The 1999

1999 NFL season

The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season...

 Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 season was the team's 40th year in professional football and its 30th with the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. After winning their second consecutive Super Bowl

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...

 with a win over the Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in Super Bowl XXXIII

Super Bowl XXXIII

Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played on January 31, 1999, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion, following the 1998 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football...

 in Miami, the team suffered the retirement of Super Bowl XXXIII MVP

Super Bowl MVP

The Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, or Super Bowl MVP, is an award presented annually to the most valuable player of the Super Bowl, the National Football League's championship game. The winner is chosen by a fan vote during the game and by a panel of 16 American football writers and...

 quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 John Elway

John Elway

John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...

 during the off-season. Elway had spent his entire career with the Denver Broncos, and much of the focus in the weeks leading up to the season centered on the void left by Elway's departure. Head Coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 Mike Shanahan

Mike Shanahan

Michael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously...

 announced that third-round 1998 draft

1998 NFL Draft

The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...

 pick Brian Griese

Brian Griese

Brian David Griese is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School and later college football at Michigan....

, son of Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 Quarterback Bob Griese

Bob Griese

Robert Allen "Bob" Griese is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback who earned All-American honors with the Purdue Boilermakers before being drafted in 1967 by the American Football League's Miami Dolphins...

, would take the reins of the offense, passing over veteran and credible back-up QB Bubby Brister

Bubby Brister

Walter Andrew "Bubby" Brister, III is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings...

.

Although no one expected a serious defense of their title, the Broncos would stumble out the gate this season, losing the first four regular season games. Many of the games would be decided in the final two minutes of play, but the Broncos found themselves on the losing end at 6–10. It was their first losing season since 1994

1994 Denver Broncos season

The 1994 Denver Broncos season was the team's 35th year in professional football and its 25th with the National Football League. The season would be noted for being the final year that Wade Phillips was head coach.-Staff:-Schedule:-External links:*...

, the worst season since 1990

1990 Denver Broncos season

-Schedule:-External links:* *...

 and the worst record of the five-team AFC West. It was speculated by the media that this season was the worst-ever season for a team defending their Super Bowl title, although there is no known statistic kept for such a dubious honor.

