This has been an amazing year for the Denver Broncos and their fans, as everyone who has been watching realizes.
It is all too easy to be picky about many aspects of performance that could be improved upon, but what has emerged as the key factor in the story of the Broncos’ 2008 season is that the team is in first place with a fine 8-5 record despite a staggering injury list that has led to one of the highest number of games played by rookies in team history.
There have been times before when this many rookies played, but it previously happened in rebuilding years, such as 1967 under Head Coach Lou Saban. Although anyone who saw and still remembers that season (as do I) would agree that “building from scratch” would have been a more accurate description than “rebuilding.”
And regarding this year’s record, no apologies are necessary, but kudos are in order.
Every team has a schedule, eight home and eight away, and every team has a record.
And when the standings show you are in first place, that’s where you are.
When you get there with two-thirds of the players who see the most action being first, second or third-year guys, that’s remarkable.
It becomes amazing when you factor in that 12 rookies have played for the Broncos this year.
Sunday at Carolina that total likely will go to 13 and could reach 14 when this week’s roster additions are factored in.
And every week we have transactions on the roster. The Broncos have made over 60 personnel moves to the active roster since the regular season began!
With all this youth and inexperience taken into consideration, this year’s team is on the cusp of doing something no previous team in the 49-year history of the Denver Broncos has ever accomplished.
With one more win, or a loss by the San Diego Chargers, the Broncos will clinch the AFC West, which is a great accomplishment on its own.
But . . .
It would also mean that the 2008 Broncos would be the first one in franchise history to be all alone in first place for every day of the season.
Consider that a little help is needed to accomplish that.
Not only does a team have to win on opening day, as the Broncos did, but all three division opponents have to lose their first game to place Denver in first place by itself.
But then you have to stay there every week, and that’s the hard part.
That’s how it happened to fall on opening day this year, but the Broncos did the rest themselves, staying in first place and negotiating their way through the usual troubled waters that every season brings.
Of course, this has not happened yet. The Broncos are having a fine year, but it is not over by a long shot, and neither is the race in the AFC West.
But the Broncos are one win away from doing something that no other team has done since the franchise was formed in 1960, and that would be a remarkable feat indeed.
Stay tuned. It’s going to be a wild ride to the finish.
Tags: AFC West, Denver Broncos, Rookies
Yes, they have frustrated us fans at times, but as stated above, these guys are young. It’s great to be where we are and I hope we can fight it out, right up to the big one on February 1st.
Go Broncos!
As a long time Broncos fan I am really enjoying this season. The team is young and they are up and down at times but the come to play so I love it, now we have pieces every where to build on. The next couple of years is goin to be great.
GREAT blog Jim!!!
This season has been a WILD one that’s for sure and like Jim said… its not over yet! I seem to remember all the way back to week 4 this season when we lost to the Chiefs at Arrowhead and every single person on here (minus a few people including myself) thought the season was over for us then. I just laugh now that we’ve made it this far and those people are just biting their tongues right about now… now cheering this team on all the way to the Big One. Just fascinates me that, that’s how quickly fans around here can change all because these young guys are starting to figure out the key to success in the NFL and winning games. They have to play as a TEAM consistently, fight for every win no matter what team their playing and never give up. Fascinates me even more, we now have a team more full of rookies on the roster than ever before and we’re still playing with heart and winning games, all the while still atop at #1 in the West.
This season is NOT over till its over!! Even with all our down moments I’ve really enjoyed this season. So full of surprises (most of them good ones). This team has become so unpredictable, its almost scary but that’s a good thing for us – the other teams won’t know what to expect our of us. That’s where I’m loving what Bill Cowher said about this team, that we could be the most dangerous team in the AFC in the playoffs. Our own players and coaches don’t even know what to expect out of themselves let alone the other team! This is frickin’ hilarious (in a good way). We end up surprising ourselves half the time and it is SOOOO much fun to watch. But what is really interesting is that even though they end up surprising themselves with a huge game-changing play or something like it – deep down they know that they are ALWAYS capable of doing that sort of thing all the time in any game on any given Sunday. They know that’s how they should be playing all the time when they have a really good 92-yard drive that leads to one heck of a TD.
