I’m not going to remember exactly where I was when the Broncos were officially eliminated from postseason consideration on Sunday afternoon. Truth be told, I’m not even sure I recall it right now. I was in the midst of errands, dashing around the southern half of the Denver metropolitan area and finding out how the rest of the world spends its autumn and early-winter Sundays. I reckon, therefore, that I was somewhere along Yosemite Street near the sprawling Park Meadows shopping complex, or perhaps on Lincoln Ave. to the south.
But I had been listening to or watching the Chargers’ 51-14 rout of the Detroit Lions as I skedaddled from one stop to the next, so I’d long since reconciled myself to the fact that no Lions rally was going to happen. The game started before the last of the early duels had been completed and seemed to pass out of doubt’s purview somewhere about the time the Miami Dolphins posted their first game-winning score of the year.
Thus entails the overuse of the word “meaningless” in the next seven days, in television, in newspaper copy, in blogs, in message boards, in evening-time chatter over an egg-nog latte at Starbucks.
This notion has always rankled me.
Perhaps it goes back to when I was 12 years old in Tampa, striding through the parking lots that surrounded Tampa Stadium while walking from my father’s car to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the Buffalo Bills. Every story leading up to the game bellowed the two-word refrain: “meaningless game.” If it had no meaning, then why would we occupy a glorious Sunday afternoon with thousands of possibilities at our doorstep in order to traipse over to the still-not-yet-nicknamed “Big Sombrero” once more to watch a game rendered “meaningless” for the hometown side because it lugged a 3-10 record like a boulder attached by chain to its ankle?
Belittling the contest as “meaningless” was the habitually fashionable thing to do for many in the community, which expected its local bunch to simply assume the fetal position and sob when within sight of the Bills, who at the time were a mighty 11-2 and in the midst of their best season in 22 years.
Final score? Team playing the “meaningless” game 10, team with playoff seeding at stake 5.
I didn’t need the lesson, but it was a pleasant reminder that “meaningless” is a word for those who either don’t understand or choose to ignore the pride a professional athlete — or that of any vocation, for that matter — can have in his work.
“If you love football, you’re going to come out and play,” said Broncos running back Selvin Young. “This is your job. This is what we do. This is what I want to do until I’m not able to do it anymore. I’m pretty sure that feeling is mutual throughout this team.”
Some might believe it difficult for a team to be mentally ready to play in a scenario like the one befalling the Broncos. Denver tight end Tony Scheffler would respectfully disagree — particularly with a team foraging for redemption after a 31-13 loss that left many players mortified and excavating their brains for adequate answers.
“It’s not tough after you take a loss like that,” Scheffler said Thursday night. “Every guy in here is a competitor. Coach wouldn’t have these guys in here if we weren’t competitors, so we’ll finish strong. A lot of pride on the line, and we’re going to go out here and give it our all these last two games.”
Such results like the ‘88 Bucs-Bills game — which remains one of the most satisfying sporting events I’ve ever witnessed — are an annual occurrence, even if the exact score is not; no one had ever played a 10-5 NFL game before or since.
It’s been a long time since the Broncos began a preparation week like this. While the 2002 season finale eventually had no bearing on the Broncos’ playoff hopes, the team wasn’t eliminated until results went against it just before the 2:15 p.m. MST kickoff. In two other years that followed, the Broncos had their postseason position locked and could move neither up nor down in the regular-season finale.
So a scenario such as this week’s is rare. It’s happened more often to almost everyone else in the league this decade than it has to the Broncos.
Defeating the Chargers in the first prime-time NFL game ever to be played on Christmas Eve — and you’ll read that phrase at least a few times this week — might not be the mountain the Broncos wished to scale in 2007, but you can’t ascend Mt. Everest every year. Sometimes you have to settle for Grandfather Mountain.
Sure, it might not be as majestic or prominent a peak, but it’s nevertheless a mountain. Climbing it is still an accomplishment — which is precisely what a win against San Diego would be.
“You can’t win every year. We know that,” wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. “We expect to win, but we’ve just got to grow.”
A win at San Diego won’t extend the Broncos’ season beyond Dec. 30, but it would be a needed salve to patching up the wounds from defeats like the 38-point loss the Chargers inflicted upon the Broncos two and a half months ago.
Oh, and by the way, the last time the Broncos were in this situation — out of the race by the next-to-last game of the season — they played the team that had already sealed first place in the AFC West. The result? A victory over the division champions.
The year was 2001, and the vanquished champs were the Oakland Raiders. Next Monday, the Broncos hope they can repeat the feat in San Diego.
Yeah, BroncoFan1088, that’s from the same site that brought you the rumors about Mike Shanahan going to Michigan … so I wouldn’t go accepting that rumor as gospel … Marshall talked in the locker room and nothing seemed amiss.
BroncoFan1088: where did you hear that? I hope thats just a case of frustration, and not anything bigger.
DO NOT bring in VILMA. The guy had an operation! I doubt that story about Marshall. He knows Jay’s his guy out on the field. It’s not their fault the team has struggled so mightly.
No such thing as a meaningless game to a professional, or a true fan.
