Thoughts on the Super Bowl.

[iknowftbll]

Hey, guys. Sorry for my absence. I took a couple days to wait out the trolls and other idiots and think about what I thought about the game. I know a lot of us try to rationalize after a loss like that, and I am no different. But when it comes right down to it, a fan of the game looks at it and simply concludes the better team won the game.

They won it in the traditional three phases of the game. They scored on defense and special teams, and even when you subtract point totals for those scores and account for the safety, their offense produced 27 points, a respectable number.

But here is where they really won it: State of mind. Did anyone look at the Broncos sideline after the safety? I tried to tell myself to not read into it, but my instincts had me horrified by what I saw. I was expecting to see players huddled up and getting the "that's one snap, let's regroup and go back to work" from Manning, or anyone. But what I saw was the body language of a team that had already been defeated. Players sat down, looked at the ground, slouched shoulders, etc. The Broncos did not enter this game with the right frame of mind. That is both surprising and disappointing considering the amount of adversity they overcame to get here. In fact, I'd say it's just as surprising as the league's all time high scoring offense putting up just 8 points in the game.

For an NFL team to be so mentally fragile after one bad play in a 2-0 game with only 12 seconds of clock off of the board is a major problem. Does anyone think for a second the Seahawks would have returned to the sidelines and sulked like that had the play been by their offense? Judging by the way they stepped on that field and carried themselves, I'd argue not.

With that said, I also look at the loss and wonder would it have mattered if they lost in the way they did or lost a hard fought 3 point game? I say no, and in fact the latter would have been even more difficult. You can argue that in a closer game theoretically it would mean the Broncos "showed up." Perhaps so, but to argue that is to essentially argue the Broncos didn't show up for this game. I feel that is not fair to the Seahawks, really, as they played a heck of a game and deserve a lot of credit for doing what they did.

It's a tough loss, but not something that cannot be overcome. There are 32 teams in the league and 30 of them failed to reach that game. Furthermore the Broncos have made it 7 times. 7 freekin' times. A 2-5 record in the big game is still infinitely better than roughly 1/3 of the league, with some teams having not even played in a Super Bowl.

So that's my take on it. Congratulations to the Seahawks for a Super Bowl winning season. Russell Wilson is one of the most likable young men in professional sports right now, and deserving of a lot of credit. Congratulations to the Broncos for a fantastic season that saw them get over a lot of crap and reach their 7th Super Bowl. Losing to a good team like the Seahawks is no shame.

Go Broncos!

 

[DonyellFreak]

It's overlooked and honestly I might not remember it in a year but I believe you had five missing starters on Defense and you still went to the Super Bowl no easy task, Broncos had a hell of a season as you said there is no shame in being a Broncos fan.

Thank you for linking us to the thread was a good read, good luck next season.

 

[randymon]

Hey, guys. Sorry for my absence. I took a couple days to wait out the trolls and other idiots and think about what I thought about the game. I know a lot of us try to rationalize after a loss like that, and I am no different. But when it comes right down to it, a fan of the game looks at it and simply concludes the better team won the game.

They won it in the traditional three phases of the game. They scored on defense and special teams, and even when you subtract point totals for those scores and account for the safety, their offense produced 27 points, a respectable number.

But here is where they really won it: State of mind. Did anyone look at the Broncos sideline after the safety? I tried to tell myself to not read into it, but my instincts had me horrified by what I saw. I was expecting to see players huddled up and getting the "that's one snap, let's regroup and go back to work" from Manning, or anyone. But what I saw was the body language of a team that had already been defeated. Players sat down, looked at the ground, slouched shoulders, etc. The Broncos did not enter this game with the right frame of mind. That is both surprising and disappointing considering the amount of adversity they overcame to get here. In fact, I'd say it's just as surprising as the league's all time high scoring offense putting up just 8 points in the game.

For an NFL team to be so mentally fragile after one bad play in a 2-0 game with only 12 seconds of clock off of the board is a major problem. Does anyone think for a second the Seahawks would have returned to the sidelines and sulked like that had the play been by their offense? Judging by the way they stepped on that field and carried themselves, I'd argue not.

