SANDERS RECOMMITS, BECOMES A LEADER
Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders rededicated himself this offseason
The meditation sessions lasted 20 to 30 minutes most mornings during the offseason. Just a small slice of his day. But for Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders, they were long enough to reflect on the previous day and reset his mind for the hours ahead.
There was plenty to forget and plenty to think ahead about.
An acknowledgment of how dis couraging his 2017 season was because of injury and a quarterback carousel, and acutely aware of how a player’s production can decline when they reach his age (31), Sanders rededicated himself this offseason.
He stayed in the Denver area instead of returning home to Houston during the sixweek summer break and was connected with Resilience Code, a fitnessandmedical facility in Englewood that helped him zero in on his routines.
He embraced, instead of pushing away, the idea of being a leader to rookie receivers Courtland Sutton and Daesean Hamilton. And he put last year behind him.
“Night and day (difference) from when I first got here to now,” said receivers coach Zach Azzanni, who was hired in January. “Last year stuck with him. He has a chip on his shoulder and you can tell. It’s been fun to watch.”
Sanders has been fun to watch during the Broncos’ 20 start.
He’s off to his best start since 2015, when he recorded 16 catches in the first two weeks. He leads the Broncos with 14 receptions for 231 yards and a 16.5yard average. Although not targeted until the second half of the Oakland game a week ago, Sanders has developed into a trusted option for quarterback Case Keenum.
“I’m back to enjoying football,” Sanders told The Denver Post. “Last year was tough, but I feel like with ev
ery negative situation, there is a silver lining. This year is my silver lining. I’m reamped, rejuiced and I’m loving football again.”
Sanders’ 2017 was similar to the Broncos as a whole — a disappointing debacle. After averaging 85 catches for 1,190 yards and 6.7 touchdowns in his first three years with the team, a nagging ankle injury caused him to miss five games and caused his production to sink (47 catches for 555 yards and two touchdowns). It was his worst statistical season since he was a backup for Pittsburgh in 2011.
Sanders said it just stunk. A high ankle sprain is generally considered worse than a broken bone, but his did not require surgery.
“Going to be great”
When the offseason started, Sanders had two goals: Get healthy and explore new avenues to both return to his previous form and extend his career into a second decade.
“I made up my mind that I was going to be great,” he said.
Connecting with Resilience Code was Sanders’ big move. Broncos neurosurgeon Chad Prusmack founded the facility in 2016. Athletes such as Sanders receive medical testing (including blood work), performance testing and recovery and dietary suggestions.
“It’s a great rehab facility,” Sanders said. “They’ve helped me in so many ways and they’re still helping. They helped me understand my body.”
Sanders said the blood tests served as a guide for changing his diet and he has “spent a lot of money,” on deeptissue massages. A massage therapist at Resilience Code inspired Sanders to change his diet, stressing how eating better would equal a better mindset.
“If I’m trying to clear my head and get in the right direction mentally, I needed to clean up my diet,” Sanders said. “It’s not even a diet anymore, it’s a lifestyle. No pork. No fried foods. If it’s chick en, it’s farmraised. If it’s fish, it’s wildcaught. It’s helped me open my mind and get me out of the cloud and hone in to be great day in and day out.”
The new approach includes meditation, which he said allows him to understand how to better maximize every day. Since the season began, Sanders uses his drive to the Broncos’ facility to clear and focus his mind.
“I turn off the radio and reflect,” he said. “The attitude I have. The leadership skills I want to give. So much selfreflection, which is my way of tapping into some kind of greatness.”
Perhaps the biggest change for Sanders came after minicamp when he decided to stay in Denver to avoid the distractions of home. “In Houston, I have family and I was going out and enjoying myself. But I spent the whole offseason in Denver. … I spent a lot of quality time just focusing on who I am as a man and as a player.”
Said Azzanni: “You can see the difference in him buying into the things that worked on his schedule and on top of that, doing the things I’ve asked him.”
“He’s just a competitor”
Coach Vance Joseph credits Keenum’s arrival as a boon for Sanders.
“Having Case has given him new life and energy,” Joseph said. “As a veteran receiver who’s played with special quarterbacks (such as Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning), him watching Case work and him watching Case practice has given him a lot of energy.
“I’ve been really proud of how he played.”
Sanders shined during the training camp practices even while his ankle didn’t feel totally right.
“I would practice and the last two periods, it would be sore and I would be like, ‘How will I play an entire game?’ ” Sanders said. “But then one practice, it didn’t get sore, and it hasn’t gotten sore since.”
It is natural to connect the drafting of Sutton and Hamilton to Sanders ramping up his urgency level. Sanders’ salary cap number jumps from $10.9 million to $12.9 million in 2019, the final year of his contract.
If Sutton and Hamilton are viewed as topthree receivers next year, it could make Sanders or Demaryius Thomas — or both — expendable.
“That’s not even in the back of my mind,” Sanders said. “I love Broncos Country. I love this organization.”
Said Azzanni: “I don’t think he’s wired that way. He just wants to be the best at what he does. I don’t think it had any bearing — he’s just a competitor, period.”
Part of being a competitor is being a servant leader. After Wednesday’s practice, Sanders worked on a route with tight end Jake Butt. After Thursday’s practice, he pulled Sutton aside to talk about a technique.
The offseason training. The changing of habits. The expanded leadership role. It’s all in the name of Sanders reaching a third Super Bowl and winning a second ring.
“I’m 31, nine years in the league and I know when I say something, it goes a long way,” Sanders said. “I have to be conscious of what I say and my energy around the building, because I know players are looking at me and trying to understand how to be a pro.”
“I’m 31, nine years in the league and I know when I say something, it goes a long way,” Sanders said. “I have to be conscious of what I say and my energy around the building, because I know players are looking at me and trying to understand how to be a pro.” Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders