Alright, time for another fun and exciting blog with everybody’s favorite Bronco, Domonique Foxworth.

Well, this is probably going to be the most fun blog that I’ve done in quite some time — at least four weeks — because we got a win. I played a large role in the game, which is always a good feeling, especially coming off a couple weeks missed by injuries and several losses in a row, which We as Broncos players and you as Broncos fans are not accustomed to. But it made the win feel that much better, I guess.

It’s something to be proud of, because the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the top teams and are respected for being one of the toughest and most talented teams in the AFC. To be able to get a win against them and play well is great. We played probably as well as we have so far on special teams and played pretty well on defense. I think we did great on special teams, which is one of the most underrated things about football, how important field position is. That’s all decided through special teams. We had some great coverage in kickoffs this year for the first time this season. We also had some pretty good returns, and had an all-around solid special teams game.

On offense we were able to score touchdowns, which has been something that’s been difficult for us this year. We were able to score touchdowns, which are a lot better than field goals. We made some turnovers and even scored on defense this week, so I think we played just about as well as we’ve played, as far as a complete game is concerned, this year.

It was kind of a tough game also because of the pregame tribute to Darrent and Damien, who as everybody knows are two of our teammates who we lost this offseason. It was especially tough for me, because as everybody knows I was really close with D-Will, and I’ve become really close with his family. It was nice to see them, but before a game like that, it was really emotional for me and that emotion definitely carried over into the game. It was a lot of ups and downs that morning. I met up with the Williams family and we talked a little bit, which was kind of emotional. From there, we went to the game, and then to get a little excited and worked up for the game, and then the next thing that happens is they have this tribute on the Jumbotron and you see Darrent and Damien up there. It was kind of an emotional thing in itself, and then in any football game you have the ups and downs throughout the course of the game. Then to win in the last second, it was just a great feeling. It was a great game to be a part of.

Right as the game ended I was sitting on the bench, really not nervous at all. I feel like Jason Elam kicks better in pressure situations than just a regular kick. He’s definitely one of the best pressure kickers in the history of the league.

Once we got into field goal range, the game was as good as won, as far as I’m concerned. So I went and sat on the bench, and then Jason kicked the field goal and everybody charged the field because we won. I remember sitting there, and I think Dre’ Bly kind of threw his helmet down as he was running out on the field. I told this story on the radio show last night, but there was just Dre’s helmet and me sitting on the sideline. Just an unattended helmet — I know it’s kind of corny — but just a helmet sitting out there by itself made me think of D-Will. So I picked up the helmet and walked into the locker room. I also found out on the radio show that apparently there was a big deal made about how long I sat in my locker after the game. But it was just hard for me to celebrate with everybody else and feel as excited and happy about the win. As much as I did enjoy winning, the game was put in perspective because of the tribute that we had to a close friend of mine. But I definitely felt better after the game having won than I would have had we lost, but it was still very difficult. I’m sure anyone that’s ever lost somebody that they love would understand where I’m coming from.

I got to start my first game this year as a corner. I’ve started earlier games as a safety, but with Champ Bailey down, I got to step in for my natural position. I had a pretty good game. I really only had one opportunity to make a play on a pass and I got a good hit on Hines Ward which forced an incomplete pass. I ended up having a ton of tackles, I think 10 to be exact, with seven solo tackles, I’m told. The Steelers definitely are a physical team that runs the ball a lot. Out of respect, I guess, for our linebackers and d-linemen, they attacked the edges a lot, which forced me to make a ton of tackles on Willie Parker, so I ended up having a pretty productive game. Through the course of the game, I ended up playing some nickel, and I even moved back to safety quite a few times and played some corner, so I guess I’ve become comfortable in my role as the Broncos’ utility man. I kind of enjoy being the utility man from a starting corner position a little more, going from corner to safety to nickel and bouncing around. It’s actually a lot of fun. It’s only slightly annoying when I have to come off the bench and play all these roles, but we’re all hoping that Champ is going to be alright for this upcoming game, so I will be back to Mr. Everything from the bench. Which is OK, I guess. You do whatever you have to do to make your team win.

But I’m looking forward to the return of the positive responses on the blog. I’ve had a lot of great support from our fans, but we also had some disgruntled Broncos fans. But after a win like that and considering the circumstances, I’m sure that everybody enjoyed us getting back on track. So thank you to everybody who stuck by us through our rough three weeks. But we are definitely out of that and we’re moving towards a future of a lot more wins.

