The 2011 Broncos = The 1989 Indians (from Major League)

Who roots harder against their team? Elway or Phelps?

Watching John Elway's stoic response to another Broncos' victory made me think (and not for the first time) that Elway is hoping that Tebow will fail. I find it pretty funny that he has publicly degraded Tebow and has not given him any credit at all. I couldn't help but naturally make a comparison between Broncos' President John Elway and Rachel Phelps, the owner of the Indians in the movie Major League. Both want to head in different directions with their franchises and are trying to lose to get there. Both outwardly root against their players. Phelps wanted to move the Indians and sign free agents, while Elway wants to clean house and start with a new quarterback. However, the misfits in both of these stories found a way to get it done. There are many similarities between the roster makeup of the two teams as well. So, I present to you the 2011 Broncos and their analogous Major League characters:

Tim Tebow = Pedro Cerrano:

Both guys certainly like their religions.

How about the similarities between these two? For one, they are both highly religious: Tebow has Jesus Christ; Cerrano had Jobu, his voodoo diety. Secondly, they both had glaring weaknesses in the sports that they played: Cerrano couldn't hit a curveball, while Tebow can't throw a football. The final similarity is that both of these guys come to play when a play needs to be made. Who can forget Pedro carrying his bat around the field after hitting the home run against the Yankees? Tebow is just as clutch, leading about 31 fourth quarter comeback drives in his 6 starts. I think Tebow might have been created in Cerrano's likeness.






Willis McGahee = Jake Taylor:

The crafty old captains

Ah, Willis and Jake. Jake was the leader and captain of the Indians. He was the old, crafty veteran that the youngsters looked up to. After bouncing around all over (including the Mexican league), Taylor found a place with the Indians. McGahee bounced around a little bit and was thought to be done. He landed with the Broncos and has been an incredible addition, taking over the role as the lead running back. Both guys were thought to be washed up, but they still had something to prove. Both Willis and Jake had their knee troubles. Jake needed multiple surgeries and had some pretty weak knees while McGahee sustained probably the grossest ACL tear I'll ever see in this lifetime. WARNING: Do not watch if you have recently eaten or are squeamish in any way.

John Fox = Charlie/Lou Brown hybrid:

I struggled with this one, so I decided to make him both characters. On one hand, Fox is the coach and leader of the team. That makes him very much like Lou Brown, the unwitting old manager of a group of misfits that come together to win. On the other hand, he's also John Elway's right-hand man, which makes him like Charlie (Phelps' assistant). He does her bidding for a time but eventually starts rooting hard for the Indians. My favorite scene involving Charlie is the last game in the film, where Phelps tells Charlie to shut up. Charlie does no such thing and sticks his tongue out at Phelps. I can just see John Fox doing this to Elway on the sidelines after another Tebow comeback victory, defying authority and loving it.

Others:

Champ Bailey = Roger Dorn: Both are older guys, were/are once superstars. They both have a chip on their shoulders and have something to prove. These vets are cornerstones of their franchises.

Eric Decker = Willie Mays Hayes: Fast guys that don't really do too much else well besides being fast. You have to take a lot of the bad with the good that they bring.

Matt Prater = Ricky Vaughn:  I had a tough time finding someone as badass as Charlie Sheen's Rick Vaughn character. Then I remembered seeing Prater's sweet tattoos and remembered he was once arrested for DUI (not as cool as playing in the California Penal League, like Wild Thing). Both guys are closers: Prater kicks game winners and Vaughn gets the big time saves.

There may be some others that I am missing, but this post is already too long as is. I'd like to hear some other suggestions or other characters I've missed. I wish I knew anything about the Broncos' radio guys, as I'm sure I could find a Bob Uecker character somewhere.