Attempting to Settle into the Denver Broncos Offseason
By Craig Hurst
Believe me, this is not the type of post I wanted to be creating in late January, but it is what it is. Denver Broncos fans have to live with the fact that our beloved Broncos fell short of their goal, which was to win a third Super Bowl championship. Super Bowl week is here and because it doesn’t feature the Broncos, I am forced to make lemonade out of lemons.
The Denver Broncos 2014 season is in the books and, unfortunately, it ended with a big, old loud thug … at home no less. Given the changes made by John Elway in the days following the 24-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, there was almost more noise during that time period than the three months of the regular season. Before I look ahead to next season and beyond, I am going to try and summarize or wrap us this past season. A caveat to all of my comments forthcoming is that no matter how we try to spin it, the Broncos didn’t reach their goal and that is very disappointing. While some NFL teams would be happy to achieve the level of success that the Broncos have recently achieved, that is not good enough or acceptable in the Mile High City, and in my opinion, the Broncos have a lot of work ahead of them if they ever want to have a third Lombardi Trophy; more so now that Elway has cleaned house and in a sense, starting over.
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Looking back on the season, I can’t bring myself to recap each game and point out the positives, or the great individual performances. Am I happy the Broncos won another division title? Yes; am I happy the Broncos swept every team in the AFC West? Yes; am I happy the Broncos went undefeated at home in the regular season? Yes. Any Broncos fan in their right mind would answer “yes” to those questions, but, unfortunately, the fact that the Broncos aren’t traveling to Phoenix today to represent the American Football Conference in Super Bowl XLIX kind of squashes all the success the Broncos had leading up to the divisional playoff game. Trying to summarize or wrap this season in a positive way (making lemonade out of lemons) is difficult for me, and to be honest, I don’t think I can right now.
That doesn’t mean I am less of a fan, it just means I am still disappointed the Broncos didn’t reach their goals or the expectations of the organization and fans – just like 29 other teams in the NFL, soon to be 30 teams. In the end, one team reaches their goal, 31 other teams do not.
Season-ending losses, while disappointing, do one thing for sure and that is to reaffirm my loyalty and passion for the Denver Broncos. I can’t wait for the offseason to progress and all the normal things to happen, which are signs that another football season is approaching – the draft, the release of the schedule, the invoice for season tickets and so on.
While it is difficult to find the silver lining around this dark cloud, there are positive signs on a daily basis. Last Sunday, I did have an extra six or seven hours of “free time” because I didn’t watch the conference championships. One week from today, I may have more free time because I will not fill Super Bowl Sunday with hours and hours of pre-game and another football game. As of this morning, I still haven’t determined if I will watch Super Bowl XLIX but I am leaning towards “no.” For obvious reasons, I just can’t bring myself to a point that would allow me to cheer for either team. While deep down, a small part of me is saddened that I will not be watching the Super Bowl, my wife is probably ecstatic.
To all the Broncos fans out there, enjoy the Super Bowl if you watch it and have a super offseason. The beauty of the NFL and where we’re at today is that in approximately seven months it starts all over.
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Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning reacts as he sits on the ground after being sacked in the second half against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Colts defeated the Broncos 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports