As Broncos Country sits around the metaphorical Thanksgiving dinner table many will want to find something to be thankful for. Ian St. Clair and I did just that on the latest MHR Radio Podcast (Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify).
There are a few things to be thankful for, but the list is probably shorter than it has been in a long time. And inevitably, the traditional family fight will break out.
How will it start? A small quip about Von Miller disappearing in games? A jab at Chris Harris Jr losing a step? Perhaps your drunk uncle (everybody has one, some of us are one) will voice his support for Garett Bolles.
Everyone will roll their eyes at that, and it will get quiet. The deafening silence will be broken by the mention of John Elway and his struggle to find the next franchise quarterback. All hell is about to break loose.
“Elway needs to be fired!”
“John Elway is the Denver Broncos! That’s blasphemy!”
Then his draft record will be thrown out by both sides. His struggles are easy to point out. The low hanging fruit of Paxton Lynch and Garett Bolles will be the first volley. A retort of Courtland Sutton and Dalton Risner will be launched in a counter attack.
“He’s nothing without Peyton Manning!”
“He signed Manning!” This will obviously be met with arguments about John Fox being the reason Manning came to Denver.
Factions will be formed, as each argument builds on the last.
“Name one tackle that Elway has drafted or signed that is worth a lick of salt!” Questions like this will cause some members to switch sides, as mutterings of names like Ja’Wuan James, Ty Sambrailo, and more Bolles hate gets put out there.
Someone will invariably bring up the fact that John Elway created the greatest offense in the history of the NFL, and then turned around and put together a dominant Super Bowl winning defense.
“Who cares about the past?! The NFL is a, ‘what have you done for me lately,’ league!” And obviously, all the Broncos have done lately is disappoint.
“The NFL is a, ‘what will you do for me,’ league. The arrow is pointing up. Sutton, Phillip Lindsay, Justin Simmons, all solid young players. Kareem Jackson is a stud. Vic Fangio is building something!”
“Is it the same crap that Vance Joseph was building? It’s the same damn results!”
“Have you heard of A.J. Johnson? Vance Joseph would never find a guy like that!”
It’s funny how a little family get together can come to blows so quickly. The conversation will cool, as common ground will be found in Drew Lock.
“They better start Lock against the Chargers.” Heads will nod in agreement. “And they better bench Bolles!”
Most of the sane people in the room will smile, while Drunk Uncle just shrugs it off. He’s not mad, he’s just disappointed that no one agreed with his looney conspiracy theories about Bolles finally turning the corner.
Eventually, the pie will come out, and ice cream and little chocolates. The argument will fade into the memory banks of all who attend Broncos Country Thanksgiving, but nothing will be solved. All we know is that we all bleed Orange and Blue.
And cranberry sauce is gross.