Call Them Winners

After Super Bowl Win, Denver’s Defense Has Everything but a Good Nickname

By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN

Orange Rush? Kool and the Gang? Whatever its moniker, the Broncos’ defense, which shut down the N.F.L.’s most prolific offense, can be compared to the most dominant defenses in league history.

Thank God for sports, where we don't have to talk about racial differences and make excuses.  This was simply one team beating another on the field.  If you don't like it, talk about the half-time entertainment or the commercials.
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TV coverage criticism:

Late in the fourth quarter, CBS Sports' Jim Nantz asked Phil Simms, an analyst, what he thought of Denver running on third-and-9. Simms said that he was not surprised and that it actually was the smart move.

“They’re watching the same game we are,” Simms said, adding that Denver was surmising that if it punted, Cam Newton and the Panthers would not be able to march down the field to score the go-ahead touchdown.

Simms’s view was vindicated when Newton fumbled on the ensuing series and the Broncos scored, and added a 2-point conversion, to go up, 24-10.

Manning was one of the main story lines heading into the game — the superstar-in-twilight who had adjusted his once-great passing game into a mastery of game management. He had been injured this season, missing six games, and few would have expected him to return to lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl, let alone guide them to victory.

So while it has been clear that his throwing abilities have faded, CBS did not effectively illuminate that aspect of the story as it should have. ...  An even tighter focus on Manning could have provided a more fascinating look at the oldest quarterback to start the Super Bowl. ...

Similarly, CBS could have done far better to underscore how the Denver defense handled Newton, who entered as a superhero apparently able to do anything on the field, especially in the postseason.

Where were the packages of two of Denver’s stars, Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, and an insightful video analysis of how Denver shut down Carolina tight end Greg Olsen? Indeed, Denver’s defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips, deserved a greater focus on his strategy.