Broncos Finish 8-8 Once Again

The 2009 Denver Broncos ended the season basically the same way the 2008 Broncos ended their season. The Broncos 44-24 thrashing at the hands of the 3-12 Kansas City Chiefs sent them whimpering into the offseason and out of the playoff picture for the fourth season in a row. Consider these facts: 1) Denver started 6-0, but finished just 2-8. Their record over that 10 game span was the worst since 1967. 2) Denver is the third team since the merger to start 6-0 and miss the playoffs. 3) Denver missed the playoffs for the 4th straight season, which is the longest stretch since 1973-1976- or in this case before I was born for Christ's sake. 4) Denver was 7-2 in 2006 and finished 9-7 to miss the playoffs, they were 8-5 and finished 8-8 in 2008, and they were standing at 8-4 and lost their last four to finish 8-8. 5) Denver lost to all three division rivals (KC, Oakland, and SD) at home. 6) Denver finished 4-4 at home for the second year in a row.

The bottom line is that those are the facts. The facts state that this is the worst four year period in my lifetime as a Broncos fan. Three collapses in four years, coaching changes, quarterback carousel, and a lack of big game and crunchtime mentality. The key for this franchise going forward is to build on the core group of guys going forward and discard the various members of players from these last few years of disappointment. The Broncos need to build to around the following core guys: Clady, Harris, Kuper, Moreno, Graham, Orton (probably), Hillis (hopefully), Royal, Gaffney, DJ, Champ, Dawkins, McBath and Dumervil (hopefully). Guys like Marshall, Scheffler, Hamilton, and Weigmann should and probably will go the way of Jay Cutler- out the door. There will be plenty of time to dissect who will stay and who will go. We'll go over that plenty in the offseason.

As far as Josh McDaniels goes, let me say this: I like McDaniels, and I truly believe that he will be a very good head coach in the NFL. I really hope it is during his time in Denver. He is a good offensive mind, good gameplanner, and he is very good at clock management and understanding possessions in a game. Unlike many head coaches around the league, he does a great job understanding situations and managing the game. His biggest hurdle will be to overcome his potential ego and issues he has had with some popular players like Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, and Tony Scheffler. Hopefully, he has a plan in place. Hopefully, he will be able to be not just a great play-caller, but also have the ability to build a team, acquire and draft the right players, and become a true leader of the organization. I will end with this: The Denver Broncos are a class organization. This franchise has been to 6 Super Bowls, 8 AFC Title Games, and won 2 Super Bowls. It has a fantastic owner who wants to win and will do whatever it takes to win a title. A year in which a new regime takes over and finished 8-8 is not exactly the end of the road, it is just the beginning. The Broncos will be back. I know it is a rough time, but give Pat Bowlen and Josh McDaniels a chance. Let's wait before we jump off the cliff. The Broncos are down, but it is 2010. It is a new decade and a new start for the organization. The Broncos will be back. This team and this franchise will rise from the mess of the past four years and become contenders a lot sooner than people may expect.