Broncos Mailbag Part 2: The Postseason

Here is Part 2 of the Broncos Mailbag. Now, I take a look at questions involving the Broncos postseason run to a Super Bowl 50 victory....

Why was the game against the Steelers such a struggle?
The Broncos ended up winning 23-16 over Pittsburgh, but the Broncos struggled to get the victory. They seemed to play tight against the Steelers. Their defense was really good for the most part, but they gave up four big plays and it hurt them. Maybe they got a little over confident since Antonio Brown didn't play in the game after getting concussed in the Wild Card game the week before. I felt like the whole team played tight and nervous. The offense struggled because of 7 dropped passes. Those drops really killed some drives that the Broncos had. Also, I think Peyton Manning was a little rusty on a very windy day in Denver in his first start since mid November. There just seemed to be a sense of relief for the Broncos when they finally won the game late in the 4th quarter. If it wasn't for Bradley Roby's forced fumble midway through the 4th quarter, and Manning's key completion to Bennie Fowler on a 3rd and 12 on the ensuing drive, then the Broncos might have been one and done in the playoffs once again.

What is the one memory that you will think of when you remember this game down the road?
It has to be the Bradley Roby strip of Fitzgerald Touissant in the 4th quarter to swing the momentum, and give the Broncos the ball when the Steelers were driving with a 13-12 lead. The other moment that is right up there is when Manning hit Fowler for the big gain on 3rd and 12. The Broncos scored the game-winning touchdown on that drive and it came a play after William Gay almost picked off Manning.

Why didn't you have any confidence in the Broncos defeating the Pats in the AFC Championship?
After watching the Broncos performance against the Steelers and watching the Pats performance against the Chiefs the day before, I really felt like New England was just a better team than Denver. Also, with Julian Edelman back healthy and with Rob Gronkowski healthy, I just didn't see how Denver was going to slow down Tom Brady and that offense. I gained a little more confidence as the week went on because NO ONE was giving Denver any chance to win, but I still thought that the Pats would beat the Broncos by at least a touchdown.

What will be the memory that will always stand out about the AFC Championship?
There are so many memories from that game, so I guess I'll just list them in sequential order:
-Manning hitting Owen Daniels for the opening touchdown on the Broncos first drive to give them a 7-0 lead
-Stephen Gostkowski missed the extra point after the Pats first touchdown
-Daniels second TD of the game on a perfect pass from Manning to make it 14-6
-Von Miller's pick of Tom Brady to set up that TD by Daniels
-Darian Stewart's pick of Brady on the sideline in the second quarter
-The beating the Broncos defense inflicted on Brady all game long
-Chris Harris tackling Julian Edelman for a loss on a 4th 1 in the 4th quarter to stop the Pats from scoring.
-The Brady pass to Gronk on 4th and 10 to keep the Pats hopes alive
-The Gronk TD from Brady on 4th and goal
-Bradley Roby's interception of the 2 point play.
-Shiloh Keo's game-clinching recovery of the onside kick.

Why were you so much more confident in the Super Bowl?
The Broncos defense was so good and they did such a good job against Brady and the Pats that I felt that they would matchup well with the Panthers receivers. I felt like that would be a key and it turned out to be true because the Broncos secondary did a great job and really thwarted their passing attack. I just felt that the Broncos defense would be very tough for one guy like Cam Newton to defeat all by himself.

Were you ever relaxed during the game?
Not until C.J. Anderson scored the 1 yard touchdown run to make it 22-10 and then Manning hit Fowler on the 2 point conversion to make it 24-10. Even after Von Miller strip sacked Cam Newton and T.J. Ward recovered the ball inside the 10, I wasn't relaxed because I was still worried that the Broncos offense would have to settle for a field goal and only a 19-10 lead. When the Broncos got the TD and it was 24-10 with 3:05 to go in the game, I relaxed just a little bit, but I didn't start to celebrate because I have seen a lot of crazy endings in the NFL in my lifetime.

What is the one moment that will stand out for you when you remember Super Bowl 50?
The strip-sack by Von Miller on Newton in the first quarter that resulted in Malik Jackson recovering the ball in the endzone to give the Broncos a 10-0 lead will always be the moment that I will remember. All week every one talked about how Miller and the Broncos defense wouldn't be able to get to Newton, and then BOOM! Here comes Miller around the edge and he crushes Cam, forces the fumble and the Broncos score the defensive touchdown that they needed to help them win. Another moment that I will remember is when Manning hit Fowler for the 2 point conversion and to make it 24-10. I don't know why but I will remember that more than the touchdown by Anderson.  I also think when John Elway stood up on the podium and yelled "This One's for Pat." That was a moment that will give me chills every time I see it.

Where does this Broncos team place in team and NFL history?
The 1998 team was the best ever in Broncos history going 14-2 and winning a second straight Super Bowl. That team had a great offense and a very opportunistic, bend but don't break defense. The 1997 team had a very, very good offense and the same opportunistic defense. This team had a great defense and an average offense. It doesn't really matter where you rank them but I'll go with the 1998 team as #1 and the 1997 and 2015 teams at #2A and #2B.

How is this Super Bowl win different from the other two?
It is different because it was a team that won from a defensive perspective. It was defense oriented and won that way all year long. It carried the team to close win after close win. That might not be the prettiest or sexiest way to win, but it doesn't matter because at the end of the day the team still won 12 games, won the division, was the #1 seed in the AFC and beat three really good teams to win the Super Bowl.

How does this Super Bowl win compare with other teams historically?
I always try to compare a current Broncos team to other Broncos teams historically. This one doesn't really equal other teams because the Broncos have never had a defense this dominant. I would compare this team to the 2000 Ravens. The Broncos, just like the Ravens that year, were carried by a dominating defensive unit. The defense also proved itself by shutting down Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and NFL MVP Cam Newton in three straight playoff games. That should be enough for anyone to consider when you look at this team in a historic sense. The 2015 Broncos should be in the conversation with the 1985 Bears, the 2000 Ravens, the 2013 Seahawks, and the 2002 Buccaneers.

How does this Super Bowl victory justify the Peyton Manning era in Denver?
This justifies the Peyton Manning signing as the greatest signing in NFL free agent history. There is no doubt to that statement. It also puts a cap on the greatest era in Broncos history right with the 1996-1998 run with Elway and Terrell Davis.

Have you come down from the elation of the Broncos winning the Super Bowl?
Nope, and I won't come down from it until the next season starts in September. I have watched the Super Bowl four times in two weeks since the game. I watched the parade on NFL Network two days after the game. I watched the NFL Films footage of the game a number of times. I have been wearing a Broncos shirt everyday since the game. I have pumped my fist every time I see, read or think about anything related to the Broncos win. I haven't even thought about the scouting combine, free agency or anything related to the offseason. I don't want to think about next season yet. I am going to soak this in and enjoy every last drop of this championship for the near future and for a long, long time.