I’m not sure what the Broncos’ final record will be this season. But I now know for certain it will be much better than many people thought it would be.
We all know the NFL tends to be a week-to-week business. The prevailing thought is that a team seems to be only as good as how well it played the previous game.
After defeating the Patriots, the Broncos deserved to celebrate a terrific win. It is clear that they are a really good team.
And they can be even better.
The key to how good the Broncos will be can be found in a comment Kyle Orton made on the 850 KOA post-game show.
“We improved from week four to week five,” Orton said. “Now the goal is to to humble ourselves again and improve from week five to (week) six. I know all these vets that we have. We’re going to come back and work even harder this week and be a better team (in) week six.”
If the Broncos stay humble, work hard and (as Head Coach Josh McDaniels preaches) play tough and smart, the sky is the limit. The key is humility.
They know they are a good team. But if they continue to see themselves as a team that needs to improve, that needs to tighten up the loose spots, that needs to keep grinding, then I believe they will maximize their chances to have a truly special season. If they do these things, none of their accomplishments will surprise me at all.
To me, a good team is a collection of individuals who come together and contribute to the success of the group, even if it means sacrificing some personal achievement. The Broncos have done this perfectly through the first five weeks of the season.
A good team isn’t without its issues, conflicts or adversity. But a good team is, in large part, defined by how it deals with and overcomes such things.
To this point (and to this outside observer), the Broncos have dealt with them in just the right way. That starts at the top. That starts with ownership and the head coach. It continues with the coaching staff preparing the players. It ends with the effort the players put forth during the game.
On the field, the Broncos have shown themselves to be a team that has different players come to the forefront. Eddie Royal broke out with 10 catches against New England. Knowshon Moreno had a key role. Jabar Gaffney made more of an impact.
Every week, the Broncos seem to have different players who step forward. One week it is Brandon Stokley or Elvis Dumervil or Correll Buckhalter. The next week it is Brandon Marshall or Eddie Royal or Brian Dawkins.
That speaks to talent, depth, work with ethic and a selfless approach. Attributes such as those can carry a team a long way.
The Broncos’ 5-0 start has caused many people to take notice, jump on the bandwagon and start believing. Those are all good things and there is nothing wrong with them.
I love the fact that more people are recognizing the Broncos as a good team. They deserve that. I hope they take the attention in stride. I believe they will.
But there is a danger in thinking one is in a place when one isn’t yet there. The fact is that the Broncos have 11 games left to play in the regular season. A lot of good can happen in that time but so can a lot of bad if they don’t stay grounded.
Years ago, a man I respect told me something about recognition that I have never forgotten.
“Breathe it in,” he said “but not too deeply.”
The Broncos are off to a terrific start and they seem to be staying humble about it. They know there is still plenty of work to do. More than anything, those things get me excited about what the season could hold.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts about the win over the Patriots or the upcoming game against San Diego.
Sincerely,
Mike
Tags: Boston Patriots, Postgame, Week 5
I said so in a past blog… confident, but not overconfident.
Go Broncooos!
Good post Mike!
I hope that the Broncos can stay confident and focused in the game vs. San Diego. If we show that we can beat the team who EVERYONE had winning the AFC West, and some to the Super Bowl, than I think that we will get some respect going into our bye week with a 6-0 record.
DEFENSE=SUPERBOWL!!!!!!!!!!
Fisrt of all, great blog, second of all GREAT VICTORY for the Broncos! I hope they stay humble and relize that they need to play every game as if it means something, and I think they will!!!! Because every game does mean something!
Now about this week coming up. I cheer for two teams to win every week, the Broncos and who ever is playing San Diego! This week I can get both victories in one game! I can’t stand all the hipe that came about San Diego pre-season. Did everyone forget they finished 8-8 right along with us. This is a statement game for Denver this week, and the statement is WE ARE THE BEST IN THE AFC WEST!!!! get ready San Diego because the storm is coming into town Monday Night!!!!
BORNCOS ALL THE WAY 2009, AND FOREVER!!!!
That was a great read mike.
The Broncos have done well and what they said is true, no team has ever gone to the playoffs on five wins and no team has never not gone to the playoff on a loss (if it were ever to happen). And like the Patriots would tell ya, u dont win the superbowl just because u go undefeated in the season. Gotta put everything out there every week and this team improves every week. SD is going down but like all divisional games especially, its any given sunday. agaisnt the patriots The D tried to do too much at tiems, everyone just needs to handle their assignment and trust the man next to them to do the same and things will continue to go well.
