Mile High Reclamation

[TheManeMan]

Mile high reclamation

Don Banks, SI.com

They're a mere 37 days removed from their Week 1 meltdown in Miami, but for the Broncos, it probably feels like ancient history. Nothing went right for Denver that toasty afternoon at Pro Player Stadium, as the Dolphins opened the Nick Saban era with a 34-10 demolition of Mike Shanahan's disinterested team.

Rarely have I seen a Denver team so thoroughly embarrassed and lacking effort. At least until the playoffs, where the Broncos have endured consecutive first-round humiliations to Indianapolis.

But since leaving Miami, the Broncos have steadily rebuilt their self-esteem and reputation, taking the under-the-radar approach to again position themselves among the AFC elite. Has there been a stealthier success story in the NFL this season than the 5-1 Broncos?

Denver's five-game winning streak is the league's second longest, trailing only the 6-0 Colts, and is the franchise's best since starting the 1998 season 13-0. Even better, the Broncos are beating quality opponents. Their most recent four victories have come against winning teams, with the exclamation point being last Sunday's 28-20 win over New England.

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The Broncos are doing everything well these days.

• Quarterback Jake Plummer, he of mistake-prone past, is playing both efficiently and productively. Plummer has six touchdowns and no interceptions in his past four starts, with ratings of 110.4 or higher in three of those.

• The Broncos' running game is humming, averaging an AFC-best 153.3 yards per game after denting New England for 178. Running backs Tatum Bell (114 yards on 13 carries) and Mike Anderson (15 carries for 57) are growing into a formidable 1-2 punch.

• And Denver's defense ranks fifth against the run, allowing just 88.3 yards per game, with only two gains of 20 yards or more. After the debacle against the Dolphins, the Broncos have surrendered a modest 14.6 points per game.

Still, Broncos fans remain wary, and understandably so. They've seen this act before. Denver has started 5-1 for three consecutive seasons now, but it hasn't won more than 10 games since 2000, with its last playoff victory coming in the 1998 Super Bowl.

With a game and a half lead over Kansas City (3-2) in the AFC West, the Broncos have our attention now. They won't be sneaking up on anyone from here on out. Their next 10 games will tell us if they work as well in the spotlight as they have in the shadows

the rest of the article... (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Ag62K3l_hbDMHIJ4cP1Cw71DubYF?slug=cnnsi-milehighreclama&prov=cnnsi&type=lgns)

[ludo21]

If i wasnt a Bronco fan and didnt watch the team weekly, i would also think twice before jumping on the bandwagon considering we always get off to fast starts then falter.

But since i am a fan and have watched every game, I can tell this years team is very different.

[Bronco Billy]

If i wasnt a Bronco fan and didnt watch the team weekly, i would also think twice before jumping on the bandwagon considering we always get off to fast starts then falter.

But since i am a fan and have watched every game, I can tell this years team is very different.


I agree that this year's team is different, but there has been more than one season in the past few years where we've played bad (out of nowhere) for a three or four week stretch. Most of those stretches include home losses where we were clearly the superior team (i.e. last year Oakland was 3-7 coming into Denver on 11/28 and beat us 25-24.)

Hopefully, we can avoid this "lack of concentration" this year.

[Kaylore]

If i wasnt a Bronco fan and didnt watch the team weekly, i would also think twice before jumping on the bandwagon considering we always get off to fast starts then falter.

But since i am a fan and have watched every game, I can tell this years team is very different.
Very different. Look how we barely beat Tampa last year and where did they finish? The Chiefs game was back and forth and Priest still got 100 yards last season. The Jags game we couldn't put any points up (though still did enough to win). The Panthers and the Chargers games both had Jake flinging interceptions around. We beat the Titans and won against the Colts sans Peyton at home, but not by as much as one would think.

This is a different team indeed.

[OrangeForceOne]

Personally I haven't given a shiat what the media has had to say from the beginning of the season. I'm not going to start now.

[BroncoFanDoug]

This year is different (IMHO) on two important counts:

- we have been making hay against quality opponents - a tougher schedule than any other top team.
- we have a real D. That will keep us in games that got away before.

The one fly in the ointment. We have had 4 of 6 home games. We need to at least win 50% of the road games and hold court at home. One of the reasons this coming week is an important test.

[Crushaholic]

The one fly in the ointment. We have had 4 of 6 home games. We need to at least win 50% of the road games and hold court at home. One of the reasons this coming week is an important test.

Exactly. There are only 4 more home games in the regular season, so we need to prove we can win consistently on the road.

[24champ]

Is the oakland game going to count as a road game, i mean the raider fans aint too happy about the team and I doubt they would show up. BTW is this where the WICHITA THEORY comes in?