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.

Tony Romo For MVP? The Notion Alone Might Secure Dallas A Crown

For the love of Peyton, I actually started to think of my own team, the Denver Broncos, as Americas new team.  And then the Tony Romo for MVP conversation brought me out of my Mile High cloud.

Make no mistake.  The Dallas Cowboys are, and may forever be Americas team.  The roots of sports fandom run so deep that they create upshoots that appear throughout the world.  Michael Jordan is much more than an American sports hero and the Bulls are the NBA equivalent of the NFL's Cowboys as a result.  Cowboy fans may have quieted themselves over the past decade of mediocrity, but their silence was that of a malignant tumor waiting for any positive sign of the greatness of old.  Winning as the Cowboys have won in the past is a hard elixir to ignore once its sweetness has caressed your palate.

Jerry Jones probably have squeezed the hope out of every chance his team has had to return to the pinnacle of greatness by managing his organization with an iron fist that seldom yields the nectar of champions.  Whether or not his iron fist has finally squeezed out a running game of consequence and a defense that will complement shall unfold in the coming weeks.  Demarco Murray has performed so well that Tony Romo even thinks he is just better at football now. His team clearly didn't trust their MVP quarterback to let him go without the broken hand on Murray who played in yesterdays game with an injury.

So does the emergence of the C.J. Anderson run game in Denver mean Peyton Manning is worse or better as a quarterback because his team is winning without his typical exploits too?  Are we really of the notion that Tony Romo can read defenses better than he used to, and that run game thing is only fortunate to be along for the ride?  Romo has never been a horrible quarterback, and the Dallas Cowboys have never been a horrible team,  They have been consistently projected for greatness because the 8-8 mediocrity simply didn't fit the talent on paper.  The emergence of the Cowboys during this season comes when most of the analyst had given up on the notion of them being anything better than average.

One week ago, the Cowboys were actually on the fence between winning the division or being left out of the playoffs altogether.  That fate fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, but not until last night when the Cowboys trounced the Indianapolis Colts and the Washington Redskins pulled of an upset victory over a conference rival in the Eagles.  Not a moment before that unexpected occurrence has anyone mentioned Tony Romo as a potential MVP and suddenly he is leading the conversation?

The real reason for this debate is the reason Romo and the Cowboys are likely to be one and done in the playoffs.  The true MVP's of the league; Manning, Watt, Gronkowski, Brady, are either playing defense or playing on teams with an exceptional defense backing them.  Seattle titled the axis of power in the league and every team with a great quarterback has had to adjust to the demand of winning from the defensive side of the ball as a result.  Doing this demands an efficient run attack in order to win the TIME OF POSSESSION war that insures great defenses remain great on every play.  Overworking any defense will expose them, which is why the likely odds for a Superbowl matchup will be a Superbowl rematch including the two teams with the best defenses and the best run game/quarterback play to support said run games. (Sorry New England, but Gronkowski can't run the ball too....can he?)

Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch will be assigned to insure that the Legion of Boom remains sonic while Peyton Manning and C.J. Anderson will be responsible for unveiling their defense to a national audience hopeful that the John Elway influence will make this game more entertaining than the last.  I expect Manning to be unleashed in the second half of this years Superbowl game since he will essentially have been under wrap for nearly half of the season, but Wilson is always waiting to unwrap his talents.  If Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray make it through, it will be only because Romo shocked the world and outfoxed the defending champion Hawks, which I consider highly unlikely. If the lack of D in Dallas forces Romo to open up again and take the kind of chances that typically produced Cowboy mediocrity, the Legion of Boom (or some other playoff team) will spell his doom.

Foreshadowing the NFL.  Romo wins MVP while Broncos
and Seahawks repeat last years matchup.

Denver has the D to win it all, but Denver's defense will need to be other worldly because the wheels and skills of Wilson are slowly elevating themselves to a realm that we may have never witnessed in one player.  Elway had great mobility and an arm to boot, but even he couldn't make people miss so eloquently as does Wilson.  The end game ability of Wilson is a direct by-product of his willingness to win ugly or win off of the exploits of his run game and his defense, if need be.

Absent any lasting injuries to either teams key players, this match up is virtually etched in stone to my eyes.  Even the offensive barrage that I see happening in the second half of this epic Superbowl rematch lives in my imagination like a foreshadowed prophecy.  I fear the Seahawks quarterback more than I trust my own, but thanks to the Denver  D, the Broncos will avenge their loss by winning the Superbowl, but one day prior, Tony Romo will be named MVP of the league even though he won't make it to the Superbowl along the way(voting happens at the end of the regular season).

Barring an exceptional final game performance from one of the other top five MVP alternatives to Romo, Romo will win MVP because America's team won't be home for post-Christmas revelry this year. Romo will win it because every other candidate will have reasons why they haven't outshined an opportunity to recognize America's team again.  The Cowboys and Tony Romo will truly be lucky to even win one playoff game with the weaknesses in their defense, but Romo might still be handed an MVP trophy; not because he deserves it, but America's team does.  



POSTSCRIPT:

While listening to Dan Patrick talk about the belligerence of Marshawn Lynch, who chose to answer every  post-game question from reporters, with the words "thanks for asking that question", and nothing more, Patrick declared that Lynch should be suspended.  I wonder if DanPatrick thinks Bill Belichick or Greg Popovich or even Phil Jackson during his zen moments should be fired for being belligerent towards the media?

I think not.


