Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag on Wednesdays during the regular season.
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We saw the Ravens whip the Steelers. They should beat the Patriots. . Can the Broncos win the rematch at Mile High?
— Kevin McGrath, Denver
Kevin – You have presented what many believe would be the Broncos’ ideal AFC championship game scenario.
But if I were the Broncos, I’d want the chance to beat the Patriots in New England. And then I’d want the chance to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
No backdoors to the Lombardi Trophy. Are you good enough or aren’t you? If you’re going to win the Super Bowl, you have to be good enough to beat New England in New England. You have to be good enough to beat Seattle.
I think if the Broncos play their best game, they can beat the Patriots in New England. And I think if they click again, they can beat the Seahawks in a neutral field in the Phoenix area on Feb. 1.
Just because they haven’t doesn’t mean they can’t.
But to your scenario, Kevin, since Joe Flacco became the Ravens’ quarterback in 2008, Baltimore has won two of three playoff games in Gillette Stadium.
In a 33-14 victory at New England in the 2009 season, Flacco was — get this — 4-of-10 passing for 34 yards, 0 TDs and 1 pick. But Tom Brady threw three picks in that game, and the Ravens went up 24-0 in the first quarter.
In the 2012 season, after the Ravens stunned Peyton Manning’s Broncos in overtime in a second-round playoff game, Baltimore beat up the Patriots, 28-13, in the AFC championship game.
As for the one playoff game the Ravens lost in Foxborough, they should have won that, too. The final score was 23-20 and the Ravens’ Lee Evans should have caught a late TD pass before Billy Cundiff missed a short field goal.
I know this about the AFC’s second-round playoff game this weekend opposite the Colts-Broncos: The Pats are thinking about how they can outsmart the Ravens; the Ravens are trying to figure how to beat up the Patriots.
As for the Broncos and Ravens in the AFC championship, let’s make sure it happens before we dissect it. I think the Pats beat the Ravens. The Broncos should beat the Colts, providing Andrew Luck doesn’t have his “Drive” moment that John Elway had in the AFC championship game of his fourth season of 1986.
Mike – Why are the local journalists reluctant to ever criticize John Elway’s draft picks and even some free-agent decisions? Yes, the Broncos are 12-4, but going into the playoffs our pass rush has become suspect and the offensive line is in disarray. The Elvis Dumervil debacle is really a head scratcher along with not drafting any offensive linemen and wasting questionable high picks on Brock Osweiler and Sylvester Williams, etc.
— Mike McManus, Greenwood Village
Mike – It was either the “Dumervil Fax Fiasco” or the “Dumervil Deadline Debacle.” Take your pick on what to deem the farce. However it happened, whosever fault it was, the fact is the Ravens have Dumervil and the Broncos don’t. Which was written several times in 2013, by the way.
GMs, coaches, owners, team presidents, they all make mistakes. This is sports, not math. It ain’t 2+2 when you’re dealing with the human condition. Sports people are judged on body of work. Elway has been a general manager for four years. They’ve won four AFC West Division titles in those four years. If we do bring math into this, he couldn’t have won more than four.
The Broncos have reached the second round of the playoffs all four years. There’s one Super Bowl appearance. Maybe in two weeks there will be two.
Free agents? Peyton Manning, Louis Vasquez, Emmanuel Sanders, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward either all made Pro Bowls the past two years or had a 101-catch season.
Draft picks? Von Miller, Rahim Moore, Orlando Franklin, Nate Irving, Quinton Carter, Julius Thomas and Virgil Green from 2011. Oh, and Chris Harris as an undrafted free agent.
Derek Wolfe, Brock Osweiler, Ronnie Hillman, Omar Bolden, Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan from the 2012 draft. Jackson and Trevathan in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively.
As for Osweiler, the Broncos had to get a starting-caliber quarterback to back up Manning in case the veteran didn’t recover as hoped from a neck injury. Had the Broncos drafted Russell Wilson instead of Osweiler in the second round, know how many games Wilson would have started the past three years? Zero.
