America At Large: Dreams die hard when you've had a taste of the big time, and at the age of 27 Danny Kanell found it difficult to accept the likelihood his career as a professional quarterback was over, writes George Kimball.

NFL teams, on the other hand, had seen enough of him over five seasons so he had been effectively drummed out of the league. When he was released by the Atlanta Falcons following the 2000 season any one of 32 clubs could have signed him for the minimum salary, and although even mediocre quarterbacks with experience commonly have some intrinsic value, none did.

Kanell spent the next two years playing football in the Arena League, playing professional baseball, and even coaching his old high school team, Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale.

Less than two months ago Kanell was back in Florida, coaching Westminster's quarterbacks. But for the past few weeks he has been the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, and therein lies a tale.

Drafted by the New York Giants in 1996 after an eye-catching collegiate career, he performed for three star-crossed seasons before moving on to Atlanta, where he started just two games in two years before being released.

In the absence of any interest from other NFL teams, Kanell decided to give baseball a try. Once a top-rated prospect, he had been drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1992, and by the Yankees in 1995. He signed on with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League, where he played third and first base.

"I had a good time doing it," recalled Kanell. "I was basically just trying to keep my competitive juices flowing. I wanted to do something where I was actively competing every day. Football teams weren't calling, it was tough finding a job, so I decided to go out there and stay busy."

Last year he was back playing football for the New York Dragons of the indoor Arena League, once again in a back-up role. He came off the bench at half-time of a game against the Detroit Fury with his team trailing 22-9, threw three touchdown passes to spark a 44-37 comeback win, and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. That earned him a start the next week. In that game he threw five TD passes - along with four interceptions - and it was back to the bench.

"The whole time I was out of the NFL it was really frustrating," said Kanell. "I was watching games on Sundays and I just missed everything about it. I felt like I could be on a team, helping them out. I felt like I was still able to play and perform in this league. I do think the experience developed some perseverance and character in me. When I look back at it now, I think it was a good thing."

Last March, Kanell said, he contacted 15 NFL teams. "I sent out tapes and a letter saying 'Hey, if there is an opening . . .' All I was looking for was another chance to show teams what I could do, and a few teams called back. Denver was one of them. They said 'Hey, we'll let you come in here to our passing camp and we'll give you a look.' It was like a three- or four-day try-out. From there, they liked what they saw."

Kanell got a look in pre-season, which is not to say that he made the Broncos' team then and there. Quite the opposite happened, in fact.

"All I was focused on doing was winning the number three spot (behind starter Jake Plummer and back-up Steve Beuerlein), and after the last pre-season game I thought I'd done that," recalled Kanell. "I was actually on the (final) 53-man roster for about 24 hours, and then coach (Mike) Shanahan called me in and explained that they were a little low at some other positions and were only going to keep two quarterbacks.

"(Shanahan) told me to stay by the phone and let them know if there were other teams calling me, because they'd probably bring me back," said Kanell. "It was still a little disheartening after everything I'd been through, but it all worked out. Six weeks ago I was sitting on my couch in Florida watching games again, and everything happened fast. I'm very grateful to be back in this position."

Plummer broke his foot a month into the season, and Beuerlein broke a finger on his throwing hand early in a loss three weeks ago, bringing Kanell off the bench. He started his first NFL game in three seasons two weeks ago, and threw two interceptions in a 26-6 loss.

"The only real mistake he made was the first interception," said Shanahan. "He threw it to the wrong guy, the wrong jersey. Other than that he played pretty good. People aren't really aware of the wind and what a factor it was in that game. That was about a three- or four-club wind."

Three nights ago Kanell took the stage before a nationwide audience against the New England Patriots in the televised Monday Night Football match-up. Once again operating a simplified, virtually idiot-proof game plan, he held his own, even though the Broncos were beaten 30-26 when the Patriots scored with 30 seconds left. Kanell threw his first touchdown pass in three years, and his only interception of the game came when New England picked off a last-gasp desperation heave with seconds left on the clock.

"The game has definitely changed while I've been away," Kanell admitted. "There've been some things that I've noticed that have been new, and some things that they weren't doing before, but nothing so huge that I wasn't able to pick up on it."

Jake Plummer is expected to be activated for Denver's next game, but with Beuerlein committed to the injured reserve list, Danny's spot on the roster seems secure for the balance of the season.

"Any time you come in off the street, there are going to be adjustments," said Shanahan. "You get back in football shape and get reunited with the offence, but I think Danny's done a great job."