Author: Mark Kiszla
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Mark Kiszla: Can U.S. striker Haji Wright become the Ted Lasso story of the 2026 World Cup on American soil?
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COMMERCE CITY – When Captain America went down with an ugly thud on the soccer pitch, his countrymen desperately needed a new hero to step up. Can Haji Wright become the feel-good Ted Lasso story that the U.S. men’s team has been itching to tell? With U.S. superstar Christian Pulisic nursing yet another injury, Wright…
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Mark Kiszla: Ugly little W in London is ‘massive’ gift to Broncomaniacs living across the pond
LONDON — From where coach Sean Payton stood Sunday on the sideline of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Denver’s 13-11 victory against the NFL’s worst team was nothing to write home about. “You’re disappointed you’re in a dogfight,” Payton said. “But you’re in it. So you’ve got to figure it out.” Good football teams find a way…
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Kickin’ It with Kiz: Why Cam Johnson is huge upgrade over Michael Porter Jr.
Forward Cam Johnson is a more valuable addition to the Nuggets than back-up center Jonas Valanciunas, but he’s not any better than Michael Porter Jr. After all the roster changes, the Nuggets didn’t necessarily improve. – M.M, healthy skeptic Kiz: As the knuckleheads here at Kickin’ It Headquarters often do, were aimlessly scrolling through the…
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Mark Kiszla: How the viral 6-7 meme links Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto with a long dead English poet
LONDON — As a shameless troll, Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto owes a creative debt to a dead poet from merry old England. “No way!” said Bonitto, refusing to believe it. Bonitto is the NFL sacks leader in 2025. Geoffrey Chaucer was an English poet who died 825 years ago. “Chaucer?” Bonitto said. “Never heard of…
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Mark Kiszla: How an old friend saved Vance Joseph from blowing his second chance to be an NFL head coach
LONDON — Despite a powerful hankering to be a head coach in the NFL again, Vance Joseph knows blind ambition is the worst way to chase a second chance. “God willing, I will be a head coach again,” Joseph told me Thursday, as we stood on a soccer pitch where the Broncos are practicing this…
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Mark Kiszla: Remember that time Broncos Country was ticked team drafted Pat Surtain over Justin Fields?
LONDON — It’s the best decision the Broncos never made. Instead of having the NFL’s top defensive player on their side, they could be stuck with a bust who’s about to get run out of the Big Apple. Denver would not be home to the Super Bowl contender coach Sean Payton likes to brag about…
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Mark Kiszla: After beating Eagles’ tushies in reigning champs’ crib, the Broncos fear nobody in the NFL
PHILADELPHIA – The last time the Broncos won a football game this big, quarterback Bo Nix wasn’t old enough to drive a car on his own, much less drive Denver to a wild-and-crazy upset of the reigning NFL champions. After scoring 18 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Philadelphia 21-17 Sunday, coach Sean…
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Mark Kiszla: Is Air Force football too essential to stop during federal government shutdown?
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – On the fourth day of the U.S. federal government shutdown, the Air Force and Navy football teams did their part by ceasing to play defense. Make touchdowns, not war. But there are no moral victories in football. After his feisty Falcons lost 34-31 to Navy on a Saturday afternoon when the scoreboard…
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Mark Kiszla: How the ugliest season in Rockies history was turned into a Cooperstown-worthy piece of art
She transformed the ugliest season in Rockies history into a gorgeous work of art. With our wretched local baseball team in desperate need of a miracle-worker, maybe the Rockies should seriously consider hiring Jeannie Peppel as their next general manager. “I didn’t know I was making something to commemorate Rockies history,” Peppel told me Thursday,…
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Mark Kiszla: Say hello to Nikola Jokic’s ‘little’ friend and big reason to believe in Nuggets’ championship vibe
Goodbye, chaos. Hello, championship? With heads no longer stuck in their … feelings, the Nuggets again have their eyes on the prize. “Trying to win another championship,” guard Jamal Murray said. That’s a refreshing change from a Denver team that wasted too much of last season just trying to get to tomorrow, while hating how…