As many Denver Broncos fans who follow the media are aware, we have politely declined the request (offer?) from HBO to be the featured team on their National Football League annual series, “Hard Knocks.”
It was Patrick Smyth, our Executive Director of Media Relations, who had the conversations with the network reps and politely declined on behalf of the organization a couple of months ago.
This is a good decision on the Broncos’ part, for two reasons.
First of all, once they are inside the building, with complete access to everything they see and hear, they are looking way behind the curtain. Just like the first time Dorothy got a glimpse of the wizard in the immortal classic, “The Wizard of Oz”, we knew, and she knew, and the wizard knew that he did not want everything exposed.
Remember, this is why we have doors on bathrooms, and on bathroom stalls. We understand the individual necessity to take care of hygiene, but as my three and a half year old grandson says when he goes into the bathroom, “Privacy, please!”
Secondly, we do not need HBO to do “Hard Knocks.”
We can do it ourselves, if we want to. And maybe we will.
We can set up the same type of presentation of meetings, treatments, practice prep, and so forth, and have the great staff of DenverBroncos.com video it, edit it, and put it up. And, if we did so, it would be 100% under control of the team.
Without having discussed this with John Elway or John Fox (and I have not), I can only presume that in line with the normal views prevalent in football operations, any team, any team, we all trust “us” more than any version of “them.”
Believe me, there is a wide gap between the trust that football guys have in the people who work inside their own building and the outside world, including outside press entities. To use another Wizard of Oz analogy, Dorothy said “There is no place like home,” and team people (all teams in all sports) would add that there is no family like your own, inside your own building.
Once upon a time this show was the be all and end all of inside journalism. And HBO does a tremendous job with the series — it has at once provided behind the scenes candor with as much sensitivity as possible. From talking with our friend at the network and with other clubs that have participated, it is clear that HBO tries to be as unobtrusive as possible.
But “they” still are not “us.”
As readers know, the Denver Broncos have been and remain at the forefront of social media use and will continue to be among the most progressive organizations with regard to building our web site, which already stands as one of the league’s most aggressive and progressive. And if we want to, we can do so again with this concept.
The team will continue to reach out to our fans in the most direct and personable way possible, as evidenced by our recent series of three Fan Forum conference calls with our season ticket holders, as well as meet-and-greet sessions which continue with key sponsors and advertisers.
Further, our local media remain very important to us, and we are committed to maintaining relationships in this area. Every interview that we grant for HBO or any other national entity takes away access and time from the individuals who are here daily and who cover the team in good times and bad, all the time.
There are only so many interviews possible, and we want keep as much focus as possible on the members of the press who deliver Broncos news daily to our Rocky Mountain region.
Broncos Country has a national and international reach, but it still emanates from Denver and the front range.
We just do not need an outside network to present the inside view of ourselves to our fans.
We want to focus our resources on the most constant, direct and engaging contact with our fans. We historically have done this with our local media, and we continue to do so. We have been the league leader in making social media and our web site pivotal components in reaching out to our fans.
These platforms which we control and our fans access are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, anywhere in the world, without subscription fees.
Tags: DenverBroncos.com, Hard Knocks, HBO, Patrick Smyth
BFE, long live ROCK N ROLL!!
I`m glad we aren`t going to do Hard Knocks. Not at this point anyway. Maybe in three or four years. Maybe!
And those religious fruit-loops need to stop making predictions. They have no clue.
I don`t want to sound negative but it`s just going to be the same old noise until come mid to late August. We better get used to it until then. I don`t like all of the rhetoric either, it just plain sucks. Nothing but greed. Shame on the players, they brought all of this heartache on themselves and especially us fans. Just saying.
