Pat Bowlen considered saint in city, but Broncos are cursed by his shaky succession plan

Ownership issues have and will continue to work against the Broncos. It doesn’t seem Pat Bowlen put much thought into succession planning. Joe Ellis and John Elway don’t seem accountable to anyone, starting with the fans.

Dick, sees big picture

Kiz: While there has been a rush to canonize Mr. B for bringing the joy of championships to Denver, we don’t need the upcoming trial that will put the bickering Bowlen kids on full display to know the late owner’s shaky succession plan did neither his family nor the team any favors. Hindsight is 20/20: But in retrospect, it might’ve made the future far less contentious if Mr. B had designated Brittany as heir apparent, rather than making it a contest among his children.

Vic Fangio will will be gone as coach if the Broncos go 5-11 again, so I’m not sure about why he’s so eager about running it all back in 2021.

Dylan, concerned fan

Kiz: After missing the playoffs five straight years, the Broncos cry out for decisive action. But is new general manager George Paton hedging his bets? If the Broncos bring Von Miller back for the final year of his contract rather than renegotiating the deal, it’s a season-long distraction waiting to happen. Slapping the franchise tag (again!) on safety Justin Simmons might buy Paton time to reach a long-term agreement, but it won’t buy the team any loyalty from a player counted on as a leader. And does Paton want running back Phillip Lindsay or not? The commitment seems wishy-washy, at best.

How are you going to make the Broncos better if you gut the players in leadership roles? If you think missing the playoffs is the fault of Miller or Lindsay, you are not paying attention, buttercup.

Will, Denver

Kiz: Orange Kool-Aid drinkers want to believe if Miller hadn’t gone down with injury before the season and if Courtland Sutton had stayed healthy and if Drew Lock didn’t make a nasty habit of throwing interceptions, the Broncos would’ve been closer to 11-5 than 5-11. Well, we don’t play fantasy football here at Kickin’ It Headquarters. Here’s the real deal, honeybunch. The NFL is ruled by money, not sentiment. While I hope defensive end Shelby Harris is richly rewarded for the fine work he’s done in Denver, at what price does he become too expensive for the Broncos to retain? $7.5 million per year? $10 million?

If the quarterback plays well, the Broncos could be 11-5 next season.

Tim, ever hopeful

Kiz: Great point! Now all we have to do is invent a way-back time machine and put Elway in it.