When the Broncos take on the San Diego Chargers this Sunday, fans in attendance at Sports Authority Field at Mile High will receive a Gameday program featuring cornerback Champ Bailey on the cover.
The cover story, titled “Still the Standard,” looks at Bailey’s decade-plus of dominance in the NFL, beginning with his first game in the league.
Every Hall-of-Fame career has to start somewhere.
It just so happened cornerback Champ Bailey’s started with an interception off a Hall of Fame quarterback.
In the very first game of his career, Bailey – then a Washington Redskin – was matched up against another legend in Michael Irvin for the majority of the day against the Dallas Cowboys.
“You’ve got to think, since I was little, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, I’d looked up to them,” Bailey said. “That was a surreal moment. You don’t get an opportunity like that to play against guys you really watched and liked growing up.”
He had mixed results in the contest, as Irvin notched five catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
But Bailey, ever the competitor, wanted to make sure it was known that those scores weren’t against him – he was on the sideline late in the game with cramps. And in addition to five tackles in his first-ever game, he snared the Aikman interception – a fitting start for the now 11-time Pro Bowler.
“I felt like I belonged at that moment,” he said. “You pick a Hall of Fame quarterback – not a lot of people can say they did that. It was a special moment for me.”
The program also features Q&As with tight end Joel Dreessen and Secondary Coach Ron Milus.
The cover story will be published on DenverBroncos.com in its entirety next week. Below is an early look at the cover.
Tags: Champ Bailey, gameday, Week 11
And don’t forget “don’t even let them breath”, haha.
We were extremely fortunate, and I don’t take it for granted for one second. It’s been a challenging time for many, and some things will never be the same. It’s a shame.
Parts of my old town of 16 years in Pensacola were completely destroyed, some fishing villages disappeared forever. Now you can understand why I sounded so alarmist for you guys that day. I knew that this was a major disaster well ahead of the reality hitting you folks. And I wish I never accumulated that experience about hurricanes trust me, horrible stuff. I bought a book with like 300 pictures of the devastation of Pensacola following hurricane Ivan and up front I wrote on it “This is a reminder to never ever live on the Gulf Coast again”. And I wouldn’t live anywhere along the Atlantic coast either, obviously… Need to be at least about 150 miles in shore so that when a category 4 hits its down to a cat 1 when it gets to you, and those are very easy to deal with. Austin is 150 miles in, any questions? LOL.
Man I guess I was right on talking about the Tebow effect in N-Y earlier, since then the TV football shows this morning can’t have enough talking about it, a hurricane of some sort brewing at the Jets, LOL.
It’s been really bad the last few weeks bay, ever since his teammates threw him under the bus. Their coach is a bafoon, their owner only cares about publicity, and their GM doesn’t have a past track record of success. I hate to pile on, but I’m rooting for the Rams big time today! LOL!
And thanks for your concern about the hurricane, much appreciated.
GO ORANGE AND BLUE!! I expect a blow out today.
Ticat06, I’ma Tappen! LOL
It’s a awesome day out here in Colorado, not a cloud in the sky, very nice out for a football game.
I’m looking forward to seeing the special teams battle between Holliday and Royal.
Can’t wait for this game……biggest one of the year so far!
GO BRONCOS!
Makes you wonder, we may see the Steelers, Texans, and Pats in the playoffs. It could happen.
No way, we’d have to be a wild card for that to happen, we should win the West hence only have two games vs. AFC opponents at most.
Well correction, that would be if we clinch a bye with the top two AFC records which I think we will.
I get to watch the Browns and Cowboys game now, really exciting, LOL.
With Manning having already played those three, plus Baltimore coming up, it bodes well for the Broncos come playoff time, when we most likely will face some combination of them.
A lot of what transpires for the playoffs for us will be based on our game at Baltimore, I bet it will be pretty critical, and we never win there, but this year is different, their D is average at best, big difference, I like our chances there for like the first time ever, LOL.
Agreed, but Ray Rice is a handful….
Yeah, but for a change we have a D line now…
I’m actually more worried about screen passes when it come to Rice, but I agree, I’m loving this defense thus far. I still hope we go defense with our first pick next year, and build out something really special.
I’m wanting the #2 seed. I thinking Houston gets the #1 throughout. This will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.
So yeah, your right Bay, if we do get a bye week off. I didn’t actually think that through all the way if we do get the bye. Fun to talk about! I’m watching the same game as well. Cleveland is making this a good game to see.
It’s getting to be that fun time of the year if you’re in the race for the playoffs, wishing all the AFC teams with same or better records to lose and today that would be Houston, Pats, Steelers, Ravens and Colts. But Pats play Colts and Ravens the Steelers and I’ll root for the Colts and Steelers on those since we have the tie breaker with the Steelers win and the Colts are more apt to lose later on than the Pats. Does all that make any sense? LMAO.
I’m so excited for this game and I’m expecting a close one! Phylis is playing to keep Norv till the end of the season and if the OL from SD steps up they are a talented squad…
B-R-O-N-C-O-S BRONCOS BRONCOS BRONCOS!!!
The key to being a successful sports bettor is to learn to handicap games during the week, (and do it for every game) then go to each of the three seperate odds makers in Vegas and only bet the games that your handicap is within one score of either way… if your score is more than one off the odds makers then probably they have better info than you and you should not make a wager… but that’s just the basics, so please don’t go ‘betting your shirts’!
Man if I was so good at it I’d give some serious thoughts to giving up my ranch hand job.
You guys enjoy the game, I’m out to where the fun is, GO BRONCOS!!!
The Jags are giving the Texans a run for their money for now. Til the 2nd half when the Texans will amp their game up. I think facing Doug Martin and Ray Rice will strengthen up our run D so if we face the Pats or Texans down the road. Lord knows Ridley of the Pats had a field day against us, but we are a much different team in all phases of the game now. Improving each and every week
Hehe, Owner/Ranch Hand… whats the difference right?
Happy Gameday Bay
I told you several Times Bay that I only moved back from Vegas because of my Grandpa’s Cancer… which turned into a broken pelvis etc… and when he hangs them up, I’m back on the road! But as usual, you can’t attack an idea, just a person for having the idea and hence why you and I will probably never really get along…
Go Broncos