Mike Klis Is Not Taking the Broncos Super Bowl Loss Very Well

Mike Klis has taken to a message board to complain about how the Seattle Seahawks didn't beat the Broncos "A" team in the Super Bowl. Klis rants and generally acts like a spoiled fanboy who refuses to accept his favorite team lost. On this message board---wait, this isn't a message board? Mike Klis wrote an entire column, published it and still acted like a spoiled child who refuses to accept losing...then "The Denver Post" printed it? I'm not sure why they would do that, but it seems they did. The last time we heard from Mike Klis had data (data dammit!) that the key to winning a Super Bowl is losing football games. I'm just surprised Klis didn't state the Broncos lost the Super Bowl because they won too many games this year. So here is Mike Klis giving the Seahawks very little credit and writing a column that's on par with a message board rant. 

If the Seattle Seahawks played the Super Bowl without left tackle Russell Okung, cornerback and best defensive player Richard Sherman, safety Earl Thomas, defensive end/tackle Michael Bennett, defensive ends Cliff Avril and Chris Clemons and center Max Unger, would they have beat the Broncos?

Quite possibly, but that was a nice beat down the Seahawks gave the Broncos. The Seahawks were without Russell Okung from September 23 to November 16 of this year. They lost their second-best receiver, Sidney Rice, on October 30 and played without their best receiver, Percy Harvin all season. If Peyton Manning didn't have Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas was playing his first full game all season in the Super Bowl would the Broncos have beaten the Seahawks if Seattle was missing all of these other players Klis just listed? Of course, Mike Klis won't look at it that way.

Because that’s essentially what the Broncos had to do as they played without left tackle Ryan Clady, top defensive back Chris Harris, safety Rahim Moore, best pass rusher Von Miller, defensive end/tackle Derek Wolfe, defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson and center Dan Koppen/J.D. Walton.

Well, except for the fact Sherman and Thomas are better players than Chris Harris and Rahim Moore. Clady and Okung are a fair trade off in my opinion, Unger is better than Koppen/Walton, and otherwise I think the defensive players have different responsibilities and play different positions. So it's hard to say whether this is a good comparison or not. I would submit it isn't a comparable scenario, but either way, it didn't happen so stop crying about it.

The Seahawks also didn't have their second-best cornerback, Brandon Browner, due to a suspension. They were somehow able to move past this and win the Super Bowl. I could see Klis' point of view if the Super Bowl was close, but it wasn't even close to being close. It was a blowout.

Maybe the Seahawks still win. 

I don't know if injuries can explain a 35-point swing. That's a lot of points to make up and blame on injuries. Injuries happen and that's why you have backups. The Seahawks backup wide receivers (going into the season) played well enough to beat the Broncos defense handily. Stop whining.

But do they have to be so cocky about it?

They had just won the Super Bowl. They had a right to feel cocky. Besides, the only people who complain about the cockiness of the opposing team are the fans of the team that lose...or the beat writers of the team that loses as the case may be. The Seahawks celebrated and they had a chip on their shoulder about winning. They are able to do that because they won. If the Broncos don't like it, they should have beaten the Seahawks, and if Mike Klis doesn't like it then he should cheer for someone to beat the Seahawks next year in the playoffs. Until then, Seattle has a right to be a little cocky.

Sherman pops off incessantly.

How is stating that he picked up Manning's audibles "popping off"? Sherman seems to stating what is a fact. Here is what Sherman says in the article and you decide for yourself if this is him "popping off."

"We knew what route concepts they liked on different downs, so we jumped all the routes," Sherman told Robert Klemko of Monday Morning Quarterback (mmqb.com). "Then we figured out the hand signals for a few of the route audibles in the first half."

And John Fox was astounded that Sherman would pop off like this after the Super Bowl victory. So much so that he stated, 

Broncos coach John Fox acknowledged Tuesday the Seahawks may have been on to something but downplayed the impact the in-game intelligence Seattle may have deciphered.

"You know, it looked like it," Fox said. "But I think it's more they have very good players. I don't know that there are any mystery things. I think it was more about them executing and playing very well than any other stuff."

Boy, Foxy is hot under the collar. Sherman has popped off one too many times now. 

Seriously, Klis is being an even bigger fanboy than I thought he could be by getting worked up that Richard Sherman noted the Seahawks knew the Broncos audibles. It's sour grapes. 

Pete Carroll brags.

When a coach wins the Super Bowl, he has a right to brag a little bit. 

KJ Wright says the Seahawks beat the Broncos 90 times out of 100.

I mean, I don't know...that certainly seems like it would be true based on the Seahawks 35-point victory in the Super Bowl. 

I had spent the past week giving Seattle full credit as the physically superior team and ripping the Broncos for their dismal performance.

But now is the time for sour grapes and claiming the Seahawks didn't beat the Broncos "A" team, which doesn't sound like an excuse more than anything else. Not at all. Mike Klis stating that he previously gave the Seahawks credit, but will stop doing that because they are celebrating their Super Bowl victory is a position an irrational fan of the Broncos may take. I can't imagine why a professional sportswriter would take this position. 

But these Seahawks won’t stop popping off about how great they are and how much better they were/are than the Broncos.

So Mike Klis has to hit back with excuses as to why Denver lost the Super Bowl. Way to get them back, Mike! You really told them with your poor excuses for why the Broncos lost that ignored the Seahawks made it to the Super Bowl without their two top receivers and second-best cornerback! Nobody likes excuses.

Come on, Seattle. You beat up Peyton Manning and a bunch of B teamers.

Fine, the Broncos had excuses. I will grant Mike Klis that. What he doesn't explain is how the Broncos "B" offense that was missing two starters at the offensive line (yet these two backup offensive linemen were fantastic in the previous two playoff games, which Klis fails to mention) only scored eight points against the Seahawks defense. Basically, the Broncos offense was their "A" team and not their "B" team. If the score of the game was 45-38 then I could see Klis' point about the injuries to the Broncos defense, but the Broncos were pretty close to full strength on offense and could only muster eight points. He has no point calling the Broncos "Peyton Manning and a bunch of B teamers." 

Take your Lombardi Trophy — and quiet down.

Even the Broncos message boards would dismiss this rant as just the ravings of a bitter, angered fan who can't accept the reality that Denver lost. Mike Klis, accept the Broncos lost---and quiet down.