This is a great day for the local, regional and national legions of Denver Broncos fans, with the first practice of the new camp leading into the so highly anticipated 2013 season.
The Broncos come into this year with the highest of expectations, but you can never have high hopes without being followed by the glow of media.
So be it, we would not want it any other way.
Because no matter how high a fan sets his goals, no matter how much a fan wants to win, you think any of us wants to win any more than Pat Bowlen, John Elway, John Fox and Peyton Manning?
I can tell you, from long experience with Pat and John Elway, and it's so obvious with Peyton and Coach Fox—these guys are crazed, obsessive, singular in purpose.
Nothing drives them off course, and certainly not the press horde that will follow us.
This is really, really exciting, and for me to say that, well, I have seen a few camps.
This is my 36th, and at lunch today Coach Fox and I were talking about the way things used to be, having good-natured chuckles about all the changes, all natural products of social and technological developments.
My first camp was with the Broncos in Fort Collins in 1978.
The Broncos were the defending American Football Conference champions, and it was 36 years ago, but in so many ways it seems like just last week.
This was before the NFL owners and the Players Association had negotiated many of the things in effect today, and it was well before so may developments relative to caring for the body.
So there was no one practice a day, practice in shells, walkthroughs, and so forth.
It was living in a dorm room, no TV unless you brought your own, two practices a day, morning and afternoon, no matter how hot it got.
Full pads, both practices, every day.
Contact at virtually every practice, with contact drills usually starting it off.
No water on the field. Instead, and I am not kidding, there would be a popsicle break halfway through practice.
I can tell you everyone made a mad rush to the popsicles when they were put out, because that was literally the only fluid consumed on the field.
