Horse Tracks: Broncos fans should be proud to claim DeMarcus Ware

On Saturday, DeMarcus Ware was enshrined in the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. From 2005 to 2013, Ware played outside linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys. This is where I would typically make a joke about how the Cowboys haven’t won anything since the 1990’s, but I’m going to steer clear. I will simply say that hype doesn’t win Super Bowls, but DeMarcus Ware did—once he came to Denver.

For just 3 seasons, Ware rocked the orange and blue in with the Broncos. After leaving the team, he later came on as a pass-rush consultant in 2018. It’s hard to imagine that the Broncos would have been able to pull off their championship season in 2015 without him.

It’s funny when you look at Ware in terms of similar players. Like Ware, Tony Dorsett came to Denver, in 1988, to finish his Hall of Fame career. Unlike Ware, Dorsett didn’t have the kind of impact that put that ‘88 even close to the top. That 1988 squad went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

To find a player like Ware, you need to look at Neil Smith. Smith played with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1988 to 1996. For just 3 seasons, Neil Smith played for the Broncos and during that time, they went to and won back-to-back Super Bowls. While Smith is not yet in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his resume is one that certainly merits consideration. It’s the devoted mercenary mentality that suggest Ware and Smith’s stints with the Broncos are similar.

While his name shows up in the lists of former “Broncos” to be in the hall of fame, it would be incredibly difficult to find anyone who would be comfortable identifying Tony Dorsett as a former Bronco. With Neil Smith, because of his unmatched success in Denver, it’s not so easy to ignore his contribution to football in Denver. Such is the same with DeMarcus Ware. He may have been a Cowboy, but-holy crap-he was awesome as a Bronco.

If you’re ever in Canton and you happen to lock eyes with DeMarcus Ware’s bust at the hall of fame, give him a little Mile High Salute. He deserves it as an all-time Broncos great.

Headlines

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