With that said, I also look at the loss and wonder would it have mattered if they lost in the way they did or lost a hard fought 3 point game? I say no, and in fact the latter would have been even more difficult. You can argue that in a closer game theoretically it would mean the Broncos "showed up." Perhaps so, but to argue that is to essentially argue the Broncos didn't show up for this game. I feel that is not fair to the Seahawks, really, as they played a heck of a game and deserve a lot of credit for doing what they did.

It's a tough loss, but not something that cannot be overcome. There are 32 teams in the league and 30 of them failed to reach that game. Furthermore the Broncos have made it 7 times. 7 freekin' times. A 2-5 record in the big game is still infinitely better than roughly 1/3 of the league, with some teams having not even played in a Super Bowl.

So that's my take on it. Congratulations to the Seahawks for a Super Bowl winning season. Russell Wilson is one of the most likable young men in professional sports right now, and deserving of a lot of credit. Congratulations to the Broncos for a fantastic season that saw them get over a lot of crap and reach their 7th Super Bowl. Losing to a good team like the Seahawks is no shame.

Go Broncos!

At least IMO I agree. Those close hard fought tough losses ( not with Denver in a SB) that I`ve seen more than my share of over last 40 +yrs are friggin draining to say the least. Because your always thinking " if the ball would of bounced a different way" or a million other things, over and over in your mind for a long time after. At least when the game is out of reach you kinda just settle back and grab another beer and realize its over. Then grab another beer and start thinking about not answering your phone for a couple days ( from all your "friends" that just love the fact your miserable and can`t wait to sarcasticly placate you. Yeah,IMO,it`s better the way it ended in terms of pain anyways.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

I typed out a long long post about how I was disappointed and then pissed and the who, what, where and why's, blah blah blah. Then I re-read my post and had an epiphany. Yes the game sucked but........

The game was unexplainable, the Broncos played way under their potential and lost all momentum very quickly. The Mouth-Hawks earned the game. That said what could go wrong did go wrong for the Broncos. To the real Bronco fans it was an incredible ride this season. We came up short and in very disappointing fashion. As long as Manning is the QB and Elway in charge we're going to be in contention and there is only a couple of teams that can make that claim. People don't understand how close the best and worst team's are in the NFL. As disappointing as it was I'll be right there opening day and my expectation will be for AZ in February 2015. Hopefully against the Mouth-Hawks....

I'm a proud Bronco fan who's invested a ton financially and emotionally. I'm already getting excited for next year (although I still need some time as that lose took a lot out of me) and my expectations are as high as they are for Elway, Manning & CO.

Keep your heads up Bronco Nation. We're spoiled and it really is a great time to be a Bronco fan. I'm fully expecting the Broncos to be playing February 1st 2015 and I will be at SB XLIX....

Go Broncos!!!!

 

[cdumler7]

This was definitely a fun ride for the season! Yes didn't end like we had all hoped but there is nothing quite like that feeling of knowing you are watching a Super Bowl caliber team and especially one setting records along the way. Getting some guys back healthy, learning from the mistakes of the Super Bowl, and having a nice draft/FA should put us right back in the talks to get back to the Super Bowl.

 

[MrDoc420]

Still kinda bummed about how things went (I was suicidal Monday and Tuesday last week), but I'm starting to feel a little better and trying to move on. We'll be back next year I'm sure of it.

No more football on Sunday......that sucks.

 

[NEhomer]

Hey, guys. Sorry for my absence. I took a couple days to wait out the trolls and other idiots and think about what I thought about the game. I know a lot of us try to rationalize after a loss like that, and I am no different. But when it comes right down to it, a fan of the game looks at it and simply concludes the better team won the game.

They won it in the traditional three phases of the game. They scored on defense and special teams, and even when you subtract point totals for those scores and account for the safety, their offense produced 27 points, a respectable number.

But here is where they really won it: State of mind. Did anyone look at the Broncos sideline after the safety? I tried to tell myself to not read into it, but my instincts had me horrified by what I saw. I was expecting to see players huddled up and getting the "that's one snap, let's regroup and go back to work" from Manning, or anyone. But what I saw was the body language of a team that had already been defeated. Players sat down, looked at the ground, slouched shoulders, etc. The Broncos did not enter this game with the right frame of mind. That is both surprising and disappointing considering the amount of adversity they overcame to get here. In fact, I'd say it's just as surprising as the league's all time high scoring offense putting up just 8 points in the game.

