Kiz: The Broncos have ridden the wave of euphoria that was a Super Bowl parade. They have laughed with the president at the White House. But after the team passes out rings during a ceremony Sunday, is the party over? The contract squabble with all-pro linebacker Von Miller screamed an important message: It is hard, if not impossible, for any team to sustain that championship feeling.
Renck: Offseason turbulence reached its peak with the shooting involving cornerback Aqib Talib a week ago, and Miller’s contract stalemate, which became public Tuesday. Until then, the past four months represented manageable issues. Even the quarterback uncertainty, hand-wringing for most teams, doesn’t illicit panic because of how coach Gary Kubiak managed the Peyton Manning-Brock Osweiler drama last season. But this is different. This involves the brotherhood of the defense. The Broncos can’t win without harmony and health on that side of the ball.
Kiz: Every pro franchise tries to foster a brotherhood in the locker room. The Broncos pulled it off a year ago, especially among the defensive players, who competed for each other from the first snap of the regular season to the final sack of Cam Newton in the Super Bowl. But a sense of family is an elusive and often temporary thing in the NFL, because your brothers, whether they’re named Malik Jackson or Danny Trevathan, are constantly being pushed out the door. Alienate Miller, and it’s over.
Renck: Upsetting Miller is not a great strategy. That’s the danger of players becoming involved in contract talks. It’s why teams tell baseball players to never sit in on their arbitration meetings: It’s too personal. Miller wants to get a deal done because he has done everything asked of him the past two seasons. But he’s part of a larger system where the franchise tag has become a too powerful hammer for teams. The Broncos don’t have to budge yet because Miller is not a free agent. But the stalemate creates acrimony. I would suggest from this point forward that Miller turn off his phone and let his agent dig in.
Kiz: I’m not saying the Broncos are condemned to a 7-9 record in 2016, as doomsayers in the national media have predicted. But the business of sports conspires against a Denver repeat. It’s hard to keep the special bond of a winning team together, because economic forces tear it apart. A league built on parity undermines the elite. The champs of Super Bowl 50? They’re gone. The Broncos cannot recreate the magic. The challenge will be to forge a new identity.
Renck: Every team has a new personality each year. But let’s not kid ourselves. If the Broncos aren’t defined by a ravenous defense this season, they are in trouble. The offense will improve because Demaryius Thomas will rebound, C.J. Anderson will become a bell cow and the quarterbacks won’t throw as many interceptions. Still, the Broncos need the defense to be special. That will be difficult if Talib is absent — he’s in line for a possible suspension — and Miller, the glue guy in the locker room, is unhappy.
