The Broncos' starting quarterback had undergone so many surgeries, he likely had lost count. He could to a point mitigate his limited mobility with his legendary savviness. Yet it still still seemed a huge risk to entrust a rookie to step in for an injured veteran and start at left tackle.
But that's what the Broncos did in 1974.
The quarterback was Charley Johnson, who at 35 already had earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and deservedly would end up on the Ring of Fame because his four seasons to close out his career with Denver were instrumental in getting the franchise — finally — moving in the right direction, including to its first two winning seasons in 1973 and '74.