Broncos Reach Mountain Top. Colorado Wants More

I sincerely wanted to feel ecstatically euphoric about my Denver Broncos winning Superbowl 50, but I have to be honest.  It was somewhat anti-climactic for a fan who has seen this all before.

Not so much the championship thing. Of course we've seen that part before, assuming you are of a certain age that is.  My youngest kid is heading downtown to see the big parade today because she was too young. I've done those parades, and the only thing really cool about them is the unified joy surrounding the reason you came out to celebrate in the first place.

The rest of it is sweaty, smelly and slightly claustrophobic if you suffer from such things.  The last parade brought out 650,000 revelers. This one promised to be worse...or better, depending on how you look at it.

When you combine the depression of accepting that the most unified moment of fellowship that we consistently enjoy as a nation- NFL football- has finally come to and end, I found myself more interested in searching out all of those crap talking naysayers who messaged their doubt throughout the entire season.  Even though I knew for certain that most of them were resorting to the bitter taste of whiskey to sooth their angered souls- the same whiskey that tasted extra sweet on the lips of the victors- I searched for someone who would swallow their pride and eat crow all in one failed swoop.

Nothing.

 I really hoped to find one guy who taunted all of Broncos nation with his incessant demeaning comments because no one wanted to bet him via Facebook, proving (in his mind) that no Denver fans actually believed that Denver would win.

At last posting, he's refusing to pay up to some of those same fans except an Uncle in his family who probably was the only person who had a hope in hell of collecting in the first place.

When we won it all, I thought about this "bet taunting" joker and how I could stick it in his face for doubting that my city has the stuff of championship form.

Who dat say we gonna lose another Bowl?

Did he and other Broncos naysayers have justifiable cause for the ridicule they level on this team?

In reality, my Denver Broncos are the most justifiably ridiculed champion that ever competed on the highest stage.  What we are known for is what most hate us for in the end.

We Are Over Achievers By Choice.

In Colorado, we climb 16'ers just because they are there.  No, really.

We hurt our muscles and blister our hands to reach the summit of a mountain, only to imagine in our minds the next mountain top.

Before the Broncos won, the Avs showed
them how to get it done.  Parade and all.

In Colorado, we've seen mountain tops on many occassions.  A few times, we got there only to discover that someone else reached the summit first.  Does that take away from our ability to climb or our thirst to be first?  On the contrary.  Our experiences- good, bad and ugly- have made us into the great state that we are.

We've won championship titles in every sport from lacrosse to soccer to hockey. Olympians live here just to chase after thin-aired mountain tops like we do for hobby.  We bike, we hike, we run, ski and golf all year round in this blessed state.  And though our cost of living has risen commiserate to the population boom that comes from being us, we complain and keep on moving because somewhere in that mountainous western backdrop is a spirit that inspires our passions, watches over our region, and occassionally appoints us to trials that only climbers can endure.

Columbine and the Aurora Theater were traumatic missions for a state that has now established the blueprint on terror mitigation, but our Superbowl blowouts at the hands of black quarterbacks were trauma of another, unrelated sort.   Did the butt kicking from those last two brothers set the third one up to take us for granted?  It certainly helped to remove the stigma on the black quarterback, making Cam the first black quarterback favored to win the Bowl.  We played an important role in each of those episodes. Were these traumas simply divine burdens of being us?

Hard to know for certain. What I do know is that I am Colorado, which means I am chissled and shaped by the impact of all of it.  I am Colorado, which means I ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon so that I can sooth the pain of loss and terror while remembering the importance of being diligent and aware of both.

Losing wasn't really too scary for me and those of my kind. We've seen the mountain top even when we've arrived too late.  In our NFL journey, we've summitted as many times as any team in the league, along with losing more times, losing with the biggest point deficits, and now we even have the worst quarterback rating EVER for a team that won the game.

On the other hand, we might have also won it with the best defensive performance in the history of the final game while using the best regular season quarterback in the history of the game,  backed by the best front office guy who remains in the conversation as the best quarterback to ever win as well.

You may not appreciate the results that we've achieved given the wealth of chances that we have had to do it, but you have to respect the wealth of chances.  The Denver Broncos are often in the mix and are threatening to remain in the mix for years to come.  Some might choose to focus on the failures, but even they can't deny the chances.

In Broncos nation,  we reveled in the moment for the first few hours of victory

By morning time, the only post Superbowl posts I could consistently find were "When will the Rockies and the Nuggets" do the same?

