MARK KISZLA
Kiszla: Playoffs?! Yep, Broncos can win the West
By Mark Kiszla
The Denver Post
POSTED: 08/30/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
The first football team to nine victories will be the champion of a weak AFC West. There's no reason the Denver Broncos can't be that team.
Playoffs?
Josh McDaniels can get there during his second season as coach in Denver.
It won't take a miracle, although a healthy Ryan Clady would help.
The Broncos know what the NFL world thinks of them: not much. Denver is viewed as little more than a win on the schedule for serious championship contenders.
"Obviously, that motivates us," Broncos receiver Brandon Lloyd said Sunday night, after beating Pittsburgh 34-17 in the only game that really matters on the preseason schedule. "But, at the same time, it's not like we're hanging newspaper clippings in the locker room about how terrible everybody thinks we are. It's fine. It's cool. Once we get between those lines, I think teams will respect us."
The division title is there for the taking by Denver.
San Diego has lost its mojo, Kansas City isn't quite ready for prime time and Oakland remains hopelessly lost in an Al Davis time warp.
...snip...
Nothing much is expected of the Broncos in 2010, which, in an odd way, passes for progress. A year ago, Denver was believed to be a disaster waiting to happen.
But the beauty of NFL parity means never having to say you're sorry for making the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Ask the Arizona Cardinals or New York Jets of recent vintage.
Denver is still a team discovering how it will win.
"The identity we want to have is a tough team that knows how to finish and get the job done," Ayers said.
Find an identity and the Broncos will find themselves in the playoffs.
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Kiszla: Playoffs?! Yep, Broncos can win the West - The Denver Post