{"id":1315019,"date":"2019-09-25T22:28:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-26T04:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/jags-campbell-returns-home-recalls-last-trip-in-denver\/"},"modified":"2019-09-25T22:28:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T04:28:00","slug":"jags-campbell-returns-home-recalls-last-trip-in-denver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/jags-campbell-returns-home-recalls-last-trip-in-denver\/","title":{"rendered":"Jags\u2019 Campbell returns home, recalls last \u2018trip\u2019 in Denver"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE – In this Oct. 5, 2014, file photo, Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) is tackled after intercepting a pass from Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning during an NFL football game in Denver. The way Campbell sees it, he should have scored on that play. Campbell and the Jacksonville Jaguars prepare to play at the Broncos on Sunday. It will be Campbell\u2019s first game in Denver since that not-so-ideal interception return nearly five years ago. (AP Photo\/Jack Dempsey, File)<\/strong>
AP | FR42408 AP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The way Calais Campbell sees it, he should have scored.<\/p>\n

The veteran defensive lineman should have been dancing in the end zone in October 2014, celebrating with teammates in his hometown of Denver and then taking the football to the sideline as a souvenir.<\/p>\n

Instead, he ended up facemask-down in the Mile High grass at the 5-yard line \u2014 arm-tackled by Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning \u2014 and pounding the ground in frustration, maybe even a bit of embarrassment.<\/p>\n

It was a trip he\u2019ll never forget. Campbell endured days, weeks, months, even years of teasing by friends, family members and his Arizona Cardinals teammates.<\/p>\n

He has since come up with a couple of excuses for the most memorable highlight-turned-lowlight of his 12-year NFL career.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeyton Manning could have been an All-Pro linebacker!\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThat\u2019s my story, and I\u2019m sticking to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-8, 300-pound Campbell also blames Denver\u2019s thin air for his failure to reach the goal line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was sucking wind,\u201d he said of the 23-yard return. \u201cAnywhere else, I would have juked Peyton or ran him over.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gaffe still bothers Campbell, and it\u2019s especially painful this week as he and the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) prepare to play at the Broncos (0-3) on Sunday. It will be Campbell\u2019s first game in Denver since that not-so-ideal interception return nearly five years ago.<\/p>\n

It also will serve as the final stop in Campbell\u2019s homecoming trilogy.<\/p>\n

After spending nine seasons (2008-16) in Arizona, Campbell joined Jacksonville in March 2017 and returned to Glendale eight months later. He scooped up a fumble and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars lost 27-24.<\/p>\n

Last year, Campbell played in Miami for the second time as a pro. The former Miami Hurricanes standout finished with a sack and a forced fumble in Jacksonville\u2019s 17-7 victory .<\/p>\n

Now he returns to his real home. The 33-year-old Campbell was born and raised in Denver and attended South High, where he played football, basketball and track and field.<\/p>\n

The trip won\u2019t be nearly as emotional as going back to Arizona two years ago, Campbell said, but he already has exceeded his initial allotment of 20 tickets for the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s special,\u201d said Campbell, who was named AFC defensive player of the week Wednesday after a three-sack performance against Tennessee. \u201cI remember growing up and wanting to be in the NFL, make it to the NFL. I used to always dream about playing for the Broncos back then.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you get drafted and make it to the NFL and it\u2019s a dream come true. And you get to go home and play in the stadium you used to drive by and envision yourself playing there. Now I get to play in front of all my friends and family and teachers, people who helped me along the way. It\u2019s a true blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n

His last visit included a 41-20 loss to the Broncos.<\/p>\n

Manning threw for 479 yards and four touchdowns that day. He also had the only tackle that mattered to Campbell.<\/p>\n

It was second-and-20 at the Denver 28 late in the first half, with the Broncos leading 14-6. Manning faked a handoff, pumped right and then tried to throw a screen pass to Montee Ball in the other flat. Campbell read the play, shed a blocker and got in perfect position for the pick. He quickly turned and headed the other direction. He had a fellow defender on his right and Manning in his sights at the 10-yard line. He tried to cut left but got tripped up by Manning\u2019s right arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t give me a full tackle for that,\u201d Manning said after the game. \u201cGive me like a half. I barely grazed his leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cardinals scored on the next play, cutting the lead to one.<\/p>\n

Campbell was later knocked out of the game by an illegal chop block and was sidelined two weeks (he hasn\u2019t missed a game since). Still, he heard so much about Manning\u2019s tackle on the bench, in the locker room and on the streets that he ended up Googling how many takedowns Manning had in his career.<\/p>\n

Campbell was the eighth player Manning tackled in 267 career games, including the playoffs. Manning added another one later that season and ended his career with nine tackles in 303 games.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s a fairly exclusive club for Campbell, one he has reluctantly and jokingly embraced over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeyton Manning\u2019s athleticism was always underrated,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cThat\u2019s the only possible explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FILE – In this Oct. 5, 2014, file photo, Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) is tackled after intercepting a pass from Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning during an NFL football game in Denver. The way Campbell sees it, he should have scored on that play. Campbell and the Jacksonville Jaguars prepare to play […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1315019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-06 22:28:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1315019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1315019\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1315019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1315019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1315019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}