Denver Broncos followed Seahawks model to Super Bowl win
The Denver Broncos followed the Seattle Seahawks’ model in building a championship contender all the way to a Super Bowl victory…
In Super Bowl 48, the Denver Broncos were handed one of the worst beat downs in Super Bowl history, in a game that was over basically from the first snap. John Elway thought he had built the best offense in the NFL, but that wasn’t enough. The Seattle Seahawks brought the best and toughest defense in the NFL to the Super Bowl, and they completely overpowered the Broncos.
About a month later, that experience opened the eyes of John Elway enough to the point that he completely shifted how he built the team. He let players like Knowshon Moreno, Eric Decker, and Wes Welker walk away in free agency while bringing in the likes of T.J. Ward, DeMarcus Ware, and Aqib Talib.
Elway continued that defensive overhaul through the NFL Draft, where he has never once used a top pick on the offensive side of the ball. After drafting Von Miller, Derek Wolfe, and Sylvester Williams up until the 2014 season, he followed it up with Bradley Roby and Shane Ray in 2014 and 2015.
The Broncos have certainly been fortunate to hit on some big time late-round draft picks, undrafted free agents, and even low-profile free agent acquisitions. Guys like former UDFA Chris Harris Jr., Jaguars practice squad cast-off Brandon Marshall, or players like Darian Stewart who signed for two years and $4 million.
What about fifth round pick Malik Jackson and sixth round pick Danny Trevathan who played two key roles to a championship run?
As the Seahawks showed, winning a title doesn’t happen if you don’t draft well, and the Broncos proved that as well. They just took a far different approach in free agency by supplementing their young, blossoming, home grown talent with star players in the prime of their careers.
The team the Broncos trotted out onto the field in Super Bowl 50 — at least on the defensive side of the ball — is the best one this franchise has ever seen.
In a league that is supposed to be predicated on quarterback play, the Broncos took the way of the Seattle Seahawks and put together a dominant defense, one with virtually no weaknesses at any level. That strategy paid off to the tune of 11 wins of seven points or less this season, an NFL record.
The Broncos weren’t necessarily the ‘cardiac kids’, constantly winning games late, but in a way they were. They won with some of the worst QB play in the league with Peyton Manning over the first nine games of the year. They won with a first-time starter in Brock Osweiler, and they won when Manning returned for the playoffs.
In essence, all they did was win, and it didn’t really matter who was throwing, catching, or running the ball offensively. Those guys made big plays when they needed to, and having Peyton Manning’s 18 years of experience certainly doesn’t hurt, but what John Elway did to orchestrate this roster was taken from a page of what the Seattle Seahawks did to this very team two years ago.
Get tough on defense at every level. Build your depth on defense at every level. Use your primary assets on the defensive side of the ball.
Win a championship.