I have to say it because no one else will. Of all the people on here that are struggling to get by and blaming the players for it. I cannot begin to understand why it is okay for owners be capitalist but when the players try to use capitalism in their favor to make money they are portrayed as evil. Players making less money is not going to do anything for the ticket prices, concessions, or even parking because economics tell us that they can continue to sell tickets at the price they are now and we will buy them. The rookie wage scale does need to be put in place, maybe not as extreme as $100,000/yr but it does not need to be inflated at $40mil either. The owners will win so much if they were to cut the players salaries because the prices will be the same so they will be making so much more money. The only way the prices will drop would be if the fans A) boycotted to show their frustration, B) buying tickets, or C) became really generous (which is highly unlikely). Now back to the players for you to say its okay for the owners to say oh you can only make up to a certain amount take away from the American way of Capitalism. The players like everyone else in America should be able to make as much as they possibly can if they so choose. We may all not be able to be millionaires but we most likely would try if given the opportunity. I do understand it is easy to be jealous that it came to them so easy but if you were in the same position I am sure you would also try to make the most of it. I am not trying to to start fights with anyone just give food for thought and the motivation behind the players.
B was supposed to be stop buying tickets lol. and C was supposed to be the owners became really generous.
Mikey, I concur that they should be allowed to make whatever the market will bear, but I question whether they should demand it just by virtue of being drafted in the 1st round!. When you go out and prove you can get the job done, you usually get raises equal to your work. If not, you go find a better job. To think you are owed millions to start with just because you did well in college is ludicrous! I have no doubt Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are worth every cent they are paid. They have proven they are worth it. The list of high-paid vets looks like a candidate list for the HOF, all of whom deserve everything they get. I question the 60% of the payroll going to unproven rookies when the data indicates at least 1/4 of the 1st rounders will be busts. They know they will loose half of the 2nd-4th rounders and 3/4 of the late rounders will be busts. All of them will get some kind of guaranteed money even if they get cut! The owners can’t simply refuse to pay high contracts to rookies or they face collusion charges. I don’t think the owners would have a major problem with the same salary cap structure if they had a rookie cap. That would let them pay and keep more and better veterans rather than loose them to cap restrictions. I think that single step, a rookie salary scale, would dramatically improve pro football even with the salary cap that was in place. I also think that alone would drive down the value of rookie draft choices since you wouldn’t need as many if you could pay your top people. Lot of supply and low demand drives down prices. Will a new CBA fix any of that, probably not. Both sides think they are “owed” something and won’t budge. The first casualty in any law suit is common sense!!!
Everyone but rookies agree there should be a pay scale lol. I just don’t see the players as bad guys in all of this when they are doing just as everyone else would.
Only the fans are the good guys in this situation anymore, it’s absurd to defend either or.
wow, I just took a peekepoo at players salaries and I’m not sure if the numbers are %100 but it said Andre Goodman is scheduled to make 4.8mil this year, and Ort 9.0mil!! whoa… Thats a lot of loot for two guys of their caliber.imho
I would sure like to pawn those two old players in and purchase a really fantastic interior DL man at $8-9 million and then spend the other $4.8mil on a nice big RB with a complimentary FB and change to spare…..
Heck, there would probably be enough dough left over to take the whole team out to Shannys’ for a nice steak and lobster dinner….lol
Yeah, they probably couldn’t afford Elway’s, LOL.
Just be patient – nothing is going to happen until it HAS to happen – the August/September time frame is about right … either that, or NO SEASON this year … the owners feel they gave away the farm 6 years ago, and the players don’t want to give up what they already have, so neither side is going to budge … which means that the first few games will be absurd … but, of course, the fans will still pay top dollar for it … that’s the American way …
It’s funny how at the beginning of the year most fans said it was going to be worked out without a shred of a doubt and that we would have a full season. I can only remember Klis back then who was adamant we would miss the first regular season game. I have been on that side of the fence all along, except I said two or three games will probably be missed.
And when I found out at the time the schedule came out that the league set it up as it can miss having the first three weeks without having a single intra division game missed, and that they rented the SB stadium for an extra week so they get even more flexibility, I think only an idiot now could think that the season will be a 16 game season unless of course the players cave in first. One thing for certain the owners won’t and they have it all set up so that the players will be doing most of the hurting. Most owners can afford to hurt financially, most players simply can’t. But under Smith, they are united, they will not cave in and they will all go down on the same ship. That also seems clear.
