From clout to drought: Broncos' Super Bowl years a decade behind them

By Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 3, 2008 at 5:50 p.m.

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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

John Elway holds up the Vince Lombardi trophy after defeating the Atanta Falcons to win Super Bowl XXXIII.

Photo by Barry Gutierrez

Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler has his strength back this season after being treated for diabetes, and he leads a youth movement on the team this season.

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Going through the security line at Denver International Airport, Broncos vice president of public relations Jim Saccomano removed his Super Bowl ring and placed it on the conveyor belt.

A security guard spotted the diamond-laden piece of jewelry and felt compelled to comment.

“At the rate we’re going, we’ll be lucky to even get to the Super Bowl this year,” the exasperated worker said.

The Broncos were less than a year removed from the second of back-to-back titles and already their lofty annual expectations were being flagged by a metal detector as they scuffled through the 1999 season.

Imagine what reaction the security guard would have now as the Broncos approach the 10th anniversary of their most recent Super Bowl victory.

In the nine seasons since John Elway retired at the pinnacle of his career, the Broncos have employed several starting quarterbacks while winning one playoff game in four postseason appearances.

Their regular-season record of 83-61 in the post-Elway era ranks tied for sixth among all NFL teams, yet the glory days of their 1997 and 1998 championship seasons seem to be a distant memory for fans who grew accustomed to late-January celebrations.

“Really and truly, anytime that you’ve had success and gone to the Super Bowl, you know you have the ability to do it, and (fans) always expect for you to get that back again,” said former Broncos coach Dan Reeves, who took Denver to three title games in four years from the 1986 to 1989 seasons.

“I think that’s good. High expectations are what you want. You want that ability to think you can reach the Super Bowl every year.”

Behind quarterback Jake Plummer and cornerback Champ Bailey, the Broncos sniffed the Super Bowl in the 2005 season but lost to Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Two perfectly mediocre seasons (16-16) have followed, leaving some to wonder just where the Broncos stand in the NFL hierarchy.

“If someone would have told me they would have fallen on this hard of times two years after (the AFC Championship Game) ... I wouldn’t have believed it,” said former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe, now an analyst for CBS Sports. “But that’s how fragile the National Football League is. ... And it’s hard for me to put a finger on what’s going on with the Broncos.”

In search of an answer, there’s no better place to start than at the top.

Bowlen for titles

When Pat Bowlen took over as majority owner of the Broncos in 1984, the franchise had appeared in one Super Bowl (a 27-10 loss to Dallas to conclude the 1977 season).

As he begins his 25th season in charge of the Broncos, Bowlen owns two Super Bowl rings, five AFC championship titles and a résumé as impressive as any owner’s in the NFL.

With great power comes great expectations. Despite a solid regular-season record during the past nine years, the Broncos have fallen short of the annual goal set by the owner.

“We haven’t made it back to the Super Bowl, so we really haven’t maintained that level,” Bowlen said. “Hopefully, we will have a better year and at least go deep into the playoffs, if not to the Super Bowl.”

Down the hall from Bowlen’s office at Dove Valley sits a man determined to make that happen.

Land of Shanahan

When Mike Shanahan was hired in 1995, he was a 43-year-old coach on the rise, and back-to-back Super Bowl titles within four years validated his reputation.

Nine years after raising the Lombardi Trophy, Shanahan remains one of the most respected coaches in the NFL, yet his whiz-kid status has taken a few blind-side hits of late.

Draft-day mistakes, free-agent busts and frequent changes to his coaching staff have left Shanahan vulnerable to criticism.

Few NFL coaches, though, enjoy as much job security as Shanahan, who has Bowlen’s explicit trust.

Reeves, fired by Bowlen after the 1992 season, said stability on the sideline is vital to success in the NFL, and he believes the relationship between Bowlen and Shanahan is not a detriment to the future.

“I think, a lot of times, owners hear the cry from the fans and are trying to please the fans,” Reeves said. “But if you know what’s going on within your organization and know it’s being run in the right way, there’s no need to make a change.”

Bowlen and Shanahan have known each other since Shanahan’s first year as an assistant under Reeves in 1984. Bowlen repeatedly has said Shanahan can remain as Broncos coach as long as he wants, but the coach does not claim immunity as part of his contract.

“You can’t be so silly to think there’s job security,” he said. “There’s nobody in any organization that’s not expendable, and I understand that.”

Shanahan said ownership needs to feel that the organization is going in the right direction and that the coach is giving it the best opportunity to win.

“If not, they’ll go in a different direction.”

Avoiding implosion

As is the case for outdated casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, sometimes it’s better to tear something down in order to build it back up.

In 13 years together, Shanahan and Bowlen never have gone that route.

Only twice since Elway’s teary retirement have the Broncos finished with a sub-.500 record, while they have won at least 10 games four times.

“You look at what they’ve done and it’s probably to their detriment that they’ve never had that season where they’ve blown the whole thing up,” said ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, a force on Denver’s offensive line from 1995 to 2000. “If you look at the last 10years and what they’ve done in free agency, unfortunately, it just hasn’t worked out. For the most part, a lot of money’s been wasted.”

Among the more forgettable — and costly — free agents were cornerbacks Dale Carter and Denard Walker, defensive tackle Daryl Gardener and defensive end Kavika Pittman.

Willie Middlebrooks, Paul Toviessi and Ashley Lelie are among the first- and second- round draft busts, yet the Broncos have managed to contend for a playoff spot nearly every season.

“Free agency makes it more difficult (to sustain long-term success),” Reeves said. “It’s more difficult to keep a team together. You don’t have that continuity that you need to be a successful team. Even when you look at teams that have had success, there’s still turnover in there, but the thing they have going for them is they’ve got their quarterback position in good shape.”

