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Denver Broncos Greats . . . By the Numbers: #14

Player Position Years
Richard "Skip" Doyle HB 1960
George Hunter Enis QB 1962
Mickey Slaughter QB 1963-66
Don Smith OG 1967
Pete Liske QB 1969-70
Norris Weese QB 1976-79
Scott Stankavage QB 1984, 1986
Dean May QB 1987
Bill Musgrave QB 1995-96
Brian Griese QB 1998-2002
Nate Jackson WR 2003-04
Todd Devoe WR 2005-06
Brandon Stokley WR 2007-09

The number "14" has been worn by a Denver Bronco in thirty-one the team's fifty-one seasons. It has appeared on the jerseys of eight quarterbacks, one halfback, one offensive guard and three wide receivers. Some of these players are well known, others make us go "Who?"

Take a Jump and Find Out Which #14 Deserves the Title of Greatest . . .

Richard "Skip" Doyle HB 1960
Was a starting defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1956-67 and then retired. Came out of retirement to play with the Boston Patriots in 1960, was traded to Denver in 1961, and retired again.

George Hunter Enis QB 1962
Appeared in four games for Denver in 1962. Completed 1 out of 2 passes for 8 yards.

Mickey Slaughter QB 1963-66
Appeared in 40 games and started 19. Had a career 2-15-2 record with the Broncos. Completed 49.8% of his passes for 3607 yards. Threw 22 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. Started seven games as a rookie until a concussion sidelined him and was in out of the starting lineup for the rest of his career.

Don Smith OG 1967
Was on the Denver roster as an offensive guard for one year.

Pete Liske QB 1969-70
Appeared in 18 games and started 11. Had a career 6-5-0 record with the Broncos. Was the first Broncos QB to end his Broncos career with a winning record. Completed 49.0% of his passes for 2185 yards. Threw 16 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Came to the Broncos from the Canadian Football League.

Norris Weese QB 1976-79
Appeared in 57 games and started 7. Had a career 5-2-0 record with the Broncos. Completed 57.0% of his passes for 1887 yards. Threw 7 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Weese replaced starter Craig Morton in the third quarter of Super Bowl XII and led the Broncos to a touchdown to cut the deficit to 20-10, but lost a fumble in the fourth quarter that set up the Dallas touchdown that iced the game.

Scott Stankavage QB 1984, 86

Appeared in 1 game, did not start. Completed 22.2% of his passes for 58 yards. Threw 0 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Dean May QB 1987
Appeared in 3 games and started 0. In 5 pass attempts, the only completion was to the other team for an interception. Lost 4 yards on 2 rushing attempts.

Bill Musgrave QB 1995-96
Appeared in 10 games and started 1. Had a career 0-1-0 record with the Broncos. Completed 60.9% of his passes for 369 yards. Threw 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Played for OC Mike Shanahan in San Francisco and was brought to Denver by Shanahan.

Brian Griese QB 1998-2002
Appeared in 53 games and started 51. Had a career 27-24-0 record with the Broncos. Completed 62.2% of his passes for 11,763 yards. Threw 71 touchdowns and 53 interceptions. Supplanted Bubby Brister as Heir Apparent to John Elway. Led Denver to the Broncos first post-Elway playoff appearance. Was selected to the 2002 Pro Bowl. Injuries and a proclivity for throwing interceptions kept him from establishing himself among the NFL's elite quarterbacks.

Nate Jackson WR 2003-04
Appeared in 41 games and started 4. Caught 27 passes for 240 yards and an 8.9 yards per catch average. Scored 2 touchdowns. Was a college free agent selected by San Francisco but only assigned to their practice squad, before being picked up by Denver.

Todd Devoe WR 2005-06
Appeared in 15 games and started 0. Caught 9 passes for 87 yards and a 9.7 yards per catch average. Scored 1 touchdown. Played for multiple teams and the Canadian Football League before moving to the Arena Football League.

Brandon Stokley WR 2007-09
Appeared in 44 games and started 13. Caught 108 passes for 1490 yards and a 13.8 yards per catch average. Scored 12 touchdowns. Gained a reputation as a solid possession/slot receiver. Will be best remembered for catching a tipped pass in the 2009 season opener at Cincinnati, then racing to the endzone, only to turn and run parallel to the goal line -- burning off an additional 6 seconds -- before taking the ball into the endzone for the game winning score.

This came down to two clear choices: Brian Griese and Brandon Stokley . . .

While Brandon Stokely will be forever remembered and revered for "The Immaculate Deflection," we cannot ignore a 62.2% completion rate, 11,763 yards, 71 touchdowns and an 84.1 passer rating, so the winner of the title Greatest Bronco to Wear #14 is:

#14 -- Brian Griese

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