Opening season game at Green Bay October 2nd?
Or at Tennessee September 25th at best.
Anyway that’s how patient I am, LOL.
What I meant by having not a single intra division game missed is every team that has one in the first three weks, like us against the Raiders, both have bye weeks that will allow the game to be replayed then, at least that’s the way I remember it.
It’s actually even better set up for missing the first three weeks of play than I remembered it, by Shefter:
The recently released NFL schedule leaves open the possibility that there could be no games the first three scheduled weeks and all 16 regular-season games could still be played.
Every game in Week 3 has teams which share the same bye week later in the season. That means the teams could make up that week’s games on what was originally scheduled to be their bye.
The NFL also could lose the week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl, and has secured hotel rooms in Indianapolis — site of the Super Bowl XLVI — for two weeks, meaning the Super Bowl could be played a week later than its originally scheduled date of Feb. 5, 2012.
The NFL season is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8, with a full slate of games on Sept. 11-12. That means the league could start the season as late as Oct. 2, 2011 and still finish the Super Bowl by Feb. 12, 2012.
“While the uncertainty remains, it is impossible to plan for every eventuality in terms of the playing schedule,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. “If and when it becomes clear that we cannot play the schedule as it was announced, we will make the appropriate adjustments with an eye toward minimizing changes.”
McCarthy said the flexibility built into the schedule includes bye weeks, flexible scheduling for the Sunday night games late in the season, moving games from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the two-week break between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. The NFL, he said, also asked clubs not to book their stadiums during their bye weeks.
Are the players even aware of all that or is Smith keeping them out of the loop, probably, and they are too dumb to find it out by themselves. Man if they really knew the actual odds they are facing it would be a different story, now they are simply being romanced by their leaders whom they follow blindly, how sad.
Ok, I’m an idiot because even if they miss the first three games they still can have a 16 game season, haha.
MikeyB
Well said bro. Im sure anyone who reads my posts on here knows i say the same all the time. And not in your exact words but i have often said ad nauseum how when players do business its selfish, they are not team players, and they have no loyalties but when Owners cut players without warning, look for reasons to no pay them or renegotiate contract (like injuries), or whatever its “business”. That has always been my thing and im glad you agree as well. The notion is that players have to be team players while owners can just be businessmen and do as they please. Players have to look out for number 1 at times and i don’t blame them cuz in their situation i probably would too. Now im no fan of hold outs and I actually started taking this stand during the Marshall crisis because they misdiagnosed his hip injury, he played all year hurt, and they gave his hip injury as an excuse for why they wouldn’t renegotiate the contract. Neither of these sides need to get any richer, ive also said that and ive also said i stopped caring who was right a long time ago. Now i don’t know how strict the rookie wagescale needs to be but i know there needs to be one to be fair towards the owners “gamble” by investing in a player cuz thats what it is, a huge gamble. Only thing i knew for sure required restructuring cuz its ludicrous. Not patting myself on the back or anything just glad someone else has posted a similar view. Things may have come “easy” to them in a sense like u said mikey but that doesn’t mean they dont deserve to make market value a value actually set by owners because they REALLY want a player during FA and drop cash to get him. The thing however like u said about raises, its hard for them to get raises because once a contract is hammered out owners will not wanna give them more usually until contract is over. you have to wait X ammount of years before u can renegotiate (without holding out and looking like a jerk) and those years of outperforming thier contract means alot to players cuz thats missed revenue, you never know when ur career can be over. Just like how we lost Al Wilson too soon on a random special teams play. Because of his neck just like that, denver doctors ruled him out, shanny made the call to move on without him and to them thats just business so if this is all business like this CBA has definitely helped us realize even better, i don’t see why fans should still be busting the chops of players who want to make more or market value, it is however all in the way you do it. You can be right and take an ugly approach and still look wrong. So i know some contracts have renegotiation clauses but i think if the rookie salary is cut in half or something that renegotiation should be on ALL contracts moving forward so they can get thier “Raise” if they do out perform. But of course owners don’t want it like that because they get a steal in mid rounds (like Marshall) or in later and undrafted rounds who usually have to play out thier contracts before they get the pay bump. I say usually, sometimes organization gives players “raises” before the contract is expired if they are truely sold on the person on and off the field. Don’t wanna paint all of them as “evil money grubbers either” but like mikey says, just cuz players make less don’t mean the mercandise and tickets and etc will get cheaper. It will stay the same cuz people are still willing to pay. Thats the same reason I don’t believe the owners need an additional billion of the top because i just think its a ploy to make more profits. Nothing to do with really hurting (thats wat i think could be wrong). But its thier jobs to always find ways to improve thier profit for themselves and stockholders and etc. But like i said, stopped caring who was right a long time ago, I just want football. TRB out…
Now I can see why you write the way you do TRB since I remember you saying once that if there was more than two or three paragraphs to a post you don’t bother reading it…Well yours had only one paragraph, LMAO!
