Broncos motivated by DeMarcus Ware speech

Part of the Broncos AFC Championship winning performance Sunday was motivated by a speech Saturday night by DeMarcus Ware.

Ware said head coach Gary Kubiak asked him to speak to the team.

"He knows how I’ll get up there and speak in a minute about what’s on my heart," Ware said Monday, after the game. "I went into the weight room and I just saw the image of ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’ and just went from there. That’s where I got my things to speak about for the team."

First, Ware placed the 1998 Lombardi Trophy in the front of the room, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper. Next, he said this, "The Patriots are coming into our house and trying to take what we built."

"It was a big, emotional night, and the guys carried it over into the game," Ware said.

It's not about 1 moment, but all the moments thru the years. Thankful for all the support along this journey. #SB50 pic.twitter.com/dLSeuK6k8h

— D-Ware (@DeMarcusWare) January 25, 2016

"I thought he was the perfect guy for the situation with what he’s been through in his career," Kubiak said. "I think a lot of young guys don’t realize. They look at him, his career, his success, but yet they had no idea that he had never played in a championship game. They had no idea that he had only won two playoff games. I thought it was a good message for him to talk about enjoying the moment, understanding the situation and taking advantage of the situation. He did a great job."

Aqib Talib said Ware had the team's attention the whole time.

"Just the whole speech, the way he delivered it. It was goosebumps," Talib said Monday. "That was probably one of the best pregame speeches that I’ve heard. Right after the meeting, I said, ‘We need to do that meeting like right before we get dressed for the game.’ T.J. [Ward] saying, ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m going to feel it in the morning.’"

"It was a hell of a speech," Talib added. "It really touched everybody. You could see everybody was focused. It really touched everybody who was in that meeting. That’s what D-Ware does. He speaks from his heart and his message was definitely felt."