Denver streets run orange to welcome Super Broncos

Hundreds of thousands of cheering, orange-clad Denver Broncos fans lined the city’s streets on Tuesday for a parade and rally to welcome home the team after their upset victory in Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers.
A roar from the sun-splashed crowd went up around noon when the first fire truck, carrying Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Von Miller and quarterback Peyton Manning, kicked off the parade through downtown Denver.
The Broncos captured their third NFL championship on Sunday with a stunning 24-10 victory over the favoured Panthers behind a stifling defense, led by linebacker Miller, who stymied Carolina’s vaunted high-powered offense
Molly Nichols, an 11-year-old fifth-grader from the Denver suburb of Parker, secured a front-row spot along the parade route with her parents and aunt after getting an excused absence from school.
“My favourite player is Von Miller, so it was really great to see him,” she said.
Also at the head of the parade was Annabel Bowlen, wife of team owner Pat Bowlen, who was absent from the festivities as he battles Alzheimer’s disease.
A city spokeswoman said officials could not provide an estimate of the crowd size, but planned for a throng of “hundreds of thousands.” She noted that the number could swell to nearly 1 million, well over the city’s population of almost 664,000, as fans poured in from the suburbs.
Denver has had a love affair with the Broncos since their inception in 1960, even though the team failed to post a winning season in its first 13 years of existence.
The sentimental crowd favourite was Manning, who at age 39 became the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and who many observers believe will retire on top of the football world.
Addressing the crowd at the end of the parade, Manning credited his teammates for allowing him to garner his second championship, the only quarterback to win that honour with two different franchises.
“We’ve got a great culture in our locker room,” he said.
The loudest cheers were saved for Miller, who forced two fumbles by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton that led to two Denver touchdowns.
Miller gestured to his teammates, who flanked him on stage hoisting the Super Bowl trophy.
“All these guys helped to get me here,” he said, adding that the team is posed to make a run for a second title next season. “Back-to-back, right?”   

Elway says no pressure on Manning

AFP/Denver

Denver Broncos general manager John Elway said Tuesday Peyton Manning will not be pressured into a quick decision over his future, hinting that the quarterback may still have a role with the franchise if he plays on.
Manning is widely expected to announce his retirement after clinching the second Super Bowl of his 18-year career on Sunday at the age of 39.
Manning said in the aftermath of Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers he planned to take his time before making a decision.  Elway said Tuesday the Broncos would allow Manning as long as he needed.
“There is no deadline. We’ll let Peyton enjoy this,” Elway said. “Eventually we’ll sit down and talk to him. There is no timeline for this.”
Elway emphasised that Manning’s future was entirely up to him.
“Important thing is, it’s going to be his decision,” Elway said. “Where we get a chance to sit down and talk to him, that’s up to Peyton, where he is in that process, what he thinks he can do, how he thinks he can play ... what he wants to do from here on out.”
Manning regained his place in the starting line-up after being benched during the season in favour of deputy Brock Osweiler. The Broncos are understood to favour using Osweiler as a starter next season, but will need to lock him into a deal soon before he becomes a free agent on March 9.
*Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on Tuesday defended his sulky post-Super Bowl press conference display, justifying his behavior on the grounds he was a “sore loser”.
Newton has attracted widespread criticism for his conduct before reporters after the Panthers’ upset loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.
The 26-year-old National Football League Most Valuable Player gave a series of one-word answers before abruptly leaving after three minutes. Newton unapologetically explained away his conduct as he cleared out his locker at the Panthers training facility in Charlotte on Tuesday.
“I’ve been on record to say I’m a sore loser. Who likes to lose? You show me a good loser and I’m going to show you a loser,” he said. “It’s not a popularity contest. I’m here to win football games.”
Asked if it bothered him that people had taken offence, he replied: “That’s cool.But I know who I am and I’m not about to conform nor bend for anybody’s expectations because your or anybody else’s expectations will never exceed mine,” Newton said.