Mount Crushmore: The Greatest Broncos

[BroncoManiac]

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa181/redsoxfan303/crushmorefinal_t613.jpg

What you guys think? :beer:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/11/mount-crushmore-greatest-broncos/

[Fan in Exile]

I think some old guy is going to post in this thread that talking about how much better the players were back in the day and about how young guys don't understand.

[Traveler]

I think some old guy is going to post in this thread that talking about how much better the players were back in the day and about how young guys don't understand.

That old guy would be me.;)

[Dreadnought]

That old guy would be me.;)

Hey, I thought I got to be the old guy :D

Seriously, I can't argue too hard with those 4. And frankly, pre 1973 Bronco teams were too bad for any of those guys to be considered, Floyd Little excepted. "Tombstone" Jackson was a truly great DE, but his career her was only 4 or 5 years before we traded him to the Browns :mad:, and didn't last all that much longer after the trade.

Bronco greatness begins in '77, so Gradishar represents those guys well. Mecklenberg is the only other LB we have had who could rival him.

[Thnikkaman]

I do enjoy the tributes to
Rod, Little, Tom Jackson, and Jason Elam in the rocks at the bottom.

[deacon]

Excellent. I would probably switch Davis with Little but agree with the rest.

[BroncoManiac]

I do enjoy the tributes to
Rod, Little, Tom Jackson, and Jason Elam in the rocks at the bottom.

Hey!! I didnt notice that.... Cool.... :beer:

[topscribe]

Excellent. I would probably switch Davis with Little but agree with the rest.

I am absolutely put off by it, myself. Were it not for Floyd Little -- Elway, TD,
and company would not have played for a Denver Broncos because it likely
would not have existed. For that reason, I believe he is the greatest Bronco
of all.

Let me repeat: We have the Denver Broncos to root for because of The
Franchise, Floyd Little.

-----

[Northman]

Almost perfect for me, I would of liked to have Atwater in there but Gradishar is great too. Im sure some people would of probably wanted Smith over Sharpe but again, both are great.

[OrangeHoof]

On one level, I think the monument should just have one face - John Elway's. His star has far outshone the rest of the franchise he almost deserves to have his head higher than the rest.

The problem is that the next group is about 2-9. How you include x and leave off y? There's really no way around it. The second-best Bronco of all-time is about a seven-way pick 'em.

But if I had to craft one, how about this?

1) Elway - anyone who says he doesn't belong needs to go find another team.
2) Rod Smith - not only the top Bronco receiver of all time but a guy who got the most of his ability, conducted himself the right way, stayed with Denver his entire career and literally played until he could hardly walk.
3) Floyd Little - No question Terrell Davis was Superman for 2-3 years but Little helped to put the Broncos on the map. I disagree with the "If Floyd Little wasn't here, the Broncos wouldn't have stayed in Denver" talk. Colorado has been in mostly a boom stage for the past 40 years. The Broncos would have grown and expanded right along with it whether Little was a Bronco or not. Still, he was good enough to deserve the recognition.
4) Joe Collier - All the old "Orange Crush" gang was great - Tom Jackson, Karl Mecklenburg, Randy Gradishar, Louis Wright, Dennis Smith, Steve Atwater et al but there's just no way to narrow them down to one or two without slighting the others. So, I'm putting Defensive Coordinator Collier, the architect of all those great defenses, as the fourth and final monument as a symbol of all the great defensive players the Broncos have had over the years, particularly in the 70s and 80s.

[topscribe]

On one level, I think the monument should just have one face - John Elway's. His star has far outshone the rest of the franchise he almost deserves to have his head higher than the rest.

The problem is that the next group is about 2-9. How you include x and leave off y? There's really no way around it. The second-best Bronco of all-time is about a seven-way pick 'em.

But if I had to craft one, how about this?

