The Denver Broncos’ veterans arrived at camp and got their first look at a brand new training facility that, by all accounts, made a strong first impression.
The building was formally opened yesterday, and Jeff Legwold of ESPN reported that the project cost $175 million and spans 205,000 square feet. Players were still getting oriented as they moved through the space, but the reaction was immediate: the old setup is gone, and the Broncos are working out of something far more expansive.
Cornerback Pat Surtain II was among the first to speak up about it.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Surtain said. “The locker room is crazy.
It’s quite unique as well, too. And it just gives a different feel, different vibe.
Leaving that in the past, and we’re entering a new state, new years.”
Surtain said the new place went beyond what he expected.
“My expectations was high, and it definitely exceeded my expectations,” Surtain said. “I don’t think there’s nothing like this in the league.
I mean, it’s state-of-the-art. Very nice facilities, everything.
And it seems like, when you look at it, obviously you look at the locker rooms, the facilities - it just seemed like it was meant to be.”
The upgrade was not just about appearances. According to Luca Evans of the Denver Post, the old locker room had received an “F” grade from players last year, and coach Sean Payton said the new one is “three to four times” larger. The Broncos also studied how far other teams’ locker rooms were from the field and tried to match or beat that convenience in their own design.
Team president Damani Leech explained the thinking behind the overhaul last year.
“You saw, ours was just, these big, massive spikes,” said team preseidnet Damani Leech as he described the old facility last year. “Whereas, these other facilities were tighter. And so, our question was like, ‘How can we make ours the tightest as possible, for our players?’”
Guard Quinn Meinerz said the finished product delivers on that idea, and then some.
“I mean, you come here and you see the first-class everywhere,” Meinerz said “I went to the cafeteria. That’s wild.
Like, the new nutritionist area is incredible. The training room, the amount of tables that are in there, the pools, the tubs, the amenities.
“I would assume whenever people come here and they take a tour, their mind’s going to be blown. Because we already had a really good setup. But this just blows it out of the water.”
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