I remember being a little kid in love with the Denver Broncos 22-23 years ago (as of last Sunday, I am now 28 incidentally) and always hoping for the studs in blue helmets with white horses and an orange D to beat the "evil" teams that faced them.

As for my love affair with the team, nothing has changed although I sincerely hope to find a gorgeous brunette woman as much in love with the Broncos as I am to share my life with, but that's a tale for another time.

Meanwhile, amid my love for the Broncos, I have always (in a romanticism vein of thought) considered the team to be full of the "good guys" while "evil teams," like the Raiders and Chiefs (in those days, the Chargers were losers and I'm sure most "fans" on Bolts From the Blue weren't on the bandwagon) were the "bad guys."

Now, however, the statement about the Broncos being the "good guys" is not based in myth, it is absolutely true.

While denizens of Chicagoland are no longer under the spell of Jay Cutler's rocket arm and "America's Father," Travis Henry, is no longer the Broncos' problem, the men who wear orange and blue are high quality individuals who happen to be good players.

For instance, Kyle Orton, is virtually bereft of ego and primarily focusing on being the best signal-caller he can be, while others, such as Brian Dawkins, Champ Bailey and Eddie Royal are showing they're winners on the gridiron, but more importantly, in the game of life.

While our beloved Broncos may have some struggles on the field from time to time (I certainly hope those are minimal as do we all), I seriously doubt I'll ever have to worry about finding any names of Broncos players on a police blotter.

We're so lucky to have character individuals like Orton, Dawkins, Bailey, Royal, Elvis Dumervil, Jamal Williams and Ryan McBean on our team and I wish them the best of luck.

When it's all said and done, character is what matters most. Let's just hope that we hoist some championship hardware to go with our collectively strong integrity! GO BRONCOS!!!