DeMarcus Ware believes football fans will be doing a double-take at their TVs this fall amid what he predicts will be a “total turnaround” for the Broncos under new head coach Sean Payton.
Ware talked about the Broncos, his Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement this August and his golf game on Wednesday, ahead of next month’s American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., where he’ll be competing for a fifth straight year.
“(The Broncos) are going to be a sleeper team,” Ware told The Denver Post. “(Payton) can open up a lot of the offensive playbook, let Russell Wilson play like he should play, and they’ll start scoring some points… If they can get ahead (early in games) and the pass rush can turn on a little bit — I think people this year will watch them and say, ‘Hold on, wait a minute? That’s the Denver Broncos?’”
Ware is set to become the second member from the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 team inducted into Canton, joining quarterback Peyton Manning, and the 15th Denver player in the Hall. The Cowboys drafted the edge rusher 11th overall out of Troy in 2005, and over nine years with Dallas and three with Denver, Ware amassed 138.5 career sacks. That ranks him 13th all-time.
While most of Ware’s legacy was built in Dallas, he cemented his gold jacket with his ring in Denver despite being hobbled by back injuries.
“I was able to get that championship in Denver, but I wish it could’ve been Dallas,” Ware said.
Ware missed five games during that 2015 season and Manning missed six due to foot/rib/shoulder injuries.
“I came out a couple games before the AFC championship game, and I couldn’t really even walk,” Ware recalled. “I was getting (pain injections) before the game (and) the guys had to help me get out there. But they knew on third down, I was gonna get out there and rock.”
Ware delivered in his biggest moments as a Bronco, dominating Tom Brady and Patriots in the 2015 AFC Championship game in Denver and also showing out in the Broncos’ Super Bowl win over Carolina — the team’s last playoff game. Ware believes those games “solidified my career as a champion” as he combined for 11 quarterback hits and 2.5 sacks over those two performances, including battering Brady for seven hits and a half-sack in the Broncos’ upset of the Patriots.
“Peyton couldn’t even throw the ball 10, 15 yards (at times), and he’d wake up every morning at 5:30 to go to practice (to get treatment),” Ware said. “I had lots of back problems, I had a herniated disc I was playing with. I was beat up out there playing… But (Manning and I) were able to come back at the end of the season and add that spark for the team and we were able to close that thing out against Carolina.”
In retirement, Ware’s bringing the same intensity and work ethic to his golf game, but it’s not showing up in tournaments quite yet. Ware, who finished 79th out of 87 players in last year’s American Century Championship, has 5000/1 odds to win next month’s annual pro-am.
“I don’t know what last looks like, but I’ve been last in a lot of these tournaments and it pisses me off,” Ware said. “I’m just talking about the (competitive) player coming out of me. So I’ve got some of the best coaches and I’m really dialing in on where to hit the ball and the strategy of the game, because I know I can play better.”
The tournament runs July 14-16 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and will be broadcast on NBC. Ware’s enshrinement into Canton is at 10 a.m. on Aug. 5, when the 40-year-old will be inducted along with offensive tackle Joe Thomas, linebacker Zach Thomas, cornerback Darrelle Revis, cornerback Rondé Barber, coach Don Coryell, linebacker Chuck Howley, defensive lineman Joe Klecko and cornerback Ken Riley.
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