Day: July 1, 2023

Darren Drozdov, a former NFL player who played for the Denver Broncos before becoming a professional wrestler, died Friday, his family made the announcement through World Wrestling Entertainment. He was 54.

According to his family, Drozdov died due to natural causes. He had been a quadriplegic since October of 1999 after he got paralyzed performing in the ring.

Drozdov played for the Broncos from 1993-1994, competing in six career games with two starts for Denver in ‘93. He played collegiately at Maryland, with stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets organizations.

“We’re saddened by the passing of Darren Drozdov, who played for the Broncos from 1993-94 before becoming a @WWE wrestler,” the Broncos said in a statement. “‘Droz’ embodied the spirit of perseverance & determination through adversity, and our hearts go out to his family.”

When his NFL days ended, the ex-Broncos tried his hand at the World Wrestling Federation, starting in 1998. Early in his career, he was dubbed “Puke” a name which he got after he was caught on video during his football days vomiting on the field. He had an unforgettable scene in the wrestling documentary “Beyond the Mat’’ when owner and chairman Vince McMahon requested that he upchuck on command. 

Haven joined the WWF during the so-called “Attitude Era’’, Drozdov gained his biggest notoriety when he joined the Legion of Doom (also known as the Road Warriors), one of professional wrestling’s most renowned tag teams of all time. As part of the LOD gimmick, “Droz’’ wore shoulder pads again, only this time they had spikes on them.

Drozdov’s career tragically ended when he was taping an episode of Smackdown when he landed wrong taking a powerbomb from D-Lo Brown. 

His family recorded that he was preserved through the tragedy.

“Droz maintained a championship mindset and lived every day to the fullest even though he was unable to move from the neck down for the past 24 years,” a portion of his family’s statement read. “His own words sum up his relentless positivity in the midst of adversity: ‘There is always another day. Just because I’m paralyzed and stuck in a wheelchair, doesn’t mean my life is over. I’ve learned to live again, and my life is far from over.'”

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Steelers to become NFL’s top defense with healthy T.J. Watt

Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs quarterback may have received his second career Associated Press Most Valuable Player last season, but, no player was more valuable to his team than T.J. Watt the Steelers pass rusher.

The Pittsburgh Steelers permitted the lowest total yards per game (272.9) in the NFL from Weeks 10-18 after Watt came back from a torn pectoral and knee injury – more than 100 yards less than the Steelers allowed without him, according to reports from NFL Research. 

Does a healthy Watt make Pittsburgh one of the best defenses in the NFL? An in-depth look into the numbers provided by NFL Research gives an emphatic yes.

Last year, the Steelers rallied down the stretch for a 9-8 record, preserving their playoff hopes until Week 18. There were a lot of reasons for their emergence, but Watt’s presence was the biggest.

In his absence in 2022, Pittsburgh was a dismal 1-6. With Watt in 2022, Pittsburgh was a sterling 8-2.

The Steelers led by Watt permitted only 16.9 per game and 288.8 total yards, posting 32 sacks and 18 takeaways in 10 games. The Watt-less Steelers allowed 25.3 points a match, 389.9myards and tallied only 8 sacks and 5 takeaways in 7 contests.

Only Patrick Queen, linebacker of the Ravens and Watt (5.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, 12 QB hits, two interceptions and a forced fumble) had five-plus sacks, multiple picks and a forced fumble in 2022. And this was just within 10 weeks of playing time.

Watt’s showing a season ago was only a sample size of what he has been up to for a six-year career where he made five Pro Bowls, three All-Pro squads and get 2021 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year.

Simply put, Watt is off to have one of the biggest starts for a pass rusher in NFL history.

Since 2017 when he made his debut as a rookie first-rounder, he has led the NFL in sacks (77.5), plus a record-tying 22.5 in 2021, QB hits (162) and forced fumbles (23), per NFL Research. T.J.’s averaging 0.89 sacks per game in his career which is the highest in league history (minimum 50 games). 

Those 77.5 sacks not just put him in a Hall of Fame trajectory, but makes him a shoo-in for the third player in NFL chronicle to notch 100 career sacks before his 30th birthday. Watt does not hit the big 3-oh until October 11, 2024, and by then, he might have reached the air importance gotten only by Hall of Famer Reggie White and Jared Allen.

It comes as no surprise that the Steelers are better with Watt in the lineup, but just how massive his impact is is unbelievable. He makes a difference indeed.

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Ex-Broncos DT, pro wrestler Darren Drozdov dies at 54.