Greg Wilson can’t help but pay close attention to Super Bowl 50.

For one thing, the big game at the home stadium of the San Francisco 49ers is happening right in the Danville, Calif., native’s backyard.

“I’m just outside of the city,” explains the Stampeders receiver, “and San Francisco is where all the festivities are going on. The game itself is a little bit more south in Santa Clara but it’s pretty crazy with everything going on in the city. It’s normally about a 40-minute drive to get right into the city from where I’m at but last weekend, just because of everything going on, it took 30 minutes to get across the bridge.

Receiver Greg Wilson with the Denver Broncos

“Then, once you’re in the city, it took two hours to get anywhere you wanted to go because they’ve got so many roads closed off. There’s a lot of hype and a lot of excitement for sure.”

As luck would have it, one of the participants in the golden anniversary of the NFL’s championship game is the Denver Broncos, the team with which Wilson spent some time before joining the Stamps. As a matter of fact, it was the week of the conference championship game two years ago that Wilson got a call from the Broncos to join the practice roster. That allowed the Fordham alum to see action on the Broncos’ scout team and come along for the ride as Denver advanced to the Super Bowl.

“With the way that it ended when I was there in Super Bowl XLVIII (a 43-8 Denver loss to Seattle), it’s cool to see the Broncos back,” says Wilson. “I’m still friends with a lot of guys on the team and I’m still in contact with a lot of guys, so it’s cool to see them get that second opportunity this year to redeem themselves.”

Receiver Bennie Fowler, offensive lineman Matt Paradis and quarterback Brock Osweiler are just some of the players with whom Wilson has remained in contact.

Osweiler was the Broncos’ starter for the part of the season while Peyton Manning was sidelined with an injury.

“He’s learned a lot from Peyton during the time he’s been there as far as preparation and how to be a true pro,” notes Wilson. “When (Osweiler) did get his opportunity this year, that really showed because he went out there and lit it up and tore it up. I think he’s put a lot of confidence in the Denver coaching staff so that if Peyton was going to retire, Brock could step right in.”

As for Manning, Wilson fondly recalls his dealings with the future Hall-of-Famer.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Greg Wilson runs a route against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Photo Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

“The same personality that you see in all of his commercials, that’s the guy he is,” he says. “He’s a really humble guy that works real hard. I can’t say enough good things about him. He was one of the first guys who came up and introduced himself to me when I was there.

“First meeting, first day, we’re sitting there and he taps me on the shoulder and says, ‘Hey Greg, I’m Peyton Manning. Nice to meet you and good to have you here.’ For a guy like him, it’s not something he has to do but for him to go out of his way to make a new guy feel welcome, it was pretty cool.”

If this does turn out to be Manning’s last game in the NFL, will he go out a champion? Wilson likes his former team’s chances.

“Well, I know a lot of people have been saying it’s eerily similar to Super Bowl XLVIII when they played Seattle but I think a big difference this year is how much better the Broncos defence is,” he points out. “I really think that going into this game, with the lack of experience for Cam (Newton), if guys like Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware can get him unsettled early, it would disrupt him and make him fee uncomfortable in the pocket and I think it would be a good day for Denver.”

Two years ago, Wilson was right in the middle of the Super Bowl week festivities at MetLife Stadium in the shadow of New York City’s skyscrapers. His primarily role was to emulate then-Seahawks receiver Golden Tate as the scout team against the Denver defence.

“It was almost like a second home for me because of having gone to college out there,” Wilson recalls. “As a practice guy, you’re still doing everything the team is doing. You’re at media day, you’re going to all the team events that the guys are doing. You may not get the same publicity as guys like Peyton Manning, you’re more in the shadows, but you still get to do everything.

“It was a great experience.”