Fan Fair, McDaniels A Huge Hit With Broncos Fans - MERGED

[Lonestar]

Ericka Lewis
DenverBroncos.com
It's called the ultimate Denver Broncos experience. Fans lined up for the Fan Fair at Invesco Field at Mile High on Saturday. It attracts an estimated 10,000 die-hard Bronco Fans.

"They have a lot of stuff to do here and it's really fun," a young fan said.

Fan Fair is all about seeing the players up close. Blaze Guield snagged a picture with Champ Bailey.

"It's awesome," he said.

Blaze traveled to Denver from Utah to get it the picture.

"We used to live in Denver and moved away several years ago and my son and I are both huge fans, so we just came out, flew out to meet some Broncos," said Marquelle Guield, Blaze's mother.

"It's an honor because I go out there and I work hard and I do what I can to become a great player and I'm still trying to stay a great player, so whatever I can do to please these fans, I'm all for that, Bailey said.

Every Bronco player and coach was expected to show up.

The fans started lining up Friday night with more than 100 sleeping overnight at Invesco Field.

The Broncos didn't disappoint, scoring big with the fans on and off the field.

This year the event only took place one day instead of both Saturday and Sunday like it has been in the past.

A portion of the proceeds from the Fan Fair benefits the Broncos' charities.

http://cbs4denver.com/broncos/broncos.nfl.fan.2.1033492.html

[MasterShake]

Ericka Lewis
DenverBroncos.com
It's called the ultimate Denver Broncos experience. Fans lined up for the Fan Fair at Invesco Field at Mile High on Saturday. It attracts an estimated 10,000 die-hard Bronco Fans.

"They have a lot of stuff to do here and it's really fun," a young fan said.

Fan Fair is all about seeing the players up close. Blaze Guield snagged a picture with Champ Bailey.

"It's awesome," he said.

Blaze traveled to Denver from Utah to get it the picture.

"We used to live in Denver and moved away several years ago and my son and I are both huge fans, so we just came out, flew out to meet some Broncos," said Marquelle Guield, Blaze's mother.

"It's an honor because I go out there and I work hard and I do what I can to become a great player and I'm still trying to stay a great player, so whatever I can do to please these fans, I'm all for that, Bailey said.

Every Bronco player and coach was expected to show up.

The fans started lining up Friday night with more than 100 sleeping overnight at Invesco Field.

The Broncos didn't disappoint, scoring big with the fans on and off the field.

This year the event only took place one day instead of both Saturday and Sunday like it has been in the past.

A portion of the proceeds from the Fan Fair benefits the Broncos' charities.

http://cbs4denver.com/broncos/broncos.nfl.fan.2.1033492.html

Looking forward to taking my son to this when he gets older. He better like the Broncos or I'm adopting a kid that does! Its important to teach priorities! :mad::lol:

[Lonestar]

Looking forward to taking my son to this when he gets older. He better like the Broncos or I'm adopting a kid that does! Its important to teach priorities! :mad::lol:

you take him and reward him with a Cap or jersey and then he becomes an automatic fan..

[MasterShake]

you take him and reward him with a Cap or jersey and then he becomes an automatic fan..

You know how I became a fan? I was born one. He has the genetic marker for Bronco fandom, I had him tested. They wanted to throw in some free tests for childhood diseases, but I declined. Thats because I'm an awesome dad.:salute:

Plus when he was born he came with this:

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u14/Kenobi1_bucket/Personal/photo_2.jpg

[Lonestar]

my oldest went to games with me when we were in DEN.. after we moved out of town I guess that Was what caused the divorce..:laugh::laugh:


My next son (Step) was a nerdy little tyke that did not like sports because he was real small for his age but smart as a whip.. tried him in all of the sports but just did not get them.. now he is 6'2" 225 of solid muscle, black belt in Brazilian Jujitsu.. would have made a great LB if he would have been big enough to fit into the uniforms.. did not start growing till HS..

My youngest daughter is a natural athlete.. everything her brothers were not.. All state in three sports but did not like Football all the much till she got to college and started dating an OT 6'1" 286. now she is really trying to learn the game..

Both of the Boys are avid Bronco fans now..

So is it genetic No sure but if they ever come up with a test I want to use it on the grand kids..:laugh:

[lex]

In other news, we are receiving word from the middle east that Mecca is a big hit with Muslims.


This is the time of year of endless fluff.

[Lonestar]

Meet the new chief attraction
By Jim Armstrong
The Denver Post
Posted: 06/07/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT


Coach Josh McDaniels welcomes a Broncos fan to the team's Fan Fair at Invesco Field at Mile High on Saturday. (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post )Josh McDaniels spotted him from 50 feet away. Well, so did everyone else, for that matter. You don't show up at the Broncos' annual Fan Fair in head-to-toe Chiefs garb and not get noticed.

So when Doug Beneke arrived Saturday at the table in search of an autograph, McDaniels was ready and waiting, Sharpie in hand and smirk on his face.

"Go Broncos! Beat the Chiefs! Josh McDaniels," the autograph read.

And Beneke, who drove in from Salina, Kan., with his Broncos fan wife, couldn't have been happier.

"It's what it's all about," Beneke said. "We're just having fun. I was going to ask him about Matt Cassel, but I didn't have time."

