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broncofaninfla
11-21-2008, 09:33 AM
Rocky Mountain News is taking a poll for the top 4 Denver Broncos players of all time. Here is a link to vote. You can chose top 4 offense, top 4 defense and 1 special teams. This was toughre than I thought.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/20/who-are-four-greatest-broncos-mount-crushmore/

:salute:

Fan in Exile
11-21-2008, 10:07 AM
Thanks for the link

I went with:
Offense
John Elway
Terrell Davis
Rod Smith
Shannon Sharpe

Defense
Steve Atwater
Champ Bailey
Goose Gonsoulin
Randy Gradishar

Special Teams
Jason Elam


I think with all due respect that the offense of the 1990's was the best offense the Bronco's ever had so I don't mind picking four players from that unit.

I love Atwater because of the way he played the game and I have a soft spot for him in my heart that reason can't touch. I mean especially after "The Hit."

I think Gradishar and Champ are no brainers.

It was a tough call between Tom Jackson and Goose, but I figured Goose would need to get some respect even if he isn't going to win.

Northman
11-21-2008, 10:23 AM
Cool link, here are my choices:

John Elway
Terrell Davis
Shannon Sharpe
Gary Zimmerman

Stever Atwater
Champ Bailey
Randy Gradishar
Tom Jackson

Tough Choice with ST as i loved Upchurch but i went with:

Jason Elam

MOtorboat
11-21-2008, 10:54 AM
Wow...I had to go with...
Elway, Little, Sharpe and Smith

Atwater, Gradishar, Jackson, Mecklenburg

Upchurch

broncofaninfla
11-21-2008, 11:02 AM
This was tough! I really think they should allow two for Special Teams, I feel guilty not voting for Upchurch. I could have easily have voted Wright, either Jackson or Smith on defense as well. Also Nalen, Sharpe, and Zim.

I went with:
Terrell Davis, running back Steve Atwater, safety Jason Elam, kicker
John Elway, quarterback Champ Bailey, cornerback
Floyd Little, running back Randy Gradishar, linebacker
Rod Smith, wide receiver Karl Mecklenburg, linebacker

Italianmobstr7
11-21-2008, 11:29 AM
Wow...I had to go with...
Elway, Little, Sharpe and Smith

Atwater, Gradishar, Jackson, Mecklenburg

Upchurch

I know Little was good...but no Terrell Davis? Really? How many 2,000 yard season did Little have? How many Super Bowls was he the work horse for? He was great, but he was no TD.

MOtorboat
11-21-2008, 11:31 AM
I know Little was good...but no Terrell Davis? Really? How many 2,000 yard season did Little have? How many Super Bowls was he the work horse for? He was great, but he was no TD.

(Keep in mind I'm a huge proponent of Terrell Davis being in the Hall of Fame, so it wasn't an indictment of Davis, rather than an endorsement for Little).

I put it into this context:

Mount Rushmore is about the history and foundation of the franchise, right? Well, obviously the two biggest cogs in the foundation of the franchise, imo, were Little and Elway. I then put it into Davis, Sharpe or Smith. Well, because of longevity and leadership, I had to go with Sharpe and Smith over Davis.

Trust me, I wanted to vote for all five, but obviously couldn't.

LRtagger
11-21-2008, 11:36 AM
Elway, Sharpe, Smith, Nalen

Atwater, Meck, Wright, Gradishar

Elam

frauschieze
11-21-2008, 11:40 AM
Voting for Elam is bittersweet. I'm still butt hurt about him going for the money.

Northman
11-21-2008, 11:40 AM
(Keep in mind I'm a huge proponent of Terrell Davis being in the Hall of Fame, so it wasn't an indictment of Davis, rather than an endorsement for Little).

I put it into this context:

Mount Rushmore is about the history and foundation of the franchise, right? Well, obviously the two biggest cogs in the foundation of the franchise, imo, were Little and Elway. I then put it into Davis, Sharpe or Smith. Well, because of longevity and leadership, I had to go with Sharpe and Smith over Davis.

Trust me, I wanted to vote for all five, but obviously couldn't.

I understand your thinking. Little didnt have the luxury to be on some of the great teams we saw the last 30 years. I wouldnt care if any of them on the list made it honestly. I just went with the guys i actually saw play.

MOtorboat
11-21-2008, 12:12 PM
So who are you going to vote for Top 4?

Mine I think would be Elway, Little, Gradishar and Mecklenburg...I think...

broncofaninfla
11-21-2008, 12:25 PM
So who are you going to vote for Top 4?

Mine I think would be Elway, Little, Gradishar and Mecklenburg...I think...