For an NFL team to be so mentally fragile after one bad play in a 2-0 game with only 12 seconds of clock off of the board is a major problem. Does anyone think for a second the Seahawks would have returned to the sidelines and sulked like that had the play been by their offense? Judging by the way they stepped on that field and carried themselves, I'd argue not.

With that said, I also look at the loss and wonder would it have mattered if they lost in the way they did or lost a hard fought 3 point game? I say no, and in fact the latter would have been even more difficult. You can argue that in a closer game theoretically it would mean the Broncos "showed up." Perhaps so, but to argue that is to essentially argue the Broncos didn't show up for this game. I feel that is not fair to the Seahawks, really, as they played a heck of a game and deserve a lot of credit for doing what they did.

It's a tough loss, but not something that cannot be overcome. There are 32 teams in the league and 30 of them failed to reach that game. Furthermore the Broncos have made it 7 times. 7 freekin' times. A 2-5 record in the big game is still infinitely better than roughly 1/3 of the league, with some teams having not even played in a Super Bowl.

So that's my take on it. Congratulations to the Seahawks for a Super Bowl winning season. Russell Wilson is one of the most likable young men in professional sports right now, and deserving of a lot of credit. Congratulations to the Broncos for a fantastic season that saw them get over a lot of crap and reach their 7th Super Bowl. Losing to a good team like the Seahawks is no shame.

Go Broncos!

Just wondering if this season has changed any of your minds on the Pat's '07 season. I understand the way ftbll feels. You can imagine the gut check losing that SB was but to read day after day and year in and out that the Pats "haven't done anything" gets really fucking old. Do you guys feel like you "didn't do anything" this year? I hope not 'cause like ftbll said, 30 other teams did a shit ton less!

 

[cdumler7]

Just wondering if this season has changed any of your minds on the Pat's '07 season. I understand the way ftbll feels. You can imagine the gut check losing that SB was but to read day after day and year in and out that the Pats "haven't done anything" gets really fucking old. Do you guys feel like you "didn't do anything" this year? I hope not 'cause like ftbll said, 30 other teams did a shit ton less!

I feel like the biggest goal on the list of things to do this year was not accomplished but pretty much everything else on the list was. We had a high flying offense that could put up 28 points in the blink of an eye and a defense that was in constant turnover but got to see some young players really step up for us.

I guess I look at this past season as a fun one to watch (other than the final game) and one that I can be proud of looking back as a Bronco fan. The team had a ton of controversies like FO guys getting arrested, star player suspended for drugs, coach having emergency heart surgery, star players going down with injuries, yet the team held together through it all. I think that should help the team moving forward.

Also that 07' season for New England was a pretty incredible one. Yes they didn't finish it off quite like you had hoped but that will be one for the ages. I don't think there can be any argument hardly of who is the best team in NFL history to not win the Super bowl.

 

[NEhomer]

I think in time you guys will come to appreciate this season more. Better to have loved and lost as they say~

 

[cdumler7]

I think in time you guys will come to appreciate this season more. Better to have loved and lost as they say~

I agree...We as Bronco fans got to watch history almost every single week with this great offense. We got to watch one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play have what some will say is his best season of his career. We also got to watch the Broncos destroy a divisional opponent in the Chargers in the playoffs plus then another against the dreaded Patriots. Been a while since the Broncos have looked this good in the playoffs and nice to see them defend home field again.

NEhomer should be a fun season next year with the Broncos and Patriots getting healthy again and once again being the cream of the crop or at least I hope so.

 

[NEhomer]

...and you're forgetting that without this season from the Broncs, would we have this awesome new smilie/meme?



Lol!

 

[cdumler7]

...and you're forgetting that without this season from the Broncs, would we have this awesome new smilie/meme?



Lol!

Haha true you can't beat that...I'm surprised I haven't seen a whole lot from the Super Bowl as Peyton had some fun looks on the field.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

From the Denver Post;


If the Seattle Seahawks played the Super Bowl without left tackle Russell Okung, cornerback and best defensive player Richard Sherman, safety Earl Thomas, defensive end/tackle Michael Bennett, defensive ends Cliff Avril and Chris Clemons and center Max Unger, would they have beat the Broncos?


