Tight end Owen Daniels drove out of Broncos headquarters last week and pulled over, frozen by the view through his windshield.
He grabbed his phone to capture the image — not for the iCloud, but because of the clouds.
“I look up and my mind is completely blown. I had to get some pictures,” Daniels said Thursday. “Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed it. But the clouds were changing by the second. I probably snapped 10 pictures of this cloud, and if you looked closely, every one of them was different. I think clouds are beautiful.”
Daniels, 32, arrived in Denver with his eyes on the prize — “To win a Super Bowl is why I came here,” he said — and eyes on the skies. He brings a reputation of reliability and curiosity. He has averaged 48 catches per season during nine years in coach Gary Kubiak’s offense. He is a calming influence with a passion for thunderstorms. At Wisconsin, he earned a degree in atmospheric and oceanic sciences, or, as he put it, “the long way for saying meteorology.”
Daniels grew up near Chicago, startled and scared by violent weather as a young child. By elementary school, he began to study climate and turned his fear into a hobby.
“As I started learning more, how to stay safe and recognize conditions,” Daniels said, “all the ingredients that come together to form bad weather became so cool to me.”
As the Broncos prepared for Super Bowl XLVIII, Daniels flanked The Weather Channel’s Al Roker, providing a live forecast for the game. During the NBA playoffs last year, Daniels eschewed watching hoops to track a severe outbreak in Oklahoma involving tornadoes.
“I was glued to the screen. I couldn’t help myself,” he said.
A confessed sneakerhead, Daniels recently purchased Penny Hardaway Nikes with the weather radar on the side surfaces.
The ability to predict trouble and avert it remains central to successful forecasts, and coaches. Not long after Kubiak took over the Broncos, he recommended Daniels as a replacement for Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas, who signed a five-year, $46 million contract with Jacksonville as a free agent.
Familiarity started the discussion. Productivity sealed Daniels’ three-year, $12 million contract, “and it didn’t hurt that I get to play with Peyton Manning, who likes to throw a lot,” he said, smirking.
Daniels caught 48 passes last season, 32 going for first downs. His four touchdowns all came in victories.
“He’s very bright, consistent, takes care of himself,” Kubiak said of Daniels, who drew free-agent interest from Atlanta, Seattle, Arizona and Baltimore. “As a coach, when you recommend someone, it means a lot. I knew how important ball was to him, and he’s at a stage of his career where he’s looking for the ultimate team success.”
Achieving that goal requires an age- adjusted plan. Kubiak learned the past two seasons how much rest can help keep Daniels refreshed. Along with select veterans, Kubiak will provide Daniels “two days on, one day off” in training camp after using a “three-on, one-off” system last year in Baltimore.
“Kubes is great about it. It really pays dividends down the line,” Daniels said. “I know what is going on because I have been in this offense forever. There’s a little more learning this year with changes in the (audibles). It’s good though. Keeps me on my toes.”
As Daniels talked, rain drops began to drip. A few players retreated indoors. Daniels peeked up at the sky and smiled.
“Being up here this month, it’s cool,” he said. “There’s not as much sunshine as everyone talked about. But from a meteorologist perspective, you don’t get this down in (his home of) Houston. Out here you can see for 100 miles. And you can see storms developing from miles and miles away. I love looking at these clouds.”
Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or
Meet the “weatherman”
The Broncos lost Pro Bowl tight end Julius Thomas in free agency but signed a reliable target in Owen Daniels. NFL reporter Troy E. Renck analyzes the veteran tight end:
Averaged 48 catches per year in first nine seasons in coach Gary Kubiak’s offense.
Delivered 32 first downs last season, including 13 of 10 or more yards.
Majored in atmospheric and oceanic sciences at Wisconsin, earning his “Weatherman” nickname.
Is an avid shoe collector, specifically Air Jordans.
He and his wife, Angela, are expecting their first child this month.
