DENVER (AP) — Paul DePodesta has made his share of mistakes while working in different front offices. He owned that and even put it in baseball terms.

“I lost my no-hitter a long time ago,” the Colorado Rockies' new president of baseball operations said Thursday at an introductory news conference. “I’m not perfect. I haven’t been perfect. I won’t be perfect going forward.”

DePodesta won't shy away from taking chances as he rejoins baseball after a decade in the NFL as the Cleveland Browns’ chief strategy officer. He intends to explore every option in an effort to fix a franchise that's lost more than 100 games in three straight seasons. His boss, owner Dick Monfort, put it in baseball vernacular, too.

“We’ve taken big swings before. Paul’s taking big swings before,” Monfort said. “You just have to weigh those risks.”

Manager search

DePodesta's first order of business is to meet and evaluate staff. Then he'll look to to hire a manager and a general manager, and to develop an organizational pitching philosophy.

It's all part of changing the culture of a franchise that has twice as many last-place finishes in the NL West (10) as playoff appearances (five). The Rockies have never won a division title.

“I don’t know enough at this point to tell you exactly when that would be,” DePodesta said of a turnaround time frame. “But I’ll tell you this: What we’re actually trying to achieve is this fundamental change of state, within the organization, and that’s both the talent on the field and also the culture in the clubhouse, the culture in the building.

“Even as I’ve gone through these different organizations and experienced that, I still have never been able to say, ‘Oh, yeah, that was perfectly predictable three years ago.’”

When he was with the Athletics, DePodesta was a key figure among a new generation of analytical thinkers who changed the sport. DePodesta inspired the Jonah Hill character in “Moneyball,” a movie about the 2002 A’s who won 102 games and captured the AL West despite a small payroll.

“I'm a big Jonah Hill fan,” Dick Monfort said.

Did he know that character was based on DePodesta?

“Yeah,” Monfort said.

He's also open to more reliance on analytics.

Turnaround

The Rockies finished 43-119 last season and narrowly avoided becoming the team with the worst record since 162-game schedule started in 1961.

Complicating the turnaround, though, is the status and contract of often-injured slugger Kris Bryant, who's played in only 170 big league games since signing a $182 million, seven-year contract before the 2022 season.

“(DePodesta) will have an opportunity to allocate what we do have available," said Walker Monfort, the team’s executive vice president and the son of Dick Monfort. “He'll have an opportunity to convince us that there needs to be more available. ... We feel like we have an opportunity to change things up and to do things a lot different in a variety of areas.”

DePodesta was a GM (Los Angeles Dodgers), executive vice president (San Diego Padres), vice president of player development and amateur scouting (New York Mets), assistant GM (Athletics) and intern/advance scout/special assistant to the GM (Cleveland).

He recalled that inaugural spring training with the Athletics after leaving Cleveland.

“Cleveland, it was a situation where they just expected to win every single day. In Oakland that was lacking for sure,” DePodesta said. “It evolved to, 'Hey, we think we can compete with these guys.' And then it evolved to, ‘Hey, we think we can compete with anybody, even the best teams.’ And then it evolved to we know we can win. ... That’s a process and it does take time."

Colorado's only World Series appearance came following a late-season run in 2007 — dubbed “Rocktober” — which included a Game No. 163 win over San Diego. DePodesta was with the Padres then and kiddingly wondered Thursday whether Matt Holliday actually touched home plate when he slid in with the winning run. The Rockies were swept by Boston in the World Series.

Colorado has missed the playoffs the last seven seasons. It's led to unrest among the fans.

“I do care,” Dick Monfort said. “I think that’s where it sort of gets foggy. I care about winning. It’s Paul’s job. It’s Walker’s job, and I’m there to support them.”

Monfort said around 20 or 30 candidates showed interested in either the head of baseball position or GM. DePodesta's name kept surfacing and Monfort reached out to former Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd, who worked with DePodesta in Cleveland.

Deshaun Watson

A topic DePodesta couldn't avoid was the 2022 trade the Browns made for Deshaun Watson, the quarterback with a complicated past whom Cleveland bet on to turn around its team. The signing hasn't worked out.

