Fans and the media like to toss around the phrase ‘Super Bowl hangover’ as figure of speech. For at least one member of the Denver Broncos, it may have been a little more literal. But from that Super Bowl hangover there is a renewed sense of purpose this season.
The Broncos looked refreshed, rejuvenated and ready on Day 1 of OTAs Tuesday, with speed and energy being the theme of the day. Not exactly words you’d equate with a hangover. New head coach Vance Joseph saw that speed and energy and commented on it after practice.
“This team has been engaged and motivated this entire offseason,” Joseph said. “It showed today even in our walkthrough. It was really too fast. They’re excited to be here. It’s a team that isn’t satisfied with the way things happened last year. They want to prove that better. It makes my job easier when it comes to motivating this football team.”
After missing the playoffs last year, it doesn’t sound like the Broncos are going to need much motivation. In fact, it sounds like any literal or figurative hangover they might have experienced is well in the past.
Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders spoke with Les Shapiro of Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 after practice and admitted that life as a Super Bowl champion comes with its fair share of temptations that can cause a team or player to regress.
“You come off a Super Bowl, man, I partied,” Sanders acknowledged. “Partied. Free bottles here. Everywhere. Everywhere I went, ‘Hey, champ, champ, champ, champ, champ!’ You get caught up in the sauce a little bit.”
But all that partying came with a lesson learned and motivation for this season.
“Not making the playoffs,” Sanders continued, “you ain’t get that love how you got last offseason. Everybody’s like ‘Hey, man. What’s wrong with y’all? Who’s going to be your quarterback? How come you didn’t make the playoffs?’ It’s like, alright. It ignites a fire off you. You gotta’ get back on top.”
By all indications, that was the mission at hand on Tuesday.
Listen to the full interview with Sanders, including his take on the performances of Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch on Day 1 of OTAs, in the podcast below.
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Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.
