Tag: rod smith

17 former Broncos players snubbed by Hall of Fame voters

Rod Smith is among 17 modern-era Broncos players who were snubbed by Pro Football Hall of Fame voters.

The Denver Broncos had 19 modern-era players nominated for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class this year. Only two of them have advanced in the latest round of voting.

The original list of 167 nominees has been trimmed down to 50 candidates and former Broncos Neil Smith and Simeon Rice are among eight defensive linemen who made the cut, joined by John Abraham, Jared Allen, Robert Mathis, Haloti Ngata, Vince Wilfork and Kevin Williams.

Smith won back-to-back Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s. Rice won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later spent part of his final season in the NFL with the Broncos in 2007.

Among the Denver players who did not make the cut is two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver Rod Smith. Instead, six other WRs advanced: Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt, Jimmy Smith, Steve Smith, Hines Ward and Reggie Wayne.

In addition to Smith and Rice, Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves are also candidates for the Hall of Fame in the coach category.

Broncos who did not advance

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

Broncos candidates for Hall of Fame

  1. Coach Mike Shanahan
  2. Coach Dan Reeves
  3. DL Neil Smith
  4. DL Simeon Rice

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee will trim the list of modern-era nominees down to 25 semifinalists in about four weeks. 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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Rod Smith among 19 former Broncos nominated for Hall of Fame

Rod Smith is one of eight Broncos Super Bowl champions who have been nominated for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced 167 modern-era finalists for the 2025 class. The list includes 19 former Denver Broncos players, including eight Super Bowl champions.

Former Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith headlines the list of players who won Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s. He is joined by center Tom Nalen, kicker Jason Elam, guard Mark Schlereth, linebacker Bill Romanowski and defensive lineman Neil Smith.

The Broncos also had two members of their Super Bowl 50 squad — late wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and cornerback Aqib Talib — nominated for the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Other players nominated include running backs Clinton Portis and Glyn Milburn, receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Marshall and cornerback Dré Bly. View the full list below.

Broncos Hall of Fame nominees

  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

The Broncos also have 11 senior candidates for the 2025 class, and former coach Mike Shanahan is expected to be a top candidate in the coach category. Voters will trim the list down to 20 finalists with 15 modern-era candidates, three senior candidates, one coach and one contributor. The selection committee will meet before Super Bowl LVIX to elect the 2025 class.

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View the Broncos’ all-time scoring leaders since 1960

Jason Elam is the Broncos’ all-time leader in points (1,786), followed by five other kickers and then wide receiver Rod Smith (428).

The Denver Broncos have a great history of strong-legged kickers, and given the nature of the position, it’s no surprise that the team’s all-time scoring list is topped by kickers.

The NFL does not count quarterback points on all-time scoring lists (presumably because QBs are responsible for so many touchdowns). If they did, John Elway would be Denver’s all-time leader in points (4,771).

Instead, Broncos Ring of Fame kicker Jason Elam is officially recognized as Denver’s all-time scoring leader (1,786 points). A two-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Pro Bowler and three-time second-team All-Pro, Elam was the best kicker in franchise history.

Immediately behind Elam on the Broncos’ all-time scoring list are five more kickers. The first non-kicker to show up on the list is Ring of Fame wide receiver Rod Smith (428 points), another two-time Super Bowl champion.

The top 12 leading scorers in franchise history are listed below (and yes, Rich Karlis kicked barefoot, even in the cold).

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.

Phillip Lindsay has beef with Jerry Jeudy after Broncos’ win

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy and former RB Phillip Lindsay exchanged jabs on social media after Denver’s win over the Bears on Sunday.

It seems safe to say Jerry Jeudy and Phillip Lindsay aren’t best buds.

During Sunday’s comeback win over the Chicago Bears, Lindsay tweeted this about the Denver Broncos’ wide receivers: “Where are the receivers!! All that money out there to be no-shows?”

Jeudy clapped back on Twitter (now called X) after the game with a reference to Lindsay no longer playing in the NFL: “Glad you got to watch the game from the crib fam 💯”

Lindsay replied, “So you mad at me cuz you getting paid all that money to catch a couple balls huh.”

Jeudy ended the day with three receptions for 52 yards on five targets. Jeudy did have an ugly drop, but the offensive game plan overall worked well enough for the Broncos to secure a 31-28 win.

Jeudy and Lindsay were teammates for one season in 2020.

After former Denver receiver Rod Smith replied to Lindsay’s tweet, Jeudy responded again, this time to Smith:

Smith had a much more diplomatic response than Lindsay.

