Getty Shannon Sharpe looks on after being inducted into the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Following one of the most humiliating losses in the history of the Denver Broncos, one Hall of Famer aired his frustrations loud and proud on national television.
Former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe shredded the team following their 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
“Sean Payton came in here with his chest all out,” said Sharpe on the September 25 episode of “First Take”. “That was the worst coaching exhibition I have ever seen. You just got 70 dropped on your dome. A 50 piece and 20 extra flats at no charge.”
Heading into the Dolphins game, only three teams in NFL history had ever scored 70 points and Denver was on the wrong side of history in Week 3. Miami became the first team to score 70 points in a game since 1966.
Sharpe repeatedly emphasized that the Broncos aren’t anywhere close to competing with a team as strong as the Dolphins in the AFC.
“The Broncos right now, the talent is not good enough. The coaching is not good enough. The scouting department is not good enough. The only thing good enough is the owners because they’ve invested a ton of money to build this roster, to get the best coaches, and that yesterday was unacceptable!”
Sharpe’s cohost Stephen A. Smith added that the Broncos’ defensive players are a “national embarrassment.”
Broncos Legend Calls for Players to Take Ownership
Sharpe was hardly the only Hall of Fame player disgusted by the Broncos’ Week 3 performance.
Denver’s all-time leading rusher, Terrell Davis, took to X (formerly Twitter) and dropped one word that summed up the game perfectly.
Embarrassing!!!
On September 25, Davis joined Denver Sports (104.3 The Fan) and questioned who on the Broncos would step up after such a brutal defeat.
“Who are the players on the team that says, ‘Wait a minute guys, this is not going to happen on my watch’? Who are they? Like who are those guys that say, ‘You know, we’re not going to leave it up to the coaches’?”
Davis called on players to step up and take ownership through one of two methods.
“Some guys are vocal leaders. Some guys just go out there and play and that’s their impact. It’s that they go out and they lead and they lead by example and you follow that. And that energy is contagious.”
The legendary running back ended by saying that type of energy travels, noting, “that’s not what I’m seeing” on this Broncos team.
Dolphins All-Pro Defender Rips ‘Disrespectful’ Decision by Payton
Dolphins All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard disagreed with Payton’s “disrespectful” decision to play quarterback Russell Wilson late into the Week 3 blowout loss.
“That was totally disrespectful,” Howard said via Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network. “That man did a lot for this game. They’ve got to do better on that side. You can’t be leaving guys like that out there.”
Wilson played all of the Broncos’ 59 offensive snaps. On the opposing sideline, Tua Tagovailoa was pulled early in the fourth quarter when the Dolphins were already leading by more than 40 points.
Wilson was far from Denver’s biggest problem as he completed 23-of-38 passes for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss. He was sacked once and hit an additional 12 times by the Miami defense.
Howard had a valid reason for being miffed at Payton’s decision given the outcome was long decided by the final quarter.
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