DENVER — The confetti fell.
Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
Aqib Talib, Emmanuel Sanders, T.J. Ward and Gary Kubiak stood awash in cheers, and Von Miller basked in a chorus of MVP chants.
Ten years have passed since the Broncos became Super Bowl 50 champions, but Wednesday's "Night of Champions" at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Denver offered an opportunity to travel back.
For 90 minutes, CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson guided Manning, Ware, Miller, Talib, Sanders, Ward and Kubiak through a curated retelling of that 2015 season. The Super Bowl 50 champions reminisced on the key moments of their title campaign, from Manning's journey back to the field to a nail-biting AFC Championship Game to the final moments of Super Bowl 50. They shared untold stories of the lead-up to their matchup against the Panthers and provided unprecedented insight on their championship season.
They laughed — man, did they laugh — as they recalled their times inside the locker room and on the field. They shed tears as they paid tribute to members of the team who have since passed. And they seemed to swell with pride as Kubiak spoke to his former players about what they had accomplished — about how they would always be champions.
As the former Broncos shared those moments, Broncos Country was the beneficiary. The team hosted a reunion weekend to honor the late Demaryius Thomas and the Super Bowl 50 team last fall, and fans roared for the group of players at halftime of the Broncos' win over the Giants. But Wednesday's event offered a different perspective, giving fans a chance to hear at length from some of the most memorable players in franchise history.
"It's really a chance for the fans to kind of go behind the ropes," Manning said. "This night is all about the fans. … That's kind of the whole point, to kind of go behind the ropes and give these fans some stories that haven't been heard before."
From pregame banter about who would win Super Bowl 50 MVP to Manning's infamous rehab message inside the Broncos' indoor facility, fans were treated to a peek behind the proverbial curtain. And that was only amplified by the presence of Miller, who remains an active player and was unable to attend the team's reunion in the fall.
"The fact that he's here makes this really special," Manning said.
Miller was introduced to raucous applause, and fans began an MVP chant to end the evening as the Super Bowl 50 MVP hoisted the trophy into the air.
"It's an honor and a privilege to relive some of these glorious moments," Miller told DenverBroncos.com.
Miller and Manning agreed that it's difficult to believe 10 years have passed since the win, but the memories haven't faded.
"It's a game I'll always remember," Manning said.
And that, Manning said, is as much about the team that accomplished the feat as it was about the trophy.
"That was the ultimate team that year," Manning said. "Everybody that wins a Super Bowl, they all say, 'We had a unique team.' But I'm telling you, 'team' could not be more personified than that Super Bowl 50 team. Everybody had a role to play. Everybody was completely unselfish. We never argued. Nobody ever pointed the finger and said, 'Hey, [the] offense isn't doing good enough' or this or that. Everybody just stuck together, and we got it done.
"Like Bill Parcells says in that famous clip, 'They can never say you couldn't do it, because you did it.' And we did it that year."
