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Back in Denver and couldn’t locate my sunglasses. Were they in my truck? Nope. My house? Not there, either. Hmmm. If I were my sunglasses, where I would be?

Well, look at that: They were hiding in the bag I packed to Cleveland. Didn’t remember that, because you don’t need sunglasses in Ohio. But they are critical in Colorado.

I often feel that way when folks complain about the weather here. It will happen, at the first snow, and those folks should get lost, as they must have forgotten it was 80 degrees in mid-October. From what I’m reading today on the Broncos’ 26-23 overtime win at Cleveland, there’s a high-level hypocrisy brewing with critics of Denver’s 6-0 start, too.

It hasn’t been perfect, and Manning has been mostly bad, which is why I wrote as much from Cleveland. Broncos punter Britton Colquitt punted seven times Sunday; he punted seven times in only eight games over the previous three seasons combined, for example.

But most of the critiques are taking aim at Manning’s numbers. They are flashes on Sportscenter about his abysmal QBR rating, Twitter comparisons between Manning and Tim Tebow (no, really), those sorts of things. And that might be the most severe hypocrisy of all. For years the knock the against Manning — whether in Indianapolis or here in Colorado — was that he was more concerned with numbers than championships.

You know, Star Wars numbers and stuff.

Now his numbers stink like rotten eggs, his team is 6-0, and Manning is Public Enemy No. 1.

We’re not politicians in a presidential debate. We must pick a side: If you didn’t care about Manning’s numbers then (only championships), why care about them now (when his team is unbeaten)? 

Russell Wilson melted down and threw four interceptions in a conference championship game and the Seahawks rode a dynamic defense to a win. So it’s possible for the Broncos to track Seattle’s blueprint and reach a Super Bowl. But the odds are against that sort of thing — even as spectacular and angry as the Broncos defense is — so it’s paramount the Broncos find a happy medium between the Manning method and the Kubiak method. 

“We will keep battling our tail off,” Kubiak said after the game in Cleveland. “I don’t sense frustration. I talked to him coming off the field. He’s disappointed. That’s what I saw.”

Late Sunday night, I watched a local newscast, because I enjoy watching local newscasts in different cities. Here was the Cleveland anchor’s comment that stuck with me: “We could have gotten to .500 today. It seems like the Christmas present we can never unwrap.”

Strange enough, the Browns, perennial losers, might have a better grasp of reality than media and fans follow the Broncos, who usually win. If Manning and Kubiak can figure out a common ground — and combine it with the best defense in franchise history — they’re all going to need sunglasses.

Twitter: @bypaulklee