The Broncos' culture is changing right before our eyes

DENVER — Culture change, culture change, culture change.

It’s a phrase uttered after every coaching move and typically when teams are coming off disappointing seasons.

But what does it actually mean?

It’s an easy phrase to pass onto a fan base in tough times and a wise idea to inspire hope. And frankly, sometimes it’s just all talk.

Right before the Denver Broncos’ offseason program ended for summer break, head coach Vance Joseph admitted there was a culture change talking place at the UCHealth Training Center.

“I think the focus has been a lot better,” Joseph said, taking an honest assessment of the differences between last year and this year. “After going 5-11, everyone is focused. Everyone wants to obviously improve. Last year was a tough year, so the guys who returned understand that.”

Well, just how do you quantify a change in focus to truly be able to buy Joseph’s hopeful words?

Emmanuel Sanders helped his coach out over the weekend.

Instead of heading back down to his home in Houston for the summer break, as he’s done his entire career, the veteran receiver chose to stay in Colorado, permanently.

“I figured to just have a laser-sharp focus,” he said, explaining why he chose to make Denver his full-time residence over the summer. “I go back to Houston, and it’s a lot of chaos — I’ve got to move my clothes, move my cars, it’s a lot of unnecessary things I’m trying to get out of the way and just focus on the season.”

Well how about that, the head coaches words were backed up less than a month after he made his case. Yet that wasn’t the end of it.

During the six-week summer break, where coaches and players aren’t allowed to have any contact of any kind, the players took matters into their own hands.

In the second week of the break, Sanders, Case Keenum and other offensive skills players from the Broncos took to Regis High School to have a throwing session as a group.

“Actually, that throwing session was really good,” Sanders said with a typical Emmanuel smile beaming from ear to ear. “Just to go out there with Case — I think that’s the first time we threw outside of the facility. Just to get that chemistry and go over routes.”

“One thing that he kept saying is, ‘We’re going to get great at a couple of routes instead of trying to be mediocre at a ton of routes.’ We were able to take certain routes and just run them over and over and over until we try to get great at them. That’s the goal… Try and get that chemistry.”

Sanders confirmed these sessions will continue the rest of the summer, as well.

Even if only a few more of these passing sessions take place, it’s more than the 2017 squad can take ownership of. At the end of the day, what these makeshift practices’ represent is likely worth more than the actual work put on the field.

These changes should come as no surprise, however. The biggest difference from last year’s squad and the 2018 group of offensive skill players is the acquisition of No. 4, quarterback Case Keenum — otherwise known as the most important position in all of sports.

Up to date, the 36-million-dollar man has been championing Joseph’s message of improved focus.

“You’ve got a guy that’s walking up to you that’s saying, ‘Let’s throw extra passes after practice,’” Sanders said of his new quarterback, Keenum. “I’m a firm believer that when you put in the work — extra work, not just the work the coaches try to hand you — then that’s how you become successful.”

If that wasn’t impressive enough, wait for the comparison Sanders made next.

“It’s like when Peyton rented out Duke University, and we all went out there and threw,” he said, referring to the future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.

“It’s like during training camp when everybody’s exhausted after practice, everybody wants to go in, Peyton’s still out there throwing that extra five to ten balls that the rest of the NFL is probably not doing. That’s what we’re doing, and that’s the type of quarterback Case is. It’s going to end up paying off for us.”

Words are great, but actions are better. The Broncos have certainly put their words into actions leading up to training camp.

As the UCHealth Training Center undergoes a major revamp during the offseason, the culture within the building that is currently lacking physical walls is undergoing potentially an even bigger change, and certainly a more important one, than the building itself—right in front of everyone’s eyes.