ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Understand not one player in the Broncos locker room was born within 14 years of the Broncos’ magical Orange Crush season of 1977.
Fullback Michael Burton is the oldest Bronco at 32. The oldest Denver defensive player is 29-year-old D.J. Jones.
That doesn’t mean the current Broncos won’t feel, or see, the presence of that historical team when they play the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.
“That was a couple years before I was born,’’ said Broncos defensive end John Franklin-Myers, one of the team’s most seasoned veterans who nevertheless was born 19 years and a day after the 1977 Broncos destroyed the Buffalo Bills, 26-6 on Sept. 25 to go 2-0 in which the Orange Crush defense had allowed a mere 3.0 points per game to that point. “I’m not going to lie, I don’t know much about them, but I understand there is an importance about them, and we want to represent.”
The Broncos will honor all things 1977 Orange Crush this weekend. They are wearing their throwback 1977-like orange-topped uniforms for the game against the Raiders. They are inducting 1977 standout players Riley Odoms and Steve Foley into the Broncos Ring of Fame. They will pay tribute to linebacker Randy Gradishar for getting inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And they are bringing back all living members who can make it from that Orange Crush team that went 12-2 during the regular season, beat the mighty Steelers and Raiders in AFC playoffs and became the first of eight Broncos teams to reach the Super Bowl.
It was the height of Broncos Mania, in part because of the team’s great defense with its iconic nickname: Orange Crush.
“That’s the thing, you’ve got to earn a nickname, it’s not given,’’ Franklin-Myers said in an interview with 9NEWS in the middle of the locker room. “But, shoot, we’re on a path to doing that.’’
Through four games, the 2024 Denver defense is No. 2 in total defense (256.5 yards per game), No. 3 in scoring defense (13.8 points per), and No. 2 in sacks (16). It’s those aggressive defenses that get after the quarterback that draws a nickname. The Purple People Eaters. The Fearsome Foursome. The Steel Curtain. The Orange Crush.
“It starts with the call,’’ Franklin-Myers said in praising defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. “V.J. has done a great job of putting guys in position. We’re making the plays we’re supposed to make. It’s funneling right to us and when it is time for us to rush on-on-one, we’re rushing together, we’re playing off one another, and we have that freedom to do that.’’
Has Franklin-Myers, an eight-year pro, every played on a defense that had a nickname?
“No. I mean kinda, maybe not so much nationally,’’ he said. “But I think every defense gives themselves some sort of name. I don’t know if we got one yet.”
It was then explained how Broncos players’ photos from that 1977 team were on Orange Crush cans.
“Hey, we need to do that,’’ Franklin-Myers said with his every-friendly smile. “Hold on, I like the Orange Crush soda, so Orange Crush 2.0?”
Not bad. It’s been tried with a couple Denver defenses that got off to fast starts, but they couldn’t finish strong enough for nickname status.
Speaking of which, this Denver defense still has a long way to go. It was fun for Franklin-Myers to chase down his old teammate Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets last week in the rain. But how does he put that behind him and bring it against Gardner Minshew and the Raiders this Sunday?
“Personally, I’ve got two kids at home and a family who depends on me,’’ he said. “Old team, new team, it don’t matter. All the motivation I need is to go home and feed the baby, feed the family. Each game I’m going to put on the best performance I can.”
