Dressed neatly and comfortably, carrying on in his easy manner, Pat Bowlen exudes no outward signs of lingering sorrow from the AFC championship game defeat.
That was last season, and as the Broncos’ owner sits behind his desk wearing a tan golf shirt and shorts, matching dark brown loafers and a perpetual tan, a new season is only hours away.
It’s when Bowlen speaks that his feelings about the Broncos’ 34-17 meltdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers are laid out – firmly and directly.
“We definitely blew it,” he said. “And I think we all feel that way. After laying an egg in the AFC championship game, where we really had an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl and win, I think has had an impact. Lit the fire. We’ve had things like that happen in the past and usually the next year we don’t forget it. I’m not taking anything from the Steelers because they were a great team and they went on to win the Super Bowl.”
Upstairs at Broncos’ headquarters in Dove Valley, there is confidence the team will bring more talent into the first training camp workout than there was a year ago.
Down the stairs and out on the practice fields is where the Broncos must begin proving it.
Broncos coach Mike Shanahan held his annual news conference on the eve of training camp Thursday, but it was back on draft day that this organization officially perked up about 2006, and began putting the Steelers behind them.
First, the Broncos picked up Jay Cutler, a quarterback for their future, in the first round, then acquired for a second-round pick a Pro Bowl receiver from the past in Javon Walker. A tight end (Tony Scheffler), two receivers (Brandon Marshall and Domenik Hixon) and a record-setting pass rusher (Elvis Dumervil) were picked up in the next two rounds.
Season’s labor lost
Well before the Broncos could move forward, though, they had to painfully review.
It was all set up. An impressive finish in a 13-3 regular season. A drought-busting playoff victory against the two-time defending Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots. An AFC championship matchup not against the high-powered Indianapolis Colts, who had trounced the Broncos in two previous postseasons, but the Steelers, whose coach Bill Cowher was dealing with conference title-game demons.
Most important, or so it seemed, the game was at Invesco Field at Mile High, where the Broncos had gone 9-0.
All that, and yet by halftime, the Steelers had the Broncos buried, 24-3.
The Broncos’ defense, unable to muster a pass rush against the large, quick-throwing Ben Roethlisberger, couldn’t get off the field. Amazingly, outrageously, Roethlisberger converted five consecutive third downs of 7 yards or longer. Many of those completions were in front of rookie cornerback Domonique Foxworth, who was under orders to play off his receiver as the team blitzed, and was starting ahead of fellow rookie but gimpy Darrent Williams.
On offense, the Broncos not only couldn’t catch up, they got further behind. Pittsburgh scored 21 points off quarterback Jake Plummer’s turnovers.
“You can name all of that stuff, say we should have had a better pass rush,” Bowlen said. “I don’t personally look at that as being the reason we lost the AFC championship game. I think the Steelers played better than we did. But that’s last year. That’s way, way back in the rear view. Our reaction to that, I think, is going to be very positive.”
His team has been here before. The Broncos seemed headed for the Super Bowl after the 1996 season, only to be stunned in a home playoff game by upstart Jacksonville. The results of that heartache: back-to-back Super Bowls the next two years.
If history was to repeat, the Broncos had to figure out what stopped them.
“I wouldn’t say that one game influenced what our offseason plans were, because there was a lot of success with regards to getting to that game,” said Ted Sundquist, the Broncos’ general manager. “There were some areas we felt we needed improvement. On defense, yeah, we would like to get to the quarterback more. I wouldn’t say that was necessarily a problem in the AFC championship game as it was throughout the entire season. And then on the offensive side, it would be third-down efficiency.”
Making new plans
To get more sacks, the Broncos’ biggest adjustment was less about personnel and more about scheme. Veteran Kenard Lang was signed after Trevor Pryce was released. Dumervil was drafted. Corey Jackson appears ready for a promotion from the practice squad.
Otherwise, the Broncos are counting on a seemingly contradictory tack of fewer blitzes resulting in more sacks. The theory goes that when the blitz is off, quarterbacks tend to take longer drops, giving the defensive front four more time to beat their blockers.
As for converting more offensive third downs, the Broncos concluded veteran receiver Rod Smith needed help. Ashley Lelie is as good as it gets on the deep ball against coverage, but those shorter, body-blasting routes are not suited for his slender frame. Walker has excelled at both routes, or did, before he blew out his knee last season.
In Bowlen’s 23 years of ownership, the Broncos have never reset their roster with the intention to rebuild. Changes have always been necessary, but with a thought to reload. He said his tenure is measured not on getting close, but on the five times the Broncos reached the Super Bowl, winning it twice.
“The core of our team, the veterans, realize we missed a tremendous opportunity,” Bowlen said. “We still would have had to beat Seattle, but at least it would have been in Detroit. That still sticks in your mind.
“Going into training camp, the talent we have now compared to what we had last year, I think we’ve improved. But that’s very easy to say when you haven’t taken a snap yet.”
STUDENTS OF THE (LAST) GAME
The Broncos were 14-3 entering the AFC championship game at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, then flaws were exposed. What went wrong and how the Broncos are attempting to address those issues:
ISSUE | Pass rush
BACKGROUND – Relying on heavy blitzing, the Broncos were plus-24 in turnover margin heading into the game, but had only 28 sacks. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (above) went 5-for-5 on third-and-longs before a second-and-13 touchdown capped the first-half scoring.
POTENTIAL FIX – The Broncos released Trevor Pryce and added Kenard Lang, but the biggest change will be fewer blitzes. This should coax quarterbacks into deeper drops, giving the four-man front more sack chances.
ISSUE | Pass coverage
BACKGROUND – Because of the blitzing, rookie cornerback Domonique Foxworth had to play off the receivers – which Roethlisberger took advantage of.
POTENTIAL FIX – The Broncos believe another year of experience for Foxworth, Darrent Williams and Karl Paymah on one corner – combined with all-pro Champ Bailey on the other – will make their secondary as good as it gets.
ISSUE | Playing catch-up
BACKGROUND – The Broncos didn’t play well from behind. They ranked last in the NFL in third-and-medium (4- to 6-yard) conversions.
POTENTIAL FIX – Receiver Javon Walker should help. If healthy, Walker can catch a 6-yard slant and take it all the way.
Listen to Mike Klis on “First and 10” from 4-5 p.m. Fridays on ESPN 560 AM. He can be reached at 303-820-5440 or mklis@denverpost.com.
