Posts Tagged ‘broncos’
Posted by Richard on August 23, 2018
If you’ve paid the slightest attention to sports news today, you already know that Broncos owner Pat Bowlen has been nominated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It took long enough. Bowlen stepped down as CEO and turned the team over to a trust four years ago due to his Alzheimer’s disease.
Bowlen is often described as “a Canadian businessman,” but he’s actually an American businessman, born in Wisconsin, with degrees in business and law from the University of Oklahoma. He just happened to make tons of money in Canada, first as a lawyer and then in real estate, oil, and mining. But my impression (admittedly, from a distance with limited information) is that nothing meant more to him than the Broncos. He was certainly an actively involved owner on a day-to-day basis who had great relationships with his coaches and players. Check out the second and third videos embedded in the CBS Denver story linked above.
Current President/CEO Joe Ellis and former player Steve Atwater (who should also be in the HOF) delivered the news to Bowlen, who reportedly smiled when told of the nomination. That’s good. I’m glad he’s still aware enough to derive some pleasure from hearing the news.
Ten owners have preceded Bowlen into the HOF, and only three or four of those can hold a candle to Bowlen’s record of contributions to the league and accomplishments as a team owner. The record of the Broncos under his leadership speaks for itself: more Super Bowl appearances than losing seasons; best winning percentage of any NFL team, and second-best of any professional sports franchise (I believe the best is the Denver Outlaws lacrosse team, and — surprise! — Pat Bowlen owns that too).
Bowlen’s work on numerous ownership committees makes him arguably more responsible than anyone else for NFL football’s tremendous TV success and ascendancy to being America’s favorite sport. Are you one of the umpteen millions who enjoy Sunday Night Football, perennially the highest-rated show on TV by a large margin? Thank Pat Bowlen; it was his idea.
The actual vote on the nominees takes place February 2nd (the day after the Super Bowl), and the induction ceremony will be next August. All the experts I’ve heard say he’s a slam-dunk, that the vote will be basically a formality. I certainly hope so. And I hope when that happens, he’s still able to understand that he’s received that well-deserved honor.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: bowlen, broncos, denver, football, hall of fame, nfl | 1 Comment »
Posted by Richard on January 3, 2017
For health reasons, Gary Kubiak has stepped down as coach of the Denver Broncos. If you’re at all interested in the Broncos, or in football, or just in how a man of great character handles the difficult task of announcing that he’s walking away from his dream job, you might want to watch his retirement press conference.
[YouTube link]
Sports reporter Mike Klis:
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Posted by Richard on January 19, 2014
Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice watching a great football game at home on the big screen via a Dish DVR. Skipping past the timeouts, skipping back to watch a great play a second time, pausing the game for a bathroom break — it’s pretty nice.
But today of all days, I wish I’d been there in Sports Authority Stadium at Mile High Field. I wish I could have dropped a couple of grand for that playoff ticket. Today was special. What a perfect day to attend a great football game — 65° and sunny, hardly a cloud in the sky, and practically no wind. What a great crowd — I heard longtime season ticket holders say it was the loudest ever since the old Mile High Stadium. What a great team performance in all aspects of the game — it was not nearly as close as the score (26-16 Denver) would indicate.
This was probably the best Broncos game to attend in person since John Elway retired. I wish I had been there.
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Posted by Richard on January 14, 2012
It must be midnight in Foxboro because the Denver chariot has turned back into a pumpkin.
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Posted by Richard on February 5, 2011
Shannon Sharpe is one of the greatest characters in the world of professional football — articulate, funny, outrageous, charismatic, and genuine. He was also the best tight end ever to play the game. So said John Elway, and the record book backs him up.
Sharpe owns all the tight end records. He redefined the role. And he should have been a slam dunk (to mix sports metaphors) to go into the Hall of Fame two years ago when first eligible. This year, he's finally been inducted.
And just in time. His grandmother, who's in a nursing home, soon turns 89. Sharpe said his goal all his life has been to make his grandmother proud, because she's the one who made him the man he is. I'm sure she's been proud of him for many years, but this is the icing on the cake.
Tonight's 10PM local news showed video of him addressing the press, and I wish I could find that video. It was quite moving. There's a short one-on-one interview from ESPN on YouTube.
Congratulations, Shannon, and thanks for so many wonderful memories.
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Posted by Richard on December 27, 2009
Well, Santa didn't give me the Christmas present I wanted — although it was close. With the help of some questionable calls by the refs and a critical 27-yard scramble on third down by McNabb (Limbaugh is right, he's a much-improved QB), the Eagles beat the Broncos by a field goal. Considering that they were two-touchdown favorites, I suppose it was a moral victory (and some bettors were happy).
But the loss means Denver is unlikely to make the playoffs. And has now faded in December for the fourth straight year. That sucks.
