INDIANAPOLIS — The intent of the NFL players’ union's anonymous survey was to provide its membership a centralized resource as to how each of the 32 teams addressed their behind-the-scenes amenities for their players.
While the Broncos’ ownership fared well, several of the football operations support systems—including some areas with dedicated, blue-collar staff —did not. Overall, the Broncos ranked 20th in the players survey.
Understand the survey is an anonymous, one-sided and unchallenged claim. There is more to the story.
The Broncos scored low in treatment of families, food service/nutrition and locker room setup, while getting good grades in weight coaches, training staff and team travel, along with an overview comment that “100 percent of the player respondents believe the new ownership group is willing to invest in upgrading the facilities.”
The Broncos had already taken a significant step to upgrade areas the players criticized by adding a new position with the hiring of Beau Lowery as Vice President of Player Health and Performance. Lowery, who previously worked for Sean Payton in New Orleans and LSU's athletic program, will evaluate, recommend and restructure the Broncos’ entire operation of nutrition and locker room, weight room and training room setups.
What this means as it pertains to the player survey is the Broncos could be justified in thinking, "Wait 'til next year."
Another way to view the players survey: The Broncos finished second among AFC West teams – Las Vegas was third, the Super Bowl-champion Chiefs were 29th and the Los Angeles Chargers were 30th – marking the first time in seven years the Broncos ranked so high in the divisional standings.
Here is a look at the eight department grades the Broncos received from their players along with some additional information on each category:
Treatment of families, D+
NFLPA comments:
*Offer daycare.
*1 of 14 teams that do not offer a family room.
Additional information
*Child care services for players' and coaches’ families are provided by the team for all home games with a family room built adjacent to the locker room at Empower Field at Mile High this past season. Friends and families also receive passes to enter the stadium through a private, tunnel entrance—the same one used by the players—and walk directly down to the field after games to meet-and-greet with their significant others.
*Last season, Executive Director of Football Operations/special advisor Kelly Kleine along with some members of the coaching staff initiated a family breakfast every Saturday prior to every Sunday home game. Family members were invited to watch the walkthrough and mingle on the field afterwards. Such a family perk on the day before a game is extremely rare in the NFL if not unprecedented.
*The team hosted 11 player family events in 2023.
**This past season the team hired a dedicated family liaison who regularly makes contact with family members to coordinate communication, support resources and other events with player families.
Food service/nutrition, D
NFLPA comments
*All three meals provided.
*One of only two teams that do not provide vitamins.
*Multiple players don’t feel like there is an individual nutrition plan or support.
*67% of players say there is enough space in the cafeteria.
Additional information
*Broncos nutritionist Bryan Snyder was the NFL’s longest-tenured nutritionist – he was part of the winningest 4-year period in team history (2012-15) – who was recruited away immediately after the 2022 season by both Major League Baseball's Cleveland Guardians and the Southeastern Conference's Texas A&M to head their athletic dietary program.
9NEWS spoke with Snyder, who confirmed he accepted a position with Texas A&M as their Assistant Athletic Director/Director of Performance Nutrition for their entire athletic program. Snyder left weeks before Sean Payton was hired, by the way.
*After he was hired by Texas A&M but before he moved his wife and six children from Denver to College Station, Snyder developed individual nutrition plans for 15 Broncos players coming off injuries. Snyder has developed individual nutrition plans for all injured players since 2016 as there is a specific nutrition plan for players coming off ACL or other ligament and tendon injuries and other specific plans for those coming off broken bones or other injuries.
*Snyder revived the team cafeteria from having food catered in to developing a state-of-the-art kitchen where the food is made in-house. Everything is made to order. He held cooking classes for rookies and first-year players so they could make their own healthy, performance-oriented meals at home.
*Many players have raved about the food quality in the Broncos’ cafeteria, particularly those who came from other clubs. Brock Osweiler, as he was eating a spinach salad with baked salmon and fruit fixings at his locker in 2017, said the Broncos’ cafeteria was better than any restaurant anywhere.
*The team has been known to fly in lobster from Maine and ahi tuna from Hawaii the day before serving. The idea behind this practice came from former head coach Josh McDaniels, who in 2009 had Snyder arrange for scrod to be flown in from John’s Bar & Grill in McDaniels’ hometown of Canton, Ohio for a team meal.
*One Broncos chef flew to Japan to learn how to properly roll sushi.