Yep.  You got it.

In Colorado, we are already seeking new mountains to climb and new parades to plan, because We Are Colorado.  That's just what we do.

Are They Playing Fair? Huffington Post Pushes Donald's Diatribes To Entertainment News Page.

pol·i·ti·cian

ˌpäləˈtiSHən/

noun

a person who is professionally involved in politics, especially as a holder of or a candidate for an elected office.

Is Donald Trump a politician?  You better believe it!!

synonyms:

legislator, elected official, statesman, stateswoman, public servant; More

• US

  a person who acts in a manipulative and devious way, typically to gain advancement within an organization.

Donald Trump may not appreciate being connected to the field of politics, but the definition of the field fits "The Donald" to a tee. Unashamedly, Trump has always sold America a bill of goods that he's now hoping to use for a run at the highest office in the land. Unfortunately, he's so very good at politicking that he might just win this thing, and even Trump seems to be growing afraid of a job that is much more appealing to throw darts at versus dodging them for 4-8 years.

Despite a GOP party that has mostly allowed Trump to be as abrasive as he'd like, Trump is now threatening to go Ross Perot and do the third party run which would likely do for the Clinton family exactly what it did for them the first time when Bill Clinton unseated George H.W. Bush thanks to an assist from third party Perot.  Trump is manipulating the American political process in a devious way to gain advancement- but not within the GOP necessarily who are hopelessly tied to a disjointed party platform that isn't inspiring mainstream America like it used to.  In order to really fix his hot button issue- immigration, President Trump will have to really be a friend of Mexico and not just a politician that criticizes them and later pretends to have a bond with these ridiculed people just because he hires so many of them

Trump hasn't had to change his message because he's politically savvy to alter it just enough to ease the heat.  When his accusing the Mexican government of criminal mischief didn't play well on every air wave, Trump simply adjusted his message with a back handed compliment describing them (Mexico) as smarter and craftier than our government.  When asked by CNN's Anderson Cooper whether or not we have a problem with policing of black people in America in response to the Sandra Bland video, Trump remained politically non-committal by saying; 

"I hope we don't, but we might".

Trumpis not a lifelong elected politician because he is an even worse type of politician, similar to Rush Limbaugh who plays the game exclusively for personal gain and not for love of country.  Trump might be a victim of his own bombastic nature, but he seems way too bombastically calculated for any of us to treat him as an accidental tourist.  He's been on this journey in one form or another for as long as we've known him. Now, the only thing that has changed is the form of his hustle

Maybe he's going for political influence like Bill Clinton has used to create a worldwide corporate empire, sensing the end of "The Apprentice" and the need of a new reality television show to keep himself relevant to the world. Don't be surprised if all of these Trump Tower interviews are not being recorded by Trump to become the basis of some show that we get to buy from Trump  after the election season is over. 

Whatever the motivation, no candidate who continually raises his middle finger to the entire political process is really hoping to win it all in the end.  Trump is running a new kind of political game on the populace and some of us are so tired of that old game that we would play any new game just for the sake of change.  A third party run would keep the control of Trump's game squarely at Trump Towers and through Trump twitter feeds, two methods of message delivery that have cost "The Donald" no money and no energy for an amount of air time that he could never truly afford to pay for- especially with some questions over his actual wealth given the recent release of his financial documents.

He might not be quite as rich as he first told us, but he is still just as smart as he still claims to be. He graduated near the top of the best school in America (Wharton).  Assuming he wins,Trump would be relinquishing his access to wealth creation until he has fully finished his days as president of America.  Without question, his presidency would be a major income demotion for "The Donald", who's appears to be worth somewhere between 1.54 billion  and 10 billion in assets based upon document review.  If Trump is not seeking the presidency to diminish or destroy his entertainment value, he's not going to run without displaying it.  Until the rest of the media recognizes their role in Trump's manipulative game like the Huffington Post has realized, he will use them all as the key asset to his twisted self indulgence masquerading as a run at the presidency.

That's Entertainment!

The Huffington Post has decided that most of Trump's escapades are nothing more than acts of entertainment that deserve to be placed in the entertainment section and not on the front page of real news that covers real candidates who don't snub their noses at our process just to elevate themselves.  Whether you support their decision or not (I do), you have to acknowledge that the media seems more entertained by the Trump story than convinced that he's a viable option for the office.  For several days now, the same media that shoved their microphone's in the face of Trump so that they could laugh at his brashness has had to turn the microphone around on themselves while asking the question of, "why is it actually working?".

