The Broncos started training camp on a somber note as Pat Bowlen steps down from day-to-day responsibilities as the Owner of the Broncos due to his battle with Alzheimer's Disease. It has been speculated for a long time that Bowlen was suffering from this horrible condition, but yesterday the Broncos and Bowlen's family made it official. Bowlen will no longer be at the Broncos facility and he is stepping away from his ownership duties to fight the illness. Bowlen still owns the Broncos, and he intends to keep the team in his family. One of his five children will eventually take control as Owner of the franchise, but that is something that is down the road. Joe Ellis will replace Bowlen's Chairman duties on a day-to-day basis. Ellis has become the defacto Owner of the Broncos the past few years as Bowlen's condition has worsened. Ellis even made the trip to the Owner's Meetings a few months ago in Bowlen's place. It is definitely a sad day for the Broncos and their fans, and John Elway's emotional press conference was an example of that. Bowlen was one of the best owners in the entire NFL and in professional sports. I always told people that were fans of other teams that the reason why the Broncos have been so successful in my lifetime is that Bowlen is a great owner and it starts at the stop. Since 1984, the Broncos have the second highest winning percentage in the NFL. They have been to the playoffs 16 times, won 11 AFC West crowns, appeared in 6 Super Bowls, and won 2 Super Bowls. Bowlen always seemed to "get it" as an owner. He would do what he had to do to help the Broncos succeed. If that meant hiring the right coaches or getting the best players he did what it took to make the Broncos a competitive team every year. If it wasn't for Bowlen's leadership and vision, then who the hell knows what type of franchise the Broncos would be. Also, Bowlen did a great job of staying out of the spotlight. He hired people, trusted them, and stood by their work and decisions. He was really the perfect type of owner in that regard. On a league scale, Bowlen was a visionary in terms of growing the NFL. He was instrumental in adopting free agency and he came up with the idea of the Franchise Tag to protect teams from losing start players. He was very important in growing the game on the television side and adding NFL football to the primetime structure that it dominates in today's landscape. He surely is a Hall of Famer by any standards.
The Broncos won't change much now that he has stepped down. Joe Ellis has been running the business side for the past few years, and John Elway is running the football side. Ellis will have final say on big decisions that Elway presents to him-just like it has been for the past few years. The key question will be in the future when Bowlen passes his ownership down to one of his children. It will be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out, but that is a discussion for the future not now. The Broncos are still in good hands with the current situation they are in, and there is no reason to see that changing in the near future. The best way to honor Bowlen this season is to go out and win a Super Bowl for him and claim "This one's for Pat."
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Denver Broncos 2014 Training Camp Preview
The Broncos will begin the run at Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona this Wednesday as they open up training camp and the 2014 season begins. The Broncos enter training camp a much different team that entered last year's Super Bowl. Denver looks to defend their AFC Championship crown and add another Lombardi Trophy in the ashes of the Super Bowl debacle at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. To say that training camp is meaningless is very inaccurate. This is where the team comes together, puts in the work, and establishes itself as it prepares for the real games to start in September. Here is a little primer as we get set to officially start the 2014 season.
Where We Left Off: The last time we saw the Broncos, they were walking off the field at Metlife Stadium under a sea of confetti as the Seahawks thoroughly destroyed them 43-8 in the Super Bowl. As hard as that game was to watch, the worst part was just how badly they played and how it marred such a wonderful 2013 season. The Broncos got their asses handed to them that day and suffered a record 5th Super Bowl defeat in franchise history, but you could tell from that game that they will use that as motivation all year-especially as they start training camp this week.
What Happened Since: For the third straight year, the Broncos made plenty of headlines in the offseason. They signed Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, and DeMarcus Ware to shore up their defense. They also added Emmanuel Sanders to their receiving corps. They had CB Bradley Roby drop to them at #31 in the first round of the NFL Draft in May. On the other hand, the Broncos lost several key players from their 13-3 squad a year ago. Eric Decker, Knowshon Moreno, and Zane Beadles all left their record-setting offense via Free Agency. Denver also lost key players on defense like Wesley Woodyard, Shaun Phillips, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and of course Champ Bailey. That is a lot of turnover for a team that went to the Super Bowl. The feeling is that the players they signed and the combination of younger guys stepping up will replace those players that left, but only time will tell. Some of the new guys have a lot to prove to replace some of those key contributors from last year's team.
Position Battles at Camp: It seems like every year we start this section by talking about the MLB position. Denver never really seems to adequately address this spot. In camp, the battle will involve Nate Irving, Steven Johnson, and rookie Lamin Barrow all seemed to be battling for this spot. If one of them doesn't win it outright, then don't be surprised to see the Broncos find a veteran to sign to fill that spot late in the preseason. Another spot to look at is at LG. Denver is trying to move RT Orlando Franklin over to that spot to replace Beadles. If that doesn't work out, then look for the possibility of Manny Ramirez moving over there from center.
