LA Chargers/Denver Broncos Road Trip January 2022

 

I was with a group of Denver Broncos QB Club fans who attended the Broncos/Chargers game on January 2nd. While the game didn't turn out as we had hoped (a 34 to 13 loss to the Chargers) our group enjoyed the experience of seeing a game in the NFL's newest and largest stadium!

Sofi Stadium had the latest in technological advancements, including this unique wrap around video board above the field. With this setup you could sit anywhere in the stadium and have a good view of the replays on the scoreboard. There just wasn't enough replays of good Bronco plays this day!

I liked the wide concourses Sofi had. Compared to past Bronco QB Club road trips to Arizona's, Minnesota's, and Dallas' stadiums these were the widest concourses I have seen. The stadium refreshment stands were plentiful with lots of options for food and drink.

Is Sofi an indoor stadium or an outdoor stadium?? It's both! I hadn't seen this unique setup in other stadiums where the ends of the stadium had concourses open to the outside air, while the field was covered with a retractable dome. The stadium was built on the grounds of the old Hollywood horse race track. The lake you see in this picture was in the infield of the horse track - they kept the lake and built the stadium grounds around it.

The next day our QB Club group got a private tour of the stadium - just for us! Here our guide is explaining the many features of the stadium. There were short video presentations that gave us more information on the tour.

After touring different seating areas, suites, and stadium lounges as part of the tour we got to go on the field! We walked through a tunnel from the Chargers locker room to the field just like the players did on game day.

On the field different challenges were set up for us. The passing drill shown above, with field staff providing us footballs was one. There was also a field goal challenge (my kick was just under the crossbar from extra point range - I don't have the leg Brandon McManus showed on game day where he kicked his Bronco road record 61 yard field goal!)

Here I am recreating on the field the spot where Drew Lock just came up short of a 4th down touchdown. The artificial turf of Sofi was very soft and would be easy to play on. Not like the concrete like Astroturf from stadiums years ago.

A Bronco QB Club road trip also gives fans the opportunity to explore the city we visit the day before the game. Our group had free time on that Saturday. One couple of our group attended the Rose Parade and sent us this picture!

To conclude our stadium tour we visited the LA Rams locker room. We had to visit the locker of one of the greatest Broncos ever - Von Miller!

Sofi was the best stadium I have been to yet! I enjoy going on these Bronco road trips. While I didn't see the Broncos win like I had on other road trips, the chance to experience the NFL's newest stadium was worth it.

My Top Ten Bronco Home Openers in the Past 52 Years

 

This week I was featured on a CBS Channel 4 segment on the Denver Broncos opener.  My story is that I have been to every Broncos home opener since 1967 except for one!  I will also miss Monday night's home opener against the Titans (as well as all other fans) but I'll be cheering on the team from home.  Pictured above is my ticket from the first home opener I attended at age 11 - at a $2 kids end zone price of $2!

This segment got me to thinking - what were the best Bronco home openers I have attended?  Listed below is my top ten list. I have lots of great memories from these games!

NUMBER TEN:

1971 Broncos 10 Miami 10 - the famous "half a loaf" game where the broncos, tied with the Dolphins in the last two minutes, ran out the clock rather than go for the win.  Coach Lou Saban said after the game "half a loaf is better than none" (meaning he'd take the tie) which alienated him with Bronco fans for the rest of his time in Denver.  Actually in retrospect a tie was a good result for the Broncos as the Dolphins went on to a 10-3-1 record while the Broncos finished 4-9-1 with Saban leaving as head coach half way through the season.  The only Bronco touchdown?  from wide receiver Dwight Harrison, who was later traded to Buffalo for one of the best Bronco receivers ever (Haven Moses).

NUMBER NINE:

2001 Broncos 31 NY Giants 20 - a Monday night football opening of the new stadium. The fans go home happy but then find out Bronco legendary wide receiver Ed McCaffery had suffered a season ending injury and the 9/11 tragedy happened the next morning.

