Okay, so they have been busted for some drug tests (which team hasn't?), have an owner who owned the New England Patriots during his entire career, and they have a QB who will forever be our biggest rival. They have taken away our #1 CB and our beloved wide receiver. Watching Manning torch other teams with his assemble of all-pro skill players and stonewall offensive line may give us Marsha Brady syndrome and get the blood pressure up, but really, what is to hate about this team other than that they have been very, very good at assembling a great team? You might even say that, over the last couple of years, they out Patriotsed the Patriots with shrewd, aggressive moves.
First of all, no one should be surprised. Do you recall that Peyton Manning had a choice of about 15 teams in 2011? Did you think he was going to pick a team that wasn't stacked with cheap, drafted talent, a strong front office, and a championship caliber defense?
My hate for Denver is nothing more than rooting against them because they are our rivals.
I HATE the Pittsburgh Steelers organization with their whiny, Spygate-obsessed fans. They are the most hypocritical organization in sports, building their teams around thugs and felons, pretending to be a classy organization. From Jerry Porter to Ben Roethlisberger to Plaxico Burress to Santonio Holmes, I've said for years that the only difference between the thug Bengals and thug Steelers is football success. Their players love to talk crap about the Patriots cheating a day or two before getting wiped all over the field with embarrassing attempts to contain Brady, only to start yapping again a year later about cheating. Bill Cowher himself became the target of the fan base for speaking the truth, which is that Spygate made no impact on the Steelers-Patriots games of that era.
I HATE the Baltimore Ravens for their obnoxious leadership in Terrell Suggs, formerly Ray Lewis, and a head coach who who calls our championships tainted, then attempts to cover up player scandals around domestic violence, and who, by the way, referred to a concussion to Stevan Ridley as "football at its finest." If the Patriots had a guy like Suggs, I would literally stop following the team.
I HATE the New York Jets for so many obvious reasons that are to numerous to list here. They are the biggest bunch of wannabee, mouthy, self-promoting players that stepped on a football field. Fortunately, I am able to laugh at them about 12 times a year when they lose.
I HATED the Indianapolis Colts for their self-righteous image for a team with so much dirt. Their owner is poster boy of a worthless playboy with money who is important only because he has money. Tony Dungy compared Spygate to Barry Bonds, yet we all know the Colts were pumping in crowd noise, changing the rules of the game via the competition committee through Bill Polian to suit his own team. Dungy loved to pretend he is a choir boy despite obvious family problems while Polian abused his position within the NFL. Marvin Harrison is a violent criminal, yet his actions were swept under the rug. Never seen a team who was so protected by the NFL and yet somehow beloved by the national fanbase as the All-American team against the evil New England Patriots.
SO ALL THAT SAID, I really want to find ways to hate the Broncos but find myself in more of a state of admiration that they have made so many good moves that their team is really, really good. They've done it without a bunch of trash-talking thugs, hypocrisy, and hate-able players. While I hope the Patriots beat them and root against them on a weekly basis, I am glad to be able to watch a good football game on Sunday between two good organizations.
