Exclusive Interview with Former Broncos WR Ed McCaffrey

Ed McCaffrey played with the kind of reckless abandon that the Broncos needed.(Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

We caught up with former Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey at one of his annual youth football camps to talk about the Broncos upcoming season, as well as whether “Easy Ed” will get into coaching at the college or pro level one day.

The third round selection of the 1991 draft has three Super Bowl rings at home, so he’s a good one to listen to.

Predominantly Orange: First off, there are a lot of kids out here today. Tell us about the camp that you put on every year. 

Ed McCaffrey: I’ve been putting on camps with my friends for twelve years now. We put on two different types of camps. The early camp is for pretty much any type of kid that wants to come out and learn the game of football, get coached by some of their favorite NFL players. In the afternoon, we have an elite camp, and that’s a position specific camp for kids who really want to concentrate on learning one position. They’re two great camps. It just depends on your interest or your level of football. It’s not just a chance for the kids to come out here and run and fun, but it’s a chance for former high school, college, and pro guys that I’ve stayed in contact with over the years to come back out and give back.

PO: Is there any chance that you’ll get into coaching at the college or pro level?

EM: I think if you can coach 8-9 year-olds, you can coach anybody. I love coaching and it’s a whole lot of fun. Those guys that coach in college and at the pro level put a lot of time in, and I’m just not willing to put that kind of time in yet. Maybe some day. Never say never, but I really enjoy getting to watch my kids. Lisa and I have four boys. Our youngest is twelve so he’s getting older. I’ve enjoyed being able to be there for them, and support them, and encourage them throughout their lives.

PO: Talk about all of the expectations surrounding this Broncos team for the 2013 season. 

EM: I think every team at the beginning of the year, sets the goal to win the Super Bowl. It’s a real goal for every team in the NFL to win the Super Bowl, but I think that there’s a little bit of a difference. I mean a team that finished under .500, their goal is to win the Super Bowl, and their attitude is ‘we have a shot if things go right.’ I think with the Broncos, it’s more than just a goal. It’s an expectation. They should win the Super Bowl. They’re the favorites, they have all the pieces in place. They went out and got a future Hall of Fame quarterback, they’ve made big-time off season acquisitions on both offense and defense. This is their year. They expect to win. There’s a lot of pressure, but I think they have the veteran leadership to handle it.

PO: You were part of a great trio of receivers during the Broncos’ success of the late-90’s. Tell us about any similarities you see between your squad and this year’s squad. 

I was blessed to have played with some pretty great players. Elway was our quarterback and then you’ve got Rod (Smith) and Shannon Sharpe). The list goes on and on of all the great players I got to play with. That was a pretty special team. It’s hard to keep that many talented players together on the same roster. It takes a lot of sacrifice. Some players have to take less money to stick with the winning team, but the character of those guys was impeccable, and I was blessed to play on those teams. I think we’re seeing something very similar here. I love the talent on this roster. I think it starts with the quarterback in Peyton Manning. Everybody on that team believes that he can take them to the Super Bowl and win the Super Bowl, and his leadership, not just what he’s doing on the field, but the way he prepares off the field, that type of leadership resonates throughout the entire organization. I think they have enough talent to win, but you need more than just talent. You need the synergy that comes together with guys being unselfish and making sacrifices. Broncos are going to be one of the top teams at the end of the year. It’s really hard to win a Super Bowl, so it’s going to take the right guys making the right plays at the right time, but I think they have the foundation to put one of those types of teams together.

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