The atomic clock actually says that we have just 97 days until the Ducks hit the blue turf (hard).
So, today we'll continue our countdown by briefly highlighting the Bronco player with the jersey number that corresponds with the number of days remaining till the opener. Sorry there isn't a more clear and concise way to explain that.
And we're off...
#97 Chase Baker, DT
What do you do when a baker hits on your wife? Chase baker. What do you do when Chase Baker is chasing you? Curl up in the fetal position and hope for the best. By the way, I'm submitting these jokes to Laffy Taffy©.
Defensive Tackle Chase Baker signed his letter of intent to play for the Broncos in February of 2007 and subsequently came aboard in January of 2008 as a grayshirt. Baker didn't even play his senior season of football at Rocklin High (CA) after mangling his knee playing rugby overseas. This setback didn't stop Baker from working his way into the DT rotation in 2008 and seeing action in 10 of the Broncos 13 games. Baker didn't set the world on fire for the Broncos as a frosh, notching just 10 tackles, but he showed flashes of why he was such a great addition to the signing class of 2007. And if he's good enough of an athlete to play rugby in Europe, you know this kid has some potential.
Baker, at 6'1" and 285 lbs, has the physique that will remind many of Andrew Browning—God willing, his game will quickly progress to Browning's level as well. The addition of Canuck Mike Atkinson to the team probably took some of the spotlight off of Baker's ability to tote the rock, but the video below shows that he is a tenacious runner on the offensive side of things, if not a tad lumbering.