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Posts Tagged ‘Karl Mecklenburg’

Nalen, Lynch First-Year Nominees for Hall

September 27th, 2012 - 1:36pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

On Thursday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the list of candidates for the Class of 2013, and two Broncos are among the first-year eligible modern-era candidates.

Center Tom Nalen and safety John Lynch are nominees in their first year of eligibility.

Lynch, a nine-time Pro Bowler, spent the first 11 years of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Broncos as a free agent in 2004. He spent four seasons with Denver, capping off a career that featured 1,277 tackles, 13 sacks, 26 interceptions, 100 passes defensed, 16 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries.

Nalen started 188 of 194 games played in his career, and never committed more than six penalties in a season. He earned five Pro Bowl nominations — the most by an offensive lineman in Broncos history, and won back-to-back Super Bowls with the team.

The two first-year candidates join five fellow former Broncos — running back Terrell Davis, wide receiver Rod Smith, linebacker Karl Mecklenburg and safeties Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith — and a former Broncos coach, Dan Reeves, as nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 12 Comments »

Former Broncos Take In Practice

July 29th, 2012 - 7:59pm by Tyler EverettOther posts by

A trio of former Broncos who starred on the defensive side of the ball attended Thursday afternoon’s training camp practice. Safety Brian Dawkins, who retired this offseason, was joined by a pair of Denver Broncos Ring-of-Fame linebackers in Karl Mecklenburg and Tom Jackson on the sidelines today in Dove Valley.

“Well, I think it’s great,” Head Coach John Fox said. “These guys were great players and have a lot of pride, much like all our fans here in Denver. Bringing back the alumni, they always have good messages for the guys because they did win a couple of championships and had great careers so these young guys have learned from them.”

Mecklenburg, a 12th round selection in the 1983 draft, has taken in the past two days of camp as a voluntary coach, working with the pass-rushers.

Finding the quarterback was one of the former linebacker’s specialties during his 12-year career. He notched 79 sacks en route to six Pro Bowl nods.

Mecklenburg, a force on five division-title winning Broncos teams, said it felt great to be welcomed back to Bronco Country, adding that he hopes to see more former players around Dove Valley during the next few weeks.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 8 Comments »

Three Broncos Named HOF Semifinalists

November 22nd, 2011 - 4:06pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

The semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012 were announced Tuesday, and three Broncos made the list.

Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis and Karl Mecklenburg are among the 26 modern-era candidates still in the running to head to Canton, Ohio.

For Atwater and Mecklenburg, it’s the first time the two have been named semifinalists.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 119 Comments »

Late Selections as Vital as Early Ones

February 17th, 2011 - 12:14pm by jim_saccomanoOther posts by

Earlier I did a blog on the history of the Denver Broncos’ draft choices when the team has had a selection among the first 10 players in the entire draft.

There is no question that the potential for greatness is there where the choices are made, but it is very important that fans remember how significant late picks are in building a team as well, in addition to completely undrafted free agent players.

Let’s take a quick look at a number of very significant Broncos who were drafted either in the final round of the draft, or signed as an undrafted free agent player.

This will not even include the players like Terrell Davis and Shannon Sharpe, taken late but not at the end of the draft process.

Key Bronco players who were chosen in the final round of the draft and went on to have length NFL careers include:

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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 44 Comments »

Six Broncos Preliminary HOF Nominees

September 13th, 2010 - 1:59pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

On Monday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 113 modern-era nominees that make up this year’s preliminary candidates for the Class of 2011.

Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis, Karl Mecklenburg, Shannon Sharpe and Louis Wright are the former Broncos players among the names, and Dan Reeves is a candidate to head to Canton as a coach.

Sharpe was among the 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010 — the class in which fellow Ring of Famer Floyd Little joined the Hall.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 9 Comments »

Broncos Considered Among Most Valuable

March 17th, 2010 - 9:22am by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

Terrell Davis. Shannon Sharpe. Steve Atwater. Randy Gradishar. Tom Jackson. Karl Mecklenburg. Tom Nalen. Louis Wright. Lyle Alzado. Rick Upchurch.

They are some of the best players to ever don a Broncos uniform. None were picked higher than the 14th overall selection in the NFL draft, and one was picked as late as the 310th overall selection in the 12th round.

Not coincidentally, they are all up for consideration to be named one of the 75 Most Valuable Draft Picks in league history.

Fans can vote on NFL.com now — voting ends April 18 — choosing between pairs of players randomly generated from a list of 320 all-time most valuable draft picks as chosen by NFL.com editors. After choosing the winners of 30 random matchups, fans can begin to build their own Top 10 list, and continue voting from there to alter their top 10.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 72 Comments »

Seven Broncos on H.O.F Preliminary List

September 19th, 2009 - 5:55pm by Kyle SonnemanOther posts by

On Saturday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 131 players, coaches and contributors who make up the preliminary list of modern-era nominees for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010.

Former Broncos’ Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis, Karl Mecklenburg, Michael Dean Perry, Dan Reeves, Shannon Sharpe and Louis Wright are among the names on the list.

From this preliminary list of modern-era nominees, Hall of Fame selectors will choose 25 candidates who will advance as semifinalist nominees. The list of 25 modern-era semifinalists will be announced on November 27.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 16 Comments »

Young Leaders Promising Change

July 14th, 2009 - 1:26pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

Editor’s Note: Broncos Ring of Famer Karl Mecklenburg will occasionally write a guest blog for DenverBroncos.com. In his first entry, he discusses the idea of change, both with the Broncos and the country as a whole.

Once a year when he felt our team had reached a plateau, right before he sent us off to run wind sprints Dan Reeves would drawl, “Men, ya eitha gittin betta or ya gitten worse, ya cain’t stay the same.”

Dan said a lot of things, some of which I’m still trying to figure out, but he was right about this. Change is inevitable, and through planning and effort change can be positive. The young cry out for change, impatient in their zeal to hurry the inevitable. The old fear change, forgetting the opportunity that they found in their early years hidden in the challenges of change.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 110 Comments »

Seven Broncos Among Hall of Fame Class of 2009 Nominees

October 28th, 2008 - 3:03pm by Gray CaldwellOther posts by

Gary Zimmerman just entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2008.

The class of 2009 has seven former Broncos among the 133 players, coaches and contributers who make up the preliminary list of nominees for election to the Hall of Fame’s newest class.

Former Denver Broncos S Steve Atwater (1989-98), RB Terrell Davis (1995-2002), LB Tom Jackson (1973-86), LB Karl Mecklenburg (1983-94), Head Coach Dan Reeves (1981-92), TE Shannon Sharpe (1990-99, 2002-03) and CB Louis Wright (1975-86) are the Broncos who made the preliminary list of modern-era nominees.

Sharpe is one of 11 first-year eligible nominees for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, meaning this is the first year he met all of the requirements for induction — meaning he’s been retired at least five years.

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Posted in DenverBroncos.com | 22 Comments »

Preseason Football Very Big for Some

August 10th, 2007 - 8:57am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by

Because 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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Posted in Jim Saccomano | 12 Comments »

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