Smalltalk » It won’t be easy, but the possibility is there.

CANTON https://www.broncoslockerroom.com/authentic-drew-lock-jersey , Ohio — At one end of the room sat Tony Gonzalez. All the way across it was Ed Reed.Sometimes in the past, that’s as close to each other as the two new Hall of Famers cared to be.Same thing for Champ Bailey and Ty Law when it came to covering Gonzalez, the game-changing tight end and matchup nightmare for defensive backs.They’re all part of the class of 2019 that will be inducted Saturday night. On Friday, they spoke about each other — and the honor of entering the pro football shrine together.“It was a hassle dealing with Tony,” said Reed, a five-time All-Pro for Baltimore as a ball-hawking safety and member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, as were Gonzalez, Bailey and Law. “Tony was tough. You needed somebody else to help you. I’d tell Terrell Suggs, ‘You got to hit him before you pass rush.’“Tony was crafty, big, tough to get around, a basketball guy.”True. Gonzalez was a two-sport star at Cal. Clearly, he chose the right profession, making six All-Pro teams, catching more passes (1,325) than anyone except Jerry Rice, and becoming the most accomplished tight end in NFL history.Entering the hall with three exceptional DBs was striking for Gonzalez, whose ability to outrun linebackers and outmuscle or even out-jump safeties and cornerbacks made him a dominant performer for 17 seasons.“I loved it because he was the best,” Bailey said of his matchups with Gonzalez while both were in the AFC West, the tight end with Kansas City, the cornerback with Denver. Rarely did defensive coordinators ask cornerbacks to take on Gonzalez, but Bailey had the smarts, skill and temperament to do so.“Tony was not necessarily fast, but fast enough. It was kind of refreshing for me to go against a bigger guy, not one of those (tight ends who play like wideouts). I knew if the ball ever came his way, I had to worry about that big body (Gonzalez played at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, Bailey at 6-0, 195) and try to make a play. I never got a pick on him. He was one of the best.”Gonzalez echoed those thoughts about Reed, Bailey and Law, who was a teammate in Kansas City in 2006-07.“Ed was the only safety (of the three), and he was a top guy,” Gonzalez said. “I loved going against him and seeing how I stacked up. I won some and lost some.“I went the most against Champ, twice a year, because the Broncos would match him against me a lot. Man, that was tough.“Ty was my teammate for a while and I learned a lot Dalton Risner Jersey , how hard he worked at the game.”The four were joined in an interview session by fellow enshrinees Kevin Mawae, a dominant center for 16 seasons — and, yes, a player on the 2000s All-Decade team — former Chiefs safety Johnny Robinson, Gil Brandt and the family of late Broncos owner Pat Bowlen.All of them conveyed the same message: never back off from your goals.“I never took my eye off the process,” said Bailey, who spent his first five pro seasons in Washington. “What was it going to take to succeed? But I dreamed big from the beginning.”Bailey was mentored by a Hall of Famer, Darrell Green, during his time in Washington. He also spent some time with Deion Sanders, also a Canton enshrinee, as a Redskin.“How did I get all this greatness around me?” he wondered. “It set my foundation.”Law spoke of his roots in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, mentioning how his grandparents set him on the correct path when he could have strayed and wound up “six feet under.”“Everything I have faced in my life, I can go back to Aliquippa and the lessons I learned,” he said.Brandt, who from 1960-89 was the personnel director of the Cowboys and recently has been a league consultant for the draft, will lead off the induction ceremony Saturday night. One of football’s great story tellers, he promises to leave plenty of time for the others on the docket to speak.“It’s kind of surreal,” said Brandt, 86. “I have been at the hall since 1965; one of my jobs was getting helmets and other things signed. You always hope for something to happen, but it’s almost impossible to happen.”On Saturday, the hall’s doors will open to Brandt and the other members of the 2019 class.“Very special,” Brandt concluded. “Very.” When George Chahrourin joined Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Albright on Broncos Country Tonight on KOA radio 850 it was an interesting conversation. They tempered excitement aboutBrandon Allen’s performance, and also jumped on the Alexander Johnson train.The most important point to be made about Allen’s game was who the Broncos were playing. Obviously, moving forward things will be much more difficult. They don’t get to play the Browns every week. However, Allen did earn the opportunity to use the next few games to try and earn more playing time. He could, perhaps even postpone the Drew Lock experiment even further. There’s no doubt the task will be much more difficult, but if he can continue to get big catches from Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant he has a shot at impressing the coaches. fter the bye week the schedule stiffens with the Vikings and Bills on the horizon. Past that, a Chargers team that is all over the map comes to Denver. Lock will most likely play in that game against Los Angeles, but Allen will absolutely have a chance to make a statement in those difficult games leading up to the Chargers.The other big name discussed was Alexander Johnson. He has definitely emerged as a potential fit in Vic Fangio’s scheme at ILB. The Broncos have been looking for a guy to fill the position for years (remember how great Al Wilson was?). If Johnson can continue his form, he may have found a home in Denver.The best thing that can be said right now is that the Denver Broncos have the potential to make adjustments in the offseason, continue to build onto what is being created, and get back to winning football in the Mile High City.Bonus ListenMike Klis joined BTA and confirmed that you will get to see Drew Lock play for the Broncos this season.