Pat Bowlen gets spit on by the Pro Football Hall of Fame subcommittee

Fans of the Denver Broncos have come to expect this. To expect the slight. To know the slap in the face is coming from the people who should “know the game.” But this, this is a bloody joke ... and it’s not funny.

At this point, the Broncos and their fans should slap and spit on themselves.

By all accounts, Pat Bowlen had a great chance to finally become a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Leave it to the nine-person contributor subcommittee to bungle it and slap the man who did more to grow the NFL than anyone.

Check that: They just spit on him and showed what the Hall of Fame really thinks of Bowlen.

In his rightful place are former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and current Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. One could make the case for Tagliabue (they would be wrong given his coverup of the concussion fiasco), but the Jones decision reeks of stank. To get an idea of how bad this decision is: Ask Jones himself, who would tell that subcommittee it got it wrong.

It is beyond outrageous a current owner will get in over Bowlen. It’s maddening. It’s sickening. It’s a disgrace.

Jerry Jones? Really?

The guy who rode Jimmy Johnson’s coattails and has done nothing since the mid-1990s?

Jones’ signing of Greg Hardy must have sealed it for the subcommittee.

Take out what Bowlen did to grow the NFL and look no further than wins and losses.

Jones - 230-202.

Bowlen - 313-197.

I get that wins aren’t the sole barometer to measure success when it comes to owners, but it’s a great place to start. It gives you an idea of consistency and how good a franchise really is.

In his time as owner, Bowlen has more Super Bowl appearances (seven) than losing seasons (five). That’s pretty damn consistent.

Nope. Still not Hall of Fame worthy.

Instead, a guy who has had 16 seasons of 8-8 or sub-.500 records? “He’s done more to grow the league than anyone.” Translation: He loves the spotlight on himself and it’s all about money.

Since the Cowboys’ third Super Bowl, they’re 162-158. In that time span: Two playoff wins. “Get that man in the Hall of Fame.”

Now take into account what Bowlen actually did to grow the NFL.

As Mike Klis wrote on Monday about Bowlen’s candidacy, “His work as chairman of the TV committee that helped explode the NFL from one of the three major sports that -€” incomprehensibly as it may seem now -€” claimed it was losing money from its TV packages in 1991 to what is now a $13 billion a year monolith.

"It was Bowlen's decision to bring in the Fox network as a partner starting with the 1994 season that changed the world of sports broadcasting rights fees. Bowlen is also considered the father of NBC's 'Sunday Night Football' that, since its inception in 2006, has usually been the highest-rated show on television each week."

Again, when Bowlen took control of the TV committee in the early ‘90s, the previous chair, Art Modell, claimed the NFL was losing money.

Nope, still not enough for Bowlen.

One slap in the face you can accept it. Perhaps even two.

Randy Gradishar.

Louis Wright.

Tom Jackson.

Tom Nalen.

Steve Atwater.

It’s beyond evident at this point that if you’re a member of the Broncos, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is not for you and it doesn’t even acknowledge your existence. It won’t give you the time of day. It’ll look at your resume, see you were connected to the Broncos, and immediately throw it in the trash.

What else does the Broncos organization have to do?

Seriously. Beyond the anger and shock, that’s the question that needs answered because, until it is, this won’t ever change.

The people who pick the Hall of Fame have shown, repeatedly, that it’s not based on wins, Super Bowl appearances or Super Bow wins.

Look no further than the Minnesota Vikings who have 13 Hall of Famers. A team that has won zero Super Bowls and hasn’t been to one since the 1970s.

What else do the Broncos have to do?

What else does this organization have to accomplish before it’s taken seriously? Before it gets respect?

Jerry Fucking Jones? Are you serious?

What a bloody joke ... and it’s not funny.