Search - NFL Greatest Games Series: Denver Broncos Greatest Games on DVD

What a missed opportunity ....

Ronjan Sikdar | Bronx, NY | 07/06/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Let's quickly recap ....

1999 Rams -- Greatest Games set with all 3 playoff games
2000 Ravens -- Greatest Games set with all 4 playoff games
2001 Patriots -- Three Games to Glory I
2002 Buccaneers -- Greatest Games set with all 3 playoff games
2003 Patriots -- Three Games to Glory II
2004 Patriots -- Three Games to Glory III
2005 Steelers -- Road to the Super Bowl with all 4 playoff games
2006 Colts -- Road to the Super Bowl with all 4 playoff games
2007 Giants -- Road to the Super Bowl with all 4 playoff games

You get the point. NFL Films has done a fairly good job (non-widescreen or Blu-Ray notwithstanding) of releasing full games for Super Bowl winners, much to the fans' excitement.

So what in the world happened here? The material to work with is pretty good -- back-to-back champions to send out a legendary quarterback on top. Look at the Packers' Greatest Games set -- it contains 10 games, 9 that had Brett Favre as QB. Look at the Bears' Greatest Games set -- it contains 12 games from one season. Few would argue that the late-90s Broncos are as legendary as those Bears, but 2 games from those seasons? Come on!

How much better would this set sell if it went something like this:
1996 AFC Divisonal -- Jaguars 30, Broncos 27
1997 Week 12 -- Chiefs 24, Broncos 22
1997 Week 15 -- Steelers 35, Broncos 24
(These three losses set up the "revenge tour" quite nicely)
1997 AFC Wild Card -- Broncos 42, Jaguars 17
1997 AFC Divisional -- Broncos 14, Chiefs 10
1997 AFC Championship -- Broncos 24, Steelers 21
1997 Super Bowl -- Broncos 31, Packers 24
1998 Week 1 -- Broncos 27, Patriots 21 (celebration of previous title)
1998 Week 14 -- Broncos 35, Chiefs 31 (streak extended ... at least for another week)
1998 Week 15 -- Giants 20, Broncos 16 (paradise lost)
1998 Week 17 -- Broncos 28, Seahawks 21 (TD 2000 yards)
1998 AFC Divisional -- Broncos 38, Dolphins 3
1998 AFC Championship -- Broncos 23, Jets 10
1998 Super Bowl -- Broncos 34, Falcons 19

This is a set that would make Broncos fans finally put away their old VHS cassettes. 14 games, containing all of the best moments -- and low points that set them up -- that would completely sum up that era of football for Broncos fans.

If that's too much, then at least cut it in half to 7 games and include all 7 playoff victories in those two seasons.

NFL Films -- the money is out there for the taking. The products are simple. You've offered superior sets to every single Super Bowl winner dating back to the 1995 Cowboys. Get it together for the Broncos!"

Missing some big ones

Douglas Lee | New York, NY United States | 07/14/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Here's what Warner Home Video says...
For the first time, the original network broadcast of three classic Denver Broncos games are available to own in this thrilling three-DVD set. Relive the excitement of these unforgettable moments in Broncos history: 1977 AFC Championship Game - After years of waiting, the Broncos defeated the archrival Oakland Raiders 20-17 to clinch their first trip to the Super Bowl. Haven Moses caught 5 passes for 168 yards and his two touchdown receptions from Craig Morton proved to be the difference in the game. Super Bowl XXXII - John Elway and Terrell Davis sparked the team's first world championship as Denver topped Green Bay 31-24. Davis was named the game's most valuable player, rushing for 157 yards on 30 carries and a Super Bowl record 3 touchdowns. Super Bowl XXXIII - John Elway retired on a winning note as the Broncos topped Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway, in his final performance, completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown. He was named the game's most valuable player. These broadcasts are an essential piece of Broncos history now available.

I couldn't agree more that this set will be missing countless big games in Broncos history. How about The Drive? How about The Fumble? Or Elway's most amazing comeback, the one against Houston in the playoffs? How about his comeback against the Raiders from a 17 point deficit? The 2 TD passes to Vance Johnson late against the Chiefs? Although I've already pre-ordered this set, I am already disappointed that it is clearly missing most of the best games I've seen the Broncos play over the last 20+ years. What a shame."

A Time Machine Back to 1977 "Broncomania"

Arthur A. Hundhausen | Denver, CO USA | 08/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD set contains the 1977 AFC title game, Super Bowl 32 ,and Super Bowl 33.

The two Super Bowl wins have already been replayed a few times on the NFL Network. But not the 1977 classic. So, like many Broncos fans, I bought the set primarily to relive the 1/1/1978 AFC Championship against Denver's biggest rival, the Oakland Raiders.

At first, I was disappointed in the quality of the Raiders game. The entire 1st quarter looks like somebody's old VHS video tape that has been watched one too many times. It is OK, but the colors are a bit washed out, and there is a definite lack of sharpness. There are a few VHS-type flickers on the screen, etc. But then early in the 2nd quarter - right before a Raiders field goal clangs off the right goalpost - there is suddenly a seamless "merge" to a much, much better footage. After this switch, the footage is better and sharper, with vibrant colors and no defects. The game looked fantastic from this point onwards, and I definitely felt like I had been taken back to Mile High Stadium on that bitter cold New Year's Day in 1978. It was great to visit "Broncomania" in its early days - this was the Broncos' first winning season, their first visit to the NFL Playoffs, and (of course) their first AFC title.

Little did Broncos fans know that after the 1977 breakout year, they would wait 20 more seasons to finally get a Super Bowl victory. The set contains both Super Bowls at the end of the Elway era - the memorable January 1998 win against the Packers (in which the Broncos were huge underdogs), and the blowout win against the Falcons in January 1999 to give Denver "back-to-back" supremacy.

Pros of this DVD set: Great quality video (for the most part). 2 of the 3 games are nailbiters filled with tension - NFL/Broncos playoff football at its best. Great to see the original TV broadcasts available for purchase - in their entirety - instead of boring and recycled NFL Films footage.

Cons of this DVD set: No pre-game for any of these games - they simply start right before the opening kickoff. The entire 1st quarter of the Raiders game just looks like OK VHS video. The games are slightly edited - some huddles and dead action are removed. The edits are done in a way that you might not notice the cuts if you weren`t watching carefully, but they are there and there are a lot of them. Finally, this set doesn't include the "Drive," the "Fumble," or other classic Broncos playoff and regular season games. Maybe those and other Broncos classics will be the subject of a future release?

Despite these issues, if you are a die-hard Broncos fans, this set is a "no-brainer" - you will not be disappointed.
"

Fun......but come on!

Jeffrey T. Hogan | Seattle, WA | 01/08/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Who put this set together? 3 games? That's it? NFL films can and should do way better than this. Look at the other teams 7 disc sets and tell me why Denver gets 3 games total. Yes, they are great games...but only 3?

Also don't expect anything except the games. No pre-show or post, no "this ones for John", zip...nada. The games are cut too. Great to have this on DVD sure, but don't expect much. Too bad Ebay pulled the plug on selling burned copies that people originally recorded on VHS.

If anyone knows where we can trade our personally burned copies, I would love to know.

Disappointing at best."