Keeping You Informed

June 8th, 2009 - 2:44pm by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

Recently I was reading an article in Advertising Age, in which recent surveys were cited stating that people want information, lots of it, fast, and—they do not care what the source of that info is.

Thus, it is not the model of a decade or 20 years ago, in which newspapers and radio/TV stood as the virtual only sources of news and information.

We all realize that while those mediums remain very viable, Internet sources are now often the first places people go for news, opinion, and even entertainment options.

With that in mind, and trying to stay up on technology (and that is hard to do these days), the Denver Broncos now are entering the Twitter age.

And so I thought that I should as well.

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The Excitement of Change

June 4th, 2009 - 10:09am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

By now every Denver Broncos fan is well aware of all the changes that have been made in advance of the 2009 National Football League season.

One of the exciting things about change is that it has a dynamic all to itself. There is just so much energy around the team right now, and that bounces onto everyone who comes into contact with Josh McDaniels and the players.

We should never spend any time right now worrying about the results. The results take care of themselves, it’s the preparation that is key. Just like in a classroom setting, if the time, effort, preparation and study are focused and strong, the results usually take care of themselves.

That’s how it is in the NFL as well, and this team and coaching staff is really putting hard work into the process.

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A Sharpe Addition

May 13th, 2009 - 10:37am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

The selection of tight end Shannon Sharpe to the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame brings to 22 the number of former Bronco players (and one owner) represented within INVESCO Field at Mile High, and Sharpe’s entry probably precedes by just one year his eventual induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

If ever any player were a virtual lock for Canton honors, it is Sharpe.

There are seven tight ends in the Hall of Fame right now–Ozzie Newsome, Kellen Winslow, Jackie Smith, Mike Ditka, Dave Casper, John Mackey and Charley Sanders.

What each of those illustrious players has in common is that none of them has a single stat to match those of Shannon Sharpe.

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Building a Roster Never Ends

April 29th, 2009 - 9:01am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

The recently concluded 2009 National Football League Draft found the Denver Broncos adding 10 new players to the team’s roster, increasing the talent level and adding to the level of competition at all positions.

But people are mistaken if they believe that the draft was the end all — the last step to adding players to Denver’s or any other team’s roster for the coming year.

The most aggressive team in free agency this year was Denver, and the Broncos jumped into the college free agent pool in a big way as well, signing 17 undrafted players in the days immediately following the draft.

These young men will get just a few lines of press in the major newspapers, their signings being perceived as far less significant than the draft choices.

However, players come from a lot of places, and building a roster never ends.

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New Schedule, New Team — For All 32

April 15th, 2009 - 3:05pm by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

I was very impressed by the comments of Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin in his press conference on the Monday after the Super Bowl.

One of the things he said that really resonated with me was while acknowledging the great accomplishment of his Pittsburgh team in winning its sixth world championship for the franchise, he emphasized that this was the accomplishment of the 2008 team. It had no bearing on what would happen in 2009.

I was reminded of that in a recent interview which Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels did.

When asked to comment on the recently announced 2009 schedule, Josh said he liked it and looked forward to competing every week.

But Josh made a great comment, I thought, in noting that fans look at each year’s schedule within the mental context of what last year’s team was.

So 32 teams are being judged and evaluated with a completely new schedule, but based on what the previous year’s team was.

And that could not be more irrelevant. Last year is not this year.

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Draft Winds Blow Broncos Way

April 9th, 2009 - 10:47am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

One of the most exciting parts of the National Football League year is the annual draft, this year to be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26.

The anticipation by fans is great, and in my capacity with the Broncos I have long felt that the draft weekend is the equivalent of a major game weekend for the team in terms of publicity, passion and interest.

With the recent Chicago trade included the Broncos at this time go into the draft with 10 selections, including two number one picks for the first time in franchise history. This only serves to increase the already staggering degree of interest in the 2009 selection process.

The Broncos have chosen more players from the University of Florida than any other school, 17, followed closely by the 14 players taken from the University of Colorado.

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Celebrating the 50th with Original Uniforms

March 30th, 2009 - 12:36pm by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

Many Denver Broncos fans by now are familiar with last week’s announcement at the National Football League annual meeting relative to the celebration of the 50th year of play by the eight original American Football League teams this year.

I was in elementary school when the AFL and Broncos started playing, at that time unaware that I would be fortunate to ultimately have a career spanning four decades with this new franchise.

One of the pivotal elements of this celebration is that each of the eight teams will wear a throwback uniform, with the Broncos opting for their original threads.

If you are not sitting down, you might want to.

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Broncos’ 50th - By the Numbers

March 20th, 2009 - 1:09pm by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

One of the oldest sayings in sport is “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.”

That goes back in time to the first and most basic team marketing efforts, that of selling scorecards for a penny (prices have really gone up!) to the fans in the stands.

Ever since teams started putting numbers on players’ jerseys — a practice which began in the 1920’s — what number a player wears has become as much an identification of some athletes as their name. I was just doing a little research into Denver Broncos all-time player numbers, with this being the 50th anniversary of the franchise, and here are a few Bronco number notations.

Every jersey number has been worn at least once in francchise history.

Three are retired: 7 for John Elway — one of three players ever to wear No. 7 — 18 for Frank Tripucka, and 44 for Floyd Little.

Three players have worn three different numbers: offensive lineman Sam Brunelli wore 64, 68, and 72; tight end Nate Jackson wore 14, 81, and 89; linebacker Keith Burns, now a Broncos special teams coach, wore 51, 55, and 56 while firing up the fans.

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Lots of Characters in 50 Years - Gene Mingo

March 10th, 2009 - 10:10am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

Continuing with the theme of taking a look back at some of the guys who were Denver Broncos back in the day, Gene Mingo is a gentleman who occupies a unique position not just in Bronco history but in the annals of all professional football.

Mingo was unique and accomplished on several levels.

An Ohio native who did not play college football, Mingo was a high school star who continued to play in the United States Navy during a time when many military bases had excellent teams and service football was very competitive, often at the college level.

But in the late 1950’s just as now, players who did not go to college had virtually no future in pro football.

However, sometimes ability and time combine to create opportunity, and such was the case for Mingo when the American Football Legue was formed in 1959, with the first season of play slated for 1960.

The Broncos were among the cheapest and most hardscrabble of teams, looking at any and all players that they could get on a “cost effective basis,” and they took a look at the young Navy veteran.

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Lots of characters in 50 Years — Cookie Gilchrist

February 25th, 2009 - 8:44am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

This is the anniversary of 50 years of Denver Broncos football, as the American Football League began play in the 1960 season and will be celebrated in various ways throughout the year.

I thought one of the things that might be a little bit of fun and nostalgia on our web site would be to blog about some of the great memories and legendary characters who were a part of the Broncos and the AFL in those early years.

The AFL, by the way, lasted longer than any other “second” football league in history and was the only one to have all of its franchises absorbed into the National Football League.

You will find plenty of fans and officials who were a part of the AFL who consider it an indelible part of their lives.

One of the great characters in the AFL was Cookie Gilchrist. The name perhaps evokes a small kick returner or undersized cornerback, but don’t be fooled by the moniker “Cookie.”

There was nothing soft about Carlton Chester “Cookie” Gilchrist.

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