If Not New England, Who Is America's Team?

Who is America's Team? Is Brady competing for that title too?

Save for the championship conclusion, the replacing of Trevor Siemian for Peyton Manning created the same mediocre output that nearly mirrored our year of watching a less than healthy starter squeak his way into the playoffs, before finding a way to win it all. Hindsight seems to blame the same coach that it credited just one year prior. Given the drain and strain to repeat after winning, both theories are likely true.

Had the Broncos made it into the playoffs this year, I'm certain no one was interested in trying to take them out, especially Tom Brady who couldn't do it last season with Rob Gronkowski in the fold, so I doubt that he would have unseated the reigning champions of the NFL without Gronkowski. Of course, those comments are driven by my desire to at least lightly cook the crow I've had to eat from those Cowboys and Raiders fans who weren't too happy with the results of last season and tried to use this season's shortfall as a means of getting back at proud Broncos fans like me. Sadly, they both may have joined New England in the role of capable rivals to Denver, the NFL's reigning champs for at least a few more hours.

In the end, my feud with fans of Oakland and Dallas was fulfilled when they ended up playing exactly one more game than we did, quickly joining us at the fishing hole just as I predicted. Admittedly, I had as much chance of being right about the very capable Cowboys as they did about us when they swore we couldn't win Superbowl 50.

The injury to starting quarterback Derrick Carr prior to the end of the season virtually set the Raiders fate in stone.  For Dallas, however, the obstacle was that flaming hot Aaron Rodgers who'll probably be named this season's MVP and the reason why so many expect Atlanta to beat Brady too, considering how they thoroughly dismantled Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers team.

It's not as if Dallas didn't put up a championship fight against Rodgers, and it's not as if I'm discounting either of Denver's revived rivals- our division rival or that team who hates us for the audacity to be loved by America too. The future is bright for both Dallas and the Raiders, regardless of what city the latter ends up representing next year. In fact, their futures are so bright that any continued success in Denver bodes well for the NFL and a return of ready-made rivalries between two of Denver's more hated NFL opponents. If Brady finally gets old, these talented teams should replace him nicely.

Smart NFL fans recognized immediately that Denver and Dallas would undoubtedly meet up in the regular season next year, and somehow, New England would mysteriously remain on the schedule just as they do every year. The Raiders are a "two games per year' division foe that will get better, but never will they clamor to be called America's team while enjoying their image as the NFL rebels. Every other team in consideration for the title of America's team represent teams that we love or teams that we seriously love to hate.

If we're to be perfectly honest, New England is America's team because an equal measure of love and hate is what determines these things, and the Cowboys have underachieved for a bit too long to be hated much anymore. We mostly can't stand their loud mouthed fans. The Broncos might be a few Tom Brady trophies away from being even more beloved and thus hated more, although last years somewhat fortunate Superbowl victory is probably why Dallas fans and fans of other legendary teams started driving the Denver hate wagon. But it's cool so long as there remain competitive reasons for these teams to continue to rival one another.

Reasons such as Dallas experiencing a lasting resurgence while Denver rides the talent of that defense to the limit of its championship potential.  Or reasons such as Denver loading up on coaches like a team preparing for another run. Or how about reasons like Pat Bowlen being clearly alive and kicking and not dead and gone. Under the leadership of Bowlen, the Broncos have always been willing to do whatever it takes to win including a consideration of every capable quarterback including Romo- who would be another pretty good reason for building a rivalry between Dallas and Denver

Despite the playoff miss, Denver remains center stage in the lead up to the Superbowl because they continue to do what Bowlen has done for many years at the helm of the Broncos- spend the money and take care of people. Ironically, Jerry Jones and Pat Bowlen were recently engaged in a fan-created Hall of Fame war because these great owners are known to put their money where their mouth is.  Alzheimer's may have silenced Bowlen's voice, but his championship spirit is alive and evident.

Tony Romo leaving Dallas is not really much of a story at all because it's essentially a foregone conclusion. Rumors of Tony Romo to a championship organization like Denver is as intriguing now as it was when the whispers of it began months ago. It's in tune with the talent of the current team and with the decision to let Manning lead Denver to the last title. Nothing about this team says scrap it and take the chance on grooming a youngster.  Everything says Romo could probably achieve what Siemian or Lynch most likely cannot.

