Open Thread 1/27/16

With the lead up to the super bowl, I thought it might be worthwhile to have an open thread every day to try and keep things organized, allow more people an easier way to share news and insight that they have, and just encourage more discussion as we enjoy these two weeks leading up to the big game

Let me know your thoughts on if it’s worthwhile that we have one every day.

Jersey Superstition Wins Out For Super Bowl 50

We all know the records by now: the Broncos are 0-4 in orange in Super Bowls.  But they’re also a perfectly mediocre 1-1 in white.  (They’re also 1-0 in blue, but as Andrew Mason noted yesterday alternates are an option.)  Conversely, this will force the Panthers to wear black, a uniform that they’ve never won any playoff game in.  But in the one Super Bowl they’ve been in before (that they of course lost), they wore white.

Jason Fitzgerald’s Top 10 Broncos Contract Moves

If you hate slideshow formats as much as I do, here’s the list in its entirety.  I’ll save my opinions in the comments:

  • 10. Slow-playing their hand with Evan Mathis
  • 9. Signing T.J. Ward to an affordable contract
  • 8. Allowing Orlando Franklin to leave in free agency
  • 7. Extending Chris Harris
  • 6. Signing Aqib Talib
  • 5. Taking a chance on DeMarcus Ware
  • 4. Forcing Peyton Manning to take a paycut
  • 3. Replacing Julius Thomas with Owen Daniels
  • 2. Signing Emmanuel Sanders instead of Eric Decker
  • 1. Hiring John Elway as GM

The Morning After: Broncos Are Super Bowl Bound

No, you were not dreaming yesterday. The Denver Broncos are going to the Super Bowl.

There were certainly times when we had our doubts. We saw games the Broncos should have won, get away from them. We saw a defense that has mostly dominated, have its share of bad outings and wondered how long it would hold up. We debated endlessly about who should start at quarterback, who should play right tackle and which running back should get the bulk of the carries.

And, yet, here we are, headed to Super Bowl 50 for a matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
Continue reading The Morning After: Broncos Are Super Bowl Bound

A Look At Pats With Brady In Mile High

I’m not the type who likes to go around talking about quarterback win-loss records because they really aren’t that meaningful. However, because there are pundits that will talk about them, and particularly talk about them when comparing this week’s AFC title game quarterbacks to one another, I figured I’d explore one guy’s stat.

The talk, of course, centers around Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady, but I wanted to look at something different, and that’s Brady performance when playing the Broncos in Denver. You may have heard that Brady is 2-7 when playing the Broncos on the road, but let’s set that aside for the moment.

It may not have seem liked it, given that we’ve focused so much on recent Brady vs. Manning history, but the truth is, in games with Manning as the Broncos’ starter, the Broncos and Patriots have played each other three times in New England and just once in Denver. Were it not for Manning missing the regular-season matchup this year, that would have been the first time Brady and Manning played opposite each other in Denver in the regular season. Sunday’s AFC title will mark the second time the two played each other in Denver, but both were playoff games.
Continue reading A Look At Pats With Brady In Mile High