NUMBER EIGHT:

1977 Broncos 7 St Louis Cardinals 0 - Broncos famed Orange Crush defense was in fine form with this shutout of the Cardinals at the start of a magical 77 Bronco season leading to the team's first Super Bowl appearance.   The Broncos offense was a mess under new qb Craig Morton in this game but came around as the season progressed (highlighted by scoring 34 points in the franchise's first playoff game against the Steelers)

NUMBER SEVEN:

2016 Broncos 21 Carolina 20 - In a rare Super Bowl rematch in the kickoff game of the 2016 season, the Panthers miss a field goal in the final seconds to give the win to the Broncos.  Peyton Manning had retired, and going into the game the Broncos were underdogs with qb Trevor Siemian getting his first start. But Siemian had a surprisingly good game to lead the Broncos to the win.

NUMBER SIX:

1980 Broncos 41 Cowboys 20 -a promising home debut for new Bronco qb Matt Robinson, who had 2 rushing td's, as the broncos got revenge for the Super Bowl 12 loss to America's team two years earlier.  Siemian and Robinson's first games as Broncos starting qbs would not to lead to long term success for either, but at least they can think back to their successful openers.

NUMBER FIVE:

1967 Broncos 26 Patriots 21 - My first ever home opener at age 11.  It was Floyd Little's regular season debut, and fans were excited after the Broncos were the first AFL team to beat NFL teams in two preseason games (the Lions and the Vikings). This win gave us more hope.  Hopes that were quickly dashed with a 51-0 loss to the Raiders the next week which led to a Broncos 9 game losing streak.

NUMBER FOUR:

1975 Broncos 37 Chiefs 33 - Charlie Johnson throws 3 td passes in a game that featured a spectacular debut for Broncos rookie Rick Upchurch. Rick had a 13 yard td run, 3 catches for 153 yards including a 90 yard td, 3 kickoff returns for 88 yards, and a 30 yard punt return.  To this day the best opening game for a Bronco rookie I have ever seen.

NUMBER THREE:

2008 Broncos 39 Chargers 38 - Jay Cutler throws 4 td passes including the winning td and a successful 2 point conversion with 24 seconds to play.

NUMBER TWO:

1986 Broncos 38 Raiders 36 - John Elway throws for 2 tds and scores on a pass from Steve Sewell on another to give the Broncos a thrilling come from behind win over the Raiders.

NUMBER ONE:

2013 Broncos 47 Ravens 27 - Peyton Manning throws 7 tds as the Broncos avenge their playoff loss the previous season to the defending Super Bowl champ Ravens.

What was the one Bronco home opener I missed?  2012's win over the Steelers featuring Peyton Manning's Bronco regular season debut.  I was on a once in a lifetime Alaska trip at the time, doing a flight seeing excursion over the great mountain (Denali) at kickoff.  This 2012 game would have been in my top 10 somewhere had I been there!

With Von Miller likely out for the season the Broncos are underdogs for Monday night's opener vs the Titans.  But I have learned over the years - never count out the Broncos, no matter how bad the team looks, in a home opener!  The Broncos record for home openers I have attended?  44 wins 8 losses!

Remembering Carroll Hardy, could Jack Lambert have been a Bronco?

 

Carroll Hardy passed away this past week.  He gained fame as the only player to pinch hit for Ted Williams during his baseball career.  But there was much more to Hardy than that, as this article on the cubuffs.com site relates.

 Though I was only 9 years old I do remember seeing Hardy play for the minor league Denver Bears in 1965 at the end of his baseball career.

What I remember more was his role with the Denver Broncos.  As the cubuffs.com article says: 

"As a pro football executive, he was often credited with helping to build Denver's famous "Orange Crush" defense that led to the team's first AFC West Division title and Super Bowl appearance in the 1977 season."