I’ll agree the 2013 and 2014 drafts have been slow to develop. As of now, only Sylvester Williams (a starter, not a wasted pick) and Bradley Roby are significant players.
But keep in mind, the Broncos of 2013 and 2014 had better things to do than develop rookies. Like win 15 and 12 games.
With this year’s team, there was some concern going in about running back, the offensive line and middle linebacker. C.J. Anderson came on in the backfield, but Elway will have to address the offensive front and middle linebacker position in the offseason.
But each of the final eight teams left playing have flaws. Also keep in mind, the Broncos in the year before Elway took charge were 4-12. What Elway has done has been nothing short of remarkable. But, yes, Mike, it’s a fan’s unalienable right to desire more and demand better.
Hi, Mr. Klis. What would you say the possibilities are that the Broncos hire Rex Ryan as a consultant to deal with the Pats? He’s played them fantastically in the past! Maybe it could lead to a future DC job? Thoughts? Thanks and keep up the great work!
— John, Dallas
John – The last time Rex Ryan was in Denver, Tim Tebow gave him such a bad case of indigestion, .
But there hasn’t been any talk of bringing in Ryan to Dove Valley as a Patriots’ witch doctor. He’s been busy on the head coach interview circuit. I was told three weeks ago — two games left in the regular season — by an NFL source that Ryan already had the head job in Atlanta. That Bill Parcells loves Rex and Parcells’ son-in-law is Scott Pioli, the Falcons’ assistant general manager. And Falcons owner Arthur Blank wants a headliner to help sell expensive tickets for his new stadium that is set to open in 2017.
And then — what do you know? — Ryan interviewed Tuesday with the Falcons. I’ve also heard from sources what has been widely reported elsewhere that Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff would prefer to hire (cringe!) Josh McDaniels as head coach.
So I don’t see Ryan becoming a defensive coordinator again, at least not until he exhausts his head coaching or TV analyst opportunities. (A network studio job is likely waiting for him if he doesn’t take a head job.)
And the Broncos do have the No. 3-ranked defense. It might even be the strongest element of the team. Why mess with a strength? It’s a nice thought. But not happening.
Why wouldn’t Adam Gase just sit back and take the Broncos job in a few years?
— Randy, Minnesota
Randy – There are no guarantees a few years from now. A few years from now, when Peyton Manning is coaching his son Marshall and daughter Mosley’s Pop Warner team ( ), Gase might not be as hot as he is now.
There are only 32 of these NFL head coaching jobs. with teams that seem to be interviewing seven to 10 candidates. Gase is hot now because he coached up Tim Tebow to six straight wins in 2011, got the best out of Manning while setting records in 2013, and successfully transformed the offense this season into a run-pass mix.
Problem is, the longer the Broncos stay alive in the postseason, the less likely Gase and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio have of getting a head coach job. It shouldn’t be that way, but that’s reality with the NFL’s current coaching arrangement.
Hey, Mike. Would Peyton Manning ever restructure his deal to help the Broncos bring back their free agents, like Tom Brady has done (more than once)? I can’t imagine he needs the money!
— Eric, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Eric – The team hasn’t asked, but I’m sure if there was an administrative tweak the Broncos wanted to do to his contract, Manning would be amenable.
Keep in mind, restructuring a contract does not necessarily mean taking a pay cut. Brady wound up with more money when he restructured his deal.
Manning, by the way, will take a slight pay reduction in 2015. He made $20 million in 2013 and again in 2014. He’ll draw a $19 million salary in 2015 and, if he plays out his contract, $19 million in 2016.
Broncos’ contract guru Mike Sullivan knows the salary-cap system inside and out. Did you see anybody else sign the likes of Ware, Talib, Sanders and Ward in the offseason?
It’s not the salary cap. It’s having the cash to spend 100 percent of the salary cap. The salary cap can be manipulated. Cash is cash.
Mike – I have been a Bronco fan since my dad bought me season tickets to help save the team in 1962. It pains me to see us bomb in prime time over and over throughout the years. John Fox seems to have that same problem. The Cincy game looked a lot like last year’s Super Bowl. The players were tight. Why can’t he get them up for big games?
