Denver Broncos 2011: Forgive & Forget Keys to Moving on for Broncos

I have to be honest. I haven’t been excited about the NFL season for a few years now.

In order to truly heal as a Denver Bronco Nation, we have to be able to forgive and forget.

As fans of a proud and successful franchise, we’ve had to forget more than forgive in the past—forgetting the close calls and Super Bowl shortcomings, chalking up the letdowns to being a solid team that, for the most part, got outplayed.

After all, how can you be upset and in a position that warrants forgiveness with a team that consistently wins division titles, makes the playoffs, and simply falls short of the ring ceremony? I mean, they’re not the Buffalo Bills … Denver made good on a couple.

But it seems like a fast fall from grace that has seen Denver go from perennial AFC favorite to the worst team in the worst division in football.

And now, I think I’m ready.  Perhaps it’s due to a new coach and a new outlook, but I’m ready to get excited about Denver Broncos football again.

But in order to move forward, I first had to learn to forgive and forget. Following is a series of instructions of how to do just that.

FORGIVE: Yourself

If you’re anything like me, it took some time to forgive the Broncos for becoming a laughing stock of the NFL.

Several factors, most of which will be discussed in forthcoming slides, such as the Josh McDaniels failure and Jay Cutler debacle, were contributing factors.

It was difficult to overcome a lot of these mistakes, and I actually felt like a horrible fan and terrible person that I was so upset with owner Pat Bowlen and the Broncos organization for destroying the dream.

How dare they make me, the victim, feel guilty for being down on them anyway?

Being a lifelong Bronco fan that currently resides in San Francisco has provided me with perspective. After all, very few NFL teams have seen the success of San Fran and the subsequent 49er fall from grace that this fair city has witnessed.

But that doesn’t mean that they’re okay with that.

And neither should Denver fans be.

I have forgiven myself for feeling like giving up on them. As a result, I can forgive other situations and welcome the Broncos back.

FORGET: 55-10 & 42-10

This isn’t an exercise to forgive all the wrongs done upon the Broncos, such as any pre-1998 Super Bowl shortcomings.

I’m not here to forget San Francisco’s 55-10 demolition of the Donkeys in Super Bowl XXIV in 1990.  Nor is this an attempt to forgive the 42-10 Redskins romp in Super Bowl XXII.

In fact, thanks to the magical back-to-back Super Bowl ceremonies of the’97 & ’98 seasons, I’m completely over Denver’s 0-4 Super Bowl start.

After all, since Denver won two-straight championships in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, there have been a dozen title games. And since that time, only the Patriots have been able to match the Broncos’ feat of back-to-back Super Bowl titles, which proves how difficult it is to defend the championship.

So, if at least for today, forget the distant past that success had long ago replaced, and focus more on the recent decline of Denver, where it’s truly a challenge to forgive and forget while the memory is still fresh.

FORGIVE: John Elway

Please excuse Elway for being arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.

Now, making such a blasphemous statement while residing in the very Bay Area that anointed Joe Montana to Sainthood in the ‘80s is semi-suicidal, but it needs to be said.

It needs to pointed out that Elway, a Stanford kid, could have won eight Super Bowls with Montana’s surrounding cast. Honestly, Montana was really nothing more than a better looking and more popular version of Dallas’ Troy Aikman. The same could be said about down-luck Dolphin Dan Marino, who would have also flourished and won championships on either Montana’s Niners or Aikman’s ‘Boys, but that’s a debate for another day.

Back to forgiving Denver’s former signal-caller and current Vice President of Football Operations—Mr. Elway. 

We forgive you for setting the bar too high. After all, it’s not every day that the best all-time gunslinger rode a white Bronco off into the sunset with back-to-back Super Bowl rings and an MVP in his saddlebag.

FORGET: John Elway

Time, some say, heals all wounds.

But how much grieving time is necessary before you find yourself wondering if your late-night questioning and frustration over a lost love is inappropriate and having a direct impact on your ability to move on and love again?

