Broncos Exec VP/Football Operations & GM John Elway yesterday said that he will "not make any coaching changes" during the final four weeks of the season with the team's record at 3-9. Elway: "We’re going to finish the season out and, you know, obviously we know the expectations of the Denver Broncos. And this has been a tough year. It’s not what the Broncos are about. I’m embarrassed about it, the fact that this has happened, and will do my part to hopefully get this thing turned around next year" (DENVER POST, 12/6). But NBCSN's Mike Florio said, "John Elway is directly responsible for where the team currently is. ... How can we trust John Elway to hire the next coach when he hired Vance Joseph and it was still a disaster?" ("PFT," NBCSN, 12/6).
PACE MAKERS: In Indianapolis, Jim Ayello reports "lackluster attendance has become the norm" at Pacers games this season. The Pacers have drawn 162,719 fans for 11 home games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse so far, the "fifth-lowest total attendance mark in the league." The numbers "grow even uglier on a per-game basis," as only the Hawks "average fewer home fans than the Pacers (14,792)." The teams hold the "dubious distinction of being the only two in the league averaging fewer than 15,000 fans per game." For the season, the Pacers are "averaging crowds of a meager" 80-81% capacity (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/6).
TIME TO SPEND: In K.C., Sam McDowell cites sources as saying that Sporting KC is "operating under a significantly larger budget than it has in the past." Ownership has "committed club-record financial backing that, along with the team’s attractive position under the salary cap, would accommodate multiple high-priced acquisitions." Sporting KC has "made it known to agents and foreign clubs that it can afford transfer fees in the neighborhood" of $2-4M. In MLS, players requiring those transfer fees are "typically paid annual salaries between" $800,000 and $2M (K.C. STAR, 12/6).
