This is what they mean by doing it the hard way.
The all-pro pass rusher is suspended for six games. The crafty center tears up a knee to wipe out his season. A key defensive lineman still is recovering from a scary neck injury.
The front office – embarrassed by a fax mistake that cost the team its other premium pass rusher in March – was thrown further out of whack after two personnel execs got busted in drunken-driving incidents.
And this is a Super Bowl contender?
Seems the Denver Broncos are a better candidate for a prime-time drama series.
With Von Miller’s ban for another violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy adding to the litany of high-profile setbacks, the Broncos would be perfect for “Hard Knocks”.
The name surely fits.
But it’s too early to panic.
Call me crazy, but I’m still not moved to change my pick to win Super Bowl XLVIII.
I’m going to roll with the Broncos ... and Peyton Manning.
Even though I think the Broncos can surely lose to the Baltimore Ravens in the Thursday opener Sept. 5, remember, it’s not how you start ...
Just ask some recent champs. Adversity is part of the equation. The Ravens didn’t have Terrell Suggs for the first half of last season and may not have had the real T-Sizzle at any point as he rebounded from a torn Achilles. And with Ray Lewis’ torn triceps and Ed Reed’s bum shoulder, the big-name trio didn’t start a game together until the playoffs.
The year before, the New York Giants began Christmas Eve at 7-7. Before that, the Green Bay Packers were a wild-card entrant with 15 players on injured reserve.
Manning hasn’t always finished well. Last year’s thud of a loss to the Ravens provided a reminder of that.
Now it’s time for Manning to put Denver on his back and get it done.
Saturday’s dress rehearsal against the St. Louis Rams offered a preview. Manning played 53 snaps during his half of work and attempted 34 passes.
When he picked Denver last year and opted to join forces with John Elway, the idea was to win ASAP. That doesn’t change because Elvis Dumervil got away or because Miller had issues with a urine test that was spilled and another that was diluted.
And it doesn’t change because veteran center Dan Koppen won’t be calling the O-line signals.
But this is why Manning, four-time league MVP, makes the big bucks. Why Marvin Harrison liked to call him “P-Money.”
If only defensive-rooted coach John Fox – so fortunate to get Manning in the first place but too stubborn-conservative to let him run the hurry-up offense in the waning moments of regulation with a playoff game on the line – can stay out of the quarterback’s way.
This was always supposed to be a better year for Manning than 2012, when he came off a one-year layoff and gradually regained strength and regenerated nerves after having four neck procedures.
Now Manning, with new blitz-beating slot receiver Wes Welker in tow, could fill a role as an extra man for the Broncos defense.
It would seem fair enough. Last season, as expected, it took time for the offense to jell, especially given Manning’s play-calling options. And Denver started 2-3.
But eventually it clicked, to the tune of an 11-game winning streak. During their 13 victories last season, the Broncos averaged 31.8 points a game. In the three regular-season losses, they averaged 22.3 points.
The scoring could make all the difference again.
Any defense is better when playing with a comfortable cushion.
Fox gamely declared something about “next man up” when discussing Miller’s absence. Sure, he can say that for the guys needing to step up. Guys such as Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan. And Shaun Phillips, the former San Diego Charger, can accelerate to the quarterback.
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, meanwhile, will be pressed to create blitz packages to generate heat, too.
Yet Miller is an all-pro for a reason. With 18½ sacks in 2012 and 30 over his two seasons, he is arguably the league’s best rusher, with his slippery burst off the line.
Add the loss of Dumervil, and 57 percent of the Broncos’ NFL-high (52) sack production is gone.
But role reversal is fitting enough. Two seasons ago, the Broncos’ overshadowed defense laid the foundation for Tim Tebow’s flash in the pan.
Without the D, there would have been no Tebowmania.
Now it’s time for Manning – who has been there before with the Indianapolis Colts’ sometimes-shaky defenses – to take the pressure off a diminished unit.
The Broncos might have also caught a break by the schedule, with four of their first six games at home. And playing in the weak AFC West? Advantage, Denver.
When Miller returns for an Oct. 20 game – at Indianapolis of all teams – he should have fresh legs. Maybe they will serve as the rocket fuel for Denver’s stretch run.
In the meantime, Manning is the best thing yet for a depleted defense ... and for the Broncos to keep their eyes on the big prize.
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