Randy Gradishar should be the next Bronco to get into the Hall of Fame

Now that Terrell Davis is headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it’s time to turn our attention to a guy even more slighted. Before I go any farther, that’s still a damn awesome line to write. And it will never get old.

Ever since the news broke on Saturday evening, focus has turned to: Well, who should get inducted next? The list of Denver Broncos is long and painful. You couldn’t go wrong with any of them, but this player sticks out like a ketchup stain on a white T-shirt.

As Adam Malnati and I discussed on the latest Mile High Report Radio Podcast, that player is one of the greatest linebackers to ever play in the NFL - Randy Gradishar. How he’s not in yet, as Broncos Country knows, is beyond infuriating. This needs to change. And it should come when the seniors committee meets in the next few months. It will have two players to peg as finalists and one of them needs to be Gradishar.

There’s been talk that person should be Pat Bowlen. That should be the case after the monstrous disservice the contributor committee did last year by not picking the Broncos owner as one of the two finalists. It blew up in its face and it’s still feeling the blowback. As Mike Klis said on Twitter, “I’m expecting Bowlen to be lone contributor candidate next year and he gets in.”

Imagine, a year after Davis gets his bust in Canton, Ohio, Bowlen and Gradishar get their place in the Hall of Fame? There are no words for that moment.

For now, let’s enjoy the Davis news and try to remind ourselves it’s really real. But let’s not take too long and begin the work to get another deserving Broncos player into the Hall of Fame.