The Broncos own ‘eras tour’ needs a ‘Sean Payton Era’ in its storied history

Good morning, Broncos Country!

The Denver Broncos recently tweeted a montage of photos depicting the four Glory Eras in the franchise’s history - two of which include three Lombardi Trophies - and asking fans which was their favorite.

The tweet was mainly to highlight Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour at Mile High last weekend while also recounting an envious franchise history.

Asking fans to pick a favorite is really an impossible question - but one with all good answers (and I hope you all will chime in with your answers in the comments below, including reasons why, of course!)

Depending on when you became a fan, or at what point you were in your life when the Broncos were winning Super Bowls, probably dictates your answer.

But no answer can be the wrong answer, and that’s the point. I can’t possibly decide which era I liked best, but it occurred to me how amazing that is.

Not a lot of fan bases can boast having championship-caliber teams over multiple generations. Dynasty teams like Cowboys, Niners, Steelers and Patriots certainly compete.

The Broncos have had up and down seasons throughout their history, of course, but the number of years with contenders spans from the mid-70s to 2015 (and even includes a spark of hope in the 60s because of Floyd Little).

That’s pretty remarkable.

I know the drought of the last seven years has us reeling, but that 40-year span of championship teams is no small feat and should be celebrated at any opportunity.

Looking at my own Broncos’ fan history, it’s amazing to think I first drank the Kool-Aid as a young kid in the Orange Crush Era, then had the first John Elway Era carry me through a lot of fabulous-but-heart-attack-inducing Sunday afternoons during high school and college, before having the Terrell Davis Era solidify my obsession while surviving grad school (and while the Jake Plummer Era didn’t fully realize its potential, it earns an honorable mention for highly entertaining games).

Finally, my own young boys were introduced to the Broncos in the Peyton Manning Era and that just can’t be rivaled. Not too many other teams have those kinds of bragging rights.

And now that my young boys are teenagers, it seems like the perfect time for the Broncos to enter their fifth era of glory via the Sean Payton Era.

But until then...we can debate our favorites so far:

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