Our apologies to the last teams standing, but for whatever reason, the exploits of Denver (and Dallas now that they are winning again) dominate the NFL media coverage. If Bowlen was expected to die soon and not just stricken with an illness that has removed him from the public sphere, maybe the league would have considered selecting him to the HOF in front of Jerry Jones. The fact that these owners have been inducted in the proper order that they deserve to go in could be a sign that Bowlen isn't nearly as close to gone as we think even though he's mostly forgotten. These men and their championship teams will continue to mirror each other in certain ways because greatness has a familiar face to it.

It wasn't just Dak Prescott and Paxton Lynch that each of these teams coveted.  Take note of all the other players that each team has chased or shared, and then realize that Mark "butt fumble" Sanchez would have probably won that extra game Denver needed to make the playoffs this year. If there was any case to be made for the necessity of Sanchez this season, there is certainly one to be made for Tony Romo with Denver next year.

The signs are clear that Bowlen's Broncos are upset with this season's result and are girding up for another title. Elway and Kubiak rolled the dice on the health and skill of Siemian- and the hopeful progression of his backup- and they came up with craps, albeit by one game.  Yet, that one game remains the obvious reason why a better backup would have helped.

This defense and this team believe in Seimian, but it deserves the best quarterback available as a more durable starter or as a capable backup to deal with the high probability of a slow-footed Siemian, and glass jaw Romo getting injured in the NFL.  I'm not saying that it's time to scrap the Paxton Lynch plan or demote Siemian without merit. I'm saying Lynch is not good enough to put the heat on Siemian yet, and every position needs pressure from the backup. Competition at every position is how great teams stay great and overcome injuries in a sport that promises them. Romo may not remain healthy enough to be the starter, but if acquired by Denver, he too would have a quarterback capable of forcing him to play at his best in Siemian.

While the dream of a Denver versus Dallas Superbowl with Romo behind center is enticing for sure, the financials of a Romo deal are the main reason why it might not happen. But Romo has expressed an interest in Denver, and for every financial hurdle or legend named Brady, the Broncos have had one simplified answer.

Pat Bowlen.

In his tenure as owner of the Broncos (Pat's not dead), removing hurdles has been his forte. As long as he remains alive, Elway understands that he had better do his very best Bowlen impersonation. So far, he's doing pretty good.

Tom Brady is on the verge of solidifying his NFL legacy in which, win or lose, he will go down as one of the best to ever lace them up.  During his reign of excellence, Brady has often faced off with Denver, but Bowlen's Broncos remain the only team in the entire league that Brady has a losing record against, including an AFC championship game loss last season. As pundits look back on this season, they see Denver's D was likely the only thing that could have derailed Brady and the Patriots.

Atlanta's abuse of MVP worthy Rodgers has loads of people leaning towards the Falcons in this game, but most of those people are Brady haters like me and wouldn't pick Brady even if he had this year's Cleveland Browns as an alternate Superbowl opponent. Like it or not, Brady is the cream of the NFL crop, and Denver, Dallas, and every other history-rich team needs Brady to quit playing at such a high level so we can all come out from the shadows he casts.

I'm excited about the Superbowl even though it means the end of my team's reign as champion and a pretty good chance that Brady could solidify his place on NFL's Mount Rushmore. The tears in Denver's "No-Repeat" beer were shed on the last day of the season. Besides, my Broncos killed the Raiders in that game, so those tears tasted kinda salty sweet anyway.

When it comes to forecasting this game, Brady has to hurry up and win because, as long as his nemesis Pat Bowlen is still alive, so are the championship intentions that he inspires. That HOF owner, Jerry Jones, seems intent on shining up his star too, so the biggest risk to the Atlanta Falcons is not only Brady, it is his dwindling time and his recognizing the rise of other legendary organizations with serious championship motivations.

Ironically, Atlanta's offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan- son of legendary Broncos coach Mike Shanahan-  has brought glimpses of the Broncos way all the way to Atlanta and is threatening to unleash piles of it all over Brady and the Patriots. Will Shanahan and the Broncos influence prove to be Brady's kryptonite or will Superman finally find an antidote solidifying New England's grip on the title of America's team? That question is the reason we all will watch tomorrow.

