Broncos: Saturday’s scrimmage might have been a metaphor
“The summer scrimmage of 2013 will be an even that those in attendance never forget. It’s something the Broncos themselves will never forget, also. Especially if this does turn out to be a Super Bowl season. “
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Oh, boy did it rain on Saturday evening. It dumped in sheets, skewed sideways by heavy swirling winds powerful enough to cause a tornado watch to be issued. The 44,000 fans who showed up at Mile High to see the Broncos participate in their annual summer scrimmage were soaked to their bones and it looked for a time as though the practice they had come to see would be cancelled.
Various members of the media were convinced that the team was going to call the scrimmage off and they Tweeted such. But the Broncos decided to take to the field despite the wet, despite the slippery field and despite the heightened risk of player injuries. The fans showed up and they deserved to see what they had come to see, their boys in orange tuning up for football season.
That the Broncos opted not to pile back into the bus and exit the stadium without scrimmaging was surprising and it was emblematic of two things. One, the fans matter to the Broncos. The team did not want to leave them hanging. Two, the Broncos are prepared to face adversity.
After a somewhat rocky start in 2012, the Broncos sailed smoothly through the regular season, staying mostly healthy and dismantling opponents on their way to an extraordinary record. They didn’t face any real trouble until the Ravens game and by the time that one ended it was too late to make corrections. The season was over. It was time to talk about next year.
Next year is here and the Broncos have had it rough. From Elvis Dumervil departing over a faulty fax to executives driving drunk to Von Miller smoking dope, Denver has been in the news for all the wrong reasons to begin their year. Injuries are piling up in camp, too. Training camp has been at once a place of high hopes and dismal news.
The rain before and during Saturday’s scrimmage was a metaphor for the adversity the Broncos have faced leading up to the 2013 season. That’s why they absolutely had to get the practice in. Not only did they take the field, they had fun. They turned a bad situation into a good one and in the process they made the scrimmage into a bonding opportunity between each other and with the fans.
The summer scrimmage of 2013 will be an even that those in attendance never forget. It’s something the Broncos themselves will never forget, also. Especially if this does turn out to be a Super Bowl season.
