Champ Bailey is going on his fifth training camp in Denver, and he’s ready to change the conversation topic.
Each year, training camp opens with the Broncos talking Super Bowl. Since Mike Shanahan guided the Broncos to back-to-back world championships in the 1997 and 1998 seasons, the organization has unwaveringly carried a Super Bowl-or-bust aura into each new season.
But outside the walls of Dove Valley, there is a decided absence of such lofty aspirations for the 2008 Broncos. Then again, Bailey doesn’t believe “Super Bowl” should be uttered inside Dove Valley’s walls, either.
“I’m sold on what we have, but I’m not sold on the fact we can go to the Super Bowl right now,” said Bailey, the Broncos’ all-pro cornerback and best player. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m not going to say we’re going to the Super Bowl. We’ve got to worry about getting our team ready and create some kind of identity before we even think about going to the Super Bowl.
“I have a lot of confidence we can get to where we want to be. But we have to take baby steps. We can’t keep looking at the big picture and saying, ‘Hey, this is what we want and forget about what we have to do to get there.’ We can’t get ahead of ourselves.”
Allow the people in New England, Indianapolis and San Diego to carry realistic hopes for Super Bowl XLIII. The Broncos have been humbled. They’re not about to make premature reservations for Tampa, Fla. They went a combined 16-16 the past two seasons, failing each year to qualify for the postseason.
As the Broncos open training camp today with the first of their two-session workouts beginning at 11:15 a.m., realistic hopes of a Super Bowl have been replaced by a reality check.
“More important than other people’s expectations is what we feel like we can do,” veteran Broncos safety John Lynch said. “And in a sense, the expectations even within this building is, you just don’t know. We’re real proud of the way people went about their work this offseason. We’ve had a productive offseason from a personnel standpoint. We’re excited about some things defensively.
“But people are right: You’d be a fool to say anybody but the Chargers are the favorites in our division. Everybody else is chasing them. Are we at the level talent-wise to compete with them? That remains to be seen. They’ve dominated us the last couple years and that’s our challenge. That’s why we’ll show up tomorrow and come to work.”
The AFC West belonged to the Broncos in 2005, when they went 13-3 and reached the AFC championship game. But it has been the Chargers’ division since, and the biography pages don’t offer reason to believe dominance is about to soon shift away from San Diego.
The Chargers return seven Pro Bowlers who are 28 or younger. The Broncos return two Pro Bowlers (Bailey and Lynch) who are 30 and older.
A check of the various national power rankings shows the widely held feeling around the league is the Broncos are trending somewhere opposite of Tampa.
“I’m kind of happy that’s the way it is,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “Because the last time we didn’t get a whole lot of respect — we made a lot of changes with the defensive line, and we went to the AFC championship game.”
After their 2005 success, the Broncos seemed intent on winning the offseason talent race. They selected franchise quarterback Jay Cutler and traded for standout receiver Javon Walker through the draft in 2006. There were even splashier offseason headlines last offseason with the acquisitions of running back Travis Henry, defensive back Dre Bly, defensive tackle Sam Adams, and tight end Daniel Graham.
Super Bowls, though, aren’t won in March.
The Broncos reprioritized their offseason plan this year by focusing on solid, if less-expensive veteran players. They then filled holes through the draft, most notably left tackle Ryan Clady with their first-round pick, at No. 12.
It’s probable the Broncos closed the gap on the Chargers, but that’s like saying the economy is nearing a complete recovery. The Chargers whipped the Broncos twice last year by a combined 64-6 score.
“San Diego has took it to us the last couple years so we better be improved to challenge a team that has a lot of Pro Bowl players,” Shanahan said. “I think we’ve helped ourselves in the offseason, and the draft. But talk is cheap.”
Not everyone shares Shanahan’s cautious optimism. Outside Broncos headquarters, and even inside the building, there is a feeling much more needs to be done before anyone is sold Denver is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
“It’s not surprising,” Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said. “We haven’t exactly distinguished ourselves lately. Generally, I’m a lot more comfortable this time of year. You know me, I always have high expectations. I’ve learned to temper those a little bit. But at this stage I’m a lot happier with the organization and where we’re headed. I don’t know a lot about our draft picks and free agents. I am really pleased with the coaching staff, but ask me in about three or four weeks and I’ll have a better feel for what kind of team we have.”
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