For those who havent seen
http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/10/13/broncos-bowlen-heaps-praise-on-marshall-mcdaniels/
I believe Dawkins said it best last week when asked what it takes to keep on winning, he said, If you are humble you can remain hungry, if you’re not humble you cannot be hungry. Makes total sense to me, Dawk has a way with words, motivation and wisdom, he is definitely our leader day in day out and why the Eagles let him go is beyond any rational thinking. Humble is the key word here and Dawk has been preaching it for a while now, glad you picked up on it Mike and bring it here to remind us we haven’t accomplished a darn thing yet other than winning our first 5 games. It will take a minimum of 8 games to even have a shot at the playoffs, then we can start talking about accomplishments.
You can still talk about accomplishments, like how well the team has come together.
TRB, loved to see that Bowlen/Marshall blog. You, probably because of the praise to Marshall, me, because it was nice to finally hear something from Bowlen, always liked the man, and like this 48 year old season ticket holder was asking the other day on another blog, why isn’t Bowlen on the sideline for the last 5 minutes of the game like he always used to do? Like him, I have no answer, but I’m glad to hear from him, I was starting to wonder if his health was failing. Hopefully he will be our owner for many more years, we are blessed to have him. Ask the fans in Dallas, San Diego, Washington, Oakland and many more cities what it’s like to have their owners.
People often forget about the owners, in my eye, it all starts with them and everything we are enjoying now with the Broncos, we owe it to Pat. Thanks, Pat, glad to see you seem to be doing well and are enjoying yourself, you deserve it after the harsh treatment you received from many of our fans in the off season. Long life and prosperity.
Doom of course fans can revel in what’s happen so far, call it accomplishments, I’m fine with that, that’s what sport is all about, get excited and talk a little smack, but as far as the players are concerned it is a totally different ball game, they cannot afford to fall into the accomplishment trap before the season is all said and done, that was my point, sorry if I misled you. When the season is over there will be plenty of time for them to reflect on the season’s accomplishments. Now, it is a one game season, the Chargers. Like Dawk says: STAY HUMBLE TO REMAIN HUNGRY, great motto, I’d love a Bronco T shirt of it!
It’s ok, baylinorcrush. I get what your saying now. I agree with that. The players need to stay focused and take one game at a time.
Baylin, Yea I liked it cuz of the Marshall praise but I had been wondering what the best Owners in sports had been up too. He took alot of criticism but its great to know he still has incredible forsight. I aswell began to doubt him a bit even tho over the years he has always delivered. Glad we dont have a Al Davis. But yea you right, Glad the Owner is taking notive of Marshalls play and trueharacter. Always wanted him to be a life time Bronco and its looking more and more possible. A steal in the 4th round, one of Shannies best finds. Hope he makes “Market value” lol
Glad to see the Broncs of to such a great start. I was talking today with a friend about how just a few (5 to 6) weeks ago the Broncos were ranked last in the league on quite a few so called experts rankings. I told him I couldn’t wait to see the Broncos silence the haters but it just seems like no matter what happens, we beat a team that wasn’t good…I think it’s just that we look so good doing it, even if only winning by a few. Love the way the season is going and I hope our boys stay grounded and hungry!!!
GO BRONCOS!!!
Yea Slicvic, We get harped on but like many have mentioned, the Giants and Colts havent exactly played good teams (alot below .500) but no one questions their play. We may remain underdogs the whole season but thats the way I like it. Underestimating your opponent is the first step to defeat
Great post Mike… couldn’t have said it better.
This team is not lucky, they are blessed and in many ways. Amazing how one person can make such a big difference. Dawkins is that guy. Just look at what he did to reach out to Marshall. Dawkins has helped make this team down-to-earth and humble all around. That may make us seem like a bunch of softies to everyone else but who cares.. they’re a soft in their hearts – playing with integrity and remaining humble off the field yet they are as tough as nails on the field, they fight till the very end of the game and are a competitive unit. It’s respectable and admirable to see they have changed in more ways than just being more consistent in their games.
