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The Denver Broncos are playing for history

In this young season, the Denver Broncos have roared out of the gate, defeating 2 of the most difficult opponents they will face all year. It could be said that the first three games were the most challenging stretch on the schedule. Broncos fans might smile at that, but this team won’t.

What seems to be common place in Denver is anything but, around the league. There are few teams that will openly talk about being great. Few teams that understand the importance of winning. You can count on one had the teams that have a commitment to winning Super Bowls.

That is why Broncos Country is so enamored with players like Emmanuel Sanders and DeMarcus Ware. They set the tone, stating before training camp that it was Super Bowl or Bust in 2015. We all know it wasn't bust. Heading into 2016 was no different. Why should things change? Pat Bowlen always expected nothing less than the best, and John Elway is no different. Would Gary Kubiak have a different attitude?

There is a reason that John Fox is so loathed in Denver that he may never be invited for a reunion. No, John, winning the division is not enough. Pound sand. And I love that. We all do. The players know the commitment, and they feel it emanating from the coaching staff, and their Hall of Fame GM.

That is why they can be as brash as they are. As a fan, I was worried about the start of the season. The quarterback situation looked bleak. Winning one Super Bowl is hard enough. Repeating is a statistical anomaly. Doing it with a new QB under center seemed nearly impossible.

But the attitude remained the same. The defense, anchored by Von Miller and his QB-like contract wasn’t worried about it. The No Fly Zone welcomes the challenge each week. This defense knows who they are playing. It isn’t the team across from them. They are playing history. They are playing legend. There is a chance to be more than just great for a year. There is an opportunity to go down in the annals of NFL lore. You know they want it.

The offense is no different. They know what it would mean to complete the task of winning another Super Bowl without the legendary quarterback. Sanders and Demaryius Thomas know what it would mean. The Broncos are playing ghosts just as much as they are playing their opponents. They wouldn’t have it any other way.

This all stems from a coaching staff and management group that refuse to accept just winning the division. The only successful season is one that ends with a parade. And a parade this year would be legend. It may be early, and there will certainly be struggles, but this team has even the strictest of skeptics smiling. It could happen again.