel that filled with Landman’s physical anguish. Flat on his back, the 235-pound linebacker pawed at the sleeve of a CU staffer trying to calm him, his body language screaming for sweet mercy. It sent a chill from midfield all the way to the press box, where I cursed under my breath.
After Landman departed to the locker room, carried on the shoulders of people who love him, unable to put any weight on his right leg, the fight went out of the Buffs. He’s not only the most-talented player on this surprising team, he serves as its emotional heartbeat.
“The locker room was in shock,” Colorado receiver Brenden Rice said.
Without Landman, CU was unable to corral Utah freshman Ty Jordan, who ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Over the course of the game’s final 32 minutes, the Buffs were outscored 31-14.
“I definitely felt for him and felt like we had to play for him,” Rakestraw said. “It’s upsetting to know we didn’t get it done.”
It’s a compliment to say these over-achieving Buffs have more grit than talent. Minus Landman, a CU squad with little margin for error lost its mojo, its top 25 ranking in the national polls and a shot at appearing in the Pac-12 championship game.
“We’re all disappointed. We had an opportunity, so we didn’t take advantage of it,” said Dorrell, whose team fell to 4-1 in this pandemic-abbreviated season.
What should not be obscured by one ugly pratfall was how far the Buffs had come before stumbling. While Luke Fickell in Cincinnati and Jamey Chadwell of Coastal Carolina are both deserving candidates to be coach of the year, no coach in the United States has done a better job in 2020 than Dorrell. He rescued a CU program after Mel Tucker abandoned the Buffs in the dead of night, bolting for big money in the Big Ten.
Tucker, however, did leave behind a recruiting class that included the son of the greatest receiver in the NFL history. Jerry’s kid not only returned a punt 81 yards for touchdown in the first half, he bolted 61 yards with a short pass to open the third quarter with what proved to be CU’s final score. The Utes barely touched 18-year-old Brenden Rice on either play.
“He reminds me of Laviska (Shenault). He’s big, strong, fast, confident,” veteran CU receiver K.D. Nixon said.
Michigan State, whose five losses this season have been by an average of 26 points, got Midnight Mel. The son of an NFL legend stayed to play for Dorrell.
I’d say the Buffs got the better end of that deal, wouldn’t you?
If the whims of this nasty virus allows, the Buffaloes are not done yet. One more conference game, against a foe yet to be determined, and a well-earned bowl bid await around the next bend of a road rising ahead of CU.
It’s a bloody shame Landman won’t be along for the ride.
The Buffs wouldn’t be here without him.


thedenverpost--2020-12-13--CU Buffs freshman Brenden Rice shines bright in loss to Utah

BOULDER — At the end of a frigid , frustrating , downcast day , Brenden Rice managed to crack a small smile .
Describing his 81-yard punt return for a touchdown near the end of the first half , the Colorado Buffaloes freshman quipped : “ I cut downfield heading towards the ( punter ) .
Hopefully , I can slip by him because I know if I get tackled by the ( punter ) my teammates are going to talk crap to me all the time.
” There ’ s no danger of that now , not after his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rice , the son of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice , provided a ray of light in the Buffs ’ 38-21 loss to Utah .
He added a 61-yard reception for a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter , putting CU ahead 21-10 .
The last time a Buffs player scored a touchdown in the same game via a pass reception and return ?
That would be wide receiver Walter Stanley against Texas Tech on Sept. 12 , 1981 .
Stanley caught two TD passes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
Adding a bit of spice to Saturday ’ s history : Stanley ’ s son , Dimitri , a sophomore wide receiver , threw key blocks to help spring Rice for both his touchdowns .
Despite his milestone performance , Rice was mostly dejected after the No .
21 Buffs lost for the first time this season , falling to 4-1 and missing out on a chance at a Pac-12 conference title .
“ I have to say it kind of hurts , ” he said .
“ We were doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and passion in the locker room .
At the end of the day , you have got to be afraid of losing as much as you want to win.
” First-year coach Karl Dorrell was impressed by Rice , though he made it clear that it ’ s only the beginning of what he expects from the freshman .
“ It was fun to see him get a chance to make a few plays , ” Dorrell said .
“ He ’ s a good young player ; he ’ s a player @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of upside .
He ’ s trending up and he ’ s getting better week after week.
” But , as coaches usually do , Dorrell sees room for improvement .
“ I thought he had a dropped pass today though , so I won ’ t be too high on his bandwagon , ” Dorrell said .
“ But he ’ s making really good progress .
We ’ re happy he ’ s getting acclimated into the college level of play .
He ’ ll continue to get better.
” Rice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the game .
For the season , he has six catches for 120 yards and two TDs .
The freshman has certainly impressed senior wide receiver K.D .
Nixon .
“ He reminds me of Laviska ( Shenault Jr. ) , ” Nixon said , referring to the former Buffs receiver who now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars .
“ He ’ s big , strong , fast , confident .
That ’ s what I try to tell him every time I talk to him .
“ I tell him to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all it takes for opportunities to happen , just to believe in yourself .
When receivers get opportunities , we step up to the plate .
All it is is just believing in yourself , having fun , and having confidence.
” Rice ’ s 81-yard score was the first return for a TD by CU since Sept. 9 , 2017 , when Shenault scooped up a fumble and returned it 55 yards vs. Texas Tech .
It was the longest TD kick return since Ben Kelly had an 88-yard score against Boston @ @ @ @ @ @ @

