In Honor of St. Patrick’s Day …
A Broncos salute to the holiday …
BEST SAINT: Not much here, but Isaac T. Lassiter, who played 23 games between 1962 and 1964, attended St. Augustine’s University, located in Raleigh, N.C. Starting right guard Montrae Holland is, of course, a former New Orleans Saint, as was the late quarterback Steve Ramsey, who saw action in relief of Charley Johnson during the John Ralston era of the 1970s.
BEST PATRICK: It’s probably got to be Hape, the tight end of four Broncos seasons (2001-04) who is probably best remembered for scoring the first regular-season touchdown in the history of INVESCO Field at Mile High.
Also, don’t forget …
… DE/LB Patrick Chukwurah (2003-06) …
… WR Patrick Jeffers (1996-97) …
… QB Patrick Ramsey (2007-present) …
… A man who answers to “Pat,” current tight ends coach Pat McPherson …
… and of course, media-relations stalwart and statistical researcher extraordinaire Patrick Smyth, who has provided more than a few statistical nuggets for our collective consumption in the last four years.
BEST GREEN: Some decent candidates here, but in the end, it has to go to the only player with the surname “Green” to earn a Pro Bowl nod, so congratulations to Gaston Green, a man whose best NFL moment was as bright as it was brief, a 1,037-yard campaign in the 12-4 1991 season during which he logged five 100-yard games.
But don’t forget …
… LB Louis Green (2003-present), the team’s Ed Block Courage Award winner in 2006 …
… OT Cornell Green (2004-05) …
… TE Paul Green (1989) …
… WR Willie Green (1997-98) …
… OL Reggie Green, a practice-squad player in 1996.
No green beer for me; I worked from home while overcoming a brush of the flu. But happy St. Pat’s to you.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:26 am
What about Patrick Bowlen? I’d have to vote him best Patrick!!
March 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Good call … I tend to think of him and address him as simply “Mr. Bowlen.”
March 18th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I had to look him up on Wikipedia to make sure he was truly a Patrick, since I’ve never heard him called anything but Pat on television. I certainly would be calling him “Mr. Bowlen” also if I ever had the chance to address him at all!
March 18th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
He deserves that kind of respect. I’m not just saying that because I work for his organization, either. Two world titles, five conference championships, eight division titles, 13 playoff appearances, 16 winning seasons and only four losing seasons in 24 years. Having grown up cheering for a perennial loser, I can say that you Broncos fans have had it made with Mr. Bowlen in charge of your team.
March 19th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Andrew, sorry to see you go my blogging friend. You’ve provided us Bronco fans with some interesting and insightful articles. You’re a great writer and hope to see you writing again soon.
Keep us updated on your endeavors.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Wow I am so mad / upset to see you go man. You where awsome and I’ve been reading your updates religiously since you began. I’m outraged that they fire you like this and would like to know the reasoning at least. Your a great guy and you did excellent work man. Take care and I hope you find an even better job.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Hey Mason –
I am really upset to see you go. Several times, your blog was the only thing that kept me in touch with the team’s game while I traveled, or was otherwise unable to get a TV or Internet feed. I found your commentary unparalleled in its insight and detail - I haven’t seen any other team that offers that kind of coverage. I guess my Broncos, sadly, don’t want to stand out in transparency or connection to the fanbase.
I hope whatever comes next works out great for you. What you have done for us Broncos fans, I would guess, has netted you enough positive karma for wonderful things to arrive.
Cheers.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:05 am
One door closes, another one opens.
Good luck, my friend, you will be missed.
I will leave you with a quote;
“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are…..it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.”
Bottom line…..don’t let this get you down.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Mason, the team is “laying” you off? This is a load of garbage. Shanny is allowed to BLOW MILLIONS on players that aren’t worth a squat but the one guy that tries to keep in touch with the fans is released. Complete BS man, the rich get richer.
March 20th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Great job. Glad to have experience your writing talent. Your performance speaks for itself. Thanks.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Good point hrdnokd. I posted a goodbye on the last entry, but this is just disgusting to me. Mason worked his tail off on behalf of the team and the fans, and he deserves far better than this.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Add me to the list of fans *extremely* disappointed in the Broncos’ decision — what Mason added to this community of fans (especially those who don’t get to see every Denver game on the TV or in-person) was brilliant insight and commentary.
I wish you the best, Mas - our world was better because you were in it. Let’s hope that Denver sees the error of its ways.
March 20th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Andrew - Please shoot us a link to any future blog that you write for anything… I would be a reader…
March 20th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Mason,
You are the man, you kept us posted and answered so many questions from all of us. We all enjoyed your posts, humor and love for our team. Good luck in the future,
Myles
March 20th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Just throwing my voice in with the rest…
Andrew we’ll miss you. As fan bloggers for the Broncos, Kyle and I both really admired your honesty and devotion to detail (not to mention your sense of humor). We will deeply miss you, man.
Please know that you have created not only a successful NFL team web presence, but also a huge community of personal fans that will follow you on into your next endeavor. So let us know where you land, my friend.
Jonathan Douglas
Senior Editor
www.broncotalk.net
March 20th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Wiegmann agreed to a 2 year contract with the Broncos today. He was the starting center for the cheifs since 2002.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Sapp agreed to a contract today as well. I’m hoping to hear Mason has agreed to a new contract as well. I’m sorry, but saving a few dollars just PISSES ME OFF. The NFL tried to report they were $9.7 billion in the hole yesterday, now what kind of horse crap is that? You expect the fans of the NFL that BUY your Sunday Ticket, Season Tickets, Jerseys, hats etc. to believe that you guys are broke? Mr. Bowlen I think you’re one of the best owners over the past 20 years, bar none, but this is simply unacceptable. Shanahan is allowed to hire and fire MILLION DOLLAR players but a guy making a meger salary is considered expendable? CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!
March 20th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
At least in ancient Rome admission to the games was free. Looks like management has closed that loophole forever. They even get us to tax ourselves to build the stadia.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
It royally sucks to see you go. This was literally the only blog I ever read. You will be missed!!