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View Full Version : Paige: Trying to find a clue in London



Denver Native (Carol)
10-30-2010, 03:48 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_16473580

LONDON — As the handsome, middle-aged man and his entourage strolled down the Park Lane Mews (alley) on Friday night, a proper English chap off to the side stopped, stared and said, "Who are they?"

"He is," I said, "one of the greatest players in football history."

"Oh, Beckham with Posh Spice?"

"No," I said, "John Elway with his wife, Paige."

"Pity," said the gentleman in the bowler and the ascot, who abruptly departed.

Football in Great Britain is the English Premier League, not the National Football League. Elway may be the Duke of Denver and a Hall of Fame quarterback, but in London, he is merely a tourist at Queen Elizabeth's Court.

"Nobody knows me, and that feels pretty good," John said.

Minutes later, however, when Elway entered a nearby building, he was greeted by a throng asking for photos, autographs and handshakes. All was normal again as John was back among Americans who were attending an event honoring the Broncos' three Hall of Fame members — Elway, Gary Zimmerman and the latest, Floyd Little — and celebrating the game Sunday at Wembley Stadium between the Broncos and the 49ers — NFL teams with strong Super Bowl pasts but weak present presence.

Elway was wearing a purple sweater, Zimmerman a blue golf shirt and Little his yellow Hall-of-Fame blazer. "I requested two," Floyd told me, "so I could wear one every day and the other to bed every night."

Elway still has a full head of hair, although much of the blond has turned gray. The heads of Zimmerman and Little are bald.

I asked each what he thought was wrong with the current Broncos, who were overwhelmed by a team the trio hated when they played — the Raiders — the Sunday before coming to England.

"I don't know," Floyd said. "You tell me. I'm not sure. It's just not working."

He had received his Hall- of-Fame ring at the Broncos' game against the Colts — the first of three consecutive losses at home this season. "I'm hoping they can turn it around against the 49ers."

John raised his left eyebrow at the question. "You got an hour?"

And Gary replied: "Don't ask me. I didn't even see the game. I was in Paris last Sunday."

Zimmerman talked about how he visited the beaches of Normandy and the battle sites in France, and their profound effect on him, before coming to London. In fact, Zimmerman talked more in 10 minutes than he had during his entire career with the Broncos.

I suggested to Gary he should go to Buckingham Palace, where there's a changing of the guard every other day. "The Broncos have a changing of the guard every other practice," I said. The big man laughed.

Elway and his legendary teeth posed for photos with at least 248 of the 250 people who have traveled from Colorado, Ireland, Germany and even, yes, Ghana for the game. He had played at Wembley in 1987 when the Broncos appeared in the "American Bowl" exhibition loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In fact, when John was one of the most popular and important NFL players, the Broncos participated in six exhibitions out of the country (London, Berlin, Barcelona, Tokyo twice and Mexico City). In the last, in 1997, he tore his right biceps and believed that night his career might be over. Instead, the tear alleviated his pain and strain, and the Broncos won their first Super Bowl.

"I remember all those games, but I didn't get to do much other than play. Today, Paige and I planned to do some sightseeing. But I stayed in bed until noon and did nothing."

Of the three, only Little never got to play overseas or in a playoff game. "When John got into the Hall of Fame, they gave him a day in Denver. Gary didn't even get a day. But they gave me a whole weekend," he joked.

In the crowd was Dan Rooney, chairman emeritus of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the ambassador of Ireland. Rooney said he would be cheering for the Broncos on Sunday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Broncos CEO Joe Ellis also joined the evening's festivities, but not owner Pat Bowlen, who, it is suspected, is not on the trip.

Neither Goodell nor Ellis wanted to address my question about what's wrong with the Broncos. Nor did coach Josh McDaniels, who I taught earlier in the day how to swing a cricket bat before the Broncos' practice at the legendary Oval Cricket Ground.

I asked three Broncos' supporters and the English doorman in the red coat what is wrong with the team.

"They're just not very (darn) good," said a man from Casper.

"McDaniels is a terrible coach, but I didn't come all this week to see them lose to a terrible San Francisco team. It'll be a long trip home if they do," said a young man from Arvada.

"They don't have heart," said a woman from Englewood. "If they had more players like John, Floyd and Zimmerman, they'd have that heart and soul."

"I don't know anything about Denver," the doorman said. "I can tell you what's wrong with Arsenal. They got that owner from Denver (Stan Kroenke)."

Ravage!!!
10-30-2010, 04:13 PM
hah.. sounds like a lot of message board posters.

Not even Elway had anything positive to say when asked. Oh well. This game will at least give us some reprieve from that last weeks game.