As a big Bronco fan and young season ticket holder in the 70's I wanted to learn more about the game.  I saw an ad for a book called "Scouts Guide to the NFL".  I ordered it. This 1976 publication was written by Joel Buchsbaum, one of the earliest NFL draft analysts (even before Mel Kiper).  In it he speculated that the 77 Broncos would be a threat to take the division title away from the Super Bowl Champion Oakland Raiders.  I was stunned - though hopeful of a good Bronco season I hadn't read anywhere that the Broncos could actually beat out the Raiders in 1977.  And of course that's what the Broncos did - shocking the pro football world.  Buchsbaum gained credibility with me and I always read his draft guides until his death in 2002.  Buchsbaum had a unique life of his own - read more about him here.

Buchsbaum once wrote about Hardy's role in the 1974 Broncos draft. The Broncos had selected Randy Gradishar in the first round. When the team's second round pick came up Hardy, as part of the Broncos scouting staff, recommended another linebacker, rated at the top of the Broncos draft board.. "We already have our linebacker," coach John Ralston said. The Broncos drafted defensive lineman Carl Wafer in round 2 (who never did anything in the NFL)

The linebacker who the Broncos scouting staff led by Hardy had rated at the top of their draft board in round 2?

Jack Lambert

Lambert went four picks after the Broncos to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and went on to have a Hall of Fame career.

If this is true, imagine the Orange Crush 3-4 defense with both Gradishar and Lambert!  John Ralston deserves a lot of credit for the strong drafts the Broncos had in the early 70's, but Carroll Hardy had a big part in those drafts too.  RIP Carroll.

Will They Name an Elementary School After Fangio? New Bronco Coach Reaction

In December 1966 I was 10 years old, and an avid fan of the Denver Broncos! The Broncos had just announced Lou Saban as their new head coach.  My friend Greg called a sports talk radio show to talk about the news.  "What school do you go to?" asked the host. "Sabin Elementary" said Greg.  "That's amazing! They've already named an elementary school after him!" replied the host.

Of course Sabin Elementary was not named after Lou Saban, but the host's comment reflected the excitement the city had for the new Broncos head coach at the time.  For two 10 year old kids, and for other die hard Bronco fans, Saban gave us hope that the coaching change would transform the perennial loser Broncos to a winning franchise.  Five years later, "Half A Loaf Lou" was run out of town after a 20 win, 43 loss, 3 tie record.

Over the years I've seen other Bronco head coaches arrive with great anticipation, only to exit in disappointment after a few seasons.  John Ralston was supposed to bring his innovative Stanford offense with him from the college ranks in 1972.  Ralston left in 1976 after a player revolt. Red Miller was a career assistant coach (much like Vic Fangio today).  Red got his first head coaching job with the Broncos in 1977, had an amazing Super Bowl run that year, but a few years later was fired after some unwise personnel decisions (like trading for qb Matt Robinson from the NY Jets).  And more recently Vance Joseph was heralded as a "leader of men" when he was hired as head coach in 2017, only to be let go two years later after 11 wins in 32 games.

Today, like back in 1966, this town is sure to get its hopes up when the Broncos introduce new head coach Vic Fangio to the Bronco faithful.  I like the hire on paper.  Fangio's strong defensive background can only make the Broncos defense even better.  Gary Kubiak's return to the staff is sure to improve the Broncos coaching on the offensive side of the ball.

Somehow, though, I have a feeling Fangio won't meet the fans high expectations this year.  The Broncos have yet to find a long term answer at starting quarterback, and years of draft mistakes have hurt the team's depth.  It'll take more than one season to get a true measure of Fangio and his coaching staff.  I hope the impatient Denver fans give him that.

Vic Fangio photo courtesy of the Denver Post

(update: Gary Kubiak won't be running the Broncos offense, which may turn out well, as Fangio in consultation with John Elway can pick his own man as Bronco offensive coordinator)

Simon Fletcher at the Denver Broncos QB Club

Some of you may know that I am President of the Denver Broncos Quarterback Club, a long time booster club for the team.  Tonight for our kickoff meeting for the 2018 season we featured Broncos Ring of Famer and all time sacks leader Simon Fletcher as our guest speaker.  As you can see from the picture above Simon is still in great shape!

