DeusExManning
12-11-2006, 05:23 PM
Excellent article by Dusty Saunders
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/spotlight_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23962_5205493,00.html
Fans who still have bottles of Orange Crush stored in their refrigerators probably didn't switch channels at halftime Sunday, even though the Broncos looked pathetic.
Longtime followers can recall when things looked a lot worse.
The Broncos' loss dimmed their playoff hopes. In 1965, Denver almost lost the Broncos.
This mix of Sunday's embarrassment and a way-back-when scenario evolved while I was cleaning out old files after learning about the current television popularity of the team.
First, some television history.
In June 1965, NBC signed a lengthy deal with the American Football League, replacing ABC, which had held the franchise for the initial five years.
The peacock network initially paid the AFL $36 million for broadcasting rights - almost peanuts in today's sports financial environment but a hefty sum 40 years ago.
One of NBC's first moves was to pressure the league to move the franchise from Denver to Atlanta, a much larger population center.
NBC considered the Broncos to be a "backwater, small-market team."
As my old files showed, NBC sports executives told Chet Nelson, the late Rocky Mountain News sports editor, that while Denver was a nice city, "there were only coyotes to the east and mountain lions to the west - and they didn't watch television."
NBC, knowing it was entering a tough audience ratings battle with the established NFL on CBS in major markets, wanted to expand its viewing base. And the Broncos' losing record didn't inspire TV confidence.
Broncos owner Bob Howsam joined with community and governmental leaders and fans to produce a major ticket and promotional drive in order to keep the team in Denver.
NBC, which turned to other issues, later admitted that Denver, despite its isolated geographical location, had become a key city, as the AFL grew stronger.
I mention this bit of history as a way of salving the wounds of Broncos fans who might have cheered the brief, attempted comeback on CBS Sunday - a game that marked the 20th time in the past 27 games of regular-season play, when a network's No. 1 NFL team (in this case Phil Simms and Jim Nantz) have called the action.
This includes NBC's four Sunday night games this season.
In the minds of the networks, the Broncos have gone from a "backwater, small-market team" to one of the most popular TV attractions in the NFL in general and the AFC in particular.
As of now, No. 21 should go in the books on Christmas Eve as Simms and Nantz are scheduled to be in Denver for the Cincinnati game.
Most of these popularity seeds were planted in the Elway era, which included two Super Bowl victories.
Granted, any team in a close conference race gets top coverage.
But I've been told on several occasions by CBS Sports that the Broncos - and the fans - will take precedence in a tossup decision.
Many disheartened fans, burning up sports-talk radio lines, won't care about such TV popularity.
And they'll opt for something stronger than Orange Crush after watching the Chargers dismantle their team.
But as faded newspaper clippings show, things could have been much worse.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/spotlight_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23962_5205493,00.html
Fans who still have bottles of Orange Crush stored in their refrigerators probably didn't switch channels at halftime Sunday, even though the Broncos looked pathetic.
Longtime followers can recall when things looked a lot worse.
The Broncos' loss dimmed their playoff hopes. In 1965, Denver almost lost the Broncos.
This mix of Sunday's embarrassment and a way-back-when scenario evolved while I was cleaning out old files after learning about the current television popularity of the team.
First, some television history.
In June 1965, NBC signed a lengthy deal with the American Football League, replacing ABC, which had held the franchise for the initial five years.
The peacock network initially paid the AFL $36 million for broadcasting rights - almost peanuts in today's sports financial environment but a hefty sum 40 years ago.
One of NBC's first moves was to pressure the league to move the franchise from Denver to Atlanta, a much larger population center.
NBC considered the Broncos to be a "backwater, small-market team."
As my old files showed, NBC sports executives told Chet Nelson, the late Rocky Mountain News sports editor, that while Denver was a nice city, "there were only coyotes to the east and mountain lions to the west - and they didn't watch television."
NBC, knowing it was entering a tough audience ratings battle with the established NFL on CBS in major markets, wanted to expand its viewing base. And the Broncos' losing record didn't inspire TV confidence.
Broncos owner Bob Howsam joined with community and governmental leaders and fans to produce a major ticket and promotional drive in order to keep the team in Denver.
NBC, which turned to other issues, later admitted that Denver, despite its isolated geographical location, had become a key city, as the AFL grew stronger.
I mention this bit of history as a way of salving the wounds of Broncos fans who might have cheered the brief, attempted comeback on CBS Sunday - a game that marked the 20th time in the past 27 games of regular-season play, when a network's No. 1 NFL team (in this case Phil Simms and Jim Nantz) have called the action.
This includes NBC's four Sunday night games this season.
In the minds of the networks, the Broncos have gone from a "backwater, small-market team" to one of the most popular TV attractions in the NFL in general and the AFC in particular.
As of now, No. 21 should go in the books on Christmas Eve as Simms and Nantz are scheduled to be in Denver for the Cincinnati game.
Most of these popularity seeds were planted in the Elway era, which included two Super Bowl victories.
Granted, any team in a close conference race gets top coverage.
But I've been told on several occasions by CBS Sports that the Broncos - and the fans - will take precedence in a tossup decision.
Many disheartened fans, burning up sports-talk radio lines, won't care about such TV popularity.
And they'll opt for something stronger than Orange Crush after watching the Chargers dismantle their team.
But as faded newspaper clippings show, things could have been much worse.