Tag: Karl Mecklenburg

Karl Mecklenburg among ex-Broncos players snubbed by Hall of Fame voters

Karl Mecklenburg, Louis Wright, Lionel Taylor and eight other Broncos players were snubbed by Hall of Fame voters in the senior category.

Karl Mecklenburg and 10 other former Denver Broncos players were named senior candidates for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class last month. Voters have since narrowed the pool of 183 nominees down to 60 candidates, and no former Broncos players advanced in the voting.

Mecklenburg, linebacker Tom Jackson, safety Dennis Smith, wide receiver Lionel Taylor, returner Rick Upchurch, cornerback Louis Wright, receiver Bob Scarpitto, defensive lineman Michael Dean Perry, running back Sammy Winder, defensive lineman Lyle Alzado and defensive end Rich Jackson will all have to wait at least another year for a chance to reach Canton.

There is still a chance that the Broncos could be represented in the 2025 class. In addition to the 11 senior nominees, Denver also had 19 modern-era players nominated this year, and Mike Shanahan is expected to be a top candidate in the coach category.

Broncos candidates for Hall of Fame

  1. Coach Mike Shanahan (expected)
  2. WR Rod Smith
  3. C Tom Nalen
  4. K Jason Elam
  5. G Mark Schlereth
  6. LB Bill Romanowski
  7. DL Neil Smith
  8. WR Demaryius Thomas
  9. CB Aqib Talib
  10. WR Wes Welker
  11. RB Clinton Portis
  12. WR Brandon Marshall
  13. RB Glyn Milburn
  14. CB Dré Bly
  15. TE Vernon Davis
  16. DL Jamal Williams
  17. LB Keith Brooking
  18. RB Jamaal Charles
  19. DL Ted Washington
  20. DL Simeon Rice

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will trim the list of nominees this month before announcing semifinalists and finalists later in the fall. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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Full list of 30 former Broncos nominated for 2025 Hall of Fame class

The Broncos have 30 former players nominated for the 2025 Hall of Fame class, and Mike Shanahan is expected to be a top coach candidate.

Earlier this week, the NFL announced 19 former Denver Broncos players have been nominated for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class as modern-era candidates.

Those 19 players join a previous list of 11 senior candidate nominees who were announced earlier this month, giving the Broncos 30 total players who have been nominated for next year’s Hall of Fame class. Here are the full lists.

Broncos modern-era HOF candidates

  1. WR Rod Smith
  2. C Tom Nalen
  3. K Jason Elam
  4. G Mark Schlereth
  5. LB Bill Romanowski
  6. DL Neil Smith
  7. WR Demaryius Thomas
  8. CB Aqib Talib
  9. WR Wes Welker
  10. RB Clinton Portis
  11. WR Brandon Marshall
  12. RB Glyn Milburn
  13. CB Dré Bly
  14. TE Vernon Davis
  15. DL Jamal Williams
  16. LB Keith Brooking
  17. RB Jamaal Charles
  18. DL Ted Washington
  19. DL Simeon Rice

Broncos senior HOF candidates

  1. LB/DL Karl Mecklenburg
  2. LB Tom Jackson
  3. DB Dennis Smith
  4. WR Lionel Taylor
  5. WR/R Rick Upchurch
  6. CB Louis Wright
  7. WR Bob Scarpitto
  8. DL Michael Dean Perry
  9. RB Sammy Winder
  10. DL Lyle Alzado
  11. DE Rich Jackson

Former Denver coach Mike Shanahan is also expected to be nominated for the 2025 Hall of Fame class in the coach category.

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will trim the list of nominees in mid-October before announcing semifinalists and finalists later in the fall. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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View the Broncos’ (official and unofficial) all-time leaders in sacks

Von Miller ranks No. 1 on the Broncos’ all-time sack list, followed by Simon Fletcher and Karl Mecklenburg. 

Von Miller ranks No. 1 on the Broncos’ all-time sack list, followed by Simon Fletcher and Karl Mecklenburg.

The NFL did not begin officially tracking stats until 1982, so several players who played before that date are much lower on the team’s official all-time sack list than they should be.

