Colorado Rockies and Denver Broncos: Comparing frustration quotes

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Dec 27, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (30) is defended by Denver Broncos inside linebacker Josey Jewell (47) and strong safety Kareem Jackson (22) on a 9-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. The Chargers defeated the Broncos 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies both had seasons to forget in 2020. Both campaigns left their fan bases (and leadership) frustrated … but now what?

For the Denver Broncos, the season just ended over the weekend (with a home loss to the hated Raiders) and much of the frustration felt by the fanbase is fresh … at least about the 2020 campaign. The Broncos just finished their fourth consecutive losing season and, of those four seasons, two have seen Denver finish in last place in the AFC West.

There are plenty of questions about what is to come for the Broncos, especially in light of John Elway’s recent decision to turn over day-to-day team operations to a general manager later this year. Is Drew Lock the quarterback that can be counted on next season? Is Vic Fangio the right head coach for the team? What will happen with the team’s transition of ownership? There is plenty to debate about the Broncos and their future right now.

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The same can be said for the Rockies, who endured their second straight losing season in 2020. After an 11-3 start, the team stumbled to a 26-34 mark. The franchise is facing questions of its own, including what will happen with the contracts of All-Stars Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story. Will one, both, or neither of them be part of Colorado’s long-term plans?

The Rockies and Broncos share a recent history of losing and they also share a lot of questions about their near-future directions. They also share a lot of frustrations, from their fan base … and internally as well.

With that in mind, let’s look at two recent quotes from Broncos and Rockies leaders about their levels of frustration with their franchises.

Dec 22, 2019; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos president Joe Ellis during the game against the Detroit Lions at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Here’s what Broncos team president Joe Ellis said about his level of frustration when he met with the media after Denver’s final game of the season.

“There’s a lot of frustration and it boils over to anger, and I’ve witnessed it in the locker room after some losses this year,” Ellis said. “It carries over to when the players leave, and the staff and the coaches leave, and it carries over into the community. “I listen, I watch, and I read, and I know what’s going on, and all of that (fan anger) is justified. We have to do something to stop that, and there’s one thing you can do to stop that and that is win, and we got to win. We can’t go on this way and continue like this and have this frustration and lose all these games and expect our fans not to just say, ‘Enough is enough,’ in some fashion.”

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You can read more quotes from Ellis in this Denver Post article from our good friend Kyle Newman (who is a pretty darn good Rockies writer as well).

Here’s the thing about those quotes: Ellis has a sense of his fans’ frustrations, and he also knows that the support of the fans ultimately is very important for his team, from a revenue and PR standpoint. He also knows what it will take to put a cap on that frustration, and that’s to turn things around and restore the Broncos to their winning ways. Certainly that’s easier said than done, and it’s still a question of if Denver can do it with Fangio at the helm and Lock under center.

Those things are debatable, but one thing that is not is that Denver’s leadership understands that winning matters to the community. Certainly a 16-game schedule causes more scrutiny and emphasis on every game, but Ellis left little to the imagination with his quotes. “We got to win” and “We can’t go on this way” have sent a message not only to the Broncos, but Denver fans as well, that losing won’t be tolerated.

DENVER, CO – SEPTEMBER 01: Owner Dick Monfort of the Colorado Rockies sits with his hands folded while taking in the game between the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies with guests in his suite during the fourth inning at Coors Field on September 1, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

Rockies owner Dick Monfort hasn’t spoken with the media since the end of the 2019 campaign. However, this is what he said after that season that saw the Rockies finish with a 71-91 mark.

“When you have a couple of years when you make the playoffs, you sort of get hungry. We want to win every year. I’m the most frustrated person in the world. This year was very tough. It was without a doubt the hardest year I’ve been through. But our expectations are the same. … We will put all our efforts and all the money that we possibly can to do that.”

After another losing season in 2020, Monfort included this quote in a letter to season ticket holders.

“Looking forward, an important offseason focus is to create more group consistency throughout the course of the season; to be playoff contenders, we are well aware that the strong momentum we started the 2020 season with must be maintained and carried into the postseason.”

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However, most of that same letter talked about the economic challenges the Rockies faced in 2020 and likely would in the offseason as well. His sentence of, “As a result, there will be nothing normal about this offseason as the industry faces a new economic reality, and each club will have to adjust,” set the glum tone for Rockies fans heading into 2021.

Monfort’s level of frustration was apparent in the first quote (and in his expressions that day as I sat inside Coors Field and listened to him talk). We can only guess what it’s like now as the franchise’s financial problems from a lack of fans in 2020 and recent moves by the San Diego Padres to improve and keep pace with the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers have created a perfect storm of apathy from Rockies fans as spring training creeps closer.

While there is no doubting that Colorado’s leadership wants to win, hearing the words from Ellis this week is a reminder that communicating with fans is vital to a franchise’s continued support from the community at large. Simply put, Rockies fans need to hear the plan moving forward. They need to understand where the franchise is heading and what the hope is for Arenado and Story staying. Without that, they’re left to form their own conclusions based on results … and those haven’t been good over the past few months.

Next. Have the Padres moves accelerated a Rockies rebuild?. dark

Monfort may have been the most frustrated person in the world in October of 2019, but it’s clear that Rockies fans have reached that level of frustration as 2021 dawns.

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The Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies both had seasons to forget in 2020. Both campaigns left their fan bases (and leadership) frustrated … but now what?

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