David Ramsey   Gazette sports columnist David Ramsey offers opinions, views and thoughts on the world of sports

Loved the way Air Force halfback Savier Stephens ran with the ball on Saturday. He kept his feet moving. He was constantly cutting back. He looked fast.

And that’s great news for Air Force coach Troy Calhoun. Starter Asher Clark is banged up, which is no surprise. He lacks the thick frame needed to withstand punishment from marauding defenders.

So give Stephens more carries. He will give the Falcons a dangerous two-headed attack at halfback.

Tim Jefferson should start at quarterback Saturday when Air Force tries to end a six-season losing streak to Navy. Connor Dietz has proven himself a worthy backup while Jefferson’s ankle was  mending, but Jefferson is clearly the better player to run AFA’s option offense.

Here’s why:

Jefferson has expert timing at pitching the ball to the trailing tailback. He waits until just the right instant and pitches the ball at an ideal angle and speed. His pitches gave Asher Clark all kinds of running room against Minnesota.

Dietz is quicker and faster than Jefferson, but lacks TJ’s polish in running the option. There’s a mini-controversy surrounding AFA’s quarterback position.

There shouldn’t be.

Jefferson is the clear choice.

Be sure to check out Jake Schaller’s AFA blog. Jake will be making multiple posts daily as AFA prepares for its biggest game of the season.

http://gazetteafasports.freedomblogging.com/

This summer I did what most people in Colorado did:

Talked about the Broncos.

I grew up in central Denver, a five-minute drive from the old Mile High Stadium. Many of my oldest friends are life-long Broncos followers.

And nearly all of my friends were worried, deeply worried. I didn’t talk to anyone who believed the Broncos would win more than eight games. Many of my friends predicted four or five wins. They made these predictions with pain in their voices. The Broncos are far too important to them, but  that’s part of the fun of sports.

Daniel Graham, the Broncos tight end, also grew up in Denver. In today’s column, I talk about his experiences this summer. (Graham attended Denver’s Thomas Jefferson High School. I attended Denver South. The schools are bitter rivals, but we’ve decided that won’t stand in the way of us talking to each other.)

I love the fact that Graham’s friends talked to him straight. At the grocery store, at the barber shop, he heard all the same skepticism I heard.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:

One of the great things about living in Colorado is you seldom have to worry about starting a conversation, even with a stranger.

Just bring up the Broncos, and off you go.

And, no, I’m not talking about Brandon Marshall.

Last season, I suggested Colorado fans reach out to their vanquished rival, the Oakland Raiders. Broncos fans needed – and still need – to organize aid for their fallen enemies. The Raiders have fallen to the depths of the NFL, robbing Colorado residents of one of the great pleasures of life on The Front Range. I grew up in a Denver neighborhood where everyone – everyone! – hated the Raiders.

How can my children hate such a bunch of losers?

The Raiders need real offensive playbooks. The Raiders need a coach who has a clue.

Most of all, the Raiders require a quarterback. JaMarcus Russell is a lost cause. He was unspeakably awful in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos.

After World War II, Americans reached out to the Germans and the defeated people of Europe. We spent a massive amount of money to revive our once bitter enemies. Much of that aid came in air drops.

Let’s try the same approach in football.

Air drop playbooks, coaches and players and, especially, a quarterback into Oakland.

Maybe Steve Young will come out of retirement. He could earn the Raiders starting job five minutes after he hit the ground.

Check out Frank Schwab’s Broncos blog. He updates several times a day.

http://gazettebroncos.freedomblogging.com/

Took the BART train from hotel in San Francisco to Oakland  Coliseum. Fun ride. Saw a young man wearing a John Elway jersey, one of the old all-orange ones. Saw half-a-dozen people tell him he was brave, which is true.

Saw a few thousand women, men, girls and boys wearing black.

Walked  into the Coliseum and saw more empty seats than I’ve ever before seen at an NFL game, and I’ve been attending NFL games since 1971.

This is a strange destination. Most everything about this place is a reminder of  a less-pretentious, less gleaming time in pro sports. The Coliseum is a dump – a lovable dump if you’re a Raiders fan, an unlovable dump if you’re not.

Most NFL crowds have a well-scrubbed look. The Raiders crowd has a just-us-folks look. Nobody’s trying to impress anyone here.

It’s halftime, and there’s one other observation I’d like to pass along.

Nobody here much likes Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell, who appears doomed to go down as one of the worst first picks in NFL history.

Will be shocked if Russell leads a Raider comeback.

Make that extremely shocked.

Be sure to check out Frank Schwab’s Broncos blog. He’s posting after every quarter.

http://gazettebroncos.freedomblogging.com/

After AFA’s demolished Nicholls State in one of the most pointless games in college football history, I got after the Falcons leaders for scheduling a weakling.

The Falcons couldn’t do anything about the ineptitude of New Mexico and San Diego State. The Falcons beat SDSU, 26-14, but don’t let the score fool you. It was never a contest.

The question is how much three routs helped the Falcons as they prepare for the biggest game on their schedule.

Yes, we’re talking about Navy.

Air Force leads San Diego State, 16-2, but it has not been an impressive half.

Navy is waiting, and if the Falcons want to end a long streak of misery against the Midshipmen, they must play better. The Falcons ultra-easy start to the season could harm their chances next week in Maryland.

Will post at halftime of AFA-San Diego State and will post after the game.

Thanks for stopping by.

I thought the Colorado Rockies would fall apart when Matt Holliday departed.

Obviously, I was wrong.

Still, it will tough to watch Holliday this weekend as he returns to Coors Field as a key player for the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s hit .351 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI since arriving in St. Louis July 24.  He remains one of the game’s best players.

And in a better baseball  world, he would still be wearing a Rockies uniform.

Kept waiting all summer for the Denver Nuggets to make a big move. The Lakers acquired Ron Artest, a great defender and a very strange man. The Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson, a great shooter and a player who help the team return to greatness.

The Nuggets? They did virtually nothing.

The core is there. Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony form one of the best two or three duos in the NBA.

The supporting cast?

We’ll see.

When last season ended, the Nuggets were the second-best team in the NBA behind the Lakers.

When this season begins, it looks as if at least a couple teams have passed the Nuggets.