Political  pundits are usually fairly good prognosticators when determining the likely twists and turns of politics.  Most expect the crash and burn of Trump even while few can tell you when or how it begins.  This is the most unlikely of political stories, so judging its end is harder than explaining its existence in the first place.  Most people will tell you that he will eventually come back down to earth, but that is based upon normal political experience created under normal political circumstances.   The presidential run of Trump, while entertaining, is hardly normal.

It is also nothing if not a clear representation of some segment of the GOP voting block.  Worse tthan Mitt Romney, Trump would struggle as a GOP candidate in a general election, yet that doesn't matter to those who still question the birth of Barack Obama.  For years, Trump has lead this political charge against the president because it offered political attention that could be cashed in.  Trump is now leading a new political charge but for the same old political reason's.  Cashing in.

Would tough talk from Donald insure war with Putin?

Trump, who hurt his net worth with his toxic rhetoric, must use his political smarts to achieve the same political plan he's always displayed as a political entertainer.  Candidate Trump never planned  to console the families of the lost soldiers who die when president Trump upsets Vladimir Putin and must deploy troops in Ukraine. That's not the kind of entertainment Trump had in mind when he started this marketing plan.  $500,000-$750,000 per speech like Bill Clinton gets, however, is a great form of work for an old guy, and Trump (69) is a year older than Bill (68) and two years older than Hillary Clinton (67) and in need of an easier way to cash in on his persona.  If you don't connect Trump's entertainment plan to his peculiar political behavior then you too might remain a puppet in "The Donald's" twisted reality show.

If Hillary won't do interviews for the entertainment hungry press and the rest of the presidential field isn't entertaining enough to deserve free press, Trump is willing, ready and able to fill the entertainment void for them all.  So whenever its hard to make sense of a nation that seems hungry to watch the political performance of a circus clown, we have to keep in mind.

That's entertainment!

Russell Wilson's On A Pathway Towards Greatness And The Sky Is The Limit

Sorry Denver.  I love my city and my Broncos, but the next time a black quarterback goes up against the Denver Broncos in a Superbowl, I am betting the farm on that team and that quarterback.

As Russell Wilson lead his Seattle Seahawks into battle against the Broncos, he was repeating a championship journey of a brother from another generation. Back in the day, Doug Williams took the Washington Redskins into a Superbowl battle with the Broncos in which his team was also not favored to win.  He won by a similar landslide.

Doug Williams interviewed after winning the Superbowl

Unlike Wilson, who played well but not great, Williams had a career day in a come from behind thrashing of the Broncos and John Elway that ended 55-10.  In addition, Williams passed for 340 yards, 4 touchdowns and was named the Superbowl MVP.  Doug Williams went on to coach at his alma mater, Grambling State University, so I can guarantee you that he would have taken that win no matter who captured the MVP.  What Williams is unlikely to diminish is the importance that his monumental achievement had on the future of the black quarterback in football.

The legend of the black quarterback has roots that deserve their own respect.  Russell Wilson was a black quarterback winning the Superbowl again over My Denver Broncos.  But this time, he was also just another player on a really great team that just so happened to be black.  This time, that was a good thing for the team and for the quarterback who did not have the legacy of black QB's anchored on his shoulders like Williams and others did before him.

Is Russell Wilson The Tiger Woods of Quarterbacks?

Next time, he will.

Next time, Wilson will become the recipient of a microscope that already assumes what it will find long before he is squeezed between the glass plates.  Next time Wilson will be judged on how long next time takes for this special team full of special talent.  Presumably, he is the most special of them all.  Next time, the pundits will say prove it.

If Pete Carroll is the legendary mastermind that his college resume says he is, next time should be more of the same; a total team effort that makes you clueless as to who the final MVP should be. Winning, especially winning repeats, are never quite that easy.  Free agency will eventually become a financial boon to the Legion of Boom, so Wilson will see his role evolve as they do.  The way Wilson sat down a highly paid free agent acquisition as a rookie tells us all what kind of quarterback he is.  His Tim Tebow sound bites at the end of games tells you a little about his character.  Are we seeing the beginning of a football legend?

