Denver Broncos and "Mustang" -- a match made in hell

As we head into the Super Bowl, most Broncos fans are still smarting from our defeat by the Ravens, who are playing in our place. And we're asking ourselves, "What do we need to get over the hump next year?" Another running back? Sure, that'd be good. Maybe some help...

By Cory Casciato

February 1, 2013

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As we head into the Super Bowl, most Broncos fans are still smarting from our defeat by the Ravens, who are playing in our place. And we're asking ourselves, "What do we need to get over the hump next year?" Another running back? Sure, that'd be good. Maybe some help in the secondary, and another pass rusher? Yeah, couldn't hurt. But what we really need? A heaping helping of diabolic fury, in the form of a logo upgrade to Luis Jimenez's incredible "Mustang."

I'm serious. I love "Mustang," DIA's demonic, blue equestrian gargoyle. I love the Denver Broncos, our horse-themed NFL franchise. And it is high time these two came together, bringing the two best local horses in blue together into one perfect, high-octane combination to thrill and delight -- or horrify and offend -- sports fans and arts fans alike.

The current Broncos logo was adopted in the late '90s and has the distinct imprint of that decade. Like nearly every other NFL logo, it looks like a strangely aerodynamic and highly stylized visual take on the team's theme. It's fine, if a little uninspired. But why are we settling for "fine, if uninspired" when we have, right here at home, a terrifying vision of blue hell rendered as fiberglass horseflesh just begging for the job?

There's no reason sports-team logos can't strike fear into the hearts of opposing teams, and slapping our own hell-steed on the sides of the helmets would go a long way toward that goal. The sculpture looks suspiciously like a souped-up, tricked-out and thoroughly kick-ass version of the old-school logo already, so it would be like a return to the beloved past and a kick in the face from the horrific future, all wrapped up in one giant, veiny-buttholed demonic package.

All it would take would be the tiniest few tweaks to make the sculpture logo-ready. Have the two pieces meet in the middle: Shift the team's current blue to the tones of the sculpture, and tweak the horse's eyes just a bit from red to the proper shade of orange. Then slap that fucker on the side of the helmets and let's play some football! Von Miller is already a terrifying presence for opposing quarterbacks, but imagine how much scarier he'd be running at you full speed with that unearthly spectre emblazoned on his helmet. That'll haunt your dreams, kids.

It would also offer the haters a chance to move the gigantic horror show from Denver International Airport to a more suitable location ... say, right the fuck outside of Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Imagine entering the stadium as an opposing team under the oppressive shadow of Luis Jimenez's masterpiece. If we could rig up some lasers for its eyes and a fog machine to cloak it in the proper game-day ambience, we'd have our opponents pissing in their pants before they even suited up. Can you say "home field advantage"?

Still not convinced? Keep in mind, the last logo change came in 1997. You know what else happened in 1997? The Broncos made it to Super Bowl XXXII. That'd be the first one they actually won, after falling short so many times before. Change was good then, and change will be good now. Let's make 2013 a repeat, and let our glorious new hell-logo herald a new age of Super Bowl dominance for the team.

Go Broncos. Go "Mustang." Straight through hell, into the Super Bowl and on to victory.

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