Jock Itch The Broncos live up to (original) expectations

This Denver Broncos season had much in common with the Hindenburg, and not just because both went down in fiery heaps. Like the zeppelin, no one thought this year’s Broncos would even get off the ground. But when they did, it was glorious: the team staked a 6-0 record before ultimately reverting to its predicted bumbling. And bumble it did. With only two wins in the final 10 weeks of the season, all the positivity from the first half was bitterly revoked by fans who felt embarrassed for buying into such an obviously shaky product.

It was clear a few weeks back that the big orange-and-blue Broncos blimp was heading for trouble when the team couldn’t beat the sickly Oakland Raiders at home—this is what set the franchise on fire. The horrifying crash came in the last two weeks of the season, when the Broncos were unable to beat the Philadelphia Eagles—relinquishing control of their playoff fate—and a truly bad Kansas City Chiefs embarrassed them (at home again). All we could do as fans was stand by watching in horror as it all went down.

But, hell, even with losing to the Chiefs—an embarrassing 44-24—there was still a slight chance for the Broncos to make the playoffs, pending a few specific miracles: Several teams would have to lose, stars would have to align, and a virgin would have to be sacrificed atop the D&F Tower.

But no, the Broncos couldn’t just back up into the playoffs, they had to fall down a flight of stairs, knock over a china cabinet, and land face-first in the last remaining wild-card spot. And win or lose, the game against the Chiefs didn’t matter by then because the teams we needed to fall won, the virgin was spared, and the Broncos were bounced from playoffs.

Although it ended badly, we have to ask: Was it better that the Broncos exceeded all original expectations and were even challenging for a playoff spot, or would everyone just rather they sucked from the very beginning? 

That 6-0 start sure did spoil everybody; when the Broncos finally hit the skids, fans reacted as if the offensive line had come to their houses and shit in their beds. Those dads ready to pair off Josh McDaniels with their daughters after six wins were suddenly calling for the coach to be replaced by the kid from the Mattress King commercials. (And based on some of the bad coaching decisions in those losing efforts, he might not have been a bad choice.)

Brandon Marshall, much like the fans, really seemed to enjoy winning. But when the team was staring down a 2-7 record after those first six wins, Marshall got snotty again and was sent to his room for the Chiefs game. What happens next with him as the team heads into the offseason will be the talk of the town for the next few months.

Yes, it was a disappointment in the long term. But compared to what most experts had predicted for the Broncos—some had them at only two or three wins—the fact that the team almost made it to the playoffs makes the 2009 season worth noting. Unfortunately, this offseason will be even bumpier than last and seems to have left us right where we started: not trusting the coach, questioning the team’s talent, and wondering if Marshall will still be a Bronco at the start of training camp. If only Jay Cutler were around to frown and sulk, you’d think we’d traveled back in time.