Denver Broncos: Five reasons to be pessimistic for 2017
5. They are missing true veteran leadership
With no Peyton Manning and no DeMarcus Ware, this will be the first time since 2011 that the Denver Broncos don’t have a living legend in the twilight of their careers on the team.
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Domata Peko has been around for a long time, but he doesn’t hold the same type of clout as a Manning or a Ware. Peko will assume a leadership role within the Broncos’ defense, but who is going to be the new Manning/Ware?
That’s not something you can necessarily just replace from within, no matter how much the guys on the team learned from both Manning and Ware.
There are certainly principles in place for a lot of players to be moving into leadership roles. Namely, Von Miller should start to assume more of a ‘team captain’ role defensively, and I would like to see one of the quarterbacks step up and claim it.
Without that type of leadership, who’s going to provide the voice in the locker room that speaks out? Who will be the glue that keeps this team together?
Right now, the Broncos are missing it.