Has Denver’s inability to forget old No. 7 and move on led to the Broncos’ current dry spell and quarterback debate?

Perhaps. But how do you replace a legend?  You don’t, at least for a long time.

My current hometown of San Fran did so with unmatched brilliance and success of the torch passing from Joe Montana to Steve Young.  But this is a rare exception, as even Green Bay had a longer drought than Denver between Super Bowls from Brett Favre’s title to Aaron Rodgers’ championship (even though Rodgers was being groomed to be Favre’s replacement).

When does “not long” replace “forever” as your team’s “ago” modifier?

Stop crying, put down the ice cream and think about it.

It’s time to put yourself back out there.

FORGIVE: Pat Bowlen

Yes, Bowlen fired coach Mike Shanahan, who won twice as many Super Bowl titles as Mike Ditka.

And, yes, he replaced Shanny with an unproven product out of the Bill Belichick School For Scoundrels, Josh McDaniels.

It’s easy to be angry about the apparent lack of loyalty that Bowlen dealt with concerning Shanny, and even easier to see what’s happened since. But perhaps even more appalling is that somehow, along the way, Denver became a training ground for inexperienced head coaches.

Absurd.

This is as proud a franchise that exists in the AFC, if not the NFL. This is not a program for a new, young, untested head coach to cut his teeth.

Send him to Carolina, or Seattle, or Buffalo, or the Calgary Stampeders for that initial training.

If you want to bring in talent, then do it as a coordinator … not a rookie head coach.

We’ve seen the fruits of this tragic mistake firsthand.

But Bowlen gets a “forgive” here, because he loves him some Broncos. He’s more passionate about this franchise than any fan can boast.

In fact, Broncos fans should give Pat a “pass” just for his “This One’s For John” recognition and speech upon bringing Denver its first title after going 0-for-4 in its previous Super Bowl appearances.

And Bowlen is no Al Davis, so we can forgive you. Just don’t do it again, as it would be hard to look past a mistake of that magnitude more than once.

FORGET: Double-Digit Wins

At least for now. Seeing Denver post 10 or more wins is a couple years away.

Yes, as a team, the Broncos should be better this year and can continue to improve over the next several. But to think that Denver will manage anything over seven or eight wins this season is simply asking too much of them.

And as sad as they may seem considering they reside in arguably the worst division in the NFL, it’s also somewhat promising in terms of a speedy return to the top, as they, again, reside in arguably the worst division in the NFL.

Maybe 10 or more is realistic next season, but let’s see them get to .500 first.

FORGIVE: Kyle Orton

Okay, Orton’s not a flashy and memorable quarterback, especially for a guy who plays in the most visible position in all of professional sports.

But Orton is a winner who makes a minimal number of mistakes and keeps his Broncos in a position to win the game (that is, of course, when the Denver defense isn’t giving up seven TDs to the Chiefs or eight scores to the Raiders).

But Orton is not Drew Brees, who, as Orton’s predecessor at Purdue, became the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer. Orton doesn’t have the charisma or marketability of Tim Tebow, who is among tops in jersey sales and general popularity since being drafted as Orton's backup. And it’s an obvious statement that Orton doesn’t have the arm or aura of Hall of Famer John Elway.

But it’s equally important to note that Orton is also not the same prima donna that Jay Culter became as a Bronco. Oh, and here are some more guys that Orton is not: Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, Gus Ferrotte, Steve Beuerlein, Bubby Brister, Danny Kanell or Chris Simms.

Orton really should get more than 28 starts to prove himself. After all, Griese-Gate lasted for 51 starts before being replaced by Plummer who “Snaked” around for 54 starts. Oh, and Crybaby Jay whined in the Denver backfield for 32 starts after replacing Plummer.

Not convinced? Look outside of the Mile High City and perhaps you’ll feel better knowing that Orton is not Chad Henne, Alex Smith, Tavaris Jackson, John Beck, Rex Grossman, Jimmy Clausen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Matt Hasselbeck, Andy Dalton, Jason Campbell, Colt McCoy or David Garrard—each of which is either projected to, or likely to be named a starting QB when the season begins.

