ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It was Jerry Rosburg’s world this week and the Broncos were captivated.
Rosburg wasn’t afraid to articulate his thoughts. A 40-year football coach at the high school, college and NFL levels, Rosburg will get his first chance as a football head coach (he once was a high school hockey head coach) Sunday against the mighty Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos are 12 ½-point underdogs.
And yet.
"I’m not scared," Rosburg said. "I want to say this, though. Colorado is an incredible place. I’ve stood out here before and marveled at this. These fans in this area are tired of watching what they have been watching, especially with the team that we are playing this week.’’
Indeed, the Chiefs have defeated the Broncos 14 games in a row, a skid that dates back to 2015.
"They’re frustrated and they are expressing their frustration," Rosburg said. "I understand that, and I understand that to a core. Here is what I want to say to the fans. You can’t pick your owners; the owners pick you. I just want all of the fans of the Broncos to understand—without sounding gratuitous—I want all the fans to understand what good hands this franchise is in. Greg Penner, Carrie Penner and Mr. Rob Walton are brilliant people with a great vision for what this organization is going to be.
"This organization has been through a lot, I understand that. I’m going to say this, too. The only person I knew here was (general manager) George Paton. Since I have arrived here, he’s an incredible general manager and an incredible man. He’s going to be a lifelong friend. If nothing else happens from my time here, my relationship with George is something that I am going to take with me forever.
"You can’t pick your owner. You can probably criticize the GMs and write bad things. The fans will rise up with pitch forks and clubs and, ‘Throw him out of here.’ That would be a huge mistake. You have a great man in that place and he’s highly competent. This has been a mess. You are all aware of that. The fans are tired of it, but we made this mess. Late at night, there are some great people here working late at night with Sergio, Enrico and Miss Maria. They are in here cleaning up the stuff, but we have to pick up our own mess. These players and these coaches, we have to pick up after ourselves. We have to humble ourselves and go change this thing.
"This is fertile ground. This is an incredible franchise with a rich history, three Super Bowl trophies and Hall of Famers. It shouldn’t be like this. It can’t be like this. I’ve been trying to plant seeds with George and the ownership group. I may not be around to see them bloom, but this is going to be a rich garden. To the fans—it’s coming.’’
Rosburg concluded his speech with, ‘thank you.”
Wow. It may be fair to assume Rosburg has a pregame speech prepared.
Hamler receives courage award
KJ Hamler was voted by his teammates as the Broncos’ recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. The speedy receiver suffered tears in his ACL and hip last season and there were complications in his recovery. He also publicly admitted he went through a bout of depression following the death of his beloved grandmother.
"It’s a blessing—a blessing in disguise," Hamler said of the courage honor. "I’ve been through a lot, still going through things. Everybody goes through things. It’s just a matter of how you push through it and how you get through it. I have a great support system, great friends, great teammates who have helped me through a lot. It’s a blessing at the end of the day.
"There were people telling me I probably wasn’t even going to be able to play football again or this season. So just to prove a lot of people wrong and to get back out there and play with the team—I know the year hasn’t been what everybody expected. My personal goals haven’t been what I wanted it to be. But just being out there and just getting a feel for it again is amazing. and I’m proud of myself."
Gregory out, Dulcich done
Randy Gregory got his one-game suspension lifted upon appeal – only to miss the Chiefs’ game anyway because of a knee injury. Tight end Greg Dulcich, meanwhile, was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Dulcich, a third-round rookie from UCLA, missed the first five games with a hamstring injury, returned to record 33 catches, 411 yards and 2 touchdowns in 10 games, and will now miss the final two games because of a hamstring.
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