I thought it might be fun to have a series of blogs (and, since it’s my blog, whatever I think might be fun seems pretty likely to find its way into print) on Broncos by the numbers.
The team has just completed 50 years of play, a milestone in any franchise history, and over that time a lot of players have made contributions, large and small, to what the Broncos are. It’s like family members, some more accomplished than others but when you are in a family, you are in for keeps. So too for the Broncos. Once a Broncos, always a Bronco.
Those players have worn a lot of numbers over the years, and we are going to take a look, over time, at various uniform numbers.
The recent signing of Champ Bailey to a new four-year contract prompted the thought that in Denver Broncos history, the number “24” is all about cornerbacks, and all about the Hall of Fame.
Thirteen players have worn number 24 in the 51 years of Broncos history, nine defensive backs and four running backs.
Otis Armstrong led the NFL in rushing twice and went to the Pro Bowl as the Broncos’ leading rusher, but really, “24” is all about Champ Bailey, and before him, Willie Brown.
Willie Brown was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Grambling in 1963 and played four years in the Mile High City.
In 1964 he had nine interceptions and made the American Football League all-star game that year. On a personal note of no great interest to anyone but me, I remember vividly Willie Brown intercepting four passes in the very first Bronco game I ever saw in person—November 15, 1964 against the New York Jets—I remember going to old Bears Stadium and buying one ticket at one of those old wooden ticket booths that minor league ballparks used to have—I walked up on game day and bought a ticket on the 35-yard line! That was just a different time in pro sports history and in the history of a developing Western city.
Brown was traded after four years and went on to continue and certainly enhance his Hall of Fame career with the Oakland Raiders. Today, he is remembered mostly, and almost entirely, as a Raider.
But regarding wearing number 24 in the Denver defensive backfield, it turned out he was just setting the table for Champ Bailey.
Champ without question already is one of the great cornerbacks in pro football history and was named first team on the NFL,s All-Decade team for the 2000’s—the All-Decade teams are chosen by the pro football Hall of Fame selection committee members and certainly selection to it at Champ’s relatively young age suggests his extraordinarily strong candidacy for eventual membership in the Hall of Fame.
Champ needs two more interceptions to reach 50 for his career, and he is recognized just as much for his overall approach to the game and to team leadership—Champ always makes the tackle, never avoids the big collision, always says and does the right thing.
He handles his leadership duties like the true captain that he is.
Like most players, he is not crazy about doing press, but he faithfully executes his interviews in a regular and respectful manner, enough so that he has been recognized by the Denver press repeatedly for his regular and mature dealings with them. Champ is very active in our community and was the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in both 2008 and 2009 for his work in the community.
Just a class guy.
If anything, Champ Bailey perhaps has not been given enough credit for staying here. Free agency exists in the NFL and as a soon-to-be free agent Champ had every right to test the waters, see what all the other teams might have to offer. Certainly, one would expect that there would have been a lot of scenarios presented to Champ Bailey for his services.
But when Champ said he wanted to stay here, that he felt comfortable here, part of the community, with respect for the organization and what John Elway, John Fox, and Brian Xanders are building, Champ was not just giving lip service.
He meant it.
Every athlete has a right to leave, but Champ exercised his right to stay. We are so proud of Champ Bailey.
And it real easy to be proud of him and respect him as a player, since he is one of the best players in the game. But if anything, Champ Bailey has proved himself to be an even better person, and the Broncos and Denver are fortunate to have him as one of our own.
Tags: By the Numbers, Champ Bailey, Willie Brown
I think that might be part of it Bay. I don’t think that should be the deciding factor because although he looked clumsy at times recieving the ball under center I don’t recall Tim ever fumbling the ball. And if I remember correctly most of his completed deep passes started under center but correct me if I am wrong.
pouring it out, haha.
I thought Tebow did as well as an rookie last year when he out there. I don’t recall how often he was under center vs shotgun, but do recall being content with his performance. No one makes a completely smooth transition, but I’m just saying I thought he did a good job. Before those starts I wasn’t on the Tebow train, but I also wasn’t happy with how Orton was playing. Sure he threw for a lot of yards and not a lot of picks, but there’s more to playing the position then throwing for yards and playing safe. Just put the person in there that gives us a chance to win. Look what our record is with Orton at the helm. That speaks for itself. I don’t put all that blame on McDastard.
I think you may be right about the deep passes coming from under center.
For the record for the newbies here, I am a guy who has seen all I want to see from Orton even so I don’t dislike the guy, so if Tebow is really the guy of the future McD thought he was, then I want to see him at the helm reagardless of what that will do to our record because one thing you know with Tebow is it will not hurt Tebow’s confidence to start him, even if he is not fully ready to start, as he proved last year.
Many folks here last season said don’t start Tebow at year end because it will ruin him to play with such crappy team and not being NFL ready. Well all those folks quickly abandonned that thought and loved every minute that Tebow was on the field.
