Who will guide the Denver Broncos’ ship in 2016?
With the retirement of 5-time MVP Peyton Manning, the emergence of Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, and the departure of a long time special teams ace and defensive playmaker David Bruton the Denver Broncos are poised for major changes in their 2016 leadership roles. Despite all new coaches in 2015, consistent leadership in the captainship steadied the Broncos who went on to capture their 3rd Super Bowl Championship (3 more than the Chargers, Chiefs and Raiders combined in that same period, second only to the cheatin’ Bradys). That will not be the case this season. 2016 guarantees that there will be at least two, if not all three new captains for the defending Super Bowl Champions. Here are my predictions for the 2016 captains and how we will weather the storm.
Offensive
The choice for offensive captain in 2015 was obvious. When you have a first ballot hall of fame QB who reinvented the passing game and is arguably one of the greatest field generals of all time that man is your captain. No question. With the departure of the sheriff, followed by Brent Osweiler’s subsequent tantrum that landed him in Houston, the offensive captain position is clearly the biggest question coming into training camp.
Generally you want the man who calls the plays, tells teammates what to do, and handles the ball on every play to be your leader and thus your captain. Seeing as the Broncos have no idea who will start for them at QB on September 8th against the Panthers, this poses a problem. Whether it’s the untested rookie, the untested and essentially-a-rookie sophomore, or the tested butt-fumbler, it’s safe to say the Denver Broncos want none of those three leading the defending Super Bowl Champions on day one.
Emmanuel Sanders
The 2015 offensive unit was hardly the juggernaut that Broncos fans had grown accustomed to seeing. The running backs were consistently inconsistent, our big payday receiver was consistently dropping balls, and Kubiak had both fingers crossed whenever any quarterback dropped back, simply hoping not to lose possession. There was, however, one player who could always be counted on in the clutch. A player who brought attitude and leadership to the offensive unit.
That man is needs-to-get-paid He-Mannuel Sanders. He is a big time playmaker no matter who’s slinging the ball. Has has come through in clutch time and time again since his arrival in Denver. For a unit lacking in leadership, with his maturity, attitude and playmaking ability Emmanuel is the obvious man to lead our offense in 2016.
Alternate: Matt Paradis
Although only entering his 3rd year, which is essentially his second thanks to his red shirt season, Mr. Paradis was the only player on the offensive unit to play every single snap in 2015. He was the most consistent lineman by far and as the center he naturally takes on a leadership role. The center is who makes the line calls and anchors the line, and Matt has excelled since becoming the starter. As Tyler Polumbus recently stated on 104.3 the fan, he is a man beyond his years, he is a natural leader and will continue to grow and mature. As it stands now, he is poised to take a leadership role for the defending champs.
Defensive
At first glance this should be an easy choice as last years captain performed superbly and is still an integral member of the Broncos. Nonetheless I do believe that it’s time for his protégé, who had one of the greatest overall playoff performances of all time and is well on track to a hall of fame career, to take the reins.
Von Miller
With Demarcus’ continued back problems he will likely become even more of a situational player than he already was. This makes it difficult to be the on-the-field leader day in and day out. The man who has looked up to him since boyhood, whom he has groomed to be his successor and who has finally transcended into superstardom is ready.
With so many great players on the defensive side it can be hard to stand out at times, but Von certainly has. With his hypnotizing dance gyrations, his tour across the talk show circuit, and let us not forget his unbelievable Super Bowl MVP performance Von Miller has unquestionably become the (goofy) face of our franchise. With his drug questions long in the rear view mirror and poised to become an all time great player, it is Von Miller’s time.
Alternate: Demarcus Ware
In 2015 it was Ware, not Manning, who was the leader in the locker room. With Manning’s on-the-field troubles and subsequent benching, coupled with the emergence of an all time great defense, it’s natural that a great leader and defensive wrecking ball had stepped in to lead the new vicious Broncos. Despite the stigma associated with becoming older and wiser, Demarcus still had an incredible season terrorizing quarterbacks while mentoring the younger emerging stars. While I do think it’s time for Von to step up, it is a players vote and it would be more than understandable if Demarcus leads this team yet again.
Special Teams
In 2015 the special teams captain was not only the longest tenured captain(three years), but the longest tenured Bronco on the team(seven years). While those who only donned an orange and blue #15 in 2011 might have missed him, along with the fans who traded in their blue and white #18 jerseys for an orange and blue #18 in 2012 did, there was one Bronco who constantly made huge plays year in and year out that only hardcore fans even noticed. That man was special teams ace David Bruton. While he didn’t get a chance as a true defensive player until 2015, he has been making special teams plays for the Broncos since his rookie year in 2009. When he was finally given the chance last year to contribute to one of the greatest defenses of all time, he continued to make hard-hitting and game changing plays proving himself as a true defensive force.
He has left for a chance at a starting role in Washington, something he wasn’t going to have in Denver thanks to our loaded secondary. He will be missed by at least this diehard Bronco fan. There will not be a player, especially one primarily delegated to special teams duty, who can easily step in as the leader Bruton had become. A player unselfish enough to stay as a standout special teams player for seven years on one team is unheard of in this league.
There is however, one player who can make the transition easier, a player who I thought a bust only one season ago. In 2015 he not only began to make a name for himself on special teams and into the playoffs, but has also started to become the defensive player Elway hoped he could be when he was drafted in 2013. He has become an aggressive, hard hitting and yet still disciplined player who stood out in numerous plays during the
Broncos’ Super Bowl run. That man is Kayvon Webster and he is primed to take the next step. He is a player that unquestionably struggled early in his career, but he has figured it out and would make a great mentor to younger special teamers while continuing to develop into the full time starter I expect him to one day become.
There will be changes for the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos as there will be for every team. Many not as big as the major media outlets might portray (more Von contract talk, anyone?), while others gain little notice such as the loss of a cornerstone David Bruton. While we are definitely losing some truly great players, leaders and role models; the Broncos have some exceptional players ready in their stead to step in and guide the Broncos to back-to-back World Championships.
Go Broncos.