Quarterback shuffle

Ah, the quarterback position.

From 1983 to 1998, Elway started 231 of a possible 256 regular- season games and 21 of 22 playoff games.

In the nine seasons since, Brian Griese, Gus Frerotte, Steve Beuerlein, Jake Plummer and Jay Cutler have served as the primary starters, while Chris Miller, Jarius Jackson and Danny Kanell also took the opening snap in at least one game.

The job now unequivocally belongs to Cutler, who took over for Plummer in the final five weeks of his 2006 rookie season.

“Jay Cutler is the future of this team, but last year, unfortunately, he was ill (with undiagnosed diabetes),” ESPN analyst and Broncos Ring of Fame member Tom Jackson said. “It’s obvious to me that he has the opportunity to be very, very good.”

Elway’s arm, of course, looked better when he had a great pair of legs standing behind him. Terrell Davis ran for 3,758 yards, including an NFL-record 2,008 in 1998.

A cast of 1,000-yard rushers followed Davis, but the running game is very much in question these days, making Cutler more vulnerable to teams hoping to exploit a one-dimensional attack.

Consider that Davis ran for 36touchdowns during the Broncos’ two Super Bowl seasons, including 21 in 1998. Last year, the Broncos managed 10 rushing touchdowns.

“When they run the ball well, they are very productive,” Jackson said. “When you score 10 rushing touchdowns in 16 games, then you put a lot of pressure on Jay Cutler.”

Going young

Cutler, 25, is the marquee name on a roster that is younger than any in recent memory. Instead of making a splash in free agency, the Broncos have opted for an in-house development program.

On opening night at Oakland, the starting offense could include two rookies and four other players with less than three years of NFL experience.

Defensive coordinator Bob Slowik has more proven players at his disposal, but the Broncos still could have four defensive starters under the age of 26.

How this younger blueprint translates into long-term success is anyone’s guess, but 2008 figures to be challenging in a top-heavy AFC led by New England, Indianapolis, San Diego and Jacksonville.

“Certainly, they’re still a relevant football team,” Schlereth said. “I know it’s been 10 years since the last (Super Bowl title), but it’s in a close proximity. Anytime ... you’re going to play a Mike Shanahan-coached football team, you know you’re going to be in for a battle. And I still think that football team is looked upon in the AFC as an elite football team.”

Schlereth’s ESPN colleague, Jackson, said expectations in Denver should remain high, but he sees the Broncos as in the “upper part of the middle” of the NFL.

Certainly not a standard that will satisfy the executives, coaches and players at Dove Valley.

Not to mention the Denver- based TSA workers.

80-and-over league

The best records in the NFL since the Broncos won Super Bowls in the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

• September 3, 2008

  10:22 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  den2mke writes:

  Certainly, as the man calling all the shots, Shanahan sets himself up for criticism when things aren't going well. But he gets little credit for how solid this team has been. To win repeatedly with scaled-down playbooks to accomodate starting QBs with little arm strength (Griese) and propensity for mistakes (Plummer) and still compete at a very high level is a tremendous accomplishment--one few NFL teams can say they've mastered.

  The season's yet young, but the QB position is finally settled and if the young guys continue to show what we've seen glimpses of, Shanahan will have totally rebuilt the team without the huge losses normally present between winning eras.

  When you look at the talent level the Broncos have had in the past 5 yrs or so and compare it to many of the other elite teams in the NFL, there's no comparison: Shanahan has gotten more out of the Broncos than any other franchise. Ultimately, the talent mishaps were his fault, but they've still managed to field very competitive teams.

  Here's hoping some of the new-found, young talent leads the Broncos back to the top in the near future.

• September 3, 2008

  11:03 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  Denver2050 writes:

  If all of the "if factors" work out in the Broncos favor this year, they could realistically do very well. While this team has questions, it isn't nearly as bad as last year. The safeties and middle linebacker are by the biggest holes in my opinion. When I look at the Broncos offense, I don't see many problems. This O-Line is already good and could be great by the end of the season. QB is solid. WRs are solid. TEs are solid. RBs will produce as long as the O-Line remains healthy. The outlook for the Broncos offense hasn't been this good in a long, long time.

  When I look at this team, I see an extremely capable team with only a few holes. Most importantly, I think the young stars on on offense could potentially obliterate any defensive weaknesses by scoring 30+ most games.

  Analysts always focus on the past and significantly underestimate the growth of young players. The Broncos have studs on offense who are poised to explode this year into pro-bowlers and even all-pros.

  Is anybody aware of an entity that will let you place bets on season records instead of just game spreads? If the Vegas odd makers are pessimistic about the Broncos chances for a winning record this year, I want to place a bet and get paid!

• September 4, 2008

  8:34 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  bmfe83 writes:

  Great article!
  All I hear about is how Shanny hasn't won since Elway retired.6th best record since #7 retired!
  It is amazing to me how much criticizing Shanny takes from media and fans.The Broncos would have never won a super bowl without him, even though they had the GREATEST QB ever!!
  To constantly put a competitive team on the field every year is all a true fan can ask for!
  Look around the league S.F,Dallas(post Aikman) and Buffalo even with all the high 1st round picks stunk for 10 years.
  Imagine his record as a cordinator/Head coach since 1983 No one would even be close.
  10-6 this year, AFC championship next year.
  Keep up the GREAT job Coach!!!!

• September 4, 2008

  1:36 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  xxx writes:

  EVERY single great NFL coach has had a run of mediocre seasons.
  Jimmy Johnson in Miami
  Marv Levy (before the championship years)
  Bill Parcells (after New York)
  Jeez look at Marty S.

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