For 10 years, Dan Fouts faced Randy Gradishar, and it didn’t go too well. Now he’s looking forward to the two being on the same team.
Fouts, a star San Diego Chargers quarterback, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. Next Saturday, Gradishar, a star Broncos linebacker, will become his teammate in the Canton, Ohio, shrine.
"I'm really happy for Randy," Fouts, a Pro Football Hall of Fame selector, told The Denver Gazette about his impending induction. “Congratulations. I look forward to shaking his hand when I see him.”
Gradishar played in the NFL with the Broncos from 1974-83, and Fouts was by far the quarterback he faced the most often. Fouts, who played for the AFC West-rival Chargers from 1973-87, made 16 starts against Gradishar’s Broncos, going 7-9 while throwing 14 touchdown passes and 25 interceptions. Two of those balls were picked off by Gradishar.
At least Fouts was better against Gradishar’s Broncos later in his career than at the start. Beginning in 1974, he lost his first six starts against them, throwing 12 interceptions and just one touchdown pass. In the first five starts, he had 10 interceptions and no touchdown throws.
“Whenever we played Denver, it was always as much of a mental challenge as it was a physical challenge with (late defensive coordinator) Joe Collier and Randy running the show,’’ Fouts said. “You had to be mentally on your toes. (Gradishar) was a classic middle linebacker. When I think about the guys I faced in my career, there’s Jack Lambert, there’s Willie Lanier, some of the best of all time, and (Gradishar) was definitely up there.”
When Gradishar was asked Saturday about how well he and the Broncos did against Fouts and the Chargers, he quipped, “Well, we beat their butt all the time.” He did add, though, that it an honor playing against the “best quarterbacks” in the NFL at the time, naming Fouts, Terry Bradshaw of Pittsburgh, Roger Staubach of Dallas and Ken Stabler of the Oakland Raiders.
Fouts was chosen to six Pro Bowls, five when Gradishar was playing, and broke the NFL record for passing yards in three straights seasons, from 1979-81. But former Broncos defensive lineman Barney Chavous said Gradishar played a key role in helping contain Fouts, who had just one 300-yard passing game against Denver when the legendary linebacker was playing.
“Fouts wasn’t a runner and Joe would bring inside pressure against Fouts, and bring pressure to his face,’’ Chavous said of Denver’s 3-4 defense. “That’s why Randy was effective coming from the inside. (Collier) was always a guy that brought pressure and Dan Fouts didn’t like to get hit. If you hit him a few times, his game would change.”
Gradishar was named to seven Pro Bowls, four when he was Fouts’ AFC teammate, and was the 1978 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. But he had to wait until 35 years after he was first eligible in 1989 before making the Hall of Fame as a senior candidate.
“It’s been a long time and I’m sorry he didn’t get in sooner because he’s definitely a Hall of Famer,’’ Fouts said. "I know it means a lot to him. I know it means a lot to the Broncos fans, and I think it’s well deserved."
Fouts voted for Gradishar earlier this year, helping him get the required 80% of votes from the 50-person selection committee. Fouts isn’t on the senior committee, so he wasn’t able to vote for Gradishar until he became a senior finalist.
Gradishar ‘nervous’ but ready
It has been a long wait for Gradishar to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he has kept his humor intact about it.
“Why’d it take 35 years?’’ Gradishar said Saturday at Broncos Park. “I turned it around and it was 53, my (uniform) number.”
With there being seven members of the Class of 2024, Gradishar will be the third speaker when enshrinement festivities get underway at 10 a.m. MDT Saturday. As the hours wind down, he doesn’t deny being antsy.
“It’s very exciting for sure," said Gradishar, 72, who will leave Wednesday for Canton. “Very nervous and just getting ready. … It’s going to be an exciting time and it’s exciting for me because I'm from that area, born and raised in Champion, Ohio, which is about 40 miles away from (the Hall of Fame).”
Gradishar, who will be presented for induction by good friend and former Broncos linebacker Tom Jackson, said his speech is written and has been approved. He said he’ll be “thanking many, many people starting with my parents.” He said he will also thank people from his alma maters of Champion High School and Ohio State in addition to those on the Broncos.
Gradishar will become the first player off the Broncos’ first Super Bowl team of 1977 to make the Hall of Fame. He hopes it could pave the way for some others from that “Orange Crush,” team, with Jackson and defensive backs Louis Wright and Billy Thompson among those having been mentioned as candidates for Canton.
“I’m just glad it finally happened, whether it was me or someone else,’’ Gradishar said. “I think we all know that the ‘Orange Crush’ has not been recognized and so finally the ‘Orange Crush’ is being recognized and I just hope that through my induction that other guys here in the near future their names will be coming up.”
Will Broncos keep three quarterbacks?
The Broncos last season kept just two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster in Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham. Could they carry three this season?
“Possibly,’’ coach Sean Payton said.
That scenario most likely would be in play if Zach Wilson ends up being the No. 3 guy in the quarterback battle he is in with Stidham and rookie Bo Nix. The Broncos might not want to cut the guy who was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, preferring to have some additional time to try to resurrect his career after three ugly seasons with the New York Jets.
There could be thoughts of trying to get Zach Wilson on the practice squad, but he might not want to go that route and it's not out of the question he could be claimed if waived. If the Broncos do have a quarterback on the practice squad this season, a new NFL rule would allow him to dress out for every game and be available as an emergency third signal caller if the first two get hurt.
Will Wattenberg start at center?
The Broncos are looking for a replacement at center for Lloyd Cushenberry, and Luke Wattenberg just might be their guy.
The third-year man has been working regularly with the first team in practice although Payton said no one is “etched in stone at the position.” Still, Wattenberg clearly has a good hold on the spot.
Wattenberg has been competing with Alex Forsyth and Sam Mustiper for the job, but Payton noted that Forstyth is now also working at guard. And even though Mustipher has by far the most experience, with 42 career starts, Payton didn’t even mention his name when asked Saturday about competition at the postion.
“We like both of those guys,’’ Payton said about Wattenberg and Forsyth.
Wattenberg and Forsyth both have more experience in the Broncos system than Mustipher, who signed last March as a free agent. Wattenberg played sparingly in his two seasons and Forsyth didn’t get into a single game last season as a rookie.
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