Simon told us he was drafted by Dan Reeves and the Broncos in 1985,  He was told before the draft that Denver was looking to take him in the second round, but when the Broncos took wide receiver Vance Johnson earlier in the second round he figured he would go to the Steelers or the Redskins, teams that also expressed interest in Simon before the draft.  But Dan Reeves traded for another second round pick and nabbed Simon for the Broncos (pick #54 overall in the 1985 draft)

Simon told of when he first met Dan Reeves after the draft.  "Are you Simon Fletcher?" Reeves asked.  "Where's the rest of you?"  It seems the scouts had told Reeves Simon was 270 pounds, but at the time Simon weighed in a 221 pounds.  "We better fatten  you up," Reeves told him.

Simon told us about his long Bronco career.  "I didn't start until my 3rd year," he said.  In his 11 year Broncos career he never missed a game due to injury,  He was very appreciative of the Bronco fans.  When he arrived in Denver he was a single Dad with a young daughter named Ashley.  "The Denver fans were great in welcoming me and Ashley," he said, "they gave Ashley so many stuffed animals I couldn't count them all."  To this day Simon says he doesn't turn down a request from Bronco fans (we at the QB Club were very appreciative of him driving down from Cheyenne to speak to us tonight)

Simon took questions from the fans:

"Who was your favorite quarterback to sack?"

Whoever was wearing Silver and Black, replied Simon.  That drew quite a cheer from our Raider hating group!

"Who was the best offensive lineman you played against?"

Gary Zimmerman.  Wade Phillips was smart enough to move me to the other side against the Vikings, though, and I had 4 sacks that day (his 4 sacks in one game still is tied for a franchise record)

"What was it like to play for Joe Collier?"

Joe Collier was on the Ring of Fame committee when they selected me, so I am very appreciative of that.  Joe's defenses were as complicated as Dan Reeves' offenses.  He was so thorough - we practiced against all different types of formations.  Joe would put you in position to make plays.  Joe was also no nonsense - you worked hard or you didn't play.

"What do you think of the new NFL tackling rules?"

For what we were paid my entire salary would go towards fines!  A defensive player has to defend himself when the ball carrier lowers his shoulder.

 

Simon told other stories this night, entertaining a packed house at our Quarterback club meeting.  Afterwards he met with each fan individually to sign autographs and take pictures.  It was a great night of interacting with one of the Broncos' all time best players!

Today Simon runs a barbeque business.  He currently lives in Cheyenne and told us of his plans to open his own restaurant in Milliken, Colorado later this year or in the Spring.  

 

 

Our meeting also featured an old time jersey display from our Vice President Tom Jacobsen's collection - featuring star defensive players of the Broncos past.  And one of the original Bronco striped socks, from Tom's collection, was on display too!

The Denver Broncos QB Club will have more meetings this Fall - for more information visit the club's website.  

My Top Ten Colorado Sports Moments of 2017

Nolan Arenado's walk off game winning homer for the cycle is #1 on my "Top Ten Colorado Sports Moments of 2017" (photo courtesy of MLB)  Here's this year's list:

10.  Avalanche 4 NY Rangers 2, Opening Night, 10/5/17 - The 2016/17 season was one to forget for the Colorado Avalanche.  "The 22-56-4 record, for 48 points, not only was by far the franchise’s worst in its 21 seasons in Denver, it was the worst in the NHL since the 1999-2000 Atlanta Thrashers went 14-57-7-4 for 39 points," as reported in the Denver Post.  The surprising win on the road in the season's opener, on the league's biggest stage (Madison Square Garden) signaled that better times were ahead for the Avalanche. While the Avs are still out of a playoff position at year's end (17-16-3 as of 12/28), the team is on the upswing and the opening night win against the NY Rangers was a start to a much better season.

9.  Nuggets 96 Golden State 81, 12/23/17 - I had my top ten list all set then the Nuggets worked their way into my list with a stunning road win against the defending champ Warriors just before Christmas.  The win stopped Golden State's 12 game winning streak.