Cassel might have been the Broncos' quarterback if the Jay Cutler trade talks hadn't blown up in McDaniels' face. But this wasn't a time for questions about quarterbacks, not on a bright, sunny day in June. This was all about meeting and greeting. It was about min-gling with fans, many of whom had never known a Broncos coach not named Mike Shanahan.

For McDaniels, the event, which drew a crowd of 5,900, marked a first in the infancy of his career in Denver. An NFL head coach has to wear many hats: disciplinarian, personnel evaluator and keeper of the X's and O's, just to name a few. On this day, when McDan-iels made his first-ever public appearance as the Broncos' coach, he was the face of the franchise.

And let the record show he had a blast.

"This is their first opportunity and my first opportunity to be out there with them," McDaniels said. "All the hats you have to wear, those are things that, as a head coach, you look forward to. I'm telling you, there's been nothing I've done since I've been here that I didn't enjoy, including today.

"This is great. I'm a football coach. I didn't save the world or anything. But these people are excited and eager to get an autograph from me. We're all fortunate to have this opportunity to work in a business and an environment where people really want to be around

Post Poll - Coaching Changes
Of the three recently hired coaches in Denver sports, who will see the most success?
Total Votes = 49
Jim Tracy, Rockies
10.20 %
Josh McDaniels, Broncos
75.51 %
Joe Sacco, Avalanche
14.28 %




you. I don't know what else I'd want to do."
McDaniels signed more than 1,000 autographs. Nothing unusual there except that, before all those lines converged on him at Invesco Field at Mile High, he hadn't signed that many in his entire NFL career.

"No doubt about it, that's way more," he said. "The only time I've ever signed autographs was at training camp in New England for a couple of days, and at the Super Bowl, where you've got to sign all those footballs for everybody."

McDaniels, who turned 33 in April, didn't just sign. He worked the crowd, posing for pictures and engaging in conversations with fans. Take the woman who reminded him to drink some water to stay hydrated in the heat. Said McDaniels, "It took me a couple of migraines to catch on."

Or the woman who challenged him to get the franchise back on its feet after three consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. "Are you going to be a good coach?" the woman asked. "Are you going to be a good fan?" responded McDaniels.

"Yes," the woman said.

"Good," McDaniels said. "I'll be a good coach, you be a good fan, and we'll have a happy ending."

Everyone was happy on this day. And why not? McDaniels has yet to lose a game or light up the talk-show phone lines after a bad call on Sunday. He has, however, created a controversy, the likes of which had never been witnessed in Broncos Nation. For the record, he's well-aware many fans are viewing him with skepticism after he traded Cutler during his first few weeks on the job.

"I think the fans are a little uncertain about what they're going to see, but that's the fun of this time of year," McDaniels said. "I'm not a bad guy, I'm a nice guy. Hopefully, they will get to know my personality and how I interact with them and the players and with you people (the media). I know that's a big part of this game, being able to send fans the proper message, telling them what you're all about.

"Hopefully, the more they get to see me and the more I'm out there being able to shake hands and sign autographs, they'll get the right sense of what I'm all about."

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12537540?source=rss

[Lonestar]

The Denver Post
Posted: 06/07/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT


New Broncos safety Brian Dawkins experienced Fan Fair days such as Saturday's at Invesco Field at Mile High when he played for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dawkins said the Denver experience was a little calmer than what he encountered in Philadelphia.

"The Philly fans are a lot more aggressive," Dawkins said. "They're a lot louder as far as giving their opinions. The Denver fans are a little laid-back and I understand that. It's a different place. This is a beautiful place with the mountains. Philly is hustle and bustle."

Denver's fans may be more laid- back, but Dawkins knows the region is crazy about the Broncos.

"They're ready for some football," Dawkins said.

Broncos and stadium officials said 5,900 fans streamed into Invesco Field for the seventh annual Fan Fair, which went from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Coach Josh McDaniels was in the stadium during the early part of the event. Players arrived at different intervals and usually stayed about two hours. They signed autographs and were available for questions from the fans.

Directions, please.

Quarterback Kyle Orton, also new to the Broncos, needed help finding Invesco Field. "I had no idea how to get down to the stadium and had to call up to get directions," said Orton, who had to be talked into the stadium's parking lots from the elevated portion of West Colfax. "It was a new experience for me."

Tough answer to hear.

The Broncos' other new quarterback, Chris Simms, gets asked a lot about his favorite football memory.

"One of my favorite football memories is my dad winning the Super Bowl against the Broncos. I refined that answer a little as I went along today," Simms said.

Phil Simms completed 22-of-25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns in the New York Giants' 39-20 victory over the Broncos on Jan. 25, 1987, in Super Bowl XXI.

Random thoughts.

Tim Crowder, listed as a defensive end, could be playing linebacker this season. He had a tough question from fans: Which position does he play?

"I told them I probably won't know my position until about the time the season begins," Crowder said.

Running back Peyton Hillis fielded questions from young fans in the Broncos' locker room.

"Since the Nuggets took that fall, people are looking forward to football," Hillis said.

Matt McChesney, a guard, felt right at home among Denver fans. He played college football at Colorado and grew up in the Denver area, graduating from Niwot.

"Denver has the best fans in the world," McChesney said. "I know because I grew up being one."

Irv Moss, The Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12537576?source=rss