Think about that the next time you watch one of the post-Sunday highlight shows and think about who you could have instead of Orton.

Give the kid a chance and forgive him for being what he is: a solid starting quarterback in the NFL.

FORGET: Tim Tebow … for Now

I like Tebow, I really do. He seems like a solid citizen and talented football player. He surely has a future in this league, in some capacity. But now is not his time.

And even if it were his time, from a talent perspective, I’m not ready for Tebow.

I’m just not ready to admit that former “coach” Josh McDaniels was actually right about something, especially since it still seems like a curious, if not questionable, move to select Tebow that high in a draft that featured many defensive standouts who were capable of filling holes in a Denver defense in need of upgrades.

So, to have Tebow start and succeed this early in his career, means that we, as Broncos fans, have to look back and admit that McDaniels got something right.

The very thought makes me cringe.

And McDaniels bias aside, Tebow just isn’t ready, which is evidenced by the fact that he’s closer to Brady Quinn than he is Kyle Orton on the depth chart.

FORGIVE: Last Year’s D

And forgive your short-term memory for overlooking the fact that Denver’s NFL-worst defensive unit was forced to play all of the 2010-11 season without sack specialist Elvis Dumervil, who missed all of last season with a torn pectoral muscle.

And without the pressure and presence of Dumervil, who led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2009, the Denver defense suffered immediately, and everywhere from the front line to the secondary.

But with a healthy Dumervil, an exciting pair of rookies in linebacker Von Miller and safety Rahim Moore, and transfers like Ty Warren, the Denver defense will start this season healthy and ready to prove that last year’s embarrassing numbers were a fluke.

FORGET: Peyton Hillis

Really, the only reason losing a guy like Hillis, and having to watch his subsequent monster season in Cleveland last year, is painful is when you are reminded of what Denver got for him in return—Brady Quinn.

Yes, another quarterback is what Denver sent Hillis packing for, and, again, it’s only magnified by the fact that it was for a third-string quarterback who will likely never see the field as a Bronco field general.

At any rate, this is about Hillis, and I can forget about him and move on, at least for now.

Yes, Hillis had a big year last season and found himself on the cover of the Madden football game this year as a result.

But until he can prove that he can do it more than one year, I still consider him unproven.

And it’s not like Denver’s cupboard was bare at running back. Knowshon Moreno has skills and the ability to become a star, especially in the Mile High City. Add new Bronco Willis McGahee to back him up, and you’ve got a nice backfield combo.

After all, this is a franchise where solid running backs are common, and not just for guys like Terrell Davis and Clinton Portis.  Guys like Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell and Olandis Gary also posted 1,000-yard seasons for Denver.

FORGIVE: The Chiefs

Like most Broncos fans, I have spent the majority of my football fan life hating the Chiefs. But now...well, I still do.

In fact, I hate them even more just for winning the division last year. But they were a one-hit wonder, right? No way they repeat as AFC West Champs, right?

Besides, Denver's really not the worst team in that terrible division. Right?

But the reason I can forgive the Chiefs, for now, is that simple finger waving that Kansas City head coach Todd Haley gave to Josh McDaniels in place of the courtesy post-game handshake.

Seeing Haley scold McDaniels, who seemed stunned by the gesture, was worth overlooking the fact that the Chiefs were a fluke.

FORGET: Last Season’s Raider Romp

The 59-14 drubbing at the hands of Oakland on Week 7 last year was just one of those inexplicable and irrelevant situations that happen on occasion in the NFL.

And that wrong gets righted on Sept. 12 during this season’s first Monday Night Football matchup.

The sooner the Broncs can pay back the silver and black, the sooner they, too, can move on and focus on the rest of the relevant.

A primetime payback is just what the Bronco players need to heal and move on.

We fans could certainly use that as a first therapy session as well.