I have not watched much of the Denver Broncos this season. Most Sunday afternoons, I find myself out and about, trying to soak in as much fall sun as possible before the doldrums of winter set in. If I’m driving from one destination to the next, I always have the radio voice of the Broncos, Dave Logan, tuned in on trusty old KMTS to catch the ebbs and flows of the gridiron battle the boys in orange are engaged in that day. But I’ll most often choose to be outdoors during the game and check the score in the early evening.

Then, lo and behold, an invitation from my good friend Doug Meyers came to join him and Rick Sorensen at the 19th Street Diner for breakfast and an early morning kickoff with the Broncos and Jets on tap from none other than London, England. I told Doug I would not miss my morning run, but I might join them a bit later than the 7:30 a.m. start time.

The rain was pouring when I woke up last Sunday, so I dismissed the run and decided to head to the diner. Full disclosure: The main reason I drove into town wasn’t an insatiable interest in the Broncos game but rather that I was tired of my daily dose of oatmeal for breakfast and excited about the prospect of some huevos rancheros.

Even in the wee hours of the morning, I could hear the Bronco faithful inside the diner getting revved up as I exited my trusty old Jeep. As I entered the back door of one of Glenwood’s finest eateries, I spied a packed ensemble of orange- and blue-clad revelers staring in disbelief at the television screens that occupy each corner of the bar. I soon found out I had walked in right after the Broncos had lost a fumble in the game’s early moments — a miscue the crowd deemed inexcusable against the winless Jets.

After greeting my good friend Hadley Yellico, who I learned would be our server, I spotted Doug and Rick across the way, right smack-dab in the middle of the gathered throng. With Broncomania in full tilt these days, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see the place was standing room only.

I guess I just hadn’t been around a large group of Broncos fans in quite some time, because I’d totally forgotten the fervor with which they approach every high and low that comes with a 60-minute contest in which large men are constantly crashing into one another at high speeds. It was so loud at times that I could barely make out the words of my tablemates — especially if Denver had just pulled off a first-down conversion or something equally crucial. The Broncos fans even called their own audible with a group cheer when one of the New York aerial attempts fell harmlessly to the ground and out of reach of the intended receiver.

“That pass was in-com-plete!” the crowd roared.

Their enthusiasm was a welcome sight. I enjoyed it.

I left just after halftime, but while I was there, not only did I have a great meal — and probably my fifth and sixth cups of coffee — but I had a wonderful time catching up with two good friends. There was even a lady and her husband at the table next to us who kept asking if we were coaches. I told her Rick was one of the assistants for the Glenwood football team and that Doug had been my life coach since we were kids.

I had only one regret from my pleasant morning with the Broncos. I made the mistake of telling Doug that if I were the Denver coach, I’d play that boy from Georgia, Stidham, a little more at quarterback. I said I thought he saw the field well, made good decisions and threw a soft, accurate ball.

When the final sentence had exited my mouth — never to go back in — I saw that Doug was red in the face and more than anxious to voice his opinion. He was wearing the white No. 10 Denver jersey of starting quarterback Bo Nix. You’d think I would have paid closer attention to his attire in the 90 minutes I’d been sitting at arm’s length from him, sharing old war stories.

My life coach was very polite in pointing out several misguided thoughts I had on the Broncos’ quarterback situation — and that I might even be blind to the attributes of the great young signal-caller Denver has in its possession.

Of course, I know he’s correct. But I still might trot that old Georgia Bulldog out there from time to time when things go a bit stale, just to see what would happen. Who knows? Might perk up that offense a bit.

I’ll break from tradition and sit down to watch Denver later in the season when they face the Dallas Cowboys. I wouldn’t call myself a fan, but I’ve pulled for the Cowboys since watching them as a little boy in the early 1970s when they lost Super Bowl 5 to the Baltimore Colts on a last-second field goal. The quarterback for Dallas that day was a guy named Craig Morton, and their halfback was Dan Reeves. Both of those fellas should be plenty familiar to all true Broncos fans.

Denver has a good team, and I think they’ll go far — giving the folks at the diner, and beyond, plenty to cheer about in the coming months.

An avid runner, Mike Vidakovich is the girls basketball coach at Roaring Fork High School and a substitute teacher at Glenwood Springs Elementary. His column appears the third Wednesday of each month in the Post Independent.