Rod Smith retires

Longtime Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith, a team leader and one of the last remaining links to the franchise's Super Bowl victories, is retiring.

He leaves as the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches.

Smith was amazingly athletic and emerged as John Elway's go-to deep threat in the 1997 season, after which the team won its first championship. But I'll always remember him for his work ethic and attitude.

Smith wasn't drafted, but he worked his way up through the Broncos' organization, going from the practice squad to the punt returner to the No. 1 receiver in just a few years. His rise was somewhat overshadowed by that of his running mate, Ed McCaffrey, who had a similar story, coming from nowhere into NFL stardom. Together they were the toughest tandem in the league, neither ever flinching over the middle, and both serving as outstanding run blockers. McCaffrey was a little more popular during Denver's fantastic run and had better commercials (McDonald's vs. Blackjack? Come on), but Smith surpassed him, Lionel Taylor, and everyone else on his way to becoming the best Broncos wide receiver ever.

When I think of Rod Smith, there are two plays that come to mind. The first was his 80-yard touchdown catch in Super Bowl XXXIII against the Falcons. He and Elway made it look much too easy to be memorable under other circumstances, but I remember spending most of that halftime trying to throw a similar touchdown past my friends' neighbors. Smith didn't make the Pro Bowl until 2000 for some reason, but he was on top of the football world that night.

The second moment is more symbolic of Smith's career path. It came in a 2004 regular-season game against the Carolina Panthers, a game the Broncos won by three. Early in the third quarter, the Broncos went for it on a fourth-and-goal at Carolina's one-yard line. Jake Plummer threw an interception to Julius Peppers, who looked to have an easy touchdown. Instead, Rod Smith chased Peppers down from the far side of the field and tackled him at the three-yard line, giving Peppers a 101-yard non-scoring return. The Panthers went on to score, but the effort fired up the Broncos.

I've been looking and looking and the quote I can find from Smith is, "I owe it to the other guys that are out there to play hard and do anything," but I remember him saying of the play that it could have been the last of his career and he wouldn't have wanted it to end without doing everything he could. As cheesy as it sounds, it was one of the coolest things I've ever heard an athlete say.

Thanks to John for the tip.

A small collection of cool Rod Smith quotes can be found here. I remember enough of these to think the list is generally legit.

I mean, I really hate the A.L.

That is all.

Nuggets begin to implode

They haven't gotten rid of Carmelo Anthony—yet—but the Nuggets have begun the disassembly of their dynasty of okay teams that make the playoffs, then lose quickly.

This ESPN.com headline says that the Nuggets traded Marcus Camby to the friggin' Clippers for a second-round draft pick, but the story seems to suggest that the Nuggets gain only the option to swap picks with the Clips in 2010.

I can remember the last time the Clippers wanted to win more than the Nuggets did. It was just a few years ago. And it sucked.

Camby is aging, but he's a solid center, a position very difficult to fill. Last season he averaged nine points, thirteen rebounds, and just over three-and-a-half blocks per game. His blocks average led the league, and his rebounds per trailed only Dwight Howard.

At least we didn't let Camby get away for nothing, right? Except he's not a free agent, and a second-round pick is nothing. The option to trade for such a pick is even less, and if the teams continue in these directions, our pick'll be higher than L.A.'s is anyway.

It pisses me off so much that the Nuggets' decisions are being made by some cheapskate when the choice so clearly hurts the team's chances of winning. Of course, Nuggets fans are hardly the only ones who suffer. Some teams, the Clippers being the prime example for as long as I can remember, almost never try to win.

And we're left with questions.

1. What the heck would you buy a friggin' basketball team if you didn't want to dominate? Seriously. I get that rich people like money, and I'm no businessman, but aren't there much better opportunities for profit? And if your friend owned a terrible team, would you ever stop giving him crap for it? Sure, being a pro sports owner is a pretty exclusive club, but who's impressed with you if you refuse to let your guys get it done on the field?

2. Do paying customers have to put up with this? Absolutely not. I'm all about team loyalty, and I'll bleed orange until I die, but life's too short to care more about a team than the owner does. Shoot, I stopped following the Rockies in part because I felt management wasn't really trying to field a contender. And then I looked like a pretty big frigtard last year, didn't I?

2. How fair is it to blame Carmelo if the Nuggets disappoint next year? Against the Lakers our porous interior defense was exposed, and we just made it much worse. Some West powers would just destroy us now. Mr. Anthony would be completely justified in blasting the team publicly for this move. However, since he just got a DUI and everyone in Denver's, um, uncomfortable with his image, the team would win the PR war by default and he'd just be made out to look more selfish. Which, I'm sure, is why they traded Camby now. I guess the onus is on Iverson.

"Thanks" to Blaine for the tip on the bad news.

Obama to accept at Invesco

I can't put into words how much it's going to bother me when Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for president this year at Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos.

Do what you want to the military, the tax code, and the health care system, Mr. Obama, but leave the Broncos out of it.

I am a lifelong Republican, but I love the Broncos much more than I do any political party. And this isn't just about Obama being a Democrat. Sports are supposed to bring us together, while political parties—notwithstanding the Downy-soft coverage of Obama—often do little but tear us apart. I wouldn't be happy about John McCain doing this, either. The only candidate I could support in such a move is John Elway, if he ever makes the long-rumored move into politics, since he built the house anyway.

