ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—About this time of year, Casey Wiegmann would check in with his old high school coach, just to catch up on their favorite subject—football.
The Denver Broncos center is going to miss those chats.
Wiegmann’s former coach, Ed Thomas, was fatally shot June 24 in a weight room at Aplington-Parkersburg High School in northeast Iowa. A former player has been charged in the slaying.
Not a day goes by when something doesn’t remind Wiegmann of his mentor and the influence he had on him.
“There have been so many good articles published about him. But no one can get a real grasp on how good of a man he was from an article. You had to have known him,” Wiegmann said.
As a way to honor his coach, Wiegmann said he placed a framed picture of Thomas inside his locker. It was a gift from Jon Wiegmann, a distant relative who will serve as a co-coach of the Aplington-Parkersburg team this season.
“It’s still hard to grasp,” said Wiegmann, who also wears a red bracelet in memory of Thomas. “I was back in Iowa the whole time and it doesn’t seem like it happened.”
When he drove by the school this summer, Wiegmann said he almost expected to spot Thomas riding his familiar lawnmower, giving the football field a perfect trim.
“I always looked forward to going back and talking to him about how good they’re going to be this year,” Wiegmann said. “It was an every-year thing. Not being able to do that now makes it a little hard.”
Thomas’ lessons remain with him—like enjoying the moment.
“You don’t take stuff for granted anymore,” Wiegmann said. “I’m looking at everything and trying to enjoy everything I go through now.”
And he is, especially being around his offensive linemen again.
After all, they’re the ones who coaxed him into coming back for a 14th season.
The Pro Bowler was all set to call it a career, but then they put on the full-court press. The stout line allowed just 12 sacks last season, and he was a big reason why.
They needed their anchor around for another season.
“When they’re on you and telling you to come back for one more season, you don’t want to let those guys down,” Wiegmann said.
But there was still the matter of fair compensation. Wiegmann, who came over from Kansas City in March 2008, has taken every offensive snap since 2001. His 127 straight regular-season starts are the longest active streak among centers.
Scheduled to make the veteran’s minimum in 2009, he was hoping to have his deal restructured.
Instead of holding out, though, Wiegmann elected to attend all the offseason conditioning programs and earn a pay raise on merit.
It worked. The Broncos renegotiated a two-year extension with him.
“If you come in and do it the right way, most likely they’re going to treat you OK,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to do it any other way. … I just wanted to give it another go-around.”
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MUSIC MEN: The Broncos stretched to the blaring tunes of U2, rapper Young Jeezy and hard rocker Ozzy Osbourne.
New coach Josh McDaniels’ eclectic mix of music was designed to keep practice interesting and upbeat.
Players were buzzing over the playlist, some even lobbying for their chance to select the music.
“I wouldn’t have picked some of those songs out, but we’re working on that,” receiver Eddie Royal said.
The tunes were cranked up before practice began and then again during the stretching period.
“I love it, I do,” receiver Brandon Stokley said. “Especially when we want crowd noise—we’ll pump that kind of music in. It gets you kind of going.”
In the evening session, Michael Jackson, Pearl Jam and Ice Cube were the featured selections.
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MENACING PRESENCE: Safety Brian Dawkins looks menacing with his dark helmet visor shielding his eyes. Yet that’s not the reason he wears it.
“I have a light sensitivity a little bit and get migraines,” he admitted. “It helps me in that respect.”
Still, there’s a little intimidation factor, right?
“I would hope that even if I just wore the one bar—the old kicker bar—that my film, the things I’m blessed to do on the football field, would speak more than just my visor,” he said, grinning.
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FIRST DOWNS: Broncos WR Brandon Marshall wasn’t on the field for the evening workout. … With 42 new players, it’s not easy to remember everyone’s name. “I still have a long ways to go,” Wiegmann said, smiling. “I’ll get there.”
