Farewell To A Warrior

Yet again the Denver Broncos have bucked conventional wisdom. Al Wilson is now a free agent linebacker, after the Dove Valley brass granted him his release.

It’s a little hard to break down Wilson’s impact on the franchise. He has been a captain for five seasons. He’s been to the Pro Bowl four times. Throughout his career he has played hurt and served as a vocal and emotional leader for the defense.

The first time I witnessed the greatness of Al Wilson was September 19, 1998. The University of Tennessee was playing Florida in the biggest game of the season to date. On a rainy night in Knoxville, in front of 107,653 fans, Wilson dominated the game. He forced three fumbles, recorded untold dozens of tackles, and engineered a goal line stand in the fourth quarter that cemented the game. A year after Peyton Manning, Marcus Nash and murderous Leonard Little left for the pros, Al Wilson led a team with Tee Martin and Peerless Price (?) to a national championship.

The Broncos picked last that spring, a result of their second straight Super Bowl win. At the time of the draft I felt satisfied yet nervous, what with the transition from Elway to Griese. When then-Commissioner Paul Tagliabue called Wilson’s name with the final pick in the first round, I was beyond stoked. I know why he fell to the bottom of the round—he was considered too short, too slow, and too often injured to dominate at the NFL level.

I suppose those same shortcomings are why he is not a Bronco today. He never truly dominated, and he was routinely inflicted with injuries. But for eight seasons he patrolled the middle of the field with pride and distinction. He was never given the large mammals up front, the beasts Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher are blessed with, that would have occupied blockers and let him roam with reckless abandon. He had to work for his tackles, and nothing came cheap. Wilson was tremendously underrated in pass coverage, and often stayed glued to running backs, tight ends and even receivers far down the field.

Your contributions to society far outweigh those of most, and Mr. Wilson, you will be missed.