Saturday, February 8, 2014

Broncos Mailbag-Part 1: The Postseason


Now, that the Super Bowl is over, and the Broncos season is officially complete, it is time to look back on the 2013 Denver Broncos season. I am still licking my wounds from Denver’s 43-8 beatdown in Super Bowl XLVIII by the Seattle Seahawks, but it is time to look back on the entire season and look forward to the future. I figured I would break down the season-ending mailbag into three different parts. Part 1 will focus on the playoffs and Super Bowl. Part 2 will focus on the regular season, and part 3 will focus on the offseason and what lies ahead in the future for the Broncos. Let’s start with part 1 focusing on the playoffs and the debacle of a Super Bowl…..

Now that you have had about a week to deal with the loss in the Super Bowl, how are you feeling at this point?
-In one word: depressed. The game was such a blowout that Sunday night I was coming to grips with it. Monday was worse. Depression set in. Each day this week has gotten a little better, but anytime you see anything on television about the game, it really gets you down. I just can’t believe how bad they got smoked in this game. It is one thing to lose, but to lose the way they did is just awful.

Is there anything that has come out of the game that surprised you?
-I think the fact that the crowd was so loud in favor of Seattle to start the game really surprised me. It led to Denver not being able to hear the snap count and resulted in the safety to start the game. It was surprising to hear that Denver had to go to a silent count in the Super Bowl after that. I wasn’t surprised to hear how confident the Seahawks were going into the game because you could see their defense having a big day. I don’t believe that Seattle was able to figure out all of Peyton Manning’s audibles and signals. By the time the Super Bowl occurs, a team has at least 18 games on tape of their opponents, so they are going to know what the other team likes to do. I doubt Manning and the offense didn’t make changes for this game. The game was a blowout so quick that Manning probably couldn’t use all of those new wrinkles. It was simply the fact that Seattle was better and executed better that’s all. I was surprised at how badly outcoached the Broncos were? Didn’t they expect some sort of jet sweep from Percy Harvin? Why not kick the ball deep to start the second half instead of pooch kicking it? John Fox had a bad day, and the team looked really unprepared for this game. Inexusable all around.

How does game rank with the other disappointing Super Bowl losses?
-It is right there with the blowouts to the Giants, Redskins, and 49ers. This was a carbon copy of one of those blowout games that I witnessed as a kid. I don’t think it matters how you lose a Super Bowl, but to not be competitive might be the worst way to go out. This game is now lumped in with those other three blowouts for sure.

Is this worst that the Baltimore loss last year?
-Right now it feels worse, but by the time the summer hits, I will probably say no. At least the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl last year, and after the loss to Baltimore in the divisional round, you wondered how far they could have gone had they won that game. I was able to rewatch the Baltimore game last summer, and it proved to be therapeutic. I will never watch a single play of this Super Bowl every again though.

Let’s move on from the Super Bowl, do you still feel a sense of accomplishment since Denver won the AFC Championship and two playoff games?
-Yes. I definitely do. I would rather make the Super Bowl and lose, then not make it at all. The Broncos played very well in their two playoff games leading up to the Super Bowl. They dispatched a very dangerous and feisty Chargers team in the Divisional Playoffs. Remember, there were a lot of people that they picking the Chargers to upset the Broncos in that game. Denver dominated the game for 3 and a half quarters. They held on for a 24-17 win, but it was a tremendous breakthrough for this team and the organization. How can you not enjoy what Denver did to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in the AFC Championship? Once again, there was a lot of support for New England going into this game, and Peyton Manning and the Broncos put that to rest. The final score of the game was 26-16, but it was as close as that score. Put it this way: During this long offseason, I will be rewatching those two playoff games many times and enjoying every second of them while I watch them. Whenever I get depressed about the Super Bowl, I will rewatch the celebration from the AFC Championship to see confetti spraying down on Peyton Manning and John Elway, and I will kick back and smile at that sight. To see Denver once again on top of the AFC and have the Broncos win the AFC Title at home in Denver will always be very special to me and other Broncos fans.



*Next Up: Part 2- The Regular Season

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