America has been built on a winning mentality, and that, more than anything else, is why America is such a proud nation.
However, professional sports in America is set up for having a winner and a loser, no draws are allowed. So, intrinsically, it is all or nothing, so with winning you are a close neighbour to losing, which is a heartbeat away.
This is a Special game, a team game like no other, where three teams mould into, and are inter-dependant on, each other. It is the most difficult game in the world, and the best game in the world.
You have to have Faith, you have to overcome devastating losses like Darrent and Damian, you have to come back stronger each game, and you have to conquer an opponent with the same passion and pride as any American team.
Your franchise might lose out this year, but fear not, we can all look forward to a fresh season with high hopes and great faith, in the certain knowledge that Team America will win at the Superbowl, and who knows, Team America could be the Bronco’s next year.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Broncos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I still like DJ in the middle, but I have a name for everyone to check out. You’re going to think I’m crazy, but try to find some video of Beau Bell from UNLV. The guy is an animal. The little bit of UNLV football I’ve seen in the last 2 years, I swore he was a college age Al Wilson, making mean plays all over the field. Seriously. And he’s still relatively unknown, so he could end up being a late-round steal. Jeez I hate that we have to talk about the draft already…..
Hey Mason,
I agree with most people that we have excellent young talent and we are a work in progress. However this year has been a total Disappointment. As far as the rest of the season goes I hope we win out and go 8-8 but if we do not it no big deal, it gives us better draft position.
Which leads me to my question. We have a lot of gaps to fill this offseason. I would love if we if we got rid of Henry and moved up to get Darren McFadden but thats not likely to happen. That would give us a top ten rusher and passer in the league. It would be amazing and make a lot of bronco fans very happy!!! I would love Premier LB like JAMES LAURINAITIS, or Dan Connor. We could still use a great DT to go with Marcus Thomas or another DE like Vernon Gholston( who could be moved to OLB). We could also use a speed WR to go across from Brandon Marshall. Also a safety John Lynch could groom before he retires. We are just in need at so many positions.
I was just curious, Where do you think Shanny and company will go in the draft in 2008?
One more thing for all you Shanny Haters. You are all nuts, we have had so many injuries this year. Yea the head coach should take some blame but he is a Hall of Fame Coach, and on the best Coaches of all time. We have one dissappointing season and everyone starts to turn on the coach that took us to BACK TO BACK SUPERBOWLS!!!!!!! YOU ARE ALL CRAZY IF YOU THINK SHANNY SHOULD LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One more thing. The mix next year is going to make the changes made earlier this year look simple. I’m afraid that next year this team will look completely different and I expect another 500 or below year. So, everyone be realistic and stop talking about the playoffs next year. You don’t make the playoffs after this kind of year. I figure that Denver is a real playoff contender in about three years. The will suck til then.
ODOMS FAN WE WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS .!1! GO BRONCOS!1!
I’m not sure about Walker? Shanny isn’t leaving. The rumor about Marshall is retarded, he is an excitable guy, he has just the spark the Broncos need right now. I would love to see Rod make it back for one last healthy run. He would make a great coach. I would love to see Lynch back for another year. I think he has one last great year in him, then I hope he moves to another position in the organization, coaching, ect. Henry sucks, I’m sick of professionals who can’t stay away from drugs. He wasn’t found guilty but that was not his first acquisition either. Our special teams killed us this year.
GO Broncos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just wanted to go on record to call Shelbo’s statement SACRELIGIOUS!
How DARE you say ROD SMITH was the best Denver receiver ever! EDWARD MCCAFFREY will forever be the GREATEST WR Dever ever had!
I LOVE YOU EDDIE MAC!
I imagine none of you Broncos fans want to hear the opinion of a Charger fan but here goes. Getting rid of Shannahan is just nuts. Look at what we down here in San Diego had to put up with for the first half of the season. Yeah, I know, it looks like things have turned around for us right now, but we remember watching a team that should have dominated the division from the start just totally fall apart. We kept shooting ourselves in the foot. Rumors started to fly around about player conflicts, bad play calling and on and on.
The biggest problem we had, I feel, was a lack of continuity. New coaches, new coordinator, new scheme….it all had to gel and that needed some time. As fans, we were wondering if it would ever happen. Some wanted Turner’s head, some thought Rivers was the second coming of Ryan Leaf. Our problem is that the jury is still out as to weather or not we have come through the worst of it. Guess we’ll all find out soon enough.
Shannahan has been one of the most consistant coaches around. He knows how to get players to play hard and play as a team. It pains me greatly to compliment a division rival, but the Broncos have always been at the top of heap. They did it with Shannahan at the wheel.
The Broncos have been through a very emotionally difficult season. There have been a lot of ups and downs. The thing about your team is that, no matter how bad it gets over the course of one season, the Broncos will be back up again soon. Before LT, Gates and the rest got here, we were the doormat of the division for many years. Even our only Super Bowl game appearance was an embarassment. You don’t want to go through that….believe me.
The Broncos are a great team. Shannahan is a great coach. You’ve got most of the puzzle pieces so next year things WILL get better. Then both of our teams can kick the cheese out of the Raiders. Stick with Shanny, he is a winner.
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