It’s an investment in nasty.

Attitude costs $60 million guaranteed. “Super Bowl or bust”? That line is so 2013. It’s Super Bowl victory or bust.

And yeah, these three defensive investments could cost the Broncos during the so-called “Brock Osweiler years.” But it comes down to this: The Broncos must win a Super Bowl during the Peyton Manning years. Denver might not ever have a better quarterback. And John Elway, the gunslinger-turned-suit, forever haunted by Super Bowl failures? Well, his Broncos now lead the AFC in snarls with the additions of defensive end DeMarcus Ware, safety T.J. Ward and cornerback Aqib Talib.

I asked Ware, the key free-agent get, if he agreed it was indeed an “investment in nasty.”

“You know what?” Ware said. “I think it’s an investment in brutal nasty. They’re trying to make a statement.

“(In the Super Bowl), Denver had a guy like Peyton who can score, but you see how defenses can really create havoc and stop guys from doing what they do best. So they turned around and said, ‘Let’s go get our defense right.’ “

Denver had to do this. Forty-eight hours ago, Denver’s defense was a question mark. Now, it’s an exclamation point. Look, “Seahawk” became a verb on Super Bowl Sunday. The Broncos were Seahawk’d, showing that even if your offense had Manning, Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca, a gnarly defense could stop it. The Seahawks’ defense overwhelmed the Broncos’ offense, starting with Kam Chancellor’s hit on Thomas and continuing with persistent Peyton pressure.

And so, meet the new Boss. That’s Denver safety T.J. “Boss” Ward, the bard of trash talk who ended Rob Gronkowski’s season with a vicious hit. Cornerback Aqib Talib? You might remember him inhaling Thomas like Terrance Knighton would a smorgasbord.

And Ware? The only one of the three not to make the Pro Bowl last season is a game-changer. Yes, his sacks were down last season. He made only six, and he missed three games while in the previous seven seasons, his shortest sack total was 11. He played hurt, valiantly, for much of the woebegone 2013 Cowboys season.

I say that’s a blessing in disguise for Denver. Quick, who would you rather have bookending with Von Miller: Ware or Elvis Dumervil? I’ll take Ware, wearing a chip in his shoulder pads the size of Fort Worth.

“We know from watching on tape how much more football (Ware) has in him,” Elway said of the 31-year old. “He is going to be able to get after the passer. He told (secondary coach) Cory Undlin, give him 2.5 seconds and he’ll be there in 2.5 seconds.”

Ware was on the same flight from Dallas to Denver as Talib. Serendipity? Or did the Broncos plan this, hoping the two free agents would run into each other? Well, the two did, and they talked about the Broncos, and now they are Broncos.

I’m into Talib, the former New England Patriots standout. He seems to have it all figured out after years of immaturity and off-field issues. At 28, he plays like he’s on borrowed time. And the fact that the complexion of the AFC championship game against the Broncos changed when Talib went down, well, that shows you his importance.

“I want to play the best receiver on the other team every play,” Talib declared. “I don’t want to just stay on the left side or sometimes go against No. 3 receivers, like some guys in the league do. I won’t say any names. I relish the opportunity.”

So, it seems, does Elway.

Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or twitter.com/hochman