Steve Atwater is used to being patient.
The Broncos didn’t break through for their first Super Bowl title (1997) until his ninth season as a perennial Pro Bowl safety.
Atwater was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his ninth year as a semifinalist and two decades after his retirement.
And due to the coronavirus, 553 days will separate his selection (Feb. 1, 2020 in Miami) and official induction ceremony (Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio). The Class of 2020 will be inducted a night before the Class of 2021 that includes former Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and safety John Lynch.