Unofficially, Rulon Jones totaled 73.5 sacks in his career. Officially, he recorded 52.2 sacks that were tracked by the NFL. His official rank is only one spot lower than his official rank on Denver’s all-time list, but other players have more significant discrepancies.

Barney Chavous, for example, officially ranks 10th with 23 sacks. But if you include his pre-1982 totals, his 75 sacks would rank fourth.

We have listed the official top 10 leaders in sacks below, followed by six more players who would rank within the top 15 if pre-1982 sacks were official. All sack totals prior to 1982 were provided courtesy of pro-football-reference.com. Now, let’s get to the list!

Karl Mecklenburg shares harsh criticism of Russell Wilson after Broncos cut QB

Broncos great Karl Mecklenburg blasted Russell Wilson, saying the QB’s private coach and personal office “proved his self centeredness.”

Russell Wilson is no longer the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, and the news sent shockwaves throughout the sports world.

Wilson’s release shouldn’t come as a shock, though. Wilson and Sean Payton’s arranged marriage seemed like it might work — Payton and Wilson are Super Bowl champions, and both should find induction into the Hall of Fame after they retire.

However, after 15 starts, Payton saw enough of Wilson and benched him for the final two games, signaling an eventual release for the nine-time Pro Bowler.

Karl Mecklenburg was a Broncos great who played from 1983-1994, racking up five All-Pros and six Pro Bowl nods. The Broncos Ring of Fame linebacker delivered a scathing tweet about Wilson.

That was indeed some harsh criticism of Wilson after Denver cut the QB. Does he warrant it? If you let the critiques that have come out about Wilson over the past few years, it may be, at this point, a smoking gun. Be that as it may, hopefully Wilson find success elsewhere with another NFL team in 2024.

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Making the case for 10 Broncos who should be in the Hall of Fame

Randy Gradishar appears to be on the verge of reaching the Hall of Fame, but these Broncos players continue to be overlooked by voters.

The Denver Broncos are represented by 10 former players and late former owner Pat Bowlen in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and another former player will likely join them in Canton next year.

Former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar was named a senior finalist for the Hall of Fame last August, and he seems likely to be elected as a member of the 2024 class in January. Even with Gradishar seemingly on the verge of getting in, though, Denver remains underrepresented in Canton.

Two months ago, 16 former Broncos were named among 173 modern-era nominees for the 2024 Hall of Fame class. That list of nominees was narrowed down to a list of 25 semifinalists announced Tuesday and not a single Denver player made the cut.

Granted, many of the modern-era semifinalists this year are more than deserving — Antonio Gates, Julius Peppers, Dwight Freeney and Devin Hester among them — but the Broncos also have many deserving players who have been overlooked for years, and they are now one more year removed from possible enshrinement.

Here’s a quick look at ten Denver representatives who should already be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Which former Bronco will reach the Hall of Fame next?

Randy Gradishar should already be in the Hall of Fame. Mike Shanahan and late coach Dan Reeves also have strong HOF resumes.

After DeMarcus Ware was named a member of the 2022 Pro Football Hall of Fame class on Thursday evening, the Denver Broncos now have 11 representatives in the Hall of Fame.

The question for fans in Denver now becomes, which former Bronco will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio next?

The team’s biggest snub is arguably linebacker Randy Gradishar, a senior candidate who has been inexcusably overlooked by Hall of Fame voters.

Other player snubs include linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, cornerback Louis Wright, wide receivers Rod Smith and Lionel Taylor and center Tom Nalen, among others.

The Broncos’ next representative to reach the Hall of Fame might not be a player, though.

Late coach Dan Reeves is the only former coach not in Canton who reached four Super Bowls. Reeves will likely reach the Hall of Fame eventually, it’s just a matter of when.

Fellow coach Mike Shanahan also has a strong Hall of Fame resume that includes three Super Bowl wins, including two as Denver’s head coach.

Reeves and Shanahan seem to be the most likely candidates among former Broncos to get a Hall of Fame nod next.

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