All Action, No Talk

It is a world-class button. Haynes has been so good this year that, as much as he was disfavored, he might have beaten out Wright. He played flawlessly through the regular season and, when the playoffs came, went flawlessly one better. He was the Super Collider in the win over Houston, wiping out the Oilers' receivers like bugs hitting a windshield, intercepting Warren Moon in the end zone and returning the ball 57 yards to help ice the 34-10 victory. "Anybody who wants to question my heart ought to look at these game films," he told ESPN's Jim Gray afterward. Somebody must have, because Haynes was chosen Most Valuable Player.

Characteristically Haynes accepted the honor with a minimum of jubilation. "I took it with a grain of salt," he says. "I've had games when I've totally shut down a receiver. Had no balls thrown even near him and didn't get a game ball. But you make one interception and...."

Is this guy his own man or what? Like him or loathe him, Haynes is back in all his no-nonsense glory. "A lot of the time the reason a player leaves is because of politics," he says. "But I don't worry about it. I have enough confidence that I think I can play anywhere."

It's a dulcet victory. Haynes has come back for a team and a town he is sure didn't want him. And there are a few things he would like to say. Were the Broncos disappointed they didn't get to trade him? "Yeah, somewhat. But they won't admit it." What really galls him is that the Broncos have never said they messed up by trying to make him a right corner. "They never did say, 'Maybe we had him in the wrong position.' At least the Giants admitted they had me in the wrong place."

Haynes is also bemused to see that the Denver citizenry is talking about him like he's next in line to get his own downtown statue. "It's amazing to me the transformation people have gone through here in regard to their relationship with me," he says. "I don't like two-faced people. Be one way all the time, or don't be anything at all."

But that's over with. He's happy and he's playing. Now all he wants is: 1) a Super Bowl ring and 2) reinstatement as an All-Pro. As to No. 1, he says, "I'd love to win this Super Bowl, because it would give me great pride and satisfaction to have contributed to a team that didn't have enough confidence in me." As to No. 2: "I think I'm an All-Pro, I'm that caliber. I know that All-Pro is mostly based on how much pub you get. But sooner or later they've got to give me the recognition—whether I talk or not."

Would you bet against him?