*As for not providing vitamins, a league memo sent to all 32 teams’ athletic trainers, dieticians and strength and conditioning coaches last October referenced a CBA bylaw by stating:
“As a reminder, League policy prohibits clubs from purchasing or providing players with supplements and similar nutrition products with the exception of products that are either:
A) Prescribed medically by club physicians for a specific player’s diagnosed nutritional deficiency and obtained from a pharmacy, or through the National Science Foundation's (NSF) “Certified for Sport” program, or:
B) Distributed to each club through the Gatorade Team Zone.
However, Gatorade does not make supplements or vitamins. NSF certifies third-party supplements for Major League Baseball, the NBA and the National Hockey League but the NFL does not allow its teams to give players these NSF-certified products.
That the players survey states the Broncos are one of only two teams who abide by this rule of not distributing vitamins would seem to raise questions about the practices of the other 30.
*As Snyder moves on, part of Lowery’s responsibility will be to oversee the team’s nutrition and dietician program.
Weight room, B+
*Most issues were related to players wanting more space.
*98% believe they have enough strength coaches.
Additional information
*The Broncos’ weight room is the NFL’s third largest at 9,000 square feet.
Strength coaches, A-
NFLPA comments
*96% of players say they receive an individual plan (12th in league)
Additional information
*Dan Dalrymple is the Broncos’ new strength and conditioning coach. He held the same position for 16 years with the New Orleans Saints. The only holdover assistant from last year is Korey Jones.
*This is another department where Lowery was brought in to oversee.
*Many current Broncos players still have Loren Landow, the Broncos’ strength coach of the previous five seasons, train them at Landow’s personal training facility that is not far from team headquarters.
Training room C+
NFLPA comments
*96% of Broncos’ players feel they have enough athletic trainers and 84% feel they have enough physical therapists.
*86% believe the steam room is big enough, but the Broncos are one of six teams that do not provide a sauna.
*67% feel they have enough hot tub space; 96% believe they have enough cold tub space.
Additional information
*In 2014, the team remodeled and enlarged its training room and rehab facilities by 2,450 square feet. Added therapy pools, a player recovery room and a cryotherapy chamber room.
Training staff, B
*Bronco players gave “moderately high marks” to the training staff which is why the overall grade is relatively high.
Additional information
*The NFLPA comments do imply players like head trainer Vince Garcia and his assistants and are satisfied with their work.
Locker room, D+
NFLPA comments
*Complaints: Not enough room, need bigger lockers; not enough showers, not enough bathroom stalls.
*69% feel like they have enough space (ranked 26th).
Additional information
*To create more space for the players, head coach Nathaniel Hackett moved the media out of its 30-year press room and converted the 2,500 square foot area into a player lounge complete with pool tables, table tennis, air hockey, Pop-A-Shot, video games, flat-screen TVs and computers. (The media was transferred to a room inside the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse.)
*The locker room was remodeled in 2014. Could it be bigger? Sure. But it’s much nicer and bigger than what the Kansas City Chiefs dress in. The team also completely renovated its home locker room at Empower Field at Mile High this past season, a space that is now one of the NFL's largest.
Close quarters can help create camaraderie. Mike Shanahan, on purpose, wanted the visiting locker room at the Broncos’ home stadium to be one of the largest in the league. To wit: It might be more difficult to play together if you sit so far apart.
Team travel B+
*90% of players believe they have enough room to spread out.
*No roommates.
*Good amount of first-class seats.
Additional information
*Starting with head coach Vic Fangio and general manager George Paton in 2020, Broncos players were moved from the rear of their charter plane cabin to first class while most of the coaches and all the executives were moved towards the back in steerage.
Some familiar with the charter set up over the years have said the rear of the plane is more conducive to greater camaraderie among the players – especially on return trips after victory -- compared to now when they sit isolated in individual first-class pods with each player having his own individual TV.
In the 44-season stretch from 1973 through 2016, when Broncos players sat in the rear of the plane, their team had more Super Bowl appearances (8) than losing seasons (7). In that same stretch, the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns combined for 0 Super Bowl appearances and 56 losing seasons. Not sure where Lions and Browns’ players sat on the plane in those years but the guess here it's irrelevant. Since players started sitting in first class, the Broncos have gone 7-18 on the road, including 1-8 this past season.
*Room to spread out? There’s so much room a player can do high-knee steps in the aisles! (Kidding, Russ, kidding!).
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