Dawkins is just one person on that team that will keep people humble after each game but will make sure they are still hungry and continue to have that fire a team needs for the next game. We have a ways to go and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season but we are much better than another 8-8 season. I just can’t see us ending up in that same spot again. This team is too good to settle for that. In fact, they are the type that won’t settle for anything less than owning the AFC West again. It belongs to us and they will fight to take it back.
San Diego will be another huge test, but one that we can conquer. Our D is way too good to let their offense run all over us like they did last year… twice. Doom will be all over Rivers like dip on a chip. Rivers is going to have a very… long… day.
If Orton is good enough to outplay Brady… he can certainly handle going up against a little pipsqueak like Rivers. BIG difference between these two and it will make up the difference in their performances on Monday. Orton is humble and has class yet he’s tough and a fighter. Rivers is… uhh… hmmm… he’s a chargerette. Need I say more?
Keep the faith Bronco Country…
GO BRONCOS!!!!!
o7, I guess it takes a girl to know one, LOL.
Great post Mike… that message has permeated from the organizaton, coaches and players. Now us as fans who log on everyday are now saying the same thing to naysayers at work, or the Bronco Barn, King Soopers, or wherever it may be. Gotta love Dawkins message the other day when asked if he was “pleased” with the Defense. His response reiterated the same thing.” I can’t hang my hat on pleased”. Marshalls message after week #2.. “It’s only round #2 out of 16 rounds”. Said in different ways but all saying the same thing. This group is tight.
It was great to hear Orton the other night on Sunday Night Football when he was given credit for beating Palmer, Romo and now Brady…….
“I didn’t beat them, the Denver Broncos beat them”. Very humble indeed. Our Team showed alot of resiliency against a couple of tough Teams, during the last two home games. They worked hard, and earned it. When you stay humble and hungry, you will find a way to win!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good article Mike. So true, keep focused on the prize. Don’t look ahead. Always improve.
Ash, yeah, Phallus Slivers is such a wimp, IMHO. Never liked him. I know Champ Bailey doesn’t like him. After his incident on the field with Jay, Champ said he lost ALL respect for Slivers. I never had any for him to start with. He said some things about Denver before that incident. Mouthy little twerp.
Glad to hear from Bowlen. He has been a good owner. His passion for the game and his desire to be on top is apparent.
DDave, yeah, it’s kind of sad, now that the season has started and everything is going well, most everyone has forgotten about Bowlen. It comes with the territory so, when you’re the boss you take the heat for everything that goes wrong and rarely get any accolades when things go well, been there, done that…
ahahaha, LOL baylinor… that was good! He acts like a girl, he throws like a girl (well except me, I bet he can’t throw a 35-yard TD to someone and you can’t even see them cause it’s the middle of the night, wearing no shoes with your friend’s crazy brother charging at you like King Kong). I may be a girl but I at least I can throw a decent TD. Plus, he’s just arrogant and thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips. No class at all and has no respect for anyone else… why should I waste my respect on him? You have to give respect in order to get it back. Two-way street.
I must say I got real angry at Bowlen for letting Shanny go. Then I blamed him along with McD for the you know you drama, when it was Cutler who had the problem and then became the problem for the team. Bowlen does deserve a lot of the credit for changing the face and attitude of this team. He made a bold move by hiring someone who’s never been an HC before, but McD was going to become a HC sooner or later and there’s only one way he’s gonna get experience at that. Bowlen went out on a limb for him and it’s paid off. Risky move, but he had to take charge of his team.
Keep the faith Bronco Country…
GO BRONCOS!!!!
Things are good for us thus far and due to the great leadership that exists on this team, I do not doubt that we’ll maintain our focus and improve to 6-0 with a win over the Chargers. Thanks, Mike, a nice read as always!
O7, you’re to young to have experienced it but for us we already went through a huge change at head coach once when Bowlen let go of Reeves who, same as Shanny, had also been with us forever. However difficult that change was, Reeves took us to 3 superbowls, a few years down the road it allowed us to win our first super bowl. I have learned a long time ago that Bowlen has been around long enough to make the right decisions for us to be the premier NFL team he wants to be. I’m glad to see that now is the time for the younger generation to figure this out for themselves and to give the owner his proper due. The way he was treated by the fans and the media in this off season was unacceptable.
Mike,
GREAT POST!
