ENGELWOOD, Colo. — Fans gathered for the second day of Denver Broncos training camp at Centura Health Training Center in Engelwood on Saturday.
Standing in line for hours on a steamy morning in July might not be most people’s idea of fun.
But for dedicated Broncos fans, there’s no place they’d rather be.
"I was here about 6:30,” Missy Hamilton said, who was among the first in line hours before the gates opened just before 9 a.m.
Training camp, which started Friday, provides fans an opportunity to get to see the team practice before the season starts.
“It’s really fun,” Aaron Hubert said. “I mean, there's, there's good energy here. There's drinks here, you get to watch the practice.”
"You get more interaction with the team and the players,” Hamilton addded. “They actually come and acknowledge the fans, sign autographs and get the crowd hyped.”
Last season didn't go so well for the Broncos.
The team finished 5-12.
But fans at training camp say they are ready to put last season behind them.
“Can we move on from that one, please?” Hamilton said. “This season's going to be a lot better I think.”
"Well, we have to look at it as a learning experience,” Derek Rupp said, who’s been a Broncos fan since the early days of John Elway. “I mean, unfortunately, we have to have some setbacks, but it's a new year.”
Much of the optimism this year centers around new Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
"I think we got one of the best head coaches money can buy and you end up in a situation where you have great leadership from the top down,” Hubert said. “I think the [Walter-Penner] family and the new ownership has one year under their belt, and we're in a good spot to start moving forward."
Whether the Broncos can turn things around this year remains to be seen.
But fans believe it can happen, and many are confident it will.
For more information about Denver Broncos training camp visit https://www.denverbroncos.com/nfl/trainingcamp/information
