NEW ORLEANS _ Can you bayou it?
Seemingly swamped, the Broncos stunned the Saints, 25-23.
But how?
"They called in and said, 'Coach, he's got white shoes on. It's really, really close,' " Gary Kubiak said, summing up Sunday at the Superdome.
They won with white shoes, big toes and ballet. They won because of Grandma Parks. They were led in by gameday captains Von Miller and Demaryius Thomas, led out by Willy "White Shoes" Parks and "Jumpin'" Justin Simmons. They are the "No Fly Zone," and on this day, the No Die Zone. "These guys, they never quit," Miller said.
The Broncos won when Simmons blocked an extra-point attempt and Parks scooped the bouncing ball and skedaddled 84 yards for the game-winning two-point conversion.
"I must be living right," Parks said.
This story starts where good stories often start, with Grandma. Her name is Aldo Parks, and she lives in Philadelphia. "I need to call her right now," her grandson said.
Will sought to thank his Grandma for forcing him into ballet in the fourth grade. Or, as he put it, "She took me to ballerina." He only went three times, by his estimate, and it showed: On the 84-yard return that won the day, Parks tiptoed the Saints sideline closely enough the officials reviewed the play to make sure he wasn't coloring outside the lines.
"It could have gone either way," Miller said afterward.
"I was definitely in-bounds," Parks confirmed.
"He has white shoes on and sidelines are white," Saints coach Sean Payton said.
This is how Broncos games now are decided: By shoe color, by Bayou Bedlam, by defense and special teams, by a pair of rookies drafted only seven months ago.
On draft night in April, the Broncos selected Simmons in the third round and Parks in the sixth. Doesn't it figure Parks and Simmons were the players chosen to share a visiting locker in the 41-year-old Superdome? Two nameplates hung above their single cubby _ "Parks, 34" and "Simmons, 31" _ for two young men who are road-game roommates.
In the heart of SEC country, this was Auburn-Alabama stuff. It was stuff you don't dream about as a kid, because it's too ridiculous to imagine. The Saints lost because they scored a touchdown; the Broncos won because a rookie safety wore white shoes. Most games, Parks wears one set of cleats during pregame warmups but switches to another (sometimes orange) pair for the game.
"Today I was real comfortable in these shoes," Parks said, "So I just kept them on."
On a folding chair in front of his shared locker, Parks demonstrated how he avoided the sideline. His toes were pointed into the seat cushion, his heel high into the air.
"My heel wasn't touching the ground," Parks said. "I have big toes."
The Broncos have big hearts.
"Still in disbelief, a little bit," Saints quarterback Drew Brees said.
The Broncos and Saints gave the crowd its money, and its beads, worth. Denver blew a 10-point lead and came back from a seven-point deficit. Then it happened: The score tied at 23 with 1:22 left, the Saints lined up for a PAT (point after touchdown). Ho, hum.
Then, HOLY HUM.
The kick never crossed the line of scrimmage. Simmons did, leaping over the long snapper and swatting the football into the turf. At Martin County (Fla.) High School, Simmons competed in the long jump, triple jump and high jump. He said his personal best on the high jump was 6 feet, 4 inches. He has a new personal best.
Parks and Simmons said this was a play they practiced, one that special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis had them work on roughly a half-dozen times last week.
"It worked every time," Simmons said.
A God-fearing Christian man, Simmons prays often during games.
"I pray that he allows me to execute the play like we practiced," he said.
More often than not, the Broncos have an answer. Last year it was the scoop-and-score at Kansas City. This year, it was Parks and Simmons _ the new kids on the block.
For most of the game, the Broncos offensive line played Red Rover. The Saints came marching over. Quarterback Trevor Siemian will need an ice bath and a Pat O'Briens Hurricane after the vicious way he was sacked (six times) and whacked to the fake turf.
"That's the first time I've ever experienced a game-winning block," cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said.
But did you take ballet in the fourth grade?
"Nah," Harris said. "I do Pilates, though."
How did the Broncos win?
"If you look good," safety Darian Stewart said, "You're gonna play good."
Sometimes that means a pair of clean, white shoes.