8.  Avalanche trade Matt Duchene, 11/5/17 - It was no secret Matt Duchene, the #3 pick overall in the 2009 draft, wanted out.  Duchene demanded a trade over a year ago, and Avs GM Joe Sakic received much criticism as Sakic failed to make a deal over the many months of Matt's discontent.  But in the end Sakic got a great haul for Duchene - promising young defenseman Sam Girard, other prospects, and a bunch of draft picks.  After the trade Nathan MacKinnon stepped up his play to become one of the best players in the NHL this season.  Well done, Joe Sakic!

7.  Gary Kubiak resigns as Broncos head coach, 1/2/17 - Just one year after winning the Super Bowl, Gary Kubiak resigns as Broncos head coach.  Any Bronco coaching change is big news, and this one was more of a shocker given the success the Broncos had achieved under Kubiak.

6.  Rockies 2, LA Dodgers 1, home opener, 4/7/17 - The first of four Rockies moments on my list. The Rockies home opener is always a special event on the Denver sports calendar, and this win was extra sweet as home town boy Kyle Freeland wins his first ever start in the majors in front of a sellout crowd at Coors Field.

5.  Broncos 42, Dallas 17, 9/17/17 - The only Bronco game on my top 10 list.  Everything went right for the Broncos this day as they beat America's team (the Dallas Cowboys) in an early season stunner.  The season as a whole was a big disappointment for Denver fans, but at least for one day the Broncos were the talk of pro football with this dominating performance.

4.  DU Pioneers 3, Minnesota-Duluth 2, National Championship Game, 4/8/17 - The DU hockey team wins its 8th National Championship with a narrow, nail-biting 3-2 win over Minnesota-Duluth.  The Pioneers stellar 2017 and championship gave Denver hockey fans something to cheer about in lieu of the Avalanche' disappointing season.

3.  Rockies 3, Atlanta 0, 8/14/17 - In his first game back after a cancer diagnosis in the spring, Rockies starter Chad Bettis pitches seven shutout innings at Coors Field to defeat the Braves.  Bettis comeback and amazing performance made news beyond baseball, inspiring many whose lives have been affected by this debilitating disease.

2.  Rockies 10, White Sox 0, 7/9/17 - Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland's second appearance on my list, as he takes a no hitter into the 9th inning against the White Sox.  Freeland ends up pitching a one hit gem in what I rate as the best performance by a Rockies starter at Coors Field ever. 

1.  Rockies 7, San Francisco 5, 6/19/17 - In front of a packed Father's Day crowd at Coors Field, Nolan Arenado hits a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 9th to give the Rockies a come from behind win over the Giants.  If that weren't dramatic enough, Arenado's blast also completed the cycle for the Rockies 3rd baseman, only the 8th cycle in Rockies history.  The playoff bound Rockies were the top story in Colorado sports in 2017, and Arenado's performance this day was the highlight of an outstanding season.

Top 10 Colorado Sports Moments 2012

I've been a fan of all the Colorado sports teams since growing up in Denver in the 60's.  Here are my top sports moments of 2012:

10. Colorado scores 17 points in 4th quarter to beat Washington State at Pullman 35-34.
Bet you didn't think a Colorado football moment would make it into the top 10!  It was an awful season for the Buffs but at least their ONLY win was an exciting one - coming back from 17 points down to beat Washington State on the road.  After losing 69-14 the week before to Fresno State, and losing their first two games to lowly CSU and Sacramento State this win was totally unexpected.  And much maligned quarterback Jordan Webb had his best quarter of the season in that 4th quarter - winning the game on a gutsy quarterback keeper as time ran out.

9. CSU beats Colorado in opener 22-17 after trailing 14-3 late in 1st half. 
I'm one of those rare CU fans who also roots for CSU except when the Rams play the Buffs.  While this game was disappointing for my CU interests, I must admit I was glad to see new CSU coach Jim McElwain celebrating with his team after this huge win in Denver.  Colorado is better off when both CU and CSU are fielding competitive teams, and this win was huge to get the McElwain era off to a good start in Ft Collins.  Now that I have a son going to CSU I'll be rooting for the Rams a little more, but just a little.  The Buffs are still my favorite college football team.