Point is if you don’t play Tebow this season you won’t help him at all, I don’t believe he benefits sitting on the sidelines during games and practicing with the 2s and 3s. If they feel Orton must start now, then I suggest they look at drafting another QB as insane as that may sound. I mean Tebow has proven he can take the heat, Orton has proven he cannot carry out a full season, it’s time to decidedly take a stance and a direction in that matter. At least that’s how I would go about it.
But like politicians and writers, coaches are trying to keep everybody happy I guess. Boy I hate politics… Cool way to say what I think about this Orton/Tebow thing, haha.
decisively, man not very smooth today…
Boy, I get I didn’t take any lesson from the Mike Rice blog, LOL.
hey guys….
You can watch DB combine live at nfl.com
We need to start a pool guessing exactly what time the NFL announces that talks have been broken off and that therte will be a lockout.
I say 6:15 PM EST today.
The real business at hand:
The eighth day of federally overseen mediation between the NFL and NFLPA commences today at 1 p.m. ET in Washington just 59 hours before the expiration of the CBA.
The mediation is expected to continue tomorrow morning, before NFL executives depart for nearby Chantilly, Va., for an owners meeting. George Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, will again oversee the talks. While the two sides met for over 40 hours over seven consecutive days ending last Thursday, it does not appear to have bridged the gap.
Hovering over Tuesday’s talks are reports the union plans to decertify before the CBA expires, and a possible decision from a federal court on the so-called lockout insurance case. The union is trying to prevent the league from cashing in media fees during a lockout. So far, owners have not participated in the talks, so if one or more attends today’s session that will be sure to garner attention.
Barring a breakthrough or an extension of the deadline, the CBA expires at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. It is unclear if the owners meeting that begins at 3 p.m. Wednesday will stretch that far into the next day.
What are the lines in Vegas? LOL.
Peterson just ran a 432!!
Sands ran a 456
Moore ran a 451
Two hours and no discussion. lol
My thoughts on the cba is if the players were smart they would learn that they are the ones with the talent no the owners and would get together to make a new league and abandon the NFL all together maybe if they did that they could make 2 seasons so we could have something to cheer about year long.
disregard my last post.
There is a Safety that has my eye that I can see in a bronco`s uniform.
Yeah, already been discussed, LOL.
Sands second attempt was a 453!
I want him in a Bronco uniform.
Mikeyb, so we would become fans of the Denver what? That would never work, we would always side with the Denver Broncos, no matter who plays on it, I would.
Same here Bay!
Two months until the draft. For the next 58 days we are going to continue to repeat the same players over and over like a broken record. Come on April.
April was a cool girl friend of mine a long long time ago, always liked April.
This CB just ran a 4.29, does that mean he is elite? LOL.
Thats why I enjoy pro basesall. That sport is a good long season. Summer time and cold beer at the ball game.
LMAO @ Bay.
That was Buster Krine I believe, faster than Peterson.
4:32 for Peterson !!….. wow !!!
This kids are really quick !
Lightning!
Has Amukamara run yet?
Running is over, he had a 4.37
I have watched everything on Sands and he looks terrible with running and flipping his hips!! Looks like he is going to have trouble in the NFL!
On the other hand, Moore looked amazing!
Oooooooh, I love controversy! Haha. J/K
baylin, are you instigating? Fact remains it was Elway who said- “Tebow is one heck of a football player. What we have to do is make him one heck of a QUARTERBACK!” That is a very telling statement. If that means one more year of Orton, It wont disappoint me. If it means progression for Timtanium! That formula worked wonders for Rodgers and Rivers(ugh). That isnt an opinion. Thats a fact. Not to mention there is this whole potential lockout, no offseason, no training camp, no preseason and missed regular season contests.
I dont think its lipservice on the part of the Triumverate. As it stands now, Orton is the starter. Until told otherwise….. and (this is opinion) thats a good thing!
Peterson or Dareus??? (unlesss you like Bowser)
Sndvl…
All the commentators said that they believe that Carolina wouldn’t take Peterson but that we would be crazy not to take Peterson!
Also, Fox and I think Xanders is there watching Peterson right now! It showed both of them in the stands! I know for sure it was Fox but not really sure who was with him!
Yea there is NO way we take Sands!!! Has dropped about everything today and can not flip his hips well at all!!
I must also say, other than PP Prince and Smith and Moore, everyone seems that they can’t catch the ball at all!!
I agree, I have also said that I am a firm believer that Orton being the starter is no lip service, I just disagree with it, but whatever, it obviously won’t make any difference. And as far as Rodgers sitting behind Favre and Rivers sitting behind Brees, IT IS NOTHING REMOTELY LIKE Tebow sitting behind Orton, those two guys had the luxury to sit behind WINNERS, in case anyone is forgetting Orton as a Bronco is only like 11 and 18.
Freak, you just freak me out as usual, nothing negative mind you, but up to 10:30 this morning you couldn’t say enough about Sands and how you wanted him as a Bronco only to now want nothing to do with him. You have to say that’s pretty funny.