— Keith Toal, Harvester, Iowa
Keith – Remember when Mike Shanahan was a postseason Mastermind? His postseason coaching record is 8-6. John Fox’s postseason coaching record is 8-6.
The Broncos were 4-1 in prime-time games this year; 2-3 in 2013 and 4-1 in 2012. Prime-time games tend to match the Broncos against difficult opponents so 10-5 in prime time isn’t bad.
I remember during the 2006-season Super Bowl media day in Miami, Peyton Manning as the Colts’ quarterback was asked about his performances in “big games.” Manning said it seems the definition of “big games” become those his team lost.
The Broncos beat San Diego in a second-round playoff game last year. That was a big game. The Broncos beat the Patriots in the AFC championship game last year. That was a really big game.
The Broncos got destroyed by Seattle in the Super Bowl. That was the largest of big games. Fox didn’t do well in that one. But to make a blanket statement that Fox doesn’t coach well in big games is to only remember the losses and forget the wins.
Semi-Broncos question for you. All of Denver’s sports venues seem to be in great condition, but which one do you think will be the first to get a major renovation, or a new building altogether?
— Jason, Longmont
Jason – I wouldn’t call this a semi-Broncos question. I would call this a leading question. Let me start by saying a stadium should not be judged on its playing surface alone.
The Broncos and the football stadium district invested more than $30 million last year to upgrade the scoreboard, video and sound systems and Internet. They also added the Ring of Fame Plaza last year and they splashed new paint on the place after Sports Authority took over naming rights from Invesco in 2011.
The venue most likely will finish up its 14th Broncos season Sunday. The turf has been cosmetically atrocious all season, but it’s been good to the players’ knees and joints. The team needs to strip its surface and replace it during the offseason.
Otherwise, may the (Sponsor’s Name) at Mile High last another 50 years. Coors Field, which opened in 1995, is Denver’s oldest professional sports venue. But I also think it’s the best. The Rockies don’t draw 30,000 a night because of their team.
The Pepsi Center opened in 1999. I went to see the Blackhawks beat the Avs earlier this season. I liked it fine.
All in all, Denver metropolitan area taxpayers have ponied up for nice venue experiences. I’d like to see the Golden Park and Recreation Department get scoreboards that work at the Ulysses softball fields. But no new buildings are needed.
Hi, Mike. Peyton Manning recently said, No matter what happens the rest of this year, that’s the best news the Broncos could hope for. I think too many people forget what the 15 years between Elway and Manning were like. No matter the outcome, we should savor the opportunity to see a legend perform his craft as long as possible.
— Gary Ukele, Casper
Gary – You nailed it. I once talked to Peyton about the way some other superstars have retired. I don’t think he’ll go for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Derek Jeter retirement tour.
I think he’ll do it like Elway did in 1998 — everyone was fairly certain it was The Duke’s final season, but he didn’t make an announcement until his tearful farewell press conference in May 1999.
As for Manning, every touchdown pass sets a new record. Every time you watch him play you have a chance to witness history. That doesn’t happen with everybody.
Hi, Mike. When American football took off in the U.K. in the mid-’80s, my brother said I would love John Elway, and he was right; I was hooked from Day One. In this informative stage, he supported the Jerry Rice/Joe Montana 49ers but converted to the Broncos, too, and has stayed loyal even through the dark times and even took in a game at Invesco. As an expert and native, can you please advise if he can now be considered a true Bronco fan?
— James, Hamilton, Scotland
James – What a great question to wrap up the first mailbag of the New Year. I’m not a native, James, and there is no such thing as an expert, but yes, as someone who moved to Colorado a little more than 30 years ago, I do hereby declare your brother as a true, orange-and-blue Broncos fan.
May you and the bro hoist a Scottish Pale Ale to celebrate.
for the Broncos Mailbag. Listen to Mike Klis on “Klis’ Korner” on Monday-Friday at 102.3 FM ESPN.
