As the Broncos clinched the AFC
Championship on Sunday, I have to admit that I was very emotional. Tears began
to well up in my eyes, and it was really special to watch Denver celebrate
another AFC title. I wondered why I was so emotional watching them clinch. For
one thing, I have seen this before. I remember watching the Broncos win the AFC
Championship in 1986,’87,’89, ’97, and ’98. I saw John Elway deliver
back-to-back Super Bowls the last two years of his career. I was 18 and 19
years old when Denver won Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, so it wasn’t like I
never saw the Broncos advance to the Super Bowl and win it before. As I watched
the celebration on the field, I started to realize why I got caught up in the
moment. There are a few reasons that stand out. The first reason is the fact
that it has been 15 years since the Broncos last made it to the Super Bowl. The
second reason is the fact that John Elway is prominently involved in the
decision making process with the organization. The third reason is probably
relate to Peyton Manning and what he has been through the last few years. I’ll
go step by step to explain in detail just how much this meant to me.
The Broncos have been a top-flight and
successful franchise in the NFL, but they haven’t exactly been racking up
playoff victories since their last Super Bowl win. Since the Broncos last won
the Super Bowl following the 1998 season, they had only won 2 playoff games
before this year. Denver lost their first playoff game in 2000 to the Ravens,
in 2003 to the Colts, in ’04 to the Colts again, and of course last year in the
Divisional Playoffs to the Ravens. Denver also lost an AFC Championship Game at
home in 2005 to the Steelers. Tally it up and Denver was 2-6 in playoff games
since John Elway retired. Those two wins came with Jake Plummer and Tim Tebow
at quarterback. Don’t forget Denver missed the playoffs 5 straight years from
2006 to 2010. When they finally made it in 2011, they got in at 8-8 after
losing their last three games of the year. The bottom line is that Denver has
not had the success they were accustomed during the years following Elway’s
retirement. It also seemed that Denver hit a stretch of some really low
moments. The Broncos could not find a long-term replacement after Elway
retired. Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, and Tim Tebow all
took center stage at some point as the Broncos starting QB, but none of them
lasted longer than four full seasons before their tenure ended for whatever
reason. In 2005, Denver finished 13-3 and defeated the Patriots in an epic 2005
AFC Divisional Playoff, but they got smoked by underdog Pittsburgh at home in
the AFC Championship Game. In 2006, Denver lost at home on the final Sunday of
the season to the 6-9 San Francisco 49ers. The Broncos blew a 13-0 lead in that
game, and they finished 9-7 and out of the playoffs. A win there would have
clinched a playoff berth. That night promising CB Darrent Williams was killed
in a drive by shooting at a New Year’s Eve party. RB Damien Nash would die in
the offseason that year from a heart attack as well. In 2008, Denver held a
three game lead in the AFC West over San Diego. At 8-5, all Denver needed to do
was win one game in their final three to clinch the division. At 5-8, San Diego
could lose one more game, and that would clinch it for the Broncos as well. The
Chargers won their next two to get to 7-8,
while Denver lost two in a row. That included a terrible home loss to the 6-8
Buffalo Bills in a game that Denver led 13-0 at one point. The final game of
the epic collapse was in San Diego as the Chargers blasted the Broncos 52-21 to
win the AFC West and knock Denver out of playoff contention. That game led to
firing of Mike Shanahan and the hiring of Josh McDaniels. The McDaniels era
might be one of the worst in Broncos history. In 2009, McDaniels feuded with
start QB Jay Cutler, and Cutler demanded a trade before the season even began.
McDaniels dealt Cutler to Chicago for Kyle Orton and draft picks. To make matters
worse, McDaniels guided Denver to a surprise 6-0 start and they stood at 8-4
with four games to play, only to lose their last four games and finish 8-8 and
outside of the playoffs once again. In 2010, McDaniels traded away Pro Bowl
receiver Brandon Marshall in the offseason, but he made bigger headlines with
the decision to draft Tim Tebow in the 1
st round of the 2010 NFL
Draft. There was constant controversy and hoopla around both Tebow and
McDaniels. After McDaniels struggled to a 3-9 record that year, the Broncos fired him before the season was
over, and that would be their fifth straight year out of the playoffs. In 2011,
John Elway took over the franchise and hired John Fox as the coach, but the big
story regarding the team was what they would do with Tebow. After a 1-4 start,
Fox decided to bench Orton in favor of Tebow, who then sparked Denver on a
remarkable run and they were 8-5 with three games left in the season. Their
crazy run was brought back to Earth when they lost their final three games to
finish 8-8, but they backed into the playoffs because the Raiders lost at home
to San Diego. Although the Broncos had a magical moment when Tebow led them to
a dramatic overtime win over the Steelers in the Wild Card round at home, they
were embarrassed and humbled by the Pats in the Divisional round with a brutal
45-10 loss in Foxboro. The season ended with more questions and concerns about
Tim Tebow than anything else that happened positive on the field. I don’t think
I have to go into too much detail about how badly last season ended either. The
playoff loss to the Ravens was about as bad as it gets, and that was the worst
loss in franchise history bar none. As I said earlier, there have been a lot of
black eyes, low moments, and just plain heartbreak the last 15 years. I’m not
comparing the Broncos to the Jets, Browns, Lions or Bills, but the Broncos have
certainly endured some really gut-wrenching moments in the past decade and a
half. All those events ran through my mind as Denver was celebrating on Sunday.
