SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The possibility that Super Bowl 50 could be not only Peyton Manning’s last shot at a second ring, but also his last NFL game is real, and his teammates are aware. Throughout the postseason, many have said they’d like their quarterback to go out on top, should this be his last season.
Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall is one.
“I want to win for Peyton,” he said. “I love this team, and he deserves it. I know everybody uses the term ride off into the sunset. I want to see that happen.”
Marshall, a former practice player who arrived in Denver after getting cut by Jacksonville, said he still remembers the first time Manning introduced himself, in 2013.
“Coach Fox introduced me and said we have a new practice squad player, Brandon Marshall,” he recalled. “After the meeting, Peyton came up to me and shook my hand and he said, ‘How are you doing? I’m Peyton Manning.’ He introduced himself to me and to me that was big because everybody knows who Peyton is. It was big to me because that lets me know that this guy was humble. He’s a humble individual. He works hard. He’s a good guy, man. I’ve always been a Peyton fan, but ever since then it’s kind of went through the roof.”
Wolfe on the prowl
The Broncos pass rush improved when the interior guys, namely defensive ends Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson took off.
Wolfe, who earned his keep primarily as a run stuffer, returned from his four-game suspension to start the season as a new player.
“It’s really come along for me. I started to think that I could only play the run,” Wolfe said. “Once I really dived into it, the sacks started coming.”
Wolfe has made at least a ½ sack in six consecutive games and eight of his past nine. He credits his coaches and a renewed confidence.
“Everybody has a plan until they get hit,” he said. ” I used to result to power all the time because I didn’t want to be caught in a bad position. When I stopped worrying about that, everything kind of started coming together.”
It’s more fun that way
The 2015 Broncos are nothing like the team they brought to the Super Bowl two years ago. That team was headed by a high-powered offense with a ton of blowouts and shootouts.
This Denver team played in 11 games decided by seven points or fewer, most in NFL history.
“We always say we like to make it hard for fans. We know they’re screaming at the TV, mad at us,” running back C.J. Anderson said. “We’ve been battle tested, so when you get in another we’ve been there before.”
Sticking up for D.T.
Receiver Emmanuel Sanders doesn’t care for the criticism Demaryius Thomas has faced in the toughest year of his career.
“He does get a lot of criticism about drops, and it’s not fair because everybody talks about his drops, but everybody forgets he got 1,300 yards this year,” Sanders said. “Come on man, he’s got 1,300! Leave the man alone. Last year he got 1,600.”
Sanders said Thomas has done a great job playing while his mother, who was released from prison, has been on his mind and while he has been trying to live up to the high expectations of a rich new contract. Sanders wants to help Thomas win a ring so he can relax.
“The majority of the time he’s not talking,” Sanders said. He’s quiet, and I’m the one trying to bring him out of his shell.”
