Clough: Broncos ‘furthest away’ from playoffs among Denver’s major teams
Apr 9, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Apr 24, 2018, 11:14 am
During John Elway’s stints with the Denver Broncos — as a player, from 1983 to 1998, and an executive since 2011 — the club has not finished three consecutive seasons without a postseason berth.
Twice (1994-95 as a player and the past two seasons as general manager) has Elway-led teams missed the playoffs two consecutive years, and only twice since 1980 has the team missed the playoffs in three or more seasons in a row (1980-82, 2006-10).
In that time, Denver’s major pro sports teams — the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Rockies — have all missed the playoffs as well in the same calendar year (1980, 1992, and 2016).
But only twice have all three earned playoff berths in the same year — 2007 and 2009.
With the Rockies’ short-lived playoff run last season, the Avs’ clinching a postseason slot on Saturday, and the Nuggets tied for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with two games remaining, that scenario could play out again.
And, as Sandy Clough argued on Friday, the Broncos may be fourth among Denver professional teams for a little while.
“It’s interesting that the Rockies, the Avalanche, and the Nuggets all have a chance to be in the playoffs this year … and the team that is furthest away from the playoffs at the moment is the Broncos,” Clough said.
However, Clough did qualify his comment by saying the Broncos aren’t solidified in terms of roster yet and it’s unknown how well they’re expected to fair next season.
And Elway said at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this offseason that he doesn’t think the Broncos are “too far away” from the playoffs once again.
“We didn’t play well there last year. That doesn’t all go on the players. There were some things that we should have done that we should have done differently that we didn’t do,” Elway said. “I feel like we can get right back in the thick of the things rather quickly.
“… I’m excited about where are and think we have a chance to get back into the thick of things rather quickly.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
