From his expansive and immaculate second-floor office at the complex bearing his late father’s name, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen can watch what he has seen so many times before.
There will be behemoths performing burpees, or whatever they call the calisthenic equivalent these days. There will be passes and kicks, blocks and the occasional tackle.
Morning dew soaks up quickly at Dove Valley.
Jerry Rice running pass patterns on the practice fields outside his window … now that’s something Bowlen hasn’t seen.
Expectations for this new season are simple: 192 days. There are 192 days from today, when the Broncos report for training camp, until Feb. 5, when NFL Super Bowl XL will be played in Detroit.
“Some people would say some years are more realistic than other years,” Bowlen said. “Right now, as we sit here today, I would say it’s an achievable goal.”
Bowlen is about to begin his 22nd training camp as Broncos owner. Five times he has made it from Day One of training camp to the Super Bowl, twice winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy with coach Mike Shanahan, although none lately.
Not even a playoff win has come lately – in the past six seasons, to be exact. Adjustments have been made. Before the Broncos embarked on their 192-day goal, they reviewed why their past two seasons fell four weeks short.
“I don’t want to be critical, but probably the biggest turnaround I see is in our special teams,” Bowlen said. “Last year, we just weren’t as good as we should have been on special teams. That’s not to criticize the coaches or the players. It’s just here in Denver, you ought to be able to kick the ball 60 yards on punts. You ought to be able to kick it into the end zone every time you kick off.”
Todd Sauerbrun, he of the thunderous leg and the troubled past, will be counted on to add yardage to punts. He may kick off, too, although seventh-round draft choice Paul Ernster could give field-goal specialist Jason Elam and Sauerbrun another kicking companion.
Kicking is a big deal for teams that believe little things make a difference. It’s an understandable position for a Broncos team that did all the big things well last season, at least statistically, yet settled for a 10-6 record – and a first-round playoff pasting for a second consecutive year by the Indianapolis Colts.
This caused Shanahan and his management team to scour other statistics.
“Obviously, turnovers – the ability to generate them and ability to not generate them – and special teams were two areas we felt we needed to address,” Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist said.
Related issues
The Broncos performed poorly last season on punting and creating turnovers and say they believe one ties into the other. Sauerbrun and Ernster could mean 10 to 15 extra yards in field position five or six times a game, at least at Invesco Field at Mile High. An influx of defensive speed and athleticism is intended to create havoc from there.
Although the Broncos went for speed while selecting defensive backs Darrent Williams, Karl Paymah and Domonique Foxworth with their first three draft picks, turnovers often begin with pressure on the quarterback.
The return to health of Trevor Pryce, who missed most of last season with a back injury, should improve the pass rush. Although Pryce reportedly is fit and pain-free, his workload may be eased initially.
“I think you have to be careful with veterans like that, how hard you work them in training camp,” Bowlen said.
What can Browns do?
Even if Pryce is slow to regain his form, the Broncos acquired plenty of defensive-line depth from the Cleveland Browns. As they get ready to bump the likes of Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Ebenezer Ekuban and Michael Myers during two-a- day practices, Broncos offensive linemen may come to view training camp as an endless scrimmage against the Browns.
“There are a lot of tools out there, physical tools to put the heat on the quarterback,” Sund- quist said. “And if you’re kicking the ball off in the end zone or punting the ball and pinning your opponent back inside the 20, you’re having to go a long way.”
There are other questions to be resolved in training camp. Can quarterback Jake Plummer, in his third Denver season, augment his franchise-record 4,089 yards passing with fewer mistakes and some two-minute drill magic? After trading their top running backs from the past two years, will Tatum Bell become the Broncos standard, 1,500- yard-type rusher? Can Rice, the greatest receiver ever, make the team a few weeks shy of his 43rd birthday and continue to make the clutch catch in his final season?
Forget coaching rumors
Bowlen said one topic no one should bother asking about is Shanahan’s future. He isn’t going anywhere, not if Bowlen can help it. In the great history of NFL coaches, only two – John Madden and Don Shula – have won more regular-season games through their first 10 seasons with one team than the 101 the Broncos have recorded under Shanahan.
“I’ve never paid any attention to it,” Bowlen said of the Shanahan rumors that began to swell last year. “We’ve got the right guy. I’ve said that many times. But the first thing you hear when we lose two games in a row is the media calling for his head. He’s got a contract here, so he’s not going anywhere else.”
The biggest question the Broncos will carry into training camp today: Can they escape their 10-6, one-game playoff rut and extend their season to the final day in Detroit?
“To my mind, the Super Bowl is tantamount to everything else,” Bowlen said. “I could sell the club for a lot of money and go off and live somewhere else, but my goal is to win a Super Bowl.
“People can say he’s nuts, he’s not realistic, he’s going to be 9-7, he’s not going to be in the playoffs. … But if I don’t think I’m going to make the playoffs and make the Super Bowl, then somebody else ought to be sitting in this chair.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
