Going out a Bronco


“I've been around the league for a number of years, and you don't get any better than Champ.” —Former Denver head coach Mike Shanahan

Earlier this fall, Champ Bailey decided to retire. It had been a long off season and a rough start to the new season. Bailey’s time in Denver came to an end over the summer, and he signed with the New Orleans Saints. But shortly before the new season began, the Saints cut Bailey. He looked for work for the first few weeks of the season before deciding to hang it up for good.

Rightly, the Denver Broncos will sign Bailey to a one-day contract on Tuesday so he can retire as a Denver Bronco. Though he played for the Washington Redskins for the first few seasons of his career, he will probably best be known for what he did in Denver. He was a great player for the Broncos, one of my all time favorites, and it seems right he should retire as a Bronco. Hopefully in five years, when he’s inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he will rightly go in as a Bronco, too.

Probably the saddest day for me this off season was when the Broncos cut Bailey. It was almost as painful as the 43-8 loss in the Super Bowl in February. While it was almost certainly time for the Broncos to move on, it was hard to think of Bailey playing in another uniform. Luckily we won’t have to. I’m sad to see his career end, but I’m glad he’s not hanging on, playing nickel corner or sitting on the bench for another team.

Throughout his time in Denver, Champ Bailey was the best cornerback in football. But age and injuries took their toll, and the last few seasons he wasn’t at his best. Bailey was beaten badly in the playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens and hardly played last season. Still I hoped the Broncos could win a title for Champ Bailey in February, but it wasn’t to be.

I still have my Bailey jersey, and it is my favorite. There are a handful of players that I will always hold in my heart for their play with the Broncos – players like John Elway, Shannon Sharpe, Rod Smith, Steve Atwater, and Terrell Davis – players who made the games fun. That’s what Bailey did.

My favorite memory was in the divisional round of the playoffs against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Jake Plummer was the Broncos’ quarterback, and the game was close. Brady had never lost a playoff game, and he was taking his team in for a score. Then, out of no where, Bailey picked the ball off in the end zone and nearly ran it back for a touchdown. The Broncos won that game, one of too few playoff games they won while Champ patrolled the defensive backfield.

Tuesday will be a tough day. It’s hard to say goodbye. But it’s fitting that Bailey is ending his career in Denver.

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