“Those are organizational decisions,” DePodesta said. “Those are done collaboratively, a lot of people on board, and if you’re a senior leader of that organization at that time, then you own that decision.

“It's the way I feel about almost all the decisions we made there in Cleveland. I absolutely own them all.”

Colorado AD Rick George, who hired Deion Sanders, to step down at end of academic year

DENVER (AP) — Rick George, the athletic director at Colorado who hired football coach Deion Sanders, is stepping away from his role at the end of the academic year.

The university announced his decision Thursday with the football team on a bye week. George plans to move into an advisory role to the chancellor and serve as director of athletics emeritus. He will help raise money for the department.

George was brought on as Colorado's athletic director in July 2013. One of his biggest moves was in December 2022 when he hired Sanders, the former NFL star known as Coach Prime, who has revitalized a downtrodden football program. George also oversaw the transition of the school from the Pac-12 Conference back to the Big 12.

“After considerable thought and discussions with my family dating back to last spring, I have decided it is time for new leadership to guide the department,” George said in a statement. “I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition. I also wanted to time my announcement so that I could support Coach Prime and our football team this season, which I’m looking forward to continuing in my new role.

George lured Sanders to Boulder from Jackson State — and the Folsom Field stands have been packed ever since. The Buffaloes are regulars on major networks, too. Colorado is 16-19 since Sanders took over, including 3-7 this season.

The ties to the football team run deep for George. He started his career at Colorado in 1987, when the late head coach Bill McCartney appointed him recruiting coordinator. George was promoted to assistant athletic director for football operations after the Buffs finished the 1989 regular season (they later lost to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl). The next season, Colorado beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to earn its only national championship in football.

Soon after, George went to Vanderbilt as the associate athletic director for external operations. He followed that by working with the PGA Tour and later worked in the front office with the Texas Rangers before returning to Colorado as its athletic director.

In addition bringing in Sanders, George hired women's basketball coach JR Payne, who has guided the team to at least 20 wins in four straight seasons. Under George's watch, the Buffaloes won national titles in skiing (2015, 2024), men's cross country (2014) and women's cross country (2018). He also served on several NCAA committees.

“The University of Colorado is a special place, and I’ll always cherish the incredible relationships I’ve made during my time here in Boulder,” George said.

On campus, George oversaw the construction of the UCHealth Champions Center by raising $100 million for the venture. The center is home to the athletics administration, football program, Olympic sports and Colorado's sports medicine and performance center.

“He has brought his considerable business acumen to an increasingly complex collegiate sports environment,” Colorado president Todd Saliman said. “His impact will be felt for years to come.”

Goaltender Scott Wedgewood's stellar start earns him a 1-year extension with the Avalanche

DENVER (AP) — Scott Wedgewood's stellar start to the season earned the Colorado Avalanche goaltender a one-year contract extension on Thursday.

Slated to be the backup for Colorado this season, Wedgewood was thrust into the starting role with Mackenzie Blackwood sidelined by a lower-body injury. The 33-year-old Wedgewood has a 10-1-2 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.26 goals against average (GAA).

His 10 wins lead the NHL.

“We had talked about (an extension) in the summer and then the season started and obviously I got off to a good start and conversations were had,” Wedgewood explained before a game Thursday against Buffalo. “I was trying to keep them in the back of my mind and just go to work and play for the team and things like that. Down on paper now and really excited about it.”

The well-traveled Wedgewood has proven highly dependable since being acquired from the Nashville Predators last November for fellow backup goalie Justus Annunen. Wedgewood's gone 23-5-3 since his arrival in Colorado.

This season, he’s been counted on even more and started the opening nine games with Blackwood out. Wedgewood currently boasts a five-game win streak, which is tied for the longest of his career.

“I don’t want to say taking it to a new level, but I think the importance of him being solid in the net for us to this part in the season with (Blackwood) out is obviously key,” said Colorado coach Jared Bednar, whose team has the most points in the league. “Not only just kind of surviving without (Blackwood), but excelling in that position and giving us a chance to win every night.”

This definitely helps — playing behind an offense powered by Nathan MacKinnon that's averaging a league-best four goals a game.

