Fixing The Hall Of Fame -- Broncos That Should Be In - #2 -- Floyd Little

I'm gonna guess Gradishar, but I was wrong on #2, so who knows.

You nailed it when you said he saved the franchise. He may also have been a major factor in saving the AFL. People don't remember that it was a close thing back then. There were a few good teams in the the AFL that peobably could compete in the NFL; the Raiders, Chiefs, Jets, maybe Cincinatti, a couple more. (Don't forget the Browns and Colts were NFL clubs that moved to the AFL/AFC at the merger.) But a lot of AFL clubs were bottom-feeders struggling just to be respectable and the Broncos were definitely one of those clubs. Signing Little was the the turning point for the Broncos and helped send the message to other top college prospects that you wouldn't just be throwing your carreer away if you signed with the AFL.

And Little was electric to watch. Of the modern Broncos he reminds me most of Terrell Davis but not quite. Little seemed to glide a little more than Davis. He wasn't a waterbug kind of runner but he made a lot of would-be tacklers miss. He wasn't the fastest but he was close and he could accelerate quicker than just about anybody.

But Little's legs were his true gift. He had those distinctive bowed legs. If I recall correctly he once said they saved him from suffering any serious knee injuries, a career ending trauma back then. But I think his thighs were his best endowment. He had to have had THE strongest thighs in football. He could carry those massive defensive linemen (admittedly smaller back then) like he was giving them a piggy back ride. And forget about arm tackling Floyd Little. He ran through those collected defensive arms like they were just so much tall grass.

And people came to watch. There was always a little thrill and a hush that would run through the crowd every time Little touched the ball. I especially liked it when some one like Pete Liske or Steve Tensi would drop back as if to pass and then hand off to Little on the draw. Then you could just scoot forward in your chair and watch the magic. Great memories.

And ever since, it's been a slow and steady climb for the Broncos.

And I forgot to mention that he was a class act with a lion's heart. In that way he reminds me of Rod Smith, or should it be the other way around. Anyway, his was the heartbeat of the whole team, heck, the whole state.

If the Broncos needed a yard, everybody in the stadium and watching on TV knew Floyd Little was going to get the ball. The defense would stack the line. The defensive line would dig in and get low. The line backers would creep up, ready to shoot the gaps. And sure enough the QB would take the snap and hand off to Little on a power dive. Maybe a defensive lineman or line backer would even squirt through into the backfield, ready to lay one on Little and crush the heart out of the Broncos. But Little would make some barely perceptible move so the tackler couldn't hit him square, lunge into the line and disappear into a scrum of players from both teams. One by one, everybody would extricate themselves from the pile, and more often than not there would be Floyd Little, one yard beyond the yard marker. Then he'd pick himself up, quietly hand the ball to the ref and walk back to the huddle. Class.

You're right, Guru, about comparing the great running backs of today with those of the past. I don't want to take anything away from guys like Faulk and Thomlinson and Martin. They were and are great players and fun to watch. But it was a different game in Floyd Little's day. Remember that in 1970, Little WON the rushing title with less than a thousand yards in a 14 game schedule. Maybe I remember it wrong but a thousand yards was a special season back then.

Rule changes and offensive geniuses like Mike Shannahan have changed the game, probably for the better. But I think if Floyd Little was just starting out today, he'd be every bit as great all over again.

And I envy you MN Bronco. I'd love to get his autograph; on a number 44, Bronco orange jersey. Heck, I'd just love to shake his hand and say thank you and pray I didn't make a fool of myself while doing it.

But enough nostalgia. These 2007 Broncos have a feel about them.

Go Broncos!