The D.T. O.T. T.D. will live on forever for the Broncos.
On Jan. 8, 2012, Demaryius Thomas ran gloriously through the night to one of the most immortal touchdowns in the entire history of the Broncos.
The wonderful wide receiver was not a mere mortal.
But, as Demaryius crossed the goal line to the tumultuous roar of 75,970 Broncos loyalists, he didn’t know that the game was over.
His 80-yard catch-and-dash, from Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, on the first play of overtime produced a 29-23 playoff victory over Big Ben Roethlisberger, coach Mike Tomlin and the favored Steelers.
The Broncos became Mile High and Might again, winning a postseason game for the first time since January of 2006 against the Patriots.
Thomas wasn’t alone in believing the game would proceed under a new NFL rule. Spectators, media in the pressbox and other players were unsure.
When told by teammates that the game was done, Demaryius raced around the South end zone, then began to celebrate with the fans leaning in from the front row.
At 33, Demaryius Thomas has died young, way too young.
He officially retired from football June 21 after 10 seasons, three teams (Broncos, Texans, and Jets), five Pro Bowls, two Super Bowls, one championship ring, 665 receptions, 9,055 yards and 60 touchdowns.
Oddly enough, T ‘n T, Thomas and Tebow, had been selected by the Broncos in the 2010 draft, three picks apart in the first round. Just before the draft then Broncos coach Josh McDaniels had flown to Florida, then Georgia, to personally check out and work out first Tebow and a day later Thomas. There was considerable concern if Tebow, the best known and most controversial player in college football at Florida, could make the transition to NFL quarterback. McDaniels believed he could fix the flaws in Tebow’s throwing motion. In Georgia, McDaniels wanted to make sure that Thomas, who had played in a run-dominated offense at Georgia Tech with limited receptions, could adjust a full-blown New England-styled passing attack. McDaniels was certain he could train the quarterback and the receiver.
So Thomas was chosen at 22, and the Broncos traded up to 25th to pick Tebow.
The two certainly played out in the playoffs.
Tebow went on to the Jets, and Thomas went on to become the No. 1 target for Peyton Manning. In fact, Thomas caught Peyton’s NFL record 509th touchdown pass against the 49ers on Oct. 19, 2014.
Demaryius spent 8 seasons with the Broncos before being traded in mid-season of 2018 to the Texans. In 2019 Thomas’ career came to a conclusion, after a brief trial on the Patriots’ roster before being traded to the Jets.
He could always catch, but injuries made it too difficult for Demaryius to catch on in 2020 or ’21.
When he retired in June Thomas said in a video posted by the Broncos on their Twitter account that he was “humble, grateful, appreciative. I’m just happy to say I’m done, and football did me wall. I just wanted to be considered one of the best to come through Denver. I did my best each and every game, but it really wasn’t about me. I wanted to do what’s best for the team.’’
Thomas said in the video that the touchdown vs. the Steelers “was like it was yesterday. Every time I see it, I still get the chills because it was just crazy.’’
Demaryius reportedly died of medical issues in Georgia, where he was born and continued to live while he was in the NFL and afterward. He had been involved in another wreck in downtown Denver years ago.
He and I were not close, but we did talk away from football at a restaurant he frequented in Denver. He always called me Mr. Paige, and I called him Mr. Thomas. He always was pleasant and polite.
The Colorado community was distraught Thursday night when the word of Thomas’ death circulated on social media. Most of us didn’t believe the initial rumors, but The Gazette confirmed the report in the evening.
Demaryius Thomas, a certain Broncos’ Ring of Famer, always will be No. 88 and No. 1 and D.T. who caught THE T.D. in O.T.
More from The Woody Paige Sports Network:
- Woody Paige: That time I played blackjack with Michael Jordan in Monte Carlo
- John Elway’s 7 best moments as General Manager of the Denver Broncos
- Super Bowl odds 2022: Tom Brady and Buccaneers among Super Bowl 56 favorites
- Nix the “Power Six” – Time for real a G5 “Alliance” between the AAC and the Mountain West
- Is Teddy Bridgewater the long-term answer at QB for the Denver Broncos?
- Who should end up where in College Football’s “Super Conference” – and who should be left out?
- Woody Paige: Pat Bowlen’s legacy doesn’t deserve longtime, clownish Kaiser claim
- Could Peyton Manning and John Elway co-exist in the same Broncos new ownership backfield?
