Grüße und Vorstellung » While the Oakland Raiders celebrated

OAKLAND Shelby Harris Jersey , Calif. (AP) — with their fans following the possible final game at the Coliseum, the Denver Broncos trudged off the field with a lowly distinction.For the first time in 46 years, the Broncos are losers in back-to-back seasons.Now the big question following a 27-14 loss to the Raiders on Monday night that provided Denver’s ninth defeat of the season is whether the two down years will cost coach Vance Joseph his job.“It’s frustrating,” he said. “Our team, I thought we maxed out every game. Probably the Jets game didn’t max out, but it didn’t feel good today. We didn’t play good enough football to win. Defensively, we had our moments, but still gave up two big drives when we had to get stops. We didn’t play very good football today.”That’s been the case far too often in Joseph’s two years at the helm as one of the NFL’s most consistent franchises has run into some tough times of late.Denver (6-9) went 5-11 in Joseph’s first year but showed signs of improvement this season when the Broncos beat Cincinnati on Dec. 2 to improve to 6-6 with playoff aspirations.But three straight losses to teams that entered the game with losing records followed and now a franchise that won a Super Bowl as recently as 2015 is searching for answers. This is the first time since 1971-72 that Denver posted losing records in consecutive seasons. That had been the longest active streak without doing it.“It’s tough,” star pass rusher Von Miller said. “Especially being part of an organization that’s so used to elite play, elite wins and being an elite organization. It’s tough and it’s the story of the season. We played every game tough. We played every game hard for our team and our coaches but came up short.”There were plenty of problems against the Raiders on a night the fans came out to celebrate a stadium that might have hosted its final game. The Raiders (4-11) are set to move to Las Vegas in 2020 and have no lease for next year. With Oakland officials having sued the team over the move, the Raiders are looking into other options for 2019, including AT&T Park in San Francisco.A decision is expected before the Super Bowl, but many of the die-hards came out for this game knowing it could be the last NFL game ever in the stadium that opened in 1966.The Broncos did little to spoil the party, starting with a botched special teams play that led to a 99-yard punt return touchdown for Dwayne Harris, continuing with 11 penalties and ending with a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions by Case Keenum that ended any comeback hopes.“We all want to play better,” Keenum said. “Nobody likes not winning. We all hate losing. We all want to play hard and we all want to win for Coach Joseph. We all love him. He’s an incredible human and a great football coach. I want to play hard for him and I want to play hard for everybody in that locker room. That’s a big part of our team and our identity that we stay together, we all like and respect each other and we all fight for each other. But it’s a production league. When you’re not winning, it’s tough.”The biggest bright spot for the game became tainted as well when Phillip Lindsay left the game with a wrist injury after becoming just the third undrafted rookie ever to rush for 1 Colby Wadman Jersey ,000 yards in a season.Lindsay ran for 46 yards to reach 1,037 on the season, joining Dominic Rhodes and LaGarrette Blount in the accomplishment. Lindsay needs 68 more yards to break Rhodes’ record set in 2001 for Indianapolis.But he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to play the finale against the Chargers.“I’m going to get it looked at it tomorrow and go from there,” he said. “If I can play, I can play. Right now I can’t tell you anything because I don’t even know. I’ll go back tomorrow and get it looked at.” ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — John Elway insists he isn’t mad at star cornerback Chris Harris Jr. for skipping Denver’s offseason program, and he reiterated that he’ll address his contract demands after this weekend’s NFL draft.“I said we’re going to talk about it,” Elway stressed Tuesday. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to do it.”That didn’t sit well with Harris, who told The Associated Press in a text Tuesday night that he wants to be traded if Elway doesn’t give him an extension.“Yep, been disrespected too many times. In the media,” Harris texted several hours after Elway’s comments.It’s the first time Harris has publicly discussed a desire to leave Denver should things not work out.Harris, a perennial Pro Bowler who turns 30 in June, is due $7.8 million in 2019, the final season of a team-friendly, five-year, $42.5 million contract he signed in 2015.Elway signed two defensive backs in free agency, including Kareem Jackson to a three-year deal that averages $11 million a season.Asked why he’s waiting to address Harris’ deal, Elway said Tramaine Brock Jersey , “I don’t have time right now. I’m busy with the draft.”Elway also said at his pre-draft news conference that he’s not upset with Harris for working out on his own in Dallas while new head coach Vic Fangio installs a new defense in Denver.“It’s voluntary,” Elway said. “They’re welcome to … it’s voluntary. We appreciate all of the other guys that are here that don’t have to be here. I really appreciate them being here voluntarily and working on their game.”That was in stark contrast to his take back when wide receiver Demaryius Thomas boycotted the team’s offseason program while another new coach, Gary Kubiak, was busy installing his offense.During his pre-draft news conference in 2015, Elway said, “I see absolutely zero value of him being away from here.”Thomas ended up signing a $70 million contract in July. And Elway was right, it took Thomas a while to get his wind back and his timing down with Peyton Manning that season, which ended with a win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50.Harris has 19 interceptions and 80 pass breakups in eight NFL seasons. He’s the only defensive back with multiple interceptions in each of the past seven seasons.Waiting to address his contract opens the possibility that another team could make a trade offer during the draft for the last remaining member of the “No Fly Zone” secondary.“I haven’t even thought about that, so no,” Elway said when asked if he could foresee any scenario in which he’d deal Harris. “We have not gotten there. Like I said, we’ll talk about Chris’ contract when the draft’s over and see what they’re looking for.”Elway demurred when asked about selecting a quarterback high in the draft, and he said his offseason acquisition of former Ravens QB Joe Flacco doesn’t necessarily mean he’s down on this year’s QB class.“No, we had an opportunity to add Joe, and so we thought he’d be a good fit for us,” Elway said. “We thought the price was right and so we’re happy to have Joe.”While Von Miller suggested Elway draft Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Flacco suggested Elway bypass QBs in the first round altogether unless he’s the understood starter and select someone who can help the Broncos win now, not down the road.“I’m glad he said that. I like that, I understand that Su’a Cravens Jersey ,” Elway said. “That’s what you want from your guy that is your starting quarterback right now. You want him to have that mentality.”Elway was in a similar spot in 1992 when Dan Reeves drafted Tommy Maddux much to Elway’s chagrin.Elway said he was standing at the baggage carrousel at the old Stapleton International Airport “and we needed a wideout.”When he found out the pick was a quarterback, “I said, ‘Oh, (Carl) Pickens must have been gone,'” Elway recounted. “He didn’t go until the second round.”Elway was upset.“Sure, yeah,” Elway said. “How’d that work out?”Not great for Reeves (fired) or Maddox (0-4 in two years in Denver). But just fine for Elway, who capped his Hall of Fame career as a back-to-back Super Bowl champion.Elway recently said Flacco is still in his prime at age 34, an assessment that would seem to indicate he won’t be looking for his quarterback of the future just yet.Elway did say he’ll add a fourth QB to the group of Flacco, Garrett Grayson and Kevin Hogan by training camp, however, maybe a late-round flyer or a veteran free agent, even if that means none of the four are homegrown.“I want good quarterbacks in that room, however we get them,” Elway said, “whether I draft them or trade for them or we get one on the street.”