Opinion: McDaniels giving himself, fans of Broncos a reason to smile

DENVER • All hail the Boy Wonder.

On Sunday, Josh McDaniels conquered Bill Belichick and the few skeptics who remained of his Denver Broncos and his football philosophy.

A few moments after the Broncos ultra-dramatic, come-from-behind overtime victory over the New England Patriots, McDaniels broke into a sprint and ran to the edge of the field.

The crowd at Invesco Field was standing, thrilled by the victory and the feats of their rookie coach. McDaniels is 33, but still resembles a sophomore in college.

McDaniels, nearly bursting with emotion, pointed into the stands and pumped his fist and danced and pumped his fist some more. He was honoring his family, who sat in a luxury box.

“Sometimes,” McDaniels said, breaking into a big smile, “you’re allowed to have fun.”

Not long ago, McDaniels seemed a franchise-wrecker. He confused much of our state as he shredded Mike Shanahan’s vision of the Broncos.

Soon after moving from New England to Denver, McDaniels banished the swashbuckling Jay Cutler and welcomed the boring Kyle Orton. He waved goodbye to much of the defense.

I’ve followed the Broncos since 1971, and this offseason was the gloomiest of my lifetime. Friends who are hardcore football fans spoke in unison. The Broncos, they said, would be unspeakably lousy.

What nearly all of us missed was McDaniels expertise as a football architect. And I’m at the front of the line of the oblivious observers.

He signed tough guys to play for a defense that had been severely lacking in tough guys. He preached caution to an overly wild offense. And he installed a feisty, never-quit attitude in a team that surrendered down the stretch last season.

When the Patriots grabbed a 10-0 lead, the Broncos looked doomed. Last year’s Broncos would have been doomed.

The Patriots had Tom Brady at the controls of their offense, and Belichick running the whole show. You can argue both are history’s best-ever at what they do.

Didn’t matter. The Broncos won anyway. With 9:59 left in the first quarter, Orton stepped into the huddle at the Broncos 2-yard line.

“We’ve already gone 95,” Orton said calmly, referring to a first-half drive. “We might as well go 98.”

And they did. Orton never will deliver the same level of thrills as Cutler, but he’s better at delivering victories. He works with the precision of a surgeon, and he’s popular in the locker room.

Orton threw for 199 yards after halftime. While battling against McDaniels’ swarming defense, Brady threw for a mere 69.

McDaniels said all week this was just another game. Didn’t matter that he was battling Belichick, his football mentor, or Brady, a close friend.

“I lied,” McDaniels said with a faint smile.

It did matter. He had a chance to defeat his friends, and there’s nothing better than beating friends. He had a chance to announce to the football nation his team was no fluke.

He grabbed every chance.

That’s not the only thing he grabbed. After McDaniels finished talking to reporters, he stepped off the podium and grabbed his wife, Laura, in a tight embrace.

They kissed and hugged and then kissed and hugged some more.

The Boy Wonder was a winner, and the Boy Wonder was very happy.
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