A Mixed Tape For the Denver Broncos’ Business Trip

Jan 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos punter Britton Colquitt (near) does snow angels in the confetti with his pregnant wife Nikki Hairrell following the game against the New England Patriots during the 2013 AFC Championship football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Patriots 26-16. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

For the record, the butterflies in my gut are already going crazy in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII.

Remember a simpler time, when in high school or college you were dating that special someone for whom you could not find the exact words to express your love (or lust)? You did the one thing that many had done, including me. You constructed a musical prose of your favorite musicians and songs to help express it for you. While this article is not an exercise in romanic expression, I thought it would be a fun little piece to show my passion for my favorite football team; and quite possibly my favorite team in all sports on planet Earth.

Our Denver Broncos wrapped up its home preparation at Dove Valley for Super Bowl XLVIII on Saturday and are their way to the swamps of Jersey Sunday afternoon to finalize on site game prep, walk-throughs, and the craziness of Media Day. For any of you who have traveled significant distances, one thing that many of us make a priority (besides clean underwear and a tooth brush) is that our phones and/or MP3 players have just the right mood music loaded. As we Broncoholics get ready for the big game, here is a themed playlist that may be fitting for our Super Bowl journey.

Thunderstruck – AC/DC: This hard rock classic is one of the ultimate “pump-up” songs. Play this song before a work out (whatever that is) or a game and you’ll be ready to run through a wall. Also, there is a great montage on youTube of some of the greatest hits by our legendary defenders; such as Steve Atwater, Karl Mecklenburg, Dennis Smith, and Randy Gradishar. Thunderstruck is what all of these adrenaline-inducing de-cleatings are set to.

Broncos Country – One Point: A Denver-based hip hop group wrote and performed a great ode to the Denver Broncos from 2008. The video can also be seen on youTube.

Omaha – Counting Crows: This should speak for itself, but for those who are unaware of Peyton Manning‘s audibles at the line of scrimmage…yells it out a lot to his players as part of the adjustments prior to the snap. I know that the tempo of this song isn’t exactly that of song 1, but there is a theme here so stay with me.

Rocky Mountain Way – Joe Walsh: A song that pays homage to the mountain range, a great deal of which runs through the middle of Colorado, and the way that our Broncos do the thing. OK, well maybe Walsh didn’t have the Broncos in mind when he penned this classic rock staple, but I am taking liberties with its meaning. Besides, you can’t expect too much from a Cleveland Browns fan like Walsh. So far in the 2013 season, the Broncos have been imposing its will but there is still one more game to unleash the “Rocky Mountain Way” and bring home the Lombardi trophy.

We Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who: After the 2012 divisional playoff heartbreak (where the theme song would have been “Give It Away” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Denver has approached this season heaven-bent on not making the same mistakes en route to Met Life Stadium next Sunday. It seems that they vowed not to give away any more gifts as they did on January 12th, 2013.

Rocky Mountain High – John Denver: Quite simply, this is the emotion we have all been riding since the start of the playoffs. Oh yeah, and some have been experiencing since January 1st, 2014 in the states where our two combatants call home. Again, not the tempo of the rest, but just humor me.

Get Rhythm – Johnny Cash: Perhaps the most important thing that Manning and the Broncos must do is to get into a good rhythm, stay in it for 60 minutes, and control the ball. The less the Seahawks possess the ball, the fewer opportunities they have to score.

HALFTIME:

Runaway Baby – Bruno Mars: He is the halftime entertainment after all. This is a great, uptempo jam from one of the few current artists that I really like. Aside from that, there is no correlation to the Denver Broncos.

Get Out of Denver – Bob Seger: Basically, this sentiment was directed toward the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots after they were dispatched by the Broncos.

Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) – Motley Crue: This is one of the songs that should be cued up in the event Denver wins its third championship. We can serenade Richard Sherman with it (I actually respect his game on and off the field, but the song fits).

The Man – Aloe Blacc: Which song out there right now better describes PFM? As a classic rock guy, I am usually more inclined to go with Joe Jackson’s, I’m The Man. However, I have to give some love to the younger generation (besides, this is currently the #17 song on the Billboard Top 100).

Happiness Is – Big Head Todd and the Monsters: What would a Denver Broncos mixed tape be without Colorado natives, BHTM? The open-ended title of this tune will hopefully be completed by Broncos’ Country with, “WINNING THE SUPER BOWL!!!!”

Never Say Never – The Fray: Another Colorado based band, The Fray penned perhaps the most prophetic song title of this mixed tape. There were many doubters of Peyton Freakin Manning’s ability to return after 4 neck surgeries sidelined him for the entire the 2011 season. Some said he would never play again. When he returned, some said that he would never be anywhere near what he once was. They were right, He’s been even better. Then there’s the classic Shannon Sharpe soundbite, “NEVER SAY NEVER, NEVER SAY NEVER!”

Here Comes The Boom – P.O.D: This speaks for itself. Even though Denver has the most prolific offense in the history of the game, the defense is going to have to bring the boom to Seattle Seahawks’ running back, Marshawn Lynch before he brings it to them. Conversely, when the Broncos have the ball the offensive line must bring the boom to the incredibly talented front seven of Seattle and open up holes for Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball.

Carpe Diem – Green Day: English Translation, “Seize the day”. Which you already knew. In this case the Broncos must seize the day and the moment. One common theme we have been hearing and will continue to hear up until the final gun sounds is how hard it is to get to this point. We would like to think that we’ll be here every year. The truth is, this is the 48th Super Bowl and the Broncos’ 7th appearance in it…and they have been one of the most frequent competitors at only 14.6% of the games played. So in the wise words of Larry The Cable Guy, “GIT ER DONE!”

Well that concludes the initial pressing of the “Denver Broncos, Always and Forever” mixed tape. There is a remaster in the works but can only be released if Denver wins the Super Bowl. The additional tracks for the remaster are as follows.

We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions – Queen: These is the most cliche jock jams songs over the past 35 years. But I don’t care. If it ain’t broke…

Celebration – Kool and the Gang: Yup, It’s self-explanitory. Let’s just hope that these three songs will be blaring out of every PA speaker along a potential 17th St parade route on or around February 4th.

And in the event of a Broncos’ loss?

I Wanna Be Sedated – The Ramones

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