The Protector: Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles is a hidden gem

What do you really know about Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles?

He’s a tackle. He’s not often in the highlight reels. He’s not scoring any points or stopping any, either.

He’s protecting.

What else?

He’s currently playing in his ninth season with the Denver Broncos, and — amazingly — he’s their longest-tenured player. Pro Football Reference will confirm that he hasn’t won much in the NFL. There was a time when he was known most for, well, holding.

But to boil Bolles down to just what he’s been doing on the gridiron is wildly irresponsible, because the man
is so much more than football. In fact, there’s no sense having us elaborate. Let’s let him do it.

On the go-ahead touchdown against the Giants in Week 7…

The coaches trust me to get the job done. I pride myself on those opportunities; that’s where I’m at my best – stressful situations, crunch-time moments where I’ve got to make a block to spring my quarterback or my running back, or to make a block in pass protection to help get the ball into our playmakers’ hands. I knew it was in our sheet for the week. And he [head coach Sean Payton] dialed it up and I looked to my left; we just had a crackdown on one guy. Bo [Nix] has the speed. When he went inside, I put my inside hand on him and wheeled around. I made a good block. Mike McGlinchey made a good block down the stretch to spring him into the end zone. Those are the moments I live for. We won a crazy game and I’m just super grateful that we got the job done. I made a block to help us win; that’s what offensive linemen do.

On what Nix said after the play…

He just said that we did a hell of a job. We have a tight connection; I protect his blind side, but it’s the relationship and the love that I have for him. For him to come in here and make such an immediate impact from his rookie year to now, it’s my job to protect him on and off the field. That’s what they pay me to do. So, we shared a special moment. He just told me to keep up to good work, and that he loves us all. He was just proud of us for pulling that victory out.

On doing a weekly radio segment on KOA (presented by Kodiak Building)…

We teamed with my foundation to be able to give back to the community. I went to school for radio broadcasting; communications. So being able to talk on the radio is something I love to do; I think it just comes naturally to me. Being able to talk to a legendary coach at Cherry Creek — but also a close friend of mine in Dave Logan — we’re able to just talk about football. And it’s awesome.

On doing the show after a loss…

Being in that spotlight and understanding that the media must ask those tough questions, I understand that. I obviously have sympathy for (the media) because I understand journalism and radio broadcasting, and all the different stuff that’s behind the scenes that makes sports fun. They’ve got to write about the good times and the bad times; I completely understand that. It’s not the greatest thing to do – to be able to get on the radio and talk about a loss, like when we lost against the Colts or the Chargers early on in the season. We lost by two points – that’s the difference between being 7-0 and 5-2. They’re not crazy losses. We’re lucky enough to not let the Giants game get away from us to the point of no return… It’s fun to be part of this organization and see all these amazing people.

On what’s different about this year’s team…

We know who we are. I tell people all the time, we’re like a backyard football team. We may not start off the way we want to, but somehow, we find a way to win. And that’s what the NFL is all about — winning — and it doesn’t matter how they come. It’s hard enough to win in this league. It’s hard enough to be able to get a bunch of guys to come in and buy into a program, and buy into an organization, and buy into what we’re doing. Within two years, it’s
the most wins I’ve ever had since being a Bronco. Hiring a coach like Sean Payton, it took two years to figure it out. Now we’re on our third year, and we’re rolling. It’s fun, man. It’s amazing to sit back and be like, “Man, we could easily be where we were eight years ago, right?” Now, we’re down by four points with 1:30 left, and we can come back and score to win a game. Or if we’re down by 30 points or 18 points in the fourth quarter with five minutes left – we scored 30 unanswered points. That never happened eight years ago, or five or six years ago. It’s happening now. It’s just the culture that we have. I think it goes back to what George Paton has created as the general manager. He wants a culture – not only as a family and football – but it’s for one another. It’s our why. It’s our identity. It’s where we’re going and what’s going to take place. It’s just a blessing to be here.

On what makes this year’s team unique to him…

It’s the closest group I’ve ever been around. I love our quarterback. I love all of our playmakers. The defense is unstoppable – I mean, geez, you watch them battle it out and dominate on all cylinders… I feel like our O-line is one of the best in the NFL, if not the best, because the love that we have for one another and the love that we protect each other with; it’s just a great group of dudes to be around. I’m a lot older than a lot of these dudes. I have kids; some of these dudes, my kids are older than their siblings, which is a little funny to me. It’s just cool to be
able to share these experiences with these guys, experiences that are going to last forever. And a (win like the one over Giants)? It’s going to be in the history books for a long time. It’s just a great time to be a Bronco.

