SuperBowl XLVIII Broncos vs Seahawks Game Day Thread

[WestCoastJoe]

My Dad got me cheering for Johnny Unitas and the Colts ... Greatest Game Ever Played vs the Giants ... (not in this picture)

As I noted earlier Peyton Manning requested permission to wear hightops to honour Unitas. NFL turned him down. Booooo

[notahomer]

Cute but could be taken another way. Long-time football legend Bradshaw visiting long time nightshow legend Leno before he sails off into the sunset. Longtime hall of famer Peyton Manning takes on relative newbie Wilson. SO WHAT? Well, Leno's replacement Jimmy Fallon had adorable puppies pick the Broncos on his show......

http://www.givemesport.com/426119-watch ... mmy-fallon

[notahomer]

I don't think its bulletin board material......

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/ ... -1.6914598

I couldn't believe it when I heard Sherman say Peyton's throws are like ducks. Well his comments seemed to go like water off of a duck's back (sorry!) when Peyton was asked. In reality though, I don't think it was meant as a putdown and I doubt Peyton would take it as such or CARE. Sherman clearly stated that he does respect Mannings footballIQ and where the ball ends up. They just aren't the prettiest of balls, in Shermans opinion.

Since so much of the focus seems to be Seattle's defence or Denver's offence, I don't think it would hurt to think about the opposites. If those balance out, who wins. Is the Denver defence more likely to stop Lynch and the rest of the Seattle offence OR will Lynch, Wilson, Baldwin etc... play more like Mannings offence? I feel the Seahawks offence is more likely to have an out of character BIG DAY and the Denver Defence. Guess we'll see in about 30 hours of so.....

[South Pender]

That was a great post about Pat Bowlen, Joe. I'd had no idea he was originally from Canada and had a strong connection to the CFL. About all I knew (or believed) about him was that he seemed to be a very gracious owner--not arrogant, not in front of any camera nearby, not meddling in team affairs--just a real credit to the league. Like the Rooneys in Pittsburgh, the Maras in NY, and let's not forget Paul Allen in Seattle (and, as owners, maybe we should include the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin!). And completely unlike the narcissistic, d-bags always bragging, making sure they are photographed several times each game, pictured with celebrities, etc., like Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder.

That item about short-term memory loss is sad, though, and very ominous; it usually represents the first stage of dementia.

[South Pender]

I couldn't believe it when I heard Sherman say Peyton's throws are like ducks. Well his comments seemed to go like water off of a duck's back (sorry!) when Peyton was asked. In reality though, I don't think it was meant as a putdown and I doubt Peyton would take it as such or CARE. Sherman clearly stated that he does respect Mannings footballIQ and where the ball ends up. They just aren't the prettiest of balls, in Shermans opinion.

Another foot-in-the-mouth moment for the very-dependable (in that way) Richard Sherman. The truth of the matter is that many of Manning's passes are not tight spirals traveling on a rope to the receiver in one nanosecond. He does not have what would be considered a really strong arm (but, then, neither did Joe Montana), and a lot of his passes do seem a little...umm...duck-like. What's also true, though, is that he is very accurate, putting the ball where the receiver doesn't have to turn himself into a pretzel to catch the ball and where the defender can't get it. And he can put enough zip on his passes to not fall short in that department. Most of all, however, is his quarterback intelligence, which I would define as a combination of experience, careful film study of opponents, and knowledge of the game that enables him to know the tendencies of the defenders he's playing, know the habits and tendencies of his own receivers, have great communication with his receivers, know "when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em," have great field vision (his 6-6 height helps some here), and, generally, how to play smart.

[WestCoastJoe]

That was a great post about Pat Bowlen, Joe. I'd had no idea he was originally from Canada and had a strong connection to the CFL. About all I knew (or believed) about him was that he seemed to be a very gracious owner--not arrogant, not in front of any camera nearby, not meddling in team affairs--just a real credit to the league. Like the Rooneys in Pittsburgh, the Maras in NY, and let's not forget Paul Allen in Seattle (and, as owners, maybe we should include the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin!). And completely unlike the narcissistic, d-bags always bragging, making sure they are photographed several times each game, pictured with celebrities, etc., like Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder.

That item about short-term memory loss is sad, though, and very ominous; it usually represents the first stage of dementia.

Yes, SP, sad to hear about the memory loss for Bowlen. The staff of the Broncos lovingly call him Mr. B. Sounds like he has built a great organization.
.............

Joe Namath was on Piers Morgan talking about his own experience with brain damage (from concussions, as distinct from dementia et cetera, but one thing led me to think about the other). He said he had himself tested, they found some damage, and he took treatment, which helped. I didn't hear what the treatment was, but, as it was Joe Namath talking, it will be in the media. Very promising, I would think.

