Colorado Classics: Jim Saccomano, Denver Broncos information guru By Irv Moss The Denver Post July 31, 2013 In the sports world, farewell tours usually are reserved for those who have displayed career longevity and exemplary performance. Jim Saccomano is making a farewell tour of sorts this season with the Broncos. Fortunately, his institutional knowledge of Denver's NFL franchise won't be lost. He'll be moving up the road from Dove Valley to a new "retirement" office at Sports Authority Field at Mile High after the 2013 season. Saccomano has spent 36 years helping pave the way for the media to do their job covering the Broncos. At times, it was tougher than trying to run the ball into the end zone from the 1-yard line against a goal-line defense. "I'm going to be at every game this year and making all the road trips," Saccomano said last week before announcing he will retire at the end of the season. He would like the season to extend to February 2014 and the Super Bowl. "I'll still have value for historical and institutional knowledge, and I'll continue to gossip with all my Bronco friends," Saccomano said. "The Broncos are the team of my life. I've seen 853 Broncos games in person, from when I still was in junior high school, and as an employee of the team, I've seen 333 victories." Saccomano has worked with a who's who of prominent names in Broncos history. His span has touched owners Gerald and Allen Phipps, Edgar Kaiser and Pat Bowlen. Saccomano has been kept busy by coaches Red Miller, Dan Reeves, Wade Phillips, Mike Shanahan, Josh McDaniels and John Fox. The Tim Tebow media circus was more than a full day's work. Saccomano can't talk about Broncos history without mentioning John Elway and the Super Bowl championships. Saccomano won't attempt to name his all-time favorite players. The list would run off the page, but he had some "go-to" guys who always answered the call when the media needed someone to talk to. He could count on Rod Smith, Karl Mecklenburg, Tom Jackson, Rich Karlis, Randy Gradishar and Billy Thompson, among a long list. "I probably called Billy Thompson 'Captain' more than I used his first name," Saccomano said. He credits Bowlen with insisting that a winning attitude permeate the franchise. "All Pat Bowlen cares about is winning," Saccomano said. "When we talk during the week, he never asks about program sales or financial things. He wants to know who's playing right tackle." Bowlen could reach a milestone this season by becoming the first NFL owner to record 300 victories in 30 years. Saccomano would love to write the news release. Saccomano grew up in Welby, a small farming community in the north metro area. He followed Denver's sports teams and developed a keen interest in the New York Yankees. One of his retirement goals is to see the Yankees play in every big-league park. He has 13 parks to go. "Everybody I knew were Yankee fans," Saccomano said. "With players such as (Joe) DiMaggio and (Phil) Rizzuto, what else would you expect?" Saccomano thought at first he would build a career around his interest in baseball. His first job was with general manager Jim Burris and the Triple-A Denver Bears in 1977. Denver oilman Marvin Davis was in the process of trying to move the Oakland Athletics to Denver, adding to Saccomano's interest in working for a major-league franchise. Davis wasn't successful, and Saccomano moved to the Broncos' media department in 1978. At the time, the Bears and the Broncos were owned by the Phipps Brothers and Empire Sports Inc. Saccomano never looked back. Four years ago, he elected to cut back his duties with the Broncos. He said it was time to pass the torch to Patrick Smyth. A more relaxed schedule allows Saccomano time for daily visits to his mother, who is nearing 100 years old. There have been disappointments along the road. The 30-27 playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 4, 1997, and the crushing, double-overtime 38-35 playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past January top the list. But there have been many more highlights to reflect back upon. "I've seen some of our players go into the Hall of Fame," Saccomano said. "I like to say those are my guys. When you're in the game of sports, there's nothing you can put higher than winning a world championship." Nothing could be better than for Peyton Manning and the Broncos to take Saccomano on a farewell tour to the Super Bowl and a third world championship. Jim Saccomano bio Born: Dec. 16, 1948, in Denver High school: Mount