First came the standing ovations. Then came the tears. And just like that, seven former NFL stars will cement their legacies in the Pro Football Hall of Fame – Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little, John Randle, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.

Among the 2010 Hall of Fame class selections, Rice, Smith and Little were in attendance Saturday in Fort Lauderdale. Also present was Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, and current Hall of Famers Steve Young, Rod Woodson and Michael Irvin.

“I never thought this day would come,” said Little, who spent all nine years of his career as a running back for the Denver Broncos. “I waited over 30 years for this.”

When asked by NFL Network host Rich Eisen what made him think he’d finally get his chance, Little joked, “This is the 44th Super Bowl. I wore the number 44. Dick LeBeau wore the number 44. There are 44 voters and there is the 44th President. So for all those things here, it’s really, really good.”

Little also noted that it was his 5-year old grandson Blaze’s birthday, and boldly predicted, “He will be a Syracuse running back. My jersey at Syracuse has been retired. They said that when Blaze comes to Syracuse, they will un-retire it. He will wear my number – the same number that Jim Brown and Ernie Davis wore. So you know he’s going to be a future Hall of Famer. Believe it.”

Little was joined onstage by Rice and Smith. This was their first year on the ballot and unlike Little, they didn’t need to campaign for the selection. Their achievements spoke for themselves. Rice’s career spanned two decades, dominating every receiver-related statistic and owning the all-time touchdown record.

Rice choked back tears when thinking of his father, who passed away in 2005. When he mentioned the late Bill Walsh, his coach in San Francisco, Rice said, " “He meant the world to me.”

Rice also spoke of the fans that kept him going – fans of all ages. “I have had people, even elderly people, tell me that if I caught a slant and went 95 yards, they were right there running next to me, right beside the television,” he laughed. “How you can affect people is just unbelievable.”

Smith won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and is the league’s all-time rushing leader.

Like Rice, Smith got emotional when thinking of his own father, a running back himself who did not go to college because he had to take care of his sick mother. He told his father, “I’m living your dream, I’m living my dream, and I’m fulfilling God’s purpose.”

Added Rice: “I never took a game for granted. I never took practice granted. If you came to a game, I wanted you to leave that stadium with something special that day, saying, ‘Hey, I just witnessed this guy breaking this record or making this catch to win the football game.' That meant the world to me. It’s amazing how you can touch people by catching a football and by playing the game of football.”

Two of the four remaining selections, LeBeau and Grimm, participated in the announcement via satellite phone. Randle and Jackson were unable to be a part of the event due to phone difficulties. All seven men will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer in Canton, Ohio.

It should be noted that this was the first year fans were given a say, with more than 1.5 million online votes cast for the Van Heusen Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan’s Choice.

-- JENNA LAINE
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com

Related Story: Hall selection of Rickey Jackson could be good omen for Saints.

No one -- I mean, NO ONE -- commands more respect from both the journalists and the players than Ray Lewis. Right after the game, you could see a crowd around Ray's locker. And it was the biggest named sports journalists at the event that knew to go to Ray first -- SI's Peter King, ESPN's John "The Professor" Clayton, and of course NFL Blog Blitz / SportsFanLive.com ;-).

In this video, we see:

- What the locker room experience is like right after a Pro Bowl
- Brandon Marshall getting Ray Lewis' autograph on his shoe
- Ray Lewis' thoughts on how Rex Ryan, his former defensive coordinator, did in his first year at the helm of the N.Y. Jets
- Peter King getting Ray's opinion on what the Dwight Freeney ankle injury means for the Colts
- Ray give insights into how to defend Peyton Manning



-- DAVID KATZ
NFL Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com

Sunday's disappointing loss to the Chiefs, 44-24, was a fitting end to yet another disappointing season for the Broncos. With their play-off hopes on the line, the Broncos were practically run out of their own building by the 3-12 Chiefs, who were playing for nothing more than pride. The more things change, the more they stay the same. New coach, new quarterback, even new schemes, but still the same late-season collapse and another 8-8 finish. Although it is obvious that they failed their final exam, here is how the Broncos dismal performance in Sundays' season finale grades out:

Running game: C-

Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno comibined for only 68 yards on 20 attempts. Not spectacular numbers, but Moreno did have two 1-yard touchdown runs -- which was a good sign because short-yardage running is something the Broncos have struggled with all season -- and the Broncos were playing from behind for most of the game, so they never got a chance to get the run established. That said, 68 yards against the Chiefs, who own the league's worst run defense, is really pretty pathetic.

