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It took two days for Samson Brown to fully comprehend what happened.
“It’s didn’t hit me that we won until the parade back in Denver (on Feb. 9). Seeing over a million people’s faces excited that we won made me understand that we really did it!’’ he said.
Brown, a 1998 graduate of Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx, is the assistant defensive backs coach for the Denver Broncos, who upset the Carolina Panthers, 24-10, in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7.
“From the two weeks leading up to the game to the parade after we won, I don’t think I’ve smiled and laughed so much in my life,’’ Brown said.
Brown should be smiling. The 36-year-old just completed his first season with the Broncos by seeing his defense hold the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense, and league most valuable player and quarterback Cam Newton to just one touchdown over 60 minutes.
“I was really just happy to win no matter the score, but the way we played during our playoff run was very satisfying,’’ Brown said. “Having two weeks to prepare really gave us the confidence that we watched every bit of tape on Carolina and had a good plan for them. Give credit to defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and all the coaches for having a great plan. The players believed in it and executed it to a high level.’’
A win in Super Bowl 50 capped off an already rewarding season for Brown. Denver finished the regular season with the league’s No. 1 passing defense, and ranked second in overall defense and third in rushing defense.
“Cam is a great player and had a great season, so we knew our work would be cut out for us; but we also knew we had a great defense and had already faced other great (quarterbacks), so we felt battle tested,’’ Brown said.
Brown shared the Super Bowl 50 weekend experience with his family, including his wife Dr. Martina Taylor, M.D., and his mother Betty Woodard, who still resides in the Bronx.
“I’m extremely proud of him,’’ Ms. Woodard said. “He’s a hard worker, and he studies and inhales football. He’s very serious, and extremely gentle and loving. Everything he has gotten, he has truly earned it.’’
There was excitement too at Cardinal Spellman, a school with 1,450 students and 83 faculty members.
“The entire school population is very happy. We’re always telling students to work hard to strive and achieve more, and mention a person to use as a role model,’’ said Dan O’Keefe, Cardinal Spellman’s president and principal.
Following Cardinal Spellman, Brown was a four-time All-Northeast Conference selection at defensive back for the University at Albany and interned with the New York Giants scouting department while at Albany.
“Academics was always instilled in me from my mom, who was a professor and a teacher. But my teachers and friends at Spellman also drove me to understand how education is the first key to success,’’ Brown said. “It opened the doors for me to have the opportunity to attend good colleges. And the sports program made me recognize my passion for football.’’
Brown started his coaching career as the defensive backs coach at Siena College in Loudonville in 2003. He served as defensive backs and wide receiver coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before being the tight ends coach at Hofstra. He returned to Albany to coach outside linebackers and tight ends.
Brown, who interned with the Green Bay Packers in the summer of 2009, worked on the defensive staff of New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine in 2010 and 2011. He was named the assistant secondary coach for the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and 2014, helping a unit that led the NFL with 42 interceptions and was second in surrendering 205.1 passing yards per game during his tenure.
Brown joined the Broncos staff in January 2015.
“The experience has been a very joyful one,’’ Brown said of his first season in Denver.
