The Denver Broncos are on a heater so far this season with a 5-2 overall record and three straight wins. Amid this celebration, longtime Broncos reporter Mike Klis of 9NEWS appeared to rub J.K. Dobbins the wrong way. As the running back snapped back at the reporter, Broncos legend Justin Simmons backed him, expressing similar frustration with how Klis handled the situation.

“The problem here is we know @mikeklis9news has always done this,” Simmons dropped his fiery take on X. “There is a way to ask a question like this, and Mike finds the most disrespectful way to do it. Unfortunately, that won’t change.”

The exchange started with Klis asking Dobbins about his feeling of being a “top dog” yet witnessing the young backs “running ahead” of him. The question came when Denver, after holding a comfortable advantage in the second half, gave Jonah Coleman an extended opportunity in the backfield. Dobbins has been the team’s clear lead runner in Week 7 and finished with six carries for 23 yards and a touchdown. Coleman contributed 54 yards on nine carries while RJ Harvey’s production was limited to six yards on three attempts. That’s when he decided to defend himself and got involved in a blunt discussion with Klis.

“You watched the game. So what did I do in the first half?” Dobbins asked.

“Your first two carries, 13 yards. Second carry, had a nice hole, five yards. And not too much after that,” Klis responded.

“But how many carries did I have in the first half? How many yards?” the running back continued.

“23-something, does that sound right?” Klis replied.

“So what’s the average of that?” Dobbins kept questioning. “Four? Five and a half. I’m a math guy. I was going five and 23. Well, so then if you go to the second half, I had the touchdown run, which was one yard. And then we were winning pretty good, right? Weren’t we? And everybody’s wanting me to play 17 games, correct? So can you take that into account before you start saying stuff like that?”

Dobbins’ body language in Denver’s 30-16 win over Arizona last week drew attention. After seeing a handful of carries in the opening stages, he took a back seat to rookie Coleman in the second half. His only notable opportunity after the break came near the goal line, where he converted a 1-yard carry for a touchdown. The Broncos otherwise kept the veteran on the bench for most of the final three quarters, as they protected their lead.

He walked out of the locker room without speaking to reporters after the game. It fueled the speculation that he might be upset watching his juniors take on more work lately. But during the interview with Klis, he clarified that he is not bothered about himself and rather trusts his team’s plan.

“This organization has a plan for me,” Dobbins added. “And I’m always there to coach my young guys. I’ve said this from the beginning. RJ is my rookie. And then we got another rookie in Jonah. I’m coaching him to make their plays, because I want to see them succeed, right? We were up by a lot. I want to win the game. And I also want to win in the playoffs and eventually get to the Super Bowl. So to say, ‘Oh,’ no. We’re winning the game. You keep calling me a vet. I’m not old. I’m 27 years old. Not old, not 30, not even close to 30. So let’s be smart about it.”

While the exchange was heated, Dobbins arguably had reason to make his case and receive Simmons’ support. His 87 carries, so far, lead the Broncos’ backfield by a considerable margin, with Harvey coming up with 24 and Coleman recording 19. Moreover, Dobbins had reached double-digit carries in five out of seven games.

Now that Dobbins is gearing up for the Kansas City Chiefs face-off, he will be splitting duties with Coleman as Harvey has been ruled out for the Week 8 face-off after hurting his knee. This makes Dobbins the sole running back in Denver’s rotation who has not been sidelined by an injury this season.

The post “Has Always Done This”: Broncos Legend Slams Denver Reporter for Disrespecting J.K. Dobbins Ahead of Chiefs Clash appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.