NFL

Super Bowl trip a homecoming for a host of Broncos

Sunday’s Super Bowl is a home game for several Broncos.

Denver has six players with ties to the New York area with some growing up just a few miles from MetLife Stadium.

The local Broncos have spent the week in New Jersey surrounded by relatives and friends and showing their teammates where the best spots in the area are.

Here is a look at the local guys:

Mike Adams

Position: Safety

Hometown: Paterson, N.J.

Adams went to Passaic County Tech in Wayne, N.J., and then went on to play college football at Delaware. His return home for the Super Bowl has been a big deal in Paterson, which held a pep rally for him on Tuesday at his elementary school.

Adams signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He started 18 games over three seasons and then left as a free agent, landing with the Browns. He started 32 games over five seasons for Cleveland before signing with the Broncos in 2012.

This season, Adams had 64 tackles and an interception as the team’s starting safety. Adams has relished his return to New Jersey for the Super Bowl. He has joked (we think) that he will walk the 12 miles home to Paterson from MetLife Stadium if the Broncos win the game.

Robert Ayers

Position: Defensive End

Hometown: Jersey City, N.J.

Ayers was born in New Jersey and lived there until his freshman year of high school. He attended Hoboken High School for a short time before moving to South Carolina. The Broncos are staying in Jersey City this week, near where Ayers grew up. He held a charity event there on Tuesday.

Ayers went to college at Tennessee and spent his first three years as a backup before becoming a starter as a senior. He had 15 ½ tackles for losses as a senior and the Broncos selected him in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
The 18th overall pick was a bit of a disappointment for Broncos fans early in his career. He had no sacks as a rookie and 1 ½ in his second season. When defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio arrived in 2012, Ayers was sent to the bench. He started three games this season and had his most productive season, notching 5 ½ sacks.

Nate Irving

Position: Linebacker

Hometown: Newark, N.J.

Irving was born in New Jersey, but moved to North Carolina as a child. He went on to star at North Carolina State and was a third-round pick of the Broncos in 2011.

He did not have much of a role in his first two seasons with Denver, but he started four games this season and recorded his first sack and had 34 tackles.

Terrance Knighton

Position: Defensive tackle

Hometown: Windsor, Conn.

One of the stars of Super Bowl week has been Knighton, partially for his play and partially for his nickname of “Pot Roast.” Knighton went to Windsor High School where he was a tight end and defensive lineman. He was an All-State player.

After a year of prep school, Knighton went to Temple where he became a starter as a sophomore. He had 54 tackles as a senior with three fumble recoveries and a sack.

The Jaguars selected him in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He had four sacks in his second season, but lost his starting job after a new coaching staff arrived in 2012. Knighton left Jacksonville after the 2012 season and followed his former coach Jack Del Rio to Denver where he had become the defensive coordinator. Knighton had 24 tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery this season.

Knighton got nicknamed “Pot Roast” by Jaguars teammate Clint Ingram when Knighton’s hand shot up on a team flight when the flight attendant asked who wanted pot roast.

Knowshon Moreno

Position: Running back

Hometown: Belford, N.J.

Moreno was born in The Bronx, but after a rough childhood ended up in Belford and went on to star at Middletown South High School. He rushed for 1,629 yards and 28 touchdowns in 11 games as a senior. He is the second all-time leading scorer in New Jersey high school history.

The next stop for Moreno was Georgia where he rushed for 30 touchdowns and more than 2,700 yards in two years. He was second-team All-American as a redshirt sophomore and declared early for the NFL Draft.

The Broncos took Moreno with the 12th overall pick and he received a five-year, $16.7 million contract. Moreno started his first two years in Denver, but lost his starting job to Willis McGahee in 2011. His season was cut short by a torn ACL that year. He spent time on the team’s practice squad in 2012 before McGahee was injured and Moreno reemerged.

Moreno rushed for 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and has become an integral part of Denver’s attack.

Shaun Phillips

Position: Defensive end

Hometown: Willingboro, N.J.

Phillips was an All-State football player at Willingboro High School before going on to Purdue. He was moved from tight end to defensive end at Purdue and became a star. He had 14½ sacks as a senior.

The Chargers selected Phillips in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He became a mainstay of the San Diego defense. Phillips had 11 ½ sacks in 2006 and 11 in 2010, making the Pro Bowl that year.

Phillips signed with the Broncos as a free agent before this season, hoping to get to the Super Bowl. Phillips had 10 sacks this season and helped dull the blow when the team lost Von Miller for the season to injury.