David Bruton on playing with a broken leg:

“Honestly, I thought it was a bruise. Us being down already and me missing last game and knowing how important this game was, there is no way I was going to come out. I’d have to have something very, very serious—well obviously this is serious—but something that kept me out of the game right then and there immediately. That’s the only way I would have stayed out. I gave 110 percent. I basically gave a leg for my guys, literally. Just a tribute to the fact that I love the team and love being a part of it.”

You cannot say enough about David Bruton and what he means for this team. To play a snap with a broken fibula is one thing, to lead the team in defensive plays is a different beast.

My only hope is that the rest of this team, defense and offense, can take a page out of Bruton’s book and learn what it truly means to, as John Elway would say, “Go out kicking and screaming.” As far as I’m concerned, Bruton exemplified that to a greater extent than I ever thought possible.

Bruton knew the defense was thin in the secondary coming into the game, and he knew that losing him for even a series would put the Broncos in an even tougher position against one of the league’s most explosive passing attacks. And so he stayed in the game and played his heart out with a broken leg.

The Denver Broncos need a whole lot more David Brutons on their roster.