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Broncos Country just wants a little honesty

At this point in the season, some fans would appreciate a little honesty from John Elway and the rest of the team.

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With the Denver Broncos sitting at 3-6, the idea of making the playoffs is far from the minds of most fans. The team has struggled to make the necessary adjustments in games, and the coaches seem to be costing their players wins. Now, coming off a bye week following a disappointing loss, it sure would be nice to get a little honesty from John Elway about the franchise.

On the Mile High Report Radio Podcast, Ian St. Clair and I discussed the PR spin that is coming from Elway about the team. Jeffrey Essary wrote about Elway’s interview on Orange and Blue 760, and Elway’s spin is getting old. It’s the same old cliches; “any given Sunday,” “take care of the little things,” “We can beat anybody.” At 3-6?

I know that some fans just don’t care. It’s PR spin, coach speak, and not worth listening to. For others, the act is just old and tired. After three years of consistent decline, hearing about being able to win every game is almost insulting. Why not come out and speak the truth? We aren’t very good. We need to work to get better.

Elway is the ultimate competitor, and admitting defeat is not in his nature. Ian and I discussed how GM’s like Tom Coughlin, one-time coaches, are used to calling out players in the media. He would have no problem saying his team isn’t any good. A former NFL quarterback who never believed a game was over until the clock read 0:00 can’t accept defeat.

This might be why Elway never admits his team is bad. He can’t admit defeat, but Ian captured the passion of the fan in his plea. I encourage you to listen to it, but here is a snippet of what he said.

“This fanbase is diehard. It has been through a lot. It has been through five Super Bowl losses ... This fanbase will support you, but you gotta stop insulting us. You have to start treating us like we know what we see and what we hear is actually what we see and what we hear.”

I love a rosy outlook. Orange and blue sunrises are the best. But now, after over two seasons of less than mediocrity, some of us just want Elway to tell us he sees what we see. He knows it’s bad, and he is going to fix it. There is no doubt that he has those conversations internally. Maybe this is just an old fan looking for some confirmation. We as fans will follow this franchise, no matter what, but now is the time to admit it. Now is the time to come out and just be honest. The Broncos aren’t any good, but they are working to get better.

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