The Broncos need to treat the preseason like It actually matters
There was a time in the NFL when preseason football carried real weight. Teams played hard. Starters competed. The games meant something beyond roster evaluation and ticket sales.
That era has largely faded, replaced by a league-wide philosophy of caution, load management and strategic concealment that has turned August football into little more than a glorified scrimmage for most franchises. Cecil Lammey doesn’t want the Denver Broncos to follow that trend.
On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Lammey made the case that the Broncos, a team with genuine championship aspirations, need to approach the preseason with a level of intensity that matches the goals they have set for themselves.
Lammey started by pushing back on the passive mentality that has crept into how teams treat exhibition games.
“‘It’s only preseason, you only got to take it easy.’ That’s how you either get hurt, or you cause a turnover, or you cause bad things for your team,” Lammey said.
That framing flips the conventional wisdom on its head. The common assumption is that playing hard in the preseason creates unnecessary risk. Lammey’s argument is that playing soft creates its own kind of danger. Sloppy habits, undisciplined reps, and a false sense of comfort that doesn’t translate when the lights come on in September.
“So go out there with a serious nature,” Lammey said.
The Broncos have the roster to back it up. The receiver room alone is deep enough to put on a show without exposing the starters to excessive wear.
“This is a great group of weapons, go out there and utilize them. Go out and showcase what they can do,” Lammey said.
He then rattled off the names he wants to see making plays.
“I wanna see a Hakeem Butler touchdown. I wanna see a big Marvin Mims play if he’s out there again. Jaylen Waddle if he plays,” Lammey said.
Each name represents a different opportunity to establish something meaningful before the regular season begins. Butler fighting for a roster spot. Mims proving his value extends beyond special teams. Waddle flashing the connection with Nix that the entire offense is being built around.
Lammey closed with the simplest possible challenge.
“You’ve got the weapons to go out there and be dangerous, so why not be dangerous?” he said.
That’s the mentality of a team that expects to be playing in February. Championship confidence isn’t something that gets switched on the first week of the regular season. It gets built over months, in practice, in training camp and, yes, in preseason games that most teams treat as throwaway reps.
The Broncos have spent the last two years climbing into the AFC’s elite tier. The final step isn’t about adding more talent. It’s about carrying themselves like a team that refuses to take its foot off the gas, regardless of when the calendar says the games start counting.
August sets the tone for September. And September sets the tone for everything that follows.