BOULDER — At the end of a frigid, frustrating, downcast day, Brenden Rice managed to crack a small smile.
Describing his 81-yard punt return for a touchdown near the end of the first half, the Colorado Buffaloes freshman quipped: “I cut downfield heading towards the (punter). Hopefully, I can slip by him because I know if I get tackled by the (punter) my teammates are going to talk crap to me all the time.”
There’s no danger of that now, not after his electrifying performance Saturday at snow-covered Folsom Field.
Rice, the son of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, provided a ray of light in the Buffs’ 38-21 loss to Utah. He added a 61-yard reception for a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter, putting CU ahead 21-10.
The last time a Buffs player scored a touchdown in the same game via a pass reception and return? That would be wide receiver Walter Stanley against Texas Tech on Sept. 12, 1981. Stanley caught two TD passes and returned a punt for a score that day.
Adding a bit of spice to Saturday’s history: Stanley’s son, Dimitri, a sophomore wide receiver, threw key blocks to help spring Rice for both his touchdowns.
Despite his milestone performance, Rice was mostly dejected after the No. 21 Buffs lost for the first time this season, falling to 4-1 and missing out on a chance at a Pac-12 conference title.
“I have to say it kind of hurts,” he said. “We were doing so well all season with our drive and passion in the locker room. At the end of the day, you have got to be afraid of losing as much as you want to win.”
First-year coach Karl Dorrell was impressed by Rice, though he made it clear that it’s only the beginning of what he expects from the freshman.
“It was fun to see him get a chance to make a few plays,” Dorrell said. “He’s a good young player; he’s a player that we feel he has a lot of upside. He’s trending up and he’s getting better week after week.”
But, as coaches usually do, Dorrell sees room for improvement.
“I thought he had a dropped pass today though, so I won’t be too high on his bandwagon,” Dorrell said. “But he’s making really good progress. We’re happy he’s getting acclimated into the college level of play. He’ll continue to get better.”
Rice’s 61-yarder was his lone reception of the game. For the season, he has six catches for 120 yards and two TDs.
The freshman has certainly impressed senior wide receiver K.D. Nixon.
“He reminds me of Laviska (Shenault Jr.),” Nixon said, referring to the former Buffs receiver who now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars. “He’s big, strong, fast, confident. That’s what I try to tell him every time I talk to him.
“I tell him to believe in himself. That’s all it takes for opportunities to happen, just to believe in yourself. When receivers get opportunities, we step up to the plate. All it is is just believing in yourself, having fun, and having confidence.”
Rice’s 81-yard score was the first return for a TD by CU since Sept. 9, 2017, when Shenault scooped up a fumble and returned it 55 yards vs. Texas Tech. It was the longest TD kick return since Ben Kelly had an 88-yard score against Boston College in the 1999 Insight.com Bowl.


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--Pueblo plant starts new round of munitions destruction

The U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot on Friday started destroying 105mm projectiles stored there as part of its efforts to get rid of the nation ’ s stockpile of chemical weapons .
The effort is part of a multinational arms agreement known as the Chemical Weapons Convention to destroy the agents in Colorado and Kentucky , according to a news release .
This is the second campaign by the plant , this time to get rid of 105mm projectiles filled with mustard agent .
Workers finished the destruction of about 300,000 155mm projectiles in September without incident , officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support the Pueblo plant in protecting , storing and safely transporting the remaining chemical munitions in Colorado , ” said Col. Michael Cobb , depot commander .
“ With each pallet delivered for destruction , the risk to the workforce , community and environment is reduced.
“ The operations began in Colorado in March 2015 and are expected to continue into 2023 .
In addition to the main plant , three additional detonation chamber units are planned in 2021 to get rid of “ problematic munitions , including the 4.2-inch mortar rounds , @ @ @ @ @ @

