No. 1 or not, Broncos defense says it has nowhere to go but up

10:34 PM ET

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos remember their history just fine, and they would love to repeat it.

The 2015 unit was the first in franchise history to finish a season as the league’s No. 1 overall defense, and it was the group that powered a Super Bowl winner — something even the fabled “Orange Crush” did not do. Now, as the Broncos move through their offseason program toward the 2016 season, those involved believe there is still more to be done.

“There is only two ways to go … up or down, and you need to go up in this business, because everybody else is trying to shoot at you and they know what you did last year,” Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said.

“We were outstanding and one of the legendary defenses of our time. I told them, I said, ‘We want to get better, certainly, but you’re not going to get better than winning the Super Bowl. That’s the goal that you reached last year, and you have to try and reach again. But you can get better as a player and you can get better scheme-wise.’ We can do those things better.”

Though the Broncos led the league in most of the major defensive categories — including being the only team that topped 50 sacks and the only team to hold opponents to fewer than 200 passing yards per game in these throw-happy times — they still have a to-do list for the …

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