ONE MORE THING!

Can't wait to watch the (6-9)Atlanta Falcons and the (6-9)Carolina Panthers fight for the division crown next week.   #dontchangeAthing

Broncos Star QB Must Recognize Denver's Defense As The MVP

What's up with Peyton's fourth quarter production.

Every attempt that we keep making to answer the question about Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos seems to leave us more clarified about the competition and not the home team or its leader.

Much like the first two weeks, Manning has finished a really close game with no reason for anyone to believe that he is the game closer that will be necessary for the final climb to the top.  This Superbowl rematch started out eerily similar to the original game.  Much like the Superbowl, Denver's improved defense gave Peyton time to decide if he wanted to show up or not.  Another fumble on our opening offensive play shut down Denver's confidence in Montee' Ball and running the ball with Ball.  In a wild stroke of luck, Ronnie Hilman actually resurfaced early in the game, even though he was inserted to give Peyton another passing weapon (screen out of the backfield) and not a reliable running attack.

By games end, the Broncos had settled on 20 running plays versus the 47 running plays that San Diego used a week prior to upset the Superbowl champs.  Granted, the Chargers were lucky enough to do it on home turf, but their blueprint was never designed to yield humongous yards on the ground.  No self respecting defense would ever give up too many yards on the ground anyway.  The commitment to running is like making slow love.  It may take a while to yield the benefits, but its well worth the patience shown.  Three years and three weeks into the Manning experiment, and the Broncos are still full of quick triggered, youthful exuberance, but lack the wisdom of experience.  Their defensive effort in last nights game was similar to that of the Superbowl, but failed offensive series after failed offensive series is likely to run any defense into the ground, even an improved one.

Three weeks into the season and John Fox is also continuing to use the same 'tired' excuse as an explanation for shoddy play down the stretch.  Fox has yet to explain the lack of offensive execution late in games that has made the first three games such an adventure, or assign his QB's fourth quarter departures as the reason for the dilapidated defense in Denver that he  does keep referring to.  Its likely that Fox is just another well paid talking head who understands football, gains the love and respect of his players with a jovial, laid back personality, but can not hold the leader of his team to the highest level of expectation- which Manning is so apt to do when other players fail to execute.  Is there no one in the Bronco organization to tell the quarterback to step your end game production up?

At the conclusion of last nights defeat in Seattle, Denver cornerback Chris Harris Jr. tweeted a comment that Russell Wilson is better than Luck, referring to Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts.  If Harris Jr. had the courage to tweet such a comment about two up and coming QB's in the league, what do you think he feels about the old guy he has on own team?  Both Luck and Wilson show late game execution that Manning lacks since so many defenses are certain that he will ONLY sit in the pocket and pass when the game is on the line.  Harris Jr. might be right about his evaluation of Wilson, but he might also be admitting what is starting to become clear about Manning.

The Broncos would love to win it all on the backs of their best player, but they simply have overestimated how good he actually is.  Manning will always be knowledgeable enough of the game to make average teams pay dearly, but against the best of the best, Manning becomes mortal.  In fact, he is pretty average. If you can remember the last time he ran for a first down against pocket pressure you might have witnessed the first time as well.  In some ways, it is remarkable how well the Broncos perform on offense given the fact that they can be forced into predictability so easily. .

Harris Jr. wasn't out of bounds with his comment.  Wilson is special, and capable of winning it all once again.  It is not as though he has skills that are beyond that of most QB's in the league (although his ball fakes are legendary).  In fact, his lack of physical stature actually leaves him at a disadvantage compared to the average NFL QB.  Wilson makes up for every shortcoming in his game, and in his team, by squeezing the life out of his own potential.  When you watch Wilson make plays, it makes you wonder why he doesn't do more of the same throughout the course of the game.  Why doesn't he ignore the run game and Marshawn Lynch?  Lynch performed well last night, but was held below his normal production by a stingy Broncos run defense. Lynch finished the game with only 88 yards on 26 carries, or 3.38 yards per carry, but scored the game clinching touchdown in overtime.

Wilson only passed for 255 yards on 35 attempts, yet the formula for a Seahawk's victory will rarely include 300+ passing yards when balance and patience are their agenda.  Denver did acquit themselves better in the final scoring, but they did not show themselves truly competitive throughout the game, except on defense. If  Wilson is better than Luck then he probably is more capable than Manning too at this point in each players career.  No matter how you size up these players in a head to head comparison, Wilson is not the MVP of the Seahawks team, just as Manning isn't that for Denver.

For both of these Superbowl contenders, the collective defense is the MVP of each team, and it will be the team that relies on its defense the most that will win the next match up, which most expect to be for all the marbles.  When the game mattered most, Wilson grabbed the reigns and kept his defense from being needed,  however, it was his reliance on them throughout the game that made it possible.  Denver was an overtime away from a 3-0 start to a season in which their star quarterback has yet to outplay his competition.  Scoring is down in Denver, offensive production is sporadic, and the Broncos still appear to be the team most likely to take on Seattle in the end.

WHY?

If the current signs are legitimate, Denver has fielded the most impressive defense in its storied history and very few people are talking about them as the real hope that the Broncos have to capture the crown.  Manning has to see how impressive his defense has performed, but, thus far, seems to be the most unaware Bronco in the stable. The defense might be growing weary late in games, but to these tired eyes, it is totally on Manning whose style of play says that he still thinks of himself as the primary key to victory.

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?