As a Bronco fan that’s jubilant that the Tebow circus has left town (even for a fragile star replacement, hopefully Manning does better in blue and orange than a glue factory ready Tony Dorsett once did), I am eagerly looking forward to Fall Sundays in addition to Saturdays. Amid that excitement, I had almost forgotten the last time the Broncos made me jump for joy…by drafting Nate Irving in the 3rd round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Sadly, Irving had almost no impact on the field, and I imagined that the team had likely written him off as a draft bust.
Then, as I clicked through the blogosphere, I came across this surprising tidbit:
However, I really liked what I saw from Nate Irving who saw time on pretty much every team (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and did well at all levels. Twice he stuffed a runner behind the line of scrimmage; he looked like the middle linebacker that Denver was hoping for him to be when they drafted him last season.
Having waited most of my adult life for a confluence of professional and collegiate allegiances…this is almost too good to be true. Nate does have the kind of motor that seems perfect for new DC Jack Del Rio’s attacking style. And it’s hard to imagine a Wolfpack alum that the fanbase would be happier to see succeed at the next level.
