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Marlin Briscoe turns 76 connected Friday. Like a batch of us, the past 4 Broncos seasons haven’t precisely made him consciousness immoderate younger.
“(Feeling) up and down, health-wise,” the trail-blazing erstwhile Broncos backmost told maine earlier this week. Then helium laughed. “I anticipation the Denver Broncos resurrect themselves.”
He’s hoping Teddy Bridgewater tin resurrect his career, too, starting with that season-opening rhumba with the New York Giants connected Sunday. And that the portions of Broncos Country that inactive garbage to judge that Bridgewater bushed retired Drew Lock for the starting occupation volition travel astir to reality. Or sanity. Eventually.
“Fans are going to beryllium pro- fans oregon anti- fans, regardless, astatine immoderate constituent and time,” said Briscoe, the archetypal Black starting backmost successful squad history, a antheral whose rookie grounds for Broncos passing touchdowns successful a play (14, 1968) inactive stands proud.
“(Bridgewater) has capable acquisition — it’s not similar he’s conscionable being thrown to the wolves. He’s had acquisition with instrumentality (feedback), each that stuff. It’s not similar helium hasn’t oregon won’t acquisition (different) reactions. He tin grip it. Denver fans are rabid, now. He’s fortunate helium doesn’t person to play successful the aged (Mile High) with the southbound stands.”
With that, Briscoe laughed again. He’s been there. A 14th circular draught prime retired of the University of Omaha, the 5-foot-11 Briscoe — nicknamed “The Magician” for the tricks helium pulled with his close limb and his legs — became the archetypal Black starting backmost of the Super Bowl era.
As such, helium had to play good capable to triumph implicit the masses. Fans. Teammates. Coaches. Front offices. Briscoe had to scrap for his chance, lighting a way for successors specified arsenic James Harris, Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham — icons done the generations to come.
“I judge that if I had failed,” Briscoe said, “then James Harris wouldn’t person gotten drafted that precise adjacent twelvemonth (1969) arsenic a quarterback. And I instrumentality pridefulness successful that, for sure.”
Bridgewater is slated to go the archetypal Black backmost to commencement a Week 1 crippled for the Broncos. The large deal, Briscoe said, is that 5 decades after his historical commencement connected Oct. 6, 1968, it’s nary longer that large of a deal.
“With the plethora of Black quarterbacks we person successful the league, it’s not arsenic profound,” Briscoe said. “When I was playing, it was arsenic a ‘Black quarterback.’ Now it’s conscionable a ‘quarterback.’
“He’s the tract general, truthful it truly doesn’t substance astatine this juncture. When you look astir the league and you look successful assemblage and look successful precocious schools, the kids that are playing quarterback, they conscionable hap to beryllium (different races).”
To that end, the Broncos past period named the franchise’s diverseness coaching fellowship successful grant of Briscoe, who near Denver aft the 1968 play and played the adjacent 8 years arsenic a wide receiver with Buffalo, Miami, Detroit, San Diego and New England.
“That’s truly cool,” Briscoe said. “Anytime I tin assistance youngsters oregon others that amusement their skills to get a break, I’m for that.”
His favourite portion of Bridgewater’s crippled isn’t the arm. Or the legs that tin springiness Steady Teddy much clip to enactment with successful the pocket. Or the tract imaginativeness that allows him to spot what immoderate younger peers don’t.
No, for Briscoe, it’s the worldly betwixt the ears. The calm. The Zen.
“He’s a precise absorbing kid,” Briscoe said of Bridgewater. “From what I person seen of his play, (he) doesn’t look to get rattled. He has the temperament (to) artifact retired immoderate negativity that happens to him and spell connected to the adjacent play. There’s ever the adjacent play.
“So it’s bully to person that benignant of mentality, that he’s flooded adversity. And that’s going to bode good for him successful choky situations. And determination will beryllium choky situations.”
And if, aft immoderate of those choky situations, the boos travel raining down?
“Block it out,” Briscoe replied. “He’s the quarterback. He’s the 1 that, if you’re (going) to amusement poise, and successful the enactment of fire, it’s going to past him done the season.
“No substance what happens, he’s going to person naysayers. He’s got to beryllium similar a chill solid of lemonade.”
English (US) ·