Speaking of the Giants game, just how in the heck did the Broncos win anyway…

We looked at each other and we were like, “Listen, we know this situation. There’s 30 seconds left on the clock. We know the situation; we practice these moments. We have two plays to get into field goal range; let’s do it.” Coach Payton preaches and preaches and preaches game clock situations and game-clock management. We knew exactly what we needed to do. When Marvin Mims catches that pass, we knew we needed to get up on the ball. We spiked it. All of a sudden we went to Courtland [Sutton], and we spiked it again. We had no timeouts. In training camp for the last two years, Coach Payton has drilled us and drilled us and drilled us about these type of moments. And, obviously, we saw it paid off. We practice the small and simple things. That’s the difference between a good team and a bad team: can you focus? It’s 60 minutes of football; if you can just focus for those crucial times in the games when it’s a “gotta
have it” situation – because you see, time and time again, teams failing in those “gotta have it” situations. The teams that prevail are the teams that practice it. The teams that don’t just struggle in it. I feel like in those situations, teams are stressing – and we were all calm. We all looked at each other in the huddle and were like, “Let’s do this thing.”

On his early years as a Bronco…

My first three years, everyone knows, it wasn’t pretty. I take full responsibility for that. Some things I couldn’t control, and a lot of things I could have done a lot better job at. I was young and I was immature, and I needed to be a better cornerstone for the foundation of this organization.

On football mentors…

Joe Staley is a mentor of mine. Andrew Whitworth is a mentor of mine… Staley would go down as one of the best tackles that ever played a game. Whitworth was such a cornerstone in Cincinnati, then went to L.A. to win a Super Bowl and ride off into the sunset. Those are the type of people I surround myself with. When I was talking to Joe… the first thing he told me was, “You’ve got to be consistent. You’ve got to be consistent in everything that you do – the way you take care of your body, your mindset, the way you prepare yourself. And I didn’t know that at a young age. Eventually, (that rubs) off on everybody else. Eventually (young guys are) asking me questions, “Hey G.B., how do you take care of yourself? G.B., what do you see on this play?”

On signing two sizable, long-term contracts with the Broncos…

Going from head coach to offensive coordinator and different O-line coaches and different players in and out of my o-line room – and still being here – I knew that I had to play consistent. They didn’t pick up my fifth-year option in 2019. I just finally said, “Freak them! I’m going to take it upon myself!” My agent and my family and all my loved ones got together, and we just decided, “Listen, this is going to be on me.” And I had to focus; I can’t take back the past, I can’t take back the penalties, I can’t take back all the stuff that Broncos Country (said)… But I knew that there was always going to be light at the end of the tunnel, and I had to get myself mentally prepared to be able to be a cornerstone. I’ll never forget the conversation that I had with my agent. He said, “Listen, George Paton needs you to be one of the 10 core guys, so that he can turn this around.” When George talked to me, and we had that connection, I knew that I wanted to be his guy. That’s exactly what he did. He trusted me, and he got me in the right situation.

On seeing two different ownership groups as a Bronco…

Seeing the transformation of what our ownership group has brought in; it’s the special bond that I have with them and being able to communicate with them and seeing what they want for Denver as a city and as a sports town, seeing how they’re going to build a new stadium and how they’re building a new (training) facility. You know, I have so much love for the Bowlen family, because I knew them and understood their values; what their father has passed down from generation to generation. And now, (the Walton-Penner ownership group has) so many resources — and (there’s) so much love that we have for one another.

On Broncos Country…

One thing that you know about Broncos Country is they’re going tell you the truth. They’re either going to love you because you’re doing great, or they’re going hate you when you’re doing bad. And quite frankly, I appreciate that — because that’s how my life is. They’re real and they’re going to love their people, but they’re not afraid to poke the bear and tell you, “Hey, you gotta wake up.” They’re passionate fans here. I’m very grateful that I have those type of people, because they did push me ,and they did make me better. But that’s how my life is. I’ve had ups and downs my entire life, from childhood to now, and I just realized that’s nothing’s too big or too hard for me to not overcome… I’ve had some rough years, to the point where football was not fun – when you’re losing, and you’re just miserable. I’ve always been the type of kid that’s [thinks] nothing’s too big for this moment. I knew that I wanted to create a legacy. I didn’t care about the money. I know everyone says that, but I care more about a legacy — about what I can do to put my name on the print of this organization and this city.

