Justin Simmons Laments Broncos' Fourth Straight Losing Season: 'There's no Asterisk'
On Saturday, the wheels fell off the wagon for the Denver Broncos after Josh Allen and the surging Buffalo Bills piled 48 points.
The blowout at home exposed just how paper-thin the Broncos secondary actually is. Rookie cornerback Michael Ojemudia got himself ejected for throwing a punch and things only went from bad to worse.
Saturday’s defeat also ended the Broncos' slim playoff chances, condemning the franchise to its fourth consecutive losing season.
Safety Justin Simmons was certainly in no mood to gloss over the stark ugliness of the Broncos' losing ways post-game.
“It’s tough. We all know the expectations here in Denver and the winning tradition that this organization has,” Simmons said. “To be here my whole career and not be a part of the playoffs and have four straight losing seasons is tough. It’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Similarly, it’s a pill that will be stuck in the collective throats of Broncos Country — at least until next season kicks off. Two meaningless games remain, so fans will likely turn their attention to how the front office, and particularly GM John Elway, can turn the team back into winners.
Simmons was already in a full reflective mood when he detailed just how hard the Broncos have been hit by the injury bug and the extent of the wide-ranging issues the pandemic has foisted on the team.
“There are a lot of things that go into that,” Simmons said. “I do believe that there are a lot of right pieces here. It’s unfortunate this year that we’ve hit the injury bug. I think this is a weird year with COVID and the pandemic. It’s [about] finding ways to fight through that and not using it as an excuse because ultimately, no one cares. There is no asterisk next to our record saying injury and COVID-19. It says wins or losses and that’s all anyone cares about.”
Simmons is fully aware that until the Broncos can start posting winning seasons, questions will remain about how things are being run internally. A complete lack of direction from the team’s ownership has undoubtedly led to uncertainty within the organization and that has filtered down to the players and coaches. And the product on the field.
Simmons faces another offseason of contract talks and personal uncertainty after failing to garner a long-term deal last summer. As a result, Simmons played 2020 under the franchise tag and is poised to be an unrestricted free agent once again.
Simmons isn't the only star facing uncertainty in 2021 as some have speculated that the Broncos could ask Von Miller to restructure his contract and we don't know for sure if the team plans to move forward with Drew Lock as its understood quarterback.
For his part, Simmons was keen to remain positive about at least some of the strides the Broncos have made this season and the building blocks laid for the future.
“I’m always going to be hopeful, especially because I believe we really have a good team when we’re healthy,” Simmons declared. “It just stinks to live in it knowing that this is another year where it’s a losing season. I will say, just because it’s a losing season doesn’t mean that there aren’t positive things that you can grow off. That’s the mindset.”
Four straight losing seasons have fans' patience wearing thin while voices of discontent grow even more amplified. Kudos to Simmons for confronting the harsh reality and keeping positive throughout.
