about Kaepernick more than it was Denver Broncos' GM John Elway answered a question about the likelihood of Colin Kaepernick coming to the Broncos as a veteran backup quarterback Authentic Case Keenum Jersey , and his answer has lit the sports world on fire.Which is dumb.Because his quote was nothing "anti-Kaepernick" in the way so many sports pundits wanted to make it (you know what I mean by that, but I promise, we'll get there).Elway was answering a flurry of questions about training camp, the upcoming season, why the first preseason game went so poorly and what to do about his backup quarterbacks. Near the end of the interview, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic asked if he would consider the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback - who hasn't played football since 2016 - coming in as the experienced backup.For a quick refresher, Broncos offered Kaepernick a deal in the spring of 2016 reportedly worth $7 million in base salary (the 49ers QB was to earn $11.9 million from the Niners, and according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, his team refused to make up the $4.9 million difference). Kaepernick didn't want to give up the nearly $5 million in salary, so the talks fell apart.This is the "chance" Elway was referring to in his comment Thursday, but the sports media immediately made it about the political statement Kaepernick has sparked among players the past two seasons.Kaepernick started the 2016 season on the bench, but due to an injury to starter Blaine Gabbert, Kaep started the final 11 games, going 1-10 for the Chip Kelly-led 49ers. It was during that 2016 season that Kaepernick began his protest of police brutality toward African-Americans by kneeling during the national anthem (it started with sitting but evolved to kneeling, which had become the primary protest method of other players, including Broncos' Brandon Marshall). Kaep is currently suing the NFL for collusion, claiming he has been blackballed by owners for his political views rather than his ability.As soon as the comment was tweeted out, the following headlines represent what has become "the story":And the Twittersphere had a field day making a football story into a political story:I already alluded to the absurdity of the "baiting" I believe Jhabvala's question to be, but let's go over this again. Everybody in Denver knows Kaepernick isn't coming here (I told you, we'd get to it) - including Jhabvala - so to ask if Elway is considering it, is just to set him up for a quote to make a story out of a scenario that's not happening.Elway and Kaepernick do not see eye-to-eye, obviYou would have to live under a rock to not know Elway's political views. He attended the inauguration of Donald Trump. He supported Neil Gorsuch as Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court in 2017, and even wrote a letter to say so. And we know that he personally supports standing for the national anthem. But to his credit, Elway has not insisted on Broncos players standing for the anthem Youth Jared Veldheer Jersey , nor has he publicly said anything against the players who have. In fact, he even praised Brandon Marshall for how the linebacker followed up his protesting with action.So it is fair to say Elway's personal political views have not dictated his behavior as a GM for a football team - and this is an important point when dissecting his quote from Thursday. As a general manager looking to add good players on his team, Elway is well within his rights to consider whether a player would be a distraction and therefore not a good fit. Like any GM, Elway may not always apply this rationale consistently if there's a player he wants because of football ability, but that still doesn't make it wrong to have it be a reason whether a player is considered.I can't speak for all the GMs - and I am on record in my support of the players' protest that Kaepernick spearheaded and many players have continued (many of them in much more professional ways too) - but it just isn't correct to paint this situation as an unfair political snub by Elway.Whatever political differences Elway may have with Kaepernick, deciding not to bring the former 49ers quarterback in because of the distraction factor has merit on its own - because when you're trying to bring a team back from a 5-11 season, distractions are a major obstacle and should be strongly considered before being acted upon.But there are very good football-only reasons for Elway's position here, and those should not be forgotten:Elway hasn't totally decided if the Broncos need a veteran backup.This may be shortsighted given that Chad Kelly is completely untested and Paxton Lynch just doesn't seem to be able to make it over the NFL hump, but the fact is, Elway is still deciding whether he even needs a veteran backup."We'll wait through this week and see what happens and go from there," Elway said about needing a veteran in a backup role. "I feel like we still have time. At the end, guys continue to take their reps and we'll go from there."Before the protests, Kaepernick showed his hand to Elway - money. Elway is known for being frugal (aka cheap) when it comes to keeping good players. He's a businessman. Sometimes that's smart (i.e., Julius Thomas) and sometimes not so much (i.e., Malik Jackson). But it is not uncharacteristic for Elway to lowball a player with a contract. He tried with Von Miller, but thankfully, Miller called his bluff and Elway knew better than to let him get away.But when Kaepernick was not about to come to Denver for a pay cut - despite being iffy after injury - he let Elway know what was more important than playing football - getting paid. And that was his classic mistake with Elway - far more than any protest. Elway likes players who are loyal to the franchise and want to be Broncos more than they want to get paid.Do not