We're now 25 years into the 21st Century, and to commemorate it, ESPN has released its All Quarter Century Team, featuring the best players at each position and coaches. A few Denver Broncos made the team.
Let's examine each, starting with the one coach who was picked.
Wade Phillips | DC
Phillips re-joined the Broncos as defensive coordinator under Gary Kubiak in 2015. Phillips is a rare example of having been a team's former head coach who returned years later as a coordinator.
Phillips was the Broncos' head coach from 1993-94, preceding the Mike Shanahan regime. Phillips' impact on the Broncos has been indelible, and he's a great choice to be the All Quarter Century Team's defensive coordinator.
Super Bowl 50 doesn't happen without Phillips, and it landed him his one and only ring.
"Phillips not only has a record of coordinating strong defenses at multiple stops; he also has a great record of improving those defenses. He took the Falcons' defense from 24th in DVOA in 2001 to 10th in 2002. He took the Chargers' defense from 28th in 2003 to ninth in 2004. He took the Texans' defense -- with some help from rookie J.J. Watt, of course -- from 30th in 2010 to eighth in 2011. Then he took the Broncos to No. 1 in defensive DVOA in both 2015 and 2016, with a Super Bowl championship. Including Phillips' stops as a head coach (Bills and Cowboys), his defenses have ranked in the top half of the league in 15 of 18 seasons since 2000," Aaron Schatz wrote.
Peyton Manning | QB
Manning was one of three quarterbacks selected to the All Quarter Century Team, joining Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. We all know how impactful Manning was to 21st-century football, and his accomplishments in Denver after an illustrious 14-year career in Indianapolis are mind-boggling.
In four years with the Broncos, Manning won the AFC West crown each season, won two Conference Championships, and a Super Bowl. Along the way, he was the Comeback Player of the Year (2012), and won his NFL-record fifth MVP award in 2013, after passing for a 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, leading the league's highest-scoring offense of all time (606 points).
"Manning ranks second behind Brady in DYAR since 2000. He has three of the top five seasons for total passing value -- 2013, 2004 and 2006. His 2004 season has the highest passing DVOA (value per play) of any season since 1978. And while QBR doesn't go back as far, Manning's 2006 season is the second-highest QBR behind Brady's 2007 season. Close your eyes, and you can still picture Manning audibling behind the line of scrimmage, moving his players around before the snap to take advantage of his incredible ability to read defenses," Schatz wrote.
DeMarcus Ware | Edge
After a nine-year career in Dallas, Ware joined the Broncos in 2014 as part of John Elway's star-studded free-agent class, a haul that was a direct counterpunch to the knockout Seattle delivered in Super Bowl XLVIII. Ware made an impact right away, earning a Pro Bowl nod in Year 1 with the Broncos, but everything came together for the team in 2015.
With Phillips calling the defense, Ware helped lead the Broncos to Super Bowl triumph. That defense was coined the 'No Fly Zone,' thanks to the elite coverage play from Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Jr., T.J. Ward on the back end, but without Ware and Von Miller harassing quarterbacks, the secondary's life would have been much harder.
"There are so many great edge rushers to choose from, but they generally come in two categories: great career totals or great peaks with a high ratio of sacks to games played. Ware had the best balance between the two. He had the third-most sacks out of all players since 2000, while his 0.78 sacks per game rank fourth among edge rushers," Schatz wrote.
Champ Bailey | CB
It's still a bummer that Bailey wasn't able to win a Lombardi Trophy with the Broncos, but he had his chance in Super Bowl XLVIII. Bailey is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, along with Manning and Ware, and stands arguably as the first face etched in the 21st Century's Mount Rushmore of cornerbacks.
"Bailey amassed more approximate value (149), per Pro Football Reference, since 2000 than any other cornerback by a healthy margin (Patrick Peterson was second at 131). His number of interceptions from 2000 rank third most in this span. Bailey qualifies for this team on both peak and longevity; he is tied with Ray Lewis for the most Pro Bowl nods (12) on this roster," Seth Walder wrote.
Brian Dawkins | S
Dawkins will always be remembered as more of a Philadelphia Eagle, but his impact during his three-year stint with the Broncos was immense. A vocal leader and one of the most physical and hardest-hitting safeties of his time, Dawkins earned All-Pro honors in 2009 with the Broncos, and was voted to the Pro Bowl twice (2009, 2011).
Like each player before him on this list of Broncos to make ESPN's All Quarter Century Team, Dawkins is forever enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