Right now I'm leaning towards Elway, Atwater, Gradishar, Smith :confused:

Lonestar
11-21-2008, 12:27 PM
can not beleive that Champ is not in the top 4 on defense..

Northman
11-21-2008, 12:29 PM
So who are you going to vote for Top 4?

Mine I think would be Elway, Little, Gradishar and Mecklenburg...I think...


Very tough, probably

Elway, Gradishar, Atwater, and Davis.

NameUsedBefore
11-21-2008, 02:40 PM
John Elway
Floyd Little
Terrell Davis
Shannon Sharpe (I originally went with Lionel Taylor, but after a few moments it was hard to deny Sharpe's contributions.)


Steve Atwater
Randy Gradishar
Karl Mecklenburg
Louis Wright (I would put Dennis Smith here, but my dad says Louis Wright was the 'Champ' of his day and I'll take his word for it.)


Rick Upchurch

deacon
11-21-2008, 03:05 PM
I can tell most of you are pretty young and didn't get to see the old timers play. That's a shame because some of them were really good.

Offense:
John Elway - Duhhh
Floyd Little - First 1st rounder who signed with Denver. Put the Broncos on the map.
Shannon Sharpe - An unbelievable athlete
Lionel Taylor - You wouldn't believe how good he was.

I wish Haven Moses and Charlie Johnson had been included as well.

Defense:

Steve Atwater - Hardest hitter I've ever seen
Randy Gradishar - Mr. Bronco He was the best short yardage run stopper ever.
Dennis Smith - Right with Atwater as a hitter and a better coverage safety.
Louis Wright - Probably the best pure CB ever.

Special Teams:

Jason Elam
Upchurch was special too but Elam edges him out in my mind.

deacon
11-21-2008, 03:07 PM
I know Little was good...but no Terrell Davis? Really? How many 2,000 yard season did Little have? How many Super Bowls was he the work horse for? He was great, but he was no TD.

But he played in the days when the Broncos won 2-3 games a year and still stood out. You can't punish Little because he played on bad teams.

broncofaninfla
11-21-2008, 03:40 PM
I can tell most of you are pretty young and didn't get to see the old timers play. That's a shame because some of them were really good.

Offense:
John Elway - Duhhh
Floyd Little - First 1st rounder who signed with Denver. Put the Broncos on the map.
Shannon Sharpe - An unbelievable athlete
Lionel Taylor - You wouldn't believe how good he was.

I wish Haven Moses and Charlie Johnson had been included as well.

Defense:

Steve Atwater - Hardest hitter I've ever seen
Randy Gradishar - Mr. Bronco He was the best short yardage run stopper ever.
Dennis Smith - Right with Atwater as a hitter and a better coverage safety.
Louis Wright - Probably the best pure CB ever.

Special Teams:

Jason Elam
Upchurch was special too but Elam edges him out in my mind.

Great list! I've changed my mind so many times today on my top players. It's a shame the HOF doesn't recognize the truly great players we have had through out the years. :beer:

studbucket
11-23-2008, 01:32 AM
Offense
Elway
Little
Davis
Sharpe

Defense
Gradishar
Mecklenberg
Atwater
Tom Jackson (it might have been Louis Wright, I forgot who I voted for 2 days ago)

ST
Upchurch

studbucket
11-23-2008, 01:36 AM
can not beleive that Champ is not in the top 4 on defense..

He needs to be a Bronco for longer than 5 years to make a monument; he was a Redskin for exactly as long as he's been a Bronco (5 years at each place). You can't tell me that he's more of a Bronco than anyone who is on that list.

It also somewhat surprises me Zimmerman is on the list given that he was only a Bronco for 5 years, a Viking for 7, and in the USFL for 2. He was fantastic, but if I was asked to name an O-Lineman who represents the Broncos, I would say Nalen.

SR
11-23-2008, 01:49 AM
Even though Eddie Mac wasn't a career Bronco, I wish he would've been on that list. How many players do you know that wore pop-warner sized shoulder pads and cut the toes of their shoes out to minimize extra weight?

Lonestar
11-23-2008, 02:15 AM
He needs to be a Bronco for longer than 5 years to make a monument; he was a Redskin for exactly as long as he's been a Bronco (5 years at each place). You can't tell me that he's more of a Bronco than anyone who is on that list.

It also somewhat surprises me Zimmerman is on the list given that he was only a Bronco for 5 years, a Viking for 7, and in the USFL for 2. He was fantastic, but if I was asked to name an O-Lineman who represents the Broncos, I would say Nalen.


