SAN JOSE, Calif. — Throughout this week, Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, Peyton Manning and the rest of the offence have put together their game plan for Super Bowl 50.
The focal points will be wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and running back C.J. Anderson, to name a few.
But what about Owen Daniels?
The 10-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowler has been vital both on and off the field for the Broncos, especially with a new offence being put into place at the beginning of 2015.
“He (Daniels) was doing a lot of coaching out there and still does I would probably say in the huddle,” explained Manning. “He’s been with coach Kubiak through 10-plus years now, he’s been very helpful.”
Daniels found it hard to believe that a future Hall of Famer was asking him for advice.
“It was kind of surreal,” said Daniels. “He’s (Manning) such a smart guy, he caught on so quickly but he along with some of the other guys, I think hearing stuff from a player’s perspective is a little different than hearing it from a coach.”
Every single year of Daniels’ NFL career has been spent with Kubiak– eight seasons while Kubiak was the head coach in Houston, one season in Baltimore where Kubiak was the offensive coordinator and now this season in Denver. And according to the Broncos coach it’s no accident Daniels ended up in Denver in 2015.
“I knew he’d be a great guy in the locker room,” said Kubiak. “I told [Broncos executive vice president of football operations] John [Elway], ‘You watch the film, but I’ll stand up for him as a person.’ They watched the film, and the good news is we got him with us. [I am] very proud of him.”
“Can’t say enough about Kub and the opportunities he’s provided for me over the years,” said Daniels. “I’ll do anything for that man and I’m really looking forward to enjoying this whole experience and this game with him.”
That game of course is Daniels’ first appearance in the Super Bowl, and to some he’s a big reason why the Broncos are in Santa Clara this week.
“He was awesome against the Patriots two weeks ago,” said Manning. “Ran two textbook classic routes with double move-type routes and executed them to a tee, so it’s a real credit to him and I’m excited for him to play in his first Super Bowl.”
So keep an eye out for the guy wearing No. 81 in white this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
