Broncos release 2020 hype video: ‘Next year starts now’

The 2019 season has ended and the Broncos are ready for the 2020 campaign.

The 2019-2020 season officially came to an end on Sunday evening when the Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl LIV.

After the game ended, the Broncos tweeted a hype video for the 2020-2021 season with the caption, “Next year starts now.”

After turning the offense over to Drew Lock, Denver won four of its final five games last season, giving the team momentum and confidence going into next season. The team’s first priority will be knocking off the Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC West. Bring on the offseason — free agency and the draft are right around the corner!

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Watch Peyton Manning’s tribute to Kobe Bryant at NFL Honors

Peyton Manning gave a fitting tribute to late NBA star Kobe Bryant during NFL Honors on Saturday.

During NFL Honors on Saturday evening, former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning honored late NBA star Kobe Bryant, who was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash last week.

Manning ended his tribute with, “I sure do miss my friend, Kobe Bryant.”

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Peyton Manning appears in NFL’s ‘Next 100’ Super Bowl commercial

Peyton Manning had a brief appearance in the NFL’s ‘Next 100’ commercial before the start of Super Bowl LIV.

In recognition of the league’s 100 years, the NFL released a commercial titled “Next 100” before the start of Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.

Former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had a brief appearance near the end of the commercial:

Manning, 43, will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year.

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Peyton and Eli Manning star in Madden’s Super Bowl prediction commercial

Peyton Manning and his brother Eli helped promote Madden’s prediction for Super Bowl LIV.

Each year, EA Sports releases a Super Bowl winner prediction using its popular Madden NFL video game. This year, Madden recruited former NFL quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning to shoot a commercial promoting their prediction.

Peyton gives a tour of the prediction lab and tells viewers that more football fans need to play the “Super Bowl” on Madden to help finalize a prediction. There’s a big gold button used to submit the prediction and Eli’s apparently in charge of protecting it.

“I didn’t really get to play as much as I wanted to this year,” Eli says when Peyton tells him he’s at Madden’s facility to “play.”

Peyton: “So you need to play now.”

Eli: “I’ll think about it.”

Peyton: “I think you should play.”

Eli: “You should play.”

Peyton: “I am playing!”

Eli [shocked]: “You’re playing?”

Peyton: “Ya-yes, wait, what are we talking about here?”

The commercial was undoubtedly filmed before Eli announced his retirement. It probably would have been a little funnier if it had been released before Eli’s announcement but it’s still pretty good.

Madden’s official prediction was released last week: EA Sports has the Chiefs beating the 49ers 35-31 in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday.

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Check out these highlights of Steve Atwater’s Hall of Fame career

Click here to watch highlights from Steve Atwater’s amazing career with the Broncos.

Denver Broncos safety Steve Atwater was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Here are highlights from his accomplished career:

A two-time Super Bowl champion and eight-time Pro Bowler, Atwater is the eighth former Bronco to enter Canton, joining quarterback John Elway, running back Floyd Little, tight end Shannon Sharpe, offensive lineman Gary Zimmerman, running back Terrell Davis, cornerback Champ Bailey and late club owner Pat Bowlen.

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XFL releases commercial for 2020 season on Fox

The XFL is ready to have NFL fans turn their attention toward the new league after the Super Bowl.

The XFL will air on four different TV networks this spring: ABC, ESPN, Fox and FS1. ESPN has already released a promo for the league’s 2020 season, as has Fox Sports.

The league teamed up with Fox to air a commercial that’s promoting “more plays, less downtime and more scoring” in the XFL. Given that Super Bowl LIV will air on Fox, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this advertisement air during the 49ers’ matchup with the Chiefs on Sunday:

The XFL will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 8 when D.C. hosts Seattle at 12 p.m. MT on ABC. That contest will feature four former Broncos players: safety Shamarko Thomas (D.C.), linebacker Steven Johnson (Seattle), offensive lineman Dillon Day (Seattle) and linebacker Stansly Maponga (Seattle).

Related: 12 ex-Broncos set to play in XFL.

Several former Denver players were cut by the league before the start of the season, including safety Rahim Moore. Other players — like wide receiver/returner Kelvin McKnight — left the league for opportunities in the NFL. McKnight left the XFL’s Dallas team to sign a reserve/future contract with the Broncos in December.

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Taysom Hill clarifies what his fantasy football position should be

Taysom Hill, who has played many positions for the New Orleans Saints beyond just quarterback, has thoughts on his fantasy football position

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What position should Taysom Hill say he plays, when asked? The easy answer is “football player,” but that doesn’t square easily with the rabid fantasy football community, who have been confounded by the New Orleans Saints’ so-called quarterback who logs more snaps at other positions in kickoff and punt coverage, field goal protection, tight end, slot receiver, and fullback, among others.

