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Denver Broncos: Top 5 free agents that impacted the franchise

By Tylor Walden

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 20: Safety Brian Dawkins #20 of the Denver Broncos storms out of the tunnel and smoke before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - AUGUST 20: Safety Brian Dawkins #20 of the Denver Broncos storms out of the tunnel and smoke before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 20, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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Jake Plummer
DENVER, CO – JANUARY 14: Jake Plummer #16 of the Denver Broncos turns to hand off against the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Invesco Field at Mile High on January 14, 2006 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 27-13. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Jake Plummer

When John Elway retired from football, the Broncos did not have a lot of options at quarterback. Brian Griese ended up becoming the successor to Elway, but did not perform well in his three years as a starter. He would lead the Broncos back to the postseason after a 6-10 1999 season. However, they were soundly defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens.

Enter Jake Plummer, who joined Denver in 2003. After a mediocre six seasons with the Cardinals, “Jake the Snake” became the new starting quarterback with the Broncos. He would lead the Denver Broncos to one of their most successful seasons in the post-John Elway era.

in 2005, Plummer lead the team to a 13-3 record, their best win-loss record since 1998. Not only that, the Broncos won their first playoff game in the post-Elway era as the Broncos would beat the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots 27-13.

What made that 2005 season so successful was Plummer’s ability in play action. The way it was ran was so crisp and so beautiful. While his time in Denver ended on a sour note, there was no doubt that he showed a lot of success in leading Denver to a playoff victory.

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