And I obviously agree that at this point I don’t give a crap who is right or who is wrong since I said earlier that only us fans are the good guys in this situation anymore, it’s absurd to defend either the owners nor the players, neither deserve it.
And by the way, you missed a lot of good stuff this week TRB, like when we took it back to the 2006 cba agreement, that was helpful to shed some light as to why they are where they’re at today, but it’s way too long for me to get back into that, you would have to scroll back to look it up.
Actually it’s not that long ago, May 21st, just yesterday, my my I’ve been a busy boy, and that discussion started with my 7:28 am post.
Yea, theres a thing about multiple paragraphs … just makes it seem to lengthy lol … not unless they are quick 3 line or 4 line paragraphs. I usually skim them to get the main points. not unless i start reading it, really like it and decide to read the whole thing which happens often.
Yea, ive been awol since this cba thing depresses me lol. At a point in time i was so sad about not having football it almost felt like my life was directly linked to football so i decided to step away for a while lol. Its tough to have to look for any semblance of a story in this lockout that is worth reading and not complete trash. Ill head back and look at the posts on the 2006 cba … Not entirely sure wat it contained.
On a side note Marshall made the top 100 but only number 61 which means there are 11 recievers ahead of him which i disagree with because i think he is top 5 (top 1 to me lol). But Gruden did him justice when he talked about Marshall … Also pretty much all the plays they showed and soundbites were from the broncos days. Was fun to see Broncos football in any way shape or form. Was like christmas for me to see marshall highlights but im sure some on here could care less cough**cough**baylin**cough**cough LOL. TRB out…
This whole production is bull. It’s simple.
We will keep paying and they will keep getting paid. Everything else is semantics.
BULL indeed.
You wanna know whats a joke? The fact that you go to NFL.com and you see stories of how the Saints and the Steelers have sold out this season. Really?!?! Really fans?!?! This is NO way to get respect. They are pretty much saying:
“Well we don’t know if there will be a season, but whether theres a season or not, im buying tickets. I am completely ignoring the fact that you guys don’t respect us enough to give us reasonable pricing, and the decency to not have ever been in a lockout to begin with.”
That is sad in my opinion that without even guaranteeing a product(a season), a company(NFL) has already sold out of it. We fans love our teams too much and they know it and as a result we will NEVER have leverage. TRB out…
I just got a whole bunch of new respect for Bruton whom I always liked by the way:
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_18118994
TRB, Bruton is the kind of Denver Bronco to be proud of! LOL. Message subtle enough?
Which brings me to one of the big thing that is hurting sports these days, it’s the idolization of players by the fans making them feel as if they are some kind of god like creatures who are completely immune to the regular rules of life.
And that is a major receipe for disaster.
On a personal level for players like Marshall and on a league level for money reasons.
I mean no way no how can we ever expect these idolized players to use common sense when it comes to basic life decision stuff since they are rendered completely foreign to those type of things by the pedestals that the fans and the fans only have built for them keeping them above such mondane things as life.
So if we are hurt right now by this mess the league is in we probably need to take a good look at ourselves in the mirror.
