The beefy photo is reminiscent of the splash Bill Romanowski made in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit
edition a few years back: bare chest, well-defined six-pack and a beautiful woman in his bulging arms.
But if anything is true this year, it's that Kevin Kasper is doing his best to escape the "Little Romo" tag hung on him
in 2001.
"I just want to be called Kasper," the Denver Broncos second-year wide receiver said. "Now I have to go out and get my
own name, hopefully."
A year ago, Kasper was the bleached-blond rookie walking in Romanowski's shadow off the field, learning what it took to
compete in the NFL while trying not to get burned on the field during his baptism by fire.
The sixth-round draft pick in 2001 had entered training camp as the Broncos' No. 13 receiver, only to win the kickoff-return
job, lose it to injury, then move up into the starting lineup when injuries (Ed McCaffrey) and defections (Eddie Kennison)
depleted the position.
When Brian Griese muttered that the Broncos had nobody to catch the ball, Kasper was among the nobodies. Despite starting
four games, and playing in 10, he made only eight catches for 84 yards - 10 yards fewer than McCaffrey netted before suffering
a season-ending injury in the opener.
"Last year was definitely a learning experience," Kasper said. "As a rookie, I kind of got thrown out into a starting position.
That was something I never thought about in training camp when I was the 13th receiver out of 13. But I got my feet wet. This
year, I have more confidence."
He also has more competition for the No. 3 job behind McCaffrey and Rod Smith.
Not only did the Broncos sign two-time Pro Bowl player Rob Moore, they drafted University of Hawaii standout Ashley Lelie
in the first round and Michigan State speedster Herb Haygood in the sixth round. Add Chris Cole and Scottie Montgomery into
the mix, along with a group of free agents, and Kasper knows nothing will come easy in training camp.
"It's a huge battle," Kasper said. "There's going to be a lot of competition. But overall it's going to help our receiving
corps get that much better because we're pushing each other."
Kasper knows all about pushing himself to the limit. His exhausting work ethic and Shannon Sharpe-like physique are two
of the reasons Muscle Media - it's a national publication of Golden-based EAS - decided to feature him in an article due out
next month (though editors later scrapped the mock cover because of concern it might target too young an audience).
Kasper, who has been a health/supplement nut since taking up wrestling in seventh grade, credits Romanowski for teaching
him even more about nutrition and workouts.
He took the same six or seven dozen daily supplements as Romanowski, toted them around in the same plastic suitcase, and
even climbed into a hyperbaric chamber to speed his recovery. When Romanowski turned to various creams and lasers to rid himself
of painful lactic acid in his legs, so did Kasper.
"For Bill to kind of take me under his wing . . . it was just exceptional," Kasper said. "I loved learning from him. He
taught me a great deal about nutrition and workouts. I'm sad that he's gone, but, hopefully I'll make a new name for myself."
Of course, Kasper still sounds a bit like Romanowski when he says he's stronger, faster and healthier than he ever has
been.
But he has Broncos strength coach Rich Tuten to vouch for him.
"He's as strong as he's ever been, super-powerful for his size," Tuten said, noting that the 200-pound Kasper can bench
press nearly twice his weight. "And mentally, he's into it. He just has to study and become a student of the game . . . know
how the playbook all fits together.
"He tells me he's an academic All-American, so I'm waiting for him to prove it."
Tuten's ribbing doesn't stop there. When Kasper informed him during one grueling off-season workout that he had some congestion
in his chest, Tuten quipped, "How can Superman have a cold? Are you taking the wrong supplements? Are you not taking enough?
Did you eat a piece of red meat?"
Now, that would really make Kasper sick.
Red meat? Chips? Candy?
No way.
What about the Krispy Kreme doughnuts so many Broncos players were seen toting out of Dove Valley recently?
"I would never put a Krispy Kreme in my hand unless I was throwing it at somebody," Kasper said. "I don't eat doughnuts,
all that sugar, all that fat. That's unnecessary for your body."
Instead, he lives on protein shakes and bars, grilled fish and chicken.
"He gets extreme with some of his eating habits," Smith said, noting that every meal seems to come in a bottle. "Every
time I see him shaking up something, I'm like, 'What's that? Dinner?'
"But he keeps himself in perfect shape. That effort you can't coach. Those things are what will put him over the top."
McCaffrey agreed.
"He's an extremely hard worker, and people respect him for that," McCaffrey said. "But he's also one of those guys who
does every possible thing he can think of to try to get an advantage.
"You have to appreciate that. But we're always going to give him a hard time."
Kasper can dish it out, too.
He's not shy about chastising his own parents - the way most parents chastise their children for eating something bad and
spoiling their dinner.
"They used to hate when I'd come home (from college) because I was always watching everything they put in their mouths.
I'd see them eating junk food - cookies, chips, butter on toast and all that stuff that I didn't approve of," he said.
After so much pleading, he finally has won them over.
"I got them eating better, and they definitely look better," he said.
Kasper, meanwhile, still is the same flashy player, with the white hair (he began dying it two years before Eminem hit
the charts) and five diamond studs in his ears.
But at 24, he's a year wiser when it comes to the NFL, and to the Broncos offense.
Off the field, he no longer is one of Denver's most eligible bachelors. He became engaged in May, boldly proposing to college
sweetheart Lisa Cleppe in Estes Park.
The two had just climbed a mountain peak and were posing for self-timed photos when Kasper asked for one more shot. Cleppe
demurred, saying they already had taken so many.
That's when Kasper got on his knee, pulled out a ring and said, "I want you to be wearing this."
They took one more photo after Cleppe said yes.
She should have been shocked; then again, nothing Kasper does surprises her.
Consider a recent trip to Best Buy while they were in Chicago. Kasper headed for the stereo section, grabbed a microphone
and began singing The Star-Spangled Banner as loudly as he could.
"He's just goofy, loves to laugh and have fun," Cleppe said. "Sometimes he can be a little embarrassing and I say, 'That's
enough, Kev.' But I know him, so I just roll with the punches."
This year, Kasper is hoping to deliver a few more on the field.
