After more than a week of training camp, the Broncos are ready to take on the Texans in the pre-season opener on Saturday night. We’ll talk about the game on Sunday or Monday but today I wanted to offer a few thoughts about three Broncos whom we won’t be seeing.
This week, rookie running back Ryan Torain broke a bone in his elbow and suffered ligament damage, too, and he’ll be out around three months. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos keep a roster spot for Torain or put him on injured reserve, which would make him ineligible to play this year.
Either way, it is a tough loss. Head coach Mike Shanahan likened Torain to Terrell Davis in some ways and Torain had been having a really good camp. While he was third on the depth chart, he had been getting a good number of reps and looked like he was the tough, inside runner the Broncos have needed.
In the long run, Torain should be fine and should be a big part of this offense. But it is still disappointing to see him go down after a good start to camp. I was interested in seeing him on the field. Hopefully that will still happen this year.
Earlier in camp, the Broncos and safety John Lynch parted ways. I understand that situations like this come up in the NFL and it is part of the business. I also understand that the coaches saw John’s role as being one thing and he didn’t quite agree with that. He didn’t think he could live with that role and certainly that is his decision to make.
I just know I’ll miss seeing John on the field, miss seeing him in the locker room and miss his standup character. He was always there, talking when the Broncos won or when they lost. John Lynch is a class act; he is a quality person. In my contact with John, I never saw him treat anyone with anything but the utmost of respect. I’ll miss that.
I’ll also miss seeing Rod Smith with the Broncos. On the field, his accomplishments and contributions go without saying. In the locker room, he was the guy who kept things together. In the community, Rod quietly went about making a huge difference in the lives of many people.
What I respect so much about Rod is that he never wanted any public recognition. Everything was about the team, everything was about putting others in the spotlight, everything was about making things better for others. He did so much for people in the Denver area and he never, ever wanted anyone to know about it.
I don’t think I’ve ever been around a more selfless professional athlete than Rod Smith.
To John and Rod…thanks for the thrills, thanks for the memories, and thanks for the quality people you are.
To Ryan…hang in there. Your day will come.
Thanks so much for reading. Feel free to offer your thoughts using the link below. I’ll catch up with all of you after the Houston game.
Best,
Mike
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When I was little and started going to Bronco games with my dad, you always remember the big plays Rod would put out for the team. He will for sure be missed, I hope he remains part of the organization in some shape or form. I will miss his name being called after a big gain….*sniff sniff*
As for Torain, I was very excited to watch him, I really hope they do keep a roster spot for him as well, he will bring some power to the run game. Hopefully he heals up quick enough to make an impact.
And Lynch, it was tough to see him go, but I wish him the best.
Smith and Lynch brought huge leadership to the team as well, this is just an opportunity for Jay to step up in there place, and Champ and Nalen can work hard to keep the team unified, and maybe even Marshall once he gets a fresh start……for good.
these losses i feel are significant. with the loss of john we lose a lot of leadership. whether someone steps into that role with the ability that john had is unlikely, but possible. and with the loss of smith, i know he hasnt played in a long time, its just another leader down. not to often you lose two leaders of this caliber in one year, it has to affect us a bit. and i saw torain coming in big for us this year, he would have been a perfect compliment to young. its too bad. i still see us finishing good and in the playoffs tho.
Seasons come and seasons go.
I always feel lucky that, like Rod, the Broncos quietly exceed thier expectations. Like John, the Broncos are always ready to play, and like Ryan, we always welcome them with open arms when the season starts.
It is the combined character of players such as these that make the Broncos what they are, and we love um by gosh.