Thanks to Kirk Davis of Bronco Planet for providing this detailed summary of the Denver Broncos Quarterback Club July 2013 meeting. – Tim
If you weren’t in attendance at the July meeting of the Denver Broncos Quarterback Club, don’t worry, you didn’t miss the video recap of the Broncos 2012 season because the league and NFL Films needed more time to put the finishing touches on it. It will be shown during the August meeting. However, here’s what you missed this time around.
The featured guests for the evening were Mike Klis and Loren Landow. Klis, as you may know, is the Bronco beat writer for the Denver Post. Loren Landow is relatively unknown outside the sports field, but he trains athletes from high school to Olympians, with Colorado’s own Missy Franklin among his clients. Loren was responsible for the fitness training of several Bronco players during the 2011 NFL lockout. In fact, these two guests collaborated on a book entitled, “My Off-Season with the Denver Broncos: Building a Championship Team (While Nobody’s Watching).”
Both guests gave anecdotes from the book, speaking for a good 30-40 minutes, with a Q&A afterward. It was interesting hearing a first hand account from Mike Klis, about how he actually was able to form a better bond with some of the players because he had closer contact and the media restrictions that exist at Dove Valley weren’t present.
Loren Landow related the difficulties in training his clients because the “endgame” was unknown. The lockout was indefinite and he could not be sure how to get his athletes into their peak condition (for Training Camp), when no one knew how long the work stoppage would last.
Landow also informed the audience that he had to gain the players trust and ensure he had their best interests and not his own agenda. Perhaps the most telling moment during those workouts was when he told the players, “You work out like a 4-12 team.”
That statement got the players attention. The Broncos went 4-12 in 2010 and needed that little reminder of how much effort is needed to not only stay in the NFL, but succeed. Loren also said that there were a few “Bubble” players that really benefited from those workouts. Lance Ball, Cassius Vaughn, Chris Clark, Brady Quinn and Joe Mays all turned their hard work into new contracts.
Klis gave the group a recap of the 2012 Bronco season, his thoughts on the upcoming season for the team and touched on the recent arrests and suspensions of Bronco Front Office personnel Matt Russell and Tom Heckert.
Mike said that he expects Champ Bailey to get a lot of action on his side of the field in 2013, due to the toasting he got in the playoff game against the Ravens. Klis was asked whether Champ has lost a step and he replied that the tape doesn’t lie. The league saw how to beat Champ and he will be tested this year.
Klis went on to say that despite the suspensions of Russell and Heckert, Elway has positioned the team to the point where nothing less than the AFC Championship is acceptable for the team in 2013 and cited Ryan Clady’s quote from that afternoon, “Super Bowl or Bust.”
Loren and Mike did a book signing before, during and after the meeting and were really amenable. The duo were appreciative of the invitation by the Quarterback Club and the feeling was mutual. All in all, an enjoyable event.
Go Broncos!
–Kaptain Kirk