5 Things Broncos Fans Might Not Know About Safety T.J. Ward

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - A year ago the Broncos acquired safety T.J. Ward in free agency. Since then, Ward has shown himself to be a keeper with his actions on an off the field.

Ward was the guest on Xfinity Monday Live this week, and shared many things about himself Broncos fans might not know.

1. His favorite players growing up weren't Broncos
He didn't grow up in Colorado, so it's not really a surprise that Ward's favorite athletes as a boy weren't players from the Broncos. Ward grew up in Northern California, and says his favorite players were Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice.

2. He's into NASCAR
Ward spent some time in the offseason with Furniture Row Racing, the NASCAR team behind the No. 78 car that represents the city of Denver. "It was an eye opening experience," Ward told CBS4's Vic Lombardi. "I learned a lot about that sport. And I even got to go out there and visit with them for one of the races in Fontana. I had a very good time. ... The (drivers) in that car go for 3 to 4 hours strapped in without getting out. You really have to train for that."

3. He's a huge "Game of Thrones" fan
Lombardi told Ward he wasn't that impressed with the premiere episode of season 5 that aired on Sunday night. "What?" Ward said, flabbergasted. "Not enough action," Lombardi said. "It can't start off speeding," Ward said, "You've got to slow into it. You've got to warm up first. And then you start sprinting." Ward said his favorite character on the show is Jon Snow. "He is like the most honorable dude in the whole show."

4. He is committed to helping underprivileged youth
Ward started the T.J. Ward Foundation as a way to give back to communities he's connected to. His website, TJWard43.com, states that the foundation is aimed at helping young people succeed, with a focus on education, physical fitness and health. You can help out his foundation and other nonprofits in the area by playing in the 2015 T.J. Ward Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament at the Blackstone Country Club in Aurora on July 13.

5. He was surprised that he wasn't called on to blitz off the edge more last year
Okay, we had to squeeze one football Xs and Os item here. Ward likes to be involved in blitzes, and had several sacks last season when he lined up off the edge in a blitz formation. "I was successful the times that I did do it, so for me not to do it sometimes throughout the season was surprising to me. But I don't call the plays, I just play what's running."

He says he expects this year's defense will be more aggressive under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. "I think you'll see a little bit more out of me this year," Ward told Lombardi.

Watch more video with T.J. Ward in the Xfinity Monday Live section.