Quickly:
The talent and veteran leadership on this team is unmeasurable. But what I think the glue to this whole puzzle is the way that JMac prepares his staff and ultimately how they (the staff) preapres the team!
In my opinion, there is not a team out there we can’t beat and there are some really, really good teams out there. However, I believe you hit the target exactly!
The intensity HAS to be there every week! The effort, energy and preparation has to be there every week! I believe it is! and to me that is what will carry this team from one week to the next.
I think JMac and this team knows that a former Patriot team went 16-0 2 years ago and what did it get them? Nothing they lost the biggest game of the year! The super bowl!
STAY HUNGRY BOYS! STAY AGGRESSIVE AND DON’T LET ANY TEAM BREATHE!
GO GET EM’ BOYS!
awww man i love these guys but im still upset.. we are still underdogs no one still doesnt appraicte us. when we go 8-0 be4 the bye everybody would be with us then
Great blog once again Mike!
And baylinorcrush hit it right on the head… We owe most of our gratitude to Mr. Bowlen, without a doubt the best owner in sports. I have to admit, I was a little disgusted with all the Broncos fans who were criticizing Bowlen during the offseason because I always trust that Bowlen knows what he’s doing. If you look at his track record, this team has stayed competitive for so long because Bowlen knows when to step in and make a drastic change and when to stay in the background and keep his mouth shut. He’s the smartest owner in sports and it would be nice if fans trusted him a little more.
But I digress. This team is really impressive. I saw good things for this team from the very beginning, but they have even surpassed my expectations a little bit. I love how McDaniels uses the same football philosophies as his New England mentor but he’s still not afraid to be himself (see his emotional celebration after the Patriots game as proof). It’s obvious his players are eating up everything he says and does. He has their attention. It should be fun the rest of the way.
Everyone that is still doubting us or whatever are just waiting for our first loss. Then they’ll be all over us again with how bad we are.
Doesn’t matter though. We are a good football team and we know it. That’s all that matters.
baylinor… I know this team went through a big coaching change back then but like you said to young to know what was going on. I’m sure alot of people got mad at him then for picking up Shanny while letting Reeves go. You get so used to a certain style its hard to let go when that person’s time has ended. Shanny was all I ever knew. And in addition to that… DD will tell you I have major trust issues with people. People and life have not been very kind to me, therefore I don’t trust a soul out there. So when it came time to trust that this was the right decision for Bowlen to let Shanny go… as you well know, it took me awhile to come around. It was one thing to let Shanny go all together but to replace him with someone who’s never been an HC… that had me second guessing, which actually is quite unusual cuz I’m usually the first one to root for the underdog. And when McD came into Denver, he was and still is perceived that way. It took me more time to adjust to everything cuz I knew I had zero control over it. No matter how much I opposed to everything going on, bottom line is there was nothing I could do about it. So that’s when I decided if I’m going to be onboard with everything I’m diving in all the way, not gonna be half-hearted about it. Gave McD and Orton all my support and only then did I decide to trust in Bowlen’s decision. Never easy, but better late than never, right?
Keep the faith Bronco Country…
GO BRONCOS!!!!
07, there is a lot of honest look in the mirror type of stuff in your post. I am very impressed that you took the time to go that deep into the things in your life that may have had a strong impact on how you look at everything that went down this off season. You should be very proud to be that experienced for your age, no matter how tough it may have been, and to be able to confront it, realize your short comings and go on forward as a better person. Like I told you once, your whole life is in front of you, you are so lucky, from the little I know about you you are smart enough to accomplish anything you want, you will just need a couple of lucky breaks and a lot of hard work because there is no substitute for hard work. If you’re willing to do the work, the payoff will be commensurate. But you will need to trust some people, start with trusting some of your elders, the ones who have nothing to gain from being nice to you, like Bowlen, is a good place to start. Give the world a chance, it’s not all bad once you dig into it.
Great Win Men!!
STAY HUNGRY!!!!!!!!! 5 wins dont mean nuthin!
If you need motivation remeber last season when we where up 4 wit 4 to play
CRUSH THE CHARGERS! OWN THE WEST!
