Denver Broncos

Motivation or realism?

Peyton Manning's dad -- legendary QB Archie Manning -- says Las Vegas is DEAD ON with its Super Bowl line ... agreeing that the Denver Broncos are DEFINITELY underdogs on Sunday.

We got Archie arriving into San Francisco to cheer his son on ... and asked his thoughts on Peyton's crew being 5 point dogs going into the big game.

If you're expecting some fatherly sugarcoating ... you ain't gonna get it here. Archie says that line "sounds about right" but reminds everyone it'll be 0-0 when the ball is kicked off.

Good news for the son of Denver Broncos owner John Bowlen -- a judge has agreed to let him go to the Super Bowl ... despite the fact he's facing criminal charges stemming from an alleged dom. violence incident.

As we previously reported, 30-year-old John Bowlen Jr. was arrested back in June '15 after allegedly shoving his girlfriend in his Denver-area apartment during a domestic dispute.

John's GF called 911 -- but the call was cut short (the last thing the operator heard was a woman screaming) ... and when the operator called back, Bowlen went on a bizarre rant and referred to himself as the "blood of the city."

He's facing charges for harassment and telephone obstruction and has been ordered to stay away from the woman.

But TMZ Sports has learned ... Bowlen has filed a motion with the court asking for permission to travel to California from 2/4 to 2/7 ... presumably to watch his family's team play in SB50.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the motion was granted without objection.

Scary moment for the Denver Broncos moments ago ... when a team bus clipped a member of its police escort ... but miraculously, no one was harmed ... TMZ Sports has learned.

GRONK JOKE!!!

With the AFC Championship just days away, Rob Gronkowski threw some Twitter shade at the Denver Broncos ... with a BJ joke.

Gronk gonna Gronk.

Get ready Broncos fans ... your star RB Ronnie Hillman is taking a stand ... revealing to TMZ Sports which Denver QB he'd want in the game when it's winning time.

Hillman was leaving The Nice Guy in L.A. when we asked the question burning up the Mile High city ... Peyton Manning or Brock Osweiler?

Check out the clip -- Ronnie skillfully sidesteps the question at first, but eventually tells us there is ONE Broncos QB he'd like to score the game winner! You might not immediately recognize the name he drops though. Think ... 3rd string.

Peyton Manning is never getting his job back from Brock Osweiler ... 'cause TMZ Sports has picture proof that the young QB's success was foretold long ago ... by pimple-faced teen psychics in Kalispell, Montana.

Brock is tearing it up for the Broncos right now ... boasting an undefeated record as the team's starting QB since he took over for #18.

One group totally unsurprised by Osweiler's domination? The '09 class at Flathead High School, which voted Brock "Most Likely To Be Famous" during his senior year.

Remember Anthony Miller? Dude was a stud WR for the Broncos and the Chargers back in the '90s.

Anyway, we asked him about Peyton Manning ... and the war with Father Time.

Miller -- a 5-time Pro Bowler -- essentially says it's over for Peyton.

Fun Fact -- we went searching for some Miller highlights ... but all we could find is this clip from '93 (Stan Humphries!) ... and the whole thing was in en espanol!

Disfruta!

Well, at least one person still believes in Peyton Manning ...

Despite the vomit-inducing performance he put on this weekend, "Today" show co-host Hoda Kotb says she still STRONGLY believes in the Broncos QB.

In fact, she even lays out a case for Manning ... saying he's still "golden" ... and predicts he'll eventually return to greatness!!!

He's 6'5", 230 pounds, and has a laser rocket arm ... and now Peyton Manning has proved -- he can also conduct an orchestra like a champ!!!

Manning and a bunch of his Denver Broncos teammates grabbed their batons and took over the Taste of the Broncos event at Mile High last night ... hookin' up with the Colorado Symphony to raise money for the Food Bank of the Rockies.

Peyton conducted the orchestra through a version of "Rocky Top" -- a tribute to the University of Tennessee.

Overall, not a bad job ... but let's face it -- he's no Shaq.

Some life updates from Denver Broncos stud linebacker Von Miller ... apparently, he's got a new celebrity partner on his chicken farm ... and he's finally addressing his team's fart tax.

It all went down outside Hooray Henry's nightclub in West Hollywood -- where Miller had been partying with his pal (and fellow NFL linebacker) Melvin Ingram.

Seems Ingram has gotten in on Miller's legendary chicken farm in Texas (yes, he really has a chicken farm) ... though, the dudes appear kinda hammered, so they may have just been messin' around.

As for the fart tax ... there have been reports the Broncos fine players for tearing ass during meetings. So, we asked Miller about it.

TMZ Sports has obtained the bizarre 911 call recording from the domestic dispute involving the son of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen ... in which he claims to be "the blood of the city."