Because that’s essentially what the Broncos had to do as they played without left tackle Ryan Clady, top defensive back Chris Harris, safety Rahim Moore, best pass rusher Von Miller, defensive end/tackle Derek Wolfe, defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson and center Dan Koppen/J.D. Walton.


Maybe the Seahawks still win. But do they have to be so cocky about it? Sherman pops off incessantly. Pete Carroll brags. KJ Wright says the Seahawks beat the Broncos 90 times out of 100. I had spent the past week giving Seattle full credit as the physically superior team and ripping the Broncos for their dismal performance.
But these Seahawks won’t stop popping off about how great they are and how much better they were/are than the Broncos.


Come on, Seattle. You beat up Peyton Manning and a bunch of B teamers. Take your Lombardi Trophy — and quiet down.


Hopefully the Broncos stay healthy and we're good (and lucky) enough to be in the SB next year. Further more hopefully the Mouth-Hawks are in it too.

 

[Broncosr0k]

Yeah, some of the comments are getting a little ridiculous. It is not just seahawks players and fans. I heard a steelers fan saying they would have put up a better performance against the seahawks. I guess they forgot the butt-whoopin' the gimpy patriots put on them. Every team drops a game here and there and are completely blown out. We, unfortunately, did it in the SB.

Seahawks are a great team. They are not leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the NFL.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Yeah, some of the comments are getting a little ridiculous. It is not just seahawks players and fans. I heard a steelers fan saying they would have put up a better performance against the seahawks. I guess they forgot the butt-whoopin' the gimpy patriots put on them. Every team drops a game here and there and are completely blown out. We, unfortunately, did it in the SB.

Seahawks are a great team. They are not leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the NFL.

Too bad for this fan the Steelers were too inept to even make the playoffs

Yeah, I wish the game was more competitive, and I think it should have been. But it still doesn't change the fact we emerged as the best team in the AFC.

 

[HOF-ELWAY-7]

I was taught by every coach that I ever had to win with class and humility and lose with dignity and yours eyes wide open because sooner or later you'll be on the other side. Personally I can't stand loud mouths whether they play for the Mouth-Hawks or the Broncos. Unfortunately in this generation you get more the more you talk and it's funny to a lot of people. Sherman is an asswipe no matter how you slice it. I suspect there are a lot of players that would very much like to take a shot at him. In the NFL, the best players in the world, I'm not sure that's a smart move even for a Stanford educated man.....

 

[cdumler7]

I was taught by every coach that I ever had to win with class and humility and lose with dignity and yours eyes wide open because sooner or later you'll be on the other side. Personally I can't stand loud mouths whether they play for the Mouth-Hawks or the Broncos. Unfortunately in this generation you get more the more you talk and it's funny to a lot of people. Sherman is an asswipe no matter how you slice it. I suspect there are a lot of players that would very much like to take a shot at him. In the NFL, the best players in the world, I'm not sure that's a smart move even for a Stanford educated man.....

The guy has to be known in the league as one of the biggest jerks in the NFL. Only player I can think of that has had players come after him more than Sherman is the guy from Miami. Him talking smack like he is about the Broncos especially after they showed class not only in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl but even after and yet all we hear is Seattle players shooting off at the mouth. Him calling out Welker is just ridiculous. Can't wait for the rematch this next year even if it is in Seattle. Give Von Miller a chance to light his quarterback up.

Also pretty sure Welker had a decent day in the Super Bowl with something like 84 yards or something. Not great but not like they shut him down either.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Hey, guys. Sorry for my absence. I took a couple days to wait out the trolls and other idiots and think about what I thought about the game. I know a lot of us try to rationalize after a loss like that, and I am no different. But when it comes right down to it, a fan of the game looks at it and simply concludes the better team won the game.

They won it in the traditional three phases of the game. They scored on defense and special teams, and even when you subtract point totals for those scores and account for the safety, their offense produced 27 points, a respectable number.

