The ceremonial after the game handshake customary to the NFL was avoided by Denver head coach Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick his former boss and head coach of the New England Patriots.

Why?

Well with the media making so much noise about it in the past, when Belichick met with Eric Mangini at midfield, it was better for the Broncos to avoid the issue as they headed into probably their biggest test of the season so far with the young first-year head coach leading the team to a 5-0 record after the battle was over.

It was labeled the teacher-pupil battle and everyone wanted a piece of it on the national scale. But both men decided meeting elsewhere was better than in the public.

After the game, both coaches met in McDaniels’ office, actually Belichick went to the coaching office of Invesco and shook hands with McDaniels. A better choice; that way the media and everyone didn’t get to see another Mangini episode or read into Belichick’s actions at centerfield.

Why the media overhypes the showdown between Belichick and his former students/assistants is quite remarkable. It’s almost like everyone forgets there is a game to be played, bragging rights between fans of both sides and most importantly players showing off their skill set as coaches attempt to strategize better than the other.

But whenever it involves Belichick, he takes center stage while everything else is secondary. This time around, both parties ignored the ceremonial handshake and decided to have it off the field instead of under the watchful eyes of the media and photojournalists.

As it was another great performance from the Broncos - McDaniels was jumping all over the field like a high school geek who just got a kiss from his major crush - Denver just proved to doubters they are contenders for the post season and a legitimate team after all the drama that engulfed the team when McDaniels first arrived.

“Yeah, I put it out there, “McDaniels said of his reacts. “I'm not afraid to have fun. That's how it’s supposed to be. I work hard during the week so I can have fun on Sunday. Some people show their emotions differently, but I do whatever comes naturally, I guess.”

As the game started, the Broncos in the horrendous uniforms - New England’s uniforms were not any better - broke out another surprise with the “wild horse,” Denver’s version of the wildcat with running back Knowshon Moreno getting the direct snap from the center on four of the teams first eight plays.

It generated the buzz needed around the stadium, but typical Belichick fashion, he killed their thunder once he called a timeout.

As Matt Prater nailed that unforgettable 41-yard field goal to ice the game in overtime, the Broncos just demonstrated that even though they were down 17-7 at halftime, they have the weapons, offensively and defensively, to get the job done even against a formidable, but now inconsistent Patriots who have lost to both Denver and the New York Jets.

For all the Broncos fans and critics who never anticipated an undefeated season so far, credit to McDaniels for steadying the ship after the drama with former quarterback Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall who by the way caught two touchdowns on Sunday. McDaniels is doing a great job so far just like handled the handshake with Belichick as well.