Scottsdale, Ariz. – In making a list of items guaranteed to leave Broncos owner Pat Bowlen less than thrilled, a 9-7, nonplayoff season is sure to be near the top.
“We try to win a championship here every year,” Bowlen said Sunday in his first extensive public comments of the offseason as all 32 teams convene for the annual NFL owner’s meetings. “If not, why be in the business?”
After an early offseason marred by tragedy and the biggest coaching shakeup of Mike Shanahan’s 12 years as Denver’s head coach, the Broncos continued to be one of the stories of the league by being aggressive in free agency and trades. Denver has brought in nine new players.
The headliners are running back Travis Henry, tight end Daniel Graham and cornerback Dré Bly. Henry and Graham, two new cogs to a recharged offense, cost Bowlen a combined $27 million in bonus money.
“It’s been expensive,” Bowlen said. “But that’s the price of playing poker. … You have to do it.”
There is a chance Bowlen will soon be writing out another check, this time to his head coach. He acknowledged that he is in contract extension talks with Shanahan, who has two more years remaining on his contract. The two have been planning for months to begin talks. Bowlen said he didn’t want to put a timetable on when the extension could be finalized. He said only “(talks) are progressing well.”
Bowlen said he is confident the team is prepared to rebound from the disappointing 2006 season. The Broncos started the season 7-2 but faded down the stretch, losing four straight games and finishing the season with a home loss to San Francisco. The Broncos were 4-4 at Invesco Field at Mile High last season after going 8-0 in 2005.
Although Denver’s disappointing season shook Bowlen, he admitted that one of the toughest stretches of his tenure as the team’s owner came after the season.
Starting right cornerback Darrent Williams was killed in an unsolved drive-by shooting Jan. 1, about nine hours after the season-ending loss to the 49ers. Reserve running back Damien Nash died suddenly after a charity basketball game in St. Louis on Feb. 24. Initial autopsy reports failed to find a cause of death. Both Williams and Nash were 24. Bowlen’s mother died late in the season.
“I used to think losing Super Bowls were tough,” Bowlen said. “It’s been very hard.”
Bowlen said it has been therapeutic to concentrate on signing and trading for players in the past three weeks. The additions came after the team hired several new coaches including new assistant head coach in charge of defense Jim Bates and special- teams coach Scott O’Brien.
“There two areas where you try to improve, and that’s coaches and players,” Bowlen said. “I feel good about what we’ve done and the improvements that are being made.”
And in Denver, those improvements are mandatory after disappointing seasons.
Staff writer Bill Williamson can be reached at 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com.