So the next day, we took the Williams family — Darrent’s mother, Rosiland and his aunt Trese and a bunch of other members of his family — we took them to the Boys and Girls Club so they could tour the club and see the future site of the Darrent Williams Teen Center. They saw the blueprints and everything, and it was another emotional time, but I think it was really exciting for Rosiland also, just to see how many positives we have coming from such a terrible tragedy. We all know that we can’t change what has happened, but they say that they appreciate the amount of effort that the Broncos are putting into it to make sure Darrent is remembered as the great player and great person that he was.

So when I pulled up to the Broncos Boys and Girls Club yesterday to get ready for the tour, Rich Barrows, the director of the club, was outside painting over some graffiti. That just got me to thinking. Something I’ve never really understood is how people graffiti, and most of the time it’s in their own community. It’s kind of frustrating, and Rich said that in the last three years, they’d had one act of vandalism, but recently it’s gone up tremendously. So I don’t know, it’s just frustrating when people do that to their own community and their own neighborhoods, but Rich is dedicated. He paints over any graffiti they get the morning that he sees it. It keeps the club looking nice and it’s something to be proud of. And it’s not even really good graffiti. When I’ve been to New York, all the graffiti on trains and stuff, you can tell they’re really talented. The people at least have some artistic ability. I’m not trying to push anybody to do any graffiti, but if you’re going to do it, at least do it well. Use a couple colors and make something cool-looking. Make it look like something special.

Anyway, we got Monday off for the first time in a while because we got a win. As I’ve alluded to before, we have a lot of dedicated players on this team, so everybody comes in to get a workout in, watch film and get ready for our next opponent, and also watch film of the last game to correct some mistakes. So yesterday consisted of me coming over to work out, then heading over to the Boys and Girls Club. I also went to the dentist yesterday, which I guess is kind of boring and not blog-worthy information, but I’m pretty proud of how clean my teeth were. The dentist said I did a good job, and I floss every day. So brush your teeth and floss every day so you can have a beautiful smile like me. That’s some good positive stuff for the kids. I know when I was a kid, I didn’t like to floss. My mom told me all the time and I didn’t listen. So now, Domonique Foxworth is saying, “Floss, kids.”

So I got to go to the club, which was the highlight of my day, and then went and did my radio show, which was a lot more fun this week considering it was following a win, rather than a loss. We had a good time down there. There were actually some people who wanted autographs and some callers, and we had a good time making fun of Mike Bell, even though he wasn’t there. I don’t know, he might be mad at me, but if you’re not going to show up, you’ve got to take the consequences, which is me making fun of you. I guess I make fun of him when he’s there too, so it really doesn’t matter.

Today, which is Tuesday, I’m excited about going to see the kids again for the writing class. Ever since school’s been back in session, the Boys and Girls Club has been a little more hectic. We’ve had a hard time finding a quiet place to do some writing, so I think we’re going to start going on some coffee house and bookstore field trips, just to get a quiet place to write so the teens in the writing group can focus. Hopefully I can talk some of them into allowing me to print some of their work, because I would love to be able to put something on the blog in the future, but I don’t know how they would feel about that. We’ll see. That’s in the works.

The Rockies… the Rockies are great. That’s pretty much all I can say about that. All of us here in Broncos Country are really proud of the Rockies, as I’ve been saying the past few weeks. I don’t know about that ticket situation they had going on yesterday. It was a little disappointing, but hopefully we get lots of local Rockies fans. I know the Red Sox fans are all across the country, so hopefully for our home games we can get a lot of support for the Rockies despite this ticket debacle that we have going on right now. I don’t know if I’m going to try to go to a game or not, but I’m definitely going to watch as many as I can and cheer for my hometown Rockies. I don’t know if they’re the favorite or not. I guess they’re probably not because of all the big names that the Red Sox have, but it’s undeniable that nobody’s been playing better than the Rockies recently. We can’t wait. The games are won on the field. Go Rockies, again.

Halloween is coming up, and I’m taking the writing group down to INVESCO Field on Oct. 30 to set up a suite. I guess they have like a little Halloween party there and kids are allowed to walk suite to suite trick-or-treating. The teens and myself will be down there, so bring the kids and get some candy.