Here I disagree IMHO it does not matter how long they played here well a I guess a mim of 2-3 years to start when you have the GOAT or in the top 3-4 of that you have to add him to the list..

If they have no chance to get to the real HOF then they should not be considered BEST OF all time Broncos IMO..

topscribe
11-23-2008, 02:42 AM
I know Little was good...but no Terrell Davis? Really? How many 2,000 yard season did Little have? How many Super Bowls was he the work horse for? He was great, but he was no TD.

Were it not for Floyd Little, there would not have been either an Elway or a
Davis era. Little was The Franchise. He saved the Broncos.

Moreover, I don't know how old you are, but I saw Little during his entire
career. Yes, he was great. I hate to compare players from different eras, but
I have not seen a RB in a Broncos uniform who could do what Little could do.

Not to have Floyd Little on that list would just be wrong.

OFFENSE

Floyd Little
John Elway
Rod Smith (Rod wasn't the best WR, IMO. Lionel Taylor was. But Rod was a better Bronco.)
Gary Zimmerman (Went to the HOF as a Denver Bronco.)

DEFENSE

Randy Gradishar
Dennis Smith (Or Louis Wright)
Rich Jackson
Champ Bailey

SPECIAL TEAMS

Jason Elam

-----

topscribe
11-23-2008, 02:45 AM
Here I disagree IMHO it does not matter how long they played here well a I guess a mim of 2-3 years to start when you have the GOAT or in the top 3-4 of that you have to add him to the list..

If they have no chance to get to the real HOF then they should not be considered BEST OF all time Broncos IMO..

I don't think the Broncos have had another player, other than Champ, who
made All-Pro four straight years in a row, have they?

-----

Magnificent Seven
11-23-2008, 03:48 AM
John Elway
Shannon Sharpe
Vance Johnson
Terrell Davis
----------------
Steve Atwater
Champ Bailey
Bill Romanowski
Tom Jackson

SR
11-23-2008, 04:08 AM
Romanowski? Really? He played for three other teams besides Denver. He's not even on my top 10 all time Broncos.

EastCoastBronco
11-23-2008, 09:44 AM
Don't forget the fatboys...Zimmerman, Schlereth, Habib, Jones, Bishop, Nalen

broncophan
11-23-2008, 09:45 AM
What about Rulon Jones??????:confused:

Bronco Bible
11-23-2008, 09:49 AM
Offense
Floyd Little
John Elway
Terrell Davis
Shannon Sharpe
(Charley Johnson)

Defense
Randy Gradishar
Louis Wright
Champ Bailey
Steve Atwater



Special Teams
Jason Elam



The first two on Offense & defense would be my final picks

Foochacho
11-23-2008, 10:57 AM
I don't know about all of you but i think Travis Henry was the greatest ever. I love how he handles himself off the field. He is such a good citizen that he let the cops catch him. He didn't want the DEA agent to get tired by chasing him so he slowed down so he could get caught.

He alos does work for the state. He'll probally be cleaning the highways and making license plates and all of this is free of charge. The guy is wonderful.:salute:

Lonestar
11-23-2008, 01:07 PM
What about Rulon Jones??????:confused:

rich jackson was just that much better.. as was alzado till he went to the darkside..

Dean
11-23-2008, 08:50 PM
It appears that the vast majority of the voters were 35 or less years old. If you saw players like Rich Jackson for example playing, I can't see how you would not give them your votes.

They played in 12 or 14 game regular seasons and on teams where they were all the opposition had to scheme against. Yet, they made plays ver and over again. You could always point to them and say they are on my team and be proud of it.

Magnificent Seven
11-23-2008, 09:10 PM
Romanowski? Really? He played for three other teams besides Denver. He's not even on my top 10 all time Broncos.

Well, He was a Bronco, right?

broncofaninfla
12-12-2008, 11:13 AM
Final vote from Rocky Mountain News:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/11/mount-crushmore-greatest-broncos/
Who are the four greatest Broncos? We asked the question and readers answered in two weeks of polls and feverish debate. Rocky cartoonist Drew Litton has drawn the final result, Mount Crushmore, featuring the faces of John Elway, Terrell Davis, Shannon Sharpe and Randy Gradishar.

CrazyHorse
12-12-2008, 12:43 PM
Offense
Elway, Davis, Sharpe, Smith

Defense
Gradishar, Mecklenburg, Atwater, Bailey

ST
Elam

DenverBronkHoes
12-12-2008, 01:03 PM
i dont think champ deserves top 4 honors.....

he's awesome... but i have my reasons

Dreadnought
12-12-2008, 01:28 PM
But he played in the days when the Broncos won 2-3 games a year and still stood out. You can't punish Little because he played on bad teams.

