Denver Bronco’s Super Bowl win seems like it happened ages ago. Since beating Carolina for the world title, the team has faced some hard times. Repeating is no longer the focus. Just getting some familiar faces on the field is looking to be a challenge for the team’s upcoming title defense.
The Bronco’s thought they had the right quarterback waiting in the wings when Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset on the coattails of the Denver defense. Then they got sideswiped by a big offer from Houston that ripped Brock Osweiler from their clutches.
That left them with a rookie QB and Mark Sanchez to take over the offense.
No problem right? Well, in theory only.
The NFL’s top defense of 2015 took a hit when Malik Jackson left town for a big free agent payday in Jacksonville. And now they could lose their best defensive back for a handful of games, depending on what the NFL uncovers in the shooting of Aqib Talib.
The details of the gunshot wound to the cornerback have gotten sketchier with each passing day. First, it was reported that Talib was shot during an altercation at a strip club in Dallas. Then he apparently made claims that he was at a park (at 3:40 a.m.!!!) with some friends when he was shot.
Now some sources are saying that Talib shot himself, which sounds plausible with the bullet entering the thigh and exiting the calf muscle.
If that ends up being the case, the League could come down hard on the nine-year vet just like they did with Plaxico Burress when he accidently shot himself. Not to mention the legal issues he will be facing in Texas if he was not licensed to carry a handgun in that state.
Talib’s reckless behavior could cost him millions and his team a real chance at returning to the Super Bowl.
John Elway was able to go back to back as a Super Bowl winning QB in 1997 and 1998. Not an easy task. Now he’s finding out that a repeat is even more difficult as an executive.
Not one play has been run in the 2016 season, and Elway has already lost his 2015 first and second string quarterbacks. And even one of the greatest leaders in NFL history has no control over what knuckleheads like Aqib Talib do when they have too much free time.
The NFL is known for parity, and we’re seeing why every NFL city has hope each year. It’s very difficult to hold a championship team together. And even then, a team needs some breaks to lift the Lombardi Trophy in the end.
We watched in dismay as Seattle blew its shot at an SB repeat when Pete Carroll went temporarily insane versus New England.
The Patriots then looked to be a shoo-in for a repeat trip to the Super Bowl last year, but Owen Daniels, of all people, put New England in a playoff hole they could not escape.
Winning just one title in the NFL is a blessing. Winning two in a row doesn’t happen to run of the mill franchises. Teams like the Giants and Ravens can go on a nice one season run, but staying power is only displayed by teams on another level.
Denver could have been one of those elite repeating clubs. And they still may. It’s just hard to imagine how they will overcome the personnel issues that keep popping up.
There are 31 teams gunning for the Broncos with that world championship belt hung over their shoulder. It’s not hard to see Denver being taken out by any number of them, now that the defending champs have so many self-inflicted holes to fill.