What defines a true blue (and orange) Broncos fan? Although the Broncos are my NFL team of choice, I am not sure if I would pass the test that would get me into the old South Stands without a few sidelong glances of those that worship there on Sunday afternoons. I am, you see, a transplant to Colorado. Even though I have called the Centennial State my home for 24 years I still am not sure that I deserve to be counted among the elite that bleed orange.
When I moved to Denver, Craig Morton was a restaurateur, not a quarterback. The orange glow sinking in the western sky was not from the setting sun, but from the Orange Crush leaving its last marks on the high plains. Having moved here from Indiana, I knew that Frank Tripucka was Kelly Tripucka's dad, rather that the latter was the son of the former. Floyd Little was a running back from Syracuse who had squeezed his career in there sometime between Jim Brown and Larry Czonka. Could anyone who had never donned an orange jersey with "Gradishar - 53" or "B. Thompson - 36" on the back really call themselves a member of the 12 th man brigade?
However, having been one who ushered in the Elway era and stuck with his tenure long enough to have tears of joy well up in my eyes when he lifted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time does lend me a little credibility. I suffered along with many through the Reeves years, when "playing not to lose"
was the credo. (It was like the old joke about Michael Jordan . . . Q: Who was the only coach that could hold him to less than 20 points? A: Dean Smith (Jordan's college coach famous for slowing the offense down). The same parallel could be made between Reeves and Elway. One can only imagine if John had enjoyed a coach like Shanahan for his entire career.
My support for the Broncos may be even greater now than it was when Old Number 7 was at the helm. I am a huge Jake fan - which might knock me down a couple of notches in my quest for acceptance from the South Standers. The thing about Jake is, that he is just simply Jake. He seems like a pretty normal guy who happens to be the quarterback of the Broncos. I don't hold him to a higher standard than I do any other young man. Who amongst us hasn't gotten a little ticked off in Denver traffic. Who hasn't wanted to give the "one-finger salute" to somebody or somebodies that have ticked you off. The fact that he couldn't resist the temptation doesn't make him a bad guy. Those of you who haven't felt like that at one time or another can throw the first stone.
In spite of what the "third wheel" in the Monday Night Football booth says, Jake isn't living in the shadow of John Elway. Football zealots know that an Elway comes around once in a lifetime. The "shadow" comment came from a man who stated that the only thing in Denver besides the Broncos were sheep. (Please tell me that we won't need to listen to that driveling idiot for the rest of the season - the experiment is over, it's time for Tony to go.)
As we progress through this season, it appears that the patience of the masses will only be satisfied with a victory in the final game of the season (assuming that they roll into the playoffs).
Do you have to think that way if you are a true fan? Because I don't. Believe me, I want them to win it all as much as the next guy. I want nothing more for Jake Plummer to lift the same trophy that John did. When Elway won it all, it was beautiful because (arguably) the greatest QB ever deserved the biggest prize that one can bring home. If Jake gets to hoist it, it will be because he is an "everyman" . . . he will lift it for the guys on the team, for every working stiff that has the talent to do just a little more than is ever expected of him and for the memory of Pat Tillman. That is what this fan is rooting for . . . and that one day I can belong to the elite group of people who are the real Bronco fans.