The U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot on Friday started destroying 105mm projectiles stored there as part of its efforts to get rid of the nation’s stockpile of chemical weapons.
The effort is part of a multinational arms agreement known as the Chemical Weapons Convention to destroy the agents in Colorado and Kentucky, according to a news release.
This is the second campaign by the plant, this time to get rid of 105mm projectiles filled with mustard agent. Workers finished the destruction of about 300,000 155mm projectiles in September without incident, officials said.
“Our team continues to fully support the Pueblo plant in protecting, storing and safely transporting the remaining chemical munitions in Colorado,” said Col. Michael Cobb, depot commander. “With each pallet delivered for destruction, the risk to the workforce, community and environment is reduced.“
The operations began in Colorado in March 2015 and are expected to continue into 2023.
In addition to the main plant, three additional detonation chamber units are planned in 2021 to get rid of “problematic munitions, including the 4.2-inch mortar rounds,” according to the release.


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--Trump helicopter buzzes supporters rallying in Washington

WASHINGTON — Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump returned to Washington on Saturday for rallies to back his desperate efforts to subvert the election that he lost to Joe Biden .
They cheered as Trump flew overhead on the Marine One helicopter on his way out of town for the Army-Navy football game in West Point , New York .
The gatherings of mostly unmasked Trump loyalists were intended as a show of force just two days before the Electoral College meets to formally elect Biden as the 46th president .
Trump , whose term will end Jan. 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to baseless claims of fraud that have been rejected by state and federal courts , and Friday by the Supreme Court .
Trump tweeted his apparent surprise Saturday morning at the rallies , publicly known for weeks : “ Wow !
Thousands of people forming in Washington ( D.C. ) for Stop the Steal .
Didn ’ t know about this , but I ’ ll be seeing them !
# MAGA ” Trump left the White House around midday for the trip to the U.S. Military Academy , and as Marine One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mall , cheers went up .
Michael Flynn , the former national security adviser recently pardoned by Trump , was speaking from the stage at the time .
“ That ’ s pretty cool .
Imagine just being able to jump in a helicopter and just go for a joy ride around Washington , ” said Flynn , whose pardon wiped away his conviction for lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation .
At a pro-Trump demonstration in Washington a month ago , Trump thrilled supporters when he passed by in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ club .
That demonstration , which drew 10,000 to 15,000 people to the capital , ended late in the evening with scattered clashes between Trump ’ s loyalists and local activists near Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House .
On Saturday , police took more steps to keep the two sides apart , closing a wide swath of downtown to traffic and sealing off Black Lives Matter Plaza .
But while Saturday ’ s rallies , including one on Freedom Plaza downtown , were smaller than on Nov. 14 , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boys , a neo-fascist group known to incite street violence .
Some wore bulletproof vests as they marched through town .
The group saw its profile raised after Trump in September famously told them to “ stand back and stand by.
” After the rallies ended , downtown Washington quickly devolved into crowds of hundreds of Proud Boys and combined forces of antifa and local Black activists — both sides seeking a confrontation in an area flooded with police officers .
As dusk fell , they faced off on opposite sides of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police and federal Park Police , some in riot gear , keeping them separated .
One Proud Boy yelled out , “ You cops can ’ t be everywhere !
” The Proud Boys later dispersed .
Antifa activists also were more organized this time , with their own bicycle corps to form bike walls to match those of the police .
Earlier in the day , a group of about 50 men in the Proud Boy ’ s black and yellow circled the perimeter of Black Lives Matter Plaza , where about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulgar slogans and at one point started singing “ Jingle Bells.
” They were apparently under orders not to engage with hecklers .
One man who was talking back to people was yelled at and told “ Don ’ t interact !
” The assembly on the National Mall , called the “ Jericho March , ” was described on its website as a “ prayer rally ” with speakers “ praying for the walls of corruption and election fraud to fall down.
” The rally on Freedom Plaza also featured a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud to a receptive audience .
Sylvia Huff , a demonstrator who came from Gloucester , Virginia , to show her support for Trump , said the legal defeats hadn ’ t shaken her belief that he won the election .
“ I believe the courts were on the take , too , ” she said .
The Supreme Court , where three of the nine justices were appointed by Trump , “ was just afraid of a political backlash , ” she said .
Among the speakers was Sebastian Gorka , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to give up even after Friday ’ s Supreme Court decision .
He said he wanted to send Trump a video and held up his phone , cueing the flag-waving crowd to chant “ Stop the Steal.
” The organizers of this rally seemed intent on avoiding confrontations , telling demonstrators ahead of time to avoid certain hotels and marking off large chunks of downtown Washington as a “ no-go zone .
”

Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump returned to Washington for weekend rallies to back his desperate efforts to subvert the election that he lost to Joe Biden.
Sporadic fights broke out between pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrators after sundown Saturday. WRC-TV reported that four people were taken to a hospital with stab wounds, and the Metropolitan Police Department told the station that 23 people were arrested.
The gatherings of mostly unmasked Trump loyalists were intended as a show of force just two days before the Electoral College meets to formally elect Biden as the 46th president. Trump, whose term will end Jan. 20, refuses to concede, while clinging to baseless claims of fraud that have been rejected by state and federal courts, and Friday by the Supreme Court.
Trump tweeted his apparent surprise Saturday morning at the rallies, publicly known for weeks: “Wow! Thousands of people forming in Washington (D.C.) for Stop the Steal. Didn’t know about this, but I’ll be seeing them! #MAGA”
Trump left the White House around midday for the trip to the Army-Navy football game at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. As the Marine One helicopter passed over a rally on the National Mall, cheers went up.
Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser recently pardoned by Trump, was speaking from the stage at the time.
“That’s pretty cool. Imagine just being able to jump in a helicopter and just go for a joy ride around Washington,” said Flynn, whose pardon wiped away his conviction for lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation.
At a pro-Trump demonstration in Washington a month ago, Trump thrilled supporters when he passed by in his motorcade en route to his Virginia golf club.
That demonstration, which drew 10,000 to 15,000 people to the capital, ended late in the evening with scattered clashes between Trump’s loyalists and local activists near Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House.
On Saturday, police took more steps to keep the two sides apart, closing a wide swath of downtown to traffic and sealing off Black Lives Matter Plaza.
But while Saturday’s rallies, including one on Freedom Plaza downtown, were smaller than on Nov. 14, they drew a larger contingent of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group known to incite street violence. Some wore bulletproof vests as they marched through town.
The group saw its profile raised after Trump in September famously told them to “stand back and stand by.”
After the rallies ended, downtown Washington quickly devolved into crowds of hundreds of Proud Boys and combined forces of antifa and local Black activists — both sides seeking a confrontation in an area flooded with police officers. As dusk fell, they faced off on opposite sides of a street, with multiple lines of city police and federal Park Police, some in riot gear, keeping them separated.
One Proud Boy yelled out, “You cops can’t be everywhere!” The Proud Boys later dispersed.
Antifa activists also were more organized this time, with their own bicycle corps to form bike walls to match those of the police.
Earlier in the day, a group of about 50 men in the Proud Boys’ black and yellow circled the perimeter of Black Lives Matter Plaza, where about 200 anti-Trump demonstrators were rallying.
They chanted vulgar slogans and at one point started singing “Jingle Bells.” They were apparently under orders not to engage with hecklers. One man who was talking back to people was yelled at and told “Don’t interact!”
The assembly on the National Mall, called the “Jericho March,” was described on its website as a “prayer rally” with speakers “praying for the walls of corruption and election fraud to fall down.”
The rally on Freedom Plaza also featured a series of speakers pushing debunked claims of election fraud to a receptive audience.
Sylvia Huff, a demonstrator who came from Gloucester, Virginia, to show her support for Trump, said the legal defeats hadn’t shaken her belief that he won the election.
“I believe the courts were on the take, too,” she said. The Supreme Court, where three of the nine justices were appointed by Trump, “was just afraid of a political backlash,” she said.
Among the speakers was Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump adviser, who urged demonstrators not to give up even after Friday’s Supreme Court decision. He said he wanted to send Trump a video and held up his phone, cueing the flag-waving crowd to chant “Stop the Steal.”


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--UFC 256 live blog: Real-time updates from the fight night in Las Vegas

Live updates , tweets , photos , analysis and more from UFC 256 on Dec. 12 , 2020 .
Mobile @ @ @ @ @ ’ t see the live blog , tap here .

The Denver Post is a nine-time Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper that has covered the Rocky Mountain Empire since 1892.


thedenverpost--2020-12-12--PHOTOS: CU Buffs lose to Utah Utes

PHOTOS: CU Buffs lose to Utah Utes

Colorado Buffaloes linebacker Nate Landman ( 53 ) , center , on the sidelines in the second half of the @ @ @ @ @ with an injury to his right leg in the quarter at Folsom Field Dec. 12 @ @ @

Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Colorado Buffaloes linebacker Nate Landman (53), center, on the sidelines in the second half of the game against the Utah Utes with an injury to his right leg in the quarter at Folsom Field Dec. 12, 2020.