Head coach Lou Saban and the Broncos clearly did not feel as warmly about their quarterback situation.
Even before Briscoe had finished his rookie season, the Broncos may have been maneuvering to acquire a new quarterback. On Jan. 19, 1969, The Denver Post’s Dick Connor reported[2] that Pete Liske, the 1967 CFL Most Outstanding Player, had an informal agreement to join the Broncos before the 1968 season ended. Describing what he called “hearsay evidence” — the Broncos couldn’t officially announce his signing until June — Connor wrote that as of early 1969, Liske already had purchased a home and opened a bank account in Denver.
Saban maintained that Briscoe would stay at the position and compete for the starting job along with Steve Tensi, who started much of the 1968 season until his season was interrupted by several collarbone injuries.
“I’ve talked with Lou,” Briscoe’s college coach, Al Caniglia, said in a January press conference a few days later[3], “and he believes Marlin will either make Steve Tensi an excellent quarterback or sit him down.”
Then, in a March speech at Briscoe’s alma mater, Saban said[4] he was “pleased — not surprised” with Briscoe’s rookie season, but followed those comments up by saying if Briscoe wasn’t the starting quarterback, the coaching staff would find another position for him where he could make an impact.
If it seemed like the winds were starting to shift for the youngster, they would soon be at a full gust.
That spring, Briscoe got a call from his cousin, Bob Rose, who was living in Denver at the time.
“He called and told me, They’re having quarterback meetings … why aren’t you there?” Briscoe recalls now. “What happened was they went out and got Pete Liske from Canada. So they had him and Steve Tensi. He had healed, his shoulder had healed. So he was there and they had a couple of other guys. They didn’t invite me. So I told Bob that I was going to come to Denver and see what was going on. But I had to wait. I had to wait…
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