On the inspiration behind the GB3 Foundation…

When I created the GB3 Foundation, I created a vision bigger than myself. I got closer with my family; me and my wife are as close as we’ve ever been. I love being a dad. I love being in this city. I love helping people. I love helping the youth in the city. That just gives me passion. When these kids are struggling with gangs and drugs and alcohol in the streets, and I get to talk to them and interact with them (through) my foundation, that’s what pushes me through hard times and gives me a vision. And that vision is just to be the best version of myself, on and off the field… I don’t do this for, “look at me;” I do this because I truly care. I truly want these kids to know I’m there for them. I understand what they’re going through; It took a lot of hard work on my end — and so many other people — to get me to where I’m at now. And I know that my passion is to take what I’ve learned, spread it to the world and to be able to save as many kids’ lives as possible… I love that song by Michael Jackson, (“Man in the Mirror”) – you know, “you gotta make that change!” That’s what it takes. If we all focus on helping other people, this world will be such a better place. It’s all about love. My mom always taught me to love God and love people, and I truly do that. I’m so grateful that my mom taught me that and how much it has benefited my life and my family’s life.

The vision behind the GB3 Foundation…

When I was younger, I had a dream that I always wanted to help people. I’ve always wanted to protect people. I’ve always wanted to help and give people the shirt off my back, the money that I make or the food that I make; that’s just what I’ve always wanted to do. I had a vision of exactly what I wanted to look like when I was little. I knew I wanted to play in the NFL, but I also knew I wanted to create something bigger than myself. I have a lot of great people around me that put time and effort into it. The Broncos’ community team did a phenomenal job early on in my career by seeing my story, [whether] it’s me doing school visits or me going to the correctional facilities and talking to these kids, or me going to the probation court having opportunities to help kids understand what the system does and how to help people. It’s helping kids with learning disabilities. I had all these different umbrellas, and I was like, “You know what? I’m going to create my own thing and (combine) all these into one.” There’s been a lot of thought and time into it. But I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted my family to be involved.

On his path to here…

It’s just an amazing feeling to know where I was eight years ago – I may not even be on this team, may not even be in this city, may not even be in the NFL because of my struggles – to now being a cornerstone tackle for one of the best organizations in all of sports. It’s a blessing. I’m beyond grateful. Obviously, God has helped me in so many ways, and has given me so many people to bless my life. My nutritionist to my doctors, my agency, my family, all the many friends that root for me. I have a close, tight-knit, family circle, and my inner circle is very tight. At first, it was really big — and I had to make it smaller to realize these are the people you need to listen to. Once I did that, my career took off like a rocket. And I’m beyond grateful. I’m still here.

On having a tough childhood…

I don’t ever wish how I grew up and the heartaches and troubles that I had growing up upon anyone, but I also realize that everyone in life is different. Everyone comes from a different background… we all have our issues and we all have our tribulations. Sometimes issues are passed down from generations or the household you lived in… When I was going through my childhood and my tough times, I had to realize it’s made me the person I am today; I think it’s made me mentally and physically tough… I had to realize, “Okay, I’m in this situation. How am I going to get myself out of this situation, and how am I going to make this situation into a positive?” I had to realize that at a very young age, when there were times I went home crying. There were times I went home frustrated. Those times make these times so much sweeter, but I don’t think there’s anything I would take for granted. I am very grateful for the way that I lived, because I think it’s just made me who I am today. It’s made me a better father. It’s made me a better husband. It’s made me a better football player in all aspects of the game… I learned from every situation.

On his relationship with Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw…

Dre and I have sat down multiple times and had conversations about our life, coming from a very similar background of being in a foster-care unit and having DCFS [Department of Children and Family Services] involved… we always say that if we didn’t live that life, I don’t know if we would be as tough as we are, as mentally tough. I’m so grateful that Dre is on our team; I think he’s a hell of a dude. We’re super, super close. It’s fun to be able to share stories and be able to communicate about who we are and where we came from. At first, Dre didn’t quite understand me, and then we shared the stories of who you really are, and what we’ve gone through together. I think that’s the beautiful thing about this day; it doesn’t matter who you are as people – if you’re black, white, green or blue or pink. It doesn’t matter; if you truly love somebody and you truly show passion towards that person, you can create a friendship for the rest of your life. You can create a relationship the rest of your life when you truly look at somebody for who they are. Understanding Dre and the relationship that we have has been an amazing journey so far… it’s awesome to be able to have a teammate like that.