8. Todd Helton walkoff home run vs Arizona, April 14, 2012.  
Talk about disappointing seasons.  The Rockies joined the Buffs in having a terrible 2012 campaign.  But in the first two weeks there was a magical moment at Coors Field that made me think I was watching The Natural.  At the end of a cold, rainy 5 hour game Todd Helton was up with 2 outs in the bottom of 9th man, man on first, with the Rockies trailing the Diamondbacks 7-6.  Coors field was virtually empty as most fans had departed the cold weather long before the game got to the 9th.  Todd Helton hits a two run homer just inside the right field foul pole to give the Rockies the win!  This fan captured the improbable blast by Helton on video:


7. Avalanche beat Detroit 4-3 Feb 25th ending the Red Wings 23 game home winning streak
Remember the Avs?  With the NHL work stoppage the local hockey team has been pretty much forgotten this Fall, but the team did have some big wins early in 2012.  The best was a 4-3 victory in Joe Louis Arena to stop Detroit's 23 game home winning streak.  The Avs had some other big wins too, like beating the Rangers in NY, but then fell apart in the season's final 3 weeks to miss out on the playoffs.  There were moments, though, like this win against the hated Red Wings, that hinted the Avs could be back on the right track. (addendum: Vancouver actually ended the Wings long home winning streak with a win in a shootout Feb 23rd, but the Avs on Feb 25th were the first to beat the Wings in regulation in Detroit since the streak started)

6. Colorado wins Pac 12 basketball tourney, beating Arizona 53-51.
For most of my life there was not much to get excited about when it came to CU basketball.  I remember Cliff Meely when I was a kid leading the Buffs to a Big 8 title, and Chauncey Billups had his moments in black and gold in the 90's.  But CU basketball has mostly been a wasteland for the last 4 decades.  That's what made this improbable tourney run by the Buffs so sweet!  The victory over Arizona was the Buffs 4th straight in the tournament, and then they followed it up with a first round upset of UNLV in the Big Dance.  After Colorado's horrendous showing in football it was good to let the other Pac 12 schools know that the Buffs could be competitive in at least one sport (other than skiing!)

5.  Nuggets 126 Lakers 114 NBA playoffs game 5.
Denver sportscaster Vic Lombardi had this one pegged.  After the Nuggets lost game 4 at home to fall behind in their first round series with the Lakers 3 games to 1 most fans thought the Lakers closing out the series in 5 was a sure thing.  Not Lombardi, who said at the time he thought the Nuggets would win game 5.  And the Nuggets did just that, led by Kenneth Faried's 21 points and 15 rebounds.  The Nuggets won game 6, too, in a blowout before losing game 7 and the series at the Staples Center.  But at least the Nuggets gave their fans some post season thrills with 3 victories against the Lakers.

4. Broncos 31 Pittsburgh 19
This was the first Broncos home opener I had missed since 1966!  Away on a business trip in Alaska I could only monitor this game through scoring updates on my cell phone, but Peyton Manning's first non-preseason NFL game in over 600 days did not disappoint.  Manning hit Demaryius Thomas with a 71 yard td pass, Tracy Porter had a huge interception TD to clinch the game, and the Broncos beat the hated Steelers in the opener.  With Denver's tough schedule to open the season I saw this game as very important (even with this win the Broncos started off 2-3).

3. Tebow to Thomas beats Steelers in the playoffs
In only the third home playoff game for the Broncos in 11 years, Tim Tebow completes an 80 yard pass to Demaryius Thomas in the first play of overtime to lead the Broncos over the Steelers in the first round of the NFL playoffs.  This win was especially sweet for me, as I was in attendance for this and the last playoff game in Denver, a disappointing Bronco loss in the AFC Championship game in 2006.  Little did we know at the time that this would be Tim Tebow's last game in Denver as the Broncos starting quarterback.

