THE BRONCOS ARE ADDICTED TO WINNING – AND IT’S SHOWING
One big reason the Broncos are Super Bowl champions gets too little credit. It’s something Gary Kubiak understands that many football coaches fail to grasp: To get an NFL team to play like champs, a coach needs to treat his players like men.
“It’s 100 percent football. It’s all we talk about. We go home and talk about football,” Broncos linebacker Von Miller said Thursday, explaining how cornerback Aqib Talib brings an edge to every practice and how the locker room can get animated with a spontaneous debate between teammates arguing about the best technique to run a post route.
Winning is a high. The Broncos are addicted to it. So in the locker room, it’s all about that action, boss.
“It’s just all football here,” Miller said. “We rely on it to get us through the day. We rely on that for our success, as well.”
It was Peyton Manning who originally set the no-nonsense tone, way back in 2012. Then the charisma of veteran linebacker DeMarcus Ware got players to buy in. Kubiak cemented the bricks in a winning culture so many teams desperately seek to build, without any real clue how to begin.
The nastiness in a Denver defense that leaves an ugly orange mark on the chest of foes was born of the freedom to go make plays rather than be enslaved by a scheme.
“We’re not robots,” said linebacker Brandon Marshall, explaining why the Broncos are a mixture of
computer analytics and the art of trusting your gut.
The Broncos play like men, without excuses or regrets. The champs hold one another accountable like men. Even amid the laughter of victory, you can walk in the Denver locker room and hear big, happy men yapping at each other about what worked in the last game and what needs work before the next game.
“My personality isn’t to jump in somebody’s face all the time. But it is to tell (players) the truth. And when I tell them they did something wrong, I think they know it,” said defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who constantly works to make the Broncos believe he always has: 1) their backs and 2) their best interest at heart.
“Some people still coach by fear,” Phillips said. “But I just don’t see a grown man being fearful of a coach.”
Through the years, we have seen how not to win in Denver.
Although brilliant with X’s and O’s, Josh McDaniels didn’t have an inkling of how to treat players like men. When the profanity of one of McDaniels’ sideline tirades died, the sound that remained was laughter behind the back of a young coach in the Broncos’ locker room.
The real leadership of any team begins with the stars, so when quarterback Jay Cutler constantly looked to be five minutes late for someplace he would rather be, it quickly became apparent his Broncos were going nowhere with him.
The national anthem protest by Marshall could have been a sideshow circus for Kubiak to clean up. But, without fanfare, Kubiak grabbed a shovel and buried any controversy before it could become a stink by showing respect for both the flag and his linebacker’s freedom of choice.
“Kube is always a believer in everybody being themselves,” said Marshall, grateful for a coach who has his back.
“He’s a straight shooter, man. (Kubiak) won’t lie to you about anything. He’s going to keep it real. I definitely respect that.”
This is as real as it gets: Ahead 22-17 against Cincinnati with 4 minutes, 32 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and facing third-and-11 at midfield, Kubiak told young quarterback Trevor Siemian to go for the gusto. The Broncos were rewarded with a 55-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas that sealed the victory.
Does anybody really believe former Broncos coach John Fox would have done the same thing in that situation? Foxy would have played the percentages, run a draw play, punted and leaned on his defense.
Yes, Kubiak aggressively went for the kill shot. But know what’s even more important? Kubiak gave Siemian a chance to grow up as a quarterback, and be a hero in the eyes of his teammates.
Being bold, Kubiak explained one day last week, is making a gutsy call, then trusting a player to figure out a way to get it done on the field.
“That’s what aggression is,” Kubiak emphasized.
It’s also the definition of a coach who treats players like men.
No man has ever won it all by having his hand held. Kubiak demands it being all about football, from the meeting room to the stadium. He trusts his players to hold one another to a championship standard. Then Kubiak stands back and lets the Broncos figure out a way to get it done.