How would you classify this season as a success or failure?

[montrose]

I got the idea for this poll based on Jim Armstrong's column this morning:

Originally Posted by Jim Armstrong, 12/17/08

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_11248696
Broncos: Time is on their side
By Jim Armstrong

At the risk of getting ahead of himself, Mike Shanahan was talking about the playoffs the other day.

"I think it would be a plus for our younger players to have that experience," Shanahan said.

A plus, a Christmas bonus, a dab of frosting on the cake. But do the Broncos need to get to the playoffs and make something happen to validate their season? No.

Back before the wheels fell off the Chargers' team charter, this Broncos season was supposed to be about growth and development. And if you're one who prefers the view of the forest over the trees, it still is.

That's why, any way you slice it, and no matter what the Broncos do in the playoffs, this season has been a certified success. Because this team has undergone enormous growth and development.

Forget the Carolina game. The Panthers are ready to win now. The Broncos? Of their 22 starters, 18 have joined the organization since 2006. That's not a team ready to win now. But having witnessed what we have in this crazy, mixed-up Broncos season, it's when they're going to win, not if.

No matter what happens in the playoffs, the Broncos are ahead of the curve. They have more impact players, ones who rank among the best in the game at their positions, than at any point since the years immediately following the back-to-back Super Bowls of the late 1990s.

We didn't know Jay Cutler would show signs of being a star. We thought so. But we didn't know. Now we do. And the same goes for Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal and Ryan Clady.

The Broncos had two players named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday — Cutler and Marshall — and another who should have been: Clady. Each is 25 or younger. The last time they had a trio of such young and talented players? That would be never.

Contrast that to the 2005 team, which played for the AFC championship. That was the team of Jake Plummer, an aging Rod Smith, a banged- up Al Wilson and a first-round bust named George Foster.

Fact is, the worst is behind Shana- han. He found himself at the crossroads after that 2005 season. But just when it looked like he was losing his touch on draft day, he has restocked the roster with young talent, the likes of which we haven't seen in the Shanahan era. Not even on the Super Bowl teams, veteran units assembled largely through trades and free agency.

Add it all up and you've got a legitimate Super Bowl contender — next year or the year after, but not next month.

With that, how would you classify this season?

[Paladin]

Successful.

Too many people here bashed trhe mullets for backing in a couple of years ago. The same would be true for these guys. Let the sparkies get hammered in the one playoff game against the Ravens or Indy and have the crowning humiliation to their season. It would be just delightful.......

[Peoples Champ]

I would say as long as we saw improvement from last year, then sucess. So I say we improved, with less injuries, we could have improved more. Also, if we make the playoffs, that is an improvement from last year.

[PRBronco]

Usually I'd consider winning a game without Champ a success, but they've overcome so much more than just that this year, I'm very impressed.

, also, I consider most wins successes. Just thought I'd add that in.

[rbackfactory80]

Exactly as I expected, I called 8-8 and see that coming. I think the Chargers will get beat by a Tampa team that needs to win and we will back into the playoffs. As Shanahan said the playoffs would be valuable to this young squad and I remember just a few years back when Manning Faced the Jets and got skunked 41-0. He did alright after that. Expecting Cutler to carry this team right now to a Super Bowl victory is ridiculous but I would rather back in and get beat then play strong next year and have a rude awakening of what the playoffs are about.

[colonelbeef]

That is an excellent article, it surmises most of the points I have been making for the past few months.

This season is a success. Shanahan is in the process of building a dominant, perennial contender. Times are good for Denver Broncos fans.

[fido]

An absolute success already imo.

[Los Broncos]

Winning the divison and making the playoffs is a success, I thought we were just rebuilding.

[Kaylore]

Exceeded expectations:

• Rebuilt the offensive line from scratch with an all-pro left tackle rookie.
• Found a complimentary receiver, special teams threat and potential team leader and character guy in Eddie Royal.
• Win the division. (we'll see on this one)
• Hit on so many of our draft picks.

Met expectations:

• Cutler and Marshall made the pro bowl.
• Make the playoffs. (we'll see on this too)
• Finish with a top ten offense.

Disappointed expectations:

• Finish with a middle of the pack defense.
• Finish with a top ten rushing attack.
• Bailey makes the pro bowl.
• Dumervil gets 9+ sacks.
• We sweep the Raiders.

[TonyR]

A moderate success. But after this season it will be 1 playoff win in 10 years, so I will be satisfied with nothing less than a minimum of 10 wins and at least 1 playoff win next season. Ten years is plenty of time to rebuild, and ten years is up after this season. The 2009 Denver Broncos: Playoff contenders or bust. And if bust, bye-bye Mike, thanks for the memories.

