San Diego – As Todd Sauerbrun headed to the New England Patriots’ buses Sunday night, he smiled, reading a text message from Broncos kicker Jason Elam, who was wishing his former special-teams partner luck in his quest for his first Super Bowl ring.
Sauerbrun is two victories away from a Super Bowl title. A month ago, he was wondering if he would ever play in the NFL again.
After being on the open market for 10 weeks, Sauerbrun was signed by New England with two games remaining in the regular season. Sauerbrun was cut by the Broncos on Oct. 10 after his four-game NFL suspension for using a banned substance ended. Sauerbrun, acquired by the Broncos in a 2005 trade from Carolina, thought he would be quickly signed after Denver cut him. The phone didn’t ring until days before Christmas.
“I was thinking I was being blackballed a little bit,” Sauerbrun said after the Patriots beat San Diego 24-21 to advance to the AFC championship game. “There were guys who were signed in front of me, and they don’t have half the leg I have. It was depressing.”
While he was out of a job, Sauerbrun said his goal was to sign somewhere and prove to the Broncos they should have brought him back. Sauerbrun said he is very grateful to the Patriots for giving him a chance no one else would, but also proclaimed his affection for the Broncos.
“I am a restricted free agent at the end of the season,” Sauerbrun said. “But I do really like it here. This place is great. I want to kick my heart out for them to show my appreciation. I don’t have a Super Bowl ring. I want one really bad. I hope I get it with these guys.”
Footnotes
Before the game, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged that the league and teams will work on player safety issues in the aftermath of the murder of Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams. … New England cornerback Ellis Hobbs continued to wear an undershirt with Williams’ name on it. “He is playing through me,” Hobbs said of his friend. “I will wear that shirt through the playoffs.” … New England has won five straight playoff games against No. 1 seeds. … The attendance was a stadium-record 68,810. … Former Northern Colorado star Vincent Jackson had two catches for 43 yards for the Chargers.
