Broncos are showing Texans the potential of what they had

Gary Kubiak and J.J. Watt

Wade Phillips with Darryl Morris and Ross Madison

J.J. Watt and Antonio Smith

The Houston Texans have to be looking at the Denver Broncos and thinking about what could have been.
Patience and a good quarterback puts Houston, not Denver, in the Super Bowl. As it is, most of the former coaching staff for the Texans and a handful of players are headed to the NFL’s title game garbed Broncos orange and blue. Were the Texans premature in jettisoning Gary Kubiak, Wade Phillips and company? Probably, but it no doubt seemed like the thing to do at the time.
Ties between the Broncos and Texans have always been strong. The Texans borrowed heavily from the Broncos when the team entered the league. Over the years there has been a lot of crossover between the two teams from the front office to the field. Kubiak and Phillips have had stints as the head coach of both teams (albeit Phillips was an interim in Houston). Currently there are eight former members of the Texans coaching staff and five former players on their way to Santa Clara, Calif., and Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers.
For years I have often referred to the Texans as Denver South. The Houston Chronicle ran a story Sunday referring to the Broncos as Houston North. No matter how you look at it, the two teams share a great deal of history and personnel. That’s why I think it won’t be a stretch for Texans fans to join me in rooting for the Broncos. Locally, we have Emmanuel Sanders from Bellville catching passes from Peyton Manning for the Broncos. (At the very least you can show gratitude to the team that kept New England from going back again.)
Naturally I am a huge Broncos fan. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Denver and my family has had season tickets since the late 1980s (and it goes back to the 1960s if you consider we got them from my ex-wife’s family). I’ve been to more Broncos games than I can count, including having a sideline photo pass when the Broncos played the Texans in the preseason this year. Walking on the field after the game it was like watching a family reunion with all the Texans and Broncos coaches and players hugging, shaking hands and giving well wishes.
Now comes two weeks of ecstasy and agony for my inner Bronco. I am thrilled beyond belief to have my beloved team playing in the Super Bowl again. That is tempered, however, by a 2-5 Super Bowl record. The wins are glorious but the losses are equally unbearable. We are facing an imposing opponent in the Carolina Panthers. They’ve only lost one game and it was a throwaway game late in the season to the Falcons.
The Panthers are my favorite team in the NFC because I lived in North Carolina when the team was founded and I did some coverage of their launch. I will have to set that aside for the next two weeks as they become a rival and obstacle to another world championship.
In all fairness, I should note that their quarterback, Cam Newton, did lead Blinn College to a junior college national championship in 2009, so there is an understandable reason why some here may want to root for the Panthers. In my humble opinion, the hometown ties with Sanders trumps that – just sayin’.
Many are saying that this Super Bowl is Peyton Manning’s swan song. He is the oldest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl and I hope to God he goes out a champion. It’s only fitting for the man who owns so many NFL records.
In the meantime, the Houston Texans and the rest of the NFL can only sit back and dream about what might have been and what still can be. Next year Houston hosts Super Bowl 51. No home team has ever hosted the big game, but maybe that will change. I hope so. It would be glorious to see and to celebrate.
Until then, go Broncos!