[gyldenlove]

I am not ready to call it a success yet, but I am not ready to say it has been unsuccessful.

Going into the season my expectations were that we would finish 9-7 and be in the wild card race. Right now it looks like 9-7 is going to be pretty spot on and we will win the AFC West by default.

If the Chargers had been a better team this year I would consider winning the AFC West a success, but thanks to their total inadequacy winning the AFC West is just not good enough to really define success.

I think if we end the season strong AND beat the chuggers in the last game, the season will be a success.

[Steve Prefontaine]

Already a success. This season has far exceeded my expectations.

Especially in the wake of having 24 RBs end up on IR and our top 11 defensive players injured for some period of time. And I'm only slightly exaggerating.

[baja]

I voted other because I feel that we should have been able to field a much better team since the retirement of Elway.I think the Broncos have been a failure over the long term post Elway.

[Taco John]

Making the playoffs and having a competitive game is a success to me for *this* season.

[Dagmar]

It's a success, but blowing the lead in the West and losing to SD on the last day will be too much to take...

So based on preseason expectations - a success

Based on expectations after the Atlanta game - a disappointment...

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Thought they'd win 8, they're already there with 2 left to play and control their own destiny in the division. It's been a successful season.

[(Jae)]

Learning experience for a young team.
Last year, this team didnt even have the basic fundamentals of playing football down. To some degree, they still dont. I wouldve liked the defense to have stuck with a scheme this year and practiced it for next year, but what can you do.

[Peoples Champ]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Exceeded expectations:

• Rebuilt the offensive line from scratch with an all-pro left tackle rookie.
• Found a complimentary receiver, special teams threat and potential team leader and character guy in Eddie Royal.
• Win the division. (we'll see on this one)
• Hit on so many of our draft picks.

Met expectations:

• Cutler and Marshall made the pro bowl.
• Make the playoffs. (we'll see on this too)
• Finish with a top ten offense.

Disappointed expectations:

• Finish with a middle of the pack defense.
• Finish with a top ten rushing attack.
• Bailey makes the pro bowl.
• Dumervil gets 9+ sacks.
• We sweep the Raiders.

I like your point of view, i wish more people thought like that.

[Peoples Champ]

I know we are a successfull franchise when you comepare us with all 30 teams, I put Broncos in top 5 all time, most people will say top 10 for sure. So our fans will get spoiled with high expextations. It is pretty obsurd to expect superbowl or bust every year, even if your coming off a great year previous with better team. We cant be too picky as fans, just gotta hope we have a good product on the field, and hope our season lasts longer then all other fans' seasons.

[Dagmar]

Originally Posted by Kaylore

Exceeded expectations:

• Rebuilt the offensive line from scratch with an all-pro left tackle rookie.
• Found a complimentary receiver, special teams threat and potential team leader and character guy in Eddie Royal.
• Win the division. (we'll see on this one)
• Hit on so many of our draft picks.

Met expectations:

• Cutler and Marshall made the pro bowl.
• Make the playoffs. (we'll see on this too)
• Finish with a top ten offense.

Disappointed expectations:

• Finish with a middle of the pack defense.
• Finish with a top ten rushing attack.
• Bailey makes the pro bowl.
• Dumervil gets 9+ sacks.
• We sweep the Raiders.

Same thing in the West no?

[Orange_Beard]

Big game this weekend. IF we win our way in the play-offs I would be very happy.

I think this will give the young guns much needed experience.

[2KBack]

I've thought this seasons was a success for a few weeks now. The team has shown improvement over the season despite the hiccups that comes with the plague of injuries, and having so many green players.

I would argue we have 2 all-pro tackles btw. Ryan Harris is getting even less love than Clady at this point, and it's too bad because he is playing his ass off.

[Mediator12]

I think it has been both as Kaylore did an excellent job of breaking down individual expectations.

Where I am still concerned, is the apparent Regression of the Defense after several recent rebuilding modes. Where they have had tremendous success on the offense, they have more than failed on defense. Pick a freaking system and obtain the players needed to play it starting with DT's first then the DE's, then the LB's, and safety's. The team still has talented CB's, but has left them out to dry schematically the last 2 years.

[TonyR]

Originally Posted by Peoples Champ

It is pretty obsurd to expect superbowl or bust every year... We cant be too picky as fans...

Agreed, but is it absurd to expect more than 1 playoff win in 10 years? Is that being too picky?

[g00fyfoot]

Since it would be an improvement over last season, a winning record will clinch a succesful season for me. A 10-win season would be awesome. A playoff win and I'd be over the moon.