"There will be plenty to digest over the next two weeks about the Super Bowl, especially with a Northeast corridor special on tap with the Giants and Patriots set to decide the championship.

But in watching how those two teams survived to make the title game, they did offer another template for the Broncos, who hope to go from fringe playoff team to title contender.

• It is about the quarterback. Intangibles are spectacular, leadership is always coveted, hard work routinely appreciated."