Eight million American dollars is way too much to pay for an average NFL running back. Melvin Gordon must start earning his keep for the Broncos to maintain any sliver of hope in this already miserable season. You want to remind me again why football operations director John Elway insulted Phillip Lindsay by refusing to reward a homegrown back with a richly deserved raise, giving the money instead to Gordon? Denver is on the road, playing the gosh-awful New York Jets, with quarterback Brett Rypien making his first NFL start and No.