On his “triangle” philosophy…

My triangle is faith, family and football – and it’s in that order for a reason. I don’t do anything that’s going to break that foundation. If all three sides hold up the same amount of pressure, you can’t break a triangle. You have three pillars that become your why – why you do what you do. It takes 90 days for you to change a bad habit and make it a positive. I’ve had so many people in my life that have pushed me and guided me and directed me. They’re able to teach me and give me the lessons I need to learn, even though there are times where I don’t want to listen and don’t want to try. But I’m always going to get [back] up, and I’m always going to take on the challenge… I will do whatever I need to do to fight for my job – like I was with the Broncos – fight for my family or fight for my religion, or fight for whatever I need to fight for. I’m the type of person that’s going to stand up for what I believe in. I’m going to do what’s important. I share my experiences through my childhood to be able to make me a better player, a better teammate. It’s amazing, man. It’s been a really cool story. My story is not over yet, but I’m just grateful that I can continue to be the person I am, and to continue to help this team [while being] a good teammate on and off the field.

On the family that took him in as a teen…

The Freeman family means everything to me. I’m beyond grateful that they became a mom and dad in my life; what they’ve cherished and what they’ve done for me. Obviously, my whole biological family situation is a very sticky [one]; there are some things that have happened where I’ve had to put up some barriers in life. But (the Freemans) have been there for me, man. They love me. They cherish me. They believe in who I am. I talk to my mom every single day, talk to my dad when I go to work. Greg and Emily Freeman have just been unbelievable people in my life. I always tell them how grateful I am for them to accept me. They always say, “Well, we didn’t accept you.” And I ask, “What does that mean?” And they say, “Well, God led us to help you. God gave us the ability to help you.” I always tell them, “You changed my life.” And they’re like, “No, you’ve changed our life.” I think it’s just a mutual respect. They’ve given me so many lessons when it comes to work, gave me a job when nobody gave me a job, gave me a house to stay in when nobody wanted me to be in their house, helped me find clothes and school supplies when nobody else wanted to help me at that time. They supported me when I went down to Snow College when I had nothing, and supported me when I was at Utah. They don’t care about my money or whatever I have; they just love me as a person. They continue to guide me. I mean, they’re obviously the grandparents to my kids. They support me on all cylinders – not just for my money, or for the things that I have, and my accolades or anything like that; they just truly love Garett. I couldn’t ask for anything better. My mom knows when I’m down and when I’m sad; she always sends me reminders about continuing to fight. When I’m out of hand, I get it from my wife and I get it from my mom – which is exactly what I need to straighten back up; I laugh about it now. They’ve given me so much hope and so much faith to be able to live my dream of playing football and live my dream of being a dad. Being a husband and a father is truly the greatest gift that I’ve ever been able to receive. I have the best parents in the world.

On family…

I have the best brothers and sisters in the world, the best wife and best kids in the world. It’s the greatest gift knowing that I have a family that just loves me for who I am, that supports me. That’s what a family is. It doesn’t have to be blood, and it doesn’t have to be a hundred percent blood — it can be anyone that you look up to that loves you for who you are. That’s what family is about. That’s why we’re here, to have a family, to be able to provide for each other and to support each other unconditionally.

On his wife and kids…

My wife and my mom are like two peas in a pod. They’re so identical. They always say boys marry somebody like their mom; I definitely did that. I’m very blessed… It’s the friendship that we have together. My kids are the greatest gifts ever. I can come home from having the best game of my life or the worst game of my life, and they still think I’m their hero. I heard that changes when they get older. I hope that doesn’t change. Man, life is good.

On consistency on and off the field…

My mom and dad always told me that the way that you live your life off the field is how you perform on the field. I truly believe that. I had to learn that at a very young age, young in my football years… There have been times in my career where I have to straighten my life out. When I’m not playing good, obviously my mind’s somewhere different. I had to learn that I have to balance that lifestyle out.

On football as a source of motivation early in life…

I couldn’t play football if I didn’t understand the importance of character and discipline; the importance of hard work and putting my time into something. I’m the biggest believer in myself. I believe I can be as great (as anyone) to ever play this game, because that’s just how I am as a person. That’s just the confidence level that I built into myself. Realizing football is going to be my passion and my occupation for work, and being able to take that same mindset – you have ups and downs in football, but… none of that phases me. I want to be the best left tackle in Broncos history; the best left tackle in football. I obviously want to be a Hall-of-Famer, but football, to me, is more than just the accolades that you get on the field. I play football for so many people and for many different reasons. There are so many motivational factors of why I step on the field on Sundays. It’s the fact that I get to live my dream, and I get to talk to the youth and be able to help them identify what their dreams are. There’s more than just football to me. It’s obviously the game that I love and play, but it’s a story that I get to tell people.

