Chris Harris Jr. and Zach Kerr headline the Broncos Huddle By Rod Mackey 9 News October 25, 2018 Another "must win" for the Broncos. This week, however, that will be a lot harder to do as Denver goes from playing Arizona, one of the worst teams in the NFL, to one of the best in Kansas City. That was a big topic of conversation on the Broncos Huddle with Chris Harris Jr. and Zach Kerr. While the rest of the sports world is focused on Chad Kelly being released and that Halloween party, the team is focused on football and the 6-1 Chiefs. Kansas City came back to beat the Broncos 27-23 in Denver on Oct. 1, but the Broncos are hanging their hat on the fact that they were able to stay with the AFC West leaders. In fact, the team believes they actually gave the game away in the fourth quarter against KC. Chris Harris Jr. spent some time with a local youth football team talking X's and O's on Tech Time. He also played "Who am I?" The game which tests how well the Broncos actually know their teammates. -I was drafted by the Dolphins in the 3rd round -My dad played four seasons in the NFL -My brother played six season in the NFL -Played on three FCS national championship teams -My college mascot are the Bison Who Am I? The answer.... Billy Turner. Did Chris get the answer right? Make sure to catch the Broncos Huddle when it airs for a second time on Channel 20 at 10:30pm. Broncos Journal: Zach Kerr, Shelby Harris see limited, but important, playing time By Ryan O’Halloran Denver Post Sept. 16, 2018 Conventional wisdom — and my final 53-man roster projection — last month suggested the Broncos would keep veteran defensive tackle Clinton McDonald. McDonald had returned from offseason shoulder surgery and a short absence early in camp. Coach Vance Joseph praised his ability to provide — and the team’s need for — an interior pass rush. All the while, Shelby Harris and Zach Kerr went about their work to keep their spots on the roster. It paid off. McDonald was cut (he signed with Oakland this week). DeMarcus Walker, a 2017 second-round pick, made the team as the sixth linemen. McDonald’s release confirmed to Kerr and Harris that the Broncos’ brass saw what they were feeling since the offseason program: Their play warranted a return to the roles they played last year. “(McDonald) being a veteran guy and the film he had and what he had accomplished, (his release) was like them saying, ‘We believe in you,’” Harris said. “That’s really the first time that’s happened in my career so it felt really good.” A seventh-round pick by Oakland in 2014, Harris was waived four times by the Raiders and once apiece by the Jets and Dallas before signing with the Broncos in January 2017. He had 5 1/2 sacks last year. Kerr was undrafted but spent three years with Indianapolis before signing with the Broncos in March 2017. He had 19 tackles in 11 games. “Me and Shelby produced pretty well in the offseason and preseason and that spoke for itself,” Kerr said. “I was, ‘OK, we had this group last year and it was a pretty good group last year so why not have the same group this year?’” Harris and Kerr made the Broncos’ decision look smart last week. Kerr played 11 snaps and Harris had one tackle for lost yardage and two quarterback hits in 15 snaps of work. “It’s definitely a luxury,” defensive coordinator Joe Woods said of the Broncos’ depth. “Both of those guys have done tremendous for us.” Twenty-six combined snaps may not seem like much, but on a hot day, it is valuable work. Domata Peko (25 snaps) wasn’t overworked. “It was definitely encouraging,” Kerr said. “Me and Shelby are really enjoying playing out there together and we’ve been practicing together for two years. We have a real chemistry going on and we play well off each other. It can create some good results.” Said Harris: “It was really good because if we can get a push up the middle, it makes it easier for the outside guys (to pressure the passer). Everyone said last year we didn’t get enough of an interior push. But the D-linemen we have can rush the passer. I feel like it’s going to be a big part of what makes our defense go this year.” Kerr said he and Harris’ playing time is “pretty random.” “We do a buddy system so we’ll watch guys,” Kerr said. “If a guy ran 20-30 yards down the field chasing the ball, we know one of us is going in for him because nobody wants to play a double team after that.” Said Woods: “(Line coach Bill Kollar) grinds them to a nub and he gets everything out of them. You saw the results on Sunday.” Final thoughts. 1. The Broncos used 25 snaps of two-tight end personnel against Seattle, including two snaps by reserve offensive tackle Billy Turner. The success of the run game combined with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave’s desire to play a “rugged” style suggests a smash-mouth game plan against Oakland. 2. Team-wide health means the Broncos will again have seven healthy scratches. The only change will be receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who was cut on Monday. The roster now has five safeties, so Dymonte Thomas and Shamarko Thomas could be the odd player out. 3. Only one of Oakland tight end Jared Cook’s nine catches last week was when he started in a three- point stance. That suggests the Broncos’ best option is a defensive back against him in coverage. Kids connect to Black Panther because of characters just like them By Chiquita Vaughn 9 News February 23, 2018 It's not every day you hear about a whole theater being rented out for a "movie" night for about 100 kids and their families. The movie the Cole Boys & Girls Club made the focus ended up being just as important as the outing. Steven Roland, the site director at Cole Boys & Girls Club Arts & Sciences Academy, believes Black Panther has a strong connection to his students. Months ago, Roland and his staff began planning a family movie night. “There was one movie that stood out to us, and it was Black Panther because it was going to empower our young people and their families,” Roland says. Black Panther follows the people of Wakanda, a technologically advanced African country that keeps its assets a secret from the rest of the world. The lead character, T’Challa, is challenged with securing his people’s way of life. “Empowerment through Black Panther means seeing a film with people that look like them - people that are doing the right thing,” he says. Most of the students at Cole are minorities – mainly African American and Latino. “The world and society are not showing them the good things that people of color are doing,” he says. The Cole Boys & Girls Club operates in northeast Denver, primarily serving youth and families from Cole, Five Points and Whittier. “The film showed rough communities and that’s the kind of communities our kids come from,” says Roland. “We have to show them from movies and from us going into the Boys & Girls Club every day that they can overcome and make it from circumstances that a lot of people might not make it out of.” Instilling that message in the students at Cole was a success. 9NEWS caught up with them just as the movie credits stopped. Kids of various ages and grade-levels were satisfied with more than just the action in the film. Black Panther is unique compared to previous hero films. "I give it 100 percent,” says 9-year-old Kearre Watson. Serenity Higgins,12, says “it’s different because Black Panther comes from a whole different type of world. The culture was really cool because it showed our ancestors and that was really cool.” Aside from empowering minority youth through cultural representations, the movie’s characters are fan favorites for other reasons. Serenity’s favorite character is Black Panther’s sister, Shuri, a technological genius with a witty nature. The seventh grader says her interest in technology makes her like Shuri in many ways. Serenity was grateful that Steven Roland, who she calls Mr. Steven, planned the outing and made Zach Kerr from the Denver Broncos part of it. While pondering on his youth, Kerr remembers wearing Black Panther shirts from the comic book and activist group in high school. Upon learning about the movie, he was excited to see it with kids in the community. “I think it’s important for kids to see someone who looks like them doing something positive – not only for the community but for the world," says Kerr. Although the movie focuses on a specific group of people, he says it promotes togetherness. The defensive lineman says he wanted to let students know that someone cares about them from the Broncos. “At 10, 11, or 12 - if I had a player from the NFL come watch a movie with me I would feel special,” he says. Roland and his staff are already brainstorming ways to utilize the messages in the movie as teaching lessons. He plans on taking students to see more movies that spark conversation. Denver Bronco Battles Complex Disease For Mom And Others By Kathy Walsh 9 News April 12, 2018 A Denver Bronco is determined to help thousands battling a disease you don’t often hear about.