EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — He didn’t mean it the way it sounded, but Chris Harris Jr. said it all in a feisty Broncos locker room following the team’s embarrassing 34-16 loss to the New York Jets.
“We have to start over from square one,” he uttered moments after getting on a teammate for trying to dodge the media.
Now, he was talking about this team getting back to the basics, but let’s be honest, it applies to the franchise as a whole.
The Broncos are slow dancing in a burning room. It’s becoming clear that they’ve been attempting to avoid the rising flames for some time.
For three years now, they’ve been grasping for relevancy, fighting off the dreaded “R-word” that John Elway hates so much. Rebuild.
They started Trevor Siemian over Paxton Lynch in 2016 because they didn’t want to rebuild. They kept Vance Joseph at the end of last season because they didn’t want to rebuild. They gave Case Keenum $36 Million because they didn’t want to rebuild. They passed on a quarterback at No. 5 in a QB-rich draft because they didn’t want to rebuild.
Don’t you think they oughta know by now?
As they hang on to the edge of the cliff with one hand, each thrust to pull themselves back on to the ground just chips off another piece of the rock.
While Isaiah Crowell and Sam Darnold gashed up a once-proud Denver defense on Sunday, it became very clear. This ain’t it. This Broncos season is on the verge of going up in flames once again.
“It’s the same shit every week,” a ‘pissed off’ Derek Wolfe admitted after the game. “I’m tired of talking about the same shit for two years straight. Something has to change… Something much deeper is going on here that I can’t even really understand.”
And there it is. They can’t put a finger on it, but the energy just simply isn’t right. No matter how hard they try—and believe me, they’re trying—they simply cannot put it all together. Sometimes, the only cure is change. A fresh start. A clean slate.
John Elway, Joe Ellis and the rest of the brass can shade their eyes as much as they want, ignore the crackles and the pops, try to figure out a shortcut here or a shortcut there but eventually, those flames are going to spread. Just let it burn.
“We have to change something, and we have to win,” Harris said. “It’s not looking too good right now.”
On Sunday, it looked awful. You could make the argument that it was the worst post-Super-Bowl-50 loss yet. 323 yards rushing. 8.5 yards per carry. Blown out by a bad team with a rookie quarterback. Anemic on offense. Inept in more ways than not.
“We’re just not very good right now,” Von Miller said, summing it all up so simply.
One day, this game will likely be looked at as the official moment that it no longer became a question of “if” but rather a question of “when.”
A year from today, the Denver Broncos will all-but-certainly have a new head coach, potentially a new quarterback and an already thinning herd, the Super Bowl 50 winners, will be on the verge of extinction.
You can call it whatever you want to call it, but the reality is the Orange & Blue have to take at least one step back before they can start moving forward again, they have to rebuild.
As they move into the future, they have a small group of stars to build around, and they have a fantastic rookie class to propel them into the next generation of Broncos football, but the rest of the puzzle is completely out of whack.
It’s time to grab the heirlooms and get the hell out.
0 Comments (12 conversations)
John
At the minimum the coaching staff needs to go, and Elway’s position needs to be evaluated.
PastorRhett
I will say today felt different. It felt like we’ve gone through all our options and it’s come up snake eyes. I hope Elway will take the lesson and move on. You can’t win without rebuilding unless you have both your QB and your coach set and we have neither.
Pay Dak
Would you want a more offensive or defensive head coach or even someone like Dave Toub?
After seeing what Vic Fangio has been doing with the Bears, is there any way Elway would pursue a coach like that? His hires of Kubiak and Fox were both retreads who were quite successful here, while the younger hire of Joseph has struggled some.
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorPersonally, I would be looking for offensive-minded coaches. Get a guy, let him draft a Qb that fits his system and get to scoring.
Tgunz2121
Matt LaFleur and Justin Herbert. Keep Case to mentor him for one year. Cut DT (unfortunately) ES, B Marsh, D Stew, T Davis and just start over. Find a new D Coordinator and keep the 3-4. Let Roby walk in FA. It’s time to wipe the slate clean.
Cdopat
Are we forgetting about the battle at Mile High High Monday night? Three quarters of NFL leading ability. Add to that game a completion to DT and a 3 and 1 Broncos team would chalk this loss up to exhaustion. Is it possible we left everything on the field Monday Night? Broncos, keep your eyes forward, cut through the static, and beat down your enemies one play at a time. What doesn’t kill us should make us stronger, but only if we have a short memory both after victory and after defeat.
John
You can homer it all you want, this is a poorly coached team. The coaching decisions lost the KC game. This coaching has to go.
Memphis Bronco Chad
Ryan nailed it here. The season isn’t over but you can’t see the light at end of tunnel with the way team is currently built. Going to have to suck it up, rebuild with this year good draft class and hit on another one. Then find a new coaching staff who is more akin to the new NFL and also finally find a long term answer at QB. Case is just a guy, not THE GUY. If you do that then you take your time and fans will have to stay aboard cause pay off will be worth it
Dookieblossum lll
Let’s be honest here we have a very talented draft class and beside E Sanders the vets on this team are done Von isn’t the Von we know and Chris Harris looks like Champ Bailey in his last year we’re simply not that good of a team. Kennum isn’t a guy that takes over a game our coach have no idea what’s going on we need to face the fact that it’s a rebuilding year.
Dookieblossum lll
Ok in my post I said the veteran on the team are done clearly my emotions got the best of me their not done but I must say they don’t appear to be leaders Wolf and DT did have a good game. Roby was awful since camp, kennum looks scared most of the time, this NASCAR package spend to much time in the pit, our Middle linebacker weren’t on the field DB’s missing open tackles. Our Defense are no longer elite and that’s needed when you have bad quarterback play.
Dags
I honestly feel like there were still some burning embers left in the pit from the Super Bowl 50 team that could have been fanned into another hot team by the right coaching staff. Vance Joseph is a wet towel over those coals. His coaching style has completely doused the fire in this team. There are still some elite players on this team, and I sadly see their prime career years being waisted. Joe Woods is undeniably under water trying to coach this defense against the electric offenses in today’s NFL. And speaking of offense, where has ours been Mr Musgrave? VJ and Woods look absolutely inept and I don’t see this team getting any better until the coaching staff is purged.
Better settle in for a real rough season boys. No matter what, I still bleed Blue and Orange and will ride and die with this team. Through it all, remember we always have the support of our BSN Broncos fam so keep your heads up! Much Love to you all!
CharleyHotel
Right on Ryan, you hit it right on. It’s rebuild time and the only questions are how and by whom.
How? Chad Kelly now and until the bitter end. Put this season in the tank and get the best draft position you can. Find someone who will take Vonn Miller and his salary.
Who ? At the end of the year hive Elway a title-only job and hire a real GM. Get the best coach the NCAA has to offer and build a 21st Century offense.
It might take a while but at least it won’t be the same old same old. The only thing worse than bad is boring, and we now have both.
London Broncos
We should’ve hired Shannahan.
Noreik
Great article, Ryan. To what extent does the ownership issue play into the current stagnation? I can’t imagine anyone but Pat or a new owner having the wherewithal to part ways with the GM or to change the direction of the franchise.
Spacebar
Great Article Ryan. Unfortunately, we can hear the frustration in writing. Can’t blame you though. I think Broncos Country is frustrated in general.
chillducey
It was always insane that they weren’t going to draft Rosen.