With terrible offensive lines, and QB's named Tensi, Liske, Briscoe, Pastrana, Ramsey, Horn, etc. The Broncos frequently had to play from behind with big deficits. It was Little who first made this team competitive.

Honorable mention to Charley Johnson too, maybe the flat out smartest guy ever to play QB in the NFL and Denver's first respectable QB. Not by any means great but ne was good enough to start us on the path out of the darkness. He is now a professor of Chemical Engineering - like I said, pretty smart.

Chef Zambini
05-06-2012, 01:26 PM
bump! thought it would be fun to re-visit this question !
my bronco mount rushmore is ELWAY
LITTLE
Davis
and rulon jones(mostly because i cant decide between meck and gradishar )
I do feel the need to put a defensive palyer on the mount.
but maybe a good question is this;
if MANNING leads us to another SB vbictory, would you consider adding him to your bronco mount rushmore?

EMB6903
05-06-2012, 04:38 PM
In all due respect to Floyd little. He couldn't hold TDs jockstrap.

Offense
1. John Elway
2. Gary Zimmerman
3. Terrell Davis
4. Shannon Sharpe

Defense
1. Randy Gradishar
2. Karl mecklenburg
3.Champ Bailey
4.Simon Fletcher

Special teams
1. Rick Upchurch

Honorable mention: Rod Smith, Dennis Smith, Billy Thompson, Rich Jackson, Tom Jackson, Floyd Little

Chef Zambini
05-06-2012, 05:13 PM
In all due respect to Floyd little. He couldn't hold TDs jockstrap.

Offense
1. John Elway
2. Gary Zimmerman
3. Terrell Davis
4. Shannon Sharpeno,
Defense
1. Randy Gradishar
2. Karl mecklenburg
3.Champ Bailey
4.Simon Fletcher

Special teams
1. Rick Upchurch

Honorable mention: Rod Smith, Dennis Smith, Billy Thompson, Rich Jackson, Tom Jackson, Floyd Littlethats not due respect, you obviously never saw him play.
LITTLE is in the HOF, when he retired he led his leauge in yards from scrimmage.
in your wisdom you failed to recccognize that i also included TD on my mt rushmore.
is your name richard?

EMB6903
05-06-2012, 06:14 PM
Terrell Davis won a league MVP, Super Bowl MVP, 2 rings, had 7 100+ yard rushing playoff games in 8 playoff appearances. He averaged 142 yards rushing in the playoffs with 12 touchdowns. Led the league in rushing touchdowns in 97 and 98 and won the rushing title in 1998 (2008 yards) and was a 3 time all pro.

Terrell Davis for 2 years was easily the most dominant player in the NFL.

As I said before. With all due respect to the HOFer Floyd little... He couldn't hold Terrell davis jockstrap.

(for the record I wasn't attacking your post. I did not look at the date of the OP when I made my first post and was responding to a poster who had Little in his top 4 and not TD)

Chef Zambini
05-07-2012, 11:24 AM
I applaud your comments about TD, he IS my favorite bronco !
but to say that little couldnt carry his jock strap is just disrespectful and frankly ignorant.
' as I said and again repeat, you obviosly NEVER saw him play.
when LITTLE played he didnt have an elway, or smith or Oline or defense or anything else to make that team anything other than the doormat of the league! opponents came to play with one singular defensive strategy, STOP LITTLE. and yet he still managed to produce and help the broncos win...

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY;
MANY who were around those days, including the denver MAYOR, and colorado governor, all agree that the broncos never would have stayed in DENVER, they would have folded their rocky mountain tent, if LITTLE was not there to make the broncos VIABLE.
so my fellow bronco fan, there would most likely be NO DENVER BRONCOS for TD and ELWAY to play for if it wasnt for LITTLE !
you need to retract your asinine comment about floyd and tender him an apology!

The Glue Factory
05-07-2012, 12:42 PM
if MANNING leads us to another SB vbictory, would you consider adding him to your bronco mount rushmore?

No. He doesn't have the longevity as other's already named. If he had been here for the majority of his career AND won us a SB then I'd consider it. It'd have to take something huge by him to replace anyone of the others though.

Chef Zambini
05-08-2012, 01:28 AM
what if he plays 5 years and wins two?

The Glue Factory
05-08-2012, 08:42 AM
Then he gets a ticket to the conversation. But nothing guaranteed.

Chef Zambini
05-08-2012, 10:22 AM
cmon folks step up;
who is on your broncos Mount Rushmore?