October 29, 2008 10:01 AM
Reeves deserves call to Hall
What exactly did former Broncos head coach Dan Reeves do to turn Bronco Fan against him? Reeves must have done some pretty awful things, because no one seems to be trumpeting his candidacy for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Allow me.
It was announced on Tuesday that Reeves' name appears among 133 players, coaches and contributors who make up the preliminary list of modern-era nominees for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2009.
Seven, including Reeves, have ties to the Broncos. The others are Tom Jackson, Louis Wright, Karl Mecklenburg, Shannon Sharpe, Terrell Davis and Steve Atwater.
I usually speak to 'T.J.' one or twice during a football season. I have friendly relationships with 'T.D.', 'Meck', 'At' and 'Louie'. And 'Sharpie' . . . well, let's just say we have our phone conversations about football that somehow lead to friendly boxing wagers.
Jackson was named to three Pro Bowl teams and played in more games (191) than any other defensive player in Broncos history. Davis has a pair of Super Bowl rings, a Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award, an NFL MVP award and a 2,000-yard rushing season to his credit. Sharpe won two Super Bowls with Denver, a third with the Baltimore Ravens and left the game with more catches than anyone that ever played tight end in the NFL.
Atwater made the Pro Bowl eight times and had 24 interceptions in 10 seasons with Denver. Mecklenburg went from 12th-round pick to six-time Pro Bowl selection during his12-year career, and Wright, who had 26 career interceptions, went to five Pro Bowls.
Each player has impressive credentials on his pro football resume. None, to me anyways, are as decorated as Reeves.
Reeves is one of only a handful of coaches who have won 200 NFL regular season and playoff games. His career overall record of 201-174-2 includes a 117-79-1 mark with the Broncos. From 1984 (start of Pat Bowlen's tenure as owner) Reeves went 96-58-1 overall -- which ought to meet any qualifications for an induction into the team's Ring of Fame.
OK, so Reeves lost three Super Bowls coaching the Broncos, by a combined score of 136-40. Someone needs to remove the bronzed busts of Bud Grant and Marv Levy from the Hall of Fame. Those two coaches went 0-8 (each at 0-4) in Super Bowls.
Reeves played in two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, leading all players with five receptions in Super Bowl V and winning a championship ring from Super Bowl VI. He was an assistant on three Cowboys teams that played in Super Bowls -- including a win in Super Bowl XII over Denver. In addition to three Super Bowls with the Broncos, Reeves coached the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII (against Denver) six weeks after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery.
Reeves has been on the field, as a player or coach, for some of the most memorable games played in NFL playoff history. He threw a 50-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option to give Dallas a 17-14 lead in the 1967 NFL Championship Game -- a.k.a. 'The Ice Bowl' -- won by Green Bay 21-17.
In the 1986 AFC Championship Game played in Cleveland Reeves coached the Broncos in the come-from-behind 23-20 overtime win against the Browns, made famous by 'The Drive' that ended with John Elway's touchdown pass to Mark Jackson in the final seconds of regulation.
Think about the Broncos players on the list for the Hall of Fame's Class of 2009. Reeves coached Jackson, Wright and Mecklenburg. He drafted Atwater and Sharpe. And he was a major negotiator in the trade that brought Elway from Baltimore to Denver in 1983.
Did I say major negotiator in the Elway trade? I did. And some of you already have corrected me. Rather than make cosmetic changes on the blog to remove the statement, I'll simply say 'my bad.' How about this one - it took Reeves six years after his firing in Denver to do something that current Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has been working on for nine seasons plus seven games, and that's coach a team to the Super Bowl without Elway.
Reeves led the Falcons to Super Bowl XXXIII with Chris Chandler. Feel free to correct me on that one. Now, back to the finish.
Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Don Coryell, Tom Flores, Buddy Parker and Clark Shaughnessy are coaches also listed on the Class of '09 nomination list. In particular, Johnson and Flores have won Super Bowl championship rings as head coaches, but combined they don't have as many career NFL wins as Reeves.
Two hundred coaching wins. Nine Super Bowls. How many NFL players, coaches or contributors can present Reeves' career credentials? He deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame much sooner than later.
October 29, 2008
11:07 PM
ANTONY54 writes:
DAN REEVES SUCCS SAM, HE WAS MADE BY ELWAY!! THE ONLY GUYS WHO REALLY DESERVE TO BE IN THE HALL ARE SHARPE & ATWATER.. LOUIS WRIGHT IS A CRACC HEAD!! I KNOW, HE WAS THE COACH AT MONTBELLO HIGH SCHOOL WHEN I ATTENDED SCHOOL THEIR.. HE USE TO SLEEP IN THE LOCCER ROOMS.. OH YEAH, OBAMA IN 08!! ELWAY IS A WEENIE FOR BACCING McCAIN!!