Carmel, Denver Colleges: Metropolitan State, University of Colorado Family: Wife Jo Ann, daughter Jennifer, son Jeffrey Hobbies: Reading, theater, movies Looking ahead: Staying in touch with baseball Residence: Denver Hochman: Broncos' "Super Bowl or bust" mind-set is good for the team By Benjamin Hochman The Denver Post July 31, 2013 The vociferous veteran, fiery and fierce, spoke to his team. "Camp doesn't just start today — the quest starts today," the football player said, voice rising. "We are not here to survive practices; we are here to attack practices. We are not here to make money; starting today, the currency in our lives is the motivation of dedication — and the on-field sensation of domination." Goose bumps. "Let my words pierce your brains. This season, gentlemen, it's ..." He paused for effect. "It's AFC WILD-CARD ROUND OR BUST!" Obviously, this never happens. This isn't the NBA, where success is on a scale, and a good season for one team can mean winning a playoff round (or so they tell me in Oakland). This is the NFL, where it's Super Bowl or bust (SBOB). In recent years, we've seen both elite teams and Eli teams win. As long as you're pretty good, you've got a chance to win it all, as we've seen with No. 6 seeds hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. As such, I Googled "Super Bowl or bust" — OK, first I Googled "Huey Lewis And The News reunion tour?" — and my search gave me Super Bowl or bust-y stories about the Falcons, 49ers, Redskins, Giants, Cowboys (Cowboys?), Packers and, obviously, the Broncos. OK, so it's Super Bowl or bust for, like, everyone. But here in Denver, it's not a mantra, it's a mind-set. Last season, the team was one miscue by Rahim Moore and Tony Carter (let's not forget Tony Carter, guys) from beating Baltimore. Since then — you know the story — the team added Wes Welker, Montee Ball, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Sylvester Williams and Louis Vasquez (a risque selection for Denver's best offseason pickup). Look, they didn't sign Peyton Manning to win divisional titles. "There is always a lot of noise — sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad," Broncos coach John Fox said. "You better be able to focus through the noise. ... What you do is prepare your players to be able to stay focused through those situations, whether it's training camp, preseason, regular season, playoff season. I think it's an important part of being a good, championship football team. I've been to a lot of horse races where I've seen a lot of favorites not win, so you have to take care of things between those lines and everybody in that building understands that." Or, as left tackle Ryan Clady said recently, "We definitely have a lot of expectations: Super Bowl or bust, for the most part." I like this mentality, if harnessed properly. Having this singular goal means you cannot coast through a workout or lose a day. Every practice is a building block. Every person is accountable. You know the clichés. "Everybody in the building understands what we (accomplished last season) and knows what we got in this building, so expectations are high and we accept all challenges," said defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson, who is entering his ninth NFL season. "We can't run from them. If we run from them, we'll be 0-16. So, we've got to man up, face it." I'm no doctor, but if I were a psychologist or psychiatrist, I would bet having a championship as your goal is healthy. Players should prepare for greatness. The Broncos should win 13 games, and as such, this is a daily dose of motivation. I've covered sports long enough to know that the mentally strong teams are generally the ones that win (unless it's freezing in January and Champ is suddenly no longer Champ and, OK, OK, I'll stop). Then again, it was Clady who said of this year's SBOB mind-set, "It's a lot of pressure, unlike last year where we kind of just rolled in and tried to get things together." So, the pressure is on. Idiotic or not, it's Super Bowl or bust in Denver ... and Atlanta ... and San Francisco ... and most everywhere except Jacksonville, where it's AFC wild-card round or bust. Broncos' running back battle heats up, with Hillman in the lead By Mike Klis The Denver Post July 31, 2013 When the Broncos competed during the offseason workouts in gym shorts and T- shirts, Ronnie Hillman was the team's No. 1 running back. When training camp opened, rookie Montee Ball and veteran Knowshon Moreno had not moved to the front of the line.