Dan Reeves is like everyone else. When he looks at the AFC West standings, he can’t help but scratch his head.
“Denver’s got to feel good about where they are,” the former Broncos coach said. “It’s amazing to me what’s going on out there. They’ve done a heck of a job being on top of that division.”
Actually, they haven’t. The Broncos are leading the West more out of default than dominance. Even Mike Shanahan acknowledges that they’re lucky to be 6-5 and leading the division, what with that minus-12 turnover ranking and a defense on pace to allow 400-plus points.
The goal remains the same at Dove Valley: Make the playoffs. But there’s a different twist this season. It’s clear this team isn’t the stuff of Super Bowl contenders. The Broncos’ best days don’t lie in the next two months, but the next two years.
This is a young team, the youngest of the Mike Shanahan era. The Broncos are building for the future, not the 2008 playoffs. Their best chance for success is for their offense to emerge into one of the elite units in the league.
And make no doubt, it could happen. The core talent is young. Jay Cutler is just one of many offensive players who could become stars down the road. Ryan Clady, Ryan Harris, Eddie Royal also are on that list. Brandon Marshall? You could argue that his next stop is superstardom.
What’s that? No, I haven’t forgotten about the defense. Shanahan’s challenge is to rebuild what has become one of the weakest units in the league. But even if he pulls it off, even if he adds a handful of new starters by next season, the offense will have to carry this team.
That’s what the 2008 season has shown us. In today’s NFL, in which the salary cap has spread the top-flight talent throughout the league, you don’t get two dominant units on the same team. Your offense carries you or your defense does.
You can’t have it both ways.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