“If you make a mistake early, we can score a goal and ease back into it,” Wedgewood said. "You have a team that has a chance to win every night. That’s a real big confidence-builder for a goalie to get out there and be like, ‘You know, I don’t technically have to be perfect.’ I want to be, but you can also get away with a few mistakes on this team.”

He’s fitting in not just with the Avalanche but at his local grocery store, too. He recently had a discussion over goalie gear in the meat section at Trader Joe’s.

“The fans have really taken to me,” Wedgewood said. "The ‘Wedge-y’ chants (at games) and all that stuff, you can’t not feel like you fit in and feel welcome by everything.”

Wedgwood has played in 168 career games with the Colorado, Nashville, Dallas, Arizona and New Jersey. When Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup in 2019-20, he served as a “Black Ace,” which is an extra player from the team’s minor-league affiliate.

Lil'Jordan Humphrey returns to Broncos, ready to make an impact after short stint with Giants

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey is back with the Denver Broncos, who signed him off the New York Giants' practice squad this week, going from a 2-8 team to one that's 8-2.

“It's cool. I feel like I never left, honestly, I feel like I'm getting right back in the swing of things with these guys,” Humphrey said Thursday.

Humphrey is expected to play a role on both special teams and offense Sunday when the Broncos host the Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) in a showdown with the team that's dominated the division since 2016.

Humphrey played for Broncos coach Sean Payton in New Orleans at the start of his career and again in Denver in 2023-24 before he signed with the Giants in free agency last spring.

“One of his strengths is his football IQ,” Payton said. “He can play a lot of different spots, and ... you know exactly what you’re getting from him, and that’s a real good trait to have as a player. Then you can put him in these places where he could excel. It was unusual seeing him on the opponent’s sideline a few weeks back, but we’re glad to have him back.”

Humphrey played in three games for the Giants, including their 33-32 loss at Denver last month in which the Broncos scored all their points in the fourth quarter in one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history.

Humphrey said that when the Giants raced out to a 19-0 lead after three quarters that afternoon, he kept warning his New York teammates not to let up.

“I was just trying to reinforce to my guys, ‘Let’s finish,’ because I just know these guys are going to play hard until the whistle, until the clock ticks zero. It's just a resilient group, a gritty group. I just knew anything was possible. Let's just finish them, and unfortunately, we didn't do that.”

Well, now, fortunately.

Because of Denver's win that day, the Giants have now seen their losing skid reach four games, and they've lost 11 straight on the road. The Broncos have won seven straight overall and they own the league's longest home winning streak at 10 games.

“Every loss hurts. It doesn't matter how you lose, every loss is going to hurt you and it's going to stink,” Humphrey said. “But we had to do some thinking and try to figure out who we were going to be after that because you can either let that continue to beat you or let that game go and try to be better in the weeks after that.”

Apparently, there was at least some hangover from the Giants' dive in Denver as they followed that defeat with losses to the Eagles, 49ers and Bears, which cost coach Brian Daboll his job. Also, the Giants lost rookie running back Cam Skattebo to a season-ending leg injury and rookie QB Jaxson Dart to a concussion.

“Honestly, I don't know” what it's like to suddenly gain six games in the standings, Humphrey said. “I just got here. For a guy like me, there's juice always. But like in the locker room, I'm not going to say the Giants were just down because they're 2-8. There's still so much hope in that locker room. Because there's still a lot to fight for in this league, fighting for your job every day.

“There's not too much of a difference” between the Giants and Broncos “other than the records.”

Humphrey plans to keep tabs on his former Giants teammates even as he focuses on helping the Broncos end their nearly decade-long divisional title drought, something they could go a long way toward accomplishing with a win over the Chiefs on Sunday.

Humphrey said he was bummed when Skattebo got hurt and called Dart a legitimate franchise quarterback.

“Those two guys are going to be playing for that organization for a long time. They're two good players and yeah, I'm really excited to see how their careers go,” he said.

The Broncos are eager to see how Humphrey fits with the team in this second stint.

“I've always been a big fan of L.J.,” said special teams coach Darren Rizzi, who, like Payton, worked with Humphrey in New Orleans. “Whenever he's been, whether it was New England or New York, here or the Saints, he's always been a guy that's been multifaceted. So, good to see his face. Good to see a friendly face.”

