The number 18 means something different to everyone

To some, it’s the age to legally vote. To others, it means your old enough to fight and die for your country.

To football fans, it’s the jersey number for the most prolific passer in NFL history. To Broncos fans, it’s the exact number of years between World Championships. The Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50, 24-10, in an epic and it has a lot to do with numbers, but mostly it has to do with the Number 18.

The 2015 season saw The MOST legendary Number 18, Quarterback Peyton Manning, change the way people look at the Number 18. In the past, you could make the case that numbers like 300, as in yards, and 50 as in touchdowns in a season, or 508 as in career touchdowns, mattered most to Peyton.

But this year, that changed…the number that mattered most to Manning had nothing to do with yards or TDs, it had to do with wins, but not the number of wins, how they won. All year long they were about the Number 1. A lot of the time, the Number 1 referred to their top-ranked defense. Ultimately, it wasn’t about being the Number 1 defense, which they were. It was about the idea of being “One.”

It became apparent in recent weeks that the players on the team were doing this for the guy next to them. Linebacker Von Miller kept referencing that he wanted to win the game for Manning and Linebacker DeMarcus Ware. After The AFC Championship win over the Patriots, Miller kept mentioning that everyone was playing for their teammates.

Both Manning and Ware spoke to the team on Saturday night. Their messages were so powerful, that Head Coach Gary Kubiak didn’t even hold a team meeting on Sunday morning, as he typically does before a game. While the true details of what was said will only be known by those in that room…it was reported that the team was so emotional, guys were almost in tears.

Every team that Peyton Manning has ever been on has almost always centered on him and his offense. This season, the team had to adjust, and mostly he had to adjust. He had to change his approach and learn to rely on others. By doing so, Manning made more history. He became the first QB in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two different teams. He also did something only his boss, Executive Vice President of Football Operations/General Manager, Hall of Famer John Elway had done. He most likely won a championship in his last game.

Early in the year, I was the first person to say I thought Manning would play one more year. Now that just doesn’t make sense. Manning is the ultimate creature of habit. That’s why in his post-game comments, as he had in the past, he referenced having a lot of Bud Light…and as in the past, it got laughs. The irony of how he won his second Championship is by changing his habits, and doing it this late in his career, makes it even more impressive.

The ultimate team leader became the ultimate teammate and that lead to the ultimate prize…The Lombardi Trophy. The NFL ran a great commercial that shared the notion of “Super Bowl Babies,”…it was kids who were born nine months after their hometown teams won a championship. While Denver wasn’t one of the teams featured, there are a lot 17 year olds in Denver who are gonna be 18 in nine months…and just like it’s a safe bet that Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller is going to be the highest paid defensive player in football very soon, it’s an even safer bet that Denver area delivery rooms are going to be very busy in about 9 months…and it’s not because of the Number 18, it’s because of the Number, 1!