Broncos Fanzone: Interview with Sarah Garner
By Tylor Walden
Sep 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; General view of a statue memorial of Denver Broncos icon Pat Bowlen before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos return from their bye week this Sunday Night when they take on the Green Bay Packers in prime time. This will be the first time the Broncos have been home since October 4th and it will be a special time.
During halftime of the game, the Broncos will honor Pat Bowlen and enshrine him in the Broncos Ring of Fame. It is going to be a great time during the ceremony as the team celebrates their most decorated owner of the franchise.
As far as the Broncos Fanzone articles are concerned, I want to thank everyone who has been reading them. It has been quite a successful series thus far with some awesome guests. I will continue this week’s Broncos Fanzone with our next guest.
Sarah Garner is one of the most dedicated Broncos fans that I know. You can often see her on the Captain Bronco Boozecast as she is dubbed the First Lady. She is also into fantasy football and has some championships to her claim.
This week, Sarah and I got to talking about the Denver Broncos season halfway through and the exciting game to take place on Sunday night. We first start off with the offense. I asked Sarah what she thought what fans would like to see improved from the unit.
“Personally, I would be thrilled to see improvement on any part of the offense. Outside of Emmanuel Sanders, the Broncos offense in its entirety has been a struggle and less than impressive. It is not on any one player, or coach for that matter.”
“I believe there is too much focus on trying to implement a new offensive scheme vs. going with what they players are most comfortable doing. Let us not reinvent the wheel. Go with what works, there is opportunity to implement and evolve over time.”
Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Great points Sarah and I would have to agree. While it seems like Peyton Manning, the offensive line, or the running game has been blamed it can be said that it is not on just one player or unit of the offense. Just stick with what works and perhaps later down the road, the team can try again with the offensive scheme.
In the last game against the Browns, the Broncos running game seemed to have found something. The again, the Browns were not good against the run. So I asked Sarah if there is anyone she could give credit to.
“To be honest, I really think the running game had a little bit of improvement because Cleveland has such a horrible run defense. If the Broncos could not get the running game going in that matchup, they would be in real trouble. But hopefully that game gave them a bit of a confidence boost along with the bye week to rest, is a positive step to get things going in the right direction.”
Very true. Hopefully C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman have been working hard to help out in the running game. We could see some Juwan Thompson this weekend as he looks to return from a hamstring injury.
With this being such a huge weekend for the Broncos and Pat Bowlen, I wanted to ask Sarah what she believed made him such a successful owner during his time in Denver.
“Bowlen is one of, if not the best, owner in all of professional sports. And while I have a biased view on this being a Broncos fan, it would be hard for one who is not to argue otherwise. There are a multitude of factors that made Bowlen so successful.”
“He was not just a figurehead, he is a man that loves football and wants to win. And to win, he did whatever was best for the team, not for what he wanted. He was the perfect balance of smart business man and competitive person. He is approachable, respected, and loved by the players of his team. He knew when he should be in charge and made tough decisions when needed to.”
Jan 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen and executive vice president of football operations John Elway celebrate after the 2013 AFC championship playoff football game against the New England Patriots at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
“He [Bowlen] was also very involved as a chairman of the NFL broadcasting and NFL labor committees, and a big factor for furthering the popularity and and wealth of the NFL with the network TV contracts he helped secure.”
“Mr. Bowlen has done so much for the Broncos, and it is deserving and fitting to have him honored during the Packers game– the team his Broncos won their first Super Bowl against.”
Great insights Sarah. Mr. Bowlen has done a lot not just for the Broncos, but for the NFL as well. Such a great man with a great heart. Doing what is best for his team, not for his needs are one of the qualities that makes him a great man in my eyes.
Looking ahead to the Packers, I believe that this will be the Broncos toughest test. Not only on offense, but the defense as well. So, there is at least one player that has to make an impact. I was curious to see who Sarah believed would be that said player.
“I think we are going to see a defensive player making a huge play to affect the outcome of the game. It is really difficult to point out one player on that defense because they are all playing lights-out. I expect the entire defense to be on their A-Game this Sunday night.”
Good choice Sarah. I would say the same thing as well. But I look for Sylvester Williams in particular to help out. He needs to stuff Eddie Lacy and James Starks in the run game so that the No Fly Zone can do their thing when Aaron Rodgers puts the ball up in the air.
Sep 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller (58) following the win over the Baltimore Ravens at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Ravens 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
As with all Fanzone articles, I look for a prediction from my special guest. I also ask Sarah if this game will tell us a lot about the Broncos as the season goes on.
“I am not going to lie, I am nervous about this game. It is the biggest test the Broncos have faced this season so far. I have confidence that the top ranked defense will control the Packers offense, and I hope the offense of the Broncos took the bye week to sort things out and focus on what works best.”
“The offense does not need to put up “Star Wars numbers” with the defense performing. If the offense can put together steady, consistent production, the Broncos win this game. And I do not think a win or loss will be a focal point, but it could make a statement for the offense or reinforcement for the defense.”
“With that said, I am going to go with the Broncos winning 27-21.”
Great points Sarah. And here is another piece she added at the end and I will say that I absolutely enjoyed this.
“No matter the outcome, the sky will still be blue and we’ll all continue to bleed orange. A victory would just make it all that much sweeter. Let’s go Broncos!”
Completely agree Sarah. And thank you for taking the time out for this interview. Like she said, Let’s Go Broncos!