Emmanuel Sanders is living large these days: Winning the Super Bowl back in February, shutting down Dan Le Batard on national radio, meeting the President of the United States, and most recently schooling kids in drills while visiting high schools.
Large is also a great way to describe the championship ring the Broncos wide out and his teammates have been flaunting this past month. Sanders said it’s “three times the size of Peyton [Manning]’s first Super Bowl ring.”
“I walk around in the airport, and everybody’s like, ‘WHOA!’”
He said that the ring looks huge on teammate and fellow wide out Demaryius Thomas, who has five inches and 50 pounds on him.
“Imagine how it looks like on me,” he added. “I can barely even raise my hand up, but it’s alright, I’ll suffer that pain.”
He shakes my hand, but he doesn’t officially shake my hand like the President of the United States. He shakes my hand like one of my teammates, the cool handshake.
Sanders has spent the last two seasons with Manning throwing footballs his way, but with the future Hall of Famer retiring, Sanders said he will be missed. Mark Sanchez is presumed to be the starter with first round draft pick Paxton Lynch expected to compete for the job as well. But no matter who the Broncos end up starting, they won't compare to Manning.
“You can’t replace a guy like that. He’s up there, in my eyes, with the Alis, the Jordans—those are the athletes that come around once in a lifetime,” Sanders said. “If you’re fortunate to even hang out and have a conversation with him, that’s pretty cool, but I was blessed enough to play with this guy two years, and in those two years he allowed me to go to the Pro Bowl and win a Super Bowl and I’m forever grateful and forever thankful to be able to play alongside him.”
Oh, and he’s cool with the president now that he has a ring.
The Broncos visited the White House June 6, and Sanders sat down with President Obama before the official ceremony. The first thing he noticed was how tall the president was before learning Obama used to play wide receiver.
Once the president received his commemorative No. 44 jersey, he mentioned the conversation he had with Sanders prior to the official ceremony. It was a moment Sanders said he will never forget.
“He shakes my hand, but he doesn’t officially shake my hand like the President of the United States,” Sanders said. “He shakes my hand like one of my teammates, the cool handshake.”
Complex Sports got to chat with Sanders late last week after he spoke with young athletes and showed off his skills at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo. where he partnered with Gatorade and its Beat the Heat program. Appropriately enough, Saunders was out there not only to preach the importance of proper hydration, but also give the kids a glimpse of what it takes to make it as a professional a 90-degree day out in the Rockies.
With a month left until NFL training camps get underway, Sanders spoke to about how difficult it is to stay hydrated in late July and early August.
“Every day, I take three bottles of water and three bottles of Gatorade and set them at my locker. Before I leave at the end of the day, I make sure I drink all those bottles (of water and Gatorade),” Sanders said. “That’s how I make sure I’m fueling my body—with water, with Gatorade, so that tomorrow when I do wake up, my body feels better, and I’m at my peak performance, and I can go out and make plays and not have to worry about cramping up.”
Before training camp opens toward the end of July, the biggest story surrounding the Broncos will be the status of Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, who said he will not play the 2016 season under the franchise tag. Sanders said the team would be very different without its star linebacker, but felt confident Miller would eventually be back on the field.
“He’s one of those guys that’s gonna come and wreak havoc,” Sanders said. “We got two months to work out and figure out the numbers, so I’m not concerned with it too much.”
With Miller back in the fold, the Broncos should have one of the top defenses in the league again. While the quarterback situation is among the biggest reasons why the prospect of a Denver repeat appears out of the question to many, Sanders said you shouldn’t sell his squad short.
“We got the most gangsterest, most smartest group of guys. From our aggressive standpoint, we gotta match the intensity, but we gotta do it in a smart manner,” Sanders said. “We got those guys in the locker room that’s gonna bang heads. Everybody gotta work their butt off, we know what it takes to win.”
