Broncos QB Russell Wilson's 'Championship' Comment Puts Entire AFC West on Notice

One could say that the Russell Wilson era in the Mile High City began on Wednesday as the Denver Broncos kicked off the first day of training camp. Wilson got there early (and I mean early) to have a walk-through session with a few offensive teammates before the camp session began in earnest.

Don't think for a second that the 11th-year veteran's head is spinning. Wilson believes that "separation is preparation" — as evidenced by how he attacked Day 1 of Broncos camp.

"I’m super focused and lasered in," Wilson said following Wednesday's practice session. "Everybody is so locked in. For example, we had an early morning walk-through—me and the guys—and [we were] just getting that work in. Guys are lasered in, ready to work [and willing to] do everything that we have been doing all OTAs and all summer."

The actual on-field, organized Broncos practice didn't last all that long — maybe 90 minutes — but the throng of fans who showed up (some of whom arrived at the wee hours of the morning themselves) were ecstatic, especially as Wilson ran down the line to high-five the faithful before the session.

From there, Broncos practice was ignited with the refreshing return of music playing over the loudspeakers, which clearly gave the players a lift and added a boost of intensity to the proceedings. Like a bee in pollination mode, first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett could be seen going from drill to drill enthusiastically, enjoying the tunes along the way.

Broncos GM George Paton calls it "juice' — the energetic focus and lift that the combination of Hackett and Wilson have provided the team. Things are just getting started at Broncos HQ, but after spending an entire offseason within the organization's embrace, practicing and spending time with teammates, the nine-time Pro Bowler is confident in what he sees: a contender.

"We've got a championship kind of football team, and we are excited about that," Wilson said post-practice. "The exciting part about that is now its time to just go show up and prove it.”

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Wilson might be an optimist and a supremely confident individual who "doesn't get nervous," but a pushover he is not. After all, this dude has been through the NFL ringer. For a decade, he's battled in this league against the very best and reached the top of the mountain once in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Wilson knows what a "championship" football team looks like. He's seeing the hallmarks in his new football environs, and that should excite Broncos fans, if nothing else has.

The Wilson-led Broncos have yet to accomplish anything on the field of play. The regular season is still many weeks away.

Skeptics can throw in their freezing-cold takes that the Broncos are bound for the AFC West cellar once again, like this ridiculous take from a USA TODAY columnist, but a position such as that is based on some sketchy arithmetic. Yeah, the AFC West is a tough slog, but Wilson has built a Hall-of-Fame-caliber career on playing in a competitive division.

In 10 years as a starter, Wilson's team has missed the playoffs a grand total of twice. When you look at the cornerstone positions for a championship roster, it starts with the quarterback. For Denver? Check.

Then you move to left tackle. Check. From there, a championship team has to possess a pass rush and bonafide shutdown cornerback (check, check).

Throw in an innovative offensive-minded head coach, an offense absolutely teeming with weaponry, and a defense with few holes, and one begins to understand why Wilson called the Broncos a "championship kind of football team."

Paton says he's never been around a quarterback like Wilson, who possesses a true "obsession with winning." Paton isn't exactly known for hyperbole, so for as long as he's been in the league, that's saying something.

The Kansas City Chiefs are currently riding a 13-game winning streak over the Broncos. That ends in 2022 — as does the Chiefs' six-year reign of AFC West supremacy — if Wilson has anything to say about it.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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