Passing game: D+

Here's the thing, Kyle Orton had one of his worst games as a Bronco and possibly of his career, yet he threw for the most yards of his career, 431. As I watched the game on Sunday, I was very pleased to see Orton throwing the ball down the field trying to make plays, instead of constantly dumping it off. It was working! In fact, even with a depleted receiving core, the Broncos were getting big chunks of yardage. But then Derrick Johnson single-handedly rained on their parade, by returning two interceptions for touchdowns. Ironically, both came on short passes from Orton. Jabar Gaffney had career highs in receptions and yards, with 14 grabs for 213 yards.

Run defense: F

I'll start by saying, that I haven't given the Broncos an "F" in any category this entire season. But, this rush defense -- or rather, lack of it -- most definitely earned the worst grade possible for its performance on Sunday. The Chiefs finished the game with 317 yards on the ground with three rushing touchdowns. The way the Broncos defenders were falling all over the place missing tackles, made Jamaal Charles look like Barry Sanders. Charles finished with a career high team-record 259 yards rushing on only 25 carries. Yes, that means he was averaging better than 10 yards per carry.

Pass defense: B-

The Broncos pass defense was actually pretty good on Sunday. Matt Cassel was 13 for 24 for 207 yards with an interception. The Chiefs had seven passing first-downs -- compared to 12 rushing -- and were only 3 for 10 on third-down conversions. The Broncos had no sacks, but had two interceptions. One by Cassel and a second on a trick pass play intended for Cassel.

Special teams: B

For the most part, it was business as usual for the Broncos special teams. By this I mean, the coverage teams didn't give up any big returns, the return teams didn't make any plays, and Matt Prater made all of his kicks. Also, early in the game, Mitch Berger had a great punt inside the Chiefs 5-yard line and David Bruton made a great play to down it at the 1.

Coaching: C

I don't think there is any coach that can motivate players who aren't already motivated. After getting beat the way the Broncos did on Sunday, it looked as though the team had already started making their off-season plans. Plans, that apperently didn't include the play-offs. For the most part, I was pleased with the job the coaches did against the Chiefs. McDaniels finally called plays designed to stretch the field -- something I felt he should have done more this season -- and also kept with the run even without having much success. My only complaint is the way McDaniels handled the Marshall situation, leading up to the game. It was a bold move that created more unneeded drama and uncertainty in the locker room, as well as likely ending Marshall's stay in Denver.

Key play of the game: With just over 10 minutes left in the game, the Broncos trailed the Chiefs by six points and were driving into Chiefs territory. On second-and-11, Kyle Orton dropped back to pass and threw the ball to Daniel Graham when Johnson suddenly jumped up from just behind the line of scrimmage and made his second interception. He returned this one for a touchdown, too, just like he did his first, and it was the final dagger in the Broncos' playoff hopes.

--- SONNY PLATT.

Back in October, if you had told me the Broncos would miss the postseason all together, I would have told you you were crazy.

The Broncos started the season 6-0, and were one of the hottest teams in the league. They were attracting attention for all the right reasons. It seemed that the Broncos had become an elite team without Jay Cutler and Mike Shanahan, and that Josh McDaniels would lead the Broncos to their first playoff berth in four years.

With a 3.5 game lead over the Chargers heading into their bye week, the playoffs seemed like a guarantee, and rightly so.

But the Broncos proceeded to lose eight of their last 10 contests, the eighth on Sunday afternoon against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs who had nothing to play for other than to knock their division foes out of playoff contention for the fourth straight season.

They did just that, and in convincing fashion. The Chiefs laid a pounding on the Denver Broncos, beating the playoff hopefuls 44-24 at Invesco Field at Mile High. It was the first time Kansas City had ever won at Invesco Field, nine years after the stadium's opening.

As if that weren't embarrassing enough, the Broncos had to deal with the deactivations of star offensive players Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler for what seemed like a great portion of the week even though it was only a couple of days. Marshall and Scheffler were held out of Sunday's game by McDaniels because of what the coach claimed were accountability issues. Also in the case of Marshall, McDaniels said a hamstring injury that was bothering Marshall wasn't as serious as the receiver claimed, not serious enough to keep him out of a game at any rate. So the coach did that on his own.

The season started with a soap opera, and it ended with one.

While NFL fans can be quite dramatic, this loss is going to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the Broncos faithful for a long time to come. Denver was coming around to their young, fiery head coach after a tumultuous offseason, and now they feel he can be blamed for this late season collapse. When it all comes down to it, the players gave this season up, and they didn't do it as a team.