Some of you may be to young to remember, but it was Wade Philips who replaced Reves. Shannahan Replaced Philips a few years later. Shannahan was a former Bronco coach (QB Coach) until fired by Reves
baylinor… thanks for the nice comments. I am proud to be as mature as I am for my age, beats being clueless 24/7. I know I’m a hard-worker, that’s not a problem at all. In fact, this one teacher I have enforces that in his classes, wish more teachers would be like him. My trust in people is mostly in my elders, people who I respect greatly… it’s people my age or little older that I don’t trust. Been stabbed in the back way too many times, been shoved aside. It’s not that I don’t want to trust anyone it is the fact that people have betrayed my trust and therefore you are outside of my good graces and once that happens you have 2 choices: move on or spend a few years regaining my trust. Everyone that’s put themselves in that position decided to move on without even apologizing. I’ve learned to deal with life… no control over what life shoves in my face, but people, I just don’t confide in them. Not trustworthy. I only know a handful (literally just a handful) of people that I can truly count on.
Well, holy crap that was way off topic. ha, sorry.
Suppose I should say something football-ish to make up for that. Eh hem…
GO BRONCOS!!!! lol
Mike, great article. I was around when Dan Reeves was hired, then fired. I watched the team go through 2 years with Phillips and totally give up on him in the second year, one of the only times I was ashamed of being a broncos fan (games where you couldnt find more than a couple guys really playing hard). When Shanny was hired I was more upset at the fact he had coached for the Raiders than the fact he had little successfull head coaching experience, but as others here have allready stated, I too trusted Pat Bowlen and the results spoke for themself. This team reminds me so much of the team that Shanny started building his first year as head coach, but I think this team is gelling faster and staying committed to improving more than that team did and thats saying somthing.
As far as respect goes, the only people this team needs any respect from are those in the locker room. And they are building something special this year. I just wonder at what point (how many wins) the mainstream media and fans will finaly start realizing that this is not a middle of the road team and that these guys are for real? I doubt we will see that until we get at least 8 wins.
just got done watching chargers press confrences LT seems alittle over confident about their running game. incase he hadnt notice these hasnt been a 100yd rushing team yet agaisnt us lol but ok be over confident we will see how that works out lol remember Dallases #1 rushing offense walked away with 74 yrds on the ground against us lol but ok…Rivers seems kinda of nervous lol he doesnt seem to be his cocky ol self like he used to be when playing us…i think our defense scares him..and he actually said KO was a really good quarter back i think he woulda killed himself b4 saying that about u know who lol… all in all we can really beat them big especially if merriman gets traded like the rumors speculate considering they already released their starting safety clinton hart…if merriman gets traded they will have no legitimate pass rush which means good things for our offense…looking forward to a very good game and win monday night
RIVERS LOOKING UP AT 92…..PRICELESS
I remember another coaching change that depressed me. Red Miller. He did much for the Broncos and the fans in his single year as coach.
DD:
Red Miller was a “players coach”, but he had a major drinking problem. The night before the 77 Super Bowl he and the OL were out getting hammered. Great way to prepare for the most important game of your life.
DDave, I don’t want to sound contrary early in the morning, but Red Miller coached the Broncos from 1977 until 1981. I can’t remember 100% if he was dismissed by Gerald Phipps, owner from 1961 until 1981 or Edgar Kaiser, jr., owner from 1981 until 1984 but I’m pretty sure it was Kaiser, jr. who wanted a change at the beginning of his ownership. I somehow recall that in a blurry way…. To complete the history of the Broncos ownership, Bob Howsam owned it from its inception in 1959 until 1961, and of course Bowlen has owned it from 1984 to present, meaning, so far the Broncos have had only four different ownerships in 51 years.
DDave, this latter part of my post wasn’t meant for you, but for the benefit of the younger bloggers who need to know not just who our players/coaches were, but to know the ones who made it all possible, the owners.
Thanks for the post Mr. Rice, it was a good read.
Just got around to reading this. Great post. Staying grounded is the key to this team’s success so far. The veteran leadership has been outstanding in helping the coaching staff teach this. I knew this team would surprise the rest of the league! They have that swagger yet are still humble. It’s really great that there is no trash talking to the media going on like on some other teams. Now it’s time to pay back SD for last season! Make it hurt guys. GO BRONCOS!!!!!!
Thanks everyone for posting your thoughts. They’re great. And I also thank you for the kind words. I appreciate them. Should be a fun game on Monday night.
Sincerely,
Mike