For many Denver Broncos fans, this past season was an absolute success. Few people could have predicted that the Broncos would advance to the Divisional Round of the playoffs after a 1-4 start. However, for a veteran like Champ Bailey, coming up short of a Super Bowl means the season didn't live up to expectations. Having just completed the 13th season of his illustrious career, Bailey explained to the Denver Post that he knows the window is closing on winning a Super Bowl:
"People think we should walk around with a smile on our face because we made the playoffs and won a playoff game," said Bailey, who completed his 13th season and was named again as a starter for the Pro Bowl. "But we came up short again.
"I don't time have a whole lot of time left (as a player). We didn't win. So now we have to start all over again."
Despite showing no signs of slowing down, the Pro Bowl CB knows that at some point, his age will begin to show. While the Broncos showed a nice young foundation this season, it will be important that they continue to improve in what will be a very significant offseason for this franchise.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on this game, visit Broncos blog Mile High Report and Patriots blog Pats Pulpit. Head over to SB Nation NFL for more coverage of the 2012 NFL Playoffs.