“I know how it goes,” Smith told Jeudy. “What I agreed with was, when he said no shows. That’s on the coaching. Get the play makers the ball. At that point in the game you guys had no targets. Or only 1.”

It’s also worth noting that Jeudy is “only” making $2.68 million this season. That’s more than Lindsay ever earned in a single season, but it’s far less than fellow receivers Courtland Sutton ($14 million) and Tim Patrick ($8 million) are making this year.

Lindsay was a fan favorite as a player, but a public beef with a player still on the team might not be a great way to begin his radio career.

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Rod Smith among 16 former Broncos nominated for Hall of Fame

Five players who won Super Bowls with the Broncos have been nominated for the Hall of Fame, including wide receiver Rod Smith.

Rod Smith headlines the list of former Denver Broncos players who have been nominated for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Hall of Fame announced 173 modern-era nominees on Tuesday, including 16 players who spent time with the Broncos.

Smith might have the strongest case. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Smith’s numbers (849 receptions for 11,389 yards and 68 touchdowns) are similar to those of Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irving (750/11,904/65). Smith is also the NFL’s all-time leading receiver among undrafted wide receivers.

Four other Broncos Super Bowl winners were also nominated — center Tom Nalen, guard Mark Schlereth, defensive lineman Neil Smith and kicker Jason Elam. Those four players and Smith helped the team win back-to-back championships in the late 1990s.

Two more recent wide receivers — Brandon Marshall and Wes Welker — were also nominated, as was hard-hitting inside linebacker Al Wilson.

Here’s a quick look at the 16 former Denver players who have been nominated for the Hall of Fame.

Broncos great Rod Smith: ‘I feel I’m deserving’ of Hall of Fame

“I feel I’m deserving,” Broncos great Rod Smith said of his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith recently said that he feels that he is worthy of a Pro Football Hall of Fame nod.

In an interview with Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette, Smith said, “I feel I’m deserving (of Hall of Fame consideration), but I don’t get a vote.”

Smith, who played with the Broncos from 1994-2006, was an integral part of the 1997-98 Denver teams that won back-to-back Super Bowls.

Statistically speaking, Smith has more than a good case. Smith leads all franchise receiving records with 68 career touchdowns, 11,389 career receiving yards and a career catch percentage of 60.3 percent. Smith is also a part of the Broncos Ring of Fame, and he leads all undrafted players in every major receiving category.

Former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan summed it up best: “Rod Smith is one of the biggest reasons why we did win those back-to-back Super Bowls… In my opinion, he’s definitely (deserving),” Shanahan told Tomasson.

Smith first gained eligibility into the Hall of Fame in 2012, five years after his retirement. Smith hopes, along with much of Broncos Country, that one day Hall of Fame voters decide that he is worthy of the highest honor the NFL has to offer.

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Vegas Vipers’ Rod Smith hurdles way to paydirt

Rod Smith of the Vegas Vipers flew and then had six points

The short pass turned into a highlight-reel play as the Vegas Vipers faced the San Antonio Brahmas in XFL play.

Rod Smith catches the throw and takes off toward the end zone. A defender — not a D.C. Defender — got in his way.

No problem as Smith goes airborne and lands in the end zone.

Former Ohio State player making noise in XFL

Former Buckeye makes noise in XFL #GoBucks #XFL

We are through the first five weeks of the XFL 3.0. Though it has been a wild ride for the league, it has been fairly boring if you are an Ohio State football fan.

Typically spring and alternative football leagues are a great way to watch some Buckeyes you may have forgotten. But this version has only two former Buckeyes on active rosters.

Former defensive tackle, Antwuan Jackson, is having a decent season as a starter for one of the better teams in the league, the Seattle Sea Dragons (3-2). Former running back Rod Smith has been the starter in a time-share situation for the Vegas Vipers (1-4), who are not having the best season.

Despite being in a running back by-committee situation in Vegas, Smith seems to have separated himself from the pack this past week during a 35-32 victory over the Orlando Guardians (0-5). Smith ran the ball 18 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns. If those numbers don’t sound dominant to you, you have not watched this underwhelming Viper offensive line.

Smith is the sixth leading rusher in the XFL on the season with 166 rushing yards. With Vegas making some lineup changes, perhaps we could see Smith in the end zone even more.

Smith was at Ohio State from 2011 until 2014 when he was dismissed from the team in October of that season. Smith declared for the NFL draft and went undrafted, but he was in the NFL with the Seahawks and Cowboys from 2015 until 2021 before moving on to the XFL.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on Smith as he tries to make an impression in the XFL, along with other former Buckeyes in the league and the USFL that’s going to begin play this spring again soon.

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