Parker Gabriel, Broncos reporter: The roundtable is back. So back. And so is the NFL season, y’all. Can you believe it’s Week 1 already? In 18 short weeks, it will be January and we’ll all be headlong into another coaching sear— actually, check that. Probably not. Never say never, but even in a season that seems at the start to have a wide variety of potential outcomes, that would be a shocker. Speaking of outcomes, though, what makes for a successful first year for head coach Sean Payton? I’m saying it’s got to include the postseason. There’s a difference between having a successful season and a productive one. Maybe Denver could go 8-9, get Russell Wilson back on track to some degree and come up short of the postseason because the roster just doesn’t quite hold up to the NFL’s grinding attrition. That could be a productive year that sets up a promising 2024. But the success stamp, given the parity in the league, doesn’t get applied unless they’re at least getting on a plane to go to Cincinnati for a wild-card game come mid-January. What say you gents?
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: 1. Beating the Raiders at home. Because you’re like years due. 2. Beating the Chiefs at least once. Because you’re like a decade due. 3. A winning season. If playoffs happen, awesome, great, light a cigar. Bottom line? Build an identity again. Build a culture again. Be like Coach Prime, baby! For the last five years, the sticker over the right pectoral of the Denver Broncos read “HELLO, MY NAME IS // ‘We won Super Bowl 50!’” What have you done since “Despicable Me 3” came out? If Payton can bring the swagger back to Empower Field, he’s halfway home. Baby Bill Parcells is the face of the Broncos now, and it’s a face half of New York already wants to punch. If Payton can make Kansas City and Vegas fans hate him more than Broncos Country does by New Year’s Eve, mission accomplished.
Ryan McFadden, Broncos reporter: Obviously, Payton is in playoff-or-bust mode. However, if the Broncos miss the playoffs but go 9-8 and Wilson gets back on track, I would consider that a successful first year. They will end their drought of seven straight losing seasons while Wilson proves that he still has something left in the tank. Yes, Broncos Country would love to see its team back in the postseason. But if Denver can go above .500, Wilson looks sharp and the defense continues to be among the top 10 in the league, I think that sets up for a promising 2024 season where the expectations can be even higher.
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