October 30, 2008
8:38 AM
Dan writes:
My recollection is that Reeves had no role in the trade for Elway. He was as shocked as the rest of us when Edgar Kaiser did this deal with his old friend Robert Irsay. The animosity that developed between Reeves and Elway led to using a first round pick in 1992 for Tommy Maddox. Hall of Fame --- why not. Ring of Fame --- not while Elway and Shanahan are still alive.
October 30, 2008
12:49 PM
fox31 writes:
You know the more I read and hear from people about other people, the more I see we are unwiling to forgive and forget. We all make mistakes and for goodness sake THIS IS JUST FOOTBALL people!! Dan Reeves, with all he has accomplished deserves serious consideration for the hall of fame... So, just think about it Dan and ANTONY54, your accomplishments and successes along with all of your failures or undue credit given to you are ALL still given to YOU!! And on those we all will be "judged..." And that's the fact!
October 30, 2008
1:51 PM
Dynamicdave writes:
fox31, agreed. A man should not be denied anything of his past glory because of future downsides. ANTONY54, are you so quick to dog Wright for what you "think he might be doing"? You call him a crackhead? Did you "see" him smoking, or did others "say" he's smoking crack? How would he have remained on the school program? But I see your quick to judge him? Oh, "baccing" is spelled "backing", "cracc head", is spelled "crackhead", "loccer" is spelled "locker" and "their" is "there". I'm not trying to bust on you, but you made some serious accusations about Wright with nothing to go by but that "he slept in the locker room"? I've slept in my studio on the cot, before, that doesn't make me a crackhead. Just a thought. Other then that, I still like your posts, but you need to lighten up. Wright was a great player and deserves his due for what he has done as a Bronco.
October 30, 2008
3:00 PM
fred writes:
Hey Reeves was an excellent coach! Antony54-your a knucklehead, yes Elway was the man, but Don Shula had Marino forever and was only able to get to one super bowl with him! Reeves took four teams to super bowls, win or lose, that is an extraordinary feat. Reeves should get in!!
October 30, 2008
3:53 PM
Fred W, Sr writes:
Reeves was an excellent coach--his record in conference championship games is outstanding. But what really impressed me about Dan the most was after he lost the Super Bowl to Denver. Take a look at the video of the Broncos celebrating on the platform after the game. Dan Reeves came over to the side and offered his hand to Elway in congratulations. The surprised (almost shocked) expression on John's face was really something to see. Reeves showed a lot of class that day.
Reeves, Sharpe, Davis, and Atwater all deserve to be in the HOF.
October 30, 2008
8:55 PM
DJ Bronco fan writes:
I agee with Fred, Reeves did more with less than any other Bronco coach (and so did Elway). whether or not he had much to do with getting Elway or not, he recognized his talent, kept the game close, and let him win it at the end. And I think that had a lot to do with making Elway the QB he was. his Defenses for the most part (Atwater, Jones, Mecklenburg, Smith) were good (could use a defense now) special teams were solid. Reeves deserves consideration, as do Davis, Atwater, Meck, and Sharpe. How can you not let Davis in with what he did in just a short career. But we all know that Denver is not on the radar for HOF players.....And that is sad!
November 1, 2008
11:18 PM
Anonymous writes:
WELL I'LL BE DAMNED.. DIDN'T KNOW EVERYONE FELT SO STRONGLY BOUT DANNY.. MY APOLIGIES TO YOU.. DDAVE THANS FOR POINTING OUT THE OBVIOUS; I CAN SPELL BUT I LOVE YOU ANYWAY.. LOUIS WRIGHT IS A CRACC HEAD!! I DON'T CARE IF I NEVER SEEN HIM PUT THE PIPE TO HIS MOUTH.. I'M GLAD YOU DON'T SMOKE DOPE DDAVE THAT WOULD BE A SHAME.. IF WE LET EVERYONE IN THE H.O.F. THAN WHY HAVE IT?? IF EVERYDAY WAS A SUNNY DAY, THAN WHATS A SUNNY DAY??