On the freedom that football has given him…

I get to be myself. I have a disability and things of that nature that I have to deal with on a regular basis. But being on the football field, I can just be free of anything – my past, my future, of who I am. I can just go out there and play this game.

On signing his autograph…

When I sign my autograph, I always put “Live Your Dream” with three quotation marks – which stands for Faith, Family and Football. What are your pillars? What are you going to become? If you live your dream, you have to have three things that become your why and your motivation.

On rituals…

When I come out of the tunnel, I always do an “F” in sign language. If you go from your middle finger to your pinky, there are three pillars. Anytime I’m on the field, if you ever see me tap my head,
it’s always towards my family. I know who I’m playing for, and I know what I’m doing.

On working with incarcerated kids…

All these people have made mistakes, but what people don’t realize is these are still human beings; they are still kids that we can help. Just because they made a mistake by doing something that puts them into incarceration, we still can help them – because people did that for me. I think I have mentored over 200 kids in the correctional facilities. It’s just talking with them and communicating with them… and watching these kids grow. It’s them having my cell phone number where we can text and call, being able to sit down with these families and see their moms and dads as they come to court.

On the advice he most commonly gives kids…

Number one, I say that it doesn’t matter how you start; it matters how you finish. And that’s a quote that I would want on my headstone – it doesn’t matter how you start, it matters how you finish. When you look at a headstone, you see when they were born, then you see the dash, then you see when they pass away. The dash is the life that everyone knows you as. What do you want to be known as? I teach these kids that you can be known as a guy that robbed a 7-Eleven, or took drugs, or hurt somebody else, or got in a fight. Or you can be the kid that goes and makes a mistake and then turned his life around; that changed the narrative of your family’s life forever, or your culture forever. All of a sudden – 20, 30 years down the road – you are that life… You’ve changed the person you are. You were that piece of the jigsaw puzzle; that missing piece that people don’t see. And that’s what I tell these kids – you can do this, and one thing you need to know is that you’re not alone.

On opening the Bjorem & Bolles Apraxia Education Initiative’s new training center…

My son, Kingston, was diagnosed with apraxia of speech, so I wanted to focus on him and make him a part of my foundation. We opened up a training center for speech teachers to better understand their apraxia of speech, and to become more involved. Being able to create a platform for my son Kingston, with his speech therapist, Miss Jenny (Bjorem). It’s expensive for kids to get everyday therapy for apraxia of speech – super expensive. I signed my contract at the right time when he got diagnosed, and being able to know that (his therapist) is 15 minutes away from our house and how grateful I am for Miss Jenny and the vision that we had for each other. We wanted to create something amazing for these kids, a place where these speech teachers from all over the world can come in here and learn our program — and then take it back to their countries or their cities.

On relating to young people…

I tell them that I’m here with you, and I’m going to ride and die with you. I’m going to cry with you. I’m going to hurt with you. I’m going to talk with you. I’m going to be there for you. I’m not just saying this because everyone else does; I’m saying this because I truly care, I truly want what’s best for you. And it doesn’t matter what color we are, or what religion you are, or what we look like — what matters is that I love you; who you are as a person. I want you to trust me. Trust is not given, it’s earned, and I’m going to earn it — and I want you to earn my trust as I earn yours. We’re in this together. And no matter where we go or what you do in life, I just want you to always remember that it doesn’t matter how you start, it matters how you finish. I want you to know you can change the outcome of your life forever — if you choose to do it. It’s all up to you. I’m going to guide you in the right direction, but you’re going to have to take the leap of faith to make the jump. And it’s so cool to watch these people transform into a better man or a better woman. It’s just such an amazing thing to watch, and it truly brings so much joy to me and my family’s life.

On saying, “My story could have a happy ending,” and what that ending looks like to him…

I’ve given my passion. I’ve given my time and energy to becoming the best version of myself. I’ve given my life and my time and effort to this organization, and they’ve given me so much. It’s all about teamwork. What’s the saying? “It takes a village.” It takes a village to raise somebody, right? I’m beyond grateful to have the opportunity to not only live in this beautiful state of Colorado, but to raise my family here and to be part of such a great organization; to be able to have a voice and platform to live my life through the lens of my GB3 Foundation. I’m grateful to be able to bring my passion and energy to the youth around me; to give them a [better] life, to live their dream like I’m living mine in the NFL. Football can come and go, but my story and my passion is going to live on forever.