compare this to re-signing Brock Osweiler.When Elway brought Osweiler back last season for pennies (vet minimum) while the Browns picked up the remaining tab on $18 (cough) million, he got a steal and he knew it. But aside from the money - in case you want to argue that Kaepernick would settle for vet minimum to play again in the NFL - Osweiler represented several intangibles that the Broncos needed. He knew the system, and he knew the coaches. Elway needed a leader - whether that was as backup or starter - because he had two very green, inexperienced guys trying to play quarterback. He also needed someone who could get up to speed quickly in the system. Plus, for all Osweiler's faults over the handling of his contract negotiations following the Super Bowl season, he was very humble in coming back to Denver. I'm sure that made a big difference to Elway in considering whether Oz could and would make a smooth transition back to Mile High and would be embraced by Denver. It is fair to say that whatever Elway thinks of Kaepernick, he also knows that Denver fans are very mixed in their support of the player, and he likely doesn't want that headache - even if fans are not the driving force behind his decisions.Kaepernick has not played football for two years.One of the big questions for Elway in 2016 was whether Kaepernick was healthy enough to play after having surgery on a torn labrum in late 2015. Add to that that Kaepernick hasn't played on a football team since the 2016 season. Any football player and coach will tell you Ronald Leary Jersey , there's being in shape and there's being in football shape. No doubt Kaep is fit and strong. But he cannot be in game-ready football shape, so bringing him to the Broncos in August to be ready for the regular season would not be smart planning no matter who the player was. I'll give you that there may not be a lot of other free agent vet QBs out there who could be ready in time, but I would argue they wouldn't be any better than just rolling with Kelly or Lynch at this point either.It's not political, it's footballI have no doubt that Kaepernick being outspoken on police brutality and racism in America has tainted his chances for a job in the NFL. Whether it is true collusion on the part of NFL owners, I have no idea. Nor is it my decision to make.And I'm sure that after the brouhaha over kneeling during the anthem, Elway was relieved the embattled quarterback did not take the deal offered by the Broncos in the spring of 2016.But neither of those factors can be construed to make Elway's comment on Thursday anything more than it was - a view that Kaepernick was once given a chance to be a Bronco that he turned down and now Elway has no interest in him for many reasons.Most of them about football.NFL Power Rankings: The Denver Broncos are still better than people think Are the Denver Broncos the best team in the NFL? To put it bluntly, no, not really. The Broncos however do seem to be a completely different team from last year, and you'll see it reflected in this week's rankings.Here's my consternation with this team: Are the 2018 Broncos really all that much better than the 2017 Broncos? After 1 week, it's a big "probably". We saw the potential for this team that simply didn't exist last year, but I saw way too many of the same mistakes from the last few years that I touch on below. But even with that being said, the single biggest glaring "we are for real" stat is this: The Denver Broncos are THE ONLY TEAM in the entire NFL without a single 3 & Out. If that isn't polar opposite from last year where we led the NFL in 3 & Outs, I just don't know what is. That shows that we are likely for real, and that's a really great indicator that we are a juggernaut waiting to explode onto the scene.As a whole, our offense looks much improved, and finally has the ability to come back from a deficit. But we also saw the last two years rear it's ugly head in an early and crappy turnover which put the opponent in 1st & Goal. Then we ask the impossible from our defense early on to stop them. It's like Groundhog Day all over again in some regards. But again, our offense seems to be able to come from behind, which means that we will be in every game this year, plus Von Miller can finally enjoy some one-on-one match-ups to exploit as we finally have weapons opposite of him to make them pay if they double or triple team him.Onto the rankings which after one week mean a whole lot of nothing. I mean, Are the Steelers REALLY on the same level as the Browns? Really? Get my drift? I'm ranking teams as they stand TODAY. Not a cumulation of last year or the last decade. If they look like they are world beaters today, they'll be ranked high regardless of what their record is. Afterall, if we went by record alone, then Power Rankings wouldn't exist, you could just look in your local newspaper (do they even exist anymore?) to see the standings. Week 1 NFL Power Rankings1.Los Angeles RamsIt took them a quarter to really settle down Authentic Domata Peko Jersey , but once they did, they outscored Oakland 33-6. To me, the Rams are the team to beat. They just needed a little time to dust the cobwebs off and remember who they are.2. New England PatriotsI hate them so much, but as long as they have Brady and Bilicheat, they are seemingly teflon.3. Minnesota VikingsI hate to admit it, but the Vikings picked up where they left off last year. But this does prove me kinda right: Cousins isn't worth a dime more than Keenum.4. Baltimore RavensSure, they beat up on the Bills, but you're suppose to beat up on the Bills. It's that they did it so dominantly that they get this lofty spot this week.5. Denver BroncosAs I touched on in the preview, this team can be great if we limit our mistakes on offense. We are built to have a lead and play from behind. That's a lethal combo when you have a defense that can straight