John Elway didn’t want this audience in November, standing in front of players and coaches after an ugly loss to the New England Patriots.

From the moment the Broncos collapsed in the Super Bowl nearly a year ago, unable to offer resistance against the Seattle Seahawks, Elway went about assembling a roster he believed was capable of snarling in big games.

Then came Denver’s road game against New England on Nov. 2.

The Broncos trailed 27-7 at halftime before falling 43-21. They were embarrassed in a matchup to determine early AFC supremacy, if not home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Elway didn’t like what he saw. He addressed the coaches and players the following week. He demanded better, telling them he wanted a greater sense of urgency and a tougher attitude.

That the message came from Elway and not coach John Fox foreshadowed the upheaval after the Broncos’ 24-13 playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday that led to Elway parting ways with Fox.

“(Elway) talked about our toughness and effort,” defensive tackle Terrance Knighton told The Denver Post last week. “He was saying that this team was built to win championships. That if we weren’t talking about championships with each other, talking about winning the Super Bowl, then something is wrong. He wanted us to play like that and practice like that. It was about having a certain mentality.”

Knighton absorbed it, and agreed with it. Elway’s team meeting, he admitted, motivated his own Super Bowl victory prediction after the Broncos clinched their fourth consecutive AFC West title with a 22-10 win at San Diego on Dec. 14.

A month later, in the playoffs against the Colts, nothing had changed in big games. The Broncos were thoroughly outplayed at home.

Based on his season-ending news conference last Tuesday, Elway did not view the Broncos’ stunning playoff loss in a vacuum. It was the Super Bowl showing against the Seahawks, the forgettable performance at New England, all over again.

Multiple players said they enjoyed playing for Fox, but they conceded that he never made them feel uncomfortable. That was in stark contrast to Elway’s raw assessment of the team. He criticized the team’s “lack of fire,” and lamented that the Broncos didn’t “go out kicking and screaming.”

Fox put his trust in his players, counting on leadership from his locker room and his captains, a 50-50 type of division of power.

Elway, though, appears to want Fox’s successor to be a coach with a stronger rudder, a coach who is not as close to the players.

Fox was the right man four years ago when the Broncos faced a rebuilding pro- ject, and the wrong fit going forward. This explains why Elway remains excited about the Broncos’ next step. He has embraced bringing in a new coach — former Broncos quarterback and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak remains the heavy favorite to get the job this week — to upgrade the coaching staff and help Denver’s young players develop sooner.

In the end, the Broncos unraveled quickly, though the loose threads were exposed in November. Here is a look at the confluence of factors that turned a “Super Bowl win or else” season into one of the most disappointing finishes in franchise history.

Manning no longer The Man

In the season’s first eight games, Peyton Manning threw 24 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He finished with 39 scores and 15 picks. Advancing age, a reshuffled offensive line, a reconfigured rushing attack and a strained right quadriceps compromised the league’s reigning MVP.

The issues manifested themselves in the playoffs against the Colts, who took away slant routes and pick plays. Indianapolis also tackled well, preventing yards after contact on short passes and dared Manning to throw long. He went 6-for-19 on passes of more than 10 yards.

“The Colts’ game plan against him was fantastic,” said former NFL linebacker Chad Brown, who is a regular on local radio and TV shows. “They forced him to throw outside the numbers.”

After the poor showing, Manning remained noncommittal about returning, wanting to take time off to make his decision. He turns 39 on March 24.

Can he fit in the zone-blocking, run-friendly, bootleg offense that Kubiak prefers? Or would Kubiak adjust to Manning’s strengths?

The Broncos ran the ball well over the final six games, and in hindsight should have run it more against the Colts to help Manning. C.J. Anderson had 80 yards on 18 carries in the playoff game, but rushed just six times in the second half for 14 yards.

Pro Bowl isn’t the Super Bowl

Elway hit the bull’s-eye in free agency a year ago: All four of his high-priced acquisitions — cornerback Aqib Talib, safety T.J. Ward, defensive end DeMarcus Ware and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders — made the Pro Bowl team. It didn’t translate into a championship, however. Talib summed up the season as “close but no cigar,” while admitting “I could’ve played better” against the Colts.

The newcomers on defense boosted the Broncos’ confidence, beginning in training camp. But it wasn’t until after a 29-16 victory at Kansas City on Nov. 30 that cornerback Chris Harris said they began to jell.

“You have to love playing with your teammates. And if you have that love, you want to do anything you can so you don’t let each other down,” Harris said. “We haven’t had that for the whole season. We really came together as one.”

Truth is, you can’t microwave chemistry. Did it affect the Broncos’ performance last Sunday? Knighton disputed that notion.

“Not at all. I think we had a great locker room,” he said. “Peyton and DeMarcus got along. New guys got along. It could be like the (Miami) Heat, where they do well their first year together then the next year they go out and dominate.

“Everybody was on the same page.”

The Broncos may have been unified, but not everyone on defense agreed with the defensive game plan. There was private grousing among the players about the basic schemes and lack of blitzes.

Harris, for the first time all season, declined to comment after a game when asked why he didn’t cover Colts star T.Y. Hilton, given his excellence covering slot receivers.

Lack of young hired help

Part of the charm of the NFL is free agency. Part of the harm is that signing high-priced players to big contracts forces teams to sacrifice depth at other positions.

Denver’s offensive line needed help at right tackle this season. The team lost faith in Chris Clark and Paul Cornick, and ended up moving Louis Vasquez, an all-pro guard, to tackle. The draft picks, aside from cornerback Bradley Roby, made no impact.

Offensive tackle Michael Schofield, a third-round pick, didn’t play well in the preseason and was inactive for 17 games. Wide receiver Cody Latimer wowed in training camp, but the second-round pick finished with only two catches at a time when Wes Welker’s shrinking role should have created more playing time.

Lamin Barrow, a fifth-rounder who was expected to compete for the middle linebacker job, had one tackle. When injuries sidelined linebackers Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall, Denver turned to rookie Todd Davis, snared from the Saints’ practice squad in November, to plug the gap.

A top-heavy roster with 10 Pro Bowl players produces wins, but a balanced roster is necessary to provide depth — and playmaking ability on special teams, which the Broncos also lacked.

“There’s no coming up short”

Elway parted with Fox because they disagreed with the Broncos’ vision going forward. Elway wants edge, creativity, a championship obsession.

“From a player’s mind-set,” Brown said, “I love where John is coming from and what he’s saying. But it could make the next hire potentially more difficult, because what coach wants to come into ‘Super Bowl or bust’ expectations? It’s a difficult standard to live up to.”

Elway’s competitiveness remains legendary, whether it’s on a golf course or on a stationary bike. Wins motivate him. And the losses in the big games only fuel that blaze.

“I certainly trust Elway’s point of view,” said former Broncos tight end Joel Dreessen. “There’s no coming up short. It’s not acceptable to him. And if you do lose, as he talked about, you’d better have battled your (backsides) off.”

Troy E. Renck: trenck@denverpost.com or twitter.com/troyrenck