John Bowlen's girlfriend initially called 911 on Wednesday night ... but the call was cut short ... and the last thing the operator heard was the woman screaming.

So, the operator called back ... only this time, John picked up ... and goes on a bizarre rant in which he claims to be the owner of the Denver Broncos ... says he's dealing with a "crazy girlfriend" ... and swears on his life that everything is fine.

"As the blood of the city, I'm telling you nothing is wrong."

He also dropped some names ... "I'm a man of the city. A friend of the mayor. And everybody knows exactly who I am. I'm going through a lot."

Bowlen continued ... "She is leaving right now, nothing is wrong. I love you guys. Thank you. Bye bye."

Obviously, the operator didn't buy Bowlen's story -- cops went to the scene and Bowlen was arrested on domestic violence charges.

The son of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen was arrested for domestic violence in Colorado on Wednesday ... while wearing a Broncos shirt ... TMZ Sports has learned.

29-year-old John Bowlen Jr. -- one of 7 Bowlen children -- is being held at the Arapahoe County jail outside of Denver on suspicion of 3rd degree assault and harassment.

According to the police report, the victim told police John was under the influence of whippets and alcohol. Whippets is slang for nitrous oxide.

The woman -- who says she has been dating Bowlen for 10 months -- says the two were inside of John's apartment when John began acting strange and "shoved her against the wall."

The woman says she called 911, but John took the phone and hung up.

When the operator called back, John reportedly answered and said, "This is the owner of the Denver Broncos. I am sorry. K. Nothing is wrong. This is John Bowlen."

The woman says she had been drinking alcohol earlier in the evening.

John was taken into custody for domestic violence harassment and property crimes. He's being held without bail.

According to multiple reports, John has an MBA in sports and entertainment from the University of Denver and is in executive training with the Broncos. He is one of the frontrunners to take over the team when his father (who is suffering from Alzheimer's) steps down.

Pat Bowlen isn't the only Broncos executive with a son who's been accused of domestic violence -- last year the son of Broncos General Manager John Elway, John Elway III, was arrested and convicted of attacking his GF during a heated argument in Arizona.

The Denver Broncos have released a statement saying, "We are disappointed to learn of the matter involving John Bowlen ... . While this is a personal issue, he is accountable to all club and league conduct policies. As such, John will be placed on an indefinite leave of absence from the organization."

Antonio Smith's child abuse investigation is not only sexual in nature ... TMZ Sports has learned the alleged victim is one of his relatives.

We broke the story ... the Fort Bend County Sheriff's department in Texas has been investigating the Denver Broncos' new defensive end since late last year.

Now, a family source tells us the accuser told investigators the alleged abuse involved repeated sexual contact from December 2010 through January 2014. We're told the accuser is related to Smith, but not an immediate family member.

According to our source ... the alleged victim also told investigators about a conversation when Smith told her, "God has a plan," and "some relationships are meant to go deeper than just blood lines."

We're told all the alleged incidents occurred at Smith's home outside Houston. He played for the Texans from 2009 to 2013.

Denver Broncos defensive end Antonio Smith -- a former Pro Bowler -- is being investigated for alleged child abuse in Texas ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We spoke with the Fort Bend County District Attorney, John Healey, who confirms the child abuse division is handling the case against Smith -- though, so far, no charges have been filed.

Sources connected to the case tell us ... the accuser claims there are multiple incidents dating back to 2010.

We're told the case was first reported to officials in Colorado back in November -- but the case was forwarded to Texas, because that's where the accuser says the alleged incidents took place.

FYI -- Smith played for the Houston Texans from 2009 to 2013.

Healey tells us, "We're trying to discern the truth from the untruthfulness of the claim to decide what charges, if any, will be filed."

Peyton Manning has not officially decided if he's coming back to play in the NFL next season, but one thing is for sure ... the Denver Broncos QB needs to retire that t-shirt!

The future Hall of Famer and his family were spotted poolside in Miami Beach this week, where the QB committed the personal foul of wearing a shirt in the pool ... a move usually reserved for offensive linemen.

With the Denver Broncos off this weekend, John Elway decided to blow off some steam by jetting to Vegas to party with his wife ... and some little people ... TMZ Sports has learned.

After spending some time in L.A., the Broncos' Vice President of Football Operations hit up Sin City this weekend -- where he sat VIP at Beacher's Madhouse in the MGM Grand.

Elway's wife Paige Green -- a former Oakland Raiders cheerleader -- was there as the couple watched a variety of crazy acts ... including the world's oldest strippers and a performance by Mini-Kanye West and Mini-Psy.

We're told Elway had a blast -- and took photos with some of the mini-performers.

Perfect way to forget about losing to the Seahawks ... for the second time in a row.