Lady Gaga and the commercials should be pretty good, just in case the game is not.

NFL: National Football Lie? Is American Football Chasing Story Lines?

Trust me Detroit Lion fans.  I understand how it feels.

Its not because of my team, the Denver Broncos, who experienced years of pain at the hand of underachievement and the unspoken "bad luck' of having underwhelming box office appeal.  Denver finally won a couple of Superbowls, and even our recent absence from the top of the mountain doesn't discount Pat Bowlen's drive to stick our flag atop the heap.  We may have withdrawals from missing our crown, but it doesn't make us Detroit, or Cleveland who has to consider the success of the Baltimore Ravens with either envious joy or  envious pain. Denver is no longer another Buffalo team where the Bills came excruciatingly close to winning but failed 4 times during their key championship runs.

Denver is not hapless or hopeless.  The Broncos have won and can certainly win again...maybe even soon.  The Detroit Lions are loaded with talent and can finally consider themselves a legitimate championship caliber team as well, but what Denver, Detroit and every other team in the NFL has no hope of ever being is America's most beloved team. The Dallas Cowboys own that title and that title dictated that the pass interference flag had to be picked up lest the selection of Tony Romo for NFL MVP be soiled along with that soiled flag that got usurped by the powers that be.

Denver is not Detroit, the sad victim of this sad story, and we are certainly not the Minnesota Vikings.

My stepfather (RIP) was a HUGE Viking fan- the same Vikings who are the victims behind the story of the Hail Mary pass itself. Prior to this mysterious officiating foible, the Hail Mary was called the Alley Oop pass.  On this fateful day, Roger Staubach (a Catholic) admitted to throwing the pass to teammate Drew Pearson and then praying "Hail Mary" after it left his hand.  Mary didn't cure any blind men, but she might have created a few out of the officials who did not call a rather obvious push-off by Pearson that allowed him to make the key touchdown. As Pearson raced to the end zone, stories say an orange was thrown from the Minnesota stands that flashed past national television cameras giving Viking fans- like my stepfather- the false impression that a flag had been thrown- and then mysteriously picked up for some un-American reason that, once again favored America's Team.

When dad discovered that their was no flag on the play, his anger had him attempting to make a call to the national offices of the NFL to voice his displeasure. Since this was the mid-70's, mom found the approach- and the yellow pages that he used to find Pete Rozell- to be a bit excessive. We kids joined her more reasonable bandwagon.  Besides,  my dad was the only Viking fan in the house and this was hardly the Broncos that were falling victim to the corporate compulsion towards America's Team, so what did we care?  In hindsight, dear old dad might have been on to something.

Why did they ever decide to create a national headquarter for officiating "support" if not to take away some of the power that allows on-field officiating crews to screw up the story line.

Did the officials officially hand Dallas the victory over Detroit?  NO! But they did do their best to keep the story line intact even when an obvious call threatened to curtail it.  My hunch, once again, was that this has everything to do with the up and coming MVP announcement that has  all flags pointing in the direction of Romo.

NFL officials, to the chagrin of many, are part time employees who do other really important things for a career which could impact their ability to obey the company instruction to remain "fair and balanced" like FOX news (wink, wink).  The general fan should hope that these guys maintain the integrity of the job by never letting it become their career, yet politics even exist in little league sports so the NFL is highly vulnerable to it. Good ol' boy referee's get the good ol' boy jobs while guys with integrity ref little league for life.  Even if you would like to call the game like you see it, today's NFL referee knows that New York video officials (the bosses) are watching and insist on changing the call as needed.  NFL fans who would like to see full time officiating should see that we've got it already in the form of New York city big bosses.  What might have been called an effort to speed up the game is now an entity of responsibility.  Who is chosen to officiate the game must be driven by the New York big bosses since now, the final call reflects more on the process than the people.  Integrity's wish is that such administrative leanings would never bend unfairly towards the money, but sensibility knows better.

Did New York snatch a flag from the field for the sake of Romo's MVP story, America's Team. and a huge money making story line?

New York better be glad that dad passed away because his beef with them goes way back and Google is a stronger search engine than those Yellow Page books.