Reaching a Super Bowl is a difficult endeavor, but there are many ways to accomplish just that.
You, like Shane Ray, can be lucky enough to get drafted by a great organization in the first round, and reach the big game before you’ve even learned what it means to be a true pro. You, like Peyton Manning, can scour the NFL landscape, find the best opportunity for success and latch onto it. You, like Wade Phillips or Gary Kubiak, can take hold of a franchise in the offseason and direct them towards the promise land a year later.
Again, there are a lot of ways to reach a Super Bowl. That said, it’s hard to believe that asking politely on Twitter is one of them.
In early December, that’s exactly what safety Shiloh Keo did, as he asked Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to bring him on board if he ever got the chance. A week later, the Broncos got the chance, and Keo entered the building, quickly becoming an integral part of Denver’s ailing secondary.
Keo, who got his first action during Week 14, has since been on the field for 34 percent of the Broncos’ defensive snaps, which includes a critical 36 snaps during the AFC Championship game (courtesy of Pro Football Focus); with the injuries to Darian Stewart, T.J. Ward and David Bruton, his presence has been imperative to Denver’s sustained success.
And in just over a week, when the Broncos walk into Levi’s Stadium to face off against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, Stewart and Ward may be healthy enough to play, but Keo will still play an important role on the Broncos defense.
As Kubiak has said all season, the Broncos will need every man on their roster if they want to bring home a Lombardi Trophy.
