Strike 3: Relieved. Gratified. Satisfied. Broncos Country is all that and more after the long loooooong overdue selection of all-time great Randy Gradishar by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For whatever reason (okay, we know. The East Coast Media Bias has been the sole reason) Gradishar has been sidelined by Hall voters for decades. His credentials were/are impeccable: As the leader of famed “Orange Crush” defense he helped lead Denver to it’s first ever Super Bowl appearance. He was the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, twice a first team All-Pro and three times voted to the second team. The former Ohio State All-American went to seven Pro Bowls during his 10-year career.
He was every bit the player that his contemporary, first ballot selection Jack Lambert from the Pittsburgh Steelers was. Gradishar just wore the wrong colors and played in the wrong time zone to get his proper due.
That’s all changed now, thankfully. His selection runs the total up to eight full/vast majority of their career Broncos in Canton, with others like Brian Dawkins, Peyton Manning, John Lynch and DeMarcus Ware also representing the Predominantly Orange, even if they spent a large chunk of their careers in other unis.
Gradishar’s selection puts Broncos fans into the same spot as fans of the Colorado Rockies, following Todd Helton’s recent selection. They’re both asking out loud: “Who’s next?”
Attention has been turned to coaches like Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan, both of whom should and eventually will get in. And you can make a case for players like Louis Wright, Karl Mecklenburg and the unrelated Smith brothers, Rod and Dennis. While the coaches will get in at some point, don’t hold your breath for any of those retired players.
Social media is already making the case for the late Demaryius Thomas, the former Broncos wide receiver who made a huge impact during his nine seasons in Denver (plus time in New York and Houston.) A member of the Broncos last Super Bowl winner, he made the Pro Bowl four times, and totaled just under 10,000 receiving yards and 63 touchdowns for his career. His selection would be a great story. But…
Are those Hall of Fame numbers?
Probably not.
The average NFL Hall of Fame receiver has over 11,000 yards and 86 career touchdowns. While there are several current Hall of Famers who did not reach those standards, the lowest “Hall of Fame Monitor” score among current receiver Hall members is Tommy McDonald at 55.45. Thomas’ score is 43.63, which is significantly lower than former Broncos Rod Smith at 71.07 (who may eventually get a look) and Rick Upchurch at 50.65.
DT’s not getting in.
And given the Broncos scuffles on the field the past seven years, it’s hard to see anyone on a recent Denver roster ever being in that kind of discussion, either.
While Reeves and Shanahan won’t go in together, each will get his due in the not-too-distant future. The next Broncos player to get in? That’s a no-brainer: Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller is a lock when he retires and becomes eligible. If 2023 was his last season (and who knows, he could end up returning to the Broncos to play the upcoming season) he’d be eligible in 2029.
Yes, that’s a bit of a wait for Broncos Country, which is dying to celebrate anything these days. Then again, it’s nothing like the wait Gradishar had to endure.
