Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
As I read reactions from the Denver Broncos loss on Saturday, one thought keeps popping in my head and that is this; we all need to take a breath and slow down. As I have said; I stand by everything I wrote following the game but that was all reaction to that game. However I’m reading a lot of things today that the Broncos need to get rid of Champ Bailey, they need new receivers, the defense needs an overhaul and so on.
There’s a reason football teams do not make decisions in the immediate aftermath of a playoff loss; there’s too much emotion involved. Take Bailey and the rest of the secondary; they had an outstanding season. It would be foolish to blow that up based on one game; yes it was a playoff game but it doesn’t change the fact that for most of the season the secondary was a strength. Bailey had a rough day, there’s no way around it, but he had a solid season. Tony Carter and Chris Harris are great young cornerbacks who will only get better. Rahim Moore, like Bailey, did not play well but he too had a nice season in his second year as a pro. The Broncos will also welcome back safety, Quinton Carter who was hurt in training camp. Carter was the Broncos best safety at the end of the 2011 season and was on pace to be a starter in 2012; his return improves the safety position. The Broncos will look to add depth but the secondary was and is a strength of this team; one day does not change that.
The defense, as a whole, made strides but as I wrote following the game; they are not there yet. They need another inside pass rusher and a middle linebacker. However the pieces are in place, with some additions, for the defense to be a top five unit again in 2013. The one thing the Broncos can’t and won’t do is react to one loss; they will evaluate the whole season and make improvements in the areas that need it.
It was an emotional loss it’s a completely natural reaction to want to make big changes but the Broncos were 13-3, not 3-13. They don’t need big changes; they need some additions here and there. John Elway and his staff will step away for a few days, let the emotion fade and then come up with a plan for the off-season. Don’t tear down the house because the plumbing went bad on one day; fix the problem and move on.
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