1) Elway - anyone who says he doesn't belong needs to go find another team.
2) Rod Smith - not only the top Bronco receiver of all time but a guy who got the most of his ability, conducted himself the right way, stayed with Denver his entire career and literally played until he could hardly walk.
3) Floyd Little - No question Terrell Davis was Superman for 2-3 years but Little helped to put the Broncos on the map. I disagree with the "If Floyd Little wasn't here, the Broncos wouldn't have stayed in Denver" talk. Colorado has been in mostly a boom stage for the past 40 years. The Broncos would have grown and expanded right along with it whether Little was a Bronco or not. Still, he was good enough to deserve the recognition.
4) Joe Collier - All the old "Orange Crush" gang was great - Tom Jackson, Karl Mecklenburg, Randy Gradishar, Louis Wright, Dennis Smith, Steve Atwater et al but there's just no way to narrow them down to one or two without slighting the others. So, I'm putting Defensive Coordinator Collier, the architect of all those great defenses, as the fourth and final monument as a symbol of all the great defensive players the Broncos have had over the years, particularly in the 70s and 80s.

The Broncos were struggling, failing. They were once faced with what they
perceived as moving out of town or folding their tent. Floyd Little was
drafted and filled the stands. Hence, his moniker "The Franchise." Had Little
not joined the Broncos, they very likely would not be here today. That is a
fact. I remember it quite well.

-----

[Broncos Mtnman]

I think that trying to identify the "greatest" of anything to do with sports is futile at best.

For example, while Elway might be the best QB, the rules he played under were somewhat different than they were for those before him. Heck, even since Elway the rules have changed enough to allow Jake Plummer to beat some of his records.

Each era in sports is unique to that era. You can't really compare Elway to Morton, TD to Little, Smith to Taylor, Wilson to Gradishar.

Why can't each player be appreciated for the work they did when they did it, instead of trying to say that one is better than another?

Just me I guess.....

:coffee:

[dogfish]

i might take nalen over sharpe. . . .

[OrangeHoof]

The Broncos were struggling, failing. They were once faced with what they
perceived as moving out of town or folding their tent. Floyd Little was
drafted and filled the stands. Hence, his moniker "The Franchise." Had Little
not joined the Broncos, they very likely would not be here today. That is a
fact. I remember it quite well.

-----

My folks had season tickets from 1968-1971 so I went to every home game during that time. "Bears Stadium" had added a second deck on one side to become Mile High Stadium because of the Broncos, not the Bears. Those were the first three years of Little's time in Denver and I recall the stands as always being full or close to it - even in bad weather.

Perhaps the Broncos' ownership was struggling financially but the city was growing and the Broncos were the only major professional sports team in town. Had the ownership tried to move out of Denver, it would have been a huge mistake.

[topscribe]

My folks had season tickets from 1968-1971 so I went to every home game during that time. "Bears Stadium" had added a second deck on one side to become Mile High Stadium because of the Broncos, not the Bears. Those were the first three years of Little's time in Denver and I recall the stands as always being full or close to it - even in bad weather.

Perhaps the Broncos' ownership was struggling financially but the city was growing and the Broncos were the only major professional sports team in town. Had the ownership tried to move out of Denver, it would have been a huge mistake.

I understand, but all I know is what was in the works at the time. Floyd Little
was known as the player who saved the franchise, so therefore he was The
Franchise. The Denver Broncos were in a bad way until he came here. I am
not sitting out here on and island saying that all by myself. That is consensus
among the press and those who were in the organization back then. You don't
learn that by going to games, any more than you learn how to run a bar by
sitting on the other side of the bar. You learn it by knowing what the financial
situation was.

I stand by what I said: Had Floyd Little not joined the franchise there may
not have been a franchise in Denver. He is our greatest Bronco, and he should
be in that picture. Period.

-----

[deacon]

I think that trying to identify the "greatest" of anything to do with sports is futile at best.

For example, while Elway might be the best QB, the rules he played under were somewhat different than they were for those before him. Heck, even since Elway the rules have changed enough to allow Jake Plummer to beat some of his records.

Each era in sports is unique to that era. You can't really compare Elway to Morton, TD to Little, Smith to Taylor, Wilson to Gradishar.