Realistically I know the presidential race is more important than football, that the studium is publicly funded, and that there's no other venue in Denver that can match the new Mile High, home to just one of the Broncos' playoff victories. (I'm so relieved that this can't take place at the real Mile High Stadium.) And of course Obama was going to give his speech in the Pepsi Center to start with, which is the home of both the Nuggets and the Avalanche, and that wouldn't have been much better. But I hate to see such an honorable building reduced to this. I'm not saying it's rational, just that it really pisses me off.

The NFL's Best Quarterbacks, 2008

I usually make this list right after the playoffs, but I keep putting it off this time. Unfortunately, now that I haven't watched football in months, I'm going to forget someone. (Peyton who? Oh, crap!)

Anyway, for the third straight year, here are my top quarterbacks in the NFL. (Links to the lists for 2006 and 2007.)

Honorable mentions: There are few who deserve recognition, but 37-year-old Kurt Warner (Cardinals) and 38-year-old Jeff Garcia (Buccaneers) turned back the clock with very good performances last season.

12. David Garrard, Jaguars. Garrard completed just nine passes in his team's playoff upset over the Steelers and, like any decent former backup, got way too much credit last year. But he did put good numbers in the team's loss to New England, and threw just three interceptions in twelve games last year. He's also mobile enough to be a threat. I don't expect him to remain here long-term, and considered putting Warner in his place.

11. Eli Manning, Giants. The younger Manning played out of his mind for a stretch late last year, and knocked off two legends (Brett Favre and Tom Brady) in the playoffs. Most importantly, he forever justified his place as a No. 1 pick by winning the Super Bowl.

If Favre or Brady had beaten him, though, he wouldn't sniff this list. His career statistics paint a rather ugly picture, earning him relatively-low marks in completion percentage and yards-per-attempt even as he throws piles of interceptions. I am very intrigued to see how he plays this year.

10. Philip Rivers, Chargers. Rivers remains an impressive young talent, though it's tough to say exactly how good he is since he's always had the luxury of LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield. His rating dropped almost ten points last year (92.0 to 82.4), though most of his numbers, save an increase of a half-dozen interceptions, were pretty steady. Can he move up another level this year?

9. Jake Delhomme, Panthers. I'm a big fan of Delhomme, who puts up good numbers but is also consistent in the clutch. The biggest concern here is that he played in only three games last year due to an elbow injury that required surgery, but he's expected back for this season.

8. Donovan McNabb, Eagles. I didn't expect McNabb to place so highly, but his last four years have been fine statistically. In 2007 McNabb finished with a terrific 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions, while putting up numbers in other categories that suggest he's less comically inaccurate than before. He's clearly put in a ton of work. He also has plenty of big-game experience, not all of it good.

7. Carson Palmer, Bengals. Palmer threw twenty interceptions last year, but was great otherwise and airs it out like few others in the league. He's accurate and can throw the deep ball with ease. He lacks mobility and any real clutch success, but I'm willing to give him another year or two before I break out the pitchfork.

Four through six on this list are all pretty close together, and this is around where Brett Favre would fall if he decides to return.

6. Drew Brees, Saints. Brees is immobile and perhaps even a little short in stature, but has made himself into one of the best passers in the NFL. He was second only to Brady in passing yards last year.  The next step, of course, is a nice playoff run, though the Saints aren't loaded around him.

5. Tony Romo, Cowboys. We're all a bit sick of Romo still after the whole Jessica Simpson thing last year, and certainly Brees elicits more pleasant feelings. Yet Romo continued his meteoric rise with a second gold-plated year last season, and by the numbers, he gets the edge over Brees.

He has a terrific arm. He isn't quite fearless, but he makes some gutsy throws that put him among the second-tier of the very best passers around. Now can he please have a good playoff game before he retires?

4. Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks. Hasselbeck bounced back with a terrific year in 2007 and showed he wasn't finished after an injury-plagued 2006. I put him this high on the list because I trust him more in the clutch than I do the last two guys, though he also puts up great statistics.

The Big Three?

3. Peyton Manning, Colts. This was going to be the year I finally give Manning his props and anoint him No. 2 behind Brady, thus making up for 2006, when he wasn't even listed. That was the plan...before I looked at the evidence.

The thing with Manning is, he doesn't bring a lot to the table outside of his numbers. He's not very mobile, and the Colts' first-round upset at the hands of San Diego last year suggest he's still not the most reliable guy under pressure out there. What he has is a fantastic arm for both power and accuracy, which gives him a statistical edge over almost anyone.

So let's compare him to a not-so-mythical Quarterback X:

• Completion percentage: Manning 65.4, QB X 65.3
• Yards per attempt: Manning 7.84, QB X 7.81
• Touchdowns: QB X 32, Manning 31
• Interceptions: QB X 11, Manning 14
• Rating: QB X 104.1, Manning 98

Manning beat this man handily in things like completions and total yardage, but that's because Manning gets more opportunities to throw. Like Quarterback X, Manning has one Super Bowl ring, but X is much faster and almost six years younger. Thus Peyton stays in third.

2. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, a.k.a. Quarterback X. Coming off a down season that followed a severe motorcycle accident, Roethlisberger responded with a terrific 2007. His career has gotten off to an amazingly fast start, and I hope he and No. 1 get to face off in the playoffs a few more times in their primes. He may be the most talented player on this list.

1. Tom Brady, Patriots. Still the best of the best, hands down. Brady surely ate his words after a Super Bowl in which the Giants held his offense to just 14 points. Definitely a disappointing game, but it came after a season in which he threw a record-breaking 50 touchdowns against eight measly interceptions. He had a rating of more than one hundred in eleven different regular-season games. For his career, Brady has three Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVP awards, and the NFL MVP award he earned after last season. Can anyone compare?