The Broncos’ front office obviously felt the need to upgrade their depth chart at safety, signing veterans Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree on the free-agent market.
Your thoughts, Hamza Abdullah.
“There’s not really a reaction,” said Abdullah, who started eight games at strong safety last season after taking over for Nick Ferguson. “I think it’s good for us. I think we needed a change. Bring in some new guys, some fresh blood and get this thing started off right.”
You’ll have to excuse Abdullah for not being intimidated by competition. If anything, he thrives on it. He learned the basics as a kid growing up in Los Angeles in a family that made the Brady Bunch seem like a one-man band.
“I have 11 brothers and sisters,” he said. “I used to fight for dinner on a nightly basis. Competition is what drives me. It doesn’t matter who’s in the other room. I have a certain set of goals and standards I want to live up to and it doesn’t matter who’s in the other room or who’s competing with me. I’m going to try to accomplish my goals.”
Eleven brothers and sisters? You read it right. Abdullah has seven brothers and four sisters ranging in age from 27 to 8. Among them is his little brother, Husain, a safety at Washington State who figures to get a call on draft weekend in late April.
Abdullah got a reminder of his roots during a recent visit.
“Two weeks ago, I was down in L.A. working out,” he said. “I bought two big things of peanut butter and one big thing of jelly. I came back a week later and one was fully gone and the other was halfway gone. I was like, ‘How do you guys eat that much peanut butter in one week?’ It’s crazy.”
So, does he have any tips for surviving at the dinner table with 11 siblings?
“Getting the little guy,” he said. “He can’t protect himself as much. I always jump the little guy.”
Follow Jim Armstrong’s daily sports commentaries on The Jimmy Page midday during the week. And read his columns on Sundays at .
He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
