Another football season has come and gone and new Super Bowl champions have been crowned. Congratulations to the 2015-2016 Denver Broncos for becoming the fiftieth winner to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, by way of a 24-10 victory over the NFC champion Carolina Panthers. As the dust settles on the biggest game of the year, several “super” story lines have spun out of Super Bowl 50 that need to be addressed, and there’s simply no time like the present to do so.
SuperManning
Peyton Manning has finally captured the second Super Bowl title that has eluded him for so long. After winning it all on 2007, Manning has had to endure two painful Super Bowl defeats in the last nine years, but he now finds himself a champion once again. One of the most improbable stories in recent memory, at this time last year, Manning seemed to be contemplating retirement. After a season that included numerous injuries, ample frustration, and a pseudo-benching, the highly- decorated signal caller returned to the field in Week Seventeen and never looked back.
Manning’s most fierce critics always debated that he didn’t belong in the conversation with the all-time greats because he only had one Super Bowl ring. Those arguments are out the window now. It seems likely that these same critics will now argue that Manning’s accomplishments this year are diminished due tho the fact that the Denver defense was the main catalyst for the team’s success.
The reality of the situation is that no one will deny that this team won because of amazing defense. Manning will tell you that himself. But after years and years of carrying teams on his back; season after season of being the key driving force of his team, Manning has earned the right to play a supporting role on a championship team. The bottom line is this: his legacy (which never should have been in question) is solidified, and his record setting 200th win on Super Bowl Sunday was the icing on the cake.
Is this the end for Manning? Will the Sheriff ride off into the sunset as a champion? I can’t say for certain, and it’s not my place to speculate. What I can tell you is that the Denver Broncos are the 2015-2016 Super Bowl Champions, and Manning and his teammates are going to enjoy that fact before any decisions are finalized.
SuperCam
A day after being named the 2015 NFL MVP and being lauded with accolades and superlatives, everyone turned on Cam Newton. In twenty-four hours, he went from being the game’s most dynamic player to a subject of intense criticism and mockery.
In short, he got scape-goated.
Yes, Newton played his worst game of the season. Yes, he didn’t have an answer for the Broncos suffocating defense. The Broncos won. The Panthers lost. It was a rough day for the franchise and it’s fan base. But is it really necessary to pile on Cam Newton for any of this?
The reality of the situation is that in 2015, Newton did what Manning had to do in the past; he put his team on his back and led them to the Super Bowl. This is no sleight to Carolina’s Roster. This is a very talented team, but there’s no way they enter the Super Bowl with a 17-1 record if not for the brilliant play of their quarterback, and anyone on the team would tell you the same thing.
Newton didn’t choke. He found out what so many other signal callers have found out over the last five months, which is that the Broncos defense is nearly impenetrable. They shut down the entire Panthers’ offense on Sunday and that was that. Newton’s taking a lot of criticism for not diving on a fourth quarter fumble. Fair enough, but it’s impossible for any of us to understand what it feels like in the heat of the moment on the field and it’s insane to dismiss a sensational season because of one play.
He’s also taking a ton of flak for his post-game press conference demeanor, and his refusal to offer any in-depth answers. Here’s the thing: football players are human, too. We tend to put them under the microscope every week, and then expect them to hold up under the most painful situations. People aren’t robots, and human emotion is strong.
This is the most painful defeat Newton has tasted as an athlete. Let’s give him a break. Everyone has a horrible day from time to time, and everyone should be entitled to feel the pain of his or her own circumstances. He’s a young man in a tough situation. None of this warrants the vilification he’s enduring, and none of it diminishes the season he had.
SuperDefense
As is often the case when we discuss quarterbacks, the true story tends to get lost in the shuffle, and there’s no question that the biggest on-field story of this game and for much of the season has been the Denver Broncos defense. Put simply, this is one of the finest stop units the game has seen in recent history. A ferocious front seven combined with a stingy secondary and top-notch game-planning, this defense has been a constant terror for any offense it has faced.
Over the course of the year Von Miller, already a star in his own right, emerged as one of the very best defensive players in the NFL. Now he enters free agency, with a Super Bowl ring and a Super Bowl MVP award added to his resume. He is about to get paid in a big, big way.
How about DeMarcus Ware? One of the game’s true good guys, it’s wonderful to see him get his ring after all these years of dominance. He was a key contributor on this unit, and he has earned this as much as anyone else on the team. After becoming one of John Elways big free agent signings in 2014, Ware has reached his goals, and proven that he is still a difference-making talent.
Aqib Talib and T.J Ward were two additional Elway splash signings in 2014, and they helped establish the Broncos’ sensational secondary along with Darian Stewart, Bradley Roby, and Chris Harris, who has emerged as one of the game’s true shutdown corners. Throwing against this bunch was no easy task in 2015.
Derek Wolfe, Malik Jackson, Sylvester Williams, Brandon Marshall, Danny Trevathan; the list goes on and on. All of these players contributed to something truly special, and if Elway can keep this defense intact (it won’t be easy with so many free agents), this franchise will be in position to defend their championship in 2016.
With the 2015-2016 NFL season now in the rear-view mirror, the excitement isn’t over yet. An entire off-season is in front of us, and the NFL’s off-season is the most news-worthy in all of pro sports. Free agency is on the horizon, the Draft is coming up, and before you know it the NFL will be right back in the spotlight. If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think they planned it that way.
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