Broncos share some vulnerability after another brutal loss

After yet another devastating loss resulting from questionable (a generous adjective) play-calling, it’s hard to imagine things getting better without a major change in leadership. They certainly have a lot to re-evaluate. One thing is for certain, though; we have one of the best defenses in the league.

It’s part of what makes these losses that much more heartbreaking.

And yes, the Denver Broncos offensive players are fully aware that they’re effectively screwing over one of the best defenses in the league. Of course, it isn’t intentional. It isn’t even totally their fault. On paper, the offense was really promising; so with someone else to guide them, they could shape up to be much better.

Tonight’s QB, backup Brett Rypien, expressed the need for change in performance. “I don’t know if there’s desperation, but I think everybody in our locker room feels the urgency to get better,” he admitted after the 16-9 loss, “That starts with every single guy looking at themselves in the mirror and figuring out what I can do to help this offense and help this team because when your defense is playing as well as our defense is, you shouldn’t be losing games. That’s just point-blank, period, a fact.”

I’m seeing a lot of tweets that are like “Well, now we know the problem isn’t Russell Wilson,” and I partially agree with them, but part of me is hesitant. Of course this comes down to a coaching issue. I can agree with that part. We need to find someone who can call plays.

Here is the question, though: Would Wilson play well with a competent coach at the helm? Are we sure? We really don’t know yet. We won’t know until the coaching is in someone else’s hands. He could prove to be as worthless from a scoring perspective as he was the first six games of the season.

Coach Hackett was asked how he keeps the offense and defense from becoming divided amid their very disproportionate production levels. He insisted that they win or lose as a team.

“They all know that. That’s part of it. We have to hold each other accountable,” he said, noting that once they start to capitalize on opportunities, he thinks their trajectory will begin to change.

WR KJ Hamler echoed this, saying, “We are never going to divide. I mean, we’re a brotherhood...It’s family you know, family doesn’t fold on each other. So we’re going to be good regardless.”

The defense is right on the same page, refusing to point fingers at the offense, which is admirable in the face of four straight losses. They’re sticking together, win or lose, and they’ll share in the triumphs (whichever ones come) and defeats together.

“We’re a team; we stick together. We have a strong bond throughout this locker room, and it’s bigger than that,” CB Patrick Surtain II shared, “Obviously, we need to improve on the little things as a whole team. As far as dividing—there is none of that because we stay strong for one another.”

But it’s not all friendship and roses. There is frustration, disappointment, and a processing involved with each one of these players. Not necessarily frustration at each other, but frustration as a whole.

Safety Justin Simmons said he knows he sounds like a “broken record,” but winning is all that matters.

“It’s hard, but nobody cares at the end of the day. We get paid to go out here and find a way to win games. There are no poor me’s... there are no pity parties about that,” Simmons explained, adding that a win against Jacksonville next week is crucial.

“The only good thing about this league is that there is always next week,” he went on, “You look yourself in the mirror, we are 2-5 and 0-2 in the AFC West. That stings. It hurts to say, but it is what it is. There is no shying from that.”

DL Mike Purcell expressed his own difficult feelings around these losses. “I’m just sick of being right there. We keep saying we’re right there, it’s going to turn around, it’s going to turn around, but to be honest...we have got to turn it around,” he said.

“I feel like people are just waiting for it to turn around, and it’s not something that we can wait for, it’s something that we have got to make happen.”