Evans: The Broncos are still who we thought they were

My observations from the Denver Broncos improbable win over the New Orleans Saints:

1. A lot of sports clichés are clichés because they are true. One I’ve always believed in is the “heart of a champion.”

That was on full display from the Broncos. Battered, bruised and seemingly ready to be exposed in a tough matchup against a Saints team with momentum, Denver instead went out with a mentality that screamed, “We are champions, and champions don’t lie down to any one.”

That was a Broncos team that seemed to relish the idea of being counted out and proving its skeptics wrong. No matter what the situation, they expected to still find a way to win.

That is a powerful force — hard to find in pro sports. This is what will make the Broncos a tough out come playoff time.

2. My admiration for this defense knows no limits. Man, they just find a way to get it done.

We mocked Josh McDaniels, but he did introduce us to “do your job,” and that was on full display Sunday.

It was Bradley Roby getting beat but coming up from behind to knock the ball loose. Or Jared Crick continuing to pursue down field to force another fumble. Or Justin Simmons perfectly executing a weakness special teams coordinator Joe DeCamilis had discovered in the Saints’ kicking game to block the would be game-winning extra point.

3. Trevor Siemian is a tough S.O.B. He took some hellacious hits behind the Broncos’ Swiss cheese offensive line.

This week we learned all about the depth of Trevor’s drops and how long he’s holding onto the ball. And the Siemian critics/Lynch supporters are jumping on head coachGary Kubiak’s supposed criticism with glee.

What do you expect? Siemian is a first time starting quarterback in the NFL. He’s got a lot to learn.

He needs to do a better job of reading defenses, making split second decisions, and getting rid of the football. News flash: This is something all young quarterbacks need to go through.

It’s amazing to me that after a summer in which the Broncos decided to go ridiculously young at quarterback — and everyone understood the offense would be a struggle and the defense would have to carry the load — that when that is actually happening, folks are screaming for more from the offense.

It doesn’t work that way.

This is what you get from a young quarterback. And you’re crazy if you think Lynch would be a huge improvement. If anything, he’d be even worse.

4. I know everyone loves Darian Stewart and wants the Broncos to extend a new contract offer to the free agent-to-be, but these are the tough decisions a franchise has to make along the way to insure long-lasting success.

You can’t sign everyone. You always have to be looking for ways to get younger and cheaper. That’s why Will Parks and Justin Simmons were drafted. It’s why Cody Latimer was drafted. You use a second round pick on a wide receiver the plan is to make someone like Emmanuel Sanders expendable.

That didn’t happen, and the Broncos had to overpay Sanders. If you have to do that again to Stewart because Parks and Simmons don’t work out, those are the kind of mistakes that send a team back to the world of 8-8.

5. Boy, what a huge win that was. Lose it, and the Broncos are relegated to the iffy world of an NFL Wild Card. Now, they still control their own destiny to not only win the division but also finish with the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Enjoy the bye week everyone, and get rested up for the stretch run.