As relapses go, this wasn’t exactly Mel Gibson.
For the first time in years, linebacker Al Wilson was caught being late. He had come so far, emerged alongside wide receiver Rod Smith as the Broncos’ primary captains, when a sleeping pill ended his streak of consummate professionalism Friday night.
While tardiness may be no minor problem to Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, or anyone else with NFL authority, no one is suggesting Wilson seek out a therapist, lay down on a couch and explain his past.
There was a time, however, when Wilson’s habitual tardiness did place him in a chair before the Broncos’ veteran players committee. Having just completed his third season with the Broncos in 2001, Wilson was summoned to Shana- han’s office. The coach left and allowed veterans such as Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Ed McCaffrey, Tom Nalen, John Mobley, Brian Griese and Dan Neil to meet.
The purpose for this gathering was to talk about Wilson.
“When Al started becoming a leader, we had to tell him,” Smith said. “He was doing a lot of wild stuff when he was young, being late. We vets sat him down and said: ‘Look, man, you’re a leader of this football team. We know this is only your third year, but we love the way you’re playing, we love the way you perform, you can’t be late anymore.”‘
It was a backhanded compliment, heavy on the backhand. Smith remembers looking at Wilson after the lecture was finished and seeing shock.
“That changed my life,” Wilson said. “At the time, I felt like if I was doing my job on Sunday, that’s all I had to do and that’s all that mattered. But in truth, it was way more than that. There were guys watching me and depending on me.”
Wilson admits now he was living the fast life then. He had some money for the first time in his life. Big money. And he was a kid, 22, 23, 24 years old.
“It hurt me to hear that I was letting them down,” Wilson said last week. “They all were talking. It was an eye- opener. I needed it because I was definitely going down the wrong path. Since then, I don’t think I’ve ever been late.”
Jinx!
Unfamiliar with the potency of sleeping pills, Wilson learned a tough lesson Friday night. Instead of reporting to the team hotel, a custom home NFL teams observe on the eve of a game, Wilson went to sleep at home and said he didn’t wake up until sometime after 3 a.m.
Big Al had messed up. He and cornerback Champ Bailey, who also overslept Friday night, were fined and not allowed to play in the Broncos’ exhibition game against Tennessee.
It was one thing for Bailey to miss curfew, another for Wilson. The Broncos don’t elect one team captain for each side of the ball, per se, but with apologies to veteran safety John Lynch and Bailey, if the team had to name just one leader on defense, it would be Wilson.
With his blend of maturity and passion, Wilson has been a walking example of preparation. He keeps it loose with his weekly introductions of a player to lead the team stretch. On game day, when the Broncos huddle on the sideline before kickoff, it’s Wilson’s spontaneous and often X- rated speeches that jolt a dash of intensity and enthusiasm into his teammates.
To a man, none of the Broncos believes Wilson’s tardiness last week will undermine his authority. If he sees a young player coming in late for a meeting, Wilson’s teammates say he will continue to have the power to address the matter.
“If you want to throw it back in his face, then you’re being stupid,” Bailey said. “Things happen and everybody in this locker room knows that. We know he’s accountable. Guys are not going to stop following him because of something like that.”
As for the Broncos’ offense, no disrespect to veteran quarterback Jake Plummer, if there could be just one captain, it would be Smith.
Captain Al and Captain Rod.
“Those would be the two I’d pick,” fullback Kyle Johnson said.
“I’d say it’s those two guys,” Bailey said.
“I’d say it would be Rod and Al,” said tight end Stephen Alexander.
Effort earns respect
Perhaps the first characteristic of successful leadership in sports is endurance, the test of time. The second quality may be production. Nobody follows a bench warmer.
When Smith broke in with the Broncos as an undrafted wideout on the practice squad in 1994, the team leaders were John Elway, Sharpe, Karl Mecklenburg and Steve Atwater.
“Eventually all those guys left and I was the only guy standing,” Smith said. “When you become a leader of a football team you don’t choose your role. Your role is chosen for you. How you go about your business, the guys decide whether they want to follow you or not.”
Shanahan said Smith is not only one of the best leaders he’s had, he’s been a perfect leader. That’s the exact term the coach used: a perfect leader.
“Because he hasn’t missed a workout in the 12 years I’ve been here,” Shanahan said. “He knows all the positions. Rod is a perfectionist.”
It’s not like Smith just shows up, either. Alexander has played for Washington, San Diego and Detroit in his nine-year NFL career. No one, he says, leads as well as Smith.
“First of all, to have perfect attendance in the offseason workout program is unheard of,” Alexander said. “I got married one year and missed a few days. For Rod to do that 12 straight years – and not only that, but in practice every day, he busts his butt. Guys see him do that and it makes them do it.”
The other Broncos don’t just see Smith work. They see a receiver with three Pro Bowl appearances work. They see a guy who has averaged 86 catches the past nine seasons pay serious attention when coaches talk about nuances like route angles and tendencies of opposing defensive backs and of his own quarterback.
Speeches spark emotion
Some Broncos say Smith is a vocal leader, perhaps the most expressive player on offense. Others don’t think he talks much at all, that he mostly communicates quietly, through example.
There is no such split on Wilson, especially on game day. Several players were asked to relay their favorite Big Al pregame speech. Each one gave a variation of the same answer. There isn’t one suitable for print.
“My mother told me one time she didn’t know who I was on Sundays,” Wilson said. “Which is good. That means I’m getting in the mind frame I need to be in. I don’t put any thought into a speech. I don’t rehearse them. It’s a feeling, it’s an emotion. Guys know when you’re true. These are grown men. They know when it comes from your heart or if you just practiced your speech.”
Truth is, even the greatest leaders occasionally stumble. If this had been taken for granted inside the Broncos’ locker room, Wilson’s recent TKO from the Sandman became a reminder. It cost him a preseason game, and maybe a couple of expensive dinners. But it’s not like it’s going to cost him his role as locker room leader.
“When things like that happen, all you can do is make sure you don’t make the same mistake twice,” Wilson said. “It’s not like I was out partying or anything like that. I think if we were all criticized by one particular event in our lives, we would all go to hell.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
