From The Colorado Springs Gazette:
Spencer Larsen appears to be a model citizen.
In the short break between the morning walk-through and practice, the Denver Broncos rookie fullback/linebacker will often sit at his locker quietly and read the Book of Mormon. Larsen is married with two children. He is polite, accommodating and usually has a smile on his face.
He might be the nicest guy on the team. The nice guy takes on a different demeanor on Sunday, of all days. On the football field, Larsen is proving to be as vicious as any Broncos player.
Two weeks ago against New Orleans, Larsen made a hit that Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said was the hardest he had seen in the NFL. Larsen hit a Saints blocker on the first kickoff, and Shanahan said it looked like Larsen decapitated the Saints player.
Then on Sunday, Larsen sprinted downfield and crushed Chiefs kickoff returner Dantrell Savage. Larsen knocked him flat on his back and Savage’s helmet flew off at impact. The crowd at Arrowhead Stadium and the television broadcast team cried out involuntarily. CBS play-by-play announcer Greg Gumbel said Larsen hit Savage like a freight train.
Larsen didn’t seem too nice when he jumped up and down a few times after being mobbed by his teammates, as Savage found his helmet.
“He wouldn’t feel bad if he hit me that way,” Larsen said. “Everyone hears about the game face. On game day, you have to be a different person than you are off the field.”
He has drawn the attention of Shanahan, who took the unusual step of having Larsen work at linebacker and fullback to enhance his value.
“He is a very physical linebacker and that is why we have him playing not only linebacker but fullback,” Shanahan said. (cont.)