Why can't each player be appreciated for the work they did when they did it, instead of trying to say that one is better than another?

Just me I guess.....

:coffee:


I guess I see this a bit differently. It's not whether they were the best but how valuable they were to the franchise.

[deacon]

Those were the first three years of Little's time in Denver and I recall the stands as always being full or close to it - even in bad weather.

Exactly the point Top was making. They weren't so full before Little.

[Superchop 7]

Virtually unknown guy.

John Grant.

[Shazam!]

Floyd Little was known as the player who saved the franchise, so therefore he was The Franchise. The Denver Broncos were in a bad way until he came here... That is consensus among the press and those who were in the organization back then. You don't learn that by going to games... You learn it by knowing what the financial
situation was.

I stand by what I said: Had Floyd Little not joined the franchise there may
not have been a franchise in Denver. He is our greatest Bronco, and he should
be in that picture. Period.

I may not have been around, but I know what Floyd meant to my beloved Team in the past. They might have been the Alabama Broncos if it wasn't for this guy who should be in the HoF.


In 1967 Floyd Little was the 6th selection of the first common NFL-AFL draft. He was the first ever first-round draft pick to sign with the American Football League's Denver Broncos where he was known simply as "The Franchise" for saving the team from certain relocation by forcing the expansion of Mile High Stadium and generating a string of sellouts that lasts today...

Excerpt from Floyd 'The Franchise' Little-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Little

Except for the incomparable "Franchise" Floyd Little, the Broncos first superstar who, due to his signing in 1967 and his Pro Bowl efforts on and off the field, was instrumental in keeping the team in Denver...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Broncos

While TD is one of the greatest Broncos Backs due to his large part in putting the Broncos into Championship form, a lot of it had to do with Nalen, Stink and Co. I argue a lot of his greatness was the O-Line's greatness, though they do work hand-in-hand. The debate TD vs. the O-Line would be better and more productive (and more relevant) than Champ vs. Portis or Jay vs. Jake.

His longevity will always be a criticism, as compared to his peers like Curtis Martin, who was Drafted in '95 also. He never won the big one, but has had many productive years with the NYJ and NE.

[Traveler]

Hey, I thought I got to be the old guy :D

Seriously, I can't argue too hard with those 4. And frankly, pre 1973 Bronco teams were too bad for any of those guys to be considered, Floyd Little excepted. "Tombstone" Jackson was a truly great DE, but his career her was only 4 or 5 years before we traded him to the Browns :mad:, and didn't last all that much longer after the trade.

Bronco greatness begins in '77, so Gradishar represents those guys well. Mecklenberg is the only other LB we have had who could rival him.

As others have said, it's a travesty Floyd Little isn't there. He legitimized this franchise. I'd have to trade TD with Floyd.

[East Coast Fan]

Virtually unknown guy.

John Grant.



Solid d-lineman who had those two big run stuffs in the '78 AFCCG vs. the Raiders. On the Smith-Grant-Manor line that rotated with Chavous-Carter-Alzado. :defense: :salute:

[Dean]

I think some old guy is going to post in this thread that talking about how much better the players were back in the day and about how young guys don't understand.

Hi, I just got here. Sorry I am late.

I don't care who the young bucks voted for. I do, however, think that it would be benificial for people who are going to discuss the pros and cons of players to have at least a little knowledge of what the heck they are talking about.

I continually see statements about past players that are just wrong. They contain no fact or objectivity. Past players' contribution and abilities are omitted and often belittled.

I realize that a person will vote for players that they saw play and that is fine. I object to definitive statements that player A is better than player B when the statement is made by someone who has no idea about player B, what he did, or how well he did it. :throwrock:

[Bronco Bible]

I like others believe that the popularity contest is missing the boat.......
I am not saying that the players chosen are not worthy.........I am saying that the most worthy is not up there..........FLOYD LITTLE!!!!!!!!

[BroncoJoe]

As much as I love TD, I'd have to choose Little over him or Sharpe.