The Aftermath

Denver's defense has come up with all kinds of firsts the last few years.

They were the force behind Tom Brady's first playoff defeat as a pro (I guess that's redundant-he couldn't exactly have lost a playoff game in college, eh?). Just as surely, they were the biggest reason we became the first team to let Peyton Manning win a playoff game.

And today, they refused to stand between Ben Roethlisberger and his first Super Bowl.

Take away the uniforms and you would have thought Denver was the team playing its first game at altitude this year, not Pittsburgh. (Take away the uniforms and I never watch football again, but that's a different story.)

Instead, in the franchise's first AFC Championship appearance since John Elway retired, the defense let the Steelers control the tempo and enforce their will on the game.

In the first quarter, the Broncos let the Steelers on the board first with a field goal. That wasn't crippling, but when the Steelers added a touchdown, Denver was already in trouble. The problem with building your team around defense is that when you fall behind, your offense doesn't have enough experience making big plays. So, in other words, you can't fall behind.

Easier said than done, of course, but the last several Super Bowl champions were able to accomplish it. Think about it: if Champ Bailey hadn't dropped his potential touchdown pick on Pittsburgh's first offensive possession, the Broncos could be getting ready to join that list.

Instead, before the first half was over, the Broncos got their first points on a field goal-but gave up two more touchdowns, and were essentially finished.

What should the Broncos do this off-season?

Any loss, especially a playoff loss, shows many areas for improvement. I think the question for the Broncos is whether they stick with their current style or try to rebuild. For now, I say they have to stay the course.

I said throughout the regular season that the Broncos seemed a little lucky to be in the position they were. (Then I picked them to win the Super Bowl...yikes.) Things really lined up favorably for the Broncos this year-and rebuilding or not, it could easily be another seven years before we play for the conference championship again.

Every team has weaknesses, and it's tempting to say Denver's biggest need right now is a clutch quarterback. Get in line-the same can be said for probably 25 other teams, and I doubt the Broncos can seriously improve the position this offseason. (Though I have never been more confused by our offensive play-calling than I was the last two weeks.)

What we really need-and what we've needed for years-is a pass rush. Yes, we got pressure on Tom Brady, but it came when we gambled with heavy blitzes and besides, New England was still able to move the ball on us in huge chunks. (As an aside, I hope me referring to the Broncos as "we" doesn't bother anybody.)

Thus, and considering our run defense's knack for failing at just the wrong time, means the Broncos need defensive line help above all. Can you even name Denver's starting defensive tackles? For all the hype I've heard lately that the ex-Browns were surprisingly good additions, I certainly never saw any of them make plays.

It's a domino effect. We're loaded with speed and skill and the linebacker position, so the acquisiton of a single all-out pass rusher who will draw serious blocking attention frees up Al Wilson, Ian Gold, and D.J. Williams to make more plays on the blitz or while dropping back into coverage, where they can provide a tough but thin secondary with valuable assistance.

(Of course, improvement in the secondary's not a bad way to go, either.)

How would the Broncos have done if they had a pass rusher like Jacksonville's Reggie Hayward?

Hayward had 8.5 sacks in his first year with the Jaguars (since leaving the Broncos, as fans already know). That doesn't sound like much for the money he's making. But it's more than any two Broncos had-combined.

Let's hope Denver's next big first is finding some defensive line help.