Zim Is In
(Photo: WireImage.com)
The Broncos have another Hall of Famer.
Offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman was elected to join the ranks of the sport’s hallowed elite on Saturday after being a perennial finalist for induction in recent years.
In recent years, Zimmerman had been the only player with two all-decade selections eligible for the Hall of Fame to not be in the shrine.
Linebacker Randy Gradishar was eliminated in the first round of voting.
A short video on Zimmerman is below.
More to follow …
Hall of Fame … Is this The Day?
As Friday night became Saturday at the homestead, TBS began airing Groundhog Day. In addition to being arguably the high point of the Harold Ramis-Bill Murray partnership — this was, after all, the film that combined subversiveness, compassion, surrealism and existentialism — its plot also gave me a humbling second thought about today’s Pro Football Hall of Fame possibilities for Randy Gradishar and Gary Zimmerman.
After all, the film Groundhog Day involves enduring the same set of circumstances with scarcely a hint of change. Only when Murray’s character, Phil Connors, learns how to enact change upon his static realm does he finagle a way out of his permament loop.
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Gradishar, Zimmerman are HoF FinalistsTwo Broncos made the list of finalists for the 2008 Hall of Fame class … but Terrell Davis was shut out for a second consecutive year.
Both Gary Zimmerman and Randy Gradishar are among the 17 finalists whose names will be discussed by the selection committee in Phoenix, Ariz. on Feb. 2, the day before Super Bowl XLII. Each has gotten this far before, with Zimmerman being a staple of recent finalist collections, making the list for the fifth time.
Gradishar, meanwhile, is back among the finalists for the first time in five years. This is the 18th year in which he has been eligible.
Davis was inducted into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame in September, but was passed over Wednesday as no running backs made the cut as the list was trimmed from 26 semifinalists to the last 17.
There are two first-time finalists on this year’s list — defensive back Emmitt Thomas, who is one of the two Seniors Committee nominees, and offensive lineman Randall McDaniel, who was a teammate of Zimmerman’s in Minnesota from 1988-92.
Offseason in Full SwingThe offseason will be busy and we’ve already seen Coach Bates leave and Bob Slowik has the job. He’s been with the team since 2005, so that’s a positive. I don’t know a lot about him. I’m sure we’ll get to know him quickly.
Big playoff weekend coming up. My dark horse team is Jacksonville as much as I like the Patriots who aren’t playing like they were earlier in the year. I like Green Bay, the Cowboys even without T.O. and Indy. Yea, yea, I know I sound like a front-runner, right?
Let me know your thoughts and check in throughout the offseason and let’s keep in touch and I’ll give you my 2 cents worth and keep you up to speed on what I know and hear and you do the same.
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Three Broncos on Hall of Fame Ballot
By now just about everyone is aware that aside from John Elway — who was an obvious choice and who played for the Denver Broncos for the entirety of his 16-year NFL career — only two other players with Bronco ties are in the Hall of Fame.
Those would be running back Tony Dorsett — clearly in for his play with the Dallas Cowboys — and cornerback Willie Brown, who played the most famous part of his career with the Oakland Raiders, although he was also an All-AFL corner while with the Broncos.
After 30 years in the NFL I feel like I have been teased by the Hall of Fame voters more often than Charlie Brown by Lucy and her football in the Peanuts cartoon.
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A Final Mile High Salute!Last night was a big night at INVESCO Field at Mile High. The occasion? The Ring of Fame–created in 1984 by Pat Bowlen recognizing and honoring Broncos team members who played momentous roles in the organization’s history. This Ring of Fame dinner was to welcome and celebrate its newest inductee — Terrell Davis.
The event dually honored alumni, while presenting Terrell Davis with the honor that only 20 other members of the Denver Broncos can be associated with. In tribute to the Broncos Alumni Weekend, individuals from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, ’00s as well as some existing Ring of Famers gathered to share their mutual admiration and put their hands together for a career well done. After an introduction from Pat Bowlen, Mike Shanahan, and a highlight video it was time for the guest of honor. Terrell Davis accepted his newest achievement in true T.D fashion, humorously including stories of his years in the league, emitting humility, gratitude and sincere thanks to all of his coaches, fans and mentors, and of course topping it off with a Mile High Salute to solidify his final thought.
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Concrete CharlieNow, you have to admit, that’s some nickname.
Unfortunately, with each passing day, fewer fans know to whom that moniker applies.
On Saturday night at our preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, someone mispronounced Concrete Charlie’s last name.
When I made the correction, the party just said, “Whatever. Hey, is he in the Hall of Fame?”
Yes, he is. And I certainly understand that the most recent breed of fans and players might have some lack of awareness here.