It is extremely unfortunate that the Broncos missed out on the playoffs, but they didn't deserve the postseason. The Broncos blew a three-game division lead two years in a row, and is one of only a handful of teams in NFL history to start the season 6-0 and not make it to the big dance.

It was the first time in Denver Broncos history that a team started 6-0 and didn't reach the Super Bowl.

So where do the Broncos go from here? There is a trust within the true Bronco fan base, those who pay attention to everything that goes on around the organization rather than what the mainstream media feeds us, that the Broncos' management is among the best in the NFL.

Just look what they were able to do with a team whose roster was changed by over 50 percent, a rookie head coach, a new defensive scheme, and one of the most complex offensive systems in the NFL.

Let us not forget, the Broncos are a rebuilding team, and some squads would kill to be able to go 8-8 in a rebuilding year, competing while still knowing they have a year or more to go in the rebuilding process. The Broncos' late season collapse is discouraging, and there is no way to sugarcoat it. They had an opportunity to be great, and they lost whatever mojo they had early in the season.

But not all is lost.

The Broncos are going to receive a very nice top-15 draft pick from the Chicago Bears as the final piece of the Cutler trade, and to me it seems likely they will move both Marshall and Scheffler this offseason, which is probably for the better.

Denver is moving on with Josh McDaniels, whether certain players like it or not. It's his way, or the highway, and some fans hate him for that. In fact, some are already calling for this guy to be fired after just one season at the helm, but the Broncos do not run their organization that way. They are a strong group of professionals, and they will recover from this ignominious ending to a once promising season.

--- SAYRE BEDINGER.

Before the Denver Broncos received Ryan Succop’s opening kickoff, seven of the 10 playoff scenarios that would’ve got them into the playoffs were by the wayside thanks to earlier wins by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans. But their best one was still well alive. That’s until Kyle Orton played catch with Kansas City linebacker Derrick Johnson.

Johnson’s two interception returns for touchdowns ended all hopes that the Broncos had of making it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2005. Despite a 2-7 stretch entering Sunday’s season finale at Invesco Field, Denver still had a chance. But Kansas City’s 44-24 victory, which included the game’s final 17 points, sent the crowd home early and left Denver wondering what happened after a 6-0 start to the season.

Three observations from Sunday’s defeat:

1. Charles In Charge.
As has been the case in recent weeks, Denver had no answers in stopping the run. This time it was Jamaal Charles.

The Kansas City back gutted Denver’s defense for 259 yards and two touchdowns. His final score, a 56-yard scamper in the fourth quarter, was the exclamation point. Charles had a 52-yard run in the first quarter and more than 100 yards by halftime for his fourth straight 100-yard game. All that on just eight carries.

Like in weeks past, be it the Steelers’ Rashard Mendenhall, the Ravens’ Ray Rice or the Raiders’ Michael Bush, Denver couldn’t stop the run. That was the case again Sunday. Unfortunately, this time, a playoff spot ran out the door in the process.

2. Brandon Who?
No Brandon Marshall, no Eddie Royal and no Tony Scheffler. No biggie. Jabar Gaffney had the biggest game of his career by halftime. The former Florida standout had a career-high 10 receptions for 145 yards in the first two quarters.

Marshall and Scheffler were benched by head coach Josh McDaniels earlier in the week and Royal

was unable to go with a neck injury. But Gaffney stepped up, finishing with 14 catches for 213 yards. Unfortunately, nobody else, like has been the case most of the season when Marshall was playing, was able to compliment Gaffney’s play. Yes, Brandon Stokley caught a TD pass and Brandon Lloyd had a big 44-yard gain, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep Kansas City’s defense at bay.

Orton was picked off three times.

3. Take Your Pick, Twice
Sure, Lloyd had a few catches, including that 44-yarder that set up Knowshon Moreno’s 1-yard score in the third quarter, but Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson looked more comfortable catching the ball than most of Denver’s wide receivers.

Johnson’s two pick-six scores -- the first two touchdowns of his career, including a 60-yard with 9 minutes, 52 seconds left in the fourth -- left the Mile High City stadium eerily quiet. It gave Kansas City a 13-point lead and sapped any life out of Denver’s faint playoff hopes.

A win and the Broncos would’ve had a shot at the AFC playoffs at least until the New York Jets played later Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. A Bengals win would’ve gotten Denver in. But Derrick Johnson and the Broncos’ own inept play made that point moot.

-- MICHAEL HICKS