All I can say is that for a team with the majority of its players being rookies, we have stepped up enormously. These young guys have done wonders for this team this year, I can’t even fathom it all. How Hillis came in here and just did his job is just incredible to think about. Man, am I going to miss him for the rest of the season. But he’s a keeper for next year.
To all the rookies – keep up the great work, keep fighting for this team to win and just play with all your heart. More importantly just have fun with what you’re doing. Go crush those kitty cats!!!!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!
I could not agree more with what this team has done in the abscense of key veterans this year. I would also like to make an apology to Dre Bly for being a hater early on but he has come back and kicked some serious butt. What really stands out to me is that he seems more comfortable on the strong side and has more faith in his skills playing on the strong side. If we never switch our corners according to the receiver then why not have Champ slide over to the weak side this would surely make teams think twice before throwing to the weak side where we have been hurt the most this season by the lack of consistency from our Nickel corners, so why not move Champ over as an insuarance policy on that side. Barrett has shown that he can play SS with Bly trusting him immensely. I really think that this would alow us to blitz more often on the weak side giving Dumervil some help on that side and taking away some of the double teams on him and in the middle at the point of attack where we have trouble getting off blocks to stop the run. This one move alone could turn the entire deffense into beasts or it very well could backfire and blow up in our faces too. It just makes sense to put our best player at our weakest point to bolster and improve the rest of the D. I mean really if Bly is good enough to cover a go to WR nine out ten plays and Champ is good enough to shut down a side of the field. Then what in God’s name do teams think they can do with Champ on the weak side and Bly on the strong side. Champ can play any side of the field and shut it down, while Bly seems uncomfortable on the weak side. When you have two guys of this caliber it is not about who is one and who is two IT IS ABOUT HOW DO WE WIN AND IMPROVE…
Wow this sure has been quite a season has it not. Were atop the AFC West for the entire season and we did it with practically a different roster of players on the team for nearly every game. Yeah the Chargers who are in 2nd place with a 5-8 record are making much easier to take first but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we are number and it is what it is we may have lost some games that we should won and we need some work and all that but the thing is that we’re 1st in our division were going to the playoffs and it is only the beginning of a legitimate Super Bowl winnig team! Man I can’t describe how proud and excited Iam about the Broncos. You never really know what is about to happen when the Broncos play.
JIM I THINK THE TURNING POINT OF THE YEAR IS WHEN WE WERE 4 – 4 AND DOWN 23 – 13 AND MADE A GREAT COMBACK AGAINST THE BROWNS. HILLIS MADE THE PLAY OF THE GAME ON 4TH AND 1 GOT STUFFED IN THE BACKFIELD AND SOMEHOW GOT THAT 1 YARD IM PROUD OF THE BRONCOS. GO BRONCOS.
i cant believe how many people have commented that the broncos are a luck team…….. id be intrested to see how many other teames would fair, losing not 1, not 2, not 3, but multiple first string players to injury, and still be 8-5…….first stringers are dropping like flies, and still ,we are finding ways to win games…no matter what the critics say, were 8-5 becouse of the unstoppable, never say die attitude of the entire broncos orginization.we may be hurt, but were not beaten..and no matter what anybody says…..the so called elite teams are scared to play us. they see the stampede coming..and if there smart, they better get out of the way…
Got to love this atmosphere….all the support..well said guys..
nice blog 07elway…always enjoyable…same can be said for you 38yrfan..you guys summd it all…best blogs I’ve read so far are on this page…
broncosfancatic4..i like your idea of keepin Bly on the strong side…we saw how bly was able to shut down most of the go to receivers he was assigned to since Champ went down…and with Barrett at SS Bly gets all the help he needs..it would make sense to keep him there and let Champ cover the other side..
I’ve got to hand it to the whole organization, they have done a wonderful job of picking players to play every week. I think Shanny should get COACH OF THE YEAR for the job he has done keeping this team in the position he has. These young guys have all earned a roster spot in the future of this team. The older/veteran guys better watch out because the youth movement has begun. I like our chances in the playoffs. Like 07elway said about Bill Cowers comment, the Broncos are the most dangerous team in the AFC. No one knows how to prepare for the Broncos. No one knows which Broncos team is going to show from one week to the next including the Broncos themselves. How do you prepare for them? I hope we win out instead of counting on the sorry chargers to lose one game. I think that it would a bigger feat to accomplish a win out for the confidence of the guys, then to know that you only got to the playoffs because the sorry chargers lost. Either way, look out AFC teams becuase here come the BRONCOS. Tear up the cats and show the rest of the league what they can look forward to seeing in the playoffs. BRONCOS #1 just sounds so good.