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Seniors Committee HoF Nominees: No Broncos, AgainToday, the Seniors Committee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its nominees to be finalists for the 2008 Hall of Fame class. Neither of the two choices were Broncos; the nods went to 1940s standout Marshall Goldberg of the Chicago Cardinals and longtime Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Emmitt Thomas.
At one point in time, when the Broncos were still a fairly young franchise, the Seniors Committee discusion was largely irrelevant. But as the depth and breadth of Broncos history has increased, so too has the possibility of seeing a Broncos great among these nominees.
More and more ex-Broncos are eligible for Hall of Fame nomination from the Seniors Committee, since the standard for being in the Seniors discussion is to be 25 years removed from one’s playing career. That places Floyd Little, Rich “Tombstone” Jackson, Lionel Taylor and by next year Randy Gradishar — whose career ended in 1983 — as players who could conceivably enter the Hall through these doors.
In recent years, going from finalist-via-Seniors Committee to the Hall of Fame has been a virtual slam dunk. Since 1994, there have been 18 Seniors Committee finalists, and all but one was selected for enshrinement. (Incidentally, the exception was Bob Hayes in 2004.)
With Goldberg, I could get into the the fact that the Cardinals already have 11 Hall of Famers. One might counter that their history is more than twice as lengthy as that of the Broncos, when factoring in their pre-NFL years. Fine. But the 1970s Cardinals have three players who made the Hall of Fame for their accomplishments with that franchise.
THREE!
Again, this is a team with zero playoff wins and only two postseason appearances in that 10-year span, and just one playoff win in the last 59 years. This is a team that deserves to have more players from one specific era than the entire span of Broncos history?
The selectors have seen fit to induct just one player for his accomplishments as a Bronco and two more who played in Denver, but made their HoF name elsewhere. It’s head-scratching to the point of drawing blood.
Then came today, when I saw a former Chief among the two seniors committee nominees. Since being a finalist through the seniors makes one a likely Hall of Fame choice, Thomas would become the ninth player to be enshrined in large part because of his accomplishments as a Chief.
And even if Thomas doesn’t make it, that’s eight for the Chiefs (Marcus Allen, Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Len Dawson, Lamar Hunt, Willie Lanier, Jan Stenerud and Hank Stram) and one for the Broncos (John Elway).
Of course, all this is not to denigrate Thomas, who was a splendid defender and then became an exceptional assistant coach in his own right. But another Chief in the Hall? When you consider the accomplishments of both franchises — which came into existence in the same year, 1960 — the disparity is nothing short of absurd.
To wit:
Conference/AFL Championships: Denver 6, Kansas City 3
World Championships: Denver 2, Kansas City 1
Division Championships: Denver 10, Kansas City 8
Playoff Appearances: Denver 17, Kansas City 15
Winning Records: Denver 24, Kansas City 25
Overall Record: Denver 371-327-10 (.531), Kansas City 375-321-12 (.538)
Playoff Record: Denver 17-15, Kansas City 8-13
And I’m not going to even get into my own deep personal objections over Michael Irvin making the Hall of Fame before Art Monk. I don’t need to get any angrier. Matter of fact, I could use some lithium or a sedative right about now.
Anyhow, I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but I had to get all that out in the open. Until next time, when I get back into writing about the Broncos of the present, vaya con Dios.
Preseason Football Very Big for SomeBecause the National Football League is the dominant spectator sport in the nation, the number one sport in popularity according to fans in every Gallup or Harris poll taken since 1968, everyone wants to get right onto the regular season, and there is a common theme that preseason football does not matter and/or is not very interesting.
As is always the case, however, it all depends on your point of view.
Every team has veteran players who do not need too many reps, don’t want too many, and won’t be given too many over these next four games.
However, for every player of that ilk, there is at least one, more likely two or three who are dependent on every single play of camp and games to try and impress.
Remember, the camera is always on; the coaches see every play of every practice, over and over.
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I Remember “Leather”This is Hall of Fame weekend in the National Football League, the kickoff event of the new season and the time when all-time greats are honored for their contributions to the game. Whether large or small, the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame class always includes the game’s greats, and the ceremonies in Canton never are less than memorable.
All Bronco fans are aware that quarterback John Elway is the only Bronco in the Hall of Fame, in terms of players who made their marks in Denver. And it is no great secret that many of us have frequently stated frustration with that fact.
However, there are others with Denver connections in the Hall, including cornerback Willie Brown, who started his pro career as a Bronco, and running back Tony Dorsett, the Dallas great who ended his career in the Mile High City.
But there is another with a big Denver connection, and he was a man I was honored to work for, and will always be proud to have called him a friend.
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