[South Pender]

That was a great post about Pat Bowlen, Joe. I'd had no idea he was originally from Canada and had a strong connection to the CFL. About all I knew (or believed) about him was that he seemed to be a very gracious owner--not arrogant, not in front of any camera nearby, not meddling in team affairs--just a real credit to the league. Like the Rooneys in Pittsburgh, the Maras in NY, and let's not forget Paul Allen in Seattle (and, as owners, maybe we should include the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin!). And completely unlike the narcissistic, d-bags always bragging, making sure they are photographed several times each game, pictured with celebrities, etc., like Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder.

That item about short-term memory loss is sad, though, and very ominous; it usually represents the first stage of dementia.

Yes, SP, sad to hear about the memory loss for Bowlen. The staff of the Broncos lovingly call him Mr. B. Sounds like he has built a great organization.
.............

Joe Namath was on Piers Morgan talking about his own experience with brain damage (from concussions, as distinct from dementia et cetera, but one thing led me to think about the other). He said he had himself tested, they found some damage, and he took treatment, which helped. I didn't hear what the treatment was, but, as it was Joe Namath talking, it will be in the media. Very promising, I would think.

The damage to the brain that results in dementia (often Alzheimer's Disease, which constitutes about 60% of dementia cases) is, in some ways, not that different from that which afflicts those who've suffered many head injuries and concussions: the punch-drunk ex-boxer; the ex-football player. The same kind of brain-cell death, shrinkage of the brain, and the presence of the plaques and tangles in the brain tissue lead to the symptoms suffered by normal age-related dementia and post-concussion (likely a lot of concussions) damage. Joe may be at a stage where some help is possible through an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor like Donepezil, and, if he's suffering frequent headaches, there is certainly relief for that. But if Joe (or Pat Bowlen) is in the early stages of dementia, there are, unfortunately, no real cures for this class of diseases at this time, and it will inevitably progress towards eventual complete cognitive impairment. Research is ongoing, of course, as governments have awakened to the fact that the huge increase in dementia in an aging population will put terrible strains on the health-care system and lead to real financial catastrophe. So we can all hope that new discoveries that actually work in people (not just mice, where researchers have had some success) are on the horizon.

[South Pender]

OK, one day to go. How about some Super Bowl XLVIII picks (for what they're worth):

1. ESPN (48 pickers here; 25/23 Seahawks): http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2013/st ... s-big-game

2. CBS Sports (8 picks; 4/4): http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/features/w ... pert/picks

3. Pro Football Talk (2 picks; 2/0 Seahawks) http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... bowl-pick/ (I mentioned this one on the other NFL thread.)

4. USA Today (7 picks; 5/2 Broncos): http://www.usatoday.com/sports/

5. NFL.com (12 picks; Seahawks 9/3): http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/story/0ap2 ... er-broncos

6. Sports Illustrated (6 picks; 3/3): http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/ne ... edictions/

7. Eli the ape (1 pick; Seahawks): http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/prog ... ner-013114

[notahomer]

Kaepernick has finally started spouting off about Sherman.

http://tracking.si.com/2014/01/30/colin ... hawks-nfl/

Not sure why he's bothering. You/your team lost and they did it almost two weeks ago. Saying anything, I probably would have waited until the Seahawks playoffs were over. I have to admit I'm kinda biased against Kaepernick. I think the Niners would have been better with Alex Smith. Glad they got rid of him. I'm thrilled Kaepernick is a 49er and hope he stays their QB for years to come because he's gotta improve. Nearly won the Superbowl last year but teams have changed to adjust for him now. Make him throw.

Anyway, Kaepernick made his little sendoff to Newton. I just think this kinda stuff is overdone. Sherman SHOULD NOT have done what he did but he did. Defending yourself/teamates now doesn't make much sense, IMO. Save it for the games later this year come September......

[TheLionKing]

Peyton won his 5th MVP award tonight

[D]

Intersting CFL tie in ... Pete Carroll was mentored by Bud Grant and continues to seek Bud`s advice
http://www.seahawks.com/news/articles/a ... 8cea1ac064

[WestCoastJoe]

Game Day ...

Wonder how many players slept poorly.

Long day to wait until they play.

I recall reading about Bobby Hull on game day many, many years ago. His adrenalin was running fast all day, kind of uncomfortable, sweating a bit, even hanging around the hotel room. And he was not a nervous guy. Must be tough ... waiting.

[TheLionKing]

Not a good start for the Broncos. Gives up a safety on the 1st play

[TheLionKing]

8-0 Hawks. Now interception by Seattle

[WestCoastJoe]

Just tuned in.

No first downs for Denver in Q 1? A record. Ouch.