November 2, 2008
12:08 AM
Dynamicdave writes:
ANTONY54, it's all good, love you too man, but you still can't have my Bud-lite, ha, ha. Anyways, no, no drugs, not since i was 16. My martial arts instructor got me to quit smoking pot. My only drug is 90 proof and that is not very often. During football season, I drink mainly beer and that's only at game time. I looked up Louis Wright and he is a football assistant coach at Rangeview High School and a Physical Education teacher at Mrachek Middle School. Doesn't sound like he's doing drugs to me. If he was, he was never convicted because he is working with kids. I say good luck to him.
November 8, 2008
2:16 AM
chip brewer writes:
Dan Reeves is on Gods team. A true christian who has always handeld his success and failures with class and dignity. After every super bowl loss he has never pointed a finger at anyone but himself. If i may quote Dan he has always siad after a loss that the other team was better prepared. Never mentioned that Eugene Robinson taem captian arrested for solisatation of prostitution, up all night with no sleep to help him got burnt for two touchdowns, not to mention the whole team up all night with the distraction on the night before the big game had to hinder everyone's ability to rest or concentrate for the biggest game of the teams history. No dan did not throw him to the wolfs for we all sin and are not perfect.
November 8, 2008
2:57 AM
chip brewer writes:
Please allow me to elaberate on the morals, character, and dignity of the finest man to ever be a factor of the growth and success of the nfl over the last 40 years of the most exciting team sport of our lifetime. When Dan won the state championship in high school as the starting quaterback of Americus High school only one team offered him a schollarship to play in collage, South carolina. After the all star game in which Dan won the MVP of the game Georgia, Alabama (Bear Bryant) Georgia, Fla. just to name a few offered him a schollarship he refused to disscuss any offers except South Carolina, for they offered before everyone jumped on the bandwagon. After setting records and eventually getting into South Carolinas HALL OF FAME, He was undrafted but decided to go try for a walk on at the Dallas Cowboys for his admiration of TOM LANDRYS christian morals, character, and integrety he headed for the cowboys training camp with everyone saying he was wasteing his time, he succeded in getting offered a contract. If you read TOM LANDRYS book he says that Dan was one of the best player he ever coached at understanding the game. Dan set the record for the most touchdowns in a season 16 at Dallas that stood till Emmitt Smith broke it yaers later. Dan had offseason knee surgery for all of his 4 yrs at his position of a running back. (AKA Brett Farve) U just got to cowboy up and play hurt, the team is depending on u. ATTENTION ROMOEO He later helped Coach Landry with the shotgun offence and all the movement of personal at the line that lead to a good bit of Dallas becoming Americas Team. After his playing carrer at dallas he joined the coaching staff, eventually becoming the offensive coridinator for the cowboys. In almost all of his years of running the offense they had the number 1 offense in the nfl for most of his years at that position.
November 8, 2008
3:29 AM
chip brewer writes:
Okay yall got me started so i guess its yalls fault that i can;t quit now. 9 years, 5 years one game away from the big show in 39 years. You do the math, once every few years, that record will never be broken or even come close to breaking that. Dan is the first to give jesus christ credit for all the success in his life. He was voted coach of the year several times by his peers not the media in his career. Took the lowly falcons to there first playoff win and super bowl apperance in that teams history with Chris Chandler 16 and 2 give him credit when credit is due. Don't judge Dan on His record of super bowl losses, 90 percent of all players or coaches for that matter even make it to the big show. Wnenever he has control of player personal,coaches, play calling he has had great success. When Dan got blamed for not having a quality backup for michael vick he never blamed the new owner of the falcons, ARTHUR BLANK for his insistance for cutting CHRIS CHANDLER in order to keep Big play Ray Buchanan, he never placed the blame on Arthur even after he fired him. That would have never work out with Blank being jewish and not believing in jesus christ any way. GOOD luck Mr. Blank without Dans dicipline and faith in your future. How many playoff games has Shanahan won without Elway. He may not make it into the hall of fame for political reasons but rest assured he's in GOD'S HALL OF FAME,
November 8, 2008
3:47 AM
chip brewer writes:
Mike and John are are in denial if they dont thank Dan did not help them to be the succesfull player and coach that they were. I'm 45 years old and i wish i had as much character and morals in my life that Dan Reeves has in his pinkie finger. God bless all of the people that Dan has blessed and inspired in his lifetime. If only this country could go back to the day's of team, family and faith instead of me me me. LONG LIVE THE LANDRY AND REEVES rolemodels that have been blessed by the way they lived there lives for other than one's on glory and fame. Good luck to the voters of this years hall of fame members that are man enough to carry Coach Landry's or Coach Reeves jock strap. my email address is cowboybrewer@gmail.com if u wish to address this issue with me personally. God Bless, CHIP BREWER