ENGLEWOOD, Colo. _ There's a storm brewing. Consider this fair warning.
It won't be wind all by itself. Expect lightning, downpours, maybe even locusts, too. It won't be just one of those things, but all of those things, and the end result should be something to see.
It looks to me like the Broncos are on the brink of becoming the whole package. Sunday at Cincinnati is a tough draw, and the Bengals' defense won't take it easy on a 24-year-old quarterback making his first road start. But it's building on the horizon. After riding an all-time defense through a Super Bowl parade, there are signs the Broncos are evolving again, this time into a more balanced operation.
When that happens, hide the opposing quarterbacks and take cover.
"I think we're doing some good things and we're really, really close," quarterback Trevor Siemian said this week. "We're knocking on the door to being a special group."
Knock, knock. Who's there? A team with both feet, not just one, in the door.
As wild, weird and successful as the local football team has been in recent years, the Broncos most often have been supercharged by one side of the ball _ either a smokin' hot offense (and a so-so defense) or a smoke-everybody defense (and an offense treading water). The 2012 Broncos were a rare and balanced exception.
But these Broncos? They're coming. Ignore the worrywarts who can't see beyond the name scribbled across Siemian's No. 13 jersey. The Broncos' offense already is superior to last year's offense, whether it's in yards per play or first downs per game or simply evaluated by the eye test.
What's developing now at the UCHealth Training Center is starting to look a whole lot like another iteration of a team that surprised the NFL with a devilish mix of exceptional defense and reliable offense. The 2005 Broncos had the No. 3 scoring defense and the No. 7 offense before losing to Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game, a defeat that should be remembered alongside postseason gut punches to Jacksonville and Baltimore. But the sour ending to the 13-3 season shouldn't overshadow just how complete and formidable those Broncos were. They were capable of smacking around quality teams with their offense or their defense, instead of relying on one or the other to save the day. From Week 2 to Week 17, the '05 Broncos lost two games _ by a total of five points. They looked awful in Week 1, 34-10 at Miami. These teams get better along the way.
Coach Gary Kubiak then was the offensive coordinator, coordinator Rick Dennison was the offensive line coach and Air Force coach Troy Calhoun was the assistant to the coach. Those Broncos lacked only a pass-rushing force to close out playoff games against stout passers like Ben Roethlisberger, who ultimately did them in. The current defense has no flaws.
The point is not to compare the 2005 Broncos and 2016 Broncos, but to show how it's usually been one or the other for the Broncos. Whether it ultimately happens behind Siemian or later on with rookie backup Paxton Lynch, I suspect that's about to change.
These Broncos are shaping into the 2005 Broncos 2.0 _ an upgraded version. As I wrote back in August, the Broncos are better than the team that won Super Bowl 50. Whether they win it again is another question. But they have only scratched the surface of what players believe they'll become.
Their bugaboo at the moment is in the red zone. When the Shanahan-Kubiak offense has problems, doesn't history suggest it's usually in the red zone?
The Broncos rank fourth in the NFL in rushing (a big jump from last year's 17th) and 16th in total yards (same as last year). Their 22.5 first downs per game _ with a starter who has made two starts, and a Kubiak prototype on the bench _ already is an increase from last year's 18.7. But once their party bus arrives at the beach, it's like they forget how to swim: Denver's red-zone offense ranks 26th in the NFL, compared to 28th last year.
"We were frustrated last year and we were 8-0 at one point," running back C.J. Anderson said. "So that's just how it is."
"It starts with me, but I think we're really close," Siemian added. "I look back at the tape and one or two things go our way, it's a totally different ballgame."
The next step is building early leads so the defense can flip the switch into attack mode long before the fourth quarter.
The Broncos have forced three turnovers over the first two games. All three came in the fourth quarter of a tight game, when quarterbacks Cam Newton and Andrew Luck had no choice but to sling the ball into the "No Fly Zone."
What if the Broncos defense can play with a hefty lead for once?
"To me it's like, 'How do you stop that?' " cornerback Bradley Roby said Wednesday.
Opponents will need to suit up three quarterbacks, and I'm only kind of joking.
Far as I can tell and barring major injury, this season can veer in one of two directions: It can remain on the current path and test heart conditions across Colorado with close game after close game, or the offense learns to finish scoring drives with touchdowns instead of field goals.
If it's the latter, may the last quarterback able to stand please turn out the lights.
