Mark Kiszla: I made a bold move. Time for the Broncos to do the same
The Broncos should trade for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and select Caleb Williams
John Elway was the best thing that ever happened to Denver sports — until he started picking young quarterbacks to replace him.
He bet on Paxton Lynch and Case Keesum (or whatever his name was).
But Elway passed on Josh Allen.
Ouch. I’m not crying. You’re crying, with Broncos Country wallowing in a puddle of orange and blue tears.
Hang around this dusty old cowtown for 40 years and even a knucklehead like me learns a thing or two.
In sports, as in life, crucial moments call for bold choices.
You can’t be afraid to turn the page and write a new chapter.
So, please allow me to interrupt this little rant to share some happy news: I’ve taken my talents, with a willingness to ask tough questions and raise a little ruckus, to The Gazette, where I’m blessed with a new opportunity to continue the rambunctious debate I’ve shared with America’s best sports fans for a generation.
In my-not-humble opinion, may I suggest the Broncos take a cue from me?
A once-proud NFL team has fallen and can’t get up.
It’s time to be bold. Trade up in the NFL draft. Get the No. 1 pick by any means necessary, including saying goodbye to Pro Bowl Patrick Surtain. It’s time to bet the future on Caleb Williams, a worthy heir to the legacy of Elway, Peyton Manning and the stuff of which sweet orange-and-blue memories are made.
We’ve seen some stuff, you and me, during my 40-year journey through press boxes around the world.
I will forever cherish wiping away a tear when Missy Franklin, a kid from my neighborhood, won a gold medal at the Olympic pool in London, and how Air Force legend Fisher DeBerry filled me with made-in-America pride whenever he began to preach about the indomitable spirit of the Fightin’ Falcons.
Although it’s true I don’t adore your favorite team the way you do, what I love about sports is how they can turn perfect strangers into a community bonded by fist bumps at the stadium.
As a columnist, I’m hopelessly hooked on drama and folly so deliciously unscripted it’s impossible to predict what crazy or beautiful thing will happen next.
Can there ever be a worse trade in Denver sports history than when Broncos general manager George Paton gave away all that and a bag of chips for quarterback Russell Wilson? Will we ever share a bigger goosebump moment than when Nuggets center Nikola Jokic tenderly planted a championship kiss on the cheek of his young daughter?
Well, we’re fixing to find out. We will do it together at The Gazette, which made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
I’ve made the move after 40 years at The Denver Post because I believe the best sports fans in America deserve nothing less than covering sports the Joker and Coach Prime with the same passion that causes Ball Arena to shake, rattle and roll when the crowd sings “All the Small Things” in celebration of a rousing Avalanche victory.
I’m humbled and grateful to join a team that’s truly committed to winning.
Of all the lessons we can glean from sports, maybe this is the one that resonates deepest in my heart: Crucial moments call for bold action. Go big in the field of play or go home and sit on the porch.
More pages in the book of our regrets are filled with opportunities not taken than the human mistakes we’re all destined to make.
After seven straight losing seasons, the Broncos find themselves at a crossroads. Do they continue down the path of irrelevance? Or do the Broncos dare to reverse a sad run of bad luck and bad football with a bold move?
Although Elway and I have not always seen eye to eye over the last 40 years, I want to thank him for teaching me one thing about football and life:
Don’t be afraid to pull the trigger.
As a quarterback, Elway never let his last interception discourage him from making his next big play.
As a front-office executive, Elway refused to let many whiffs in the draft to stop him from swinging for the fences … until 2018, when he played it safe and selected edge-rusher Bradley Chubb at No. 5 in the first round instead of plucking Allen out of his backyard at the University of Wyoming.
Broncos coach Sean Payton has gone on record to declare Williams, the consensus No. 1 talent in the next NFL draft, as a generational talent.
If Payton believes that to be the honest truth about Williams, what the Broncos must do is a no-brainer. If you want a generational talent, why settle for Oregon quarterback Bo Nix?
Trade Surtain, who’s likely headed toward the Hall of Fame, plus as many future draft choices as is required, then throw in all the king’s horses and all the king’s men to pry the No. 1 overall pick from the Bears.
Denver needs a quarterback with an arm so strong he can throw the team’s sorry recent history in the garbage.
So, here’s my free (but invaluable) advice to our downtrodden local NFL team:
Go big, and make us forget the worst trade in Colorado history with the boldest trade in Colorado history.
FILE – In this Jan. 31, 1999, file photo, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway celebates a fourth quarter touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami, After going 0-3 in Super Bowls in his first 14 seasons, Elway won for the second straight year. Elway completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and won his first MVP trophy in five starts, a record for a quarterback. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)
Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic glances over at the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy during a press conference during media day on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. All the players and Head Coach Michael Malone took turns being interviewed by sports writers and broadcasters during the media day. The first regular season home game will be against the Lakers on Oct. 24. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
Mark Kiszla
luige.delpuerto@gazette.com