Said offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi: “He's really smart, he's a good blocker, I think he's more productive than people give him credit for. ... I know he's not the flashiest player, but he's a good, solid player. You know exactly what you're getting from him. If you give him a job, he's going to get it done and that's important.”

Broncos face biggest test yet against the desperate Chiefs as KC tries to get back in AFC West race

DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos are 8-2 behind an unremitting pass rush, charging atop the AFC West despite leading the league in three-and-outs and penalties, plus scrutiny over the aesthetics of their unsightly wins and strength of schedule.

Bring on all the doubters and spouters, the Broncos say. They see the beauty in all those ugly wins fueled by a plus-35 sack differential, the largest by any team in the first 10 games of a season in NFL history.

So what if they beat the Raiders by three, the Jets by two and the Giants by one?

“It’s not as good as we want it to look, but at the end of the day, you play to win and a win is the only thing that’s going to matter in weeks to come,” Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said. “They don’t care about stats, they don’t care about what it was like, or if the offense or defense played well. They just care if you won."

The Broncos have done that since September, and they haven't lost at home since last October.

They'll be tested Sunday when Patrick Mahomes and the refreshed Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) seek to get back into the race in the AFC West, which they've owned for almost a decade.

Despite a few key injuries in Denver, Nate Burleson, analyst for The NFL Today on CBS, told The Associated Press, “This Broncos team is absolutely legit,” and this matchup provides them the chance to quiet the naysayers.

“I feel like this is an opportunity for the little brother to put his foot down and show big bro that I've matured, I'm not sure if you have been paying attention but I've already hit puberty and I'm an inch taller than you now. So, if you want to go out to the backyard and wrestle, you can,” Burleson said.

He said the Bills provided the blueprint for making Mahomes uncomfortable and the Chiefs offensive operation herky-jerky in a 28-21 win earlier this month, “and I do feel like Denver's defense has exactly what they need up front to do the same thing — but you're also facing a desperate Chiefs team that is trying the best they can to get some type of rhythm.”

Despite their unusual stumbles early on, “the Chiefs are still dangerous,” Burleson said. “They have all their pieces” with Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice back in action and the possible return of both tackles returning with Jawaan Taylor (sprained ankle) and first-rounder Josh Simmons (family matter) both back in action.

“They're desperate,” Burleson said. “I get it, they're not going to have the same dominance they had with many of the Super Bowls we watched, but they still need to get some type of rhythm and listen, there wouldn't be a better place to do it on the road in Denver against one of the best teams in the NFL.”

The Broncos are relying on a bevy of backups filling in for their best defender in Patrick Surtain II, their offensive stalwart in J.K. Dobbins and their leading tackler in Alex Singleton, all of whom are sidelined for Sunday’s showdown.

“It’s a physical game played by tough people so it’s going to always present that challenge," Nix said. "But for us, it’s next man up. ... It’ll be good to get these guys back as we go along, but we also love the guys in the room backing them up. I feel like they’re going to do a great job for us.”

Protecting Patrick

The Chiefs will be facing one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts with an offensive line that has been unsettled for weeks and is facing its biggest test yet.

“They have a lot of sacks for a reason,” Mahomes said, adding his goal Sunday is: "just not letting them make a play that completely disrupts the entire game, get the ball out of your hands, try not to take sacks and let the game come to you.”

Rotating running backs

The Chiefs could be without Isiah Pacheco in the backfield for several weeks because of a knee injury, and that means more carries for Kareem Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith. Kansas City called up veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire from the practice squad to help out against Buffalo.

The Broncos are without J.K. Dobbins, who is nursing a left foot injury, and are expected to expand rookie R.J. Harvey's role. Harvey has two TD runs and four TD catches so far.

Good byes

Andy Reid gave his team the entire week off for their bye. The idea was to give them ample time to reset after a first half of the season that left them in a dire situation when it comes not only to the divisional race but the playoffs.

“This is my first time getting the full week off,” wide receiver Marquise Brown said. “He gives us time, trusts us to handle our business, come back and ready to go. For us, we appreciate that. He didn’t have to do that.”

Reid is 27-4 coming off a bye in his coaching career, counting playoffs.