So, it’s a tougher question to answer than it appears at first glance. The fantasy football community has been in uproar over Hill’s usage in New Orleans, initially due to his habit of “vulturing” short-yardage touchdowns from both Alvin Kamara (on running plays) and Michael Thomas (on slant passes), but that response evolved as Hill became more of a regular feature in the Saints offense. Now that he’s become a weekly threat to score or gain big chunks of yardage (having hit paydirt eight times in 2019, including the playoffs), there’s fantasy points being left untouched by team managers.

What’s specifically frustrating for them is that Hill is listed as a quarterback in most formats, meaning they would have to bench a starting quarterback in conventional leagues to take advantage of Hill’s unique workload. Some two-quarterback systems opened the door for him to make an impact, but that’s a small niche within the broader industry. Many formats include a “flex” position in addition to your standard groupings (quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end) but that slot is rarely available for quarterbacks.

It’s something Hill acknowledged when Matt Harmon of Yahoo Fantasy Sports asked what position he should be listed at. “Oh man, well,” Hill answered, choosing his words very carefully, “It would be hard to argue with all the comments last year after I probably should have been a ‘flex’ in the 2019 season, but I better stay at quarterback for the future.”

Maybe that’s a sign that more pass attempts are in Hill’s future. Whatever the case, his distinctive skills set should continue to frustrate fantasy football players all over the world.

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Peyton Manning, Von Miller show off arm strength at Nuggets and Avalanche games

Broncos legends Peyton Manning and Von Miller support Denver’s hometown teams, including the Nuggets and Avalance.

Former Broncos quarterback still lives in the Denver area and he occasionally attends NBA games featuring the Nuggets. At one of their games in December, Manning played catch with Rocky the Mountain Lion, the Nuggets’ mascot.

Manning jokingly warmed up with a short toss before throwing a longer pass to the mascot.

Manning isn’t the only Bronco who shows off his arm strength at Denver sporting events. Superstar outside linebacker Von Miller signed and then threw a football into the stands at an Avalanche game last month.

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Miller has also attended Rockies games with his teammates and the Rapids of MLS have even (sarcastically?) offered Miller a spot on their roster. Clearly, he’s a fan of many sports.

Miller’s going to stick with football, though, specifically as an outside linebacker (though he does think he would be a good running back).

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Sean Payton trusting Drew Brees’ judgment in whether to return for 2020

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is deciding whether to retire or return in 2020, and Sean Payton is going to trust his judgment.

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What’s New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton to do when ambushed by TMZ Sports reporters at an exotic car show, with questions about Drew Brees’ future raining down on him? The odds that Brees, the surefire Hall of Fame quarterback, will return for one more year has never felt less certain.

As it turns out, he’s able to quickly think on his feet. Payton shot down the opportunity for any ill-advised hot takes, saying, “Listen, I think he’s playing at a high level. He’ll know (when it’s time to hang it up). He’s doing well.”

And when pressed as to whether he wants Brees back, having coached the quarterback his entire career in New Orleans, Payton smirked and replied, “Absolutely,” before walking away. You can see the exchange where we’ve embedded it below.

It lines up with comments Payton made earlier this offseason, in which he endorsed Brees’ performance last season and made it clear that he’ll be patient with the face of his franchise. It’s been a few weeks since that press conference, but Payton sure doesn’t look like someone who’s anticipating a dramatic farewell. He hasn’t seen Brees fall off in decline just yet, but Payton acknowledged that his quarterback will know what he’s capable of (and not able to do) better than anyone else. Whatever Brees decides, Payton plans to trust his judgment.

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Watch: Alvin Kamara, Drew Brees star in new Mardi Gras-themed Super Bowl ad

New Orleans Saints superstars Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara won featured roles in a Super Bowl commercial advertising the #NFL100 campaign.

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Alvin Kamara is resplendent, dressed in black and gold, bobbing and weaving through traffic with the football held high and tight against his chest. The crowd is pressing in on him with a wall of masked opponents blocking his way. So he turns and flips the ball back to his quarterback, on a trick play, setting Drew Brees up to pass from a protected position. It’s all something we’ve seen before in recent games.

Except it’s not a game. It’s Carnival season. Kamara has swapped his helmet and shoulderpads for a gorgeous leather jacket and colorful beads, and Brees is riding high in a Mardi Gras float. All the theatrics are part of a commercial advertising the NFL100 initiative, which will be shown in the hours leading up to Super Bowl LIV between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. See it for yourself in this exclusive clip from the NFL:

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