Just My Take: An uncivil war is being fought by fans of the Denver Broncos

“A house divided against itself cannot stand” – Abraham Lincoln, 1858

In his famous “House Divided” speech Abraham Lincoln delivered in 1858, a pre-Civil War speech in reference to the topic of slavery, he made it clear that the nation would not stay intact unless the issue could be resolved.  As far as we know, the Broncos as a team are united in the direction they are going. So it’s a good thing it doesn’t matter what the fans think. And it never has mattered, so argue away. Something will give and when it does, you will be arguing about that or joining hands and singing happy songs.

But the hand wringing over the divide that cracked open within Broncos Country this past week could be heard all the way into Nebraska. And if you weren’t fighting with someone over Peyton Manning, you were very upset that the great fans of the Denver Broncos couldn’t agree on something. Someone even went so far as to say on Twitter, “2015 is the year Broncos fans couldn’t get a long.” And to that I say, are you new here, guy?

Apparently anyone who is upset about Broncos fans fighting wasn’t around for a little thing called “Tebow Time.” And they also weren’t around for the inauspicious beginning to Jay Cutler’s career while not experiencing the unceremonious ending to Jake Plummer’s.

But wait there’s more.

If you were upset that fans were arguing over whether Peyton Manning should be benched or not, you definitely weren’t around for, or were not alive for, the “John Elway Era.” Elway, the beloved messiah of Denver sports was not well liked early in his career. He was Romo-esque in the hot and cold attitude toward his early tenure in Denver. But people conveniently forget that.

So it’s absurd to me that anyone can think this newest rift in what direction to take the Denver Broncos is anything but just another chapter in the never ending saga of fans knowing what’s best for their team. And arguing to the death about it.

You can have any opinion about a sports team you would like. You may be wrong and a stupid moron, but you are not a “fake fan” as a woefully overrated running back recently stated. No, you can say and think what you want because it comes with your price of admission.

Let it be known however that you can and will be called an idiot by someone who doesn’t agree with you, but that’s also what you get when you sign on with a particular team. But the notion that someone isn’t a fan because they have a radical (or not so radical) opinion that doesn’t jive with the team narrative is really what makes the rest of the world thinks sports fans are knuckle dragging mouth breathers.

And what about the current controversy? Whose fault is it that this 6-0 team sucks so bad? I know, that felt weird to write, but it’s true: this team – offensively at least – is pretty dismal and fans are tearing each other apart to assign blame. So who is to blame? Is it Peyton Manning with his obviously declining skill set or is it the Gary Kubiak offense that is stubbornly not adjusting to that player’s skill level?

Here’s where I join the hands of all Broncos fans and let the healing begin.

It’s both.

Peyton Manning isn’t helping his cause with his fluctuating arm and 10 interceptions – many for opposing team touch downs. His legenday stature also makes it hard to distinguish whether that’s what is keeping him on the field or he’s the victim of a bad game plan.

Gary Kubiak’s offense, brought in specifically by John Elway doesn’t seem to work with Manning running it. Sure they’re winning but for how long? Cramming Manning’s square peg into Kubiak’s round hole will eventually fall apart like a Chinese made bike. Just like John Fox needed to do with Tebow, shouldn’t Kubiak be doing everything in his power to make this work with whatever broken down QB he has?

This “problem” of a 6-0 team is clearly a joint effort and for fans to assign blame either way is well, what fans do.

Still the divide is great right now as fans wait for the Packers to come to town to either prove or disprove their point.  But it’s clear nothing will be resolved in this uncivil war until the final game is played. Saying the current rift between Broncos fans is like what happened during “Mr. Lincoln’s War” is absurd, but it can be just as contentious at times. It’s happened many times before and will happen many times in the future. The team certainly doesn’t care and the only thing that’s clear is your wild opinion is only upsetting to other fans. And like most wars, even when there is a victor, we all lose.