The reason Denver got back to where they
belong was because of John Elway and Peyton Manning. Let’s start with Elway.
When he was hired in January of 2011 as Executive Vice President of Football
Operations, many people were skeptical. I was definitely one of those people.
Would he be a figure head? Does he even know how to build a team? Is this
franchise a joke? With all the questions surrounding Elway rejoining the
franchise, the one that I was most concerned with was what happens if he fails miserably.
There was a lot of concerns for this organization when Elway came aboard. All
Elway has done was right the ship from day one. A lot of experts felt that
Denver would have a tough time getting a new head coach because it wasn’t
considered a top job in January of 2011. What did Elway do? He got the best
available coach on the market with the hiring of John Fox. Elway was able to
draft Von Miller at #2 when many people were saying that Denver should go with
either Marcel Dareus or Nick Fairley. Elway’s thought process was that you need
a stud pass rusher who can impact the game over the interior defensive lineman.
That proved to be a shrewd move. When he faced with the Tim Tebow dilemma, he
decided that the team had to try and see if Tebow can play. When Tebow
succeeded, Elway was constantly criticized for not going over the top with his
praise of Tebow, but Elway was actually keeping a clear mind for the future.
When faced with that decision about Tebow after the magical run in 2011, Elway
still kept an open mind, and then when the time came to go after Peyton
Manning, he jumped at the opportunity. He stood there and took much of the
criticism when he decided to go after Manning and move on from Tebow, but he
was able to withstand it, quiet the concerns of Broncos fans, and make a move
for one of the best QBs ever. And the best part about it was that it worked.
Manning’s decision to pick Denver can definitely be traced back to Elway.
Elway’s pursuit of Manning was ballsy, risky, and almost genius. When Manning
signed with Denver, Elway got a lot of credit, and he should have. I don’t
think Manning is in Denver without Elway’s presence. What has Elway done in his
three years running the Broncos? Three straight AFC West titles, three straight
playoff appearances, and now an AFC Championship is a nice way to start your
career as an executive. That is what made the AFC Championship win so cool too.
To see Elway standing there on the podium amid confetti accepting the Lamar
Hunt Trophy was a treat for every Bronco fan. To have him involved in this
makes it so much sweeter and special. The best part is that he has earned the
success that he has had.
The final piece of this Broncos AFC
Championship puzzle is Peyton Manning. When Manning was let go by the Colts,
the Broncos were pursuit of Manning right away. It seemed risky for both sides.
Can Manning still play at that level? What if Denver is getting a beaten-up and
old Manning? My concerns about Manning started to change when the Broncos began
courting him over those two weeks. If Manning wasn’t healthy enough to play,
then he would have just retired. If Denver is going to get Manning-even at like
80%- then that still gives them a great shot to be good. Well, when Manning
signed with the Broncos, I had a feeling that we were onto something special.
My thought was that if Manning was healthy, then Denver would be in the
playoffs and be a contender. That is what exactly has transpired. Manning is
28-7 in his 35 games with the Broncos. He shattered the record books with over
5,500 yards and 55 touchdowns this year. He led Denver to a record 606 points
this season. Even last year, when he was probably like 90 percent, he still
threw for over 4,000 yards and 37 touchdowns. The guy has been as good as we
could have hoped for. Manning bounced back from four neck surgeries, and his
pursuit of another Super Bowl has been the story of the NFL for the last two
seasons. To see Manning play at this level after watching John Elway play at
that level in the past has been a dream scenario for Broncos fans. Manning’s
performance in Denver brought the Broncos back to the NFL’s elite. Division
titles, 13-3 records, homefield advantage, and Conference championships are all
things that the Broncos and their fans hadn’t seen in 15 years. With Manning as
our QB, we are back to where the franchise used to be-at the top of the AFC. Now, Manning gets a
chance to cement his legacy with a win over Seattle in the Super Bowl. It would
be the most fitting end to one of the best players ever to suit up in the NFL.
Those three factors (Broncos recent
history, influence of Elway, and Manning) are really the main reasons why this
Super Bowl run is so special to me. Super Bowls don’t come around every year
for your team. You have to enjoy it when you get that opportunity. Those three
storylines are what make this Super Bowl run by the Broncos a special and even
emotional one for me.
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