Tag: nfl

ANOTHER LONG OVERDUE RECOGNITION

~ hays2424 ~ Leave a comment

  Denver has had many sports stars over the years.  Some of them have been inducted into their respective sports Halls of Fame but this week one honor has been long overdue for one Denver sports star.  Former Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar.  Gradishar was given the nod by the veteran’s committee this past week.

  Gradishar was a standout at Ohio State where he played for coach Woody Hayes.  He was the first-round draft pick of the Broncos in 1974.  He played ten years for the Broncos.  He was not flashy or a headhunter but a really good tackling machine with over 2000 tackles to his credit.  He helped lead the Broncos in 1977 to its first ever Super Bowl.  He helped put Denver sports on the map.  He did it clean and with little fanfare.  That is something that I think a lot of modern-day players should look at.  Let your play on the field do the talking, and not be worried about if you make the highlight reel on Sportscenter.  His contributions to the community during his playing days would deserve him man of the year honors  in the modern era. 

  Many of Gradishar’s peers believed he should be in the Hall of Fame a  long time ago.  Many football writers wrote of Gradishar that he was underrated, but he may have been just as good or better than Pittsburg Steelers Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Lambert.  I got the pleasure of watching him as a child and he was one of the greatest linebackers I had ever seen, and his honor is long overdue as he and other members of that Orange Crush defense should also be in the Hall of Fame which I believe the next member should be linebacker Tom Jackson.

  Congratulations Mr. Gradishar, a well-deserved honor and long overdue. 

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR

~ hays2424 ~ Leave a comment

   We always want to see who will win the NFL Most Valuable Player award every year because of the prestige that award brings to a players career.  But what about the Comeback Player of the Year.  Everyone loves the story of the guy who was on the brink of being out of the game for good and then brining his team back against grueling odds.  Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin will probably win the award because of his collapse on the field from cardiac arrest.  Although deserving of the award, did he really help his team comeback from long odds to get them to the success.  Joe Flacco makes a strong case because going from sitting on his couch at the beginning of the football season to taking his team to the playoffs as a wild card certainly makes a strong case plus his age also gives him strong consideration.  Matt Stafford and Jared Goff are still playing at high levels for their respective teams as is Tua Tagovailoa.  I am making a case for Baker Mayfield to win the award.

          Mayfield is a former Heisman Trophy winner and former number one draft  pick.  He has been cast off by four teams in two years. Many people thought that he would be out of football, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a chance on him, signing him to a one-year deal, and not even guaranteed that he would make the team or even start.  The Buccaneers were not predicted to win more than four games this past season.  Like any quarterback he had his good games and bad  games, but he won the respect of his teammates, his coaches, and the fans by taking the team to a division title and a win in the first round of the playoffs.  Although not successful in the divisional round, I think Mayfield makes a case that despite overwhelming odds against him and maybe thinking his career might be over, I think he makes a very good case for comeback player of the year.

Reclamation Projects

~ hays2424 ~ Leave a comment

   This is an open letter to the Denver Broncos organization.  Now I cannot speak for all Bronco fans, but I think we are tired of the reclamation projects we have called quarterbacks for the last few years.  I think it’s time that we stop avoiding the elephant in the room and go draft a quarterback in the next draft and stop looking to them in free agency.  We were very lucky to get the few years of glory out of Peyton Manning to bring us a Super Bowl, but the carousel of quarterbacks and coaches has not produced the same results that we have had in years past.  The last time we took a chance on a quarterback when he was a rookie took a few years, but we did get results in several trips to the Super Bowl and two wins  in that  game.  His name was John Elway.

            We are years behind our competitors in the division.  Kansas City and Los Angeles have their quarterbacks in  place while the jury is still out in Las Vegas.  We are very behind in finding a young, smart, athletic, coachable, and durable young man that can lead this once proud and successful organization back to success that we have been starving for so long.  We have suffered so many losing seasons with washed up free agent busts that have brought nothing but heartache and frustration for so many years.

            So George Paton and Sean Payton, if you are listening to the prayers of many Bronco faithful, save the free agency signings for places the like the offensive line and other positions.  This organization has been starving for a quarterback that can lead us back to the upper echelon of the National Football League.  This fanbase is loyal and will continue to be, but it’s up to you to your part and go pick a winner in the draft.