Denver Broncos: Gary Kubiak pulling right strings out of bye

The Denver Broncos came out of the bye week with a renewed focus and plenty of motivation. How has Gary Kubiak gotten it done?

The Denver Broncos came out of the bye week refreshed, ready for the final six games of the season, and with a new focus.

Head coach Gary Kubiak seems to be pulling all the right strings, and the front office/coaching staff have made the decision to put all three of the Broncos’ Lombardi Trophies in the team’s locker room, serving as a reminder of what has been done.

I absolutely love it.

As the Broncos begin a playoff run, the trophies serve as a reminder of what has been, as recently as February of this past year. They also serve as an image of what is yet to come. The players who weren’t with the team last year — and there are plenty — don’t know what it’s like to hoist that trophy. They don’t know what it’s like to bring home that hardware.

That’s motivation, and I think it’s a great move by the team to put the trophies where they are.

If it makes me as a fan that much more hungry to add a fourth, I can’t imagine what that kind of move does for a player on the team. It’s exciting.

And if that weren’t exciting enough, the Broncos played another power card when they hosted Peyton Manning for practice on Wednesday.

Having Manning and his two children around serves as another reminder of the greatness that has walked through the meeting rooms. It’s a reminder of the type of work ethic it takes to be great.

Perhaps I’m overreacting, but I think there’s no coincidence of the timing of these two specific things, and I know Gary Kubiak had his hand in it. Bringing the trophies where everyone can see them all the time and bringing in Manning as a morale booster is an excellent way to go into a huge Sunday Night game.

This is where you either put up or shut up in the NFL. Demaryius Thomas said he’s treating Sunday’s game as a playoff game, and the whole team should. The AFC West is as competitive as ever. The Broncos are in third place, even though they’ve played pretty darn well this season.

There’s nothing given in this league. You have to earn it.

I love what Kubiak is doing, what the team is doing, and how they are looking for any competitive edge they can get.