these guys were out here practicing a little earlier. (Laughter) So before we get started, I
just need to make sure that we're all set, that they
were paying attention. So let me just say: Omaha! Omaha! 44 Is Mike! Bags Montana! (Laughter) I don't know -- it doesn't
seem to work as well for me.
(Laughter) Let's give it up for the
Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos! (Applause) We have some big Broncos
fans in the house, including Mayor Hancock from the great
city of Denver, outstanding members of Congress,
the delegation. I want to recognize Broncos
CEO Joe Ellis, a couple of your former quarterbacks,
GM John Elway. (Applause) Coach Gary Kubiak. (Applause) And let's give a big round
of applause to Mrs.
Annabel Bowlen. (Applause) As many of you know, Annabel
is here on behalf of the Bowlen family and her
husband Pat, the longtime Broncos owner who's
inspiring all of us with his courageous fight
against Alzheimer's. And it's only fitting that
when they won the Super Bowl in February, John declared
from the podium: "This one is for Pat!" And I was just -- we were
backstage talking, the record that Pat was able to
put together -- going to more Super Bowls than losing
seasons -- that's pretty remarkable. You're not going to see that
duplicated many places and that's a testimony to what
an extraordinary owner he has been and
continues to be.
Pat and Annabel have led
this organization for 32 successful years -- that
rivals just about any other franchise in football. In that time, the Broncos
have, as I said earlier, gone time and time again to
the Super Bowl, and last year was a high water mark,
with a third Super Bowl trophy and a dominating
win over Carolina. That doesn't mean it was
always pretty -- or ever pretty. (Laughter) Coach has acknowledged this
is a gritty, hard-nosed group of grinders.
Last season, the Broncos won
an NFL-record 11 games by a touchdown or less. And you don't do that
without one of the greatest defenses of all time. (Applause) I'm a Bears fan -- 1985
was pretty good -- Elway remembers. (Laughter) But I've got to admit, this
one was pretty good, too.
(Laughter and applause) It all starts with Super
Bowl MVP Von Miller -- (applause) -- who terrorized opponents
from the edge all season long. In the Super Bowl and the
AFC Championship game, he had five sacks, two forced
fumbles, an interception. Not bad for a guy who prides
himself on his collection of eyeglasses -- (laughter) -- and claims to have
been a geek all his life. We also saw him on
"Dancing with the Stars." I think he's wearing his
dance shoes today -- where are they -- they were
shiny and impressive.
(Laughter) Von was not alone. There was his partner on
the opposite side, DeMarcus Ware. (Applause) You had an extraordinary
defensive line, a lockdown secondary. All in all, coordinator Wade
Phillips' defense led the league in 19 statistical
categories -- (applause) -- including total defense,
passing defense, and sacks.
And down the stretch, they
smothered three of the top four offenses in football. And then there was an
offense that always seemed to come up big
when it needed to. There's running backs C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.
(Applause) Receivers Emmanuel Sanders
and Demaryius Thomas. (Applause) And we can't forget to
mention the heart and soul of this team's offensive
firepower -- kicker Brandon McManus! (Laughter and applause) And then there's this guy
from the commercials. (Laughter) It doesn't matter whether
you need insurance -- (laughter) -- pizza -- (laughter) -- a Buick -- (laughter) -- you basically can stock
your whole household with stuff this guy is selling. (Laughter) You know where to turn
-- it's Peyton Manning! (Applause) Where'd Peyton go? There he is.
(Applause) I have to say, I'm so
pleased to be able to host Peyton here at the White
House before I left. Anybody who has been a
football fan has watched what is one of the greatest
Hall of Fame careers ever, racking up more wins, more
MVPs, more passing yards, more touchdown passes
than anybody in history. The only quarterback to lead
two different teams to Super Bowl wins. We were all obviously a
little disappointed to see him hang it up this spring.
But as somebody who is just
a little bit older than he is, I was sympathetic -- (laughter) -- to the idea that running
around with these guys, it takes its toll. But it is great to see
somebody with a career like that, who always conducted
himself on the field and off the field the way he did, to
be able to go out on top. So please give a big round
of applause for Peyton Manning. (Applause) Peyton and I were talking
back -- and he said, yeah, you should try it, don't
overstay your welcome.
(Laughter) But I've got term limits, so
I had no choice -- I can't. (Laughter) Of course, this team is far
more than a collection of players. The Broncos are a way
of life -- not just in Colorado, but throughout
the Mountain West. They call it
"Broncos Country." Sold out just about every
game in Denver since 1970.
I've heard how loud that
stadium can get -- back in 2008, I gave my convention
speech at Mile High. (Applause) Thank you for letting me
borrow it just for a little bit. I have a feeling it's a
little louder after Von sacks Tom Brady. (Laughter) But it was pretty
loud on that day.
And for all the love the
fans give to this team, the Broncos gave it right back. In just the last year,
players have served the community more than 360
times -- from holding fitness clinics to mentoring
young people to honoring our troops. All told, the Broncos have
distributed more than $25 million to local
charities since 1993. (Applause) And earlier today, Peyton
and the guys spent some time with our wounded warriors.
And there's nothing I
appreciate more than when outstanding athletes like
this take the time to meet with our wounded warriors
and are reminded of the fact that as much fun as this is,
as great as football is as a part of our lives, it only
happens because of the extraordinary sacrifice
of our men and women in uniform. So we're very grateful
to them for that. (Applause) So on and off the field,
these guys are champs. Apparently John Elway
knows what he's doing.
(Applause) Coach knows what he's doing,
the ownership knows what they're doing, and the
players know what they're doing. And I assume that they're
looking for another run. I will continue to
root for the Bears -- (laughter) -- but I've got to give this
organization credit for having done an
extraordinary job. And this is a well-deserved
celebration of an extraordinary season.
So please give, one more
time, the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos
a big round of applause! (Applause) Coach Kubiak: Thank
you, Mr. President. As you said before,
unfortunately, the great leader of this organization,
this team, is not here today. But on behalf of Mr.
Bowlen,
our entire organization, thank you so much for you
and your staff allowing us to be here today and share
this special moment. I am so proud of our fans,
our organization, our coaches, but most
importantly, these players. They gave it up for each
other, and they went and achieved something special
-- they brought home a third world championship to
the city of Denver. And I'm so proud to be a
part of that, but this makes it even more so special.
So thank you, and without
further ado, Annabel is going to come up, and the
captains, and present some -- The President: All
right, what have we got, Annabel? The President:
Oh, look at that! Ms. Bowlen: This is for you. The President: That is a
good-looking jersey right there. (Applause) And the 44 -- I think
Mr.
Sanders said I might still be able to
be a wide receiver? (Laughter) I said, it's been a while
since I ran 4.4-40. (Laughter) But that is wonderful. Thank you so much. I appreciate it and
thank you so much.
I need a helmet. (Laughter) You get knocked around here
in Washington quite a bit. (Laughter) Thank you. These are beautiful..
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