MHCBill
12-17-2008, 07:18 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_11248696
At the risk of getting ahead of himself, Mike Shanahan was talking about the playoffs the other day.
"I think it would be a plus for our younger players to have that experience," Shanahan said.
A plus, a Christmas bonus, a dab of frosting on the cake. But do the Broncos need to get to the playoffs and make something happen to validate their season? No.
Back before the wheels fell off the Chargers' team charter, this Broncos season was supposed to be about growth and development. And if you're one who prefers the view of the forest over the trees, it still is.
That's why, any way you slice it, and no matter what the Broncos do in the playoffs, this season has been a certified success. Because this team has undergone enormous growth and development.
Forget the Carolina game. The Panthers are ready to win now. The Broncos? Of their 22 starters, 18 have joined the organization since 2006. That's not a team ready to win now. But having witnessed what we have in this crazy, mixed-up Broncos season, it's when they're going to win, not if.
No matter what happens in the playoffs, the Broncos are ahead of the curve. They have more impact players, ones who rank among the best in the game at their positions, than at any point since the years immediately following the back-to-back Super Bowls of the late 1990s.
We didn't know Jay Cutler would show signs of being a star. We thought so. But we didn't know. Now we do. And the same goes for Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal and Ryan Clady.
The Broncos had two players named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday — Cutler and Marshall — and another who should have been: Clady. Each is 25 or younger. The last time they had a trio of such young and talented players? That would be never.
Contrast that to the 2005 team, which played for the AFC championship. That was the team of Jake Plummer, an aging Rod Smith, a banged- up Al Wilson and a first-round bust named George Foster.
Fact is, the worst is behind Shana- han. He found himself at the crossroads after that 2005 season. But just when it looked like he was losing his touch on draft day, he has restocked the roster with young talent, the likes of which we haven't seen in the Shanahan era. Not even on the Super Bowl teams, veteran units assembled largely through trades and free agency.
Add it all up and you've got a legitimate Super Bowl contender — next year or the year after, but not next month.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
At the risk of getting ahead of himself, Mike Shanahan was talking about the playoffs the other day.
"I think it would be a plus for our younger players to have that experience," Shanahan said.
A plus, a Christmas bonus, a dab of frosting on the cake. But do the Broncos need to get to the playoffs and make something happen to validate their season? No.
Back before the wheels fell off the Chargers' team charter, this Broncos season was supposed to be about growth and development. And if you're one who prefers the view of the forest over the trees, it still is.
That's why, any way you slice it, and no matter what the Broncos do in the playoffs, this season has been a certified success. Because this team has undergone enormous growth and development.
Forget the Carolina game. The Panthers are ready to win now. The Broncos? Of their 22 starters, 18 have joined the organization since 2006. That's not a team ready to win now. But having witnessed what we have in this crazy, mixed-up Broncos season, it's when they're going to win, not if.
No matter what happens in the playoffs, the Broncos are ahead of the curve. They have more impact players, ones who rank among the best in the game at their positions, than at any point since the years immediately following the back-to-back Super Bowls of the late 1990s.
We didn't know Jay Cutler would show signs of being a star. We thought so. But we didn't know. Now we do. And the same goes for Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal and Ryan Clady.
The Broncos had two players named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday — Cutler and Marshall — and another who should have been: Clady. Each is 25 or younger. The last time they had a trio of such young and talented players? That would be never.
Contrast that to the 2005 team, which played for the AFC championship. That was the team of Jake Plummer, an aging Rod Smith, a banged- up Al Wilson and a first-round bust named George Foster.
Fact is, the worst is behind Shana- han. He found himself at the crossroads after that 2005 season. But just when it looked like he was losing his touch on draft day, he has restocked the roster with young talent, the likes of which we haven't seen in the Shanahan era. Not even on the Super Bowl teams, veteran units assembled largely through trades and free agency.
Add it all up and you've got a legitimate Super Bowl contender — next year or the year after, but not next month.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com