Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag on Wednesdays during the regular season and postseason. Look for his next installment in March when the mailbag moves to monthly installments.
Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.
How does that even happen in the league of parity?
–Jake, Marion, Iowa
The Super Bowl was overdue for a blowout. There had been six highly competitive, outcome-in-doubt-entering-the-fourth quarter Super Bowls in a row.
I’ve watched all 48, covered 10, and the Super Bowls were mostly duds until the Broncos began a new trend by upsetting the Green Bay Packers in the 1997-season Super Bowl XXXII.
The Seahawks’ 43-8 whipping of the Broncos was the most lopsided Super Bowl since Dallas destroyed Buffalo, 52-17 in the 1992 season, the third of four consecutive Bills Super Bowl defeats. The NFL began its salary cap/unrestricted free agency period in 1994.
So it was the worst Super Bowl in more than 20 years, worst in the modern-era of parity. There are many ways to answer your question, Jake. There were many reasons for the butt-whipping.
But I’ll give you this: I thought the Broncos might lose their first playoff game to the San Diego Chargers last month. And if the Chargers hadn’t run out of steam after winning five in a row to reach the second round, they might have.
I thought the Broncos had run out of players. Were they really going to win a Super Bowl without Ryan Clady, Von Miller, Kevin Vickerson, Rahim Moore and Derek Wolfe? And then Chris Harris?
I kept wondering when all that missing talent was going to catch up to them. They got by the AFC teams. And they destroyed the NFC East teams. But there was a physical mismatch against the Seahawks.
Having said that, the Broncos had enough remaining talent to give Seattle a game. A competitive game. But Peyton Manning didn’t come to the rescue. He didn’t have the protection in this one like he has all year. None of the very good pocket quarterbacks — a group that includes Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers — are even average when the pocket collapses.
Brees had two games against the Seahawks this season and his team scored 7 and 15 points. He had passer ratings below 87.0 in both.
The only quarterbacks who I thought could play effectively — pass and throw — without good pass protection were Steve Young and John Elway. And they could only work magic for a game or two, not for a sustainable period.
The last few years have shown that even in the current pass-happy era, Super Bowls can be won by teams without elite quarterbacks. Peyton Manning’s play may be worth $20 million per season, but does the handicap that places on spending across the board ultimately outweigh the benefits?
–Julian, Australia
Yes, the Seahawks were in a perfect roster-building storm where their quarterback, Russell Wilson, made only $526,000 this season. And he’ll only make $662,000 next year. His contract will almost certainly get renegotiated after next season.
That means the Seahawks had roughly $19.5 million more to spend on other non-quarterback players than the Broncos did. The Seahawks were lucky, and they were good enough to take advantage. As John Elway pointed out during his press conference Tuesday, the Seahawks did a great job in their recent drafts not only hitting on Wilson in the third round but defensive players like Richard Sherman in the fifth.
The Seahawks will be in great position to win it again next year, but then it will get considerably tougher because they will have to start paying big dollars to keep their best players.
You’ve got to hit it right in today’s salary cap-free agent era. The Broncos didn’t do badly, though. Remember, they were 4-12 in 2010. All in all, you have to say paying a $20 million salary to Peyton Manning was the right way to go.
We can forgive almost all (fumbles, picks six, anything you want), but not lack of manliness. Fire Fox!!
–Juan Nunez, El Salvador
Juan, fans in El Salvador must be harsh. You want better than three AFC West titles? You want better than 34-14? You want better than the Lamar Hunt Trophy as AFC champions?
I don’t blame you. Everybody around here does. But here’s something to consider — the Broncos next head coach has a far greater chance of being worse than Fox than better.
The Broncos won’t fire him. They’ll extend his contract.
Flying all the way from Hawaii to go the Super Bowl was a dream come true. Getting there and watching our fans not cheer from the start was a nightmare. It seemed like it was a home game for Seattle from the start and most of the Bronco fans around me didn’t even make any noise from the start of the game. I know we didn’t compete, but as fans we could have at least showed up. Were there that many more Seahawks fans?
–Brian, Honolulu
First, it’s fans like you that I feel for. All that distance and expense and for what? For that? I also wondered about the percentage of Broncos fans in MetLife Stadium — my hunch was the large-percentage of “neutral” fans would have been pulling for the Broncos because they wanted it for Peyton Manning.
But those fans were never heard because there was never anything to cheer about. The ridiculous safety-snap snafu was the quickest score in Super Bowl history. Groans, even when uttered collectively, are hard to hear.
The Broncos gagged from the first play. Even Demaryius Thomas’ touchdown catch on the final play of the third quarter was met with: So what? Don’t be disappointed in the traveling Broncos fans, Brian. It was the team’s fault.
We Broncos fans were lulled into a false sense of security with all of the offensive records being broken this season. It appeared that history was being re-written with our 21st century approach to football — but the old axiom that defense wins championships proved to be true again. Almost like a universal NFL law of physics. No AFC team would have beaten the Seahawks. I believe that the Broncos, along with the rest of the AFC, need to take note and to modify their approach to the game. Learn from the NFC and beat them next time.
–Stan Obert, Lakewood
The Broncos play at Seattle next season. As the defending champs, the Seahawks will play the first game of the NFL season on Thursday, Sept. 4.
There’s some talk about the Broncos becoming the Seahawks’ opening-night opponent. But if I’m NBC, I say no way. I saw the Broncos and Seahawks play twice this past season. The “A” team Seahawks drilled the “A” team Broncos, 33-7, in the first half of a preseason game in mid-August. And the Seahawks mauled the Broncos, 43-8 in the Super Bowl in February.
I think primetime audiences should be spared from this meeting. Let them play on a Sunday afternoon in November.
Klis, while we all know the referees did not change the outcome of the Super Bowl, it was very clear that the Seahawks defense was getting away with what they have all year. The secondary gets to the receiver a split second before the ball. This was evident on the lone TD when Demaryius Thomas was tackled before the ball arrived with no flags thrown and on several other occasions. I wonder if other defenses will be doing this in the future if the officials don’t make these calls.
–Richard Luke, Kirkland, Wash.
Every team wants a set of big, physical defensive backs who can flat out fly. The Broncos got one in the third round of the draft last year in Kayvon Webster. He needs work but he has Seahawks-like tools. There just aren’t enough of those guys to fill out 32 NFL secondaries. There aren’t enough to fill five teams.
The Seahawks have cornered the market.
I’m blue and orange ’til I die, but I’m losing hope quickly. With some big free-agent losses looming for Denver, and Manning and Champ just getting another year older, I’m getting a sick feeling. Not to mention we have to travel to Seattle next year and play San Fran, New England, Indy, and even stronger Chargers and Chiefs teams. Say it ain’t so, Mike. Give me hope!
–Matt, Austin
No doubt the Broncos aren’t ripping through the NFC West like they did against the NFC East this season. The Broncos went 4-0 while scoring 41 (Giants), 52 (Eagles), 51 (Cowboys) and 45 (Shanny’s Redskins) points against the NFC East.
But the Broncos need a tougher schedule, Matt. The AFC and NFC East didn’t prepare the Broncos well for their match up against the rough, tough Seahawks. A 10-6, battle-tested Broncos team might be better equipped for the long haul than their 13-3 teams.
Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag. Listen to Mike Klis on “Klis’ Korner” on Monday-Friday at 102.3 FM ESPN.
