Broncos turn down the hype, turn up focus on day-to-day

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It took just one question into Mike McGlinchey’s question-and-answer session Tuesday for the media to launch the grenade of lofty, title-level expectations into a Denver Broncos press conference.

“Does this feel like a championship-level team?”

And just two queries into Pat Surtain II‘s session, he heard this:

“How high are the expectations?”

And away we go.

It’s been awhile since such notions could be entertained in these parts without a chuckle. Maybe at this juncture in 2022, but that was before the Front Range realized that Russell Wilson was a shadow of his former self and Nathaniel Hackett was ill-suited for the head-coaching reins.

Breathless are the inquisitors, boundless are the expectations. When it comes to the outside world, the Broncos start the season above the tree line for the first time since the summer after Super Bowl 50.

But inside the NFL, you don’t get a ski lift to tow you up the mountain. You start at the base every summer and climb anew.

The biggest mistake these Broncos could make would be to walk onto the practice field Wednesday for the beginning of their acclimation period thinking about Super Bowl LX.

And if the responses of McGlinchey and Surtain were any indication, these Broncos seem to know well the perils of farsightedness.

They’re confident, yes. They acknowledge the long-term goals.

But the first words from McGlinchey’s mouth after the notion of being a “championship-level team” provided the necessary scoff at bringing up such ideas now — especially for a team whose playoff experience last January was brief and humbling.

“Well, I mean, we haven’t even practiced yet,” McGlinchey said.

BRONCOS KNOW THE LONG-TERM GOAL, BUT KEEP FOCUS ON THE SHORT-TERM TASK

But McGlinchey acknowledged they “could be” at that “championship level” — if they do one thing, which starts Wednesday morning.

“We gotta put in the work day in and day out,” he said.

“We’re obviously very, very excited about what we have here. Everybody feels a little bit more comfortable with the experience we gained last year and the year that we had, and knowing that that’s still not good enough.

“And so, we’re really excited for the opportunity to come into work and earn a chance to be at the top of the NFL. And, that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

The “day-to-day” work. That’s crucial, and it’s a point to which McGlinchey returned when he was later asked about how Bo Nix grew from where he was in Week 1 last season to where he stood today.

Back in Seattle last September, he struggled in the cauldron of noise and Seattle pass rushes designed to confuse a rookie quarterback. The Broncos left the field beaten, but not bowed. A fortnight later, Nix looked like a different quarterback in his second road test in Tampa, and progress continued apace.

Those and other glimpses from game days are the markers that the public sees.

What goes unnoticed are the lessons along the way. The daily deposits in the account of leadership, the seeds of experience planted that grow into the Broncos becoming Nix’s team in a way that makes perfect sense now, but still seemed over the horizon during the peaks and valleys of a quarterback competition at this time last summer.

As McGlinchey noted, Nix stacked days.

“I think that’s what’s really impressive about Bo is his competitive nature of just trying to get the most out of himself every single day,” McGlinchey said. “That ability to stack those days is why he improved so vastly and so fast as the season went on last year. And I only expect the same things from him this year.”

And because Nix kept his focus on the moment and the lessons at hand rather than the endgame of being a starter, he eventually reached that goal — and by the end of the season, found himself in a place few outside Broncos Park Powered By CommonSpirit expected.

Now, those onlookers expect more from Nix and the team.

But to have a chance of getting there, the Broncos must take the field Wednesday morning with their focus on one thing, and it’s not the Lombardi Trophy. It’s that day’s acclimation practice.

Take care of that day, and the next, and the one after that, and the rest will unfold and take care of itself. And that will give the Broncos the best chance of being a championship-level team.

Follow @MaseDenver on: YouTube | BlueSky | TikTok | Threads | Instagram | Facebook

Related

The Broncos could be a perfect fit for a future Hall of Fame linebackerVance Joseph: Broncos defense was ‘unengaged’ and a ‘bit lazy’ against PackersDr. Ramos & Zach Bye discuss Riley MossESPN picks Broncos as one of five most likely teams to decline in 2026The Broncos’ preseason loss to the Packers was the wake-up call they neededBroncos’ addition of veteran safety Rapp wasn’t necessarily about necessity, Payton says