Frank Clark’s departure from the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason was painful for fans in Western Missouri, and salt was added to the fresh wound when they saw that he signed with the division-rival Denver Broncos.
Clark spoke to the media on Saturday after practice at Broncos training camp, confidently addressing reporters for one of the first times in his new orange and blue uniform.
Asked about the storied AFC West rivalry between Denver and Kansas City, and what he plans to do to end the Broncos’ 15-game losing streak against the Chiefs, Clark issued a statement wherein he denied that any bad blood exists between the two teams.
“I wouldn’t call it a rivalry,” He inexplicably said. “A rivalry is competitive, true or false? I’m on the Broncos now, and I’ve been on the other side, and we didn’t call it a rivalry then. I’m with the Broncos now. Until we become competitive enough, we have to beat the team.
Frank Clark is now a member of the #broncos. So what does he think about the rivalry with the #chiefs, which historically has been great, during this current 15 game losing streak Denver has to the KC? pic.twitter.com/tDWNxRwiZc
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) July 29, 2023
“We have to win our division. [It is] not just about the Chiefs. [There are] things that we have to do here, we have to get our own ball together here in order for us to go out there and compete, in order for us to become one of those [inaudible]”
While Clark is certainly entitled to his opinions, he was a bit off the mark with these comments, which deny decades of history between these two storied franchises.
Perhaps he is still coping with the prospect of going from a Super Bowl contender to the dog house in the AFC West, but Clark is sure to get a taste of the Broncos’ rivalry with the Chiefs twice next year as Denver looks to get their first win against Kansas City since 2015.