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Ex-Broncos QB Griese sticks with deep route

Difficulties in Denver helped him grow as player, person

By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 1, 2008 at 8:43 p.m.

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81705442CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 21: Quarterback Brian Griese #8 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throws the ball against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 21, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

81705442CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 21: Quarterback Brian Griese #8 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throws the ball against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 21, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

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Brian Griese is in a new place.

The quarterback's NFL journey has taken him from an eventful past with the Broncos to the present with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for whom he'll start Sunday at Invesco Field at Mile High (2:05 p.m., Ch. 31).

But this has little to do with locale.

This is about the gruff, often contentious player he used to be seemingly fading into the past. This is how a player chastised, sometimes brutally, for mistakes on the field and demeanor off it has learned to learn from his errors and come out the better for it.

Griese is in a new place, all right, even while quietly maintaining an offseason residence in Cherry Creek and continuing in his role as chairman of the board of directors of Judi's House, the charitable endeavor he started in Denver in 2002 to help grieving children and their families.

"There's a lot of water under the bridge," Griese said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

It's apparent that while he no longer plays for the Broncos, his days here from 1998 to 2002 that made him such a polarizing figure remain with him, and, ultimately, shaped him.

And there was much to process in his Broncos tenure before he was waived six years ago, replaced by Jake Plummer.

There was the Broncos drafting him; the Super Bowl title in the 1998 season; continuing as John Elway's successor; a Pro Bowl year; playing valiantly with a severe shoulder separation in a game against Oakland; and a big-money contract.

There was getting hoisted into the lineup at the last minute when the locker room largely backed veteran Bubby Brister in 1999; his arrest for driving under the influence; a driveway pratfall at a Terrell Davis party; publicly questioning the talent of his teammates; and spraining his ankle tripping over his dog.

And much of it was permeated by an uneasiness with his celebrity, whether times were good or bad.

"It got to a point where it was tough to come to work with all the pressure and anxiety and struggles that go on in this position in the league," Griese said. "But you've got to be able to enjoy the journey, all parts of it, and have that perspective. I wasn't in that place when I was in Denver. But I am now."

His marriage and birth of his daughter, Annalia, helped with that transformation.

The passion for his charity has kept Griese from keeping singular focus on his profession. But important, too, was Griese maturing after escaping Elway's shadow and having to rebuild his career, first with Miami, then Tampa Bay and Chicago and back to the Buccaneers.

"You get fired and you've got to go someplace else and pick yourself up and resurrect your career. That's what I was faced with," he said. "You realize that you can't take anything for granted and that you just have to persevere, professionally."

Griese said the situation he inherited in Denver "was tough, obviously. I didn't know how to react or what to expect."

And once he started 0-4 as a starter and began experiencing the slings and arrows that come with the job, he "kind of became a shell of the person I really am," Griese said. Naturally shy anyway, he became even more introverted and worried about things beyond his control and "didn't communicate in the best ways."

"It was big-time burden on the whole football team, and Brian got the brunt of it," said Gary Kubiak, the offensive coordinator during Griese's Broncos tenure and now coach of the Houston Texans, on the quarterback following Elway. "But he's a tougher, better player because of it. You can see how he's lasted in this league, and he's successful and playing well right now. Great kid."

Those surrounding Griese now see a more relaxed person, able to communicate with other players, coaches and the front office - even the media.

"I think Brian is extremely intelligent and someone who is a perfectionist on many levels, and when he does things, he learns from them if they don't turn out the way he wants," said Karmen Carter, executive director of Judi's House. "And I think in some ways, he's learned a lot more how to interact with people. And while football's clearly important to him, there's other things that matter as well."

Griese has had his ups and downs on the field with Tampa Bay, too. He started the season as a backup, and since taking over in Week 2, is 29th in the league in passer rating, 27th in completion percentage and first in interceptions.

But he's 3-0 for a team tied atop the NFC South, a bottom-line stat cited by Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden this week.

"I thought he was pretty good when he was here, too," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said of Griese, who went 27-24 as a starter. "We just didn't have the supporting cast that we might have today. Brian has demonstrated that with the right supporting cast, he can win a lot of football games, like most quarterbacks."

On Sunday, the staff of Judi's House will be among Griese's game-day guests. The facility has served 2,400 children and their families and, when in town, Griese has been hands-on working with the kids.

Like many athletes who switch teams, Griese could have bolted town and never looked back. Instead, his roots remain strong in the community.

"I've made that commitment," Griese said. "All I did after I left was honor that commitment."

He jokingly has referred to the game Sunday as the second stop on his "Revenge Tour," after playing in Chicago on Sept. 21. But in all seriousness, he noted he doesn't view it as any sort of payback chance.

Griese and Shanahan have spoken several times in recent years and have "a good relationship." Griese also points out there were fans who supported him through the entirety of his Broncos career and that he has lasting friendships all around town.

"I look back on it as an 11-year veteran now very thankful and appreciative of the organization for giving me the opportunity," he said.

Griese then added it would be a lot of fun to play at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Fun. Griese. On the field in Denver. Imagine that.

Comments

  • October 2, 2008

    12:42 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    dpbevan writes:

    regardless of what anyone might think of brian griese as a player, he is a good man. his charity helps hundreds of children each year who have lost a parent or guardian. he donates, not just his money, but his time to a valiant cause. every reporter wants to write a story about professional athletes screwing up (see travis henry), but they often forget to tell the tales of how some of these guys give back to the community...

  • October 2, 2008

    2:45 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    deepwater805 writes:

    Brian not only had to fill big shoes, he had to fill them in the house that John built. So far no one has been able to do that. Looks like Jay will be able to do it, but he has the advantage of filling them years down the road, not the year after like Brian did. The fact that Brian is still very active with his charity here speaks volumes about the man. Denver...we should still be proud of him.

  • October 2, 2008

    4:55 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    mrfxx writes:

    deepwater805 is 100% right. During a break in a Rockies game this season, he was in the booth with the announcers - and spent most of the time talking about Judi's House - how his mother's death impacted him, how that lead to that particular charity, and how he was planning to expand it. As long as he's not playing the Broncos, he's someone worth cheering for (sorry Brian - I bleed orange first).

  • October 2, 2008

    8:26 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    cutlerscannon13 writes:

    Yeh I definately agree, Griese is a great person, and a quality football player... lets just hope we can take the quality out of this great guy this sunday and add a few more picks to his stats.

    GO BRONCOS!!

  • October 2, 2008

    10:43 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Squatch writes:

    I always liked Griese and will always root for the guy except this weekend I hope he has a good game but the Broncos still pull out the win. The problem was he was too easy to blame for everything that went on with the Broncos I was at the game when he threw the pick that ended Terrell Davis. Fans were loving Greise until Davis was getting carted off the field.

  • October 2, 2008

    3:44 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    TheGoodDoctor writes:

    Brian Griese had NOTHING to do with TD getting hurt. Mutant Lepsis is the one who made the beeline for TD's knee. Once again, Brian gets blamed for something he didn't do.

    To put it mildly, I hope that Brian has his best game as a pro this Sunday.