Character ruled the day in Denver. When the Denver Broncos moved up two spots to take Demaryius Thomas over Dez Bryant I scratched my head. To be honest, I never really considered Thomas as a potential pick. Then again, I never really considered any wide receiver for the first round. My bias towards Dez Bryant ruled over all apparently.
The big question was why did Denver move up two spots when it looked like Thomas probably would have been there anyway at #24. I think the answer is simple. Bill Belichek gave Josh McDaniels a call and said, "Hey, the
Cowboys are trying to move up. You interested in making a deal instead?" McDaniels and Brian Xanders pulled the trigger and got their man in Thomas. Two spots later, the
Patriots trade with the Cowboys and Dallas ends up with Dez Bryant.
Taking Thomas proved that character was important after all to Josh McDaniels. For Demaryius to be the man he is in spite of all the crap he has had to deal with along the way proves there is nothing wrong within the confines of his skull. The Broncos finally have a legitimate deep threat and also an excellent runner after the catch. To me, Thomas will become BMarsh's better in a short time.
The move that really surprised me was moving up to draft Tim Tebow. I've had an on again, off again love affair for the guy, but the one thing that bothered me was how he would likely divide the fanbase for time. I know in my heart of hearts that once people realize his religion isn't as big of a deal as the media made it out to be and once Tebow starts scoring touchdowns, the fanbase will come together once again. However, it will be a long five months until the season starts!
I totally misread the signs that Denver was going to take Tebow. Tim Tebow knew though, as was evident by all of the Denver Broncos hats he and his family had ready. Quite amazing. Tebow is the epitome of character and I came away totally impressed by his desire to be a Bronco. It's been a long time since I've see a guy so happy to be a part of our organization.
Which brings me to my final point.
I absolutely love guys who believe they have something to prove. Guys who have gigantic chips on their shoulders. I'll name a few players who I think will be huge impact players because of the chips they'll likely have on their shoulder. Gerald McCoy is the first guy I'd watch out for. A few others would include Kyle Wilson and Dan Williams. I'd put Dez Bryant on this list, but I'm not sure he has the heart.
One guy that definitely has a gigantic chip on his shoulder is Tim Tebow. He has faced nothing but criticism for his ability to transition to the NFL. The guy is going to work harder than most anyone in the league. His preparation could even rival Jerry Rice. He has talent and will work his butt off. Why aren't people totally excited about having a guy with this kind of work ethic and talent mixed?
I'll take the guy with immense talent and the shoulder chip over a guy who has immense talent and no shoulder chip.
One thing we can be certain of moving forward is that Josh McDaniels and Brian Xanders will target the guys with great character. After trading away three of our most selfish stars in the last two offseasons, I find this quite refreshing. The drama now will come from the media rather than directly from Dove Valley.
Go Broncos!
Addendum: For those of you who read Pete Prisco...meh How about Woody Paige's opinion?
