The Monday Mommy: So What if The Broncos Don’t Win A Super Bowl With Peyton Manning
Realistically Manning only has a few good years of high physicality left in his 37 year old body. What happens if Denver fails to get to a championship game in that small timeframe? Riots in Boulder? Couch torching on Capitol Hill?
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The Denver Broncos last Super Bowl appearance was in 1998: a sobering 15 years ago.
While some NFL franchises are still waiting for that first shot at the Lombardi Trophy, the Broncos would certainly love another crack at it. It took many horrific losses and equally exciting triumphs over the years in order for Denver to experience those back to back Super Bowl wins in 1997 & 1998.
Since that 34-19 victory over the Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII that culminated with John Elway riding off into the orange and blue sunset as a Bronco legend, the franchise has struggled to find its identity.
Bronco fans have endured a carousel of quarterbacks that could never live up to the legacy of Elway, regardless of their efforts. Brian Griese had the impossible task of taking over at signal caller for the next four seasons and was unable to win over the fans or emerge out of the shadow of not only his father former Miami Dolphin great Bob Griese, but Elway as well.
After Griese was released following the 2002 season, Jake Plummer got his shot at quarterback for the next three and a half seasons until he got the rug pulled out from under him. After a 7-4 start and a lackluster performance in Week 11, Head Coach Mike Shanahan yanked Plummer as the starter giving the nod to rookie Jay Cutler. While this move was met with mixed emotions by not only fans and the media but the players as well, it was indeed a ballsy one.
The Cutler era in Denver had begun and fans had a reason to be excited and hopeful for the future of the franchise. Sadly, both the 2007 and 2008 seasons were underwhelming with records of 7-9 and 8-8 and Mike Shanahan was subsequently canned at the end of 2008.
The complete cluster f*ck that was Josh McDaniels’ time as Head coach of the Broncos began in 2009. Denver basically bent over and took it for the next few seasons until they were finally rescued by a man very familiar with the Broncos, in none other than John Elway.
Elway entered the front office this time not as not a player but an executive ready to restore this franchise back to its previous winning ways. The former star quarterback certainly had his share of skeptics and people that looked at him as just a figure head. However, since his appointment as Executive V.P. of Football Operations in January 2011, Elway has carefully and methodically pieced together a solid ball club that has a legitimate shot at bringing that Lombardi Trophy back to the Mile High City.
So what happens if they fall short before Peyton Manning’s time is up?
Denver as a whole is “all in” with Manning behind center. All the questions surrounding his health were convincingly put to rest when Manning threw for a ridiculous 4,659 yards and 37 touchdowns in his first year as the Bronco quarterback: at 36 years old no less. As the 2012 season rolled on, many thought that Denver’s return to glory was inevitable based on the tremendous performances on both sides of the ball heading towards the post season.
However, it was not meant to be. The Broncos chose a really bad time to collectively soil the bed and eventually lost to the Ravens in the divisional playoff game. Now what?
Our focus now turns to the 2013 season and the talent that currently sits on the Broncos roster- and there is certainly no shortage there.
During free agency, Denver fortified their team with the acquisitions of G Louis Vasquez, DT Terrance Knighton, WR Wes Welker and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. While losing only Elvis Dumervil in fax-gate, on paper this team is shaping up to be a contender again for the 2013 season.
Realistically Manning only has a few good years of high physicality left in his 37 year old body. What happens if Denver fails to get to a championship game in that small timeframe? Riots in Boulder? Couch torching on Capitol Hill?
As fans we need to look at the big picture. While Elway infamously said in a presser that they have no “Plan B”, don’t be fooled: they most certainly do.
With the somewhat controversial selection of Brock Osweiler in last year’s draft, Denver was making sure they have a young, athletic coachable guy to learn from arguably the best mind ever to play the game of football. The hiring of quarterback coach Greg Knapp who is known for developing young talent, will prove to be more beneficial to Osweiler than Manning, who needs very little coaching as it is.
There are a slew of very talented young guys on both sides of the ball that will be a force on this Bronco team long after Manning takes his last snap in the NFL. Guys like Wesley Woodyard, Derek Wolfe, Demaryius Thomas and Von Miller are more than capable of leading Denver to the post season for years to come.
The NFL draft is drawing near and I can’t help but be giddy about its prospects. This year’s draft class is super deep, particularly in the later rounds. There are many guys in the positions that Denver is looking to fill, that could come in and make a difference for the future of the ball club. Virtual unknowns like Danny Trevathan and Chris Harris have proven to be the future of this team so look for Denver to snag a few guys in similar positions at this year’s draft.
I know it is difficult to see beyond the current roster led by Peyton Manning and not be super pumped for the 2013 season, however life will go on if Manning does not bring a championship to the Mile High City.
The sky will not fall, zombies will not rule the earth (and eat us all), and Denver will win in the post season.