Staff

1999 Denver Broncos staff
Front Office President/Chief Executive Officer – Pat Bowlen Pat Bowlen Patrick Dennis Bowlen is the Majority Owner, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Broncos. The Bowlen Family, including his two brothers and sister, purchased the team from Edgar Kaiser in 1984 and saved the team from possible bankruptcy.-Biography:Pat's father, Paul D... Vice President of Football Operations – Mike Shanahan Mike Shanahan Michael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously... General Manager – Neal Dahlen Neal Dahlen Neal Dahlen is a retired American football administrator, who worked for San Francisco 49ers , and the Denver Broncos , and was General Manager of the Broncos from 1999 to January 2002.... Head Coaches Head Coach – Mike Shanahan Mike Shanahan Michael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously... Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Alex Gibbs Alex Gibbs Alex Gibbs is a retired American football coach. Gibbs was to enter his first season on Pete Carroll's Seattle Seahawks staff as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line coach in 2010, but announced his unexpected retirement a week before the start of the NFL's 2010 regular season.Gibbs is a... Offensive Coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Gary Kubiak Gary Kubiak Gary Wayne Kubiak is the head coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Kubiak has participated in six Super Bowls, losing three as a player with the Denver Broncos and winning three as an assistant coach with Denver and the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:Kubiak passed for a... Running Backs – Bobby Turner Bobby Turner Robert "Bobby" Turner is the Washington Redskins running backs coach. He held the same position in Denver from 1995–2009; he also worked for 20 years as a college assistant and has 39 combined years of coaching experience at the professional, collegiate and high school levels.In his final... Wide Receivers – Mike Heimerdinger Mike Heimerdinger Michael "Mike" Heimerdinger was a football coach in the National Football League.-Career:Heimerdinger was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, a position he had served in from 2000-2004 and again from 2008-2010... Tight Ends – Brian Pariani Assistant Offensive Line/Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Barney Chavous Barney Chavous Barney Lewis Chavous is a former American football defensive end/defensive tackle in the NFL. He played his entire thirteen year career with the Denver Broncos from 1973-1985. He ranks third on the Broncos' all-time sacks list with 75 and is tied with Tom Jackson for third in Broncos' career... Offensive Assistant – Pat McPherson Pat McPherson Patrick "Pat" McPherson is the tight ends coach for the Seattle Seahawks. He joins the Seahawks after 11 years with the Denver Broncos. He was the wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos before joining the Sea Hawks. He joined the Broncos coaching staff in 1998 as a defensive assistant, and in...			Defensive Coaches Defensive Coordinator – Greg Robinson Greg Robinson -External links:**-References:... Defensive Line – George Dyer Pass Rush Specialist – John Teerlinck John Teerlinck John Teerlinck is a former American football player. He now is a defensive linemen coach for the Indianapolis Colts.-Controversy:... Linebackers – Frank Bush Frank Bush Frank Bush is the current linebacker coach of the Tennessee Titans. He is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the fifth round of the 1985 NFL Draft... Defensive Backs – Ed Donatell Ed Donatell Ed Donatell is an American football coach for the San Francisco 49ers.Most recently he served as the defensive coordinator for the University of Washington Huskies football team from January to December 2008 under Tyrone Willingham. He and the entire staff were let go after the winless 2008 season... Defensive Assistant – Rick Smith Rick Smith (American football executive) Rick Smith is currently the General Manager of the Houston Texans of the NFL.-Biography:Rick Smith played for the Purdue Boilermakers as a strong safety. He graduated from that institution, where he served as a coach... Defensive Assistant – Terry Tumey Special Teams Coaches Special Teams – Rick Dennison Strength and Conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Rich Tuten Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Ricky Porter Ricky Porter Richard Anthony "Ricky" Porter is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League. He recently left his position as a coach of Northlake Christan School in Covington, Louisiana where he is also the head coach of their back to back state champion baseball team... Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Greg Saporta

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 13, 1999	Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 38–21	75,623
2	September 19, 1999	at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...	L 26–10	78,683
3	September 26, 1999	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...	L 13–10	65,297
4	October 3, 1999	New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 21–13	74,181
5	October 10, 1999	at Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 16–13	55,704
6	October 17, 1999	Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...	W 31–10	73,352
7	October 24, 1999	at New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...	L 24–23	60,011
8	October 31, 1999	Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...	L 23–20	75,021
9	November 7, 1999	at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 33–17	61,204
10	November 14, 1999	at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...	L 20–17	66,314
11	November 22, 1999	Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 27–21	70,012
12	Bye
13	December 5, 1999	Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...	L 16–10	73,855
14	December 13, 1999	at Jacksonville Jaguars Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 27–24	71,357
15	December 19, 1999	Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...	W 36–30	65,987
16	December 25, 1999	at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...	W 17–7	73,158
17	January 2, 2000	San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 12–6	69,278

Standings

AFC West AFC West The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Seattle Seahawks 1999 Seattle Seahawks season The 1999 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 24th season with the National Football League. The 1999 season was the final season the Seahawks played at the Kingdome and was head coach Mike Holmgren's first season with the team...	9	7	0	.563	338	298	L-1
Kansas City Chiefs 1999 Kansas City Chiefs season The 1999 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the promotion of Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham to Head coach following the resignation of Marty Schottenheimer after the Chiefs' 1998 season. The team finished with a 9–7 record and 2nd place in the AFC West...	9	7	0	.563	390	322	L-2
San Diego Chargers 1999 San Diego Chargers season The 1999 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 5–11 record in 1998. In was Mike Riley's first season as the teams head coach.-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...	8	8	0	.500	269	316	W-2
Oakland Raiders 1999 Oakland Raiders season The 1999 Oakland Raiders season was their 40th in the league. They matched their previous season's output of 8–8. Thirteen of the team's sixteen games were decided by a touchdown or less.-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...	8	8	0	.500	390	329	W-1
Denver Broncos	6	10	0	.375	314	318	L-1