How on earth can fans keep looking away from the obvious shortcomings of so many athletes and keep giving them free passes for acting like dumb arses over and over just because they are their sports idols.
By example after Elway Tiger Woods was one of my greatest sports figure of all time, BUT NO MORE, he completely and utterly destroyed that trust relationship that I had with him as a man and I am making him pay for it, I will no longer ever be a fan of him as I once was. He will now always eat Nicklaus’ dust in my mind to where there was a time I had no doubt he would be the greatest ever.
If we all took similar views of things, maybe our sports idols could be brought back down to earth, and maybe we could make real men out of them. As is, with this second chance, third chance, fourth chance and so on mentality just because they are our idols makes us accomplices to all the stupid things they go on to do, including holding out for top money right now against the league, just because it’s the way it has been for the last 5 years. That’s not dealing with the reality of things, am I the only one who has been hurting from the recession the last few years, hearing the players you would think I must be.
Everyone needs to hold everyone accountable for who they are and how they act and if we did that as fans in a consistent manner without allowing ourselves to be blinded be the idol status placed on many, we would eventually end up with better people and a better league. There is always something we can do to make this world a better place, it may sound insignificant, but this way of idolizing people in this current society has gotten completely out of hand and this mess we are finding ourselves in with the league is serving us right since in essence we partly created the monster.
And not just in sports, American Idol!!! Give me a freaking break would you.
You know the old saying “Athletes are held to a higher standard” well they’re not. The truth is that no one is held to a higher standard because there is no one to make them held to a higher standard. When athletes are in the media or whatever reason they have a list of scripted phrases to use. “I apologize for my actions, I’m sorry to my team and to the fans, I’m a changed person, I am going to do whatever it takes make things right, I’m going to work hard to get back into the game.” As fans we think that is ok right, they acknowledged their mistakes and because we feel we have some connection with them we accept their apology even though I often feel it isn’t really because they’re sorry, it is becaue they got caught. The only athlete I’ve ever looked up to was John Elway. There are plenty of average, every day people that deserve to be looked up to more than athletes.
Instead of calling it American Idol, they should call it “People who spam votes through internet and cell phones poularity contest.” That’s what it really is it isn’t based on talent, yeah you need talent to get through, but once “America” starts voting it really is a popularity contests and talent is a distant second.
Aren’t “Idols” and “Graven Images” forbidden by the 10 commandments??? LOL
I like the post Brian!!! LMAO
All good humor has a vein of TRUTH in it!!!
As far as looking up to athletes go – I look at the people that can do things physically that I can’t do and I am impressed with their physical talents and abilities. But them as people and roll models – I think Charles Barkley said it best, “I am NOT a roll model”!!!
Look up to your parents, church leaders, and those people that really inspire you!
About Barkley not being a role model, specially if you are trying to learn a golf swing, haha.
LOL – Barkey’s golf swing looks like dog trying to get peanut butter off the roof of his mouth! LMAO
I agree true2broncos, you should look to those that really inspire you. Which could be an athlete. Take Elway for example, always seemed to give it his all on the field, has a number of charities, and he never gave up on winning a SB, and then two for that matter. In my opinion you gain so much more from the experiences that make roll models who they are and not always what they do. I’m only 5’5″ so dunking a basketball was always something that I wanted to be able to do without the help of like a trampoline and stuff like that. So I kind of though of Mugsy Bogues as not necessisarily a role module but some inspiration. He could dunk it. I think now it seems like they want to be like pro athletes because of the money and fame and that’s it.
Bay,
Like the link/post about David Bruton. It would have been cool back in the day to have a “Sub” like that – can you imagine? I’ll bet there are a few more Bronco fans in Ohio now. Not too mention there is not much of an option in Ohio in Pro Football!!! LOL – Even in College now!!! LMAO
In the words of Tim Tebow “You are a roll model…just not a very good one.”
Brian I know we are all on a roll now, but I also know you would appreciate me telling you you are my role model, haha.
The emergency service personnel in Joplin MO are role models.
Thoughts and prayers to those affected.
