Bye Week Blues

You know your team is having a poor season when you lose confidence in them during the bye week. Welcome to the 2010 Denver Broncos!

Denver started 6-0 last season and finished 2-8 to fall out of playoff contention. This year, record-wise, the team never gave me that much hope. They leapt out to a 2-6 start. But what has been hard is the fact that, with the exception of the farce against the Raiders, Denver has competed in every game, giving fans just enough hope that their eventual in game collapse becomes that much more depressing. Which led to the following joke exchange with my mom on Oct. 31.

Mom: Who does Denver play next week?

Me: They have a bye, which I'm counting as another loss...of confidence.

I wasn't serious, but maybe I should have been. It's hard not to see how the team's lack of leadership and planning is starting to kill them. This week, though the Broncos didn't have a game, they took plenty of blows. First, my favorite sports pundit, Bill Simmons, released his first power poll of the season. In it he ranked Denver 31st, next to last. After reading the rationale, it was hard to argue. Never a good sign.

Then, during last night's highlights as Browns running back Peyton Hillis ripped off a huge scoring run, analyst Rodney Harrison chimed in "Sorry Broncos." That's because Denver traded Hillis straight up for Brady Quinn. Quinn is the Broncos' third string quarterback this year, and I would burst into tears if he made it onto the field. Hillis has run for 644 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games. Denver's top running back, Knowshon Moreno, has run for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Kyle Orton is second on Denver's rushing list with 90 yards. Clearly a great trade.

It comes down to leadership. Josh McDaniels came in and decided to ditch all the players that achieved under the former coach. He shipped the franchise quarterback to Chicago, the best receiver to Miami, the only decent pass-catching tight end to Detroit, and Hillis to Cleveland. And the spare parts and marginal draft picks he's gotten in return have given him a crumbling foundation upon which to build a franchise.

I think this is a good life lesson. A lot of times we come into places, jobs, and situations and we feel like we want to put our mark on them. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but sometimes it makes a tough situation worse. When you act in your own self-interests, nobody wins — whether it's with an NFL team or an everyday situation.