Joe Amon, The Denver Post)
Last April, Broncos strong safety David Bruton let it be known that his goal no longer was to be just a special teams guy. He was a safety and he was aiming for the starting job.
Eight months later, Bruton, 28, saw his season cut short by a leg injury that landed him on injured reserve before the Broncos' postseason run and Super Bowl victory. His time was up, but he headed to the sideline believing he proved his value as one of the most versatile players on the roster and a key piece of the league's leading defense.