But here is where they really won it: State of mind. Did anyone look at the Broncos sideline after the safety? I tried to tell myself to not read into it, but my instincts had me horrified by what I saw. I was expecting to see players huddled up and getting the "that's one snap, let's regroup and go back to work" from Manning, or anyone. But what I saw was the body language of a team that had already been defeated. Players sat down, looked at the ground, slouched shoulders, etc. The Broncos did not enter this game with the right frame of mind. That is both surprising and disappointing considering the amount of adversity they overcame to get here. In fact, I'd say it's just as surprising as the league's all time high scoring offense putting up just 8 points in the game.

For an NFL team to be so mentally fragile after one bad play in a 2-0 game with only 12 seconds of clock off of the board is a major problem. Does anyone think for a second the Seahawks would have returned to the sidelines and sulked like that had the play been by their offense? Judging by the way they stepped on that field and carried themselves, I'd argue not.

With that said, I also look at the loss and wonder would it have mattered if they lost in the way they did or lost a hard fought 3 point game? I say no, and in fact the latter would have been even more difficult. You can argue that in a closer game theoretically it would mean the Broncos "showed up." Perhaps so, but to argue that is to essentially argue the Broncos didn't show up for this game. I feel that is not fair to the Seahawks, really, as they played a heck of a game and deserve a lot of credit for doing what they did.

It's a tough loss, but not something that cannot be overcome. There are 32 teams in the league and 30 of them failed to reach that game. Furthermore the Broncos have made it 7 times. 7 freekin' times. A 2-5 record in the big game is still infinitely better than roughly 1/3 of the league, with some teams having not even played in a Super Bowl.

So that's my take on it. Congratulations to the Seahawks for a Super Bowl winning season. Russell Wilson is one of the most likable young men in professional sports right now, and deserving of a lot of credit. Congratulations to the Broncos for a fantastic season that saw them get over a lot of crap and reach their 7th Super Bowl. Losing to a good team like the Seahawks is no shame.

Go Broncos!

Nice post, IKF. Reminds me of how much I don't know football. I knew that Seattle was a good team that was capable of winning, but I had no idea that we would get our asses kicked like we did. Totally unexpected and tough to take, but the Broncos are my team. Congrats to Seattle on a thoroughly well played game.

 

[iknowftbll]

Just wondering if this season has changed any of your minds on the Pat's '07 season. I understand the way ftbll feels. You can imagine the gut check losing that SB was but to read day after day and year in and out that the Pats "haven't done anything" gets really fucking old. Do you guys feel like you "didn't do anything" this year? I hope not 'cause like ftbll said, 30 other teams did a shit ton less!

Homer, for a long time I have argued the 2007 Super Bowl was not something to look at as the greatest choke job ever, but one of the greatest upsets ever. There is a reason only 1 team has ever gone undefeated. There is a reason only one team has ever gone 18-0, only to fall in the final game. It is tough to win in the NFL and the 2007 Pats still have a unique place in league history. I don't feel the Broncos didn't "do anything" this year. They've played 48 Super Bowls now, and the Broncos have been in 7 of them. Relative to other teams that stands out, but relative to league history, 7 out of 48...That's not very often. So a trip to the Super Bowl, even a loss, is a big accomplishment.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

I think it would a helped the Broncos allot during the season to face a top D like the 49rs or Seahawks at some point to get a feel for the difference… It seemed from the very start the Broncos were a little shell shocked from the speed of Seattle's D … Seattle was also very battle tested facing top defenses in the NFC West so they were ready … I didn't expect what I saw but I did expect the Broncos to be way below there season average because they simply hadn't faced a D like that … Despite the early momentum Denver was still in the game well into the 2nd quarter but never really could get flowing vs Seattle's D … I was confident we could win but obviously cautiously confident because the Broncos were still at another level offensively.. Manning didn't choke like people are trying to say he just got forced to hurry more than he wanted and he had his arm hit repeatedly while throwing… Broncos timing got disrupted big time… ON the flip side Wilson was VERY good and a model of consistency on the offensive end… Not many people mention what Wilson did which surprises me when you consider he's a 2nd year qb and playing on the biggest stage going 7-8 on 3rd downs and throwing 2 TD's … You guy's will have another say again next year because Manning will be back so I expect you guy's to win the AFC West handily actually… Then let the chips fall… Good season to your Broncos …