–GO BRONCOS–
The Broncos have easily outclassed the loser Sparklers this season and considering their less than propitious circumstances have made themselves contenders for years to come. When injuries don’t strike this team, I’d like to see what they can do. In the interim, let’s crush the Panthers!
It’s funny. You hear everyone talk about the broncos as if we aren’t contenders. I’m from Indiana and I tell people to watch out and they just laugh, but what are we on now? our 8th tailback, how many safeties? how many linebackers? It’s ridiculous. I love it! This team has been a joy to watch especially the way they have plowed through all the adversity this year which is something you’ve got to give Shanahan credit for. Love that guy too along with all the rookies and the veterans that we’ve got, and our gun slingin quarterback who throws too many interceptions. I love that style of play.
Go Broncos
Wow Bly at Strong…its a hell of an idea seeing as he has been able to completley Engulf recievers these past 4 games. like LC, Dwayne Bowe, Roddy White (the leading reciever in the nfl and one of the most explosive). Champ can do anything and the only guy that even looks over to him is Rivers but thats becasue he is so damn arrogant and seeing as Champ has only played 7 games this season and is the #1 CB in the AFC pro Bowl vote tells alot. Our guys have really stepped up but get this
some1 and anyone talk about the play of the Denver LBs i mean let me start with Boss Bailey. The begging of the year he only played 6 games but ammased 42 tackles. Thats a whole lot in that amount of Games.
D.J williams had been averaging 9.6 tackles a gaME which would mean (knowing how he playes) he couldve had around 6 or 7 sacks along with 160 tackles!! but sadly he went down and only came up with 77. Nate Webster BOOOOY is he special hard hitting and a great leader alot like Al Wilson leadership wise (but AL was demandingly fierce) and when he went down he had around 72 tackles which woulda put him and D.J in the Top ten tackle list with DJ leading most of the year before he left (HELL prolly the whole time) bottom line is the other guys Jamie Winborn who has been superb coming in and with 9 more tackles he will have 100 its ridiculous seeing as he has only played or started whichever around 9 or so games.
The other guy is the rookie Wesley Woodyard who now has 48 tackles in only 6 starts!!! OMG pretty damn good for a rookie. But whats new this year seems everyguy we have put on the roster can produce
and im extremely proud of the way our guys have played.
KUDOS TO RYAN HARRIS AND RYAN CLADY (1 SACK ALLOWED TOGETHER)
FOR PROTECTING CUTLERS ASS
TY GUYS
AND GO WASTE THESE CATS LAST NINE LIVES.
Jim,
I was delighted to see your reference to Lou Saban and the job he faced. The newer Bronco fans have no idea how bad the Bronco were. Despite Lou’s infamous “Half a loaf” comment, I still feel that where the Broncos are toady have the incredible transformation the Broncos accomplished under him as the rock solid foundation. I really think not having Lou in the Ring of Fame is a disservice to what he accomplished and passed on to John Ralston.
Do you have the statistics on previous Bronco teams to compare how many rookies started for them? I’m sure it would be in intertesting eye opener.
Boy, did I ever need this blog post to put this year in perspective for me. Yes, I was one of the many fans carping on the defense for most of the year, but, when you look at what we have achieved this year with such a young roster, you have to be impressed. This truly bodes well for the future.
I’d like to see a renewed focus on returning a true home team advantage to Mile High. As it stands, I don’t think there are many teams who actually fear coming to Denver to play. That has to change.
There are two other things I’d like to see committed too in the future. First, finding a way to win and win respectfully at Kansas City. Second, from this day forward, we can not allow the Raiders to beat us at home. No more, never again, no excuses.
I really like the way Jay has developed thus far. If we can scale down those Farve-esqe turnovers then he will surely become one of the most feared QB’s in the league.
Finally, major, major, kudos to Mr. Clady. Way to protect you QB’s blind side dude. So much production in a rookie season is amazing. I hope Jay is treating you to some serious steak dinners every week.
Go Bronx!
The young guys have done a great job – let’s just hope the number of injuries subsides.