"When linebacker Mario Haggan signed with the Broncos in November 2008, the team was well on its way to the AFC West title and a playoff berth. Then came a disastrous December, in which the Broncos went 1-3 and lost the division championship to San Diego.

The 2009 Broncos also had a chance to make the postseason before it all fell apart in the final month of the season, with losses in the last four games.

Of the 53 players on the Broncos' active roster, only two remain from Denver's last playoff team in 2005 — cornerback Champ Bailey? and D.J. Williams.

So, while coach John Fox might be playing it politically correct by saying he won't think about the playoffs until the Broncos qualify, veteran Broncos want to make sure to avoid a repeat of that ugly history."