If anything, the tenor of the Denver Broncos organization is interesting to say the least. Head Coach Josh McDaniels just held his press conference here at the NFL Combine, and even here, the questions are all over the board -- asking about the circus that's known as the Broncos franchise since McDaniels arrived. Not to say it's McDaniels' fault or even anyone in particular, but if you reflect back to the short tenure McDaniels has enjoyed to this point, it's been non-stop off the field drama since Day One.
While the levels here weren't anything on the level of CutlerFest '09, various questions were asked by different sources about much of the same topics that plagued the Broncos last off-season. Elvis Dumervil speaking out about his contract issues. The Darrent Williams murder trial. The trade-him-or-not Brandon Marshall carousel ride. Sure, there were some questions concerning player progression and the like, but mostly it centered around topics that other like-minded teams would never even worry about.
Think about this: how many teams can you name connected to the Patriots or even the Parcells tree who attract this much attention about subjects like these? Can you imagine the Dolphins, Chiefs or Patriots dealing with endless divas wanting more money or demanding to be traded? Say what you want about the Brian Waters debacle and how the Chiefs dealt with it, but it was swiftly taken care of. And the team quickly established to others who might want to raise their head that the Pioli Whack-A-Mole would hammer them as quickly as they popped up.
Of course, what matters most is on-field production, so Denver, as of now, sits in a stronger position than the Chiefs, and consequently, they deserve credit for that -- even with the end of season collapse. But you have to wonder about the long-term foundation being put in place, and whether owner Pat Bowlen and his Broncos will one day rue their inability to reign in the drama.
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