(Blog Master’s Note: The Trick or Treat Party on Tuesday, October 30 is by invitation only and all guests must present their invitation at the door. A limited number of invitations are still available so please send us an email at Patrick.Brougham@Broncos.NFL.net if you are interested. Invitations will be mailed on a first come, first served basis while supplies last.)

Come up with some creative costumes. Don’t get the boring K-Mart one, just a mask and a plastic cape. Step your game up, kids. I think this Halloween, I think I’m going to dress up as a smart, good-looking professional athlete. It’s quite a stretch for me, but I think I’ll just go to the Broncos store and get a Champ Bailey jersey. Wait, forget that. I’m going to go to the Broncos store and get one of the leftover Jake Plummer jerseys and a nice rock star wig and a nice fake mustache. I can’t wait.

We had the first snow, which is always exciting. Everybody loves snow, except for when you get a ton of it like we did last year. Hopefully we get some good snow, but not like last year. I remember last year during the big blizzard, nobody could go to work, obviously, except for the Denver Broncos. It was waist-high snow and we all somehow made it here. I couldn’t get my car out of the winding roads in my community, so I walked from my house to a main road and got a ride from one of my teammates who was able to get to the main road. My back was hurting, it was quite an ordeal. But we all made it to work, and we ended up starting really late and not getting in as much work as we normally do, but we still ended up winning and having a great game against the Cincinnati Bengals. I think I had like 14 tackles in that game too from the nickel position. I think I was playing a little nickel and a little safety back in those days.

I’m awaiting Andrew Mason’s retaliation for me making fun of his typing elbow last week. We’re all proud of him for being a tough guy and coming to work every day this week despite his horrible ailments.

Are you ready for some football, a Monday night party? I’m excited about Monday Night Football. I’m a big Tony Kornheiser fan. I’m a big PTI, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon fan. They’re great. I don’t really watch much ESPN, because to be honest with you, they don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m sure that they would admit it, but it’s entertainment, just like football is entertainment. Those guys, even the former players and coaches, they kind of disappoint me, because they all do the same thing. They all go to join the media and then just say whatever they think is controversial to get people to watch and listen. Then they try to break down the games, and I guess it doesn’t take long for you to forget what’s actually going on. I’d say 80 percent of the time they have no clue what’s going on. They blame corners for deep touchdowns when we’re in Cover-2, which would make the corner’s responsibility the flat. They call offensive plays something completely different from what they are, and they think certain plays are mistakes when it’s clearly the way the play is supposed to be. So for the most part, it’s tough to watch that type of stuff. I guess it would be that way with anybody’s job. You would hate to listen to somebody tell you about your job when they really know a lot less about it than you do. I guess I’m part of the media with this whole blog thing, and I do have a radio show, but I actually know what I’m talking about.

But I really like PTI because they don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s kind of a fun show, but at the same time, I really respect Michael Wilbon. Being from the Baltimore/D.C. area, I was able to keep up with him when I was coming up. I really respect his journalism. I enjoy those guys. It’s great stuff and they’re really funny. I don’t know what time PTI comes on, I just catch it every now and then, or else I would give them a plug. Not that they need it, they should give me a plug. They don’t need a plug for their show, but I guess they could use some hair plugs. Maybe that will get me on their show, the face on a stick. They have all the faces in the background, so that would be cool if I could get a face on a stick. I’m definitely going to lobby for it when they come this week. If I get a pick, I’m going to do the penguin dance. Anyone who watches PTI is familiar with Tony Kornheiser’s patented penguin dance. Nah, I can’t do the penguin dance. It would be funny though. It would definitely make sure Tony Kornheiser knew who I was and would get me a shout-out on PTI. I’ll have to get on the Internet and Youtube and find the penguin dance so I can learn it. So look out for the penguin dance this week everybody.

Well, I guess that’s more than enough busy work for the Blog Master. Thanks everybody. All Ready.

Tags: Andrew Mason, Boys and Girls Club, Champ Bailey, Colorado Rockies, Darrent Williams, Dre Bly, Halloween, Jason Elam, Mike Bell, Monday Night Football, PTI, Radio show, Teen Center, Writing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 12:31 pm and is filed under Archives. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.