On the positive side, I was glad to see that Brian Dawkins got the welcome home he deserved — a standing ovation from the Philly fans, who are infamous for booing everyone, including Santa Claus.
Elsewhere in the NFL, the Colts lost for the first time. Because, with a five-point lead, Caldwell benched Peyton Manning early in the second half (and it was clear Manning didn't like it). That has to be the most chicken-sh*t move by a head coach in many a year. Hell, if you think the game doesn't matter, you don't care about winning, and you're so worried about an injury to your QB — why not just forfeit the damn game? That way you don't risk anybody getting injured!
You don't do that because you're being paid to coach, the players are being paid to play, and the fans are there to see you all give it your best. They didn't today.
Pull Manning in the 4th or if the outcome is no longer in doubt — sure. But in the 3rd with a five-point lead?
Really chicken-sh*t.
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Posted by Richard on December 24, 2009
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is an upset victory Sunday over the Eagles.
Oh, yeah — and it would be nice if the Phillies fans gave Brian Dawkins a warm welcome before the game. He's a class act. I hope that Dan Leone enjoys the game, but not the outcome. 🙂
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Posted by Richard on September 14, 2009
Because sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
UPDATE: And sometimes it's better to be Kyle Orton than Jay Cutler. [giggle]
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Posted by Richard on January 12, 2009
Let me get this straight: The Denver Broncos had a top-ranked offense, but one of the worst defenses in the league. Coach Mike Shanahan has always been an offense-minded guy. Owner Pat Bowlen fired Shanahan because he decided "it was time for a change."
So now he's hiring a 32-year-old offensive whiz kid and clone of Shanahan. Huh?
Well, at least with all the young, new players the Broncos have, the new coach will be older than most of the team.
I hope they thoroughly vetted secondary coach Dom Capers, whom McDaniels is reportedly bringing with him from the Patriots to be the defensive coordinator.
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Posted by Richard on December 1, 2008
I wonder what their record would be if they played all their games on the road against strong opponents.
Unfortunately, next Sunday's game is at home against the very weak Chiefs. So that's not looking good.
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Posted by Richard on November 24, 2008
I bet you didn't know this: there's a city ordinance in Denver that requires all uses of the proper noun "Raiders," spoken or print, to be preceded by the adjective "hated."
So today the Broncos played host to the hated Raiders. And the outcome sucked.
That's the trouble with having to rely on lots of young players. Sometimes they provide the energy and enthusiasm that really makes a difference, like the previous two weeks. But sometimes they bring inexperience and errors.
But, really, most of the blame for today's humiliating defeat belongs to Jay Cutler. When he's on his game, he's every bit as great a QB as he thinks he is. But when he's off, he really stinks up the place.
Oh, well — the Chargers lost, too, so nothing much changed in the division.
And later tonight, 24: Redemption was good enough to make me forget the game. You've got to love a show where the first villain you see is a cowardly, duplicitous U.N. "peacekeeper" who keeps braying "We remain neutral!" and then sells out a bunch of kids. Now that's realism.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: 24, broncos, colorado, denver, football, sports, united nations | 2 Comments »
Posted by Richard on November 17, 2008
Surprising: Denver defeated a strong Atlanta team on the road.
Amazing: The injury-plagued Broncos did it starting 8 rookies, several at skill positions.
Incredible: They did it with 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-string running backs. The latter, Tatum Bell, was selling cell phones at the Aurora Mall last week.
Unbelievable: One of the rookies, Spencer Larsen, played offense, defense, and special teams. He started at both fullback and middle linebacker. Teammates are calling him "Neon Deon," but I don't see the resemblance.
Things are looking up for the Broncos. A few more injuries and they may be unbeatable.
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Posted by Richard on November 7, 2008
I admit I gave up on the Broncos after that pitiful first half and switched channels. Hey, CSI was on! But thanks to the DVR, I was able to watch the fourth-quarter comeback later.
That was a pretty gritty victory. Cutler looked impressive for the first time in a while. Brandon Marshall redeemed himself (and was prevented from doing something truly stupid and costly after his TD by teammate Brandon Stokley). And a bunch of unknown backups filling in for the growing list of injured players rose to the occasion.
I swear, I think the Broncos' only remaining running back is some guy they found jogging along the Cuyahoga River just before kickoff.
I've got to say, though, that Browns coach Romeo Crennel seems to have done the right thing by benching Derek Anderson. That Brady Quinn is a pretty impressive kid. Keep an eye on him. I'm just glad Winslow inexplicably let that fourth-down pass slip through his fingers.
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Posted by Richard on October 21, 2008
I really wanted to watch the Broncos play football tonight. But apparently, they've decided not to do that.
I don't know what you call what they're doing in Foxborough tonight, but it doesn't look much like professional football.
I'm not really interested in seeing if Denver can set a team record for most turnovers in a game. Think I'll turn in early.
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Posted by Richard on September 28, 2008
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