Denver Broncos general manager John Elway turned the heat up on his players prior to Week 11, saying Friday he believes the team has "got a little soft" during its five-game losing streak.
And while the Broncos did little to prove Elway wrong Sunday, falling 20-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals for their sixth straight loss, the players were still disgruntled by the comments.
"Everybody in this organization is accountable for how we're playing right now,'' cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN. "Ain't nothing soft in my bones.''
"Absolutely, absolutely," said linebacker Brandon Marshall when asked if he was bothered by the comments. "Because I'm out there on the field, I'm out there on the field, I know my guys are out there on the field, none of us are soft. We go out there and bust our ass week to week, play good technique, we work hard, we're not just getting pushed over, pushed around ... for him to call us soft just rubbed us the wrong way. But he can say what he wants to say.''
Elway defended first-year head coach Vance Joseph, appearing to put the majority of the blame for the Broncos' disappointing season on the players.
"I've gone through losing streaks before and losses and tough seasons, but the way that we've lost these games has been the most disappointing thing," Elway said.
Denver's usually dominant defense resurfaced against Cincinnati, but key turnovers by the offense scuppered the unit's solid outing.
The offense has been among the league's worst units during the losing streak, and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas thinks Elway's critique isn't too far off the mark.
"I felt like everybody came out and fought hard, but we came up short ... I just think (Elway) is telling the truth," Thomas said. "He wouldn't have said it if he wasn't telling the truth. We've lost six in a row, I think there's a little softness in us somewhere and he's talking about everybody, including me.''