2. Broncos Signing of Peyton Manning
When I first heard the Broncos were interested in signing Peyton Manning I thought, "Why???"  Denver had just come off an improbable playoff season led by crowd favorite Tim Tebow, and I was anxious to see what Tebow could do with a full off season of workouts that he did not have the prior year.  I also thought Manning was a huge injury risk.  But I trusted that Broncos President John Elway knew what he was doing.  The more I thought about it the more I wanted to see Peyton in Broncos Orange!  Peyton Manning turned out to be the best free agent signing of any Denver team since I've been a sports fan.

1. Broncos 35 San Diego 24
With a 2-3 record and trailing 24-0 at half time, the prospects of the Broncos having a good year looked dim.  But Peyton Manning led an amazing 2nd half comeback, outscoring the Chargers 35-0, to lead the Broncos to this huge win (their best Monday Night performance ever in my book).  Going into the season's final week as I type this, Denver would not lose again.  Perhaps the Broncos would have still rebounded had they lost this game and fell to 2-4, but I think this game was the key to the Broncos miracle season.
 

A Visit With Four Bronco Old Timers

Who is the only Denver Bronco offensive lineman to catch a touchdown pass from Craig Morton and John Elway?

I discovered the answer to this question and more at a meeting of the Denver Bronco Quarterback Club on August 15, 2011.

Bronco veterans Dave Studdard, Haven Moses, Tyrone Braxton, and Ron Egloff (pictured left to right) spent one hour answering questions from the fans attending. My impression of each:

Dave Studdard: He is the answer to the trivia question! He told of catching a td pass from Craig Morton in the great comeback win over Seattle in 1979 (the Broncos came back to win that game after being down 34-10 in the 3rd quarter). Studdard was full of jokes throughout the night and seemed to be enjoying his retirement from pro football. A TV was showing the Texans/Jets preseason game and Dave said "my son is playing in that game!" When asked about Tim Tebow Studdard didn't think much of the young bronco qb. "There's a reason 31 of the 32 NFL teams passed on him," Studdard said.

Haven Moses: The oldest vet and one of the heroes of the 1977 Bronco Super Bowl team, Haven gave a number of interesting observations on his playing career and the game today. He praised the fans and said the 77 team's relationship with the fans was an important part of the Broncos success that year. He said players back in his day were much more involved in the community than today's players (and that today's players make a lot more money!). He said the 1977 Broncos really put team goals ahead of individual accomplishments. He was asked about the recently completed collective bargaining agreement. He said not much attention was given to the older players in the negotiations but he does hear their pension may go up from $200/month to $1000/month. Moses was another old Bronco that didn't think Tebow deserved to start over Kyle Orton, and he thought the Broncos didn't treat Orton well in benching Kyle for Tim late last season.

Tyrone Braxton: Tyrone also had praise for the Bronco fans, "without the fans there would be no football". Tyrone currently works for the State of Colorado at the Gilliam Youth Dentition Center. He is actively involved in mentoring the youth at the Center, and recently organized a football "training camp" at the Center along with ex-Bronco Tom Nalen. On Tebow Tyrone likes Tim's heart and said Tim's commitment to training reminded him of John Elway. Elway led offseason workouts in Tyrone's day. When Tyrone played a year with the Dolphins he noticed Dan Marino wasn't near as dedicated to workouts as Elway was.

Ron Egloff: Ron is very involved in the Broncos alumni, organizing basketball, golf, and charity appearances. Egloff commented how Haven Moses torched the Raiders for two touchdowns on a frozen field in the 77 AFC Championship game (a special memory).

Overall it was an entertaining meeting to reminisce about better days with these old Bronco vets. As I was leaving I shook Haven Moses' hand and said "thanks for 77" (as a 21 year old I sat in the South Stands that year for the AFC Championship and other home games). Haven replied, "we'll get back there." He is still a Bronco at heart.