Last Sunday, Nick Kasa was like any other fan of the Denver Broncos. On Super Bowl Sunday, he will be one of the Denver Broncos.
The tight end, out of football since the spring, got a phone call while sitting in the stands last weekend, watching the Broncos beat the New England Patriots in the AFC title game.
He dropped his phone and cracked the screen — that is another story — but when he finally restored his service, he learnt the Broncos wanted to sign him to the practice squad to help them get ready for the Super Bowl against the Carolina Panthers.
“It’s been pretty crazy. Kind of indescribable,” Kasa said. “These guys have been working hard toward this for a long time. For me to come in at the end here, is just kind of an out-of-the-ordinary event.
“I’m honoured to be here and ready to do whatever I can to help.”
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That includes playing the part of Panthers tight end Greg Olsen in practice.
He has been studying film of the Pro Bowl tight end to give Denver’s top-ranked defence an accurate portrayal.
“My role is to be the best Greg Olsen that I can,” said Kasa, who went to high school in Broomfield, Colorado, and played his collegiate ball up the road from Denver at Colorado University at Boulder.
If you have not guessed by now, Kasa is not just another fan — he was drafted in the sixth round by the Oakland Raiders in 2013 and played in all 16 games his rookie season.
He missed 2014 after being placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. The Raiders let him go last spring.
If he is going to be “Olsen” in Denver’s scrimmages up to the Super Bowl, he will have to improve his hands — he initially missed the call when he dropped the phone and the screen broke during Denver’s 20-18 win over New England.
It was not until the next day, when he picked up a new phone, that he saw the messages.
“I was freaking out, for sure,” Kasa said. “But I got it all turned around in enough time and made it over here. Now, I’m just on to however I can help.”
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