In his second year as a quarterback, when he was supposed to be experiencing the sophomore slump, Russell Wilson is a champion.  He joins the elite fraternity of Superbowl winning quarterbacks who sit in a special glass house away from others who never won it all.  Yet, his youth and his potential have opened a path in the crowd for him to enter the luxury box of Superbowl winning quarterbacks.  Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, Steve Young.  These guys will always gain mention in the conversation of all time greats because multiple championships allow them to dangle their ring littered hands in order to lean the argument their way.

Russell Wilson will easily join these guys some day.  What scares us is how many others might he surpass as he builds a dynasty in Seattle?


Previous Post:  Seahawks are the champions.
                        Will they repeat? Three-peat?

Seattle Seahawks Are The Champions Of The World. Will They Repeat? Three-peat?

Somewhere right after the season comes to an end, signified by the championship parade, it becomes time to swallow the yearly dose of medicine the nearly every football fan ingests. If your team didn't make it to that last game, you've had time to chop that pill up and swallow it in small chunks.  When you lose in the final game, it goes down abruptly, slowly and painfully.  In fact, it reminds you of that first big pill that you struggled with as a kid.  You know, the one where swore that you were choking to death?

Somewhere in the middle of  the film footage of the championship team enjoying their moment in the sun, I finally realized that I will not be in that parade this year.  Those who have experienced one or more of those parades (as we have in Denver), realize how surreal they become.  One minute you are simply cheering for your team to be the last team standing, and the next you are surrounded within the electrical energy of fans that are all staring at you with the same "I can't believe it" amazement.  Perfect strangers become friends and family for a  moment of glorious celebration, and for at least one moment, you and the players who carried you up that mountain, can water the soil of your city with tears of collective joy.

Seattle earned that for themselves and their fans this year.  I may be sad for my city but I am not a hater, and I smile when I think of what that feels like for any city, especially one that has not seen it in quite some time.
The core (Wilson) of this team needs to prove that they can be a champion without riding the back of the Legion of Boom.
How you celebrate says a little bit about your vision of the future. A few of  the Seattle Seahawks did some serious dancing, especially those players who realize that the free agent market will come calling after such a public debut of the Legion of Boom.  The core of this team is sipping water and acting like its liquor while dancing a slow two-step and standing with a sly smile in the corner of the room.  The core of this champion is hardly satisfied with one bully beat down championship.  The core of this team needs to prove that they are the champion of the world for reasons other than Denver playing "one of those games" or riding the backs of the Legend of Boom.

Nicknames are cool, but seldom considered for even really good teams.  To carry a defensive moniker, ala The Steel Curtain, The Orange Crush or The Legion of Boom is reserved for great defenses only.  This defense represented greatness from beginning to end. They have made it clear that  the only real question about the prospect for the Seahawks lies on the other side of the ball, because the defense that we witnessed is the real deal.  They are capable of playing you any which way but loose, and what they have done all season long, they simply brought to the biggest stage in the world.

There is a beauty and a detriment to performing on the big stage.  As you perform, the talent takers start shifting plans and revenue to purchase the wares on display.  Will the Legion of Boom maintain its moniker even after the loss of a piece (or two) of the puzzle?  Maybe so.

What we know about the history of great defenses is that they are anchored by great players who offer amazing leadership.  Someone in that locker room is leading these guys to study so well that they are making plays like we used to see before the defense was clipped by modern rules.   When you draft really fast guys who recover well, you can generate a little snap, crackle and pop.  When you train guys with okay speed to do their homework and anticipate the play really well you might create a little Bam Bam.  When you combine speed and film study and sprinkle it all over your defensive backfield you become the legendary Legion of Boom.

These Seahawks did not lack for speed or film study when Richard Sherman went off the field with an injury so it is hard to imagine them as a one hit wonder irregardless of the ravages of free agency.  The Legion of Boom has assumed such a prominent place in the sun that their presence has cast a shadow over their quarterback who shocked his way unto the scene a year before his defensive brethren.

In only his second year as a pro, Russell Wilson did his best to contribute to his teams success in the Superbowl.  He made plays when necessary and avoided costly mistakes as he usually does.  Would that have been enough against Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning without a clenched rectum? Depending on the future of Wilson, Seattle could become a dynasty or a cherry picked champion that struggles to see these heights again.  Their coach and his blueprint leans towards the dynasty prediction, but dynasty's are even harder to create than legendary defensive moniker's.

Next Post:  Is Russell Wilson ready to build a dynasty in Seattle?