get after the QB. Von Miller is staking his claim to be defensive player of the year, and he's doing it in crunch time too. 19-0 till we aint!!!6. Philadelphia EaglesI have them here simply because they beat a worthy (although allergic to Julio in the redzone) opponent. But boy do they look anything but a contender. They needWentz back in a bad way, either that or Foles needs more of last year's magic ASAP.7. Kansas City ChiefsI'll give the chiefs credit here: They beat up on an injury plagued team on the road. Credit where credit is due. But don't get use to it. You will have to play real teamseventually. You can't have all 16 against the Chargers and Raiders.8. Carolina PanthersThis wasn't a particularly high scoring game, but it looks like they're letting Cam do his thing again. Once they start jelling, I expect them to be a contender.9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers48 points is 48 points. Especially on the road. I expect this to be the 1 and only game this season that Fitzy does this, as he's only good for one of these per year, but as of today, they did it. The future is TBD.10. Green Bay PackersYou don't get very much love for getting your asses handed to you by the Bears at home before you come back and win. Billion dollar QB or not, this team doesn't look very good right now. They are here simply because of Rodgers.11. Jacksonville JaguarsDid they look good? Eh, that's subjective considering their opponent. Like the Packers, you don't get many brownie points for beating the Giants.12. New York JetsSam Darnold was the only QB that Elway was willing to take in this draft. Last night we saw why! Holy cow, are the Jets for real? Or is this all a mirage? Why are they not higher? Cause they have a rookie QB and I want to make sure this isn't beginners luck.13. New Orleans SaintsCan a brother get a defense? Its as if they took all the progress from 2017 and flushed it down the toilet. Fix this or else this might be as high as you get ranked all year.14. Washington RedskinsAlex Smith was Alex Smith. And much like he was in KC, he was just good enough. At lease in the month of September.15. Atlanta FalconsSeriously guys, that game was yours to have. Here's a tip: When you're in the red-zone, THROW IT TO YOUR BEST PLAYER! 16. Pittsburgh SteelersThis team is in disarray! There's so much drama within their own walls, and it's apparently spilling out onto the field. Tomlin needs to fix this ASAP before this season starts to seriously slip away. You tied the Browns! Let that sink in real deep!17. Cincinnati BengalsI'm not sure what to do with the Bengals Youth Von Miller Jersey , but they did beat a motivated team with their Captain back, so that is worth something. At least until the real meat of the schedule happens.18. San Francisco 49ersMuch like the Falcons, this game was yours for the taking and you blew it. 19. Seattle SeahawksI'm struggling to find something good to say about them. The score was SOOOO much closer than the actual game. I suppose a positive is that they saved money by having their punter shop at baby gap for his uniform.20. Houston TexansDeshaun Watson needs to find his game again. They almost mounted a comeback, and I know if he wasn't a bit timid because of his knee, he'd have pulled out the victory. Here's to greener pastures in the coming weeks as he settles down.21. Cleveland BrownsThe Browns are already better than last year even though they could still technically go "win-less."22. Miami DolphinsI commend them for winning, but I'm just not convinced they are any good. For a minute there, I thought their game was going to be the first of Monday.23. Chicago BearsCongrats Bears, you beat up on Kizer and then lost to Rodgers. At least you showed life. The Mack signing looks good from here, even though he was kinda invisible when you needed him the most. Unlike Von freaking Miller!!!24. Indianapolis ColtsYou had this game until you didn't. Luck was solid in his return, which should give everyone in Indy hope.25. Los Angeles ChargersYou guys had one job to do! ONE!!! And you dorked that up! How's your 2018 AFCW Champs looking now 4 letter network hacks? 26. Oakland RaidersDon't let the first Quarter of football fool you, the Raiders aren't any good. They took advantage of the "unknown" before they showed the world exactly who they were.27. Dallas CowboysHahahahaha sorry sorry sorry. I gotta be serious don't I? Wait, no I don't, these are my rankings. HAHAHAHAHA You guys are SOOOOOO BAD!!!! 28. Detroit LionsI'm not a believer in this team. Straight up! I'm not sure what else to really say except that this could very well be as high as they are for the rest of the season. Wait, that's a lie, I fully expect the Raiders to sink down which will thus bump the Lions up by one spot.29. Arizona CardinalsThe temptation to have them in the bottom three was immense, and the season is still young so it will inevitably happen. But the bottom three are just a tad bit more pathetic. 30. Tennessee TitansLike the Dolphins, I really don't know what to make of them. Their game was anything but "normal" to put it lightly. I joked that this was gonna be the real Monday Night Football Game 1 because it wouldn't finish until after midnight. Good news is that you seem to have your QB still. But is that good news? Is it?31. New York GiantsI'd say if they could get out of their own way, they might not get the #2 overall pick next year, but I'm not even sure that's their recipe for limited success. They looked about how I expected them to look. Keep spending that money poorly guys, who needs to get to the playoffs anyways?32. Buffalo BillsWell, at least Peterman didn't throw 5 interceptions this time. But 24 yards at halftime is still pretty bad. Now the Josh Allen era has begun (maybe). I'm not sure it will bring less pain or not, but we now get to see why John Elway passed on him.