It’s a favorite question of the media to the Broncos, “Are you getting the respect you deserve this offseason?” It’s not exactly clear who is disrespecting them but it sure does fuel them. Every Monday and Wednesday we get a host of Broncos telling us how big the chip is on their shoulder because nobody is respecting them.

This Wednesday, it was Darian Stewart talking about the disrespect, but with a slightly different tone. Admitting he knows they have to go out and prove that is, in fact, respect on the field this season, very much echoing my column from Monday.

“Man, it doesn’t matter, man,” he said of low win total predictions. “We still have to play these games and we’re going to take care of that once the season starts.”

But that doesn’t mean he thinks they’re getting the respect they deserve.

“Not at all, not at all,” he said with a smile. “Like I said, we still have to go out there and play and keep proving them wrong. It is what it is, man, everybody is entitled to their opinion. We’re going to keep working and getting better. It’s our second year together so it’s going to be hell for teams this year.”

“Most of the guys making those opinions never played football,” he added. “And some of the other people making them, they played on other teams and they go for their teams so it is what it is.”

Played football for other teams? Who could he be talking about?

“If you look who said that, like I said, he was a Steeler,” Stewart told. “For him to say the Steelers were No. 1 that was, that’s bad, he shouldn’t even be on TV.”

The Steeler he is referring to would be Ike Taylor and what he said was that the Broncos were the second-hardest-hitting defense in the league.

“They smash faces, they just don’t smash faces harder than the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Taylor said of the Broncos on NFL Network.

“Ike Taylor, He remembers DT well,” Stewart responded with a laugh on Wednesday.

Mr. Stewart, I believe you dropped your microphone.

Talk about face-smashing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ0UOxrcS2Q