I had a feeling that was going to happen to Sands because his bio on CBS sports had said that due to his long legs he has trouble moving his hips. I think we go for Moore or the safety from Clemsen with our first second round pick. And get a ILb with the other. I honestly don’t think there is a TE good enough to take in the second or even the third they suck this year. We really got screwed on that one but maybe we could trade Orton for one when the CBA gets done or pick up Lewis form the Jags?
Sorry baylin, but Orton was a victim in the evil scheme of a mad scientist.
Why do we have so many holes on this team? Why are there needs abound? Why did we draft a RB in the 1st round? Why did we trade a proven WR and draft a glass ornament? It’s like a plot from a bad B movie, with all those unilateral decisions. When the focus 2 years ago should have been on 1 side of the ball.
Provide Orton with a stout D and a solid run game and he can be playoff caliber. The Triumverate has a maddening rebuild on their hands. All good/great things take time. Orton wasn’t the ONLY reason we have the #2 pick.
Thanks for posting Amukamara’s time bay.
Bay, what I was trying to say earlier about the CBA is that the players have made enough money the past few years to start their own league with the rules and amount of games they want. If I had the talent to be a player I would get together with my fellow teamates and start a new team outside of the owners. If you think about it the owners need the players more than the players need them. You do not see the owners on the field playing do you? The owners only profit off of other peoples physical talent. So if I were the one with the physical talent I would be like hey lets start another league we don’t need them.
Sndvl, Orton may have not been the total reason but it did not help that he could not finish a close winnable game. We could of had a couple more wins then we did if he had happened to come through.
Wow missed the 40s … Ill try to catch it later … I like to see a fast 40. Those guys virtually fly lol. Trading down is an option im intrigued by but at the same point you dont get a 2nd pick that often and hopefully we dont get another one for a long time … I think we should take advantage of it but at the same time, this is one year where no one is a clear number 1/2 pick that we need. Last year suh was so good if it wasnt for the fact that the rams really sucked, he woulda been drafted 1 overall. We are just 1 year late lol. There really is not clear champ, even tho many are saying peterson is the most talented on D (and maybe overall) in the draft … Its a tough decision. Thats why I am curious to see if they draft for need or for talent. And actually Bay I think 2nd pick is harder than say 36 like u said. Especially when theres no clear champ and you are not looking for a QB. Because you are in a position of power with so many possibilities. By the time you get to 36 or close to 36 you take what you get or move up like 3 spots to get it or something like that. So I actually think the 2nd pick COULD be harder than the 36th….TRB out….
Sndvl is right….not all ortons fault … only thing that is ortons fault is that he caves under pressure from opposing defenses and critical moments. Also the fact that he wasnt blessed with pocket mobility, scrambling mobility, and the ability to improvise. The team he was on last year didnt give him the best chance to win. Almost no one coulda won with that team. McD set us back ridiculously when all we needed was defense. But we all know this. Just rehashing …. Orton is not bad …. He is just not good or exciting to watch. Manning isnt the most thrilling guy to watch either but at least he is good, very good, gets results….
Mikeyb, sorry to disagree with you, you will always find players. The college pool on it’s own is bottom less, but you will have a very tough time replacing owners and entire organizations, with all due respect your vision of things is a bit over simplistic and doesn’t take into consideration that the only reason the NFL stands is that it is run as a business. I would absolutely hate to see the product that “players only” would be able to put together, it would be hilarious maybe but that’s about it. Players play, owners run things, they have different sets of skills, like it or not that’s the way things work.
sndvl, LMAO @ the glass ornament, you must be referring to half pint Phonzy, haha.
Haha, yea Bay…
His tape is amazing but watching him in the combine today, which I watched his group in every drill, he dropped the ball so many times it was terrible! I think he definitely dropped by about 5-6 spots in his position, that’s just how bad he was!!!
He made some great catches in college, that’s why I was soo surprised and disappointed in him! He tripped himself up several times, couldn’t turn his hips well at all which slowed him down, and his hands were just about the worse in the group other than aaron williams from texas!! Both of those guys were projected to go in the 2nd to 3rd rounds but I think they slip out of that now!!
Especially with Fox being there and watching all the drills in their groups, there is no way I see us drafting him now!!
I really do not see us drafting a safety unless we draft Moore. Moore had an EXCELLENT combine and could move extremely well and had great hands! Only dropped one pass at the last drill which was because the QB threw it about 5 foot over him and he got a few finger tips on it and still about got it!!
Take it from me, there is no S that is worth taking in this draft unless we get Moore, in my opinion from what I saw in the combine!!
Watching these guys made me want to go out to the combine because I am fast and have great hands!!! They just didn’t seem like DB’s to me!!
I hear you about the #2 pick TRB, but I would think that the decisions are totally narrowed down considering only one team picks ahead, so it’s this or that, not a dozen options like for the later picks, because this guy and that guy and this one that you were hoping for to be there are gone, is all I was saying. But I hear you, this year at #2 is way less clear cut than last. But yet remember it was always a toss up at #2 between Suh and that other DL I forget his name now.