The Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl last season, but left tackle Ryan Clady didn’t get much of a chance to share in the fun.
Clady missed the final 14 regular season games and all of the playoffs with a Lisfranc injury to his left foot, leaving him to serve as spectator and cheerleader as Denver advanced through the AFC. Clady’s expected to be back at speed in time for the regular season and he’s balancing his regret for missing last year with the belief that there’s a pretty good chance that the Broncos can repeat as AFC champs.
“It was definitely tough, not being able to control what was going on out there. It was probably one of the hardest games I have ever watched,” Clady said, via the Denver Post. “It’s part of the game. Injuries happen. ... But barring injuries we should have an awesome team, and we should be able to make it back to the Super Bowl.”
Clady joins John Fox, John Elway and other Broncos who have set the bar for the 2014 season at a high level after losing to the Seahawks and grabbing big names in free agency to spruce up the defense. Anything less than a title will be seen as a major disappointment in Denver and there’s plenty of time for them to keep hearing that before the games even start.