jrelway
01-13-2008, 11:45 AM
By FRANK SCHWAB
THE GAZETTE
January 12, 2008 - 6:03PM
Some members of the 1997 Denver Broncos fondly remember a trip to the theater for a matinee, although they never saw the movie.
“We went to see ‘Mulholland Falls,’” receiver Rod Smith said. “We had the whole theater to ourselves.”
“Yes, I remember that,” tight end Shannon Sharpe said after a long, loud laugh. “It just seems like yesterday. I think the movie we went to watch is ‘Mulholland Falls.’”
The problem was the dozen or so members of the Broncos were asleep through most of the movie, after a long morning workout.
“Everyone fell asleep at the same time, then everybody just woke up and started eating popcorn and licorice again,” said Sharpe, still laughing.
To this day, that’s a memory that reminds them of the bond that team had and still shares today.
“We hung out,” Sharpe said. “When we got nights off during training camp in Greeley we always went to the movies together. After the games, we’d go out and eat. If we had a Halloween party, everybody would come. We were just a very, very close football team.”
Unlike college players, who usually live in a common area or within close proximity to each other, many NFL players have families and lives outside of work. Today, the 1997 Broncos understand their camaraderie was unique.
“That year was remarkable,” said linebacker Keith Burns, one of the tired moviegoers who is a special teams assistant for the Broncos. “Guys were pulling for one another.”
Burns has to trail off listing all the friends he keeps in contact with from the 1997 team: Sharpe, Smith, Steve Atwater, Ray Crockett, Alfred Williams, Neil Smith, Keith Traylor, John Elway and Terrell Davis. Many members of the team keep in contact with a least a few of their teammates.
Linebacker Glenn Cadrez, Atwater and safety Tyrone Braxton have an annual tradition. They call each other the Saturday night before the Super Bowl and reminisce.
One story that always comes up is sitting on defensive tackle Keith Traylor’s hotel room balcony the night before Super Bowl XXXIII at the end of the 1998 season, watching the sun set in Miami and soaking it in.
“We kind of always relive that,” Cadrez said.
The bond continued into deep into this decade because of their historic achievement in Super Bowl XXXII. They’ll always be linked as the first Broncos players to bring a Super Bowl title to Denver.
“When you talk to one of the guys, when you see somebody, it’s like you’re back in the locker room 10 years ago when we were teammates,” fullback Howard Griffith said. “When you have an opportunity to do something special with a group of guys, obviously there are a lot of stories to tell. And the stories get a lot better 10 years later.”
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AHHHHH...the good ol days.
THE GAZETTE
January 12, 2008 - 6:03PM
Some members of the 1997 Denver Broncos fondly remember a trip to the theater for a matinee, although they never saw the movie.
“We went to see ‘Mulholland Falls,’” receiver Rod Smith said. “We had the whole theater to ourselves.”
“Yes, I remember that,” tight end Shannon Sharpe said after a long, loud laugh. “It just seems like yesterday. I think the movie we went to watch is ‘Mulholland Falls.’”
The problem was the dozen or so members of the Broncos were asleep through most of the movie, after a long morning workout.
“Everyone fell asleep at the same time, then everybody just woke up and started eating popcorn and licorice again,” said Sharpe, still laughing.
To this day, that’s a memory that reminds them of the bond that team had and still shares today.
“We hung out,” Sharpe said. “When we got nights off during training camp in Greeley we always went to the movies together. After the games, we’d go out and eat. If we had a Halloween party, everybody would come. We were just a very, very close football team.”
Unlike college players, who usually live in a common area or within close proximity to each other, many NFL players have families and lives outside of work. Today, the 1997 Broncos understand their camaraderie was unique.
“That year was remarkable,” said linebacker Keith Burns, one of the tired moviegoers who is a special teams assistant for the Broncos. “Guys were pulling for one another.”
Burns has to trail off listing all the friends he keeps in contact with from the 1997 team: Sharpe, Smith, Steve Atwater, Ray Crockett, Alfred Williams, Neil Smith, Keith Traylor, John Elway and Terrell Davis. Many members of the team keep in contact with a least a few of their teammates.
Linebacker Glenn Cadrez, Atwater and safety Tyrone Braxton have an annual tradition. They call each other the Saturday night before the Super Bowl and reminisce.
One story that always comes up is sitting on defensive tackle Keith Traylor’s hotel room balcony the night before Super Bowl XXXIII at the end of the 1998 season, watching the sun set in Miami and soaking it in.
“We kind of always relive that,” Cadrez said.
The bond continued into deep into this decade because of their historic achievement in Super Bowl XXXII. They’ll always be linked as the first Broncos players to bring a Super Bowl title to Denver.
“When you talk to one of the guys, when you see somebody, it’s like you’re back in the locker room 10 years ago when we were teammates,” fullback Howard Griffith said. “When you have an opportunity to do something special with a group of guys, obviously there are a lot of stories to tell. And the stories get a lot better 10 years later.”
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AHHHHH...the good ol days.