Great article on Bruton!
Having lived in a hurricane prone area for 16 years, I have to say that this is the first time I have ever seen widespread devastation by a tornado that matches the widespread devastation of major hurricanes. This tornado had to be basically parked in the same area for quite some time. No brief quick strike here where one house goes down and the one across the street is intact, everything is gone! Poor people, it brings back all the memories of major hurricane Ivan for me, my forever hell on this earth weather disaster wise.
Floods, Tornados, Hurricanes, Earth Quakes, Sunomis (spell?) – it seems like everyone is hurting except the people of the Mountain West?!?!
I guess we could expect a HUGE fire season this year??? It sure seems like these things are happening more and more!!!
Best of luck and best wishes to everyone affected!!!
Tsunamis
Great article on David Bruton! Great to see him put his education to good use for the young children.
Thought and prayers go to the Families from Joplin Mo…..
Hope this CBA gets settled soon but it probably won’t. Some of you guys are getting a little wacky. Ok, Some I’m getting a little wacky too. It there any good rugby games we can start watching this time of year?
I was hoping the threat of the end of the world this weekend would’ve hurried the CBA decision. You know that’s something that you don’t want leave unfinished when Rapture Day occurs. LOL!
Thats why i don’t idolize anyone or more importantly place any human on a pedastal, for that reason, they are human. The reason people get so disspointed when Celebrities do dumb stuff that any human could do is because they have placed them so high in thier minds. Was i that shocked about Tiger NOPE, men/women cheat all the time, he is just another man. Do i condone his behavior? hell no but i personally believed the only people he owed an apology to were those he wronged and thats his wife and family.
I respect the physical capabilities of athletes. I like to watch em and be like WOW, wish i could do that that was phenomenal but i never once forget that they are human. So when they say things like they say things like enjoying time off during the lockout, or they get in trouble, im not shocked because they are human. Doesn’t mean i don’t look down on their actions such as rape, theft, dui’s, etc, i am just already prepared that they can do foolish stuff…young people with all that money and possibilities is a recipe for disaster no matter how u slice it. All you can hope is that they were raised right. People get so mad at them for being role models, thats only a problem if you allow yourself or your kids to look up to them instead of looking up to someone they know more closely like a parent or family member or whatever.
I don’t agree with charles statement that says he is not a role model … like tebow said, “yes you are, you just aren’t a very good one”. You become one whether you like it or not, and unlike regular people. every mistake you make is put on blast for the whole world to see. Thats why if you look up to an athlete, or actor, or singer or whatever, just respect thier skills, aim to be an athlete or actor like them, not a PERSON like them. Would be nice if they wanna make you be a PERSON like them but don’t hold your breath. Thats how I see things anyway. Michael Jackson is and will forever be the king of pop, he was a philanthropist and he was loved across the world more than possibly any entertainer ever, but he wasn’t without his blemishes either…whether true or false who knows… as bad as celebs can be, we would also be foolish to not believe that they are targeted at time because of their status or wealth. I’ll leave that Judgement up to God. TRB out….
Just the title American Idle says it all, and Graven images is a bullseye True2. That floors me.
Great news (In a time where THAT is hard to come by). I received my Colorado paramedic license in the mail today! I’m coming home…right after visitation is settled in, you guessed it, the court. (did I say great news? Bittersweet is more like it)
Awesome sndvl! Congrats!!!
And way to get around the Marshall thing TRB, smooooooth as usual, but some of us know better, LOL.
Love the way you say so much in a single paragraph so that the thought process of what it was all about to start with gets completely lost, haha.
You will have to be a politician of some sort in the future, saying things from enough angles as to please most and not to bum hardly anyone in the process is a natural for you, positively politically perfect!
But I still have no idea what you’re talking about, LOL/jk, kind of.
I hope no one has seen this or posted this yet or not but I love it!! You got the future hall of famer T.D. saying that it’s Tebow Time!!! Definitely a must watch!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/denver-broncos/09000d5d81ff8dd9/T-D-It-s-Tebow-time-in-Denver