Randy Gradishar, a key contributor to the Orange Crush defense, helped lead the Broncos to Super Bowl XII. Unfortunately, the Broncos lost 27-10. (Malcom Emmons - US Presswire)

While most of us were enjoying our weekend, ex-Bronco linebacker Randy Gradishar was hopefully celebrating his 60th birthday (March 3, 1952)!  Happy belated birthday Randy from Broncos fans everywhere!  To celebrate Randy’s six decades of life, below is a brief look back at his football career.

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Brandon Lloyd scores a touchdown during the 2010 season. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

During the Mike Shanahan era, Denver Broncos players dotted the fantasy football landscape with regularity. The offensive starters could be counted on for a solid season, and previously unknown running backs would become fantasy saviors who could lead your team to a surprising fantasy championship. Shanahan would also become the master of tormenting fantasy owners by employing a strange “rotating RB platoon” where you never knew who was going to get the nod on any given Sunday. Still, during most of his time in Denver, you could count on productive fantasy seasons from most players.

But just as the wins have been harder to come by in recent seasons, so have the number of fantasy contributors on the Broncos roster. There still have been some bright spots worthy of consideration for a fantasy team; they have just been fewer and farther between.

Despite sitting during the final 3 games of the 2010 season, Denver quarterback Kyle Orton had a great year in terms of fantasy production. He finished 10th in the league with 3,653-yards passing and he threw 20 touchdowns against only 9 picks. Brandon Lloyd had had a Pro Bowl season in 2010 and ended up with more receiving yards than any other player in the NFL. So despite the horrible results in the win-loss column lately, all has not been lost for Broncos players in the fantasy world.

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