Sour Grapes

I've been here before. Just a couple of years back, the Denver Broncos roared out of the gate and won six straight games. With a new coach, a new quarterback, and they were on the fast track to the playoffs. It all happened so fast. And then reality set in. The Broncos couldn't win a game. They couldn't finish what they had started. It came down to the last game of the year, and if they could just beat the lowly Kansas City Chiefs, they could squeak in.
It didn't happen. The next year, things went from bad to worse as the wunderkind coach only managed three victories before being fired halfway through the season. That set the stage for plenty of low expectations this year: new coach, but same old quarterback, a rebuilding year. That's certainly what it looked like after five games with only one win. Then they got a new quarterback. You may have heard something about that. He won six straight games. You may have heard something about that, too.
Then he lost a couple. The race to the post-season stalled. All that Mile High Magic seemed to have evaporated. That's when I started thinking about the times I have had my heart broken by the Denver Broncos. Back in 2005, the only time they have been in the playoffs since John Elway retired. Another great opportunity spoiled, this time by the Pittsburgh Steelers. And all those years when John Elway was the Denver Broncos, and he seemingly carried them into the post season on will alone, only to be diced up into bite-size pieces by one NFC Champion or another.
Until they finally won a Super Bowl. Then it became an expectation. They won another one the next year. And then there was a long time where they didn't. Now the Denver Broncos are once again poised on the brink of playing in the tournament to determine the championship of Professional American Football. What self-respecting fan wouldn't be rooting for these scrappy underdogs? It's a great story.
Yes, and it's one I've heard before.