Thirteen players wore number 62 for the Broncos in franchise history. Five Guards, three Centers, three Linebackers, an Offensive Tackle and a Defensive Tackle. Here is how they stack up.
Jack Davis played two games with the Broncos in 1960.
Vaughn (Buddy) Alliston was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 15th round (176th overall) of the 1956 NFL Draft. He dropped off the map for 3 years, resurfacing in Denver for the 1960 season. Alliston had one interception in 11 games with the Broncos.
Jim Eifrid was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 15th round (176th overall) of the 1956 NFL Draft. He fell off the map as well. Jim played 1 game with the Broncos in 1961.
Jerry Stalcup was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the 6th round (62nd overall) of the 1960 NFL Draft. He played in 22 games for the Broncos in 1961-62.
Ernie Barnes was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the 10th round (112th overall) of the 1960 NFL Draft. He chose the AFL and instead signed with the New York Titans, where he played one season. Barnes moved over to the San Diego Chargers for two years and then came to join the Broncos for the 1963-64 seasons, starting 25 games.
Mike Freeman played 13 games at Offensive Guard in 1984 and 1986 for the Broncos. In 1987, he started 9 of 13 games at Center. He also played 2 games for the Raiders in 1988.
Jeff Davidson was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 5th round (111th overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft. He played Left Guard and Left Tackle for the Broncos from 1990-92, starting 30 of 44 games and recovering one Fumble.
Chris Myers was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 6th round (200th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played 3 years in Denver from 2005-07. In 2007, Myers showed his versatility by starting the season as an offensive guard before shifting to center, replacing an injured Tom Nalen. During the 2008 offseason, Chris was a Restricted Free Agent. On St. Patrick's Day, the Broncos pulled a sign-and-trade with Myers. Denver signed him to a 4-year, $11 million contract with $3 million guaranteed and then traded him to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 6th-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. That pick turned out to be Spencer Larsen. Chris played in 41 games as a Bronco, including 16 starts, all at Center.
Casey Wiegmann was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 1996. He never made it to the Active Roster with them, but played for the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Broncos in his 12th year. In 2008, he started all 16 games for the Broncos. Casey currently has a 164-game starting streak, which is the longest streak among all active NFL centers. As a Bronco, Wiegmann was part of an Offensive line that tied the Tennessee Titans for the fewest amount of sacks given up during the regular season. Casey was selected to play in the 2009 Pro Bowl as an alternate, replacing Kevin Mawae who was injured. Wiegmann was released by the Broncos on February 23, 2010 and returned to the Kansas City Chiefs, his former team, the following month. Casey started all 32 games in his two seasons as a Bronco and made 3 Special Teams Tackles.
"Tom understands football on a slightly different plane than many players. He has a special ability to see our plays as moves in an overall strategy, not just a hup-and-run. And he has surprisingly good speed and agility. Tom's good on pass plays, but I'd say his very best moves come on our running game. When the play flows in one direction or the other, he has an instinct for it. It makes Tom a mean, mean opponent."
"The whole football experience is a bit like a war," he says, "except that it's much more accelerated. But consider the lowly lineman: In order to make my life interesting, I have to resort to mind games with my opponent. It starts with my leaning the wrong way to fake him out on which way the play is going to go. But that's pretty elementary, and the real old pros aren't having any of that sophomore nonsense. So then you progress to subtle eye-fakes to throw them off. And after a while, that doesn't work, either. And, ah, then you resort to the game's real strategy—you give them the false lead, which they know to be false, and then you give them the false-false lead, which really screws them up. You do all of this properly and you start to feel like a pro."
Job number one: Protect his general at all costs.
"It's my job to protect Craig Morton and a slap in my face if anyone thinks I'd stand aside so he could take an extra shot. If anybody lays an extra hand on Craig, I'll cut it off."
"I can still crawl around on the floor," Glassic says, in the self-deprecating and sardonic fashion that reflects his refusal to expect or accept pity. "As long as I can crawl around on the floor and play with my soldiers, I'm happy."
I couldn't choose between the Old Guard (Glassic) and the New Guard (Neil). They are both great players and both deserving, but I leave it to you to decide the outcome.
Go Broncos!