Surprise Roster Cuts: I don't know if this would be a major surprise, but I could see Andre Caldwell being a casualty. If rookie 2nd round pick Cody Latimer steps up in camp, then maybe Caldwell gets whacked. Also, don't be surprised if a veteran like Kevin Vickerson gets shown the door if some of the younger guys on the defensive line play well in camp and if Vickerson can't fully recover from his hip injury that ended his 2013 season.
Out of Nowhere Players: This name was brought up in OTAs and it is worth watching during camp: Isaiah Burse. He is an undrafted free agent WR out of Fresno State. Burse could make an impact in the return game, and don't be surprised if he dazzles once he gets on the field with the rest of those receivers.
Biggest Questions That Need To Be Answered: What is the mental makeup of this team? After doing everything that they were supposed to do in 2013 (13-3 record, #1 seed in AFC, AFC Champions) this team got embarrassed in the Super Bowl by the Seahawks. It is very hard to go back to square one and make it back to the Super Bowl after losing the year before. Does this team have it in them to get back? Can they get that game out of their minds and focus on the week-to-week grind of a NFL season? We all know that Peyton Manning will be focused and hungry to get to the Super Bowl and finish the job this time, but can everyone else on the roster follow his lead? That is the question that will plague the Broncos all year, and it won't be answered until next February in Arizona.
Where We Left Off: The last time we saw the Broncos, they were walking off the field at Metlife Stadium under a sea of confetti as the Seahawks thoroughly destroyed them 43-8 in the Super Bowl. As hard as that game was to watch, the worst part was just how badly they played and how it marred such a wonderful 2013 season. The Broncos got their asses handed to them that day and suffered a record 5th Super Bowl defeat in franchise history, but you could tell from that game that they will use that as motivation all year-especially as they start training camp this week.
What Happened Since: For the third straight year, the Broncos made plenty of headlines in the offseason. They signed Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, and DeMarcus Ware to shore up their defense. They also added Emmanuel Sanders to their receiving corps. They had CB Bradley Roby drop to them at #31 in the first round of the NFL Draft in May. On the other hand, the Broncos lost several key players from their 13-3 squad a year ago. Eric Decker, Knowshon Moreno, and Zane Beadles all left their record-setting offense via Free Agency. Denver also lost key players on defense like Wesley Woodyard, Shaun Phillips, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and of course Champ Bailey. That is a lot of turnover for a team that went to the Super Bowl. The feeling is that the players they signed and the combination of younger guys stepping up will replace those players that left, but only time will tell. Some of the new guys have a lot to prove to replace some of those key contributors from last year's team.
Position Battles at Camp: It seems like every year we start this section by talking about the MLB position. Denver never really seems to adequately address this spot. In camp, the battle will involve Nate Irving, Steven Johnson, and rookie Lamin Barrow all seemed to be battling for this spot. If one of them doesn't win it outright, then don't be surprised to see the Broncos find a veteran to sign to fill that spot late in the preseason. Another spot to look at is at LG. Denver is trying to move RT Orlando Franklin over to that spot to replace Beadles. If that doesn't work out, then look for the possibility of Manny Ramirez moving over there from center.
Surprise Roster Cuts: I don't know if this would be a major surprise, but I could see Andre Caldwell being a casualty. If rookie 2nd round pick Cody Latimer steps up in camp, then maybe Caldwell gets whacked. Also, don't be surprised if a veteran like Kevin Vickerson gets shown the door if some of the younger guys on the defensive line play well in camp and if Vickerson can't fully recover from his hip injury that ended his 2013 season.
Out of Nowhere Players: This name was brought up in OTAs and it is worth watching during camp: Isaiah Burse. He is an undrafted free agent WR out of Fresno State. Burse could make an impact in the return game, and don't be surprised if he dazzles once he gets on the field with the rest of those receivers.
Biggest Questions That Need To Be Answered: What is the mental makeup of this team? After doing everything that they were supposed to do in 2013 (13-3 record, #1 seed in AFC, AFC Champions) this team got embarrassed in the Super Bowl by the Seahawks. It is very hard to go back to square one and make it back to the Super Bowl after losing the year before. Does this team have it in them to get back? Can they get that game out of their minds and focus on the week-to-week grind of a NFL season? We all know that Peyton Manning will be focused and hungry to get to the Super Bowl and finish the job this time, but can everyone else on the roster follow his lead? That is the question that will plague the Broncos all year, and it won't be answered until next February in Arizona.
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