The Broncos brought the Lombardi Trophy home to Denver last year, and you wouldn’t be wrong to say that the defense, alone, earned that title. Even still, safety T.J. Ward isn’t feeling the love from the media.
“Seems like a lot of the media is doing that for us,” Ward told reporters Monday. “We still don’t get the credit. I don’t know. [We just want to be] better than last year. That’s what we want to do. Be better than last year. We were learning the defense coming in, and it’s so much easier coming in that second year [under coordinator Wade Phillips] when you already have the defensive plays and you know what you’re doing.”
Sure, the franchise lost Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan, but the core group is still there; they’re still the best in the league.
So, why the fuss from Ward? When asked, he wasn’t quite sure either.
“I don’t know, but it really doesn’t matter,” Ward said, via Pro Football Talk. “We’re going to the White House in a few weeks. It’s a new year. It’s a new season. We lost a couple guys on defense. Maybe they like us to play with a chip on our shoulders. It’s more entertaining that way.”
Maybe the safety is looking for some motivation to get riled up for a new season in which not too many people are excited about Denver’s chances. Either way, the people in Mile High City will take it. Having an already solid defensive team is great. Having one with something to prove, though? Even better.
Whether Ward is making things up in his head or the media is truly discounting the Broncos’ defense, it’ll be a fun season, watching a team with so much hunger try to prove everyone wrong.
